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32X

LIFE IN CANADA

FIFTY YEARS AGO:

I PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS AND REMINISCENCES OF

A SEXAGENARIAN.

CANNIFF HAIGHT

' Ah, happy years ! Once more who would not be a boy ? "

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

IKoronti? :

)

J I'Ulil.ISHEU BY HUNTER, ROSE & CO.

Rftl?£
30^9

3^-ar<?-sa.

Entered according to the Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year me
thousand eight hundred and eighty-five, liy Cannifi" Hakuit, in ttie
office of the Minister of Agriculture.

V7J^^

THE YOUNCI MEN OF CANADA,

UPON WHOSE INTEORITY AND HNKItCV (»!■' OKA l!A< TK!l
THE FUTUllE OK THIS CUEAT HERITAOE OF OURS IlKSTs,

TUTS BOOK
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

r.Y

T UK AUTllOTv.

PREFACE.

■«••♦»-

"TTTHEN a man poses before the world — even the
' ' Canadian world — in the role of an author, he
is expected to step up to the footlights, and explain his
purpose in presenting himself before the public in that
capacity.

The thoughts of the world are sown broadcast, very
niuch as the seed falls from the sweep of the husband-
man's hand. It drops here and there, in good ground
and in stony places. Its future depends upon its vi-
tality. Many a fair seed has fallen on rich soil, and
yet never reached maturity. Many another has shot
up luxuriantly, but in a short time has been choked
by brambles. Other seeds have been cast out with
the chaff upon the dung heap, and after various mu-
tations, have come in contact with a clod of earth,
through which they have sent their roots, and have
finally grown into thrifty plants. A thought thrown
out on the world, if it possesses vital force, never dies.
How much is remembered of the work of our greatest
men ? Only a sentence here and there ; and many a

PREFACE.

man vvliosu ii.inic will i^o down lliroiiL^li all the ai^'cs,
owes it L(j llic Until or the vital force of the tliouglit
onil)e(ltlc(l ill a few hricf lines.

I lia\e ver\ little to sav respectini'' the volume here-
witli presented to the puhJie. The j)! iiici[)al contents
a2)peare<l a short time ago iji the C't uadian MonihJ u
and the Cainulian. Mctliotlid iMajiiitne. They were
written at a tiniewlien my way seemed liedged around
with insurmount:d»le dilliculties, and when almost any-
thing that could all'i/i'd me a temporary respite from the
mental anxieties that weighed me down, not only dur-
ing the day, hut into the loni-' hours of the night, would
ha\e l»een welcomed. Like most unfortvuiates, I met
Mr. Worldly Wiseman I'rom da} to day. 1 always
found him ready to point out the way I should go and
what I sliould do, but 1 have no recollection that ho
ever got the breadth of a hair beyond that. One even-
ing 1 took up my pen and began jotting doNvn a few
memories of my boyhood. 1 think we are all fond of
taking retrospective glances, and more particularly
when life's pathway trends tow^ards the end. The re-
lief I found while thus engaged was very soothing, and
for the time I got altogether away from the present,
and lived over again many a joyous hour. After a

IMIKI'ACI:.

Vll

Lime J IkuI ciccuiiiulatud a ijood deal ut' lualU'r, >su(*li as
it was, Imt tli(3 tiioiii^lit of puMic-atioii Ikk.I not tlicu
cniorod my mind. (Jiie day, wliilc in conversation
witli Dr. Witlu'ow, I mentioned what I liad done, and
lie expressed a desiiv to see what I iiad written. The
papers were sent h'wn, and in a slioit time lie returned
them with a note expressing the pleasure the perusal
ot' them had altbnled him, and advising me to submit
them to the Canadiaib Moiitldij tor publication. Some-
time ai'tervvards T followed his a-lvice. The portion of
the [lapers that a])peared in the last-named periodical
were favourably received, and i was much gratilied
not only by that, but from private letters aftei'wards
received from diiferent [):irts of the Dominion, conve\^-
ing cx[)ressions of commendation which 1 had certain-
ly never anticipated. This is as much as need be said
about the origin and first publication of the papers
which make up the principal part of this volume. I
do not deem it necessary to give any reasons for put-
ting them in book form ; l^ut I may say this : the Avhole
has been carefully revised, and in its present shape I
hope will meet with a hearty welcome from a large
number of Canadians.

Vlll

PllEFACE.

In conclusion, I wish to express my thanks to the
Hon. J. C. Aikins, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba,
for information he procured for me at the time of \)\ih-
lication, and particuhirly to J. C Dent, Es(|., to whom
I am g-reatly indebted for many useful hints.

^
t

CONTENTS.

Dedication

PAHE

. iii

Preface.

fx.4

CHAPTER I.

The prose and jwetry of pioneer life in the backwctods— Tlie loc,' liouse
— Sugar making— An onien of i^-^nod luck My (Quaker yrand-
parents - Tlie old home— Winter eveninj,'H at the fireside- Rural
hos[)itality — Aristocracy rcrstts ])eniocracy- School days 1 ''Itat-
ing societies in the olden time— xV rural orator clinches the nuil -
Cider, sweet and otherwise— Husking in the barn— Hog killing and
sausage making Full cloth and corduro'\ AVinter w '.>. and win-
ter amusemen*-'- V Canadian skating song 1

CHAPTER II.

The round of pioneer life— Game— Night fishing— More details about
sugar-making— Sugaring- off— Taking a hand at the old churn—
Sheep-washing- -Country girls, then and now— Substance and Sha-
dow— " Old Gray" and his eccentricities — Harvest — My early
emulation of Peter Paul Rubens— Meeting-houses— Elia on Qua-
ker meetings— Variegated autumn landscapes — Logging and (juilt-
ing bees— Evening fun - The touching lay of the young woman

who sat down to sleep ;iS

■^

CHAPTER III.

Progress, material and social— Fondness of the young for dancing-
Magisterial nuptials- The charivari Coon-hunting— Catching a
tartar— Wild pigeons— The old Dutch houses— Delights of summer
and winter contrasted— Stilled voices 71

CONTENTS.

CHArTKK IV

PAOE

Till' cnily -I ttlrv^ ill T't'l 't Cnnadii l^i'ospority. national and indi-
viilual 'I'lic dill lionics, ^\itll(^lt and %vitliin -fandle-niaking—
Siii:civtiti(ins and ( nuai.s - 'I'lie death-watch Old almanacs- Iiees
--'Ihe divining rod- The V. E. Loyalists;- 1 heir ^n{Tt'lings and
heroism- An old and a ntw price list—Primitive liorologes - A
jannt in one of the conventional " carriages " of olden times -Then
and now- A note of warning

CHAPTER V.

.lefferson's definition (f "' Liberty "—How it was acted npon -The
Canadian renaissance— Pnrning political (|iustii>ns in Canada half
a century ago Ti( Kinctii ii- Mrs. JaniCMai on Canadian stage
coaches— P>atte:(U\ and I )ni ham hoats 121

cHAPTEi; vr.

Road-maldng — Weller's line of stages and steamboats — My trip from
Hamilton to Niagara- Schools and colleges- Pioneer ^Methodist
)ivea(diers Solemnization of matrimony— Literature and libraries
- Early newspai)ers— Primitive editoiial articles \U]

CHAPTEIJ VIL

P)anlcs- - Insurance- Marine — Telegraph companies - Administratifm
of Justice ^Milling and manufactures - Pai^id increase of poimla-
tiou in cities and tiwus - Ilxcerpts from yVndrew Pickeu Ill)

Skk'I'ciif.s or Eakia" History:

Early schools and -i luMiluiastcrs -Birth ef the American Pepnblic-
Love of ci'Ui'.try— Ad\ entures of_» V. ]]. Luyaiist family ninety
years a;;o 'l'!,e w ihh- of Tpper ( 'anaca -Jlay bay irard.-lii[)s uf
])ioneer life -Crctwth of popidation •- Division uf the Canadian
Provinces— l■^l^t Erontonac The " dark days "' — Celestial lire-
works Eaily stcvxm navigation in Caiia'la The rduntry mereliant

re^is The Hare asel the Tortoise 21:1

^^m

CONTENTS.

Handom Recollections of Eably Days :

T'AOE

Paternal memories -A visit to the home of my boyhood —The old
(^laker meeting-houpe— Flashes of silence- The old burying ground
—"To the memoiy of Eliza "--Ghostly experiences-Hiving the
Bees— Encounter with a l)ear— Giving " the mitten "—A " bound-
ary question "-—Song of the bullfrog— Ring- "Sagacity of animals
-Training-days — ricturesf[ue scenery on the Bay of (ininte-
John A. Macdonald- A perilous journey — Aunt Jane and Willet
Casey 2n3

OOLtNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

F1FT\^ YKAUS AGO.

CHAPTEU i.

((

1 calk of dreatiis,

* ■^ * * *

Fur you HUil 1 are past our .ianoiui^ ciiiya," —

Jioineo (iitd Jidiet.

TIIR I'JltSH AND I'OKTKY OF ITONKKU LI FK 1 N Til i: I'.AClvWoODS —
TilF LO(; IIOUSF, — SlMiAlt M A K INO — AN OMIiV OF GOOD LU«.'K — •
MV (,»lJAIvi;i!, (iilANDl'AKKNT.S— TIIK OLD iloMK — WINTER EVEN-
IN<;S AT TIIK FlliKSIDK — lUllAli IIOSIMTAIJTV — ARISTOOIIACY
Ccrsiis DK.MoCltAt'V — SCHOOL I) A VS — IHOi; V'J'I NKi SOCIE'l'lES IN

Tin; oLi)i;\ i'imk — v lm'kal ouatoii clinches the naii —

ClhHi;, .SWKET AND OTHLKWISE— II ['SK 1 N( i IN THE IJARN —
JIO(i KILLING AXi» SAUSAGi: M \K!N(; — FULLGLOTIl AND (JORILT
1U)Y — WINTER WORK AND WlNriK AMUSEMENTS— A CANADIAN
SKATING SONG.

WAS horn in tlio Coinis/ij^ of , U[)|)oi'CaiKula, on

tlio -ith (liy of Jiiiio, in llu; GiU'ly [)aFb of this pre-
sent ceiituiy. I have no lecolleetion of my entry into
the worhl, thoui^h I was present when tlie great event
occurred; but i have every reason to believe the date

L'OUNTUY LTt'E IN CANADA

^iven is correct, for I have it from my mother and
lather, who were there at tlie time, and I think my
mother had pretty good reason to know all abont it.
I was tlie first of tlie family, thoiii^h my parents liad
been mari-ied foi" more than five years before J pj'e-
sented myself as their lio[)eful lieir, and to demand fi"om
them more attention than they anticipated. " Cliil-
dren," says the Psalmist, "are an heritage, and he wlio
hath his (piiver fnll of tliem shall not be ashamed ; they
shall speak with the enemies in the gate." I do not
know what effect this liad on my fathei s enemies, if
he had any; but later expei'ience li is }ii()vi'«l to me
that those who rear a numerous pr()L;\'ii\ l;o tlii'ou;^]) a
vast deal of trouble and anxiety. At any rate I made
m}" ap[)earance on the stage, and bjgan luy [irifonu-
anei' behind the footlights of donit'.^iic blis>. I must
liave been a success, foi* I c;dled inrtii a great deal of
applanse from M\y parents, and received tluir umlivi-
ded attention. But other actors came upon ilie l>ua!"ds
in more rapid succession, set thai in a few y* ars tlie
quiver of my fatlier was well iilj^d, and he might have
met "his iiiemies in the gate."

My father, when he married, bought a farm. Of
course it was all woods, Such were the o)dy farms

>)
^

-»

•j

I
I

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

I-

^
^

available fur young folk to cominonco life with in those
clays. Don] )t.] OSS there was a good deal of romance in
it. Love in a cot; the smoke gracefully curling; the
wood-pecker tapping, and all that ; very pretty. But
alas, in this work-a-day world, particularly the new
one upon w^hich my parents then entered, these silver
linings were not observed. They had too much of the
prose of life.

A house was built— a log one, of the Canadian rusolc
style then much in vogue, containing one room, and
that not very large either; and to this my father
brought his young bride. Their outfit consisted, on his
part, of a colt a yoke of steers, n couple of sheep, some
pia"^, a gun, nii(l an axe. My mother's dot comprised a
Iioifr>-, 1.c<l and I'cddinu-, a taV>lo .jid chairs, a chest of
linen, some dishes, and a few other necessary items
with which to begin housekeeping. This will not seem
a very lavish set-out for a young couple on the part of
parents who were at that time more than usually well-
off. But there was a large family on both sides, and
the old people tlien thought it the better wa\- to let the
young folk try their hand at making a living before
they gave them of their abundance. If they succeeded

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

tliey wouldn't need mucli, and if they did not, it wuuld
come bettor ai'ter a while.

My fn,fh(M' was one of a class of yoiin'r inon. not iin-
comnion in those days, wlio nossossod onovicy and ac-
tivity, Ifc was bound to win. What the old peojdc
gave was cheerfully accepted, and he went to work to
acquire the necessaries and comforts of life with his
own hands. TFc chopixMl his way into the stubborn
woo'l. and added lii'Id li» ii ■111. The battle had now
been waged for seven or eight years ; an addition had
been made to the house ; other small comforts had been
added, and the nucleus of future competence fairly es-
tablished

One of my first recollections is in connection with
the small log barn he had built, and which up to that
date had not been enlarijvd. lie carried me out one
day in his. arms, and put me in a barrel in tluj middle
of the lloor. This was covered with loosuucii sheaves
of wheat, which he kept turning over with a wooilcn
fork, while the oxen and hol'se were driven lound and
round me. I did not know what itall meant then, but
I afterwards learneil that he was thresh im;'. This was
one of the iirst rude scenes in the drama of the early
settlers' life to which I was introduced, aul in wliicli 1

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

had to take a more practical part in after years. I
took part, also, very early in life, in sugar-making. The
sap-1)usli was not very far away from the house, and
the sai)-hoiling was nnder the direction of my mother,
Avho nuistered all the pots and kettles she could com-
mand, and when they were properly suspended over
the fire on wooden hooks, she watched them, and rock-
ed me in a sap-trough. Father's work consisted in
bringing in the sap with two pails, which vv'cre carried
by a wooden collar about three feet long, and mad(^ to
fit the shoulder, from each end of which were fastened
two cords with hooks to receive the bail of the pails,
leaving the arms fi'ce except to stea<ly them. He had
also to cut wood for the fire. I afterwards came to
take a more acti\c part in these duties, and used to wish
I could go back to my primitive cradle. But time
pushed me on whether I would or not, until T scaled
the mountain top of life's activities; ond now, when
quietly descending into the valley, my gaze is turned
afi'ectionately towards thqtp early days. T do not thiidc
they were always bright and joyc'us, and I am sure T
often chafed under the bui-dens imposed upon me; but
how inviting they seem when vicAved through the gol-
den haze of retrospection.

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

My next recollection is the ivaising of a frame barn
behind the house, and of a niece of my father's holdino-
me in her arms to see the men pushing up the heavy
" bents" with Ion*,' poles. The noise of the men shout-
ing and driving in the wooden pins with gieat wooden
beetles, away up in the beams and stringers, alarmed
me a great deal, but it all went up, and then one of
the men mounted the plate (the timber on which the
foot of the rafter rests) with a bottle in his hand, and
swinging it round his head three times, threw it
otf in the field. If the bottle was unbroken it wa.-t. an
omen of good luck. The bottle, I remember, was
picked up w^hole, and shouts of congratulation fol-
lowed. Hence, I suppose, the prosperity that attended
my father.

The only other recollection I have of this place was
of my father, who w^as a very ingenious man, and
could turn his hand to almost everything, making a
cradle for my sister, for this addition to our number
had occurred. I have no remembrance of any such
fanciful crib being made for my slumbers. Perhaps
the sap-trough did duty for me in the house as well as
in the bush. The next thing was our removal, which
took place in the winter, and all that I can recall of it

, >

i
)

"if

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

i.s tliat my undo took my mother, si.stor, and myself
away in a sleigh, and wc never returned to the little
log house. My father had sold his farm, bought half
of his old home, and come to live with his parents.
They were Quakers. ^ly grandfather was a short,
robust old man, and veiy particular about his personal
appearance. Half a century has elapsed since then, but
the picture of the old man taking his walks about the
place, in his closely-fitting snuft-brovvn cut-away coat,
knee-breeches, broad-brimmed hat and silver-headed
cane is distinctively fixed in ni}^ memory. He died
soon after we took up our residence with him, and th6
number who came from all parts of the country to the
funeral w\as a great surprise to me. I could not
imagine where so many people came from. The
custom prevailed then, and no doubt does still, when a
death occurred, to send a messenger, who called at
eveiy house for many miles around to give notice of
the death, and of when an*! where the interment
would take place.

My grandmother Wti> a tall, neat, motherly old
woman, beloved by everybody. She lived a number of
years after her husband's death, and I seem to see her
now, sitting at one side of the old fire-place knittin<^

COUNTRY LIFE IN fANADV

She was always knittlni;', and tiirninn' out scores of
thick warm socks and mittens for her ^randcliildrcn.

At tliis time a great clian'^e liad tnkcn plar-o, Ixitii in
the appearance of the country and in tlic (-(nditioii of
tlie people. It is true tluit many of th(! first settlers
luid ceased from theii- lahours, l)ut there were a i^ood
many left — old people now, who were (juietly enjoyini^^
in tlieir declining years, the frnit of their eaily in-
dustry. Commodious dwellings had taken the place of
the first rude houses. Large frame hains and out-
houses had grown out of the small log ones. The foi-est
in the immediate neighhourhood had l)een cleared
away, and well-tilled fields occupied its place. Coarse
and scanty fare had been supplanted hy a rich
abundance of all the requisites that go to make home a
scene of pleasure and contentment. Altogether a sub-
stantial prosperity was apjiarent. A genuine content
and a hearty good will, one towards another, existed in
all the older parts. The settled part as yet, however',
formed only a very narrow belt extending along the
bay and lake shores. The great forest lay close at
hand in the rear, and the second generation, as iii the
case of my father, had only to go a few miles to find it,

iwyiww'a m ttmmtn

FIFTY YKAfJS AGO.

and commence for themselves the laborious struggle
of cleaving it away.

The old home, as it was called, was always a })lace of
attraction, and especially so to the young people, "who
Were sure of fiiidiuL'' i-ttod cheer at •••randfatluir's.
What fun, after the small place called home, to have
the run of a dozen rooms, to haunt the big cellar, with
its great heaps of potatoes and vegetables, huge casks
of cider, and well-iille<l bins of ap])les, oi* to sit at the
table loaded with the i-'ood thiu'^s which Gfrandmother
oidy could supply. How d(3licious tlu^ larger piece of
puui[)kiii pie tr, . ,od, and how toothsome the rich crul-
lers that melted in the mouth I Dear old body ! 1
can see her now f'oinrj- to the i-reat cunboard to iret
me sometlnng, saying as she goes, " I'm sure the child
is hungry." And it Avas true, he was always hungiy ;
and how he managed to stow away so much is a
mystery I cannot now ex[)lain. There was no place
in the world more to be desired than this, and no spot
in all the past the recollection of which is more bright
and joyous.

My father now assumed the management of affairs.
The old people reserved one room to themselves, but it
was free to all, particularly to us children. It was

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

hard to tell sometimes which to choose, whether the
kitchen, wliere the family were gathered round the
cheerful h)gs blazing l)iightly in the big fire-place, or
a stretch on the soft rag-carpet beside the box stove in
grandmother's room. This room was also a sanctuary
to which we often fled to escape punishment after
doing some mischief. We were sure of an adv^ocate
there, if we could reach it in time.

The house was a frame one;, as nearly all the best
houses were in those days, and was painted a dark yel-
low. There were two kitchens, one used for washing
and doing the heavier household work in ; the other,
considerably larger, was used by the family. In the
latter was tlie large fire-place, around which gathered iii
the winter time bright and happy faces; where the old
men smoked their pipes in peaceful reverie, or delighted
us with stories of other days ; where mother darned her
socks, and father mended our boots ; where the girls
were sewing, and uncles were scraping axe-handles
with bits of glass to make them smooth. There were
no drones in farm-houses then ; there was somethincr
for every one to do. At one side of the fire-place was
the large brick oven with its gaping mouth, closed
with a s^nall door, easily removed, where the bread

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

and pies were baked. Within the fire-place was an
iron crane securely fastened in the jamb, and made
to swing in and out with its row of iron pot-hooks
of different lengths, on which to hang the pots used
in cooking. Cook stoves had not yet appeared to
cheer the housewife and revolutionize the kitchen.
Joints of meat and poultry were roasted on turning
spits, or were suspended before the fire by a cord and
wire attached to the ceilinjj^. Cookin<:j was attended
with more difiiculties then. Meat was fried in long-
handled pans, and the short-cake that so often graced
the supper table, and played such havoc with the
butter and honey, with the pancakes that came pip-
ing hot on the breakfast table, owed their finishing
touch to the frying pan. The latter, however, were
more frequently baked on a large griddle with a bow
handle made to hook on the crane. This, on account
of its larojer surface, enabled the cook to turn out these
much-prized cakes, when properly made, with greater
speed ; and in a large family an expoit hand was re-
quired to keep up the supply. Some years later an
inirenious Yankee invented what was called a " Reflec-
tor," made of bright tin for baking. It was a small tin
oven with a slanting top, open at one side, and whei^

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

required for use was set before the fire on the hearth.
This simple contrivance was a great convenience, and
came into general use. Modern inventions in the
appliances for cooking have very much lessened the
labour and increased the possibilities of supplying a
variety of dishes, but it has not improved the quality
of them. There were no better caterers to hungry
stomachs than our mothers, whose practical education
had been received in grandmother's kitchen. The
other rooms of the house comprised a sitting-room —
used only when there was company — a parlour, four
bedrooms, and the room reserved for the old people.
Up stairs were the sleeping and store-rooms. In the
hall stood the tall old fashioned house clock, with its
long pendulum swinging to and fro with slow and
measured beat. Its face had looked upon the vener-
able sire before his locks were touched with the frost
of aoe. When his children were born it indicated the
hour, and it had gone on telling off the days and years
until the children were grown. And when a wedding
day had come, it had rung a joyful peal through the
house, and through the years the old hands had
travelled on, the hammer had struck off the hours, and

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

another generation had come to look upon it and grow
familiar with its constant tick.

The furniture was plain and substantial, more atten-
tion being given to durability than to style or orna-
ment. Easy chairs— save the spacious rocking-chair
for old women— and lounges were not seen. There
was no time for lolling on well-stuifed eushions. The
rooms w^ere heated with large double box stoves, very
thi"k and heavy, made at Three Rivers ; and by their
side was always seen a large wood-box, well tilled with
sound maple or beech wood. But few pictures adorned
the walls, and these wei'e usually rude prints far in-
ferior to those we get every day now iVoui the ilUis-
trated pai^ers. Books, so plentiful and cheap now-a-
days, were then veiy scarce, and where a few eould be
found, they w-e mostly heavy doctrinal tomes [.iled
away on some shelf where they were all<j\ved to re-
main.

The home we now inhabited was altogether a dif-
ferent one from that we had left in the back conees--
sion, but it was like many another to be found along
the bay shore. Besides my own family, there were ,
two younger brothers of my father, and two grown-
up nieces, so that when we all mustered round the

COUNTrV life in CANAbA

t - T^

table, there was a goodly number of hearty people
always ready to do justice to the abundant provision
made. This reminds me of an incident or two illus-
trative of the lavish manner with which a well-to-do
farmer's cable was supplied in those days. A Mon-
treal merchant and his wife were spending an evening
at a very highly-esteemed farmer's house. At the
proper time supper was announced, and the visitors,
with the family, were gathered round the table, which
groaned, metaphorically speaking, under the load it
bore. There were turkey, beef and ham, bread and
the favourite short cake, sweet cakes in endless variety,
pies, preserves, sauces, tea, coffee, cider, and what not.
The visitors were amazed, as they might well be, at
the lavish display of cooking, and they were pressed,
with well-meant kindness, to partake heartily of every-
thing. They yielded good-naturedly to the entreaties
to try this and that as long as they could, and paused
only when it was impossible to take any more. When
they were leaving, the merchant asked his friend when
they were coming to Montreal, and insisted tliat they
should come soon, promising if they would only let
hiir? 'low a little before when they were comino- he
^^' . \Miy up everything there was to be had in the

\ ' T1

FiFTr YEAHS AGO.

market for supper. On canothei* occasion an English
gentleman was spending an evening at a neighbour's,
and, as usual, the supper table was crowded with
everything the kind-hearted hostess could think of.
The guest was plied with dish after dish, and, think-
ing it would be disrespectful if he did not take some-
thing from each, he continued to eat, and take from
the dishes as they were passed, until he found his
plate, and all the available space around him, heaped
up with cakes and pie. To dispose of all he had care-
fully deposited on his plate, and around it, seemed
utterly impossible, and yet he thought he would be
considered rude if ho did not finish wliat he had
taken, and he struggled on, with the perspiration
visible on his face, until in despaii" he asked to be
excused, as he could not eat any more if it were to
vsave his life.

It was the custom in those days for the hired help
(the term servant was not used) to sit at the table with
the family. On one occasion, a Montreal merchant
prince was on a visit at a wealthy Quaker's, who
owned a large farm, and employed a number of men
in the summer. It was customary in this house for
the family to seat themselves first at the head of the

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

table, after whieh the hired haiuls all came in, and
took the lower end. This was the oidy distinction.
Tliey were served just as the rest of the family. On
this occasion the guest canio out with the family, and
they were seated. Then the hired men and girls came
in and did the same, whereupon the merchant left tlie
table and the room. The old lady, thinking there
was something the matter with the man, soon after
followed him into the sitting-room, and asked him if
he was ill. He said "No." "Then why did thee
leave the tal)le ? " the old lady en<[uired. " JJecause,"
said he " I am not accustomcil to eat with servants."
" Very well," ru[)lied the old lady, " if thee cannot
eat with us, thee will have to go without thy dinner."
His honour concluded to ^tocket his dignity, and sul)-
mit to the rules of the house.

I was sent to school early — more, 1 fancy, to get me
out of the way for a good part of the day, than from
any expectation that 1 would learn much. It took a
long time to hammer theal])habet into my head. JJut
if I was dull at school, 1 was noisy and mischievous
enough at home, and very fond of tormenting my sis-
ters. Hence, my parents — and no child ever had better
ones — could not be blamed very nuicli if they did

FIFTY YEAHS AGO.

send me to school for no other reason tlian to be rid of
me. The school house was close at hand, and its aspect
is deeply graven in my memory. My first school-
master was an Englishman who had seen better days.
He was a good scholar, I believe, but a poor teacher^
The school house was a small square structure, with
low ceiling. In the centre of the room was a box stove,
around which the lono- wooden benches without backs
were ranged. Next the walls were the desks, raised a
little from tht; floor. In the suunner time the pupils
were all of tender years, the elder ones being kept at
home to help with the work. At the conniiencement of
my educational course I was one of a little lot of urchins
ranged daily on hard ^vooden seats, with our feet dang-
ling in the air, for seven or eight hours a day. In such
a plight we were expected to be very good children, to
make no noise, and to leai'u our lessons. It is a marvel
that so many years had to elapse before parents and
teachers could be brought to see that keeping children
in such a position for so many hours was an act of
great cruelty. The terror of the rod was the only
^hing that could keep us still, and that often failed.
Sometimes, tired and weary, we fell asleep and tumbled
off the bench, to be I'onsed bv the fall and the rod. la

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

the winter time the small «chool room was filled to
overflowing with the larger boys and girls. This did
not improve our condition, for we were more closely
packed together, and were either shivering with the
cold or being cooked with the red-hot stove. In a
short time after, the old school house, where my father,
I believe, had got his schooling, was hoisted on run-
ners, and, with the aid of several yoke of oxen, was
taken up the road about a mile and enlarged a little.
This event brought my course of study to an end for
a while. I next sat under the i-od of jui Iiish peda-
gogui'— an old man who evidently believed that the
only way to get anything into a boy's head was to
pound it in with a stick through his back. There was
no di^cipline, and the noise we made seemed to rival a
Bedlam. We used to play all sorts of tricks on the old
man, and I was not behind in contiivinir or carrvin^-
them into execution. One day, however, I was caught
and severely thrashed. This so mortiiied me that I
juuipcd out of the window and went home. An inves-
tigation followed, and I was whipped by my father and
sent back. Poor old Dominie, he has long since put by
his Slick, and passed beyond the reach of uniuly boys.
Thus I passed on fiau teacher to teacher, staying at

\
K

FIFTY yEAPvF? AfJO.

. IS

home in the smiiiruM', juid I'osuniinij: iny hooks airain in
the winter. Soiiietiines I went to the old school lionso
np the road, soinotiiiies to tlie one in an opposite direc-
tion. The latter was larg-ei', and there was genei-ally a
better teacher, l)ut it was nuieli farther, and I had to
set oft* early in the cold frosty niorniiii;->s with my
books and dinner basket, often throni^h deep snow and
drifts. At niLjht I had to i^et home in time to help to
feed the cattle and <A't in the; wood for the iires. 'I'lu^
school honses then were ^'cnerally small and uncomfoi*-
tahlc, and tlie teachers were oFtnn of a vcrv infciior
oi'der. The school system of (^anada, whi'di has since
been moulded by the skilful hand of ])r. llyerson into
one of the best in th(^ world, and which will i^dve to
his industry and genius a m)re en lurin.;- rec )i'd than
stone or brass, was in my day \^'vy imperfect indeed.
It was, perhaps, np with the times. But when th(^ ad-
vantages which the youth of this coiuitry now ])ossess
are compared with the small facilities we ha<l of pick-
ing u\) a little knowledge, it seems almost a marvel
that we learned anything. Spelling matches came at
this time into vogue, and were continued for several
years. Tliuy occasioned a friendly rivahy between
schools, and were productive of good. The meetings

t'OUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

took plrtcr (lurini^- tlie lono- winter iiij^'hts, either Aveekly
or foitniL-litly. VWay scliool li.ad one oi* moio prize
spellers, and these were selected to lead tlie match; or>
if the school was lai-f^e, a contest between the gii-ls and
hoys came oft' fiist. Sometimes two of the best spel-
lers were selected by the scholars as leaders, and these
would proceed to ' choose sides ; ' that is, one would
choose a fellow pupil, who would rise and take his or
her place, and then the othei', continuing until the list
was exhausted. The preliminaries being completed, the
contest began. At first the lower end of the class was
dis])()sod of, and as time wore on one after another
would make a slip and retii'e, until two or three only
were left on either side. Then the struggle became
exciting, and scores of eager eyes were fixed on the
contestants. With the old hands there was a good deal
of fencing, though the teacher usually had a reserve of
difficult words to end the fight, which often lasted two
or three hours. He failed sometimes, and then it was
a drawn battle to be fought on another occasion.

Debating classes also met and discussed gi-R\ >) ques-
tions, upon 'such old-fashioned subjects ivs these:
" Which is the more useful to man, wood or iron ? "
" Which affords the greater enjoyment, anticipation or

FIFTY YEARS A(U>,

l»aitifi|»ati()n ?" "Which was tlic •;ioat('i' L,^'iU'ral,
WoUiii^toii or Napoleon?" Those vvlio woic to take
part ill the (lisenssi(ni were always selected at a pre-
vious iiieetin<5^, so that all that had to bo done was to
select a chairman and comniencc the deltato. T can
give from memory a sam[)le or two of these first at-
tempts. " Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : Un-
accustomed as I am to i)ublic speaking, I rise to make
a few remarks on this all important (piestion — ahem —
Mr. President, tins is the first time I ever tried to
speak in public, and unaccustomed as I am to — to —
ahem. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think our opponents
arc altogether wrong in arguing that Napoleon was a
greater general than Wellington — ahem — I ask you,
Mr. President, did Napoleon vvor thrasli Wellington ?
Didn't Wellington always thrash him, Mr. President ?
Didn't he whip him at Waterloo and take him prisoner ?
and then to say that ho is a greater general than Wel-
lington — wl y, Mr. President, he couldn*t liold a candle
to him. Ladies and Gentlemen, I say that Napoleon
wasn't a match for him at all. Wellington licked him
every time — and — ^'■es, licked him every time. I can't
think of any more, Mr. President, and I will take my
seat, Sir, by saying that I'm sure you will decide in

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

our ffuoiir From the strong argiiinonts our .sido lias
produced."

After listouino- to such powerful reasoning, some one
oftlie oldc si)ectators would ask Mr President to bo al-
hjwed to say a few words on some otlier important
({uestion to he debated, and would proceed to air his
eloquence and instruct the youth on such a tojnc as
this : " Which is the greater evil, a scolding wife or a
siuoky chii.'uiey?" After this wise the haran'.-ue
would proceed :— '' Mr. President, I have been almost
mad a-listening to the debates of these 'ere voun«vsters
— they don't know nothing at all about the sul)ject.
What do they know about the evil of a scoldin*-- wife ?
Wait till they have had one for twenty years, and been
hanniiered, and janniied, and slannned, all the while.
Wait till they've been scolded because the ba])y cried,
because the fire wouldn't buj-n, because the ]'oom was
too hot, because the cow kicked ov or the milk, because
it rained, because the sun shined, because the hens
didn't la,y, because the butter wouldn't come, because
the old cat had kittens, because they came too soon
for dinner, because they were a minute late — before
they talk about the worry of a scolding wife. Why,
Mr. President, I'd I'atlier hear the clatter of luimmers

, -7

*
'\-}»

^^1

[

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

» :<

and stones and twenty tin pans, and nine brass kettles,
than the din, din, din, of the tongue of a scolding
woman ; yes, sir, I would. To my mind, Mr. Presi-
dent, a smoky chimney is no more to be compai-ed to a
scoldino' wife than a little nii^ger is to a dark night."
'J'hese n"^eetings were generally well attended, and con-
ducted with considerable spirit. If the discussions
wore not brilliant, and the young debater often lost
the thread (jf his argumeiit — in other words, got things
" mixed " — he u'ained eontidcnce, learned to talk in
public, a,ntl to take higher llights. Many of our lead*
ing public men learned their lirst lessons in the art of
public speaking in the country debating school.

Apple trees were phinted early by the liay scttlerS)
and there were now numerous large orchards of ex*
cellent fndt. Pears, plums, cherries, currants and goose-
berriei were also connnon. The apple ci'op was gatln
ered in Octobei', the best fruit being sent to the cellar
for family use during \\ inter, and the rest to the cidei*

mill.

The cider mills of those days were somcW'.r.f; rUtIo
contrivances. The mill proper consisted of two cogged
wooden cylinders about fourteen inches in diameter,
and perhaps twonty-six inches in length, placed iu an

rOUNl'RY LIKK IN CANADA

^ ■

upright position in a frame. The piv(;t of one of these

extended upwar<l aljout six feet, and at its top was

secured the long shaft to which the liorse was attached,

and as it was driven round and round, the mill crunched

the ap[tles with many a creak and groan, and shot them

out on the opposite side. The press which waited to

receive the l)ruised mass was about eight feet srpiare,

round tlie floor of whieh, near the edge, ran a deep

groove to carry off the j nice. 1 n making what is known

as the cheese, the first process was to spread a thick

layer of long rye or wheat straw round the outer edge,

on the floor of the press. Upon this the pul[) was

placed to the deptli of a foot or more. The first layer

of straw was then turned in carefully, and another

layer of straw put down as in the first place, upon

which more pulp was placed, and so on from layer to

layer, luitil the cheese was complete. Planks were

then ])laced on the top, and the pressure of the power

ful wooden screw brought to bear on the mass. At

once a copious stream of cider l)egan to flow into the

casks or vat, and here the fun began with the boys,

who, well armed with lojig straws, sucked their fill.

By the roadside 8tai)ds the cider-mill,
Where a lowland sUunbor waits the rill :

f- ■

FIFTY YEARS AGIO.

A great brown biiildiug, two stories high,
On the western hill-face warm and dry ;

And odorous piles of apples there
Fill with incense the golden air ;

And masses of pomace, mixed with straw,
To their amber sweets the late flies draw.

The carts back up to the upper door,
And spill their treasures in on the Moor ;

Down throu<,di the toothed wheels they go
To the wide, deep cider press below.

And the screws are turned by slow degrees
Down en the straw-laid cider cheese ;

And with each turn a fuller stream
Bursts frombeueath the graniug beam,

An amber stream the gods might sip,
And fear no morrow's parched lip.

J Jut wherefore, gods I Those idle tf)ys
Were soulless to real i\uuuHn\i boys !

What classic goblet ever felt

Such thrilling touches through it melt,

As tlu\)b electric alou'' a straw,
When the boyish lips the cider draw I

The years are heavy with weary sounds,
An<i their discords life's sweet music drowns

But yet I he^-'', oh, sweet ! oh, sweet !
The riil that bathed my bare, brown feet ;

And yet the cider drips and falla
On my inward ear at intervals

.»1

2G (JOUNTRY LIFK IN CANADA

And I lead at times in a sad, sweet dream
To the bubbling of that littUi stream ;

And I sit in a visioned autumn still,
In the sunny door of the cider mill.

— WlIlTllKli.

It was a iiuivevsal custom to suta di.sb of ajiples and a
pitcher of cider before eveiyone who came to the house.
Any departure from this would have been thoiiglit
disrespectful. The sweet cider w;is generally boiled
down into a syrup, and, with apples (piartered and
cooked in it, was e([iial to a ; reserve, aud made splen-
did })ies. It was called a])p1' ; ■ \ and found its way
to the table thrice a day.

Then came the potatoes and roots, which had to be
du<»- and bronuht to the cellar. It was not very nice
work, particularly if the ground was damp and cold,
to pick them out and throw them into the basket, but
it had to be done, and I was compelled to do my share.
One good tiling about it was that it was never a long
job. There was nuich more fun in gathering the pump-
kins and corn into the Ijarn. The corn was husked, gen-
erally at night, the bright golden ears finding their way
into the old crib, from whence it was to come again to
fatten the turkeys, the geese, and the ducks for Chris-
mas. It was a very conunon thing to have husking

fi.

FIFTV YEAilS AGO.

bees. A few nei'j:lib<)ur.s would be invited, the barn
lit with candles.

Strung o'er the heaped-iip harvest, from pitchforks in the mow,
Shone di;uly down the hxnterns on the pleasant scenes belov ;
The growing pile of huiks behind, the golden ears before.
And laughing eyes, and busy hand, and brown cheeks glimmer-
ing o'er.

Half hidden in a (piiot nook, serene of look and heart,
Talking their (jld times o'er, the old men sat apart ;
While up and down tlu^ unhusked pile, or nestling in its sh -de,
At hide-and-seek, with laugh and shout, the happy children
played.

— WlIITTIEK.

Amid jokes and lanL^hter tlic husivs and caj-s wouhl
t\y, until tlie work was done, when all hands wonhl
repair to the house, and, after partaking of m hearty
su[)per, leave for home in high sj)irits.

Then came liog-killing time, a very heavy and disa-
greeable task, but tlic farmer has many of these, and
learns to take them pleasantly. My fathe)-, with two
or three expert hands dressed for tlie occasion, woukl
skiughter and dress ten or a do/en large hogs in the
course of a day. There were other actors besides in the
play. It would be curious, indeed, if all hands were
not employed when work was going on. My part in
the performance was to attend to the lire under the

f28

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

mvnt kettle in wliicli llie lio^-s wcie scalded, and to
keep tlie water Ixjilini^', varied at intervals l)y 1 (lowing
up bladders with a (juill foi' my own amusement. In
tlie liouse the fat had to be looked to, and after being
washed and tried (the term used for melting), was
])oured into dishes and set aside to cool and become
lard, afterwards finding its way into cakes and pic-
crust. The out- door task does not end with the first
day either, for the hogs have to be carried in and cut
up; the large meat tul»s, in which the family supplies
are kept, have to be lilkd ; the hams and shoulders to
be nicely cut and cnred, luu] the rest packed into bar-
nds for sale.

Close on the heels of nOLr-killiiH'- came sansaii'c-
making, when meat had to be chop[)ed and flavoured,
and stntl'ed into cotton bags or prepared gut. Then
the heads and f(3et had to be soaked and scraped over
and over again, and when ready were boiled, the one
being converted into head-cheese, the othci' into souse.
All these matters, when conducted under the eye of a
good housewife, contributed largely to the comfort and
good living of the family. Who is there, with such an
experience as mine, that receives those things at the
hands of his city uutchcr and meets them ou his table,

- K'A

FIFTY YEATIS AGO.

i .

who does not wish for the moment that he was a hoy,
and seated at his mother's board, that he miglit shake
oft* the phantom canine and fehne that rise on Ids plate,
and call in one of mother's sausages.

As the fall cre])t on, the })reparations for winter in-
creased. The lai'ge roll of full cloth, Avhich liad been
lately brouglit from the mill, was cariied duwn, and
father and I set out for a tailor, who took our meas-
ure and cut out our clothes, which we brought houie,
and souie vvouian, or perhaps a wandering tailor, was
employed to make them up. There was no discussion
as to style, and if the lit did not happen to b(^ peifect,
there was no one to criticise cither the uiatei'ial or the
make, nor were there any aibitniry rules of fashi(ju to
be respected. We had new clothes, which were warm
and comfortable. What more did we waut { A cob-
blei-, too, was brought iu to make our boots. My
father was (juite an expert at shoemaking, but he
had so many irons in the fire now that he coidd
not <lo more than mend or make a light })aii' of shoes
for mother at odd spells. The work then turned out
by the sons of St. Crispin was not highly finished.
It was coarse, but, what was of greater consecpience,
it was strong, and wore well. While all this was

COUNTRY LTFK TN CANADA

going on for the benefit of the male portion of the
house, rnotlier and the girls were busy tui'nin"- the
white flannels into shirts and drawers, and the plaid
roll that came with it into dresses for themselves.
As in the case of our clothes, there was no consult-
ing of fashion-books, for a very good reason, perhaps
—there was none to consult. No talk about Miss
Brown or Miss Smith having her dress made this way
or that ; and I am sui-e they were far happier and
content(>d than the girls of to-day, with all tlu^'r show
and glitter.

The vuiiih at that time, more |»articularly in the full,
were almost impassal.h^ until fro/^-n up. In the spring,
until the frost was out of the ground, and they had
settled and di-ied, they were no better. The bi-ido-es
were rough, wooden atfairs, covered with logs, usually
tlattene<l on one side with an axe. The swanqis and
marshes were made i)assal)le by laying down logs, of
nearly e(^ual size, close together in the woi'st places.
These were known as cordui-oy roads, and were no
pleasant highways to ride over for any distance, as all
who have tried them know. But in the winter the
frost and snow made good travelling everywhere, and

r ^A

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

r ^0\

hence the winter was the time for the farmer to do his
teaminix.

One of the first things that claimed attention when
the sleighing began, and before the snow got deep in
the woods, was to get out the year's supply of fuel.
The men set out for the bush bofoi-e it was fairly day-
light, and conunenced chopping. The trees were cut
in lengths of about ten i'vi^t, and the brush piled in
heaps. Then uiy fatliei", oi- myself, when I got old
enough, followed with the sleigh, and began drawing
it, until the wood yjird was Idled with sound beech
and maple, with a few loads of dry pine for kindling.
These hug; wo(jd-piles always bore a thrifty a])pear-
ancc, and spoke of comfoi-t and good cheer within.

Just before Christmas tliei'e was always one or two
beef cattle to kill. Sheep had also to be slaughtei-ed,
with the turkeys, geese and ducks, which had Ijcen
getting ready for decapitation. After home wants
were provided for, the rest were sent to market.

The winter's woi'k now began in earnest, for whatever
may be said about the eiijoyment of Canadian winter
life — and it is an enjoyable time to the Canadian —
there are few who really enjoy it so much as the farmer.
He cannot, however, do like bruin — roll himself up in

COUNTRY T-TFE TN CANADA

the fall, and suck his paw until sj^ring in a state of
semi-unconsciousness, for his cares are numerous and
imperious, his work varied and laborious. His large
stock demands regular attention, and nmst be fed
morninrj and niifht. The ^reat barn tilled with orain
had to be threshed, for the cattle needed the straw,
and the ijrain had to be fjot out for the maiket. So
day after day he and his men hannuered away with
the flail, or S{)read the sheaves on the barn tloor to be
tvf^.mpled out by horses. 'JMirishing machines were
unknown then, as were all the labour-savinjx machines
now so extensively used by the farmer. Mis muscular
arm was the oidy machine he tliun had to rely upon,
and if it did not accom[)lisli much, it succeeded in
doing its work well, and in pioviding him with all his
modest wants. Then the famiing mill came into ]>lay
to clean the grain, after which it was carried to the
granaiy, whence again it was taken either to the mill
or to market. Winter was also the time to ii'et out the
logs irom the woods, and to haul them to the mill to
be .sawed in the spring — we always had a use for
boards. These saw mills, iaiilt on sap-streams, which
ran dry as soon as the spring freshets were over, were
like the cider mills, small rough structui'es. They ha*!

>■■

.i\

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

but one upright saw, whicli, owiu^^ to its primitive
construction, did not move as now, with lii^ditnin;^ rap-
idity, nor did it turn out a very large (iuaiitity of
stuff. It answered tlie purpose of the day, however,
and that was all that was required or expected of it.
Rails, also, had to be split and drawn to where new
fences were wanted, or where old ones needed repairs.
There were fiour, beef, mutton, butter, apples, and a
score more of things to be taken t*) market and dis-
posed of. But, notwithstanding all this, the winter
was a good, joyful time for the farmer — a time, more-
over, when the social requisites of his nature received
the most attention. Often the horses would be put to
the sleigh, and we would set off, well bundled up, to
visit some friends a few miles distant, <jr, as frequently
happened, to visit an uncle or an aunt, far away in the
new settlements. The roads often wounil along fur miles
through the forest, and it was great fun for us young-
sters to be dashing along behind a spirited team, now
around the trunks of great trees, or under the low-
hanging boughs of the spruce or cedar, laden with
snow, which sometimes shed their heavy load upon
our heads. But after a while the cold would sei/.c

upon us, and we would wish our journey at an end.
C

COUNTRY LIt'E IN CANADA

The horses, white with frost, would then be pressed on
faster, and woiiM bring us at lungtli to the door. In
a few moments we would all be seated round the
glowing fire, which would soon quiet our chattering
teeth, thaw us out, and prepare us to take our places
at the repast which had been getting ready in the
meantime. We were sure to do justice to the good
things which the table provided.

Many of these early days start up vividly and
brightly before me, particularly since I have grown to
manhood, and lived amid other surroundings. Among
the most pleasing of these recollections are some of
my drives on a moonlight night, when the sleighing
was good, and when the sleigh, with its robes and
rugs, was packed with a merry lot of girls and boys
(we had no ladies and gentlemen then). Off we
would set, spanking along over the crisp snow, which
creaked and cracked under the runners, making a low
murmuring sound in harmony v/ith the sleigh-bells.
When could a more fitting time be found for a pleasure-
ride than on one of those clear calm nights, when the
earth, wrapped in her mantle of snow, glistened and
sparkled in the moonbeams, and the blue vault of
heaven glittered with countless stars, whose brilliancy

' \

riFTY YKAllS AGO,

r
T4

sccincil intuasiliid bv ilio ct^M — wlicii llic uurora liorc-
alis waved and danci-d across tliu iiortlieni sky, and tlio
frost noiselessly fell like Hakes of silver upon a
scene at (mco inspi riling', exhilarating and joyous !
How tlie nici'ry lau'di lloated alonu' in the evcninL>: air,
as we dashed aloni;- the road ! How sweetly the merry
Sony and chorus ecluuMl thi'oUL,di tlie silent wood, while
our hearts were aulow with excitement, and all nature
seemed to resp(jnd to tlie hap[)y scene !

When the frosty nights set in, we wei'e always on
tlie ii'il vlve for a skating revel on some pond near by,
and our eagerness to enjoy the sport freiiuently led to
a ducking, tjut very soon the large ponds, and then
the bay, were fro/on over, wliea we could indulge in
the fun to our heart's content. My lirst attempts were
made under considerable dilliculties, but perseverance
bridges the way over many obstacles, and so, with my
father's skates, which were over a foot long, and which
required no little ingenuity to fasten to my feet,
1 made my lir.-,t attem})t on the ice. Soon, how-
ever, in the growth of my feet, this trouble was over-
come, and 1 could whirl over the ice with anyone.
The girls did not share in this exhilarating exercise
then; indeed their doing so would have been thought

COUNTRY' LIFE IN CANADA

quite improper. As our time was usually taken up
with school through the day, and with such chores as
feeding cattle and bringing wood in for the fire when
we returned at night, we would sally out after supper,
on moonlight nights, and, full of life and hilarity, fly
over the ice, singing and shouting, and making the
night ring with our merriment. There was plenty of
room on the bay, and early in the season there were
miles of ice, smooth as glass and clear as crystal, re-
flecting the stars which sparkled and glittered beneath
our feet, as tliough we were gliding over a sea of
silver set with brilliants.

Ho for the bay, the ice-bound bay !

The moon is up, the stars aro bright ;
The air is keen, but lol it phiy —

We're proof against Jack Frost to-night.
With a sturdy sw ing and lengthy stride,

The glassy ice sholl feol our steel ;
And through the welkin far and wide

The echo of our song shall peal.

Ciiouu.s. — Hurrali, boys, hurrah ! skates on and away !
You may lag at your work, but never at play ;
Give wing tt) your feet, and make the ice ring,
Give voice to your mirth, and merrily sing.

Ho for the boy who does not care

A fig fo. r-old or northern blast !
Whose winged feet can cut the air

Swift as an arrow from bowm.ui cast ;

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Who can give !* long and hearty chase,
And wheel and whirl ; then in a trice

Inscribe his name in the polished face,
Of the cold and clear and glistening ice.

Chorus.

^■^

Ho, boys ! the night is waning fast ;

The moon's last rays but faintly gleam.
The hours have glided swiftly past.

And we must heme to rest and dream.
The morning's light must find us moving,

Heady our daily tasks to do ;
This is the way we have <;f proving

We can do our part at working too.

Cfiokus.

- r

i^'^y^C'*

COUNTllf LIFE IN CANADA

CHAPTER II.

THE ItOUND OF VIONEER LIFE— GAME— NIGHT FISHING — MORE
DETAILS AF.UUT SUO AR- MAKING- SUOAEINGOFF — TAKING A
HANI) AT TTFE OLD CIUKN— SII KEP- WASHING— rOT^NTRY G IHLS,
THEN AM) NOW— SUnSTANGE AND SHAT^OW — • • oi.j) GltAV '
AND HIS ErCENTliK i . .1.,, u a h.» r,M — .\l Y EAKLV E^FUIATION
OF I'KI'bli, I'AVL Ul lil'.Nh- MKI.TIN(;-UOUSTS— M.iA .\ »m ' -
Ki:i; MKI.TI.V(iS- V \l!li:o AT/.D AUTUMN LANDS( Al'ES- TOfjCTNG
AND oril.TINC IIHI S— i:VF,NIN(i i. iiN — '1 li L TOU( 'II iN(; LAY OF

Tiir, vurN<; woman wiic sat dhwn to sleep.

YISITJNG for tlic older folk and sloii-'h-iidiivv
foi^Jhc^ymmoci" were tlie principal amuse-
ments of the winter. 'J1ie life then led was very
plain and nncventful. There was no ostentatious
display, or assumption of superiority by the " fii'st
families." Indeed there was no room for the lines of
demarcation which exist in these days. All had to
struggle for a home and home comforts, and if some
had been more successful in the rough battle of pioneer
life than others, they saw no reason why they should
be elated or pulled up over it. TSeighl ours were too
scarce to be coldly oi- haughtily treated. 'I'be} had
hewn their way, side by side, into the fastnesses of

/ *'

hr/i

V »

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

t )

the Canadian bush, and therefore stood on one com-
mon level. But few superfluities could be found either
in their houses or on their persons. Their dress was
of home-made fabric, plain, often coarse, but substan-
tial and comfortable. Their manners were cordial
and hearty, even to brusqueness, but they were true
friends and honest counsellors, rejoicing with their
neighbours in prosperity, and sympathising when days
of darkness visited their homes. Modern refinement
had not crept into their domestic circle to disturb it
with shams and pretensions. Fashion had no court
wherein to adjudicate on matters of dress. Time-
worn styles of dress and living were considered the
best, and hence there was no rivalry or foolish display
in either. Both old and young enjoyed an evening at
a friend's house, where they were sure to be welcomed,
and where a well-supplied table always greeted them.
The home amusements were very limited. Music,
with its refining power, was uncultivated, and indeed
almost unknown. There were no musical instruments,
unless some wandering fiddler happened to come along
to delight both old and young with his crazy instru-
ment. There were no critical ears to detect discordant
pounds, or be displeased with the poor execution of

COUNTRY LIFE TN CANADA

the rambling musician. The young folk would some-
times spirit him away to the village tavern, which was
usually provided with a large room called a ball-room,
where he would fiddle while they danced the hours
gaily away. At home the family gathered round the
glowing fire, where work and conversation moved on
together. The old motto of " Early to bed, and early
to rise " was strictly observed. Nine o'clock usually
found the household wrapt in slumber. In the morn-
ing all were up and breakfast was over usually before
seven. As soon as it began to get light, the men and
boys started for the barn to feed the cattle and thresh ;
and thus the winter wore away.

Very little things sometimes contribute largely to the
comfort of a family, and among those I may mention
the lucifer match, then unknown. It was necessary to
carefully cover up the live coals on the hearth before
going to bed, so that there would be something to start
the fire with in the morning. This precaution rarely
failed with good hard-wood coals. But sometimes they
died out, and then some one would have to go to a
neighbour's house for fire, a thing which I have done
sometimes, and it was not nice to have to crawl out of
my warm nest and run through the keen cold air for

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

a half mile or more to fetch some live coals, before the
morning light had broken in the east. My ftither
usually kept some bundles of finely split i)ine sticks
tipped with brimstone foi- starting a fire. With these,
if there was only a spnik left, a fire cotdd soon be
made.

But little time was given to s]wrt, although there
was plenty of laige game. There was something of
more importance always claijning attention. In the
winter an occasional deer might be shot, and foxes
were sometimes taken in traps. It re(|uired a good
deal of experience and skill to set a trap so as to catch
the cunning beast. Many stoiies have I heaid trap-
pers tell of tricks played by Reynard, and how he had,
night after night, baflled aU their irgenuity, upset the
traps, set them off, or removed thojii, secured the bait,
and away. Another sport moie largely patronized in
the spring, because it brought something fiesh and in-
viting to the table, was nii-ht-fishing. When the
creeks were swollen, and the nights were calm and
warm, pike and mullet came up tlu; streams in great
abundance. Three or four would set out with s])ears,
with a man to cairy tlie jack, and also a siii)ply of
dry pine knots, as ftdl of resin as could bo ^und, and

COUNTRY I.TFE IN CANADA

cut up small, which were deposited in different plaees
along the ereek. The jaek was then filled and lit, and
when it was all abla.e carried along the edge of the
stream, closely followed by the spearsman, who, if an
expert, would in a short time secure as many fish as
couW be ..arried. It re,,„ir,..d a sharp eye and a sure
ann. The fish shot through the water with great
rapidity, w-hieh rendered the sport all the more exci-
ting. All han,ls, of course, returned home thoroughly
.-oaked. Another and plcasanter way was fishingln a
cnnoe on the bay, with the lighted jack secured in the
I'ow. While there its light shone for a considerable
distance around, and enabled the fishers to see the
•smallest fish low down in the clear calm water. This
was really enjoyable sport, and generally resulted in
a good catch of pike, pickerel, and. very often, a mas-
keloiige or two.

Karly in the spring, before the snow had gone the
sugar-making time came. Success depended altogether
upon the favourable condition of the weather The
days must be clear and nuld, the nights frosty and
plenty of snow in the woods. When the t.ne was at
Land, the buckets arul troughs wer,. overhauled, spiles
were made, and when all was ready the large kettles

NIGHT FISHING IN THE CREEK.

, Lr- iTM ^ ^,o

i« m — »Ba ui jj<j g.n

.' .' <

A . <

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

1 *■

and casks were put in the sleigh, and all hands set
out for the Inish. Tap})ing the tree was the first thing
in order. This was done either by boring the tree with
an auger, and inserting a spile about a foot long to
cany off the sap, or with a gouge-shaped tool about
two inches wide, which was driven into the tree, under
an inclined scar made with an axe. The spiles used in
this case were split with th(^ same instrument, sharp-
ened at the end with a knife, and diivc^i into the cut.
A person accustomed to the work would tap a great
many trees in a day, and usually continued until he
had done two oi- three hundred or more. This fin-
ished, next came the placing and hanging of the kettles.
A large log, or what was more common, the trunk of
some great tree that had been blown down, would be
selected, in as central a position as possible. Two
crotches were erected by its side, and a strong pole
was put across from one to the other. Hooks were
then made, and the kettles suspended ever the fire-
The sap was collected once and sometimes twice a day,
and wdien there was a good supply in the casks, the
boiling began. Each day's run was finished, if. pos-
sible, the same night, when the sugaring-oft' took place.
There are various simple ways of telling when the

f^OUNTin'^ T.IFE TN C^ANADA

syruj) is sufticiently boiled, and when this i.s done, the
kettle eon tain inn;" the result of the day's work is set oft*
the fire, and the contents stiired until they turn to
sui;ar, which is then dinped into dishes or moulds,
and set aside to harden. Sometimes, when the run
was larii'e, the Ixjilino; continued until late at nii»'ht,
an<l, altliouL^h there was a good deal of hard work
eoniieeted with it, tliere was also more or less enjoy-
ment, particularly when some half dozen merry girls
dro}>ped in upon you, and assisted at the closing scene.
On these occasions the fun was free and boisterous.
The woods rang with shouts and peals of laughter, and
always ended bv our faces and hairbeino* all flinch vp
with sugar. Then we would mount the sleigh and leave
for the house. But the most satisfactoiy part of the
whole was to survey the result of the toil in several
hundred weight of su^ar. and various vessels fille<l
with rich molasses.

Now the hams and beef had to be got out of the
casks, and hung up in the smoke-house to be smoked.
The s})ring work crowded on rapidly. Ploughing,
fencing, sowing and planting followed in quick succes-
sion. All hands were busy. The younger ones had to
drive the cows to iiastui'e in tlie morning and brinsf

FlFTV YHAIIS A(J().

them up at niglit. Tlioy luul iilso to Uiko a hand at
tlie old cliurn, and it was a weary task, as I i-cnnendx'T
well, to stand for an liour, |H'r]ia})s, and drive tlie
dasher up and down tlu-ou^h tlic thick cream. How
often the handle was examined to see if tliere were any
indications of butter ; and wliat satisfaction tlieie was
in gettinf,^ over witli it. As soon as my leL,fs were long
enough I had to follow a team, and drag in grain in
fact, before, for I was mounted on the back of one of
the horses when my netlier lim1)s were liardly h)ng
enouirh to liohl me to mv seat. Tlie implements then
in use were very rough. Jron ploughs, with cast iron
mouldboards, shears, kc, were generally useil. As
compared with the ploughs of to-day the}- were clumsy
thinirs, but were a -jreat advance ovei- the old wooden
ploughs which had not yet altogether gone out of use.
Tree to])S were frecpiently used for drags. Riding a.
horse in the field, under a hot sun, which I fre([uently
had to do, was not as agreeable as it might seem at the
first blush.

In June came sheep-washing. The sheep were

driven to the bay shore and secured in a pen, whence

they were taken one by one into the bay, and their

.cece well washed, after which they were let go. In

COUNTKY LIFE IN CANADA

a few days they were hvouglit to the barn and slieared.
The wool vv^as tlien sorted; sonic of it l)einL;- retained
to be carded b}^ hand, the I'est sent to the mill to be
turned into rolls ; and when they were brought home
the hum of the spinning wheel was heard, day after
day, for weeks, ^A\d the steady beat of the girls feet on
the floor, as they walked forward and backward
drawing out and tvvisthig the thread, and then letthig
it run upon the spindle. Of course tlie quality of the
cloth depended on the fineness and evenness of the
thread ; and a great deal of pairis v/as taken to turn
Oat good work. When the spinning was done, the yarn
was taken away to the weaver to be converted into
ciotl;. As I have said before, there were no drones in
a iurnier's house then. While the work was beiiiLi:
pushed outside with vigour, it did not stand still inside.
The thrifty housewife was always bus}'-. Beside the
daily round of cares that contitiually pressed upon her,
the winter had hardly })assed away Ijcfore she began
to make pre[)arati( )ns for the next. There were wihl
strawberries and ias[)berries to pick jind preserve, of
which the family had their share as they canic, sup-
plemented with an abundance of rich cream and sugar ;
and no with the other fruits in their turn. There was

> H-

----■—""

FIFTY YE IRS AGO.

-f .V

the daily task, too, of iiiilkin^, and the less fie(|uent
one of inakin*' butter and cheese. The irirls were
always out in the yard by sunrise, and soon came trip-
pini^ in witli rod cheeks and flowing pails of milk ; and
at sunset the scene was repeated. The matron reijuired
no nurse to take care of the cliihli-en ; no cnok to
superintend the kitchen ; no chand)er-maid to make
the beds and do the dusting. She had. very likely, one
or two hired girls, neighbours' daugl iters. It was (|uite
common then for farmers' dau'diters to iro out to work
when their services could be dispensed with at home.
They were treated as equals, and t(jok as much interest
in the ad'airs of the family as the mistress herself*
The fact of a girl going out to woik did not affect lier
position. On the contrary, it was rather in her favour,
and showed that she had some aml/ition about her.
The girls, in those days, were ipiite as much at liomc
in the kitchen as in the drawing-room or boudoir.
They could do bettei* execution over a wash tub tiian
iit a spinet. They could handle a rolling pin with
more satisfaction than a sketch book ; and if necessity
re(piired, could go out in the fi».'M and liandle a fork
and rake with practical results. Tiicy were educated
in the country school house —

*' Beside you' straggling fence that skirts the way,"

4c^

COUNTRY \AVK IN VJvAxOA

with their Inolliers, iind not at a city hoardinf^ school.
Tlujy had not so niucli as dreamed of fashion hooks, or
heard of fasliionahlenulliners. Their accomplishments
were picked u[) at home, not ahroad. And with all
these drawbacks, they were pure, modest, atl'ectionate.
They made jL^ood wives ; and that tliey were the best
and most thoiuditful mothers that ever watched over
the well-being of their chiMien, many remember full
well.

Country life was pi-aelical and ploddin;^' in those
days. Ambition did not lure the husbandman to days
of luxury and ease, but to the accom[)li8hinent of a
good day's work, an<l n future crowned with tlie fruits
of hom^st industry. It" tlie ^ii Is wqw. pi'epared for the
future by th(^ watelii-il c.uv and e.\ann)le of the
motliers, so the Itoys f(»!lowcd in llie footsteps of their
fathers. They did not look u[)i)n tlieir lives as burden-
some. They did not feel that the occupation of a
fai'iuer was less honourable than any other. The
merchant's shop did iiot possess more attraction than
the barn. Fine clothes were neither so durable nor so
chea]v as home-made suits. Fashionable tailors did
not exist to lure (hi>m into extravagance, and the
town-bred dandy had not broken loose to taint them

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

with his folUes. Tlicir aspirations diil not lead into
ways of display and idleness, or their association to
Lad hal)its. They were content to work as their
fathers had done, and their aim was to become as
exemj^lary and respected as they were. It was in
such a school and under such masteis that the found-
ation of Canadian prosperity was laid, and it is not
gratifying to the thoughtful mind, after the survey of
such a picture, to find that although our material
prosperity in the space of fifty years has heen mar-
vellous, we have been gradually departing fi'om the
sterling exam) le set us by our progenitors, for twenty
yeai's at least. " Dead fli(»s " of extravagance have
fouufl tlioir way into the "ointment" of domestic life,
and their "savour" is ket^ul}' felt. In our haste to be-
come rich, we have abandoned the old road of honest
industry. To ae(piire wealth, and to rise in the social
scale, v.i; have cast beliin 1 us tliose pi'inci[)lL's wliich
give tone and \alue lo positio)i. We are not likti tlie
Israelites who loUL^cd for tlie " lle-h pots" they had
left beliind in KL;y[)t ; yrt wiien we look around, it is
dilHcult to keep liack the ([uestion put I'y the Mcchsi-
ast, " What is the cause that the ibiiuer days were
better than these T' and the answer we think is not

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

difficult to find. Our daughters are brought up now-
like tender plants, more for ornament than use. The
practical lessons of life are neglected for the superfi-
cial. We send our sons to college, and there they fly
from the fostering care of home ; they crowd into our
towns and cities — sometimes to rise, it is true, but more
frequently to fall, and to become worthless members of
society. Like the dog in the fable, we ourselves have
I'.'t the substance drop, while our gaze has been glam-
oured by the shadow.

Early in July the haying began. The mowers were
expected to be in the meadow by sunrise, and all
Ihrongh the day the rasp of their whetstones could be
lieard, as they dexterously drew them with a quick
motion of the hand, first along one side of the scythe
and then the other ; after which they went swinging
across the field, the waving grass falling rapidly before
their keen blades, and dropping in swathes at theii*
side. The days wore not then divided off into a stated
number of workinii' hours. The rule was to beuin
with the moining light and continue as long as you
could see. Of course men had to eat in those days as
well as now, and the blast of the old tin dinncr-hoin
fell on tlie ear with more melodious sound than the

PrPTY YEARS AGO.

grandest orchestra to tlie musical enthusiast. Even
" Old Gray," when I followed the plough, used to give
answer to the cheerful wind of the horn by a loud
whinny, and stop in the furrow, as if to say, " There
now, off with my harness, and let us to dinner." If I
happened to be in the middle of the field, I had con-
siderable trou})le to get the old fellow to go on to the
end.

I must say a few words in this place about " Old
Gray." Why he was always called " Old Gray " is
more than I know. His colour could not have suo--
gested the name, for he was a bright roan, almost a
bay. He was by no means a pretty animal, being raw-
boned, and never sccmin:^ to be in first-rate condition ;
but he was endowed with remarkable sagacity and
great endurance, and was, moreover, a fleet trotter.
When my father began the world for himself ho was
a part of his chattels, and survived his master sev-
eral years. Father drove him twice to Little York
one winter, a distance of over one hundred and fifty
miles, accomplishing the trip both times inside of a
week. He never would allow a team to pass him.
It was customary in those days, particularly witli
youngsters in the winter, to turn out and jun by,

COUNTRY IJFF FN CANADA

and many siu'li vnccs I liavo had; l.iit the momenta
team turned out of tlio ti'ack to pass "Old Gray," he
was oir like a shot, and yuu niii;ht as well try to
hold a locomotive with }»ins as him with an ordinary
bit. He was skittish, and often ran away. On one
occasion, wlien I was verv voun^-, he ran oft' with
father and m\'self in a sinnlc wau'^on. We w^ce hoth
tin-own ont, and, our feet becoiuino- entangled in the
lines, we were ding^'ed some distance The wheel
passed ovei- my head, and cut it so that ii Med IVcely,
hut tlui wound was not serious. My hither was
liadly hurt. Aftei- a while wo startc<l for hom(\ an<l
hel'ore we I'eaehed it the old scaiii]) i^ot fri^h<ened
at a Iol;-, and set oil" full tilt. A-;iin fathei- was
thrown out, and 1 tipped over t»n tlu' iiottoiu of the
wne-u-oii. lH>rtunatel\', the shafts i;ave wjiy, and let
him loose, when he sto])ped. Fatliei' was carried
home, nnd di'l not lea\c the house foi' a loiu;' time.
I used to ride the seirwiUed Least to st-hool in the wiii-
tei-, and h.id ^-i-eat sport, sonietiuies, hy ^ettinn' hoN's on
hehin.l iiie,and, when they wei-e not thiidviuir, T woidd
touch "Old Oray" under the Hank with iny heel,
which would makt- him spriiii;' as tletu^h he were shot,
and off the ho\-s wonld tuuihh in tho ^now Whrn I

^^B •

■ti

FIFTY VEAKS AGO.

I'uaelicd suhool I tie<l uptlic reins jind K-t him ^^olioine.
1 do not tliink lie ever liad an eijual for niiscliiuf, and
for tlio last years we liad liim we eoidil dj nothing-
witli him. Ho was ptirpotually i;i'ttin'4' into tlic fields
of grain, and leading- all the other eattle after him. We
used to hobl»le him in all sorts of wa^'s, but he would
manage to push or rul> down the fence at some weak
point, and unless his nose was fastened down almost to
the grcind by a chain from his head to his hind leg,
he would let down the bars, oropon all the gates about
the phice. Thoi-e was not a dooi- about the barn but
he would o])(.'n, if he could gel at the hitch, and if the
key was left in the granary door he would unlock
that, ii' left standing he was sure to get his head-stall
off, and we liad to get a halter made specially for liim.
He finally became .such a ])eipef iial torment that wo
sold him, and we all had a good cry when the old
hors' went awny. He was ujiwards of twoity-tivo
years old at this time. How much longer he liv^ed I
cannot say. I never saw him afterward.

A soon as the sun was well up, and our tasks about
the l.'ousc over, our part of this n(>w play in the hay-
field ])egan, and with a fork or long stick wo followed
up the swathes and s})road them out nicely, so that

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

the grass would dry. In the afternoon it liad to be
raked up into winrovvs — work in which the giils often
joined us — and after tea one or two of the men cocked
it up, while we raked the ground clean after them. If
the weather was clear and dry it would be left out for
several days before it was drawn into the barn or
stacked ; but often it was housed as soon as dry.

Another important matter which claimed the far-
mer's attention at this time was the preparation of his
summer-fallow for fall wheat. The i^round was first
broken up after the spring sowing was over, and about
hay time the second ploughing had to be done, to de-
stroy weeds, and get the land in proper order. In
August the last ploughing came, and about the first
of Septend)er the wheat was sown. It almost always
liappencd, too, that there were some acres of wood-
land that had been chopped over for fire wood and
timber, to be cleaned up. Logs and bush had to be
collected into piles, and burned. On new farms this
was heavy woik. Then the timber was cut down, and
ruthlessly given over to the fire. Logging bees were
of frequent occurrence, when the neighbours turned
out with their oxen and logging chains, and, amid the
ring of tlie axe and the shouting of <lrivers and men

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

;).)

witli tlieir liandspikes, tliti great logs were rolltMl one
upon anotlicr into huge heai)s, and left for tlu; fire
to eat them out of the way. Wlien tlie work was
• lone, all hands proceecbd to the house, grim and
Idack as a band of swee|)s, wliere, with co[»i()Us use
of soap and water, they l>rought themselves hack to
their normal condition, and went in and did justice
to the su))per prepared for them.

In August the wheat fields were ready for the rea])-
ers. Tliis was the great ci'op of the yeai'. Other
grain was grown, sucli as rye, oats, peas, harlcy and
corn, but principally for feeding. Wheat was the far-
mer's main dei)endence, his staff of life and his current
coin. A good cradler would cut about five acres a day
and an expert with a rake would follow and bind up
what he cut. There were men who would liti'ialiy
walk through the grain with a cradle, an<l tlien two
men were re([uired to follow. My father had no su-
j)erior in swinging the cradle, and when the golden
grain stood thick and straight, he gave two snuxrt men
all they could do to take up what he cut down. A«>-ain
the younger fry came in for their share of the work,
which was to gather tlic sheaves and put them in
shocks. These, after standing a sufficient time, were

COUNTkV MFK IN CANAhA

l»i'(>n<'-lit into tlic li.'ini .'iiid iiiowt'd ;i\\;iv, and aij'aui tlic
L;irls often .i;av(! a lidpini^ liand l)otli in the ticld and
tin: l>ain. In all tln-se tasl^s o-ood work was oxituctod.
IMy failier was, as I liave said before, a pushing' man, and
" tlioroiiujh " in all he undertnok. His mottoes with his
men were, " Follow me," and " AnNthino: tliat is worth
doings is worth doing well;" .-md this lattei* rnle was
always enforced. 'V\\v plonghcrs had to throw their
fnrrovvs neat and sti"ai"jht. Wle-n 1 i^ot to be a stronu'
lad, 1 could sti'ike a furrow with the old team across
a field as straight as an arrow, and I took pride in
throwing my furnnv.^ in uniform pr« cision. The mow-
ei's ha<l to sheai- the land close and smooth. The
jakers tlncw their wiiu-ows sti'aight, and the men
mathi their hay-cocks of a uniform six(}, and placed
them at etpuil dihtanees a[)ait. So in the grain field,
the stul)ble had to be cut clean and even, the sheaves
well bcamd and shocked in straight rows, with tin
sheaves to the shock. It was really a pleasure to in-
spect the fields when the work was done. Skill was
required to load well, and also to mow awa}^, the
ol)ject being to get the greatest number of sheaves
in the smallest space. About the first of September
the crops were in and the barns were filled and sur-
rounded with stacks of hay and gi-ain.

FIFTY VEAIIS A(J().

My fatlier was adiuittrd to Itr tlio l>L'st t'annei' in the
district. I lis farm was a model of <'ood order and
neatness, lie was one of tlie iirst to devote attention
to tlie im})rovement of liis stocic, and was always on
the look-oiit for imjirovcMl implements oi- new ideas,
whieh, it* worthy of attention, he was the Iirst to
iitili/e.

There is always something;' foi' a pu.-^hinL;' farmer to
do, and there ai-e alwa\s rainv days thron'di the sea-
son, when out-door work comes to a stand. At such
tiuios my father was almost always found in his work-
sliop, makinn- pails oi- tuhs for the house, or repair-
ino- his tools or makinu^ new ones. At other times
he woidd turn his attention to dressinnthe flax lie had
.stowed away, ami L;ettinL;' it ready for sj)iiuiinL;-. The
linen for hans, as M'ell as for the house, was then all
lionie-made. It could hardly be ex[)eeted that with
such facilities at hand my inL;enuity would not develop.
One day I observed a pot of I'ed paint on the work-
bench, and it struck me that the tools w^ould look
much better if I oavc them a coat of paint. The
thought was hardly conceived l)efore it was put into
execution, and in a short time planes, saws, augers, &c.,
were carcfullv^ coated over and set aside to dry. Fa-

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

tlici* (lid not sec tlio tiling' in tlic saiiio ]i;;'lit as T (][(].
}\e was vciT imicl) displcasci], ;ui<l 1 was pimislii'il.
After iliis I (iniii'il my attrntioii to watci'-wlu'els,
WM*,^L;'ons, lioats, lioxcs, \-('., ami i'l lime nut to ln' (|uit(!
an rxj)('i-t widi tools, aiul cdiiIiI inako almost any-
tliiiin- out of uoo'l. \Vc cliildicu, ;iltlioii;.;h wi.' lia I
to di'ivc t'ows, f(MMl tlic caKcs, Id'iiiLi; in wood, and all
tliat, liad our aniirscments, siniplc and I'ustic (inouyli
it is true; )>u( we riijoy(.'d. tlicm, and all tln^ niori' l»c-
causc our parents vti y often entered into oui' l)lay.

Sunday was a day of enjoyment as well r.s ivsl.
There wei'e l)ut few [)laees()(' pulilie worslnp, and tlioso
were ^i^^'enerally far apart. In most places tlu; seliool-
hoi'se or l»arn s(«i\ed tlic purpDse. 'J'luu'e were two
iiiectin^'-liouses — tins was the term always used then foi'
j>laces of worslup — a few miles from our j)Iaee on I lay-
hay. Tlie iMetho list me»'tin'^'-houst' wa-> the (ir-^t place
Ituih for pulilie worsliij) in ('pper ( auada, and was
useil for tha.t purpose until a few yeai'.s a^Ljo, It now
hek)nLjs to Mi-. Tlatt, and is use I as a stoi-ehouse. The
otlicr, a (^)uaker meeting-house, huilt some years later,
is still .standing-. It was usod as a hari-ack hy the
(llenj^'ariy regiment in hSli^ a pai'fc of which rei,dment
was (Huii'tiu'eil in tlui niM'dihourhood dui'iuix that vear.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

5f)

♦

The men left their hayoiKit-iiiarks in the ohl posts.
On Sunday morniii^^ the liorses were l)r(>ug]it up an<l
put to the hmiber wag[,^on, the only caniai^fo known
then. The family, all arrayed in their Sunday clothes
arranged themselves in the sj)acious vehicle, and di-ove
away. At that time, and for a good many years
after, whether in the schoohhouse or meeting-house,
the men sat on one side ami the women on the other,
in all places of worship. The sacred bond wliich liad
been instituted by the (jreator Himself in the iJai'den
of Eden, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and
mother, and cleave to his wife; and they shall be?
one flosii," did not seem to harmonize with that cus-
tom, for when they went up to His house they sep-
arated at the door. It would have been tlioui-ht a verv
improper tiling, oven for a married cou])le, to take a
seat side by side. TndeiMl I am incliiKMl to tliink that
the good brothers and sisters wouM have put tliem
out of doors. So deeply rooted are the prejudices in
mattei*s of religious belief. That tlu^y are the most
difficult to remove, the history of the past confirms
througVi all ages. This custom prevailed for many
years after. When meeting was over it was customary
to go to some friend's to dinner, ami Tnak(\ as used

CUUNTUV J.II'K IN CANADA

to he said, a visit, or, wliat was oi£Lially as j)l(.'asant,
fatlu'i- or inotluT would ask some old ac(|iiaiiitaiicos
to cijine lioiae with us. Sunday in all seasons, and
more })articMilarly in the sunuu'T, was the n'rand vis-
iting- day with old and youn^•. 1 do not state this
out of any disrespect for the Sabbath. 1 think 1 vene-
rate it as much as anyone, but 1 am simply recoiding
facts as they tluMi existed. The people at that time, as
a rule, were not reliL^ious, hut tliey wei » moial, and
anxious for ^•reater I'oli^ious advaiitaL,^es. There were
not many |)reachers, and these had such extended fields
of labour that their appointments were iri'egulai', and
often, like ani.;els' visits, few and fai" Ix'tween. Tliey
could liot ignore their social instincts aito^'ether, and
this wjis tlie only day when the toil an<l moil of work
was put aside. Tliey lirst went to meetiuL;', when there
was any, and devoted (he rest of the day tofriendU in-
tercourse and enjoyment. IVople used to come to Metho-
dist meeting- for miles, and particularly on fpiarterly
meetiiiLif (hiv. On onc^ of tlieso occasions, fourteen vounii*
people who were crossin^^ the bay in a skiff, on their
way to the meetin<^', were upset near the shore and
drowned. Some \ears latei- the missionaiy meetinuf
possessed great attract ion, wIjcu a deputation composed

FIFTY VKARS A(}0.

of Egerton Ilyei'son and reti'rJoiics, tlio latter vvitliliis
Indian curiositius, drew tlic people in siicli nundjcrs
that half of tlieni could not get into the liouse.

There were a good many (^hiakers, and as my father's
people heloMged to tliat hody we fre(piently wont to

their meeting. Tlie hroad )>rims on one side, with tlie

♦

^ scoop ])onnets on the otliei', used to excite my curiosity,

liiit 1 did not like to sit slill so long. Sometimes not a
word would he said, and after an hour of jirofound
silenee, two of the old men on one of the upper seats
would sliake hands. Then a genei'al sliakiug of hands
eusui'd on hoth sides of tin' Ikjusc, und meeting was

out.

Manv I'ea.deis will iccall i-ciit!'' ( 'harlcs Land

) s

thouglitful )>aper on " A <,>n;d<er>' Meeting."* Several
of his iclleet ions i ise up s(t \

i\ idl\- 1 ••ft*re me as I writ(

tliesc lines that 1 cannot jniheni' (|Uot iie^' t hem. "Wlial,"
lie asks, " is the stillness df the deseit. eompaied with
this ])lace ' what t!ie ii!'.' KiiMinnicating leuteiievs of

tislies / lieic th

e I ' ( )(

ess I'elglis ami re\'(

Is. -' I

•ol'eas.

and ('esias, and .Vigestes louil,' do not u : li llieii inter
confounding u[uoiirs moi'e augment th- l>iawl nor tin

aves of the Mown li.iitje with tlieir ejulthed solUlds

S''«' H»l>ii>n- iif f'liit.

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

— tlian thoir opposite (Silcnco her sacred self) is multi-
plied and rendered more intense by numbers, and by
sympathy. She too hath lier deeps, that call unto
deeps, legation itself hath a positive more and less ;
and closed eyes would seem to obscure the great obscu-
rity of midnight.

" There are wounds which an imperfect solitude can-
not heal. By imperfect I mean that which a man en-
joyeth by himself. The perfect is that which he can
sometimes attain in crowds, but nowhere so absolutely
as in a Quakers' Mc'cting. — Those first hermits did cer-
tainly understand this principle, when they retire*!
into Egy])tian solitudes, not singly, but in shoals, to
enjoy one anotlur's want of conversation. The Car-
tluisijin is bound to his bi'ethren by this agreeing spirit
of incomjaunicativeness. In secular occasions, what so
nleasant as to be readin<m book throu<di a lonjx winter
eveniui'- with a friend sittin<j: bv — say a wife — he. or
sh .;, too (if that be probable), reading another, without
iiitenuption, o)' oral comnuniication ;" — can there be no
sympathy without the gabble of words? — away with
this inhuman, shy, single, shadr-and-cavern haunting
solitaiiin'ss. iWw. me, Master Zinimeinian, a sympa-
thetic solitude.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

" To pace alone in the cloisters, oi- side aisles of some
cathedral, time-stricken ;

Or under hani^'ing mountains,
Or by the fall of fountains ;

is ])ut a vul^^ar luxury, conii>ared with that which
those enjoy who come toL,^ether for the purposes of more
coiuj)h'te, ahstraetcd solitude. This is the loneliness
' to he tVlt; The Al>hev Church of Westminster hath

.tl

lenui, so spirit-soothing-, as the naked
alls and henches of a Quakers' Mee(in«'-. Here are no

notliiui'' so so

tondis, no inscri[>tions,

-Sands, i'Minhlo iliin-'s,

Dropt fruni the ruined sides of kin«,'s-

hut 1

lere is souu

thill,!;- which throws Anti(iuity herself
into the foreuround— Si LENCK— eldest of things— Ian-
frua"-e of old Ni'-ht— primitive Discourser— to which

the in->()lent decays o

l" mdulderiiiL'- LrraiKh'ur have hut

an i\'»(

1 l>v a violent, and, as we may say, unnatural

progression.

II nw reverend is tlie view nf tliese liiished lieivds,
Looking,' trant|iiillity !

Notliing-plotting, nought-cahalliiig, unmisel

IK'VOUH

synod I conv

ocation without intrigue ! parliaim;nt with-

r-OTTNTRY UFE TN CANADA

out debate ! what a lesson dost thou read to council
and to consistory ! — if my pen treat of you liglitly — as
haply it will wander — yet my spirit hath <,aavely felt
the wisdom of y(jur eustou), when sittini,' among you
in deepest ]teace, which some outwellinj^' tears wouhl
rathei" contirm than disturh, I liave reverted to the
times of your heufinnini;'^, and the sowiuL^^s of the seed
hy Fox an<ri)ewesl>ury. — I have witnessed that which
l)i()iiH'ht liefore my eyes yoiii' heroic traiKiuillity, in-
flexihle to the lude j<'sts ami serious violences of the
insolent s<»Idiery, rcpulilican or i()3alist sent to molest
you — for ye sate hetwixt the iircs of two pcisecntions,
tlui outcast and oll-seouiini;- of ehnicli and j»reshytery.
— I have seen the reelinL;-sea-rn(ll;ni, whohai] wandei cd
into your rrceplaclc with the a\owed intention ol'dis-
tui'hinn' your (piiet, from the very spiiit i»f the place
j'eci i\f in a moiuenl a new lieai't, nn-l )»resently sit
amoiiL;' ve as n landt amidst land^. All'! 1 reuiemhei-
Venn hefoiv his accusers, airl Kox in tlie liail-dock,
where he was lifted up in spirit, as li(> tells irs, and
'tin.' judL;e and the juiv heejin-.e as dcjid men un<lei' his

feet.

Our old family carriMi>"e — tlu' lumh(>rini( waL;i2;on — •

revives many pleasant lecol lection

licet

my lorn; rules

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

wore taken in it, both to mill and market, and, some-
times I have curled myself up, and slept far into tlie
night in it while waiting for my grist to \)v ground so
I could take it home. But it was not used by the
young folks as sleighs were in the winter. It was a
staid, family vehicle, not suited to mirth or love-mak-
ing. It was too noisy for that, and on a rough road,
no very uncommon thing then, one was .shaken up so
thoroughly that there was but little room left for sen-
timcnt. In later times, lighter and much more comfoit-
able vehicles were used. The elliptic or steel spring
did not come into use until about ISK). I remember
my grandfather starting ofV for N(>\v York in one of
these li<j:ht onedior.sc wairi^fons. I do not know how
long he was gone, but he mmle the journey, and
returned safely. Long journeys l>y land were ma<le,
principally iu summer, on horsehaek, hotli hy men
and woujen. The hoi-so was also the young [)enplt)s'
only vehicle at this season ol' the year. The girls
were usually good riders, and could gallo[) away as
well on the bare back as on the side-.saddle. A female
cousin of my father s several times made journeys of
from one to two hundred miles on horseback, and on
one occasion she carried her infant son for a hundred

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

and fifty miles, a feat the women of to-day would
consider impossible.

Then, as now, the early tall was not the least pleas-
ant portion of the Canadian year. Everyone is familiar
with the sti-ikinj,' l)eauty of our woods after the frost
begins, and the endless variety of shade and colour that
mingles with such pleasing etiect in every landscape.
And in those days, as well as now, the farmers' attention
was directed to pre2)aration for the coming winter.
His market staples then consisted of wheat or tlour,
pork and potash. The other products of his farm,
such as coarse grain, were used by himself. Butter
and eggs were almost valueless, save on his own table.
The skins of his sheep, calves and beef cattle which
were slaughtered for Iiis own use, were sent to the
tanners, who dressed them on shares, the remainder
being brought home to be made up into boots, harness
and mittens. Wood, which afterwards came into
demand fcjr steam puiposes, was worthless. Sawn
luiidjer was not wanted, except for home use, and the
shingles that covered the l»uildings were split and
made ]>y the farniei' hiinselF.

If the men had logging-bees, and other bees to help
them on with their work, the women, by way of com-

FIFTY YEAKS AGO.

pensution, had lees of a moic social and agreeable
type. Ainony tliese were (Hiiltiiii;' l)eeH, wlien the
women and giils of tlie neighliourhood assunihled in
the afternoon, and turned out tliose skilfully and
often artist ieallv nuide ru(;s, so condoi'tahle to lie
under duiini^^the eold winter niglits. Tliere was often
a great deal of sport at the elose of one of these social
industrial gatherings. When the men came in from
the field to supper, some luckless wight was sure to
be caught, and tossed up and down in the quilt amid
the laughter and shouts of the conijiany. But of all
the bees, the api)le-hee was the chief. In these old
and young joined. The hoys around the neigh hour-
liood, with their home-iiia<le apple-marhines, of all
shapes and designs, would come pouring in with their
girls early in tlie evi'uing. Tlu; large kitchen, with
its sanded floor, the sjilit hottoiiicil chairs ranged I'ound
the room, the laige tul»s of apples, and in the centre
the clean seruldx'd pini3 taMe iiiled with wooden
trays and tallow-eaiidles in tin candlesticks, made an
attiactive picture whicli had for its setting the mother
and girls, all smiles and good nature, receiving and
l>leasing the company. Mow tlie work liegins amidst
laughter and miith ; the hoys toss the peeled apples

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2.0

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Fhotograpliic

Sdences
Corporation

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n WEST MAIN STREET

WILfiSTER, N.Y. HaaO

(716) 872-4503

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COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

away from their machines in rapid numbers, and the
girls catch them, and with their knives quarter and
core them, while others string them with needles on
long threads, and tie them so that they can be hung up
to dry. As soon as the work is done the room is
cleared for supper, after which the old folks retire, and
the second and most pleasing part of the performance
begins. These after-scenes were always entered into
with a spirit of fun and honest abandonment truly
refreshing. Where dancing was not objected to, a
rustic fiddler would be spirited in by some of the
youngsters as the sport began. The dance was not
that languid sort of thing, toned down by modern
refinement to a sliding, easy motion round the room,
and which, for the lack of conversational accomplish-
ments, is made to do duty for want of wit. Full of
life and vigour, they danced for the real fun of the
thing. The quick and inspiriting strains of the music
sent them spinning round the room, and amid the
rush and whirl of the flying feet came the sharp
voice of the fiddler as he flourished his bow : " Rijrht
and left — balance to your pardner — cross hands —
swing your pardner — up and down the middle," and
so on through reel after reel. Some one of the boys

fJ^

-'I

•<

^^.J

riPTY YEARS AGO.

would perform a pas seul with more enei'gy than
grace; but it was all the same — the dancing master
had not 1: ^en abroad ; the fiddler put life into their
heels, and they let them play. Frequently there
was no musician to be had, when the difficulty
was overcome by the musical voices of the girls,
assisted with combs covered witli paper, or the shrill
notes of some expert at whistling. It often happened
that the old people objected to dancing, and then the
company resorted to plays, of which there was a great
variety : " Button, button, who's got the button ; "
" Measuring Tape ; " " Going to Rome ; " " Ladies Slip-
per ; " all pretty much of the same character, and
much appreciated by the boys, because tlicy afforded
a chance to kiss the girls.

Some of our plays bordered very closely on a dance,
and when our inclinations were checked, we approached
the margin of the forbidden ground as nearly as possible.
Among these I remember one which afforded an
opportunity to swing around in a merry way. A
chair was placed in the centre of the room, upon which
one of the girls or boys was seated. Then we joined
hands, and went dancing around singing the following
elegant refrain : —

70 COUNTRY LIFE TN CANADA.

There was a young womin sat down to sleep,
Sat clown to sleep, sat down to sleep ;

There was a young woman sat down to sleep,
Heigh ho I Heigh-ho ! Heigh-ho !

There was a young man to keep her awake,
To keep her awake, to keep her awake ;

There was a young man to keep her av/ake,
Heigh-ho ! Heigh-ho ! Heigh-ho !

Tom Brown his name shall be,

His name shall bo, his name shall be ;

Tom Brown his name shall be,

Heigh-ho ! Heigh-ho ! Heigh-ho !

Whereupon Mr. Brown was expected to step out, take
the girl by the hand, salute her with a kiss, and
then take her seat. Then the song went on again,
with variations to suit ; and thus the rustic mazurka
proceeded until all had had a chance of tasting the rosy
lips, so tempting to youthful swains. Often a coy
maiden resisted, and then a pleasant scuffle ensued, in
which she sometimes eluded the penalty, much to the
chafTfrin of the claimant.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

CHAPTER in.

PROOllESS, MATERIAL AND SOCIAL — FONDNESS OF THE YOUNG
FOR DANCING — MAGISTERIAL NUl'TIALS— THE CHARIVARI —
COON-HUNTING — CATCHING A TARTAR— WILD I'lGEONS— THE
OLD DUTCH HOUSES— DELIGHTS OF SUMMER AND WINTER CON-
TRASTED—STILLED VOICES.

A S time wore on, and contact with the outer world
-^-^ became easier and more frequent, the refinements
of advancing civilization found their way gradually into
the country, and changed the amusements as well as the
long-established habits of the people. An isolated com-
munity like that which stretched along the frontier of
our Province, cut off from the older and more advanced
stages of society, or holding but brief and irrogular
communication with it, could not be expected to keep
up with the march of either social or intellectual
improvement ; and although the modern may turn up
his nose as he looks back, and affect contempt at the
amusements which fell across our paths like gleams
of sunlight at the break of day, and call them rude
and indelicate, he must not forget that we were not
hedged about by conveationalities, nor were we

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

slaves to the caprice of fasliion. We were free sons
and (Jau^l iters of an upright, sturdy parentage, with
pure and honest hearts throbbing under rough exteriors.
The girls who did not blush at a hearty kiss from
our lips were as pure as the snow. They became orna-
ments in Ingher and brighter circles of society, and
mothers, the savour of whose virtues and maternal
afft'ction ri-^e before our memory like a perpetual
incense.

I am (juite well aware of the fact that a large portion
of the religious world is opposed to dancing, nor in
this recital of country life as it then existed do I wish
to be considered an advocate of this amusement. I
joined in the sport then with as much eagerness and
deliglit as one could do. I learned to step off on the
light fantastic toe, as many another Canadian boy has
done, on the barn floor, where, with the doors shut, I
went sliding up and down, through the middle, hal-
ancing to the })itch-fork, turning round the old fanning-
mill, then double-shufiling and closing with a profound
bow to the splint broom in the corner. These were the
kind of schools in which our accomplishments were
learned, and, whether dancing be right or wrong, it is

*vJ

>■

"• 1

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

certain the inclination of the yoimg to indulge in it is
about as universal as the taint of sin.

The young people then, as now, took it into their
heads to get married ; but parsons were scarce, and it
did not always suit them to wait until one came along.
To remedy this difficulty the Government authorized
magistrates to perform the ceremony for any couple
who resided more than eighteen miles from church.
There were hardly any churches, and therefore a good
many called upon the Justice to put a finishing touch
to their happiness, and curious looking pairs presented
themselves to have the knot tied. One morning a robust
young man and a pretty, blushing girl presented them-
selves at my father's door, and were invited in. They
were strangers, and it was sometime before he could
find out what they wanted ; but after beating about
the bash, the young man hesitatingly said they wanted
to get married. They were duly tied, and, on leaving, I
was asked to join in their wedding dinner. Though it
was to be some distance away, I mounted my horse and
joined them. The dinner was good, and served in the
plain fashion of the day. After it came dancing, to the
music of a couple of fiddlers, and we threaded through
reel after reel until nearly daylight. On another

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

occasion a goodly company gathered at a neighbour's
house to assist at the nuptials of his daughter. Tlie
ceremony had passed, and we were collected around the
su})per table; the old man had spread out his hands to
ask a blessing, when bang, l)ang, w^ent a lot of guns,
accompanied hy horns, whistles, tin pans and anything
and everything with which a noise could be made. A
simultaneous shriek went up from the girls, and for a
few moments the confusion was as great inside as out.
It was a horrid din of discordant sounds. Conversation
at the supper table was out of the question, and as soon
as it was over we went out among the boys who had
come to charivari us. There were perhaps fifty of
them, with blackened faces and ludicrous dresses, and
after the bride and bridegroom had shown themselves
and received their congratulations, they went their
way, and left us to enjoy ourselves in peace. It was
after this manner the young folks wedded. There was
but little attempt at display. No costly trousseau, no
wedding tours. A night of enjoyment with friends,
and the young couple set out at once on the practical
journey of life.

One of our favourite sports in those days was coon
(short name for raccoon) hunting. This lasted only

J-

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

diii-ing tlio time of green corn. Tlie raccoon is particu-
larly fond of corn before it hardens, and if unmolested
will destroy a good deal in a short time. He always
visits the cornfields at night ; so about nine o'clock we
would set off with our dogs, trained for the purpose,
and with as little noise as possible make our way to
the edge of the corn, and then wait for him. If the
field was not too large he could easily be heard break-
ing down the ears, and then the dogs were let loose.
They cautiously and silently crept towards the unsus-
pecting foe. But the sharp cars and keen scent of the
raccoon seldom let him fall into the clutch of the dogs
without a scamper for life. The coon was almost al-
ways near the woods, and this gave him a chance of
escape. As soon as a yelp was heard from the dogs,
we knew the fun had begun, and pushing forward in
the direction of the noise, we were pretty sure to find
our dogs battled and jumping and barking around the
foot of a tree up which Mr. Coon had fled, and whence
he was quietly looking down on his pursuers from a
limb or crutch. Our movements now were guided by
circumstances. If the tree was not too large, one of us
would climb it and dislodge the coon. In the other case
we generally cut it down. The dogs were always on the

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

alert, and the moment the coon touched the ground they
were on him. We used frequently to capture two or
three in a night. The skin was dressed and made into
caps or robes for the sleigh. On two or three of these
expeditions, our dogs caught a Tartar by running
foul of a coon not so easily disposed of — in the
shape of a bear ; and then we were both glad to de-
camp, as lie was rather too big a job to undertake in
the night. Bruin was fond of young corn, but he and
the wolves had ceased to be troublesome. The latter
occasionally made a raid on a Hock of sheep in the win-
ter, but they were watched pretty closely, and were
trapped or shot. There was a government bounty of
$4 for every wolf's head. Another, and much more
innocent sport, was netting wild pigeons after the
wheat had been taken ofl'. At that time they used to
visit the stubbles in large flocks. Our mode of pro-
cedure was to build a house of boughs under which to
hide ourselves. Then the ground was carefully cleaned
and sprinkled with grain, at one side of which the net
was set, and in the centre one stool pigeon, secured on
a perch was placed, attached to which was a long string
running into the house. When all was ready we re-
tired and watched for the flying pigeons, and when-

A-/

nSJ

•

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

ever a flock came within a seeing distance our stool
pigeon was raised and then dropped. This would
cause it to spread its wings and then flutter, which at-
tracted the flying birds, and after a circle or two they
would swoop down and commence to feed. Then the
net was sprung, and in a trice we had scores of
pigeons under it. I do not remember to have seen this
method of capturing pigeons practised since. If we
captured many we took them home, put them where
they could not get away, and took them out as we
wanted them.

At the time of which I write Upper Canada had
been settled about forty-five years. A good many of
the first settlers had ended their labours, and were
peacefully resting in the quiet grave-yard ; but there
were many left, and they were generally hale old peo-
ple, who were enjoying in contentment and peace the
evening of their days, surrounded by their children,
who were then in their prime, and their grandchildren,
ruddy and vigorous plants, shooting up rapidly around
them. The years that had fled were eventful ones, not
only to themselves, but to the new country which they
had founded. " The little one had become a thousand,
and a small one a strong nation." The forest had melted

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

away before the force of their industry, and orchards
with their russet fruit, and fields of waving corn, glad-
dened their hearts and filled their cellars and barns
with abundance. The old log house which had been
their shelter and their home for many a year had
disappeared, or was converted into an out-house for
cattle, or a place for keeping implements in during the
winter ; and now the commodious and well-arranged
frame one had taken its ])lace. Large barns for their
increasing crops and warm sheds to protect the cattle
had grown u[) out of the rude hovels and stables.
Everything around them betokened thrift, and moi'e
than an ordinary degree of comfort. They had what
must be i:>ronounced to have been, for the time, good
schools, where their cliildi'en could acquire a tolerable
education. They also had places in which they could
assemble and worship God. There were merchants
from whom they could purchase such articles as they
required, and there were markets for thc'v produce.
The changes wrought in these foity-five years were
wonderful, and to no class of persons could these
changes seem more surprising than to themselves.
Certainly no people appreciated more fully the rich
ripe fruit of their toil. Among the pleasantest pic-

-y

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

•w

..1

,(.

tures I can recall are the old homes in which my
boyhood was passed. I hardly know in what style
of architecture they were built ; indeed, I think it
was one peculiar to the people and the age. They
were strong, substantial structures, erected with an
eye to comfort rather than show. They were known
afterwards as Dutch houses, usually one story high,
and built pietty much after the same model ; a
parallelogram, with a wing at one end, and often to
both. The roofs were very steoi), with .. row of dor-
mer windows, and sometimes two rows looking out
of their broad sides, to give light to ihe chambers and
sleeping rooms up-stairs. The livii.g rooms were
generally large, with low ceilings, and u oil supplied
with cupboards, which were always filled w^ith blankeis
and clothing, dishes, and a multitude of good things
for the table. The bed rooms were always small and
cramped, but they were sure to contain a good bed — ■
a bed which required some ingenuity, perhaps, to get
into, owing to its height ; but when once in, the great
feather tick fitted kindly to the weary body, and the
blankets over you soon wooed your attention away from
the narrowness of the apartment. Very often the roof
projected over, giving an elliptic shape to one side, and

4t"

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

the projection of about six feet formed a cover of what
was then called a long stoop, but which now-a-days
would be known as a veranda. This was no addition
to the lighting of the rooms, for the windows were
always small in size and few in number. The kitchen
usually had a double outside door — that is a door cut
cross-wise through the middle, so that the lower part
could be kept shut, and the upper left open if necessary.
I do not know what particular object there was in this,
unless to let the smoke out, for chimneys were more
apt to smoke then than now ; or, perhaps, to keep the
youngsters in and let in fresh air. Whatever the ob-
ject was, this was the usual way the outside kitchen
door was made, with a wooden latch and leather string
hanging outside to lift it, which was easily pulled in,
and then the door was quite secure against intruders.
The barns and out-houses were curiosities in after
years: large build'ngs witli no end of timber and all
roof, like a great box wit!) an enormous candle extin-
guisher set on it. But houses and barns are gone, and
modern structures occupy their places, as they suc-
ceeded the rough log ones, and one can only see them
as they are photographed upon the memory.

♦,

4 y

L .

<A 'l^y

\ ^

•'■

■

fiFtY YEARS AGO.

4 >*

Early days are always bright to life's voyager, and
whatever his condition may have been at the out-
set, he is ever wont to look back with fondness to
the scenes of his youth. I c\n recall days of toil
under a burning sun, but they were cheerful days,
nevertheless. There was always " a bright spot in
the future " to look forward to, which moved the arm
and lightened the task. Youth is buoyant, and if its
feet run in the way of obedience, it will leave a sweet
fragrance behind, which will never lose its flavour.
The days I w^orked in the harvest field, or when I fol-
lowed the plough, whistling and singing through the
hours, are not the least happy recollections of the past.
The merry song of the girls, mingling with the luim of
the spinning- wdieei, as they tripped backward and for-
ward to the cadence of their music, drawing out miles
of thread, reeling it into skeins which the woiivcr's
loom and shuttle was to turn into thick heavy cloth ;
or old grandmother treading away at her little wheel,
making it buzz as she drew out the delicate fibres of
flax, and let it run up the spindle a fine and evenly
twisted thread, with which to sew our garments, or to
make our linen; and mother, busy as a bee, thinking
of us all, and never wearying* in her endeaviuirs to add

COUNTRY LI^E IN CANADA

to our comfort — these are pictures that stand out, clear
and distinct, and are often reverted to with pleasure
and delight. But though summer time in the country
is bright and beautiful with its broad meadows waving
before the western wind like seas of green, and the
yellow corn, gleaming in the field where the sun-burnt
reapers are singing; though the flowers shed their
fragrance, and the breeze sighs softly through the
branches overhead in monotones, but slightly varied,
yet sweet and soothing ; though the wood is made
vocal with the song of birds, and all nature is jocund
and bright — notwithstanding, all this, the winter,
strange as it may seem, was the time of our greatest
enjoyment. Winter, Avhen " Old Gray," who used to
scanii)or with me astride his bare back down the lane,
stood munching his fodder in the stall ; when the cat-
tle, no longer lolling or browsing in the peaceful shade,
moved around the barn-yard with humped backs,
shaking their heads at the cold north wind ; when the
trees vvero stripped of their roiiage, and the icicles
hung in fantastic I'ows along the naked branches, glit-
tering like jewels in the sunshine, or rattling in the
northern blast ; when the gj'ound was covered deep
with snow, and the 'wind " driving o'er the fields/ '

E* i .

■!^: ^1

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

I
I

whirled into huge drifts, blocking up the doors and
paths and roads ; when

" The whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end ; "

when the frost silvered over the window-panes, or
crept through the cracks and holes, and fringed them
with its delicate fret- work ; when the storm raged and
howled without, and

" Shook beams and rafters as it passed ! "

Within, happy faces were gathered around the blazino'
logs in the old fire-place.

*' Shut in from all the world without,
We sat the clean-winged hearth about,
Content to let the north wind roar.
In balHed rage at pane and door,
While the red logs before us beat
The frost line back with tropic heat."

The bupper has been cleared away, and upon the
clean white tabic is placed a large dish of apples and
a pitcher of cider. On either end stands a tallow
candle in a bi-ight brass candlestick, with an extin-
guisher attached to each, and the indispensable snuf-
fers and tray. Sometimes the fingers are made use of
in the place of the snuffers ; but it is not always satis-

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

factory to the snuffer, as he sometimes burns himself,
and hastens to snap Jiis fingers to get rid of the burn-
ing wick. One of the candles is appropriated by
father, who is quietly reading his paper ; for we had
newspapers then, though they would not compare very
favourably with those of to-day, and we got them only
once a week. Mother is darning socks. Grandmother
is making the knitting needles fly, as though all her
grandchildren were sfcockinglcss. The girls are sewing
and making merry with the boys, and we are deeply
engaged with our lessons, or what is more likely,
playing fox and .n^eese.

" What matters how the night behaved ;
What matter how the north-wind raved ;
IMow high, blow k)w, not all its snow
Could (luench our ruddy hearth-tire's glow.

•X-

■X-

O time and change ! with hair as gray

As was my sire's that winter day,

How strange it seems, with so much gone

Of life and love, to still live on !

Ah brother ! only I and thou

Are left of all the circle now—

The dear home faces whereupon

Tiie titful fire-light paled and shone,

Henceforth, listen as we will.

The voices of that hearth are still. "

FTFTY TEARS AGO.

CHAPTER IV.

THE EARLY SETTLERS IN UPPER CANADA— PROSPERITY, NATIONAL

AND INDIVIDUAL— THE OLD HOMES, WITHOUT AND WITHIN

(JANDLE-MAKING — SUPERSTITIONS AND OIVIENS— THE DEATH-
WATCH — OLD ALMANACS— EEES— THE DIVINING ROD— THE U. E.
LOYALISTS— THEIR SUFFERINGS AND HEROISM— AN OLD AND A
NEW PRICE LIST— PRIMITIVE HOROLOGES— A .TAUNT IN ONE
OF THE CONVENTIONAL " CARRIAGES " OF OLDEN TIMES- THEN
AND NOW — A NOTE OF WARNING.

rriHE settlement of Ontario, known up to the time of
-^ Confederation as the Province of Upper Can-
ada, or Canada West, began in 1784, so that at the
date I purpose to make a brief survey of the condition
and progress of the country, it had been settled forty-
six years. During those years— no insignificant period
in a single life, but very small indeed in the history of a
country — the advance in national prosperity and in the
various items that go to make life pleasant and happy
had been marvellous. The muscular arm of the sturdy
pioneer had hewn its way into the primeval forest, and
turned the gloomy wilderness into fruitful fields.

It is well known that the first settlers located alono-
the shores of the River 8t, Lawrence, the Bay of

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

Quints, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erio, and that, at the
iiinc of winch 1 speak, this coastline of a few hundred
miles, extending back but a very short distance — a long
narrow strip cut from the serried edge of the bound-
less woods — comprised the settlement of Canada West
as it then existed. Persistent hard work iiad piacctl
the majority in circumstances of more than ordinary
comfort. Good houses had taken the place of log
cabins, and substantial frame barns that of rude hovels.
Hard fare and scanty raiment had given place to an
abundance of the necessaries of life, and no people,
perhaps, ever appreciated these blessings with more
sincere thankfulness or more hearty contentment. The
farmer was a strong, hardy man, the wife a ruddy,
cheerful body, careful of the comforts of her house-
hold. One table sufficed for themselves and their
servants or hired help. Meat was provided twice
and uiicu tin ice a day ; it being more a matter of
taste than economy as to the number of times it was
served. Fruit was abundant, and every matron prided
herself upon preserving and putting away quantities
of it for home use. So that at this time the world
was moving smoothly with the people. An immense
track of wilderness had been reclaimed, and waving

■i

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

fields and fruitful orchards occupied its place. It may
have seemed to them, and indeed I think it did to many,
that the sum of all they could expect or even desire in
this world had been attained ; while we, who remem-
her those days, and look back over the changes of
fifty years, wonder how they managed to endure life
at all.

It is true that the father, more from the force of
habit than necessity, perhaps, continued to toil in the
field, and the mother, moved by the same cause, and
by her maternal anxiety for the well-being of hei- family,
still spent many a long hour at the loom. The son,
brought up to work, followed tho plouirh, or did battle
with the axe, making the woods ring with his rapid
strokes. And as he laboured he pictured to himself
the building of a nest in the unbroken forest behind
the homestead, wherein the girl of his choice figured
as the central charm. The daughter who toiled throu^di
the long summer's day to the monotonous hum of the
spinning wheel, drawing out and twisting the threads
that should enter into the make-up of her wedding
outfit, was contented and happy. The time and cir-
cumstances in which they were placed presented notU-

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

ing better, and in their estimation the world had littlo
more to offer than they already possessed.

It is more than probable that if we, with our modern
notions and habits, could to-day be carried back into a
similar condition of life, we would feel that our lines
had fallen in anything but pleasant places. The flying
years, with their changes and anxieties, like the con-
stant dripping of water on a stone, have worn off the
rough edges that wounded and worried during their
progress, and only the sunny spots, burned in the
plastic memory of younger days, remain.

The old homes, as I remember them in those days,
were thought palatial in their proportions and con-
veniences, and so they were as compared with the old
log houses. The latter often still remained as relics
of other days, but they had been converted into the
base use of a cow stable, or a shelter for waggons and
farm implements during the winter. Their successors
were, with very few exceptions, wood'en structures,
clap-boarded, and painted either yellow or rgd. The
majority, however, never received any touching up from
the painter's brush, and as the years rolled on became
rusty and gray from the beating of winter's storms and
the heat of summer's sun. The interior rarely displayed

ii.

♦ -

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

-^-

' 11

.11

lot

any skill in carrangement or design. The living rooms
were generally of goodly size, with low ceilings, but the
sleeping rooms were invariably small, with barely room
enough for a large high-posted bedstead, and a space
to undress in. The exterior was void of any archi-
tectural embellishment, with a steep roof pierced by
dormer windows. The kitchen, which always seemed
to me like an aftbr-thought, was a much lower part of
the structure, welded on one end or the other of the
main body of the house, and usually had a roof pro-
jecting some distance over one side, forming "the
stoop." In very many cases, the entrance to the
spacious cellar, where the roots, apples, cider, and
other needs of the household were kept, was from this
through a ti'ap door, so that in summer or winter the
good wife had actually to go out of doors when any-
thing was required for the table, and that was very
often. It really seemed us though the old saying of
" the longest way round is the shortest way home "
entered not only into the laying out of highways, but
into all the domestic arrangements. Economy of time
and space, convenience, or anything to facilitate or
lighten labour, does not appear to have occupied the
thoughts of the people. Work was the normal con-

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

(lition of their being, and, as we see ifc now, everything
seems to have been so arranged as to prechide the
possibility of any idle moments. At the end of the
kitchen was invariably a large fire-place, with its wide,
gaping mouth, an iron crane, with a row of pothooks of
various lengths, from which to suspend the pots over the
fire, and on the hearth a strong pair of andirons, flanked
by a substantial pair of tongs and a shovel. During
the winter, when the large back-log, often as much as
two men could handle, was brought in and fixed in its
place, and a good forestick put on the andirons, with
well-split maple piled upon it and set ablaze with dry
pine and chips, the old fire-place became aglow
with cheerful fire, and dispensed its heat through the
room. But in extremely cold weather it sometimes
happened that while one side was being roasted the
other was pinched with cold. At one side of the fire-
place there was usually a large oven, which, when
required, was heated by burning dry wood in it, and
then the dough was put into tin pans and pushed in to
be baked. Sometimes the ovens were built on frames
in the yard, and then in wind or storm the baking had
to be carried out doors and in. Every kitchen had
o^e or more spacious cupboards ; whatever need there

■( •

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

, ■ r'-'

was for other conveniences, these were always provided,
and were well filled. The other rooms of the house
were generally warmed by largi box stoves. The spare
bedrooms were invariably cold, and on a severe night it
was like undressing out of doors and jumping into a
snowbank. I have many a time shivered for half an
hour before my body could generate heat enough to
make me comfortable. The furniture made no pre-
tensions to artistic design or elegance. It was plain
and strong, and bore unmistakable evidence of having
originated either at the carpenter's bench or at the
hands of some member of the family, in odd spells of
leisure on rainy days. Necessity is axiomatically said
to be the mother of invention, and as there were no
furniture makers with any artistic skill or taste in the
country, and as the inclination of the people ran more in
the direction of the useful than the ornamental, most of
the domestic needs were of home manufacture. I have
a clear recollection of the pine tables, with their strong
square legs tapering to the floor, and of how carefully
they were scrubbed. Table covers were seldom used,
and only when there was company, and then the cherry
table with its folding leaves was brought out, and the
pure white linen cloth, most likely the production of

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

the good wife's own hands, was carefully spread upon
it. Then came the crockery. Who can ever forget the
blue-edged plates, cups and saucers, and other dishes
whereon indigo storks and mandarins, or something
approaching a representation of them, glided airily over
sky-blue hills in their ])ious way from one indigo
pagoda to another. These things, I have no doubt,
would be rare prizes to Ceramic lovers of the present
day. The cutlery and silver consisted mostly of bone-
handled knives and iron forks, and iron and pewter
spoons. On looking over an old inventory of my grand-
father's personal efi'ects not long since, I came upon
these items : " two pair of s])oon moulds," and I
remembered melting pewter and making spoons with
these moulds when I was ver}^ young. Cooking was done
in the oven, and over the kitchen fire, and the utensils
were a dinner pot, teakettle, frying pan and skillet
There were no cooking sto\^es. The only washing
machines were the ordinary wash tubs, soft soap, and
the brawny arms and hands of the girls ; and the only
wringers were the strong wrists and firm grip that could
give a vigorous twist to what i)assed through the hands.
Water was drawn from the wells with a bucket
fastened to a long slender pole attached to a sweep sus-

,1 v

i?IFTY YEAKS AGO.

i3endod to a crotch. Butter, as has already been inti-
mated, was made in upright churns, and many aniiour
have I stood, witli mother's apron pinned around me to
keep my clothes from getting spattered, pounding at
the stubborn cream, when every minute seemed an hour,
thinking the butter would never come. When evening
set in, we were wont to draw around the cheerful fire
on the hearth, or perhaps up to the kitchen table, and
read and work by the dim liglit of "tallow dips,"
placed in tin candlesticks, or, on extra occasions, in
brass or ?*;ver ones, with their snufiers, trays and
extinguishers. Now, we sit bv the brilliant lioht of the
coal oil lamp or of gas. Then, coal oil was in the far-
off future, and there was not a gas jet in Canada, if
indeed in America. The making of tallow candles,
befoi-e moulds were used, was a slow and tii-esnine task,
fclmall sticks were used, about two feet long, upon each
of which six cotton wicks, made for the purpose, were
placed about two inches apart, each wick being from
ten to twelve inches long. A large kettle was next
partly filled with hot water, upon which melted tallow
was poured. Then, two sticks were taken in the right
hand, and the wick slowly dipped up and down through
the melted tallow. This process was continued until

COUNTRr LIFE IN CANADA

the candles had attained sufficient size, when thev were
liut aside to harden, and then taken off' the sticks and
put away. It required considerable practical experience
to make a smooth candle which would burn evenly ;
and a sputtering candle was an abomination. The cloth
with which the male members of the family were clad,
as well as the flannel that made the dresses and under-
clothing for both, was carded, spun, and often woven
at home, as was also the flax that made the linen.
There were no sowing or knitting machines, save the
<icft hands that plied the needle. Carpets were
seldom seen. The floors of the spare rooms, as they were
called, were painted almost invariably with yellow ochre
paint, and the kitchen floor was kept clean and white with
the Hie, and sanded. The old chairs, which, in point of
comfort, modern times have in no way improved upon, .
we»'e also of home make, with thin round legs and
splint-bottomed seats, or, what was more common, elm
bark evenly cut and })l{iited. Many a time have I gone
to the woods in the spring, when the willow catkins in
the swamp and along the side of the creek turned from
silver to gold, and when the clusters of linwort nodded
above the purple-green leaves in the April wind, and

^IFTY YEARS ACtO.

taken the bark in long strips from the elm trees to re-
seat the dilapidated chairs.

If the labour-saving appliances were so scanty in-
doors, they were not more numerous outside. The
farmer's implements were rude and rough. The wooden
plough, with its wrought-iron share, had not disap-
peared, but ploughs with cast-iron mould-boards, land-
sides and shares, were rapidly coming into use. These
had hard-wood beams, and a short single handle with
which to guide them. They were clumsy, awkward
things to work with, as I remember full well, and
though an improvement, it was impossible to do nice
work with them. Indeed, that part of the question
did not receive much consideration, the principal ob-
ject being to get the ground turned over. They were
called patent ploughs. Di'ags were cither tree tops or
square wooden frames with iron teeth. The scythe for
hay and the cradle for grain, with strong backs and
muscular arms to swing them, were the only mowers
and reai)ers known. The hand rake had not been
superseded by the horse rake, nor the hoe by the cul-
tivator; and all through the winter, the regular thump,
thump of the flails on the barn floor could be heard, or
the trampling out of the grain by the horses' feet. Tho

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

lattle of the fanning mill announced the finishing or
bhe task. Threshing machines and cleanei-s wore yet
lo come.

It will be seen from what I have said that both in
the house and out of it work was a stern and exacting
master, whose demands were incessant, satisfied only
by the utmost diligence. It was simply by this that
so much was accomplished. It is true there were
other incentives that gave force to the wills and nerves
to the arms which enabled our forefathers to overcome
the numberless arduous tasks that demanded attention
daily throughout the year. All the inventions that
have accumulated so rapid! 3-' for the last twenty years
or more, to lighten the burden and facilitate the ac-
complishment of labour and production, as well as to
promote the comfort of all classes, were unknown fifty
years ago. Indeed many of the things that seo; sj
simple and uninteresting to us now, as I shall have oc-
casion to show further on, were then hidden in the
future. Take for example the very common and indis-
pensable article, the lucifer match, to the absence of
whlvh Musion has already been made. Its simple
method of producing tire had nev<"' entered the imagi-
nation of our most gifted sires, "he only way known

FIFTY YEARS AGO. (Jf

to them was the primitive one of rubbing two sticks to-
gether and producing fire by friction-a so.ncwliat
tedious procoss-or witli a flint, a heavy jack-knife,
and a bit of punk, a fungous growih, the best of which
for this purpose is obtained from tlie beech. Gun Hints
were most generally used. One of these was placed
on a bit of dry puidv, and lield firmly in the left hand,
while the back of the closed blade of the knife tlius
brought into contact with the flint by a (piick downward
stroke of the right hand produced a sliower of spirks
some of which, falling on the punk, would ignite ; and
thus a fire was produced. In the winter, if tlie fire went
out, there were, as I have already stated,but two alterna-
tives—either the flint and steel, or a run to a nei^h-
hour's house for live coals.

There were many superstitious notions current amono-
the people in those days. Many an omen botli for good
and evil was sincerely believed in, which even yet in
quiet places finis a lodgement where tlie schooln aster
has not been much abroad. Jjut tlie half century tliat
has passed away has seen the List of many a foolish
notion. A belief in omens was not confined to the
poor and ignorant, for brave m^'ii hav(> been known to
tremble at seeing a winding-sheet in a candle and

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

learned men to gather their little ones around them,
fearino; that one wouhl be snatched away, because a
dog outside took a fancy to howl at the moon. And
wlio has not heard the remark when a sudden shiver
caUie over one, that an enemy was then walking ov jr
the spot which would be his grave ? Or who has not
noticed the alarm occasioned by the death watch — the
noise, resembling the ticking of a watch, made by a
hannless little insect in the wall — -or the saying that if
thirteen sit down to table, one is sure to die within a
year ? Somebody has said tliere is one case when he
believed this omen to be true, and that is when tliii'-
teen sit down to dinner and there is only enough for
twelve. There was no end to bad omens. It was bad
luck to see the new moon for the lirst time over tlie
left shoulder, but if seen over the right it was the
reverse. It is well known that the moon has been
supposed to exercise considerable inlluence over our
planet, among the chief of which are the tides, and
it was bL^lieved also to have a great deal to do
with much smaller matters. There are few who have
not seen en the first page of an almanac the curious
picture representing a nude man with exjiosed bowels,
and surrounded with the zodiacal signs. This was al-

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

ways found in tlie old almanacs, and indeed they would
be altou'cther unsaleable without it and the weather
forecast. How often have I seen the almanac consulted
as to whether it was going to l)e fair or stormy, cold
or hot ; how often seen the mother studying the pic-
tures when she wished to wean her babe. If she found
the chanue of the moon occurred when the sii-n was in
Aries or Gemini or Taurus, all of which were supposed
to exercise a baneful influence on any part of the body
above the heart, she would defer the matter until a
change came, when the sign would be in Virgo or Li-
bra, considering it extremely dangerous to undertake
the operation in the former case. The wife was not
alone in this, for the husband waited for a certain time
in the moon to sow his peas — that is, if he wished to
ensure a good crop. He also thought it unlucky to kill
hogs in the wane of the moon, because the pork would
shrin!: and waste in the boiling. The linding of an old
horseshoe was a sure sign of good luck, and it was (piite
common to see one nailed ui) over the door. It is
said that the late Horace Greeley always kept a rusty
one over the door of his sanctum. To begin anything
on Friday was sure to end badly. I had an esteemed
friend, the late sheritf of the county of , who

100

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

faithfully believed this, and adhered to it up to the
time of his death. May was considered an unlucky
month to many in, and vdien I was thinking of this
matter a number of years later, and wished the event
to occur during the month, my wish was objected to
on this ground, and the ceremony deferred until June
in consequence.

It is said that the honey bee came to America with
the Pilgrim Fathers. Whether this be so or not I am
unprepared to say. If it be true, then there Avere
loyalists among them, for they found their way to
Canada with the U. E.'s, and contributed very consid-
erably to the enjoyment of the table. Short-cake and
honey were things not to be despised in those days, I
remember. There w^as a curious custom that prevailed
of blowing horns and pounding tin pans to keep the
bees from going away when swarming. The custom
is an Old Country one, I fancy. Tiie reader will
remember that Dickens, in " Little Dorrit," makes
Ferdinand Barnacle say : " You really have no idea
how the human bees wdll swarm to the beating of any
old tin kettle."

A 'mother peculiar notion prevailed with|respect to
&■ 'ering the proper place to dig wells. There wore

— (

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

101

certain persons, I do not remember what they were
called, whether water doctors or water witches, who
|)rofessed to be able, with the aid of a small hazel
crotched twig, which was held firmly in both hands
with the crotch inverted, to tell where a well should
he sunk with a certainty of finding water. The pro-
cess was simply to walk about with the twig thus held,
and when the right place was reached, the forked twig
would turn downwards, however firmly held ; and on
the strenfijth of this, diQ*mn2^ would be commenced in
the place indicated. A curious feature about this was
that there were but very few in Avhose hands the ex-
periment would work, and hence the water discoverer
was a person of some repute. I never myself witnessed
the performance, but it was of common occurence.*

The people of to-day will no doubt smile at these
reminiscences of a past age, and think lightly of the

*Tlie reader will rememl)or the occult operations of Doiisterswivel in
the seventeenth chapter of Scott's Antiqnarii. " In trntli, the German
was now got to a little copse-thicket at some distance from the ruins,
where he .affected Imsily to search for snch a wand as should suit the
purpose of his mystery ; and after cutting off a small twig of hazel ter-
minating in a forked end, which he pronounced to possess the virtue
jiroper for the experiment that he was about to exhibit, holding the
forked ends of the wand each between the finger and the thumli, and
thus keeping the rod upright, he proceeded to pace the ruined aisles,"
&c. So it will be seen that we had Canadian successors of Douster-
swivel in my time, but we had no Oldbucks,

102

COITNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

life siUToimdings of these early" pioneers of the Pro-
vince. But it must not be foro;otten that their condi-
tion of life was that of the first remove from the bush
and the log cabin. There was abundance, without
luxury, and it was so widely different from the struggle
of earlier years that the people were contented and
happy. "No people on earth," says Mr. Talbot, in
1828, "live better than the Canadians, so far as eating
and di'inking justify the use of the expression, for they
may bo truly said to fare sumptuously every day.
Their In'cakfast not unfrequently consists of twelve or
fourteen different inm-edients, which are of the most
heterogeneous nature. Green tea and fried pork, honey-
comb and salted salmon, pound cake and pickled
cucumbers, stewed chickens and apple-tarts, maple
molasses and pease-pudding, gingerbread and sour-
crout, are to be found at almost every table. The
dinner differs not at all from the breakfasi;, and the
afternoon repast, which the}^ term supper, is equally
substantial."

The condition of the Province in 1830 could not be
otherwise than pre-eminently satisfactory to its in-
habitants. That a people who had been driven from
their homes, in most cases destitute of the common

/ :

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

ion

needs of ordinary life, should have come into a vast
wilderness, and, in the course of forty-six years, have
founded a country, and placed themselves in circum-
stances of comfort and independence, seems to me to
be one of the marvels of the century. The struo-o-los
and trials of the first settlers must ever l,e a sul.j.^It of
deepest interest to every true Canadian, and, as an
illustration of the power of fixed principles upon the
action of men, there are few things in the world's
history that surpass it. It must be remembered that
many, nay most, of the families who came hei-e had,
prior to and during the Revolutionary war, been men
of means and position. All these advantages they
were forced to abandon. They came into this country
with empty hands, accepted the liberality of the Briti.sh
Government for two years, and went to>ork. Provi-
dence smiled upon their toils, and in the year of which
I speak tliey had grown into a prosperous and happy
people.

The social aspect of things had changed but little.
The habits and customs of early days still remained.
The position of the inhabitants was one of exio^encv
The absorbing desire to succeed kept them at home.
They knew but little" of what was passing in the

104

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

worM outside, and as a general thing tliey care<l less.
Tlieir cliief interest was centred in the common wel-
fare, and each contiihuted his or her share of intel-
ligence and sagacity to further any plans that were
calcidated to promote the general good. Every day
called for some new expedient in which the comfort or
advantao'c of the whole was concerned, for there were
no positions save those accorded to worth and intellect.
The sufferings or misfortunes of a neighbour, as well
as his enjoyments, were participated in by all. Know-
ledge and ability were respectfully looked up to, yet
those who possessed these seemed hardly conscious of
their gifts. The frequent occasions which called for
the exercise of the mind, sharpened sagacity, and gave
strength to character. Avarice and vanity were con-
fined to narrow limits. Of money there was little.
Dress was coarse and plain, and was not subject to
the whims or caprices of fashion. The girls, from the
examples set them by their mothers, were industrious
and constantly emi)loyed. Pride of birth was unknown,
and the affections flourished fair and vigorously, un-
checked by the thorns and brambles with which our
minds are cursed ia the advanced stage of refinement
of the present day.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

105

The secret of their success, if there Avas tany secret
in it, was the economy, iiKhistry and njoderate wants
of every member of the household. The clothini:' and
living were the outcome of the farm. Most of the
ordinary implements and requirements for both were
procured at liome. The neighbourino- blacksmith
made the axes, logging-chains and tools. He ironed
the waggons and sleighs, and received his pay from
the cellar and barn. Almost every farmer had his
work-bench nnd carpenter's tools, which he could han-
dle lo advantage, as well as a shoemakers bench; and
during th(^ long evenings of the fall and wintei- would
devote some of his time to mending hoots oi re[)airmg
harness. Sometimes the old loij-house was turned into
a blacksmith shop. This was the case with the first
home of my grandfather, and his seven sons could turn
their hands to any trade, and do pretty good work.
If the men's clothes were not made by a member of
the household, they were made in the house by a sew-
ing girl, or a roving tailor, and the boots and shoes
were made by cobblers of the same itinerant stripe.
Many of the productions of the farm were unsaleable,
owing to the want of large towns for a market. Trade,
such as then existed, was carried on mostly by a system

IOC COUNTRY LIFE TN CANADA

of barter. The refuse ap^tles fi-oin the orchard were
tiirniMl into (Uiler and vino^-ar for tlio table. The skins
of the cattle, calves and shoo]) that were slaui^'htcrod
for the wants of th(i faniilv, wore taken t<» tli<' tan-
nois, who dressed Hiom, and returno(l Imlf of oaeh
Indo. Tlie cnrrency ot" ilio day wns Hour, ))()rk and
potash. Tho first two were in doinnnd for the luui-
bornien's shanties, and the hist sv(Mit to Montreal for
export. The ashes from the house and the loi^'dieaps
were eithei' leaehed at home, and the lye boiled down
in the large potash ketJos — of which almost eviny
farmer ha<l one or two — and converted into potash,
or becanu^ a por(|uisite of the wife, and were carried
to tlie ashery, where they were exchanged for crockery
or somethino; ibr the bouse. Wood, save the laro-e
oak and pine tind^er, was valueless, and was cut dowr.
and burned to get it out of the way.

I am enabled to give a list of prices current at that
time of a number of things, from a domestic account-
book, and an auction sale of my grandfather's personal
estate, after his death in 1821). The term in use for an
auction then was vendue.

1830. 1880.

A good hor.«e §80 00 8120 00

Yoke of oxen 7:") 00 100 00

Milch cow 10 00 30 00

' I.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

107

1S.10.

A hog S 2 on

Aslu't'p 2 00

Hay, VHT ton 7 oo

Tork, per 1)1)1 ir. 00

Flour, per cwt ;{ oO

3't't'f :; :,()

Mutton II ;• 00

Turkeys, oacli

Duoks, per pair

(ieose, each

( "hickens, per i)aii'

Wheat, iK-r hushel 1 00

I»ye 'r 70

Jiarley ,1 r.O

Peas ,1 ^0

Oats II ;^7

Potatoes 11 40

Api)lea M ;-,Q

r)Utter, per pound 14

Cheese n

Lard- n 5

E<,'gs, per dozen K)

Wood, per cord i oO

Calf skins, each

Sheep skins, each

West India molasses 80

Tea, per pound so

Tobacco 25

Honey 10

Oysters, per < piart SO

Men's stronfj boots, i)er pair ,'] 00

Port wiue, per irallon SO

Brandy n j no

Ilnm ,1 " 1 00

Whisky n 40

Grey cotton, per yard 1 1

Calico II 20

Nails, per pound 14

ISSO.

.s r. 00

r» 00

12 00

.'{ 00

1; 00

(; no

1 :.o

1 00

1 OS

1 00

t» *-
.1.)

25
17
12
25
5 00
I 00

1 00
50
(iO
50
25
40

2 75
4 00

3 00
1 40

108

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

A^cgctal)les were unsaleable, and so were many other
tilings for which the farmcv now finds a ready market.
Tlic wages paid to a man were from eight to ton dollars,
and a girl iiom two to three dollars, per month. For
a day's ^\ork, except in harvest time, from fifty to
seventy-five cents was the ordinary rate. IMoney was
reckoned by €. s. d. Halifax currency, to distinguish it
from the pound sterling. The former was e((ual to
S4.00, and the latter, as now, to .^4.87.

( 'locks were not common. It is true, in most -^f the
better class of old homes a stately old time-piece, whose
face nearly reached the ceiling, stood in the hall or
sitting-room, and measured off the hours witli slow and
steady beat. But the most common time-])iece was a
line cut in the iloor, and when the sun touched his
meridian lieii'lit his ravs were cast alono- tliis mai'k
through a crack in the door ; and thus the hour of
noon was made known. A few years later the irre-
pre *ble Yankee invaded the country with his wooden
clocKs, and supplied the ^vant. My father bought one
which is still in existence (thoui-h I think it has ii'ot
past keei)ing time), and paid ten pounds for it ; a bet-
ter one can be had now for as many shillings.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

109

The kitchen door, which, as I have ah-eady inen-
tionod, was very often divided in the middle, so that
the upper part could be opened and the lower half
kept closed, was the general entrance to the house,
and was usually provided with a wooden latch, which
was lifted from the outside by a leather string put
through the door. At niglit, when the family retired,
the string was pulled in and the door was fastened
against any one from the outside. From this origin-
ated the saying that a friend would always find the
strinii' on the latch.

Carriages were not kept, for the simple reason that
tlie farmer seldom had occasion to use them. He rarely
went from home, and when he did he mounted his
horse or di'ove in his himl)er-waggon to market or to
meeting. He usually had one or two waggon-chairs,
as diey were called, which would hold two persons very
comfortably. These were put in the waggon and a
buffalo skin thrown over them, and then the vehicle
was ecpiipped for the Sunday drive. There was a
light waggon ke})t for the old people to dri- • about in,
the box of which rested on the axles. The seat, how-
ever, was secured to wooden springs, which made it
somewhat more comfortable to lide in. A specimen ol'

110

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

tlii.s kind of carriage was shown by the York Pioneers
at the Industrial Exhibition in this city. I have a clear
recollection of the most connnon carriage kept in those
days, and of my first ride in one. I was so delighted
that I have never forgotten it. One Saturday after-
noon, my father and mother determined to visit Grand-
father C , some six miles distant. We were made

ready — that is to say, my sister and self — and the
" yoke" was put to. Our carriage had but two wheels,
the most fashionable mode then, and no steel springs ;
neither was the body hung upon hitraps. I'here was
no cover to the seat, which was unique in its way, and
original in its get-up. Neither was there a well-padded
cushion to sit on, or a back to recline against. It was
nothing more or less than a limber board })la(j:ed across
from one side of the box to the other. My father took
his seat on the right, the place imariably accorded to
the driver — we did nut keep a coachman then — my
mother and sistei', the latter being an infant, sat on
the opposite side, Avhile 1 was wedgetl in the middle
to keep me from tumbling out. My lather held in his
hand a long slender wliip (commonly called a "gad")
of blue beech, with which he touched the oti-side
animal, and said, " Haw Uuck, goe-'long." The " yoke "

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

obeyed, and broiiglit us safely to our joui-iiey's end in
the course of time. Many and many a pleasant ride
have 1 had since in far more sum[)tuous vehicles, but
none of them has left such a distinct and i)leasin«r

J- o

T recollection.

The houses wei-e almost invariablv inclose<I with a
picket or board fence, with a small yard in front.
Shade and ornamental trees were not in nnieh repute.
All around lay the " l)Oundless continuity of shade ; "
but it awak-ned no i)Oetic sentiment. To them it had
been a standing menace, which had cost the expendi-
ture of their best energ-ies, year after year, to push
further and further back. The time had not come
for ornamenting their grounds and iields with shrubs
and trees, unless they could minister to their comfort
in a more substantial way. The gai'dens were generally
well supj)lied with cuiiant and gooseberry bushes.
Pear, plum -ind cherry trees, as well as the orchard
itseli';, Were close at hand. Raspberries and strawberries
were abundant in every new clearing. The sap-bush
furnished the su;';ar and maple nu^lasses. 80 that most
of the requisites for good living were within easy
liail.

112

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

The first concern of a thrifty farmer was to possess
a large barn, with out-houses or sheds attached for
his hay and straw, and for the protection of his stock
during the cold and stormy weather of fall and win-
ter. Lumber cost him nothing, save the labour of
getting it out. There was, therefore, but little to pre-
vent him from having plenty of room in which to
house his crops, and as the process of threshing was
slow it necessitated more space than is required now.
The granary, pig-pen and - rn-crib were usually sep-
arate. The number and exce. i >■ buildings on a flour-
ishing homestead, inclosed with strong board fences,
covered a wide area, but the barns, with their enor-
mous peaked roofs, and the houses, with their dormer
windows looking out from their steep sides, have
nearly all disappeared, or have been transformed into
more modern shape.

It would be dilHcult to find much resendjlance be-
tween the well-ordered house of the thriving farmer
of to-day and that of half a century ago. In the
first place the house itself is designed with an eye to
convenience and comfort. Thej'o is more o'- less arclii-
tectural taste displayed in its external appe-irance. It
is kept carefully painted. The yawning fireplace in

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

113

the kitchen, with its row of pots, has discappearcd,
and in its place the most approved cooking-stove or
range, with its multifarious api)endages, is found. On
the walls hang numberless appliances to aid in cook-
ing. Washiog-machines, wringers, improved cliurns,
and many other labour saving arrani^^ements render
the task of the house-wife comparatively easy, and
enable her to accomplish much more work in a
shorter time than the dear old grandmother ever
dreamed of in the highest flights of her imagination.
Her cupboards are filled with china and earthenware
of the latest pattern. Pewter plates and buck-liandled
knives have vanished, and ivory-handled cutlery has
taken their places. Britannia metal and pewter si)oons
have been sent to the melting-pot, and iron forks have
given place to nickel and silver ones. The old fur-
niture has found its way to the garret, and the house
is furnished from the ware-rooms of the best makers.
Fancy carpets cover the iioor of every room. The
old high-posted bedsteads, which almost required a
ladder to get into, went to the lundjer heap loiif^ a.o-o
and low, sumptuous couciies take their i)laces. The
great feather tick has been converted into the more

healthy mattress, and the straw tick and curds have
H

114

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

been replaced by spring bottoms. It used to be quite
an arduous undertaking, J remember, to put up one
of those old beds. One person took a wrench, kept
for that purpose, and drew up the cord with it as tight
as he couid at every hole, and another followed with
a hammer and pin, which was driven into the hole
through which the end passed to hold it ; and so you
went on round the bed, until the cord was all drawn
as tight as it could possibly be. Now a bedstead can
be taken down and put up in a few moments by one
person with the greatest ease. The dresses of both
mother and daughters are made according to the latest
styles, and of the best material. The family ride in
their carriage, with fine hort-cs, and richly-plated har-
ness. The boys are sent to college, and the girls are
polished in city boarding-schools. On the farm the
change is no less marked. The grain is cut and bound
with reaping machines, the grass with mowing ma-
cirines, and raked with horse rakes. Threshing ma-
chines thresh and clean the grain. The farmer has
machines for planting and sowing. The hoe is laid
aside, and his corn and root crops are kep. clean with
cultivators. His ploughs and drags do better work
with more ease to lumself and his team. He has dis-

FIFTY YEAHS AGO.

115

covered tliat he can keep improved stock at less ex-
pense, and at far oreator profit. In fact, the whole
system of farniino' and farm labour has advanced with
the same rapid strides that everythino- else has done ;
and now one man can accomplish more in the same
time, and do it better, than half a dozen could fifty
years aiGjo.

Musical instruments were almost unknown except
by name. A stray fiddler, as I have said elsev/here,
was al)0ut the only musician that ever delighted the
ear of yoini'^" or old in those da3^s. I do not know that
there was a piano in the Province. Tf there were any
their number was so small that the^^ could have been
counted on tlie fingers of one hand. Now, every house
in the laud with any pretension to the ordinary com-
forts of life has either a piano or a melodeon, and every
farmer's daughter of any [position can run over the keys
with as much ea.se and etfect as a city belle. Passing
along one of our streets not long since, i licard some
ojic playing in a room adjoining a little grocery store.
My attention was arrested by the skill of the player,
and the fine tone of the instrument. While I was
listening, a couple""of ladies passed, one of whom said,
" I do wonder if they have got a piano here." " Why

IIG

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

not," said tlic otlier, " the pea-nut-man on Street

has one, and I don't see why every one else shouldn't
have."

I think all who have marked the changes that have
taken place during the half century which is gone, will
admit that we are a much faster people than our
fathers were. We have jumped from change to change
with marvellous rapidity. We could never endure the
patient plodding way they travelled, nor the toil and
privation they went through ; and it is a good thing
for us, jierhaps, that they preceded us. Would it not
be well for us occasionally to step aside from tlie bustle
and haste which surrounds us, and look back. There
are many valuable lessons to be gathered from the pages
of the past, and it might be well, perhaps, were we to
temper our anxiety to rise in the social scale with some of
the sterling qualities that characterized our progenitors.
Our smart boys now-a-days are far too clever to pursue
the paths which their fathers trod, and in too many
cases l)eglu the career of life as second or third-rate
professional men or merchants, while our daughters are
too frequently turned into ornaments for the parlour.
We know that fifty years ago the boys had to work
early and late. West of England bi'o-idcloths and fine

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

117

Frencli fabrics were things that rarely, indeed, adorned
their persons. Fasliionable tailors and voun'- (rentle-
men, according to the present acceptation of the term,
are comparatively modern institutions in Canada.
Fancy for a moment one of our young swells, with his
fashionable suit, gold watch, chain, and rings, i)atent
leather boots and kid gloves, and topped off with
Christie's latest headgear, driving up to grandfather's
door in a covered buggy and plated harness, fifty years
ago! What would have been said, think you? My
impression is that his astonishment would have been
too great to find expression. The old man, no doubt,
would have scratched his head in utter bewilderment,
and the old lady would have pushed up her specs in
order to take in the whole of the new revelation, and
possibly might have exclaimed, '' J)id you ever see the
beat?" The girls, 1 have no doubt, would have
responded to their mother's ejaculation ; and the boys,
if at hand, would have laughed outright.

My remarks, so far, have been confined altogether to
the country settlements, and fifty years ago that was
about all there was in this Province. Kingston was,
in fact, the only town. The other places, which have
far outstripped it since, were only commencing, as we

118

COUNTRV- LIFE IN CANADA

shall see presently. Kingston was a place of consider-
able importance, owing to its being a garrison town ;
and its position at the foot of lake navigation gave
promise of future greatness. The dilterence between
town and country life as yet was not very marked,
except with the few ofHcers and olHcials. Clothes of
finer and more expensive materials were worn, and a
little more polish and rehnement were noticeable. The
professional man's otHce was in his house, and the
merchant lived over his store. He dealt in all kinds of
goods, and served his customers early and late. He
bartered with the people for their produce, and weighed
up the butter and counted out the eggs, for which he
paid iu groceries and dry goods. Now he has his house
on a fashionable street, or a villa in the vicinity of the
city, and is driven to his counting house in his carriage,
His father, and himself, parhaps, in his boyhooil^ toiled
in the suuimer tiuie under a burning sun, and now ne
and hip. family take their vacation during hot weather
at fashionable " watering places, Jor make a tour in
Europe.

We have but little to complain of as a people. Our
progress during the last fifty years has been such as
cannot but be gratifying to every Canadian, and if we

^-'>;||^

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

119

arc only true to ourselves and the great principles that
underlie real and permanent success, we should go on
building up a yet greater and more substantial pros-
perity, as the avenues of trade which are being opened
up from time to time become available. But let us
guard against the enervating influences which arc too
apt to follow increase of wealth. The desire to rise in
the social scale is one that finds a response in every
breast ; but it often happens that, as we ascend, habits
and tastes are formed that are at variance not only
with our own well-being, but with the well-being of
those who may be influenced by us. One of the prin-
cipal objects, it would seem, in making a fortune in
these days, is to make a show. There are not many
families in this Province, so far, fortunately, whose
children can afford to lead a life of idleness. Indeed,
if the truth must be told, the richest heir in our land
cannot afford it. Still, when children are born with
silver spoons in their mouths, the necessity to work is
removed, and it requires some impulse to work when
there is no actual need. But, fortunately, tliere are
higher motives in this world than a life of i/ •;Jorious
ease. Wealth can give much, but it cannot make a
man in the proper and hig^ er sense, any more than

120

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

iron can be transmuted into gold. It is a sad thing, I
think, to find many of our wealthy farmers bringing
up their children with the idea that a farmer is not as
respectable as a counter-jumper in a city or village
store, or that the kitchen is too trying for the delicate
organization of the daughter, and that her vocation is
to adorn the drawing-room, to be waited on by mamma,
and to make a brilliant match.

FIFTY YKAllS AGO.

(11AJTER V.

' ^H

Jefferson's definition oi' " liherty "— how it was acted

UPON— THE CANADIAN KENAI.S.SANCE — I5UKNIN0 TOLITICAL
QUESTIONS IN CANADA HALF A CENTURY AGO— LOCOMOTION —
MRS. JAMESON ON CANADIAN STAGE COACHES— LATTEAUX AND
DURHAM COATS.

r I 1IIE AiHci'ican Revolution developed two strik-
-■- ing pictures of the inconsistency of human nature.
The author of the Declaration of Independence lays
down at the very first this axiom : " We hold this
truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal;
that among these, are life, lihcvty, and the pursuit of
happiness." And yet this man, with numbers of others
who signed the famous document, was a slave-holder,
and contributed to the maintenance of a system which
was a reproach and a stain upon the fair fame of the
land, until it was wi])ed out with the blood of tens of
thousands of its sons. The next picture that stands
out in open contradiction to the declaration of equality
of birth and liberty of action appears at the end of
the war. The very men who had clamoured a.gainst
oppression, and had fought for and won their freedom,

122

COUNTRY LIFM IN CAIMA13A

in turn became the most intolerant oi)pressors. The
men wlio had ditiered from them, and had adhered to
the cause of the motl- jr hind, had their property con-
fiscated, and wei-e expelled from the country. Kevol-
utions have ever been marked by cruelty. Liberty
in France inaugurated the guillotine. The fathers of
the American lie volution cast out their kindred, who
found a refuue in the wilderneys of Canada, where
they endured for a time the most severe privations and
hardships. This was the first illustration or defini-
tion of ''' liberty and the pursuit of happiness, " from
an American point of view.

The result was not, perhaps, what was anticipated.
The ten thousand or more of their expatriated country-
men were not to be subdued by acts of despotic injus-
tice. Their oninions were dear to them, and were as
fondly cherished as were the o[)inions of those who
had succeeded in wrenching away a part of the old
Kmpire under a plea of being oppressed. They claimed
only the natural and sacred right of acting u[)on
their honest convictions ; and surely no one will pre-
tend to say tliat their position was not as just and
tenable, or that it was less honourable than that of
those who had rebelled. 1 am not going to say that

■>

•ift Vh "t

■"* .

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

19*1

^>o

tliuro was no cause of complaint on the part of tliose
who thi'ew down the i-ao-c of war. Tlie truth about
that matter has been conceded lonjj- aijo. The eiiaet-
ments of the Home Covei'imient whieli brouuht al)out
the revolt are matters with which we have iH)thini>- to
do at this time. But when the war terminated am'
peace was declared, the attitude of the new (govern-
ment toward those of their countrymen who had ad-
hered to jhe Old Land from a sense of duty, was cruel,
if not barbarous, it has no parallel in modern history,
unless it be the revocation of tiie Edict of Nantes by
Louis XIV. The refugees, however, did not, like tlie
Huii'uenot.s, lind a home in an old settled country, but
in the fastness of a Canadian forest; and it is wonder-
ful that so many men and women, out of love for a
distant land whose subjects they had been, and whoso
cause they had espoused, sliould have sacriticed every-
thing, and passed from comfortable ]K)mes and dearly-
loved kindred to desolation and poverty. It shows of
wliat unben<ling material they were made. With
their strong wills and stronger arms they laid the
foundation of another country that yet may rival the
land whence they were driven. This act no doubt
occasioned the settlement of the Western rroviuco

ib^ <tfM V

124

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA.

many years earlier than it would have occurred under
other circumstances ; and notwitlistanding the attempts
that were made to subdue the country, our fathers
proved, when the straggle came, that they had lost
none of their patriotic fire, and though they were
comparatively few in number, they were not slow to
shoulder their muskets and march away in defence
of the land of their adoption. There were no differ-
ences of opinion on this point. A people w'.o had
first been robbed of their worldly goods and thei
driven from the homes of their youth, were not likely
soon to forget either their wrongs or their sufferings,
nor to give up, without a struggle, the new homes they
had made for themselves under the keenest privations
and severest toils. As our fathers successfully resisted
tlie one, so have their children treated the threats and
blandishments that have been used from time to time
to bring them under the protecting ;ugis of the stars
and stripes. The wounds that were intlicted nearly a
century ago have happily cicatrized, and we can now
look with admiration on the happy progress of the
American people in all that goes to make up a great
and prosperous country. We hope to live in peace ana
unity with them. Still, we like our own country and

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

125

its system of government better, and feel that we have
no reason either to be discontented with its progress,
or to doubt as to its future.

The year 1830 may be taken as the commencement
of a new order of things in Canada. The people were
prosperous ; immigration was rapidly increasing. A
system of Government had been inaugurated which, if
not all that could be desired, was capable of being
moulded into a shape fit to meet the wants of a
young and growing country. There were laws to
protect society, encourage education, and foster trade
and commcrc<^. The application of steam in Eng-
land and the United States, not only to manuffictur-
ing pur[)Oscs but to navigation, which had made
some progress, rnpidly increased after this date, and the
illustration given by Stephenson, in September of this
year, of its capabilities as a motor in land transit, com-
pletely revolutionized the commerce of the world. It
assailed eveiy branch of industry, and in a few years
transformed all. The inventive genius of mankind
seemed to gather new energy. A clearer insight was
obtained into the vast results opening out before it, and
into the innumerable inventions which have succeeded ;
for the more uniform and rapi<l production of almost

12G

COUNTRY LIFE TN CANADA

every conceivable tiling used by man has had its
origin in tliis Nineteenth Century Renaissance. Our
Province, thouMi remote from tliis " new birth," could
not but feel a touch of the pulsation that was stirring
in the world, and, though hut in its infancy, it was not
backward in laying hold of these discoveries, and ap-
plying them as far as its limited resources would admit.
As early as 1810 we ha<l a steamer— the Fvontcnac —
running on Lake Ontario, and others soon followed.
The increase was much more rapid after the date
referred to, and the improvement in construction and
speed was equalh^ marked. Owing to our sparse and
scattered population, as well as our inability to build,
we did not undertake the construction of railroads un-
til I<S-")o, when the Northern Railroad was opened to
Bradford ; hut after that we went at it in earnest, and
we have kept at it until we have made our Province a
network of railways. In oi'der more fully to realize
our position at this time, it mu>t \)o borne in mind that
our ])opulation only reached i^lO/l-oT.

Those wlu)se I'ecollection runs l)ack to that time have
witnessed changes in this Province (liilii uU to realiz'3
as having taken nlace durini!' the lii'tv vears wlrch
have intervened. The first settleis found themselves

4 4.

..•I

FIFTY YEARS ACO.

127

in a posi ion which, owinor to^ the then-existing state
of things, can never occur again. They were cut off
from communication, except by very slow and inade-
quate means, with the ohier and more advanced parts
of America, and were, therefore, ahnost totally isolated.
They adhered to the manners and customs of their
fathers, and though they acc^uired property and grew
up in sturdy independence, their liabits and modes of
living remained unchanged. But now the steamboat
and locomotive brousjht them into contact with the
world outside. They began to feel and see that a new
state of things had been inaugurated ; that the old
paths had been forsaken ; that the world had faced
about and taken up a new line of march. And, as their
lives had theretofore been lives of exigency, they were
skilled in adapting themselves to the needs of the hour.
Men who have been trained in sucli a school are ([uick
at catching improvements and turning them to theii-
advantage. It matters not in what direction these im-
provements tend, whether to agriculture, manufactures,
education, or government ; and we shall find that in all
these our fathers were not slow to move, oi- i.ne(pial
to the emergency when it was pressed upon them.

128

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

One of the dearest privileges of a British subject is
the right of free discussion on all topics, whether sacred
or secular — more especially those of a political charac-
ter — and of giving effect to his opinions at the polls-
No people have exercised these pri\rileges with more
practical intelligence than tl\e Anglo-Canadian. It
must be confessed that half a century ago, and even
much later, colonial affairs were not managed by the
Home Government altogether in a satisfactory manner.
At the same time there can hardly be a doubt that the
measures emanating from the Colonial Office received
careful consideration, or that they were designed with
an honest wish to promote the well-being of the colon-
ists, and not in the perfunctory manner which some
writers have represented. The great difficulty has
been for an old country like the mother land, with its
long established usages, its time-honoured institutions,
its veneration for precedent, its dislike to change, and
its faith in its own wisdom and power, either to appre-
ciate the wants of a new country, or to yield hastily
to its demands. British statesmen took for granted
that what was good for tlieui was etpuilly beneficial to
us. Thv'^ir system of government, though it had under-
gone many a change, even in its monarchical tN'pe, was

^ A

]

■'I

TW"

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

120

the model on which the colonial governments were
based ; and when the time came we were set up with
a Governor appointed by the Crown, a Council chosen
by the Governor, and an Assembly elected by tlie peo-
ple. They had an Established Church, an outcome of
the Reformation, supported by the State. It was
necessary for the welfare of the people and for their
future salvation that we should have one, and it was
given us, large grants of land being made for its sup-
port. A hereditary nobility w^as an impossibility, for
the entire revenue of the Province in its early days
would not have been a sufficient income for a noble
lord. Still, there were needy gentlemen of good fami-
lies, as there always have been, and probably ever
will be, who were willing to sacrifice themselves for a
government stipend. They were provided for and sent
across the sea to this new land of oui's, to fill the few
offices that were of any importance. There was noth-
ing strange or unnatural in all this, and if these new-
comers had honestly applied themselves to the develop-
ment of the country instead of to advancing their own
interests, many of the difficulties which afterwards
sprang up would have been avoided. The men who
had made the country began to feel that they knew

130

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

more about its wants than the Colonial Office, and that
they could manage its affairs better than the appointees
of the Crown, who had become grasping and arrogant.
They began to discuss the question. A strong feeling
pervaded the minds of many of the leading men of the
day that a radical change was necessary for the well-
being of the country, and they began to apply the lever
of public opinion to the great fulcrum of agitation, in
order to overturn the evils that had crept into the ad-
ministration of public affairs. They demanded a gov-
ernment which should be responsible to the people,
and not independent of them. They urged that the
system of representation was unjust, and should be
equalized. They assailed the party in power as being
corrupt, and applied to tliem the epithet of the " Fam-
ily Compact " — a name which has stuck to them ever
since, because they held every office of emolument, and
dispensed the patronage to friends, to the exclusion of
every man outside of a restricted pale. Another griev-
ance which began to be talked about, and which re-
mained a bone of contention for years, was the large
grants of lands for the support of the Church of Eng-
land. As the majority of the people did not belong to
that body, they could not sec why it should be taken

^IFTY YEARS AGO.

ISI

under the protecting care of the State, while every
other denomination was left in the cold. Hence a
clamour for the secularization of the Clergy Reserves
began to be heard throughout the land. These, with
many other questions, which were termed abuses,
raised up a political party the members whereof came
to be known as Radicals, and who, later, were stigma-
tized by the opposing party as Rebels. The party
lines between these two sides were soon sharply drawn
and when Parliament met at York, early in January,
1830, it was discovered that a breach existed between
the Executive Council and the House of Assembly
which could not be closed up until sweeping changes
had been effected.

The Province at this time was divided into eleven
districts, or twenty-six counties, which returned forty-
one members to the Assembly, and the towns of York,
Kingston, Brockville and Niagara returned one mem-
ber each, making in all forty-five representatives.
Obedient to the command of the L^'cv tenant-Gover-
nor, Sir John Colborne, the members of the different
constituencies were finding their way with sleighs
(the only means of conveyance in those days) through
woods and snow-drifts, on the first of the year, to the

132

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

capital — the Town of York. The Province had not
yet reached the dignity of possessing a city, and in-
deed the only towns were the four we have named, of
which Kingston was the largest and most important.
It had a pojndation of 8,G35, and York 2,8G0. A
member from Winnipeg could reach Ottawa quicker,
and with much more comfort now, than York could be
reached from the Eastern and Western limits of the
Province in those days.*

Marshall Spring Bid well was Speaker to the As-
sembly, and the following formed the Executive Coun-
cil : — J. Baby, Inspector-General ; John H. Dunn,
Receiver-General ; Henry John Boulton, Attorney-

* Fancy sucli an announcement as the following appearing in our news-
papers in these clays, prior to the opening of the Houye of Assembly :—
" To the proprietors and editors of the different papers in the Eastern
part of the Province. Gentlemen : Presuming that the public will desire
to ])e put in possession of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor's
speech at the apjjroaching Session of Pari' 'nent at an early date, and
feeling desirous to gratify a public to which we are so much indebted, we
sliall make arrangements for having it delivered, free of expense, at
Kingston, the day after it is issueti from the press at York, that it may
be forwarded to Montreal by mail on the Monday following.

" We are. Gentlemen,

" Your obedient servants,
"H. Norton & Co., Kingston,
" W. Wbller, York.
"January 2nd, 1830."

The foregoing is clipped from an old number of the C/iristian Guardian.

— -w

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

133

•^1

f*i

General ; and Christopher A. Hagerman, Solicitor-
General. On the opening of the House, the address
was replied to by the Governor in one of the briefest
speeches ever listened to on the floor of th3 Legislative
Assembly. " Gentlemen of the House of Assembly, I
whank you for your Address." The expense of Han-
sards would not be very considerable if the legislators
of the present day followed the example of such brev-
ity as this.

Any one looking over the Journals of the Second
Session of the Tenth Parliament will see that there
was a liberal bill of fare provided. Every member
had at least one petition to present, and altogether
there were one hundred and fifty-one presented, some
of which read strangely in the light of the present day.
Among them was one from Addington, praying that
means might be adopted, " to secure these Provinces
the trade of the West Indies, free from the United
States competition." Another was from the Midland
District, praying that an Act be passed to prevent itin-
erant preachers from coming over from the United
States and spreading sedition, kc. ; and another from
Hastings, to dispose of the Clergy Reserves. " Mr.
McKenzie gives notice that he will to-morrow move for

134

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

leave to bring in a l)ill to establish finger posts ; " and
a few years later these " finger posts " could be seen
at all the principal cross-roads in the Province. Among
the bills there was a tavern and shop license bill ; a
l)ill establishing the Kingston Bank with a capital of
£100,000; a bill authorizing a grant of £57,412 10s.,
for the relief of sufi'erers in the American War ; and
one authorizinsf a sjrant to the Kin^jston Benevolent
Society, and also to the York Hospital and Dispensary
established the year before. Among the one hundred
and thirty-seven bills passed by the House of Assembly,
nearly one hundred were rejected by the Legislative
Council, which shows how near the two Houses had
come to a dead- lock. In other respects there was
nothing remarkable about the session. The really
most important thing done was the formation of Agri-
cultural Societies, and the aid granted them. But in
looking over the returns asked for, and the gi'ievance
motions brought forward from time to time, one can
see the gathering of the storm that broke upon the
country in 1837-8, and, however much that outbreak
is to be deplored, it hastened, no doubt, the settlement
of the vexed questions which had agitated the pub-
lic miiid for years. The union of the two Provinces,

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

in3

Upper and Lowor Canada, followed in 1841, and in
18G7 Confederation took place, when our Province
lost its old appellation, and has ever since been known
as the Province of Ontaiio — the keystone Province of
the Confederation.

It was in 1830 that the name of Rol)ert Bahlwin
first appeared in the list of members, and of the forty-
five persons who represented the Province at that time
I do not know that one survives. The death of (loonjfo
IV. brought about a dissolution, and an election took
place in October. There was considerable excitement,
and a good many seats changed occupants, V)ut the
Family Compact party were returned to power.

A general election in those days was a Aveighty
matter, because of the largo extent of the constituen-
cies, and the distance the widely-scattered electors had
to travel — often over roads that were almost impassable
— to exercise their franchise. There was but one pol-
ling place in each county, and that was made as cen-
tral as possible for the convenience of the people.
Often two weeks elapsed before all the votes could be
got in, and during the contest it was not an uncom-
mon thinu: for one side or the other to make an effort
+,0 get possession of the poll, and keep their opponents

136

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

from voting. This frequently led to disgraceful fights,
when sticks and st<jnes were used with a freedom that
would have done no discredit to Irish faction fights in
their palmiest days. Happily, this is all changed now.
The numerous polling places prevent a crowd of ex-
cited men from collecting together. Voters have but a
shoit distance to go, and the whole thing is accom-
plished with ease in a day. Our representation, both
lor the Dominion and Provincial Parliaments, is now
based upon population, and the older ana more densely-
jjopulated counties are divided into ridings, so that
the forty-eight counties and some cities and towns
retrirn to the Ontario Government eighty-eight mem-

Fifty years ago the Post Office Department was
under the control of the British Government, and
Thomas A. Stayner was Deputy Postmaster General
of Britisli North America. Whatever else the Deputy
may have liad to complain of, he certainly could not
grumble at the extent of territory under his jurisdic-
tion. The gross receipts of the Department were
£8,029 2s Gd.* There were ninety-one post offices in

*I am indebted to W. H. Griffin, Esq., Peimty Postmaster General,
for information, kindly furnished, reppcting the Pont Office Depart
ment, &c.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

137

I* 4

( >

Upper Canada. On the main line between York and
Montreal the mails were carried by a public stage, and
in spring and fall, owing to the bad roads, and even
in winter, with its storms and snow-drifts, its progress
was slow, and often difficult. There are persons still
living who remember many a weary hour and trying
adventure between these points. Passengers, almost
perished with '^old or famished with hunger, were
often forced to trudge through mud and slush up to
their knees, ])ecause the jaded horses could barely
pull the empty vehicle through the mire or up tlie
weary hill. They were frequently compelled to aliglit
and grope around in impenetrable darkness and beat-
ing storm fo^ rails from a neighbouring fence, with
which to pry the wheels out of a mud-hole, into which
they had. to all appearance, hopelessly sunk, or to dig
themselves out of snow banks in which both horses
and stage were firmly wedged. If they were so for-
tunate as to escape these mishaps, the deep ruts and
coidjroy bridges tried their powers of endurance to
the utmost, and made the old coach creak and groan
under the strain. Sometimes it topi)Ied over with
a crash, leaving the woiiied ])assengers to find shelter,
if they could, in the neaiest farm-house, until the

138

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

damage was repaired. But with good roads and no
break-downs they were enabled to spank along at the
rate of seventy-five miles in a day, which was consid-
ered rapid travelling. Four-and-a-half days were re-
quired, and often more, to reach Montreal from York.
A merchant posting a letter from the latter place,
under the most favourable circumstances, could not
get a reply from Montreal in less than ten days, or
sometimes fifteen ; and from Quebec the time required
was from three weeks to a month. The Ensjlish nipils
were brought by sailing vessels. Everything moved
in those days with slow and uneven pace. The other
parts of the Province were served by couriers on horse-
back, who announced their approach with blast of tin
horn. That the ofhces were widelj^ separated in most
cases may be judged from their number. I recently
came upon an entry made by my father in an old
account book against his father's estate : '' To one day
going to the post office, 3s. 9d." The charge, looked
at in the light of these days, certainly is not large,
but the idea of taking a clay to go to and from a post
ofhce struck me as a good illustration of the inconven-
iences endured in those days. The correspondent, at
that time, had never been blessed with a vision of tho

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

139

■';■

coming envelope, but carefully folded his sheet of
paper into the desired shape, pushed one end of the
fold into the other, and secured it with a wafer or
sealing-wax. Envelopes, now universally used, were
not introduced until about 1845-50, and even blotting
paper, that indispensable requisite on every writing-
table, was unknown. Every desk had its sand-box,
filled with fine dry sand, which the writer sprinkled
over his sheet to absorb the ink. Sometimes, at a
pinch, ashes were used. Goose quill was the only
pen. There \^as not such a thing, I suppose, as a
steel pen in the Province. Gillott and Perry had
invented them in 1828; but they were sold at S3G
a gross, and were too expensive to come into general
use. Neither was there such a thing as a bit of
india rubber, so very common now. Erasures had to
be made with a knife. Single rates of letter postage
were, for distances not exceeding (10 miles, 4Ul. ; not
exceeding 100 miles, 7d. ; and not over '200 miles, 9d.,
increasing 2Jd. on every additional lOJ miles. Letters
weighing less than one ounce were rated as single,
double or treble, as they consisted of one, two or more
sheets. If weighing an ounce, or over, the charge was
a single rate for every quarter of an ounce in weight.

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140

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

How is it now ? The Post Office Department has been,
for many years under the control of our Government.
There are in Ontario 2,358 Post-Offices, with a revenue
of $914,882. The mails are carried by rail to all the
principal points, and to outlying places and country
villages by stage, and by couriers in light vehicles,
with much greater despatch, owing io the improved
condition of the highways. A letter of not over
half an ounce in weight can be sent from Halifax
to Vancouver for three cents. A book weighing five
pounds can be sent the same distance for twenty cents,
and parcels and samples at equally low rates. To
England the rate for half an ounce is five cents, and
for every additional half-ounce a single rate is added.
Postage stamps and cards, the money order system,
and Post Office savings banks have all been added
since 1851. The merchant of Toronto can post a letter
to-day, and get a reply from London, England, in less
time than he could in the old days from Quebec. In
1880 correspondence was expensive and tedious. Let-
ters were written only under the pressure of necessity.
Now every one writes, and the number of letters and
the revenue have increased a thousand fold. The
steamship, locomotive and telegraph, all the growth of

■<f

rU\

flFTY YEARS AGO.

141

» >.

'.A

-( fi

the last half century, have not only ahnost annihilated
time and space, but have changed the face of the
world. It is true there were steamboats running be-
tween York and Kingston on the Bay of Quintd and
the St. Lawrence prior to 1830 ; but after that date
they increased rapidly in number, and were greatly
improved. It was on the 15th of S- ptembei- of that
year that George Stephenson ran tlie first locomotive
over the line between Liverpool and Manchester — a dis-
tance of thirty miles — so that fifty years ago this was
the only railway with a locomotive in the world — a
fact that can hardly be realised when the number of
miles now in operation, and the vast sums of money
expended in their construction, are considered. What
have these agents done for us, apart from the wonder-
ful impetus given to trade and conunerce :* You can
post to your corres[)ondcnt at Montreal at (i p.m., and
your letter is delivered at 11 a.m., and the next day at
noon you have your answer. You take up your morn-
ing's pa})er, and you have the news from the very anti-
podes every day. The merchant lias (piotations placed
before him, daily and hourly, from every great com
mercial centre in the world; and even the sporting'

142

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

man can deposit his money here, and have his bet
booked in London the day before.

From the first discovery of the country up to 1800,
a period of about three hundred years, the bark
canoe was the only mode of conveyance for long dis-
tances. Governor Simcoe made his journeys from
Kingston to Detroit in a large bark canoe, rowed by
twelve chasseurs, followed by another containing the
tents and provisions. The cost of conveying merchan-
dise between Kingston and Montreal before the Rideau
and St. Lawrence canals were built is hardly credible
to people of this day. Sir J. Murray stated in the
House of Commons, in 1828, that the carriage of a
twenty-four pound cannon cost between £150 and
£200 sterling. In the early days of the Talbot Settle-
ment (about 1817), Mr. Ermatinger states that eighteen
bushels of wheat were recpiired to pay for one barrel
of salt, and that one bushel of wheat would no more
than pay for one yard of cotton.

Our fathers did not travel much, and there was a
good reason, as we have seen, why they did not. The
ordinary means of transit was the stage, which Mrs.
Jameson describes as a " heavy lumbering vehicle, well
calculated to live in roads where any decent carriage

■?

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

143

must needs founder." Another kind, used on rougher
roads, consisted of " large obiong wooden boxes, formed
of a few planks nailed together, and placed on wheels,
in which you enter by the window, there being no
door to open or shut, and no springs." On two or
three wooden seats, suspended in leather straps, the
passengers were perched. The behaviour of the better
sort, in a jou?'ncy from Niagara to Hamilton, is
described by this writer as consisting of a " rolling and
tumbling along the detestable road, pitching like a
scow among the breakers of a lake storm." The road
was knee-deep in mud, the " forest on either side dark,
grim, and impenetrable." There were but three or
four steamboats in existence, and these were not much
more expeditious. Fares were high. The rate from
York to Montreal was about 82 4. Nearly the only
people who travelled were the mercln.nts and officials,
and they were not numerous. The former often took
passage on sailing vessels or batteaux, and if engaged
in the lumber trade, as many of them were, they went
down on board their lafts and returned in the batteaux.
"These boats were flat-bottomed, and made of pine
boards, narrowed at bow and stern, forty feet l)y six,
with a crew of four men and a pilot, provided with

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144

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

oars, sails, and iron-shoJ [)oles for pushing. They
continued to carry, in cargoes of five tons, all the
merchandise that passed to Upper Canada. Some-
times these boats were provided with a makeshift
upper cabin, which consisted of an awning of oilcloth,
supported on hoops like the roof of an American, Quaker,
or gipsy waggon. If further provided with half a
dozen chairs and a table, this cabin was deemed the
height of primitive luxury. The batteaux went in
brigades, which generally consisted of five boats.
Against the swiftest currents and rapids the men poled
their way up ; and when the resisting element was too
much for their sli'cngth, they fastened a rope to the
bow, and, plunging into the water, diagged her by
main strength up the boiling cataract. From Lachine
to Kingston, the average voyage was ten to twelve
days, though it was occasionally made in seven ; an
average as long as a voyage across the Atlantic now.
The Durham boat^ also then doing duty on this route,
was a flat-bottomed barge, but it differed from the
batteaux in having a slip-keel and nearly twice its
capacity. This primitive mode of travelling had its
poetic side. Ami<l all the hardships of their vocation,
tho French Canadian boatmen were ever light of spirit,

FIFTY YEARS AGO. 145

and they enlivened the pa.sscage hy carolling their boat
songs; one of which inspired Moore to write his im-
mortal ballad."*

The country squire, if he had occasion to go from
home, mounted his hoise, and, with his saddle-bac^s
strapped behind him, jogged along the highway or
through the bush at the rate of Ibity or fifty miles a
dny. T remember my father going to New York in
1839. He crossed by steamboat from Kingston to
Osw^ego; thence to Rome, in New Yoik State, by
canal-boat, and thence by rail and steamer to New
York.

* 'I'

Tidiit's RuUmii/.i (»/ Ctomt/a, 18701,

r^^

140

COUNTRY rjFE IN CANADA

CHAPTER VI.

ROAD-MAKINJ — WELLER's LINE OF STAGES AND STEAMBOATS —
MY TKIP FllOM HAMILTON TO NIAOAKA — SCHOOLS AND COL-
LEGES — PIONEEK METHODIST rREACHEKS -SOLEMNIZATION OF
MATRIMONY — LITERATURE AND LIBRARIES — EARLY NEWSPAPEUS
— PRIMITIVE EDITORIAL ARTICLES.

THE people were alive at a very early date to the
importance of improving the roads ; and as far
back as 1793 an Act was passed at Niagara, then the
seat of government, placing the roads under overseers
or road-masters, as they wore called, appointed by the
ratepaying inhabitants at their annual town meetings.
Every man was required to bring tools, and to work
from three to twelve days. There was no property
distinction, and the time was at the discretion of the
roadmaster. Tliis soon gave cause for dissatisfaction,
and reasonably, for it was hardly fair to expect a poor
man to contribute as much toward the improvement of
highways as his rich neighbour. The Act was amended,
and the number of days' work determined by the
assessment roll. The })ower of opening new roads, or
altering the course of old ones, was vested in the

(/)

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

147

Quarter Sessions. This matter is now under the con-
trol of tlie (younty Councils. The first <40vernnient
appropiiatioii for roads was nia<le in ISO-t-, wlien Cl,0()0
was granted; hut between US30-Jj:3, Sol 2,000 was ]»rt)-
vided for tlie improvement and opening up of new
roads. T]\v road from Kingston to York was contracted
f(jr hy Dantford, an American, in 1800, at S90 per
mile, two rods wide. The first Act re(piired that every
man should clear a road across his own lot, but it made
no provision for the Clergy Reserves and Crown Lands,
and hence the crooked roads that existed at orie time
in the Province. Originally the roads were marked
out by blazing the trees through the woods as a guide
for the pedestrian. Then the b(j ighs were cut away,
so that a man could ride through on horseback. Then
followed the sleighs, and finally the trees were cleared
ottj so that a waggon could pass. " The great leading
roads of the Province had received little improvement
beyond being graded, and the swamps [had been] made
passable by laying the round trunks of trees side by side
acro.->s the roadway. Tlieir supposed res(;mblance to the
king's corduroy cloth gained for these crossways the
name of corduroy roads. The earth roads were passably
good when covered with the snows of winter, or when

148

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

dried up in the summer sim; but even then a thaw or
rain made tlieni all but impassable. The rains of
autumn and the tliaws of spring converted them into
a mass of liquid mud, such as amphibious animals
^nii^ht delii^ht to revel in. Except an occasional legis-
lative grant of a few thousand pounds for tlie whole
Province, which was ill-expended, and often not ac-
counted for at all, the great leading roads, as well as
all other roads, depended, in I pper Canada, for iheir
improvement on statut(i labour."-'

The Ilev. iHatic Fidler, writing in 1881, says: "On
our arrival at Oswego, I proceeded to the harbour in
quest of a trading vessel bound for Yoi'k, in Canada,
i..iid had the good fortune to find one that would sail
in an hour. I agreed with the captain for nine dollars,
for luysclf, family, and baggage, and he on his part
assured me that he would land me safe in twentv-four

ft/

hours. Our provision was included in the fare. In-
stead of ri'aehing York in one day, we were live days
on the lake. There were two passengers, besides our-
selves, e(jually disappointed and impatient. The cabin
of the vessel served for the sitting, eating, and sleeping
room of iiassengers, captain and ci<'w. I expostulated

*//.

■if

FIFTY YEAUS AGO,

149

' strongly on this usage, but the captain iiifornic<l me he

had no alternative. The place coiimionly assigned to

sailors had nut been fitted up. We were forced to

^1 tolerate this inconvenience. The sailors slei)t on the

, iioor, and assigned the berths to the passengers, but not

. from choice. The food generally placed befoic us for

dinner was salt pork, potatoes, bread, water and salt ;

tea, bread and butter, and sometimes salt pork for

breakfast and tea;" to which he ad. is, " no supper." One

would thi)d<, under the circumstances, this privation

would have been a cause for thaidvfulness.

The same writer speaks of a journey to Montreal tlie
following year: " Frou) York to Montreal, we had three
' ' several alterations of steamboats and coaches. The

steandjoat we now entered was moored b^ a ledge of
ice, of a thickness so great as to conceal entirely the
vessel, till we approached close upon it. We embaiked
by steps excavitea in the ice, for the convenience of
the passengc^-s."

The following advertisement, from the Christian
GiKirdki)) of 1830, may prove not uninteivsting as an
evidence of the competition thon ovisting between the
coach and steandtoat, and is pretty conclusive that at

150

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

tliat date the latter was not considered very much
superior or more expeditious: —

" NKW IJNK UK STAdES AND STEAMl'.OATS FROM YORK

T'» TRKSCOTT.

"The public ai'e respectfully inf()j'rne<l that a line o^
stai'cs v.ill run reiTfularlv^ iK^tween York and tlie
('ARiiYiNTfi Place,* twice a week, the remainder of the
season, leaving Yokk every Monday and Thursday
mornini,' at 4 o'clock ; passing through the beautiful
townships of Pickering, Whitby, ])ailington and Clark,
and the pleasant villages of Poi't Hope, (.^obouig Jind
Colborne, and aniving at the Carrying Place the
same evening. Will leave the Carry i no Place every
Tuesday and Friday morning ;it 4 o'clock, and arrive
at York the same evening.

" The above arrangements are made in connection
witli th(> steaird)oat Sir James Konpf, so that passen-
gers travelling this lonte will hnd a pleasant and speedy
convevnnce between York and Prescott, the road beinijf
very much rejiaired, and tlie line fitted u]) v.ith good
Ijorses, new caiiiages, and cai'eful drivers. Fare tlnough
from York to Prescott, £2 10s., the .same as the lake
buiKs, Intermediate distances, fare as usual. All
baggage at the risk of the owner. N.B. — Extras
furnished at York, Cobourg, or the Canying Place, on
reasonable terms.

" William Wkller.
"York, June 0th. Ls:3()."

I remember travelling from Hamilton to Niaj^ara in
Novend>er, 184(). We left the hotel at 6 ]).m. Our
stoge, for such it was called, was a lumV)er waggon,

*Tlie (Jarryinij I'lau? is at tlui head of tho Ray of (^uiuio.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

151

with a rude cnnvas cover to protect us from the rain,
under which were four seats, and I have a distinct
recollection that long, before we g"ot to our journey's
end we discovered that thev were not very comfort-
able. Theie were seven passenners jind th(,' driver.
The lufjcaiie was corded on l)elnnd in souie fashion,
and under the seats were crowded parcels, so that
when we got in we found it dillicult to move or to get
out. One of our passengers, a woman with a young
child, did not contribule to our enjoyment, or make the
ride any more pleasant, for the l;itter poor unfortunate
screamed nearly the whole night through. Occasion-
ally it would settle down into a low whine, when a
sudden luich of the waggon or a severe jolt would set
it olf again with full force. 'J'he night was very dai'k,
and continued so thioiighout, with dashes of rain.
The roads weic verv bad, and two or three tin)es wo
had to get out and walk, a thing we did not relish, as
it was almost impossible for us to pick our way, and
the only thing for it was to push on as well as we could
through the nuid and daikness. We reached Niagara
just as the sun was rising. Our aj^pearance can readily
be imagined.

152

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

" In IS 25, William L. Mackenzie described the road
between York and Kingston as among the worst that
hiiMi-tn foot ever trod, and down to the latest day be-
fore tlie railroad era, the travellers in the Canadian
stage coach were luck3^ if, when a hill had to be
ascended, or a bad sj^ot passed, they had not to alight
and trudge ankle deep through the mud. The rate
at which it was possible to travel in stage coaches
depended on the elements. In spring, when the roads
were water-choked and rut-gullied, the rate might be
reduced to two miles an hour for several miles on the
worst sections. The coaches were liable to be end_)ed-
ded in the mud, and the passengers had to dismount
and assist in prying them out by means of rails obtained
from the fences."*

Such was the condition of the roads np to, and for
a considerable time after, IS.'U), and such were the
means provided for the public who wei'e forced to use
them. It can easily l>e conceived that the inducements
for pleasure trips were so ([uestionable that the only
people who journeyed, either by land or water, were
those whose business necessities compelled them to do
so. Even in 1»S,S7, the only road near Toronto on

Truut'H lUiUways of Canada.

-I

', A

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

153

whicli it was possible to take a drive was Yon<:^e Street,
wliic'i liad been niacadaniizel a distance of twelve
miles. But the improvements since then, ami the
facilities for (piick transit, have been very gi'eat. The
Goverinnent has spent large sums of money in the
construction of loads and bridt^es. A system of
thorough grading and drainage has been adopted. In
wet swampy land, the corduroy has given place tt)
macadamized or !Ji'a\el roads, of which there an* about
4,000 miles in the Tiovince.* Old log bridges have
been superseded by stone, iion, and well-const ructe J
wooden ones, so that in the older sections the farmer
is enabled to reach his market with a well-loaded
waggon during the fall and spring. The old system of
tolls has been pretty much done away with, and even
in the remote townships the iJovernmeiit has been
alive to the iuiportanee of uninterrupted counnu!iica-
tion, and has opened up good central highways. The

*In order to ascertain the lumilKr of niiles of niacatlaniizcd roatls in
the I'ntviiKH', after huutiii;,' in vain in otlior i|uartors, I a<lilri'<Hed a cir-
enlar to the IMeik of tiif ( niiiity Council in each (bounty, ami received
thirty replies, out of thirty- seven. From thf-^e I ^'athered that there
were aliout the nunilier of miles ahuve -' ■'••,1. Several replieii tliat
they had no means uf ;,'ivin^ me the (le~u< I information, and others
thought there were about so many nules. I wan forced to the conclusion
that the road uccouute "t the Province were not very syHtematically
kei»t.

ir,4

COUNTRY LIFK IN CANADA

battcaux and sailing vessels, as a means of travel, with
the old steamer and its cramped up eaMn in the hold,
and its slow pace, have decayed and rotted in the dock-
yard, and we have now swift hoats, with stately saloons
ruiininL'- from how to stern, fitted in luxurious style, on
either sides rows of comfortaltle sleeping rooms, and
with a fdhle (Vhnte served as well as at a first class
modern hotel. Travellini"- hv steamer now is no lon<]fer
a tediously drawn out vexation, but in propitious wea-
ther a pleasure. A greater change has taken place in
our land travel, but it is much more recent. The rail-
road has rooted out the stage, except to unimportant
places, and you can now take a Pullman at Toronto at
7 p.m., go to bed at the proper time, and get up in Mont-
real at lO.'U) a.m. the next day. The first railroad on
which a locomotive was run was the Northern, opened
in liS.j3, to Bradfoi'd. Since that time up to the i)resent
we have built, and now have in operation, 3,47 fS miles,
in addition to 510 under construction or C(.<ntract.*

Washington, in his farewell address, says : " Promote
then, as an object of })riui:\ry im[)ortance, institutions
for the general diffusion of knowledge. Tn proportion
as the structure of a government gives force to i)ublic

• Thw is oxcliHive of the C.lMl.

,'H'

FIFTY YEAilS AGO.

4 V »
l0;i

opinion, it is essential that puV»lic opinion shouKl be
enligl) toned." Fifty years ago, education, even in the
okler and moie enlightened countries, did not receive
that attention which its importance to the well-heing
of society and the state demanded, and it is only during
recent years, compiiratively speaking, that the education
of the masses has been systematically attempted! In-
deed, it used to be thought by men of birth and culture
that to educate the poor would lead to strife and con-
fusion — that ignovance was their normal condition, and
that any departure therefrom would increase their
misery and discontent. Those notions have, happily,
been exploded, and it is found that education is the
best corrective to the evils that used to atilict society
and disturb the gt'neral peace. It goes hand in hand
with relii-ion and <;ood order, and so convinced have
our rulers become of its im})ortance to the general weal,
that not only free but compulsory education luis become
the law of the land. It is not to be wondered at that
half a century ago our school system — if we could be
said to have one — was defective. Our situation an<l
the circumstances in which we were placed were not
favoui'able to the promotion of general education. The
sparseness of the population and the extent of territory

156

COUNTRY LIFE iN CANADA

over which it was scattered increased the difficulty ;
but its importance was nut overlooked, and in the early
days of the Province grants of land were made for
educational purposes. The first classical school — in-
deed the first school of any kind — was opened in King-
ston, by Dr. Stuart, in 17^5, and the first commo^^
school was taught by J. Clark, in Fredericksburg, 178G.
Jn 1807 an Act was passed to establish grammar
schools in the various districts, with a grant of £100
to each. But it was not until 181G that the govern-
ment took any steps towards establishing common
schools. The Lieutenant-Governor, in his Speech from
the Thronj on o[)eniMg the House, in January, 18*U),
said : —

n 'PI

The necessity of reforming the Royal Grammar
School was evident from youi* Report at the cl(jso of
the session. By the estai>lishing of a college at York,
under the guidance of an able master, tlie object which
we have in view will, I trust, be speedily attained.
The delay that may take place in revising the charter
of the Uiuversity, or in framing one suitable to the
Province and the intention of the endowment, must, in
fact, under present circumstances, tend to the advance-
ment of the institution; as its use depended on the
actual state of education in the Province. Dispersed
as the population is over an extensive territory, a
general efficiency in the common schools cannot be ex-
pected, particularly whilst the salaries of the masters
will not a<lmit of their devoting their whole time to
their profession."

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

157

,.••>

As far as my recollection goes, the teachers were gen-
erally of a very interior order, and rarely possessed more
than a smaHering of the rudiments of grammar and
arithmetic. As the Governor points out, they were
poorly paid, and " boarded around " the neighbourhood.
But it is not improbable that they generally received
all their services were worth. In those days most of
the country youth who could manage to get to school
in winter were content if they learned to read and
write, and to wade through figures as far as the Rule of
Three. Of course there were exceptions, as also with
the teachers, but generally this was the extent of
the aspiration of the rising generation, and it was not
necessary for the teacher to ])e profoundly learned to
lead them as far as they wished to go. I knew an old
farmer of considerable wealth who would not allow liis
boys to go to school, because, he said, if they learned
to read and write they might forge notes. He evidently
considered " a little leai'ning a dangerous thing,' and
must have had a veiy low estimate of the moral tone
of his otf»:pring, if he had any conce[)tion of moralit}^
at all. However, the safeguard of ignorance which the
old man succeeded in throwing around his family di<l
not save them, for the all turned out badly.

158

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA.

The books in use were Murray's Oraininar, Murray's
English Ivua'lcr, Walker's Dictionary, Goldsmith's and
Morse's Geo^^rapliy, Mavor's Spelling Book, Walkin-
game's and Adam's Arithmetic. The pupil who could
master this course of study was prepared, so far as
the education within reach could tit him, to under-
take the responsibilities of life ; and it was generally
acquired at the expense of a daily walk of several miles
through deep snow and intense cold, with books and
dinner-basket in hand.

The school-houses wheie the youth were taught
were in keei)ingwith the extent ot" instruction received
within them. They were invariably snuill, with low
ceilings, badly lighted, and without ventilation. The
floor was of rough pine boards laid loose, with cracks
between them that were a standing menace to Jack-
knives and slate pencils.* The seats and desks were
of the same material, roughly planed and rudely put
towther. The seats were arran;>ed around the room
on three sides, without any sup[)ort tor tlie back, and
all the scholars sat facing each other, the girls on one
side and the boys (^n the other. The seats across the
end were debatable ground between the two, but tin-

* Atlivntic Monthly.

••

;«'

KIKTV YKAIIS ATIO.

150

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K I

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ally came to be iiionopolizecl by the larf^'ei; ])oy.s and
girls wiio, by somo strange law (jf attraction, gravitated
together. Between was an ojjen space in wliit-h tlie
stove stood, and when classes were drawn up to recite,
the teacher's desk stood at the end facing the door, and
so enabled the teacher to take in the school at a
glance. But the order maintained was often very bad.
In fact it would Ije safe to say the greatest disorder gen-
erally prevailed. The noise of recitations, and the buzz
and drone oi the scholars at their lessons, was some-
times intolerable, and one might as well try to study
in the noisy caw-caw of a rookery. Occasionally
strange })erlbrmances were enacted in those country
school-rooms. J remend»er a little boy between seven
and eight years old ij-ettin'^ a sevei'e caniii"' for mis-
spelling a sim[)le word of two syllables, and as 1 hap-
pened to be the little boy i have some reason to recol-
lect the circumstance, 'i'lie mistake certainly did not
merit the castigation, the marks of which J can ied <;n
my back for many days, and it led to a revolt in the
school whicli terminated disasti'ously to the teacher.
Two stronij' vouulj men attendin-'- the school remon-
strated with the master, who was an irascible Kn<dish-
man, during the progress of my punishment, and they

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160

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

were given to understand that if they did not hold
their peace they would get a taste of the same, where-
upon they immediately collared the teacher. After a
urief tussle around the room, during which some of the
benches were overturned, tlie pedagogue was tlirown
on the floor, and then one took him by the nai)e of
the neck, and the other by the heels, and he was
thrown out of doors in the snow. There were no
more lessons heard that day. On the next an investi-
gation followed, when the teacher was dismissed, and
those guilty of the act of insubordination were a'buon-
ished.

Dr. Thomas Rolph thus refers to the state of schools

two years later : " It is renlly melancholy to traveise
the Province and go into many of the common schoc^ls ;
you find a broud of children, instructed by some Anti-
British adventurer, instilling into the young and ten-
der mind sentiments hostile to the p irent State ; false
accounts of the late war in which Great Britain was
engaged with the United States ; geogiaphy setting
forth New York, Philadelphia, Boston, kc, as the largest
and finest cities in the world; historical reading books
describing the American population as the most free
and enlightened under heaven, insisting on the super-
iority of their laws and institutions to those of all the
world, in defiance of the ag-rarian outracjes and mob
supremacy daily witnessed and lamented ; and Amer-
ican spelling books, dictionaries, and grammars, teach-
ing them an Anti-British dialect and idiom, although
living in a British Province and being subjects +o the
British Crown, "

if;

'4i

Fifty years ago.

161

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■■' }■ *■'

rf>

There was a Boird of Education consistins: of five
members appointed to each district, who had tlie over-
sight of the schools. Each school section met annually
at what was called the School meeting, and appointed
three trustees, who engaged teachers, and superintend-
ed the general management of the schools in their sec-
tion. The law required that every teacher should be
a British subject, or that he should take the oath of
allegiance. He was paid a fee of fifteen shillings per
({uarter for each scholar, and received a. further sum
of $100 from the Government if there were not fewer
than twenty scholars taught in the school.

Upper Canada College, the only one in the Province,
began this year (1830), under the management of Dr.
Harris. Grantham Academy, in the Niagara District,
was incorporated, and the Methodist Conference ap-
pointed a Committee to take up subscriptions to build
an academy and select a site. The last named, when
built, was located at Cobourg, and the building which
was begun in 1832 was completed in 183G, when the
school was opened. There were 11 district and 132
common schools, with an attendance of 3,077, and au
expenditure of £3,800 lis. OJd.

162

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

There was very little change in our school laws for
several years. Grants were annually made in aid of
common schools, but there was no system in the expen-
diture; consequently the good effected was not very
apparent. The first really practical school law was
passed in 1841, the next year when the union of the
Provinces went into effect ; and in 1844 Dr. Ryerson
was appointed Chief Superintendent of Education for
Upper Canada, which office he held for thirty-two
years. During that time, through his indefatigable
labours, our school laws have been moulded and per-
fected, until it is safe to say we have the most com-
plete and efficient school system in the world. The
influence it has exercised on the intellectual develop-
ment of the peojDle has been very great, and it is but
reasonable to expect that it will continue to raise the
standard of intelligence and high moral character
throughout the land. Our Government has, from the
very first, manifested an earnest desire to promote
education in the Province. During Dr. Ryerson's long
term of oilice, it liberally supplied him with the necces-
sary means for maturing his plans and introducing such
measures as would place our educational system on the
best footing that could be devised. This has been

W -I

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

16S

accomplished in a way that does honour, not only to
the head that conceived it, but to the enlightened
liberality of the Government that seconded the untir-
ing energy of the man who wrought it out.

The advantages which the youth of Ontario to-day
possess in acquiring an education over the time when
I was first sent to school with dinner basket in hand,
trudging along through mud or snow, to the old school-
house by the road side, where 1 was perched upon a
high pine bench without a back, with a Mavor's spell-
ing book in land, to begin the foundation of my edu-
cation, are so many and great that it is difficult to
realize the state of things that existed, or that men of
intelligence should have selected such a dry and un-
attractive method of impaiting instruction to children
of tender years. It is to be feared that there are many
of our Canadian youth who do not appreciate the van-
tage ground they occu})y, nor the inviting opportuni-
ties that lie within the reach of all to obtain a genei-
ous education. There is absolutely nothing to prevent
any young person possessing the smallest spark of am
bition from acquiring it, and making himself a u.'^eful
member of society. " It is the only thing, " says Milton,
in his " Literary Musings, " " which tits a man to

1G4

COlJNtllY LIFE IN CANADA

perfoiiu justly, skilfully, and uiagnaniinously, all
the offices both private and j)ublic of peace and war. "

There seems to be a growing disposition in the pub-
lic mind to do away with the first important educa-
tional landmark established in the Province. Why
this should be, or why its influence for good should at
any time have been so much cripple 1 as even to give
occasion to call its usefulness in qvicstion seems strange.
One would think that its intimate connection with
our early history ; the good work accomplished by it,
and the number of men who have passed out of it to
till the highest public positions in the gift of the Prov-
ince, would save it from violent hands, and furnish
ample reasons for devising means to resuscitate it, if
it needs resuscitation, and to place it in a position to
hold its own with the various institutions that have
come into existence since its doors were first thrown
open to the young aspirants for a higher education
half a century ago.

The opening of Upper Canada College in 1830 gave
an impetus to education which soon began to be felt
throughout the Province. It was impossible, in the
nature of things, that with increasing population and
wealth there should be no advance iu our educational

•i

, I ^1

■.

f I

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

1G5

status. If the forty-six years that had passed had
been almost exclusively devoted to clearing away
the bush and tilling the land, a time had now
arrived when matters of higher import to future
success and enjoyment pressed themselves upon the
attention of the people. The farm could not ])roduce
all the requirements of life, nor furnish congenial em-
ployment LO many active minds. The surplus products
of the field and forest, in order to become available as
a purchasing power, had to be converted into money,
and this set in motion the various appliances of com-
merce. Vessels were needed to carry their produce
to market, and merchants to purchase it, who, in turn,
supplied the multifarious wants of the household.
Then came the mechanic and the professional man, and
with the latter education was a necessity. It was
not to be expected that the tastes of the rising gen-
eration would always run in the same groove with
the preceding, and as wealth and population increased,
so did the openings for advancement in other pursuits ;
and scores of active young men throughout the Province
were only too anxious to seize upon every opportunity
that offered to push their way up in life. Hence it
happened that when Upper Canada College first threw

,i -

166

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

open its doors, more than a hundred young men enrolled
their names. In a comparatively short time the need
for greater facilities urged the establishment of other
educational institutions, and this led to still greater
effort to meet the want. Again, a^ the question pressed
itself more and more upon the public mind, laws were
enacted and grants made to further in every way so
desirable an object. Hence, what was a crude and
inade(piate school organization prior to 1880, at that
time and afterwards bewm to assume a more con-
Crete shape, and continued to improve until it has
grown into a S3stem of which the country may well
be pro lid.

The contrast we are enabled to present is wonderful
in every respect. Since the parent college opened its
doors to the anxious youths of the Province, five
universities and the same number of colleges have
come into existence. The faculties of these several
institutions are presided over by men of learning and
ability. They are amply furnished with libraries,
apparatus and all the modern requirements of first-
class educational institutions. Their united rolls show
an attendance of about 1,500 students last year. There
are 10 Collegiate Institutes and 94 High Schools, with

-<. ••

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.( -

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:cr
ed
ere

•<

«^ -

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

1G7

an attendance of 12,130 pupils; 5,147 Public Schools,
with 494,424 enrolled scholars ; and the total receipts
for school purposes amounted to 83,220,730. Besides
these, there fc re three Ladies' Colleges, and several other
important educational establishments devoted entirely
to the education of females, together with private and
select schools in almost every city and town in the
Province, many of which stand very high in public
estimation. There are two Normal Schools for the
training of teachers. The one in Toronto has been in
existence for 21) years, and is so well known that it is
unnecessary for me to attempt any description of it.
The total number of admissions since its foundation
have been 8,269. The Ottawa school, which has been
in operation about two years, has admitted 433. Three
other important educational institutions have been
established by the Government in different parts of the
Province. The Deaf and Dumb Institute at Belle-
ville is pleasantly situated on the shore of the Bay of
Quints, a little west of the city. The number in
attendance is 209, and the cost of maintenance for the
past year $38,589. The Institute for the Blind at
Brantford numbers 200 inmates, and the annual expen-
diture is about 51530,000. These institutions, erected at

108

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

*s-5^ - . .

a very large outlay, aie admirably equipped, and under
tlio best nianageiiu'iit, and prove n great boon to the
unfortunate elasses for whom they wei'e established.
Tlie Agricultural College at Guelph, for the training of
young men in scientific and practical husbandry, though
in its infancy, is a step in Mie right direction, and must
exercise a beneficial influence upon the agricultural
interests of the country. Of medical corporations and
schools, there are the Council of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario ; the Faculty of
the Toronto School of Medicine ; Trinity Medical
School ; Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons ;
Canada Medical Association ; Ontario College ot Phar-
macy ; Royal College of Dental Surgeons ; and Ontario
Veterinary College. There is also a School of Practical
Science, now in its fourth year. This, though not a
complete list of the educational institutions and schools
of the Province, will nevertheless give a pretty correct
idea of the progress made during the fifty years that

are gone.

The accommodation furnished by the school sections
throughout the country has kept pace with the pro-
gress of the times. As a rule the school-houses are
commodious, and are built with an eye to the health

^ -

•*«

\ '

* rfx WN

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

1(59

^ J

and comfort of the pupils. The old pine benches and
desks have disappeared before the march of improve-
ment — my recollection of them is anything but agree-
able — and the school-rooms are furnished with com-
fortable seats and desks combined. The children are
no longer crowded together in small, unventilated
rooms. Blackboards, maps and apparatus are furnished
to all schools. Trained teachers only are employed,
and a uniform course of study is pursued, so that each
Public School is a stepping-stone to the High School,
and upward to the College or University. Great
attention has been paid by the Education Depart-
ment to the selection of a uniform series of text
books throughout the course, adapted to the age and
intelligence of the scholars; and if any fault can be
found with it, I think it should be in the number.
The variety required in a full course — even of English
study — is a serious matter. The authorities, however,
have laboured earnestly to remove every difficulty that
lies in the student's path, and to make the way attrac-
tive and easy. That they have succeeded to a very
great extent is evident from the highty satisfactory
report recently presented by the Minister of Education.
With the increasing desire for a better education, there

170

COUNTRY LIFE TN CANADA

seems to be a growing tendency on the part of young
men to avail themselves of such aids as sliall push them
towards the object in view with the smallest amount
of work ; and instead of applying themselves with
energy and determination to overcome the difhcult/Ies
that face them in various branches of study, they resort
to the keys that may be had in any bookstore. It is
needless to repeat what experience has proved in
thousands of instances, that the young man who goes
through his mathematical course by the aid of these,
or thi'ough his classical studies by the use of trans-
lations, will never make a scholar. Permanent success
in any department of life depends on earnest work,
and the more arduous the toil to secure an object, so
much the more is it prized when won. Furthermore,
it is certain to prove more lasting and beneficial.

The same causes that hindered the progress of educa-
tion also retarded the advance of religion. The first
years of a settler's life are years of unremitting toil ; a
struggle, in fact, for existence. Yet, though settlers
had now in a measure overcome their greater difficul-
ties, the one absorbing thought that had ground its
way into the very marrow of their life still pressed its
claims upon their attention. The paramount (Question

^v *

K -

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

171

" .«

t
"■

with them had been how to get on in the world. They
wci'O cut off, too, from all the amenities of society, and
were scattered over a new country, which, prior to their
coming, liad been the home of the Indian — where all
the requirements of civilization had to be planted and
cultivated anew. They had but barely reached a
point when really much attention could be devoted to
anything but the very practical aim of gaining their
daily bread. It will readily be admitted that there is
no condition in life that can afford to put away relig-
ious instruction, and there is no doicfc that the people
at first missed these privileges, and often thought of
the 'Ime when they visited God's House with regular-
ity. But the toil and moil of y(Mirs had worn away
these recollections, and weakened the desire for sacred
things. There can be no doubt that prior to, and even
up to 1830, the religious sentiment of the greater por-
tion of the people was anything but strong. The
Methodists were among tlie first, if not actually the
first, to enter the' field and call them back to the alle-
giance they owed to the God who had blessed and pro
tected them.* Colonels Neal and McCarty began to

* Dr. Stuart, of Kingston, Chiircn of England, was the firat minister
in TJxjper Canada ; Mr. Langworth, of the same denomination, in Bath ;
and Mr. Scamerhorn, Lutheran minister at Williamsburgh, next,

172

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

¥■

preach in 1788, but the latter was hunted out of the
country.* Three years later, itinerant preachers began
their work and gathered hearers, and made converts in
every settlement. But these men, the most of whom
came from the United States, were looked upon with
suspicion •!• by many who did not fall in with their
religious views; and it is not surprising that some
even went so far as to petition the Legislature to pass
an Act which should prevent their coming into the
country to preach. It was said, and truly, when the
matter about this was placed before the Government,
that the connection existing between the Methodist
Episcopal Church of the TTnited States and Canada

* Playter.

■}■ I have in my posHession an old mamiscrii^t book, written by my
grandfather in 1796, in which this point is brought out. Being a (Quaker,
he naturally did not approve of the way those early preachers conducted
services. Yet he would not be likely to exaggerate what came under his
notice. This is what he says of one he heard : " I thought he exerted
every nerve by the various positiot58 in which he placed himself to cry,
stamp and smite, often turning from exhortation to prayer. Entreating
the Almighty to thunder, or rather to enable him to do it. Also, to
smite with the swonl, and to use many destroying weapons, at which my
mind was led from the more proper bu^finess of worship or devotion to
observe what appeared to me inconsistent with that quietude that be-
cometh a messenger sent from the meek Jesus to declare the glad tidings
of the gospel. If T compared the season to a shower, as has heretofore
been done, it had only the appearance of a tempest of thunder, wind and
Uail| destitute of the sweet refrenhing drops of a gospel shower,"

¥\

i'i

rv*

f IFTt YEAtlS Ado.

173

was altogether a spiritual and not a political connec-
tion ; that the Methodists of Canada were as loyal to
the British Grown as air' of its subjects, and had
proved it again and again in the time of trouble. Yet,
lookincr back and rememberino: the circumstances under
which the people came, it does not seem so very strange
to us that they should have looked very doubtfully
upon evangelists from a land which not only stripped
them and drove them away, but a little later invaded
their country. Neither do we wonder that some of
them were roughly treated, nor that unpleasant epi-
thets were thrown out against their followers. This
was the outcome, not only of prejudice, but the recol-
lection of injuries received. There were a good many
angularities about Christian character in those days,
and they frequently stood out veiy sharply. They
were not friends or enemies by halves. Their preju-
dices were deeply seated, and if assailed were likely to
be resisted, and if pressed too closely in a controversy,
were more disposed to use the argumentum hacidlniimy
as being more effectual than the argumentum ad
judicium. But time gradually wore away many of
those asperities, and now few will deny that the posi-
tion our Province holds to-day is to a considerable ex-

174

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANAbA

tent owing to this large and influential body of Chris-
tians. They built the first house devoted to public
worship in the Province ; through their zeal and energy
the people were stirred up to a sense of their religious
obligation ; their activity infused life and action into
other denominations. The people generally through-
out the country had the bread of life bioken to them
with regularity, so that in the year of Grace 1880 a
new order of thinijs was inauofurated. But witli all
this, a vastlj'- different state of attairs existed tlicn
from that now prevailing. No one could accuse the
preachers of those days of mercenary motives, for they
were poorly paid, and carried their worklly possessions
on their backs. Their labour was arduous and unre-
mitting. Tliey travelled great distances on foot an<l
on horseback, at all seasons and in all weathers, tu till
appointments through the bush — fording rivers, and
enduring hardships and privations that seem hardly
possible to be borne. A circuit often embraced two or
three districts. The places of worship) were small and
far apart, and litted up with rude pine benches, the men
sitting on the one side and the women on the other.
Often forty or fifty miles would have to be j(ji\i versed
from one appointment to another, and when it was

f '

IJ'IFTY YEARS AGO.

1?5

reached, whether at a neighbour's house, a school-house,

a barn or a meeting house, the people assembled to

hear the word, and then the preacher took his way to

the next place on his circuit.

Mr. Vanest says : " In summer we crossed ferries, and
in winter we rode much on ice. Our appointment was
thirty-four miles distant, without any stopping-place.
Most of the way was through the Indian's land — other-
wise called the Mohawk Woods. In summer I used to
stop half-way in the woods and turn my horse out
where the Indians had had their fires. In winter I
would take some oats in my saddle-bags, and make a
place in the snow to feed my horse. In many places
there were trees fallen across the path, which made it
difficult to get around in deep snow. I would ask the
Indians why they did not cut out the trees. One said,
'Indian like deer; when he no cross under, he jump
over.' There was seldom any travelling that way,
which made it bad in deep snow. At one time when
the snow was deep, I went on the ice till I could see
clear water, so I tlioiight it time to go ashore. I got off
my horse and led him, and the ice cracked at every
step. If I had broken through, thei'e vvoukl have been
nothing but death for us both. I got to the woods in
uoej) snow, and travelled up the shore till I found a
small house, when I found the course of my path,
keeping a good look-out for the marked trees. I at
last found my appuiiitnient about seven o'clock. If I
liad missed my j ath I do not know what would have
become of me. At my stopping-place the family had
no bread or niual to make any of, till they borrowed some
of a neigld)our ; so I got my dinner and supper about
eleven o'clockon Saturday lught. On Sabbath 1 preached.
On Monday I rode about four miles, crossed the Bay
(Quintdj, and then rode seventeen miles through the

1?6

COUNtRV LtFE IN CANADA

woods without seeing a house, preached and met a class
for a day's work."

^^ Another writer says: " We had to go twenty miles
without seeing a house, and were guided by marked
trees, there being no roads. At one time my colleague
was lost in <jettino- throutjh the woods, when the
wolves began to howl around him, and the poor man
felt much alarmed ; but he got through unhurt." *

These incidents occurred some years before the date

of which I sp(iak, but the same kind of adventures

were happening still. It did not take long to get

away from the three or four concessions that stretched

along the bay and lakes, and outside of civilization.

I remember going with my fjither and mother, about

1835, on a visit to an uncle who had settled in the

bush, "I" just ten miles away, and in that distance we

travelled a wood road for more than live miles. The

snow was deep and the day cold. We came out upon

the clearing of a few acres, and drove up to the door

of the small log house, the only one then to be seen.

The tall trees which environed the few acres carved

out of the heart of the bush waved their naked

branches as if mocking at the attempt to put them

— , » , — ■ ■■■ — ^

*Dr. Carroll.

t This was in the oldest settled part of the Province— the Bay of
QuiutiS.

v^ '

.'J

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

177

■ ■'

ii-

fi>

away. The stumps thrust their heads up through
the snow on every hand, and wore their winter caps
with a jaunty look, as if they too did not intend to
give up possession without a struggle. The horses
were put in the log stable, and after warmino- our-
selves we had supper, and then gathered round the
cheerful fire. When bed-time came, we ascended to
our sleeping room by a ladder, my father* crrrying me
up in his arms. We had not been long in bed when a
pack of wolves gathered round the place and began to
howl, making through all the night a most dismal and
frightful noise. Sleep was out of the question, and for
many a night after that I was haunted by packs of
howling wolves. 0]i our return the next day I expect-
ed every moment to see them come dasliing down upon
us until we got clear of the woods. This neighbour-
hood is now one of the finest in the Pjovince, and for
miles fine houses and spacious well-kept barns and out-
houses are to be seen on every farm.

I have been unable to get at an;^ correct data re-
specting the number of adherents of the various
denominations in the Province for the year 1830. The
total number of n<inisters did not reach 150, while they

178

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

now exceed 2,500.* There were but three churches in
Toronto, then called York. One of these was an Episco-
palian Church, occupying the present site of St. James's
Cathedral. It was a plain wooden structure, 50 by 40,
with its gables facing east and west ; the entrance
being by a single door off Church Street, f The others
were a Presbyterian and a Methodist church. The
latter was built in 1818, and was a long, low building,
40 by CO. In the gable end, facing King Street, were
two doors, one for each sex, the men occupying the
right and the women the left side of the room. It was
warmed in winter by a rudely constructed sheet-iron
stove. The usual mode of lighting it for night services
was by tallow candles placed in sconces along the
walls, and in candlesticks in the pulpit. I am sure I
shall be safe in saying that there were not 150 churches
or chapels all told in the Province.. All of them were
small, and many of them were of the most humble char-
acter. There are probably as many clergymen and more
than half as many chu 'ches in Toronto now, as there

* 'I he number of ministers, as given in the Journals of the House
of Assembly for 1831, are 57 Methodist, 40 Baptist, 14 Presbyterian,
and 32 Church of England. For the last I am indebted to Dr.
Scadding.

t Toronto of Old.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

179

were in all Upper Cunada fifty years ago. The differ-
ence does not consist in the number of the latter alone>
but in the size and character of the structures. The
beautiful and commodious churches, with their lofty
spires and richly arranged interiors, that meet the gaze
on every hand in Toronto, have not inappropriately
given it the proud title of " the city of churches," and
there aie several of them, any one of which would com-
fortably seat the entire population of York in the days
of which I l)ave spoken. There were no organs, and I
am not sure that there were any in America. Indeed,
if there-had been, the good people of those days would
have objected to their use. Those who remember the
three early churches I have mentioned— and those who
do not can readily picture them with their fittings and
seating capacity— will recall the dim, lurid liglit cast on
the audience by the flickering candles. Turn, now, for
example, to the Metropolitan Church on an evenino-'s
service. Notice the long carpeted aisles, the rich
upholstery, the comfortable seats, the lofty ceilings, the
spacious gallery and the vast congregation. An unseen
hand touches an electric battery, and in a moment
hundreds of gas jets are aflame, and the place is filled
with a blaze of light. " Now the_^great organ heaves

180

COUNTRY LIFR IN CANADA

its thrilling thimders, compressing air into music, and
rolling it forth njxm the soul." Surely the contrast is
almost incredible, and what we have said on this point
in regard to Toronto may be said of every city, town,
village or country place in the Province.

It will be proper to notice here that from the settle-
ment of the country up to 1831, marriage could only
be legally solemnized by a minister of the Chnrch of
England, or of the established Church of Scotland.
There was a provision which empowered a justice of
the peace or a commanding officer to perform the rite
in cases where there was no minister, or where the
parties lived eighteen miles from a church. In 183.1,
an Act was passed making it lawful for ministers of
other denominations to solemnize matrimony, and to
confirm marriages previously contracte<l. This act of
tardy justice gave great satisfaction to the people.

The dny for cheap books, periodicals and newspapers
had not then arrived. There were but few of any
kind in the country, and those that were to be found
possessed few attractions for either old or youno\ The
arduous lives led by the people precluded the cultiva-
tion of a taste for reading. Persons who toil early
and late, week in and week out, have very little

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

181

^'. .

N*^

^ -

'f.

inclination for anything in the way of literary re-
creation. When the night came, the weary boJy
demanded rest, and people sought their beds early.
Consequently the few old volumes piled away on a
shelf remained there undisturbed. Bacon says: " Some
books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and
some to be chewed and digested ;" and he might have
added — " others still to be left alone." At all events
the last was the prevailing sentiment in those days.
I do not know that the fault was alto<xother with the
books. It is true that those generally to be seen were
either doctrinal works, or what might be termed
heavy reading, requirmg a good appetite and strong
digestive powers to get through with them. They
were the relics of a past age, survivors of obsolete
controversies that had found their way into the coun-
try in its infancy ; and though the age that delighted
in such mental pabulum had passed away, these
literary pioneers held their ground because the time
had not arrived for the people to feel the necessity of
cultivating the mind as well as providing for the
wants of the body. Seneca says : " Leisure without
books is the sepulchre of the living soul;" but books
without leisure are practically valueless, and hence it

182

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

made but little difference with our grandfathers what
the few they possessed contained.* Some years had
to pass away before the need of them began to be felt.
In a country, as we have already said, where intelli-
gence commanded respect but did not give priority ;
where the best accom2:)lishment was to get on in the
world ; where the standard of education seldom rose
higher than to be aV)le to read, write, and solve a
siiriple sum in arithmetic, the absence of entertaining
and instructive books was not felt to be a serious loss.
But with the rapidly increasing facilities for moving
about, and the growth of trade and commerce, the

*From an inventory of my grandfather's personal effects I am enabled
to give what would have been considered a large collection of books in
those days. As I have said before, he was a Quaker, which will account
for the character of a number of the books ; and by changing these to
Volumes in accoi-d with the religious tenets of the owner, the reader will
get a veiy good idea of the kind of literature to be found in the houses
of intelligent and well-to-do people :— 1 large Bible, 3 Clarkson's works,
1 Ikichan's Domestic Medicine, 1 Elliot's Medical Pocket Book, 1 Lewis's
Dispensatory, 1 Franklin's Sermons, 1 Stackhouse's History of the
Bible, 2 Brown's Union Gazetteer, 1 16th Report of the British and
Foreign Bible Society, 1 History United States, 1 Elias Hicks's Ser-
mons, 2 NeAvton's Letters, 1 Ricketson on Health, 1 Jessy Kerzey, 1
Memorials of a Deceased Friend, 1 Hervey's Meditations, 1 Reply to
Hibard, 1 Job's Scot's Journal, 1 Barclay on Church Government, 1 M.
T iver on Shakerism, 1 Works of Dr. Franklin, 1 Journal of Richard
Davis, 1 Lessons from Scripture, 1 Picket's Lessons, 1 Pownal, 1 Sequel
to English Reader, Maps of United States, State of New York, Eng-
land, Ireland and Scotland, and Holland Purchase.

i -

H '

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

183

people were brought more frequently into contact
with the intelligence and the progress of the world
outside. And with the increase of wealth came the
desire to take a higher stand in the social scale. The
development of men's minds under the political and
social changes of the day, and the advance in culture
and refinement which accompanies worldly prosperity,
quickened the general intelligence of the people, and
created a demand for books to read. This demand has
gone on increasing from year to year, until we have
reached a time when we may say with the Ecclesiast :
" Of making of books there is no end." If there
was an excuse for the absence of books in our Can-
adian homes half a century ago, and if the slight
draughts that were obtainable at the only fountains of
knowledge that then existed were not sufficient to
create a thirst for more, there is none now. Even the
wealth that was to a certain extent necessary to gratify
any desire to cultivate the mind is no longer required,
for the one can be obtained free, and a few cents will
procure the works of some of the best authors who
have ever lived.

But little had been done up to 1830 to establish
libraries, either in town or villa;i'e. Indeed the limited

184

COUNTRf LIFE IN CANADA

number of those, and the pursuits of the people, which
were ahnost exchisively agricultural — and that too in a
new country where during half of the year the toil of
the field, and clearing away the bush the remaining
half, occupied their constant attention — books were
seldom thought of. Still, there was a niind here and
there scattei-ed through the settlements wliich, like the
"little leaven," continued to work on silently, until a
laige portion of the "lump" had been leavened. The
only public libraries whereof I have any trace were at
Kingston, Ernesttown and Hallowell. The first two
were in existence in 1811-13, and the last was
established somewhere about 1821. In 1824, the
Government voted a sum of £150, to be expended
annually in the purchase of books and tracts, designed
to afford moral and religious instruction to the people.
These were to be equally distributed throughout all
the Districts of the Province. It can readily be con-
ceived that this small sum, however weU intended,
when invested in books at the prices which obtained at
that time, and distributed over the Province would be
so limited as to be hardly worthy of notice. Eight
years prior to this, a sum of £800 was granted to
establish a Parliamentfiry Library. From these smal

!1-

iFIFTY YEARS AGO.

185

bonrinnings we hnve gone on increasing until we have
reached a point vvliich warrants me, I tliink, in saying
that no other country with the same population is better
supplied with the best literature of the day than our
own Province. Independent of the libraries in the
various colleges and other educational institutions,
Sunday schools and private libraries, there are in the
Province 1,500 Free Public Libraries, with 21)8,74*} vol-
umes, valued at .^17n,2S2, and the grand total of books
distributed by the Educational Department to Mechan-
ics' Ir ^titutes, Sunday school libraries, and as prizes, is
1,398,140.'' There are also upwards of one hundred
incorporated Mechanics' Institutes, with 130,000 vol-
umes, a net income of Ji?5J),f)28, and a membership of
10,785. These, according to the last Report, received
legislative grants to the amount of .1^22,885 for the year
1879 — an appropration that in itself creditably attests
the financial and intellectual progress of the Province.f
It is a very great pity that a systematic effort had
not been made years ago to collect interesting inci-

*The number of volumes in the principal libraries are, as nearly as
I can ascertain, as follows :— Parliamentary Library, Ottawa, 100,000 ;
Parliamentary Library, Ontario, 17,000 ; Toronto University, 23,000 ;
Trinity College, 5,000 ; Knox College, 10,000 ; Osgoode Hall, 20,000 ;
Normal School, 15,000 ; Canailian Institute, 3,800.

lUeport of the Minister of Education, 1879.

186

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

'*>

dents connected with the early settlement of the
Province. A vast amount of information that would
be invaluable to the future compiler of the history of
this part of the Dominion has been irretiievably lost.
The actors who were present at the birth of the Pro-
vince are gone, and many of tlie records have perished.
But even now, if the Government would interest itself,
much valuable material scattered through the country
might be recoverc J. The Americans have been always
alive to this subject, and are constantly gathering up
all they can procure relating to the earl}'- days of their
country. More than that, they are securing early re-
cords and rare books on Canada wherever the}" can find
them. Any one who has had occasion to hunt up
information respecting this Province, even fifty years
ago, knows the difheulty, and even impossibility in
some cases, of procuring what one wants. It is hardly
credible that the important and enterprising capital
city of Toronto, with its numerous educational and
professional institutions, is without a free public library
in keeping with its other advantages.* This is a serious
want to the well-being of our intellectual and moral

y -

;> ^

[> I

* This want has since been supplied by an excellent Free Public
liiljrary.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

187

i *

1 ■;

nature. The benefits conferred by free access to a
large collection of standard books is incalculable, and
certainly if there is such a thing as retributive justice,
it is about time it showed its hand.

The first printing office in tne Province was estab-
lished by Lonis Roy, in Apjil, 1793,* at Newark (Ni-
agara), and from it was issued the Upper Canada
Gazette, or American Oracle,^ a formidable name for
a sheet 15 in. x 9. It was an official organ and news-
paper combined, and when a weekly journal of this
size could furnish the current news of the day, and the
Government notices as well, one looking at it by the
light of the present day cannot help thinking that
publishing a paper was up-hill work. Other journals
were started, and, after running a brief couise, ex-
pired. When one remembers the tedious means of
communication in a country almost without roads, and
the difficulty of getting items of news, it does not seem
stranr^e that those early adventures were short-lived.
But as time wore on, one after another succeeded in
getting a foothold, and in finding its way into the
home of the settler. They were invaxnably small, and

* Mr. Bourinot, in his Intellectual Development of Canada, says, this
was in 1703, which is no doubt v. typoi^'raphical error,
t Toronto of Old,

188

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA.

printed on coarse paper. Sometimes even this gave
out, and the printer had to resort to blue wrapping
paper in oider to enable him to present his readers
with the weekly literary feast. In 1880, the number
had increased from the humble beginning in the then
capital of Upper Canada, to twenty papers, and of
these the following still survive : The Chronicle and
News, oi Kingston, established 1810: Brockville Re-
corder, 1820; St. Catharines Journal, 1824; Chris-
tian Guardian, 1820. There are now in Ontario 37
daily papers, 4 semi-weeklies, 1 tri-weekly, 282 week-
lies, 27 monthlies, and 2 semi-monthlies, making a
total of 853. The honour of establishing the first
daily paper belongs to the late Dr. Barker, of Kingston,
founder of the British Whig, in 1834.

There is perhaps nothing that can give us a better
idea of the progress the Province has made than a com-
parison of the papers published now with those of 1830.
The smallness of the slieets, and the meagreness of
reading matter, the absence of advertisement^, except
in a very limited way, and the typographical work»
make us think that our fathers were a good-natured,
easy-going kind of people, or they would never have
put up with such apologies for newspapers. Dr. Scad-

' 'J

4 ^

' ,*

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

180

» t

ding, in Toronto of Old, gives a number of interesting
and amusing items respecting the " Early Press." He
states that the whole of the editorial matter of the
Gazette and Oracle, on the 2nd January, 1802, is the
following: "The Printer presents his congratulatory
compliments to Lis customers on the now year." If
brevity is the soul of wit, this is a chef d'cvuvre. On
another occasion the publisher apologises for the non-
appearance of his paper by saying : " The Printer hav-
ing been called to York last week upon business, is
humbly tendered to his readers as an apology for the
Gazettes not appearing." This was another entire edi-
torial, and it certainly could not have taken the readcs
lonj to get at the pith of it. What would be said over
such an announcement in these days ?

We have every reason to feel proud of the advance
the Press has made, both in number and inlluence, in
Ontario. The leading papers are al)ly con lucted and
liberally supported, and they will compare favomably
with those of any country. Various causes have led to
this result. The prosperous condition of the people, the
increase of inmiigration, the springing up of railway
communication, the extension and perfecting of tele-
graphy, and, more than all, the completeness and effi-

190

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

ciency of our school system throughout the Province,
have worked changes nob to be mistaken. These are
the sure indices of our progress and enlightenment ;
the unerring registers that mark our advancement as a
people.

' t

I
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■il

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

191

CHAPTER VII.

BANKS — INSURANCE — MARINE — TELEGRAPH COMPANIES— ADMINIS-
TRATION OF JUSTICE — MILLING AND MANUFACTURES— RAPID
INCREASE OF POPULATION IN CITIES AND TOWNS — EXCERPTS
FROM ANDREW PICKEN.

rr^HE only bank in the Province in 1830 was the
-*- Bank of Upper Canada, with a capital of
£100,000. There are now nine chartered banks owned
in Ontario, with a capital of SI 7,000,000, and there are
seven banks owned, with one exception, in the Prov-
ince of Quebec, having offices in all the principal
towns. There are also numbers of private banks and
loan companies, the latter representing a capital of
over Jii>20,000,00(). This is a prolific growth in half a
century, and a satisfactory evidence of material
success.

Insurance has been the growth of the last fifty
years. During the session of the House of Assembly
in 1830, a bill was introduced to make some provision
against accidents by fire. Since then the business has
grown to immense proportions. According to the re-
turns of the Dominion Government for the 3 1st De-

192

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

cember, 1879, the assets of Canadian Life, Fire, Ma-
rine, Accident, and Guarantee Companies were $10,346,
587. British, doing business in Canada, $0,S38,o0f).
American, ditto, Jt^l,G85,599. Of Mutual Companies,
there are 94 in Ontario, with a total income fur 1879
of $485,579, and an expenditure of $455,8G1 *

Fifty years ago the revenue of Upper Canada was
£112,106 i3s. 4d. ; the amount of duty collected £9,283
19s. The exports amounted to £1,555,404, and the
imports to £1,502,914. There were twenty-seven ports
of entry and thirty-one collectors of customs. From
the last published official reports we learn that the
revenue for Ontario in 1879 was .$4,018,287, and tliat
for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1880, the exports
were $28,06:i,980, and imports $27,809,444 ; amount of
duty collected, $5,080,579; also that there are fifty-six
ports of entry and tliirty-( i_u;lit outposts, with seventy-
three collectors.

One of the most inteiesting features in the progress
of Canada is the rapid growth of its marine. It is
correctly stated to i-ank fourth as to tonnage among
the maritime powers of the world. Tlie United States,

< ■ ^j

* Inspector of Insurance Report, 1880,

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

IfiS

with its fifty-four millions of people and its immense
coast-line, exceeds us but by a very little, while in
ocean steamers we are ahead. In fact, the Allan Line
is one of the first in the world. This is something for
a country with a population of only five-and-a-half
millions to boast of, and it is not by any means the
only thing. We have been spoken of as a people
wanting enterprise — a good-natured, phlegmatic set-
but it is a libel disproved by half a century's progress.
We have successfully carried out some of the grandest
enter[)rises on this continent. At Montreal we have
the finest docks in America. Our canals are une([ualled ;
our country is intersected by railroads; every town
and village in the land is linked to its neighbour
by telegraph wires, and we have probably more miles
of both, according to population, than any other people.
The inland position of the Province of Ontario, al-
though having the chain of great lakes lying along its
southern border, never fostered a love for a sea-faring
life. This is easily accounted for by the pursuits of
the people, who as has been said before, were nearly al
agriculturists. But the produce had to be moved, and
the means were forthcoming to meet the necessities of

the case. The great water-course which led to the
M

194

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

seaports of Montreal and Quebec, owing to the rapids
of the St. Lawrence, could only bo navigated by the
batteaux and Durham boats ; and the navigator, after
overcoming these difficulties, and laying his course
through the noblelake from which ourProvince takes its
name, encountered the Falls of Niagara. This was a huge
barrier across his path wliich he had no possible means
of surmountinir. V/hen the town of Niairara was
reached, vessels had to be discharged, and the freight
carted round the falls to Chip[)awa. This was a tedious
matter, and a great drawback to settlement in the wes-
tern j^art of the Province. Early in the century, the
Hon. William Hamilton Merritt conceived the plan of
connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario by a canal, and
succeeded in getting the Government to assume the
project in^ 1824. It was a great work for a young
country to undertake, l)ut it was pushed on, and com-
pleted in 1880. Fj'om that time to the present vessels
have been enabled to pass from one lake to the other.
This, with the Sault 8te. l\rarie canal, and those of the
St. Lawrence, enables a vessel tr pass from iha head
of Lake Superior to the ocean. The llideau Canal,
undertaken about the same time as the Wetland Canal,
was also completed in the same year. It was construe -

« r

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

195

ted principally for military purposes, though at one
time a large amount of freight came up the Ottawa,
and tlience by this canal to Kingston. The St. Law-
rence was the onl}' channel for freight going east. All
the rapids were navigable with the batteaux except
the Lachine, and up to 1830 there was a line of these
boats running from Belleville to Montreal.* Our
canal system was completed fifty years ago, and
all that has been done since has consisted of enlai'ffinnf
and keeping them in repair. The total number of
miles of canal in the Province is 186.

The number of vessels composing our marine in IHSO
was 12 steamers and 110 sailing vessels, with a tonnage
of 14,300 ; and it is worthy of remark that at that date
the tonnage on the lakes was about ecpial to that of the

*The reader may l)e interested in loarninj^ the amount (if produce ship-
ped from the l*n)\iuce in 1830, via the St. Lawrenee, and the mode of its
conveyance. It is certainly a marked contrast, not only to the present
facilities for carrying frei:,dit, but to the amount of i)roduce, etc. , going east
and coming west. Statement of produce imported into Lower danada
through the Port of Ooteau du Lac, to I )ecember 30th, 1830,in 584 1 )ui ham
boats and 731 batteaux ; 133,141 bis. Htjur ; 20,084 bis. ashes ; 14,1 1(J bis.
pork; 1,027 bis. beef ; 4,881 bus. corn and rye ; 280,3L>2 bus. wheat ; 1,87.")
l)ls. corn irieal ; 245 bis. and 055 kegs lard ; 27 bis. and 858 kegs butter ; 203
bis. and 20 hds. tallow ; 025 bis. a;>ples ; 210 bis. raw hides ; 148 lids,
and 301 kegs tobacco ; 1,021 casks and 3 hds. whiskey and spirits ; 2,(i;!()
hogs. (.Quantity of merchandise brought to Upp er Canada iu the samu
year, 8,244 tons— Journal of the House of Assembly^ 18iU.

<*—

196

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

United States. The number of steam vessels now
owned by the Province is 385, with G57* sailing
vessels, having a total tonnage of 137,481, which at $30
per ton would make our shipping interest amount to
$4,124,430.

A great deal has been done these last few years to
protect the sailor from disaster and loss. Independent
of marine charts that give the soundings of all navi-
gable waters, buoys mark the shoals and obstructions
to the entrance of harbours or the windings of intricate
channels ; and from dangerous rocks and bold head-
lands, jutting out in the course of vessels, flash out
through the storm and darkness of the long dreary
night the brilliant lights, from the domes of the light-
houses, warning the sailor to keep away. By a system
of revolving and parti-coloured lights the mariner is
enabled to tell where he is, and to lay his course so as
to avoid the disaster that might otherwise overtake
him. There are now 149 f lighthouses in the Ontario
division. In 1 830 there were only four. Another great
boon to the mariners of the present day is the meteoro-
logical service, by which he is warned of approaching

li.

* Report Marine and Fisheries, 1880.
tib.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

197

storms. It is only by the aid of telegraphy that this
discovery has been made practically available ; and the
system has been so perfected that weather changes can
be told twenty-four hours in advance, with almost
positive certainty. We have fourteen drum stations,
eight of which are on Lake Ontario, four on Lake
Huron, and two on the Georgian Bay.

The Montreal Telegraph Company, the tirst in Can-
ada, w<is organized in 1847. It has 1,647 offices in the
Dominion, 12,703 mile^ of poles, and 21,568 of wire.
Number of messages for current year, 2,112,161;
earnings, $550,840. The Dominion Company reports
608 offices, 5,112 miles of poles, and 11,501 of wire. —
Number of messages, 734,522 ; gross earnings, $229,-
994. This gives a total of 17,845 miles of telegraph,
2,282 offices, 2.846,623 messages, and gross earnings
amounting to $780,834.*

The administration of justice cost the Province in
1830, $23,600, and according to the latest official re-
turns $274,013 — a very striking proof that our pro-
pensity to litigate has kept pace with the increase of
wealth and numbers. There were four Superior Court

^Annual Report of Montreal and Dominion Telegraph Companies^
X881.

198

COUNTRY LIFE TN CANADA

Ju'l^os, of whom the Hon. John Beverley Robinson was
made Chief Juatice in 1829, cat a salary of iil?6,000. The
remaining judges received ^3,G00 each. Besides these
there were eleven District Judges, and in consequence
of the extent of country embraced in these sections,
and the distance jurors and others had to travel, the
Court of Sessions was held frequently in alternate
places in the district. In the Midland District, this
court was held in Kingston and Adolphustown. The
latter place had been laid out for a town by some far-
seeing individual, but it never even attained to the
dignity of a village. There was, besides the court-
house, a tavern, a foundry, a Church of England — one
of the first in the Province — the old homestead of the
Hagermans, near the wharf ; a small building occupied
for a time by the father of Sir John A. Macdonald as a
store, and where the future statesman romped in his
youth, and four private residences close at hand.
When the court was held there, which often lasted a
week or more, judge, jury, lawyers and litigants had to
be billeted around the neighbourhood. As a rule they
fared pretty well, for the people m uhat section were
well off, and there was rarely any charge for board.
The courts comprised the Court of King's Bench, the

^ ■ J

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

190

Quarter Sessionis, and Court of Koqucsts. Tlio latter
was .similar to our Division Court, and was presided
over l)y a couiniissionor or resident magistrate. Tho
Quarter Sessions had C(jntrol of nearly all luunicipal
affairs, l»ut when the jMunieipul Law came into force
these matters passed into the hands of the County
Conncils. The machinery in connection with the ad-
ministration of justice has heen largely augmented, for,
beside the additional courts, we have six Superior
Court Judges, one Chancellor, two Viee-Chancellors,
one Chijf-dustice, three Queen's Bench, tliree Conniion
Pleas, three Court of Appeal Judges, and thirty-eight
County Court Judges.

The manufacturing interests of the Province in iHtM)
were very small indeed. I have been unable to put
my hand on any trustworthy information respecting
this matter at that time, but from m-y own recollection
at a somewhat later period, I know that very little
had been done to supply the people with even the
most common articles in use. Everything was im-
ported, save those things that w^ere made at home.
From the first grist mill, built below Kingston by the
Government for the settlers — to which my grandfather
carried his first few bushels of wheat in a canoe down

200

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

llie Biiy of Quint(^, a distance of thirty-five miles — the
mills in course Oi' time increased to 303. They were
small, and the greater proportion had but a single run
of stone.^. The constant demand for lumber for build-
ing purposes in every settlement necessitated the build-
ing of saw-mills, and in each township, wherever there
was a creek or stream upon which a sufficient head of
water could be procured to give power, there was a
rude mill, with its single upright saw. Getting out
logs in the winter was a part of the regular programme
of every farmer who had pine timber, and in spring, for
a short time, the mill was kept going, and the lumber
taken home. According to the returns made to the
Government, there were 429 of these mills in the Prov-
ince at that time.* There were also foundries where
ploughs and other implements were made, and a few
fulling mills, where the home-made flannel was con-
verted into the thick coarse cloth known as full cloth,
a warm and serviceable article, as many no doubt re-
member. Carding machine:, which had almost en-
tirely relieved the housewife from using hand cards in
making rolls, were also in existence. There were also
breweries and distilleries, and a paper mill on the

*Journals, House of Assembly, 1831.

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

201

Don, at York. This was about the sum total of our
manufacturing enterprises at that date.

There are now 508 grist and flour mills — not quite
double the number, but owing to the great improve-
ment in machinery the producing capacity lias largely
increased. Very few mills, at the present time, have
fewer than two run of stones, and a great many have
four, and even moi-e, and the same may be said of the
saw mills, of which there are 853. There are many in
the Province capable of turning out nearly as much lum-
ber in twelve months as all the mills did fifty years ago.

It is only within a few years that we have made much
progress in manufactures of any kind. Whatever the
hindrances were, judging from the numerous factories
that are springing into existence all over the Dominion,
they seem to have been removed, and capitalists are
embarking their money in all kinds of manufacturing
enterpi ises. There is no way, as far as I know, of get-
ting at the value annually })roduced by our mills and
factories, except from the Trade and Navigation Re-
turns for 1880, and this only gives the ox^ orts, which
are but a fraction of the grand total. Our woollen
mills turned out last year upwards of $4,000,000,* of

* Monetary Times, December 17, 188 1.

202

COUNT ilY LIFE IN CANADA

which we exported $222,425. This does not include
the produce of what are called custom mills. There
are 224 foundries, 285 tanneries, 1G4 woollen mills, 74
carding and fulling mills, 137 cheese factories, 127
agricultural and implement factories, 1)2 brew ries, 8
boot and shoe factories, 5 button factories, 1 barley
mill, 2 carpet factories, 4 chemical works, 9 rope and
twine factories, 9 cotton nulls, 3 crockery kilns, 11
flax mills, 4 glass works, 11 glove factories, 7 glue
factoi'ies, hat factories, 12 knitting factories, 9 oat-
meal mills, 9 organ factories, 10 piano factories, 25
paper mills, 4 rubber factories, 6 shoddy mills, 3 sugar
refineries ; making, with the flour and saw mills, 2,G42.
Besides these there are carriage, cabinet and other fac-
tories and shoi)s, to the number of 3,848. The value
of flour exported was $1,547,910; of sawn lumber,
$4,137,002; of cheese, $1,199,973; of Hax, $95,292;
of oatmeal, $213,131; and of other manufactures,
$1,100,G05.

We may further illustrate the progress we have
made by giving the estimated value of the trade in
Toronto in 1880, taken from an interesting article on
this subject which appeared in the Globe last January.
The wholesale trade is placed at $30,050,000 ; produce>,

x_^

FIFTY YEARS AGO. 208

$23,000,000 ; a few leading factories, $1,770,000 ; live
stock, local timber trade, coal, distillincf and brewina*.
S8,91(),00() ; in all, $64,3:30,000— a gross sum more than
ten times greater than the value of the trade of the
whole Province fifty years ago.

Another interesting feature in our growth is the
rapid increase in the cities and towns. Some of these
were not even laid out in 1830, and others hardly
deserved the humble appellation of village. The dif-
ference will be more apjmrent by giving the popula-
tion, as far as possible, then and in 1881, when the
last census was taken, of a number of the principal
places : —

1830. 1881.

"^^'I'oiito 2,800 86,445

Kin'^'^t"" 3,587 14,00;{

Kamiltdu, including,' township 2,013 35 1)05

London, inclu(]irig township 2,415

Brantford, laid out in 1830 9 (;2(]

CTiielph, indudinK township 77^ 9 ,S90

f>t. (vatharines (Population in 1845, 3,500)...

Ottawa contained 150 houses

"Belleville, incorporated 1835 9 510

erookville 1,130 7/508

iSTapanee (rn,)ulation in 1845, 500) 3^081

Cobourg 4 95J

Port Hope 5^8yS

Peterboro', laid out in 1826 h15

Lindsay, n 1833 0^081

Barrie, „ 1832

Ingevsoll, II 1831 4^322

fc'.T'

204 COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

1830. 1881.

Woodstock (Population in 1845, 1,085) 5,373

Chatham, settled in 1830 7,881

Stratford, hiid out in 1833 8,240

Sarnia, laid out in 1833 3,874

I hope the humble effort I have niacle to show what
we Upper Canadians have done during the fifty years
that are gone will induce some one better qualified to
go over the same ground, rind put it in a more attrac-
tive and effective shape. It is a period in our history
which must ever demcvnd attention, and although our
Province had been settl i ^' ^ nearly half a century prior
to 18o(), it was not until i; .r that date that men of
intelligence began to look around them, and take an
active interest in ;^haping the future of their country.
There were many failures, but the practical sense of
the people surmounted them, and pushed on. All were
awake to the value of their heritage, and contributed
their share to extend its influence ; and so we have
gone o'l breasting manfully political, commercial and
other difficulties, but always advancing ; and whatever
may be said about the growth of other parts of America,
figures will show that Canada is to the fi'ont. At the
Provincial Exhibition in Ottawa, in 1S7J), the Governor
of Vermont, in his address, stated (wiiat we already

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

205

knew), that Canada had outstripped the United States
in rapidity of growth and development during recent
years, and the Governors of Ohio and Maine endorsed
the statement. We have a grand country, and I be-
lieve a grand future.

" Fair land of peace ! to Britain's rule and throne
Adherent still, yet happier than alone,
And free as happy, and as brave as free.
Proud are thy children, justly proud of thee.
Few are the years that have sufficed to chanj^e
This whole broad land by transfcrniation strange.
Once far and wide the inibroken forests spread
Their lonely waste, mysterious and diead —
Forest, whose echoes never had been stirred
By the sweet music of au English word ;
Where only rang the red-browed hunter's yell,
And the wolf's howl through the dark sunless dell.
Now fruitful fields and waving orchard trees
Spread their rich treasures to the summer breeze.
Yonder, in queenly pride, a city stands,
Whence stately vessels speed to distant lands ;
Here smiles a hamlet through embow'ring green,
And there the statelier village spires arc seen ;
Here by the brook-side clacks the noisy mill,
There the white homestead nestles on the hill ;
The modest school-house here flings wide its door
To smiling crowds that seek its simple lore ;
There Learning's statelier fane of massive walls
Wooes the young aspirant to classic halls,
And bids him in her hoarded treasure find
The gathered wealth of all earth's gifted minds.

Pamela S. Vinino.

1206

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

Since writing the foregoing, I accidentally came
across The Canadas, tOc, by Andrew Picken, published
in London in 1832, a work which I had never previ-
ously met with. It is written principally for the bene-
fit of persons intending to emigrate to Canada, and con-
tains notices of the most important places in both Pro-
vinces. I have made the follov/ing extracts, thinking
that they would prove interesting to those of my read-
ers who wish to get a correct idea of our towns and
villages fifty years ago.

"The largest and most populous of the towns in
Upper Canada, and called the key to the Pi-ovince, is
Kingston, advantageously situated at the head of the
St. Lawj'ence, and at the entrance of the great Lake
Ontario. Its populrtion is now about 5,500 souls ; it
is a military post of importance, as well as a naval de-
pot, and from local position and advantages is well
susce])tible of fortification. It contains noble dock-
yards and conveniences for ship-building. Its bay
afibrds, says Howison, so fine a harbour, that a vessel
of one hundred and twenty guns can lie close to the
(juay, and the mercantile importance it has now
attained as a commercial entrepot between Montreal
below and the western settlements on the lakes above,
may be inferred, among other things from the wharfs
on the river and the many spacious and well-filled
warehouses behind them, as well as the numerous
stores and mercantile employ <^s within the town. The
streets are regularly formed upon the right-angular
plan which is the favourite in the new settlements, but
they are not paved ; and though the houses are mostly

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

207

l:)uilt of limestone, inexhaustible quarries of which lie
in the immediate vicinity of the town, and are of the
greatest importance to it and the surrounding neigh-
bourhood, there is nothing in the least degree remark-
able or interesting in the appearance of either the
streets or the buildings. The opening of the Rideau
Canal here, which, with the i^itermediate lakes,
forms a junction between the Ontano and other lakes
above, the St. Lawrence below, and the Ottawa, oppo-
site Hull, in its rear, with all the intervening districts
and townships, will immensely increase the impor-
tance of this place ; and its convenient hotels already
aftbrd comfortable accommodation to the host of travel-
lers that are continually passing between the Upper
and Lower Provinces, as well as to and from the States
on the opposite side of the river.

" York is well situated on the north side of an excel-
lent harbour on the lake. It contains the public build-
ings of the Province, viz, the House of Assembly, where
the Provincial Parliament generally holds its sittings;
the Government House ; th( Provincial Lank ; a
College; a Court-House; a had for the Law Society;
a gaol ; an Episcopal Church ; a Bajitist Chapel (Metho-
dist) ; a Scots' Kirk ; a Gairison near the town, with
barracks for the tioops usually stationed here, and a
batteiy which protects the entrance of the harbour.
Ivegularly laid out under survey, as usual, the streets
of the town are spacious, the houses mostly l)uilt of
wood, but many of them of brick and stone. The
population amounts now to between four and five
thousand.

"P)y-Town, situated on the southern bank of the
Ottawa, a little Ix'low the Cliaudicre Falls, and opjiosite
to the tlourishing Village of Hull, in ]jOwer (Janada,
stands upon a boM eminence, suri'ounding the V>ay of
the grand liver, and occupies both banks of the r-anal,
which here meets it. Laid out in the usual manner

S08

COUNTRY LIFE IN CANADA

with streets crossing at right angles, the number of
houses is already about 150, most of which are wood,
and many built with much taste. Three stone barracks
and a large and commodious hospital, built also of stone,
stand conspicuous on the elevated banks of the bay ;
and the elegant residence of Colonel By, the command-
ing Royal Engineer of that station.

*' The town- plot of Peterborough is in the north-
east angle of the Township ol' Monaghan. It is laid
out in half acres, the streets nearly at right angles with
the river; park lots of nine acres each are reserved
near the town. The patent fee on each is £8, Provincial
currency, and office fees and agency will increase it
15s. or 20s more.

"The settlement commenced in 1825, at which time
it formed a depot of the emigration under Hon. P.
Robinson. The situation is most favourable, being an
elevated sandy plain, watered by a creek, which dis-
charges into the river below the turn. The country
round is fertile, and there is great water-power in the
town-plot, on which mills are now being built by
Government. These mills are on an extensive scale,
being calculated to i)ack forty barrels of Hour, and the
saw-mill to cut 8,000 feet of l)(»ards fer diem.

" The situation of Ccjbourg is healthy and })leasant.
It stan<ls immediately on the shore of Lake Ontario.
In 1812, it had only one house; it now contains up-
wards of forty houses, an Episcopal church, a Methodist
chapel, too good inns, four stores, a distillery, an exten-
sive grist mill; and the population may be estimated
at about 850 souls.

" The two projected towns of most consideration in
this district (London district), however, are London-on-
the-'J'hames, further inland, and Goderich, recently
founded by the Canada Company, on Lake Huron.
London is yet but inconsiderable, but from its position,
in the heart of a fertile country, is likely to become of

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

200

some importance hereafter, when the extreme wilds
become more settled. The town is qnite new, not con-
taining above forty or lit'ty houses, all of bright boards
and shingles. The streets and gardens full of black
stumps &c. They were building a church, and liad
finished a handsome Gothic co"rt-house, which must
have been a costly work.

"Guelph. Much of this tract belongs to the Canada
Company, who have built, nearly in its centre, the
town of Guelph, upon a small river, called the Speed,
a remote branch of the Ouse, or Grand River. This
important and rapidly rising town, which is likely to
become the capital of the district, was founded hy Mr.
Gait, for the Company, on St. George's day, 1827, and
already contains between 100 and 200 houses, several
shops, a handsome market house near the centi'e, a
schoolhouse, a printing oftice, and 700 or 800 inhabi-
tants.

" The Bay of Quinte settlement is the oldest in TTpper
Canada, and was beijfun at the close of the Revolu-
tionaiy Wai". We crossed over the mouth of the River
Trent, wdiich Hows from the Rico Like, anil it is said
can be made pracLicabh; for steandtonts, though at nnicli
ex[)ense; thence to Belleville, a neat village of recent
date, but evidently addicted too much to hnnbering.

** Brock ville is a most thriving new town, with several
handsome stone houses, chui'ches, court-house, &c., and
about 1,500 souls."

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY

SKETCHES

EARLY HISTORY.*

EARLY SCHOOLS AM) SCHOOLMASTKRS — HIHTII OF THE AMERICAN
REPUBLIC— LOVE OF COUNTRY — ADVENTURES OF A U. E. LOYAL-
IST FAMILY NINETY YEARS AGO — THE WILUS OF UPPER CANADA
— HAY BAY— HARDSHIPS OF PIONEER LIFE— (illOWTH OF POPU-
LATION — DIVISION OF THE CANADIAN PROVINCES— FORT FKON-
TENAC— THE "DARK DAYS " — CELESTIAL FIREWORKS — EARLY
STE.VM NAVIOATION IN CANADA — THE COUNTRY MERCHANT —
PROGRESS- THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.

A FTER having consented to read a paper on the
-^-^ subject which has ah'eady been announced, I
do not think it would be quite proper for me to begin
with apologies. That they are needed I confess at
once, but then they should have been thought of be-

* This paper was read before the Mechanics' Institute in Picton,
twenty-six years ago. Soon afterwards, the then Superintendent of
Education, Dr. llyerson, re(iuested me to send it to him, which I did,
and a copy was taken of it. An extract will be found in his work,
" The Loyalists of America," Vol. ii, page 219. Subsequently, in
1879, I ma<ie up two short papers from it which appeared in The
Canadian Methodist Magazine. The paper is now given, with a few ex-
ceptions, as it was first written.

214

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

fore. How often havo we lieard the expression, '* Cir-
cumstances alter cases," and this is just why I put in
my plea. If I had rot been preceded by gentlemeix
whose ability and attainments are far and away be-
yond mine, I should not have said a word. But when
these persons, some of whom finished their education
in British Universities, who have trodden the classic
shores of Italy and mused over the magnificent monu-
ments of her past gicatness, or wandered through old
German towns, where Christian liberty was born and
cradled; who have ranged the spacious halls of Parisian
Institutes, or sauntered in places where many historic
scenes have been enacted in grand old England — when
these persons, I repeat, must crave your indulgence,
how much more earnestly should I plead, whose travels
are bounded in the radius of a few hundred miles, and
whose collegiate course began, and I may say ended, in
the country school-house with which many of you are
familiar. What wonderful scholars those early teachers
were.

" Amazed nie, gazing rustics, rang'd around ;
And still v;c gaz'd, and suU our wondor grew
That one small head could carry all he knew."

It is no wonder that we were often awed by
their intellectual profundity, nor that they gave our

SKKTCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

2lo

youthful biviins an impetus which sent them bounding
through the severe curriculum we had to face.

The narrow-minded and unyielding policy of George
III., as every one now admits it to have been, brought
about the American Revolution, and gave birth to the
American Republic. As always happens ii every
great movement, there were two sides to this question,
not only between Great Britain and her colonists, but
a!i^>onixtho colonists themselves. One side clamoured
boldly for their rights, and, if need were, separation.
The other side shrank from a contest with the mother
land, and preferred a more peaceful solution of their
difficulties. A moderate degree of lil>era]ity on the
part of the British Government would have appeased
the demands of the malcontents, and another destiny
whether for better or worse, might have been in store
for the American people. But those were dayj wheii
the policy of the nation was stern and uncompromising,
when the views of trade were narrow and contracted,
when justice was untempered with mercy, and when
men were bigoted and pugnacious. Protracted wars
consumed the revenues and made many draughts on
the national purse, and when the trade of the colonies
was laid under contribution, they refused the demand.

i?l6

SKE^rCHES OE EARLY HISTORY.

The Government, true to the spirit of the age, would
not brook refusal on the part of its subjects., and must
needs force them to comply. The contest began, and
when, after v seven y'-ars' struggle, peace was declared,
those who had sided with the old land found them-
selves homeless, and rather than swear allegiance to
the new regime, aljandoned their adopted country and
emigrated to the wilds of Canada and the Eastern Pro-
vinces. Two results grew out of this content : the
establishment of a new and powerful nationality, and
the settlement of a vast country subject to the British
Crown, to the north, then an unbroken wilderness,
now the Dominion of Canada,* whose rapid strides in
wealth and power bid fair to rival even those of the
great Republic.

The history of our country — I am speaking of Uj^per
Canada — remains to be written. It is true we have
numeious works, and valuable ones too, on Canada ;
but 1 refer to that part of history which gives a pic-
ture of the people, their habits and customs, which
takes you into their homes and inifolds their every-day
life. This, it seems to me, is the very soul of history,

■•* •

* TluH has been changed. When the pajjer was written, the Con-
federfttion of the Provinces, if it had been thought of, had not as.
sumed any definite shape. It followed eiglit years after, in 1867.

SKETCHES OF EARLY TIISTORY.

^17

and when the coming Canadian Macaulay shall write
ours, he will look in vain for many an argosy, richly
freighted with fact and story, which might have been
saved if a helping hand had been given, but which now,
alas 1 is Iv^st forever.

It can hardly be expected that I should be as familiar
with the early scenes enacted in this pa>rt of the Pro-
vince as those who are very much older. Yet I have
known many of the first settlers, and have heard from
their lips, in the days of my boyhood, much about the
hardships and severe privations they endured, as well
as the story of many a rough and wild adventure.
These old veterans have dropped, one by one, into the
grave, until they have nearly all passed away, and we
are left to enjoy many a luxury which their busy hands
accumulated for us.

As a Canadian — and I am sure I am giving expres-
sion, not so much to a personal sentiment, as an abiding
principle deeply rooted in the heart of every son of
this grand country — T feel as much satisfaction and
pride in tracing my origin to the pioneers of this
Province — nay more — than if my veins throbbed with
noble blood. The picture of the log cabins which my
grandfathers erected in the wilderness on the bay shore,

218

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

wJiere my father and mother first saw the light, are far
more inviting to me than hoary castle or rocky keep.
I know that they were loyal, honest, industrious, and
virtuous, and this is a record as much to be prized by
their descendants as the mere distinction of noble birth.
It has been said that love of country is not a charac-
teristic of Canadians ; that in conse(i[ucnce of our youth
there is but little for affection to cling to ; that the tra-
ditions that cluster around age and foster these senti-
ments are wanting. This may be to a certain extent
true. But I cannot believe but that Canadians are as
loyal to their country as any other people under the
sun. The life-lonfj struiii'le of those men whom the old
land was wont " to ])ut a mark of honour upon," are too
near to us not to warm our hearts with love and vene-
ration ; they were too sturdy a race to be lightly over-
looked by their descendants. Tlieir memory is too
sacred a trust to be forgotten, and their lives too worthy
of our imitation not to bind us together as a people^
whose home and country shall ever be first in our
thoughts and aflTection.

" Breathes there a man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said
' This is my own, my native land ? '
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned
As home his footsteps he hath turned 1"

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

210

7s there any place in the world where such marvel-
lous changes have taken place as here ? Where among
the countries of the eartli shall we find a more rapid and
vigorous giowth ? Ninety years * ago this Province was
a dense and unknown forest. We can hardly realize
the fact that not a century has elapsed since these
strong-handed and brave-hearted men pushed their way
into the profound wilderness of Upper Canada. Were
they not heroes ? See that man whose strong arm first
uplifts the threatening axe. Fix his image in your
mind, and tell me if he is not a subject worth}'' the
genius and chisel of a Chantrey. Mark him as he
swings his axe and buries it deep into a giant tree.
Hark ! how that first blow rings through the wood,
and echoes along the shores of the bay. The wild duck
starts and flaps her wings ; the timid deer bounds
away. Yet stroke follows stroke in measured force.
The huge tree, whose branches have l)een fanned and
tossed by the breeze of centuries, begins to sway.
Another blow, and it falls thundering to the ground.
Far and wide does the crash reverberate. It is the first
knell of destruction boominof throufjh the forest of
Canada, and as it flies upon the wings of the v/ind,

* The lealer will bear in mind the date when this was written.

^20

SKETC&ES OF EARLY HISTORY.

from hill-top^to hilJ-top, it proclaims the first welcome
sound of a new-born country. And did these men of
whom we have been speaking make war alone upon the
mighty forest ? Did they find their w^ay alone to the
wilds of Canada ? No: they were accompanied by
women as true and brave as themselves ; women who
unmurmuringly shared their toils and hardships, who
rejoiced in their succcess, and cheered them when weary
and depressed. They left kindred and friends far
behind, literally to bury themselves in the deep recesses
of a boundless forest. They left comfortable homes to
endure hunger and fatigue in log cabins which their
own delicate hands helped to rear, far beyond the
range of civilization. Let us follow a party of these
adventurers to Canada.

In the summer of the year 1795 or theieabouts, a
company of six persons, composed of two men and
their wives, with two small children, pushed a rough-
looking and unwieldy boat away from the shore in the
neighbourhood of Poughkeepsie, and turned its prow up
the Hudson. A rude sail was hoisted, but it flapped
lazily against the slender mast. The two men took up
the oars and pulled quietly out into the river. They did
not note the morning's sun gradually lifting himself

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

221

above the eastern level, and scattering his cheerful rays
of light across the river, and along its shores. All
nature seemed rejoicing over the coming day, but they
appeared not to heed it. They pulled on in silence,
looking now ahead, and then wistfully back to the
place they had left. Their boat was crowded with
sundry household necessaries carefully packed up and
stowed away. At the stern are the two women ; one,
ruddy and strong, steers the boat ; the other, small and
delicate, minds her children. Both are plainly and
neatly dressed ; and they, too, are taking backward
glances through silent tears. Why do they weep, and
whither are they bound ? Their oars are faithfull}^
plied, and they glide slowly on. And thus, day after
day, ma}^ we follow them on their voyage. Now and
then a gentle breeze fills the sail and wafts them on.
When the shades of evening begin to fall around them
they pull to shore and rear a temporary tent, after
which they partake of the plain fare provided for the
evening meal, with a relish which toil alone can give,
and then lay them down to rest, and renew their
strength for the labours of the morrow.

They reach Albany, then a Dutch town on the verge
of civilization. Beyond is a wilderness land but little

222

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

known. Some necessaries are purcliased here, and
again our little company launch away. They reach
the place where the city of Troy now stands, and turn
away to the left into the Mohawk river, and proceed
slowly, and often with great difficulty, up the rapids
and windings of the stream. This rich and fertile
valley of the Mohawk was then the home of the
Indian. Here the celebrated Chief Brant had lived
but a short time before, but had now withdrawn into
the wilds of Western Canada. The voyageurs, after
several days of hard laljour and difficulty, emerge into
the little lake Oneida, lying in the north-western part
of the State of New YoiU, thiough which they pass
with ease and pleasure. The most difficult [) art oF their
ourney lias been ov. re ome. In due tiuie they reach
the Onondaga River, and soon pass down it to Oswego,
then an old fort which had been built by the French,
when they were masters of the countiy, as a barrier
asfaiust the eicroaeliiuents of the wil\' Indian. Several
bloody frays had occurred liere, but our fi'iciiils do not
tarry to muse over its battle-ground, or to learn its
history.

Their small craft now dances on the bo om of
Ontario, but they do not [)ush out into the lake and

i i i

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

223

across it. Oh no: they are careful sailors, and they
remember, perha}>s, tliat small l»oats should not venture
far from shore, and so they wind along it until they
reach Gravelly Point, now known by the more <lignified
name of Cape Vincent. Here they strike across the
channel, and thence around the lower end of Wolfe
Island, and into Kingston Bay, where they come to
shore. There were not many streets or fine stone houses
in the Limestone ^^ity at this time ; a few log houses
composed the tow n. After resting and transacting ne-
cessary business they again push away, and turn their
course up the lovely Bay of Quints. What a wild and
beautiful scene opens out before them ! The far-reach-
ing bay, with its serried ranks of primeval forest crowd-
ing the shores on cither hand. The clear pure water
rippling along its beach, and its bosom dotted with
flocks of wild fowl, could not fail to arrest the attention
of the weary voyageurs. Frecjuently do they pause
and rest upon their oai's, to enjoy the wild beauty that
surrounds them. With lighter nearts they coast along
the shore, and continue up the bay until they reach
township number four. This township, now known as
Adolphustown, is composed of five points, or arms,
which run out into the bay. They sail round four of

224

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

these points of land, and turn into Hay Bay, and, after
proceeding about three miles, pull to shore. Their
journey it would seem has come to an enJ, for they
begin to unload their boat and erect a tent. The sun
sinks down in the west, and, weary and worn, they lay
themselves down upon the bed of leaves to rest. Six
weeks have passed since we saw them launch away in
quest of this wilderness home. Look at them, and tell
me what you think of their prospects. Is it far
enough away from the busy haunts of men to suit you ?
Would you not rather sing —

" O solitude, where are the charms
Which sages have seen in thy face ?

Better dwell in the midst of alarms
Than reign in this horrible place. "

With the first ijlimmer of the morn'.n<x's liijht all
hands are up and at work. A small space is cleared
away, trees are felled, and in due time a house is built —
a house not large or commodious, with rooms not
numerous or spacious, and with furniture neither
elegant nor luxurious. A pot or two, perhaps a few
plates, cups and saucers, with knives and forks and
spoons, a box of linen, a small lot of bedding, etc., with

** A cheat, contrived a double debt to pay —
A bed by night, a chest of drawers by day."

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

225

These constitute pretty nearly the sum total. This
is not a fancy sketch. I hav^e heard the story many a
time from the lips of the little old grandmother* who
was of the party. She lived to rear a family of iiii'.e
children, and to see most of them married and well
settled ; to oxchanixe the loor house for a larw atul
c jmfortable home, and to die peacefully at a good old

age.

It is hardly possible for us to conceive the difficnltiea
that beset the first settlers, nor the hardships and priva-
tions which they endured. They were not infrequently
reduced to the very verge of starvation, yd tlujy
struggled on. Tree after tree fell before the axe, and
the small clearing was turned to immediate account.
A few necessaries of life were produced, and evjn
these, limited and meagre as they wore, were the be-
ginnings of comfort. Comfort, indeed ! hut far removed
not only from thein, but from the idea wo associate with
the term. I have in my 3'ounger days taken grist to
the mill, as the farmers say. But I can assure you I
would prefer declining the task of carr} ing bag^ of
wheat upon my back for three miles, and then paddling

*The writer is one of her grandsons. The incident will be found in
Dr. Ryerson's book.

22G

SKETCHf-:S OF EARLY HISTORY.

tliem in a canoe doAvn to the Kingston Mills,* and hack
again to Adolphustown — ahoiit seventy miles — after
which icMiming the pleasing exercise of backing them
home.f Such things do not fatigue one much to talk
about, but I fancy the reality would fit closer to the
backs of some of our young excjuisites than would be
.agreeable. Nor do we, when we stick up our noses at
tlie plainer fare of some of our neighbours, remember
often what a feast our fathers and mothers would have
thought even a crust of bread. How often — alas, how
often! — were they compelled to use anything they could
put their hands upon, in order to keep soul and body
together. Could we, the sons of those men, go through
this ? T am afrai<l, with one consent, we would say
" No."

But time rolled on. The openings in the forest grew
largei' and wider. The log cabins began to multij)ly,
and the curlini'' smoke, risinr»' here and there above the
woods, told a silent hut more cheerful tale. There
dwelt aneighboui" — milt'.s away, perhaps — but a neigh-
bour, iieverlhek'ss. If you would like an idea of the

'*'J'liis mill \va< built by the liiitish Government in the first f<ettlement
of tli'j Province for the benefit of the t<ettlers.

f'Thi-i was an early ex[)erience of my grandfather, Canniff, which
liked to relate iu his old age to young men.

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

227

proximity of humanity, and the luxury of society in
tliose days, just place a few miles of (h'use wtH)ds be-
tween yourself and your nearest nei<3dil)our, and you
will have a fiiint conception of tlie delights of a home
in the forest.

There are persons still living who have heard their
parents or grandparents tell of the dreadful sufferings
they endured the second year after the settlement of
the Bay of Quintd country. The second year's Gov-
ernment supply, through some bad management, was
frozen up in the lower ]y,\vi of the St. Lawrence, and,
in consequence, the people were reduced to a state of
famine. Men were glad, in some cases, to give all they
possessed for that which would sustain life. Farms
were given in exchange for small quantities of flour,
but more freciu.ently refused. A res])ectal)le old lady,
long since; gone to her rest, and whose giandchildren
are somewhat aristocratic, was wont in those days
to go away to the woods early in the morning to
gather and eat the buds of the basswood, and then
bring an apronfull home to her family. In one neigh-
bourhood a beef bone passed from house to house,
and was boiled a^ain and aiiain in order to extract
some nutriment from it. This is no fictir»n, Init a

228

SKRTC!HES OF EARLY HISTORY.

literal fact. Many other equally uninviting bills of
fare niifrht be sriveti, but tliese no doubt will suffice.
Sufficient has been said to show that our fathers and
mothers did not re])Ose upon rose-Lcds, nor did they
fold their hands in despair, but with strong nerves and
stout hearts, even when famine was in the pot, they
pushed on, and lived. The forest melted away before
thorn, and we are now enjoying the happy results.

Tlie life of the first settler wa-5 for a long time one of
hardship and adventure. When this U topia was reached
he frequently had difficulty in finding his land. He
was not always very particular as to this, for land then
was not of very much account, and yet he wished, if
p< ssi}>le, to strike somewhere near his location. This
involved sometimes long trips into the forest, or
along the shores. After a day's pa<ldling he would
land, pull up his canoe, and look around. The night
coming on, he had to make some preparation for it.
How was it to be done in this howling wilderness ?
Where was he to sleep, and how was he to protect him-
self against the perils that surrounded him ? He takes
his axe and goes to work. A few small trees are cut down.
Then he gathers some dry liuibs and hea])S them up
together. From his pocket he brings a large knife ;

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

229

tlicn a Hint and a bit of pinik. The punk ho places care-
fully under the Hint, holding- it in his left hand, and
then pieks u}) his knife and gives the Hint a few sharp
strokes with the baek of the blade, which sends forth
a shower of sparks, some of which fall on the punk and
ignite, and soon his heap is in a blaze. Now, this
labour is not only necessary for his comfort, but for his
safety. The smoke drives the iiies and moscpiitoes
away, and keeps the wolves and bears from encroaching
on his place of rest. But the light which aifords him
protection subjects him to a new annoyance.

" Loud as the wolves in Orca's stormy steep
Howl to the roaring of the stormy deep, "

the wolves howled to the fire kindled to attVight them
away. Watching the whole night in the surrounding
hills, they keep up a concert which tiuly '' renders night
hideous;" and bullfrogs in countless numbers from ad-
jacent swami)s, with an occasional "To-whit, to-whoo ! "
from the sombre owl, altogether nuike a native choir
anything but conducive to calm repose. And yet, anud
such a serenade, with a few boughs for a ]»ed, and the
gnarled root of a tree for a pillow, did many of our
fathers spend their first nights in the wilderness of
Canada.

230

SKKTCHES OF EAl.^.Y HISTOIlV.

The first settlers of Upper Canada were principally
American colonists who adhered to tlic cause of Eng-
land. After the capitulation of General Burgoyne,
many of the royalists, with their families, moved into
Canada, and took up land along the shores of the St.
Lawrence, the Bay of (^uintd, and the lakes. Upon
the evacuation of New York at the close of the war a
still greater numbei' followed, many of whom were
soldiers dishanded and left without employment.
Many had lost their pi'operty, so that nearly all were
destitute and depending upon the liberality of the
Government whose battles they had fought, and f ?r
whose cause they had suffeved. They were not for-
gotten. The British Government was not tardy in Hs
movement, and at once decided to reward their loyalty.
Immediate steps were taken to provide for their present
wants, and also to provide means for their future sub-
sistence.

These prompt measures on the part of the Govern-
ment were not only acts of justice and humanity, but
were sound in policy, and were crowned with universal
success. Liberal grants of land were made free of ex-
pense on the following scale : — A field officer received
0,()0() acres; a captain, 8,000; a subaltern, 2,000; and

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

231

a private, 200. Siuveyors were sent on to lay ont tlio
land. They cunnnenccd tlieir work near Lake St. Fran-
cis, tlien tlie liiohcst French settk'nient, and exteniknl
akmf^ the shores of the St. Lawrence n[) to Lake
Ontario, and tlieiice ah)ng- the lake, and round the Bay
of Quint(^. Townships were laid ont, and then sub-
divided into concessions nnd lots of 200 acies. These
townships were numbered, and I'eniained without names
for many years. Of these numbers there were two
divisions: one, including the town8hi2)s below Kings-
ton in the line east to the St. Francis settlement; the
other, wost from Kingston to the head of the Bay of
Quints. They were knon'n by the old people as first,
second, tiiird, fourth town, etc. No names were given
to tlie townshijjs by legal enactment for a long time,
and hence the habit of designating them by numbers
became fixed.

The settlement of the surveyed portion of the Mid-
land District, which then included the present counties
of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Hastings, and
the county of Prince Edward, connnenced in the sum-
mer of 1784. The new settlers were supplied with
farming implements, building materials, provisions, and
some clothing for the first two years, at the expense of

232

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTOHY.

the nation. " And in order," it was stated, " that the
love of country may take deeper root in the hearts of
those true men, the government determined to put a
mark of honour," as the order of the Council expresses
it, " upon the families who had adhered to the unity of
the Empire, ami joined the royal standard in America,
before the treaty of separation in the year 1783." A
list of such persons was dii'ccted in 1789 to 1)2 made
out and returned, " to the end that their posterity
might be discriminated from the future settlers." From
these two emphatic words — The Unity of the Empire
— it was styled the U.E. list, and they whose names
were entered therein were distinguished as U.E.
Loyalists. This, as is well known, was not a mere
empty distinction, but was i>otablya title of some con-
se(pience, for it not only provided for the U.E. Loyal-
ists themselves, but guaranteed to all their children,
U[)on arriving at the age of twenty-one years, two
hundred acres of land free from all expense. It is a
])leasing task to recall these generous acts on the part
of the British Government towaids the fathers of our
country, and the descendants of those true and noble-
hearted men who loved the old Empire so well that
they preferred to endure toil and privation in the

SKETCHES Oi' EARLY HISTORY.

^3^

vvilJorness of Canada to ease and comfort under the
protection of the revolted colonies. We shoidd vener-
ate thuir memory, and foster a love of country as deep
and abiding as theirs.

In order further to encourage th:, growth of popula-
tion, and induce other settlers to come into the country,
two hundred acres of land were allowed, upon ccmdition
of actual settlement, and the [>ayment of surveying
and office fees, which amounted in all to about thirty-
eight dollars.

Tn 171)1 the provinces were divided, and styled
U[)per Canada and Lower Canada — the one embracing
all the French seigneuries; the other all the newly -
settled townshi[>s. The first Governor of Ui>per Can-
ada, John Gi'aves Simcoe, arrived in I7l>2, and took up
Ids residence at Nuwaik (Niagara), then tlie capital of
the Province. llure the first Parliament of Upper
Canada met and held five successive sessions, after
which it was moved to York. Governor Simcoe
laboured hard and successfully to promote the settle-
ment of the Province.

Kingston is the oldest town in Upper Canada by
many years. The wliite man found his way here more
than ;v century before any settlement in the west was
made or thought of. Small expeditions had from time

2^4

SKETCHES OP EARLY HISTOllY.

to time pcneti'ated the vast wilderness far to the west,
either for the purpose of trading with the Indians, or
led by some zealous piiost who sought foi" the gloiy of
God to brinij the wanderin:;: tribes into the fold of the
Roman Church. The untirino- enero^y and zeal dis-
played by these early Fathers, together with the hard-
ships, dangers and privations they endured, form one
of the most interesting pages of adventure in our
country's history. The crafty and industrious French
Governor, De Courcelles, in order to put a stop to the
encroachments of the Five Nations, despatched a
messenger from Quebec to their chief to inform him
that he had some business of great importance to com-
municate, and wdshed them to proceed to Cataraqui,
where he would meet them. As soon as the Indian
deputies arrived, a council was held. Tlie Governor
informed them that he was going to build a fort there,
to serve principally as a depot for merchandise, and to
facilitate the trade that was springing up between
them. The chiefs, ignorant of the real intention of
the wily Governor, readily agreed to a proposition
which seemed intended for their advantage. But the
object was far from what the Indians expected, and was
really to create a barrier against them in future wars.

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTOUY.

235

^•

Wliile ineasuies were being completed to build the
fort (yourcelles was recalled, and Count de Frontenac
sent out in his place. Frontenac carried out the
designs of his predecessor, and in 1672 completed the
fort, which received and for many years retained Ids
name.

Father Charlevoix, who jouineyed through Western
(Janada in the year 1720, thus describes Fort Catar-
a([ui. "This fort is f«<pinre, with four bastions built
with stone, and the ground it occupies is a quarter of
a league in compass. Its situation is really something
very pleasant. The sides of the view present every
way a landscape well varied, and it is the same at the
entrance of Lake Ontario, which is but a small league
distant. It is full of islands of ditierent sizes, all well
wooded, and nothing bounds the horizon on that side.
The Lake was sometimes called St. Louis, afterwards
Frontenac, as well us the fort of Cataratjui, of which
the Count de Frontenac was the founder, but insensibly
the Lake has regained its ancient name Ontario, which
is Huron or Iroquois, and the fort that of the ])lace
where it is built. The soil from this ])lace to la Sal-
lette appears something barren, but thiw is only in the
borders, it being very good further up. There is over

236

SKETCHES OP EARLY HISTORY.

against the fort a very pretty islaad in the raiddlo of
the rivei". They put soino swine into it, which have
multiplied, and given it the name of Isle du Pores.
Tliere are two other islands somewhat smaller, which
are lower, and half a league distant from each other.
One is called Cedars, the other Hart's Island. The Bay
of Cataraqui is double; that is to say, that almost in
the middle of it there is a point that runs out a great
way, under which there is a good anchorage for large
barks. M. de hi Salle, so famous for his discoveries and
his misfortunes, who was lord of Cataraqui, and gov-
ernor of the fort, had two or three of them, which were
sunk in this pkce, and remain there still. Behind the
fort is a marsh, where there is a great plenty of wild
fowl. This is a benefit to and employment for the
garrison. There was formerly a great trade here,
especially with the Iroquois, and it was to entice them
to, as well as to hinder their carrying their skins to
the English and keep these savages in awe, that the
fort was built. But the trade did not last long, and
the fort has not hindered the barbarians from doing
us a great deal of mischief. They have still families
here, in the outside of the place, and there are also
some Missisaguas, an Algonquin nation, which still

I. i

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

237

have a villnge on the west side of I- -lie Ontario, an-
other at Niagara, and a third in the strait." Such
is the description we have of Kingston a century and
a half ago. The Mohawlv name for it is Gu-doi-o-qui,
or, " Fort in the Water."

I am unable, from any information I can get, to give
the origin of the name of our beautiful bay. It seems
to have Ijorne its present name at a very early date in
the history of the country. It is supposed by some to
be an Indian name with a French accent. I am dis-
posed, however, to think that it came from the early
French voyageurs, from the fact that not only the bay,
but an island, are mentioned by the name of Quintd.
The usual pronunciation until a few years ago was
Kaniy.

In the year 17S0, on the 14th day of Octoljcr, and
again in July, 1814, a most remarkable phenojtnenon
occurred, the like of which was never before witnessed
in the country. " At noonday a pitchy darkness com-
pletely obscured the light of the sun, continuing for
about ten minutes at a time, and being frequently re-
peated during the afternoon. In the interval between
each mysterious eclipse, dense masses of black clouds
streaked with yellow drove athwart the darkened sky,

238

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

with fitful gusts of wind. Thunder, lightning, black
rain, and showors of ashes added to the terrors of the
scene, and when the sun appeared its colour was a
bright red." The people were filled with fear, and
thought that the end of the world was at hand. These
two periods are known as the " dark days."

Many years after this, another phenomenon not less
wonderful occurred, which I had the satisfaction of see-
ing; and although forty-five years have elapsed, the ter-
rifying scene is as firmly fixed in my memory as though
it had happened but an hour ago. I refer to the meteoric
shower of the 18th of November, 1833. My father had
been from home, and on his return, about midnight,
his attention was arrested by the frequent fall of
meteors, or stars, to use the common phrase. The
number rapidly increased; and the sight was so gran<l
and beautiful that he came in and woke us all up, and
then walked up the road and roused some of the
neighbours. Such a display of heaven's fireworks was
never seen before. If the air had been filled with
rockets they would have been but match strokes coin-
pared to the incessant play of brilliant dazzling mete-
ors that flashed across the sky, furrowing it so thickly
with golden lines that the whole heaven seemed ablaze,

SK FETCHES OK EARTT HISTORY.

289

until the moniinir's sun shut out tho scene. One
meteor of hw^c size renuiined sometime ahiiost station-
ary in the zenith, ennttiii<4' streams of light. I stood
like a statue, and gazed with fear and awe up to the
glittering sky. Millions of stars seemed to be dashing
across the blue dome of heaven. In fact I thought the
whole starry firmament was tumbling down to earth.
The neighbours wen^ terror-struck : the more enliglit-
ened of them were awed at contem])lating so vivid a
picture of the Apocalyptic image — that of the stars of
heaven falling to the earth, even as a fig-tree castotli
her untimely figs, when she is .shaken by a mighty
wind ; while the cries of others, on a calm night like
that, might have been heard for miles around.

Young and poor as Canada was half a century ago,
she was not l»ehind many of the older and more wealthy
countries in enterpri/e. Her legislators were sound,
practical men, who had the inteiest of their country
at heart. Her mercliants were pushing and intelli-
ijent ; her farmcis fru'^al and industrious. Under
such auspices her success was assured. At an early
day the Gosernment ga\e material aid to every pro-
ject that was calculated to foster and extend trade and
commerce, as well as to open up and encourage the

240

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

settlement of the country. Neither was individual
entorprize behind in adopting the discoveries and im-
provements of the time, and iii ajtplying them not only
to their own advantage but to that of tlie community
at large. Four years after Fulton had made his suc-
cessful experiment with steam as a propelling power
for vessels on the Hudson, a small steamer was built
and launched at Montreal ; and in 1815 the keel of the
first steamer that navigated the waters of Upper Can-
ada was laid at Bath. She w^as named the Frontenac.
The village of Bath, as you all know, is situated on
the Bay of Quinte, about thirteen miles west of Kings-
ton. It was formerly known as Einesttown. Those
of you who have passed that way will remember that
about a mile west of the village there is a bend in the
shore round which the road leads, and that a shoit
gravelly beach juts out, inclosing a small pond of water.
At the end of this, west, stands ui old frame house,
time-w^orn and dilapidated. Behind this house the
steamer already mentioned was built, and three years
later another known as the Clnoiolte was launched
here.* Thousands of people were present, and the event

• I have often heard my father tell about yoing to see the launch o f
the CfiarloUe. He went on foot a round distance of over thirty miles.

SkETCHKS OF EARLY HISTORY.

241

vvns loni: rcMiieinbertMl. TlR'^' were, no duubt, luar-
velluus tbin<^^s in tbose days — nuicb more so, peih ips,
tban tluit bugo niannnotb of steam craft of later (biys,
tbe Grcdt Eastern, is to us. I cannot give tbe dimen-
sions of tbcse boats, but it is safe to say tbat tbey
were not large. Tbcir exploits in tlie way of speed were
considered marvellous, and formed tbe topic of conver-
sation in many a bome. A tiip in one of tbem down
tbe bay to Kingston was a greater feat tben tban a
vayage to Liverpool is now; and tbey went but little
faster tban a man could walk.

Early travellers predicted tbat Ernesttown would
be a i>lace of importance, but tbeir predictions bave
come to naugbt. It reacbed many years ago tbe cul-
minating point in its bistory. Still, in tbe progress of
our country tbe above nuist give it more tban a pas-
sing interest. Cjiourlay speaks of Datb in 1811, and
says, " Tbe vilbige contains a valuable social libi'ary"
— a tiling at that date wbicb could not be found prob-
ably in any other i)art of the Province.

Previous to the introduction of steamers, wbicli 'rave
a wondei'ful impetus to trade, and comjdetely revolu-
ti<mized it, tbo traflic of tbe country was carried on
under great disadvantages. Montreal and (Quebec, tbe

242

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

one the depot of merchandise and the other the centre
of the lumber trade, were far away, and could only be
reached during six months in the year by the St. Law-
rence, whose navigation, on account of its rai)ids, was
dillicult and dangerous. There was but little money,
and business was conducted on an understood basis of
exchange or barter. During the winter months the
farmer threshed his grain, and brought it with his pork
and potash to the merchant, who gave him goods for
his family in return. The merchant was usually a
lumberman as well, and he busied himself in the win-
ter time in getting out timb<;r and hauling it to the
bay, where it was rafted and made ready for moving
early in the spring. As soon as navigation was open,
barges and batteaux were loaded with potasli and pro-
duce, and he set sail with these and his rafts down the
river. It was always a voyage of hardship and danger.
If g(.)od fortune attended him, he would in the coui'se
of three or four weeks make Montreal, and (^Jucbec
witli his rafts two or three weeks later. Then com-
menced the labour of disposing of his stufi", settling up
tlie ynjir's aceounts, and purchasing more goods, with
which his boats were loaded and despatched for home.

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

243

Tlie task of the country merchant in makinj^' his
selections t)ien, was much more ilitHcult than it is now.
Moreover, as he could reach liis market but once in
the year, his purchases liad to be governed by this I'act.
He liad to cater to the entire wants of his customers,
and was in the letter, as well as the spirit, a general
merchant, for he kept dry goods, groceries, crockery,
hardware, tools, implements, drugs — everything, in
fact, from a needle to an anchor. The return trip with
his merchandise was slow ai.<! dilHcult. The smooth
stret<'hes of the river were passed with the oar and
sail, the currents with poles, whih; the more dilHcult
rapids were overcome by the men, assisted with ox-
teams. Thus he woi'ried his way through, and by the
time he got home two or three months had Ijeen con-
sumed. Diu'lnii' the winter months, while the western
tiader was busy in collecting his siijtplies lor th«' spi'ing,
the ireiieral merchant of Montreal, a veiital»le nal»oi>
in those days, locked u}) his shop and set oil' with a
tiNun for llp[«<}r Canada, and spent it in visiting his
eustonier.s. The world moved slowly then. The ocean
was traversed I'V sailing ships — they l)i'onght cjiu' mer-
chandise a)id mails. In winter, tli" only eonnnunica-
tion with Montreal and *'>^uebec was by stage, and in

244

SKETCHES OF EARLY tHSTORY.

the fall and spriiyg it was maintained with no small
ditiiculty. One of the wonders of swift travelling of
the day was the feat of Weller, the mail contractor
and stage proprietor, in sending Lord Durham through
from Toronto to Montresd in tliirty-six hours. Many a
.strange adventure could he told oi* stage rides between
Toronto and (i^uebec, and of the merchants in tlieir
annual trips down the St. Lawrence, on rafts and in
batteaux ; and it seems a pity that so much that would
amuse and interest readers of the present day has
never been chronicled.

There was one thing brought altout by those
buLteaux voyages for which the farmer is by no means
thankfid. The men used to lill their beds with fresh
straw on tlieiv return, and by this means the Canadian
thistle found its way to l^pper Canada.

As Canada had not been behind in em'tloxiu"- steam
in navigation, so slie was not beldnd in em[»loying it
in a!iother direction. Stephenson built tlic first i-ail-
road between Liverpool and Manchester in lMi\*). Some
years later, IIS.'JO, we had a railway in (^inada, a) id
now we have over 5,()()() nuh's ui the Dondnion. These
two agencies have entirely changed (he character both
of our connnerce and mail service. The latter, in those

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

245

»W

•**

early days, in the Midland district, was a private spcc-
idation of one Hnft*, who travelled the country and
delivered papers and letters at the houses. This was
a very irregular and unsatisfactory state of things,
but was better than no mail at all. Then came thii
wonderful improvement of a weekly mail carried ])y a
messenger on horseback ; and as time wore on, the
delivery became more frequent, post-oflices multiplied,
postage rates were reduced, and correspondence in-
creased. There were two other enteijuises which the
country took hold of very soon after their discovery.
I refer to the canals and the telegraph. The first, the
Lachine Canal, was commenced in 1S21, ami the Wol-
land in 1S24. The Montreal T(;legraph (^ompany w'as
organized in 1847. So that in those four great <liscov-
cries which hav(; revolutionized the trad(^ of the W(»rld,
it will be seen that our young countiy kept abreast
with the times, and her advance, not only in those
improvements, but in every branch of science an<l ait,
has been marvellous.

The Miflland District, so named because of its cen-
tral position, was one of the lai'gest districts in the
Province; but county after county was cut away froiu
it on all sides, until it was greatly shoin of its pro-

^.^^J*

246

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

portions. Before this clipi)ing had begun, the courts
were held alternately in Kingston and Adolphus-
town. The old (^ourt-House still stands,* and is as
melancholy a monument of its former importance as
one could wish to see. The town which the original
surveyors laid out here, and which early writers men-
tion, I have never l)een able to find more of than tlie
plot. It nuist have flourished long l)efore my day.

But what about Prince Edward county ^ Of course
you know that it was set off in 183o, and that the
first Court of Assize was held iii tills town — then
Hallowell — in 18o4. I am not able to say much about
its early liistory ; though I am sure there are many
incidents of very great interest connected with it,
pi'obably lost for the want of some friendly hand.
Land was taken up in this neighbourhood by Barker,
Washburn, Spencer, Vandusen, and others about the
year 1790. Patents were issued by the Governnient
in lS02-rj-4. At a meeting held at Eyre's Tnn, on th(»
14th of Eebi'uary, 1818, at which Ebenezer Washburn,
Es((., presided, I learn that there was in the townsldp
of Tiallowell at that time but two brick houses, one

* Tt lm« boon t.ikon down sinoo, and n town ball, for tbo n^te of tbe
townsbii), eiHM'ted on its site.

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

247

carding and fulling mill, one Methodist Chapel — now
known as the old Chapel at Conger's Mill — one Quaker
Meeting House. Preparations were being made to
build a church.* Orchards were bemnninix to be
planted, and other ini|)rovements. The tlrst settlers
paid at the rate of one slnlliiv,^ p«'r aer(» for their land.
Four-fifths of the entiie Midla.id distiiet, in 181 S, was
a dense forest. We eun hardly realise the faet that
seventy years ago there was piobably not a sou! living
in this fair county.

liet US skip ovei' a p<'riod of about forty years from
the first .settleuient, and have a look at the people and
how they lived. The log houses, in very many cases,
had been transformed into cond'ortable and conmiodious
dwellings. The log barns and hovels, too, had given
place to larger frame barns and sheds, many of which
are still to be seen around the country. The changes
wrouiiht in those short vears were wonderful, and
Imving followed the pioneer hither and note»l Ins
progres.s, let us stej) into one of these homes and take
a seat with the family gathered aroun<l the spacious
fire-place, with its glowing liiv Mazing up cheerfully

* KiKtwn iVM St. Miiry MaK'l'il*'"**. "^^ Uev, W. Miuuulay, I tliink,
wrtH thi' first rector, and lived to u f,'oiul old auo.

248

SKETCHES OF EAULY HISTORY.

tliroui;li tlin hcapcd-up woo(], and note the comforts
and amuseim'nts of tlie contontcd circle. How cleaily
the pictui'c stands out to many of ns. How well we
remember the time wlicn, with yoiin<^ nnd vigorous
step, we set our feet in the path which l^as led us
farther and farther away.

" A thousand fantasies
T>(>gin *:o thmni? into my nuinoiy,
Of callinj,' shapes and l)eckonin!j; shadows."

Now, [)leasc understand me in this matter. VVc^ have
not a particle of sympathy with the ordinary grumbler,
by which we mean that class of })t-'rsons whoso noses
arc not only stuck up at any and every encroachment
on their worn-out ideas of what is riuht and wronii;,
but, like crabbed terriers, snap at the heels of ev^ery
man that passes. Nor do we wish you to think that
we })lace our fathers on a higher plane of intellectual
})ower and worth than we have reached or can reach.
The world rolls on, and decade after decade adds to the
accuimdative brain force of humanity. Men of thought
and power through all the ages have scattered see«l,
and while nnu-li of it has come to nauMit, a kernel lici'c
and there, possessed of vital force, has germinated and
grown. Yon rememlier what the great Teacher said

SKETCKES OF EARLY HISTORY.

249

\*'

about " a gi'ain of mustard seed wliicli a man took and
sowed in liis field, wliicli ii.'leed is the least of all seeds,
l>ut when it is i,novvn it is ti.e greatest among herbs,
and hecometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come
and lodge in the branches thereof." Any man who
looks around him must aeknowledfro that we are ixoinff
ahead, l)ut notwithstanding this, every careful ol»server
cannot Axil to see that there is growing up in our
laud a large amount of sham, and lience, as Is.iiali tells
us, it would \h\ well for us to look more fre([u<'ntly " into
the rork whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the
pit whence ye are digged." Lot us not only treasure
the recollection of the noble example which our fore-
fathers set us, but let us imitate those sterling (qualities
which render their Uiunes dear to us.

" It is a conunon complaint perpetually reiterated,"
remarks a racy writer, " that the occupations of life are
filled to overflowing; that the aveinies to wealth or
distinction are so crowded with competitors that it is
hopeless to endeavour to make way in the dense and
jostling masses. This des|)()nding wail was doubtless
heard when the young earth had scaicely connuenced
her cari'er of gloiy, and it will b(^ <lolefully lepeated by
future generations to the end of time. Long bi^fore
('heopshad planted the basement-stone of his pyramids,
when Sphinx and C\)l(»ssi had not yet been fashioned
into their huge existence, ami tin; untouched (|uai!y
liad given out neither temple nor monument, the young
Egyptian, as Ik; looked along the Nile, may havQ

250

SKETCHES OF EARLY HISTORY.

ipourned that be was born too late. Fate bad done
biin injustice in withholding his individual being till
the destinies of man were accomplished. His imagi-
nation exulted at what ho might have been, had his
chance been connnunsurato with his merits, but what
remained for him now in this worn-out, battered, uscmI-
up hulk of a world, but to sorrow for thu good times
which had exhausted all resources ?

" The mouinful lamentation of anticjuity has not
been weakened in its transmission, and it is not more
reasonable now than when it 'noaned by the Nile.
There is always room enough in the world, and work
waiting for willing hands. The charm that concpiers
obstacles and commands success is strong will and
stnmg woik. Application is the friend .and ally of
genius. Tlu^ laborious scholar, the diligent merchant,
the industrious mechanic, the hard-working farmer,
are thriving men, and take rank in the world ; while
genius by itself lies in idle admiration of a fame that
is ever prospective. Tiic hare sleeps or amuses himself
by the wayside, and the tortoise wins tlie race."

-M

RANDOM IIKCOUECIIONS OF KAIILY

DAYS.

■|

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS

EAEl.Y DAYS.

I'ATBKNAL iMEMOKlKS — A VISIT TO TIIK llOMK OF MY IIOYIKMH) —
THE OLD tiUAKKK MEETINii HOl!Sli FLASIIKSOF SILKNCE— Til K
OLD HUHYINO fiUOUND — '* TO TIIK MEMORY OF ELIZA " —
(JHOSTLY EXPERIENCES — llIVIN(i THE IJEES — ENCOUNTER WITH
A BEAR — «!IVIN(i ''THE MITTEN " — A "IlOlNDARY t^UKSTlON''
— SONG OF THE BULLFROO — RIN(S — SAIiACITY OF ANIMA1S —
TRAINING-DAYS— I'DTUU LSl^UE SCENERY OF THE I'.AY <>F (iUINTK
— JOHN A. MACDONALD — A I'ERILOUS JOURNEY — AUNT JANE
AND WILLET CASEY.

"TV /TOUE than turty-tivu years have clapsod since my
father departed this life, and left nie a lad, the
eldest of six children, to take his place, and assist my
mother as well as I could in the management of affairs.
Twenty yours later mother was laid by his side, and
before and since all my sisters have gone. For a num-
ber of years the only survivors of tliat once hai)})y
household, the memory of which is so fresh and dear
to me, have been myself and lirother. Upper (^tnada
was a vastly different place at the time of niy father's

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IMAGE EVALUATION
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Photographic

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73 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. I4S80

(716) 872-4503

>° MP..

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Q-

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254 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

decease (1840) from what it is now. The opportun-
ities he had when young were proportionately few.
I have been a considerable wandei'er in my day, and
have had chances of seeing what the world has accom-
pHshed, and of contrasting it with his time and advan-
tages. If his lines had fallen in another sphere ot
action he would have made his mark. As it was, dur-
ing his short life — he died at the age of 42 — he had
with his own hands acquired an excellent farm of 250
acres, with a good, spacious, well-furnished house,
barns, and out-buildings. His farm was a model of
order and thorouojh tillage, well stocked with the best
improved cattle, sheep, and hogs that could be had at
that time, and all the implements were the newest
that could be procured. He was out of debt, and
therefore independent, and had money at interest.
This, it seems to me, was something for a man to
accomplish in twenty years. But this was not all. He
was acknowledged to be a man of intelligence superior
to most in those days, and was frequently consulted by
neighbours and friends in matters of importance; a
warm politician and a strict temperance man. He was
one of the best speakers in the district, always in
request at public meetings, and especially during an

KAN DOM IIECOLLECTIONS OF EAULY DAYS. 255

election campaign. Into political contests he entered
with all his might, and would sometimes be away a
week or more at a time, stumping — as they used to term
it — the district. In politics he was a Reformer, and
under the then existing circumstances I tliink I should
have been one too. But the vexed questions that agi-
tated the public mind then, and against which he fought
and wrote, have been adjusted. An old co-worker
of his said to me many years after at an election:
" What a pity your father could not have seen that you
would oppose the party he laboured so hard to build
up. If a son of mine did it I would disinherit him as
quick as I would shove a toad off a stick." I said to
my old friend that I supposed the son had quite as good
a right to form his opinions on certain matters as his
father had. Political and religious prejudices are liard
things to remove. 1 remember a de})utation waiting
on my father to get him to consent to be a candidate
for an election which was on the eve of taking place,
but he declined, on the ground tliat he was not pre-
pared to assume so important a position then, nor did
he feel that he had reached a })oint which would
warrant him in leaving his business. He added that
after a while, if his friends were disposed to confer

^56 RA.NDOM llECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

such an honour upon him, he might consider it more
favourably. Peter Perry was chosen, and I know my
father worked hard for him, and the Tory candidate,
Cartwright, was defeated. This reminds me of a
little bit of banking history, which created some noise
in the district at the time, but which is quite forgotten
now. A number of leading farmers, of whom my
father was one, conceived ihe idea of establishing a
" Farmers' Joint Stock Bank," which was subsequently
carried out, and a bank bearing tliat name was started
in Bath. John. S. Cartwright, the then member,
through whom they ex[)ected to get a charter, and
who was interested in the Commercial Bank at King-
ston, failed to realize their expectations in that par-
ticular, and the new bank had to close its doors. The
opening was prematui'e, and cost the stockholders a
considerable sum of money. Tins little banking epi-
sode helped to defeat Mr. Cartwright at the next
election.

Over thirty years have passed since I left my old
home, and change after change has occurred as the
years rolled along, until I have become a stranger to
nearly all the people of the neighbourhood, and feel
strange where I used to romp and play in boyhood

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 257

ty%

.1^

The houses and fields have changed, the woods have
been pushed further back, and it is no longer the home
that is fixed in my memory. My visits have con-
sequently become less and less frequent. On one of
these occasions I felt a strong inclination one Sabbath
morning to visit the old Quaker Meeting House about
three miles awa3\ After making my toilette and
breakfasting, I sallied forth, on foot and alone, through
the fields and woods. The day was such as I would
have selected from a tlK)U^and. It was towards the
last of May — a season wherein if a man's heart fail to
dance blithel}^, he must indeed be a victim of dulness
The sun was moving upward in his diurnal course, and
had just acquired sufficient heat to render the shade ot
the wood desirable. The heaven was cloudless, and
soft languor rested on the face of nature, stealing the
mind's sympathy, and wooing it to the delights of re-
pose. My mind was too much occupied with eai*ly
recollections to do more than barely notice the splen-
dour and the symphonies around me. The hum of the
bee and the beetle, as they winged their swift flight
onwards, the song of the robin and the meadow lark,
as they tuned their throats to the praisrs of the

risen sun, and the crowing of some distant chanti-
<4

258 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EAELY DAYS.

cleer, moved lazily in the sluggish air. It was a season
of goneral repose, just such a day, I think, as a saint
would choose to assist his fancy in describing the
sunny regions whither his thoughts delight to wander,
or a poet would select to refine his ideas of the
climate of Elysium. At length I arrived at the old
meeting-house where I had often gone, when a lad
with my father and mother.

It was a w^ooden building standing at a corner of the
road, and was among the first places of worship erected
in the Province. The effects of the beating storms of
nearly half a century were stamped on the unpainted clap-
boards, and the shingles which projected just far enough
over the plate to cany off the water, were worn and
partially covered with moss. One would look in vain
for anything that could by any possibility be claimed
as an ornament. Two small doors gave access to the
nterior, which was as plain and ugly as the exterior.
A partition, with doois, that were let down during the
time of woiship, divided tlie room into equal parts, and
3ei)arated the men and women. It was furnished with
strung piue benches, with backs ; and at the far side
were two rows of elevated benches, which were
occupied on both sides by leading members of the so-

4.''

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 259

ciety. I have often watched the row of broad-brims
on one hand, and the scoop bonnets on the other, with
boyish interest, and wondered what particular thing
in the room they gazed at so steadily, and why some
of them twirled one thumb round the other with such
regularity. On tUs occasion I entered quietly, and
took a seat near the door. There were a number of
familiar faces in the audience. Some whom I had
known when young were growing grey, but many of
the well-remembered faces were gone. The gravity of
the audience and the solemn silence were very impres-
sive ; but still recollections of the past crowded from my
mind the sacred object which had brought the people
together. Now I looked at the old bayonet marks in
the posts, made by the soldiers who had used it as a
barrack immediately after the war of 1812. Next, the
letters of all shapes and sizes cut by mischievous boys
with their jacknives in the backs of the seats years
ago arrested my attention, and brought to mind how
weary I used to get ; but as I always sat with my
father, I dared not try my hand at carving. Then, the
thought came : Where are those boys now ? Some of
them were sober, sedate men, sitting before me with
their broad-brimmed hats shadowing their faces ; others

200 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

were sleeping in the yard outside ; and others had left
the neighbourhood years ago. Then I thought of the
great Quaker preacher \nd author, Joseph John Gur-
ney, whom I had heard in this room, and of J. Pease, the
philanthropic English banker. Then another incident'
of quite a different character, came to my recollection.
An old and well known Hicksite preacher was there
one Sunday (always called First Day by the friends),
and the spirit moved him to speak. The Hicksite and
orthodox Quakers were something like the Jews and
Samaritans of old — they dealt with one another, but
had no religious fellowship. The old friend had said
but a few words, when one of the leaders of the meet-
ing rose and said very gravely: "Sit thee down, James;"
but James did not seem disposed to be choked off in
this peremptory way, and continued. Again the old
friend stood up, and with stronger emphasis said :
" James, I tell thee to sit thee down ;" and this time
James subsided. There was nothing more said on the
occasion, and after a long silence, the meeting broke
up. On another occasion, a young friend, who had
aspired to become a teacher, stood up, and in that
peculiar, drawling, sing-song tone which used to be a
characteristic of nearly all their preachers, said : " The

> <■

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 261

birds of the air have nests, the foxes have holes, but
the Son of man hath not where to lay his head ; " and
then sat down, leaving those who heard him to enlarge
and apply the text to suit themselves. There was
nothing more said that day. And so my mind wan-
dered on from one thing to another, until at length my
attention was arrested by a friend who rose and took
off his hat (members of the society always sit with their
hats on), and gave us a short and touching discourse.
I have heard some of the most telling and heart-search-
ing addresses at Quaker meetings. On this occasion
there was no attempt — there could be none from a plain
people like this — to tickle the ear with well-turned
periods or rhetorical display. After the meeting was
over, I walked out into the graveyard. My father
and mother and two sisters lie there together, and
several members of my father's family. There is a
peculiarity about a Quaker burying-ground that will
arrest the attention of any visitor. Other denomina-
tions are wont to mark the last resting place of loved
ones by costly stones and inscriptions ; but here the
majority of the graves are marked with a plain board,
and many of them have only the initials of the deceased,
and the rank grass interlocks its spines above the

202 RANDOM RECOLLFCTIOKs OF EARLY DAYS.

humble mounds. I remember my father having some
difficulty to get consent to place a plain marble slab at
the head of his father and mother's grave. But were
those who slumbered beneath forgotten ? Far other-
wise. The husband here contemplated the lowly
dwelling place of the former minister to his delight.
The lover recognised the place where she whose
presence was all-inspiring reposed, and each knew
where were interred those who had been lights to their
world of love, and on which grave to shed the drop
born of affection and sorrow. Although the pomp, the
state, and the pageantry of love were her ransom, yet
hither, in moments when surrounding objects were for-
gotten, had retired the afflicted, and poured forth the
watery tribute that bedews the cheek of those that
mourn " in spirit and in truth." Hither came those
whose rpirits had been bowed down beneath the bur-
den of distress, and indulged in the melancholy occupa-
tion of silent grief, from which no man ever went forth
without benefit. I thought of Falconer's lines : —

" Full oft shall memory from oblivion's veil
Relieve your scenes, and sigh with grief sincere."

After lingering for some time near the resting place of

»m

llVNDOM IIKCOT LECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 2GJ^

the dear ones of my own family, I tinned away and
threaded my way thoughtfully back.

Duri'ig another visit to the neighhourliood of my
birth, after having tea with tlic Rev. H. , Hec-
tor of , I took a stroll through the graveyard

that nearly surrounds the old church, and spent some
time in reading the inscriptions on the headstones.
There were numbers that were new and strange, but
the most of them bore names that were familiar.
Time, of course, had left his mark, and in some cases
the lettering was almost gone. Many of those silent
sleepers I remembered well, and had follovv^ed their re-
mains to the grave, and had heard the old Rector pro-
nounce the last sad rite: "Earth to earth, ashes to
ashes, dust to dust," long years ago. As I passed on
from grave to grave of former friends and neighbours,

" Each in his narrow cell forever laid,"

many curious and pleasing recollections were brought to
mind. I came at last to the large vault of the first
Rector, who was among the fir^t in the Province. I recol-
lected well the building of this receptacle for the dead,
and how his family, one after another, were placed in it ;
and then the summons came to him, and he was laid

2G4

RANDOM IIPXOLLKCTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

tlioro. A few years later, liis wife the last survivor of
the family, was put there too, and the Iar«^^e slabs were
shut down for the last time, closing the final chapter of
this family history, and — as does not often happen i*^
this world — they were taking their last sleep undivided.
But Time, the great destroyer, had been at work during
the 3"ears that had fl(.Hl, and I was sorry to find that
the slabs that covered the upjier ])art of the vault, and
which bore the inscriptions, were broken, and that the
walls were falling in. There were no friends left to
interest themselves in repairing the crumbling struc-
ture, and in a few years more the probabilities are
that every vestige of the last resting-place of this
united couple will be gone. It is not a pleasing
thought, and yet it is true, that however much we
may be loved, and hov.'ever many friends may follow
us with tears to the grave, in a few short years they
will be gone, and no one left to care for us, or perhaps
know that we ever lived. I have stood o^ an evening
in the grand cemetery of Pere la Chaise, Paris, and
watched the people trooping in with their wreaths of
immortelles to be placed on the tombs of departed
friends, and others with cans of water and flowers to
plant around the graves. Here and there could be

RANDOM JIECOLLECTIONS OP EARLY DAYS. 2G5

seen vvlioro some loved one liad been sprinkling the
delicate Howers, oi' leinaincti to water them with their
tears. This respect [)aid to the memory of det)arted
ones is pleasant, and yet, alas, how very few, after
two or three generations, are remembered. The name
that meets the eye on one stone after another might
as well be n bb».nk for all we know of them. Anyone
who has visited the old chnrchyards or mined abbeys
in England must have felt this, as liis ,gaze has rested
on time-worn tablets from which every mark had long
since been obliterated,

*' By time subdued (v hat will not time subdue) ! "

Turning away from the vault, and parsing down the
yard, I came to a grave the headstone of which had
fallen, and was broken. I turned the two pieces over,

and read : " To the memory of Eliza ." And is this,

thought I, the end of the only record of the dear friend
of my boyhood ; the merry, happy girl whom every one
loved ? No one left after a score of years to care for
her grave ? 80 it is. The yeai's sweep on. " Friend
after friend departs," still on, and all recollection of us
is lost ; on still, and the very stones that were raised as
a memorial disappear, and ihe place that knew us once
knows us no more forever. I turned away, sad and

2(j6 RANDOM RE'^OLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

thoughtful ; but after a little my mind wandered back
again to the sunny hours of youth, and I lived them
over. Eliza had been in our family for several years,
and was one of the most cheerful, kind-hearted girls
one could wish to see. She had a fine voice, and it
seemed as natural for her to sing as a bird. This, with
her happy disposition, made her the light and life of
the house. She was like the little burn that went
dancing so lightly over the pebbles in the meadow —
bright, sparkling, joyous, delighting in pranks and fun
as much as a kitten.

" True mirth resides not in the smiling skin —
The sweeted solace is to act no sin." — Herrick.

I do not think Eliza ever intentionally acted a sin.
On one occasion, however, this excess of spirit led her
perhaps beyond the bounds of maidenly propriety;
but it was done without consideration, and when it
was over caused her a good deal of pain. The mis-
chievous little adventure referred to shall be men-
tioned presently.

We had some neighbours who believed in ghosts ;
not an uncommon thing in those days. Eliza, with
myself, ha<l frequently heard from these peojJe descrip-

Random recollections of early days. 2G7

tions of remarkable sights they had seen, and dreadful
noises they had heard at one time and another. She
conceived the idea of making an addition to their ex-
periences in this way, and as an experiment made a
trial on me. I had been away one afternoon, and re-
turned about nine o'clock. It was quite dark. In the
meantime she had quietly made her pre[)ara tions, and
was on the look out for me. When my horse's feet
were heard cantering up the road, she placed herself so
that I could not fail to see her. On I came, and, dash-
ing up to the gate, dismounted ; and there before me
on the top of the stone w^all w^as something, the height
of a human figure draped in white, moving slowly and
noiselessly towards me. I was startled at tirst, but a
second thought satisfied me what was up, and that my
supernatural visitor was quite harmless. I passed
through the gate, but my pet mare did not seem in-
clined to follow, until I spoke to her, and then she
bounded through with a snort. After putting her in
the field, and returning, I found the ghost had vanished.
But I was quite sure I had not done with it yet ; and
as I drew near the house I was in momentary expecta-
tion that it would come out upon me somewhere. I
kept a sharp look-out, but saw nothing, and had reached

268 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

the porch door to go in, when lo, there stood the spec-
tre barring my way ! I paused and glanced at its ap-
pearance as well as I could, and T must confess if I had
been at all superstitious, or had come on such an ob-
ject in a strange place, I think I should have been
somewhat shaken. However, I knew my spectre, and
boldly took hold of it, and found I had something
tangible in my grip. After a brief and silent struggle,
I thrust open the door, and brought my victim into the
room. My mother and sisters, who knew nothing of
what had been going on, were greatly alarmed to see
me dragging into the house a white object, and, woman-
like, began to scream ; but the mystery was soon re-
vealed. She had made up some thick paste, with
which she had covered her face, and had really got up
quite a sepulchral expression, to which the darkness
gave effect; and being enveloped in a white sheet,
made, we thought, a capital ghost. This did not sat-
isfy her, and was only a preliminary to her appearance
on the first suitable occasion to our neighbours. It was
not long before they encountered the ghost on their
way home after dark, and were so badly frightened
that in the end I think Eliza was worse frightened
than they. Eliza never had any confidants in these

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 2G9

little affairs, and they were over before any one in the
house knew of it. This was the end, so far as she was
concerned, of this kind of amusement.

Some time after this another little episode of a simi-
lar nature happened, but this time Eliza was one of the
victims. We had a near neighbour, an old bachelor,
who had a fine patch of melons close at hand. Eliza
and a cousin who was on a visit had had their eyes on
them, and one day declared they were going that night
to get some of Tom's melons. Mother advised them
not to do it, and told them there were melons enough
in our own garden without their going to steal Tom's.
No, they did'nt want them, they were going to have a
laugh on Tom; and so when it was dark they set off to
commit the trespass. They had been away but a few
minutes when mother — who by the way was a remark-
ably timid woman, and I have often wondered how she
got up enough courage to play the trick — put a white
sheet under her arm and followed along the road to a
turn, where was a pair of bars, through which the girls
had passed to the field. Here she paused, and when
she fancied the girls had reached their destination, she
drew the sheet around her, ra[)ped on the bars with
a stick, and called to them, Then, folding up the

270 RANDOM RF.COLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

sheet, she ran away home. She was not sure whether
they had seen her or not. The sheet was put away,
and, taking up her knitting, she sat down quietly to
await their return, which she anticipated ahnost imme-
diately. A long time elapsed, and they did not a[>pear.
Then mother became alarmed, and as she happened
to be alone she did not know what to do. Though
she had gone out on purpose to frighten the girls, I do
not think she could have been induced to go out again
to see what was keeping them. After a while Mary
came in, and then Eliza, both pale, and bearing evidence
of having had a terrible fright. Mother abked them what
in the world w^as the matter. '* 0, Aunt Polly !" they
both exclaimed, we have seen such an awful thing to-
night." " What was it ?" They could not tell; it was
terrible ! " Where did you see it ? " " Over by the bars !
Just as we had got a melon we heard an awful noise, and
then we saw something white moving about, and then it
was gone ! " They were so badly frightened that they
dropped down among the vines and lay there for some
minutes. They then got up, and, making a detour,
walked home ; but how, they never could tell. Mother
was never suspected by tliem, and after a time she told

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 271

them about it. There were no more ghosts seen in the
neighbourhood after that.

Time passed on, and Eliza's love of mischief drove her
into another kind of adventure. She was a girl of fine
presence ; fair, with bright black eyes and soft black
hair, which curled naturally, and was usually worn
combed back off the forehead. The general verdict
was that she was pretty. I have no doubt if she had
had the opportunity she would have made a brilliant
actress, as she was naturally clever, possessing an ex-
cellent memory, and being a wonderful mimic. She
would enter into a bit of fun with the abiindon of a
child, and if occasion required the stoicism of a deacon,
the whole house might be conA-^ulsed with laughter,
but in Eliza's face, if she set her mind to it, you could
not discern the change of a muscle. Her features were
regular, and of that peculiar cast which, when she was
equipped in man's attire, made her a most attractive-
looking beau. About half a mile away lived a poor
widow with a couple of daughters, and very nice girls
they were, but one was said to be a bit of a coquette.
Eliza conceived the idea of giving this young lady a
practical lesson in the following manner. She dressed
herself in father's clothes, and set about making the

272 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS/

girl's acquaintance. She possessed the necessary sawj
froid to carry on a scheme of this kind with success.
The affair was altogether a secret. Well, in due course,
a strange young man called about dark one evening
at the widow's to make enquiries respecting a person
in the neighbourhood he wished to find. He gave out

that he was a stranger, and was stopping at , a few

miles away ; asked for a drink of water, and to be
allowed to i-est for a few moments ; made himself agree-
able, chatted with the girls, and when he was leaving
was invited to call again if he passed that way. He
did call aorain in a short time, and a^jain and acjain, and
struck up a regular courtship with one of the girls, and
succeeded to all appearance in winning her affection.
Now, the question presented itself, when matters began
to take this shape, how she was to break it off, and
the affair was such a novelty that she became quite
infatuated with it, and I have no doubt would have
continued her visits if un accident had not happened
which brought them to an abrupt termination. On
her return one night she unexpectedly met father
at the door, and as there was no chance for retreat,
she very courteously asked if he could direct her to
Mr, ■■ ■ . It happened to be raining, and father, of

> 1

'9 1

■ n

RANDOM IILUULLECTIONS UF KAULY DAYS. 273

course quite innocently, asked the stranger in until

the shower was over. She hesitated, but finally came

in and took a seat. There was something ahout the

person, and particularly the clothes, that attracted his

attention, but this probably would have pa'^sed if he

had not observed that the boots were on the wrong

feet ; that is to say, the right boot was on the left fuot,

et vice versa. Knowing Eliza's propensities well, he

suspected her, and she w^as caught. Enjoying a romp

now and then himself, he called mother, and after

tormenting poor Eliza for a wdiile, let her go. This

cured her eflfectually. But the poor girl never knew

what became of her lover. He came no more, and

she was left to grieve for a time, and J sup])ose to

forget, for she married a couple of years after. The

secret was kept at Eliza's request, after making a cl(;an

breast of it to mother, for a long time. She married

not long after this, and was beloved by everyone.

She was a devoted wife, and had several children, none

of whom arc now livincf. Poor Eliza I I thouuht of

Hamlet's soliloquy on Yorick as I stood by her unke2:)t

grave, with its headstone fallen and broken. " Tln^se

lips that I have kissed I know not how oft — where

bo your gambols ? your songs ? your tlaslies of merri-
R

274 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLT DAYS.

ment." All gone, years ago ! And they live only in
the sweet recollections of the past.

My father used to keep a large number of bees either
in wood or straw hives, mostly of the former ; and in-
deed most all our neighbours kept them too, and I re-
member a curious custom that prevailed of blowing
horns and pounding tin pans when they were swarm-
ing, to keep them from going away. I never knew my
father to resort to this expedient, but it was wonderful
to see him work among them. He would go to the
hives and change them from one to another, or go under
a swarm, and. without any protection to his face or
hands, shake them into the hive, and carry it away and
put it in its phice. They never stung him unless by
accident. If one of them got under his clothes and
was crowded too much, he might be reminded that
there was something wrong ; but the sting only trou-
bled him for a minute or two. With me it seemed if
they got a sight of me they made a " bee line " for my
face. After father's death they soon disappeared, as I
would not have them about. We sometimes found bee
trees in the woods, and on one occasion chopped down
a large elm out of which we got a quantity of choice
honey. I remember this well, for I ate so much that it

^\ ■ ^

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 275

made me sick, and cured me from wantin^y honey ever
after.

Another incident connected with the afternoon's
work in robbing the bees. It was quite early in the
spring, and though the snow had pretty much disap-
peared from the fields, yet there was some along the
fences and in the woods. We left the house after din-
ner with a yoke of oxen and wood-slei<di freif^hted
with pails and tubs to bring back our expected prize,
and the afternoon was well spent before John — our
hired man — had felled tlie tree, and by the time we
had got the comb into the vessels it was growing dark.
Just as everything had been got into the sleigli, and
we were about to leave, wo were startled by a shrill
scream on one side, something like that made by a
pair of quarrelsome tom-cats, only niucli louder, which
was answered immediately by a prolonged mew on the
other. The noise was so startling and unexpected that
John for a moment was jiaralyzed. Old Ring, a large
powerful dog, bounded away at once into the woods, and
Buck and Bright started for home on the trot. I was
too sick to care much about wild cats, or in fact any-
thing else, and lay on my back in the straw among the
pails and tubs ; but I heard the racket, and what ap-

276 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

peared a struggle with the dog. We did not see Ring un-
til next morning, and felt sure that he had been killed.
The poor old fellow looked as though he had had a
hard time of it, and did not move about much for a
day or two. The wild cat or Canadian lynx is a fero-
cious animal. The species generally go in pairs. I
have frequently heard them calling to one another at
apparently long distances, and then they would grad-
ually come together. A man would fare very badly
with a pair of them, particularly if he was laid on his
back with a fit of colic.

Like most lads, I was fond of shooting, and used fre-
quently to shoulder my gun and stroll away through
the fields in quest of game. On one occasion, some-
where about the first of September, I was out hunting
black squirrels, and had skirted along the edge of the
woods and corn fields for some distance. I had not
met with very good success. The afternoon was warm,
and I was discussing in my mind whether I should go
further on or return home. Looking up the hill, I saw
a couple of squirrels, and started after them at a
sharp pace. On my right was a corn field, and as I
stepped along the path near the fence I had a glimpse
of something moving along on the other side of it, but

V. I

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 277

I was so intent on watching the squirrels that I did
not in fact think of anything else for the moment. As
I drew near the tree I saw them go up. Keeping a sharp
look-out for a shot, I chanced to look down, and there
before me, not two rods away, sat a large red-nosed
bear. The encounter was so unexpected that it is hardly
necessary to say I was frightened, and it was a moment
or two before I could collect my wits. Bruin seemed
to be examining me very composedly, and when I did be-
gin to realize the position the question was what to do.
I was afraid to turn at once and run. Having but
one charge of small shot in my gun, I knew it would
not do to give him that, so we continued gazing at each
other. At length I brought my gun to full cock, made
a step forward, and gave a shout. The bear quietly
dropped on his fore legs and moved off, and so did I,
and as the distance widened I increased my speed. The
little dog I had with me decamped before I did, having
no doubt seen the bear. I ran to a neighbour's who had
a large dog. One of the boys got his gun, and we
went back in a somewhat better condition for a fight;
but when the dog struck the scent he put his tail be-
tween his legs and trotted home, showing more sense
probably than we did. However, we saw nothing of

278 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

the bear, and returned. Some days alter a neigliV)our
shot a large bear, no doubt the same one.

Very early in the history of mankind it was pro-
nounced to be not good that man should be alone,
and ever since then both male and female have seemed
to think so too. At all events there is a certain time in
life when this matter occupies a very prominent place in
the minds of both, and it was no more of a novelty
when I was young than now. The same desires warm-
ed the heart, and the same craving for social enjoyment
and companionship brought the young together, with
the difference that then we were in the rough, while
the young of the present have been touched up by
education and polished by the refinements of foshion-
able societ}^ I do not think they are any better at
the core, or make more attentive companions. Now,
when a young gentleman goes to see a young lady with
other views than that of spending a little time agree-
ably, he is said to be paying his addresses, or, as Mrs.
Grundy would say : It is an affaire d'aniour. When I
was young, if a boy went to see a girl. (and they did
whenever they could) he was said to be sparking her.
If he was unsuccessful in his suit you would hear it
spoken of in some such way as this : " Sally Jones gave

RANDOM HECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

279

Jim Brown tliu mitten ;" and very often the unlucky
swain was actually presented with a small mitten hy
the mischievous fair one whom he had hoped to win,
as a broad hint that it was useless for liim to hani;-
around there any longer. Sunday afternoon was the
usual time selected, an<l in fact it was the only time
at their di.sposal for \ i.'siting the girls. There were
favourite resorts in every neighbourhood, and girls
whose attractions were very nmch more inviting than
others, and thither three or four young gallants, well-
mounted and equipped in their best Sunday gear, might
be seen galloping from different directions of a Sunday
evenincf. Of course it could not in the luiture of tinners
happen that all would be successful, and so after a
while one unfortunate after another would ride awav
to more propitious fields, and leave the moro fortunate
candidate to entertain his ladj'-love until near mid-
night. Sometimes tricks were played on fortunate
rivals by loosing their horses and starting them home,
or hiding their saddles; and it was not a pleasant con-
clusion to such a delii»htful visit to have to trudo^e
through the mud four or five miles of a dark night, or
to ride home barebacked, as the best pants were likely
to get somewhat soiled in the seat. However, these

280 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

little affairs seldom proved very seriou.«, and it would
^et whispered aiound that Tildy Smith was going to
get married to J\te Robins.

When I had grown to be quite a lad I got a lesson
from Grandfather C , that never required repeat-
ing. Those who are acquainted with the Quakers know
that they do not indulge in complimentary forms of
speech. A question is answered with a simple yes or no.
My father's people were of this persuasicm, and of course
m.y replies whenever addressed were in the regular
home style. It does not follow, however, that because
the Friends as a people eschew conformity to the world
both in dress and speech, that there is a want of paren-
tal res})cct. Quite the contrary. Their regular o-nd
temperate habits, their kindness and fittention to the
comfort and well-being of one another, make their
homes the abode of peace and good-will, and, though
their conversation is divested of the many little phrases
the absence of which is thought disrespectful by very
many, 3'et they have gained a reputation for consist-
ency and truthfulness which is of more value than ten
thousand empty words that drop smoothly from the
lips but have no place in the heart. During a visit to
my grandfather, the old gentleman asked me a number

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 281

of questions to which he got the accustomed 3^es or no.
This so displeased him that he caught me by tlie ear
and gave it a twist that seemed to me to have deprived
me of that member altogether, and said very sharply,
" When you answer me, say Sir." That Sir was so
thoroughly twisted into my head that I do not think
the old man ever spoke to me after that it did not jump
to my lips.

Another anecdote of much the same character as that
related above, and quite as characteristic of the men of
those days, was told me by an old man not long since-
one of the very few of the second generation now liv-
ing (Paul. C. Petersen, aged 84). Mr. Herman, one of
the first settlers in the 4th Concession of Adolphustown,
bought a farm, which happened to be situated on the
boundary line between the above-named township and
Fredericksburgh, in those days known as Srd and 4th
town. It seems that in the original survey, w^hether
through magnetic influence, to which it was ascribed
in later years, but more probably through carelessness,
or something more potent, there was a wide variation
in the line which should have run nearly directly north
from the starting point on the shore of Bay Quintd.
However, as time wore on, and land became more val-

282 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

uable, this question of boundary became a serious thing,
and in after years resulted in a series of law suits which
cost a large sum of money. Mr. Herman held his farm
by the first survey, but if the error which had been
made in a direction north was corrected, he would
either lose his farm or would have been shoved over
on to his next neighbour \vest,and so on. He was not
disposed to submit to this, and as he was getting old
he took his eldest son one day out to the original post
at the south-east corner of his farm on the north shore
of Hay Bay, and said to him : " My son, this (pointing
out the post), is the j)Ost put here by the first survey,
and which I saw planted at the corner of my lot, and I
wish you to look around and mark it well." While
the son was looking about, the old man drew up his
arm and struck him with the fiat of his hand and
knocked him over. He at once picked him up, and
said: " M}'' son, I had no intention of hurting you, but
I wanted to impress the thing on your mind." Shortly
after he took the second son out, and adminivstered the
same lesson. Not long after the old man passed away,
and I remember well that for years tliis matter was a
bone of contention.

■

i (■*

■

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 283

Most Canadians are familiar with the musical bull-
frogs which in the spring, in a favourable locality, in
countless numbers call to each other all night lono- from
opposite swamps. These nightly concerts become very
monotonous. The listener, however, if he pays atten-
tion, will catch a variety of sounds that he may train
into something, and if of a poetical turn of mind might
make a song that would rival some of those written
.to bells. I used to fancy I could make out what
they were calling back to one another, and have often
been a very attentive listener. There was an old man
in the neighbourhood who very frequently came home
drunk, and we used to wonder he did not fall off his
horse and get badly hurt or killed ; but the old horse
seemed to understand how to keep under him and fetch
him and his jug home all right. We had a little song
which the frogs used to sing for him as he got near
home.

Old Brown— old Brown Ist -baritone, last word drawn onf.

Been to town -been to town l^nd— answer same key.

With his jug-jug-jug 3rd-high key, in which more join.

Coo-chung-coo-chung 4th-baritone in which several j„in.

Chnck-chuck-chuck. 5th-alto fiom ditferent quarters.

Chrrrrrrrr. Cth-chorus, grand, after which

there is a pause, and then an old
leader will start as before.

284 RANDOM RKCOLLECTIONS OF EABLY DAYS.

Old Brown — old Brown
Get home — get home,
Your drunk, drunk, drutilc,
Coo chung — coo chung
Chuck-chnck-chuck.
Chr r r r r r r r.

Many curious stories are told respecting the sagacity
of animals, among which the dog takes a prominent
place. My father had a large dog when I was a young-
ster that certainly deserves a place among the remark-
able ones of his race. Ring was a true friend, and never
of his own accord violated the rules of propriety with
his kind, but woe to the dog who attempted to bully
him. He possessed great strength, and when driven
into a contest, generally made short work of it, and
trotted away without any show of pride over his de-
feated contestant. He was in the habit of following
my father on all occasions, and although frequently
shut up and driven back, was sure to be on hand at the
stopping point to take charge of the team, etc. On the
occasion I am about to mention, my father and mother
wei'e going on a visit to his brothers some twenty-four
miles distant. Before starting in the morning the de-
cree went forth that Ring must stop at home, and he
was accordingly shut up, with instructions that he was

•

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

285

not to be let out until after dinner. It was necessary
to do this before any preparations were made for going
away, for the simple reason that it had been done i-e-
peatedly before, and when there was the least sign of a
departure, experience had taught him tliat the best plan
was to keep out of the way, in which he generally
succeeded until too late to capture him. On tliis occa-
sion Ring was outwitted. The horses were put to the
sleigh, and away they trotted. On the journey tiiey
sto])ped at Picton for a time, when the team was driven
into the tavern yard and fed, during which time other
teams were coming and going. After about an hour
they started again, driving through the village, and on
towards their destination. Some five or six hours after,
when all possible chance of Ring's following seemed to
have passed, he was let out. The dog seemed to know
at once what had been going on, and after a careful
inspection, discovered that father and mother, with
the horses and sleigh, were gone. He rushed about the
place with his nose to the ground, and when he had
settled which way they had gone, set off in full chase
up the road, and a few minutes before they had reach-
ed my uncle's. Ring passed them on the road, wagging
his tail, and looking as if he thought that was a good

286 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

joke. The singular point is how the dog discovered
their route, and how, hours after, he traced them up,
into the tavern yard and out tlirough a street, and along
a road where horses and sleighs were passing all the
time ; and how he distinguished the difference of the
liorses' feet and sleigh runners from scores of others
which had passed to and fro in the meantime. It is a
case of animal instinct, or whatever it may be called,
l)eyond comprehension.

Man}^ years ago my father-in-law (the late Isaac In-
gersoll, Esq.), a prominent man in the District, and a
wealthy farmer, widely known, had frequent applica-
tions from parties in Kingston for a good milch cow.
In those days milk was not delivered, as now, at every
door in towns, and it became a necessity for every fam-
ily to have a cow. The wealthier people wanted good
ones, and as the old gentleman was known to keep good
stock, he was enabled to get good prices. On one occa-
sion he sold a cow to a gentleman in the town above
named, and sent her by steamboat down the Bay of
Quintd, a distance of over thirty miles. A week after,
the old man was surprised one morning to find this
.-:> a his yard. She had made her escape from her
lii'v uaster, and returned to her old quarters and asso-

, 1

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OV EARLY DAYS. 287

ciates. She was sent back, and after a time got away
and travelled the thirty miles again, and was found in
the yard. The second journey of course was not so
difficult, but by what process did she discover, in the
first place, the direction she was taken, and pursue a
road which she had never travelled, back to her old
quarters. At her new home she was^ if anything, bet-
ter fed and cared for ; why should she embrace the first
opportunity to steal away and seek her old companions ?
Who can explain these things ? In this case there is
an attachment evinced for home and associates, and a
persistence in returning to them, most remarkable, and
in the case of the dog, an intelligence (or what you may
be pleased to call it), which enabled him to trace his
master, and overtake him, which is altogether beyond
human ken.

There is the irrepressible cat, too. Every household
is troubled from time to time with one or more of these
animals, which from their snupiiif/ propensities be-
come a nuisance. I have on more than one occasion
put one in a bag and carried it miles away, and then
let it go, rather than kill it outright; but it was sure
to be back almost as soon as myself.

288 RANDOM RKCOLLECTtONS OF EARLY DAYS.

The 4th of June, the anniversary of the birth of
King George III, as well as that of the very much more
humble individual who pens these lines, for many years
was the day selected for the annual drill of the militia
of the Province. It was otherwise known as general
training-day, and ten days or more previously, the men
belonging to the various battalions were " warned " to
appear at a certain place in the district. Each individ-
ual was subject to a fine of 108. or more if not on the
ground to answer to his name when the roll was called.
On the morning of that day, therefore, men on foot, on
horseback and in waggons were to be seen wending
their way to the " training ground," or field, in close
proximity to a tavern. It was an amusing spectacle to
see a few hundred rustics, whose ages ranged from 16
to 40, in all kinds of dress, with old muskets that had
been used in the Revolutionary War or in that of 1812
— fusees that many a year, as occasion rec^uired, had
helped to contribute to the diminished larder — drawn
up in a line, and marched round the field for a time.
The evolutions were such as might be expected from a
crowd of raw countrymen, and often got tangled up so
that a military genius of more than superhuman skill
would have been puzzled to get theiu in order again.

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 289

lG.

■ill

* «

There was no other way to do it, but to stop and re-form
the line. Then would come the word of command: "At-
tention. Brown fall back. Johnson straighten up there.
That will do. Now men, at the word 'Right about,' each
man has to turn to his right, at the word ' Loft about,'
each man turns to his left. Now then: Attention — Right
about face." Confusion acjain, some turninnr to the rii»:ht
and others to the left. A few strong phrases follow —
" As you were " — and so the tiling goes on ; the men are
wheeled to the right and left, marchel about the field,
and, after being put thi'ough various steps, are brought
into line aojain. The commandinfj otHc^r, sword in
hand, looks along the serried ranks, the sergeants pass
along the line, chucking one's head up, pushing one
back, bringing another forward, and then rings out the
word of command again : " Aitantloii ! Shoulder arms !
Make ready, present, fire !" Down come the old guns
and sticks iu very threatening attitude, a random pop
along the line is heard, then " Stand at ease " — after
which the Colonel, in his red coat, wheels his charger
about, says a few words to the m3n, and dismisses
them. The rest of the day was spent b}^ every man in
carousing, horse-racing, and games, with an occasional
fight. After the arduous duties of the day, the officers

290 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

had a special spread at the tavern, and afterwards left
for home with very confused ideas as to the direction
in which they should proceed to reach it.

Fifty years ago, shaving the beard, in Canada at all
events, was universal. If a man were to go about as the
original Designer of his person no doubt intended, a
razor would never have touched his face. But men,
like other animals, are subject to crotchets, and are
wont to imitate superiors, so when some big-bug like
Peter the Great introduced the shears and razor, men
appeared soon after with cropped heads and clean
chops. I do not remember that I ever saw a man with
a full beard until after I had passed manhood for some
years, except on one occasion when I was a youngster
at school in the old school house on the concession. A
man passed through the neighbourhood — I do not re-
member what he was doing — with a long Hewing beard.
We had somehow got the idea that no men except Jews
wore their beards, and the natural inference with us
was that this man was one of that creed. He was as
much of a curiosity to us as a chimpanzee or an African
lion would have been, and we were about as afraid of
him as we would have been on seeing either of the
other animals.

RA.NDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS, 291

The township of Adolphiistown, in the county of
Lennox, is the smallest townsliip in the Province.
Originally the counties of Lennox and Addington,
Frontenac, Hastings and Prince Edward were embraced
in the Midland District. These counties, as the country
advanced in population, were one after another set off,
the last being the united counties of Lennox and Ad-
dington, separated from Frontenac, and with the town
of Napanee as its capital. The township in my young
da^s was known as fourth town, as the townships east
of it as far as Kingston were known as first, second and
third town. Immediately after the American War, the
land along the Bay of Quinte, embracing these town-
ships, with fifth, sixth and seventh town to the west,
were taken up, and the arduous task of clearing away
the bush at once began. The bay, from its debouche at
Kingston, extends west about seventy miles, nearly
severing at its termination the county of Prince Ed-
ward from the main land. The land on either hand, for
about thirty miles west of Kingston, is undulating,
with a gradual ascent from the shore, but when Adol-
phustown is reached, Marysburgh, in the county of
Prince Edward, on the opposite side of the bay, presents
a bold front, its steep banks rising from one to two

2!)2 RANDOM IIECOLLKCTIONS OF I:AULY DAYS.

liundivd feet. From the Lake of tlie Mountain, looking
across the wide stretch of water formed by the sharp
detour of the lay in its westerly to a north-easterly
course forfift^'cn or twenty miles, the observer has one
of the most charming scenes in America spread out
before him. In the distance, the lofty rocky shore of
S()phiasl>ur^•h, with its trees and shrubs crowding down
to the water's edge, stretch away to the right and left.
To the west, the estuary known as Picton Bay curves
around the high-wooded shore of Marysburgh, and be-
neath and to the east, the four pohits of which the town-
ship of Adolphustown is composed reach out their
woody batd\s into the wide sweep of the bay like the
lour lingers of a man's hand. For quiet, pieturesquo
beauty, there is nothing to surpass it. On every hand
the eye is arrested with cliarming landsciipes, and look-
ing across the several points of the town.ship you have
dwellings, grain fields, herds of cattle, and wood. Be-
yond you catch the shimmer of tlio \vater. Again you
have clumps of trees and cultivated fields, and behind
them another stretch of water, and so on as far as the
eye can reach. The whole course of the bay, in fact, is
a panorama of rural beauty, but the old homes that
were to be seen along its banks twenty-five and thirty

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RANDOM llEf'OLLEf'TTONS OF EART.V DAYS. 20r>

years ago Imve either disapi^eared altog<'thcr or liavo
been modernized. It is now veiy nearly one hundred
years since the first settlers found tlieir way up it, and
it nuist have been then a beautiful sii-lit in its native
wildncss, the clear green water stretching away to the
west, th(; sinuosities of the shore, the nuud)i>rless inlets,
tlie iuipenetrable forest and the streams that cut their
way thi'ough it and poured their contingents into its
broad ])Os(»ni, the islands here and there, upon wliieh
tile white man had never set his foot, water fowl in
thousands, whose charmiui'' home was then for the first
time invaded, skurrying away with noisy (piake and
wdiir, tlie wood made sweet with the song of birds, the
chattering squirrel, the startled deer, the silent murmur
of the water as it lapped the sedgy shore or gravelly
beach — these things nmst have combined to please, and
to awaken thoughts of peaceful homes in the near
future to them all.

The Bay of Quinte, apart from its delightful scenery,
possesses an historical interest. It is not known from
whence it received its name, but tliere is no doul)t it is
of French origin. Perha])s some of the old French
voyagenrs, halting at Fort Frontenac, on their way
westj as they passed across it, and through one of the

294 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EAALY DAYS.

gaps that open the way to the broad expanse of Lake
Ontario, may have christened it. Be this as it may, it
was along its shores that the first settlers of the
Province located. Here came the first preachers,
offering to the lonely settler the bread of life. On its
banks the iii'st house devoted to the worship of God
was erected, and the seed sown here, as the coimtry
grew, spread abroad. Here the first schoolmaster be-
gan his vocation of instructing the youth. The first
steamboat was launched (181 G) upon its waters at
Ernesltown, near the present village of Bath. King-
ston, for a long time the principal town of the Province,
then composed of a few log houses, was the depot of
supplies for the settlers. It has a history long anterior
to this date. In 1G73, Courcelles proceeded to Catara-
qui with an armed force to bring the Loquois to terms,
and to get control of the fur trade. Then followed the
building of Fort Frontenac. The restless trader and
discoverer, La Salle, had the original grant for a large
domain around the' fort. Here, in 1083, La Barre built
vessels for the navigation of the lake, and the year
following held a great council with the Five Nations of
Indians, at which Big Mouth was the spokesman, ^'le
fort was destroyed by Denouville in 1G89, and re-

Tfc

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RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 295

built in 1G96. It was again reduced by Colonel Brad-
street in 1758.

In Adolphnstown many of the first settlers still lived
when I was a boy, and I have heard them recount
their trials and hardships many a time. Besides the
U. E. Loyalists there were a number of Quaker families
which came to the Province about the same time, leav-
ing tho new Eepublic, not pi-ccisely for the same rea-
sons, but because of their attachment to the old land.
During the war, these people, who are opposed to war
and bloodshed, sutfei-ed a good deal, and were frequently
imprisoned, and their money and property appro[)riated.
This did not occur in Canada, but they were subject to
a fine for some time, for not answering to theii- names
at the annual muster of the militia. The fine, how-
ever, was not exacted, except in cases where there were
doubts as to membership with the society. This small
township has contributed its quota to the Legislature
of tho country. T. Dorhin.l represented the Midland
District in the first Parliament of the Province, and was
followe.l by Willet Casey, when Newa.k or h .. jara was
the capital. The latter was succeeded several years
later by his son, Samuel Casey, but, as often happens,
there was a difference in the political opinions of the

290 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

father and son. Tlio father was a Keformer, the son
a Tory; and at the election, tlie old g-ontleman went to
tlu! poll and recorded his vote against his son, who was

nevertheless elected. The llohlins, John P , who

represente<l the county of Prince Edward, and \h. 'id,
who sat for Lennox and Addint>ton, were natives of the

townshi}). The Hagernians, (.liristopher and D ,

were also fourth town l)oys, with whom my mother
went to school. The old homestead, a low straggling
old tenement, stood on the bay shore a few yards west
of the road that leads to the wharf. T remend)er it
well. It was destroyed by fire years ago. The father
of Sir John A. Macdonald kept a store a short distance
to the east of the Quaker meeting-house on Hay Bay,
on the third concession. It was a small clap-boarded
building, painted red, and was standing a few years
acfo. I remember beinjjj at a nomination in the villai"!^
of Bath, on which occasion there wme several speakers
from Kingston, among them John A. Macdonald, then
a young lawyer just feeling his way into politic.d life.
He made a speech, and began something in this way :
"Yeomen of the county of Lennox and Addington, I
remember well when T ran about in this district a bare-
footed boy," kc. He had the faculty then, which he

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RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

297

has ever since preserved, of getting hold of the affec-
tions of the people. This honhommie has had much to
do with his popularity an<I success. I recollect well
how lustily he was cheered by the staunch old farmers
on the occasion referred to. A few years later a con-
test came off in the county of Prince Edward, where I
then resided. In those days political contests were
quite as keen as now ; but the alterations in the law
which governs these matters has been greatly changed
and improved. The elections were so arranged that
people owning property in various counties could exer-
cise their franchise. The old law, which required voters
to come to a certain place in the district to record their
vote, had been repealed ; and now each voter had to go
to the township in which he owned property, to vote.
Foreign voters were more numerous then than now,
and were looked after veiy shar[>ly. On this occasion
there was a sharp battle ahead, and arrangements were
made to meet property owners at all points. There
were a number from Kingston on our side, and it fell to
me to meet them at the Stone Mills Ferry, and bring
them to Picton. The ice had oidy recently taken in
the bay, and was not t|uite safe, even for foot passen-
gers. There were six or seven, and among them John

298 RANDOM BECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

A. Macdonald, Heniy Smith, afterwards Sir Henry
and others. In crossing, Smith got in, but was pulled
out by his companions, in no very nice plight for a
lono; drive. The sleii»'hinn; was cfood, and we dashed
away. In the evening I brought them back, and be-
fore they set off* across the bay on their return, John A.
mounted the long, high stoop or platform in front of
Teddy McGuire's, and gave us an harangue in imita-
tion of , a well-known Quaker j^reacher, who

had a marvellous method of intoning his discourses.
It was a remarkable sing-song, which I, or any one else
who ever heard it, could never forget. Well, John A.,
who knew him well, had caught it, and his imitation
was so perfect that I am inclined to think the old man,
if he had been a listener, would have been puzzled to
tell t'other from which. We had a hearty laugh, and
then separated.

I have often heard my mother tell of a trip she made
down to the Bay of Quintd, when she was a young
girl. She had been on a visit to hor brother Jonas
Canniff" (recently deceased in this city at the age of
ninety -two), wno had settled on the river Moira, two
miles north of the town of Belleville, then a wilderness.
There were no steamboats then, and the modes of con-

RANDOM REC(!LLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. 299

veyance both by land and water were slow and tedious.
She was sent home by lier brother, who engaged two
friendly Indians to take her in a bark canoe. The dis-
tance to be travelled was over twenty miles, and the
morning they started the water in tl e bay was exceed-
ingly rough. She was placed in the centre of the canoe,
on the bottom, while her Indian voyageurs took their
place in either end, resting on their knees. They
sti.i'ted, and the frail boat danced over the waves like
a shell. The stoical yet watchful Indians were alive
only to the necessities of their position, and with mea-
sured stroke they shot their light bark over the bois-
terous water. Being a timid gi 1, and unaccustomed to
the water, especially under such circumstances, she was
much frightened, and never expected to reach her home.
There was consideral>le danger, no doubt, and her fears
were not allayed l)y one of the Indians telling her if
she stirred he would break her head with the paddle.
The threat may not have been unwise. Their safety
depended on perfect control of the boat, and in their
light shell a very slight movement might prove disas-
trous. He.'- situation was rendered more unpleasant
by the splashing of the water, which wet her to the
skin. This she had to put up w^ith for hours, while

nOO RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS.

the Indians bravely and skilfully breasted the sea, and
at last set her safely on the beach in front of her
father's house. When they came to the shore one of
the Indians spian*;- lightly into the water, caught her
in his arms and i)lace<l her on dry land. This trip was
liteiallv burned in her niemoiv% and thouiih she fre-
fjuently mentioned it, she did so with a shudder, and
an expression of thankfulness for her preservation.

Of the old people who were livino- in my boyhood
there are few more thoroughly fixed in my memory,
with the exception, perhaps, of my grandfathers (*an-
niffand Haight, than Willet and Jane Casey. There
were few women bc^tter known, or more universallv
I'espected, than Aunt Jane. This was the title ac-
corded to her bv conniion consent : and thouoh at that
time she had passed the alloted term of three-score
years and ten, she w^as an active woman — a matron
among a thousand, a friend of everybody, and every-
body's friend. Her house was noted far and wide for
its hospitality, and none dispensed it more coi'dially
than Aunt Jane. In those days the people passing to
and fro did not hesitate to avail themselves of the
comforts this ohl liome aH'orded. In fact, it was a

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HANDOM llt:COLLKCTlONS OF EAKT.Y DAYS. .SOI

general stoppiiiLj i)lac»', where liotli lUiiii and beast
were refreshed with iiK.^st cheerful libei'ality.

Jane Niles, lier mahlen name, was h(jrn at IJutter-
nuts, Otsego County, in tlie central part of New York
State, 17C)o ; so tliat at the coniniencenient of the
American Rev(jlution she was about eleven years old.
She was married in 17^>2. Tlie following year, 1783,
the year in wdiich ])oacc was proclaimed, her husband,
Willet Casey, lefo for Upper CJanada, and located in
the fourth town on the shore of the Bay of Quinte.
After erecting a log house and a blacksmith shop, he
returned for his wife. He was taken seriously ill, and
nearly a year passed before he was able to set out
again for the new home in the wilds of Upper CJanada
(which was reached early in the year 17IS5), where,
after a long and prosperous life, he ended his days.

Aunt Jane was a tall and well propoi'tioned woman,
of commanding presence and cheerful disposition ; a
woman of more than ordinary intelligence, and a good
conversationalist. She had been a close obs<'rver of
passing events, and iwssesscd a wonderfully retentive
memory. It was an ci)0cli in one's life to hear her re-
coant the recollections of ner early days. These ran
through the whole period of the American War, and

302 RA.NDOM RECOLLECTFONS OF EARLY DAYS.

many scenes which arc now historical, that she had
witnessed, or was cognizant of, wero given with a
vividness that not only delighted the listener but fixed
them in his memory. Then, the story of the coming
to Canada, with her first babe six months old, and the
struggles and hardships in the bush, which in the
days of which I speak she delighted to linger over,
was a <a-eat treat to listen to. There were few of the
first families she did not know, and whose history was
not familiar to her, and in most cases she could give
the names and ages of the children. The picture given
of hor in this volume is a copy from a dagueri-otype
taken when she was ninety-two years old. For several
years before her demise she did not use spectacles,
and could read ordinary print with ease, or do fine
needlework. She retained her faculties to the last,
and died at the age of ninety-six.

She had eleven children, five of whom died young.
Her eldest daughter, Martha, known as Patty Borland,
attained the age of ninety-two. Then followed Samuel,
Elizabeth, Thomas, Mary and Jane. These, with the
exce[)tion of Thomas and Mary Ingersoll, my wife's
mother, died many years ago. Thomas Casey died at
Brighton, in January of this year, aged eighty-seven,

RANDOM RECOLLKCTIONS OF KXULY DAYS. 30.*^

and Mary Iiii^-Lsrsull on tlio Hirst of June, aged cighty-
tivo, tlic last of tliu family.

Willet ( 'asey was an enorgetic man. TFc acciiniulatod
a large property, and in my liuyhoud there were not
many days in the week tliat the ol<l man could not be
seen drivini' alouLj tlie road in his onediorse wairLjfon
in some direction. He was one of the first representa-
tives for the Midland District, when Newaric was the
capital of the Pi'ovince. His son Samuel, a number of
years subseijucntly, represented the district, and later,
his grand>on, Dr. Willet Dorland, represented the
County of Prince Edward.

NoTK. — At the time my book was goln^^ throiii^b the press, I was under
the impression that the H-h known in this country as a Sucker was the
same as the Mullt't, but liail no intention that tlie latter nauie shoukl tind
its way into the text in place of Sucker. See page 41. According to
llichanlson, one of the l)est authorities we have, the Sucker is of the
Carp family, the scientific name of which is Ci/prinus Hudsonius, or
Sucking Carp.

On page 127, " and, as their lives had theretofore," read heretofore.