VIKVV I'KOM THK DUNUAS MOUNTAIN
Our Picturesque Northern
Neighbor
HISTORICAI. AND DESCRIFTIVE SKETCHES OF THE SCENERY AND
LIFE IN AND AROUND TORONTO, ALONG THE CANADIAN
SHORE OF LAKE HURON, IN THE NORTHWEST TER-
RITORIES, AND IN BRITISH COLUiMHIA
Enrrp:n by
GEORGE MUNRO GRANT, I). I)„
i)ii;];n's inivi-rsity, Kingston, (inj-.
LLUSTRATED BY WOOD-ENGRAVINGS FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS FY
W. T. SMEDLEY, F. B. SCHELL, A. B. FROST, L. R. O'BRIEN,
F. HOPKINSON SMITH, AND OTHERS
^
CHICAGO
ALEXANDER BELFORD & CO.
1899
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TORONTO AND VICINITY.
'TpHE reirrn of solitude on ihc threat lakes of tlu; W'c'slcni C'liaiii has nowiierc ixuii
■*• more pleasaiuK' l)rokcii 1)_\' llu,- life; and ino\i'nicnt \\lii(li iiulicalc thr a|»])r()arhfs
to a great city than in tin; case of Toronto. A|)[)roachcd h'Din the lakt:, what sccnis
at first but a hare, lo\v-l\inn" stretch of land, risini,'' ,L;entl\- on the rit^ht to a dill)-
eminence, gradually hntaks into a panorama of s^reat beaut)', the scctne i^aininL;' in
attractiveness from a frin^i; of trees and other objects, now cU.'arl)- tlistin^uished, on a
spit of land which forms a sort of fi'iuler in front of the far-sprc^adini;" city.
To the trax'eller whose; brain has been stunnetl b\- the sights and sounds of Ni-
asj^ara, and to whom the restful passaL,^e of the lake has brought relit'f, the \ iew of the
" (Jueen City of the West," with its arrax' of dome and turret, arch and spire, anil the
varietl movement of its water-fronta^je, is one that cannot fail to exokt; pleasure and
create sur])rise. The lens^th of the passage, and the fact that the stciimer in crossini^''
the lake is steereil by compass, remind him that he is on his wa\- o\-er one; of those
inland seas that separate the iri'cat Republic from the New Dominion; and as he nears
"that true North" that Tennyson speaks ol, lu? looks out with a curious interest for
lo ^VA' PICTL RJ-SOLli
the homes and hives of the people whose history and lineaj^e, if he be an American,
stranjrely recall his own.
Here, on these very waters, now t^iven up to international tommerce and the
tourist, for years lloated tlie v.aried craft of hellijj^ereiit America and the commissioned
war-lleel of tlu; Old Land from which the noihil;- nation sprang'. Merc, on \c.\cd seas,
expeditions set out to pla\' the oanie of war, and the wooded shores of either side
echoed iIk cannon's tlunuler. Hut how ch.in^cd is the scene I hrom Nonder mound
of earth, which the steamer nears to ui.ikc llu; enlranct! to the harhour, a column of
invaders was, in i .S i ;„ literally blown into the air. 'l\)-da>-, it may be said, there is not
a Canadian who has tlu; incident fresh in uiind, nor scarce a Toronioni.in, with the
historic memory, who honours the lon^-ilismantletl fort with a visit I \'et, about this sjjot
all the earlier history of Toronto, as a trading and military post, centres. Here, or a
little to the west of the present stone barracks -vacant, alas! since H. M. i;,th Hussars
in 1S67 closed the stablodoors and withdrew to I':n^land— stood the old j-rench fort of
Toronto, or, as it was called otticially, b'ort Rouille.
'Idle fort, we learn from a despatch of M. (\v. Lon^ueinl, d.ited 1752, received its
name from tin; b'rench Colonial Minister of \.\\v. period, .\ntoine Louis Rouille, COnnt
de jouy. The design in (jstablishin,<r it was to (,'rect a rival trading-post to that
which the Jinti^lish of the; seaboard had obtained permission from the Inxpiois to build
at Chouei^uen, or Oswego, at the- mouth of the . ner river. i'his blnulish post on the
Osweo-o was lon,o- an object of jealous hatred to the I'rench, as it attracted thither a
considerable portion of the fur trade of th(,' northern shores of the lake, and was at
the .same time "an assumption of riuht and title to the Iroquois territory which lay,
it was believed, within the limits of New I-'rance."
From Choue,iruen and the south-east end of the lake many a demonstration was
made in these early days a,<;ainst Fort Toronto, both by the l^n-lish ami by war-parti(,'s
of the Iroquois Confederacy, as, at a later period, from Sackett's Harbour, close by
Oswe.^o, came the successive lleets of the revolted colonies, b'ort brontenac ( Kinj^ston )
was also. frf)m time to time, the object of similar attentions, the results <jf which, in
l\\v. chances of war, were very variable. -.Montcalm havinL,^ three \ears l)elore the fall
of Uuebec, cai)ture<l and destroyed the stronghold of Choue-uen, while bort I'rontenac,
m 1758, surrendered to the Iinolish. With the fall of the latter fort came almost the
last h(jur of iM-ench hold upon Canada, ami iIk; end (jf those \-ears of olorious e.xplora-
tion and heroic missionary effort which have immortalized the i)eriod of 1-rench rule
in Canada. In 1759 the Cross of .St. (ieora-c; dis|)laced the Lilies of France from the
rami)arts of Ouebcjc. and b)ur years later the Treaty of Paris ratified the transfer of
all Canada to the British Crown.
For the ne.xt fifty years we hear nothino- of I'ort Rouille or Toronto in militar\-
annals. Even as a tradino--post it would seem to have fallen into disuse, the Missi.s-
A ( )A' I HJiRX A JiR.mu )R I ,
saguas who fonn,] their way to the hike, by the river suhstMineiUly known as tlie
Hiimbt'r, no (h.iii)i preforrino- to cross to I'ort Niaj^ara for the exchange of commodi-
ti('s. Hut with the chxsin_i,r years of the hist century there appeared upon the scene the
man who was to become the founder of Toronto, Lieut.-tJeneral John Graves Simcoe.
In 1701 h(; had arrived at Newark (Nia.<,rara), th(.- then capital of the Province, and
(indint; that th(; oKl l-rench fort at the mouth of the river was to ix- -iven up to the
Americans, and tiiat th(; seat (A I'rovincial .i^on crnment was therefore to 1)(; "uiuh-r an
enemy's nuns." lie determined to look elsewhere on th(; sliores of the lake for a site
for the capital. h'rom the still-existini,^ chronicles of the period we learn that, on his
cruise in search of an (diuible location for th(; Provincial metropolis, lu; entered To-
ronto iiay in th.,- month of May. 1 793. and at once selected the- place of landin-— a
spot near th<' mouth of the Don -as the scene of his future administrative; operations,
and made his canvas-tent, pitched on the river-bank, the ocrm of what he- hastened
to call the Town of York.
A contemi)orary record happily preserves to us a word-picture of what met the eye
from the .i^overnor's bar-(;, as it was rowed to the site; of the future; city— the lineaments
of which mii^du well form the subject of a national paintin.^-. Colone^l Houchette, .Sur-
v(;\or-(;eneral of Lower Canada, and at the; time eniraged in \\\v naval anel luelro-
graphical service- of the westeM'n lakes, says: "Here Gene;ral Simcoe hael re-solved e.n
layino- the foundations of a Provincial capital. I still distinctly recollect the; uiuame;d
aspect which the country exhibite;il when first I entered the ix;auliful basin. Dense- anel
trackless fe)re;sts Iine;d the mari^rin e)f the lake, anel rellected their inverted ima-es in
Us o-lassy surface. The wanderin,i,r sava_«,'-e had ce)nstructed his ephemeral habitatie)n
beneath their luxuriant folia.ere— the .>,n-oup then consisted of twe) families e>f Alissis-
san-uas— and the bay and neighbouring marshes were the hitherto uninvaded haunts of
immense coveys e)f wild-fowl."
In this sanctuary of Nature, Governor .Siince)e proceeeleel to builel his civic and
legislative altar, and to rear, under the name of Castle; Frank, a domestic shrine; among
the semibre; pines of the- Don. With the erectie)n e)f primitive builelings for the meet-
mg e)f the l^rovincial Legislature, a beginning was made to clear a site for the ie)wn.
lender the governor's eye the building of the new capital had its first start, anel what
at a late-r date was to be marked as the path of the sword, was meantime being we-aril)-
won for the a.xe and the plough. Outside of the little clearing the spirit of the woods
resteel upon the whole scene, for the' forests covered the Pro\ince as with a garment.
Put the solelier-administrator hael a practical eye for his work, and speedily set the
troops^the King's Rangers —to the necessary task of road-making, and the opening of
lines of communieatie)n with the inte-rior. Yonge .Street, an arterial line some thirty
miles in length, connecting the infant capital with the Holland River and the water-
wa)- to the west, was the; first and great achievement of the troops. Dundas Street, a
li
0( /k /'/CJ(h'/:SU(/:
main post-road lra\ crsino- il,c I'roviiuc, ami .nivino- access lo the lari^r ami Iriiitfiif
n-^ioii of scttlciiK'iit in tlic I'ciiiiisula, was another sagacious undertaking;.
1 liesc .i(ti\ities, however, were not of V^w^ cont iniiance, for in i jcjo l,ieiit.-l ieneral
Sinu'oe was recalled to l''n-l<ind, and the liuildin:;- of the town and the o|HiiinL; up of
the Province was for a time sta\c'd. I'Or the next few )-ears N'ork, as it was still called,
came under the ailministralion of Mr. I'eter Russell, the senior meniher of (loveinor
.Simcoc's executive council, and who had pre\iousl\- acteil in the ca|)acit\- of Inspector-
(leneral. I )urinL; President Russell's period of office Parliament was tlrst convened in
the nvw capital, and it assemhled annuallv throughout his /rx/wc, and through the suc-
cessive ;idmini-.trations of C.overnors llimter and (.ori\ having- little in the wav of
lc_L;islation to i;r;ipple with, until the ^nl of l-'ehruarv, 1S12.
•At this tlate Major-Ceneral Isaac Prock, the Provisional .\dministrator of the Pro-
vince, in view of impending trouMe with the I'niled Stales, called upon Parliament
to enact two measures of oraxe si-iiiticance. viz : the suspension of //.//Vus Lor/>ns,
and the passin- of an .'flective militia hill, with tlu> re.piisite -rant to defrav trainim;
expenses. The necessity for these steps w.as shown four months afK^rwards, wIumi the-
United .Slates C'on-ress ikxlared w.ir against (ireat Pritain, and directed th.at hostili-
ties he immediately commenced hy an invasion of Canada.
There is no nvvx\ here to recount the historv of the War of 1S12--15. -^ave as it
connects itself with the fortunes of the Provincial capital, and with the fate of its
heroic miliiarv governor. The war itself was a mistake, holh in.Hu; motive for iinadin-
Canada and in the results exfiected from the invasion. The hitin^q- words in Connress
of Randolph of Viroinia— " The people of Canada are tlrst to be seduced from their
alle,L;iance, and convertc'd into traitors, as a preparation for making,'- them .i^^ooel Ameii-
can citizens "—are an in^.pressive acknowledonient of the former; the issues of the
contlict emidiasize the latter. 1-rom three separate cpiarters was Canada invaded, yet
the year i,Si2 closed with disaster to the American arms. The loss to Canada was
l)rincipally in the interruption to trade, in the amount of the war-lew, and in the
withdrawal for service in the militia re-iments of the lal)f)ur that was wanted to open
up the country. The loss to Britain was the death on Oueenston Heights of the
fjallant Prock.
Toronto had special reason to mourn the death of Hrock. not only in his having
fallen while leading her citizen-soldiery against the invader, but more particular!)- in
view of the events of the following year. The frosts of the winter of 181 2-1;, were
scarc(-ly out of the ground ere th(; Americans were r(;ady once more to hurl their
hosts against Canadian valour. Young Republicanism had not got over the acrimony
of separation, r .. its soldiery were plunged in a wild eddy of war-fermenl, not yet
seeing that the broad and beneficent stream of progress in the arts of peace was the
true direction for the young life of the nation to take. It has become wiser since;
.\V'A'/7//:A'.\ \i:ii.lllh'N
; .^-'-'*'^" ' but tho liloorl-hf'atintrs and the
pajj^caiur)' ot war wvxv iioxcl cx-
citcinciUs lor a iicoplc that had
scarcely risen out of the colonial
stai;c ; and there were dcleats in
the |)re\ioiis \car's oiierations which luul to he rthiced
in the presence ot \ ictory.
THi; IXHU^rnON liKOUNDS.
H o( K ricriRiisoLi':
Unfortunately for the Provincial capital, its slender defences and the handful of
troops in the t^arrison -now commanded i)y Major-Ceneral Shcaffe— could not avert
the fate that menaceil it. On the 25th of April, Commodore Chauncey set out from
Sackett's Harbour with a tlect of fourteen armed vessels and some 16,000 troops, with
the object of capturin.i;- I'^ort Toronto. The attackino- force was under the command of
Briiradier Pike, directed b\- General Dearborn, who nnnained on board the lla^-ship.
On the evenin.o: of the 26th the fleet appeared outside the harbour, and on the follow-
inj^r day the troops detailed to attack the fort were landed in the nei^t,dibourhood of
the H umber River, and, under fu'e from the ships, proceeded to take the outworks, and
to .scale the inner defences, which interposed but slight obstacles to the enemy. Con-
scious of the weakness of his position, General Sheaffe had concluded to evacuate the
fort, and had already fallen back upon the town. Passing through it with his few
"regulars," he proceeded eastward, leaving the militia to make what farther defence
they could, or to treat with the enemy. The latter, finding that the fire from the
fort had suddenly ceased, and anticipating a surrender, pushed on in column to take
possession. The next moment there was a terrific explosion, and General Pike, with
over two hundred of his command, were shot into the air. The powder magazine, it
seems, had been fired by an artillery sergeant of the retreating force to prevent it
falling into the hands of the Americans, and the fuse was lit, from all accounts un-
designedly, at a horribly inopportune moment.
With the evacuation of the fort came the surrender of the town, and its subse-
quent pillage— a grim pastime which seems to have been carried out in the spirit of
the Revolutionary formula: "In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental
Congress!" p>om this disaster, and a farther one which occurred three months later—
the result of another pillaging expedition from Chauncey's fieet— the town was slow to
recover. The barracks had been burned, the storehouses plundered, and the public
buildings and homes of the people had been laid waste. But time obliterates old scars,
and the Toronto of to-day shows no signs of that early conflict. p:ven the animosities
born of the period have long since disappeared. What the century has done for our
neighbours in no inappreciable degree it has done for us; and both peoples have
reason to be thankful for the blessings of the new ci qllzation it has been theirs
so auspiciously to found and advance.
But we have allowed the associations connected with the site of Fort Toronto to
delay our entrance to the harbour, and, while plying the reader with incidents concerning
the city's past, have detained him perhaps unduly on the threshold of the present.
Before leaving the historic site, however, let the eye be caught by the domes, cupolas,
and pinnacles that break the line of sky to the immediate westward. Their presence in
this neighbourhood illustrates the saying that "peace hath her victories no less
renowned than war," for here are to be seen annually all the features of a grand
Avvv' rni-:RX XHiciiih y<
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spectacle — the competitive display of the natural products and the manufactures of the
Province, with the tens of thousands who thronj^ the enclosures of the Exhibition
^rounds to see "Canada's Great Fair." I-'roni our point of view, train and steamer
ma\- be seen rushint; past with their loads of living; friMoht, to discharge them at the
entrance tjates of the park, where for a fortnight each autumn the Industrial lixhibition
Association of Toronto la)s ever\- activity under tribute, to foster the airricultural and
manufacturing industries of the country, to afford evidence of their marvellous growth,
and especially to display the achievements of the year. The Association is now a
mammoth organization, with a representation of horse and cattle breeders, farmers,
millers, dairvmen, horticulturists, inventors, artists, manufacturers, and others whose
exhibits are scattered through the spacious and well-adapted buildings which grace the
sixtv-acre park owned by the Society. Though the Exhibition is now held under
the auspices of a strong local organization, with large resources at its command, it is
but fair to say that the credit of inaugurating and maintaining these annual shows is
due to the Agricultural and Arts Association of Ontario, which for nearly forty years
has been holding annual gatherings in alternate cities of the Province, to the great
benefit of the farming communit)- and the practical advancement of the industrial
arts. The present Exhibition Association was incorpt)rated in 1S79, and its acquire-
ment of the grounds in which the exhibitions an; now held, and the spirit and
enterprise shown in erecting the tasteful buildings on the site, and in adding to the
amiual attractions of the P'air, are greatly to be commended, and well deserve the
appreciation so heartily accordi^d by the pui)lic.
As the visitor passes out from the grounds b)' the south exit, his eye will be
arrested bv a commemorative cairn or mound, in an angle of the park opening out
upon the lake. As outdoor historical records are rare in the New World, and
especially so in the modern environment of a Fair ground, he will be likely to stop
and decipher the chiselletl lines on the massive granite boulder before him. 'I hat the
old and the new may together meet on our page, we give the inscription before pass-
iui'- on to make the entry of the harbour :
" This cairn marks the exact site of Fort
RiHiille, conimonly l<no\vii as Fort
Toronto, an Indian tra(iiriii;-|)ost and
stockade, establisiied A. I). 1749 ''>' '"■-
der of the ("lovernment ol Louis .XV..
in .iccorchmce with tlic recommendations
■ of the Count de la (".alissoniere, Achiiin-
istrator of New I'rance, 1 747-1749.
Erected by the CorpoiMtion of the City of Toronto,
A.I). 1878."
We now steam slowly through the channel and sweep into the beautiful Bay of
.\ OR THEN. \ \ lilGlIBOR
'7
1 8 Oi-R PICTURESQUE
Toronto, whose features have greatly changed since Fort Rouille, in what may be
called the medieval period of Canadian history, stood warder over its entrance. The
wash of the lake has years ago narrowed the channel, and made sad inroads upon that
spur of land which long kept its integrity as a peninsula, but has now been frayed into
islands — still struggling, however, to keep wind and wave from exercising their rude
violence in the harbour. What "the mountain" is to the Montrealer, "the island" is
to the people of Toronto. Until recently it was regarded simply as a fine natural
breakwater, and the occasional resort of a few sportsmen. Now, it has become — to
borrow a phrase from the sea-coast watering-places — "a great marine resort" of the
townspeople, thousands of whom, all summer long, throng the ferries to its shores, to
enjoy the cool breezes of the lake. The once flat and featureless marsh is to-day a
waterside suburb of rapidly increasing interest. From Hanlan Point — the island-home
of Toronto's noted oarsman — a beautiful view of the city may be had. The features
of the island itself, moreover, — the stretches of v;'ater-meadow, the hotels, promenades,
and quaint summer residences on its shores — present a picture of varied and pleasing
outline. Lakeward, stretching out beyond Gibraltar Point, — the site of an old French
block-house — is the great basin from which the city derives its water supply. The
water is pumped up, through sunken mains laid across the bay and island, by powerful
engines situated on the Esplanade. To the east is the fine, airy building of the Royal
Canadian Yacht Club, a flourishing organization designed to encourage amateur yacht-
ing and to supply the means of luxuriating in the adjacent lake. Still farther east,
on a modest section of the peninsula, now encircled by the lapping waves of the lake,
the Wiman Baths may be seen, their outline sharply mirrored in the sunny expanse
of gleaming water in the bay.
But the purposes to wiiich the island and water-surroundings of Toronto may be
put, in affording the means of rest and enjoyment to its jaded citizens, are yet almost
undreamt of. The whole of the lake-front of the island, and much of the Esplanade,
might be converted into a continuous promenade or drive, with floating pontoons
and occasional jetties thrown out lakeward, and the necessary adjunct of commodious
hotels, at modest charges, for individual and family resort. The preservation of the
island, meantime, is a pressing duty, and the Municipal authorities of the city will be
criminally responsible if they continue to neglect it. The existence of the bay and
harbour is imperilled by indifference. No time should be lost in protecting the island
from the enroachments of the lake. Amazing, of course, have been the improvements
which even recent residents have witnessed in the development and beautifying of the
water-front of the city. The contrast, not only with the rough foreshore of the Simcoe
period, and the squalid one of 1S34, when Toronto became a city, but with that of
even ten years ago, is sharp in the extreme. To-day the view from ^ny elevation over-
looking the bay, or the view of the city from the water, is a picture that, had it the
NORTHERN lEIGHBOR i9
accompanying smoke and fog of an Old V ork! landscape, a Stanfield or a Turner
might revel in. And what a scene for the pencil is a rowing match in the harbour,
every species of craft gliding hither ana thit ler, or swept aside to form a clear
water-lane for competing oarsmen ! Equally fin- is the view in winter, when the ice-
boats wing their arrowy course over four thousand acres of gleaming crystal— their
frosted sails afire in the January sun.
But our steamer has meantime been steered to the landing-place, and she glides
alongside the wharf to her moorings. At the foot of Yonge Street, and on the adjoin-
ing wharves, the commerce of our inland waters empties itself. Coal from Pennsylvania,
stone from Ohio, fruits of all Kh\ds, from the Niagara District and elsewhere, are piled
upon the wharves, or are being carted off to he yards and warehouses. Here the
ferries ply their local trade, and the tourist sets out to "do" Niagara, or, by way of
the Thousand Islands, to run the rapids of the St. Lawrence, "take a look" at Montreal
and Quebec, and, it may be, find his way to the sea. Crossing the Esplanade, monopo-
lized by the railways, the traveller at once finds himself in the heart of the city. To
the westward is the Union Station, the entrepot of railway travel, and thither, or to
the steamers at the wharf, a stream of traffic sets almost continuously. Coaches and
cabs are flying to and from the hotels. The street cars glide past, diverging, a short
way on, towards various points. Pic-nicing parties or excursionists, bound for the
ferries or for neighbouring towns, file bj- ; and wagons with their burden of freight
lumber along, adding to the noise and confusion. Massive warehouses and piles of
buildings block in the traffic, though the vista of crowded streets opens everywhere to
view. The city, which covers an area of eight or ten square miles, is built on a low-
lying plain, with a rising inclination to the upper or northern end, where a ridge
bounds it, which was probably the ancient margin of the lake. Within this area there
are close upon one hundred and twenty miles of streets, laid out after a rigid, chess-board
pattern, though monotony is avoided by the prevalence of .boulevards and ornamental
shade trees in the streets and avenues not given up to commerce. What the city
lacks in picturesqueness of situation is atoned for in its beautiful harbour, and in the
development of an aesthetic taste among the people, which finds expression in finely-
embellished private grounds, and the increasing interest taken in public parks and
gardens. Nor is this taste less apparent in the public buildings, which, in recent years,
have been largely brought within the sphere of art. We have now less flimsj- sheet-
iron ornament, and more of decorative work in stone. Individuality is asserting itself
in the designs of many of the street-fronts, which, though they afford little room for
the more ambitious combinations of the architect, present sufficient scope for the
display of taste and the avoidance of weary repetition. Colour, especially in stone, is
being noticeably introduced, and adds much to the grace and cheerfulness of the new-
exteriors. In some instances, the ornamentation, particularly in intaglio and relievo
20
0( A' P/C7C 'RESOi TT
W(irk, as yvi too closely copies
the architects' patterns, and is a
far remove from Nature. (In the
whole. h()\ve\-er, there; is a cr:,'di-
table tlispla\- of architectural
taste ami skill, ami, notably in
the case of some of tiu- recently
erected churches, orijj^inalit\' and
harmony of design. The Custom
House, with its adjoininjr Ex-
amining- Warehouse, is perhaps
one of the most striking- in-
stances of the new architectural
n'ohiic. The sculptured heads
and faces reveal exceptional art
tastt'. The business done within
this building- rates the city the
second port of entrj- in the Do-
minion, and constitutes it the
TOWER AND SPIRE OK ST. JAMES'S CATHEDRAL.
.\ '( )A' y IlERX i^EJGHBL )R
21
<,n-cat emporium of the Province. The vahie of i\\v. present annual importations is
nearly twenty miUions of doHars, upon which a duty of four milhons is levied,
'riu- amount entered for exports for the year can he safel)' estimated at between five
and six millions.
Crossino- TVont Street, which runs parallel with the hay, and, from its proximity
to the railways and the wharves, is now an important business thoroughfare, we pass
the substantial stone edifice of the Toronto agency of the Hank of Montreal. The
buildinj; has a quiet Threadneedle Street air about it, and like the conservatism which
one meets with in the busiest haunts of the Mother Country, is old-fashioned enough
to preserve, within its railed southern enclosure, some half-dozen umbrai^^eous trees,
from which the ul)i(]uitous sparrow pours forth his incessant chatter. On the opposite
side is the American Hotel, and a block and a half westward, on I-'ront Street, is
" The Queen's." At the intersection of Wellington Street, we come upon the Bank of
British North America, and to the east and west of it, are the headcpiarters of other
financial corporations— the Ontario, Imperial, Toronto, Standard, and Federal Banks,
the local agencies of the Quebec and Merchants, together with the central offices,
surrounded by congeries of wires, of the Great North-Western Telegraph Co., and the
mammoth warehouses of many trading and manufacturing tirms. Pursuing our way up
Yonge Street, and passing the head office of the Bank of Commerce, we reach the
city's most central point, the intersection of Yonge and King, at the south-west corner
of which stands the Dominion liank.
Here the stranger, after accustoming his eye to the movement of the streets, will
endeavour to take in the scene before him. A continuous double stream of pedes-
trians moves east and west, and, in like manner, up and down Yonge. Canadians are
frequently twitted by their cousins across the line for the rigidity with which British
influence and social habits are preserved in the Dominion. The expression, "How
English is Toronto!" may often be heard; still, our English customs have not kept
Canadian sentiment wholly monarchical. Nor has our English speech proved a better
bond. It has already failed, in an earlier era in the history of this continent, to
knit together those of one race and blood, though the links of connection may be
longer in snapi)ing with us. But whatever fortune betides the Dominion, it will be
long en; Britain and British ways cease to be cherislu^d in the hearts and on the soil
of the Canadian people.
It is not eas\-, even for the \isitor, with the sights and scenes before him, to
dismiss from his mind the origin and national characteristics of a city, whose past is s
intimately related to a people from whose loins its citizens have sprung, and froi
nation whose colony it still is. The nomenclature of the streets, the traditions of the
people, the men and women who have lived in it, and the physique and beauty of face
and form of the present population-all speak of the motherland across the sea, and of
so
)m a
22 OCk' PlCTLRliSOili
customs, habits, wmX institutions here faithfully reproduced. Nor are the streets them-
selves, and tlv jjuhlic buildin_Ljs that adorn them, less eloquent of thc^ old land whence
cam(' its sturd) life. True, thiTe is no portcullised gateway nor eml)rasurcd walls which
the militar) spirit of the Old World has elsewhere reared as a stronghold and defence
for the New. Toronto has neither the history that attaches to Ouebec, nor the position
that has oivcn to that city its fame. Hut her [)ast. nevertheless, is not lacking in
incident, though her annals, since the stirring era of 1812-15, are mainly those of
peace. She has seen little of martial lif(,', save the disjjlays ot her citizen-soldiery in
times of civil embroilment, or in connection with th(; \ohint(,:er cor|)s of recent days.
During the time when the Imperial troo[)s were cpiartered in the town. King Street
saw many a pageant which would have quickened the beat of the British heart ; but
the sights its walls have mainly looked upon hav(; been the column-march of industry
and social progress, occasionally varied by the fevered outbreaks of a chafing but re-
strained democracy. To scan the thoroughfare to-day, with its stream of life, its
almost conofested traffic, and the stores and magazines of commerce that line its
either side, is to recall an earlier epoch, and, with a smile of amusement, to contrast
it with the rude aspect of its first beginnings. Who that now looks upon its metro-
politan characteristics — its civic dignity upborne by ulstered and helmeted constables
making nocturnal notes by the glare of an electric-light ; its great newspaper ofifices
ablaze with the tlame of fevered journalism ; its theatres turning a stream of fashion
into the streets ; the cabs and street-cars ; — can fail to cast a thought backwards to the
hugger-mugger life of an earlier social era, and to the forlorn condition, with its
abounding pitfalls, of the same thoroughfare in the primitive days of " Muddy Little
York."
But we must leave these memories of the past to note in brief detail the sights of
the modern cit)', and, turning one's vision from the glittering length of King Street by
night, to present some aspects of this and other thoroughfares by day. For conven-
ience, we will find it handier, in our notes by the way, to describe the features of the
town in two sections ; first, those to be met with in a tour, starting from the corner of
King and Yonge, round the eastern and north-eastern portions of the city ; and second-
ly, from the same point of departure, to take within our observation the places of in-
terest lying to the west and north-west. Setting out from our central point, and
passing the retail stores, some of them with fine brown-stone fronts, that extend east-
ward on our right from the corner of Yonge, we come to Toronto Street, the upper
end of which is terminated by the Post Office, an imposing building in the Italian style
of architecture, finely situated on the north side of Adelaide Street. The central
position of Toronto Street, and the proximity of the Post Office, have attracted to the
neighbourhood a number of Building and Loan Societies, Land and Insurance Com-
panies, and other monetary and business corporations, whose oftices draw crowds to
\()A' /'///■: A'. V \/:7( '///>'(> A'
23
N^ 4 %;**'■' ' '^'' ^ MKTKOl'OIJTAN (MKTHODIST) CHURCH.
this and adjoining thorons;(hfares. The busi-
ness done at the Toronto Post Office now
exceeds that of any city in the Dominion. Its financial transactions amount annually
to close upon two millions of dollars. There is a box and a street delivery, and a
most efficient system for the collection of letters mailed in pillar boxes over every sec-
tion of the town. The building- is constructed of Ohio stone with a finely carved
fa fade, surmounted by a dome and clock, and over the entrance the Rojal Arms.
The edifice on Toronto Street, which was formerly the Post Office — a fine specimen
of Grecian architecture — is now used as a branch office of the Receiver-General's
Department for the Dominion. Adjoining it are the Masonic Huildings- — in the style
of modern Munich art — the upper portion being tlevoted to the purposes of the Masonic
fraternity. Opposite, on Court Street, and abutting on the County Court buildings,
are the headquarters of the Police Department and the Fire Hrigade. The Police
I'orce is composed of a fine body of men, one hundred and twenty strong, well-drilled,
accoutred and uniformed, and ably officered. Equally well-equipped is the F"ire Brigade,
H
or A' iicrrRi-soi'E
an oi'ijanizatioii of txccptioiial importance to xXw. city. Tlicn; arc ten lire stations in
various parts (jf the town, and a conipietc system of t'lre-alann signal boxes. Attached
to the hrii:iade are a hirj.;(? nnml^er of hos(!-reels, salvage waijons, horses, and the
necessary apparatus for lire escape. Water is suppHed from hychants connected with
the Water Works s\stem, which tap the mains at all convenient and necessar\'
points. The water is obtained from the lake at a point regarded as bcNond
the contaminating^ influence of the cit\- sewaj^^e. Recently the suj^^j^a'siion has
been made to tlraw the city's water supply from Lake Simcoe, about fifty miles
northward. The water would be exceptionally pure, and llu; su])ply as lar^je as
desired ; while the fall from Lake Simcoe to the level of Lake Ontario, about
four hundred anil forty feet, would give sufficient pressure for the extinguishing
of f'irc; in the loftiest building. Surplus water could be storeil in n^servoirs in
the neighbourhood of Yorkville, anil the waste turned to restlu'tic purposes in the
Valley of the Don. The Gas service is general, and is provided by a private com-
TORONTO STREET, AND POST OFFICE.
XOA' ////■: AW M-K.llliOR 25
pany. All the chk-f streets, avenues, parks and public places are well lighted at the
city's expense.
Rejjfaininn King Street and turning eastward, we are again reniinileil of Toronto
in the olden time— a lithographed drawing, familiar to tht? pioneers of the towns, having
preservetl to us a glimpse of the portion of the city through which wc; are now passing.
The sitt; was long known as Court House Square, and the picture re|)resents the scene
as it was fifty years ago: — in the left foreground, a pret('ntious Jail ami Court House,
with the " jxirish stocks" and a primitive ox-wagon in front; a few proinenaders and a
line of modest buildings extending eastward on the right ; and in the central back-
ground the church and wooden spire of St. James. In this place of public resort, the
youth and fashion of the town, the brawling politician, anil many of the more staid of
the populace lounged. Hi-re the political orator was wont to hold forth, anil the
ecclesiastico-political discussions of the time were freely ventilated. 11 ail we a pre-hi.s-
toric drip, how rich a portrait-gallery would have come down to us ! livery figure in the
" Family Compact " administration would have been limned, — each successive governor,
the local placemen, exhorters, and wirepullers, and most characteristic of all — the
rampant reformers and agitators of the stormy period ! What a volume would this
have been to place alongside Kay's "Edinburgh Portraits" or Cruickshank's "Carica-
tures," to jostle our " Hogarth," or ':o get mixed up with one's early volumes of
Punch! Hut the F'amily Compact, like the figures of the Dundas despotism in the
Tory Government of Scotland at the beginning of the century, have not lacked annal-
ists to preserve some record of their doings, nor an antiquarian, so imbued with the
past, as to faithfully reproduce for us the men and their age.*
But the rumble of street cars around us, and the graceful spire which shoots its
gilt summit into the sky in our view, recall us to modern times, and to the evidences
on every side of material prosperity and almost unrealizable civic growth. At the
intersection of King and Church Streets stands St. James's (Episcopal) Cathetlral. In
the early days of the city, when Toronto was known as " Little York," there stood a
plain structure of wood, a few yards back from the road, and almost surrounded by
the primeval forest. This was the first church of St. James. It was described by a
writer previous to the war of 1S12 as "a meeting-house for Episcopalians." Here,
under the rectorship of Dr. Stuart, and subsequent to the year 1S13, of Dr. Strachan,
whose name for over fifty years was a household word throughout the Province, did
the modest little building do duty as the Parish Church. In 1832, a more imposing
structure was reared, but this was destroyed by fire in 1839, shortly after it had l)een
* In the pages of Dr. Scadding's "Toronto of Old," the citizen of the Provincial Metropolis has for all time a
mine of historic and biographic lore connected with its early days, which few cities of the New World Iiave been
fortunate enough in such measure to possess. To this work and its author the present writer gratefully ackno-ledges
his indebtedness for some of the material made use of in this sketch of the city.
a6
rv A' /'/LlLRJiSol/':
HORTICULTURAL GARDKNS.
designated a Cathedral by the appointment of its rector as First Bishop of Upper
Canada. The following )'ear, the date of the union of the two older Provinces,
a noble building was erected, surmounted by a wooden spire. Ten years later,
XOh' ////■:/< \ MiliillliOK 37
\\\\v\\ tilt: scoiirjrcd the cit)', somc! sparks ij;nitcd '.he tower, aiul the j^rand hiiililin^
Diicc more succumlx'd to ihf llaincs. The statel)' p Ic uhicli now meets the eye was
l)eiiiiii soon afterwards l)y the much-tried conj^rej^ation ; Imt it was not read\ tor occu-
pation till 1S5;,. I'he i)uiidinif is in the (ioliiic style, of the earl)' I'^n^lish period, and
is hiiilt of white l)ri( 1^, diessed with < )hio stone. Its ieiii^fth is about two hnndred t(-et,
tile width of transept ninel}-tive feet, and the heii^ht to the rid^c crestinys ei_nhly-four
teel. The huihlini;' is divided, after ecclesiastical fashion, into nave and aisles, with
apsidal chancel and vestries at the north, and vestibules and the L^rcat tower at the
south v\\i.\. There are i^rallerir-, on three sides, that on the south hein^' appro|)riated
to the or^an and clu-'ir. Ww. chancel is lilted up with a bishop's throne, stalls lor the
canons, and an elaborately carvetl [iulpit and reading (.lesk. llnderneath the chanc(;l lie
the mortal rcMuains of the tlrst Bishop of Toronto, and of the loiit^-lime Rector ol the
Cathedral, the greatly beloved Dean Cirasett. 'The tower and spire arc; the most dis-
tinL;uishin^' features of the edifice, their combined hi-i^ht, includinc^ the vane, beiniL,^
over three; hundred feet. In the tower is a costly peal of bells, and an illuminated
clock, whose; dial, when ni,t;ht llint^s h(;r mantle over the city, can ')e read tar out on
the lake. The cost of the whole edifice was not far from a quarter of a million
ot dollars.
'To lh(; north of th(; Cathedral, and within its enclosure, is .St. James's .School
House, and immediatel)- bevontl it, on the corner of Church and Adelaide .Streets,
stands the Mechanic's Institute. The Institute has a well-supplied reading-room
and a fair collection of books, though the cit)' stands much in need of a well-endowed
Public Lil)rary, especially rich in the department of works of reference. lUit literary
institutions, it must b(; said, have so far failed to interest the moneyed class in Toronto.
Still following King .Street to the eastward, we come upon the .St. Lawrence llall
and Market, antl to the south of the square, the headquarters of the Municipal Ciov-
ernment and Cit)' Otitices. TIere the stranger will be less struck with the appearance of
tile neighbourhood than with the scenes and incidents of the market-place. To this,
the largest market in the city, are brought the; farm stock and garden products of tin;
man\- rich homesteads throughout the adjacent country ; and, looking at the class that
come to do business at its gates, it is easy to judge of the character of the Ontario
y(;oman. Trom his s[)eech and accent, you surmise either he or his ancestry came
from the motherland. He is almost invariably comfortably clad ; his horses are sleek
and clean ; his wagons bright and in good order ; — and their contents denoting the;
frugal, well-to-do husbandman. His wife has also a comfortable and contentetl look,
with the occasional accompaniment of the tone and air of independence. A glance at
the displays of the market would surprise the bans vivants of the Old World.
Colborne Street, which here runs into the market-place, is rich in the historic
social life of early Toronto. The first theatre of York, tradition says, was extempo-
28
o( R ricrrRi-sorii
:■ COI.I.F.GI-: AVKNUI-; (QV'I.KN STKKK'l).
rized in the hall-room of an hotel wliicli
stood on the north-cast corner of thf
street. Here the fashion of the lime
used to holil its assiMiihlies. and the
potent, o^rave, and reverend sinrpors of the town, aloni^- with tlu;ir sons and daughters,
were wont "to indulL,a- in a little insanit}." The market-place itself is not what it
was in other da\s. Then it was \\\v. Ma)- I-"air of the city, the nucleus about which
all the rest clustered, I?ut Toronto, like most other cities, has thrown her oates
open to the west, and is now makin<4' the ij^reater part of her pro_L,rrcss in that direction.
.\ V )A' riii-RX x I'. I cum >a'
^9
30 OUR PICTCRESQUE
The buildinsj^s about the market wear an old, and soni(> of them a dilapidated,
appearance. This is the character especially of much of the town to the east of the
present spot. Even the C'ty I lall, near l)y, barely escapes this classification. It is a
blot upon the city's public buildiuii^s, beiny no less unsightly and dingy than ill-
\entilated and unwholesome. It stands upon ground said to be permeated witli
poisonous matter, and some of its rooms and offices are a menace to life. The \alue
of the ratable property within the city limits in 18S2 was o\er sixty millions. The
population is 87,000; or, including the suburbs, over 100,000. In 181 2, the population
was under 1000; in 1834, when the city was incorporated, it was 9000; in 1850 it had
reached 25,000; and in 1870 it was more than double the latter niniiber.
In n.'ar of the Cit)- Hall art; the Drill .SIkhI and .\nnories of th(; local volun-
teer regiments, including the "Queen's Own Rilles," and the loth "Ro\al (>renadi(;rs."
These two crack corps hold a tn-st rank in the militia of the Dominion. liolh regi-
ments have seen service, the former being present at Ridgewiy, in Junt;, 1866, when
the Province was invaded by I-'enians. Th(,' Queen's Own has the largest muster-roll,
and is generally admitted to be tht; best drilled and most completel\' e(|uii)|)ed ri-giment
in the Canadian militia. The city has a well-appointed troop of Cavalry, the (iov-
ernor-General's Body Guard ; and a iMeld Battery of artillery. The headquarters of
both troop and battery are at the old Fort, on the Garrison Common.
To the eastward of our present halting-|)lace, there is not much to interest the
sight-seer, unless he has the tastes of an antifpiary. The region that lies betwet-n the
St. Lawrence Hall and the Don River is the original site of the town ; and soinc of
the decrepit buildings of the district were once the homes of its wealth and fashion.
In the names of the streets of the neighbourhood — Caroline, Duke, Duchess, George,
Princes, antl P'rederick — the loyalty of the "first settlers" to the Hanoverian 1 )\nastv,
and other members of tlu? royal house, finds expression. What inspired the (■()m|)li-
ments, the Historiographer of Toronto reminds us, was the fact that "when the
Canadian town of York was first projected, tlie marriage of the I)uk(' of York with
the daughter of the King of Prussia, Frederica Charlotta, had only recently been rele-
l)rat(xl." In the designation of Parliament .Str(!et local associations conn(;cted with the
P'irsi Parliament of the Province; are jjerpetuated. Tlie site of the primitive West-
minster is near b\-, though now denudcul of the (me grove of forest trees which once
ox-ersliadowed it. P'or a i)eriod of nearly thirty years, interrupt(;tl for a time b\ the
biu-niiiu, in [81;, of the buildings b\' the .Americans, the laws of the vouni'' Province
were (Miacted within its walls. .Again, in 1S24, the Parliament Buildings fell a xictim to
tire, after which the; Legislature moved westw.ird, and what is now known as the OKI
I ail occujjied the site. Still eastward, on I'^ront, or as it was then styled, Palace
Strei't, stood Russell Abb(;y, the residence of am: of the Goxernors of the Province;
anil from this neighliourhood, now in the grip of the railways, the City Gas Works,
AOA TllliKX NEIGHBOR
3'
fh^^
and a inammoth Distillery, a bridle \ '
path throuo;h the forest led to
Castle JM-ank, CJovermn- Sinicoe's Chateau
on the 1 )oii.
'riirnin<;' up Berkeley, we come ajrain
u[)oii KiiiL;' Street, the continuation of which to the east, sixty years a_i;o, was locally
known as "the road to Ouel)ec." In 1S17 communication 1)\- staqc was estahlished
l)etween \'ork and Kingston, and from the; latter point on to Montreal and the ancient
ca|)ital. The staL;e servict- between the two formcM- points was a weekly one ; aiid with
an allowance of twent\- pounds of lui^'^a^e one; could secure a seat on the lumbering'
vehicle for the sum of eii^hteen dollars. The incomiii!,;- of a mail from Lower Canada
usetl then to be advertised in the (.iazclU\ and the annual arrival of postal matter from
I'^ii'^land was an event in the life; of the infant settlement. I'ursuini; our way east-
wanl, we come to the bridge over the Don, whose slow-footed stream trails its sinuous
length at the foijl of the pictures([ue heights to the north of tlu; roail, clad with s|)arse
but L^rand old trees. Below the liridi^e. the- river trends off to the westward, and
mi\(;s its dull waters with the ri;eds which, with the detritus of the island, shoal the
eastern (^\\(\ of the harbour.
A short drive beyond the Don, throuirh Leslieville, the pleasant site of extensive
32
OCR PlCl I'RF.SOrH
niaiket i^ardiMis, hriiis^s us to Xorwa}-, W-n Lamoml, and the; coiiimaiulInL; clcxation of
Scarboro' IlcMt,dits. On the road hilhcr, on some l)ri!^ht suniincr afternoon, may Ix:
seen tlic Toronto Hunt Cluh, c'oui'sin<;- o\(T hill and daK' ; or, it nia\' he a line of
racini;' horses and trotting' vehicles hastening;' to the drixini^-courst; at W'oodhini; I'ark.
Close hy is X'ictoria I'ark, a resort in summer of the to\vns|)('0|)le, and which is L;(-'ner-
ally rcachiHl l>y \va\' of the lake. At Norway an e.\tensi\-e tract of sunlit xcrdure and
gleamiiiL;' wau-r is spread l)ef(jre tlu; vw. ()n the one hanil is seen Lake ( )ntario,
stretchinn' heyonil th(; ranoe of vision into the blue ; on the other, out; of the fairest
agricultural districts in the l'ro\ince, doltcnl here and there with comfortable farmdiouses
and magnit'iccMit farms. Along- the rim of the lake lies the Queen Cit\-, whose distant
features the artist has clexerly caught ami turned to pictorial account. In the foregroiutd,
nestles here antl there the residence of some wealthv citizen, who believes that " C^od
KING STKELr, WEST.
\( )A' TllliRX X /-:/(, I //iOR
33
made ihc country and man made the town," ami has moved out to where lie can hear
the wiltl Ijirds sin^- in the <n-oves, and I)e fannetl by the untainted breezes of the hike.
Retrain in i^- tiie Don, we direct our steps northward, and passinjj^ by Riversitle,
anothi-r outllow of the cit\-, and by the tine iniildino^s and adjoinin^i^ farm of tlie New-
Jail, we continue our ramble throu,i;h the woods in the direction of Yorkvillc. Here
it is desi^neil to utilize the _L;reat natural beauties of the place by layin_t^ out a
sej^mient of a cordon of parks, which it is hoped will one day surround the cit)-. In
th(; nei^hijourhood of the jail, a bridj^ije crosses the Don and connects with the eastern
end of Cjerrard Strc:et. Situated on the latter is the large building of the Cieneral
Hospital, and, what must be to the poor patient in its wards in unpleasantly sugges-
tive proximit), the Medical Schools, with their dissecting rooms.
On the heights which we pass to the left, lie two of the city cemeteries. Here
sleep many of "the rude forefathers of the hamlet" — the old time "Little York;" and
the sombre pines sing the recjuiem of peace. In scarce a lovelier spot could sorrow
come to drop a tear, or love's footsteps hasten to strew the flowers of regret.
Hut we move on round the hill towards the picturesque environs of Rosedale.
Here the twin valleys of the Don have been spanned by graceful bridges, and the
tinely-wooded plateau has been opened up for suburban settlement. To the west is
the incorporated village of Yorkville, the most important of the city's outlying districts.
To the north is Deer Park, another ])retty off-shoot of the town, the beautiful cemetery
of Mount Pleasant, antl the extended line of Yonge Street, the great highway through
the Countv of York. In this neiafhbfjurhood stood the famous " Montuomer\'s
Tavern, ' the rendezvous of Lyon MacKenzie's insurgent force, and near by is the
scene ot the brief action at Gallows Hill.
Returning within the limits of the citv, the stranger will note the tine avenue of
Hloor .Street, and tlu; elegant residences on many of the streets that branch southward
from it. Of these .Sherbourne and Jarvis .Streets are the most attractive ; Jarvis, with
its hamlsome \illas and fiiu; boulevards, presenting a stately appearance. At the corner
of W ellesk'y and Jarvis are the; grounds of the Toronto Lacrosse Club, a favourite
resort of tlv; athletic xouth of the town, and, on gala days, of their fair admirers.
The; \\v\(\ is kept in tine order. Upon it inan\- an exciting contest has takcMi ()lace
betwcH'ii tile local and outside clubs, the home team generally succeeding in carrying
off the laurels.
Di'cending Jarvis .Street, several handsome churches, built for the most part of a
delicate pink stone, with white dressings, add greatly to the grace ami beauty of this
thoroughfare, A little wa\' down are the commodious buildings of the Collegiate Insti-
tute, the historic (irammar School of Toronto, and one of the best and most efficient
af the Secondary Schools of the Province.
Occupying a square in the immediate vicinity are the Horticultural Gardens,
L
34
OCR riCTURIiSOLE
LIKUT.-r.nVl'.KNOR'S RKSIOKXCK.
tht' shrine of IHora, and in
some respects the most at-
tractive resort in the city.
The (iardens cover an area
of ten acres, ami are hiicl
out with taste, ami with a
fine eye for floral adornmcMit.
They are open to tlie i)uhlic from 6 a.m. until dusk. Within the enclosure is tlie
Pavilion, a tastefully desiirncd concert room, with promenade Iialconies and an arbore-
tum. The Gardens were opc^ned in r86o 1)\- 11. R. II. the i'rince of Wales, on tlie
occasion of his visit to Canada. The yount;- maple which he planted to commemorate
the event has since ^rown to a gootlly tree.
ST. ANIIRIAV'S eHURCU.
In the centre of St. James Square, a short distance; westward, is the pile of build-
ings, of white brick, with stone dressings, devoted to \.\w. purposes of the Department
of Education for Ontario, including the Normal antl Model School P)uildings. On the
Gould Street front are tastefully laid out grounds, parterres bright with flowering
plants, relievetl by trees, shrubs, and statuarj', with c(>n\t'ni(MU ap[)roaches from the
south, east, and west. The main building has a frontage of one hundred and eighty-
four ft'ct, with a depth at the llanks of eighty-l'ive feet, and is two storeys in height.
The fafixdc is in the Roman Doric ortler, of Palladium character, having for its centre
four stone pilasters tlu; full height of the building, with pediment, surmounted b\' an
open Doric cupola. The corner-stone of the edifice was laid in July, 1S51, b)' I lis
Hxcellenc)', the luirl of Elgin, the then Governor-General. Passing in at the main
entrance the visitor finds himself in a large hall, intersected by a corridor, the entire
length of the building. Op[)osite the entrance is a semi-circular theatre or lecture-
room, with busts of notable personages on brackets round tlu; walls. Tiie lower lloor
is used as offices by the Minister of Education, by the officials of the Department, and
by the members of the Educational Council. Here, also, are th(; lecture-rooms and
ateliers of the Ontario School of Art, an institution that is very appreciably aiding the
dissemination of art-taste in the community. On the upper floor is a large and miscel-
laneous collection of pictures and statuary, co|)ies of Assyrian and Egyptian sculpture,
a museum chiefly devoted to Canadian ornithology, with a department containing
school apparatus and furniture. The buildings which adjoin the Education Office and
Museum are used as a City Model School for the youth of both sexes, and a Normal
School for the training of teachers. P'or thirty years these buildings in Normal School
S([uare have been the nursery of the educational system of Ontario, a system origi-
nated, and for nearly the whole period administered, by the late Rev. Dr. Ryerson.
Toronto, as a city, has largely felt the influence; of Dr. Ryerson's labours ; and the
many efficient Public Schools of the town are mtMiiorials of his life's work, as well as
marks of the public spirit of the community, aided by th(; liberality of the Provincial
Legislatun;. Ilo\ve\er much the State has done for (xlucation, X'oluntaryism, at the
same time, has not withheld its purse. The amount of scholastic work undertaken by
tin; Denominations, and the support given to the charities and philanthropic institutions
of the cit\-, may be pointed to as irrefragable evidence of true Christian zeal.
Leaving the lulucation Department, and going south by Hond Street, we pass at
the corner of Wilton Avenue, the Congregational Church, a fine edifice in the style of
l^arl\- l'"nglish Gothic, with a handsome tower and spirt; at the south-west angle of the
building. .\ litth; farther down is the Loretto Convent, with the Archiepiscopal See-
House to the rear, on the Church Street front; and at the intersection of Shuter, is
St. Michael's Roman Catholic C"alhedral. When the late Bishop Power, forty years
* ago, purchased the site for the Cathedral, he was deemed foolish, we are told, for pro-
,)
6 0(./< />/C7'( A' /:S(H 7:
posing to erect a church in what was then "the bush." Now t\\r edifice is ahnost in
the heart of Toronto, the; city encompassing, and reaching far bcNond it, in every
direction. The Iniilding, wliich extcMids from Bond to Ciuirrh Street, wilii an entrance
also from Shuter, is massive and loft)'. It ha^> a line tower and s|)ire, bcaulilul slaimd-
glass windows, witii organ and instrinnental orcht-stra. There,- an; st'veral vahiable
paintings, two fmelN-carved pidpits, and t'i\e elaborate altars in various parts of the
interior. In connection with the church and its parish work are the several religious
orders, the Christian brothers, the Sisters of Merc\- aiHJ the Cloistered Nuns, — the
Brothers taking part in the educational work of the Separate Schools throughout
the city, and tlu; nuns teaching in the Convents.
The Metropolitan (Methodist) Church, in McCdll Sepiare, is among the largest
ecclesiastical editici^s on this side of the Atlantic. It is one of the sights of the city;
and surrounded by its fine grounds, with neat iron fence, its fringe of trees and
shrubs, with partcirres of flowers, is a great ornament to Toronto, and the just pride
of the religious body. Tht; bviilding is of fine whit(! brick, with cut-stone dressings,
and is in th(! Franco-Gothic style of architecture of the I'ourteenth Century. Its ex-
treme dimensions are two hundrt;d antl fourteen by one hundred and four feet. At
the south-east angle is a tower, sixteen feet squart; and one hundred and ninety feet
in height. There are other towers a hundred and twent\-two feet in height, one on
either side, at the junction of the main building with the lecture-room. 'The internal
arrangement of the building, the general design, and the harmony of the parts, excite
the admiration of all visitors. The seating capacity of the church is about two
thousand four hundred ; and its total cost, including the site, and a magnificent organ,
approached a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Immediately south of Mc(iill Scjuare, and reached from our present halting-place
by way of Clare Street, is the Canadian Institute, on Richmond Street. This insti-
tution, which is mainly supported by the sara/z/s of the cit\-, and those interested in
scientific research, has a fine library and lecture-hall ; its iiK^mbers publish a journal
of transactions. West of the Institute, Yonge bisects Richmond .Street a block and a
half off. Making one's way thither, the visitor will fliul himself again in the centres of
trade, and drawing to the i)oint from which he set out on the eastern tour of the city.
In Yonge Street, if it be summer time, he will miss the abuntlant shade which the
trees in most of the; streets afford. As we pass southward to regain King, the Cirand
Opera House, on Atlclaide .Street, West, will not be uidikely to arrest the e>e. Hither
or to the Royal Opera House, on King Street, come the operatic and dramatic
companies, American and foreign, that star it over the Continent. Occasionally, local
histrionic talent appears creditably on the boards ; ami from the Toronto Philharmonic
Society the citizens have entertainments of high character.
Regaining our point of departure, and pushing our way through the crowds that
.VOA' rilHRX MilClir^OR
11
.-'T^^^^f^J^'^
KIAIKW UK TllK "QUEEN'S OWN."
(tj;^?., throng this central thoroughfare, we set
out to see the points of interest embraced
in the west<'rn lialf <if the city. Antl h(-re
one cannot hut regret that the streets tliat \)\\\\ so important a i)art in Toronto's com-
merce, and whose intersection forms so central a point in the cit\-, should not have
had some great s(]uar(; or plaic as a point ifax'aittaoc. Could tlui hlock be razed that
is bounded, sa\-, on the; north and south, by King and Adelaide Streets, and on the
east antl wi'st by Vongc and l>a\', or its site ha\'e been kept in its \irgin state, we
should have hatl a grand scpiart? and promenade with converging streets and branching
traffic ; its four-sided fac(; adorned with slatel\- buildings, anil its centre set off by
fountains and public mnuumcMits! Wwl we hav(; to deal with the city as it is, and
not with what it might be; ; still less with what it is not. In tlu- Toronto of to-ilay
there is littU; occasion, howcxcr, to bemoan the " might ha\e been," for the realization
of what is wouUl be no easy matter, not (Jiily to the founders of the city, could they
revisit the scene of their earl)- toil, but to those who sleep of a later generation.
Even to the contemjjorary who revisits the city after a few years absence, the
progress and improvement everywhere apparent occasion remark and susprise. Nor
are the lofty buildings that brt^ak up the sk\- lines about one, antl render the
streets picturestpie, alone the sul)jecls ot comment. The contents t)f the stores, on
all sides, and the character of the native manufactures, or (;f the importations from
38
OLK I'lCTLRLSQLli
abroad, are also strikinjf evidences of local wealth anil proj^ress, and of the advance
of art and skill.
The activities of the journalistic profession in the; Provincial Metropolis are
also matters of pride to its citizens. The j^rowth of the newspaper press of Toronto,
particularly in the last ten years, has been very marked. The buildinj^ erected b)- the
proprietors of the Mail, the chief conservative ortran of the Western Province, is at
once an instance of enterprise and of the pul)lic fa\our which enterprise wins. The
Mail was established in 1S70, and is a vii^orously conductetl journal, with writers of
trained and disciplined talent on its
staf^". 'I'he Globe, which dates back
to 1S44, lon_s^ led the van of journal-
ism in Canada ; it is recoj^mized as
the chief orijan of the Reformers,
or. as the)- are now frequently desig-
nated, the " Liberal I\arty." The
T'lcgrani and the World are journals
that pay some tribute to independ-
ence ; and with the growing class now
throwing of¥ the ties of partyism,
they are increasingly popular. The
Evening News and the Evenino- Cana-
dian are recent additions to after-
Cliurchman of the Episcopal body.
noon journalism. The " weeklies "
chiefly represent the denominations. The
Christian Guardian, founded in 1829, is the
organ of the Methodist, and the Evangelical
The Irish Canadian speaks for Roman Catholic-
ism. • The titles of the Canada Presbyterian and the Canadian Baptist at once
X()/r/7//SA\Y NHUiUliOR 39
disclose their connections. C//// is tiie representative of humor ami the rartooiiist's art ;
and CoinnuMTc; has a special orj^aii in tlu; Monetary Times. Periodical lilcrature, as
yet, has to struggle to maintain its(.-lf, though at periods when then- is a (piickening
of the national life, it sensibly extemls the area of its influence, if not of its support.
The marketable literature in the country is still mainly foreign ; and enterprises like
the r(t( ntly deceased Canadian Monthly tind it as \v\ iliUicnU, ii not impossible, in
the latency of national spirit, to secure adecpiati; sup|)ort. The professional periodi-
cals fare hctur. Law, medicine, ind education have each their representative organs,
and maintain themselves with abilily and credit.
Toronto literar)' ami journalistic life has not as yet developed its club ; though the
growing prof(.'ssional status, and the increasing emoluments of writers for the press,
will no doubt s(,'(.' it rise at an early tla\ to that tlignity. Special interests of a social,
professional, or commercial character, cond)inc;, however, to su|)porl one f)r two city
clubs. rile k()\al Canadian \'aclu Club \vt; have alread\ mentioned, has its habitat
on the Island. The National Club, siluatiHl on Ba)' Street, has a large memluM'ship
drawn from the professions, autl ffoin tin? ca|)tains of industry and comnn-rce. The
Toronto Club, on N'ork Street, draws its nuMubership from nnicii the same soiu'ce,
with a sprinkling of the more leisures! class, and some few sticklers b)r caste. The
I'nited b^mpire Club, which, as the headcpiarters of Liberal Conserx atism in the city,
styletl itself the Canadian Carle'on, has n-ce'nth- tlisapjx'ared. Its building, centrally
situated on King .Street, West, might be secured for a much-needed Merchant's
Exchange, or, better still, a F"ree l^lblic Library. The \arious societies, national and
ben(.-volent. liave their respective lodge-rooms and halls in almost ever\' section of the
city. There are also a number of rowing and swimming clubs, curling and skating-rink
organizations, with several gymnasia, and that latest craze of athleticism, a Bicycle
Association.
Next to the clubs, in the record of social progress, come the hotels. Toronto has
left behind her th(; (!ra of the primitive York hotels, a storey and a half high, in
which the travelling pid)lic of the; tlay used to think itself luxinaously lodged, if the
sign-post in front of the inn didn't inform the passer-b\- that the " (ieneral Brock," or
other named patron, possessed " accommodation for man and beast." The " Oueen's,"
on I'ront .Street, and the " Rossin Houst'." which we j)ass on King Street, at the
corner of \'ork, may claim to rank with the large and well-managed hotels of the
American cities. Others, including the "Walker," the "Revere," and the "American,"
deserve favourable notice.
Pm-sinng our way westward, we come, at the corner of King and Simcoe Streets
to a fane of truly metropolitan character — St. Andrew's Church — whose; noble fafadc,
Norman towers, and elaborately-carved triple doorway recall some grand Minster of the
Old World. Its massive solidity, with its great hundred and twenty-feet tower, thirty-
\o or A' /'/cT(7\'/':.svr/:
twf) feet sciuarcr at the h.isc, in the style of the Norman architecture of the 'Iwelfth
Century, gives an aspect of stately inajj^niticence to th(' l)iiililinjj;, which, with its fine
site, has scarce a parallel amonj^' the ecclesiastical editices of Canada. The church is
l)uilt of (Jieorj^jetown rubhli;, with Ohio storn' facings, varieil, in the relieving arches and
bands, by the red-brown blocks of Oueenstoii. 'lUv. windows are arclu:d, as are the
entrances, tlu; latter having tinely-polishtnl red granite pillars supporting them. In the
southern end of the building -a shapely semi-circle —arc the school-rooms and lecture-
halls, which are "so contrived as to add to the general effect which the contour of the
building is intt;nckHl to protluce." The church was erected in 1875, and opened in
I^'ebruary of the following year.
In grounds of much attrartiveness, tantalizingly shut in from view on three streets,
stands the rrsidcnce of the Licuteiiant-titnernor of Ontario. In some; rcs|)ct:ts it is a
a pity that the area occupied by (ioverument House; ami grounds, and the scpiarcs to
the north and south should have the Province as their owner, as this monopoly stands
somewhat in the way of the d(;v(.'lopm(;nt of the city to the westward. .Still, so
far as the (iovenior's r(;sidcnc(! is concernt;d, were the fences reduced in size and lat-
ticed, tilt; purposes to which ( lo\crnm(;nt has put the square would not Ik; so objec-
tionable, while; the site; might continue to form an agreeable break in the moiiotou)' of
the streets. TIk; residence; is in the modern style of I'rench architecture, and has an
elegant appearance; from within its f(;nced enclosure. The interior is handsome, with
grand hall and staircase;, spacious rec(;ption rooms, and a fme ball-room autl con-
servatory. The grounds an; extensive, and are beautifully laid out with tlower-beds and
shrubbery, terraced walks and velvety lawn.
Art has contrasts no less discordant than Nature ; and in the square to the
south the stranger will be as much disappointed with the poverty of the Parliament
HuiUlings of tlu; Province as he will have been delighted with the residence of its
Governor. The buildings require as little description as elo the railway freight shetis
to the south of them. However, for what they are worth, there they are. In the
meantime they do duty as the Halls of the Legislature; and we must not forget that
the Province had once a humbler St. Stephen's. The buildings still shelter some of
the (jovernment departments and tlu; Provincial Library, together with the Legislative
Chainber, the throne, and the mace !
The House consists of eighty-eight members, si.\ of whom form the Executive
Council, and direct the public business of the Province. Politics in Ontario, as else-
where in the Dominion, is the great game of the people. It is pursued with often
feverisli intensity, and partyism not unfrequently degrades it to personal ends. In the
heat which faction and its trumpery concerns occasion, we sometimes recall Dr. Gold-
win Smith's words, in alluding to the interruption to legislative business in England by
the annual furore of the Derby Day. " Give us," says the professor, " a Parliament
X()A'////;a'x M:i(,iinoi< 4>
capal)lc of heinj^ tlu: orj^Mii of national aspiration and effort ; let ji^reat questions be once
more hanclli.'d in earnest by great men ; let our political chiefs once more display t!ie
qualities which touch a nation's Iieart ; and the soiJ of iCns^land will soon cease to be
absorbed b) a horse race." In thes.- remarks there is a lesson for those in Canaila
who are enj^rossful by the [)arty game, and are dis|)oseil to substitute for statesmanship
the small issues and the wirepulling of the Machine.
On the I'^splanade, to the cast of Parliament Scpiare, is ihe Union Station, the
passenger ik'pot of the Grand trunk Railway, and the lenninus of a number of the
smaller linc.'s. Mere we agair/ meet the gleaming waters of the bay. Close b\' was
the scene of the landing, in uSoci, of i 1. iv. 11. tin; Prince of Wales, -a spectacK- of
memorable beaiitN. On but one other, .and a sad occa- ion, has tlu; water-lront ot the
cit\' seen sucli a g.ithering. It was si.K years lalia". wiu-n every houst-hold, in a iren/y
of horroi-. drew to the waterside to receive the cK:ad from the lield ol honour at
Idnu'ridge.
Kegaining King Street, and turning to the west, we conu; upon Upper Canada
College, and the tine grounds that siu'rouud that historic institution. The building
itself has no architc^ctural attractions. The charm of the [)lace is its foreground, wuh
its bright, gn^en sward, autl the foliage of the trees that o\('rhang the sidewalk. The
College, which was foiuided by .Sir John Colborne in iSjiq, h.is the good fortune to lie
well endowed, and is undcu' the direction of a coirimittec; of the Univ(M-sit\- .ScMiate.
Attached is a boardingdiouse ; and the institution has a well-e(piip[)ed staff. Man>' of
the leading public men of the country have acfpiiretl their ('arK' etlucation at the
College : it consequently has some traditions. .Some educational reformers now regard
it, however, as out of line with the Secondary School .S\slem of the Province ; and
its right to e.xist has recently become a matter of fierce debate.
A few strides to the westward of the College bring us to John Street, and to the
site of what was once the General Hospital, and for some years, subsequently to the burn-
ing of the Parliament House, in 1824, the home of the Legislature. In 1847, when the
city was scourged by an epidemic of typhus, the fever wards of the hospital wt-re liter-
ally choked with the smitten inunigrants. Turning northward on John, we skirt on our
right the fencc^d (uiclosure of thi; College cricket-grountl. Here, if anywhere, with its
front on King, is the proper site for the new Parliament Buildings. Proceeding north-
ward we pass Beverley House on the right, the Clock Tower of the Queen Street Fire
Station on the left ; and beyond are the spire and fmial cross of St. George's — the vista
being closed by the foliage of the Grange. Within the beautiful grounds of the
latter, tradition says that, sixty years ago, bears attacked the carriage horses of its
owner. One of the finest elms in the city still looks down upon the scene.
At the intersection of Queen Street, we turn eastward towards Osgoode Hall, the
high court of Themis. Here, within a stately iron fence;, inclosing some six acres of
4*
or/< ricrrRiusouE
^ %
a;.
UNIVKKSnV OK TOKONTO.
XOA'77//:'A'X M-K.llliOR 43
ornamental t^M-ounds. arc the ^rt-at Law Courts of the Prcnince, and tlu," Library antl
Convocation Hall of the Law Society of Upper Canada. In his work on " North
America," the late Anthony Trollope remarks that Osgeiode Hall is to Ui)per Canada
what the I'Oiir Courts of Dublin are to Ireland; and he tj^ives the |)alm, in the
matter of interior decoration, to our Colonial Halls of jusdce. He praises, in no stinted
lanouaij^e, the beaut\' of the library, vestibule antl staircases, and has irlowin_o- words
for the Courts themselves. The place is the Mecca or 'Loronto sitj^ht-seers. L'nder
its roof they feel alikt' the inlluenct; of art and the majesty of law. The portraits
of the judi^i^s that look down from the walls impress the \isitor with a sense of
the power that inheres in k^arniiiL;- and tlignit)-. The Hall takes us name from the
Hon. W'm. Usj^oode, the first Chief Justice; of L'pper Canada, who was appointed in
179J. The Law Society dates its incorporation thirt)- \(i\w^ later; it has a well-
endowed library, and maintains lectureships in Common Law, ]^(juity, and Ri;al Property.
(ilancin^- eastward from tlu; Hall, the tourist will obser\'e, near the corner ol ^'()ns4■e,
the line ^y'ww and edilic(; of Knox Church. Though erected in 1S47, the church is lar
from beiny^ eclipsed, architectiu'ally, by recc.'Ut structures. At the corner ol James .Street
stands Shaftesbur\' Hall, the conunodious buiklin;^ of tlu' \'oun!:;' Men's Christian Asso-
ciation ; and on Trinity .Scpiare, at the top of James, is the representative home of
HiL^h-Churchism, the Church of the Holy Ti'init)-.
Adjoining- the grounds of (Js^otxle I Ldl, ami faciniL,^ the CollejT^e Avenue, is
Uni\ersit\- .Street, or, as it was form(M-l\- called. Lark Lane. The latter desij^nation was
no doubt <y\\x\w it in imitation of the HelL,^ravian thoroughfare which forms the eastern
end of Hyde Lark, in the IJritish nu'tropolis ; but the titness of the appellation, in
Toronto, is due to th(; fact that the street skirts one; of the linest natural av(;nues on
the Continent, and not to any architectural beauty. The street, however, ou_<^ht to
be one of the favourite portions of the town for residence;. rurninLr into the
avenue on a summer tla\- one !4(;ts a i;limpse of sylwan beauty such as rarely
meets the e)e. A mile of chestnuts and maples llanks a carriai^-e-driNe .md pathway
which, in the vista, open out upon the (jueen's Park. I"or the tourist the city has
no siij^ht so charminn', unless it be a \ iew of the bay on a still aftc;rnoon when the
settinir sun paves it with tlame. Half way up the a\(.'nue, on the l(;ft, the tine tower
of Erskine Church, and the spire of .St. Patrick's, may be seen through the trees;
ailjoinin<j: the form(;r is the chapel of the Reformed {episcopal body. On the; rij^ht
the spire of V\\\\ .Street Methodist Church breaks lhrouL;h the- foliajj^e, and close by is
the Ime front of Grace Church.
Presently, the intersection of the Yom^^e Street Avenue is reached, and we pass
from the grateful shade of the lono line of chestnuts into the verdurous sunlight of
the open park. Within a terraced enclosure at the entrance a fountain is playing; ; and
a maze of Howers and shrubbi-ry distracts attention from the antj^ry look of a couple of
44 0C/< /'/CTCR/uSOC'E
Russian cruns. Beyond is a fine stretcli of viL^orous turf, studded with state!)' oaks, occa-
sionally interspersed witli cedar ;ind maple. In a half circle, on the east, ar(; eleL,^ant
villas, and, on a line with the tlai^-staff, are the arrested buildini^s erected for a I'lovin-
cial University during the administration of Sir Charles iJai^'ot. The buildint^s wv.yc
never put to the purpose, however, for which they were desiL^ned, and for a time they
wen; w~,vx\ as a female branch of the Lunatic Asxlum.
Queen's Park forms part of the endowment of the Uni\-ersit\- of Toronto; but in
1859 fifty acres of it, tOL;-etb.er with th(! two avenues that leatl from the city, were j^ivt.-n
to the corporation on a loui:; lease for the purpos(;s of a [)ublic park. How thoroughly
the citizens take advantage of the park as a place of resort the strolling' crowds
testify. On Sunday afternoons in summer, indeed, a loo frc-e use is taken of it b\'
the motle\- crowd thai gathers under the trees, whose religious excitements would \-ex
the soul of Matthew .Xniokl. \\:rv the uneducated liberalism of the ai;-e dcliL;hls to
haraiiL^iie knots of the populaci', and to ox'erhaul the world's religious itlc^as back to ihe
llootl. On week-days it is tlelii^htful to <'scai)e to the park from the hubbub and L;lare
oi the city. .SkirliuL;" the raviiK; the pathwa_\- winds amont;- scenes of o-pcat pictures(pie-
ness anil ot (piiet, rural beaut\-. On a jultino- of the bank, ov(M-lookin<j^ the dell, the
strant^er pauses before a mouument encirchul b\- an appropriatt-lN-desii^iKMl iron railiuLi;-.
This, hie learns, was erected in memory of the Canadian X'oluuteers who fell at
RidL;cway in defendinj^ the frontier against I'^'uian raiders. Turnini.^- from the spot the
associations which the monument calls to mind are ([uickened by the si^ht of a regiment
marthin^- b\- in column of companies, and about to execute some military (nolutions
in the open plateau of the park. It is the cor])s — the " Oueen's ()wn Ritles" — that b-,,-e
the brunt of the fray at Ritl^cway, and from whose ranks fell out the j-ouni,^ life
commemorated b)- the monument.
Passinq' northward, we continu': our stroll towards Ploor Street, the upper limits of
the park. On the .-iq-ht are tlu; buildiuLi^s of .St. Michael's College and St. Joseph's
Convent. Opjjosite the |)ark exit stands the Church of the Redeemer, antl to the
immediate westwartl, within the I'niversit)' grounds, is McMaster Hall, iIk; college of
the F^aptist denomination. Tlv buildiuL; has a massi\(> and uniipu; appearance. It is
built f)f a rich, tlark-brown stone, with drc;ssin!.^s of black and red brick -a re\-ersal
of the usual methods of the architects and build(;rs. The College is tlu! <;ift of the
donor whose name it bears ; it possesses all appliances for th(; theolot^ical trainiuL,'^
of the ministry of the dcmomination.
P'rom Hloor Street, or what used to be known as the Sydenham Road, the
adjoiniuij;' suburb of ^'ork\•ille extends north ami e;ist o\-er the area that lies between
our |)r(;sent haltin<r-plac(; and the rid^^-e that bounds Toronto on the north. To tlu;
west lies .Seaton X'illaij^c, and all ,il)out are the suburban residences of wealthy merchants.
Again within the gates of the Park, we retrace our steps until we are on an
.\( Vv' riinKX xiiiciiih Vv'
45
fa^
, :'''-■:»-■ -tstv'.
- -i^Sfeii
- : 2k^^^^^^'
- - it,.
q^^^^^^.
;-. t- ,.., '^. if
_^ -'-- ^ -^.rr^
"iq^^^ik
■--^1
- -.i«
alijrnment with the University. Fol-
lowing' the carriai^c drive to the right,
we cross the ravine and stand in
front of tlu: llower and climax of
Toronto's architecture. The Uni\er-
sit\- huildinc^s an,- the .ylory of the city. An Enj^lish writer remarks that " the
University of Toronto is perhaps the only piece of collet^iate architecture on the
American Continent worth)' of standint^'-room in the stre(;ls of Oxford." Admittedly,
in its arcliitectural features it jjehjiii^'s to the Old World, antl it des(!r\edly ranks
next to tile Parliainciit Hiiildin<^s at Ottawa. It is a Nt)rnian pile of noble proportions
and f)f e\<iuisit(! harmony. There is a massive; tower and a richly-sculptured doorway.
'The hall and corridors arc in kee[)in_!^ with the academic character of the lniiklin<;s,
and L;rrat joists and rafters are freeh' exposed to vi(;w. On the i^^round lloor are
the lecture-rooms aiid laijoratory, and on the upper floor, the museum and lilirar\',
To the rear, on the east, is the Convocation Hall ; and on the wi'st are residences for
students. 'The huildiui^s were (M'ected in i,S57-cS, at a cost of over half a million of
dollars. 'They have a frontai^e of three- hundred feet and a depth of two huntlred
and tlfl\'. 'Th(! tower is one hundred and twentv feel in hciirht.
iii its early history the Uni\'ersit\' was known as l\ing''s Colle_L,''e, a Ro\al Charter
havint; been secured for it in 1S27 1)\' .Sir Pere_t,rrine Maitlantl, with an endowment from
ihe Crown Reserves set ajjart for educational ]iuri)oses. 'The University established
imdei this charter was (essentially a Church of Knjrland institution, and remained so
until 1X49, having for the previous six years been under the presidency of that sturdy-
46
OCR riCI IKIiSOLE
brained Scot, the first Hishoi) of Toron*^o. The Provincial Leijislature, however,
aboHshecl the Theolosrical I'aculty, and Hisliop Strachan in 1S50 obtained an act of
incorporation for, and proceeded to found, \.\\v. University of Trinity College. In i <S49
University College was established as a teaching botly, distinct from the University
of Toronto, the latter being confined to its degree-conf(;rring powers. The corporation
of the; University consists of a Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, together with the mem-
bers of the Senate and of the C(jn\ocation. The government of University College is
directed by a Council, composeil of the President, the \'ice-President, and the Profes-
sorial staff. Tlie former president was a distinguished classicist and epigraphist ; the
present head has earned distinction in the departments of Ethnology, Archaeology, and
General Literature. There an- eight professors attachetl to the College, besides three
or four lecturers and a Classical and a Mathematical tutor.
Facing the Universit)-, across a spacious lawn, is the .School of Practical Science.
Here, also, is the chief seat of Astronomical Ohs(M-vation for the Province. Language
is inadequate to characterize the taste whicli sanctioned the erection of this glaring red
building on such a site. It unspeakably outrages all the harmonies of the place. In
niK NORlll n<ON HKUM.i:, AND KAVl.NK. KOSKDALli.
\o A' '////-: AW xh.n.iiiiOR 47
rear of the Schof)l of Practical Science, and facintj the ("oll('_c;e Avenue and McCaul
Street, is Wycliffe ColleLje, the Divinity Scliool of ihe Mvanp^elical Section of the
AnuHcan Church. The Colleije is affiliated with Toronto University.
Re_L;ainini.;- L'oll(;,n'e Street, and tinnin;^ to th(^ riii^dTt, we reach the i^rea*: western
arterx' of Sjiadina A\enue, and see the setting' sun briuL;- into olowinLi;- relief the
belfry of .St. Stt'phen's in the Field and the tower of the Fire Station ailjoinini^^
Awa\' to the west and north the cit)- is fast bringing within its embrace an area
of large extent, and creating thousands of comfortable homes for its ever-increasing
population. College Street has now communii.ation across the beautiful ra\in(; in
rear of Trinit)- I'nixcrsi'Ly with Hrockton, anil supplies the "missing link" between
the heart of the city and Dundas .Street, thie great inland highway of the Western
Province.
P'inely situated, at the head of Spatlina Avenue;, is the tu^w home of Kno.x College,
a handsome building devoted to the training of students for the Presbyterian Church.
The College; was foiunled in 1S46, and long had its habitation in I'dmsley \'illa, to
the northward of the Central Presbytc^rian Church on liros\(;nor Street, and what was
oikh; the vice-regal residence of Lord I'Llgin. It has a partial entlowment, aiul an able
t acuity, whose zealous work will alwa\s secure for it hearty su[jport. The new build-
ings were erected at a cost of .$120,000.
Descending .Spadina Axcnue, we catch a glimpse of Toronto super marc, and of
the summ(M' traffic of the lakt- bevond. The lower portion of the axenue is known
as Brock .Street, from which Clarence S(|uar<' branches off to the left, aiul Wellington
Place to tlu; right. On the latter are situated the Conventual buildings of L(M-etto
.'^bbey ; and just in rear stood the once residence of \'ice-Chancellor Jameson, in whose
wainscotted parlour gossipping whist-parties used to meet, in the cradle time of the
city's life, the talented authon.'ss of the " Legends of the .\Ladonna" and "Characteristics
of Women." In this Colonial honn; were no doubt written Mrs. Jameson's Canadian
reminiscences, " Winter .Stutlii's and .Summer Rambles."
Turning wc^stward on (_)ueen Street, anil passing St. .\ndr(,'w's Market and the
Denison Avenue Pr(^sb\•terian Church, we come upon the beautiful grounds and ecclesi-
astical-looking edifice of Trinity College. The L'niversity was 'founded in 1852 by
Bishop Strachan ; ami by Royal Charter it is iMupowe'red to confer degrees in Divinity,
Arts, Law, and Meilicine. Convocation consists of the Chancellor, the Provost ami Pro-
fessors of Trinity College, toge'ther with thos<; admitted to the degree of Master of
Arts, and all graduates in the other faculties. The building is of white brick with
stone dressings, and has a frontage of two hundred and lifty feet, with deep, p:,)-
jecting wings. It has numerous class-rooms, a Convocation Mall, Chapel and Librar\,
and stands in a park of twi'nty acres, with a backgroimil of romantic beauty.
A little westward, on the opposite siile of the street, is the great enclosure of the
48
01 /< J'K /(/</■ SOL'/:
NKAK Till. IIOWAUI) STKEKT
I-tKinGK, ROSKDAI.I..
Lunatic Asxluni. The main
Iniilelinij was erected in iS-j-S,
on fifty acres of wliat was then
part of tlu; Ciarrlson ComnK;;!, a i^rant
of wliirli was made to the Miinici[iah'ty
by the ( )r(hiancc r)(;partin<'iu. It un-
fortunately lias had to receive many
additions since tlu; period referred to,
and tt)-day it i . more crowdetl than
ever. To the south of the Asylum
are the Central Prison, the Mercer Reformatory, and the spacious grounds of the
J
.\VVv'/7//:7v'.\' XF.KilinOR 49
Industrial I^xhihition Association. Xcar 1)\- art: ihc Home for Incurables, ami one or
two ol the r(;l"u>4x:s for tin; sick and sulTcriiii^r of llu: cit\'s poor.
•\\'csl and north of the As\lum a new Toronto is rapidl)' rising' in the suhurhan
villa^'cs of l»rockloii and ParkdaU; ; and when the afternoons think of pasdni^ into
the evenin^^s a stroll throui.;h these; jdeasanl aniie\(;s ol the city, a sauntc i- in the
jrroves of lli.i;h Park, or an indolent "[mil" up the dull-hosoined windings of the
Humlier, will he not the least of the enjoyable experiences of the rambler. llere, to
the west of tin; city, one ^ets the fresh breezes of the lake ; and stntlchniL;' out from
the Garrison Reserve, or from the pretty hunldocketl bay at the mouth of llu; llundjer,
the ij;;lcaminL;' expanse of Ontario's waters may be s(;(;n for man\' a mile. Ihe neii^h-
bourhood is now bein^- UKule attractixn b\ the o[)eninu;' up of 1 1 ii^h Park, a beautifully
wootled an-a, with picturestpie drives and inviting- l)ridle-|)aths, which has rc'ceiuly been
donat(;d to the city. Prom the 1 lumber the lake shore; road i^ixcs communication, b\-
way of the Credit Ri\er and ()ak\ ille, —a rcL^ion which, of recent years, has become
famous for its strawl)err\- culture, to the heati of ISurlin^lon Hay ami the city of
Hamilton. Near the terminus of Oueeii Street, and before reachin;^ Parkd.ile, Dundas
Street trends awa\- to the north-wc;st, and forms the L;reat highway, |)r())ecteil by
Governor Simcoe, to the London District, and onward to the Detroit Rixcr at the
western eiul of the Ontario Peninsid;i.
.At this outlet of the cit\', where was once an u, broken forest of oak and yellow
pine, a network of strei'ts anel avenues, with handsome; \illas and rows of contiL,''uous
houses, covers tlie area and, as we ha\(; said, creates a new and populous Toronto.
Though the northern and easte-rn sections ot the town IkuI Ioiil,'' the; start in the race,
Brockton and Parkdale an; last overtakinn" them, and bid fair, at no distant day, to
extend the borders of the capital to th(; winding- \ale of the Plumber. There, it ma\-
be, the comint^ years will see some western "Castle P'rank " shoot its pinnacles throiiuh
the foliage of the ri\er that boumls the city on the west, and mav r(;call to a joun^cr
gen(M-ation the summer chdfi-ait of 'Toronto's foun(l(;r. which reared its walls a centur\-
before; on the stream that bounds the cit\' on the; east.
Hut the features of the cit\'s pro^^ress haxc not l)(;en material .alone, nor is the
natural beauty of its surroundiiv^s the only source of ])leasur(;. R(;cent \(;ars ha\e
made 'Toronto a centre; tor the intellectual intere;sts of tlu; Pro\ince. 'Time, wealth,
and leisure are necessary conditions of this development. W hat is to be the di.s-
tin_nuishin!4- type of the national character a c<Mitn; like 'I'oronto must ha\-e it largely in
its power to determine. In its commercial L;rowth and dexclopment the cominj.;- time
will ^ixt' it a position amouj^ the first citii-s of the; Continent. We would fain ho|)e
that its intellectual eminence; will be; corresponelinL;l\- j^re;at. The aspiration remiiuls
us of some' worels of Lord 1 )ufferin, at the; ToreJiUo Club b.mepiet in 1S77: "Afle'r
all," saiel Tiis Excellency, " it is in the towns of a country that ideas are generateel
so
O C 'R PICTl R USQUE
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 5'
and progress initiated ; and Toronto, witli her universities, with her law courts, with
her various reliL,Mous communities, iier learnetl professions, possesses in an exci-ptional
dei^rec; those conditions which are most favourabU; to the; raising up amongst us of
great ami able men, as well as robust and fruitful systems of religious, political, and
scientific thought." Possessed of th(.'se conditions, her citizens should not fail to make
the fullest and worthiest use of them, but give free play to those formative inlluences
that make for the highest weal of the community, and that will most effectively
contrii)ute to her civic fame.
'\\\(: past history of Toronto is the b(;st augur\' of what her future will be. It is
only three-quarters of a century since tiie tract of land now embraced in the- city was
covered by the forest, and the whole region, as the records of the Indian I )(;partment
of the Government declare, passed at a cost of ten shillings from the red man to \\\v.
white. Tlui successive transforming steps from a wild(,'rness to a capital city now read
like a fable. But to the pionc-ers of the town, slow and toilsome, we may be sure,
\v(;re the initial stages; and only stout arms and heroic endurance set the city upon
its feet. Then, when Nature was subdued, wliat contests had to be entered upon, and
how fierce were the; struggles, which gave to th(; country its liberti(;s and shaped for
it its constitution! Think, too, from what, in the way of kingcraft and Old W'orld
diploniac)-, it had to emancipate itself! "Mind what you are about in Canada!" were
tlu; irate wf)rds addressed by King William I\'. to one of his ministers. " H\' ,
1 will never consent to alienate the Crown Lands, nor to make the Council (dective ! "
Hut a happier star is now in th(! ascendant. The days of colonial pupilage are over;
the strifes of the cradle time of the I'rovmce are gom; b\- ; and it is now the era of
progress ami consolidation, of national growth and the formation of national character.
We have no troublesome {[uestions to vex us and to waste time over: we have a high
mission to fultill. and a distinctive life to develop. fCducation is spreading, and its
refming influence is excrywhc^re operative. Party and sectarian animosities are (jn the
wane ; and the influence of reason in journalism and [jolitics is asserting itself. Let
there Ik; but more patriotic feeling, w fuller national sentiment, with a more expressive
pul)lic spirit, and a better tletermined civic life, antl the metropoli;; fjf iiic Province will
take its proper position among the varied cnmmnnities of the D-ominion.
52
och' pic'rrRF.socF.
ill, •. A--'^ : ^
"''ff'^^y}:''^^^^^
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C
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\()A' ////■: AW MilClinOR
53
•■■' u-iife^: '
'^ji^-^
^ •^%"^'''
>«ii^tr^r^«
,^-<iW
\
FROM TORONTO, WESTWARD.
T I'lAXIXG ToroiUo, and proceeding; westward in si-areh of tlie picturestiue, we take
•*-^ the Credit \'alley Railroad for tlie " ]'"orks of the Credit." In little nior(> than
two hours from Toronlo, and when within a half-hour of ( )ran!_;('\ill<-, we find ours(,'lves
nestlini^' in the- hosom of the Caledon llills. "The /vv/w " would lie more eorn-ctly
named '•The /^i-oi/os of the Cretlit." The westerK" pron^' pierces a deep and romantic
ravine hi'tween xcrtical walls of retl ami ^ray sandstone. Parallel to the eastc:rn pronq;',
hut receding' from the stream, rise umlulalin^ hills of the same formation. The sand-
stone is rompact. uniform and free from impurities ; it \ields to the ihisel and the lathi;
heautiful architectural and decorative effects. ( )uarr\ men are now merrily at work.
Their rinjrino- steel ami powder-blasts are frecpiently heard ; and with this mimicry of
54 01 h' /'/CrrR/iSQC/:
war they atlrighi tluj j^lmuIc echoes that slet!p among those (iiiiet and romantic j^flens.
A little distance up the left hrancii of the Crcdii we are iiiallan_i;i'tl by a hij^li sentry-
tower, — "the; Devil's I'lilpit," it is locall)' nanuHJ. Ascending this we gain a commanding
view of the Valley of the Credit; and away towards the east we range with «)iir eyes
the wooded height of land ihal sttparates the fountains of the Credit from those of
the Humljer. The sweet, (old, shadowy waters of the Creilit have always i)een the
very paradisi; of fish. I he headwaters swarm with speckled trout, If we are
ambitious of larger jirey we must follow the ri\er below the I'Ork through its long,
quiet stretclu;s, passing Hramplon, the Count)- seat, with its agricultural activities and
industries. After leaving Streetsville with its humming looms, the fishing may becomt;
more serious and e.xciting : — four-pounder black bass, and nine-pounder pike. Still
descending the ri\er, we strike (loxcriior .Siuicoe's old militar\' highway, Dundas Street,
and we see, hard by, tin; old Indian bur)ing-[)lace, where rest with their weapons of
the chas(; beside them som<; of the keenest sportsmen the world has ever bred. The
Indian village has now \anished, but here was once the focus of western Salmon-
fishing. Here within tlie frame of the Credit woods the torches of the firtsfishers
nightly nt up such |)ictures as Paul Kane came frnin Toronto to preserve on his
canvas. Hr.t one day tin; Mississagas sold their heritage and departed ; and curiously
enough, with the disap|)earance of the Indians, disappeared also suddenly and forever
the salmon which the Cireat Spirit had so bountifull) provided for his poor, improvi-
dent children.
Leaving I'ort Credit, we coast along the shore, just glancing wistfully as we pass
at Oakville and its luscious strawberry-meads. Were we to land and taste of " that
enchanted stem " we should, like tin; lotus-eaters, abide there all summer. Many do so.
Bearing westward we reach the H(;ad of the Lake, the " b'ontl du Lac," which it
was long the ilream and ami)iti()n of F"rench e.xplorers to n^ach. The discovery of
Burlington Ba)- was reserved for La .Salle in this wise. Champlain's inroad inf:o the
lair of the Irotpiois tiger had forever closed to him the exploration of Lake Ontario,
and thus Lake Simcoe and Georgian Ba\' and Lake Huron had all been repeatedly
visited long before Ontario had been explored. In i66g the fearless spirit of La Salle
overleaped all barriers, antl dashing into this inland sea with a flotilla of seveii canoes
he explored it to the very head. Quotli the Aticiciit Mariner:
"The fair brcc/c bk-w, the white luuiii Hew,
Tile furrow followed free ;
We were the lust that ever burst
Into that silent sea."
Coasting along the south shore of what he named " Lake Frontenac,' La Salle
discovered the moutli of the Niagara and, first of all luiropeans, he iieard the awful
J
AOA' /■///■: A'. V MUiiHliOR 55
voice of tlif latanict. Thence aloiiij; tlie Ijcautiful woodlands of Lincoln and Wcnt-
worth. with views disclosed, now of descendinj,^ streams, and aj,'ain ol peaceful bayous
frini^ed with icdars and inlaiil with white and j^old pond-lilies. At leiiL^tii a s\lvan lake
of enchantiii},' beauty was reached. Without llie aid of the Liyht House and Canal
that now i^ivc tiu- largest steamers easy entrance to Hurlington \S\\\, I. a Salle leil his
tlotilla within its sh(!lt»trino arms. It was the 24th of Septend)er, i66q. The dense
iindcrwodd lip the hill-siiles, and th(; stately forests covering the heights, formetl an
ainphithi'.iirc of the riclu^st foliage, which was already kindling with the gold and
crimson lircs of the Canadian autumn. While resting hi-re. La .Salle was astonished to
learn from the nati\-es that another I'rench e.\plorer had just rc-aclu;d a village; on the
(Irand Ki\cr beyond. This pro\(,'d to be 110 U-ss a personage than Jolict luTeafter
to Ixcomt- La Salle's victorious rival in the race for the linding of the Mississip|)i.
Could a more picturescpic inciilent be conceived than the meeting of these )C)ung
men who were presenth' to become so famous ? Jolict explained tiiat Ik; had been
sent by the Inlcndant Talon to iliscover certain rumored co|)per-mines in the North-
west ; thf lesuit missionaries Manpictte ami 1 )ablon had volunteered to accompany
him .Stopped b\- a saiill in their upward progress, the missionaries IkuI remained to
found the Mission of St. .Marie;. Joliet returned, i)ul with an absorbing passion for
adventure, Ik; selected for his return an un(;.\plored route, which aikU'tl to the maps
of New L'rance our western peninsula of Ontario. Joliet iliscovered tlu; river and lake
which have since been used to coinuK-morate the mild military achievements of
GeiH;ral St. Clair; he then e.\plored a strait (Detroit) that gave the joung e.\|)lorer
entry into a vast lake (Krit;), hitherto unseen of white; men. Coasting along the
Canadian shore of Lake I-lrie, he disco\-ered and ascended tiK; Crand River, and he
was now standing near the site; of the; future Mohawk Church, showing La Salle the
lirst m.ip of Peninsular Ontario!
A centur\- anel uKire passed e)ver. New France had bee;n cut adrift by Olel b'rance.
Joliet's maps of the Lake;s aiKl of the Mississipi)i, which were elesigneel to gratif)- the
drand Moiiarqiic, hael supi)lie;el lulmunel Hurke with arguments on the question of the
PennsyKania boundary. Then came the' elisruption of the American Colonies and the
inllux of the Loyalists into Canada. In the vanguard of the refugees arrived Robert
Land in 1778. His was a romantic story, but too long to tell. He selected the Head
of the Lake rather for the game anel the scenery than for the fertility of the soil.
His lirst acre was ploughe;d with a hoe, sowed with a bushel of wheal, and harrowed
with the leaf\- bough of a tree. b'or years he was his own miller, bruising the wheat
into coarse' meal. Ciood news came one day that a French Canadian had " enterprised "
a mill at Ancaster. So, when Land's next grain was threshed out with the flail, he
strapped a sack of wheat to his back and te)ile;d up the mountain footpath seven miles,
awaited his turn at the- log grist-mill of Jean Jacques Rousseaux and then joyously
5^'
OUR PICTURESQUE
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 57
descended the mountain carrying; a sack of llour li>^htc.r In- the miller's tithe. Land's
homestead stood on the south-east corner of William muX Harton Sin-ets and his (arm
covered three hundred acres of the castc-rn part of Hamilton. Other hard\- yeomen
took up farms beside him. The surnames of the pioneers are preserved in Hujrhson
Street, [ackson SiPet, l-Cru^^uson .\\enue, etc. and llunr Christian names survive in
James .Street, |ohn .Street, Robert .Street, and the; rest. The cpiiet fields where these
yeonuMi so proudh' look a strai^dil furrow with their waw Ancaster ploui^hs, have' since
yieUled a harvest of commercial activities and mechanical industries. The oentle sounds
of llu! country are succeedetl by the shriek-, ot rushinn' hjcomotives and steamboats ; by
th<; thud of the steam-hammer, tin; roar of fountlries and ^lass-furnaces ; the whir of
the countless jjuUeys that minister to the workers in wood, iron, brass, copper, zinc, tin
and silver.
Parallel to th(? present beach, but away at the farther end of Burlini;^ton Ha\', is
an historic ten-race of " coni^lomerate," or natural concrete. It represents the ancient
lake-tloor, though now lifted a iiundred feet abovi; tht; water. In 1S13 tlu; tide of
invasion swept over the? western Province up to the \ery foot of Hurlin<^ton 1 lei^hts.
It was in those anxious days that Hamilton was born. The Heisjj^hts wen; not then
dee|)l\' t^\cavated to receive a railroad, nor were they pierced by a canal. Ihe only
access was over an isthmus defended by field-works. On one side, a stone mio-ht
have l)een dropped a hundred feet sheer into Burlin<^ton Hay; on the other side, into
the deep marsh which hail alread\' acquired the nickname of " Coote's Parailise."
The fortune of Upper Canada turneil on the possession of this hill. Here Ceneral
X'incent found a safe retreat when forced to withdraw from the Niagara frontii'r. It
was from this eyry that Harvey swooped down upon the American camp at .Stony
Creek, and Fitziribbon dashed upon the retreating" invaders at Heaver Dam. A
daui^erous naval tlemonstration was made against the Heights, but it ii^nominiously
failed. So the summer of iSi,^ passc^d hopefulK' awa\-. But the October winds
broufjht from Moravian town the low moaniny^ of a grave disaster, ami then Proctor
found in Burlington Heights a welcome refuge;.
The massing of imm and militarv stores during the war no doubt promptetl the
formation of a permanent settlement. In iSi v C>eorge Hamilton laid out his farm in
village lots, but the peace of ("dient came, and the stir and bustle on Burlington Piay
e.xpired with the watch-fires on its Heights. Hamilton had a future, but she must bide
her time. .Ancaster had taken an early and vigorous start; then Dundas had sprung
uj), a still more dange'-ous rival. The cutting of Burlington Canal in iX:;4-5 openeil
communication with Lake Ontario and secured to Hamilton invaluable geographical
advantages. The year i.S;,2 was to test whether Hamilton was simpl>- "ambitious," or
possessed the (pialities that justify ambition. One awful nij^ht in the; summer, a gaunt
Asiatic stalked into the gaol, without undoing bolt or bar, and served writs of Habeas
58
OUR PICT I RliSOl 'li
Corpus that would hrook no
(lcla\". When morning;' broke,
it was clear to tlie townsmen
that cholera was within their i)orcIers. The i^aoler was himself hurried away : then
the magistrates set free llu^ surxixiiit;- prisoners, e\ce|)t one who wa^^ already within the
shadow of the gibbet. All summer lon^' this ilreadful presence stalked up and down
the streets, entering the houses or peering in at the windows ; but with the coming of
the blessed frost, he disappeared. The pestilence bareh' gone, the midnight sky, one
night in November, was suddenly lit up as bright as noontide, and Hurlington \\a\
seen from afar gleamed liki; burnished gold. IJefore the tire could be subdued, main
of Hamilton's best buildings were shapeless ruins. These calamities of iS;,2 might
well ha\c disheartened a \()ung town, but within a few months I lamilton had not onl\-
reco\-erf'd lost ground, but had plannetl a s\st(;m of markets, and had provided for
wider streets and a police |)atrol. bire-engines were [)rocured and gri'at |niblic wells
were sunk. .'\s in the towns of Old Mnglantl and of Xew I'^ngland, the town-pumps
were long the c(Mitre of gossip and became the bill-boards for otTicial notices. The
[•"ountain in the (iore marks the site of the last surxixor of those garrulous old town-
pumps, from which Hawthorne has drawn so ih'lightful a "Rill" in his " Twict;-tokl
Tales."
In the; early days, Allan McNab was the leading spirit in every stirring incident.
He was tlu; foremost representative of the (iore District in Parliament. When cholera
\( )R TIIERX XRIGlfBOR
59
invaded the s-iol, it was Mr. McXab who released the surviving- prisoners and
assumed th<; responsibilit)-. When the conllai^ration of Xovember broke out, it must
needs be^dn in Mr. McNab's building. At the outbreai< of our domestic " un[)leasantness "
in iS;,;, Colonel the lion. Allan McNab was Speaker of the House of Asseinbl)-, and
Colonel l'"itZjL,Mbbon (whom we met at Heaver Dam) was Clerk. Within thirt)' minutes
after receixino' a despatch from .Sir brancis Head's courier, McXab was musterini,^
the militia, and within lhr<,'e hours he was ste.iming awa\' lor Toronto in command of
"The Men of Ciore." On the mornins^ f(jll<jwiny' his arri\al, he led tht; charot; up
\'()nL;c Street that dispersed the " rebt;ls." lit; (M^uani/i'd the llcjtilla on the Niagara
l\i\er which, und(;r Captain Drew's dashing command, cut out tlu; Caro//iii\ and sent
her bla/ing oxer tin; balls.
( )ne of the great thorcjughlares of llamilt(jn commemorates .Sir Allan's long
services to his ado])ted cit\' ; and numerous minor strei;ts serve by th(Mr names to indi-
cate how clost'l)- the fortunes of Hamilton have \)vai\\ identilK'd with his romantic
career. McXab .Street runs the whole; depth of tlu; city Irom the Mountain to the
Ha\. and midwa\' it ])asses tin; Mark(;t. Less than a century ago tlu; Market .Scpiare
MARKKT D.W, HAMILTON.
6o
OUR picrrRRsori-
was densely oversjiTouii with shrubs anil was a noLcil coxert for wolves, so that even thfn
there was an active market for venison. Here are now assembled, under the vigilant
eye of the Cit\- Hall, the temptint; products of tht; famous (iore and Niagara Districts.
Returninj^- into McNab .Street and saunterinjj;- towards the I)a\, if we glance in upon
the streets which branch off from tlie busy thorouy^hfare, by the time we reach the
water we have in the names of the streets reail Sir Allan's autobio_<rraphy in brief the
names of the friends, military and political, b_\- whose aid he had risen.
Then Lochearne Stn^et, branchini,^ off Dundurn .Stn^^l, reminds us that Sir Allan
had in memor\- his o^randfatluM-'s seat on Lochearne in Perthshire when he named
JhiUiiitni Casl/c. iM'om this baronial eyr\- on the lleiylus the oKl ea,L;le in his latt'r
da\s would come out into the sun, and, lookini,^ down upon the Nounu city, would
plume himself up/on its t^rowth and prosperity. Certainly the (ireat Western Railway
which thunclert'd by and shook i\u\ cliff beneath his feel was won for Hamilton chielly
by Sir Allan's diplomacy and pc:rsistence. Hamilton has since, under the advice of
sagacious journalists, stretched out her arms to Lake I'.rie, and Lake Huron, and
C'i(;oroian Haw and has ^rappled those commercial allies to her with "hooks ot sti'el ";
but tlu; foundation of this far-seeinn' railroad polic\- was laitl in the dreat Western
Railway, which lirst L,rave Hamilton her commercial preeminence o\i'r Duiulas and
other rivals.
Hamilton is nobly entlowed, not alone for commerce, but for j^rand scenic effects.
The hii^h escarpment of the Xiai^ara formation, o\er which the i^n^at cataract takes its
|)lun_o;t\ closely follows the shore of Lake Ontario from the b'alls to the edge of
Burlington Hay. Here it sutldenly sweeps back from the lake in a deep curve, forming
a magnilicent amphitheatre, and leaxing at its base a broad stage gently sloping towards
Burlington Wax. A fmer natural site for a great city could scarcely be imagined.
Then the irregular plan of the early village has been most happily turned to the best
artistic effect. Cieorge Hamilton o])ened a straight thoroughfare east and west, called it
Main Street, and attempted to make his village crystallize in regular blocks along this
thread. An older nucleus, however, existed in the Ciorc.'. or Iriviuiiu towards which
con\-erged King .Street, |anu;s Street, ami the York ( Toronto) Roatl, now \'ork Street,
b'ortunately the crystallizing forces of the village wen? stronger than its founder and
first lawgiver: an air-space was securetl to the future cit\-. The Ciore is one ot the
most striking and delightful features in Hamilton : it is a truly ri'freshing surprise to
tiiul a beautiful public gardi'U in the \-er\ heart of the business part ol the cit}'.
This triangular inclosure is laid out in parterres of ri(-h flowers and loliage plants;
a noble fountain diffuses a L'rateful coolness, antl restores to this thanged landscape the
old music of ih'' running brooks that once used here to sing meri-ily on their course to
the Bay. A gract.'ful drinking-fountain in\ ites the thirsty uayfarer ; and when the city
is en fete and the lami)s of the Gore are all lit up, one given to musing recalls his
J
NOh' rifl'.RX NRICIinOR
6 1
larK r(;uliiii_;s of Iki^lulatl ;incl llu?
( "larddis of ihc Klialifs. ll was
surcK a liappv in^piralioii lo thus
soticn the auslcriiy ol Inisincss, if)
mellow the drxiK'ss ol IliiaiKc 1)\'
the Identic, rclrcshiiiL;' iiilliiciur of
foiiiUaiiis anil llowcrs I Those mer-
ehaiUs aiul lnalUlla^■lul■el■^ .iiul liank-
ers ami lawx'ers that look out
on such scenes must consciouiK'
or unconsciously lie ele\at<'(l in their tastes. Such inllnenccs were (1(H'|)1\ considered
and carefully proxided in the old (ireek cities, hut oiu" mincis are onix just heoinnimt^"
tf) recoLjni/'.e these powerful, if silent, forces. Xow mark the l>uildiiv.4s, ('S|)ecialh the
PIKR 1 \n I If.IIT.
62 OUR PICTURESQUE
newer biiiUlin<j^s, — surrouiulino;- or neighbourinjj;' on tlie Ciore. Ever)' citizen in this
neiirhbourhood seems to feel the sentim(;nt iiob/cssc o/>/in- : our huildintj's miis/ be
worthy of the place. This artistic sentiment is clearly seen in such buildinLi^s as the
new offices of the Hamilton Provident and Loan Society and those of the Canada Life
Assurance Company. And the feeling has inoculated the Count}- Council, who have
joined hands with the city and erected in Prince's Square a Court House, which does
signal honour to both corporations. The Educational institutions of Hamilton have
always been among its chief glories. The Public system of schools commences with
numerous, well-equipped Ward Schools, and is crowned by a Collegiate Institute, which
is the largest organization of the kind in the Province. There is a Young Ladies'
College, conducted under the auspices of the Wesleyan Church, and an extensive
system of Roman Catholic Separate Schools.
Hamilton is the seat of two Bishops' Sees, — the Anglican Bishop of Niagara, and
the Catholic Bishop of Hamilton. The lofty cathedrals and churches lead up the eye
as well as the mind above the smoking steeples of industry. The merchants have
built for themselves princely homes on the terraces of the Mountain. Then, looking
down upon all from the mountain-brow, and piteously gazing out on a landscape of
unsurpassed beauty, is a vast Asylum for the Insane — that mysterious, inseparable
shadow of modern civilization !
In 1858, when starting off on his story of "Count or Counterfeit," the Rev.
R. J. MacGeorge described Hamilton as "the ambitious and stirring little city." The
sobriquet of "the ambitious little city" was thenceforward fastened upon Hamilton, the
middle term being craftily omitted. A quarter-centur\- has elapsed since "Solomon of
Streetsville " wrote his burlesque, and time, which cures all things, has removed all re-
proach as to the city's size, but as to the rest, Hamilton is more stirring and more
ambitious than ever. Ambitious ? Why not ? P'or ambition is
" the spur tli.it the clear spirit dotli raise
To scorn ileliglits and live lahorious days."
Dundas was the most dangerous rival of Hamilton m the race for commercial
preeminence. But Ancaster was still earlier in the field, and at one time was the
centre of commerce, manufactures, and postal communication for the whole district.
.In his pedestrian tom-s throuidi the Western Peninsula, ('.ov(;rnor Simcoe would extend
his already prolonged march in order to enjoy the cheer and the bright ingle-side of
his Ancaster inn. As tlie fruit of Simcoe's tours, we have the great military highway
which he drew and intended to open from Pointe au Baudet on the St. Lawrence,
through Kingston, York (Toronto), the Head of the Lake (Dundas), Oxford (Wood-
stock), London, and so to the River Detroit. This great road he named " Dunda?
jVOA' III urn m: Id 1 1 no r 63
Street," after Henry Dumlas, Viscount Melville, who diirinj^ Simcoe's orovernorship was
Secretary-at-War in the Duke of Portland's cabinet. I'roin this Street, which still at
Dundas is called " Tlu! Governor's Road," the town took its name. The vast marsh
which occupies the lower part of the picturesque Dundas Valley was a noted resort
for water-fowl, and the military officers stationed at \'ork (Toronto) revelled in the
si)ort that it affordetl. Early in the century. Captain Coote, of the lui^dith or Kinjj^'s
Rej^iment, devoted himself to this sport with so much enthusiasm that, by a well-aimed
double-barrelled [nui, which broui,dit down at once i)olh the water-fowl and the sports-
man, the marsh was nicknamed " Coote's Paradise." \\\ extension, the name was
applied to a village that clustered around the upper end of the marsh, and thus in our
earliest Parliamentary records we encounter "petitions" from "Coote's Paradise," and
legislation based thereon.
Recent geologists tell us that some a^ons ago the water of the upper lakes dis-
charged, not over the precipice at Niagara, but swept in a majestic tide down the
strath of Dundas ; and that the great marsh and Burlington Bay are but the sur\ ivals
of this ancient epoch. Among the early burgesses of Dundas was one Pierre Desjardins,
wlio, like the mighty canal-digger, Lesseps, did a good deal of original thinking for him-
self and for others. He saw the trade of the Western Peninsula falling in a thin cas-
cade over the mountain at Ancaster and Grimsby and the rest; " (// bicii. )iics amis,
why not turn the whole current of that trade down this ancient waterway- of the
Dundas Valley?" So Peter went to work, dug his canal the whole length of the
marsh, and wound it around Burlington Heights, which was easier than carrying it
through. The Great Western Railway presently began its embankments, and, by
arrangement with that great mound-builder, the Desjardins Canal pierced the Heights.
The remains of a mammoth were disinterred, startling the Irish navvies with the
consideration, " What game-bags the sportsmen in the ould times must have had ! '
With the opening of the Desjardins and Burlington Canals the keenest rivalr\- began
between Dundas and Hamilton, old Ancaster looking down amusedly at this race from
her seat on the Mountain. The odds seemc^d in favour of Dundas until the opening of
the Great Western Railway, -headcpiartcrs at Hamilton. The race was then over!
Soon the water-weeds began to encroach on the Desjardins Canal, and the ver\- name
was beginning to get unfamiliar when the frightful accident of the- 12th of March, 1857,
gave tlic place a renewed and a most tragic interest. The afternoon passenger train
from Toronto, after entering on the drawbridge that spanned the canal at Burlington
Heights, was heard to give a piercing shriek, aiul a moment afterwards was seen to
crush through the bridge and plunge into the canal fort\' feet below. The evening was
bitterly cold. .Ml through the night, and through the next day, and next night, the
doleful task pTOceeded of breaking up the sunken cars and removing the now heedless,
passengers. What spectral vision of tleath the engineer Burntield saw before him on
64
OUR PICTl 'RESQL 7:
the lin'ili^c when he sounded that picrcinij^ crx' will ncxcr he known, for. witli a heroism
worthy ol C'urliiis and old Koine, he ;)iiin!:;<'d with his iron sti-ed into the aljyss.
W hi'n it became apparent that r.iili^oad eiUer|irise had altered the " manifest
destiiu" of l)nndas, the town wisel\- desoted itself to manuhii tnres rather than to
na\i^ation, seleclin:^- those manufactures which lorm the threat staples of commerce and
the pi'ime mo\'ers ot industrv , cotton manuiai'tin'e, paper manulacture, the imildin^' of
engines and boilers, th(' makiiiL; ot wood-w oi'kiiiL; machinery, ol carding' m.ichines, and
of stei'l and iron tools, from the axe to the ^iant lathe. .\ fraternal relation has been
established with its old commercial antagonist, Hamilton, by the layiuL;' ol a steam
tramway. No xicissitutic of fortuni: can di'|)ri\'e I )undas ol the greatest ol her ancient
<^dories, and that is her glorious scener\ , which iinoluntarily brin^^s every tourist to his
feet as the train sweeps aloiii,;' the mountain terrace. .""iince the day, more than two
centiu'ies aj^o, when I, a Salle, first of lun'opeans, ea/ed upon this sceiier)-, the ravine,
tlu; neiL;hbourinL;- cascades, the whole; valle}', — thiM'e has been but oni; verdict, and
a_Li;^ainst that verdict I )undas need fear no apjx'al I
Leaving' the l)Luielas \alley, we cannot do better than strike across the country
for the (irantl River. W (• take tlu; ancient Indian trail, b\' which the lirst white
i;k;. \r wksm'kn rau.wav sr.MUi.N, uamiliun.
AY Vv' riii-RX xi-n.iinoR
7.<:^ — ^
URINKIN'C. lOl'NTAlN IN Till-; GORli
\v;i\ larcr tlirnu<rh these solitudes, loliet, - s^, - -"' —
iiKule his wav lioincwards to Ouchec
from \\\v newly - disco\crccl Saiill Ste.
Marie. It was thro\ii;h thes(? L;lens, and throui^h the archways of some of these
ver\- trees, that the youn*,^ exi)lorer jo\-oiisly strodt; alonL,^ with tlu; tirst roiinh ma[) of
our Western Peninsula in his pocket. I'^ollowin^' this old Indian trail throutrh a
series of picturescjue landscapits, we strike tlu; charming' riv(M' which tlie I'^rench.
from the size of the eml)Ouchure, named the "(irand," and which (jovernor Simcoe
vainly attempted, 1)\- solemn statute, to re-christen the " Ouse." This district feii
within the western ridint^ of his County of York. The Eni^lish County of York is tra-
versi^tl by the Ouse; (•/;;'(; this river oui^ht to l)e, not the " (irand," hut the "Ouse." \\\
a similar loi^ical process, "Toronto" should he \'()rk, autl became York accordinylv.
66
o(/< /'/c7'(/</-sorj-
s
O
2i
>
<
z
o
h
O
m
a
<
2
O
H
|J
<
I
\0R/'///-:RX MiU.llJiOK 67
Happily in ncitiicr case did \\\v. new laix-l adiicrc. \V<: liavc strut k tlic Ciraiul Rivt-r.
wiicrc the old Mohawk Church stands scntr\- oxer the touih tiiat incloses the mortal re-
mains of Brant, the greatest of Indian chieftains. This church is all that now remains
of Mrant"s amhitious and once famous Indian villai^c. which lor a half-century con-
tributed so main picturestpie pa,!L,'es to the narratives of toin'ists. MusinL,^ o\cr P)rant's
toml) in the deepening; shadow of tlu; Mohawk Church, one's thoui^dits are borne with
the murmuring river to the lake shores that often witnessed the prowess ot those terri-
ble warriors; and thence onwards to those shores beyond the seas where brench and
l'lnL;lish statesmen ofttMi aiixiousl)- awaited tlu; ilecisions ol Indian council-hres. While
cullivatini^ tln' alliance of the Hurons around Cieor^ian Ha\ , Champlain was betraNCtI
into the fatal error of makin;;' an inroad into the lair of the Ir()([U()is south ol Lake
Ontario. The British (io\-ernment, on the other hand, has always shown a marked and
humane consideration for all tin; aborii^ines of the Colonies, without reference to tribal
divisions. Brant is affirmed to have been the son of one of the four Indian chiefs
who visited Enjj^hind in 1710. Oueen Annt; had these novel visitors comfortably cared
for in London, and attended by two interpreters. .Students of Addison's Spectator will
remember the amusing paper in which are given alleged extracts from the journal of
one of these "Indian Kinj^s": — the Indian's mythical account of the buildintj of .St.
Paul's Cathetlral, and his philosophical remarks on I'^n^lish politics and fashions. Out-en
Anne became so interest(;d in the evancrelization of the Retl Men that she presented
to th(! aborii^ines of the Mohawk Valley a commimion service of solitl silver, which
went through all the turmoils of the Revolutionary War iminjunxl, and was brouiL^ht
over by Brant on his emic^ratins;' from the Mohawk to the (irand River. The service
is still carefully preserved and is used at Communion. It is rej^arded by the Indians
with Ljreat vt.'ueration ; for, b\- historical as well as ndiyious associations, it visibl\ links
them to the great past of their race. Is it wontlerful that the more thoughtful of
this ancient race should now s[)end tht'ir lives in sad day-ilreams on tlu^ epoch when
the Irotpiois were imdisputed masters of all the Creat Lakes, and of all the ntjble
rivers and of the rich woodlands antl their sunn)' gkules from the Ottawa and the
Hudson to the Mississippi? Lahontan, writing in 1684, estimated each of the fr.-e
cantons of the Iroquois Confederacy at fourteen thousand souls, of whom fifteen
hundred bore arms. A sixth "nation," the Tuscaroras, was admitted in 1714, bring-
ing with it another warlike contingent. By their sagacity and elotiuence at the
councibtire, as well as b\' their matchless bravery in the field, the Mohawks long held
the Hegemony in this unitpie Confederation. Is it wonderful to find this taciturn but
emotional race living in the past rather than in the present? Talk of "reserves"
to a race- whose hunting-ground was half a Continent ; you might as well have allo-
cated Lake Windermere to the Danish vikings that roamed at will over the wild
North Sea !
68 01 h' ricrrRi-:s()ri'.
The Treaty of I ln(lil in 171,, dciLiitd tlic Ii()(|iiiiis (."()Mf(;(ler;u'y, — tlu'ii coinpris-
injj^ I'ive Nations, -to lie iindi r the innicc lion of (ircal Britain. I lie trust thus undtr-
laken lias ever since inlhieucfij tlic policy of tiu' Canadian as well as ol ihe Imperial
Government. \\ hen the Civil contest broke out l)et\v<'en Mni^laud and the .\mericau
Colonies, the Indians oc;nerally remained faithful to the "(ireat I'ather," and i^rant's
inrtuence far mon; than out\veiL,died the opposition of the Sem^ca chief, " k(,'d Jacket."
When the l<e\()lutionar\ War closed, the l'. V.. Loyalists wen- at lirst forL,M)tten. and
amoui,'' them the Indian allies, whose interests in the United .Slates were ol»\iousl\
imperilled b\ the ch.in^e of ( iovernmi'iit. iirant so strenuously re|)resent<(l the
matter, that (ieneral llaUlimand, the l-ieuti'nant-( iovernor of Upper Canada, assij^ned
to the Indian Loyalists a larm; reservation on tlu; Grand River. This comprised
orij^inally a belt tw<'l\c mih's wide, interesected b\- the river from the mouth to the
sourc<'. \ arious contiuLjents of the .Six Nations arrixcd and formed cantons alonj^
the ri\cr front. I'Or his own tribe, the Mohawks, Mrant selected the pictures(pie and
fertile \alle\' in which Hrantford was half a century later to bi; fi)undcd. It w.is
lirant's earh- ambition to win oxer his pef)ple to civilized life, and to establish a pros-
perous ;uul inlluential Mohawk Canton, lie h.ul been alread\' eni^ai^cd on this
scheme in the Mohawk \'alh;\'. His tribe were not only fierce warriors and lithe
huntsmen, but fairly yood farmers. Tlu;y, as well as their triends, the Senecas, had
not only wide strain tields, but rich fruit orchards, I'"or seventx' yi-ars alter tiu; tin; and
sword of Sullivan's e.\i)edition had swc;pt over their valU;\s, the traces oi Indian in-
dustry were still discernibU;, Brant emit^^rated to the (inind River, havin<j present
to his memory the wavinj^ L;rain-tields and tht; hill-sides, white; with orchard blossoms,
which Indian husi)andry had added t(j the landscapes of the Mohawk and W^yomin^-
Valleys. He hoped to re[)roduce such scenes amou;^ the rich woodlands of the (irand
River. Ikit it was no li.tjht task to brinj;' back to peaceful thous^hts and pursuits his
wild warriors after si.x years of savat^^e warfare. Even without this recent frenzy in
their blood, there was in the Indian race a passionate yearning- after wild wood-
land life that would break out afr(;sh aft(;r many years of civilized routine. C^n
Brant's death, in 1807, his widow promptlj- abandoned the comfortable homestead,
with its train of servants, at W^ellington .Scpiare, and, after twenty-seven years of
civilized life, set up a wii^wam on the (irand River. Au,(,aistus Jones, the Deputy
Provincial .Surveyor, — remembenxl lor his survey of Yonge .Street and of v(;ry many
of our early townships, — married an Indian bride at the (irand Riv{;r, Init their son,
Peter Jones (".Sacred Waving I<'eathers," ) the famous missionary, tells us that, owint;
to his father's fretpienl absence, the household reverted to Indian life and habits;
that h(; himself lived and wand(r(;d for fourt(;en years with tlu; Indians in the
Grantl River woods, blackening his face with charcoal to coiuiliate the Munedoos
(Goblins), and l)eha\ing j^enerally like a young pagan.
A(^A'/7//:A'.V .\7:Vr;///.VVv'
6q
(lovt^rnor 1 laldiiuiiiiil had
assij^nctl spt'cially to Brant's
trihc, the Mohawks, a beauti-
ful tract six mik's scjuarc,
most |)icturcs(|uc'ly situatcil.
and intersected l)y tlie (irand
l<i\t r. I'Or niort! con\cnienl
intercourse Hranl threw a kind
oi l)ooni across liic ri\(;r at
a pomt where it contracts its channel,
and near liie site of tlie line iron hrid^c
wliich was recenlK opened h\- His l'",\-
cellciu)- the .Mar(|uis of Lome, and
wliicli hears liis name. This crossin;^
came to he l<iiown as " l^rant's I-'ord " and afterwards "Hrantford"; just as C'haucers
i^'enth' tadcnce " Oxenford " Ix-came sliarpencd and slirilled into "().\f()r(l." The chief-
tain's |)hin of cixilization set f)ut witli the Mxan^clization of his irihc In 17S5 lie \ isited
En^rlaml, where he was rt-ceived with distinction, and 011 his return he Iniilt with the
70 OCR PICTURESOl'R
funds he had collected the Mohawk Church, as we still find it. Resuminjj^ the studies
of his earlier and his happiest days, he trimslated into the Mohawk dialect the Service
of the AuLjlican Church and the Gospel of St. Matthew. In this translation of the
Gospel it is very intercstini;^ to note that he renders " town " or " \illatre " by
" Canada,' thus supplyinjf an undesi^jniHl hut strikinj^ elucidation of our National name.
This Mohawk Church was the tirst teinpU: dedicated to Christianity in Uppc:r Canada,
and the " sound of a church-goinq' hell " was here lirst lu.'ard. Though the church
is left the lonely survivor of Brant's village, s(,'r\ ice is still regularl)- conducted
there in the Mohawk dialect, which is nov,' gent rall\- understood by all of the .Six
Nations. Towards the end of his life Brant changed his residence to Wellington
S(]uare (Burlington), where he occupieil a house and estate bestowed u])oii him by
the (i()\crnment. On Ma\'-l)a\' of every \ear tlu; banks of the Graiul River above
and below the I'ord (exhibited unusual stir and animation ; for this was the great
annual festival of the .Six Nations. As we look (nit from the Lome Bridge on the
charming landscape that has in places survived the change of race, let us conjure
away the busy streets and mills and factories, the church spinas and educational
institutes of the present city; let us take tlu; " to\vn-|)lot " of 1S30 awa\- back to its
primeval, park-like beauty. These river-banks are once mow. clothed to the vergi?
with rich woods, that are now putting forth tlu-ir young foli.ige. Here and there
are natural meadows alread\' jojous with bright spring llowers. The CJrand River
dances merrily in the sun this May-morning, as great c.uioes sweep up and down,
bearing warriors gay with wa\ing fi;athers and brilliant with vermillion. Their
tomahawks have been polished to the brightness of silver, and llash out from their
belts like meteors as the warriors bow to the sweep of their paddles. The smoke
of wigwams ascends the still morning air in slumberous columns. Presently, all
the canoes converge towards the Mohawk X'illage. The sl.ite coach of Brant, ihc;
great Tekarihogea of the Six Nations, — " the chief of chicflains and warriors," —
approaches, drawn by four horses and attended b\- a numerous retinue of livtMied
servants. He Is received with a barbaric pomp, that to those earnest men is no
unmeaning parade. As w(.' scan tlunr faces, we remember with a shudiler the\ are
the very men who swept with the whirlwind of their revenge; the valleys of the .Sus-
quehanna! Unhappih' for poor (icrlntdc of \\'\oiin)to\ Brant was iiol there to restrain
them, as h(; (dsewhere did, and as he alone of mortals could. liappier ilays and
peaceful scenes have now befallen the Irocpiois; to-da\- the\' an; met near the Grand
River l''ord for festivity. Tin- war-dances begin, ami they arc; given with an earnest-
ness suggestive ol rectml and terrible ri;hearsals. We are glad when the younger
warriors introduce tlu-ir games of actixily, notabl\' the gq-acful Lacrosse, in which the
"Brants" of another race and a futunt gtMieration will perhajts by their achievenu-nts
obscure the remembrance of this May-Day. Now the daylight fails; ilu- cimp-
AOR TUERX NEIGHBOR
fires Hg^ht up into wild relief the wigwams, those dusky, athletic lunns, and i!ie
foliage of the woodlands. The assembled warriors form a circle around their re-
nowned Tekarihogea and listen to his ever)- word with profound attention ; for
Brant has lately returneil from his second visit to the Court of the " Cireat I'ather,"
where he lias l^een receixed like a "King of Men," as he is. He is full of bright
anticipation. He has brought over mone\- to c;rect a church, and he has had a
church-bell specially cast, which will soon arrive. As to that an.xious (juestion, the
fee-simple of the Indian Reserves, the I'rince of Wales assured iiim on his honour
all would be well. \Vc are in the midst of the chieftain's bright anticipations for
the Six Nations and their Mohawk metropolis, when our reverie is broken by a
railwa)' train thundering athwart the rixer. We find ourselves still on the Lome
Bridge, the dark current is swirling j)a5t the abutment, antl the gas-lights are glancing
on the water. What of Brant's Mohawk metropolis and of his bright hopes for the
Six Nations ?
Half-civilized communities have at any time but little cohesion, aiul, men during
Brant's life!, disru[)tive forces were actively at work. A faction of his tribe split off
and went away to the Bay of Ouinte. His eldest son, a morose ami implacable .savage,
was deeply concerned in these domestic broils: he led a continuous and determined oj)po-
sition to tin; chit^ftain's sagacious plans, and suggested unworthy motives. I'oUowing up
his unnatural hate, he made a murderous assault upon his lather in his own house at
Wellington Stpiare, but the old warrior . smote him such a blow that he died of the
effects. Under the cloud of this awful tragedy, — the gruesome eviilence of which is
still discernible at Brant House, — the chieftain rapidlj- failed. The last words caught
from his dying lips were a gasping entreaty to care for the interests of the poor Ked
Men. His youngest son b)- the third wife succeedetl him in his chieftainship and
dignity. The son was manfully struggling with the; difficult task that had been left
to him when the unfortunate War of 1812 broke out, with its demoralizing influences.
At the hrst scent of blood the Mohawk warriors returned with a tremendous rei)ound
towards sa\agc habits of life. Their gallant young chieftain led them in person at
the battles of Oucenston Heights, Lundy's Lane, and the Beaxcr Dam; but during
the war he had great difficult)- in keeping them uiuk-r restraint, and it was still niore
difticull. when the war was over, to win them back to peaceful industry. The
scheme of the gn-at Iro()uois Colon\- with the Mohawk metropolis was a most in-
teresting political experiment, but its failure was a foregone conclusion. In \'^^o
Captain John Brant recognized the issue 1)\- granting a " town-|)lot " to a mcjre organi-
zable race. ( )n this site arose successi\-ely the village, town, city oi Br.-uub)ril, which
happily perpetuates the Lnglish namt; of the great Thayenilanegea. Scarcely had the
younger chieftain seen the foundation laid for this ir.ore promising enterprise when,
after six hours' illness, he fell a \ ictim to cholera during the dreadful visitation of
72
O I 'R PICTL lUlSQ L J:
THK OLD MOHAWK ( IHKCII.
1832. His ashes wciH^ laid beside those of his lainoiis sire Their toiiil) i)rin_i;s
annually main- pilgrims to Uranlfortl, and thence to th<.' Mohawk Chiurh.
I lu; Council 1 louse nf the Six Nations is now in the 1 ownsliip ol lusearora,
about eleven miles from lirantfortl. The views alon^; th<' river in this delightful drive
are remarkably line, especially wliere we look down u\)nu the "ox-bow" bend: there,
on the rich alluvium ol How I'ark, the- Honourable ("leor^c Brown established his
famous henls of shortdiorn cattle, which are still one of tin- sii;hts of this neii^hbonr-
hootl. The Marl of HiitU'rin was entertained in i''^74 b\ the Six Nations at their
Council House. W'ith these assi-mbled chiefs ami warriors the main concern was, not
their own welfare, but the memory of their ^reat chief! They entrusit'd the ( lov-
ernor-Cicneral with an atldress to II. K. II. Prince Arthur, who, on his visit to
.\ ■( Vv' TlUiRX A liJGUBi Vv'
/ >>
Canaila in i860, had been enrolled a chief of the Irocpiois Confederation. The oiilconie
of this acklr(;ss was a public movement for a Brant Memorial, which it is intended
shall occupy the centre of the \Mctoria Park. Hrantford, opposite the Court House.
Alonj^ the (irand River Valley from Hrantford to Fert^us we have a Ioiil;- series of
picturesque si:ats of industr\-. The chief are ikantford. I'aris, (ialt, IVeston and Iilora
on the main river; Ayr on the Nith, which joins tin; (iranil River at Paris; and
(iiielph on the Speed,
which joins the (irand
River at Preston.
Amontr the leading
industries of Hrantford
are manufactures of
eUL^dnes and boilers;
port abl e saw - mills ;
_L,frist-mill machinery ; aiLjricul-
tural implements ; stoves and
ploui^hs ; cotton and stone-
ware. Ainiilst these enj^-ross-
ini^^ interests the etlucation of
tlu; youni^ has not been over-
looked. The Public luluca-
tional System imludes, besitles
the ordinary e(|uipmenl of
Central and Ward Schools,
an extensive CoIle_<j[iate Insti-
tute. The- younij^ I.ailies' College" is under tlu*
oversijj^lil of \\\v Presbyterian Church. In tlu;
vicinit\- of Hrantford are two special educational
institutions; the Indian Institute, under the con-
trol of a benevolent corporation, constituted
in 1640; and the ( )niario Institution for
the Hlind. which is administe-red bv the
Provincial ( iov I'rnnu'Ul.
Prom the hill we have now reached look
away south across the broad vallev to the
woodeil hei!4;hts. Nestling amon^- those distant tree-,
m the days of its late owner, sui^^L^U'sted. not hard-handed husbandry, but literarv leisure
and scientific research. The house lav back from tln' hi-hw.iv with a hospitable vine-
Had porch ; and, if you strolled to the edi^e of the ^rounds, vou looked down from a
lies a cosv llomestead vvjucll.
74 o(7^: ricriRi-.sijci-:
lofty arbour upon a ri\er \ista of c;\c(.;('clini:^ loveliness. Aniiil llu; inspirinu^ sccncr)* of
Tutelo Heights was conceived and brout^ht forth that most surprisin_<^ of articulate crea-
tures, the Speaking Teh-phone. It was in llu- long summer days of 1S74, - just when
the golden wheat-fields on the lleights were waving a welcomes to the har\i;sters, — that
the germinal iilea occin'rt-d to Proft^ssor Ciraham Hell. Then follow«;d two \ears of in-
tense thought and constant e.xperiinent. Among Canadians there wen; a ft;w men
"visionary" enough to realize the \ ast possibilities of the instrument, notably ntMgh-
bour Brown of Bow Park, and his brother. .Mr. W. 11. Griffm, the Hrantford agent
of the l)oniinion Telegraph Companx , generously ga\c his nights and the vise of his
wires to the cause, anil thus the wv.w inxeiition came tirst to be tested on an actual
telephonic circuit between Hrantford and Tutelo Heights. It was a balmy August
night of 1S76, tran([uil and starlight — a night which none of us who wt-re present in
the porch on the Heights art; likely to forget. A prefatory "llo\-, hoy!" spoken into
the Telephone was swiftl)' answered back by " Ho\-, hoy!" Some weird, ghostly echo ?
No : a cheery human \oice repl\ ing from Hrantford, — yonder where the distant lights
are glimmering in the vallev. TIeartv congratulations were exchanged. Then a i)ara-
graph was read from the nev»-s of the day, — by an auspicious coincitlence, some project
of high hope and expectation. The sentences ilistilled from an aerial wire, and from
the earth beneath our fei;t into the little receivcM', word by word, clear and bright as
amber. There was something inexpressibly solemn in that first human xoice ilowing
in out of boundless sjiace and welling up from the foundations of the world. A pause.
Then a slender runlet of sweet, plaintive music trickled into the ear; other voices
swelled the rt'frain, and now a \ery fountain of meloily gushed forth. 'The Tele-
phone has since become oiu; of the most familiar of scientific instruments ; but,
on that memorable occasion, when its powi-rs were first unfolded, the scene might
well be thought a Icvt'c of King Oberon, — an enchanted Dream of th(; Mitl-summer
Night.
Between Brantford and Paris ri\er-views of g;reat beauty reward the adventurous
canoeist. Paris, like Ouebec, has an upper ami lower town : the tlividing line here is the
Nith, or " Smith's C"re(,'k," which, after winding through deep, romantic glens, joins the
Granil ki\(;r. 'The settlement was originally called "'The T'orks of the (irand Ri\er"
until Hiram Capron, local!)- dignifu'd as "King" Ca|)ron, raised the standard of revolt.
H«' called a public meeting (about iS;^6) and protested against having to head all his
letle-rs with "'The T\)rks of the (irand River." He recommended the wonl "Paris"
both for shortness, and because there was so much crude plaster of Paris in the neigh-
bourhood. 'Thus the settlement got the name Paris, and the shrewd X'ermonter gained
a perpetual advertisement for his gypsum beds and |»laster mill ! 'The gypsum
deposit on the (irand River extentis from Cayuga to P.u-is, a distance of about
thirty-five miles. Geologically it belongs to \.\\v. "Onondaga" formation, and, at
\()A' rni-.RX MUiiiinoR
/D
COLI.KdlAI i: INSllllll. UKANIIOKI).
Paris, tlie deposit is divided into
two veins of four or tnc feet
in thickness 1)\- a four-tool stra-
iinii of shale. The veins are
mined back to considerable tlis-
tances from the river-hanks,
leaving; <i series of dark cata-
combs, and thus s^ixin^ to the
C'anailian Paris at least a sub-
terranean resemblance to the
Irench metropolis. .Amonij^ the characteristic industries of this pictiu-escpie town, its
kniltinu;' factories shouKl not be overlooked.
rile no\clist, John (ialt, is responsible for nian\- of the o'en^raphical names that are
found within or near the old domain of the Canada Com|)an\'. Many ])U//linLi names
of townships become abinulantly clear b\ referenie to a list of the C"om|)an\'s dire(tors
dinin;^' the years when (ialt was their Supt'rintende it. M.un names were bestowed by
him as a compliment to others, or i)\ oth<-rs as a lomplimenl to him. .Anion^' the
latter was "(ialt," tirsl tlesionatin^^ a postal station, and afterwards successively the
villaj;c ami town. In iSK) the llonourable William Dickson |)ur( based the township,
which he nameil l)umlries alter his native town in Scotland. lie committetl the practi-
76 OUR PICTURESQUE
cal details of colonizing this unbroken forest to Absalom Shade, a young Buffalonian,
by trade a carpenter, and by natural capabilities anything else that may be needed.
Shade's sagacity is sufficiently evinced in the site that he chose for the future town
The material advantages in water-power were obvious ; let us hope that he was not
uninfluenced by the glorious scenery which Mr. Young, the Historian of Gait, restores
for us in a few vivid sentences : " As Mr. Shade surveyed the scene stretched out
before him during that July afternoon in 1816, it must have appeared infinitely grander
than at the present time. The gently sloping oval-shaped valley at his feet, the waters
of the Grand River passing — like a broad band of silver — straight through its centre,
the graceful hills encircling around, and the luxuriant profusion of summer foliage
rising from the centre, tier above tier, until the highest jieaks of the sombre pines were
reached — these peculiarities of the landscape, so suggestive of a vast natural amphi-
theatre, must have matle up a striking and beautiful picture. It must have looked like
an immense Coliseum in leaves!" At Mr. Dickson's request the Pest Office of the new
settlement was named "Gait" after his early friend and his school-mate in Hdinburgli ;
but for eleven years the settlers called their village "Shade's Mills." The genial
novelist visited the place in 1S27, and henceforward village as well as Post Office bore
his name. On the occasion of this very visit, was not Cialt making thumb-nail sketches
of Shade and others to be afterwards dt;veloped in his novel " Lawrie Todd"? We
throw out the suggestion for the benefit of (ia//ojiiaiis, — readers of Gait as well as
residents of Cialt.
The town is now a prosperous centre of industry. There are large llouring mills
driven by the fall of the river, and numerous machine-shops, factories and foundries
driven by steam. The raw materials that feed these busy hives are wood, iron, wool
and leather, (ialt has won its way through some severe ordeals. In July, iS;,4, tin;
cholera, introduced by a travelling menagerie, swept away in four days nearly a I'lftii of
the population, and followed out to their farms in the \icinity many of the rural sight-
seers. The violence of the plague was so great tliat robust men died in some cases
within an hour of seizure. In 1S51 and again in 1856 the t(jwn suffered appalling
losses from fire; but indomitable courage "out of this nettle danger plucked this
fiower safety." The fires found Gait built of wood, and left it built of limi-stonc anil
granite. The most recent architectural triumph is the I'resbyterian Church that
morning and evening casts upon the Cirand River the shadow of its lofty anil grace-
ful spire.
Guelph enjoys the triple honour of having a Royal name, a literary paren-
tage, and a distinguished historian. Mr. Gait tells us how, after maj)ping out a
block of more than 40,000 acres of the choicest land in the Company's broad do*
main, he had '. 'e rich woodlands and river banks explored, and that by a gratifying
consensus of reports the present site of (iuelph was selected. In order to give the
occasion diiu importaiUf and solemnity, St. Gcorj^fe's I )a\' (April -Ji'tl, ) 1S27, was
sclccl(.:(l for the inauguration. \\'(r cannot do better than let the lounder himself
(l(!scril)e it :—
".\l)out sunset, (lri|;|)inj^- wet, we arrive 1 near the spot we were in cpi'st of, a
shanty, which an liulian, who had committed murder, had raised as a refuj^e for
himself.
"We found the men, under the orders of Mr. Prior, whom 1 had employed
for iht; Compan\', kindlins; a roaring lire, and after endeavourini; to eiry ourselves,
and havint^ recourse to the store i)asket, I proposed to s^o to the spot chosen for the
t()\,n. H\' lliis time tlu' sun was set, and l)r. Duidop, with his characteristic tlroller\'.
haxin^ doffed his wet L;arl), and dressetl himself Indian fashion in iilankets, we pro-
ci;eded with .Mr. Prior, attended hy two woodsmen with their a.\(;s.
" It was consistent with my plan to invest our ceremon\- with a little mystery,
the better to make it remeniberetl. .So intimating- that tlu; main body of the men
were not to come, w(; walkt-tl to the brow of the neit^dibourini^ risini,^ ground, and
Mr. Prior havinj; shown the site selected for the town, a lart^e maple tree was
chosen ; on which, takins; an a.\(; from one of the woodmen I struck iIk; first
stroke. To me at least the moment was impressive, -aiul the silence of tlu; wood
that echoed to the sound, was as the sigh of the solemn genius of the wildern(.;ss
departing for ever.
" The doctor followed me — then, if I recollect rightly, Mr. Prior — and the wood-
men finished the work. The tree fell with a crash of accumulating thuiuler. as if
ancient nature were alarmed at the entrance of man into her innocent solitudes
with his sorrows, his follies, and his crimes.
" 1 ilo not suppose that the sublimity of the occasion was unfelt by the others,
lor I noticed that after the tree fell there was a funereal pause, as when the
colihn is lowered into the grave ; it was, however, of short duration, for the tloctor
pulled a tlask of whiskej from his bosom, and we drank prosperity to the City of
Guelph.
" The name was chosen in compliment to the Royal Family, both because I
thought it auspicious in itself, and because I could not recollect that it had ever
before been used in all the King's dominion.s."
The success predicted for the new settlement by its founder was already more
than half won by the very site he had chosen. From its throne on tht; hills the " Royal
City " would command one of the choicest of agricultural realms — a succession of allu-
vial bottoms, pastoral streams, aiul fruitful hill-sides. Water-power came rushing and
bounding down the heights, neighing for its master like a high-mettled charger, eager
to champ the forest trees into lumber and the golden grain into ft)am\' tlour. The
rolling landscape early suggested pastoral farming. The way thither was well led more
7^
or A' riCI L RliSOL I-
than half a century ai^o I)\' Rowland Wini^llcld, a ynnn^;; i^-cntlcinan from Gloucester-
shire, who slocked his hill-r^ides with Southdown and Leicester sheep, l)esidc;s importing
shorldiorn cattle and Herkshir(! hoi;s. Mr. A. 1). [•"erri(M-, in his •• Re-miniscences," recalls
the landin;^ oi this choice stock at (jiiehec, and the sensation lln-re produced. It
was an " ohject lesson," not onl\- lor the luihita)is, hut for the ix-st of our Western far-
mers. The lirst (iuelph lairs exhiiiiied not the i^lossy fat l)c;eves arul the L;runtin_v(
pork-harrels of lo-d;iy, hut oft(Mi the most shadowy of kine and the most saurian of
" allij.;ators." li.\periment.d farming; took early ami dee)) root in this district, enriching
by its results not alone tlu; district, hut the iMitire !'ro\ince. *
These valuahli.' experiments receixcd olVicial r(,'coL;niti(Mi in iSj^^, wIkmi the Provin-
cial Collej^c of Agriculture and i'lxperimenial I'arin was located about a mile south of
(jut'lph, on a tract of 550 acres, which had prexiously formed the stock farm oi Mr. I'".
W. Stone. The old farin-hous(; has rapidly j^^rown into an extensive pile of build-
inyjs, including', besides
quarters for a hundreil
and fortv students, a "^.-,^'-^'^i i-;^V^sr>'I:/..iiiFJ.
K.MI.KO.M) HKUxa:, I'ARIS
fjood library, a
museum, lecture-
rooms, laborato-
■^^v
rK;s and conserva-
tories. The desij^Mi of this admirabh; inst iition is to apply to agriculture the
principles, the methods, and the discoveries of modern scientific research.
I
.\( Vv' rin-.Rx Miu.inh )i<.
79
Ni:\v rki-suvii-.KiAN riiuKcii, hai.i
Cialt's historical tree hccainc tlic radiant
|)niiit tor the future cit\-. ( )u the massive
stuinp was forthwith phmtcd a c-ompass-staff, and the Surveyor, Jaiiics McDonald, pro-
claimed ///(f/ to ije the centi'e of the nt'w settlement. After, howi'\-er, this solemn word
had passed, souk; scf))"!^!!^' by-stander spoke uj) and said, that now, for onct.', the centre
of a circh' would lie on its circumfen'nce, because the sur\c\or was tluMi on the verv
etlLj^e of the town-plot! I )r. I)unlop, the witty and eccentric suri^eon f)f tlu- Canada
Companv, was earl\- afield when an\' project was started that im|)li<'d either hone-setting
or the s|)illinL;; of wine. I )unloi) prom()tly r-duced the surveyor's dislocatio)t b\- e.xplain-
uii;" that the streets were to be disposed like the rib.s of a lady's fan, and were to
radiate from dall's tree as their centre. The scoffer was mute; lik(! tlu; web of an
uns,;(;()nu;trical spider, the plan of ("luelph was woven; and so it remains. Ihe scene of
thes(.' eventfid sa\in<rs and doiiiLTs mav be visittnl b\ the curious traveller who is waitiiv
for his train at the Grand Trunk Station. Walkiii!.,^ beyontl the east end of the plat-
form to the threshold of tiie ir(jn viaduct, he will see in the massive stone aljutment on
8o 01 R ricn Riisoi !•:
till-' ciIl;!' of the Speed an iiiulesij^Mied memorial occMipyini,^ the site where (ialt's ma|)Ie
lifted its majestic dome ol leaves. The deep-rooted hase of the tree loiij.; remained
undistiirhed and was nivered as a kind of lit(M-ar\ hecpuist. It bore a large sun-dial,
which for man\' years served Ciuelph as its town clock, and in tiie lleetinj^j shadows
cast hy the j^aiint tuiirer the rustic moralist found man)' a similitude of human life.
A memorial of the con\ivial tlays of John (ialt and Dr. Dunlop still survives in
the " I'riory," — an elm-loij; structure, not iledicated to ri-lij^dous uses, hut named in pun-
nine; commemoration of .Mr. Prior, the Canaila Company's jitrent. In a letter dated
••The Priory, Guelph. U. Canada, 5th October, 1S2S," Cialt tells his fricMul "Delta,"
•• ()ur house, it is true, is hut a loi; one, llie first that was erected in the
town ; hut it is not without some pretensions to elej^ance. It has a rustic portico
formeil with the trunks of tre(;s, in which the constituent parts of the Ionic
( )rder are really somewhat intellij^ihiy displa\cd. In the interior we have a handsome
suite ol rooms, a librar)-, etc." The Prior\, thouL;h framed of loi^s is said to have
<-ost lietween /,'i,ooo and £2,000 sterling-, such was the cost of imported materials, and such
at lirsl were the (^\treme ditticulties of transport. An ambitious market-house formed
the focus or hearth of the \<)uni^r city, and in approv(nl anticpu- style tlu> Civic Penates
were honored with a public feast and libations. A threat dinner was had, ami the attend-
■ ince secured of all majj^nates Gait could lay hands o\\. .Souie glimpses of the occasion,
as through a door ajar, are affordetl by y\j4'nes Strickland in the volumes of her father's
recollections. ( )f the i^uests. Ca|)tain John Hr.uit. the son and successor of the great
Thayendanegea, madt; the greatest impression on Colonel .Strickland, lie notes with
.idmiration tlu; grand physicpie, the dignitied bearing, antl the pithy eloquence of the
Mohawk Chieftain.
P'or the "long, (|uiet, winter nights" at the Prior)', (ialt had plotted out much
literarv work. 1). A. Moir, — the gentle "Delta" of Blachiunnis Mai^azitu\ — wa& his
<)wii l)roth(.'r in literature : ami ten years later would b(!Come his biographer ami literary
executor. Writing from (iuelph, in 1S2S, he tells I)(;lta that his mind is then engaged
on a byochiirc descriptive of Canada, and on "another volume for IJlackwood." The
("iU(!lph settlement was filling up with unexampleil ra[)idity, for the Superintendent's
energ)' provided roads and bridges through what had been an unbroken wilderness.
The settlers elsewhere began to contrast in most pointed comparisons the apathy of
the Provincial (jovernment in not opening up for them proper means of transit. As
(ialt sal in his library, gazing dreamih' into \\\v. great back-log fire, and building out of
the glowing embers towering projects, commercial as well as literary, he was roused with
a shud<ler from his reverie i)\' the dismal baying of a wolf-pack that swept past through
the winter forest in close pursuit of a deer; could he but he.ir them, there were already
afoot and in loud cr\' after him enmities and jealousies to the; full as raveiious and re-
morseless. Almost since his arrival in Canada, Cialt had been pursued by a politico-
.\(V\' ////;• A'.\' Min.llliOK
8i
ON rili: KlVl.R Sl'KKU.
and, inlliHiucd ihc ("om-
)aii\'s nircctors through
Downiii;,;- Street. I'rom
the iliisty despatches in
the Colonial Office, may
he L^leaiied that (ialt
luul accepted from Lyon
MacKenzie a file of the
8a o( /< I'icn i<i:soLi-:
Coloiiiiil .Itivpcixlc : it was ('\cii piihlicly statcil, and without anv pretence of mntra-
(lictinii, that he liail shaken hiiids witii MacKt-n/ic ! Ilic ////rr,i/riir was apt to spend
his cvcniiij^rs in i oninmnioii with iiooks : so he was " cm hisive," and "plaxiiii^ i'tt/^/iiiii
liviDui!' Mishop Macdomil was soMitlini<s at thv I'liory : (iah must hi- hrlpini; liis
Catliolic friend in sonn' (hvsii^n on liic CK-i-i^y Kcscr\('s. (i;dt will have to \n- kept
nndcr ol)s<'r\ ation, shadowed hy some pai'asiic of some |)ci"s()nal enemv ; after due
distortion, his saxin^s and doinj^s must lie secret!) jonrnali/ed and then cirried to
private ai'connts kept with ceilain notal)ilities. This scheme of " tinani iai control"
(|e\-eloped itsell preinalurtdx. At a hint of anthori/cd espionas^n- froni the ttiiihra itself,
anil the use ol till- phrase " coorchnate )in'isdiction," (iait hroke out \ chementU', lie
had concei\ed and created the ("an.ida Company ; he woidd l;(> to I'.nnland and ask
th(! Court of l)irectors wh.it all this meant? " ComiiiL; events cast then* shadows
before": the loiihia, with its diary and ledger, reached I{nL;land liefore him. Mveii at
tlie drnmdii-ad inveslii^ation which ensued, the Superintendent triumphantU- vindicated
his management; hut what of that? lie foimd that his ^ra\c hail hc'ii iIul,^ Infore the
court-martial had l>ei_;un I llis connection with the Canada Cf)mpany was ended; hut h<'
lived to set up in the pillor\' of everlasiiuL; scorn and dei'ision all concerned in this
intrii^iie. While taking his last Inok at (luelph, for which he had loded and suffered
much, then; was a |)athelii; farc'Well in front ol the Priory. .\ huiulred and forty-four
families had within eiL;hteen mouths set up houses on the town-plot, ami now with tears
starting; in their e\es they came to his door to tell (ialt how deeply the\' felt his efforts
to raise them from dependent circumstances to comparati\e independence. They added
an earnest hope that he woidd speedily reliu-n to them. Hut his work here; was done,
and he had amply earneil tin; m'atitiKle of Canadians. In crealiuL; the towns of Ciiielph
and Cioderich am! the interveninj.^ se\enty-ti\e miles of broad hi>.(hway he left to rpp(*r
Canada an enduring; memorial of his three years' residence. Anil in " l.awrie I'odd,"
where; he uses his exploration of the ("irand River as well as other scenes trom his
Canadian portfolio, he has left us a charmim; literar\' sonvtMiir. In these latter days of
vast land corporations it is well to recall the histor\' of our lirst threat laiul ciunpany ;
to learn how much a humane manager was able to accomplish for his shareholders,
while actively promotiiiL^ the comfort and welfare of the settlers.
The knoll that (iah bestowed upon the Anij^lican Church had alread\' disappeared
before; his death. The site is now occu|)ieil bv St. Cieori^fe's Sipiart; and the Post Ottice.
The Presbyterian knoll was levelled c'.own to form a site for tlu; present Market
House. The "Catholic IIill" still survives to illnstrat(; Gait's . I N/o/>ioorrii/>/iy, wmX as
we approach the hill throu^^di " Macdomll " Street, we are reminded of one of the
novelist's friends who remained constant while so man\' others proved faithless and
treacherous. Where Gait ailmirini,dv ilescrib(;il (iothic aisl(;s of oxerarchinL,^ elms, now
stand broad streets — " Wyndham " Street ami the rest, tl. inked by solid structures of the
.\7)A'////:A'.\' Mih.linOR
«;>
(■n-ainy-wliilc niaj^iU'sian liincstonr for whicli (iuclpli is fatuous
1 liis a(liniral)li' iiiatirial
is found alHMul.uiily
on Waterloo .\\-
rnur, uilllout K\v\\
raviuL; ill'' I il\'s
liniils. ( )nc of the
oldci" hoti'ls is point-
id out as ii;i\ \\v^
)ccn l)uilt of the
stone (|uarrieil from
Its own ( ellar. When
M'st t.iken out this
<loloinite is soft,
and in color iiu lines
to liulf ; hut on cx-
losure Id tile air
It h a r (1 e n s and
u hiteiis.
le i^coM'i^ii al
lSI.!-r KO'K, I'AI.I.S n|- II.OUA
■ ; sf^..
character of this district is interestiuL;, all the more because appareiitlv no example
of the formation occtu's elsewhere. Reposintr cin the Niai:^ara I'ormation an; a ii^M'oup
84
Or/< I'lCl LRHSQLli
of stratiliccl rocks, wliich make altogether a thickness of about a hiiii(h*eil and sixty
fc'-t. They form a Icnticiihir mass r.-aching in fxtreme breadlii about tiiirty-tive miles,
th;nnins4^ out in one ilirection towards the Niai^ara River, and restinj^ the other edjj^e
on the (ireat Manitoulin. The strata are stron^K- ilevelopiul at (iait and (iuelj)!!, and
a number of characteristic fossils take their specitic nanu's from this circumstance. Sir
William Lo<^an bestoueil on this special Ontario seri(!s the name of the "(luelph I'or-
mation." The ("ieolo<;y and Natural llistor\ of the District may be be very coiniMii-
(mu1\- studii'd in tile Museum at Mlora, and referenct; books can be consulted at the
Librar\. Ww. Museum was formed b\' the disinteri-stetl labours of Mr. I )a\ id !{o\le,
and has contriI)Uted to I'akeontolo^x ti'teen new speci«'S nl fossils, which have since
been named, described, \\x\i\ lij^ured b\' Prolessor Nicliolson in his Report to the
l'ro\ incial ( loNcrnment on the PakeonloloL^y of Ontario. ( )l these new species two
of the most graceful were named after ent.iusiaslic local anlicpiaries : M iirdiisoiiia
Ju>v/i/\ after Mr. I)o\Ie; and M iii chisoiiia C7(irk(/\ after the I lonourablc Mr. .Speaker
Chirke, who has ilone so much to preserve; the |)ioneer annals ol ilic District, and to
interest the public in its scenery,
I'lic (lUelph bOrmatioii makes main' notable contrii)utions to the scenerv of
Western Ontario -the ^lens, s^-or^es, cascades of tlu; (irand River b.isin. the piclur-
escpie disorder of the Sau^ceii X'alU'y, the romantic windings ol the .\u.\ Sables, -but
there is nowhere |)roduced an effect more charmiiiL; than the Meetinjr of th(! W.iters ;it
Elora. Here, walls of dolomite, in some places eii^ht)' feet hioh, --rise sheer from the
water, or so overhaiiL^, th.il, lookiii;.^ uj) from bel.^w, we recall, with a shudder, Shelley's
vi\id picture in ///<• L\tui: —
" Tliere is a niif^lily rnck
Whicli Ikis lioin unima^iiiahlf years
Susliiiietl itst'if will) terror and witli toil
Over a mill', and with the aj;ony
With which it chnt^s, seems slowly coniinj; down ;
i;\(Mi as a wrctciied soul, hour after hour.
Chutes to till! mass of life, yet clinj;iiig, le.iiis,
.And le.uiini;, makes more dark the dread abyss
In wliich it tears to tail."
The vilhiLre at the rotnantic I'". ills of the (irand River is tio more than tift\' \ears
old ; but liulian tribes, titne out of tnind, made this pl.ice their f;nouiite enc.i, iptnent.
To enilless fishititi^ and deer-stalkitiL;- was .idtled that natural IxsiutN, th.it deliLjhtfiil latul-
scape which, as his leL;( nds prove, the Indian e'ijo\'etl with the keene.t zest. .All
"iroiijLjh the rtiilest legends of the wii^Mvam, tliere are Vvoxcii eiich ittlin^ i)ictures of the
Happy Hunting (irounds, their tlclicious vertlure, and their brilliant llowers; the song
.\vvv'/7//:/v'.\' xi:i(;inhv<
8^
of hirds ; the deer l)()iin(ling throiiL;h llic rich wooillands ; the siimn lorcst i^hulcs ; the
(•(Mil river overshadowed hy hifty tn-es, and ripplcjd hy eountless hsh ; the merry
laughter of the' waterfall. As I'llora now hears the name of the xcstihiile that leil to
liic Paradise of tlie lar distant India, so our hither IncUans rejj^ardcd this lovel)' spot as
no unwortln portal to the l'd\siuin of their dreams and hopes. |ust such a summer
landscape as we ha\e here must ha\c deepU in^ sed Milton in his younger da)s, and
kiiulled his fancy when alterwards out ol the darivncss lu: pictureil n\v. ol the scc'iies in
h.den:-
I'mljiMKeous ^Tots and caves
Ot cool ri'ccss, o'er wliiih llic iiiaiuliiij; vine
L.iV' liiilh luT purple ;^i:ipc, mil ^tnllv creeps
LuMiriaiit ; nu iiiwliilc nmnnuriiii; w.ilcrs I. ill
Down the slope lillls, disper^l ; or in .1 Like, —
I'll, It til llie Inii^rd hank uilli niyrlle crowned
Iler crvsl. 1 nnrroi holds, -unite their streams.
At 'l"'lora, we are in tiu; \-ery heart and stronL,diol(l of the old Attiwandaronk Land —
the realm of that |iowerful Xeiitral Nation, which L,dimmers throiii^h Champlain's narra-
tive of i6i5-<), flashes out, ten years later, \w the letttM- of the friar Daillon, steadily j;lares
with a haleful lii^ht through th(^ lesuit l\clalio)is, and then, with appalling; suddenness,
is for e\cr e.xliiiL^uished hy the Iroquois invasions of 1650-1. liie Ntnitrals formed the
earliest historical inhahitants of the tlistricl \\v. are now illustratinij^. At the dawn of our
annals they were in possession of the whole central and southern portions of the ^reat
Peninsula of Western ()ntario; and thus la\' inter[)oseil between their dialectic cousins
— the llurons of (leoroian Hay —and .inotlu;r related race, the Inxpiois, of New ^'ork
.Slate. Though of kindred race, the llurons and the Irixpiois had lon;^ been at deadK'
f<'ud ; l)\ ;i remarkable compact, howtn'er, as loiii^' as the\' wert* within the bounds of the
Neutrals, they were to meet .ind for ver\' man\' ye.irs did meet —on terms of a])parent
amilN', oft( n sharine;- not onl\' the same wii^wams, but the same meals. The Ntnitrals
thus held the balance of ])ower, and thev w( re strong' enough to enforce this siin^nilar
armistice throughout the whole of their wide dom.iin. Thev' controlled both sides of the
NiaLjara Kixcr, Lake ()ntario as far as Purlin^ton Hay, and the whole Canadian shore
of Lake I'a'ie ; while their inland jurisdiction, as ah'eady saitl, covered the central and
southern tracts of thi' Peninsula. In 1626, this \vid(^ realm was governed b)- tl;e iLjreat
chief Soidiarissen, whose authority was imchalleni^-ed throui^hout the twenly-ei_i;ht consider-
able villan-es and towns thai tlien piclures(|uely dotted the land. Such a unit\- of com-
mand anion^ the Indians was almost without precedent ; but so was this chieftain's prow-
ess. Me had made successful war on seventeen hostile tribes, and had always rt^tin'ned with
droves of captives, or heaps of <,diastly tro|)hies. In one of these forays he leil his lierce
warriors from the banks of the Grand River and the Thames to the farther shore t)f
86 ^vA' men i<iisij( !■:
Lake Michigan, stormed a larq-e fortified town of Fire Indians, cxtcrniinatcd the d<'fcn-
dcrs. and drove the rest of the Nation beyond the Lake and into the \er\ heart df
Wisconsin. Souharis.sen could at a day's notice put on tlic war-path scxcral tlioiisand
men-at-anns.
Their weapons wcri' the war-chil). tlic jaNrlin, and the liow-and-arrow : luit the
warriors that i)or(' liimi were ol cxtraiirdinarv si/c. strength, .md actixitx'. Chaniphiin.
duriiii^ his three inoiulis' sta_\ aiiiDnt; the lliirons. in the winter i>f 1015 (>, i^a/ed wist-
full\' towards this reahii of th(; Neutrals, which was still, as regarded I'.nropean posses-
siiiii. \(i-inan's L.md. I5ut the ilnrons nrL^cd the L^real danger nl the cxjiloration.
and lht>U|^h accompanied 1)\ a I'rench tone armed to the icetli, C hamplain's stout
heart here lailed him. i he honours ot the enterprise were resei\cd lor I )aillon, a
Kecollei or I'ranciscan i'riar.
In i6:!() i)aillon. with two other !■ reiichmi-n. hoKlK' enlei-ed tln' realm of the terri-
ble .'"iouharissen. 1 he Iri.n's sole armament w.is the pack on his back. ,ind a stall in his
hand. This perilous enterprise, iu the land ol giants, recalls the aiKcntin'e of
Christian and liopeful in the I )einesn<' ol (liant I )espair. Ihil our ( )ntario pilerini was
ruileU' disciplined two \<'ars belore |ohn IWniNan was born. an<l lilty yars before the
vision of houbtiu:^ L'astle was written. After the hrsi reception, which was frieixlK
be\(»nd his hopes. I ),nlIon seiu iiack his two companions; and now. all alone, this in-
trepid fri.ir tra\('rs('d the I'eidnsula from oiH' end to the other. (.Oura^c was the
qualit\- above all others that those wild warriors admin'd ; the d.irin^ of a man who.
unarmed wwA unattended, strode learlessly throm;h their xilla^^es and into lh(;ir wigwams,
astounded .uiil oxcrawcd them. I hen came .1 dangerous reaction! "This pale-lace must
!)(• a sorc<rer ! In lact. our cousins, the llurons. sa\' so. and the lluroiis are rather
knowiuL; t''llows." A\e. moi'e knowing than disinterested I I he llurons were just
then diiviu'^ a prohl.ible fur trade with the I rench : mau\ ol the peltries cune Irom
the beaver-meadow s on the('irand I\i\er and the I'hames. the Neutrals ^ctline ,||1 the
toil of the ( has( , the llurons .i^ellie;.^ all the ad\ anta^cs oi the direct c(unmerce with
the I'rench.
I he lliu'on I'Uiiss.iries told their credulous iieiL^hbours th.it this L;reat magician
''had in their (nuntrv breathed a pestilence into the air; th.it m.in\ had died froin his
poisonous :irts ; thai presently the Neutrals would see all theii" ■hildren dead and all
their \ aliases in llames ; that these licnch folk were unnatiu-ai in their <Iiet. which
i-oiisisted of pois(ui. serpents. a\e, and iinhlniuL^. fm- these Irenchmen nunich <\cn the
thunder-L^rillon." When, by these delirious stories, the imaijinatior. of the Neutrals h.id
been it'\ered. the (rally llurous threw in some ,id\ice. They ant icip.itc <l the gentle
counsel ol (liant I )espair's w ife, I )illidence. "(lubilu' pilgrim." liut no " L;rie\()us crab-
tree cudi^cl '■ was needed to nmiforce tin; biMwn of these Imlian athletes; b\ a sinL,de
l)low of the list till' unfortunate '<i''collet was felled to the i-arth, ami altoijcther he es-
I
\OA'/7//{A'.y M.ICIinOK
«7
capitl insiant (l(;ii!i l>\ a incff;
miracle. C'ontiniKni^ ill-iisaiL;('
tollowfd ; liiit, (|n(>lli the li-iar,
•• all this is just what uc look
lur in tlif><- lands." Kiiiiark in
lliiisc few (|uii't uonls ihr sini-
|ili-. snMinic |ihili)s(ii)hy dI the
man ! W liati\cr niir creed, we
instiiu'ti\ i-l\ admire Mich heroic
selt'-sacrilice. .\ rinnor ol tin;
friar's diath h.i\ in^: reai'lieil the
Huron Mission, lireheul sent
, ■'•-^?^f^''"lr.
b...
A t-
Lo\l-,K'S \\..\\\ l-.l.oK.\,
w.\rui K lUi-.K i-;ocK, ik\i.M'. i;i\'I',r.
to the scene one ol I )aillon's
former t;nides, who led him
hack fi^om this Irnitless emliassy.
I'ourteen \iars later .mother
effort was made from the 1 iuron
Mission to t liristiani/<; the Neu-
trals. This time canu? C'hau-
monot. the |esnit Missionary,
and the d.iriiiL; liridjciil him-
self, •• the .Xjax of the Mission,"
lint once more the tre.icheroiis
and mercenary llurons excited
auainst the |)il;.;rims the wildest
fancies that e\cr ran riot in these
primexal forests ; they excn tri<Hi
to lirilie the su|iersliti()us Xen-
Irals into assassinalinu their licne-
factors. lUit, nndi-terred hy in-
sult and iU-usaije, def\in'' fatigue
8s r)rA' rnrrRi-sori'
ami cold and the j^fcatcst personal danij^crs. the heroic i^vheiif strode on for four
months through the winter forest, unto one village aft<'r another. 1 hat winter was
severe and prolonj^jed l)e\-onil what was then usual, and far liexond what wi> experience,
but, in the C.rand River forest, as in the I'orest of Arden, it niii^ht well he, that
the sharpest pain did not arise from "the ic\- fan-; and churlish chidin^ot the winter's
wind," What causetl iireheuf real anil hitler anL;uish was the failure of his einhassx-,
the imiu'iiitence of this peoi)le, their repeateil 'and unL^rateiul rejection ol the Messat^e.
To him mere ph\sical suffering' was a spiritual ecstass ; tlu- deatlliesl cold was hut
" the seasons' ditlerence. "
" lUow, blow, lluiu wiiilcr winil;
'I'lioii .lit Mill sii unkinil
.\s 111. Ill's iiigiMlillidi'.
* * * * -i" * *
l''rf(vi', lit'f/c, llioii winter --ky ;
Tliou (lost nut bile so iiii;h
A.s liunclUs loiyot."
As the lesuits were retracing- tlu'ir steps northwards throuj^h the woods a snow-
storm closed in around them. The ilrifts were imi)assahle and the scowl of the fierce
aborigines was e\-en more forbiddiuL; than the faci- of nature. iWit in the hanlest ol
winters, while wantleriuL; through these salens, you often come upon sw(;el tinklini; rills
that refusi' to be frozen, and hard by, >-ou ma\- Imd, jierhaps, a mat ol \erdure,-- the
brook-cress, the frond of tlu' walkinL;-fi'rn or even the blossoms of some lin^erinL;- wild-
llower. When all himian pity was to outward seeming- coULjealed, a woman's heart was
o\erllowin_L;- with compassion for these ill-used men, and the stor\- of her kindness
forms a delij^htfid oasis in a narratixc- of continued suffering;. This noble dam^hter
of the forest and llower of womanhood si)urn(.'d the fears, the reproaches, the
insults of her clan ; welcometl the pilij^rims to her lodjjje, set betore them th(>
best of her store, obtained fish from the river to enable them to kee]> then- tast-
days, and with this gentle, thoughtful care, entertainetl them tmtil they could re-
sume their joiu-ne)-. Durim;- this precious int<'r\al the linguist ISrebeid had mastered
the vocai)idar\ of the Neutrals, and constructed a L;riimmar and dictionar\ ot their dia-
lect, which latter, like their ^eoj^raphical position, bridi^cd over the interval between
the Hurons and the Iro(|uois.
it is from the faded manuscriiits .md the archaic breiich of these tirst explorers
that we must ^^lean the lirst word-pictures of the romantic district \\f are now illus-
tratini;. Daillon. as we ha\c s.iid. was lufe more than two c(;ntin-ies ami a hall a-;<).
He saw the landscape kimlle into the crimson .md s^old of auttnnn ami then melt
away into the deliiiotis languor and reverie of the Indian .Summt'r. .\fter IraNcrsins;
the heart of the Peninsida, and what woidd two huntlred ami tifly years afterwards
A OA' '////; A'.v M-.n;iinoR sy
become tlic riclu'st a_Ljricultur;il district of Ontario, the worthy friar u;lo\vs with en-
thusiasm.— " I nromparahly Ix-aiitiful," he exclaims, " incomparaMy the most extensive,
the most l»eautiful, and the most fruitful hmd I ha\c yet exiih)red." Throui^h ids few
artless lines of description we can see it all : the corn-lields wa\in;j^ their tassels in
the wind ; the j^olden litroiiillcs !,;leaminiL( Irom their leafv covert ; the l)ea\t'rs castiiiLj
up earth-works; the streams cpiiverim^ with their shoals ol tish ; the scpnrrels sciiitlin*;-
anions; the houghs to escape thi' swooping luiz/ard ; the wild turkey llutterin^' in the
co|>se; the countless deer and elks ^lancint; throuj^h the glades; — altojn^ether, thought
the poor weary friar, such a land as uiiL;ht he rest! id and enjo\al)le to lin^icr in.
Hreheuf visitinl the Neutrals when their countr\' was uncler a wintr\' p.ill. which
jierhaijs h(!St accorded with the sonihre earnestness of his character. It was his hahit,
wherever possihie, to withdraw lor his devotions to some wild and lonel\- L;len, where
the awful solitude was reiuU'red e\cn still more impressive l>y the solemn or^an-xoice of
the for(;st. ,\s lin'heuf tra\('rsed tlu; Neutral Land throuL^h its lenj^ah and breadth, and
twice sojourned in its \-er\ heart, Ik; must have heeii familiar with these wild ra\ ines.
rhe\ mii^ht supply to a recluse man\' a natural cloister anti orator\. If we would at-
time our minds to the; mood of this ox cr-wrou^ht, heroic |esuit, who was now lieinu; last
iiurried on towanls a most appallini; martyrdom, — let us visit the ^or^c with him in the
eerie twilight ()f a midwinter evening'. The cloud-rack driftiiiL; across the sk\' lutokens
a wild ni!_;ht. I lu,- shadows are fast closiniLj in around us, and the imagination peoples
these rock\' solitudes with tlu' scenes of hoxhood. We are no lon^icr in New I'fance,
hut far awa\' in ( )ld 1' ranee, wwA in Hax'eiix, that most ancient ot Norman cities, where
Mn'heuf, niL;h three centuries au,''o, spent his dreamx hoxhood, .\s \\v skirt this fro/en
moat, observe those massixc fortress walls all battered with war, wrinkled with watch-
fuliu^ss. and hoar\- with the rime of ai^es. We enter b\- the open barbican. ( )\-er-
han}j;inj4' the |)ath is a Norman watch-lower, with loop-hole, and parapet, and the
cresset-slock for the bale-tire. W'e look aloil. ;inil start back. Was it fancv, or did
the warder on the tower wave us awa\' with a wild gesture.' I )id a cross-bow rustle
at th<' loop-hole? It was but the ni^hl wiiul swaxiiii; the shrubs on the crumbling
ramparts, a';d creaking ihe wild grasses and sed^^'es aL;ainsl the embrasure. W'e ad-
vance lhrou;^h the deep winding- street, which presently widens out ami disclosi's in the
dim persjiective the llaiikinL;- towers ol the old dui:al palace. The lights are lon^ out,
and the revi'lk-rs are lonij;^ silent. (bit let us leave behind those distracliiv,^ thouj^hts
ol the world and turn our steps towards the ancient cathedr.d. '. )bserve those '!> inj;'
l.'uttresses ; how the\ loom up .it^ainst the nii^ht. We enter by the naxc. What
a noble vista fading awav into the darkni's-,1 Those graceful elm-like shafts rist'
nearlv ei^htv feet from the lloor beb)re they lose themselves in the groined roof.
Through the aisles we ^ct u^limpses ol the Lj'reat mullioned and '/liated windows. The
li''ht has now all but faihnl us. That human torm Kiu'' out in relief on the 'n-eal
<)o
lU/< /'/( /rA-/:\S(Jf/{
toiiil) is ;i mailed crusader, with arms cross.-d, awailin- the last !r:r/7/J iumI liie I. real
Riiiih-.iviis. This l)laik ai\lnva\ leads dnwii lo the aiK ieiu (lypt. I.«'l us desi-eiid.
Tht: sloiu: steps are lra\c'd l.\ the leet ol a.L^es. llie -loom down here is awful.
Feel your wa\ l>y those mi-hly pillars; tlux rarry the ehoir. I'he inassi\e ruins that
jostle \.)U are lallen loml.s the lomhs ol the Centuries. I he\ ha\e witnessed the
trials, the sorrows, th<' an-iiish ol untold -ciuMMiions, This i-ry|.t is as old as IJishop
Odo, the hrother ol the Coni|uei-oi- ; l.ut there w.is a lorest sanetiuiry here ui the
days of the Druids; I )ruids ^ -a\e, .i-cs before the Druids! Ditl \ou hear solt
music? -"It sounded lik<- the si-hin-' ol th<' winter wind in the forest." It (am.- Irom
the ^reat or-an loft far ahove our lie.ids. Now lor the second time you can hear
the music pealin- aloii.u the v.uilted roof; tlio-,e closing;- not.'s .ire the sui)phcatui.i;-
tones of the .\/is,riT,-. It has ceased. i'.iit a-ain the or-an he-ir.s to hreathe, and
now a \vr\ tempest is sweeping lh<' he\s. The reeds fairh shriek with terror, aiul
the -ivat pipes swa\ to and fro in their di-^tres-,. Ihllow after hilh.w of sound rolls
over our lieads; these massive archw.us quiwr like .ispens. It is the pealino . thunder
of the /h'ts Inc.
In -(X'd truth the Day of Wrath was ni-h. TIk- fearful desol.iti(ui that within
nine years swej.t the Land of th.' .Neutrals mi-ht well appear to the C hurch. whose
mission had l.e<'n twice rejected, a swift an.l lerrihle jud-nieiu. .\t this comin-. the
visitants hore in their hands no ;^-entK' l',\an^cl.
.\rmed with the matchdocks they had lalelv -ol from the Dutch at j-ort ( )ran.,a-
(.\ll.an\ ), lh<' Irotjuois. in lO-jS, stole th.rou-h the winter forests towards their old foes,
the llurons. When si)rin,- opened the\ storme.l the llunm towns, and exterminated,
enslaved, or dispersed the inhal.itants. Some <.f th.' llm-ons who esca|.ed the toma-
hawk tied for refu-v into the Neutral Land; l.ut the Irocpiois no lon-vr respected th.'
neulralitv. or the Cities of kefu-e. Ihe turn of the Neutrals themselves came next;
and wh.it could the su|ierl. p!iysi<pie. or the wild char-v of these muscular -iants, avail
a-ainst lur-arms. which the Huron refu-.-es ai.tly named •'irons with indwellin-
devils' ' Nevertheless the Neutrals made a most despi-rate stni-.-le f(U- liU-. Main
memorials of their kist a-.my hav<' been turned up l.y the settler's plou-h. The cam-
l)aiuii ol 1(550 was indecisive. I"hou-h the Inxpioi^ hail stormed a lar-c town, they
had aflirwards been defeated with a loss of two hundred warrH)rs. In the sprm- ol
thc^ followin- year the invaders returnecl with reinforcements. ;uul elteited a landing at
the foot of what is now i'.m.'rald Street, on the ('astern ed-c of Hamilton. This spot
was really the k<'\- of the N.'utral l.aiul from the side of Lake Ontario; for it commandeil
the |)orta-e th.il led throu-h the Dundas \'alle\ and aiross to the C.rand River. .At
the verv landin- place .1 irem-Midous battle w.is lou-ht. in which the Neutrals sullereil
<.verwhelminu defeat. I'heir dead idled a mound which, .ifter the rains and snows of
a b.undreil and lift\ \ears had beaten a-ainst it. measured lifteen leet in hei-ht and
.\VVv'////:A'.\ \/:/(,///u>h'
9>
tills fret In (lianicltr ; and which cxcn \fi, altrr cii^his \c,ii> ol i:iilli\ alioii, i^ lutl
whoIK olihtiiati'il. Al the iK'Ws ol
this (hia-^tiT the inland towns were
aliandoni-d lo their tate ; the Iroipiois
toi'ih and tomahawk swept nnresi-,t(
o\er the lac*' ol tile whoir reiiinsula
1 he listers, \\i\cs, and daiii^hlers o| the
.\enll'al> were (h'ivcn lielore tile con-
(|iieror-, auav into lni(|iioi-^ Land; ol
the m.di' inhaliitants who e-Ma|ied, iJu;
more \ i-'oroii-i iKal to tlie coiintr\ be-
yotul 1 .ake I I nion, while the chil-
(h'eii, the sick, aiul the aL;e<|, cowered
amoiii,; tlie fens atid lorests and
L^h'ns ol the ( irand Ixiscr.
In tliose <l,irk iki\s man-,' a\aiU'd
themsel\es of the shiUer of the I'dol'a
ravines, which seem desi'jned \i\ Xatnrc for a coxert. The (ir.md Kixcr risiiiL;' lOoo
()j och' ricrcRiisori-:
feet al)()\(' th(' sea wanders moodil)' throiij^li tin- fens and dark forests of tlie northern
tounsliips and tlien at I-iti^mis snddenly plimncs into a deep ;4'orL;'e, from which it enierircs
alioiit two niiUis helow the I'alls ol Idora, tlie whoh' (h-scent of the ri\cr within tlic
ra\ine heini; about sixtv feel. A httle helow I'dora the (Irand Ki\tr is joined li\ the
Irvine, which liursts throujjj'h a Ljor.i^e similar in depth and rixallini:; the other in l)eant\'.
The loft)' rock-walls ol these raxines are of ma^nesian limestone, which, throiiL^h the sol-
vent action of s|)rin_L;s and the tlisrnpti\e force of trost, has heen burrowed .md chiselled
into enilless caxcrns and recesses. These romantic r(;treats ha\c latch' been made
accessible and invitiiiL; by stairways and walks and seats; l)ut in primeval times they
could Old) XvAW beiMi re.icheil b) some secret |)athwa\'. The ihasni was then wooded
to its ver\' \'ern'e, and the doorways of the caves were si-cureh' screened fi'om view.
it is probablv' to those dav's of the Irocjuois Terror that we should refer some of the
most interesting- of the Indian anticpiities that have been brouL,^ht toi^ether in the
Museum at I'dora. In the laro^e cavern in the north bank and a little below the balls,
after cktariuL; away earth and debris, Mr. Boyle founil amon^ the remains of a wootl
tire bones of small (|uadrupeds, which had evidentl)- been split for the mere sake of
the marrow the)' contained, - implyint^ a scarcity of food not ordiiiarily occurrini^ in this
famous huntinjf-_<;round, but probably due to the risk of eiicounteriniLj enemies in the
wf)ods. A lad wanderino- oni' da)', in icSSo, throui_di the (irand River ravine, and peer-
ino' into ever)' opening' in the cliff in search of the treasures which bdora bo)s believe
are somewhere.' stored u]) in these; rock-walls, found at a spring' a fcnv beads belony;injr.
as he supposed, to a huly's necklace. The)' proved to be violet, or precious wam-
puni. The search hav im^' been followed back into the cliff. ;i recess was reached lar^e
enoui^h to admit the hantl. and lilK-d with earth. I lu! earth when washed yiehled
between three and four hundred sludl-beatls of the sanie violet or pur|>le colour. I)id
some Indian beaut)', tlyino' for protection to tiiese natural cloisters, aiul takiiiLj oil her
now useless and dangerous jewelry, conlkU' to this secure casket the; necklaces that had
set off her charms at many a moonlii^ht or tirelii^dit dance? ( )r. was it some antitpie
niiser ? —perhaps some Huron refus^ee. for, unlike the Neutrals, tin; llurons had a
strong' financial turn and a keen instinct for vv;im])um, iliil some miser, carr)'ini;' his
mone)' with him in I'lis llioht, lock it up in this Inxitk vttii// be)()iul the reach ol the;
lro(|uois? A stream tricklim^ through the strata carried out belore it a lew of the
beads, and so l)etra)'etl the secret which had lain fast hidden in the heart of the rock
for more than two i-enluries.
The solitude which followed this " liarrvin^ of the North" was, if possible, more
complete than the desolation carried through the North hnL;lish shires b)' W'illiani the
Norman, .As the Coiicpieror's path of havoc throuL;h N oikshire coidd, seventeen )-ears
afterwards, be tracetl, pa^l^e after pa^e of Doomstlav liook. b) tin; entr)' o)iiiiia
7>.'its/(f, " ti total waste," — so for a century after the Inxpiois invasion, tlu; brench
X()A'/7//:a'.v \i:n;iiiiOR 9;,
iiKips have iiothiiii; to tell ns of tliL' Western Peninsula laii iitifioii di'lruitc, iiatiou
i/c/ini/c — " trWw.?, ext«'nninate(|. " The ceasehiss wars ol the Ir()(|iiois left them no
leisure for colonization. Durini::^ the perioci of the Con(|iieror's occupation \\v have
lieen ai)le. after diliijent researcli, to tuid but a sinj;le Irocpiois hamlet in tin; whoh;
I'eninsula, and that a L,M*oup ol eiirhteen or twenty huntini^ iodj^es. This hamlet was
tailed 1 inawatwa ; it lommanded the lishinj^ and hunliuL; of the upper (ir.md River,
and stooil near the western vm\ of the porta}^(! that h.'d over from HurliuL^lon Hay.
The husbandry of the pr<'\ ious Indian epoch had made numerous openings in the
lorest, sonu- of which sur\i\cd to puzzle the U. E. Loyalists; but in most cases the;
.uu'ient corn-tlelds and pum])kin-!4arilens wen; speedily overgrown by lofty trees and
diMise undery^rowth. In this New l'"orest the \(;ry sites of the po[julous Indian
towns and \ illay'es that witnessed the; preachiiii;' of the Jesuit Missionaries were lost
,111(1 forL;i»tten, and have only in our tiuK; been pariiall\- recovered after patient and
laiiorious resi-arch. ( iame, small and lars^e, now rapidly imdtiplied : in 1669 — tiiat is
within twent\- \cars after tlu; extermination of tlu,- llurons and Neutrals— the Sulpic-
i.ui Missionary (ialinei' ilescribes the Peninsula as menU' the stalkin!.;-<;round for tleer,
anil tht; special bear-e;arden of the Irocpiois sportsmen frt)m I'lastern Nt;w York. The
lilai'k bear establisheil himself here so strons^ly that, as lalel\' as thirt)- )-ears ai^o,
^portsmi'ii of anoth(;r race were occasionalU' rewarded with a bear in the nei^hbonr-
iiood of I'.lora : and their adventures supplied e.xcitin;.^ "locals" for tlu; columns of
/"//(• /tiukwoodsiiiivi.
The outbreak of hostilities betwt-en I'" ranee and ICn^land presently left the Irocpiois
no leisure for himtiiii;' excursions to the west, even if they had not beeii dispossess(;tl
of their conipu'St b\ the nomads of tlu; "Wild North Land." Wanderim^- ( )jebwa\-
tribes, particularh' the Mississai;as, strecuued in from tlu; north, aiul, by tlu; tinu; ol
the ke\()lutionar\' War, h.ul ov(;rllowed tlu; whole tract from the I )etroil frontier to
the ( )ttawa. Li tlu; deeds for the extinction of the Lulian title, from 17S1 onwards,
the (.'anadian ( "io\-eriU)rs recognized these tribes as the sole aboriginal races of tlu;
W estern I'eninsula ; but we now kiu)w that their title rested on .1 briel occupation,
and that the historical abori]4iiu;s were exlerminateil. To the era of the ( )jebway
occupation is ri'ferr(;d the local m\th of Chief K.'i;-chim-a- Tik. The tai/iti/zaii Monthly
lor iSSo i^ives a mi'trical \ersion, telliui;- how a fair Lulian captive, devoted to the
M.uiitou of tlu; halls, la\' bound on an altar in front of the cav(; thai iu)w b(;ars the
11. mu' of tlu; Ojebway chief ; how, under circumstances of spi;cial awe, the chief re.scued
ii<r from the ^^■lnitou b\- declarini,'- her his wife ; but that afterwanls, provino- faith-
less, lu; was shot by an arrow aimed from the wife's ambush in tlu; islet-rock of the
lalls, and was carried into the caxc to die. Of softer mould was that despairing
'ndian maid(;n who, .Sappho-like, ended h';r sorrows by a plunge from the " Lover's
Leap" at the Meeting of the Waters.
94 OIR /'/CTi/</:S(Ji'E
Tlic romantic jujlfiis <if I'llora ha\c Itccn lirdiii^lil hv the rail witliiii tlirct- or four
hours of roroiuo. Milt lifty yt'ars ai^o IClora was |)racticall\' farther off than Killarncy or
Loch Louionil. An atUcntinous tishi'rnian soini'tiiiK.'s made iiis way to the lalls. and
thiMi rcl.itcii l)y the winlcr-tu'i' what visions of loveliness In- had seen in the wilderness.
rile earhesl white settler, Koswcll Matthews, arrived here on the lirst day of winter.
1817. llis e\|)eriences have luen rerordeil, and they afford an intcrostinj^' picture of
Canadian pioneer hie in Western Ontario sixty \ears a^o. Accom|)anied by his wift-
and nine ihildren, the eldest no more than eighteen. — Matthews hewed his way
through the junu^le and around falKn trees, arrivim^, aftiM' days of incessant toil, on the
present site ol I'llora. ^«i,L;ht was then closiuL; in. A loi^-tire was lii^hted, a rude
tent of luinloi k houghs was set up. and. under its shelter, lieds of hemlock branches
were spread. I )urinu; the niL,du a heavy snow-storm scrl in, hearini; down the woods,
ami strewing' the jj^round with tlu' branches of lonlly trees. The morninj;" broke i^rey
and dismal on the shivering- and Ixiunnbetl settlers. The cattle were turned loose to
browse, ami in an hour M.itthews went to lind them, but in his search became lost in
the cedar wootls. .\fter continuetl shoutin_<r he was cheered by the aiisweriiiLi' voice
of his son, and so found his way back to his anxious family. With the aiil of his
brave lads, Matthews built a Iolj shanty, lillinj,; the chinks with moss, and formint,; the
roof of lov^s chiselled into rude L;arL,^oyles to carr\' off the rain. By Ma\' a clearinj^r
had bi'cn made, and sowed, and planti.'d : the rich, marrowy soil soon rc.'sponded w ith
good crops of wheat, corn, and potato(;s. .\ few seasons onward, and then there was
a surplus for market. IWil how to oct there? Matthews and iiis sons improvi-d on
their recollection of Robinson Crusoe b\' holIowinjLj out a pine 1ol( thirty feet lonl,^
Ea_ijerl\' launching- this du^j-out a mih; and a half below the I'alls, they embarked with
sixteen bai^s of wheat, antl pacUllin;^- down to (ialt they found a purchaser in Absalom
Shade, who paid them tift\' cents a bushel in cash. The diiL;-out was sold lor two
dollars antl a half, and they returned home afoot, blithe as an\- birds ot the forest.
The traces of a mill near the scene of the canoedaunch remind us that .Matthews
did better as a rixer-pilot than as a millwrii^^ht. Two of his mill-dams were in cpiick
succession devourcnl by ice-packs which, with the o|)enini:^ of sjirintj^. rushed down from
the iJoriLrt.. Enterprise then lan!:;uish(;d. With iSj;2 arrived William (dlkison. the
foumler of hdora, who had alread\-. in iSii. founded Prescntt. On (ialt's advice he
purchased at the Cirand River balls a tract of fourteen thousaiul acres. As the
novelist informs us, Cdlkison's manuscripts pro\ed him to l)e a man of literary talent;
and thert; is no doubt the scener\' inlluenced him in his choice almost as much as the
mill-privileges and the ft^rtility of the soil. Mis political opinions he proclaimed aloud
in the streets. In a iiuniortiiuiiiDi attached to his will he mak(;s it imperative on
settlers to choose between "Hume .Street, Reform Street, Cobbett Street, and Mac-
kenzie .Street." Me adds: "I will have but one street to the river, viz., Radical
.V()A'/7//:a'X m-:i(,iiiu)r
95
ECHO CAVE, IRVINE RIVER.
q6
0(7^ PICTrRESOrF.
Street." All these names have disappeared, and, by a cruel irony of fate. Radical
Street, or its extension, is
now " Metcalfe Street." The
Irvine Ri\cr was named at
the same lime, probably with
a double reference; to the
town in Ayrshire; and its
picturesque riv(.;r, — the town
where dalt was born in 1779,
and wliere, two years later,
Robert P)urns set u|) his un-
happ\ eiUerprise of llax-dress-
in<j-. I'Mora, the name of the
now lari^e and [)ros[)erous
villam; that stands a little;
above the conllucncc; of tlic
rivers, was borrowed h'om
Hindostaa, being an early
THK BRIDGE, IRVINE KIVllK, F.I.ORA.
I'.iii^lish transcription of F.lura.
(dlkison was entertaining some
frienels in the river-caxe; oxer against
the scene of the Ojebway traged\',
wlien the inspiration of the name
i'.lora was breathed on him b\ the
Manitou of the rixcr. Looking
down the glen he saw the lofty
rock-walls hewn and chiselled 1)\-
ELM VISTA, GRAND RIVKR, ELORA.
countless winters into peelestal, column, and entablature: he was reminded of the
.\oA' riinRX M- Kill no R
rork-tcinjjk's of the Indian Klora, with their lon.L,'' colonnacUis of sculptured pillars.
And then, lookinii^ towards the I'alls, he saw the cascade and the delicious verdure
that the; sprini^f rains l^rini;- to those; famous caves of th(; Deccan.
In those tla\s there was scarcely a trace of man's presence in these solitudes. The
oiiIn' britlge across this upper Cirand Ri\er was formed by a gii^antic pine which, jj^row-
inL; on the bank abo\c- tlu; whirl of the Devil's Punch Howl, had betMi felled b\' the
Indians so as to bridge the contractetl throat of the ravint;. Thi; Indian Bridge con-
linued long a curiosity ; it was at length hewn away by a mother, whose boys were
airing themselves too freely o\er the chasm. The first visitors to the New Elora saw
the forest in all its impressive grandeur. The Hon. Adam k'ergusson was in those
da\s looking for a village site. He arrived here on the jth of October, 1833; and
he records in his journal his morning ride through the autumnal woods to the site of
tile future Fergus. — "The da_\' was tine, anil the ]jrodigious height of the maples,
elms, and other trees gave a solemn character to the stillness ot the fori'St." — The
"mill-privileges" of the Graiul l\i\cr were a perilous temptation to shear it com|)leti''\'
of its glorious wootls. In man\' places the banks ha\e beiMi shamefully denuded.
Kind Nature is, however, now trying to heal o\er those wounds, and it Municipal
Councils would Init realize that a manifold soLirce of wealth is wasted when the)-
permit: attractive scener)' to be injured, they would caretully guard these natural
resources.
In its course from I'^lora to Lake Erie the; (jrand River falls six hundred feet;
this headlong descent suggested to Cialinee, in 1669, the earliest luiropean name. La
Riviere Rapidc. .At high water we may even )et make a canoe \oyage — though
through more than two huiulretl miles of windings -to the open lake. In our descent
we are borne swiftly past tht; busy seats ot industry alreaily \ isitecl in Wellington,
W'alerloo, and Hrant. Helow ISrantford the river lingers so long over the mirror that
rellects its own loveliness, that, in winding through the liagle's Nest ;ind the Oxbow
liend, the chamud wanders fourteen miles while advancing three. This was too much
for impatient forwarders : a canal was cut across by the Cirand River Navigation
Company. Then we glidt; peacefiill\ through natural meadows or romantic glens, —
the past or the present domain of the Six Nation Indians. The Mission Churches
and the Indian Institute have tlone much to elevate the Indians; but, in spite of
missions, some of the redskins remain sturdx' pagans, still offering the White Dog in
solemn sacrilice, and still keeping the I'east ot (ireen Corn according to the ancient
rite. As \\(\ approach the village of Caledonia the river suddenly descends seven or
I'ight feet, and, passing under the britlge of the Northern and North-western Railway,
expands to a width of two hundred )'ards. The broail channel is spanned 1)\- a tine
iron bridge, which connects the two halves ot the \illage. ;\ mik; ilown the ri\er on
the left W(.> observe; a r\iined canal-lock and a row of ck'ca\e(.l house's e)ii the bank.
98
OUR picrrRHsorr
Tliis is all that is left of
the ai
Seneca, whose stir aiul
acti\ity were, thirty \ears
a,n(), citeil as an unanswera-
ble reliuke to " tlu- cry of
ruin and decax' I " Seiu^c?
was one of tlu
createtl 1)\' the dranc
River Xaxiqation Compa-
n\. llieir tus^s and
steamboats useel to
s^iN'e niui'h aiiiniatitJii
in those days.
to the landscape; :
they plied I ro ni
Hrantford lo Lake
I'.rie ami Iluthdo ;
or, turnuiL; aside at
) u n n \ i 1 1 e , they
steamed through the
Canal-feeder to tlu;
ports on Lake On-
tario. There were
(giants in the forest
Passinj; throuoh the townshij) of Dumfries, (>alt ran at^ainst an
Cl.eH HOUSE.
oak, whose <rirth at ;
I man s
heiidit from the around was lhirt\-three feet, while
A'OR TIIHRN NEIGH m Vv'
99
llr; shaft rose without a branch for eitjhty feet. The mutilated trunks of these
Titans passed the Grand River locks in ceaseless procession. At Seneca the two sides
of the river were joined by a substantial bridj^e, and wt-re fringed with mills and
factories, — all of which ihe Nemesis of the I'orcst lias swept awa\- cxcn to their \ery
foundations. On that j^rassy mound yond(!r, around \.hich the stream is still searchinjr
for tlu^ lost mill-wheel, stood a jjjreat saw-mill specially ecpiippeil for the giy^antic tim-
ber that came down the ri\('r. Hut the tinest lumber brought a mert' [>ittance, for the
wliole forest was thrown upon the market. There was no husl)anelr\' (;f the woods,
no care for the futun;, no renewal of trees: "After us. the delui^e!" As the wood-
lands were stripped, there came spring" freshets of terrific violence ; for the winter's
snow that formerly melted at leisure was now instaiul\- released by the first warm
sun. These lloods rose high, overllowed th<.' banks, and turned the woods into veritable
parks of artillery: fallen trees were drawn into the swift current, and launched against the
Navigation Company's works,
'~i»f^t *^ ■'
T~
demolishing lock-gates, dams,
bridges. 'ihe retribution was
complete : the forest was e\-
liausted, the river-fountains were
(h^ained, — and so also were the
Company's finances. The open-
ing, in 1S56, of the Buffalo and
Lake Huron I\ailwa\' from Fort
luMe to Stratford completed
the Company's disaster. At
onl\' a few points on the river,
■a\m\ onl\- for manufacturing
purposes, are the constructions
maintained. This ruined lock
at Seneca is a very picture of
desolation. The canal-l)ed is
so silted up as to be used for
a kitchen-gartlen, — a garden of
(ucumbers. The great oaken
arm that swung a welcome to
die arri\ing \i;ssel, or wa\-ed a ban voxaoc to the lake raftsmen, has fallen down in
helplessness and sheer despair Once the lock-gate braced its massive shoulder against
'he mound of water; now, withei'ed and shrunken, the mud drivelling from its parted
hps, it stands there the image of weakness aiul imbecility. Let us away. .Some
'iiiles down the bank the eye rests with enjoyment upon three noble trees, which may
UM.K I NSI 1) SrOKlSMKN.
\no
orh' i'iciri<i-:s()(i-:
!„■ tak.'ii as rxainplfs of ihc lefty ••Inis that once aippr.! lluir frin-cs ,n this riv.T.
\Vr aiv now in the dislrirl which, iniincdialcly after the I'.'aec ^^{ i jS,^ was sctthnl
l,y ih.: otlKHirs ..f I!iiIUt's Kan-.M-s. Dunn- th.' k.^vohitionary War, Ch.ncl John
lUulrr rais.nl in llu- Mohawk \allc\ a Roy.iHsl forer, wmV- np of caN.ih-y an.l infantry,
„f scltlrrs aiul Indians. Tlu: In.hans won- nn.lcr Brant's inmirchalr coninian.l. I h<-
cavah-y wore nanioc! after iheir conmiander. llutU'r's Kan-ers. 1 laU--nian, haUdiorse,
these C<-nlaurs swept with aniaziii- rapichty from point to point, carryin- terror and
desohui<.n in their scahhards. llavin- hiid no h-h.t liand npon the " Whi-s." ihey
couKl hope for no forh-arance in the con.iuerors. Ruined hy ihe war, an.h Hke the
other l.eyahsts, shanu'fnlly for.eotlen in the irealN'. lUitler and his olVicers h.oked to
Canachi for shelter. While their colonel followed Governor SiniccH' to Nia-ara. Major
Nelles and some of ihe other othcers acceptc-d an invitation from their old comrade.
Captain Brant, and settled on the Indian Reserve-. To Xdh's lirant made the
princely -ifl of u Leant iful plot of nine s(iuar(^ miles. After the usual preliminary
low-iiouse. a sul.stanlial homestead was erected, which, in all e-ssential features, still
s^^vives, and forms an interesting example of a V. V-. Loyalist home of the best class,
thou-h perhaps u.ii.iue in si/.e. The iloors are carried on lu-avy s(,uared timbers,
some of which ride on piers massive enou-h f..r brid-e abutments. The -reat cellar
wa. cpiarried out of tlu- solid rock, and was famous all throu-h the Crand River Valley,
not only for its capac:ty. but for its eenerons chec-r. Surveyor Welsh, while exploring
th,. C.nind River in the c<.ld. wet summer and ball of 1 79O, descrilu-s in his field-
notes his extreme hardships. In carryin- the r.overnm.mt survc-y ihrou-h the dense
,un-le that thc-n <,vcM-rew this valley, he and his party were left without cvcM-in- for
thd^- feet or supplies b.r the campd<c:ttle ; and they wc-re bnally compelled to retreat
for the purpose of rcwictuall in-. In thc-ir destitution they ea-erly availed themselves
of the hospitable roof-tree of William Nelles. who th(-n occupied the homestead.
After wc- tloat past the villa-es of York and Indiana an express Ir.ain of the
Canada Southern Railwav thunders overhead. We rest for a few minutes at Cayu-a.
the county seat of Haldimand. Here the Loop or Air-line of the Crc-at Western sucb
denly conver-es to the Canada Southern, and for m.)re than a score of miles eastward
th,. two lines run side in" side. Passin- under the Loop-Line I!rid-c: w(> tak.^ a look
at the Countv IU,ildin-s. which were erected from a desi-n ,)f the late L'. W. Cumber-
land on a plot runnin.c,^ out to the riverd)ank. Then wc sweep past pretty river-islands,
and undernc.ith the brldj^e that carries Talbot Street across the (irand River. This
old militarv and colonization n.acl ranked in im,.ortance with Vonu-e- Street and Dundas
Stn-et; it ran from the Niagara Frontier to the Talbot settlement, a hundred and
twenty miles westward, with c-xtcMisions to Leamin-ton and Satulwich. and a northern
l,ranch from Port Talbot to London. The " Str.-et " still bc-ars the name of the eccen-
tric rcck.se.-military. not rcligious,-whose Christian name has been both canonized
X(iA'////:A\V X/:7(,7//>'()A'
^^«i»^^ie
A rA^TORAT. nil I -Sini— (".KAMI KI\'I K VMI.KY.
I02 iH-R ricrrRJiSQi'i'.
aiul ciishriiu^cl in "St. Thomas." Below Talbot Street Hridoe the (jraiul River makes
a sharp elbow : a f(!W strokes of the paddle and we pass the tiiU' church of .St.
Stephen's, with its tower and spire shadowed in the water. Then past the i;\psum
catacombs tunnelled far back into the Onondaj^a Tormation. Ihe rivt;r now widens
to a lake. Ik-fore an iidand sea became' the i^reat mill-i)ond for the Wellantl Canal,
the (irand Rixcn- was banketl up at l)unnville: and though now rarely used for pur-
|)oses of naviL^ation, the great ilam continues to furnish valuable water-power to the
mills and factories l)elow.
Tort .Maillaiid is at K.'nuth reaclunl, on the l)roatl estuary of the (iraml River, and
we are now in full view of the Lake. 'To-day it is a scene of wild u])roar, for a
furious October ^ah; is blowing' from the south-west. L^niler tlu; lash of the tem])est,
the ^reat waxes rear and plunge ; then, tossini,;' their iL^rey manes, they are off like
race-horses for the shore. Ihey are now nearin^- the land, their heavin>;' tlanks white
with loam, and the earth (|uivi;rs beneath the ihumler of their cominiL,^ just like
tlu' (October <-la\- of '^^:;, that rimt the rope of sand which had until then anchored
Loiil;- Point to the mainlanil. A sou'wester banked up the lake into a i;reat water-
wall to leeward : then, the wind suddenl)- falling;', the water returned westward with
a tremendous recoil, breaching- the isthmus, and jilou^hin;^- out a channel nine fei't
deep and a ihousaiul feet wide. And just like that October tla\' of 1669, when
("lalinec: saw Lake j^rie in its wrath, and wrolt; the earliest notice of these stormy
waters. JoUiet had discovered aiul e.Nploretl the; lake but a week or so Ix'fore. lie
hatl also found out and explored the (iraiul Ri\er, which was to be but tlu; prelutle
to his tindinL;' a grainier ami a mii;htier ri\-er the Mississippi itself. We have already
witnessed the interxiew of Jolliet with La Salle ami his .Sulpician Missionaries
(ialinee and l)ollier. TVom jolliet's own rou^h chart of his discoveries, (ialinei; matle
a more scientific route-map, and subsequently corrected this by his own explorations.
Galinee's manuscript, bearing the date of 1670, was a few \ears ago discovered b\-
M. ALirgr\- among the Paris .Archives, and it supi)lies the earliest existing ma|) ol
Peninsular Ontario ; for Champlain's map and others that followed were only conject-
ural, except as to the tract covered 1)\- the Huron Mission. Cialinee's narrative has
been made accessible in the able monograph of the Abbe X'erreau. Well, leaving
jolliet ami La .Salle, and descemling the C irand River with a convoy ot ten voyagcurs
and threi; canoes, the .Sulpicians worked along the T^rie shore westward, looking for
winter (piarters. 'They selected for their encampment one of the streams entering the
lake to the south or south-east of jarvis,- doubtless the stream marked A'. d'Ollicr in
Hellin's Carte dcs Lacs, of 1744. 1 L-re in the woods, about half a mile back from the
shore, they spent rive months and eleven days ; anil during three; months of this sojourn
the)' encountered not a human being, not even an Iro(pu)is hunter. So unbroken was the
solitude still, though a score of years had passetl since the extermination of the Neutrals.
XOA' rilERN NEIGHBOR
\o'-
siMcob:.
Tin; LoiiLT Point couiitrv
still iiKiintains, tliroiiiL;li
[""ishery Laws aiul (.'lub"
Icnise rcmilations, soine-
thiii!;;' of its ancient ccle-
l)rit\ lor tishini:;- and for fowling; but two
centuries a!.;o there was no necessitx' for
" open " sc:asons or close preserves. The
waterwa_\s wert; thron^etl 1)\- black bass, sptckleJ trout, and
sluri^con. Tlu; salmon, — tiie " Kini;- of fresh-waler lish," as
eld Izaac Walton calls him, was unable to storm Xiai^ara b'alls, and so was
unavoidably absent. ISut ihe pike. Walton's "tyrant of fresh water," -was there in
the form both of the " Mi-htN- Luce," and of the far mv^XW-'wr Masqiic-alloiioc. To
entertain his company on mallard ducks, or canvas-backs, or •'red-heads," or "pin-
tails, or " bluf^-wiiiMcd teal," a fowler of r.alinee's part)- nt'eded not to be punted out
into the marshes ; nor, anchoring- wooden tiecoy-ducks, to lie perdu amonij^ the wild
nee until the birds left home at early morn, or came in from the lake at twilii.,dit.
In those (lays thc^re was no need of ambuscade, or breech-loading- "choke-bores," or
pat(Mit ammunition; the feathered uame llew in such cloudis into the iM-enchmen's
104
OCR /'/c/'Ch'/-:so[7':
faces, that tlun- had only to l)hi/,c a\va\- as fast as they could load their cliinisy
siiai)iiances ; llu-y inii^^ht mi'ii knock down the iliicks with thi;ii' wootU-n ramrods.
Alter the water-fowl had taken their southwanl llii^ht, the winter of 1669-70 set in
so mild that the purx'eyors for the camp would onl)' have to go throuLjh the forest
and knock Christmas turkeys off the l)ranclies. Nor was the fruit)' sauce wantin^J.
for tialinee enunntrates cranberries {ics a/A as) amons^ the stores in the larder. Then
there was xc-nison of three sorts, and in marvellous ahuntlance ; it was served liolh
smoketl ami fresh. By wa\' of ciitrcc there couUl he liad for the taking, that tidhit
of Indian chiefs, — the tail of a plump heaxer. Hut the hears, — ah, we hail forj^otten
the hears ! These most of all arouse the worth)- .Sulpician's enthusiasm, for " tlu-y
were fatter and l)t'lter-lla\ ounnl than the most savour)' roast-pij^;' of I'rance." I'iv(;r)'-
thiuL,'' called up meiiiories of the old home. The encampment was in a land of xincs
and walnut trees. After the choice nicnn of the wootUands had Ixjcn discussed, these
i^uests of fair New I'rance doubtless often lin^eretl around the rustic table to re-
member the dear Old Land
" In al'ier-dinner talk
Across tlie walnuts and the wine."
Galinee describes the wild L^rape of the district as red and sweet, and as (equalling
in size and thn'our tlu; be. " I'Vench ^rape's. It yiedded a fidl-bodicil wine ol rich
■■•*^*tw^
KIKINf; Ol'T A SOU'WKSri.R U.N'DLK Ll.K OK LONG POINT.
colour, remindin;^r hi,n „f the wine of the Graves District (near Bordeaux), and (|uite
as ,i,mod. On some bits of sandy loam near Lake Erie, this grape grew in such pro-
.\'(>/v' riiiiRX xi:n;iinoR
lO:
fusion tlial t\V(;iUy or thirty hoiijsheads (/i,jr/i/iiis) of i^^ood wine iniL;IU Ikuc hcfii madr
upon tile spot. Altoiretlicr, cpiotli l-'atlu-r (ialinc'c, "this country I call the earthly
I'aradisc of Canada {Ic payadls tcn-cslrc liii i'iiii(u/(t)."
On Passion Sunday (March 23), 1670, the Sulpicians with their voyaocms went
down to the lake-shore, and there set up a cross, hearini^- the arms of Louis X I \'.
They thus in solemn form took possession of the couiur\- for I'r.mce, while coinniemo-
ratinc;' their own sojourn in these solitudes. The wooden cross must ha\c soon
disappeared ; hut they left a more (Mulin'in!^'^ miMnorial of their toilsome march in the'
fra_i(ments of luiropean pottery that startleil the first I'"n_nlish scatlers on the lake-troiu.
ill th(Mr (^ai^^-rness to enter on tlu'ir niissionar\' labours, the Sulpicians imprudently
broke up the encampiiKMit, ami withdrew from the woods before sprinj^' had o])ened.
Immediately afterwards, they suffered the direst (extremities of cold ami hun;^cr.
Easter Sunday was spent on the isthmus that then connected the present Loul; Point
Island to the shore. The fora_L^ers had becouK; so reduced l)y want of food that they
could scarcely crawl into the woods to look for ^ame ; but the missionaries ^ave up
part of their own scanty allowance to lend strem^th to the others, aiul a half-star\ed
deer was soon broui^ht into th<> camp. .So this forlorn party spent Master 1 )a\-.
Through Easter week they subsisted on a little maize softened in hot water. I'lie
lake seemed to them to I'md a malicious j()\- in thwarting their progress. ( )nce a
tremendous surf, rising suddenly carried off a canoe, and k:ft them to cross half-fro/en
streams as best they might. Then one night, as th(;\- were slumbering hea\ il\ on I'oini
I'elee after a march of nearly twent}' leagu(;s, a \iolenl north-east wind sprang up, and
the lake swept across the strand, up the bank, and within six feet ot where they
slept, bearing away with tlu? returning wa\e the greater part of the baggage and pro-
\isions. The missionaries lost, what was to them of intiniteh' greater moment, the-
Communion service, without which the\- could not now (.'stablish their int(;nded mission
on the Ohio. It is plain that Lake I^rie was of ;is stormy and tlangerous a temper
two hundred \-ears ago as it is to-da\', when a whole tleet of vessels, like wikl .^wans
among the lagoons, cower for shelter uiuK.'r \\\v Point. Prom the da)s ol |olliet and
the Sulpicians until now this wiKl Iak(; has been the rough nurse of bold adxcnture,
and of heroic self-sacritice. P'very one is familiar with the stor\- of brave John May-
nard, the l-lrie lake-pilot, whose \\vx\ death at the helm (iough has so powerfully
described. P)Ut nt^arer home, and too little known to Canadians, is the inspiring story
ot the Heroine of Long Point.
The November of 1S54 chased with the storms and bitter cold of mid-winter.
Among th(; vessels belated on the Lake, was the thnn'-masted schooner, Coiidintoi\ of
Amherstburg, laden with grain to the water's edg(% and striving to make the Welland
Canal. Driven before a furious sonth-w(;st gale, while attempting to rountl Long
I'oint and reach the Bay within, she struck heavily on the outer bar, and then plunged
io6 (^('/^ I'lrrrRRsori-
hcailUniL; into the (Iccp water hcsoiid. The rie;<jinj^ still stood iiho\c water, and
attordcd a tciuporar)' retreat to (."apt.iin liackett and his six sailors. Hut even l.islu'd
to the ri^L^iiit^'' they could scarcely keej) their loothold. All through lh.it loiij^r ni^ht
of horrors the Iree/in^;' L;ale kept up its weird shriekiuL^' in the shrouds, deadcMiinjr the
men's limbs and slrikini,-' des|)air to their hearts, .Showers of sharp sleet threshetl them
as with a llail. Ralked of tlu.-ir prey, the waves seemed infuriat<'d : thos(? lake-wohcs
would leap up at the sailors, and clutch at them, lea\in^- the white fo.im of their lips
on the stiffenin_<r <j^armt;nt.s. Truly the men were in the \vx\ jaws of death.
The lont;' santl)- island that the tirst dawn discloscnl had for its sole inhabitants
tlu; lii^ht-house keeper at the I'oint, and then, lifteen miles off, a trajjptM- named Becker
with his wile, .Xhii^ail, and their Noun^' children. I'he trapper was just then absent on
the mainhuul. trading- his little store of mink-skins and muskrats, not one of which
could be spared to i^'ct his wile and children e\cn shoes or stockini^^s. Mrs. iJecker's
rest had been broken by the storm, and lookint,'' out at da\--l)reak she saw the fray'-
ments ol one of the L'oiniiiiloi' s boats thrown up almost at her ver\- door. InstantK'
she was abroad, pacini;' the strand, and seai-cliiu!:;', with anxious e\'es, the l)reakers out
be\()nd the roadstead. .\t len;.^th the m;ists of a schooner were made out, and dark
objects against tlu' sk\' ! Hack to her poor board shant\' for matclu-s and the tea-
kettle : and then, with naked feet, two miU's aloni,'' the shore in the pitiless free/in^'
storm. .Soon a ^reat tire ol drill-wood was blazin^^' iii,L;h. To and fro she paced before
the tire all ila_\ lon^', — tor, perhaps, cheeretl by this human presence, those mariners, if
still ali\-e, miL^ht make the \-enture. To and fro all day lonij;', but still no sii^n ! .\nd
now another ni^hl of horrors was fast closini:^ in, — assuretlly for them the last ni,i,du.
She was a i;iant in stature, ami she had a brav(-' heart to match ! With her naked,
beiiunibed feet slu; strode down the shore, across the frozen weeds, across the rou^h
shinyle, across the spiny tirift-wood, to the water's edyje. .She niij.jht L,a;t a fi;w feet
nearer to those unhappy men. Not a moment's hesitation, but \-'\<-^\\. into tlu- freezing;
surf \.\\) to her arms ! Hy (.gestures she tlin<;s thein wild entreaties to make the effort.
All this hatl be(Mi seen from the mast-head, ami it was now clear that there was no
boat coming- to their relief. The)' were strong' swimmers evi;ry one ; but could the;
strontj^est swimmer live; in such a sea ? — " Men," saiel the captain, •" our choice is l)etween
certain death here and possible safety shorewards."-- The captain himself would make
the venture, and, as he fared, the others could tieciile to follow or, — to stay. Commend-
xw^ his soul to ("iod, he; plunii^ed into the seething water. llow anxiousi)' he was
watched 1 A few j)owerful strokes bear him far beyond the ri^scue of his crew, who
entreated him not to make this useless sacrifice of his life. So far he bears himself
well: he is j^ainiiiL; fast. Hut he disap|)ears ; he is ^one untler that tremendous roller.
CoiuMi^e. lads, there he is a<^ain. still swimming, though not so strong. All! he is plainly
weakening; will his strength hold out in that freezing shexil-vvater ? Hravo I he is now
XOA' riiHRX \/:/(;///u )/<
lo:
on his fi'ct. Hilt what has hapixiicd ? Oh, that tcrrihlc uiKlcr-iow has cam^flit him ami
iUiiil; him ih)\vii. ami is iiiiiT\ iiii^ him l)aci< to tin; open ial<c. After all, he is lost ?
No, that nohlc woman dashes into the surf, j^rasps him, ami hrim^s him saft^ly to laiidl
Then one of the crew makes the \-enture. \V'h(;n he approaches thi- shore the captain
will not allow his preserver to emlan_L((!r her life ai^^ain : he plutii^es into the breakers
to aid the failiriLl swimmer, lint the iinder-iow chiiches hoth. and the brave Al)ii,''ai!
ii.i> this time to make a double rescue. l'i\e times more;, till the last man is landed.
Then for the tn-e and th(\
tea-kettle lo restc^rt- life lo
these half- frozen sailors.
When they were able to use
their benumbed limbs, sIk;
led the wa\' lo a place of
shelter ; and, lakini^' from
her litlU; ston- of food, she
L;a\(-' unlo them. So they
were tenderly cared fv,r, tla\'
alter day, until a [)assinL^-
\-essel took them oil, and re-
stored them to their homes.
As soon as the castawaxs
rc'aehed Andierslburi:;-, where
the \essel had been owned
and manned, lhe\- did not
fail to enlist public interest
in birhalf of the heroine.
The owner of the vessel,
Mr. John McLeotl, — then a
member of the Canadian I'arliameni, led the moxement, and besides raisin:^- a substan-
tial purse by private subscription, induced the CioNcrnment lo allot to Mrs. Hecker, from
the Crown Lands, a lumdred acres nctar Fort Rowan, and looking- out upon the scent;
of the rescue. Then Captain l)orr so interested the merchants and shi[)-()wners of
Hut'falo, that Mrs. Becker was invited over, and, after beint^r feted, was presented with
a |)urse of $i,ooo to stock the farm ^ranted by the Canailiaii l^irliamenr. Present 1\
the tale of heroism reacheil New York, and tlu; l.ife-Savint;- Association decorated
Mrs. Becker with their l;oK1 meelal, taking-, in lieu of the usual written acknowletlu;-
inent, "-which the heroine could not write, — a |)hoto^raph showini^- the medal in her
hand. Abi_i^ail Becker now became the theme of .\merican newspapers and mana/ines.
All this to the unspeakable wonderment of the simple-miiuletl, blue-e)ed woman her-
A sioioi OX i,.\Ki': Ki^^n-:.
io8
OUR PICTL 'R ESQ Hi
self, wild, in luT stcrliiii^, if
nidi'-coincil, Iviii^lish, in;iint;iin-
v(\ to thf last, "she ilid no
niorc'n shc'il ou^lil to. wk^
niorr'n slu-'il do ai^ain."
I'dr ihc present, leaxiiit;
the lake-shore, we strike inhunl
1)\' that l)rancli of the (irand
'I'runk wliich, start int^ from
I'ort I )o\'er, passes throus^li
the conntv towns of Norfolk,
Oxford, antl I'ertii. th<'n through
Idstowel, I'alnierston, Harris-
ton, and so on to W'iarton on
("ieor:_;ian Haw At the out-
set we keep the !,\llil close
on our i'i.i;ht, hut presenth'
the ri\('r heconies so enlani^letl in the railroad tliat we cross tour hridi^es in
two and a half miles. Cutting' across tlu; corner of the Xorlolk Ai^riciiltural .Society's
!_;rounds. we enter .Slmcoe. As the train rolls thi-ouL;h the town we oht.iin p.issinL;'
views of the ]\i\er l.\nn, with its hroad mill-ponds, of the C"ount\- Huildinos, and
A K(i.\i>snii'. SKI 1 en.
THRESHINC; BY HOKSI'.-I'OWI ;K.
U^
\() A' ////■: AW \A:i(,iinoR
!()()
of the I'liioii Scliool. The town owes its origin as well as its name to tlic \Isit
ol (io\(i'iior Siiiu'oc in i 7()5. 1 hen- is a local tradition that Aaron COUcr. one ol
tli<' \orlolk pioneers, ollcrcil loi' his I'lxccllciU") 's arccplancc a haskcl ol w atcr-niclons ;
and lli.it Siincoc marked his hii^h ollieial approxal ol the limit 1)\ hestowinL; on the donor
the hest ini!l-site on the L\iin. W'e are now in the land of hi^h fanning. I'he
A'^rii ullnral and Arts Association ol Ontario has ol late mmi's heen ollerin;^ a i^old
inedal lor the farm which will stand luL^lu'st on fifteen iritii-al tests ol excellenct'. In
iSS(\ in a t'omix'lilion ol nine I'decloral l)i\isions, the ,L;old meilal was awartied to a
larm near Simcoe ; in i SS i the competition coxcretl six lar^c I'dectoral l)i\isions, aiul
tlu; ^old meilal was won l)\- a farm near Woodstock. Ihe network ol railwa\s now
c(i\erin]^ the Count\ of Norfolk has created I'.xcelleiU markets lor its tarmers at
Simcoe, I'ort l)o\er, and W aterlord.
We enter Oxiord Counl\' through the " Onharil Township ' ol Norwich. .\s we
approach Xorwicluille in this time of fruit harvest, and see those fair daughters ol the
West amoiiL;' tlu; ^oKlen apples and NcllowiiiL;' pears, we seem to ha\t' loiind the lonj^'
soni^lu (lardens of the i lesperiiles. Hut the (iolden Kussets and the Memish
lieauties are guarded l)\ no drai^on ; here all are I'rieiuls. The orcharddiarx est is
now in lull i:areer. The demands of Canada and the Iniled .Stales are to he sup-
plied; then some ol the choicest fruit will ^race the winl(;r sicU'lioards in the stateU'
homes ol I'ln^land ; the rest will l;(> to the cannim; lactor\ at ()tter\ille, or to the
evapor.itors at Xorwichx ille, I'ilsonhurL;, and Woodstock. The numerous milk-stands
l)\ the roailsitle remind us that, in i S04, under the L;iiiil.mie ol llar\c\' I'arrin^ton,
this township knl the wa\ to Canadian cheese-fai'tories, which ha\(,' heconu; a special
industry ol Oxioril, with liiofrsoll as the oreal cheese market.
Almost helore we are aware, the train howls into Wootlstock. We notiit,' on tlu;
ri^ht a stately pile of buildings tK,'vol(.'tl to the Woodstock College. Mere, m.iny years
ai^o, .111 interestiu!..;' xent'irt' in the higher co-education of the sex(.;s was made, under the
auspices of the Baptist Church, hy the late Dr. lAle ; and, with their satisfactory ex-
|icrieiux; of the system, the lolle^c authorities are now more conlident than ever in
its soundness. I)_\- the ^ift of Mc.Master llall, Toronto, the Theological Tacult)' has
heen enabled to assume a distinct existence', and, as was anticipated by the generous
donor himsell, -this st^paration of functions has thrown fresh \ii.^()ur into the Liter
ary I'acnity at Woodstock, as well as into the Theolooical I'aculty at Toronto.
Ali!.;htin^ at the railway station, aiul sauntta-in^' a block northwards, we aie L;ratitied
to met't our old militar\- friend, Uundas .Street, which, after leaxiiii; Toronto, we
lound at the Credit River, aiul then uiult'r the (xlias of the "' ( "loxcrnor's Koad "' \\v. saw
at Duiulas, and soon after at the .\::;ricultural CoU-'l^c, (liielph. The street will yet
'(■a|>pear as the main artery of London, just as it is here the main arter)- of Wood-
stock. The old homi'steads at tlu' east eiul of the town call up mingled associations :
I lO
LH/^ PlCrrRlwSOl'F.
the house and ijrouiKls i)f 1 )r HlacHiuicrcs, shailutl by trees of the ancient foresl.
the rectory of Canon lieltiM-i(l,i;c, and, near l)y. Old St. Paul's, that lono- listened
to his elo(|uent ami scholarK' discourses; then, farther hack, the home of Admiral Drew,
once the dare-devil Ca|)tain Drew of the Caroline enterprise. In the central i)oi-tion ol
Dundas Street the eve is caught hy the graceful architecture of New St. Paul's. 'I he
interior is in i)leasin<4- harmony. < )ri;an practice is procei'dim^', antl wt: liji>;-er to hear
" 'I'lio >t(irm llu'ir lu:-li-liiull ori^^n- iii.iki.-,
Ami tliiiiiilci-uiu^ic iiiUiiiL; >haUu
Tlie iirn|ilu'ts lila/iiiK-d on llu' luiiR--."
On the stri'ets to the ri'ar, wc; ha\-e a succession of solid structures: the Count)'
lUiildinj^s, the lar,m' church of the Methodists, the Central and llii^h Schools. Look-
\w'^ askance at Xi'w St. i'aul's from the opposite side of the street is a tine temple to
the i'otUless Moneta, whose; worship has somehow everywhere sur\ived the o-eneral
crash of ancient nntholo,!^^)-. And beside the Imperial liank is the Market, which
to-dav tempts us with the rich products of O.xford helds, j^ardens, (Orchards, ami dairies;
while oviM- a-^ainst the market arc; crowded stores, — altooethi'r a tieUl day for O.xford
farmers and Woodstock merchants. The street tratlic is swelled by heavy wains ot
homed)uild, bearini,^ away to the various railway stiitions the manulactures ot the
town ; -reed oruans ; furnitun' in cane as well as in beautiful nali\c woods; and then
a miscellaneous calaloi^ue of products which recpiirc; some classification, or we are-
apt to fall into such incongruities as tweecls and barbed wire, soap and tlour. leather
antl cheese.
A few paces westward of the market we n-ach a tine avenue 132 feel broad,
shaded on l)oth sides with double rows of trees. It is named after the eccentric
old .\dmiral whose forest Chateau lay a few miles east of Woodstock, and yielded
Mrs. Jameson, in iS;,;, one of the liveliest sketches in " Winter Studies and Snnnner
Randdesi' Mrs. Jameson was staying- with a family in lUandlord, near Woodstock,
which was then, she tells us, " last rising- into an imi>ortaiU town." " ( )ne da\ we
tlrove over to the settlement of one of these ma^nilicos, .\dmiral \ , who has
already expended upwards of twenty thousantl pounds in purchases and improvements,
liis house is ntally a curiosity, and at tlu; first -lance reminded me of an .\frican
villa'.^n' -a sort of Timbuctoo set down in the woods: it is two or three miles trom
the hiiih road, in the midst of tlu; forest, and looked as if a number of lo^duits
h,ad jostled a.i^^ainst each other by accident, and there stuck last. The .Xdmiral had
beL;un, 1 ima<,nnc. by erecting;- as is usual a loL^-house while the woods were ilearino ;
then, beim,^ in want of space, he added another, then another and another, and
so on, all of different shapes and sizes, and full of a seaman's contrivances odd
naileries, passages, jjorticos, corridors, saloons, cabins, and cupboards; so that if the
NOR rHI-RX NIUGIIIH ) A'
III
M'W ST. I'.M'I, S cmRCII,
\\ ( K II IS !'( i( K.
milsidc rcinimlcd nic
of an African xilla^c,
the interior was no
less like tliat of a
man-of-war. The draw-
iiii^-rooni, which occu-
pics an entire luiiKl-
iiiL;. is really a noble
loom, with a chimney
^^iiVvi^,
A FARM ()\ lilt; OXIOkl) Sl.Ol'K.
112 or/^ rirri'Ri'.snrr.
in which they pilr iwcnl) oak h),iis at once. Arouiul this room runs a i^allcry, well
hi^huil with windows from williout, throiii^^h which then: is a constant circulation of
air, kccpiiiL; the room warm in winter aiul cool in summer. 'The Admiral has l)e-
sides so main ingenious and ine\i)lical)le contri\ances [w warming- and airing his house,
that no insurance office will insure him on any terms. Alto,t,a:ther it was tin;
most straiij^-el) picturesiiue sort of dwi'lliii;^ 1 ever heluld, and could boast not
onlv of luxuries antl comforts, such as ar(; seldom fouml inland, hut ' losa allra
f^iii lai-ih' or at least '/>/// riira.' 'I'lu- .Admiral's sister, an accomplished woman
of indi'pendent fortime, has latc:l\ arrived from luirope, to take up her resi-
dence in the wilds. llaxini; rect'nth' spent some )ears in Ital)', she has brouL^ht
out with her all those pretty objects of :/r/ii with which l^njj^lish travellers
load themseK'es in that countr). Here, ranj^etl rountl the room, 1 found views of
i\ome anil Naples; /azzi and marl)les, and sculi)turc: in la\a or alabaster; miniature
copies of the eternal Sibyl and Cenci, Raffaellc's X'atican, <^c., - thin,L,^s not wonderful
nor rare in themsehi's, — the wondi-r was to see them here." The lad)' referred to
was Mrs. J'^ast, in whose honour Mastwood xilla^'e was afterwartls named.
Woodstock is now one of the towns most faxoured with railwavs. With these
manifold temptations to luxurious travel contrast the roads oxer which Mrs. Jameson
toiled less than half a century a^o. " The roatls wi're throughout so e.xecrably l)ad,
that no words can j.;ive you an idea of them. W'e often sank into mud-holes above
the axle-tree ; then over trunks of trees laid across swamps, called here corduroy
roads, were my poor bones dislocated. .A wheel heri; and there, or broken shaft
biuL; bv the wa\-side. told of former wrecks ami disasters. In somi: places they
had, in desperation, \\u\v^ lari^e boughs of oak into the mud al)\ss, and covered them
with clay and sod, thi: rich orct-n foliage projectinL;" on either side. This sort of
illusive contri\ance would soim:times ^ive wa\-, and we were nearh' precipitattnl in the
mitlst. H\- ■ the time we arri\t'd at IMandfortl, my hantls were swelletl anil blistered
b\- continuall)- i^n'aspin^- with all ni)- streiii^th an iron bar in front of my vehicle, to
prevent myself from bein,^- iluni^- out, and nn- limbs ached dreadfully. 1 never be-
held or imaj^ined such roads."
Hut after all, the scener\- amply consoled this literar\- artist. The forest, " lit
uj) with a changeful, magical beauty," the birds, the way-side (lowers, were continually
detaining her, and retarding the already slow wagon. iler American landlord at
Hrantford had kindly volunteered to see her safely to Woodstock. " I observed some
birds of a species new to me ; there was the lo\cl\- blue-bird, with its brilliant violet
plumage ; and a most gorgeous species of woodpecker, with a black head, white breast,
anil back and wings of the brightest scarlet ; hence it is called by some tin? Jicld-
ofjliccr. and, more generally, the coik of the loooHs. I should ha\e called it the cox-
comb of the loooa's, for it came Hitting across our road, clinging to the trees before
A'OR T/fERiV NRKillin )A'
I I 1
,^.^^--"« i-^^^ ^
»y<«5i
US, iinil nniaiiiinjj^ pcrtinac Oii.ly in sit^lit, as if conscious of its own splendid array,
and plcasc'd to he admir( d. There was also tlie Canadian roi)in, a bird as lar^e
as a thrush, hut in plumatfc and shapi; resemhUnj^ the sweet bird at home ' that
wears the scarlet stomach( r.' There wer(.' threat numbers of small birds of a briL,dit
\clIow, like canaries, and 1 believe of the same i^eiius. Sometimes, when I looked
up from thv' depth of loliaL:;;e to the bhu; firmanuMit above, I saw the eat^le sailintic
through the air on apparentb' motionless win^s. Nor let me fortret the splendour
of the llowers which carpc'ted the woods on either side. I mii^ht have exclaimed
with Hichendorff :
' () Well ! Dii M-hrmc W'ult, Dii I
MauM sivhl l)iili \iir lilijnici) l;niim !' —
for ih.us in sf)me ])laces did a i ich embroidc;r(nl pall of llowers literally liidc the earth.
There those beautiful jjlants which we cultivate; with such care in our L,^ardens, — azalias,
rhodotlendrons, all the i^or^cous famil)' of tin; lobelia, — wen; llourishini; in wild lux-
lu-iance. TY'stoons of
creeping- and parasitic
plants h u n u- from
branch to branch.
The purple and scar-
let iris ; llu' blue lark-
spur, and th(; ele-
g;inL Canadian colum-
bine with its brij^ht
pink llowers ; the scar-
let l_\-chnis, a species of
orchis ol the most ilaz-
7. 1 i n t^' i^cranium-colour ;
and the whitt' m'A \el-
low and purple (\pripe-
dium bordei'ed the path,
anil a thousaiul others
of most resplentient hues
for which 1 knew no
names. 1 could not
pass them with lor-
bearance, and iii)- dri-
"ir, ali>rhtino-. gathered for me a superb bouquet from the swampy margin of the
'"rest. I contri\-ed to fasten m\ llowers in a wreath alon^- the front of the wagon,
'hat 1 might enjoy at leisure their novelty and beauty."
■^'r>*ri\u\lc\l -
lilt. WA I I- KINO l'l,A( K.
114
O L rR PICTURESQ i li
Such, fifty years aj^o, was the vestibule of the Thames X'alley. Hut, Hke the
venerable cathedrals of l-'lanclers, the finest of our okl forest-minsters wen; swept
by the axe of the iconoclast. The I'lemish
imajj^e-breakers at St. Omer's and Antwerp
slashed the pictures, but spared the build-
ings. Our iconoclasts slashed the picturi's,
and razed to the earth the noblest of our
forest sanctuaries. Nave, aisles, and spire
fell before the axe of the pioneer and the
lumberman. And to the axe was often
added tlu' torch : so that even the beau-
tiful mosaic lloors were destroyed ; for the
mould itself antl the exquisite native flora
that it held were burnt up. The grand-
sons of our iconoclasts are now anxiously
bethinkiiiL;' themseKcs how to recox'er those
majestic wootls, and realtorest the ri\-er-
b:uiks ami hill-sides; it would surely also \iv.
well to tr\' wlu'lher those sweet wild-tlowers
cannot be charnutl back. A {v\\ braids of
barbetl wiri' carrietl around bits of wild
wood miL;ht. by excluding;' cattle, restore
till' lost llora.
To tlu' impressi\-e forest scener\- of the
elder tim(,' have succeeded sunny pastoral
landscapes. The labyrinthine CluUcaii ot
X'ansittart would now be as dithcult to find
as would tlu- bower of bair Rosamond b)'
the older Woodstock; the Admiral's tle-
mesne is now a famous breeder of race-
horses. On the u|)lands of BlandfortI we
stand on the narrow brim that dixides the
basin of the (irand Rixcr from the basin of the Thames. Hastward, the streams
course swiftly towartls Lake V.nv. Westward is a «,rentl(; slope extentlin<; tar beyond
(•\c-sht)t, and finally losins^' itself in the champaign countr\' that is watend by the
Lower Thames and the .Sydenham. \'on favoured land is the; Thessaly of ( )Kler
Canada ; a land covered with a net-work of rivers and ri\iilets, which tra\ erst; a rich,
deep soil; a land well dowered with sleek kine and swift steeds. "Nurse of heroes?"
Yes ; if in the prehistoric times the leaders at the council-fire or on the war-path
WOODl.AN 1) M.OWKKS.
J
NORTH URN NEIGH IH)R 115
were of the same inettlc as tlu- cliiefs that fout^^ht cither a_t,rainst us or for us
Within this western tract of Ontario we shall lind the home of I'ontiac. We shall
tinil also the tield where Tecumseh stood at hay when an I^nj^lish Ljeneral ran like
a fawn. Spear for spear, either of those Indian chiefs would have proved no mean
antagonist for the ,i;reatest of ancient Thessalians. — the mij^dity Achilles himself, — and
they had the merit of titrhtinj^ in a worthier cause.
In its upper course the Thames hums its way o\-er the [jehhles as it winds through
the O.xford glens. it crosses Dundas Street a littU; to the west of Woodstock ; then
amidst some sweet scener\- it passes Beachville ami ent(;rs Ingersoll. The channel
passes through the \ery heart of the town between hill terraces which are crowned with
pretty villas. The slumberous stillness of the ri\er contrasts with bustle of th(; cheese-
fairs and with the clangour of the great implement-factor)- that skirts the water. Onward
to London, where it receives an aftluent from the north, forming the " r|)per b'orks"
of ))ioneer times. The Thames \'alley abox'e London affords ri\er \iews of great
bcaulN'. Three miles below the citv, .Spriiigbank forms a favourite holidax' resort, with
most picturescjue approach, whelhcr we reach it b\' the road or the ri\'er. Here the
high bank takes its name from an exhaustless fountain of pure cold water, which is
raiseil to tlu^ rest'rvoir on the hills, and supplies the distant cit\-. The I'hames
presenth' enters the; reserves of the I )ela\\ ares and the Munce\' Indians, tJieii glitles
softK' past the battle-ground ot old Moi-;i\ian-T(i\\ 11 and thence onwartis to Chatham, •
where it is joined b\- Mcliregor's Creek, forming the "Lower bOrks." L\cn at
London the river cri'e])s with a drowsy motion, but below Chatham, bather Thames
has fallen into a deep sleep, his bosom scarcely heaving with an undulation. In this
state of euthanasia he' passes gentU' away ami joins the ceruU'an " Saintc- Claire."
l)Ut lor the discoloration of the blue lake, it would be ditlicult to deti'ct the eiUrv
of the river. |olliet sailed down tin: lake in 1660. and (laliiiee asci'iided it in the
following Near, but neither suspecteil the existence ol a large river. In 1744, N.
Hellin, the map-maker to Louis X\ .'s Department of Marine, inlorms us that the river
had been explored for eightv leagues without the obstacle ot a rapid. The 'Thames hail
not then oblaini'd a name, but soon afterwards the still water seems to have suggest<'d
the name of " The Moat," — La Trauclicc, which ])resently bt-cauK; La 7'rai/(//(\ imder
the same process that converted Sa/'ufr C7a/rc into "Saint Clair," ami /.ac Jim- into
■' Lake T^rie." (iovernor .Simcoe's Proclamation of July 16. 1 7c)2, which wouKl fain
have convert(,'d La iirainii' L'livicrc into "'The Ouse." permanentiv transformed La
rramlic into " 'The Thames."
In this topographical edict the Governor parcelled out his new Province into
nineteen counties, ami as the heart of tht; Western Peninsula was still to English-
men an almost unknown land, he would walk over the groimd, ami see it for him-
self. Setting out from Navy Llall, Niagara, in the dead of winter, 1793, he drove with
ii6
0( A' /'/( '/'( 7k'/:S(>( ■/;■
w-
St
ft
...4.'^'i'}|*
mSk
^1
ON Tin: TH.\M];S.
.\V>A' /■///:■ A'. \- XI-ICIIIU^R
I \
six militars oKiicrs to tin;
I'ortx -iiiilf Creek. AiiKniLi
his conipanions were Majoi'
I .ittleh.lles and 1 .iellteiiaiU
Tailiot, hdlli in the lliish
oi niaiihnoil ami ea^'er lor
aiUeiuure in the western
wilds. These \nim:_; ()iric<'rs
were soon to l;e se| laiMI ed,
Aw\ their paths in lili' I heiice-
lorwani witleh' (li\ero(i|.
Maior Liitlehales was now
Sinicoe's Militar\' Se( retar\',
and nideed iiis .'~>errelar\ of
.^lalc ; after obiainiiiL: his
. \m^^^'''''W^'^^W^^'s^^ ■■'"■■■
arnu' jironiotion. he
received ,i liai'oilet-
cy, and tor niL^h a
scori' ol \ears was
I \\(\r\- .S(irciar\ lor
Ireland. Of I'alhol
we sh.ill hear more
anon: tor the pres-
ent let it sultu'e to
sa) thai he was now
S i in t o e ' s Pri\ ate
Secretarx' and most
Till-: iii\Mi:s \ At 1 t:x', laiow ioxdox.
iis OCR rici I Ki-soii-:
conlklcntial finoN ; that after service in I'landers, where he won his colonelcy, he sold
his commission and returned to the Canadian forest, — there to hecome tin- builder
of the ]L,^reat Talbot hiijhua), an eccentric recluse, tlu- |)atriarch of some twenty-eitfht
to\vnshi|js, and the tutelary saint ol St. 1 homas. The ( "io\-ernor's I'xpeilition to the
Western frontii;r was to jiroxc ol tlu- tirst conse(|uence to the Province- ; antl fortunately
a \W\v\ Joitnuil in Littlehak-s' writini,^ has surviv(-d. It was printc-d in the Canadian
l.ilcrary Mat^azinc of Ma\, iS_^4; aiul it was rc-printi^il in i.S()i in tin- columns of
sonu- new'spapers ; but has aj^ain bt-comt; scarce and inaccessibU-. ( )n reaching- the
l*"orty-mile Crt-(-k, Simcoe's part\- climbed the Mountain and then struck across the
country for the- (irand Rixcr, where- the- wa\farers were entcrtainc-il at the Ni-lles'
hom(-st(-ad. Tlu-n ascending- the river, the ("io\(-rnor was rec(.-i\(-d at the Mohawk \'il-
la^e with a J\n dc joic. Resting' at the \illai4e lor \.\\xv.v days. Simcoe and his suite
attend(-il service- in the old church that \vt: saw at the rivt-r-sicU-, and were much
pleased with tlu- soft, mc-lodious voicc-s of tlu- xoun^' scpiaws. Reinforced b)- Brant and
a dozen Indians, the expedition iu)w crossecl the water-shed aiul descended the Thames
X'alley. Wintt-r though it was, Simcoe \vas profoundK" impresseil by the magnificent
landscape of ri\(-r, aiul plain, anil woodlanil, that opened out before him.
No surveyor's chain had yet clinked in these solitudes. Tlu- remains of beaver-
dams, recently despoileil, were to be seen on the streams. Tlu- occasional visitants
were Indian sportsnu-n, who could doubtless ha\e explaineil the painted hiero}^l)-phs
on the tri-es that so int(,;rested Simcoe's officers; then tht-re were tlu- half-Indian,
half-satyr kindred who trappc-d tlu.- fur-coate-d animals, and clothed themselves with
some of the spckls ; and there was the winter courier bearing- des|)atches from Kinj.,rs-
ton to T\)rt Detroit; and last anil rarest of all, you mi(.,dit happen on the extinct
camp-fire of some younnr explorer like Lord lulward FitzgeraUl, alread)- heart-sore with
disappointment, and pininj^ for woodland life and adventure. 'That romantic youno-
nobleman, — ^the fifth son of the first Duke of Leinster and (jf ancient Norman-Irish
lineaiije, — had served with distinction as Lord Rawdon's aide-docamp towards the close
of the Revolutionary War, and was severely wounded at the battle: of luitaw Sprin_L,''s.
He was found on the field, insensible, by a poor ne^'ro who bore him away on his
back to his hut, and there with the most tender care nursed him until he coukl
with safety be removed to Charleston. The "faithful Tony" was thereafter his in-
separable companion, on sea ami on land, throus^h trackless Canadian forests and
whithersoever else a fearless spirit mi>,dit lead, until an awful tray^edy closed his mas-
ter's career. After sonu; experience of the Irish Commons and of European travel,
Lord Edward met with a cruel disappointment in love-, and thouL,di "Uncle Rich-
mond," — who was also the uncle of our Duke of Richnu)nd, — pleaded his cause, the
father of his luaniorata continued obdurate. 'Truth to .say, the lady herself prov(;d
heartless ; and the whole story reads like the orii,dnal of Locksky Hall. He was off,
X()A''/7//:A'.\' MiliilinOR no
without even his mother's knowkidj^fc, to join his rci^nincnt ;it St. John's, New Hnuis-
wiik. lie hiKl a major's commission in the 54th, as WiMiam Col)b('tt, tiuii scrv-
injf in Nova Scotia as scrLjfant-major, ever !L;ral(liilly rcmcmljcnd, for Major litzj^erald
oiitaint'd the fiiliirc an'itator's disciiarLje. Lord 1 )orchesti'r, ( iovcrnor-(»ent;ral and Com-
inandcr-in-C'hicf of ijic l-Orces, had been an old aihiiirer of tiic 1 )iich(,'ss of I.cin-
slcr, and nalurall) indulged Ikm" son in his passion for adventure. The tirst e.xciir-
sion was a tramp on snow-shoes ol a luuuhHtd and sevenlj'-ln'i; miU-s Irom I'reil-
erickton to Oiiehec tiiroii^h a trackless wililerness. Then westward. I luier the L;Miil-
aiii r of iirant, -for whom he had conceivi-d the warmest admiration antl fricMidship, -
Lord I'^dward traxcrsed the Western I'eninsula, xisilin^;' tin- Mohawk Xillauje, anil e.\-
plorint; the Ihames X'alley hy the same Lnliaii trail o\er which Hrant was now
K^ailin^' (jovt^rnor .Simcoe. After leaving at I'Ort l)elroit the relief party of which
lie was in charL,'^i', .Major I'itZLjcrald would |)r()ceed to I'Ort Michilimackinac and then
strike awa\' for tlut Mississippi, desceiulinn' which to New Orleans he would hurr\'
home to see tin; fair one on whom he so often and fonilly mused while far away
in these Canailian forests. Hut on reachini:^ the Duke of Leinster's residence he would
lind a i^ranil entertainment in full career, and amonsj; the >,aiests whom etiquette re-
(juired to he in\ited he wouKl find the fair ( i and her Inisbixtni !
On the 12th I"el)ruar\', 1 jg.v .Simcoe came upon one of pf)or Lord luKvard's en-
campments near the Thames. Three years a<.(o this ill-fated nobleman had returned
to Irelaiul, there; to dash into the i)olitical maelstrom, to (juicken the; dizzy movement
in the Irish Commons, to become President of the United Irishmen, and, while des-
perately resistinor arrest, to fall mortally wounded, and to die a prisoner in Dublin
Castle. He was so fortunate as to have 'Thomas Moore for his bio^rrapher. Probably
his hero's adventures in Canada su^rtj^ested to the poet his own Canadian tour in
i(So4, and so indirectly yielded us the Canadian Boat Song, The Woodpecker, and the
poems written on the St. Lawrence.
Before the year 1 793 was out, the (^astern end ot the Thames Valley had been
plotted with townships, and substantial pioneers had l)een imported from New Jersey.
Thomas Horner, of Hordentown, led the wa\' into this fair wilderness, and arrived in
Blenheim whiU; AuLjustus Jones and his Indians were; still surveyintr it. Major
IngersoU also arrived in 1793, and occupied the tract on which has since arisen the
town bearing- his name.
The main purpose of Governor Simcoe in his fatitj^uin^' winter march, was to
find an appropriate site for the capital of Upper Canada. Newark (Nia^u^ara) was
too e.xposed to assault ; the Toronto portatje was not yet thouj^ht of, and when,
later in 179,,, it was accepted as the site, the Lieutenant-Governor seems to have
considered the transaction no more than a temporary compromise between his proposed
Geor)j^ina-upon-Thames and the claims of Kinji^ston as supported by the Governor-
120 o(/< ricrrNi-snrh:
(icntral Lord I)(ii\ Iicstcr. On the aftcrnonn of W'cdncsda)- the tliirlcciuh of VvW
ruary. ';<);,, the cxploriii^; part) reached the fertile deUa that l.i\ at the fonlhiena'
of the north and east l•ralv■he^. of the I'haines. Here they " hahed to oliscrvc
the heantilul situation. We passed some deep ia\ines and made om- uiM\\;,ins hy
a stream on tlie iirow ol a hill, near a spot where Indians wci-e intei-red ; ihe ImryinL;-
j.jronnd was ot earth, neatly coxcreil wiih lea\cs, and wickered o\cr. .\dioinin14 it
was a larL;-e pole with painted hieroi^lx phics on it. denotini^ the nation. ti-ilie. and
acliie\ cmeiUs ol the deceased, either as chiefs, warriors, or hunters." Iiom the
einineni-e where ilie\ |,i\ encamped, they could see the <\lended arms ol the I hames
with their mniierous 1 rihul.u'ies. I'o the im,iu;in.iti\ e Indian ihis i-i\cr-\iew sui^ijcsted
a L^ij^antii' elk's head and antlers with their hranches ,uid lines; .md from this fanc\
the river, Ioul;' liefor<' the entry of the Muropian into ihe \alle\. was known l)\ the
name of .Is-kiiu-c-SiC-lh- The .\ntlereil l\i\er.
'The situation L;i-eatly impressed the (ioxcrnoi-. After completing- his march to
Hetroii. he liurriedK i-eiiirned to make a more particular sin-\-ey, so thai he was
here ai;ain within se\-entecn days ol his lirst \isit. I'he following' is the entr\- in
Major l.ittlehales' Joiii-iial : " jd | .March, 1 Ju.i |. .Struck the I'hames on one einl ol
a low llat island. The rapidit\ of the current is so ^rcai as to ha\c formed a
channel throui^h the mainland dicing- a peninsula), ,uid formed this island. We
walked o\cr a rich meadow, and at its extremit) reached tlie forks of the riser. The
( iox'ernor wished to examine this situation and its environs and we therefore stopped
here a day. lie juileed it to he a situation emineiuK calculated for the Metropolis
ol all Canada; arnoiiL; man\' other essentials it possesses the following; ,id\anta^es: —
command ol territory, internal situation, central position, facility of water comimuii-
cation up and down the Thames, superior naxi^alion for boats to near its soiu'ce,
and for small cralt prohahl)' to the .Moraxian Selilement ; to the northward l)\' a
small portage to the water llowini; into Lake lluron. to the south-east li\ a larryini;
place into Lake ( )ntario and the Rixcr St. Lawrence; the soil hixuriouslv fertile
and the land capable of beinn' casil_\- cleared ami soon put into a state of agriculture,
a pinery upon an adjai'ent hi,i_;h knoll and others on the heii^ht, well calculated for
the erection ol public buildini^-s, and a climate not inferior to an\' part of Canada."
I)urini4 the first two years of .Simcoe's ailministration the continuance of peace
with the Uniteil Stales seemi'd \cry uncertain, and \\liile preparing' a teniporar)- refuL,^'
for the Provincial Legislature, the ( io\-ernor sleadfastl\- worked out his scheme of the;
Mein^polis on the Thames. 'The ri\cr was frozen at the time of his visit <ind formed
a capital roadwax' for the tlozen carrioles that were sent from I )etroit to nn'et him and
his suiti;. As soon as s]jrinL;' opened, .Sur\'c?yor McXilf was tIetaiU'd to take sound-
ings antl ascertain whether navigation could be extended to the L'jfper T'orks ; he
reported the river "([uite practicable? with the erecticjn of one; or two locks." 'To
N( )A' 77f/:RX NliliilllH )R
1 21
'^iiaiil t'.K' a|i|ii(iiu h Iroin ilic wcstcni Ironlici' ami lommaiul tin- n.i\ i,L;ati()ii ol the r|)|)cr
and Middle Lakes. Siincoe iin)|eiteil a ilotkyanl and n.i\al arsenal at the laiwer
I'ork',, which he had |)arli(iilarl\ sin-veyed hntli on his man li to |)eiroit and upon his
i'<'tin'n. In 17(15 he h,id a town plot siii\e\ed at the Lower I'orks, uhiih ihence-
lorward rerei\-ed the name ol I'haihain, hnt sin h was Sinnoe's enei-L;\, ih.il in 1 7()4.
\ri-T-S,imi.*it.^-
\Ii roKIA I'AKK, l.oMioN.
,ind in advance ol tli" sur\ey, he had a ( loxcrnnient shipyard established \\\\k\ l^uh-
lioats already on the stocks. I'he coniniunication ol (ieorL;ina with Lake Ontario
w.is to lie maintained l)\- a ^real military road -l)Lnidas Street— with which l)\ an-
licipalioM we ha\'e already become lamiliar. I'his road wouKl run direct to the na\al
station v:-o\ided l)\' nature at the head ol Lake ( )nlario, -the noble sheet of wat<'r
I 1
which .'.! ncoe luul onl_\' rei-enll\- named i)urlinL^ton Maw (_)ne approach lo his forest
cit\' rema;!ied still l(j be coxcred : the approach Irom the lake frontier on the south.
At the suL;:4(!stion of Lieutenant Talbot, ox'er whom woodland lite was alreadx' ,i;'ain-
iiii,'' a fascination, the ("io\crnor explored, in the autumn of 1 Jc)^^. the north shore ol
Lake L'rie. and selecU'd the site of a earrison town near the heiidland which had pre-
■. iousl\- l)een known as Poiiitc a la Biclu\ but which was now named TurkeN' Point.
122 OCR rim'RF.sQrn
The lu'iulhuul coininanclccl the l)ay ami roadstead of 1-onn- Point, which latter Sinic(H\
in his ioncliH'ss for trans|)lantiiii; l'".iiL,dish iianics, called North l''orclaiul. This garrison
town was to ha\c coinimiiiicalioii with the eastern frontier 1)\' a niilitar)- road, and tlu-
whole north shore ol Lake I'^rie was to i)e colonized with Inile^l Mnipire Loyalists
of the most uncoinpromisinL;' kind. In short, Siincoe's design tor (ieornina (London)
was to make it, not onl)- the seat of y^overnment, hut the niilitar)- centre of the
l'ro\ince. and tlu- ciMitre of material resources.
,\11 the ("io\ernor's ])re|)arations wvkv activel\- proct'cdino', when in 1796 he was
une.\i)ecti'dl\' transferred from I'pper Canada to the West Indies; and on his de-
parturi: his plans fell into completi' disorder. The development of London, Chatham,
antl indeed of the whole Thamt's X'alley was arrested for an entire generation.
Robert Ciourlay's Statistical . //((V//// — commencetl in 1S17, and publishetl in \)>Z2 —
o"i\es a deplorable picture of the stasji^nation of tlu! Province, ami of the maladmin-
istration of its public affairs. (lourhu was himst-lf a lar^e landowner near the
Ihaines, and beyontl the information supplied b\' township ineetinj.^s he hail ample
personal reasons tor understanding; the subject.
We have s.-.'en that Simcoe's tirst thought in namini^- his capital, was to offer
a compliment to C'leorj^c IIL and call the cit\' CieorL^ina, ~a name still pres(M'\(.'d in
a township on Lake; Siincoe. Hut this western river had bi'en nametl the Thames,
ami it seemed an obvious corollar}' that the metro|)olis on the Thames must be
LvMidon. Then this saj.i^acious Cioxcrnor felt how th(; old names pull on om^'s heart-
slriui^s, and it was doubtless part of his plan to charm l^nq-lishmen to his i'ro\ince
b\- the mere mastic of those historic words. Were he now to rc-\ isit this spot afttr
nin(!t\- years of absiMice, In; would be rejoiced to find that his feelin«,^s luul been so
well understooil, and that his Lomloners had even " bettered the instruction." After
he had LTot over the astonishment caused b\' the stt;el roadwa\s, and by the " fn'e-
wai^ons," — as his Indians wouKl hav<' promptly called the locomotives, while .Simcoe
was fumblino- about for a word, — he would tr\' to disco\er in all this marvellous trans-
formation the old natural features of the " I'pper TOrks." He woukl find that the
rich alluvial meatlows which he ])aced with his xouuLi^ officers havi' yieldi;d an abun-
dant harvest of suburban villas, antl now bear the familiar names of Wi'stminster and
Kensim^'-ton. 'To the north he wouUl miss the billow)' sea of dark !L,M-een forest which
formed so marked a feature in the: landscajx' of his da)- ; he would lind that the shad-
ow)- aisles throuj^h the "Pineries" have been succeeded b\ a iiet-work of liiohwaNs
whose names would startle: .Simcoe by their very familiarity, — Bond .Street, and ( ).\ford
Street ; Pall Mall, Piccadill)-, and Cheapside. Luleed, with the street names before his
mind, and the sweet chimes of .St. Paul's lin^erini; in his ears, he would often dre.un of
the ancie'Ut cit)- beside the older 'Thames. 'The illusion would be assisted b) the ^reat
warehouses, bre-weries, founelries, and factorii:s. As Iv last knew this place, there was
.voA' iiiiiRX \i-:n;iiiiOK
lint \\ ^ i^ii ol luiiiian i)i'(.'scncc here, except
the IiK lan phaiUasms executed on ti\e trees
ill ctiarcoal and \ cnnilion, men with deers' heads, and the rest. In his strt)!! up
Riehnionil Street he would tind niucli to detain him. lie would naturally think th(>
sireel named after the statesman who was his own contemporary, anil lit? would have
til l)e informed that the name commemorates that duke's nephew, the ill-fated (iov-
'■rnor-( ieneral of Canada, who tlied of hyilrophohia on the ()ttawa. When last at
I his Canadian London, Simcoe ri-sted in a wii^^wam umler an elm-hark roof, which
lirant's Mohawks IkuI improxised. \ow, without wainlerin^- man\- yards from the
railwa\- station, one m;i\- fmd comforts and hi.xuries such as the Royal Palaces of the last
century could not haxc sujjplied, and such ;is our old-hishioned ( iovernor mi^ht possiblv
denounce as enerxatin^. I he maze ot wiri's conxcr^inL; to \arious otifici^s wonUl have
to he ex|)laineil, and barbarous words used that were not in " |ohnson," the standard
124
OrR I'/C'/'CR/uSOCH
ST. riioMAs.
1 KdM Ki;il'l.i: CKl.KK r.KlDCK.
dictionai') ol Simcnc's chu'. Itoiii I\is
Jouiiial we know tliat alri'a(l\- with
his mind's eye lie saw puhhc huihh'n^s
occupyin!^- llic risin^ .t;r(iuncl, \ct we fancy
' he would l)<j surprised at tlic luiinlxT ami
the (juality of the public and y///?\/-pni)lic liuild-
ini^s that in this xouni^- city he mi^ht \icw with-
out leavini,^ Richmond Street, — the City Hall, the Opera House, the i'ost Ofttce.
the Custom House, half-a-dozen noble Hank Huildinns, the stately Protestant
Churches and the L;reat Catholic Cathedral. h'artlK-r north he would find the
(Jrphanau^es, — Protestant and Catholic, — Hellmuth College, and the Western Inixcr-
sity. And just heyontl the city limits a vast pile of Pro\incial buildings would
rise into view, — a villat^'^e, na\ , a whole town of ))oor insane folk. I)i\-eroin(r into some
of the parallel thorou,i,di fares, Simcoe would be much puz/led by the names W^ellington
and Waterloo; he would ha\-e to learn all of W'ellesley's career, exce|)t his Indian cam-
paij.;ns ; and then he would understand how a drowsx- Belgian hamlet came to lentl its
name to i)ridj.,re and street in Old and New London. At the name Talbot Street he
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR ' ,
>vo„l,l .c.rtainK inquire as t„ .Ik- subsequent career „f tlu- youuR n.ajor, „l„, IukI been
h.s |,r,va.e secretary, a.ul u],„n, by his letter ,„ Lord Hobart. Sintcoe Itelpecl to his
1.1-s. townsl,ip on Lake lirie. The pect.liar arcl,itecture of tlu- Middlesex Jail.-one
block westward.- would certainly catch Si„,coe's e,e. and he wotdd he nn.ch ann.sed
to learn that lalbot had perpetrated a n.iniature of Malahide Castle, the h„n,e of the
laibots sntce the days of the I'lantagenets. Si„,coe wotdd probably ft.el so„,e secret
chaKr,n. because the street that bears his own nante is not that "where „,ercha„ts
n...st do consreKate;" but he „u,d,t on the other han.l to be well console.l by a walk
.h.-ouKh the ntajjnificent thorou.hfare.-his old military road, Dundas Street -which
here grandly concludes the ■• Onernors Road." with buildings that he wotdd certainly
have: esteemed the very palaces of trade.
Of .-i summer's evenin,,. the boat-houses at the foot of Dundas Street are astir with
oarsmen who take the river in the ,doamin. and the moonlight. In ,ood sooth, the
water ,s no longer of the crystalline purity it was ninety or fifty years since, when our
I hames was as yet scarcely ^.exed by a mill-wheel. Uenham wrote of the Elder
Ihames, nearly two centuries and a half a.<^o, these famous lines:
"Oh, cHiM I ll„„- \ikc ,in..i., and make thy slrcMin
My ^'i-cat cxanipiL', as it is my thuinc I
Thoufrh ilcep, yet clear, thoiifjh fjoUe, yei n.d dull;
Slrong wilhoiit rage, without o'erHowing full,
But Thames /^;r and Thames /A have alike suffered from chemical works and
their k.ndred: their foam is not amber, nor yet amberuris ; and in sailin-- on either
we shall do well to take Denham's advice and /ccr/> our nrs on the shore —
" Thnui;!, uiih (hose streams he i... reseml.laiiee hold,
Whose loam is amber, anil their gravel gold.
His genuine and less gnilly weallli t' explore,
Seareh not his hoiiom, but survey his shore,"
Until two years a^o our Canadian Thames brought to mind only rouKunic
scenerx-. and merry-makin,., and joyous holiday.s. TIu^i a terrible tra..-edy befc.ll One
"f the toy-steamboats that plied between London and Sprin^bank was strtn-olin^ to
l.rin^ back some six h.mdred of the excursit.nists who had kept the Otuvn^ [iinh
'l'^>- In- the ThanK.s.side. Soon after leaving Sprin^bank tlu. rutoria listed with
an ominous lurch and strain; then be,,.an to fill. The rush of the ,,assenovrs on
tiu' upper deck acn>ss the vessel snapped the stanchions like pipe-stems, and brought
'h.' whole tipper-works with tlu.- living freight upon the helpless crowd beneaih
I hey all sank together. Of the six hundred souls on boartl more than a third
penshed. After that sorrowful sun had set. the search in this deep and dark river
-^nt on with the aid of .reat iires blazing on the banks and petroleum torches
i-^o OCR PIcrrRBSQUE
tlarint,^ and tlashin!:,^ distractedly hither and thitlier on the water. The scene on that
awful nijj^ht inioht \i\itlly recall the ancient (ireek poet's (lescri|)tion of the; \-estil)ule
of the "dank House of Hades:" — the waste shore and the >;ro\cs of Persephone,
the po|}lar-trees and the willows; the dark Aclieron, the I-"lanie-lil Mood, and
Cocytus that River of \\'ee|)in,!L;^. Midni,i,dit hroujL,du the solemn procession of the
dead up the stream, and then the terrible recoj^nition at the landint^. \'et death
had dealt _i,n,'ntly with most of those dear ont!s : they seemed to have but fallen itito a
peaceful slumber on the soft Ma\- _«,rrass. The pain and the ai^-onv were for the li\ino-.
That nijrht carried mournini^r into a thousand homes. When the news thrilled
throu_(,di the world, a universal cry of sxmpathy arose ; from the Ro)al Palace to the
cabin all claimed a share in the i^rief of this bereaved city.
Of the many railways which brinij rich tributt- to London, that arri\inL; from
the shore of Lake Lrie by way of St. Thomas taps a district of much interest as
well as resource. LeaviuLi" Lc^ndon, and holding,'- our wa\- aloni^'- the o'entU; rise which
forms the water-shed of the rich tov/nships of Westminster anil N'armouth, we lind
on reaching .St. Thomas that we are looking- down from an escarpment of consider-
able elevation. P'rom the western (.^doi; the cit\- commands a mat^miticeiit outlook.
.As far as the eye can reach, country villas and trim farmsteads stand out in relief
against i^raceful bits of wild-wood, or are only half concealed b\- plantations of deep
i^reen spruce and arbor \ita'. hiterxcnint:^ are broati stretches of meadow, or loni;'
rolliuL;' billows of harvest-land. 1 )own in the (lee[) ra\ine at our feet winds a beau-
tiful stream, whi(-h has all tlu: essentials of romance, except the name. When, half
a century a^o, Mrs. Jameson warniK' remonstrated against "Kettle Creek," nld Colonel
Talbot pleatletl that some of his lirst seitK'rs hail christened the stream from I'liid-
in^- an Indian camp-kettle on the bank, and that reall\- he had not lhouL;lu it
worth while to change the name. The Canada Southern Railwa\- is carried across
the Creek and its dizzy raxine b)- a lon^' woodi-n \iailncl which contains a \cr\'
forest ot spars. '1 he L^rowth of .St. Thomas has been much promoted by this
Southern Railwa\-, which, — ori«;inally projected 1)\- W, .\. Thompson, receixed, after
wear}- Aears of solicitation, support from Courtrii^ht and Daniel Drew, and linalK'
reached a permanent basis under the mii^luier dynasty of the X'anderbilts. Its alli-
ance with the Credit \'alle\' road i^ives St. Thomas tlu; ad\aiitaL;e of a double through
routi- east and west. The companx's car-shops have created a hive of industr\- at
th(! eastern end of Centre Street. The adjoining- station is one of the fmesi in the
Dominion, ami reminds one of the lart^e structures in Chicago and New ^'ork. Com-
petition for the .\merican throutih-frei-^ht brought a branch of the (ireal Wesieru
from Cdencoi; to St. Thomas. This Loop or ".Xir" Line passes onward b\ .\\lmer,
Tilsonburi:;, .Siuicoe, and |ar\is; then, as we have alnadx' seen, converges to the
Canada Southern at Ca\-UL;a; whence th(^ two rivals start on a fift\-mile race for the
XOR THI-RX XEICIIIH Vv'
I 2
International Hridjj^c at lUiffalo, hlowinL; strain
into each other's faces almost all the \va)'.
The Loop Line ^ives St. Thomas the rare
advantaLi^e of a third throuL,di-route east antl
west. Then hy the railway on which we
have just travelled there is easy access to
Port Stanley which, only eii^ht miles distant,
is the chief harbcnir on the ncjrth shore of
Lake ICrie.
Tlu- develojMnent of -St. Thomas into a
raihva\' centre has carried with it threat ma-
terial prosperit) ; the haunts and
homes of commerce and in-
dustry are last ovcr'jrowiiiL!'
the cit\'s limits. 1 lie ri Iil;ious edifices have
kept ahreast of this material adxance. Higher
education, as well as elementar\, has re-
cei\-ed careful consider.ition. .An excellent Collet^iate
Institute furnishes an acatlemic and professional Irain-
iuL;. .Alma ColK'n'C', a line pile of huildini^s iii modern (iothic, r ^ I
occupies a commaiulini^" site of six acres in the middle of ,■ '■
the city. 'I'he (."olle^c is desij^iied to i^ixc x'ount;' ladies a train-
in_sj^, artistic and musital, as well as literar)-; it is conducteil uniler the auspice?;
of the Methodist f'lpiscopal Church.
128 OUR PICTURESQUE
At St. Thomas we ar(> in the hfart of the " I'allx)! C"()iintr\." The city's
main artcr)- is the' same Talbot Street wliich se\-ent\ miles eastward we found cross-
\\\<-^ the Grand River at Ca\ iii^a ; and wliich, wc-stwaril, we should lind traversiniL,^
the counties of Kent and iCssex, finally running- out on the Detroit River at Saiul-
wich. Hoth the "Street" and St. Thomas itself take their name from the younf
lieutenant whom we saw with (io\-ernor .Simcoe exploriii!^- a site for Lomlon in the;
winter of 1793. As in St. Catharine's and some other places locally canonized, the
" Saint " has been thrown in for euphony. Perhaps, too, the voluntary hardships to
which Colonel Talbot devotetl himself may have sugtrested a comparison with his
famous namesake of Canterbury.
Vxom. the lookout at Port Stanley wc can discern, seven or eii^du miles west-
ward, Talbot Creek and the spot where this military hermit renounced the world of
rank and fashion and entered the wilderness, there to abide with brief intermission
for nearl\- fift)- )ears ;— the spot also where after a stormy life he now peacefully lies
listening to the lappinj; of the lake-waves upon tht: shore. Talbot was two years
younjrcr than Arthur Wellesley, — the future Duke of Wellin^rton.— and, while still in
their teens, the younjr officers were thrown much to.trether as aides to Talbot's relative
the Marquis of Buckinjj^ham, then \'iceroy of Ireland. The warm friendship thus
formed was kept up to the end of their lives by correspondence, and by Colonel
Talbot's secular visits to Apsley House, whert; he alwaj's found Wellington ready to
back him against the intrigues of the Canadian I^.xecutive. Through Simcoe's inllu-
ence Talbot oljtained in 1S03 a township on the sh(jri' of Lake I'^rie; the original de-
nu:sne _ti,rew in half a century to a principality of about 700,000 acres with a poini-
lation of 75,000 souls. There was an Arcadian simplicit)- aljout the life of these
pioneers. The title-deeds of tin; farms were mere pencil entries Ijy the Colonel in his
township maps; transfers were accomjjlished 1>\- a piece of rubber and more pencil
entries. His word of honour was suf'ticient ; antl their confidence; was certainl\-
never abused. The anniversary of his landini:;- at Port Talbot, — the :!ist of May,
was erected by Dr. Rolph into a j^reat ft'stival. which was loni^- ke|)t up in Si.
Thomas with all honour. Immediately after this brief respite the hermit woukl re-
turn to his isolation, in which there; was an odd mixture of aristocratic hauteur and
sava^-e wildness. The ac(|uaintances of earlier life fell awav one b\- one, and there
were none; others to till the vacancies. While creating- thousands of happy firesides
arouml him, his own hearth remained desolate. Compassion was often felt for his
lonelinc^ss : his ne])hews, one of them afterwards (ieneral Lord Aire)- of Crimean
fame, — attemptt'd to share his solitucU' : but in \ain. Then his one faithful ser\ant
Jeffrey died. The recluse hatl succeeded in creating around him an absolute xoid ;
for we take no account of the birds of prey that hovered about. Wellini^^ton, his
first com[janion and the last of his friends, was boriu; to his tomb in the crypt of
;\ Y Vv' TIIERN NEIGHBOR 1:0
St. I'aiil's amid all tlic inai,niiflcciit woe of a State funeral, and with the |)rof()inul-
cst respect of a _L,fr(;at empire. Three months later, poor Tallxjt also died. It was
the ilepth of winter and hitterl)' coltl. In the projji'ress of the remains from London,
where he died, to the ([iiiet nook by the lake shore;, the deceased lay all ni^ht net;;-
lected and forsaken in the barn of a roadside inn. Ihe on!) voice of mourninjr
near his coftin was the wailing- of the night-wind. Hut, in tiial solemn darkness, the
pealing organ of the forest played more touching cadences than ma)- bi; found in
a requiem of Mozart or Cherubini.
' What was the- mystery in this lonely man's life, that coukl induce a handsome
colonel of ancient and noble family to forego at thirty-one all his advantages of per-
son, rank, and station, to pass many jears of e.xtremest hardship in the wilderness,
and after all only gain an old age of sore discomfort, and llnall)' an unhonouretl and
forgottcMi gra\-e ? His own answer was, that, when he was young and romantic,
Charlevoix's tlescription of this I'.rie shore had cast a spell upon him.
By oriler of Louis X\ ., this learnetl Jesuit, who was preseiilh to become our
earliest historian, made a tour of obserxation through New I'rance. i'Ortunateh lor
us. he kept along the north shore ol Lake i^rie, and recorded his observations in a
Jii/ti-iiai which took the form oi correspondence addressetl to the 1 )uchess des 1-es-
(liguieres. ihe seventeenth lettei' is datetl at l'"ort I'onrharlrain, Detroit, Slh June.
1721. While j)assing the esluar\ of the (irand RixiM" [/.a (iraiidc R/v/'crc), Charle-
voix remarked that though it was the jSih of .Ma\ the lre(;s wert; not yet out in
liaf. Then past Long Point { /.n I-oi/o'iif /'o/iih) and its clouds of water-fowl, and so
wcstwanl ox'er a (piiet lake and water as clear as crystal. The explorer's part)'
encamped in the noble oak-wootis wlnre Talbot afterwards found a hermitage and a
grax'e. CharU^voix w,is charmed with a life that recalled tlu; wiKl freeilom of the
Hebrew I'atriarchs; each da\ brought an abundance of tlu' choicest game, a new
wigwam, a fountain of pure wali'r, a soft carpet of green sward, and a profusion of
tile loveliest flowers.
The fourth ol jul\ bi-oughl Charlexoix to I'oiitlc IVh'i. where he chief])- re-
marked copsi's of red cedar. This I'oint, it will be remembered, had witnessed the
great tribulation of the worth) bathers (ialinee ami I )ollier in the .S|)ring of 1(170,
;ui(l so IkuI been called Poiiilc anx Peres. At Chark'xoix's \isit the headland had
ac(piiri'd its present name, but he throws no light on its meaning. it was then a
rare bear-garden: more than foin- liiiiidred W'-ax'> hail been killed last wintt'r (1720-1)
upon the I'oint.
.Sixteen miles to the south-west of Pointe Pek'e lies Pelee Island, which, —with
the exception of an islet ol fort)' acres two miles still farther out in the Lake. —
iorms the most soutlicrl) possession of the Canadian Dominion. 'The temperature
is so warm and e(|ual)lc' that sweet potatoes are grown, cotton has been found to
oc/^ I'lcrrRiisoL E
ON TMF, HANKS ()|- IIIB
i)i;ii<( III'.
thrive, the di'licatc Is-
abella and llu,' late-
ripeiiinL; Catawba here
reach their highest
tiavor ami j)erfecti()n.
Six miles to the south lies atK^her famous vineyard, Kellc;y's Island, which terri-
torialK' belonijjs to Ohio. In Charlevoix's time two of these islands were s|)ecially
known as Rattlesnake Islands, and all bore a viperous reputation. Apparently
with excellent reason: for Captain Carver, in 1767, and Isaac Weld, thirty years
A OK THERM NlilGUBOR
\\\
later, found tlit-ni fairl\ l)ristlinL,r with rattlcsnakt's. The very islamls that in our
time are the most dch^^htful of licaltii-rcsoi-ts were in the claNs of the carl)- trav-
ellers held to breathe an envenomed atmosphere. Carver, with charminj^- credulit)'.
tells of a " hissinj^f-snake," (Mjj^hteen inches loni^r, which particular!)- infested these
islands: "it blows from its mouth witli i^^reat force a subtile wind," which, "if drawn
in with the breath of the unwar\- trave-ller, will infallii)l\- brin^- on a decline that in
a few months must proxc mortal, there beiiio- no remedy yet discovered which can
countcM'act its i)aneful inlluencel"
Charlevoix entered the Detroit River an hour before simset, on the; 5th of
June, 1721, and encamped for the nioiit on " Bois Hlanc." The island had alrcad)
o-ot its present name, ami was, a luindretl and sixty years a_L;o, as it is ncnv, " nnc
Ir'cs-bcllc isle."
In 1796. when \'K^x^. Detroit passetl uncUn" Jay's Trt.'aty from I'lni^dand to the
United States, the jj^ims and military stores wert.' removetl to a new fort which the
I'^nu^lish enj^ineers had hastil\- erecteil, eii^hteen miles Ix'low, at th(; mouth of the
ri\er. \ s(]uare plot, sufficient to receive three re-i^dments, was enclosed and de-
fended by ditch, stockaiU,', and rampart ; and tin; !)astions at the- four any^lcs were
lu'aviK' armed. One face ran |xirallel to the river-bank and was pierced by a sally-
port, b'ort Maiden has witnessed excitinj^ and troublous times, but soon its ^rountl
plan will bf as ilifficidt to trace as the plans of the mound-builders of tlic ()hio. The
slump of the tlajL^-staff is now siU-ntly decayinjj^ in the !^rass-plot of a pri\ate tle-
iiicsne, like a maimt'd veteran in a (juiet nook at Chelsea; the stockade ami ditch
have disappeared ; the ramparts themselves have melted awa\' into i^entk; slopes of
i^reen sward. The untamed wiklness of the ri\'c;r-banks antl islands as the\- were
seen b\' (jalinee, Charlevoix, ami Weld, has been succeetled 1)\- a softer landscape' of rare
loxcliiU'ss. The screen of white-wood forest, from which Iiois Hlanc took its name, was
cut down in the Rebellion of 1S37-S in order to i^ive the L^uns of I""orl Maklen an
imrestricteil swtn^p. The river-\iew from .\iidierstljurL;- thus became enlaro;('d and en-
richetl, takino- in the beautiful (irosse Isle and the rich woodlands on the farther bank
of the Detroit. The town was nametl in commemoration of (ieneral Lord Andierst,
Wolfe's Commander-in-Chief in the successful cam|)aiL;ns atrainst Louisbourn' and Ouebec.
Ihe new fort was visited in 1797 b\' Isaac Weld, some of whose most interestinj^'-
sketches are dated from " Maiden." He came up Lake Erie with a scpiadron of three
war-vessels, one of them charged with presents for the Indians. On the first night
after his arrival, just as he was retiring to rest, he heard wild plaintive music borne
■in with the midnight wind from the river. Taking a boat for Hois Hlanc, and
guided by the light of a camp-fire, he found a ])arty of Indian girls "warbling their
native wood-notes wild." A score of young s(juaws had formed a circle round the
lire and, each with her hand around another's neck, were keeping time in a kind
'32
(U/< I'K rrRh.sori-:
LAiAWiiA \im:\.\ki) I'i:i i:i', island.
of ininucl to ;i recitative siiiiij;^ 1)\
They were supjjorteil l)\' the deep
voices ol lliree iiieii, who, seated under a tree,
formed the orchestra tor this clioral dance, and
niarketl the lime with rude kettle-chamis. The Iiuhan warriors on the island had heeii
foniHM'l)' sc:ttled near the W ahasli, and were of those tribes that six years a^o had cut
to pieces the army of ( leiK^ral St. Clair, the L^out)' grandson of tlii' Karl of KossKn.
'Idle retl-men had since l)een tameil l)\- the nimhle deneral W'a^ne, — "Mad Anlhon),"
whose redoubt now commands the river below Detroit, — but several Indian families
had made o()()d their retreat with St. Clair's spoils, and were thiMi actually encamped
under his cainas on iiois lUane.
Ihe ('arliest detailed exploration of the Detroit Rivc;r is (lalinee's, in the .S|)ri!i^
of 1670, though we know that Jolliet had in the previous Autumn mapped his wa\'
down from the .Sault Ste, Marie to the mouth of the (irand ki\-er. 'I'he mission-
aries Galinee and Dolli(!r had been mocked and thwarted by tin- storm\- waters of
•^'•^A'////.A'.\- .V/:/,,///;o;,
I7--
.1 r"-,')' ■
.♦f...
'.>,;
r*r"
H,:.
,.,^o.
A FOREST J-ATHWA
i:,4 01 'R /PICTURESQUE
C oinnuTci" oftt-n luin^ close!) on the skirts of the Church. Within a decade of
l*"ath>'r (iahnee's hoiil with the Maniton, La Salle hail dedicated to idinnierce this
frontier chain ol rixcrs as well as tht; two s^reat inland si-as that are joined l)\ these
shininj^f links of silver.
Ntnirl)' ten years have passed since we saw I. a Salle niakini,^ the first explo-
ration of Lake I'rontenac ( ( )ntario), and discoxcrin^' Niaj^ara Ki\t'r ami iUirlinj^ton
Ha\-. The younn C anailian, Jollit't, whose romantic interview with La Salle wi- wit-
nessed near the (irand River, has since found the Mississippi, ami, in company with
the l)ra\(' I'ather Maripiette, has tracetl that mi,i;ht\ llood down to within a couple
of tla)s' journey from the mouth. llis ambitious rival, La .Salle, has em-
harked on a vast commercial enterprise in which the ( io\ernor-( u'lU'ral, Count I'ron-
tenac, is shrewdly believed to ha\i' invested more than a friendl\- interest. The
scheme is no k'ss than a monopoly of tlu- fur-traik; ol the continent. Ihe (Ireat
Ki\(M' ami \'alU'\' of whose resources Jolliet brought back in ihe Summer of 1*573
such marvellous accounts, will In- re-explored l)\ La SalK; with the aid of jolliet's
manuscript re|)orts and maps, and of Maripiette's narrati\c, alter Manpiette is dead, and
when I'rontenac has removed poor lolliet to the tlistant ami barren scioiiciii'ic ol
Anticosti. Hut the first antl pressiiiLj cpiestion is the fur-trade of the (ireat Lakes.
This title of fortuiu' must forthwith l)e dellected from the An^^lo-I )iitch channel of the
Hudson to the St. LawrtMice. I'Ort I'rontenac was hastilx' thrown up on the site ol the
present Kins^^ston to command the lower outlet of Lake ( )iUario ; the western L;atewa\'
was broui^ht under La .Salle's j^uns by the erection of I'Ort NiaL^ara. Ihe lur-trade ol
I'.rie and the Lpper Lakes was to be secured b)' the patrol ol an armed trailer.
l)Ut La Salle's schemes of inonopoh' had alread)' excited bitter jealousies and had
])lunL;ed him into fmancial I'mbarrassments. [ust as he had put on the stocks the
vessel that was to become the pioneer of lake merchantmen, his creditors lai-.l hands
upon his store of furs at I'Ort I'rontenac, and the l'"rench Intendant seized the rest
at Ouebec. To tlu' Inlendant's share fell 2S4 skunk-skins, whose lati: occupants are
in the official inventor\ ^riniK cataloLjued as ''cufivtls dii diablcr
After incredible difficulties, and amid the sleepless suspicion and hostilit\' of the
Indians, a 45-ton craft was at length completed and launched on the Niagara l\i\er.
Slie was named the (irijjiii, after the lion-eat,le at her prow, which had beiMi ile-
sii^ned Irom the armorial bearings of Count b'rontenac. On the 7th August, 167Q,
La Salle embarked on Lake Lrie, ami with a 7"c Pcudi and salvos of artiller\' the
(rritfiit llun_n' her canvas to the breeze. On the i 1 th she entered the Detroit, the
pioneer and pilot of that innumerable procession of ships which durinj^ two centu-
ries have passed this Strait. I'Oom ^Lay to Decembi-r you may ol)serve all day, and
throu!L,di the livelon_t,r niL,dit, the stately march of the merchantmen on these waters, —
the soft foot-fall of the sailinLT craft, and in the fore-front of these alarii. the
xoA' riir.Rx \/:/(;///u)R
• vS
Lake I'.ric : linallv, niif iiii^lu, l»\- a stealthy inroad on the poor txhaiislcd Sulpi-
liaiis, till' Lake had tihhcd the ahar-scrvicc which was to ha\c (arricd the laith to
thf l)anks ol the < )hio. lO the minds of tlicsc earnest, sini|ili'-inind((l mkii it was
plain that liie Towers of Darkness wer(! warrinj;' throuj^h the \-er\ ehinents tiieiii-
«el\es aj^jainst the advance of the Cross into luiathendoni. The missionaries aseend-
ini4 the I )etroit, fonnd near the present I'Ort Wayne a sacred camp-jrround ol thi'
red mill. Within a circle of numerous Iodides was a ^reat stone idol which |)ro\cd
to he no less a divinity than the Indian Neptune of l.akt' I'.rie- the Manitou that
at will could rouse or (piell those perilous waters. The idol was lormed of a rude
monolith, to which Indian fanc\ atlrihuted a human liki-ness, the features heins;'
helped dui wilh M'rmilion, on the whole, perhaps, a not more artistic- divinit)' than
our own forefathers worshijjped within the Hruidical Circle at Stonehent^e. This
Inilian Neptune was entreated with sacrifices, with peltries, and with presents
of L,fame, to receive; gently the
frail canoe. and prosper the
red man's xoya^c- oxer the
ilan^frous Mrie. The Inxpiois
of (ialinee's party urncd the
missionary to perform the cus-
tomar\ sacrifices to the Manitou.
The worthy father had made
up his mind that this heathen
demon was at the bottom of
all those I'",rie disasters. and
was even now trying- to slarx'e
the missionaries to death. la-
kiiii^ an axe, he sirote the idol
to fra^ineius ; then lashing his
canoes loi^'ether he laid the
iors(' across, and paddlino" out
if .) the river, he hea\ed Xej)-
tune (ixcrlioard in mid-channel,
where the vciierahle Manitou of
Lake \\y'\v still reposes. — unless
some steam-drediL;'e has scuttled him into its mud-box. Curiousl\- enough, the Acr)-
day that witnessed this daring' iconoclasm brought abundance of food and a ci-ssation
of hardships. Two centuries ai^o \\v. should, ever)- one of us, like ("lalinee, haxc
thouL,dit this something more than a coincidence.
In earl)- ]'"rench exploraiion the Missioiiar\' irenerall}- outran the Trader, thouc^h
kivkksiul; c;ka.xarii;s.
1.36 oc/^ /vcrrA'/iSorB
measured tramp of ihe steamers, those lesj^ionaries of commerce. ( )n these deh^hlful
breezy banks you an- prone to loiter of a Summer ni^ht, to wateh the movino- h^lits
burn with red .incl L^ret'n llres on the water, and to hear tht' rising' wintl " sweep a
music out of sheet ami shroud." When these waterwa\s an- locked I)\' the frost, the
_i;reat transfer-steamers still pass and repass between llu' shores with a calm intlilTert
ence to the chan>j;etl lanilscape. The commander of tln' (//v/////, - tlashiuL; l.a .Salle him-
self, — woukl behold with awi: these lexiathans swinj^' into the landiiii:^-, and, taking
whole railway-trains upon their backs, swim lit^hth' across tlu' witle channel, cleaxini^,
if nei'd be, fiekls of ice, or smiting- ilown the piletl-up masonr) of the frost. lie e\-
ploretl this .Strait under .Summer skies. The (/'r////// sailed betwt:eii shores which bather
[b'linepin, wrilinL; his journal on deck, ilescribetl as xirj^in prairies, or as natm^al parks
frecjuented b\ herds ot c'eer. lie saw clouds of wild turkexs rising,'' h'om llic
water's ed^c, and noble wiKl swans feeding;" amons^' the lai^oons. The sportsmen
of the part\' hunted alon^' the (ijiffnis acKance, and soon the bulwarks of the briiL^-
aiuiue were Iiuiil; with the choicest j^ame. There were iL;ro\('s of walnut, .uid chest-
nut, and wild plums; there were statel\- oak-i;"lades with rich i^arniture ol u;rape-\ iiu's.
(.hiolh bather lbnnei)in: " Ihose who in the biture will haxc the i^ood fortune to
own this fruitful ;uid lovely Strait will feel \ery thankfid to those who have shown
them tin; wa\-." Worthy Chaplain of thi- (ir/f/iii. \\\\\\ in bespeaking- i,;rateful remem-
brance for th\ hero, hast //lo/i lori^'otlen to recortl that our Canadian, Jolliet, in his
birch-bark canoe, map[)ed out thesi' waterways teii \ears a_L;o ?
llu' importance of these lake-straits was early recoi^nizetl l)\- brench stalesuie;i.
In i6SS Haron La blontan fouml o|)posite Point b^dwartl, ami ni-ar the site of ihi'
present bcirl dratiot, a fortified post, -Fort .St. Joseph, which ha^l bi'cn erected some
years before t'> command the upper i^atewa\' of the St. Clair. I'luler the express
direction of ■ o'nt Pontchartrain a lort was in 1701 erected on tlu; present site of
Detroit. The fountler, l.a Mottt; Catlillac, nametl this important post afti-r the .Min-
ist(,'r himself, and it i^ecame t^he nucleus, not only of the futiu'e city of Detroit, but
of the early settlemiMits all ai jul;- thi' .Straits northward to Lake; Huron aiul southward
to Lak(; Erie.
Under shelter of Fort Pontchartrain, settlements ^'radiially crej)! alon^ the wati-r's
edij^e on both sides of the Detroit. Between 1734 and 1756 the oUl records show
that nuinerous land-yi-ants were made. The t'arlier passed imcK'r the hands of jieau-
harnois and Iloccpiart; the later patents briny; toi^ether such inconj^nious nami's as
the sajracioiis (icucrnor Ducpiesne, — the founder of Pittsbur_t,'^, — and the infamous in-
tendant Hiyot. These jrrants were subject to the usual incidents of Canadian
feudalism, which re(|uireil of the siioiwur to erect a i^rist-mill for the use of his
cciisi/airi's or feudal tenants, aiul to proviik; a fort or block-house for dt.'fence asj^ainst
the Indians. 'T(j co\er both necessities windmill-forts were ereclc-d, and the C.madian
AYVv' rill'RX XJilClll^OK
137
WINDSOR, FROM DKCK Ol- IkANSIIlk S IKAMK k
liank ahovc and hrlow Windsor hccanit;
dotted with picturt'sciuc' round-towi'i's. An
cxaniplc, — tlioiioh not of the \ t'r\- earlit'st mills. — siir\i\cs near Sandwich : anotluT
may he seen on the rixcr-hank ahove Windsor, or rather Walkerville. The har\csts
ami millino- operations of pionetM" ila\s ma\' appear conte-niptihle to a generation
accustomed to see wheat 1)\" tens of tlionsands of l)ushels ri'ceived and ilischar-cil
daily at the railway _<;ranaries on the river-side; indeed a lar^e ele\ator ot ." time
woiilcl have housed the iMitire wheatdiarxcst of ( )ntario in the earlier \ears of the
centurv. But the rudt'st of mills was an inexpri'ssihle boon to a settler who had
heen living on j^rain coarsely hruist'd in the mortar that, after Indian example,
with a red-hot stone, he hollowed out ot sonu' hard-wood stimip. In the court-
\ards of these old windmills ma\' often, of an Autunui day, ha\e been seen anima-
tetl <j^rou|)s, — at first eas\-luimoured and apt to make the best of I'verythinj^' after the
hai)py disposition of thi' b'rench hahiliDit, but lattt-rly, -with the arrival of the l'. 1{.
Loyalists, — apt to see that the miller took no more than his riohtfid toll, anil that he
;^ave them back their own wheat-sacks. These primiti\e rights of the subject found
\oice in the open-air Parliament which Simcoe hekl at Niaj^ara in 1792: it was then
and there solemnly enacted that wheat-sacks must be brandetl, and that the miller
must not take more than a twelfth for his toll.
Amony the earliest settlers on the Detroit were dischary^ed soldiers of the I'rench
138
OUR PICTURESQUE
armies which had served against Kni^land in the (^rcat strii(]^tj;le lately closed b)' the
treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ; and no doubt some of these ver)- veterans and the officers
who now became their sc(iiuciirs had been with Marshal Saxe at h"ontenoy. The
threat highway of our Old Rcoinic was the rivc^r, whether open or frozen ; so the land
was cut up into long narrow ribbons running out to the river-bank. A group of these
shore-settlements was in the l'"rench-Canadian palois known as a cote. Thus between
Amherstburg and Sandwich there was Pcfifc Cote, a name which still survives though
its original significance is lost. The ecclesiastical grouping of these settlements into
parishes was simultaneous. The I'arish of L Assowptioi extended along the iiank above
and below the present Windsor, a dozen miles either way. At La Poiiiic dc Motitrcal,
a village grew up, taking its name from the parish, and forming the nucleus of the
present .Sandwich. The earlier name is still represented in Assumption College, an im-
portant Catholic Seminary at .Sandwich. The College stands upon a plot of 120 acres
which was gi\en by the; Ottawa and Huron Indians to Hishop Hubert, of Quebec,
about 1 781. Near L'Assomption were settled the \\\\andots, a remnant of the once
numerous Hurons, and descended from the few that we saw escaping the Iroquois
massacres of 164S-49. These disinherited children of the soil received the spirl. ' care
wiir.ur. TKctiMSKii sroon at hay,
of Carthusian Friars in 1728, and their "Huron Church" became one of the earliest
landmarks for pilots on these wati'rs. Together with fragments of \arious other tribes,
the Wvandots afterwards remo\ ihI to the Indian Reserve farther down the hank, but
N( )A' rUr.RX XH/ClflU Vi 1 39
in the form \\'\andultt.', tlicir name still survives across the river in the busy town
where yonder blast-furnaces and rolling-mills k(!ep the ri\er side in perpetual mourning.
Between Wyandotte and Sandwich we pass I^'iirhting Island. I'Vom the name
nii_i,du be expected a place bristling- with all the circumstance of war ; but despite iis
name the island lies most peacefully basking and dozing in the sunshine. No ; not
even the Indian entrenchments that were marked here in the maps of a century ago.
Hut the name incloses an uneasy remembrance of the years -hen Vigilance looked
out of the dark windmills oftener than did Industrj'. First there were the Indian
Wars and ambuscades; then came the War of 1812; and last of all there was our
Rei)elli()n. The Detroit frontier witnessed in those untpiiet times many bits of gal-
lant work antl endless romantic incidents ; but in order to keep within sight of our
artist, we must not wander far atield.
Windsor has, within less than two centuries, passed through the phases of
virgin prairie, riverside farm, trading-post of the Nor'-West Company, ambitious
village, prosperous town ; it is now fast ripening into the dignity of a city and
board of aldermen. The site has witnessed many stirring incidents. Here in Novem-
ber. I 760, encamped the first British troops that penetrated to these western rivers.
The Ca[Mtulation of Montreal, two months before, had transferred to England this
\ast Canadian domain. Under Amherst's orders Major Rogers and his Rangers had
now come to take possession of I'ort Pontchartraiii. Rogers hatl sent in adxance to
the commandant a letter informing him of tin: Capitulation, but this was increilu-
louslv received, and an allempl was even made to rall\' llic Intlians to the rescue.
Then came another despatch Irom Rogers, who hail 1)\ this time reached tlu' mouth
of the Detroit, -a cop\ of the Capitulation, and an order from the Manjuis de
X'aiulreuil directing the surrentler ol the b'ort. At the sight of his Cioxernor-Cieneral's
aulogra|)h, pocjr Captain Beletre knew that all was lost ! W lu-rt- Wimlsor now stands
was an open meadow, then torming part oi M. i^ab\'s farm. There encamped uiuler
canxas, and eagerl)- watciiing the turn ol atlairs across the v'wvx lay the swarthy Ran-
gers and their famous coninicUKler. Presentl)- a small ilelachmenl formed among the
tents, aiul in charge' of two officers crossed over to the i'ort. Then the tragic
summons. The brench troops are now seen defiling on the plain ; the /Ic/ir c^e //s
drops from the llagstall : the retl crt)ss ol St. < ieorge s])riiigs aloft and shakes out its
folds to the breeze. Half a continent has changed masters I
The ni'ighbouring Indians beheld with amazement the surrender of the garrison and
the ilisarming of the b'reiich regulars aiul militia. It was incomprehensible how so
man\- yielded to thi' luuulful that took o\ er Vandreuil's tlispatch ; still less, if possiljle,
ccndil they understantl why the xancpiished shoukl have their li\t;s spared, na\', why
most of them should \)c sent away in peace to their tarins. These Indians of
the Detroit passed over to the winning siile with suspicious alacrity. Among those
140
OUR PICTURESQUE
who are cheeriiio- the loudest for the l^ns^hsh tlag observe that tkisky muscidar chief of
tile '^Hlawas, who w-ais an niuisual we.ijlh of lorn' black hair. Three \ears hiiiice
he will (lesperaleK eiideaxour lo pull that IUil;' down. llis name is Pontiac. With him
the (jiiestion is not which of these luiro-
pean nations he loves the- more, i)iit which
he hates the less. 1-on^ after his death,
his spirit will stalk the forest in Tecnmst'li.
■^; But despite Pontiac's fierce beleaguerment
'^Jk^' J.
^-^:^
-"^ -
''' ^ ' ^^
I.OOKINC, VV TlIK 'rilAMKS, ( IlAtllAM.
of the Fort, the flavj;^ of Kn^^dand will float tlu^re Summer and Winter until a con-
stellation not at all seen of the wise men when George III. was born will rise in
these western skies, and perplex all the court astrologers.
The old farm-house of the liabys seems to have been the first brick building that
the Western District, -or for that matter the Province, — of Upper Canada possessed.
It still survives. — or was lately to be seen, ^within the limits of Wiiulsor. Under
NORTHERN NEIGH liOR \\\
its rool-tree General Hull established his head-quart(;rs when he was rehearsing his
Invasion-farce. The farce was followed by a more serious after-piece, — not on the
play-bill, — TVir surrender of Detroit and General Hull, — which nearly ended in an
actual tragedy, for the poor old general was promptly court-martialled by his fellow-
officers, and escaped being shot only through the mere mercy of President Madison.
The quiet of the river-side farm was again broken in the following year, — this time by
a soldier of different quality. Here in the opening days of October, 1813, on the old
camping-ground of Rogers' Rangers, were picketed General Harrison and his famous
mounted rifles. At the distance of seventy years we can afford to examine the Ken-
tuckians with more composure than did our grandfathers. Lithe, athletic fellows, antl
fearless, every one; occasionally savage, but often chivalrous; such as might have sat to
Fenimore Cooper for his portrait of Leat/ier-stoekino. Head turbaned with a handker-
chief of bright colors, — blue, red, or yellow ; hunting-frock and trowsers of leather, — the
trowsers gaily fringed with tassels. Not cavalr)-, as we understand cavalry, and therefore
no sabre; rather, as Harrison himself described them, "mounted infantry." They were
armed with well-tried riries : and for close and desperate service against the Intlians
they carried in their belts the horrid knife anil tomahawk. Just now their immediate
business in Canada was to pursue Proctor, who had latel\ made a disastrous in-
vasion of Michigan, and now, abandoning the Canadian frontier to tlu' enemy, had
retreated to the Thames. In a council of war at Amherstburg, the Indian chief
recumseh had in vain tried 1)\- tlu^ most scornful reproaches to goad this faineant
into a show of action. Hut a disastrous naval engagement had only eight days
bt^fore occurred within distinct hearing, and almost within sight of Port Maiden. PVom
the shores that overhang the lake at the mouth of the Detroit, the English and
the American flotillas were seen to be manoeuvring among the Bass Islands, — each
commander plainly trying to get the weather-gage or some other fighting advantage
of the other. An unnatural strife between nations of the same flesh and blood ; nay,
between mother and son, -an arrogant mother and an inconsiderate son, — altogether
such a drama as wouki haxc satislietl the old Greek tragedians. It was the tenth
of September. Just as the sun was getting overhead, Harcla)'"s squadron was seen
to engage the American fleet, " l)\- giving a few long guns," to which Perry re-
i
sponded with promptitude and extreme vigour. A vast rolling curtain of smoke then
felt on the stage, but the incessant roar of artiller)- behind, sufficlentl)- told the specta-
tors that the P"uries were hurr)ing on this ()rt;stean drama to its tragic close. Latei
in the afternoon the curtain slowl)- lifted, and a funeral procession was disclosed
passing across the stage, -the procession of the dead and of tliose who still lay
writhing on the decks in the agonies of death. The two fleets offered a sorry
spectacle, — notably the captive English ships which brought up the wake.
This naval reverse would under Brock's genius and wonderful resource have per-
142 OUR PICTURESOrE
haps beconit' only thr dark Ijack^round to some brilliant feat of arms; but Brock
hal fallen on Oueenston Ht-ii^hts, and a niilitar\- artist of another (|uality had now
succeeded. i'roctor called a council of war and proposed io destro)' I'orts Maiden
and Detroit, burn \.\\ all public property, and then retreat on Niagara, thus lea\insr
to the discretion of the invader o\-er two hundred miles of countr\- with its towns
and farmsteads and Intlian villat^es. Amonij the officers present at the council was
the lamous chieftain and orator Tecumseh, or Tecumtha, as his name was pro-
nounced, —who ranked as briijadier-ij^eneral of the; Indian auxiliaries. His intluence
amon_i;- the native races was boundless. Hy the; Indians throuj^hout the valleys of
the Missouri and Mississi])pi and still away northward to the (^reat Lake-Land,
Tecumseh was regarded as the mis^hty deliverer who would restore the children of
the soil to their birthrij^ht and heritage. His mission was betokened by signs in
heaven and awful tremblings of the earth. The great comet that appeared in tin;
autumn of iSii was but Tt'cumseh's terrible arm stretched across the sky, kiiulling
at nightfall on every hill top signal-fires for the great Indian War. In the Chief-
tain's absence Cieneral Harrison marched to the Wabash ami defeated the warriors
who had already obeyed this celestial summons. The)- were commaniled \^\ Te-
cumseh's twin brother the Prophet, ami they attacked the " Hig-Kni\es " as the)-
called the Americans — with such terrific onset, that this victory of ri|)pecanoe cost
Harrison several of his best officers. A month afterwards, the \alleys of the Missouri
and Mississippi were \iolentl\- shaken 1)\' an earth(|uake. To tlu' excited and im-
aginative Indians the earth{|uake was but the stamping of Tecumseh's foot to announce,
as he had promised, his arrival at the Detroit Ri\er. The shocks continut'd all the
winter long, and these were other signals, not understf)od of white men, b\' which
Tecumseh was preparing his people for stirring e\-enls. The outbreak of the Anglo-
American war in June, sufficiently explained to not a few of the border |)ioneers, as
well as to the Indians, this uneasiness of earth and sk)' : it was now abumlanth-
plain what the comet and earthcpiakes portendetl ! During the first gear's campaign,
Tecumseh's exploits stirred the loilge-fires along the Mississippi ami the bivouacs on
both sides of the Detroit. Hut with Brock's death everything went wrong in the
west, brom being fearlessly aggressive the British tactics hatl become timidly defensive.
The champion ol the red-men ncnv actually heard in a council of war, and from the
lips of an Lnglish general, a projjosal to abandon the whole Indian population to
the mercy of ritlemen who might not )et have forgotten, — for it was but nine months
ago, — the massacre of their comrades at the Raisin.
Tecumseh arose. As he drew himself u|) to his full height, his powerful hut
linely-moukled form was seen to advantage in a close-fitting dress of deer-skin. A
magnificent plume of white ostrich feathers waved on his brow, and contrasted
strongly with his dusky features. His piercing hazel eyes Hashed with a wild and
A'OA'77//:A\V NEIGHBOR 143
terrililc l)rilliancy, forming a spectacle which the officers of the Council never forgot.
With withering scorn he related how the Indians had served, and had been served ;
and thunderetl out the fiercest denunciations of Proctor's cowardice and treachery.
Tecumseh felt that he was the last of the great Indian Chiefs, and the last hope
of his people; he had resolved either to justify that hope, or to show the world
liow the last of the great Indian Chiefs could die. The peroration of the remon-
strance adilresstnl to Proctor contains the last recorded words of Tecumseh : " Vou
ha\e got the arms and ammunition which our great fatlier sent for his red-children.
If you have an\- idea of going away, give them X.o us, and you ma\' go witli a
welcome! Our li\(S \W(\ in the hands of the Great Spirit. We are determined to
defend our lands, and, if it is his will, we wish to leave our bones upon them."
The council of war was for a time completely borne away by the wild rush of
this native ehxjuence. The British officers were powerful!)' affc'cted. The e.\citement
of t!ie Intlian Chiefs was uncontrollable. As soon as he could get a liearing.
Proctor faltered out a promise that he: would make a stand, if not at Cliatham.
certainly at Moravianlown, an Indian \i!lage up the Thames, where lived many of
Tecumseh's Delaware Indians. On this clear und(,'rstanding t!u: cliieftain gave wa\'.
The line; of retreat from the Detroit takes us along the shore of Lake .St.
Clair to Baptiste Creek near the mouth of the Tliames ; there crossing the main
river we follow llic; retreating an n' along tlie nortli bank and througli grt;at forests
as yet scarcely traversed by a formal road; antl so reacli Chatham ami Moraxian-
town.
Along the Canadian l)order of Lake .St. Clair and for more than a dozen miles
l)ack from its present margin is a d(;ep stratum of rich c!a\' silt, marking tlie area
of an older l)asin. Througli this alluvial belt the Thames and .Sydenham creep
with a drows\- motion, l)Ut at the northern i-nd of the lake the current of the .St,
Clair RivLT lias ploug!ie<l out for itself numerous channels and foriiu'd a delta wliich
is familiar to (,'\er\- Canadian si)ortsman as ///(' .SV. Clair hlats. 'This old lake nuid
has a marrowy fatness that strongly commentls it in our da\- to the farmers of
I'lsse.x, Kent, anil Lambton ; but it has withal a lingering tenacity that would not
recoiumend it to fugitix'es. .SevtMity \ears ago the country on the lower Thames
was still an imbrokeii prairie rareb' invatled except by the oxcrllowing ri\er. Near
Chatham the river-banks lifti'd, and you entered the ancient catlu-dral of the forest
with its solemn twilight, its resinous incense, and its rich murmuring music. Lordly
trees that had possession of the soil long centuries before; Champlain. or Cartier. or
Cabot touched our shores, towered aloft in stupendous columns, and branched out
a hundred feet overhead with domes or archways, with such a wealth of foliage
that tlu; sun was subdued to a "dim religious light" and the undergrowth was
often no more than a lilagree of mosses and lichens. .Amid the gloom of those
144
o(7^: ricriRiisijrh:
A row (IN I, A Kb: SI'. Cl.All
forest aiTliways a whoU: army couKl fiinl retreat, and inarch uiKihservetl day after
day. Iiiil tlu'ii those aisles were so spacious that fifteen huiKhx-d caxalry niiy^ht
])ursiie at a L;aio[), and scarce!)' shick rein all day long, — a most sc:rious contingency
in the I'all days of iSi ;. At sunrise, anil still more at sunset, a suddtMi glory lit
up the forest. And if, like many anxious e)'es, \'ours had been directed to the
ex'cning sk\' on the fourth ol October, sow would ha\'e seen a spectacle of inde-
scribalile magnificence. The forest minster was lighted up even to its cr\'pts. The
great mullioned windows to thi; west glowed with a iier)' splendour which warmed
to flame the scarlet maple-leaves that strewed the floor. Altogether such a
wild sunset as might befit the going out of a fiery life. In our Indian (.Irania
the trilogy consists of Pontiai\ /h-aii/, Tcciiinsch, — each boklly confronting b'ate, and
welding into a U;ague the native races of half the continent. I'^or Tecumseh the
last sun was now setting.
Chatham witnessed the first conflict. The prosperous county-town of our day
is the growth of i\\c. last tiftv vears, but we have already seen that Governor
\( V; llll-:i<X XI-.IGIIIiON
'45
11 IK ST. (I, A IK (AN A I,.
Sinicoc li.id the river-sou m I inL,fs taken in 179,1,
and a l()\vn-])I()t surveyed in 1795. Iredell's
autoyjraph plan is preserxt'd in the Crown
l.amls Department ot Ontario; and it is mi-
dent that oil />a/>rr the town immediately south ol the Thames has subsisted un-
chaiiu;ed for nearly ninet\- \ears. A full stream oi business now (lows through Kin.L;
Stre'et, wiiose windings form a picturescpie reminiscence' oi the old ri\i'r-road, and
of the ancient Indian trail ihrouL;h the forest. 'I'hc tine a\enue by which we ascenti
from the river-siele to the northern ijuartc;r ot the town betra\s in its straight lines
another centur\ , and a generation
ot rectans^iilar taste. In Simcoe's
da\' the Thames was here tifteen
to twenty feet deep, ami it was
joined at an acute am^K' by a
"creek" which, thouL;h no more
than thirt\ or forty ivvX wide,
was ten or twcKc fei-t in depth.
The tract incloseil between the
" b'orks " has in our time Ijeeii re-
planted with trees, and in pioper
remembrance of a bra\-e all\' and
a remarkable man, it has been
named Tecumsch Park. With mil-
itary instinct Simcoe set aside as
an ordnance reserve; the penin-
CLUH HOUSE, .ST. CLAIR !• LATS. suUi thus moated by nature on
''^^^^v.
146
OUR PICTL'Rh:SQ(jH
two sides. In 1794. lie built on the nortli face a block-housc!, and under tlic
shadow of its ilJihis Ik; set one Maker, who had worked in the Kiiii^'s sliip-yard at
lirooklyn, — to create a lake flotilla. l'"i\(; s^ini-hoats were put immediately on the
stocks, hut owiiij;- to llu; (iovernor's withdrawal from Canada Itis scheini's Itll into
disorder. Three of Simcoe's ^un-boats were nevc-r e\'en launcheil, but rotted a\va\
unuseil on tiu: stocks. Had that brave old sea-doi;- liarclay had e\-en one such boat
wluMi the llatj-ship Ltu^n-ciuc struck her colours to his lire, his j.jana.il opponent Perry
wouUl scarcely be just now coverintr Harrison's advance by runnini;- United States
nun-boats up to Chatham. .After twent\' years, tin; town had '.^(^\. no farther than
a paper plan. .As Harrison's horse came thundering along through the .lisles of
Ai.oiNc rill': SI'. ei.AiR ii.ai.s.
sugar-maple that Hanked the south bank of the Thames, thes(.' Kentuckians would
have been much surprised to learn that they were galloping over what were,
officially speaking, houses and churches. Hut it is to be doubted whether this
startling thought would have disconcerted them half as much as did the riHe-shots
which suddenly rang out from among the trees on the north bank ami on Simcoe's
reserve, emptying some" of their saddles. Tecumseh had vainly ri^commended this
vantage-ground to Proctor: our remarkable strategist preferred that all his military
stores shoukl be captiu'cd at Chatham rather than ventun^ a brush with Harrison's
cavalry, of which he had already got some experience in Michigan. No more of
Harrison's horse-pla\- for him ; Proctor had lost all taste for such dixersion ; he-
was already twenty-six miles u|) the rountr\-, anil had left no instructions. 'i"he
gallant Indian Chief, would, for the sake of the Canadians, he had been Commander-
in-Chief! — then umlertook, with such poor means as h(^ had at hand, to stop the
NORTHERN NEIGfTBOR 147
tide of invasion. Like lloratius in the brave clays of old, he heat l)aik the enemy
until the iiridije across the moat could he hewn away. Hut Horatius nt^ver fought
a>,fainst six-pounder cannon ; such a balistd would have staj^^^ered iIk; nohlest Roman
of them all. The hrid^c was rehmlt, and the tide of invasion rollcnl on.
In ascending the Thames two generations a^'o. your hoal would not ha\i' hcen
much eml)arrassed hy hrid^cs. l-ntil 1S16 tiiere was no means of crossing the
main channel even at Chatham. The tine iron structure that now spans the ri\-er
some ten miles farther u|), would \xa\(\ seeim;d to Dolson, to Clarke the milK'r, and
to the other pioneers on the hank a far !:;r('ater marxcl than the llani^dnsj;' (lardeiis
of Mah\Ion. Soon alter passiiii^ the sit(; of the future Kt;nt MridL;c we should have-
touched the western skirts of tlu; 1-on^' Woods, -a parkdike forest stretchint^" un-
hroken for fort\ miles \\y the Thames, and covering' i()0,ooo acres. i5ridle-palhs
through it there were mail)', hut carriaL;(; or waijon roads there were none. The
present village of Thamesxille marks the west('rn etlt^e of this romantic wilderness,
and the xiUa^'e of I )elaware la\' on its eastern skirts. In the \cr\- heart of it was
a solitary hut cheerful inn kept h\' a quaint okl sold, who provided in his hotel
register a column tor the ad\cntures of his i^uests in the I.ouil;- Woods. Ills name,
either intentionalK' or accident.illy, is embalmed in /^'(?/vA :'///(■. This vast solitude
was rareh' broken except l)\' Indian'^. Ihey came to tish at nij^ditfall with torch and
spear on the Thames ; or, launching;" their tire-rafts on autumn nights, the\- would
linht u[) in wild relief the river-banks and the ilark archways of the forest, while
the (gentle deer, startled from their sleep and fascinated hy the lij^ht. would draw
within raiiL;'!' of the Indian ritle. Moravian missioiKUMes settk'd in this wilderness in
1702, and the Indian not seldom i^ratted on the lessons of the Moravians his own
wild-wood fancies. llowison spent the Christmas-Xiuhl of iSig at the hostelry in the
Loul;' Wootls, and hail an interesting- atK'enture : -" When it was midni<^dit I walked
out and strolleil in the wooils contii;iious to the house. A glorious moon had now
ascemleil to the summit of the arch of heaven and poured a perpeiulicular tlooil of
liL;ht upon the silent worKl below. The starry hosts sparkled brightly wlum they
emerjj^ed above the horizon, hut L^radualh' faded into twinkling points as thev rose
in the skv. The motionless tre(,'s stretched their majestic houghs towanls a cloiKftess
t'irmament ; and tlie rustling of a witheri'tl leaf, or the ilistant howl of the wolf,
alone broke upon my ear. I was sucKlenlv roused from a delicious reverie hy
observing a ilark object moving slowl\ and i:autiousl\- among the trees. .At first I
fancieil it was a hear, but a nearer ins|jection ilisco\-ereil an Indian on all fours.
I"or a moment 1 felt unwilling to throw nnsclf in his wa\'. lest he should be
meditating some sinister design against me : however, on his wa\ ing his hand and
putting his finger on his lips. I approached him, and notwithstamling has injunction
to sil(!nce, iiupiiri'd wiuit he did there. ' .Me watch to see the deer kneel,' replied
14S
(UK /vr/Y AVf.SVjr/:-
;i^xva\5k .
IKOM SAKMA TO l.AKK IIIKO.N.
.\r)A' /•///:' A'.\' X/'/Cff/U^R 140
he : ' This is Christinas-Nijjjht, and all the deer fall on iIkmi- knees to the Gr(;at
Spirit, anil look up.' The solemnity of llu: si:(Mie, and tin; ifranilnir of the idea,
alike contributed to fill nie with awe. It was afftictintf to liml traces of the Chris-
tian faith existinjLj in such a place, even in the form of such a tradition."
A \\\\l\\ plain, \vf)0(lcd with white oak, lay luar the north hank of the river
between the present rh.uncsvilK; and Hothwell. .Vrrivin^; here in Ma\', 1792, four
Moravians estal)lishcd an outpost in the Cnnadian wiKls, as, str\'enty years before, tlu;
"Watch of the Lord " had bicn (established amon^j Count Zinzendorf's oaks on tlu:
llutbern'. .Simcoc was hospitably entertained at the Mission while he was explorinjLj
the Thames in i "q.V l'<" l)ecam(.' much interested in the si'cular aspect of the en-
lcri)rise and th<' effort to lead the aborigines to a_Lrricultural pursuits, A few months
later, he reserved for these Moravian Indians a plot of more than lifty thousand
acres, occupyinjr both sides of tlur Thames and formin<^ the old township of ()rforil
in the now extinct county of Suffolk. It was a picturestpie inciik'iU for the iiuro|)ean
to find jrrowinn up under the shelter of a Canadian forest the anti(]ue usaj^'es of
the ninth century and of the Byzantine Christian Church : -the social separation into
"choirs" accortlin<f to iv^v anti sex; the "bands," "classes," and at^ti/ycc : the celebration
at the j,rrave-yard of an l''.aster-morn, ami the roll-call of the recent dead ; the \ ij^dl
of the New Year; the announceinent. not with tollini;" bell, but with trimipets and
pagans, when one of the brethren had passeil from earth, — for hail he not won a
victory,— a trium))!! over the last enemy, Death? By 1 S 1 ;, the .Mission had j^^athered
around it a hundred houses. The sandy loam on both sides of the ri\er had be-
come fields of waiviny^ maize; man\- oi the Indian dwellinti's iiestled in beautiful wardens
and orchards. 'Thirty-three years after fire and sword had <riven i)ack this village to
the wilderness, Colonel Homncastle found still distinctl)- traci'able the orchards of the
Moravian pioneers. 'The northern half of Orford 'Township has passed from the hands
of the Moravians and received the name ol Zone ; the .Moraxiantown of our day
occupies the south side of the river.
General Tlarrison forded the 'Thames twelve miles below the Mission, mountinof
a foot-soldier behind every cavalier as in the first days of 'Templar Knio;hthood. 'The
military details of the battle near Moraviantown need not here be pursued. 'The
K-ntral incident is the death of the i^^reat Indian Chief, which must always retain an
unfading interest. It were eas\- for Tecumseh. with his perfect knowkedoe of the black-
ash jungle where he stood, to have made good his escape ; but to this lordl\- son
nf the ferest, — this .savage, if you will, — there were things far clearer than life. His
si'If-respect forbade him to imitate the example of his commander-in-chief who was
now spurring through the October leaves toward Hurlington Tieights. After Proctor
'lad fled the field, 'Tecumseh, disdaining the protection of the marsh, advanced towards
the American cavalrj- and eagerly sought out the commander that had broken the
»50
oc7^ /'/(rrA'/-:s(.)(7:
rinl man's strciiL^th at ri|)i)ccaii()c. With tlic fierce onset of the natlxc paiuher, —
from which reeiimseh l^oi. his name, — he spranjLj at a moimteil olticer whom he sup-
posed (ieneral llarrisoii. I lie ott'icer (h'ew a pistol and the Indian Lhiel tell tleail.
Vhr Anierit-an oltici-rs who opposed TcH-uinseh in the eoinuil and in the tield, ha\c
recorded how proloimdl\- he inipri'ssed them hy his majestx ol ilcineanonr and h) his
hauL;hl\ elocpiencn- ; and the}- ha\e related how, e\cn in death, he looked a Kint^', —
" a\ , (.•ver\" inch a Kin^." H\' the l'",ni;lish Ih.nnes, as wll as I)\ the Canadian, there
is a storv of a native chief who deh'nded his people's himtinL;-.nronnds against an
alien invader. Cassivellaunus has. ihroui^h the pen ol Casar. secured a permanent
|)lace in historv. .Some of the most learned scholars ol Muiope liave devoted them-
seKi's to ascertaininj^' where this naked savage ilrove stakes int(. the hed of the riianics.
\ Ct how insi^nit carit the ancient liriton's theatre ol action, or his federation ol clans,
when compared with the held traxcrsed li\ Tecumseh, or with the interests, Indian and
Imperial, that were in !iis keeping-. Ihii .inti(|uity, -that glamour ol classical anti(piily I
The hattle-lield at Moraviantown remained uncleared till i S4(), when it yiekled to
the plough numerous memorials ol the conlhct. Immediatel\' north of the marsh
were some hiack-walnut trei's hearing' carxcd emblems, an ea^le, turtle, horse, and
other hieroLi^lyphics. Ihis heraKlr\- would ha\ e pu/zled darter Kim^-al-Arms, who
was i^erfectlv at i-asi; amon^' hoars' heads, hears and ra^^'ed staffs, blood)- hands, and
the other refinements of media-xal heraUlry. Hut the ea^le, and the tin-tle. and the
horse were full of meanini^- for two a^cd Shawnees who had fought b\ Tecumseh's side
and had afterwards carxcd on the walnuts these emblems to mark with deepest
vtMieration the sjjot wh(;ri; the last hope of so many Indian nations expired. The old
settlers relate that often at twilit^ht these .Shawnee warriors mi^ht ha\c been seen
stealing- to the place. Kemaininn' there ''or hours in the d.u'kness. ami with a silence
unbroken except by ihi' si^hiuL; of the ni^ht-winil throm^h the ai^cd walnut-trees, the)'
would meditate on the life and death of the last ^reat repri'sentati\-e of tlu; Indian
race. To the inex|)ressible ^rief of these |)oor Indians, and with a most barbarous
disregard of the sanctit)- ol the place, the walnut-trees were hewn down, and the sceiu' ol
Tecumseh's death has been thout^ht irreco\-erabl\ lost. liut while seanhini^ the rec-ords ol
the Crown 1, amis' department of ( )ntario, we have disco\-ered that in the sur\('\ ol /one
made; in 1S45 b) I). .Spriiij^cr, the pn-cise s|)ot was ascertaineil and recorded in the
.Surve\()r's plan and lield-notes, with bearin;.^s and distances. lU a straiiLjc oversight,
discreditai)l<' to our national i.^ratitude, the lot, — No. 4, in the old "(lore ol /one,
--was not reserveti as |)ublic propc rt\-, nor an\ memorial erected. Hut e\cn at this
late hour we should bethink ourselves of what is due to the meinor\- ol Tecnmseh.
A romantic histor\ still surrounds the place of his burial. It would seem that the
l)od\ was furtivi'l) buried b)' ;i few of his warriors, and the st:cret lonfitled to onl\
the leading Indian chiefs In iS;0 much interest was arousi^d by the alleged discio-
Ac )A' rilF.RX XI'.I(lIfr>OR
1 =^I
sure of till' secret, and a search undertaken. Owin^ to the excit<'nient ot the
huhans the search was leniporai'iK' ihscontinned ; and when it was ri'sunieil, l)()nes and
weapons weri- found which certain!)' were not recuinseh's, l)ut are h\ nian\' hehexfd
to ha\e been si)ecially sulistituted for the chietlain's. So tin- niysler\ remains as he-
fore, and on Tecuinsiih's cenotaph may be inscrilx^d tlu; words spoken of the
,nicient hiwtd\(;r, " No man knoweth of his si-pulchre unto this (hi\."
.SV. C'ia/'r. Lake and Kivcr, should, according to l,a Salle's intention, he spelled
Sitiiiff t/(i/ri\ With his pioneer merchantman, the (in'/jiji. La Salle entered the Lakt'
on the twelfth ot .August, lOjc). It was the da\', as I'"ather lieiinepin would doubt-
less remind him. dedicated to .Sancta Clara, -in I'rench, Sainte ("laire, to her who
was once the loveU' Clara d'.Xssisi, antl who afterwards became Abbess of San
Damiano and the foundress ot the ()rder of the Looi- Cl.U'es. .She died in iJ5,v anil
the b'stixal is kept on the anniversary of her burial. Hut when Canada ]iasseil oxer
to i'",iiL;land, a general debilitx' overtook the old I'rench names in the West, and the\'
cIuul;' for support to the nearest JMiolish word, whatever it mi^ht sionif\-. Xow it
happened that .S'/. Clair became, in the middle of the last century, a lamiliar name in
.Ameriu' through Sir John .St. Clair, Ih'aildock's ileput\- quartermaster-general; and
then, towards the vx\(\ of the centur), Cieiieral Arthur .St. Clair held the command
against the Indians in the West. The name of the lake and ri\er would naturalK be
associated with these military otticers 1)\ the first two venerations of I'.ni^lish pio-
neers in Canada. This contusion became utter disorder when the form Siiulair
River received othcial sanction from .Surve)or-CJeneral .Snnth's (.iazcttccr of I'ppcr
C '(!//<!</(/, in I 7t)C).
At the \er\ gateway of the Lake there is an islet which |)ossesses historical in-
terest. In our da) it bears the name of i'each Island; this arose from a miscon-
ception of the I'rench //r () la Rctlic, — " I'ishint^ Island." Lake Huron has <;enerall)-
been regarded as the homestead of the white lish ; but in the Indian I'poch and in
pioneer times the ri\er islands were the laxourite resorts of lishermen, red or pale-
faced. In countless m\ riads white lish tlocked towards the throat of Lake St.
Clair to browse on the minute water weeds and |)erhai)s to pre\- on the small
molluscs that luxuriate in its mudil)- shoals. The tish would be borne into tlu'
eddies that swirl around the river islands, and thus fall an eas) pre)- to the
Indian scoop-net. Towards the close ot the I'"rench rco;i)in\ lie a la Leche
acknowledged as its lord a lisherman ot most uncommon craft. I lis name was
i'ontiac, the same whom we heard applaud lustil\- the raisini;' of the red-cross tla^
at hi'troit. The historian I'arkman i^ixes us a \i\id picture of this tamous chief-
tain's summer rende/\ous: "Standing on the water bastion of Detroit, a pleasant
landscajje spread before the e)e. The ri\er, about half a mile wide, almost washed
the foot of the stockade ; and eilhi-r l)ank w.is lined with the white Canadian cot-
OCR /"(7'rA'/{S()(7:
tages. The joyous sparklint:^ of
the hrioht hluc water ; the i^^'ccn
luxuriance of the woods ; tlie
white dwelhnt^s looking; out
from the foHage ; anil in the distance
the Indian wiy^wams curlinj^ their smoke
against thij sky, — all were mingled in
one broad scene of wild and rural
beauty. Pontiac, the Satan of this
forest paradise. was accustomed to
spend ihe earl\' part of the summer
upon p. ;;mall ishuul at the opening of
the Lake St. Clair, h.idden from \ iew by
the high woods that covered the inter-
vening Isle au Cochon. 'The king and
lord of all this countr\,' as Rogers
calls him, li\eil in no royal state. His
cabin was a small oven-shaped structure
of bark and rushes. Here he dwelt
with his stpiaws and children ; and
here, doubtU^ss, he might have often
been seen lounging, half nakt;d. on a rush mat or a bear-skin, like any ordi-
nar\' warrior. W'l; may fancy the currt-nt of his thoughts, the turmoil ol \us uncurbed
passions, as he revolved the treacheries which, to his sa\age mind, secnuil lai'- .unl
honourable. At one moment, his tierce lu'art would imni with the anticipa'ion of
vengeance on the detested I'-Uglish ; at another, he would meditate how lie best
might turn the approaching tumults to the furtherance of his own ambitious schemes.
A'OR'n/ItRjY NEIGH no R 153
Yet we may believe tliat Poiuiac was not a strant^er to the hii^Hi emotions of tlu'
patriot hero, the ehampion, not nierel)- of his nation's rights, hut of th(> very existence
of his race. lie- (htl not (h-eani liow desperate; a game he was about to phiv. lie
hourly (lattered himself with the futile hope; of aid from brance, and liioui^hl in his
ii,morance that the British Colonie-s must i;iv(.' way before the rush of his savajjfc war-
riors ; when, in truth, all the combined tribes of the forest nu'i^ht have chafed in \aiii
rajre aijainst th(; rockdike strt-ny^th of the Any^lo-Saxon. l.ookint; across an interveniuL;
arm of the river, I'ontiac could see on its eastern bank the numerous lodges of his
Ottawa tribesmen, half hidden amoni;- the ragged growth of trees and bushes."
It was within the narrow compass of this meditati\-e IK: a la Peche that i'on-
tiac planned his surprise of lh(; extended chain of frontier garrisons in 1763. The
tu'st attacked was the most remote.; — th;.- fort that guartknl the gateway from Lake-
Huron into Lake Michigan. On the fourth of Junt; the Ojibways with t.'ffusive
lovalty assembled arounil I'Ort Michillimackinac to celebrate the birthda\ of their
(ireat leather. King Oeorge. Mark the grim irony of that touch! The main fea-
ture of the occasion was to be a grand game ol la-crosse. — or bai^a^atlaway as the
Ojibways named it. — played with the Sacs for a high wager. Once or twice,
through some unusual awkwardness in the play(;rs. the ball was swung over the
])ickets of the fort, and the players in their eagerness all rushed pi-ll-mell to lintl
th(; ball, and then out again to resume the game. Major Ktherington, the com-
mandant, had bi't on the Ojibways. and was as intent as any on the s[)orl. Once
more the ball rose high in the air ami fell within the fort. This time the eager
players in their rush towards the .i^'^ite suddenh- drop|)ed their la-crosse sticks and
snatched tomahawks from squaws who stood ready with the weapons IxMieath their
blankets. The massacre of the sur|)rised garrison was the work of an instant, for
four hundred armed Inilians were now within the; inclosurc; ! An atlventurous fur-
trader, Alexander Henry, witnessed the tragedy froii a window overlooking the fort,
.uui .after a series of thrilling dangers, escaped, and livetl to become the historian
of these events. Through the kindness of his grand-daughter, who resides In
Toronto, we have consulted for the purposes of our narrative Henri's own copy of
his famous Travels and . IdrciUiirts.
Within fifteen days from the striking of thi' first blow in the north ten lorts
had fallen before Pontiac's strateg)'. (^ne important garrison, howv-ver, still held
out, — that at Detroit. The lo\-e of a prett\ Indian girl for Major ("dadwyn had
betrayed the plans of the great cons|)irator : and though Pontiac might diaw an
inexperienced othcer into .a fatal and)uscade, the war\- commandant would withstand
'ven a twelve months' belcaguermcnl, .uul throw into hopeless chaos Pontiac's
( Dnspiracy.
In the s|)ring of iSsj. the genius of Mrs. Stouc made oiu' western frontier
154
och' /'/C7'('h'/-'S( )(■/■:
KKI l.NKKN .
tailliiUS lo ,lll the
witi'M as the as\liini ol n'lum'c shut-s.
No passai^cs in /'//</(• '/'(>///'.< Cabin
ar;' mori- painlullv cNciliiiL; than
those (lcscril)in^ the tli^lit nl l{li/a ami her cliiKl ;
v\v\-\ reader Iccls a sense of profound relief
when they L;ain L'anadian soil. An act
of the Imperial Parliament, passed in
iS", ;, abolished sla\'er\ in
'vs^&,.';v.,r
I
-.tgjf'
( .\KKNI\(, 1111. Ull,.
.\7 V\' riii-:K.\* x ma 1 1 in )r
^":>
^,^jH3
Oil, TANKS.
HL'
thf Colonics, l)iit Siiiuoc's I'aniu'r'^' ^^"^--^ ^
I'arliainciU at Xiai^ara anli(i|iatctl 'i:^^-
li\' li>rty Will's l)ii\ti>ii and ihr
l'",iiian(i|iati(iii Act of I'.ii^laiul, ami ( larrisoii's .\iUi-Sla\ fr\- Socic'l\- in the Initccl
Stales. In I iipcr L'anada sla\ci'\ was aliolislu-d as carl)' as 179^1, by ^iii Act
to /'rrr,!// the l-'iirtlur I uti-odiut ion of Slavos, ainl to Limit tlio Term of Lou
traits for Soriflmto xoitliiii tliis /'niriiirc. This most rcmarkaMi: measure was Iramed
1)\- tile .Solicitor-* icncr.il, Kohcrt (irav, who rciinscntcd the bounties of Slormniit
and Russell. Onr Sunda\- cxcnin^" in 1X04, the .Solicitor-* Icncral cmharkt'd at Toronto
on the schooner Sf,it/v. to attend the Newcastle cinuit ; hut an ()ctolper j^ale siid-
denl\' rising', the schooner missed her harhour and disa[)|)eared. l{\er\' |)ort on
the Lake was in vain searched tor tidings, and at leneth all hope was ahandoned,
156 OCR PICT('RHSOrF
Gray's will was (ipcnccl, and it was found that the caiisp of the slave had lain \t'ry
n(;ar his heart. lie t^axc his hhuk scr\ants, Simon and John, their freedom, and
bestowed on eacii a sum of money and two iuimlred acres of land. I5ut Simon
had already been manumitteil b\- a mit^htier hand, aiul lu; was now past all fear of
want. H(' wa.s lyin^j near his beloved master at the bottom of the Lake. John lived
to defend his freedom at Luinly's Lane, and to draw a pension for tlftj-seven years
afterwards as some compensation for his wounds.
Refiiijjee slaves reached Canada always in the _L,'reatest tlestitution, and often utterly
exhaustetl by their desperate race for fr(;edom. Private benevolence and charitable
organization found here a wide field for effort. Little colonies were formed of fuijitivt.'s
in the alluvial tract occupicxl l)\- the Counties of Kent and l"'ssex. In i84<S, a block of
iS.ooo acres in the Townshij) of Raleii^h was, throuiL;^h the co-oi)eration of the Go\-
ernor-General, Lord I*^l>;in, appropriated from the Crown lands as a refugee settlement,
and the management was vested in the Llgin Association. '\\\v. active spirit in the
movement was th(; Rev. William King, who had liberated his own slaves in Louisiana,
and secured their freedom by removing them to Canada in 1848. His colony rapidly
grew in numbers, and became known as the Buxton Settlement, — taking its name from
the English philanthropist, Sir Thomas Fowell Huxton.
Another colony of escaped slaves was formed on the confines of the Counties
of Kent and Lambton. Here the founder and patriarch was no less famous a
personage than i^nclc Tom himself, or his other si;lf, the Rev. Josiah Henson.
Aunt Ckloe died many years ago ; but Uncle Toyti n-ached the great age of ninety-four,
anil died at Dresden X'illage in >La>', 1883.
At the outlets of the .St. Clair and Sydenham Rivers the grountl lies low, and
is subject to inundation. An area of some forty scjuare miles, — known as th(; St.
Clair Flats, — is occupied by lagoons antl river-islands, forming the paradise of wild
duck and the eljsium of the sportsman. Two tracts, actpiired untler a ten years'
lease from the Government of Canatla, are held as close preserves by a company,
which maintains a Club-House for thc^ entertainment of the shareholders and their
gue^ Within and be\ond tlu; preserves, after the 14th of August, the crack of
the -sliot-gun is incessant!)- heard throughout the marshes.
The F'ast Hranch of the Sydenham would K.-ad us up to Sirathro\-, a ])rosp('rous
manufacturing town of Middlesex, on the highwav of commerce l)(.'twe(,'n London and
Sarnia. The Xorlli Ib'anch takes us into tlic heart of Lambton, a rich champaign,
dotted over with cosn- \ill,igcs. Threading our wa\' tiirough gro\es of tlerricks, we
reach in I'^nniskillcn the heart of Fetroleuni-Land. This township, in 1S60, became
famous through th<' discovery of a llowing well, the first in Canada. !))• some dark
alchemy the marine animals and plants eml)edded in tlu' shah's and (Micrinal limestone
forming the i)ase of the "Hamilton" series, have distilled out the complex mixture
NOR TIfRRX XRIGlfnOR
:)/
(if things that we gatlujr ii|) in tiic siiii^rjc word. Pclrolciiiii. Crude oil is now drawn
rhiclly from the wells around I'etrolca, Oil Springs, ami Oil City, and wafted, — with
a very considerable whiff, -to the refineries in Petrolea and London. There tht;
"Crude" is decanted from tank-carts into a \'ast subterranean rotunda of boiler-plate.
,ind tlu! sand and water subside to tlu,- bottom. \\\ treatment with acid and alkali,
"sweetness" is divorced troni "light." Distillation at carefully regulated temperatures
yields a series of valuable products, — rhigolene, naphtha, kerosene, lubricating t)il.
etc. Heavy Canailian petroleums are rich in paraftine ; the snowy whiteness of
this beautiful substance contrasts strongly with the black, garlicky lluid from which
it is I'xtracteil.
A deep channel has been carrieil by the Governmt'iit of the I'nited States
through the St. Clair I'lals We are here flanked on eith(.T side by dikes, and th(.'
great steamer spins its \\\\\ over s[)()ts where La Salhi's 45-lon craft would have
grounded. Yonder white-oak forest on W'alpole Island, with the Indians encamped in
its glades, is a fading reminiscence of the landscape that La Salh; beheld. Now a
"magnificent water-wa\'," as batluM- CharU;\oix rightly called it, opens out befort^ us.
While we climb the River St. Clair, a merr)- ripple of laught(;r pla\s around our bows.
The current ever increases as we ascend ; and at Point Edward it reaches the velocit\
of a ra|)id. Indeed, in pioneer days, the Canadian side of this gateway into Lake
Huron was known as The Rixpiih.
Here a tract was set off, in 1S29, by Sir John Colborne (Lord Seaton), and, as
a compliment to the LieulcMiant-Governor's recent administration of Guernsi^y, the
township was calU-d Sarnia. H)' this name the later Romans knew the C'hannc]
Island which, in our day, has become illustrious as the scene of Victor Hugo's exile-;
as the; cradle of Lcs Afisi'ra/f/is, as the home of /.cs Travailleurs dr la Mcr. To
the Toilers of our Inland Seas, — storm\- Mer Douce, and the others, — Sarnia forms
a natural harb(jur of refuge. Our Canadian bank of the St. Clair here sweeps back
into a dee|) cur\e, forming a nobh; bay with safe anchorage. The approach to the
town from the water is verv animated. Grain vessels are discharging at the great
elevator; steamcM's art; lading for i'ort Huron and Detroit; the United /{n/fy/rr has
lust rc^turned honu; from Prince Arthur's Lamling ; Grand Trunk trains are labouring
towards Point Ldward, anxious io cast their burthen on tlu; back of tlu; great
lirry-boat. Tlu; river front is lined with substantial slrui'tures. — churclu;s, hotels,
Mocks of stores aiul ofhci;s. In the vista are other church spiriis; for Sarnia tem[)i'rs
lis comnu^rcial ambition aiul manufacturing ardour with a secret [jride in its churches,
rile geographical atlvantages of Sarnia are inestimable : Nature has indi;t;d been kind
Id the place.
i=;s
rVA" /'/("/'( R /-sol 7-:
* :*'
A iKuui' I'ooi. ON 1111. SAL i;i;i;N.
.\VV/ /•///: A'. \- \i:i(,llln)R
•59
FROM rOROX TO
TO LAKK HURON.
'111! oKl lliiroii iract.
■r<H'lctl iii)liiicall\- in-
ti I llic "II umn I *i>lri( t, "
and siri)sc(|iicntl\' dixitlcd into llic
connt i<'s ol rf-i'lh. I I nron. and
ISrucc, has Ixi-n M-tllcd m) n-('cnll\-
liial llic oldest iidialiilanl, lull of
llic folk-lore ol the Im'sI seiilers,
is to lie found in c'\-cr\' distrii-t. ( '.odericli. trontin'^ tile mi;^lit\' lake, was its lirsl
(anital; hut while ( loderieh, with all the ad\anla'/es ot water coinniunication, will
i6o OCR PirrrRi':s(}ri':
probably remain a town, Stratlord, lorly-six miles inlaiul, has, thanks to railways,
attained to the i)r<)|)()rti()iis of a cit\-. Less than half a rentur\- a^o the a hole of this
ma^niliciMil north-western section of the jjcninsnla of Ontario, now rt-joicinjLj in
thousands of homesteads, tilled with the bounties of a xeritable promised land, was
covered with dense forest, the silence of whosi; solitudes was broken onl)' by the l)ark
of the wolf. So short was the time needetl to conxi-rt the forist into the fruitful
held. Ilow much Ic'ss time shall elapse before the lonel)' prairies of our North-west
have become teeming' Provinces I
|ohn (iait ami 1 )r. nimloj), to whom we referred when describing- the birth of
(~luelph, founded Cjoderich and Stratford also. That Canaila Company, which, with
its n^ai million and otld acres of land and its p.ominal million of sterling money,
seemed to our fathers so overshadowing;; a monopoly, but which in our days of
Syndicates seems a small affair, owned the wlujle lluron lUock or Tract. Should the
founders and capatalists of tlu; Company s^et credit for beini,; the necessary mitUllemen
who coloni/ed the unbroken forest, or should they be ik'nounced as land-_q'rabl)ers who
bought chea[) from the (io\ eminent and sold dear to the emitjrant ? It is not for us,
whose vocation is to sc-ek out such i)ictures([ue bits as the trout-pools of the Saui^een,
one of which our artist has faithfull)' sketched, to pronounce jutlonient. Hut certain
it is that the Company securtnl a i^dorious tract ; " the height of land " of Western
()ntario, whence^ streams Ilow south to Lakes ICrie and St. Clair, west to the fresh-
water sea of lluron, and north through the (-scarpment that extends from Niagara
across country all the way to the Lantl's l^nd at Cabot's 1 lead ; a country whose
belts anti fringes ol ^jlorious maple, beach, ash and cathedral elms, still towerini;- up
every here and there, r(!\(!al the character of the forest primeval, and the character of
the soil which now rewards the labours of tb.e husbandman with "butter of kine ami
milk of shee[), and the fat of kidneys of wheat."
Some men like, and others dislike. Colonization Companies; but all men will join
in the |)rayer that, if the Companies must be, the\' ma)' have managers like John
Gait. He did his tluty. .More concernin<;" him we wvv(\ not say; but a brief account
ol his first inspei-tion ot the lluron tract and of th<; be^^inniuiL^s of (ioderich comes litly
in at this |)oint. Me arranged that \^\\ Dunlop should start from (ialt with surveyors
and oth(;rs, and cut his wa\- throuL^di the forest to the mitj;-ht\- lluron, while he himself
went round by Lake Simcoe to I'enelani^uisluMie, to "embark there in a naval vessel anil
exploHi that [)art of the coast of Lake lluron. berween Cabot's lleatl on the north,
and the riv(.'r ;Aux .Sables on the south, in order to discover, if possible, a harbour."
\t l*eiH;tan,L,Miishene he found that the ;\dmiralt\-, with that curious geo_i,n-aphical
knowledge which still occasionally distinguishes it, had given orders that His Majesty's
gunboat, the lht\ shoukl go with him to "Lake lluron in Lotocr Canatla." He
says, "We bore awaj- for Cabot's llead, with the sight of which 1 was agreeabh'
NORniJSRX N HI an BO K 16 1
disappointed, haxiiii; IcariK'd soincthiiiL,'- i)f its allci^cd stormy fratiircs, and cxpcctcHl
to see a lolty promontory; Init the descriptions wi'ri- mmli cxai^^^craled ; we saw only
a wood}' stretch ol land, not \'er\' lofl\', U'in!:^ calm in the sunshine of a still after-
noon, and instead of dark clouds and lurid lii^rlitnin^s, IxheM only heaul) and calm.
Ila\iiii; douliled this '(iood i lope ' of the lakes, we then kept close alon^ shore,
examiniiiL; .dl the coast with cire, hut we could discover onl\ the months ol incousitl-
er.il)!e streams, and no imleniaiion that to our inspection appeareil suitable lor a
harltoiM".
"In the .ilternoon of the foUowin;^ da\-, we saw alar oil 1)\' our telescope a small
cleariuL; in the lorest, and on the hrow of a risin;^ ground a cotta:,;c deli^lulully
situated. Ihe appearance of such a slight in such a pku'c was unexpi'cted, and we
had some debate; if it coidd he the location ol 1 )r. 1 )uidop, who hatl L;uided the land-
e\[)lorin^ |)arty alread) ,dlude<l to : nor were we left lon^ in douht, f(M- on approaching'
tin; place, we met a canoe haxiui^ on hoard a stranu^c cond)ination of Indians, vel-
veteens, and whiskers, and discovered, within the roots of the nnl hair, tht; li\ini;'
features of the Doctor. /M)out an hour after crossing- the river's bed of ei^ht feet,
we came to a beautiful anchorai^e of fourtc'cn feel of water, in an imcommonly pleasant
sm:dl basin. The place ha.d b(;en selected b\ the Doctor, and is now the site of the
llourishini^ town of (loilerich."
Dr. 1 )unlo|) was not the llrst white man who had pitched cimp on the Menese-
tiuii^. as the Maitland Rixer was called b\- the Indians. More than two hundretl
\ears befoH' his (la\', Champla.in had paiklleil his canoe round the far-extending;' coast
line of the (ieoru'ian ISav and Lake Huron down to the Detroit l\i\'er, aiid caniped,
both in L^oiiiL;' and returnini,;. at the s[)ot where ("loderich now stands. Go when;
we will in Canada, from Xo\a .Scotia to the (irand Manitoulin, the name ol .Samuel
(le Lhamplain meets us. .Alter his \ isit, the |esuits iiiade the mouth of MenesetuiiL;
a tre(|iuiU callini^''-place on their expetlitions. Hut the Irocpiois rooted out llurons
and b'suils alike froni W'esterii (Jntario, and for two centuries niore the forest
remained unbroken. With (iall, the modern history of the lluron Tract bcL^ins.
Irom the Romans downwards, con(|U(.'rors and colonizers have; been road-makers.
Roads are now laid with steel rails. That is all the atlvance we have made. "in
openiui; roads tt) render remote lands accessible, and, of conrse, more valuable, antl
to ,i^ive employment to poor c^mii^rants, consist«'d the pith and marrow of ni)-
out-door s\stem," sa\'s Cjall. 11 is ^reat work was a road throui^^h the forest uf
the lluron Tract, n(!arl\' a hundred miles in Ic'nu'th, by which an overland com-
munication was established for the tirst time, between Lakes Huron and ( )ntario, a
work as formidable to his resources as the Canada Pacific Railwav now is to
the resources of Canada. It was, however, indispensable. I'hat was its vindica-
ion. It was successfully cut tlirouoh dense forests and carried over deep bogs
ti
lft->
oiR /'/(•/• r N /-: SO ('/-:
liiiDIUU II.
il.i' k - asli
tlv- ni;iL;ni-
ion ' on the
m;iL;inati()ii,
It \il occasioned sonic ])ainliil tui^s to
^J<^ -'■■■fW .-' . ...
■ ''^^- ^' li\iiiianlt\-. One iiioimiiiil' npw.anls ol fort\ ot tin
men came in alllicled with the a^iie ; the\' \V(r<' of the
cohnir of mnmmies, and liv har(lshi[)s fri^htfiilK- emaciated."
"S'et wlien ("lalt asked the l)irectors for a (h)clor, no attention was [laid
to th(> re(|uesl I I', it, dillicnhies nolw ithstaiuhnL;, the road, such as it was,
strii!_;L;"led into Ix'iiiL; ; and \\\ iSj;j, a jiosi ran onci- a loi'tnii^lit lietwceii
Cicxh'rich and (luelph. Mid\va\' was .Stratford, so intemled li\ nature for a centre,
that it was a town on paper in tlie COmpanx's ollices lu-loi-e a house was Imilt on
the Axon or the sur\-e)- of the Huron road was coinnu'iiced I >r. I )uidop ,!_;a\e
instructions, Ix'fore slartin;^'' on his oxcrkind journey to meet (lall at the mouth of
the Mciieselum^-, that one of tlie three taverns, for which the Coinpar.)' ollered
bonuses, sliouKl he huilt at .Stratford, and l)e the lia'f-wa_\- liouse hetween the settle-
ments and Lake Huron. His instructions were not carried out, hut in i S ', i one
W'ilham .Serjeant was prescMitetl \)\ the COmpaiu witli a h)t in thi; proposed t(»wn,
on condition of his startiii!^'- a tax'ern there. Thus Stratford came into lieiiiL;. In
1853, it h(!cam(; an incorporated \illai,''e, and it is now tlu; chief town of the county
ol I'erth. \\'lieth{!r or not the ("ompaiu' intentU'd the naim; of th(; town ami the
river as a rom|)liment to .Shakespeare is not known, l)ut certain!)- the citizens are
j)rf)ii(l of tile name, ami the jilace is all compact of the yreat poet. The five
.VOA' rill-'.RX MiK.mu Vv'
^(n
municipal wards art; rcspectivcU' entitled Sliakt.'spearc, Avon, llaniKl, konicn. and
l''alstalf, and an inM liplion dct lares that the liiinidallon siom- <il the siiaiioiis town-
hall was l.iiil on "April 2 vL i'"^')). the tcr-(ciiicnary <>f Shakespeare's liirlh."
Stratford is situated at the junclion ol lixe townships, and is the centre; of a
hcautifull)' rolling and fertih' countrx. l'i( Ids waxin^^ with golden L;rain, and riih,
ileep-j;reei) pastures on which tloc ks and her<ls are contentedly hrowsini^, lell ol tiiose
resonrci's that are the true ha-^is of a countr\'s material growth, hecause their most
aliundanl j^iviuL; iK'\(lops and iloes nut impoverish. Ilxlensive urcharils, principally
of a|)ples anil plums,
and fringes of Ime,
hard - wood trees, add
to the i^eneral air ol
warmth, and, almost
e\ ( r\\vhere, larm-honses
ol stone, brick, or lirst-
class frame, tell that
the people have ^ot
l)e\ond the mean sur-
roundiiv^s with which
of necessitN thf hrst
decades ol settlement
are associated. I he
hariis are <'\en more
full ol promise than
the residences ; loi-. let
no tra\cller in the
couiUrx' exor lorecl the
.ld\ice of the C'lock-
niaker of .Slick\ille. to
stdect as his (piarters
for the nii^ht a home-
stead dwarfed l)\' hui^c harns,
• iiid to a\oid hii; houses i)eside small or
dilapidated harns as the L,^ates ol death.
In tlu; whole counl\- there is no stony,
rocky, or hill\- land. Its characteristic
'e.itures is the softly -slopinjj^ fruitful
\alle\' which our artist has sek;cted for his Hrst illustration. As a conse(|i!ence the
ounty town has s^^rown steadily and surel), and has become an important mark(;t
STRA I l'c:)KD.
164
r)rA' /'/("rrRFsoc'H
TIIK CliDl KKfl LIGHT-HOUSE.
for farm prodiuts and a home
of Ljrowino iiuhistrics. lis mer-
chants ami mannfaclnrt-rs slii|)
chrcctly to l'".n^lan(l and otIuM-
countries heyond seas, as far as
AiistraHa : and as it is now a
t^rrcat railway centre, its producers lia\(;
«'\-ery facility lor communicating with ilis-
tant markets. 'I'ln C.i-and 'I'runk. the I'oil
"|)o\-er cK: Iluron, the Stratford \- 111 on, the
Wellin-ton, (ire\ i\: iiriice, and the liulfalo
cv Lake Iluron Railways, run throui^h the
county; and Us |il<'asaiU \alle\s ha\c thus all
the life ami movement that constantl\- passing- and
re-passing- trains .^ixi'. to the threat r(!licf of what
would otherwise he tln' dulness and monotoii\- of
rur.il lieautx. The (irand Trunk Railua\- removed its
shojjs from Toronto to .Stratford in 1S71, chiefly hecaiise
of the advanta;^('s promised 1)\- its central position. .\n im|iulse was
therel)\- j^ixcii to the !_;rowth of llu.' place, for the montllK ilishurse-
meiits connected with those wo'-ks amount to over thirty thousand dollars. 'The
character of tlu' citizens, — and this remark ajjplies to the other towns of the count)- as
well, — may be seen in the sacrifices they make unL;rudini;l\- for tlu; education of their
J
.\( y< iiiiiRX xi'Hciiik Vv'
165
chiUlrcn. Ihc W'ai'il aiul Separate Scliools are \v\-\ t^ooil, ami the Ilii^^h School,
perched on a iiohh' elexation, and with its spire rising;' to an alliliule ot 1 jij feel, is
specialK worth)' ol note. Its first lloor, wiiJi lolly ami air\- class-rooms, s(;r\('s as
lli^h School, the second is assiL;iie(| to the C'entr.il School, and ihe third is a
spacious asseinliK' room. It is Imilt of white hrick, with hands and enrichments ol
red. At a point on tiie opposite side of the lower l)rid;4e, its massi\t' hulk and
graceful outlines appear to j^reat ad\ antai;(,'. 1 he Mull on whii h it staiuls slopes
ahruptK' ujiwai-ds from the river to a height ol alxuit lilty leel. Masses ot wil-
lows, maples, and elms clothe il^ sides, whose soil loliaL^c and \arious shades of
j^reen are in line conlrasi with ihe rich ci'eam colour of the buildiiiL.;' and the sharp
anvil's of its |)innacled roof. I'rom tin; cupola the spectatcu' looks out on a splendid
expanse of cultivated fields and pastures, with dark lorests stretchint^' to the hori/on.
.At his feet is ihe stirring;' town, irremilarU shapid, ])artl\ concealed amon^' trees,
claspinij;' its t"i\'(; townships in a hel|)ful lioiul. the silver stream of the river addini^' lif(^
and lieaut\' to the picture. The illustration i^ives one of the pictures(HK; features of
the landscape. i'rom a point on the left l),'ink ol the .\\(>n. in a direction nearh'
east, the opposite side rises 1)\ terraces to an elevation ol about lilt\' feet, on the
highest point of which, fr<uilinL; the [)rincipal street of the town, the Ixautilul
I'reshv'terian t hiircli has Ix-eii erected, its (lothic spire towering;' s^racefulK to the
height of J15 leet. To the riL^ht of the church the upper stor\' and cupola ol an
hotel breaks the outline, and in the fori;L;round are groups of liuiKliiii^s and lre(;s
lioimded l.v the !_;lisienim; waters of the river.
l-'rom the loivj; bridge, .mother pretl\ bid ol l.mdscape mav be seen. The river
at this point takes a L^r.iceful curve to the riidit. In the ilistaiice its banks slopt;
upwards into a rich exp.mse of pasture, on which sheep .'ippear |);iceefullv feeding-,
walled in by the lofty trees of the forest bevond, while to the left a statelv elni
bends its branches over a jirettv private residence. .Xi^ain. lookiii;,; down the river,
to the ri;^ht, a glimpse is caught of the C'ourt I louse, vvith ,iutii|ue cupola and pillai'( d
Iront, all but hidden anions; the willows. iievond it, on the same terr.ice, is the
I'^piscopal, ,ind larlher, on the heiL,du. the Roman Catholic Church; both edifices
are Ciothic, ol coiirsi'.
|)iver!4inn Irom .Stnitford to <'ither rii;ht or left, we come upon thriving, hopeful
and projrressive communities. l"o the north is I.istowel, on the Maiiland River, full
of energy and public spirit, and I'.ilmerston. named after " pluckv I'.iin," which has
in'own in a few yi'ars Irom a railwav station into a busv town with a rapidlv in-
crc-asiii;^ popnl,'\ti(ui. ( )n iln' other si'le ol .Sii-;iifoi-d is the celebnited '.^rain market
of St. Mary's. The ( )ld World name ol tliis prosperous place is due not so much
to ih(' devout spirit ol the founders, as to their miiv^led ^allantrv and shrewdness.
T'lit th(; mixture did not pa\' (|uile as well as was eN[)ected. Mel together to
1 66 (H^R PICTl^RESQUE
cliristen " the I'alls." as tlv.; locality was named from the Thames rushinjj^ over a
succession of rapiils at this point, the wife ')f the Commissioner of the Canada Company
being [present, suggested her own as a gootl name in default of a better, and at the
same time offered £\o towards the construction of a much-needed school-house.
The suggestion was acc«'ptetl, and so were tlu; ten pounds. .Mrs. Mary Jones was
canonized on the spot, ami from that day the [jlace was styled .St. Mary's. Hut
the Commissioner himself had a frugal mind. The people built their school-house
at a total cost of /,ioo, and ai)plietl for the bonus of ten per cent. off(>red by the
Compan\- for all such public impro\ (■nu;nts, wIumi the Company, through the Com-
missioner, reminded them that they had alread\- received /,'io, e.xactly the ten per
cent, contemplated I I'"ro:n what source those ten |)ounds came has not yet been
quite ascertained. At an\ rat(^ the town got a prett\- name, and was probably
sa\ (h1 from being dubbcnl something " \ille," that terrible affix which over the whole of
this continent is apparentU' supposed to be e(|ual to a [)atent ol nol)ility, or, at the ver)'
least to convey with it a sort of brc^vet rank.
Proceedinir bv rail in the tlirection of Lake Huron, and passing the llourishintr
towns of Mitchell, .Seaforth ami Clinton, we come to Goderich, situatetl at the mouth
of the Mailhunl River. The l.ak(.', whost; modern name is taken from the soiihriijitrt
of hiD'c or wild boar, given b\- tlie I'rench to tlu; \\'\andotte Indians on account of the
manner in which they dressed tlu'ir hair, is now before us ; a pratically ini'xhaustible
reservoir of sweet water of cr\stal purity, without a ri\al on earth but the mighty
rivals, or the mightier .Superior in its own ncMghbourhood. Including the (ieorgian liay
and the Manitoulin i}a\-, it has an area of about 22,oo(^ scpiare miles, so that European
kingdoms likt! llolland and IJelgium might be dropped into it, ;ind, as the a\erage
depth is S6o feet, they would lea\<- '' not a wrack behind." Where all tliis fresh water
comes trom is a m\ster\-. Ihe volume altogether transcends our ordinar) measures.
The altitude of tin- Lake above the .\llaiuic being less than Ooo feet, it follows that
nearly ^^oo feet of its contents are below the level of the ocean. No wonder that
storms on Lake I Liron can pile up rollers that seiMii rt'spectable in the ej'es of those
who know what tin; .\tlantic can do in this way ; but it is a wonder that most of the
steamers o\\ the Lake should carr\- so much top-hamper and be so little on the motlel
ol ocean-going craft. .\t almost any time during the season ol naxigation, travel-
lers on lluron and its sister lakes mav count on cool l)reezes or something stronger,
except during the Indian summer in the latt(!r portion of Xcnember, when the air is
mild and warm, with a soft haze cov(M-ing the sky. while the great expanse of water
remains smooth f<u- two or three unbroken weeks.
As seen from the Lake, (loderich lies in the centre of a large curve of the coast;
and with its church s|)ires, public editices auel pretty private residences, enriched with
the bright, green foliage of abundant trees, it has an .lir of (|uiet an<l almost s]eep\-
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 167
beauty. On closer inspection, it is obvious that its (growth lias not been lef' to acci-
dent, nor to the caprices of individual taste, but has bc(Mi i)rovid(>d lor by forethoutjht
and plan. Less than a mile from the shore, a small park was laid out in the form
of an octa;^on, in the centre of which is now the town-hall, with cupola ami clock, its
four sides faciiii;' the four quarters of the compass. I'rom this ci-ntral point, spacious
strt.'cts ratliate north, south, east, and west, intersected by other streets at measured
distances, alont:^ which shade trees have been i)lanted abundantly. He\()nd the town,
to the landwaril side, the eye wanders over a vast and fertile plain, bearin_<^ in sum-
mer all the products of the temperate zone, peaches, almost equal to those of the
Niatjara district, included. To this rich plain, dark-i^reen patches of reserved forest
trees i^ive, the aspect of the ti^lorious park-lands of Hnt;land. Lakewards the bound-
less expanse of an inland sea meets the eye, extending its ^listeniiit; waters to a far
horizon. Here and there, at wide intervals, the level lloor of water is broken b\' the
white sails of a shij) or tlshing boat, or Ijy the ilark smoke of a distant steamt-r.
The corporation of Cioderich has wisc-l\- secured an extensi\e portion of tin; i)lutf
fronliui; the lake for a public park. Laid out with walks and adorned with trees, it
is till' ciiief r(!sort of the town, and a favourite resort for Nouni^' and old. ()ur tu'st
illustration represents a vi(!w taken from the hit^h projecting' |)oint of the ]iark, which
looks sheer tlowii on Oi^iKit^'s bi^:;^ tlourin^' mill. Here, a i^rantl prospect is obtained
ol the Lake, its far-<;xtendiii^- rutj^ged shores, and tlu- riv(.'r, in the hollow, windin^*^
iis tortuous wa)' amon<^ j^rass)- islets. .Seateil on one of the benches, or rcx'lininLC
uiiiler the lotty acacia tree;;;, the stranger jj^azes with never-llajj;^j;injj^ interest on the
extraordinary combination of colours that the waters of the Lake present. Near the
shore, proi)ably because; of the wash that stirs up the sand, is a broail band of
minified yellow and earth colour; tluMi, ^reeii "gradually predominates till it becomes
pure; j^reen ; and i)e}-ond that the deep blue that reflects the sk\-. I'lider the iiillu-
ence of cloud masses, or still more- strikint^ly at sunset, bands of richest xiolet, piu'ple,
and every hue of the rainbow, fuse tuemselv(>s between and into the main divisions ol
colour, till the heavens are a bla/e of intlescribable t^lor)', anil the Lake is one mass of
i^lowinj;, shifting tints, with detinite outlines of such singular beauty that the picture
is never likely to be forgotten by any one who has the soul of an artist,
l'i;rclied on another projecting bluff, that by some special favour is yet preserved
from tli<' d(!struction of the elements, the Light-house looks almost sheer tlowii on the
liarl)our. It contains a lixed light, consisting of numerous lamps with silvi-red
••ellectors, ami sheds its welcome rays far over the dark waters. To the right, lies
the harbour in the deep hollow or recess which the united waters of river and lake
have eaten out «)f the land. A broad breakwattT shields it from the w.isli of tin;
Lake, ami the entraiu:e is |)rotecteil by two long piers of crib-work. Massive as these
defences are, they cannot altogether resist tlu; hydraulic force of the waves, when the
i6S
OUR picruRRSorr.
slorin sweeps Ironi the \viiitr_\- iiorlh. As, however, (iotlen'ch is one of the \ei-\- few
harbours on this e'Xposed coast into which hehited \-essels can run for refuL;c, and is
l)esiih:s a principal shipping; port for ^rain anil hnnlier, the honiinion Cio\ eminent
wisely keeps llu' breakwater in re[)air. Alonu^' the coast, to llu' north and the south,
are sexcral lorest-crowned .uid ru;^L;(Hl iiulentations, whost; e-;cai"pnients indit'ate that
th(! Lake is by a slow but sure process absorbing- the land. l-on;,;' ai^cs ai^o, the fertile
plains which lorni the peninsula of <)nlario l,i\- as a sedlnieni in the depths of a
vastly L^reater lake than Huron. Ihe L;r.ulual elevalinn of the continent drii\c the
ancient waters into ih<'ir p'-esent coniracteil channels. ivvidenth' a reaction has set
in by which the i,akf threatens to I'etlaini its own a^ain ; antl the time ina\' (onie
when, in ddiaiice ol all that man can do, the beautiful peninsula, now full of human life
and activity, ma\' return to its waterx bed, or become like the swamps of .St. (dair.
Cioilerich leaped into tenijiorarv' importance a lew \cars a^^o as the centre of a
\\r\\ industrial interest in ( )ntari(). Ihe (ieolo^ical Re[iorts of .Sir Willi, un l.oi^an
earl}- announced that the « )iiondaL;.i ,L;roup of salt rocks ol the Silurian sc:rie> under-
lay the drilt and limestones of ,i part ol Western ( )ntario ; but not till iS()() was
salt actualK' disco\ei-ed. In this, as in a ihous.ind other cases, searchers sou^^ht one
ihiiv^- and found anoiher: the moiMl. that cannot be too earneslK- impressed on the,
citi/ens ol a countrw ,i <_;re,u p.irt ol which scientific ])rospectors ha\c not \et exploretl,—
beiuL;', search and \'ou are sure to Inid something. In this case, the disco\cr\'
was made by a man ol resolute spirit who, in the face of doubts, fears, and
disappointments, w.is boring;, on the north bank of the Maitland, in the nei'^hbour-
hood ol ('lod'^rich, lor oil, without thouL;ht ol salt. .\l that time, ])e()ple were boring
lor oil in almost e\er\- likely spot in the western part of the peninsula. .\t the
depth ol about one thousand feet, he came upon bi'ine ol the luiest (|ualit\. 1 hi-ee
beils, respeiiixcly ol lo, y^, ;ind ;iJ teet, were lound, with slight inter\als between,
ol pure cr\'stalline salt, and others were subse(|iientl\ reported of oo ami No feet in
thickness. I lie new induslrx' paid so well .u tn'st thai e\ci"\ one in (loderiih in-
\ested in salt wells. uearK as eai_;('rl\' as people ,i thous.and miles ;i\\a\' in\cst in the
cornel" lots ol paper towns in the north-west. 'Idle \alle\ of the Maitland was soon
covered with (.lei'ricks, and the imcstors were happ\. I>ut ^ood brine was disco\ei"ed
in other places, the Canadian demand proved too limited for the number of manufai'-
turers, ,ind the \ niieil Si.iies market was " pi-otecied." Soon, most of the s.ilt works
had to be operat<'d onl\' p.irti.ilK or to close ,ilto:^ether. The conlidin^' people who
had invested their savings in them during; the salt "boom," now u;a/e mournfnlK on
the smokeless chimne\s and buildiiv^s nunblin;^ into ruin, that tell of wasted capital aiul
t'llort. I he story has a moral, but a new generation is not likeh' to learn it. for
seemingly each new generation has to pa\ lor its own experience.
The are. I ol sail rocks has Ijeeii found to stretch from .Sarnia lu South, iinplon,
y\ Y Vv' TIIHRX X /■:/(;///!( Vv'
169
SAr/r woKKS on LAKK HIiRON.
aiiil ca^t to .1 |ioliU 1h'\iiii(1 the
|)r()S|tci"oiis town of Scaiorlh.
riii'\' arc till' deposits of an .inciciil laiul-
Idcki'd lake, cnihi'aciii^' a part ol MichiL^an
ill the west, the < )ntario l*('nin-.iila on the cast, and strctcli-
iii^ south as far as S\rarnsc in Xcw ^'ork. The salt
was solidified, under conditions li.ird for us to iiii;ii,^ine, and in (|nantities sulVieiiMit to
supph' this continent for .''^cs. .\s the salt rock is dissoKcd li\ the water that runs
<Iown the horc from springs, it follows that the older the well the more aluindant ,ind
((instant will he the (low ol l>rine, and that snliterranean salt lakes will he formed of
incrcasitV'' extent and deiith, Ai (Mic of the mills, such an under'-round ca\ it\ lately
170
01 k' ricTL'Ri'.sori-.
swallowed up several hundred feet of iron tuhinj^', and the rise in the le\el of the
brine was such that seventy feet less of new tuhe sutticed to replaee the oUl.
The chemical analysis of 1 )r. Sterr)- llunt in i SOO indii:ated that the salt was the
purest known, and the most concentrated possible. Subse(|uent tests, howe\cr, have
shown a decidcnl chanij^e, indicatiiiL^ an iiicn;as(; of L'vpsum and the solubh; earthy
chloritles of calcium anil ma,L,niesium. This may lU'ise from the brine acliiit;' as a
solvent of the overlyiin^ earths, and increasing- the impuri; (dements. Chemical pro-
cesses beconu'. therefore, necessarx to tdiminate tlu-se foreign innretlienls, and b\'
this means tlu' Imest tabh; salt, and salt of any (|ualit\' for antisei)tic or agricultural
purposes, ma\' be made. The brine is almost a saturated solution, haxinL,^ a density
from thirt\' to tiftv per cent, greater than any \v\. found in the I'nited .Stat(!s. As
yet tlu; Clu'inical Company of (ioderich is the only one that invokes the aid of
cheniistr\' ; but scienc(,' and new methods must come into play unixcrsalb' if we are to
hoKl our own and ile\idop our salt or any other industr\'. "Lack of tmish " is
frcqueiitU' uriL^cd against Canadian products, and there is some i^rouiul lor the chart:^e,
notwithstanding all thai a short-sighted and miscalled patriotism may saw We may be
(piite sure that such an objection, if
at all founded on fact, will be fatal
in those da\"s of tierce coiu|)etition
and nice ailjustment of means to ends.
in iSSo, an ( )ntario Agricultural
Conunission was appointc;d to iiKpiire
into the at^ricultural resources of the
Province, anil matters connected there-
with, and the commissioners found
that salt now enters so lari^cl)' into
the business of the i)roducer, es-
peciall)- as regards clu'cse and i)utter-
makiiiL;, pork-packin^', and the ferti-
lizinj^- of the soil, that its consideration
could not well Ix; is^niored by them.
Thev therefore made incpiiries into
its manufacture, the extent to which
it is used, and the ])rejudices ay^ainst
Canadian and in favour of bLnglish
salt. Ihi; result of their inf|uiries was, that if properly manufactured and carefidly
dried, the well-known jiurity of Canadian salt is fully equalled by its adaptabilit)- to
all dairyiiiL^ pur|)oses, and its e>;cell(Mice as a factor in the work of fertilization. To
show how e.xtensively it is now beinL,^ used in the west of the Province, it was
S.M.r WOKKI.KS
NOR T//HRX NEIGUIH Vv'
i;^
stated that a Scaforth linn luul in tlirci;
nionllis (j| the tlicn ciirrciil y(;ar sokl 63,000
tons for fi^rtiliziiij^r purposes. Ihe evidence,
with scarcel) an exception, was als(j com-
pletely in favour of the use of salt as an
aL;cnt in enrichini,^ the farm, jJromotinL; liie
L;ri)\vlh. and protectini,^ the earl_\- plant of
the root crops against tlu-
ravages of tlu; ll\-, and as
a remed)' for some of the
enemies that assail tlu; sprini^
wheat crop. it is no small
iriliute to the purity of Cana-
dian salt that, notwithstand-
ing;- the hi^h fiscal duty of
the I'nited States, it is used
in immense (piantities in the
j^n'at .\merican pork-packin^i^
centres. On the other haiul,
l'.nL,dish salt is brought to Canada at little
nil ire than ballast rates, in vessels that come
lor trei^hts of ^rain or lundjer to ilalifax,
Quebec and Montreal. ( )f course this salt
is admitted free of dut\, and as it is used
b\ the fishermen and the population >^(;nerally
of the I'.astern and .Maritime Provinces of
llu' I )ominion. the area over which Canadian
salt can be protitabl)' distributed is very much
limited.
The International is the lari;est of the
(loderich salt-works. it is situateil just out-
side tin- town boundary, on a hi^h bluff over-
looking the Lake. ( )ur illustration |)resents
two picturescpie aspects of the works. In the
foreground of th<' first the buildiiij^s are seen
with the usual truncated pyr.imid covering;' the
well. Near it is a staj^c, Irom which salt in
barrels or bulk is discharj^et,! into small cars
that run on a tramway to a pier on the Luke.
w.wsiDK fi.owi:r.s.
or/y: ruriRi-sorF.
A 1 KlNcAKUlM
[AVk
fe^
1^' "
iM?-!
^■';.\
liLiluT 11]), a similar trcstlc-stagc
is seen, from whiih tlu! salt is pourcil
thrniii^h Ihiil;' ciu-loscd chutc-s to a fc-
cci\iii^- house; Ixlow, to be carru^cl thence to iIk; pier lor shipment. In tlie second,
we liave a |)art o( the works as seen from the IoiT:^ pi(;r. Tlu; tram\\a\' curxcs
ll[) tile deep liollow and disappears Ix'hind tile recei\inL;' llouse into wliicli the two
narrow chutes enter from the lofty tr(;stle-wf)rk al)o\('. ( )n iIk; left is tJK; hare,
wealJier-worii escarpment tliat fronts the; Lake, and on the ri:^ht is tli<.' wooded and
\crdure-ilad ravine' seen in hoth views
I'ew counties in ( anada are so !Lj;eneral]\' fertile and so splendidK- adapted for
farming- a^ Huron, and its rapid and stead\- de\'elo|iment is simpl\- what mi^lit ha\'e
been anticipated from tlu- class of peo|)le Iiy whom it was settled. l'^\er\ where it
presents a j^cnll)- undulalinL,^ well-watereil and well-wooded a|)peai'ance. In the
smith, the charactiir of the land is a \cry ricli x-e^ctahh; deposit, underlaid l)\- the
stroni^cst of cla\' subsoils. As we ^o north, it hc^comes lighter, hut <.'\('r\where the
crops are e.xcellent, and evidences of increasin*,^ wealth and C(jinfort ma)' be scmmi on
\( Vv' T/Z/tA'X NEIGH in >/v' 1 7 3
every h.'iiitl. Towns like Seaforth, Clinton and Winj^diain are alreaiiy important ci-ntrcs
of traile. althoui^h alnicjsl cxcry house looks as if it had come recentl)' out of the
hiiilder's hands. Half a do/eii rising' vilkiL^es are likely soon to "(tvoU-e" into towns,
although no count) has j^ixi-ii a lander continjj^ent of xoun,!^ men and the \-er\ ereani
of its |)Oi)ulation to the \orth-wesl than lluron. As the travellir drives aloiiL; the well-
made L;ra\(lled roads, lined with hrii^ht-yellow L^olden-rods, and the [(urplt! Michaelmas
daisy, he sees hroad acres of waving; corn and luxuriant meadow strelchinLj lar away
on each side, a stump-ilotted patch here and there alone remindinL; him that all this has
just been won from the wilderness, and that the settler's arrival dales from yesterday.
I.eaviiiL; ("loderich ri'L;i'etfull_v , lor its pure atmosphere, the abundance of its salt
aiul fre-^h waters, and its glorious sunsf-ts, combine to make it a ilelii^htfid sum-
mer resort,— we mav proceed northward b\- one of th<- Sarnia steamers, louihin;^'
tn-sl at Kincardine, the chief mark(;l-place of the County of liruce, or travel ovcr-
laiul to W'alkerton, the coiuity town. The north-western extremitv of the peninsula
of Ontario is politicall) divided into the counties of Hruce and (irev. Tlu'ir general
aspect and the nature of th(,' surface are dc^termined b\- tin; !L,feolo;^ical formation. The
ij^reat escarijment of rock, embracim:; the lludson River. \iaL,^■u•a and (iuelph forma-
tions, which, as "the Mountain" winds round the head of Lake (Ontario, turns in a
north-westerlv direction. 'curves gradually more to the west, anti sweeps throii!:^h the
northern part of Lake lluroii, cuttiu!.; off the (_Jcorijjian Ua_v and North Channc.'l Irom
the main bodv of the Lake l)y the Indi.ui Peninsula an<l the Cirand Manitoulin and
other islantls. Tiiis ideological fact results in a comparatively level surface in the
.southern and western jxirtion of the tract, while the- north-eastern becomes broken antl
hilly in the interioi-, and ruL;L;ed and rocky near tlu; (ie(Mei.ui Wax. Bruce is a very
new county, tlu- scttlemcMits, exceptinn' a few on the Lake shore, not ilatini; back
more than thirty year . The lirst settler built his shanty, it is said, as recenll}- as 1848.
Nowhere are we more surprised at beini^' told of its c.xtrc-nu.' youth than when we see
W'alkerton, a be.mtiful little town, pleasantly situated in a saucer-shaped \alley formed
by the windinL',s of the .SauL;een. its main street was "blazed" throuL;;h the unbroken
forest as the line oi the Durham road in 1S54. The peojjle of liruct,- arc; lar^t^h'
immigrants b-om the Western Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and tlu; children of
immii^rants who settled in more east(,'rl\' parts of Ontario a jL^eneration earlier. In
many of the townships Caelic is the prevailinsj; lanij^ua!j;^e, and it is reL,'^ularl)' used
for the conduct of divine service in many of the churches.
The southern part ol liruce is rolling, tlu; undulations being so ViW^ and gentle
as hardly to admit of our usini.;- the t(;rms hill and valley. Clear, beautiful running'
streams wind through the depressions, the majority f)f them feeders of the Sable and
Saui^een, which How north-westerly into Lake Huron. The whole county is mas^nili-
cently watered, and the growth of timber is very heavy. I'ine is scarce, except in the
174 och' /'/("/'( h'/-:s()c/-:
rrcswiitcr ami other trihutarics of the SaiiL^ccn. riicrc is a lariLjc proportion of _L;ravcl
in thf soil, 1)111 the huui is L^nxnl, and the farms an; well littcil for cither .iraMe or
^ra/inL,^ purposes. .Stran_L,H'rs ofteti express astonishnieiit at the sight of exec-lleiit farms
with houses and oiithuildin^s of log or inferior frame, hut the explanation is that many
of the people haN'e onl\- reacluul tin; stage of putting their land in order for the
plough. Some have advanced to the point of hiiikling good harns, and a few ha\(!
reached the third stage; of ha\ing superior dwtdiing houses. I'"ruit growing is \(i in
its infancy. Peaches can he cultivated successfulU' onlv on the Lake shore, hut apjiles
and plums have shown astonishing results in the si/e and h<;aut)' of the specim«ins sent
to the ;\gricultui-al Ivxhihitions. The long range of the Indian Peninsula seems
naturally lilted to hecome one ol the tinest |)(ulions of the l)ominion for the ^r(.\\th
ot apples, plums, and grapes. That the soil is good, though largel)- rock\' or ston\-,
the immense sugar maples and elms witness. Idle lemperatin-(.' is kept low in the
spring months hy the ice in the ("leorgian Ikiy, and thus the hlossoming of the trees
is retarded, whih- the large l)Oil\- of water on tMch side secures exemption from
summer an<t earl\' autumn frosts.
P)Ul our steamer is drawing near the harhour for which we took tickets at
C'loderiih. Kincardine is situated at the mouth of the I'enet.mgore, a corru[>tion of
Indian words, meaning a stream with grax'el on one side, aiul sand on tlu; other. ( )n
the land side, the \illage, which rises from the short: hy a series of terraces, is encom-
passed hy a fertile and heautilul range of townships. The rixcr, which runs through
it, though turhuleiit enough in spring, shrinks to a rivulet in summer. its course has
heeii skillull\ turned northward h\ hlocking the old channel and cutting a new one,
in order to proxide adt'tpiate aiHommoilation for the northern extension ol the (ii^eat
Western K.iilroad, which has its terminus at Kincardine. Hy an ahrupt heiul, the
stream now passes into an artilicial harhour, which is protected 1)\' two long piers
of crih-work, forming a channel wiile and tieep enough to lloat the; larg(.;st ships that
na\igal<' the Lake. One liglit-house is placed near the i'\\i\ of the north pier, and
an<nher at the harhour. ()ur steamer passes up this narrow entr.ince, the |)asseng(;rs
coming to the how to see the port that they are making, after a thirt\- miles' sail on
the Lake. Idle illustration shows the north |)ier with hoih lightdujuses on the left;
in the distanc(;, on(; of the large salt works, with i'lshdioust's, that skirt the harhour;
and part of the village ahove. As seen from the Lake, Kincardine reposes in the
hollow of ,1 gracefid cur\-e of the coast, the extreuK; points ilistant ahout eighteen
miles, the clilfs here; ami there covered with native trees that descend to the water's
i'A'^v., hut in most ])laces cut into and wasted hy th<; erosion of the elements. Tlu'
village has a llourishing appear.mce. TIk.- puhlic scpiare is planted with ornamental
trees, and contains a heantiful Methodist Church, with the Model School on one; side,
and a large Town Ilall on the other. The business centre consists of a lonijf, well-
A ( Vv' I llERX MiHilllU y<
J 75
^>,-^«-rAf^t^i«*^-
KVi;.NI\(; AT sol' I II AMI'lo.N.
liiiill street. To the north, oil ;i lieij^ht overh)okin;^' tlie \ ilhi^'e, is the I'resl)\ terian
(."hiinli, a hir^c ("lothic e(Htice, iht; interior elal)oralei\' frescoed, and tlie exterior onl\'
wanting' a spire to inai<e it e(|ual in appearance to tlie best of our cit\- churclies.
KiiicartUiK; followed ('loderich in the speculative mania tli.it arose on the first
disco\ery of salt. I'lic lioriiv^s. lio\ve\-er, were wisel\- niatU? or. the low heacli and not
on the hi^h cliffs ; and althoui^di less pictures(|ue \V(;re less costly. Tliex' h.ul tb.e
adxaiitanc, loo, of hi-iiit^ close to railroad and harhour, S.ilt of the best (|ii,ility vas
found at a depth of about goo feet, and thrci' substantial works were erecttnl, capable
of turniiii^ out a thousand barrels per day. Here, as at (ioderich, ovt-r-production led
i7r.
(UN rn rrRr.sorii
%e^
•^S^''-
II' /'^.c:
.J.K
A KISHINC; STAl'lON ON I.AKI IIL'KON.
to the inc\ilal)li' coiiscchicium's, and capital was \vast<'<l. Oiil\- diic of the wells is mwx
bi'iiiL; workcil, l)iii ii is liopcil tliat iin|iro\('(l indhods ot niamilaclui- ■ .md an iiui'ciscd
di'iiiaiul may rex ix'c the others.
All iljiist ration prcsciUs a \ii\v ot the ^alt works from th( broad, sand\ heath lo
the norili ol the liarlioin". i he luo loiv,; piers, juttiiii^ lar out into the dee|) waters
of the Lake, look like one ill the diuance. On the nearer i-> the outermost liL;ht-
honse, wiiije lie\()iid i-, the \ast Lake, its waters ^listenin'^ under a Lrillianl summer
sk_\-, llecked here and thei^e with lleecx' C'louds. rile L.lke is, ot course, the m.iin
f('ature ol the scener\ of tliis western loast, .md it L;i\'es a wonderful chai'in to e\cry
place that it touches. Llie lime will come when tlu' waterinL;-places on tln'se shores
will III- more prized I)\ the |)e()ple of the inland towns. I leie, they tan L;('t close at
hand tresli Lree/es, and a broad, sand\ beach, while a small expenditure at almost an\-
|)oint will |)ro\ide all needed faiilities for bathini^'. .\ few miles north of ( loderich a
comfortable summer hotel has been started, especialK for the aciommoilation of
tourists, and a pleasantt;r place to spend a week in it would bi' ditticult to tmd. The
immediate surroundings are those of a lar!_,n' farm rather than of an hotel ; ami one
has onl\- to stroll down the wooded bank and alonu" the beach to s^et at once into a
i\YM' rilHRX Min.lllU )A'
irr
rci^iiin whose pcrfrct |ic.icc is hroki'ii only !)\- tlir in,iiiy-\<ii< cd lauj^lucr of tlu' Lake or
the iliiinil«r of Wines rolling in with tlic iiuijcsly of ocfaii. Siinihir resorts will \tv
iniilli|ihi'(l indi'linilily ; for modern hie is iiUense, and periods ot relaxation .ire essiMi-
lial. No inlhienees exert a more heahn^ hahn on the le\ered spirit than tliose that
eon-^tanlly sin-am out troni the desert or ih<' lorest, the mountains or the sea; and to
the |iei«|ile ol Western <)ntario, l.ak<' llin'on is no indillereiit ^nhstitnte for the s 'a.
The aniient oi(ii|)alion of lisiiin^ is a more proinaiile iiuhistry to the people of
Kincardine than salt mannl.utnre. Larv;*' and snlistantial wherrii's lea\e the harhoiir
at the I'arK dawn, ami return alioui noon Irom their favourite resorts, whirh lie alioiil
tweniv miles distant. I he ordinar\ tatch \aries Irom one to two thousand poimds.
1 he lish .ire i4ener,ill\ I le.ined on the Lake, and on the Ixiat's ,irri\al m port they
pass into ,1 contractor's h'nds, l)\ whom they are shipped to the markets ol C'anaila
and till' I nited .States, either packed in ice or according to a new plan fro/en,
indi'ss when the\ are pickh d or li.irnlled. 'I"he lish nsiialh- caught in the northern
Lakes are: the salmon ii-out. from twent\-lour to sixty inches Ioul;. anil sometimes
wei^^hiu;.; torty pounds; the while-tish. the pi'ide ol Canadian waters ,iiid 1)\ mam-
i^oiiriihh (onsidered the linest cif the lislu trilie ; the laki' hei'riuL;. \r\-\ aliundant at
cert.iin seasons in shallow waters, and not unlike the herring of the ocean ; the lake
.si. rilM. lUK iNLl.
178 o(7< picrrRi'.sorh:
stiirj^eon and the <^\\x fish, survivors of tlir i^anoid and annour-clad t'lsh of the
Pala-ozoic aj^e. l^ass, perch, and the spotted trout— tht' jo)' of \.\\v. sportsman- are
caiii^ht b\- amateurs in the rivers and crei'ks, and l)y ever\- hoy who can lilt a rod, and
every loafer, when he can summon iMier^v enoui;h to take his hands out of his pockets,
or a little more than he neinls to tdl his pipe. The farther north the better and the
more abundant the t'ish. Hence, the more southern tishernu.'U, alter the s|)rin]:j' catch,
go north to Killarney. and as far as the lishinL; "grounds and ])orts of Lake Superior.
But we must Li(> on to Southampton, the next port at which the steamer touches,
if we would see the most famous tishim;' grounds and the heatl(|uarters of tiie fishing
industry ^iw Lake lluron. This \illage was the earliest settU'ment in the comity of
Bruce, and its fountlers, animated by hopes anil ambitions, laid out a town-|)lot large
enough for a city. Hut the fates were against it, ami — strange fortune for an\- place
in W'esti-rn ()ntari() -it is stationar\ or positively declining. 1 he brisk \illage of
Port I'!]gin. where the educational institution or "college" of the I'nited iirelhren is
situatt'd, drew awa\" its i)usinc>s, and now it is a little like one of tho^c decayed
families that linger lovinglv in meinor\- .iiul spc;ech on the glories of the ]i;!st. Xo
newsiKiper is publishetl in the \ illage. What more neetl be said to slu)w iiow
unintlueni'ed it is b\- tlu." spirit of tlu' age I Southampton, notwithstanding, is a
charming spo' the \vx\ sleepiness ol its inhabitants making it i)leasant to \isitors
who long for nothing so much as r<'posi'. Ihe \illage is situate<l at the mouth
of the S.uigeen. It the axis of a larg(,' curve of the coast. The mouth of the river
is sheltered 1)\- a long pier of crib-work Irom the sweep of the north winds, antl thus
a harbour for the tine lishing boats ol the pi, ice is loriiKtl. The princip.il harbour,
however, is at some distance to the south ol this river harbour. The construction ol
massive piers or breakwaters fr(un the main short to the end of Chantr\ Island, with
a suitable entrance, has formed a magnilici'nt anchorage' for the largest \esseU in the
severe storms to which this wliole coast is e\p.)sed. .\t the other end ol the island,
a large beacon has been erected at some distance from the shore, to indicate the limits
of the chainie! and the extent of a dangerous shoal. The islaiul is evident!) part of
an extensive bar. formed by tin; waters of the .Saugeen and the Lake, which stretches
along the whole front of the vill.ige, enclosing a deep basin with channels at both
ends. Lnmeiise (piantities of l.irge boulders of gr.niite, gneiss and trap are foimd on
till' sho.il, i)rought down bv lloes of shore ice from the northern coast : a line instance
of tile process bv which sand, gravel, and boulders h.ive for countless ages been
ilislriliuled over the northern regions of the earth.
The rivei ii.irbour or cove is the one frecpienteil bv the rishermeii. Their wharves
line its right bank. Her(\ too, are their liouses for cle.ining, p.icking, and storing t'ish
and t.ickle, with c(«tta!;es intermixed, uvl reels for drving or repairing their nets.
Looking down this side of the river our ilhistrations give us two vic;ws. In the one
.1
XOf! TlfERX XH/G/rnOR
179
L
Willi 1111; IISIIII-IMI.N ON 1 AKI IHKON.
l,9o
OCA' ricrrRr.sorr.
the huts ami boats arc under the sh.ulow of a tloiid, ami the liit^h hanks on Ixjth
sides are seen looniiii;^ in ihr di^tanic, while the llouiiiL; w. iters ol the ii\ii' are hi^hled
u|i li\ a ;^leani Ironi the ritted sk\-. 1 he other is |ii'esent<'tl in hriL^ht Minshine. A
;^rou|i ol Ins hes lo the ri^ht ol the ckiw \ on the slopm:;^ hank to the jell are i^roups
ot huts and eotlai^es ; in hont are the uhar\cs, with hoals just arriving;, and, in the
(hslame, the shiinmerin;^ \\at<'rs ol the l.ake.
I he vilhii^e |ii"oj)i r lies lietween lite two harliours. and. I>\' a gradual ascent,
stretches haik a loii;^- way to the reai\ A lake on the heiL^lus, co\crim^ a s|)ace of
about twcnl\ acres, and ol unknown de|)lh, is .i ciniosit\ in its wa\. A|)[iarenil\ it has
neither inlet nor outlet, so that whemc its water conies .iml whither it i^dcs c.iii onl\'
be con)eclur((l. l)oulilless it is led li\ the drain. ii^e ol th<- hi;4her land that sprine's
up within its 1)1(1. ,ind retains its in\;irialile le\c| 1(\ a ( orrespondinu; diainai^c of its
waters throuL^h the >ir,itilied s.uid int(. the Lake below. it luiL^hl easiK- be made thi;
centre ol a lieaulilul publii park. w<re it not lor a tanner\ reeeiuK' erected on its
bank b)- the aid ol a bonus. \ia,;ai"a is turned to base uses, and how can lesser
glories hope iM escape desecration/ We are at present, thanks to oiu" constant slrm;-
gle with natur". in that sta^^e ol esisience in which t.ill chimmws are reL;ard<'d as more
beautilul objects ih.m those which ( row ned the Acropolis. ,\ mill is a \ ision of
deliL^ht, proiulb pointed out to the sir.iU'^er, and the hum ol machiner\' is sweeter
than til.' music of the sphei-es. W'e istimate the amount ol h.ippiuess likel\- to be
eiijoxi'd in cil\ m' xilkiL^c b\ the number ol its manulactiu'cs, and we are supremeK'
indifferent to the ojiinion ol moi-e cidtured people, who would .iL^ree with our estimate
on condition that ihe\ were allowid to m,d\e it in\crs(|\. ( )| coin'--e, the artist can
have no s\in|i.iih\ with such sentiments, but he mi'^ht rei^aiil them .is not simply
indie, iiiii;^ the s,i\.i;^e st.ite of beiii;,;, had his latliei' been on<' ol the hard\ Scotchmen
who immigrated to liruce thirt\ \c,irs ai^'o. " KoiiL^hin^; it in the bush" is deli^htlul
lor a pic-nic or summer holid.n. but when it me.ms uni-einittiiiL; toil lor a liletime
undei- the sti'rnesi con liiion ol lixin,;, it is noi wuiderlul ih.u iwerythin;^ that looks
in the direction ol lab()in'-sa\ in,; m.n hmerv should ( onie to be hailed as :i bless-
ing;, or th.it l.u torii-- should be ie_;,u'ded .Is the symbols ol ci\ ili/ation. Mr.
Kuskin. it known ,it ,ill to -^uch .1 (oimmniil\, would be considered a lunatic. l^sih.'tic
deln:iencies not witii->t, Hiding, .1 liner \ ci.in.inrs' th.iii llu- people ol those .North-western
cotinlic-s it would be diiljcult to liud. I\ ' '1 i'.^ ioii s. i lid II st rii M c ,iiid pro',;ressi\-e, tliev ha\e
con'pierc'd the wilderncs-, : .md ihi old men are willlii'; to be^in pioiic i r work .i',;ain
for till' s.ike ol iheir i hildreii. I he\ boiijlii their Luid lor a noiniii.il ,iim, ,md now
tli.it il is \-,ilu.ible the\ are putliii;; il in tin m.irket, not Iroin lo\e ol chac^ie init
beC.UISe the proi d. will enable them to -etlle in the \ollh-West, with h.lll .1 do/en
soils, on .is in.iiu l.ll■ln^. in tlnir own immediate nei^libou: liooil. .Such ,iie the in'-h
who I.IV tile true lol|lli|,ition-> of the count "N-. .\o more lerlile ,md be.lUtillll district
VOA' ////■: A'.V XliK.llllOR
iSi
I'KI I'AKINC IISII KiK MAKKKT.
in that round Snntli,iin|itnii and I'ma I'.l'^in is id lie foiuid in Canada : and the same
i\ Ix' said III llic r()in)li-\ all alim^ the SaiiL^fi'ii and ils li-ilmlarics : of l'ai-^lc\ , lican-
illy situated at the conllui'iiic ol the rrcs,uai('i- awA the San^ccn : ol the \illa"(s df
I'^ley, laifknow. ICcsw ali|-, ;ind indeed ol almost e\ei-\ to\\nshi|) in I'liaice. That
:t ol the conntx Kin',; noith ol a line drawn Ironi the month of the San"een to the
l82
OL'R /'/CTl'RF.SQC/':
NORTIfF.RN NEKilinOR iS;,
luoiith of .' Sydciiliiun was lon^' an Iiulian Rt.'scrv(;. Iht; Indians gave up a " lialf-
inilc sirij) " from ri\cr to river, on condition of tin; (iovcrnnicnt Ijuililint; a road troin one
point to the other, lint the road hrouLjiit in iinniii^rants ; antl in 1S55, Lord lUiry,
titi; privat(; secretary of tlie ("iovernor-(ieneral, was sent to the Chiefs to nej^otiate a
treaty that would open, for a consideration, th(! Reserve for settlement. lie succeeded
in ohtaininj.; their consent, thoui^di the principal Chief was reluctant to " move on "
before the encroachin;.^ white man. Now, the names of townships, town-plot, roail and
almost everythiiij4' elst; in the peninsula suj^nrest onl)- his Lordship and the Keppel
family instead of the old lords of the soil. Wiarton, the commercial capital of the
tlistrict, needs onh' additional railroad facilities to i)ecome the centre of much wider
interests. Amony^ new towns it has an aspect of extreme nt'wness ; but its site at
the head of Colpoy's Ha\ is of such strikinin and uncommon beauty that it des(!rves
a visit. Colpoy's \\\\\ claims a place Ix^side .Sydney, Halifax, and Ouebec as one of
the linest harbom's of Canada. The entranc:e is mark(Hl 1)\- the loftN' Capes Croker
and Commodore, and the islanils which lie between the capes com|)letel}' prott;ct it
from the swell of the (ieort^ian IJay, and form a land-lockeil expanse of water nine
mil(;s loni^ anil from one to three miles wid(\ What a plac<.' for yachting;, both in
itself, anil as a base of operations for explorin;^ the shores and thousands of islands
of the (ieori^ian Ha\' ! I'-\er\ one in Wiarton owns a l)oat and knows how to
mana:.;*' it. .\ visitor, horrilied at seeine ;i .Simdax-School pic-nic part\' !.(oin^- out
in small sailing' boats, was comforted on being told that the children were so accus-
tomed to boating that they had become am|)hil)i()us.
A trip out into the open sea of Lake llwron. with one of the lishing-boats that
start from .Southam|)toM, is something that transcends orilinar\ \achting. I he wherries,
which are of the (in<"^t build .uul sailing ipialities. are owninl and manned 1)\ hardv
.Scottish I lighlanders. b.ach boat has its complement of four men, one at least ,< ()f
whom is sure to be a mine to those who are interested in character. The owner of
the wlierr\ will probably have .1 ruggecl dutside, but there are inlmite fouiils of silent
heroism within : and some ol these become vocal and distinctl) articulati- if you let
him know that you Iom: the West llighlands. or show that \()u sympathize with the
l).icku<«idsm.in's life, or. better still, if you ha\f a few words of (iaelic on h.uul.
W'e owe much to Mr. lil.K k b)r re\-ealing "the L<'ws " to us, ami .Sheila herself is
not so interesting as her l.ither ;ind her faithful henchmen. \'\\<.' Princess is partly
ideal ; the others are real. .\nil such n.itures ne\-er lorget the old land, though none
,ire truer to the new.
The sail itself is delightful. There is a joy in the cool fresh bnath ol the gra\
morning, and then in the sense of r.ipid motion through the blue sparkling waters in
boats that you know can face any storm that m.iy .irise. The interest o( the catch
the si/e and beant\ of the silverv tish, and the no\eli\- of the scene, all help to make
1^4 OCR /'/cT(h'/-s(jr/-:
the t:.\|)C(liti()n (lcli\L;htfiil ; ami when the t'islicnncn arc hmiIn for tin- riiii home, in-
stinct, with i\\v. i-omlortahli' fcdiiiL,^ liiat tlicy have not lahonrcd in \ain and that tlic\-
may take a sleep or a smoke, xou are ready to aceepi their hos|)itaMe oiler to
aeci)ni|)any them another da\'.
iMom Southam])ton we cross country l)y stajj^c; to the comity town of drey,
unless we prefer to ,^^\\\ Irom Wiarton, or make a loni^ backward detour hy rail till we
come upon till- I '»roni(i, ("inv <X: IJrnce line. The approaih to ( )wen Sound, the
count)' town, i-^ pirtnrescjue and r:\lher striking;', by steamho.it, stai,u'-coach, or e\cn l)y
mil. TlAe j^reai Xla^^ari eMarpnur,! run^ through the county, hecominj.;' "the Ulue
Moimtains" of Norlhi iii drev thai extetul to (."ahot's Head. .Much of the topot^^raphy
is therefore rou^h and broken compareil with the districts to the west which ue ha\e
hitherto beei^. describiii!.^ ; so much so that at parts it is called mountainous. The
rather amljitious adjectixc may be allowed, as lons^- as \\v. are in Ontario, on the
principle that amonsj^ the blind the one-eycnl man is kiuj;. In order to esiape the
j^reat limestom; rocks that environ tlu; town, the railroail begins a circuilous route
about three; miles from where tlu; engine whistle sit^nals the appro, uh to its northern
terminus, and thus -to the disturbance- of our to])o;.^raphical ideas- -we enter ( )\\cn
St)und from the north insteatl of from the south. Coming; by steamer from W iaiion,
or in the opposite direction from Collin,L,Mvood, we .uiil up the beautiful ba\ ih.u has
j.,dven its name to the town, and forms here an e.xcilleiit harbour. ( )n the one siile
is the old Indian \illaL;e of Hrooke. the spire of what was once the Indian Churih
the ccjuspicuous obje-ct. ( )n the othei\ l.imestoiu; Clill stands out now hi^h in aii'.
though in tornu'r a;^'es the wa\es ol .i mightier l,d<e than lliu'on and the (icor^ian
Hay combined dashed aj^Minst its front. ( )n both sides, alon^' the toast as l,ir as
the eye can reach, the l.uid shows a series of wcll-dellned terraces or ancit-nt be, u lies
rising;' up to the perpendicuhu' cliffs of Niai^.ira limestone. In man\ ]iku:es these clilTs
are split into L^reat sections, the rents of which have been widened by we.itherin^ intcj
immature cai^ons, which on their e.xposeil surfaces nuist \)v danet-rous traps to the
traveller. .Such rent cliffs are tine instances of the ilestriictivt' effects of atmos-
pheric erosion, ami ot the wa_\' b\ whic;h in the course of ai^cs the Sound itself
h.'is been formed. The rock bciny^ hi^hl\- absorbent of moistiu'e. the autumn
rains lodoc; in its cre\ ices ;uul joints ; and in winter the crystalline; expansion
of freezini^ rends it into fragments. In sprin!.,^, a mass of f.illen dchris enlarges
the talus at the base of the cliff. If the waters of the Sound stood as hij^h
as they once ditl. their waves would tfrind these an^^ular blocks into boulders,
gravel and s.ind. and transport them into deep water. The (;nter|)ris(; of man is now
doing what these natural forces no longer do, by burning the brokiMi fragiiK'tits into
quicklirne, and (piarrying large blocks for the erection of factories anil ilwellings. Ice-
floes have also done their work here as on the outer ;;hor(!s of the Lake, by trans-
A YVv' TiiERX nek: 1 1 no R
^H
portiii!^- imiiu'iis(; {|ii;uililics of i^iicissic aiul ujr.initc hoiililcrs and |)cl)l)l('s from tlu'
I .aiii'ciuian rocks in the north lo tlu' sliorcs ot \\\r Sound. A drixc Iroin the town
lo llu; littlf villai^^i- ot ilrookr will show these in tens ol thoiis.inds. As our slcaincr
draws nearer to the head of the hax, j^reat wiiile rocks ((inie into view. Tln'n the
rocks on l)oth sides con\fr^c, and in the \,dley helween. on .in e\tend<(l llood pl.iin.
formed liy the i)a\' and the ri\cr .Svdenham, tlu.' |>rett\ lilth; town is sitiiaU^il. It was
orii^inally lalled Sydenham, and its lounder Welieved thai il would develop into the
i^real iiilripot of western lommerce, woidd lietoine in iait a second C"liicay[(). What
a niniilter of sttcond Chicai^os there ha\(; been in the visions of |)lamu'rs of low ii-jilots
and real-estate auctioneers I IncK-ed, so convinced were the people in 1S50 that rail-
wa\s -if l)iiilt at all would ha\f to lonie to them as the only practicable northent
terminus, that lhe\ refused to i^rant as'iistaiicc lo one or thi' olhei of two companies
that proposed to huild Ironi Toronto to the ( ieori^ian l>a\. C Onsecpientlx , the Northern
Railway Company made CollinLjwood its terminus, and the other Comjiany, then collapsing;,
Sydenham was left out in the cold with all its amhitions dashed to the ground. In
1S50. it was imorporaled ;is a town, under th.e name of ()w('n .Sound, and its pio^^ress
has been so continuous that it is now in the front rank of our provincial towns. Wo
L;('t a i_;ood hird's-eye \ iew ot it from llu: ru^^cd limestone clitt on the west. The
clilf is liroken and rent, with lichris of fallen rocks at its feet, the white est arpmeiit
continued liexond ; then, the loft\ spire of a church, with a coiuiniiation to the south
ot ril)l)ondike terr.ices, ihe lower covered with trees. In the hollow is the town, with
its church-spires and puMic luiildin^s, the most conspicuous oi which is the lli'-;h
St'hool, the l)us\' h.irhour, ,ind the ([uiel waters of the .Soimd. The medallion shows .1
hit ol the river as it enters the town, houses on the left hank, and the Campanile:
ot the I-"ire-IlnL;in(; .Station. " ( )ff ("ape Kich" tells its own t.ile. atui one li\ no
means intrecpienl on the l.d<es, a propeller encounlerini.^ a stilf hree/e as she rounds
the cape into the .Si lund.
The next illustration is taken from the rear of the shi|)-lniildin!L; yard, where shi|)s
.md propellers ol larLjc tonnage are liuilt. .\ propeller is on the stocks; another, lully
e(|ui|)ped, is drawin<^' a statel\- ship from the harhour to the .Soinid. Reyoml, on either
side, is a L,dimpse of the lower part of the low 11 and harbour, with elevator, shipping;,
and then th<' \\v^\ clitfs in the distance. No town is betti-r supplied with summer
travelliuL; facilitii's by steamboats than Owen Sound. An e.xct'lleiu line now runs to
the Lake Superior ports in connection with the Toronto, (irey & Bruce Railway,
and the boats from C'ollini^wood make regular calls. The cili/ens are inanilestinL;' a
L;i"eat deal of enterprise in this direction, and manv of the staunchest steamers on the
lakes are built liv ih<' ( )wen Sound I' '-v -Dock Company in tlnMr sliip-vards near the
mouth of the Pottawatomie River.
Vox many years Owen Sound labourfd imder the dis.ulvantaj^e of want of railway
1 86
och' /'/(- re h'/':s( )('/■:
i%.
n\vi;\ >MrMi i.ookim; vv nil: ii,\ki;(Uk
fjuilitii's, that were f-arly .i,n'\('!i to its / ■'"'i:.*j5. -, , , ' '.<y-'^<
ri\al, COllin^wood, llioiii^h, in 1S45, it
Ml. Itched li'din I )iirhain the laiinldcal ol
tile coimly ti)\vii. It has ako thr (h-auhark of having a very shallow harlxmr, which
ncccssitatt's constant and cNinnsivc ihcd^iny. The town has a more llian line (Hs|)la\-
ol |iiil)lic Ixiihhn^s, perhaps the inosi ci-eihtaMe ol which is the new llii^h School,
en'cted at a cost, iiichidin^ L;roimds and e(piipi)ienl, ol oxer twcnt\-ti\i' thousand
dolhirs. I'here are also two other coniniodious and handsome liiiiidinL^s lor I'iii)lic
Sihooi recpiininenl. I he town-haU, lourt-house, and nian\ ol ihi' stores and pri\ate
residences ha\c a tastelnl auA phasing appeaiance. Characteristic ol the place, its
joiirnalisin, represented l>\ the I niics, . 1(I;(I//m r, and /i/ii/ii/r. is stnrd\ and proeres-
si\c. In the pri'-railw.i\ da\s, its hotels and st.iL;e-coach liiU's did .1 tlourishiiiL; busi-
ness; ami thon;^'h thi' j^lorx' ol "Coulson's" has soniewh.il ileparted, liolh that hostelry
aiul the "<jueen's" sat istacloriK meet all demands upon them.
it we \isit Owen Sound ii\ drixiiiL; Iroin Southampton, we see somethine- n{ the
character of the inierxcninL: idunir\. The land L^i'adualh' rises, Iretpient outcrops of
limestone oicurrin;^, and alioiit midua\ .icross .ittams its L^reatesl altitude, the streams
on the one side llowinv^ to the east, and on the other to the wc'st. in summer the
tields are luxuriant with ;^ood croj>s, .md the farms have ,in aspect of thrilt and
prosperit\'. The forests assume a slii^htK northern aspect, and deliL^ht the hotanist
with their rich undcr|_;row th of mosses, ferns, and llowfrin;4 shruhs, amid Ime spetimeiis
xoA' riH'.RX xiiiaiiiu ">/<
isr
(»f maple. hiM'tli, and ash. The mad for a part of iIk; way skirts tlu: Pottawatomie, a
small lirawlim^ stream thai tumbles o\-er Joik.-s' and liuliaii halls, a sheer descent of
seventy li-et. into d.irk ravines densely clotheil with timi>er, l^^fore it empties into the
.Sound. ( )n desceiidini.; from the heiuihts, tiie .Souiul is seen in the distance, extending;
for miles away out to the (ieor^ian Ha\, and. as it approaches th<; h.irbour. L;radualiv
narrowin;^ like a wedj^c
A visit to ( )wen Sound would not he satisfaetorx' without a dri\(' to the Inj^li.s
I'^alls. aloiiu,^ the heautiful road ih.il skirls the steep h.mks ol the .Syilenham. The wax-
leads fr.)m the principal business street to the ("(nneterx Mill, to lln' lelt of which is
the e.\ceedinL,dy lo\cl\ \alle\. We pass the rock which. Ijoreii-like, L;i\cs forth the
water that supplies the town. W <■ ma\ explain that. nnd<'rl\in;^ the \iaL;ar,i limestones,
a peculiarly stratilicHl cla\' is fmmd. which extends oxer iIk- whole Huron region, (ailed
b\ L;-eoloL;ists. i'.rie cla\'. The u])per di\ision of this deposit is well exposed on the
Saui^cen River, an<l is heme called .San^ceii cl.ix', the banks in many ]>lac(.'s showing
it lor a di'pth ol twenl\- or lhirt\' fec-t. It is a brown calcareous clay, mixed with sand
and L;ra\cl, and is ex-
poseil on the east side
of the Sound, where it
is hi<;hly ft;rru^inous.
The I'j'ie clay proper,
or lower ilivision. is a
blue marl containini^'
thirty per (.ent. of c.ir-
bonal<' of lime. It is
foimd ■d)oul tut-nly feet
under the surlace de-
posit in ( )wen Soinid.
.ind is seen in some
[ilaces where the base
(if the limestone is e\-
])(ised. With a lliior
such as this, im|)er\i(ius
to w.iter, it is not won-
dcTJul that the limestone
dills aboinid with ev(.'r-
,, , , INGI.IS I ALLS.
How UI14 sprm^s ol clear
water. I'.issinL; tin; rock,
the road leads thr(uiL;h a farm of exceptional excellence, especi.dl)' in so rou^h a
district, .ind a little farther on \\v. liiul ourselves " amoiv^ tht- mountains near ( )weri
iSS
oi h' i'n n Ri-'.sorh:
Soiiml." Ihc view is wdl woi'lli a l(in;^cr (lri\<', iiiil I.nr.l I)iirfrrin rx.iLji^M'iMtcd
iiii inmr ill. Ill was his wunl kmt I'aiiailiait scriics ulun he iIim lari'(| it one ol the
most HI iL^niliti'iit 111- hail ever w iinc-sfil. Ilcic aiiil thfi-c- the mail nms so mar
till' |iir|)ciiiliiiilar rucks ih.ii wi- max iniirh ilinn Inmi mir i arriaL^i . ( iml, clear
strrams issiir Irmn ihr snliil roik. li'ickli' arms^ iln- ruail. .niil Iim|i jii\liill\ ilnuii
thr stfcp ili'siriit into thr ili'll liriiraili tn ioiii iln' S\'(|i iiliaiii. ( "hariiiiiiL; u;lini|'si's
III llir ri\rr arc ulilaiiinl ihri)ii:^li lln' tms Iruin ihc main |>atli\\a\. A lillli- tarihcr
on and \\y hrar — csiinially slinnM il hr spring or antnnin a sonml coinliiniil ol
hissiui^, sccthiiiL; ami rd.irin:^, thai .innouncis llir halU, ami |iri>niisrs sonuthinu; unrlh
scrin^;. I hr illiistr.ilion |iiisrnts thrni Ironi thr lust jinint ol \ii'\\ ilu- iicr|i ra\inc
anionic thr \inis smm si.\t\ fnt hrlou. Ilu water rsia|ies Ironi lutwrrn two mills.
an oltl and .1 mw, .iml tmnhlrs ii\rr thr sh.n'ii. slnUinL; rot ks in ,1 mass ol loam ,tnd
s)(ra\, and then, with thr rc.isrliss iioi-,r ol man\ waters, ;4ur;^li's o\rr a series ol
rapids to the i|iiiet re.irhes larther down. ( )n e.ich side the IiIl^Ii K.inks are clothed
with the I'ii h \erdiire ol lichens, mosse-,. lerns,' creepers. ,nid vines. The whole seine
is \er\ lieautilul, .iml the coin'teiuis proprietor one o| the oriLdn.il settlers is .dwa\s
willing; to euide visitors to the points Irom which the i'.dls m.i\ be seen to the West
.nK.inlaL^e. It is worth while, too, to reuirn to the town li\ the w.i\ we c.ime. I he
rockv ^or^c, the L^limpse-, ol the river, the trees on its h.mks. .md the i^n.it rocks
towerin]4 holdlv U|i liV the wa\ . L;ive interrst to the ro.ld till the (.'enietelV Hill is
reached. Thei'e. the pfeitv towii in the v.dlev, tile sjneis I'lachinL; np the hill-sides,
the liav dotted with steamers ,nid little ple.isure lioats, the '^re.ll e\p,iiise III' W.lter to
the noi-th. the Indian I'eninsul.i .md the opposite shore, condiim- to m.ike up one
ol the most eMendeil and varied panor.nii.is in the Province. Such hills .md d.ile-, ;uid
waters had irresistilile attiMctions for the Scotchmen, who were ,imouL^ the hrsi settlers
in the countv, though to their children who know lli.it a "liush larm " means unre-
mitting^ toil for a lifetime, the open, exposed |iiaii"ie far tr.nisceiids in .itlractiveness
all the i^lories of mount, lin and Ion st.
As reLiards lruil-L;row in^-, the neiehhourhood of ()vven Soimd is no exception
to the rest of the splendid Lake Huron territor\ which we h.ive heen disi rihin^.
Almost every kind of truit succeeds well, ,niil applet, pe.n's, plums, and straw lurries
mav lie said to attain perfection, .\ reliahle witness sl.ited hefore the ( )ntario AjL^ri-
cultural ("onimission that so much attention is now heini.;' u^iven to this fruit crop tli;it.
besides the supply of the home market, Irom three to four thous.md barrels of winter
apples hail been shipped from ( )wen .Sound alone in iSSi, and tli.it pear culture-
which is be^innini; to attract more attention could be carried on ipiite as prolit.ibly.
Till' plums of the district are so ri'inarkablv tine th.il thousands of trees are beint;-
planted, and tens of thousands of bushels arc already shipp(;d anniiail)-, diielly lor
the Chicago market.
.\V)A' /■///:• AW .\/:'A;///.V'A'
I So
AMii.'.i. llll Ml il ;. I ,\I.S.-i M AU wAI.N ->i)lM).
To ;i ;^n'at cNtint. it would he only tcIIiiiL;' tli(> same ^tor\- oxer ,iL;ain were \vc to
il('sci-il)c the nilicr iduiis in (irc\-. Al ilir o|i|)(isitc r\trcniil\ oi tlu' couiUn Irinn
( )\vi-n SinMiil i-^ Mount Idicsi, |)l(asantl\ sitnalc<l on the ino-^t sonth<rl\- Iiraiuh of
ihr Saiii;<'i'n. The lir-^l snr\cyor mistook the ^trcani lor a liranch of llic Maitland,
.in.l the |il.i(i' aicorilin^K was t'ii-st callrd "M.iilland Hills" or " M.iill.ind WOods."
Will II ihf veil stall' o| the laso was known, llir |ii-cscnl name was lornird 1>\ kiiiiiiiL;
what was tnir awA dioppinL; what was ina(riiral<' in Imth ot ihr old nann's. A walk
or short dri\i' ii\ Ua'^i' Ironi ()\\rn Sound takrs us to Mcafoi'd, also on the hav.
ihi' drixc, SOUK' ci^dilrfn niilcs in length, is a sin-^ularlv pic turi'si|U<' one. 1 he road
runs thioii^h th'- towiishi|is oi S\d<nhani and St. \ incciil. whi( h project far lakoward,
and di\idi' \otiaw.is,i,;,i |)a\' iVoni the waters of the Sound. On the route the tourist
will lie struck with the w.inlonness in which .Nature revels. Stupendous upriL^ht masses
of roi k poise themscUcs in di/./y proximit) to tlu; ro.ulway, while innunierai)le paths
I go
OUR PICTURESQUE
wander off on botli sides into cool dcptlis of forest or i^doomy clefts, friiifjed with ever
fresh adornings. Both townships were surveyed in 1853, and the first settler in St.
Vincent was the surveyor, Mr. Charles Rankin, to
whom and to Mr. George Jackson, the locality is in-
debtetl for important services. For many years it
was hotly contested b)' the people where the site of
Meaford should be. Finally the dispute settled itself,
and the embryo village has now l)ecome a fair-sized
town. It is prettily situated on the Big Head River,
with a gentle slope towards the shores of the bay,
where a harbour is formed by the united watt-rs of
the bay and river, tlanketl by a far projecting wharf.
Commerce is represented l)y a number of grist, saw,
and woollen mills, a foundry and machine shop.
Hut, let it never be forgotten that all that is dis-
tinctive and noteworth)- in Crey, as in most of the
counties of Canada, is to be found not in its towns,
not at railwa)" stations, but in the townships, .along
the gravel roads and the concession lines. There
we meet the men and women who endured the
rough welcome of the Genius of the wilderness ;
the men and women to whom we owe the; smiling
fields and orchards, and all the promise of the
future. A good objective point for an- expe-
dition into the interior of the country is
that most picturesque cataract known as the
" Eugenia Palls," and tlience up the lieax cr
River, a valley that is saiil to j)ossess the
finest climate, and to be without e.\ce|)lion
the finest [leach-growing district in Canada.
Our illustration of the " Fugi'uia balls," in
the neighi)()urhood of I'leslK'rton, gives their
characteristic featur(!s faithfidly, ami it is un-
necessary to repeat in words what the pencil
presents so truthfulh'.
Grey was fortunate in its first settlers.
Two of the townships first surveyed were
set apart to be diviiled up into grants to
wooo VIOLETS, AND KiUNGKi) cii.NTiAN retired British officers, and to the children
.\(;a^ rnERN neic.iibor
iqi
of United Empire Loyalists who had not In^en supplied with lands previously. Both
classes were extremly desirable immi,<;rants ; the first brinj^int^ with them money,
intellij^ence and refinement, and the second havini:,^ what was of even more immediate
value, knowledij^e of colonial life, especially of life in the bush. But the j^^reat
body of the immigrants were of the rank and file of the British Islands ; and they
brought little with them but hearts of oak. Those who hatl come to Canada because
the sinMi voice of emiL^ration agents had assured thcMii that " the same; tree yielded
sugar, soap, and firewood," and that all the work tliey re(|uired to do was but " the
pastime of a drowsy summer clax," were specdih' undeceived. I'lven those who had
landed with money in their purse had a hard time ot it, fighting lone!)- battles against
a thousand unforesetMi difficulties, surrounded by the most uncongt^nial environmcMit. Mow
those who had struggled
to their destination on
scant)' funds lived for
the first jears, it is dif-
licult to understand.
They made no com-
plaint, held out no hat
for alms, but plantetl
their potatoes among
the stumps in summer,
clearetl oti the tlcep
snow, and gatheretl cow-
cabbage for their food
in winter, when they
had nothing better in
the house, and in the
darkest da\s trusted
that th(t (^lod of their
fathers would not desert
tliem. The poet or his-
torian of this "prime\al
and barbaric but heroic
era" has not yet ap-
peared. One AnuM-ican
has written the history of Canada in the Seventeenth Century. Must we wait till
another comes into our backwoods and writes for us the true story of our Niiu'teenth
Centurv? The actors are passing off the stage, and their memories are already fading
from the minds of mc;n. I'ity that it should be so before their records are gathered
EUGENIA EALI.S, AND A GLlMl'SI^ UF
Oi:OK(ilAN HAY.
('
<.'
ig2 OUR picrrRESO' .■■
to-clher; for their achicvcmcMUs. rather than the campai,!^m of 1812-15, or skirmishes
M-illi " Syiniiallii/ers" or I'enians, arc the foundation of our country. What an; th
discomforts of the camp f(^r a year or two. compared to Hfed)atiles. that the wives and
cliiUh-en had to share, with ^U)omy forest and (hsmal swamp, with troi)ical lieat at one
season, ami at anothin- with cold that would freeze the breatl ami the potatoes hesiile
the ver\- hre-side ? In one senst:, immii^rants of the hetltM" class sutlered most keenly.
Their tastes were their torments. .\t lirst they strui^i^leil hard to keep some of iht-
old forms and courtc^sies of life; hut soon the stru.i^-.^le for the hare ni'cessaries
absorbed all their streni^th. Some of the others indeetl suffered all that poor human
natm-e could suffer. The)' starved, and that was the end of it.
This geiu'ratioii ne'er e.in know
The toils we had l!) underj^^o,
While layinj; the <,n-uat forests low.
So sin>;s, with direct anil pathetic simplicity of style, that true Canadian poet
Alexander McLachlan, speaking;- what he knows, and testifyin<j^ of what he has seen. Th
poet's eye discerns the hero. " Canada," he says, " is prolific in heroes of its own ;
men who venture into the wilderiiess, perhaps, with little save an a.xe and a determined
will, and hew their way to independence. Almost every locality can point to some
hero of this kind, who overcame difficulties and dangers with a determination which,
in a wider sphere, wouKl have commaneled the admiration of the world. hnergetic,
inventive, sleepless souls, who fought with wihl nature, cleared seed-fields in the
foix^st, Ijuilt mills, schools and chm-ches where, but a few years before, naught was
heard save the howl of the wolf antl the whoop of the Indian. Who gathered, per-
haps, a little commmiity of hardy pioneers around them, and to which th(!\- were
carpenter, blacksmith, ami architect, miller, doctor. lawN'er and judge, all in one."
.Stich a man he describes with enthusiasm as "a backwooil's hero."
" He chopped, he logt;;ed, he cleared his lot,
And nU(j ni.any a dismal s|)ol
lie let the li,i;hl of ilay ; ,
And ihroin^h the lon,L( and dismal swamp,
So dark, so drearv and so damp,
He made a imaipike w.ay.
The church, liu; schoolhouse and the mill.
The stiire, the I'orjre, the v,it, the kiln,
Weie iriumphs ol his hand ;
And many a lovely spot of i^Teen,
Wliich pee|)s out there the woods between.
Came lorih at liis command.
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 193
What was it that he would not lace ?
He hriflgfd the stix-aiii, he cut the race,
Led water to the mill :
And planned and |)lotted night and day,
Till every obstacle gave way
To his uncon(|uered will.
And he was always at our call,
Was doctor, lawyer, judge and all ;
And all throughout the Section,
O, there was nothing coidd be done —
No field from out the forest won.
Save untler his direction."
Wherever there are men of a uood stock there are sure to be headers of men. And
the backwoods hfe was not one of hardships unredeemed Ijy visions of beauty or in-
tervals of rest or fun. I-ach season brou,L;ht its own (|iiota of pleasure. To the
loo-trino- ''bee" the neighbours came from far and near, every man of them as in-
dependent as a kino; on his throne for he owned his own acres, and had chopped
his own homestead; and after the hard day's work and contests, sonus and .lances
followed till tilt; rude rafters ran^- a.i^ain. The uiHs gathered the spring jjuds from
the trees and the sweet violets from the grassy dells, and twined their hair with
woodbine; but th(;y milked the cows and cooked and washed, and worktxl in tlu;
fields at h.uing and harvest, and hitched the horses, and rode them, too, when
occasion recpiired, none the less. And the )oung men not only chopped and
ploughed, but had fights with bears and wolves, or planned new kin.ls of water-wheels
and rude gun-stocks and fiddles, and everything else that they or the women needed.
Autumn showered its gold and purple over the woods, and the backwoodsmen reaped
from a virgin soil more generous fare by far than the bleak moors of the western
Highlands had ever yielded. In winter, by the light of the great back-logs roaring up
the wide chimney, the lads and lasses did their courting. And though it took ten
days to drive the o.x-team sixty miles to Harrie for a barrel of salt, or still longer
to take the grist to Toronto, what rare budgets of news were carried back from the
outside world! Each year brought new improvements, and things looked brighter.
The shanty and the log-b)Te gave way to the framed house well painted outside and
well plastered within, with big barns hard by; the almost furniture-less cabin to com-
fortable rooms supplied with a sewing-machine and melodeon ; or, perhaps, a piano,
and a volume of Pu turesouk C.vn.vda ; the oxen to a team of Clydesdales and a fast
trotter; and the homespun to broad-cloth. And then, gazing around on the changed
scene, the old man and the old woman would declare that their happiest days had
been spent in the log cabin, whose walls are mouldering not far from the new house
194
0[ 7v' P/CTl 'AVtSOf 7:
to which their son has l.roiinht his l.ridc All honour to tlu' pioncrrs ! May their
children never for-et their memories, nor eease to imitate tlieii virtues!
" Look u|) ; their walls cncliise us. \.nuk around ;
Wlio won tlu; \p|-(lanl nicailows Ironi llii- sr.i .'
Whose sturdy liands the nohU' highways wouu'l
Throili;!! Ibrt'Sls dense, o'er mountain, moor, and lea ?
Wlio spanned the streams ? Tell me whose worl<s they i)e.-
The busy marts, wheie conimeice ebhr, and Itows ?
Who (|uelled the sava-e ? And who spare.l tlu- tree
That iile.isant shelter o'er tlie palnway l';;o\vs ?
Wlio made the Ian. I they loved to blossom as t 'C rose ?"
.V()A'77//:A\\' .\/il(:illH)K
195
The North-west:
MANITOBA.
on far, we liaxc hccn dcalini; with a
^^ C aiiada known to men from tlu^ (la\s of
Clianiplain. WC now conic to New Canada.
l\('<;ions, lono' su|)i)os('d to he under tlic lock
and Vv\ of eternal frost and snow, or at best
lit home onK* for buffalo ami beaxer, mink and marten,
art! beint;' revealed as boumlless prairies antl plains, of
exhaiistless fertility, ready for the plou<rh. In 1812,
Lord .Selkirk, a patriot who lived half a centur_\ too
soon, declared that the \allev of the Red River of tile
North would yet maintain a population of thirt\- millions.
.Anil beyond that \alle\- stretches awav to the north-west a
i)r(.'adth of fi'rtilt; land, in the shape of an immense trapezoid,
u,6 OUR riCri'RliSQL'E
\vhos(' apex is hmimlfd hy the (.listant Mackenzie, that ptjssesses all the coiulitioiis
necessary to rear a healthy antl hardy race. X<nv. at lenj;th, the eyes of millions in
okl and new lands are heinL;- turned to this Creater Canada. A movement or swarm-
ino of men is settini;- in, similar to those migrations of nations that in former limes
deterniintnl the history of the world. Already
"We he. II- tlic uc;iil of piniu'irs nl n.uion^ yi'i l<> i>c,
Tlu- rii-.! low w.ihh ol \\a\es where soim sh.ill roll ;i human sea."
Before lon.i,^, Winnipe.L; will he more populous than Ottawa, or, its eili/ens
\\K)\\V\ say, than Tcji-onlo ; the .Saskatchewan, a more important lactor in Cana-
tlian development than the .St. Lawrence; and the route from Hudson's 15ay
to Lixerjiool perhajjs as wi'U estal)lishei.l as the beaten patli from Montreal and
Uuebec.
Let us pay a tribute to the first white man who tra\-elleil ami tratlinl alonj; tlu;
\\'inni1.e^, Ki'd, AssiiU'boinc and Saskatchewan l\i\i'rs. , Here aj;ain, a b'renchman leads
the roll of ihosi- whose portraits Lanadian^ shouKl han^' up in their National C.allery, and
honour from a!.;e to aL;c. Pierre (iaultier dc X'arenne, .Sieur de la \erendi-\c. deserves
as prominent a place in connection with tlu- Xorlh-west as Champlain occupies in the
annals of Lower Canada. C.idet of a noble b'rcnch famib', tlu- ciuhantnu-nts of an
unexplored coiuint-nt allun-d him to tlu- X(-w World. In i 7.:S, while in command ot a
trading-post at Lakt- Xi-pi^'on. he luanl from Indians of a ri\(-r that llow(-d to ilu;
Wr-.t. The sanu: vision that had tku/.h-il and inspir(-d tin- si.\te(-nth and s(-\ cntc-t-nth
century c-xplorers -la\ aiul ch-rical of a passant- b\' the interior to the Craiiii Oicau,
and tlu;nc(- to the wonders of Cathay, eiiterc-d into tlu- stud\- of his imagination. .M.
de l)(-auharnois, who, from thc^ castle of St. Louis ruli-d over Xew I'ranci-, L;a\e him
\-erbal encourai;enu-nt and c-xchisive ri-hts to the fur trade ot whatsoever regions
he should discover. L)Ut neither the Ciovernor nor tht; King' of b'rance IkuI any moiu-)'
to spare for the enterprise of opining; up the country west ot Laki: Su|)erior. 1 he
labour and the e.\i)ense fell on the man who luul concei\eil the project, aiul who was
detc-rmined to carry it out, because it wouKl redound to the glory ot I'"rance. ()nl\-
they who know by expi-rience something of what is involved in disco\ering new coun-
tries can (estimate aright his danger and success. 'Idu- men who made their way to
"the great lone land" cpiarter of a century ago can form some idea of what he ac-
complished. Starting either fnjm Nepigon or Thunder Bay, we sov..i come to the
height of land that divid(-s the Lake .Superior tributaries from the streams running
north anti we.st. Here, a wilderness of interlaced lakes or rather huge tarns, in granite
basins, fringed with forest, dividcjs tlu- countr\- with primitive rock aiul almost bottom-
less muskegs. Over this vast region silence; and desolation reign supreme. A semi-arctic
A'OR ruF.RX xr.ir.iinoR
197
winter cliiv^s to it for s(!\(;n inoiuhs of tiic year, C'anociiii^ westward for hundreds of miles
1)\' means of one of the strini^'s of lakeh-ls and lacus-
~v •; trine ri\'ers, that extend vast distances to the west,
carr\iiin' their supplies across innumerable inter-
vening iiorlayt's, \Crendr\c and his sons reached
lAI.I.S Ol- 1 111. W INMl'Kt;
Raiin Rixiir and tli<' Lake of the Woods.
This beautiful lake which has been tlu;
startin|^''-point for a i)ouiular\ line in e\ery
tre;ity that has ever been made between
(ireat l^ritain and the I'nitetl States has on one side a thousand mih^s of dark forest,
198
i)( h' nici I Riisori-
forbiiKlini^' imiskcM .ind I .aiirciitiaii rocks, and nii the dthcr side a thoiisaiul mile, of
fertile ailiuial. XCrcndrNc liiiilt forts on its shores and islets, and made tlie'^e liie liase lor
his ioiirne\s to the honndless plains that lie between tiie rpinr Missouri and the Xoiah
Saskalidiewan. I lis foni- sons .ind nephew went at his hiddin:,; in e\cr\ dii-eclion, estah-
lishin'4 a L;reat fur-tratlinL; orL^aiii/ation o\cr the whole ol the North-wcsi, in order thereli)-
to L^ain the nutans of prosemlinL^ discoxcry still tarther. "lie mai'ched and made iis
niarrh," the\' said, "in siK:h a \\a\ that we should ha\'e reai hed our i^oal, \vhei-e\ci' it
mii,;ht lie found, had we heen better aided." I lie\' penetrated in one direction to the
S.iskatchewan and the .Athabasca, and in another to the .Missouri and the \ellouslone,
beiiiL;' the first to disco\cr the countr)' that Lewis and I lark, in the be^inninu; oi llu;
nineteenth centnr\', with a numerous troop in the pa_\' of -the I'niled States (io\ern-
ment, became ceU'brated for re-disco\(;rin!4. .So lai^ west did the\ lorce their \\a\ that
the\ saw at last, in the far distance, the loni; siKcr-tippeil ran^c ol the l\ock_\- Moun-
tains, from the tops of which the\- were sure that the western sea could be beheld.
iSut. just as ihe\' congratulated theniseht's that success was within their ,L;ras[), their
tickU' Indian allies, dreadiii:^' an attacd^ Irom other tribes, torced them to turn baik.
Troubles accumulated on the head of the j^allant biXMichman. ( )n(' son, a Jesuit [iriesl
his companion, ami a partx' of twenty-one men, were massacred by the .Siou.x on an
island of the Lake of the Woods. .\t the same time, he heard of the death of his
nephew, who had been his ri^ht hand from the beninniiiu; ol the enterprise. Why
recount his ilisappointnients ? \ Creiidrye ch\'d eleven \-ears belore New J nice was
ceded to (ireat [Britain. W'lu-n kin^s, intendaiUs or ministt:rs ne_L;lect heroes, their own
cMid is not far oil.
1 he Lake of the W oods has bet-n lon^;' tamed for its beaut\'. I'l.xcept towartls the
south-west, wh(;re a w iiUt "traverse" ol open water makes the Iiulian scan the skv
belore h'- \entures out in his canoe, it is so tilKxl with islands that to the toui'ist it
ap[)ears a wondrousl\- Ixiautilul ri\'er rather than a lake. Lanil and lorest are near and
round him all the time. In some places Ih'es, thou^htlcssb- left burninL; at camps, ha\c;
swept o\er the islets, revealiiii^ the L^neissoid rocks unpromising- to the luisbanilman —
of which they are composed. Hut iMiou^h an; lelt in all their \ar;ed beauty ol lorm and
colour to make a sail Irom Rainy Ki\-er down to Rat Rorta^^c as charmiiii,;- as a sail amon^;
"the Ihousand Islands" of tiie .St. Lawrence. (didin^ oxer the unrullled wati-rs, th(; e\c
i|^(?ts fairly cloyed with picture alter pictun; of a somewhat monotonous t\ pe ol s\l\an
beaut)-. At Rat I'orta^'e, the Rix'er \\'inni|jeL;- issues froi-ii the lake in tw-o dixisions.
1 he railwa\- Irom Lake .Sujjerior to Manitoba crosses the rixer here, brid^inii^ each
division just abo\c the balls. The traveller who has taken the train at Thunder Ray
now ,^ets a L;limpse ot the beautiful, after huntlreds of n-iiles of unutterable dreariness.
He is near the dixidiiiL^-line of ihe Laurentian and tlu; alluvial regions ; ai-nl before
lie bids farewell to the Laurentides the)- burst into scenes of rare picturesqueness.
.V( )A' ////■: A'.V A7-:/(,7//>'( Vv'
i«.;9
200
(^^A' Plcn'RliS(ji:E
At the eastern fall, the river, compressed between heaiitifully-stainecl jrranite rocks^
rushes impetuously into a hoilin*,' caldron, at the side of which is a (piiei eildy
where an Indian is generally found with a hand net, scoopinjx up majj^nilicent
white-tish almost as easily as a housewife takes th( in out of a barrel. The western
fall is a lon^ broad rapid with a drop of four or tivi; feet at one point. These
falls an; only the first of an almost interminable series of rapids and cataracts
down which the river leaps over primeval rocks, on its way to the j^reat Lake
\Vinni|)eL;, running- between these rapids, in Ioul,'' stretches and windini^^s, amonir
j^reeii islets of inconceivable loveliness. A canoe trip with Indiaiis from Rat I'ortajj^e
down to L.ike \\'inni[jeij^, or a steamboat excursion in the opposite dirc:ction ii|) the
lake to I'Ort brancis on Rainy River, oiij^ht to content grumblers otherwise incuraiile.
Rat I'ortas^'e, in sp'a; of its unpromising name, has a future more certain tlian nujst
of the ambitious places in the North-west styled cities, on the strens^^th of a railway
station or a blacksmith's shop. It is the nearest summer resort for the W'innipt-gjj^ers,
and, as the water power is practically iiu;.\haustible, it may also become a j^M-eat
lumber and millini,^ centre. Men of faith speak of it as th(.' Canadian Minneapolis,
just as half a dozen villages in Ontario are styled Canadian HirminLjhams. Lartje
handsome saw-mills and o^rist-mills are already built at the best points of vanta<i^e
between Rat Portage and Lake Decei^tion. This lake seems at first si!:,dit only one of
the innumercd)le small laki:s of the rather savage rejj^ion in which they are set ; but
when the euL^ineers who navi<^aL(.^d its waters in search of a line for the railway
thouo;ht that the end was reached, a^ain and ai;ain new vistas opened out, and
they calked it Deception. Cross Lake has also a history in railway annals. The con-
tractors who had to take the track across it found that the\- had undertaken a task
like that of the Danaides. The earth and rock laboriousl)' ilum[)ed in perpetually slid
away from the bottom and spread out farther and farther until acres of solid >rround
were! formed on e.ich side of th<' bank. It was heart-breaking work, and contractor-
breaking too, but the people who now glide smoothly over the road think little of all
that, and thi; words " s(.;ction fifteen " once in ever\' newspaper, and the; terror of en-
gineers and goxernments, have already fallen completeh- out of men's minds. The
whole of this region should be seen b)- moonlight. It is too ruth; and desolate,' tor the
full light of the sun ; but the play of the moon on multitudinous lakes, twisted rock
and low primeval hills, results in pictures and ])anoramic views of singular weirdness.
Between Cross Lake and W'hitemouth River, the railway leaves the Laurentides,
and strikes through swamp till it reaclu^s the high open prairie. Now we are on the
verge of the great sea of green that rolls its grassy billows all the way to the Rocky
Mountains. Nowhere in the world is t'- re such a breadth of fertile land untenanted.
At some seasons of the year it does not look particularly inviting, but no matter
what the month, the first sight of the prairie makes an impression as profound as the
NORTirERN NEIGHBOR 2o\
first sight of the ocean. I'^ach season lias its distinctive livery. \\ hen th( warm suns
of March and early April ha\c licked u|) the snow, the dead ^^rasses of the old \-ear
look bleached and tlatlened out l)\- the storms of winter and the rain. If tires had
swept over the L;round in the autumn, an luiiform rusty hrown is seen in the spring,
far as the eye can reacii. The prairie then looks to a farmer like a vast Held. The'
only idea suggested is that of immensity. At this season, where the soil is high and
light, or where sandy ridges occur, the aiiciiioitc patciiSy the first llower of the prairies,
shows to the bright sun its pale- blue, inclining sometimes to delicate white and some-
times to rich purple. The joy with which this harbinger of spring is w^elcomed by
those who ha\e seen no signs of life in garilen or field for six long months can hardly
be e.\agg(M"ated. Like the .Ma\ llower of the Maritime Provinces, it "blooms aniitl the
snows." It llowers before its own lea\es appear to li\-e. The old dead leaves surround
the new llower, and so the most beautiful life is seen to rise out of death. 1 1 is at
once the tlrstfruits and tlu; lit emblem of spring. And now, a tender green Ix'gins to
flush the boundless open. .As spring advances, the grasses and plants gather strength.
The prairie becomes a sea of green, iK'cked with parli-coloured grasses, and an inlmite
variety of llowering plants. The billow)- motion of the taller species as the)' bend
and nod before the bree/e is the p(jetr)- of motion on a scale so vast that the mind is
filled with a sense of the sublime as well as satisfied with the perfect beaut)' aiid
harmony that e.xtends on all sitles to the- hori/on. The atmosphere, balm)- and tlower-
scented, is also so charged with eU^ctricity that the blood courstjs through the veins
imder the perpetual inlhuMice of a stimulant that I)rings no lassitude in its train.
Summer comes crowded — or rather covered— with roses. The traveller across the
prairies walks on roses and sleeps on roses. Hy the end of June the air is loaded
with their |)erfume. These are followed by an innumerable variety of asters, soli-
dagos, and the golden corio|)sis. Hut the ripe glories of the year are reserved
for the season when summc'r merges into autumn. The tints of the woods in the
older provinces are left far behiiul b)- the.' wealth of the prairie's colours. The red-
dish hue of the poas and other wild grasses, tlu,' salmon colour of the sedges, the
yellow of the bunch, buffalo, and blue-joint grass, tin; deep green of the vetches,
the saffron-coloured reeds, the red, whit(.', blue and \ellow of the rich autumn llowers,
blend their beauties in a marvellous picture. As autiuiin advances, the grasses take a
lighter hue. They are d)ing. One by one the flowers disappear. Instead of the
variety of colour so splendidly lavished a few weeks ago, tluM-e is only an unbroken
field of yellow, fast merging into white. It is now well on in October. The days are
cool ; the nights cold. Winter is at hand. Keen frosts kill all remaining traces ot
vegetation. But winter is not yet. The sun seems to sweep higher. The atmosphere
takes on a hazy and smoky look. The sun is red during the day and at his setting.
The frosts cease, and the Indian summer of the North-w^est sets in. Day in and day
202
OUR PlCTi 'RRSQl 7:
CKOSS LAKK.
away. i'hc frost puts an end to farming operations, and the winter fairly commences —
a winter terrible to the inexperienced for its length and severity, but perhaps the most
enjoyable season of the \(;ar to Canadians, Hast and West.
Professor Mind, after speaking- of the prairie as it appeared to him (|uarter of
a centur\- aL,M), on tlur Assineboine and Ijetween Winnipet^ and the boundary line, " in
its ordinary aspect of sameness, immensity, and unclaimed endowments," describes "its
extraordinary aspects'" in the following graphic language: —
NORTHERN NEIGJ/nOR 203
" It must be seen at sunrise, when the \ast plain siuhh'nl)- iiashes with rose-coloured
Hght, as the rays of the sun sparlcle in the dew on the Ion<^^ rich s^rass, trently stirred
bv the unfaihiiLT mornini;- l)rceze. It must be seen at noon-ilay, wlien refraction swells
into the forms of tlistant hill ranges, the ancient beaches ;ind ritlges of Lake Winni-
peg", uliicli mark its former extension ; when eacli willow bush is magnified into a
grove, each far distant clump of asp(;ns, not seen bc:fore, into wide forests, and the
outline of wooded ri\t;r banks, far beyond unassisted \ ision, rise into view. It must be
seen at sunset, when just as the bail of tu-(^ is dip[)ing below the horizon, he throws a
flood of red light, indescribabU' magniticent, u[)on the illimitable waving green, the
colours blending and separating with the gc-ntle roll of the long grass, s(;emingly mag-
nified toward the horizon into tlu; distant hea\ing swell of a parti-coloured s(^a. It must
be seen too by mooidight, when the summits of the low g'reen grass wav(,'s an' tip[)ed
with silver, and tlu; stars in the west suddeidy disappear as they touch the earth.
I'inally, it must be; seen at night, when tlu; distant prairies are in a blaze, thirty, fifty
or st.'vent)' miles away ; when the; lire reaches clumps of aspen, and the forketl tips of
the flames, magnified b)' refraction, tlash and ([uiver in the horizon, and the reflected
light from rolling clouds of smoke above tell of the havoc which is raging below."
All those pictures belong to the glowing summer. Ihit the prairie, like the shield,
has two sides. It should also be seen in a blizzard, if you can see and live, when the
snow, tlriven before the wind, llies level through tlu; air, cutting like a knife, and carry-
ing with it an intense; cold that neither man nor b(;ast can fac<; ; when, as the storm
gathers strength, sky and prairie; are blended in oik; undistinguishable mass of blinding
white, and nought is heard but the; mael hurrying and howling of the wind around and
overhead, and the; hissing at _\e)ur teet with which it driv(;s through the long grasses
that the snow has ne)t covereel complete;l)'.
The Xe)rth-west is not all prairie. .\nd the [jrairie is not everywhere a monoto-
nous, treeless expanse. Even in the Re;el Ri\er X'alley, belts of wood usuall}' skirt
the ri\ers aiiel the smaller slre;ams e)r "creeks." Much of this wood has bee'U cut ele)\,n,
so that there are le)ng stretches e)f the ri\er unshaded by trees, but whe'rever a belt
of wooel is se;en it may be assumeel that there a stre-am is draining the prairie. At
.Selkirk, where the Canada Pacific Railroad first strikes the river, tlu; intervale is cov-
ereel with graceful elms ; aiul the country re)und about has a beautiful park-like appear-
ance;. Besides the elm, tlu; tree;s ejf the- Reel River \'alley are oak, ash-lea\ed maple
anel iK)plar. Of the;se, the pe)plar or tre;mbling aspe;n, is the characteTistic tree e)f the
Xe)rth-we'st. As the traveller goes west, he sees hardly any other fe)r hundreels of
mile;s. The; ash-leaved maple is likely te) prove the favourite shade-tree for the cities of
Manitoba.
The railway crosses the Reel River at Winnipeg, but Selkirk was the point origi-
nally selected by the Government for " the crossing " and for the site of a city that
204
OCR /'/crcR/isor/:
would ha\c soon Ixhoihc the capital of Manitoba. There wv.vr various reasons for
this selection, onl\ one of
which neetl be reft^rred to
here, I^ctween Selkirk anc
the old Stone' j-'ort of tlu
Hudson's Bay Conipan)-
four miles f.u'ther up, the
rix'er is conliiK d to a
narrow Ix'd \)\ limestone
hanks, and conseiiuenth' hem^
dammed hack in times of llood,
it ma\' o\-erllow the countrx all
the wa\' to W'innipcL:. .\s the
(juickness with which a bottle can
.VOA' ////■: A'. \ X/HCUIiOR
20 =
2o6
OUR PJCTi KESQl 7:'
be emptied depends principally
on the size of its neck, it would
seem that floods similar to those
which have occurred three or four
times in the century are unavoid
able in the future. It is scarcely
necessary to say that the man
who whispers such a contini^ency
in Winnipeg is looked upon as a
very disagreeable person. Doubt-
less Noah was so regarded in his
day. People who have paid their tens of thousands for cornc^r lots dislike references
t(j floods, past or future. When Mr. Sandford McMiiing advised the Government
to select Selkirk, Winnipeg was only " tlie miserable-looking village" that Captain
liutler called it in 1S70, and it might have been transferred bodily on a few Red
River boats. It is otherwise now, and an old-tashioned (lood- should it come— would
destroy millions' worth of [)roperty. Time has vindicated the correctness of Mr.
LOWKR KOKT GAKRY.
NORrilHRN NEIGHBOR ro;
Fleming's judgment on other points. In this matter he may have; l^een cvei cautious,
but time will tell.
The growth of Winnipeg since 1S77 has heen phenomenal. Statistics need not
be given, for they are paraded in every newspaper, and so far, the giowth of one
month — no matter how marxellous that may be— is sure to be eclipsed by the next.
'1 he going and coming at the railwa)' station combines the rush of a great city with
all the characteristics of emigrant and |)ioneer life. Ihit inst"ad of entering W'iniipeg
by railwa)', it is bettt;r to stop on the east side of the river 'lUd see the ([uaint Irench
suburb of St, lioniface, antl Archbishop Tache's Cathedral and College. We c. 1 then
cross by the St. lioniface steam-ferry anil take a look at the city in a more Irisurdy
way. Even at the landing, the lirst thing that strikes us is that incongruous blending
of the ntnv and the old, of barbarism jostling against cixilizalion, that dislingu^ishes
every corner of Winnipeg and c^very phase of its life. .Spi'cimens of almost extinct
savape and semi-savapc nationalities traze at steam-boats antl steam-mills and all the
appliances of modern life with eyes that tlream of far diffen^nt scenes that were \es-
terday but ha\<i \anished forever. In this bran-new city a historical society, a tirst-rate
club, colleges and cathedrals have sprung up, but you find at the landing that water is
drawn from the river b\- the time-honoured " hauley sj'stem " ami sold by th(' gallon.
Mere is old Fort Garry, but its glories have departed. ()nc(; it was the centre ol the
Hudson ])a\' Company's life and that meant the life of the Xorlh-wc^st. Its walls ami
bastions were; a xcritabU; " Ouadrilateral " in the eyes of tlu; Intlian and half-breed.
They ought to have been saveil as a memorial of the oKUmi timt-, but progr(;ss is
relentless. Progress abolished the walls and gates of Quebec. How could I'Ort Carry
expect to be preserveil, except in a picture ?
Winnipeg is London or New York on a small scale. You meet people trom
almost ever)- part of the world. Ask a man on the street for direction, antl the
chances are ten to one that he answers, " I have just arri\ed, sir." b'riends meet who
parted last on the other side of the globe, and with a hast)-, "What! )ou here, too.''"
each passes on his way, probabl)- to a real-estate office or auction room. The writer
saw Winnipeg first in iHp. It consisted of a few rickety-looking shanties that looked
as if they had been dropped promiscuously on the verge of a boundless prairie. The
poorest inhabitant seemed willing to give any one a lot or an acre. And now, land on
Main Street and the streets adjoining, is held at higher figures than in the centre of
Toronto ; and Winnipeggers, in referring to the future, never make comparisons with
any city smaller than Chicago.
Winnipeg presents odd contrasts in summer and winter. In no city of its size are
there so many University graduates. These rub shoulders, as if to the manner born,
A'ith Mennonites, Icelanders, half-breeds and Indians. Teams of splendid-looking
horses ami elegant equipages drive side by side with primitive carts drawn by oxen,
2o8
OCR PICTURRSOUE
harncssctl with buckskin or sliai;;uia|>[);. Xo city is aa\c'r on a line winter's clay. The
bright sunshine and cxlii'.a.atini;- air make one utterly I'ciL^ardless ot thennonieter regis-
terino's. lUit it sliouj
/
-•-V
be seen, too. when a bliz/ard is ra_i,nnL,f through the streets.
The contrast between show)' sho[)s and houses full (jf comfort
and L;()()tl cheer, and the wikl rexcl of h^ost and snow outside
brin^s the storm Into full relief. Th c may
'''
he cln\ uil; snow-storms without a \er\' low tem-
perature, init these are not dangerous. It is
on a da\' in the earl\- months of the year, when
tile ihernujmeter is low, the sk}' storni\- and
unsettled, ami the wind fierce and
steadx, thai the real blizzard comes;
STKAMHOAT LAXuI.Nu
usualh- from the west, as the i)ran-ie
i^rrasses show, which always lie tlattened
cjut toward the east b\- the westerly winds.
During \\\v. height of the storm, settlers hardly
dare venture to their out-houses to feed and water
their cattle. The poor belated farmer, caught perhaps with his "b
team at some distance; from a house, makes for the nearest
bluff of woods. The tretis IkmuI double before the gale. All
around he hears the snap and crash of breaking branches and falling trees, but these
are not thought of in t:omi)aris()n with the greater danger that he has escaped. A
huge tir(! can be built ; and then? is little risk of the tirinvocnl giving out. Should
there be no friendly shelter of house or bluff near, he may come out from the blizzard
alive. Hut the fine dry snow is so blinding and penetrating, and the frost so merci-
NORrirERN NEIGHBOR
209
less, that tlie odds aro \vx\ jj^rcatly in favour of the hlizzavd. In towns, the l)uildings
Ijlock the fury of the storm ; l)ut streets in the line; of the wind and open to its force
|)resent a more wild and stricken appearance than the piairie. There, one sheet of
A BLIZZAHD IN WINNll'KC;.
rushiuL,^ white tills the whole hori/on. In the cit\-, the blizzard is broken up and is
forced to show itself in dt'tail. As \-ou look through the windows, men or teams are
now and then \isii)le, tl^iitin;^' with the storm-tiend, while shimmies, Jjoards and lii^ht
objects arc hurled in all directions. With such force is the snow ilri\en that, after the
storm, the banks are as solid as ice. Heavy loails are drixcn o\'er them without leav-
in,L,^ a mark : and this, not as the result of an\- thaw or damp snow afterwards Irozen,
but simpK from the impetus of the wind haxinj^ compacted the line dr\ particles into
a solid mass. llappilw the l)lizzards of v,\\x \orth-wesi do iu)t last xcry lon^-, twelve
hours usualK- sec'ino; their force spent. A few \-ears a^o, one in Minnesota ra^cd for
three ilaxs and three nights. Kver)- lixim.;" thinj.; outsiiK; perished. Cattle froze or
starved to death in their stables. In man\- t:ases, firewood t^^ave out, antl though the
furniture, floors and beams of the house were burned, the older ami weaker ones of
lO
uL J^ rici rKiisorh:
I'oatl-sKic and a l)caulilui
of Rupert's Land, whose
(■ur\(: in
hishonric
from the City flail, St. John's
Colk'Lre and I.adii's' CollciLi^e,
and the modest Catliedral stand I'etween the
the river. Here is the seat of the Hishop
oriLjinally extended from the Coast of Labrador to the Rocky Mountains, and
from th(.' boimdary line to the North Pole. 'I'he tirst missionary of the Church of
England arrixctl in 1S20, hut the bishopric was not founded till i S49. The whiti;
people of the settlement were IVesbyterians, i)rou,L;ht out from the Hit^hlands ol Scot-
land in 181 2 by the l""arl of Selkirk. The great majorit)' of these, with the loyalty
.\( Vv' rin-RX .\i-:i(,iinoR
311
iharactcrislic of llicir race, refused to desert the church ol their fathers, and hecoine
Aiij^licans, althoui^h lor fort\- \cars no minister of their own ( hiirch came near them.
In 1S51, 'die Ke\. |ohn ISIaik, a man of a|iostolic spirit, was sent to them li\ the
Canada I'resh\ lerian C'limHh. Arrixin^', after ,in ei;^lit weeks' journe) Irom 1 oronto,
lie was w;irnd\' welcomed l)\ the I I ii^hlanders, e\cn though hi' could not speak their
lielovcil (i.ielic, riiey at once organized themseUes into a cun^ri'i^ation, .iiul huilt
^^#|ffi|'
t)Ln I'OKI GARICV.
manse, schooldiouse, and the stone kirk of l\ildonan, the steeple of wliich was for
many years after the yreat outstaiulini; mark on the le\el prairie. The kind between
Winnipeg- and Kilih)nan was thxided into ril).uid-shaped farms, accordins^r to tlie plan
ado|)ted i)\- the l'"rc;iich two ccnturic's previousl)- on the St. Lawrence ; th(! object in
both cases beinj^ to j^ive each householder a fronta^^e on the river. These ril)ands are
212 OCR PICTURESQUE
now hfiiio- hoiii^rht up by speculators at what would have; been considered fabulous
prices three or four )-ears a^o. I'hey extended two miles back into the prairie, and two
miles farther back were allowed b\- the lludson's Ha\- Com|)an\ for hax-cutliuL;. " llay
swamps" are almost as necessary as tlry prairie to the Manitoba farmer. ( )n each side
of the roatl to Kildonan are tields that haxc borne wheat for sixty Ncars without rota-
tion of crops or manure -as conxincini,'- a proof of the exhauslless fertilit)- of tin- soil
as could be desired. In the wheat-tields, the women work at har\'estin<; as hearlil)- as
the men. Where the prairie is not cultivated, the rude bark or skin tent of some
vvretcheil-lookim; Indians, or a stack of ha)-, is the onl)' object between the road and
the western sky line.
InlerestinL;, and after a fashion phenomenal as Winnipei^f is, it must not be su|)-
posed that we can tiiul the true North-west in its towns and i:ities. There, speculators
conL;reii;ate to L;ct up "booms" ami similar transactions, boL^us or sli^htl\- otherwise.
But the brood of barnacles and \ultures are unbeautiful and uninieresiinL;- to the artist
and to health)- human beiui^s. It we would see the s^reat Xorth-wt'st, and thos(^ who,
instead of discountiuL;-, are makiuL;- its future, the poor but strong- ones who sujjport the
barnacles and are i)re)(;d upcjn b)- the vultures, we must <j;^o out to the (piarter-seclions
that the toilers of the prairie are home-steadino- and pre-eniptiuL;-. There, is enough to
stir tlu; imagination and warm the heart, brom the commencement the elements of
poetr)- an; in th(; work and the men. The successive sta]^-(;s can be easil)- traced and
the pro>.(ress is rapid. Here is a picture of what is rejx'atin^ itself e\-er)- da)-. A
group of faniilies st;irt h-om the older provinces in earl)' spring, because ihoui^h they
mav have to suHt;r ijeculiar hardships at that season, the)- are anxious to put up their
buildini^s and Leather a partial crop from the upturned sod before the first winter comes.
The farms consist, at the outset, of the vast stretch of untilled land that has waited
long- for the plough; the farm-house is the emigrant's wagon or "prairie schooner";
the stables the sky, and their bed a water-proof on the prairie. In a w('ek, less or
more, the tirst house is up. Neighbour helps neighbour. .\ temporar)- house may be
made of sods. t\.l some jjoints iii Manitoba stone houses are si^eii. Hut, poplar logs,
round or hewed, are the usual material, with perhaps a tier of oak or tamarack next to
the ground, as poplar does not last loiig if in contact with nioisture. ]''ailing oak or
tamarack, the building is set clear f)f th(; ground on stones or (;\-en a stone wall, and
if possible banked with sand which is always clean and dry. The corners of the logs
are dove-tailed or set on each other in tlu; notch and satldle style. The spaces
between the logs are chunked u]) with billets of wood and mortar. Sometimes, there is
superadtled a coating of the very tenacious whitish sand)- clay, which is found every-
where in the Province, and which bakes harchir than adobe. The roof is shingled or.
thatched, the thatch grass being put on with -withes or laid in white n-iud. Wealthy
settlers build more pretentious frame houses ; but lumbi^r is expensive, and the poplar
NOR TffF.RN NElGimOR
213
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH.
ST. JOHNS COl.I.F.C.K.
loc^s if properly plastered
mak(> a substantial and warm
building', wliich is likely to
last until the family is tiretl of it. The settler now has shelter. ('onipl;ucntl\- he looks
on his own neat, white-washed castle, and his own four walls. The walls are about all
that he has; for the ground lloor does not inehuU? evc;n the Scotch "but and ben." It
usually consists of one larj^c; room, with a rick(.'t\- ladder in the mitldle that leads to
the loft or upper stor\- where rude (piarters for the nii;ht are found. .\ ilark strip on
the green prairie that bespeaks the presence of the plough is the ne.xt step in
advance ; then a piece of fencing, or one or two stables or other out-houses. Cattle
gather round the steading. .Similar farm-houses sjiring up in all directions, dotting
the hitherto lonely expanse with centres of life and interest. June comes, and the
plough is in full swing. "Gee," antl "Haw," art; h(;ard for miles round. Hlack strips
of ploughed land, becoming larger every day, are i)leasantly noticeable. I^Ymces are run
up Where the prairie has been broken beside the house, the chances are that the
dark-green of the potato vine is seen coming through the sod ; and farther ofT, a piece
of oats or barley, looking strong and hearty. Perhaps a row of trees is planted along
214
och' rn I ri<i:s()ii-:
Kli.DU.NAN CIlLla II.
A HAM -HUr.l.l) I ARM.
tlic mad in front of tin- house
And now, \isil the settle nirni in
August or Sr|ii(inl)(i-, the mosi
delii_;luliil liiiif ol tin- \car for
prairie travellini;', and ask the
settlers how the\ like the new
country. The answer will Ix-,
in ninet\-nine i-ases out of an
hundred, either " iMrsl-class," or
" ^'ou couldn't \>;iy nie to return
to ( )ntario," or ■' I ha\-e L;ot the hest farm in tlic Xortli-wcst." With |)ride, ihey point
out the proi^rcss that has l)een made in a few months, aiul contrast it with what
Would have been at:complished in the same tinu- on a hush farm in any ot the
older proxinres. .Next year, a line (idd (,i wlieat is prett\- sure to siretcli away Irom
tile front tloor ; the milkdiouse is furnished with rows of hrii^ht pans tilled with
creamy milk; hut neither tirst year, secoiul \-ear, nor at an\- time is th(^ passing'
stranger allowed to go on his journ(;y without heing ot'fered the hospitalitx of the farm.
He \u-fi.\ not hesitate to accept a sc^at at the tahle ; for. as a rule, the Canadian farmer's
wife or daughters spreatl a -I'lan tahle and took their simple food as nicely as the
dyspeptic C helsea sage could have desired.
Listen to the advice that an old settler gives to a new-comer, with from $i,ooo to
.\<>A' ////■: A' \ xnn.iinoR
31
inti;kiok (ii a skim-kks lahin.
2T6
OUR PICrURHSOUE
Z]^
.3'\
'0
a*:
# ... ..
• ^*~^
Ji'*#"
i=ri3V;;j^- ^ii^^i'j^,^ ,.
Ml ii.\k\'I'sti-:rs;.
labour. lincst the rest of your uiniKn' in milch cows with th(Mr caKes. He read}- to
commence " i)reakin_<^" early in June, and look for whatever promises quick returns. The
cows should k('(q) the house supplied with butter and milk, and then; maj- be a surplus to
sell. Ww. sooner you t^et the plouij^h to work the better. Make the breaking- of twenty
or thirty acn-s \our objective point, and keep at it as steadiK' as you and \our oxen
can. The best time to break is from pe(,'p of dawn till about 9 a. m., and from
4 r. M., till dark. The oxen should rest in the interval, and their o^v'ner may take a
sleep and th(;n fix up thinji^s ^-iMierally. Potatoes can be planted under the newly-
turned sod, a 1(1, if the season L)e not too dry, will .q^ivc; a s^ootl return. Oats and
barley may be sowed on the prairie and ])louti^hed in. If you get fall ploughing done.
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 217
commence seedinor next spring as soon as the frost is sufificiently below the surface to
allow the harrows to cover the seed. The moisture from the frozen ground beneath
continues to ascend and keeps the seed-bed in good condition. If money gives out,
good wages can be had at any time on the railways, or the lumber mills, or almost
anywhere, for a few weeks or months. We know of men who commenced a few years
ago with $200 or less, and who, by dint of hard work and self-denial, have already
earned comfort and a competency. But the settler must live according to his means.
If he gets into debt and pays ten and twelve per cent for mone)', he is in a perilous
state.
livery one has heard of the mammoth farms of the Red River \'^alley. These are
to be found chietly in Minnesota and Dakota, though capitalists are beginning to find
their way to many parts of the North-west and are projecting similar undertakings
as investments. Money can certainly be made in this way, for no part of the workl is
better adapted for the application of steam to agriculture and for all the cxpensi-.e
apparatus that modern farming on a large scale recpiires. The mammoth wheat lams
are di\ided into sections, with an overseer and the reciuisite number of "hands" to
each. In har\esling, scores of reaping and binding machines are used. The grain
is threshed on the prairie, and immeeliately sent off to tlie market. The straw is
burned, the hands are paid off, and the tlividends for the year declared. Worshippers
of " the big " talk with enthusiasm of these farms. They are no doubt useful, as far
as the best interests of a country are concerned, but, after all, jioor affairs in
comparison with the log-house of the ordinary farmer ; just as the deer-forest or
grouse preserve in the .Scottish Highlands is a miserable exchange for the wrecked
shielings of the true-hearted clansmen, whose fathers died at Culloden for Prince
Charles, and at Ticonderoga and Waterloo for us.
The North-west bids fair to Ije the future granary of the world. It is scarcely
possible to estimate its "illimitable possibilities." People talk of one, two, or three
huntlred million acres of good land. These round figures indicate both their ignorance
and the greatness of the realitw We have onlv to remember that the average produce
per acre is twenty bushels of wheat to calculate the possibilities of such a country, taking
the lowest of the above estimates, when peopled with tillers of the soil. This vast
region is the true habitat of the wheat plant. Here it attains perfection. The berry
is amber-colonred, full, round, rich in gluten, and with that flinty texture which is lack-
ing in the wheat of more southern regions. The yield is astonishing, not only because
of the richness of the soil, but because here th(; plant attains its full development.
" Look," said a practical miller from Minnesota, who had visited Winnipeg, " I never
before saw more than two well-form(,'d grams in each group or cluster, forming a
row, but here the rule is three grains in each clust(;r. That is the difference between
twenty and thirty bushels per acre." Prof. Macoun, the Botanist of the Canadian Gov-
2lS
OCR ricrrRiisoLi':
.\H»IH KN I'RAIKIK KAUMlNti.
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 2iq
cniincnt Survey, reports that at Prince Alljcrt, five hundrctl miles north-west from
Winnipeg, and at l'"ort \'ermihon on Peace River, six or seven hundred miles still
farther a\\a\' to the North-west, lixe well-formed trains arc; some-times found in each
group or cluster. Wheat from Peact; Ri\'er, sevtMi hundreil miles due north of the
boundary line, " took the hronzt; uKnlal at the CtMitennial in Philadelpliia in 1S76."
While the Hudson's Pay Comi)any held sway over the North-west, it was lh(;
fashion lo npresent the counti^N' as utterh' and hopelessly hyperborean. lichoes of
tile stories told in tliose days, of the t^round HMuaining froziMi all summer, of mercury
freezing and axes splinlei-mg against frozen trees, still lloat in tlu; air and make men
unable to l)eli(nc, in spite of all that has been recently written, that it can be
anything b(;tt('r than an arctic region. Calumnies die hard. The emigrant will find
dilticultit.'s in every country to which \\(\ goes, but tht;re are none in tlie North-
west that cannot be overcome by united effort and for(;thought. The climate is not
ver}' different from that of Eastern Canada, ami is even more h^.alt]iy. The winter is
colder, Init on account of the dr\iiess of the air the colil is not so much felt. The
summer is warmer, but the nights are always remarkably cool. April and May are
usually dry, and all that the farnuM" can d(.'sir(.'. June is the rainy season. Jul)' and
August are the hot months, and tluring these the growth of all plants is marvellously
vifTorous and (luick. Jhe autumn is cool, dr\', and invitroratinL", the very weather for
harvesting. The rivers freeze in No\ ember ami open for navigation in Aj)ril. Decem-
ber is clear and cold, with but little s low. January and ]'"ebruar\- are the coldest
months, and storms ma)" be looketl tor occasionally. March is sunn\-, and broken b)'
thaws. During the greater part of the winter the air is remarkabh still. The ther-
mometer may sink to 50 d(;grees below zero, but pc;ople |)r(jperly clad experience no
inconvenience ; and teaming, logging, rock-( uiting, go on to as great an extent as in
the Eastern Proxinces in winter.
Some seasons are too wet, and then there is trouble in the R(?d Ri\er \'alle)-,
wlu;re the land is low. An extensive sxstem ol drainage has been organized by the
(iovernmenl and the municipalities, which will tlo much to meet this difiliculty. I^lse-
where, ])lough furrows are sufticicMit to drain the land. If the grain gets a fair start in
the si)ring, no matter how dr\' the summer, a drought has no eflect sa\ e on the
length of the straw, 'l^he reason would seem to be that the frost ne\er entireK
leaves the ground and that the moisture arising from its thawing is supplied to the;
roots of th(; grain. It is certain that the roots penetrate into the soil to an aston-
ishing ilepth.
Other difficulti(;s may be mentioned ; such as local hail-storms in August and .Sep-
tember ; terrific thunder ami lightning ; mos(|uitoes, esp(;cially in the neighbourhood of
a swamp. (irasshoppers or locusts from the great American desert, occasional summer
frosts, anil alkali or an impure sulphate of sodium in the soil over large tracts of
2 20
OCR picrrRF.sorR
coiiiury, particiilarl)' in llu? lu;a\ii:r clay lands, must also he taken account of, but these
have hetMi maL;niti(;cl. As to the last, farnnn's now consider a little alkali in th(' soil
i)eiiet"icial. it brings cereals to niaturit\- earlier and tends to stiffen and shorten the
straw, thus i-nahlinL;- it to withstand tlu; hi^ih wintls. The chief ilitticult)' is to keep it
out of tin; wells. This is ilone 1)\- llniiiL;' the well with stone or l)rick, and usinLi' \vater-
linie or cement to make it impervious to soaka^c 1 he springs ai'e entirely fnn; from
alkali, and all that is needed is to kt-ep out the surface water. In a word, emigrants
with small means must not expect to become wealth)- suddenly. ThcN' can, with fru-
j^alitN and induslr\, attain to iiulept-ndence in Manitoba in a shorter tinu; than in
Eastern Canaila ; and that is sa\ in;^' not a little.
Idle Iiulians of Manitoba are L^radually disappeariuL;' before; the slrouL^tM' races,
lired and reared in poverty ar.d dirt, and ha\inu;' generally the taint ol heredilar\-
disease, the\' an; as a ruh; shoildi\cd. llu; (loxcrnment has appointed inslrui'tors,
well supplied with implements, seed and cattle, to teach them farming b\' pi'ece[)t and
example ; but the poor creatures tlo not take kindl\- to stead)' work. 1 he\- are seen at
their best when the)' assemble at the appointed rendezvous to rec(_M\'e their treat\' monev',
faces ckuibed with bright paint, and I'nion |,uk carried in front of the crowd, .\fter
the paxinents are made, tlu'\' ha\'e a dance, and then a dog least, washeil down with
as much tu'e-water as unscrupulous whiske\' dealers can smuggk; to them.
The halfd)r(;ed po[)ulation is much more important. There are I'.nglish and Scotch
hall-breeds, but tlie majoritx' are of Frt'nch extraction. W hen Manitoba was erected
into a Province, 240 acres of land were st;cured to each and all ol these, down to the
\oungesl born. 'Jhe majoritx' have sold their claims to speculators ; but as tin; courts
ha\e recentl)' interposed obstacles to th(; sak; of minors" patents, all the reserves will
not come into the market till iSSq. The iMX-nch halfd)reetl fraternizes with the
Indians, ami leads a roving life;. .\s a farmer \\v is not a succ(;ss ; but in camp, as a
voyao^i'itr and trapper, or as a buffalo hunter, he combiiK-s the excellencies ol both
th(; nationalities he represents. The I'.nglish and Scotch ha\e more aflniit)- with the
wa\s ol white; men, .Able r(;presentati\-es of both the hrtMich and the Llrilish bois-hntlcs,
however, are found m jjolitical and profc'ssional lif(;. Hut <jnl\' a minorit)' ol those who
are called halfd)re-eds are entitled to tlu; name. An\' man or woman with Indian l)loo(l
in his \t'ins is usualh' classetl as a half-ljreed. A few Ncars ago, the)' coiisliluted the
bulk of the population of .Manitoba ; but the)' an; becoming less iii number and in
importance e\'er\' \'(;ar. Tlu; mon; ad\'(;iiturous are moxing west to seek Iresh fields
aiul pastures iu;w, rath(;r than remain crowded in their old sites The others will
become absorbed in the general i)0|)ulalion ; and the tinge; of Intlian blootl may givi'
to future .\orth-W{;stt-rs a rich(;r colour in clu;c;k and e)e, aiul im|)ose some check on
tlu; keen aceiuisitiveness of Celt and Saxon.
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR
221
Thk North-west:
RED RIVER TO HUDSOWS BAY.
KAPIDS AT MULlll OF SASKA TCH 1 AVAN.
T is clilTiciill to (Icscrihc, under the
coiulilion ol lir('\it\' imposed on us
bv tlu.' natnre ol litis work, the bound-
less rej^ions and " illimitable possibilities" — as Lortl Pieaconslield lia])pil\ phrased il—
of the Xorlhwest. Salient featun's ma\' be j^iven b\ pen and pencil, but unless these
ari' multiplied mentally, an ulterK' inad<'(|uato idea is (,on\c\(Hl. I'.xcrNthin^' is on a
scale so \ ast that anxthiuL; like a deliniie conception is out ot the (piesiion. i'.vcn
its history, though now blotted out from the minds of men. has a lari^cness ol outline
that awakens interest .uid sut;\:^csts a i^reat (lestin\'. \\\' lind oursehcs in a new
world, in the \vx\ he.irl oi th(> .\merican (."onlinenl, far awa_\' Irom its oKl I'roxiiices
and historic .State's, and \vX we are toKl of a short road to I'lurope for which old
I'r.mce and l^nolaiul touyht, which tratie has useil less or mort? from the days of
222 OUR PICrrRF.SOUE
I'riiuc l\ii])crl, and l)\ which Scottish ininii^rants entered tlie country thrce-(|uarlers ot
a centnr\' aj^o. At this point, then, it nia\ he not nnlittiniL;- that \vc should pause in
our description of tlie countr\ ; and in order to form a correct idea ol tlie lakes,
ri\-ers and straits, as well as of the lands between the Ked l\i\er of th<' Xoi-th and
the Atlantic, 1)\- what many l)elie\c to lie tin; future highway Irom Manitolia to Mnrop*;.
let us acconipanx a travelk-r who, a year or two aijo, went Ironi Winnipeg to London hy
this route.
I'.mharkiiv^ at Lower T'"ort ('iarr\- on hoard the steamer " C'oKile," Lelon^int; to
the Hudson's ha\ C'omi)an\, in tlu' morniiiL;- ot a he.iutiful da\ in the early autumn,
we steam down the l\ed Rixcr to its mouth, thirtv-three miles distant, and into Lake
\\ innipeL;. The waters of tlu' lake are as mudd\- as those of the Ked Kixcr itself.
Hence its C ree name 1 )irty Water. (icttini^ away from the marshes and out into
the lake, I'^lk Island looms up, oil the mouth ot the \\'i^nipe^■ Ri\-er. This stream
is as ku'Li'e as the ()tta\\a, and drains nearly the whole conntr\- from Lake .Superior.
All forenoon our course is down the middle of the lake. The land on our left, ten
or twc^he miles distant, is uniformly low and le\cl. That on tlu.' rij^ht, not cpiite so
tar awa\\ is also low, hut it presents a slii^htK' undulating' outline. .About the middle
of the da)' we pass between P)lack Lsland on the rii^'hl and WV^ Islaml (U1 the left.
We AW. near enough the shore; to ohservt: tlu; little shanties of the scattered Icelandic
settlement which e.xtends on the west side of the lake all the wa}' trom the mouth
of the Reel Rixer to ISit; Island. A few miles farther on, (. .rintlstone Point, with
its clitt of horizontal beds of limestone aiul sandstone, is close on our lett. Our
course ii(^w chaui^es to the north-west, aiid in two hours w(; enter a |)art ol the lake
only two or three mil(;s wid{>, with the Hull's Head on the left, and a rocky Init rather
low shore, cox'ert'd with e\'(>riL:;reen trees, alon^' our ri^ht. The P)uirs I lead is a pronii-
nent poiiit in a limestone clit'f which continues to the I )o^''s H(;ad, twelx'c miles distant.
Here we come to the narrowest part of the lake, where it is onl\' one uiile in breadth.
Passiiii^' this, the; "'n^at bod\' of Lake W'innipcLi' now lies before us, expanding'
regularly till it reaches its ma.ximum breadth of sixty-six miles opposite to the mouth
of the (jreat .Saskatchewan River, bexond which it terniinates iii a rounded sweep like
the end of a tennis-bat. The extreme length of the lake is 272 miles, its de|)th nine
fathoms, and its el<;vation abox'e tlu; sea, 710 feet. (ieologically, it occupies a shallow
basin of erosion, corresponding with that of the (ieorgian Hay, having Laurentian rocks
along its eastern, and .Silurian strata along its witstern side. The country to the east-
ward is everywhere of the ordinary Laurentian character of the iiorth, iiot mountainous,
but broken by rock\ hills and ridgc;s, with lakes, swamps and timliered \alleys
between. It is the; gnuit coll(;cting basin of the waters for hundreds of miles from
the west, the east and the south, and it discharges them all, by the Nelson River,
into the sea.
XOA' rifHRX XFJCIIHOR
22;
\, Vi^VNKN W<iV"i^t. V»<*'t>\\^t3^£^ "~
I'roin the narrows al the
|)i)l;'s Head, our toiirsc lies
near tlu; castt-rii side ot the
lake as lar as (icoi-^c's Island,
s(-'venl\' or cii^htv miles larllu'r
on. After a hriet call at this
small island, which has heen
named in honour ot llie late
.Sir (leor^c Simpson, we -^tart
to cross dia^onalK' the hroad-
(>st part ot the lake in makiiiL; tor the
.Saskatchewan. I'",arl\- the next morniii';-
we enter the tine harbour toinied hy
the mouth of this river. W e procei^d
onl\- a short distance when the (irand
Rapids, with a fall of about fort\-tive
feet, bar the way; the only effectual
impediment to the na\i,eation ol the
Saskatchewan all the way to the foot of the Rock\- Mountains. The ooods are trans-
porteil l)\- a well-constructed horse railwa\-, three or four miles in len<;lh. to the h(;ad
of the rapids. While the unloadint.;- of the steamer was j^oini^' on, we strolletl aloni:;
the north bank of the ri\-er to admire the L;Tand rush of the siirj^nn^- water. Sutldeiih'.
a speck appeared upon its surface, advancino- rapidh- towards ns. This pro\ed to be a
couple; of Indians in a small bark canoe, "running'' the rapid. As the\- shot tpiickly
past, we could see how intently they were occupied with the work in hand. Much
224
OUR PICrVRRSQUE
need there was of all their skill and car(;, to |)re\-ent swainpint; at ain nioiiu-iU. Their
little craft soon disappeared, as if it had heeii en_milpheil in the foaming water helow,
hut no doiiht they reached the foot of the rapid safely, as they had nian\- times before.
At the (lep(")t of the Iludson's \\\\\ L"()ni|)any at tlu; h(!ail of the rapid, we found
an otVicer of the Company about to start on a " \()\at^e " to some |)ost in the interior,
llis hirch-bark canoe was ol the kind known as half-size, beiuL;' some four fathoms in
lenL^th, with si.\ feet beam, and capable of carryiuL;' about two tons, besitles the cn^w :
the fuU-sizetl "north canoe," or canoe dc imi/'/rr, beini^ about doul)le this capacit\'. Ihe
" l)iec('S," or packs of ^I'oods, each made to weii^h loo |)oun(ls, were beinn' " portaged "
1)\ the rovcri^'c/trs to t\iv. water's eil^'e b\' means of their pack-slra])s, tump-lines, or
slinks of stout leather passeil over the forehead. The !.^uide or steersman, who is
L;i\inL; each man a "hand up" with his bundU;, is an important persona!.;(' on these
\-oyaL;x's. ( )n this occasion he is accompanieil by his scpiaw, who is patientl)' waiting
witli her papoose sIuul;- on her back in its Indian cradle- a contri\ance admirabK
adapted to the reiiuiremenls of her ro\ini_;' life.
Oil our return to the "C'oKile" \\r. founil the captain nearly read) to start for
the outlet of Lake WinnipcL;-, which lies on the opposite or north-east side. Soon
alter leaving' the mouth of the Saskatchewan, we encounttn'ed a sti-oiii^ brec'/e from the
north-east or tlirectl\ ahead. In an increilibly short space of time, the hitherto placid
surface of the water was thrown into ^reat swells and the spra\' was thinu- cncr the
stciamer's dc'ck. The staunch "C'oKile" hi;a\etl ami pinniped in a manner we little
expt;cte<l to e\peri(Mic(t. We were, in fact, realizing- what we had oft(;n heard of — a
storm on l,ak<; Winnipeg'. I'ortunatelv the breeze; subsided as rajiidl)' as it had
sprung' up, and at daylioht next mornin!,; we found ourselves moored, with bows up
stream, at the woodiiii; staj^x; of W arren's Landing', on ihr. western side of the outlet.
Here the snoods for Norway Mouse, one of the principal posts of the Iludson's Ha\'
C()mi)an\, about twentx' miles tlown the Nelson Ri\er, are discharged and placed in a
store-house near the; beach. Meantime, canoes and " ^'ork boats" are constantly arri\-
in;^- from the post, the steamer having been expecteil. One of the latter, bearing
a great white llag with the arms and motto { />r(> pcllc cittcni) ot the Hudson's Hay
Compam, brings the factor in charge! of the tlistrict. About forty tine-looking
Indians are now on hantl. and as soon as the last bale of goods has been rolled
into tht> store-house, the}' set to work with a will to carry cordwood for the return
trip, on board tin; " Colvile," from a long pile stantling a short distance from
high water mark. The utmost good nature prcivails. and (;very man vies with the
others in running to the pile and hurr\ing back to tlu; steamer with as man}' sticks
on his should(;r as he can get his arm to su|jport. TIk; steamer is wooded in an
astonishingl)' short time ; the lines are thrown off, and we wave a farewell to the cap-
tain as the "CoKile" steams out into the lake with her head towards the south.
.\ V )A' Tlfl-RX M-.ICIIiniR
225
O
in
0.
0.
<
<
H
Y.
226
OUR PICrrRRSQUF
Warren's Landing is named after a former chief factor of the Compaiu', who hes
buried a short distance l)ehind th(.' store-lioiise.
The factor, hein^- ahout to return iionie, kindl\' jj^ave ns a passa^^e to Norway
House. I lis crew ro\v(Hl for a short (Hstance, with tiieir i^reat sweeps, wlien a
southerly wiml sprung u|), and the)- lioisteil the picturesipie scpiari'-sail of the hoat
hij^h above our h<'ads, like a banner, on the single roUL;h mast, and we. were soon
niakins^ good time throuj^h (ireat i'hu^reen Laki- and down oni; of the narrow chan-
nels of the river. Just Ix^fore this channel opens into Litth; IMaxj^reen Lake, we came
in sight of the white houses and palisatles of Xorwax Mouse. A number of Indian
boys, rimning antl shouting on the bank, soon communicated the nt'ws of our approach,
antl in a few minutes we sau' a man hurrying to tlu; tlagstaff to hoist the red ensign
in honour of our arri\al. We had not beiMi long on shore; befon; tlu; six o'clock bell
rang, and we were summoned to tea in the mi;ss-r()om with the clerks and the (jfticer
in charge. The long siunmer evening of a northern latitude proved very enjoyable,
and aft(;r tea we walked thrinigh the grove of Banksian pinl^s on the north side of the
post, and sketched the accompanying \iew across Little Playgreen Lake.
Let us now glance at t.ie leading features of the water-way which we have
commenced to descend. The Nelson is oni; of the great rivers of the world. With a
drainage area more extensive than that of the St. Lawrence, it has a volume of water
equal to at least four times that of the Ottawa. Taking a \ery general view of this
vast stream, its course is a little east of north f(n" iSo miles from the outlet of Lake
Winnipeg to Split Lake, or the first half of its entire length. Another stretch of i(So
miles, bearing a littU; north of east, brings us to the open sea at the extremity of
Beacon Point ; the whole length of the river, measuretl in this way, being only 360
miles. In the upper part of its course, the Nelson does not flow in a well-defined
valley. Vox the first huntlred miles, it straggles in a net-work of channels over a con-
siderable breadth of the general slope towards Hudson's Bay, of which the whole
country partakes. At the start, it leaves Cireat Phugreen Lake by two streams of
almost equal size, which enclose Ross' Islam!, and by numerous smaller channels.
Ross' Island is fifty miles long by twenty wide. On the west side of this island,
fifty miles below Lake Winnipeg, the first rapid occurs. On the east side, thirty-
seven miles down, are the Sea River Falls. The next sixty miles of the divided river
is broken by rapids, chutes and falls, occurring at different distances down the \arious
channels. At the end of these sixty miles of broken water, we come to a part of the
river which, for 163 miles, might be navigated from end to end by steamers, were it
not for a chute with a fall of about fifteen feet, which occurs about midway down.
Sipi-wesk, Split, and Gull Lakes form part of this stretch. The first of these lakes
is famous for its sturgeon fisheries. Fragments of the characteristic pottery of pre-
historic Indians are found at the old camping grounds of this retreat, which is almost
NOR TlfF.RN NEICimOR
22-J
SI:A RIVIOK KALLb, Ni;i.SON KIVEK.
undisturbed even by the red man of the present da)-. As we pass thr()UL,di the
" F"lo\vinuf Lake," on a bahnv afternoon in the autumn, the dark backL-round of the
spruc(! forest is enlivened here and there I)y the white \viL,f\vanis of the modern lords
of the countr)-, and occasionally we catch a L^limpse of a canoe i^lidino- amon^' th(?
numerous islaiuls, and dimly seen throujrh the blue ha/e of the Indian summer. On
passing- a point, thirtetMi miles below Sipi-wesk Lake, our attention is suddenly arreste-d
by the beautiful Wa-sitch-e-wan or White I'alls, which is fcu'med by a br(Jok spouting
over the hij^h, rocky bank of the ri\-er, on the ri^ht-hand side.
At the foot of (iuU Lake; we enter upon a second inter\al of broken waters,
which, like the first, is also si.xty miles in length, terminatint; with the Limestone
Rapids, where the ri\er pours o\'er some ledges of fossiliferous Silurian rocks, the first
met with in approaching Hudson's Hay. Leaving the foot of these rapids, the ri\er
flows on to the sea at the rate of about threi; miles an hour, between steep banks of
clay, often one hundred feet and upwards in height. K.xcept for a mile or two b(;low the
rapids, the channel has about twenty feet of water all the way to the head of tide,
sixty miles farther down. We now enter the estuary, which runs straight north-east.
228
0('/< /'/L /C'A'/:S(J17:
WA-SITCH-E-WAN FALLS.
and have a clear view of the sea befon; us. l^assin^- (.lown the frith, the hind he-
comes lower and lower on both sides, till it merges with the hiLi'ii water level, the
shore-line on the left at the same time trendin^r to the northward, and that on
.\( Vv' / ///: AW xnnuinoR
2 JO
on the nf)rth-\V('st
tlic n^lit tcrniin;itmL; in a
loii^', narniw lonj^iic l)c-
twt'cii tlic Nelson and llu;
Hayes Rivers. Looking rouml this point, \\r. see N'ork l\i(lor\'
bank ol the hitter ri\cr, six niih's up.
The trip \V(; have just eoniph-ted is the first journey whitli has been made ih)\vn
tin; wliole leiiLi'th of the \\;lsf)n River for nian\' \cars, for this stream, although appar-
entl)' the natural I'oute, has been loni,; abandoned b_\- .■7Mvc;'(7//-,v, on account ot the
ditticulties in the two broken stretches of si\t\ miles each, which have just been reb'rred
to. Another and better route, Ivin^' to the southward, is now adopted. lieton.'
ij^lancin^- at it, K-t us return to .Split l.ake and take a run theiH(.' to old I'Orl Prince
of Wales, at the mouth of the Churtdiill Ri\'er, about one hundn d miles to the north-
ward of \'ork I'\'ictor\'. Leaxin^ .Split Lake, we travel northward by a chain of ponds,
with |)()rtan('s between, and at the i-nd of twt:nl\' miles we reach a considerable sheet
of water al the heatl of the; Little Churchill Riv(.'r. P'ollowin^- this stream for ninety
miles, in a north-easti-rl)- course, we fall into th(; Great Churchill, a splendid river,
iarsj^'iir than the Rhine, and with water as clear as that of the .St. Lawrence. it rises
near the Rock\- .Mountains, betwc'cn the .\thabaska and .Saskatchewan Rivers. I'or
tlu; t^reater part of its course; it consists of a loni;- chain of lakes, connected bv ver)'
.short links of river, i^renerallv fidl of rapids, falls and chutes. iietween the Xelson
River and the Churchill, above the point at which the laltt'r is joined by the Litth;
Churchill, the country is ver\- thickly interspersi-d with lakes : indeetl, tlu; area of water
appears to be at least ecpial to that of land.
On arriving at the Great Churchill, we tiu'n down stream, and at the end of 105
230
OC'R PICTURESQUE
miles, in a north-easterly course, reach tlic sea. Like the lower Nelson, tlie Churchill
flows between steep alluvial hanks, but horizontal beds of limestone sometimes crop out
and form long perpendicular cliffs beneath the clay. Notwithstaiulins^ its laroe volume,
the Churchill, owing to its rapid character, is not navigable above the heail of tide
water, which is only eight miU^s up from the sea.
lust inside of the mouth of the Churcliill is a splendid harbour, the only good
one known on the western side of Hudson's Haw It is well sheltfM-ed by a rocky
ridge, and is entered directly from the open sea l)y a short, deep channel, less than
half a mile in width. Within, the largest ships ma\' lie afloat at low tide. The western
point, at the mouth
of the rivtM', projects
be\ ond the eastern ;
and here, on a position
which appears as if designed
b\ nature to command the;
entrance to the harbour,
stands cjld I'orl Prince of
Wales, one of the larg(;st
militar\' ruins oiv the continent. More than one hundred \-ears ago, this fort, mountmg
NORTHERN NE/GI/BOR
•-^^i
forty lar<re guns, was a -reat depot of the Hudson's Hay Company. To-day it is the
picture of loneliness and desolation; but Churchill, owing to its line harbour, may
become the principal s..ap„rt of the- North-west T(>rritories. should the projected rail-
way be built from the interior. The walls of Fort Prince of Wales have a height of
about twent)- feet, and are faced with massive blocks of cut stone, obtained close at
hand. The place was destroyed by the I<rench Admiral, Lal'erouse, in 1782. but at
the close of the war the British Government compelled the I-rench to indemnify the
Hudson's Hay Company for the loss which they had suffered.
It is again necessary to point out that, although for good reasons, we travelled
from Norway House to York P^actory by the Nelson River, the boats of the Hudson's
Hay Company have used, for many years, what may be termed the Oxford House
route. -X-oyaging" to \ork by Oxford House, the Nelson is left a iv^x miles below
Sea River brails. We turn, then, into a small sluggish stream on the right, known as
the Hchimamish or Water-shed Hrook. After going some miles up. we come to a
rude dam about a foot high, made by boulders laid upon spruce tops. This has been
thrown across the stream for the purpose of deepening the water at a slight rapid
Our men soon make a breach in the dam, and before the water above has\a.l time
to be perceptibly lowered, they haul our York boat through. This process is repeated
at a second of these primitive locks a short distance on. Twentv-eight miles ,-ast
of the point at which we left the Nelson, om- dead-water brook, which has assmned
the character of a long narrow pond, comes to a sudden termination. We haul the
boat across a low ledge of rock, twent)-eight yards wide, which is the height of land
here, and launch her into the head of a narrow clear-water channel on the other sid-.
This is the commencement of the rivers which we shall now descend to W.rk l<\ictory
and our guide informs us that w<.- shall have to haul our boats across drv land oniv-
twice more. The low narrow ledge we have just crossed is called the Fainted Stone.
Dr. Hell names the stream we have entered upon, bVanklin's River, after the late Sir
John iM-anklin. who. when on his boat voyage of 1819. had a narrow escape from
drowning in its waters near this very spot. Franklin's River is about tiftv miles in
length, an.l falls into Oxford Lake. In descending it we run many tme ntpids. and
sail through several lakes into which it expands. At onc:-lhird of the distance to
Oxlor.l Fake ^^v encounter the Robinson Portage, the most formidable obstacle on the
route. It is, however, a good wide road, , ;, , 5 yards in length, which has bc-n so long
in use that it is entirely free from stumps. The size and weight of our In.at appear
to be altogether bev ond the strength of our crew of ten M)en, jet they drag her on
rollers across the portag(' at an astonishing rate.
On reaching Oxford Fake, twenty-live nules in length, we were favoured bv a line
wind, and in a few hours come in sight of Oxford House-, conspicuously built on a
hill at the eastern extremity and commanding a line view up the- lake. The slopes of
2^2
OCR riLTl'RliSQUE
'.^^.-^y--^
"t ".■-*
^^^^:
-!^
B^.-
:M
^^•BC
y- ^. .-_ '
'A ■■'
Sfci/* . i.
SCtNKS ALONG THK NKI.SCJ.N RIVKk.
NORT/fERy NEiGirnoR -:,:,
the hill, and also the flat groiincl between it and the lake, were dotted with the tents
and witj^wams of the Indians who had come to tratle, and who were now enjo\int; their
summer loafinq; season. Scores of small hark canoes, most of them turned upside
down, were l>in,<^ aloni^ the beach, and everything' betokened peace and iillcMiess.
We were hospitably entertained b)- tlu- ^cnlleman in charsj^e of the post, and next
morninjj; rt!sumed our journey. In descendinsj;^ Trout River, which tlischarges Oxford
into Knee Lake, progress is interruplt'd by Trout balls, a perpendicular chute. It re-
quires but a short time, however, to dra<^ our boat o\er the portage, as it is only
twenty-four yards lonj^. Here, we met a part)' of men cominj^' up the ri\er with the
small York boat elsewhere represented in our sketch.
Knee Lake, so called from a bentl about the middle of its course of forty niiles,
is studded with a great number of islands. It discharges b\' the Jack River, another
rapid stream, into Swamp)' Lake, the last on our route. Leaving this lake, we (Miter
Hill River, which for twiMity miles spreads out widely between low banks and flows
with a strong currt'Ut through a curious lab)'rinth of hundreds of small islands, all of
them well wooded. As we are carried rapidh' along, winding in and out among the
lanes of edil) ing watc'r 'w and beautiful vistas open out to th(? right and left at
every turn. Looking tlown one of the nunierous a\'enues among the varying banks of
foliage, as we approach the lower end of the archipelago, a nt;w feature in the laiul-
scape comes all at once into view, in the shape of a single conical hill, risiiig
appareiitly out of a great depression ahead of us. Its distance is just sufficient to
invest it with a j)leasing' tint of blue. The nox'elt)' of the sight in this too level
country is positivel)' refreshing, and our nien. as if pronipted In' a ct)mnion impulse ol
delight, spring lO their feet anil give a hearty cheer. The ri\i,'r, which takes its name
from this hill, now descends ra|)idlv, and there is great excitement in running the
numerous ami formidable-looking chutes ; but our crew know every turn, and we
pass theni all in safet)'. W'e soon come opposite the high cone, and, landing, walk
to the su.mmit, which proves, by the aneroid barometer, to be 392 feet aboxe the
water. T'rom the top of this singular pile of earth, known as Hrassy Hill, an unbroken
view of the level-wood(>d countr)', spreatling out like the ocean, on all sides, is obtained.
About twenty shining lakes of \arious sizes break the monotou)' of the dark sj^ruce
forest ; while our river, hidd(;n here and there by its own banks, winds, like a siher)'
thread, awa)- off to tlu' horizon.
We pass the last chute ;it a place called 'The Rock, a short distance farther on,
but still about 140 miles from ^'ork T^ictor)', Henceforward, we are borne aloiig b)' a
swift unbroken current, between b;ud<s of chu', all the way to the head of tide-water.
Eight)' miles l)efore reaching \'ork, the Hill River is jointul on the left b)' th(; T'ox
River, and the united stream becomes tlie .Steel River. Thirt)' miles on, the Shaw-
mattawa falls in oi\ the right, and, we iiave jiow the, Ha\'es' Ri\er for the remainder of
234
OUR PICTURESQUE
ON THK GREAT AM) MTTLK t lU'KCHII.r. KIVl.KS.
KORTITERN NEIGfrnOR
and as we walk a,, f,.„,„ ,|„ |,„,|i„. ,„ ,,„ ,„^|.^„^ ^^„,,„,^ ^^^^ ^^.^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^
place c„,,„o,,at. on ,l,e bank .„ have a look a. us. Ti.is old establishment is of
rectan.Mda,- forn,, sun-oundcd by high palisades, with a lar^e store-house or factory in
.1.- centre, and streets of wooden b„ildin.t;s on three sides. The mission charch
stan<ls outsRle, a short distance to the north,
nefore the enorn.ons re,,io„ between H„dson's Ha,, and the Rocky Motnuains was
approaehe.1 front the s„„th ,y stean.boats and railways, ^ork factory was the .lepot
or rece,vi,,, th. f,n-s fron, the interior and sentling inlanti the ,.,o.ls which arrived
by the sh.ps fron, linslan.l. The fine fnrs annually collected here fron, all „uar„.rs
often represented ntillions of dollars in value, 1, is , ularly supposed that the fur-
beam,,, anhnals of these regions a,-e easily trapped. There could scarceh- be a .o-eater
m-.ake. The life of the Indian fur hunter is really a ,uost arduous one! Our pietu,-e
represents a group of these ha,-dy fellows t,-an,ping on their snowshoes to a h.uttin-
ground where they expect better luck than they had at ,heir last ea„,p. The packs
they carry contain their clothing and blankets, an,n„u,ition, sou,e n,eat and perhaps
a bttle tea and tobacco. The toboggan, haule.l in turn by each, has stowed „,,„,, it
t e,r kettles, traps and the peltries .so far secu,.ed. They have left their last ca„,piu„
place e,arl3- ,n the bitterl,- cold n,orniug and affr a heavy ,uarch of about twen,;
nnlcs. through the dreary wootls, the tl,er„,on,eter far below .ero and the snow oft.u',
dr,t„,g ,n their faces, they will scoop out a hole with their snowshoes and can,p for the
n..gd,., Hav.ng arrived at the proposed hunting-ground, they build a wigwau, :,ud next
da>- begu, to ,„ark out by •■ blading" (or clipping the fees here and there) lon„ trails
or ■• n,art,nh„es," near which they set their "dead-falls" and steel trap.s. The'^ lii.es
■nake groat sweeps, often two or three days' travel i„ length, starting out in one direc
..on and con„ng back to ca„,p by another. The trapper walks round his line ever,-
few days to secure the ntartens. „,inks, fishers, etc, which have been caught, and t.,
see tat the dead-falls are all properly set and baited. This work is varieti now and
then by a run afte,- deer, or tligging out a hibernating bear or a fantib- of beaver,-
the last nrentioned being a dilileult undertaking and none too well rewarded bv the
value of tlic ..riimals captured.
A. the time of o„r arrival at York Factory the annual ship fron, Kugland w.as
anx.ously expected, and a few days afterwards she was sighted in the o,h„,.: .-V pilot
was sen, out. who brought her into th,- river at the nex, ti.le and anchor,.! her
oppos,te the Factory. This was the event of the year. The verv sight of the ship
as she plouge,! her way udly up the riv.-r with her white sails swelling before a
hgh. ree.e from the north, brought ,0 the ntinds of the ICnglish and Scotch exiles of
York ,.,actory nrany thoughts „f luune and ury. .A salute is hre.l fron, the battery
on the ban an answered f.-ou, the ship, just before she drops her anchor. In a
short .tune the whole available population sets to work to unload the vessel This
2^6
OUR riCTURIiSOUE
clone, at the top of lii,Ljh water of tlie next tide she weifjhs anchor, and moves out to
sea. homeward hound. As she sails away, her diminishin;^- form i watched hj- many
e\es. and when she vanishes out of si^^ht. all the people of \'ork resign themselves to
the loni;' winter soon to close in upon ihiMii. On an average voNaj^e, the ship crosses
the l)a\' and clears Hudson's Straits in ahout a week. In a fortnijj^ht more she is off
the Land's End, and inside of anoth(;r week she re|)orts herself in London. The
voyaj^es of the llutlson's IJa)' Compan\'s ships have been nuule with regularity for
more than one hundred years, and the da\- may not be far distant when a i^reat part
of the trade of the Xorth-west shall tind its outlet by this route. York l*"actor\' and
the fine harbour of Churchill, ahhou^h in the very centre of the continent, are as n(;ar
Liv(.'rpool as is .Montreal : while the\' an? at the same time within a moderate distance
of the c'ontmes of the almost boiuidless agricultural reuions of the oreat Canadian
Nortii-wesl.
VORK lACTOKV -AklJIVAI, Ol HUIXSON'S HAV CO.MI'AWS SHIP.
. \ -OR TIIIIRX NFJGirnOR 2 :, 7
thence to the thrivinj^f Indian settlcnK-nt of St. Peter's, throuj^h some of the most
beautiful scenery in the North-wc-st. Witliont .L^oini,^ much fartiier from his base, he
can visit the Icehmdic and the Nb'iinonite setth-ment, two ancient comnumitit.'s which,
starting' from the opposite ends of luirope, have sou_(,du and found homes for them-
selves in tlu' heart of Canada. The prairie is seen at its best, and enjo\ed most, on
the back of a horst; or from a buckboard. It is more diversitied and broki'U than
appears from a L^eneral view. The lirst impression ot monotoin- soon wears away.
And if the tourist has a ,L;un, and knows how to use it, he ma) have sport to his
heart's content. Mallard, teal, spoonbill and other species of duck, three or four
kinds of i^e-ese, and a ilozen \arieties of waders — snipe and curlew predominatinir — are
found in and about every creek, pond and lakt;. I'rairic chickens are omnipresent in
the o|)en ; and the woockxl districts ha\e the partrids^e anil rabbit. .Sanddiill cranes,
as larLjc as turkeys, and almost as L;()od eating', are plentiful, Hut the s|H)rlsman must
now \l^^^ farther afield for elk, d(;er, Ix-ar and butlalo.
The prairie stream has special characteristics. Mudd)' at hi,i:;h water, it is always
clear in summer, thou_L;h unlike the brawling mountain torrent or the brook that
ripples over a pctbblv bed: in spots haunted 1)\' wild fowl; antl where the wood has
been allow('d to j^row, ami shade the water from bank to bank, it has bi'auties all its
own. rh(' loam of the prairie cuts out easil\- when called on by running' water. A
f(;w plough-furrows may l)efore a year become a stream lifteen or twent\- yartls wide,
'ihis, joinetl by otlu;r " runs," and fed from the lower-lyin^' lands, becomes in the ain)-
season a wide and deep creek. Should succeetlini^ \'ears be dr\', veg(jtation may ^row
on the baid<s and form a sod so touyh that the process of erosion is stopped,
()th(,'rwise, it may 540 on to an extraordinary degree. Hence the ri\t;rs are yeneralh'
very wide from bank to bank, and e\(.r\' \ear the smaller streams encroach on the
prairie. Old settlers say that seventy years ago. the Red River could be bridged at
an\' jjoint by felling a tree on its banks. Now, the tallest Douglas pine from tlv
I'acitic Slope would fall short. All along the banks of creeks near W'innipt^g, buildings
may be seen undermined by erosion, aiul A.Mices suspended in mitl-air. Sometimes,
a stream that tlows through forest within well-defmed banks spreads when it reaches
the open and becomes a dismal swani]). livery stream makes its wa\ through the
prairi(; in the most tortu(uis way imaginable. Peninsulas of various sizes and shapes
are formed, and occasionally a complete circle is described.
Pelts ;unl "bluffs" of wood break the monotony of the prairie almost e\erywhere
in Manit(jba (;.xci;pt on the Mennonile Rt^serve. This great treeless expanse was
shunned l)y the hrst immigrants into the province, but tlu; Mennonites have proved to
them their mistake. Starting from l'",merson, \\\v. "(iatitway Cit\-," th(' traveller does
not [)roceed far on his way to the setting sun before a broad level prairie, extending
twenty-four miles to the north and thirty to the west, opens out bef(M-e hiin. This is
38
OUR picrrRHsocR
The North-west:
THE MENNONITES.
kl'R ionr-
nc\' to
tlic kcil l\i\cr
of the North
h\ tlu- oKl roxaa^citr route Iroin
Ottawa by tlu; Xipissi^L,^ the Sank Ste.
Marie ami Voxx. William showed us how-
to reach the Xorth-west, across Canadian lands and waters; and our e.xpetlition troin
Winnipeg,'' 1)\' N'ork I'aclorv to l'Ji!j;^land showctl us how to leave it, without putlini^
foot on foreii^j-n soil. The first of these; two routes is historically Canadian ; the
second, historically Eniflish. The first will soon hi: all-rail ; the second cwn ne\er he
^•ood for more than four or five months of the \-ear.
From Winnipeg as a startin<i;^-i)oinl, the artist should make several short excur-
sions, before taking- the Ions;- road west to the Rocky Mountains. In August or Sep-
tember, when moscjuitoes cease from troubling, one can most pleasantly get acquainted
with the picturesque features of the country, ami the characteristics of its conglomerate
of nationalities. He can drive down the river to the Stone Fort and Selkirk, and
NOR Tlfl-RX X/:/(;///n Vv'
239
t: '■■-■-.
If
•*-.
■'^':■■^€r^^^Uk.:!ii^:
240
oi R riciLRiisorii
ihc Reserve, ;i heaiitifiil stretcli of liirniiiiL; l;iiul, iml)n)keii 1)\- ;i siiitrlc acre that is not
tirsl-chiss. ( )tl(l-lookinM-, old-fashioned viUa^cs now dot the phiin in e\-ery direction.
One strei-t of steep-rooled, low-uaUed houses, with an oKl-country air of perxachnt^
c|uiet and an uniform oldn-ountry h)oi< ahout the architecture, descriix's them all.
Tliere are about eighty ol these vilhi^es in the Keserxc. Tiie farms are innocent
aHke of ft:ni'(.'s ami ol huildinjj^s. i'"ach \ illas^c has its herdsman, who ofx's out dail\'
with the cattle. The hushandmen lixc in the villai^cs, suhmittinir to the inconvenience
of distance from their work, in order the better to preserve tht.-ir lani^uajj^'e, religion and
customs, and enjo\' the pleasures of social intercourse. To a stranger these pleasures
would appear not to be xcry i^rc^at. "They nexer have no tea-meetin's nor dances,"
saiil an old settliM', of a rather iliffenMit nationalit)', "and when the\- ilrink, every man
walks up to the bar and |)a\s for his own licpior. The)' ain't no t^ood to the coun-
tr\." Xotwithslandinsj;' this patriarch's \(;r\' dccidetl opinion, the; Mennonites are a
ureat s^ood to the countr). ThrittN and industrious farmers, the\- have alr(;ad\- brought
a lar^c acreai^f^e under culli\;ition ; peaceable and law-abitliiiL;' citi/ens, the)- cost the
country nolhiuL; for administration of justice,-. .\y\\ disputes that arise are settled
amoiii^st ilu-mselves, either b\- the int(;r\-ention of friends, or, failiiii^' that, by the ailju-
dication ol the church. This adjutlication takes place on .Sunday, after [)ul)lic worship.
The wom(,'n and children ^o home, the parties and their witnesses are then heard,
the bishop |)residini|;', and the conjrreo-ation say wliat is the " \-ery ri^ht and justice of
tlu' case." The bisho[) has jurisdiction o\-er the whole comnuinit)-, is elected for life,
and "preaches round." bLver\' xillai^c has a [)n;acher of its own, who is elected for life
by the villaj^ers, chosen on account of his pious lift; and j^ift for e.xhortiiiL;-. lb; receives
no salar\'. ^^ The sermons, as mi^ht be expected, are generally practical, and as the
whoU; dut_\' of man is quickl\- exhausted by the preaclu;r, th(;re is fre(|uent t;xchanL;inL;"
of pulpits with neighbourly [)astors. .All the pt;ople attentl church. The men sit on
one side and the women on the other. X'isitins;- preachers are placed in an elevated
pew to th(; left of the pulpit ; and the choir, consisting;' of thret; or four elderly
men, sit in a similar [)(;w to the ri;^ht. The bisho[) is elected from amonjLj the.
preachers ; but though held in high honour, he, too, must sup[)ort himst;lf. Xo
emohunents are connected with the office. luich \ illage has also a schoolmaster.
This functionary is appointed without regard to any particular gift or aptitude. It is
enough if he will undertake the duty for a trilling remuneration. Reading, writing
and arithmetic ar(; the only subjects he is allowed to teach. Like their forefathers,
the M(;nnonites regard l(;arning as a dangerous thing, and not lightly will the)' sow
its seeds among the )-oung. Their religion has shaped their history. They adhere
tenaciousl)- to the; same doctrines and forms of worship and government that their
Cierman forefathers gathered in the sixteenth century from the Scriptures and good
pious Menno .Simonis. They r(;ject infant baptism and refuse to take an oath or
NOR TIIERN NIUGlinOis
241
INTKKIOK AM) KXIKKIOR OF MKNNOMTK CHL'KCH.
hear arms. Compelled to k-axc ("icnnaiiy on account of their refusal to do military
service, they found an asylum in Russia. No better illustration of the helplessness
and immoiiilitx' of the political s\stem of the L;reat luiropean Colossus need he
desired than the fact that the Mennonites heloni^ed to it for three centuries without
heiuL;- assimilated. Under the administration of tlu! late Czar, the national faith that
IkuI been so loii^' |)led<j;'ed to them was broken and their immunil)' from militar\- ser-
vice withdrawn. Obeyino' conscience, the\' parted with houses and lands tor what thev
could ^ct, and soul^Iu new honie-s once; more. Their rule ai^ainst lii^htini^ soon broueht
them into contempt with iIk; earh' sc;ttlers in Manitoba, who not appreciating' so tame
a principle, would ever and anon test its realit\- by dealing out kicks and thumps to
the lon^-sufferiiiL^ Mennonitc^s. I'nder t^n-eat provocation, some of them have been
242
OUR ricii'Ri'.sorh:
INTKRIOR ANMJ KXTKRIOK OF MF.NNON'ITF. nWFI.I.TNr,.
.
X()A'77//:a'.v NF.rr.iinoR 343
a rule the Mfiinonitcs ,irc lioncst. iiprii^ht and moral, and wen- it ncn for the
tiltliinrss ol their doiiK'stic haliits tiicy \v<inld Ix- more rcspcitcd Ky the "white men"
of the loimtry than ihe\ an'. Most of th(;ir dwi'llin^fs consist of a tinilx-r frame,
huih in witli hir^ff snn-(h"ied l)ri(I.s of earth and straw, and coxcred \vitli a straw-
thatche<i roof. 'I'h<' -roumi is their lloor. l''o\vls .and otiier domestii' animals have
tlu; freedom of the house. .\t me.ils all the niemi)ers of the lamil\ eat out of f)ne
hu'L^e dish placed in the centre of the taMi — a custom horrowed iierhaps Irom .Scrip-
ture, or it may he a trace of communism. The men !^fiierall\ are slow workers and
nio\c ahout with i^real deliheralion, .\ lari.,re share ol the out-door work falls to the
lot of the women, who m.iy he seen harrowint^ or even ploui^hinL,^ in tlie fields.
Tile Mennonites came to Manitoba in 1S76, and they h;i\'e ])rospered e.xceedinjfjy.
The\- :il once accommodated ihemseKes to the climate and all the material conditions
that they found in ihe new world. Their relii^ious faith, social cohesion and simple
pit't) make them excellent pioneers. A hetler substratum for character couUl not be
dc;sired, .^wA ihoui^h at present sternly intolerant of all chani^c, new ideas will L;railu-
all\' dawn upon their hori/on ami they will become L;()od Canadians. Thcr)' ha\(; lonj^
been accustomed to self-^overnnu'iil, and that is alwa\s the ri^lu traininsj;' for free
men. I'iach village elects two masters ; a herd schult/ who is pathmaster and over-
seer of tin- herders; and a brontschult/, who looks aflt-r property and insurance.
Every villa>4er's propc:rt)- is appraisetl, anil in case; of lire, the. suffercT L;ets two-
thirds of his loss mad(; up to him b\- .i ratable assessment. .\ Kaisi.'r or general
business maiiasj^er of the community is elected annuallw I le and the villaLje masters
constitute a kind of municipal council. The)' meet e\cr\' Salurda\' aft(;rnoon in Reinland
or Windmill \ illa<.;t!, as it is lh(; " Capital " of the colony and has the largest church.
Alread)', a proL;ressive class is arising;- amoni:; the Mennonites .\merican and Ca-
nadian solvents are e\ideull\' more poiiMit than Russi.m. Some of the ^-ount^er men
wisli ihal lCn_L;lish shouKl be taught in th(! schools, and hold other heterodo.\ views
ecpially abiuninable to the s(Miiors. Some of the Nouni; women havt; seen I'.merson,
and sii^di for the dainty bonnets and shapel\- dresses their "white" sisters: wear.
Hut the imn-chants of I'.merson and West l,\-nn have; fi'w oootl wortls to say for the
Mennonites. And traxcllers who have; b(;en in their villages re[)ort them ihurlish and
unfricnidly, as well as dirty in their housc^s and habits. I'ut let them have reason to
think their visitor friendly, and their n^al naturt; counts out. Oats arc; brought for his
horse, and a cup of the best coffee; to be had in the province, for himself. The
coffee is ground as it is inu^iled. in a bttK; mill, with which, ami with a brass or
copper kettle, f;very house; is supplied. Pipes are also brought out, for all--bo)s and
men —smoke. A lad in his teens may be s(,'en tilially supph ing his aged father
with a light. Is it at all wonderful that we bid tlu'm a friendh' farewell, ciuite con-
vinced that then; are worse peo|)le in the world than the Mennonites?
244
OUR PlCTURHSQlli
The North-west:
WINNIPEG TO ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
.\i;.\K DkTACl". I..\ I'UAIklK. —""'
" I ""O .sumniariz(i the _L;i't'at North-
■*• \V(?st is conft'ssfdly difficult,
altlKHii^'^h Lord I )ufft'rin's declaration
that it> " iiiimitahlc diuuMisions alike
confi/iind iiie arithmetic of the sur-
veyor and the x-erification of the
e.\plon,'r" is a sli;j^htly post-prandial
way of sLatinL,'- the fact. Perhaps the best \va\' to i^dve correct impressions to an
ordinary reailer is to take him on an expcHlition from Winnipt?;.;- to the Rock\ Moun-
tains. Havini^ ridden across seas of ^reen for tift\- or an hundred miles at a stretch,
swam iniyhtv ri\ers, shot <'ri//l\- Ix-ars untler the shadows of the mountains of tlv
CM) CUt'KCII M'AK I ANDINO.
\ok'/'i//':rx xiiic.iinoR 245
setting sun, hunted buffalo with tht* I31ackfei;t or the Mounted Police, i)rospected for
coal or timber limits, lost his way on an alkaline or cactus flat, or some semi-desert
treeless expanse where no siei^n of animal life breaks tlu; terrible solitariness from
horizon to hori/on, he is likely to return home a wiser man as re^^ards the extent,
character and probable destiny of the North-west. He can choose one of three routes
for his expedition : either by steamer down Red River and Lake Winnipeg- to the
rapids of (\\v. Saskatchewan, and up this i^reat river from that point to I'ort lulmon-
ton ; or b\- the Canadian Pacific Raihvaj' due west as far as it \\'\\\ take him : or by
the old-fashioned methods of prairie locomotion, horseback, a 1?(\1 River cart, or a
buckboard, aloni;' tlu; trail north-wi^slerly - the general course for a ^reat part of the
way beint^ between the two more modern rout(,'s. IJefore startinsj;, a brief ilescription
of the leaciino- features of the couiUr)- ma)- not be out of place.
The thousand miles of alluxial that stretches from our Rocky Mountains to Lake
VVinnipen' and Hudson's l)a\- slopes downwards to the east and the north. The rivt;rs
consequently run to the east antl north. The Red Rixcr I'lses in Minnesota, and cuts
out for i> ielf a tortuous, evc'r-widenin;^ tn^nch or canal thron^^h the prairie, northerly
to Lake Winnipei^'. To men accustomed to sec; ri\ers nmnin^- to the south, tlu; Red
Rivt;r always seems to Ije t^'oiuL;- up-hill. The fountain-heads of the two Saskatchewans
are in the t^laciers of the Rocky Mountains, and tlu; accumulated tribute of a thousand
streams is poured by tlu;ir united chann(;l into tlu; sanu' i^reat reserxoir of Lake W'in-
nipesi^, which tlu;n discharL,^es itself by the Nelson into Hudson's Hay. At the base of
the mountain chain the elevation is between three anil four thousantl feet, while in the
Red River valley it is only about se-ven hundmd feet above sea le\el. The traveller
from Winnipen' westward is thus always .^'oiniLi^ up-hill, thou<>^h he is cpiite unconscious
of the fact, so sj^radual is the slope. A rise of nearly thi'ee thousanil f(;et is spread
over a thousantl miles. Captain Palliser pi)intetl out that this tj^reat sloping; plain is
divided into three ilistinct step[)es. The i'lrst springs from the Lake of the Woods,
and trending' to the south-west, crosses the Red River well south of tlu; l)oundar\- line.
Thence it extends in a north-westerly direction under the nanu;s of Pembina .MTunlain,
the sanil tlun(;s of the Assineboiiu', the Ridiuij^, Duck, Porcupine, ;uul Pas Mountains,
to lU'ar Cumb{;rland I louse, on tlu; .Saskatchewan. The average altitude of this east-
erly step|)i' is from ei^ht to nine hundred feet. It inrlud(;s the \alle\' or plain of the
\\vx\ River, which, though low antl marshy in many places, especiall\- in the neiLjhbour-
hood of Lakes ^L'lnitoba and \\'iniU'|)esfoosis, has everywhere a soil of inexhaustible
fertility. To the old half-breed farnu-r the marshes' were indispensable as " hay-swamps ;"
ami liis more scienlitic successors tlo iu)l despise them, especialK' in dr\' seasons, .\fler
crossinij this steppe, aiul ascending- the easti-rn face of an\' of the hills or "nu)untains"
that bounil it on the west, the traxcller linds, to his aslonishnu-nt, that " tiie mountain"
has disappeared, aiul that he staiuls on a j)lain almost as le\el as the one left behind,
246
OUR PICTURESQUE
HANKS 01 1111. Ki;i> kivi:i'
but much better adapted to fanning
purposes, as " the soil is wanner, ilic
surface more rolHny^. and therefon^ drier, and tlie water of a better (piality and more
plentiful in the form of brooks." This second steppe extends west to the cotcaii of the
Missouri, thence- northwartis to the I''lbow of tht? South Saskatchewan, on to the lui^le
Hills near Hattleford. and north-westwardl\- to Lac La Hiche. Its mean altitude is about
sixteiMi huntlred feet. Th(; southern half was formerly considered to be semi-deserl. on
account of insuthci(Mit rainfall, while the northern half, swee])in^ up to and round the
North .Saskatchewan, was called in contradistinction " The b'ertile Belt "; but it is now
known -chietl)- from the explorations of I'rofessor >Licoun. the Dominion Botanist —
that ninety per cent, of the whole of this vast middle plain is farming laiul of the very
best (|ualit)', anil that tht: averat^e rainfall is (piile sutticient for the L^rowth of cereals.
Indeed, duriivj the last few vears the tide of immi<';ration has rolled over the southern
NORTHERhr NFJOrmOR .^^
in prctei-encc to the northern half. an<l l)y the unanimous consent of actual settlers,
the country is pronounced to he "the -arden of the Lord." 'j-his fact has had <,rreat
influence in determinino- the location of the Canadian Pacific Rail\va\. When it was
universally believed that th(. .irood land of the Nortli-west was pretty much confined to
the \orth -Saskatchewan, the encri,H-er-in-chief xvx\ naturally ran tin- line- in that
direction as far as Edmonton ; all the more because it was known that the Yellow
Head -the best pass throu-h the Rocky Mountains -was in tlu- same latitude, and
that the far-reachino- prairies that borcU^r the Peace River extended away to the
north. Put when, in consecpience of explorations made at Mr. I'leminn's urocnt
recpiest, the real character of the southern country alon^- the Ou'Appelle bcx^■une
known, it was (nide-nt that a more direct and shorter railway, runnin-' due west, would
have many advantaoes, ami that it was worth while to try to force a way throu-h the
Rockies b> the Kickin- Horse or some other Pass. [he third prairie steppe extends
to the Rocky Mountains. -This section is more broken than the others, and larue
tracts are better suited for [jasturaoe than for the plou-h. Salt lakes and ponds,
rolling- hills, alkaline Hats, deep ra\ines. called coulees, and ri\crs tlowin.g- in deep
channels, are its leadini,^ featurc-s." Ranches have been taken up here by enterprisinn-
cattle-breeders from the older provinces. Herds of the best brec^ds are already roaminu-
by thousands alono- the scores of streams that issue from the flanks of the moun-
tains, and subsefiuently unite to form the St. Mary's, the How, Pelly, and Red Deer
Rivers. Exposures of coal beds, simply immense in th.ickness and extent, form another
marked characteristic of this third stepi)e. The coal crops out alon,L,r the river banks
from near the boundary line to the Mackenzie River, and. thou.<rh cretaceous, is used
lor all purposes like ordinary coal.
The old-fashioned way of crossin.o; this broken billowy sea of ,<rreen and oold that
slope's upwards from Winnipe,!; to the R()cki(>s is the best of all wa\s for a holiday
party. The outfit need not be extensive. A Red River cart is desirable, a primitive
looking affair, not an ounce of iron in it. and tough as hickory. Its o-reat broad
wlu-els bear up the little box with its half ton of stores and tent, when crossing-
swamps where an ordinary cart would sink to the hubs or perhaps altogether out of
sight. An Indian or half-breed may be utilized as driver, cook and guide. You jog
along on horseback, driving before you two or three ponies as relays. x\o need to
carry oats. The nutritious grasses will keep your horses in good condition for weeks
of travel. There is no road but the trail Hard, black and glittering in dry weather,
oidy let the l(>ast shower fall, and the black loam sticks in a wonderful way to the
whei'ls and the horses' hoofs. Tlu- best course then is to turn aside to the grass on
(•ither hand, and make a new trail for yourself, and pray for dr>- weather. A furious
storm of rain or perhaps hail will come with little notice, accompanied with thundcM-
and lightning al)solutel>- terrific to those who have experienced only the mild electric
24.S
OCR PICTURESOCE
A riONEER STORK.
(listurhaiicfs of tlic eastern proxinccs. AI\va\s start bcfdre sunrise and camp before
sunset, and look out for a site near ^(jod wji.ter, wootl and a pleasant prospect. Many
a pleasant canipin;.,^ ground you can promise yourself ! Many a delightful ride, the
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 249
summer and aiitiimn air always swcuit, flowcr-sccntcd, chari;t:(l with pulsostimulatiiitj^
electricity ! Good shooting' and L,''ood appc'litcs ^o without sayinj;'.
Leavinj^ Wiiinipi'L;' and its wondrous bustle ami "booms" behind, tin; first objective
point is Portai^x: la Prairie. The old trail kt-eps near the; Assineboinc. I'"ar away
stretches the level prairie, dotted sometimes with islets of aspens, sometimes with
huge hay stacks and the houses of settlers. \ot onediundredth part ol the land is
under the; plough, and )'et it mis^ht all i)(; Ix-arins^ the best of wheat. What a won-
derful air to brc'athe I Pun,' as in mid-winter, soft ami sweet as from a bank of
flowers, exhilaratinu' as llu; breath of the North alwa\s is. Mis/her than excr vou have
seen it before and \aster is the great over-arching dome of deepest blue, llecked with
masses of cloud, white as driven snow. Slowly the sun goes down, the last rim of
the orb seen as from a ship's deck on the shoreless ocean. The (\v\\ falls hea\il\-.
The cooler air makes blankets welcome overnight (;ven in mid-summer, and ;i cup of
hot tea— nowhere so fragrant as on the prairies — equally welcome before starting again
in the early morning. Portage la Prairie is one of the placi:s that it would be a waste
of time to describe. It is growing like Jonah's gourd, and the description of the vil-
lage of to-day would be unsuited to the town of to-morrow and the cit\- of next
week. When the municipal ass(;ssm(!nt incn'ases titteen hundred per cent, in a single
year, Dominie .Sampson's " I'rodigious ! " is the onl\' language that does justice to the
occasion. .Should the proposed ship canal bi;tw(^en Lak(; Manitoba and the Assine-
bomc; be constructetl, this rate of progress will probably be continued for a time :
and as then; are f)nl\ twent\-si.\ miles of low-lying prairie l)etween the; lake and the;
ri\er, such a canal coultl be completed without difficulty. The " Portage," as the
town is usually called, is beautifully situated on the banks of the Assineboinc. Near
by, a long, narrow, shallow, ri;ed-fringed lake or slough indicates an old channel of
the ri\(;r. This slough — or, to use the vernacular of the place, "slew '--is a favourite
haunt of wild duck, and the rich grass on the plains for miles rouml swarms with
prairie chicken. It is a xcritabU; sportsman's paradise.
I'rom Portage la Prairie the railway keeps due west up the Assineboine. .\t
Brandon, where tlu' ri\cM' turns to the north, the railway crosses it ami holds on its
W(;sterl\- course. At the Portage, the trail strikes somcnvhat northerly in the direction of
I'Ort I'dlice. f(.)rmerl\' an important centre of the Ilutlson's liay Compan\-. In a more
direct northerly line, \alualjle forest extends Irom the south (:\\i\ of Pake Manitoba by
the Rilling, Duck and Porcupine Mountains, ami thence north-westwards to the junc-
tion of the North and South Saskatchewan. Petwt:en the Portage ami P'ort I"lllice,
the land has been homesteadeil and preempted by immigrants. Towns and villages
are springing up in ever\ direction, and \ast breadths of fertile land which had lain
unoccupied for centuries are being broken in upon by th(; plough. I'he Pioneer
Store is the best point of vantage from which to study the iu:w life that is flow-
?5o
OUR PILTL KI'.SQUH
ini;- over the threat lone land of a
ck'cack' asj^o. This invaluable depot,
with its \aried assortiiK-nt of hard-
ware, utensils antl implements, dry-
goods, groceries, gunpowder, (ish-hooks
and bibles, is always on the fringe
of settlement. It cheers the advance
of civilization, ami is the base of all
farther operations.
A maiiniticent view of the country
in every ilirection opens out on the
edge of the plateau, overlooking the Assineboine, over against l*"ort I"lllice. Miles away
from us, on the ()|)])osite bank, the; wooden buildings of tin; k'ort gleam white and
shining under the light of the declining sun. A long train of freighters' wagons are
on their wa\' down llu.- broad valley. I^'ar to the south and north runs the river, to
all appearance still as broad antl deep as at Winnipeg. It is joined here from the
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR 251
west by the Qu'Appelle, which is seen brcak.in(,r throuo^h the plateau behind which
the sun is setting:. The united river ni(;anders throuijh the intervale at our feet, cut-
tinjj;' out necks, islands antl peninsulas of land t)f all shapes and sizes, some ((reen and
grassy, others covered with willows or heaxier timber. Not far from "the Crossing" is
a camp of Indians ; and near b)', a half-breed patriarch, who might be mistaken for
an Indian, has also pitched camp. The famil\' havi; sold out their Red River
farm to a speculator, and are travelling tcj seek a new liome farther west. The
patched ami blackened tent, the listless attitude of the inmates, and the general
po\erty-stricken look of things are all Lmpromising ; but notwithstanding, the half-
breeds make good pioneers.
Between the mouth of the Ou'Appelle and any point on thi- Saskatchewan every
daj's ride r(;veals new scenes of a country, bleak enough in winter, but in summer
fair and promising as the h(;art of man can desire ; rolling and le\el prairie ; gently
swelling uplands ; wooch-d knolls ; broken hills, with gleaming lakes interspersed,
One trail leatls to the l'",lbow of the .South Saskatchewan, and thence to Hattleford ;
another to I'Ort Carlton ; another to I^'ort Pelly. The most beautiful section of this
region is the Touchwood Ilills — a succession of elevateil prairie uplands extensive
enough to constitute a province. At a ilistance they ai)pear as a line of hills stretch-
ing awa\' in a north-wi^stcrb dirc'ction, but the rise from the level prairie is so gentle
and undulatiiiLi that the traxcller ne\er linils out when- the hills actualh' commence.
There are no sharply detined summits from which other hills and the distant plain on
either side can be seen. Cirassy or wooded knolls enclose fields that look as if they
had been cultivated to produce ha)' crops ; or s|)arkling lakelets, the homes of snipe,
plo\er and duck. l-ong reaches of fertile lowlands alternate with hillsides as fertile,
Avemu's of whisp(;ring trees promise lodge or gate, but lead onl\' to Chateaux en
Jispagne.
.Soon after leaving the Touchwood Hills, we come to the watershed of the South
Saskatchewan ; another region that ma\' be easily conv(;rted into a garden ; now boldly
irregular and again a stretch of level [)rairie ; at intervals swelling into softly-rounded
knolls, or opening out into fair expanses ; well-wooded, and abounding in pools and
lakelets, most of thi-m alkaline. We pass a long line of freighters' wagons, and
almost e\ery da)' inimigrants pressing west in their prairie " schooners ; " caravans or
"brigades" of half-breeds also, their carts laden With Buffalo skins and dried meat,
returning east after a buffal'^ hunt, of which they have probabl)' seen the end. At the
last riilge, we can see where — fifteen miles farther west — the; South Branch of the Saskatch-
ewan rolls along to the north-east. The horizon is bounded b)- hills far on the other
side of the great stream. 'Those of our [)arty who art; Ijound for T'ort Carlton make
for the nearest fortl and then reach the North Branch of the river by crossing the
intervening plateau, at this point only eighteen miles witle. If we cross the river at
!52
or/^ ricrrRi-sorF.
()iiL;t r I nlf lictorc rcarh-
11114 li.UtU IokI lonncrlx, I'Ort
L arlioii was an iiii|)i)rlaiil )i<)st; l)iit
now, the I'rincc Albert sculcnicnt,
tifl\ miles down stream, aiul in
the other tlireition — liatllefoixl, til
1SS2 the Capital of the Xorlh-west
Territories, is of greater consc-
(luence politicalK anil rommerciall)'.
Hattleford is situated on the south hank of the liallle Ri\-er, near its conlhience
with the Saskatchewan. On the opposite hank of the ri\-er are the (jiiarters of a
detac:hm< lU of the North-west Mounted Police. Mere, we first meet re|)resentali\c's of
this force, whose soklierh ([ualities are the praise of e\-er\()iie entitleil to s])eak ol soKliers.
()nl\- three hundred in number, luitil increased to lixc huiulnnl in 1SS2. ihey have been
intrusted with the preserxation of peace over the whole; North-west, and thc\- have done
NORT//ERN NEIGH no li
'5:^
'A
c
•J.
2 54 OUR PlClin^ESQlli
the work to the satisfaction of llu; ("lovcrnment and the ronntr)-. The Indians have
been made to feel the majesty ami iht- hlessint^ of law, without an outbreak or a shot
fired on either side. Two or three of tlu; force have been known to ride into a camp
of hundreils of armed savaij^es and arri^st on the spot anil carry off for trial an armed
swagjferer accused of murder — a sijrnal proof of the supremacy of law, as Indians
reijard a nuMiiber of their baml as a i)rot]ier, whose case they are bound, by ties of blood
and sentiment, to make tluMr own. Whiskey-traders, who formerlv built forts and lixcd
at license where they listed, have hail their stores contiscateil and themsehes driven
across the boundary line, in a state of intense disjj^ust at the force; and British institu-
tions o;eneralh. No exercise of authority has been more appreciated by the Indians,
for they hate whiskey-traders as much as they love whiskey. Though the force is scat-
tered over the countrj- at Carlton, Hattleford, b'dmonton, b'orts P(;lly, McLeod, Walsh,
and other points hundreds of miles distant from each other, and unconnected b)- tele-
graph, the smallest detachment has always proved largi: enough for any dut)- with
which it has been intrusted — an evidence of moral powe-r that could have been acipiireil
only by a long course of just and considerate dealing. The Indian policy of the
Canadian Government is sometimes declared to be a failure, and at other times is
mildly censured as expensive. Though by no means perfect, it may challenge compari-
son with that of the I'nited .States, or of any other civilizeil nation towards a weaker
race. Judged by its fruits — the maintenance of order without shedding blood, and the
steady growth of a conviction among the Indians that the Government means fairl)- by
them — it may even be pronounced a success.
Crossing the North .Saskatchewan, either at Carlton or Hattleford, we continue our
westerly course up the great mountain stream, which, like the Assineboine, seems
scarcely to decrease in size the nearer we get to its source. The trail leads across a
hilh" country, intersected by scores of ri\'ulets flowing from tlie north, a sight gkul-
dening to e\es long accustomed only to streamless prairie. The windings of iJiose
nuiivn'ous tributaries of the North .Saskatchewan relieve the scenery from monotoin'.
Every hour's ride presents us with a new view. We cross valleys singularly dispropor-
tioned in the magnitude of every feature to the size of the streams llowing through
them ; and lose ourselves in vast depressions, surrounded on all sides !))■ hills, like the
"punch-bowls" of the south of Scotland. I'rom iilevated points, far and wide, stretches
can be seen of a country rich in loamy soil, grasses, wood, and water. Ciroves of tall
white spruce in the gullies and along lake sides, branching poplars, with occasional
clumps of white birch or tamarac, mingle with the still-prevailing aspen. Thi- sombre
spruces give new colour, and their tall pointed heads a new outline, to the landscape.
Sometimes the trail leads across a wide open plateau, or u[> and down a long bare
slope ; sometimes through forest where no underbrush interposes obstacles to pleasant
riding, while immediately ahead the wood always seems impenetrably close; sometimes
NORTHERN NEK. /Hi OR
-55
l.y apparently n,l.iv„...,l ll.l.ls, l„.m,„..,l i„ ;„ v,-,ryin,. distances In- .rraceful tree,
throuj;!, „-l,„se l,„n, I,,. ,l„. wal..,s „f a lake .,.|,,„n. ,„■ tl,,- ro,„;l, i.a.'k of a hill rises'
w.th l,„.|„.r „p|a„,ls l,ey.MHl. ..nvin^ a n,„r,. .lis.ant l,„ri.„n. Occasionally „-e ,,et a
Khmpse „f ,l,e Saskatcla.wan. rennin,, like a ,„ass „f ,„„|,.,, |,,„|, ,,.„, ,,-„„, ,,,pUl ,„■
sandha,-. l.et.een far-e.ten.lin,, hills cvere.l u„h y ,, aspens. Ihe frequent fires.
kn,.lle<l an.l left sn,„,dderi„. I,y can-l.-ss travellers an,l Indians, keep down ,l,e „r„w.h
of wood all over the North-west -a carelessness that settlers in fntnre years are snre to
n,e hnterly. hor one of the gravest of the unsolved prohlen.s connected with the col-
on,zat„H, of the country is the consequent scarcity of tinther. Tr,.e plan.in , an
extensue scale, shotdd he encouraged l,y l.oth Provincial and Dominion GovcTnn.ents
On th,. way to Edmonton we are sure to fall i„ with occasional camps of frees
Ihey are all friendly: and ever ready for a talk and a smok,:. if you suppK the
tobacco. I 1,.. s,|ua>vs will barter freels^ their berries, lish. wild ducks or dried buffalo
meat, for a httle llonr. tea. tobacco or .any trinkets or lu.vuries ,on ma^■ olfer Treat
them kmdly an,l courteously, for they are the children of the old lords of the soil
1 heir catnp is sure to he pictt.resquely situated beside a lake stocke.l with fish near
wood and bushes laden with the Indian pear or rich sasketoon berries
A peculiar rite of the Indians inhabiting portions of the North-west Territories is
the ■■ U„g I.-east." This feast is celebrated once a year at the principal points at which
the Inotaus co„j;re,^,a.e in s.unnter. either for the purpose of fishin,. or receivin,. their
ann,nt,es or treaty-ntoney. In the nddst of the proceedin.gs, which are conducted with
the utmost gravity by the principal utedicine-man of the band, a .log is slain, cut up
cooked and eaten. Although called the 1-east of the White Log. and this colour is
preferred, a dog of any other sha.le will answer the purpose. The cere.nonv appears to
l.a^e s„,ne analogy to the Hebrew Passover, bn. its origin and nteaning are lost in ob-
senrn;-, as ,s the case with u,os. of the religious observances of these Indians. If von
-ve tune ,t will pay to strike northwards to Lac la HIche, the granarv of the Ron'tan
Cat M,c ^ ,ss,on,. or to U'hitefish Lake where the Indians, ,n,der the care of the
Me.I.™l,st Lhurch, are being weaned fron, nomadic habits and becon.ing agric.dtnrists
li"t our objective point is b'ort Hdmonton. This thriving settlement.' beautifnllv
sttuated on the north bank of the .Saskatchewan, is destined to beco.ne .u,c of th^
most nnportant centres in the North-west. No matter through what pass of the
Kocky Mountams the railway uta.v seek the confines of Hritish Coh„ub,a. the position
of Ldntonton. between the boundless plains that e...end along both sides of the
Fe.ace K.ver. as ,t sweeps in majestic curves to the north, and the co.uttrv to the
south watered by the .nnltitudinous streants that converge to forn, th.. .South Sas-
touded also by stretches of splendid farming land: is rich with e..haustless forests
coal, and lakes an.l streams full of whit,- fish and sturgeon : au.l the e.p,.n.lit.u-.. of
356
och' ricrrRhiSiUi-
;ja'
.NOKTUWl-.ST MDL'.MI.l) I'UI.ICIv
**!** S
.\VVv'/7//:7v'.\' M-ICIIIU^R
55;
258 OUR PICri'lIuSQUE
moderate sum wouKl ciiahlc a steamer to make an unbroken voyai;T(. between luhiion-
ton aiul Lake Manitoba. The I'eace River country is so far to the north that it is
ilifficult to think of it as suited to tlie ^rowth of ciMX-als ; but it is still more difti-
cult to reject the testimonies to its fitness, and to the \astness of its unile\i'lo|)(\i wealth.
"A canoe \()\aL;e from lliidson's Ha\' to the I'acilic." by the late Sir ("icorLie Simpson,
editetl with notes by Malcolm Mel. cod, is crammed lull ol tacts taken Irom the jour-
nals of responsiiile ofificials, all show im^ that " behind the North wind," or bexond
the Xorlh-west of which \\v. haw; been speakini;, cNtemls a new reu;ion e(|uall\' \ast
ami ])r()misini4' ; wheat ami pasture kuuls, well-timl)ered. well-watereil, and aboundini^ in
coal, bitumfii and salt. I'rof. Macoun declares that this is the richest region of Canada.
Ihe mean temperature ol the sexcn months from .\|)ril to ( )cl()ber at l)un\fL;an is
hitjher than at Ilalifa.x, \o\a Scotia, almost a thousand miles nearer the e(|uator.
AlreatK, the adxance ^uard of an inxailini;" host, arriied with plouj^hshares, and accoin-
panieil by wi\es and children and donu^stic cattle, ha\'e riNiched i-'.dmonton. \'ery soon
their horses and herds will cross the Athabasca, and crop the rich lierbaL^c that covers
the banks of the Smok\- and the Peace Rivers.
In 1SS2, an order in touncil divided the Xorth-wesi, outside of the enlarged
I'roxince of Manitoba, into the four districts of Assiniboia, .\lberta. .Saskatchewan and
.Athabasca. The beautiful and rich agricultural \alle\ of the (Ju'.Xppelle must alwa\s
be the heart of .Assiniboia, and the i-anclies of the liow Ri\cr the ^lor\- ol .Mberta.
The lands of the North Saskatchewan, alont;" the westi'rn section ol which we ha\c
been traxclliuL;, constitute the third |iro\ince in f^ossr. The I'eace Ri\cr countrx', to be
known hereafter as Athabasca, is the onK one of the fom- where a white i)opul;ition
has not yet L;'ath(;red about one or more centres ; but this last is liki'ly to excel all
th(,- others, antl, probabl\-. to be in the; cikI the Banner Pro\ince of Canada. .Sieambf)ats
can navi!L!^at(; th(; Peaci; for (|uit(; as man\' months in the \ear as the\' now na\ ij^ate
the .St. Lawrence. It offi-rs f(;wer impediments to naxination than either the .St. Law-
rence; or the Saskatchewan. Tlu; soil is as rich and the prairies are vaster than in
Manitoba or Assinii;)oia. .\nil the inimiuiitv of the whole reL,doii, from the "infamous
and unspeakable 'hopper,'" throws a heav\- weight into the scale in its favoiu". Mow
does it happen that |)ractically boiuidless prairies slKJuId be found in this far ncnthern
and fon.'st area? Dr. (i. M. Dawson sa\'s that "there can be no doubt that they are
produced and maintained by tires. The coiuitr\- is n.itiu-ally a wooded (Uie, and where
tires ha\c not run for a few years, youm^- trees bei^in rapidly to spring up. I he In-es
are, of course, ultimately attributable to human aLi;enc\-, and it is probable that before
the country w;is inhabited b\ the Indians it w.is (,'\-er\\vhere cl(Mis(.'ly forest-ckul. I hat
the dale of origin of the chief ^ urie tracts now found is remote, is ilearlx evidenced
by their present ap|)earance, and more parliiularK bv th<; fact that they are every-
where scored and rutted with old buffalo tracks, while ever\ suitable- locaiit)' is pitted
A -( Vv' THERN NlilGfrBOR
2tQ
with tlu; saucer-shaped ' hulTalo wallows.'" Tf) the same cause — the action of constaiuly
recurring tires is to l>e attrilnited tlie ahsohite ireek^ssness of the prairi(;s for hiiiuh'eds
of miles hetwt'tiii the two Saskalchewaus and farther south, in the third steppe, where
Yy-T^»iifdi»i|'
TiiK I'EAsr ui' riu: wuiri; i)o(i.
alone the |)rairie is seen in its |)ure and naked perlcction. Here, for ila\ after da\,
th<' traveller mo\cs like a speck on the surface of an unhroken and appannth- inter-
minahU- level <-\panse. Xolhin:,; inter\enes hetween him and the h(ua/on, anil let him
Ljallop as fast as he will the hori/on appears e\cr the same and at the same di ;ance
from him. .\ll tlie whih', too, he sees no livinui;' thinu;' on the e.iith or in the air.
Silence as ol the ,ura\c reigns supreme Irom morning to ni^ht. The spirits of the
most huoxaut tia\<lier sink as he rides deepei" and deeper into t]ii> terrilile silence,
unU.'ss he h.is learned to commune with the ['".lernal. Knowiu'^ the cause of this tree-
lessness, we now know the reinedx, I )iri'ct human aeenc\ can replaic whit intlirect
human a^cni\" has displaced. I Kucrnments, I )ominiou and local, should at once eiu'ouraLi<
tree planting' on an extensive scale, and the success that has attended s\-stematic efforts
in this direction in the Western .Stati's is the hest encouraL^ement to ns to 140 and <\i.''
likewise. .Such eltorts .ire not needed in .Saskatchewan ;ind .\lh;iliasca, where there
;6o
och' /'/c7rA'/-:s(.)r/:
X( Vv' TIIRRX NEIGHIU )R 26 /
is abuiulancc of wood, con.sistin.^^ chicfl)- of aspen, cottonwood. birch and coniferous
trees.
Many as are the attractions of Athabasca, we do not propose to visit it on this
occasion. At lulmonton ^u■ call a halt. Our journey to the- west and north is ended
We turn now to the south, first to the Old Rocky Mountain House; the-nce to bort
Cal^rarry in hopes of sec-in^- th(,- ir(,n horse or some si.^nis of his approach. Cal-
.Uarr>- has been the ,^reat ..biective point of the Canadian Pacific Railway, aftc.- th..
route, by Brandon. (ju'Appelle and .Moose Jaw Creek was decided upon.' It is in
th<- heart of the old Hlackfeet coiuUr)-. that fairest section of the Xorth-wesi which is
the western curve of the old - bcrtile lielt '• or -Rainbow." Here, on account of the
Chinook winds stn'amin.^- through the passes of the Rocky Mountains and up their
Hanks, the avc'raoc tenip,.rature, during the winter months, is fifteen de-rees hi-lu-r
than in \V(-stern Ontario.
When the mountains come into view, we find that the North-west has kept its
best win., to th,. last. Th. majestic ran^^c- of the .\lps. swe<.pin,r round Xorthc.rn Italv
seen fn.m the roof of Milan Cathedral, nniltitudinous peaks ^lorvin^ in historic names
Kn.ardm. Irom th<. barbarians of the north th. rich plain at their feet, is not a ..ruuU.r
spectacle than th.. vic.w from Cal^arry. i.ittl,. wond,.r that th.. red uian plac,.d his
I>ara.l,s.. b..y..ncl that encll..ss succc-ssion ..f whit,.-cr..st..d si..rras, which, in I.m.. unbrok-n
1"H', banvd his way t., th.- happy hunting grounds farthc.r w,.st. On th.- oth,.r si.l,. of
those m.uintains ..f th.. s..ttin,, sun. p,.ak ..v,., p,.ak towering up to th.. skic-s w.s
surely a fauvr land than even thos.. ocean-lik.. ..xpans..s .>f ^r,...n and ^..Id Iron, whuh
they rose so orandly. Litll,. wonder that h.. call...l th.:m "The Bridge of th.. World"
for th..y s....m...l a lit boun.lary b.-twcn-n th.. plains .,v,.- which he had huntc-d all his
l'f<'. and a myst,.ri.>us world b..yond. Tin. sportsman has as much reas.,n t., r...,oic.,.
.n this sect,.>n .>f the country as th,: lov..r of th.. pictuivsque. The conntl..ss h,.nls
of bultalo that once bla,k..n,..l its foot-hills and plains and valleys aiv b,.im.- n-
I>:'^-'^1 '>>• n<T..|onls. poll,.,! Ano-us. an.l oth..r br....cls of do„iestic cattle- bur .n,-
■nountains still altord ^oo.l sport for th.. rill.-, and the lak.-s and streams swann with
trout. One specimen, a kind of .nountain salmon, ranges from hv.. to thirty pounds
weight. I he ^en,.ral charactc.r of th.- rivers an.l th,.ir slu.ltc.rin^ valh-vs ' is aptly
.llustrated by the Marcp.is of Lorn,: in a pen picture, which we c-xtrac't from his
\\ innipeo speech :
'■ ''"lie river b.-ds are lik,. nr,.at moats in a modern fortn-ss-you do not se,- them till
close upon th,-m. As in th.. .|acis and rampart of a f,.rtr..ss, th.- shot can sc-arch acn.ss
the smooth surfac:es aboy.. th.. ditch, so any u n>ds that nuy arise sweep across th.. twin
levels abov,. th,. riv..r foss,.s. The stivam. run c-oursin^ al..n, the sunk..n l.-v-U in
th,-s,. vast d.tch.:s. which ar,- som,.tim,.s mil..s m ui.lth. Sh,.lt..r..d by th.. undulatin^r
banks, knolls or .lilTs whl.h forn, th.. margin .,f ,h,.ir ex.-avat,..l bounds, are woodC
262
OUR PICTLJRRSQUE
jfeiierally of poplar, except in thi; norlhcrn and western fir frin^^e. On approachinjr the
mountains their snow-caps look like hiisj^e tents encamped alon^- the rollinij prairie.
I'p to this great camp, of whicli a len^^th of one hundred and fifty miles is sometimes
\isihle, the ri\cr \alleys wind in trcmhcs, lookint^ like the C()V(Teil wa)s by which
siei^e works xij^-zai;' up to a besieged cil\-. On a ni^irer view the cam|j line chanu'es
to ruinetl marl)le palaces, and tiirounh tiieir tremendous walls and giant woods )()n
will soon be dashiuL;' on the train for a winter baskinjr on the warm Pacific Coast."
We penetrate the \arious passes by following- tin; ri\ers up the \alle)s that sepa-
rate till' transverse ridyes, an inleniiinablr succession of which constitute tin- appartMill)-
unbroki'ii chain of the Rocky Mountains. 1 liese passes increase in altitude as wt; l,^o
south. riius, the I'eace River I'ass is only 2000 leet abovi; sea level. TIu; Tete
laune or Yellow Mead, which the Canadian (io\(;riiineiU aclo[)ted at Sanilford Meiii-
ini^'s suggestion, is 3700 feet. The Kootaney Pass, in latitude 49'-' 30', "s nearly booo
feet high, and the Kicking Horse not much less.
But, our expediti(jn is not charged with the task of I'xploriiig the I'assi's that lead
to th(; mountain frontier of l)ritisli Columbia. We ha\i; to return from Calgarr)- to
Winnipeg, l)y the route; marked out across the plains for the Canadian I'acific Railway.
Deeper and deeper is this great national highway penetrating into the hitherto lone
huul, opening the w;ry for myriads of all nations to t-nter in and take possession. We
come upon thousands of mtin engagetl on the work of construction. Ihe scene is one
to inspire the patriot and the lover of his kind. The wt'.ilth, the skill, the forethought
and ilisciplinetl (energy, once devotetl to tire-e)etl war, are now pledged to the Arm\- of
Inilustry antl Peace. With congratulations ami hope, we welcome the steel rails — har-
binger of a new civilization and material pleilge ol the unit) of our Dominion.
NORTHERN NEIGHBOR
263
BI^ITTSH COLUMBIA.
y^N the Atlantic, the Dominion counts the four
^^ Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, I'rince Edward Island, and Quebec,
though only the first two possess harbours open all
tbr )car round. Our Pacific
coast is included in one Prov- .,' ,
iiKc, which is both island and
ni;i inland. But British Colum-
bia is so vast in extent, so
ruli in material resources, of
the sea, the forest and the
niMie, and in scenery — chielly
of L^rand, gloomy, and sa\age
types — and is so little known
to general readers or even
to its own inhabitants, that
it deserves a volume. Limit-
ed as PiCTUKKSQUE CaNADA
is to a fixed number of parts,
it is impossible to do justice
to this vast Province that we take
up last. Little more can be done
than refer to its history, its produc-
tions, and its hopes. It is so full of
promise that opportunities will doubtless
soon arise of treating it with more ful-
ness. The completion of the Canadian
'^4 %m
WAGC.ON KOAD ON IMI- IKASKR.
2(>.\. och' /'/C7'( h'/usor/-:
Pacific Railway has iMiahlctl tourists and artists to explore its seas of nionntains, wilh
tlu'ir ciecp j^ori^^es aiui intcrvcniiij; plateaus, from llic .siiiuinit of the main chain ol the
Rockies to the Pacific coast. Already the advantai^es of its conimaiulino- geograph-
ical position are in part apprticiated by commerce, and throuiL;h the |<orts of Ksquir.iall,
\ ictoria, New W'esiminstrr, and \'ancou\( r has l)e;^un to llow the enriching; currents of
inter-continental and trans-Pacitic tnule.
In the si.\t(jciuh centur\. hold British navitjators like I)rak(; and Cavendish, lau^h-
iiiLt to scorn I'apal Hulls that assigned the New World lo Spain aiul Portugal,
sailed into the Pacific hy th(; Straits of Ma_<:[cllan, plundered Spanish L^alleons, Imt
soui^lu in \aiii for the lon^; dreamed of passage back again into the Atlantic. Where
the) failed, .Apostolos X'alerianos, better known as |uan de I'uca. a dreek in the ein-
plo\ of the \'icero\- of Mexico, claimed to have succeedeil in 159::. He may ha\e
enteretl, through the straits now known by his name, into I'uget Sound, ami then.
ha\ing sailed up through the Straits of Georgia and re-entereil the ocean, imagined
that he had tliscovered the northw(!st passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. < )r
hi- may have only heard Irom an Indian of those great interior waters and ha\{^ built
up a plausible story "touching the strait of sea commonly called I'retiiim Anianum. in
the .South Sea, through the northwest passage of Meta Incognita." At any rate, no
one entered them for maiu- a long tla\' akeruard; and in 177S Captain Cook, s.iiling
along tlv- coast which I )rake luul calknl New .Mbion two centuries previously, and
lindiiiL; no entrance, tells us — with a bhintness excusable in an English sailor refer-
ring to ;i Cireek — that the stor)' was a myth, e\en so far as the allegeil .Strait of i'lua
was concerned. "We saw," he sa\s, "a small opiMiing, which llattered us with tli«'
hopes of finding a harbour. These hopes lesseneil as we drew near; and at last \\i-
had some reason to think that the opening was closetl b\' low land. On this account
I called the point of land to the north of it Capt; Platter) .... It is in this \ii-\-
latitude where we now were liial geographers ha\e placeil the pretended .Strait ot
juan lie P'uca. I)U<: we saw nothing like? it; nor is there the least probabilit)- that
<'V(;r an\ such thing existed!" Continuing his course to the north. Cook entered an
inlet which lu,' named King George's Soiuid, but which was called Xoolka by the
natives ; and Nootka it is to this da\\ Although unnecessarily positive about what he
did not see, and representing on his charts Xootka and the whole of \'ancou\er's
Island as part of the mainland. Captain Cook was most accurate in his observations —
nautic d, astronomical, geographical; and his notes on the fin"-bearing animals, tin-
tish. the forests, and other |)roduction;-, of the country, as well as regarding th<' natives,
are still iiitt'resting reading. Their publication led to traile s|)ringing up between thi^
northwest c-oast and China. In 1786 English nu'rchants residing in the P.ast Indies
purciiased two vessels and placed them under the commaiicl of John Meares. I.ienten-
mt in His Maiestx-'s n.ivy, with instrui its to do what he could to devclo)) a tr.ule
XOA' rill'.KX XliK.IIIU )R
20^
1»K\ l.,.i TANnN. .lAMl', N.W.T.. ANADA.
266 OUR PICTURESQUE
in furs, ginseng, and other products of Nootka and the adjoining coast. Mearcs did
his work well. Purchasing ground from the chief of Nootka, ho erected a breastwork
and house or factory ; built, with the aid of Chinese carpenters, a little ship of forty
or fifty tons, and launched her into the Sound, to the great delight of the natives, and
started what promised to be a profitable business. But in the eyes of Spain all this
was poaching; and in 1 7S9 Spanish ships of war came to Nootka. seized the English
vessels, and took possession of the port. Captain Meares brought the matter before
the House of Commons l)y petition, and war was ver\' likeK' to have been the result,
for in those da)s Hnglanil had not "the craven fear of being great.' The Spanish
Government, howeNcr, agreed to make restitution, and it was even thought proper that
an ofiticer should be sent to Nootka to receive back in form tiie territory and factories
or other buildings. Captain George X'ancouver was selected for the purpose. He
was also instructed to make a survey of the coast from 30° north latitude, and to
ascertain the existence of any navigable communication between the Northern Pacific
and the Northern Atlantic oceans. It had been reported in Britain that in 1789 an
American vessel, the sloop Washington, had found the Strait of Fuca, had entered it,
and had " come out again to the northward of Nootka." Captain Vancouver was,
therefore, instructed to examine "the supposed Straits of Juan de Fuca, said to be
situated between 48° and 49° north latitude," and their Lordships of the Admiralty
added, with a wisdona decidedly greater than their knowledge of the American conti-
nent, " Tlie discovery of a near communication between any such sea or strait and
any river running into or from the Lake of the Woods would be particularly useful!"
On his voyage up the coast X'ancouver. by an odd coincidence, fell in with the
gentleman who had commanded the sloop Washington, and learned from him that he
had penetrated the Straits of I""uca for only fifty miles. Vancouver was Captain of the
Discovery, sloop of war, and the Chatham, armed tender. His Lieutenants were Puget,
Mudge, and Baker. The Chatham was under Lieutenants Broughton, Hanson, and
Johnstone. A glance at the map to-day shows us the names of those gentlemen,
immortalized by their voyage of discovery.
Vancouver proceeded up the Straits of Fuca, landing at different points on the south
coast. He was charmed everywhere with landscapes that " called to our remembrance
certain delightful and beloved situations in old England." On June 4, 1792, he went on
shore, and, " pursuing the usual formalities which are generally observed on such occa-
sions, and under the discharge of a royal salute from the vessels, took possession of the
coast." Going north, he honoured the interior sea with the name of the Gulf of
Georgia, after His Majesty, and Burrard's Jnlet, near Vancouver, after Sir Harry
Burrard of the navy. Coming out by Charlotte Sound into the ocean, he made for
Nootka, and there "found riding His Catholic Majesty's brig, the Active, bearing the
broad pennant ot Seflor Don Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, cor mandant of
NORTlfERN NlilGIinOR ^g
the marine establishment of St. Bias and California." Quadra .eceived the En.,dish
w.th great courtesy, hut was willing to give up only the spot of ground on which^ Mr
M cares' house had been situated. The rights of .Spain to island and mainland he
cons.dered beyond dispute. \'ancouver. with equal politeness and firmness, pointed out
that .San hrancisco was the northernmost settlement occupied by the subjects of Mis
Catholic Majesty in April. ,789. and. therefore, that according to the agreement of the
Court of Spain e.xclusive rights could not be claimed beyond that port. The whole
matter had to be referred back to Englnad and Spain for instructions. Vancouver went
, on w,th his surveys; and when he returned to Nootka in ,794. learned to his great
regret that Quadra was dead. The island he called after hi.nself and the courteous
Sipaniard ; but Quadra's share in the name was soon forgotten.
Xot till ,843 was any further attempt at settlement on \^ancouver Island made by
white men. In that year the Hudson's Bay Company built a fort at Victoria, and sub-
sequently the British Government constituted the Island as a crown colony. Discoveries
of gold on the mainland, reported to the Home Government in ,856, attracted crowds
of gold seekers in ,857 and 1858. and Victoria e.xperienced the same kind of " boom "
that cursed Winnipeg in 1SS2. Thousands of adventurers pressed on across the Gulf
of Georgia to wash the bars of the Fraser or "Crazy" River, and up as far as the
1 hompson and Bonaparte, overcoming obstacles that would have stopped the most
dctermmed army ever organized. A few hundreds of the hardiest and most intrepid
reached the.r destinations ; a few scores secured bags of gold dust. The rest perished
miserably, or drifted back to \'ictoria and to California, broken men. but laying the
blame not on themselves, but on "British old fogyism " and "the absence of American
enterprise." During this time of aggressive rowdyism the mainland was constituted
into a colony. Unlike \\ancouver Island, it had originally been entered from the east
Agents of the Northwest Companj- had crossed the main divide of the Rocky Moun-
tains and given their names to its great rivers, but their labours had led to no politi-
cal action. In 1866 the two crown colonies were united under the name of British
Columbia, and in 1S71 it became a province of the Dominion.
Victoria, the capital, is the most charming little city in America. It has not one-
fourth of the life, activity, and wealth of Portland, the capital of the State of Orc.gon.
nor the bustle and apparent vigour of Seattle; but in no city on the Pacific coast
north of San Francisco can you get a dinner such as is served daily in the Driard
House., and nowhere else are there such views of glorious mountain ranges as from its
environs, such an atmosphere and climate, and such opportunities for boating and bath-
ing, or for drives into the country along well-built roads, past cottages that look like
to>-boxes. surrounded by roses and honey-suckle, and cpiaint little roadside inns that
remind one of out-of-the-way nooks in remote counties in old England rather chan of
the fevered life, the glitter, and the discomfort of the farthest and newest wc-st Vic-
;riS
OCR /'/c/'CR/'Soc/':
toria must become the cjardcn and the sanitarium of the Pacific slope, and of much of
our own northwest, when its prairies are tilled by tin- iiands of the d;li;>;'n*. Ne-.tlin<^
bcaiitifull)' on low ever-<^reen hills oxcrlookiiiij tin; hay, its inner harbour riuviin"^ np
to within a f(nv hundred yards of the na\al station of l^scjuimall, olU iiul; Irom its
^ ■-t;5S«b>."'i«*
^#%^;;
:?»^'
im-
'^ f
^..nt.
: c^-^
w%
i>m
■ -V- *-
f^^
ESQl'IMAl.l llAKKOLk.
natural park of Beacon Hill views of the crreat
Olympian ran_i,n', anil of the Cascades with
the grand form of Mount Baker supreme,
.--«*
'^
>^'-
y &
':<"WW* i
«f-yr^.
M >A' rUERX XEKilllh )R 269
it Is simply impossil^lc to do it justice in an illustration, and the aticnii)! is not
made. Oidy those uiio ha\o Hvfd in X'ictoria know how cnjoyaijlc it is simply to
exist in such a cliiiiatc anil amid .sucii surroundings. No oni: wiio visits it in the
sprinj^- montlis tiiinks the iani^ua^c of iMr. Macfie extreme in ids " \'ancouver Island
ami ilrilish Cohunbia." In March tlie trees are covered " uil'h tinted hiids and the
iieids with xcrdure. Tlien Iiecome \ isihit; the star-eyed and delicately blue collinsia,
the chaste erythronium, tlu; scarlel-blossomed lilies, and the _L;raceful trillium ; the sprinqf
j^^rass and youiiu; fern show in'omise of returning" life; the unfoldin;^- oak leaf and bucl-
diuiL;' wild fruits proclaim that w inter is j^one. The sensations produced by the aspect
of nature in Ma)' arc indescribably thlii^htful. The freshness of the air, the warble
of birds, the clearness of the sk)-, the profusion and frat^i'ance of wild roses, llu: wide-
spread varie^aletl hues of buttercu[)S and daisies, the islets and iidets, together with
distant snow-peaks bursting upon the view as one asct;nds some contiguous eminence,
combine to till the mind with enchantment uneipialled out of Paradise." Another
writer, who alwa\s weighs his words well, Mr. Sandford I'leming, in his "England and
Canada," sa\s : " It is not pcjssible to li\'e in a more fav()urai)U; climate. The wintc:r
is es])ecially mihl, the thermometer seldom falling below freezing point. The summer
is temperate; the thermometer, I'ahrenheit, seldom rises above 72°, the lowest range
being 23^30'. Southerly winds prevail for two-lhirtls of the year, and sununer lasts
from May to Sepleiidicr. The atmosi)here is sensii)ly affected by the current which
flows from tin; southern latitudes of Japan and China. The Kuro-Siwo brings the
warmer temperature of the southern seas in the same way as the Gulf Stream has
heightened the salubrity of the British Islands."
It has been said tliat the weather of Vancouver Island is miKl(M' and steadier than
that of the south of England, the summer longer and liner, and the winter shorter and
less rigorous ; and this is saying a great deal. The climate of this Island must be almost
f)erfection. It is its oldest inh;'b:lant who should be the most free from tlisease.
The harbour ui' \ icloria has a narrow entrance, is small, not very deej), and is
rather inconveniently shaped ; but as iisquimalt is near enough to serve as an ad-
ditional port, \'ictoria does not suffer. When the days come, foreshadowed in tlu:
address of tlu' Chinese residents to Governor Kenned)-, the neck of kuul that now
separates the two harbours may be cut : " I's like this uo charge place ; see it will
grow and grow higher to highest ; can see a Canton will be in Victoria of this Paciiic.
The maritime enterprises will add up wonderfully and come (piick. China has silks,
tea, rice and sugar. Here is lumber, co.il, inintrals, and lish an exhaustless supply
which no other land can sin-j)ass." ICs(|uimalt harbour is a gem ; not very large, but
the anchorage is excellent, and it has all the other requisites of a hrst-class harbour;
and in the Royal Roads outside, along the coast as far as Race Rocks, any number
of ships can ride safely.
370
OUR riCTURJiSQUE
AOA'////:A'.V NEU.illiOR 37 1
With the railway compK'te from Victoria to Nanaiino. the islanders believe that Es-
<iuimall will be the emporium for the trade from tin- coast of Asia, and ilial passengers
and freight will hi- takini thence in cars to Nanaimo, and from that point cross the
(lulf of Georgia in steam-ferries to \ancouver. It may hi' so. Who in this century
will set limits to the possible ? New Westminster, a capital when tlic mainland was
a separate Province, and still the cintcr of a piomising district, hopis to gel a share
of this great expected trade, and in the meantime has built a short line to connect
with the Canadian Pacific Railway, at V'ancoii\er, tin- Pacilic tcrnnnus of the trans-
continintal r.iihoad.
The ([uesiion as to where all the trade was to comc! from, on which so man)'
hopes were built, has alri'ady beiMi answered to a great extent. The discovery of
the Klondike gold fields and the consequent influx of prospectors and traders ha\e
given these points ample proof of the wisdom of this action. The wonderful dcvclop-
im-nl of the trade with China has also shown to the world the advantages of these
harbors and the excellent railroad facilities for connection with trans-continental lines.
The extension of British sovereignty over ports and districts in what is familiarly called
the b'ar Kast has, by increasing the importance of liscjuimalt as a naval station, added
to th(! rank of other towns as shipping points.
From New Westminster a drixc of six or seven miles along an old concession line
running due north takes us to the upper ind of Hurrard In! 't. Nearer the mouth (jf
the Inlet, and on opposite sides, are the villages of Ciranxille and Moodyville, both
places created by, and living upon, saw-mills and the ships that come for lumber. Up
to the head of the Inlet, a distance of three miles, extends Port Moody, a beautiful
sheet of water. \ar}ing in width from one-third to more than half a mile, and with
good anchorage everywhere. Vancouver, charmingly situated on the south shore of
the inlet, had no existence before the year 1885, when it became the Pacific terminus
of the "C. P. K." A year later, when it had 600 inhabitants, tlu' embryo city was
devastated by fire. Its growth, its civic vitality and the activity at its wharves, added
to the substantial apjiearancc? of Hastings Street, its chief thoroughfare, with a popu-
lation close upon 20.000, are marvellous. On the peninsula, to the west of the town,
is Stanley l^ark. a line reservation of original forest. 940 acres in extent.
British Columbia has had to grajiple with the question of road or railway con-
struction from the first da)s of the colony till now. Perl^ips there never was a
country in the wide world where the problem was so difficult, nor one where with such
limited resources it has, on the whole, been so successfully solved. How to reach the
rich bars of the Frazer, how to get to Cariboo or the Big Bend of the Columbia or
Kootaney, how to obtain railway connection with the rest of the Dominion, have been
the great (|uestions that have successively agitated the public mind. Steamboats can
or/^! rici'Ki.soci':
rOK'l MOODY.
\'esscl toiuajniii;; \\\>\ »lii| iiieiit of Caiuula I'aiita K. K. Iroii.
a'^rend the I'niscr as far as \'alc. Hcyoiul that \ illaL^f, the cartons tliroiit;h wliich tlie
river l)oils nial.c ii:i\iL;ation too diHuult and daiii^crous for ordinarx traffic. I'Or a
niiinlxT of years alter 1S5S, N'ale was the j^nat centre of ^old niinii.^, or washing-,
rather. l\\cry s.ind hir was cro\\de(l with wliite men from all lamls under the sun;
.ind ^'ale then had the priiud [ire-einimiK c of lieinj^ the wicked 'st place in British
C ohnnhia. Now, onl\- Chinese are at work re-washini;' the abandoned claims; and
\ ale is neither hetter nor worse than an\' other \illa'.M- on the I'acitic slope. 'I"he
scenery at \ ale is of tin- hohlesi, and is characteristiialU llritish C'ohimliian. (iranile
Mountains rise precipilousl\- from the river, and emlose lln' \illaL;(' ''ii <'V(r\ side.
I here is little -,oil to cultivate, hut .1 ( hinaman has redeemed a j^arden from the
mountain -^ide, and it is a specimen i\'{ what could he done on a larj^cr scale. 'I he
patch is ii-ri'^ated ^o deltly with wat' 1 when needeil. or with liipiid manure, that there
is hardly a v i-lmi,i1)1( or, fruit th:it c.m he named, all of the liest kinds, too. th.it the
(pii( I. industrious h How is not rciidv to supplv \(»u with. The miners have conu" and
,L;'<>ne. !■ very one L;ave them welcoine wIk n thev c .un(\ and shi il a tear, metaphor-
i(allv, when they went. They took thi' iream from the river hirs and left no other
si'_;n. 'I he t^ardener L;()t no welrome and expeits no tear. IWn. when he trocs, lie
haves something; li< hin ', The countrv is the richer for his lahour for al! time.
It was a ipiestion wnetlur the road to Cariboo .should )i<_ made up the l'"raser, or
.\v>A' Tiii-RX .\i-:n;iiiu >a'
A I' ANON ON 11 IK IIi>M NI'IICO.
2 74
Oi R / '/C7 '(yA'/:S(J UH
by steamer from Victoria to the head of Bute Inlet, and waggon-road thence up the
Homathico. The latter would have been the shorter and, jx-rhaps, th(; mort; pictur-
esque route. The proposed water liighwa)' is one of the wonderful tk)rds that cut
their way through iron snow-capped mountains into the very heart of the Cascade
range. The scene at the head of the; Inlet is magnilicent. Cirt;at mountains, curtained
with glaciers, rise almost perpendicularly into the region of eternal snow. The only
sr uiul heard is the muttled ihunchtr of cataracts leaj)ing from bluff to bluff, or washing
<lown the slippery rocks in broad white bamls. The cai"^ons of the Homathico are
e\cii grandtM- than those of the I'Vaser. "The towering rocks, thousands of feet high,
serrated and broken by dark chasms ; far above these again, the snow-clad peaks, con-
nected b)- huge glaciers, out of which issued torrents that fell in ca.scades ; and in a
deep gorge Ix-ncath, a mountain torrent, whirling, iKMling, roaring, and huge boulders
alwa\ s in motion, muttering, groaning like troubleil spirits, and ever and anon striking
on the ro( ks, making a report like the booming of distant
artillery. With all this wildness, there is the fresh beauty ^
of v(!getation. Wherever there is a crevice, to the base of
the snow-clad peaks, were clumps of evcTgreen trees, and
lower down wherever a handfid of soil could rest it was
ON I'm. NoKllI IMnMl'MJiN KiVt-K.
X()/r/7//:A',V NEI(;illH)R 275
sprinkled with wild llnwers, amonc;st which bloomed the sweet lily of the valley." The
I'raser River route was adopted, and a wagj^on-road, connectin^^ the rich Cariboo
mines with \.\\v. settlements on the sea, was built. lor a youn^j colony with a
handful of people it was a work as wonderful in its way as any of those that ha\e
immortalized the Romans as the threat road-makers of the workl. It had to be hewn
for miles sideways out of rocks that rose almost per[)endicularly from the x'wv.x to the
heiijlu of som(.'times more? than a thousand feet, or cloven throusj^h projectinij spurs, or
built up with crii)-work. .As we wound alont,' the narrow road, the waiL^^on appearing,'
at a distance like an insert fin the face of the mountain, brushing; ajijainst tlu; hillsides
that rose abrupll) far al)o\c, and ^azins^ down at the I'raser hundreds of feet below —
at one time a m.iss of sea-L,n'een water crested with white, boiling; ihrout^h ijjateways of
columnar rocks appan iitly not a lunulreil feet apart, at another time a muddy torrent
lu;avy witii snow-lields melted by summer suns— how could we help payiny^ tribute to
tile pioneers, the hearts of oak who crawled or fooled it over these boundless savai^*;
wiklernesses, animateil thout,di they were by no loftier passion than the aiiri stxira
Jaiiiis / And wlien they reached Cariboo, what a country for men with no implements
but the pick and slioxi-l the\' hail jjackcnl on their backs! " /\ molten sea, lashed into
t^iifantic billows, which at the very hei^dit of the storm had been sucUhnly petrified."
these tumultuous masses seamed with swollen creeks and Ljulches, sloj^es everywhere
thickK' wooded, norj^es choked with fallen timber, and all supplies of food hundn-ds of
miles away !
The hartlest nut that enLifineers and politicians have had to crack has been the rai^-
wa\ route throuL^h British Columbia. The Y(;llow Hi;ad Pass, nc^ar tlu; sources of
the Fraser, formerly called Cowduni^^ Lake, or Leather Pass, was seleitid as a common
point for a northern, central, or southern ocean terminus ; and after explorations Ioul;-
continued the line was located thence down the North Thompson. Ihit when tlie
work was transf<Tr('(I i)y the- Canailian Government to a sjndiiate. an air line from
W innipi ^ was decided on, >nid the railway, therefore, runs Ljenerally aloni; the line t)f
the liftitith or lifty-first de-j^ree of north latitude. Travellers their nimiber incn-ases—
who have had to penetrate the valley of tiie North Thompson will not be -^orry that
.1 sunnier route has been chosen. W'l- followed in the track of Milton :ind Cheaille,
anil our memories, of the q^loomy valley are pretty much the same as theirs. As with
most or .all of the rivi-rs of liritish Columbia, it is a i^ori^e rather than a \alley. Uni-
form forests of iVwV u;reen spruce, lir, or ce'dar clothe the hii^h hills that rise on each
side of the stream, and 'glimpses an; li.iil every now and then of hieher ranges of
snow\' peaks be\ond. TJure is timber for the world's market for tin- ne\'. few i eu-
turies, and, as f.ir as we could see, nothing more.
But tlie most wonderfid thing in British Cohnubia is IMr. Duncan's Indian s«-ltle
ment at Metlakahtla. This simple great man left b.ngland in |S^- as a lay agent
uuK rirrrRi-sorr:
•J.
t^
s
r.
NORTHERN NHlGJinOR 277
of the Church Missionary Society, to labour among the i simshean tribes on the north
coast. He landed at Fort Simpson, learned their language, and did his best there for
some years ; but fmding it impossible to accomplish permanent results where th<! sur-
rounding influence's on the converts wctc all opposed to his teachings, he, like another
Moses, proposed that they should remove to a ]»lace where the\" could l)egin a new
settlement under laws drawn up by him and approved by themselves. They tell in
with the proposal and pointeil out Metlakahtla, an old home of their own, as a suit-
able Palestine. When the time for the exodus came, many who had urt>ed liim to
take the decisive step drew back, and only fifty souls, men, women, and children,
accompanied him. What is to be seen at Metlakahtla now? Lord DutVerin in 1876
told the world of "the neat Indian maidens in Mr. Duncan's school as modest and as
well dressed as any clergyman's daughters in an English parish," and of "scenes of
primitive peace and innocence, of idyllic beauty and material comfort." Bishop Ridley,
who visited it in 1879, was amazed when at the sound of the church bell he saw well-
dressed Indians pouring out from the cottages on both wings of the village, and meet-
ing like two strong currents at the steps of their noble church, the largest in iiritish
Columbia, and built entirely by themselves. " It would be wrong to suppose, " he very
properly remarks, "that the love of (>od impelled them all. All without reasonable
cause to the contrary are expected to attend the public services, A couple of police-
men, as a matter of routine, are in uniform, and tiiis is an indication that loitering
during service hours is against proper civil order. This whoUsonu,' restraint is pos-
sible (luring these early stages of the corporate lift; of the community. At present
one strong will is su|)reme. To resist it every Indian feels would be as impossiI)le as
to stop the tides. This righteous autocracy is as much feared by the ungodly around
as it is respected and adinired l)y the faithful. " Alas that the Bishop should have
dashed himself against " this righteous autocracy." But, as long as British Columbia
is a Province, or one streak of Indian blood runs in the \eins of any of its jH-ople, as
long as the heart of the Christian beats in sympathy with life-long martyrdom, so
long will the name of William Duncan be honoun-d, not in Canada alone, but by the
Church universal, and most of all ' y those who feel that the white man owes a debt
to the red man.
Entering British Columbia from the east and proceeding westward by the line of
the Canadian Pacific Railway, we make the actpiaintance of five ranges of mountains.
The Rocky Mountains proper form the eastern boundary of the Province. Descending
their western slopes b\- the valley of the Kicking Horse, we come upon the Columbia,
swee|)ing away to the north, and see the Selkirks rising on the other side of the river,
apparently so impenetrable that for a long time it was supposed that they were clelt
by no pass, and that there was no way of contpiering them but by a flank movement
down the Columbia and round by its " Big Bend." There is a pass, however, and in
27S OUR /'/c'rrN/iS(juE
1S63 Mr. \V. iviohcrl)-, C. V.., would have discovered it or perished in the attempt,
lull liis Indians refused to follow him, insisting that if they went on they would be
caught in the snow and ne\cr ;;ct out of the mountains. Consetjvseiitly the honour of
discovering it fell to Major Rogers, C. K., who, after repeated attempts, succeeded in
1SS2, (•realK' to the; satisfaction of tin; s\ii(licate that had undertakeu the constnuiion
of the railway. Crossing the Selkirks by the Rogers I'ass, we come .again upon the
Columl)ia, greatly increased in size, and now running to the south, and see thi- (iold
range rising on the other side of the river, cloven to the fet-t 1)\' the I'.agli' I'ass,
which Mr. W . MoI)erl\ iliscovttred in 1S65. Prexious lo this the Gcjkl range was sup-
posed in ih-itisii Cohnnliia to he. an unbroken and impassable wall of mountains.
I'rom the summit of tiie I'ass a series of lakes e.xtind westward, the largest known as
iiluft, X'ictor, Three Valley, and llriffin, all strung liki- l)eads on the b.agle Riv<.:r, and
emptying through it into the e.xcpiisitely beautiful, star-sha|ied Lake Shuswap. I'lnuig-
ing from tlie ilark blue waters of Lake Shuswap, aiul sailing ilou 11 llu- South Thomp-
son, we come upon the elevated plateau that e.xteiuls from the Ciold rangt; west lo the
Cascades. The physical character of this intervening region is directly the opjiosite
ol the humid mountainous country.
At Kamloops the North llows into the South Thompson, and tlu; unitetl ri\(r
pursues its course to the braser. liverywhere the countr\ is of the same gemral
character — low brown hills and i)enches dottt'il with an occasional tree, everywhere a
dry, dusty look, except where a little creek is used to irrigate a llat or garden plot and
convert it into a carpet or riband of the freshest green. These bits of gn^en aic like
oases in a desert, beautiful to look upon .and \ielding al)ini(lantl\ excry \ariety <>( fruit
or grain. Irom \'ale to the (lull ot Cieorgia is the I,ow<t I r.iser. or New \\ lUniinsler
district, pt^rhaps the most valuable part of British Columl)ia fioni .m agricultural point
of view. Irrigation is not required as in the inti'iior, anil the rainfall is not too ex-
cessive, as in other |)arts of the coast region.
The best views of the Cascades are obtained from the- deck of a ste.inur in the
mitklle of the Straits of (leorgia. b'rom \\\r. same standpoint we see the lifth range,
counting from the jirairies of iIk; northwest, a r.ange whi(h has been submerged here
.and there b\ the i'acilic Ocean, but which standi out grandly in the OKmpian Moun-
tains to tlu- south of the .Straits of I'uc.i, in the noble serrated range lh.it ( onstitutes
the iiack-bone of X'aniouxcr Island, .and in the <_)ucen ("harlottc Isl.uuls and the .Arthi-
pelago .away along lh<^ coast of .Alaska. This half-submerged r.ingi' protects the
m.iinland shon-s of the Proxinctr fi'ou) the ocean, and is ihr explan.ition of liie spei-
tach; pres<-nted by its toast line, whiili Lord I>ullerin declared "not to be p.n'alhdeil
In* any country in the world. Day after day," said Mis LNcellcnc)', "for a whole
week, in a x'essel of nearU j.ooo tons, we threaded an interminable lal)\rinth of watery
lanes ami reaches that wouiui endli'ssly in and out of a network of islands, protnon-
NOR rmii<i\ NHii.ifnoR
279
tories, and peninsulas for tlioiisands of miles, iinruttled by the slifrjucst swell from tlic
t'ldjoininj^ ocean, aiul |)resentinL; at every turn an cxcr shifting- comliination of rock,
verdi.ic, forest, i^iacier, and snow-capped mountain of unrivalled grandeur and beauty."
Vcvr^-
VALE.
From iIkj description just _>i^Iven of Aw. country between the summit of tlie Rocky
Mountain, i'.nd llie lon^- rollci-s of the I'acitii:, it is exident tlial P)ritisli (.'olunil)ia is
tilt; complcnu'.ni. of the northwest. The one is a sea of mountanis ; the other a sea
of wa\in;^ o'''^^"' ''^ smnmer, an uni)roken expanse of snow in winter. Hut just as the
fcrlih; ancl illimilaijie |)lains .md prairies of the northwest are tlixcrsilietl b) ranges of
.sandhills and ahrujit steppes or ancient beaches, by alkali llats and tleepl\ eroded val-
leys, so the successive rau'^cs of mii^litx- mountains btn'ond are seamed and separateil
by j^reat rivers or arms of the si-a whose sands are golden and whose channels are
ciioked with lish, while stretches of i)astoral laml offi-r the best food in the world foi'
horses, cattle, and sliee[), aiul every here; and tluM'e pleasant nooks by lakes and rive
boitoin , ma\- be made to briny forth for a laryc population and to blossom as the
garden of tlu; Lord. The Province is in its infancy, and, like every other country in
a8o OUk I'lCTiRIiSQUli
tlu; nineteenth century, in haste to be filled up and become rich. Let it have pa-
tience. Its time will come : for Lord Dufferin was not too enthusiastic when he
called it a 'glorious Province." There is other wealth than that which comes from
the labour of the farmer. A vein of gold-bearing cjuartz or argentiferous galena will
draw men with pick and shovel from the ends of the earth, and build up a town in a
month. An acre of water on the lower I'raser, or on one of the innumerable inlets
that cut deep into island and mainland, will yield more than the richest prairie farm.
These pastures of the sea are exhaustless, for as fast as they are cropped the Pacific
contributes fresh supplies, and the fisherman does not need to till and feed the soil
from which he expects to reap. A spar of Douglas pine is worth more than a field
of wheat. And the coal of Nanaimo is the best on the Pacific coast. All that
Hritish Columbia needs for its full development is labour. Therefore, let it welcome
every kind of labour that offers to cultivate its soil, work in its canneries, dig in its
mines, or build its roads. All such labour enriches a country, no matter who the
labourers may be, no matter whether they eat pork and rice or beef and potatoes, no
matter whether the)' smoke opium or drink whiskey. Make laws against all kinds of
immorality and uncleanness that law can reach ; prohibit both opium and whiskey, but
encourage labour. Labour is capital, the only capital that can be depended on and that
needs the least regulation by politicians. Therefore, not only because God loves the
world, not only because all men are free — free to sell their labour and enjoy its fruits
— hut because the common weal is most promoted when the rights of the meanest are
respected, British Columbia should scorn to imitate the anti-social legislation of Cali-
fornia. Looking at the Chinaman in no other light than a piece of machinery, wel-
come him. Machinery is just what such a Province needs. It can never be developed
except by the use of all kinds of labour-saving machines. Of course every new
machine, and even every improvement in machinery, displaces labour to some extent.
Hardships may have to be suffered by a class for a time ; but in the end all will be
benefited. Never did five millions of people make greater sacrifices to bind them-
selves into material unity than Canadians are now making. What is the sentiment
that animates us ? A faith that the British name and British institutions are worth
making sacrifices for. Our flag symbolizes a wonderful past, and the chief glory of
that past from the days of Alfred, the Barons of Runnymede, Hampden, or Sydney,
is the memory of ancestors who have willingly died for the good old cause oi human
freeUom. VVe cannot live where men are treated as anything less than men.