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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. TMIi LIFE AND TIMES f ) k.-» JL 1 A ( . ( ) 1 1, n nx *o(>rnFi4 .i» ^nr iA.A)>t*,s i**nu«>*x<^ rU. HKBKLl W .N 0!' »h3/ — {'Alt' i VMB> 'fcH ■ H }IIGG1N5:> ( BLA.KETT R(Mj NSON, 6 .J<»KI>AN J^IHEKT. IH87. J iSTHl REN /> THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD, EX-MEMBBB OF TUS CANADIAN PAitLIAJfENT. STHUG0LB8 OF THE EARLY CANADIAN 8BTTLER8 — SETTLEMENT OF UXBBIDOB SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ONTARIO— THE REBELLION OK 1837 — PARLIAMENTARY CAREER, ETC., ETC. REMINISCENCES OF SIXTY YEARS OF ACTIVE POLITICAL AND MUNICIPAL LIFE. ^ .. BY W. H. HIGGINS. TORONTO: C. BLACKETT ROBINSON, 5 JORDAN STREET. 1887. ^°'!fJL^.'^°°'?^.* ^ t"\ °!. *^* P*'-»»°»«°* «' O'^o^' «° the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven, by C. Blackktt Robinson, in the Offloo of the Minister or Agrioalture. F CONTENTS. Chai'Trr I. PAOR e thoasand le Minister Birth uf Joseph Gould— How his father, Jonathan Gold, was obliged to make a home in Canada— Parentage— Ancestry— A "boyish whim" changes the spelling of the family name 21 Chaptkr II. Migration to Canada, 1805— Townships settled by " Pennsylvania-Dutch " families- How the long journey from Pennsylvania was made— First halting-place, New- market — Disappointed with the country — Wishes to return to the States— Sets to work— Saving up to return— Failure and loss— Accepts patent of lot in lieu of savings — The location — Description of the new settlement— Names of the first pioneers of Uxbridge— Indians— Helpful neighbours 24 Chaptkr III. Building of the log shanty— First residence of the (Moulds in Uxbridge-" My father's log cabin " described in verse— Brothers and sisters— Death of father and mother —Hospitality of the shanty — Early impressions — First lesson 27 Chapter IV. Mode of clearing the land — Wasteful burning of valuable timber— Crops — Mode of harvesting — ' ' Raisings " and " logging bees "— ' ' Exchanging work "—"Tooting the horn"— Lost in the woods— Code of signals — Tattoo— Bears and wolves — Hairbreadth escapes— Women and children devoured — Cattle, sheep and hogs carried off- Hunting and trapping wild animals— Tragic story of Corporal Craw- ford and his family — Devoured by the wolves 32 Chapter V. Want of educational facilities — First school — Delight at first reading lesson — Extent of schooling— Studies by the log fire — Put to work— Handy at the axe— Soon able to do a man's work— Chopping and clearing— Connection with the Hilborn family 31) Chapter VI. Effects of the War of 1812— Immigration checked — The Alien Act— Disheartened American citizens return to the States— Confiscations— Gloomy outlook — Pro- gress—Social ties taking root — Joseph Gould as a young man- Character— Books Frame buildings — Decides upon being a carpenter— Arrangement with his father — Engagement with a master — Reflections on the step taken — Proficiency — Unhealthy season — Taken down with fever , . 41 VIU. CONTENTS. Chaptbr VII. PAGE The story of the murder of Isaac James— Remarkable dream of his mother — The murderer tracked — His arrest and execution— Yankee '"outeness" in getting the reward 45 I !. Chaptkr VIII. Illness — Recovery— Working at the trade— Builds a house and bam for his father— Other jobs — Again ill— The "Fungus" trouble— The "great misfortune of his life "—Treatment— Dr. Widmer — The darkened consulting room — Fright and horror- Skeleton of Christie, the murderer — " Quacks and fools "-Dr. Widmer's opinion— Treatment— Dr. Givins- Cause of the fungus— Detained in York three months for treatment — No permanent cure 50 ' I Chapter IX. Impressions of his first visit to York— Wonders how people lived such an idle life— And how they were able to pay their way — And at the large number who talked politics and walked the streets — Monice Lawrence's hotel — Learns his A B C in politics — First access to a newspaper — The Colonial Advocate gives him his first lesson — Opinion of the Lieutenant-Governor — Of the Executive Council — Of the Legislative Council— Humorous and sarcastic description — "Black Rod" — The Assembly — Our splendid country — One-seventh part of the land given away for the support of the clergy of the Established Church — The list of "Grievances" — The demand for Responsible Government, etc.— The popular representatives the best men in the country — Mackenzie, Baldwin, Rolph, Bidwell, Perry, Randall — The voice of the Assembly ignored — Agitation for the secularization of the Clergy Reserves — The Governor and Council opposed to all reform— Preparations for a general election — Public excitement — State of aflfairs in 1830— Reads and hears both sides — Makes a deliberate choice — The principles of the Reform Party the best for the country— Reasons for that conclusion — From that time out a Reformer 54 Chapter X. Engagement to run a sawmill — The dam being carried away puts an end to the job — Becomes a " Boss " carpenter— Contracts for and completes several buildings — Becomes restless — Prepares to go to Cleveland — A talk with Ezekiel James changes his mind— Leases a Clergy Reserve lot— Chops and clears thirty acres — Puts in a first crop — Something to brag of— Advantage gained and never lost afterwards — A barn wanted — No lumber to build — Interview with J. P. Plank — Unsuccessful— Plank offers to sell the sawmill— Negotiations -Buys— Plants his "first stake" in Uxbridge— The dam rebuilt— Breaks away again — Matters worse than ever — Severe loss 60 Chapter XI. Unfortunate journey on Christmas Day— An undesirable driving horse— Bad run- away — Bad wound from a hemlock knot — The knot in the wounded flesh holds horse and driver !— Taken to Joseph Wixson's and cared for— Doctor cent for — *V?" CONTENTS. IX, PAGE er— The getting , 45 FAOE Terrible wound — A piece of the knot taken out— Taken home— Bemoans his loss, but thankful— Able to go to work again— The sawmill a complete wreck — Repaired — Irwin called in, and makes a good job of it — Mill works splendidly— A large lot of lumber cut— Ready sale, but mostly on credit — Custom of paying accounts — Hard to make ends meet— Where there is a will there is a way— Successful struggle— Fortunate in a boarding-house 64 50 Chapter XII. Uxbridge— 1806— 1833— A mighty change— The "first break" in the forest— 1806- Dr. Beswick— Sets about building a gristmill and sawmill — Discouraged— Sells out— Joseph Collins— The mills finished— 1807- 1809— Robert Wilson— His im- provements — Sells out to J. P. Plank — He builds a sawmill— Sells out to Mr. Gould— Enterprise of Joseph Collins— His accidental and melancholy death — l&lo — A great calamity — Severe blow to the progress of the place— His widow and children — The property neglected — 1825— Mr. Plank's purchases— Builds a hotel and storehouse — Carleton Lynde — First merchant in Uxbridge — Mr. Gould settles down— Uxbridge in 1832 67 Chapter XIII. Successful operation of the sawmill — Good wheat crop— Prosperity — A hole in the dam— Narrow escape— Another bad break — Disheartened with the mill — Likes farming better — Exchanges for farm land— Squire Bagshaw- Bagshaw rebuilds the dam— Breaks away again— Bagshaw disgusted— Wants to "trade" back- Leaves the place— Writes Mr. Gould, giving up the mill — Finds out that Bag- shaw does not own the land traded — Legal proceedings — Resumes possession of the mill— Bagshaw returns — A scene— Bagshaw in danger of another "mill" — Runs— Peace — An amicable settlement — A lasting job made of the dam— In- creased prosperity— Better arrangements— Housekeeping — Reflections 71 54 Chapter XIV. The Collins family— What became of the widow and children— Poetic epistle to Joseph Collins, enclosing a $10 bill — John Bogart — Furtb'^r particulars of early settlement — " A wide-awake Dutchman" — Tribute to Mrs. Plank — Renewed immigration— Further additions— 1834 — Joel and Rufus Bardwell — Two " smart " Yankees— Rufua " wanted " at the American side — How the deputy sheriff and constable were tricked— Epistle to a brother poet— Still rhyming and romantic . . 7& 60 Chapter XV. Abraham Anderson settles— 1835— Buys from the Bard wells — Joel Bardwell buys the Gould gristmill and farm— Joel "wanted" — His escape from the constable — The constable turns up as the owner of the farm !— Suspicions about the transfer —Robert Taylor builds and does a ''smashing" business — Joseph Bascom starts a tannery, etc. — First mail route— First postmaster of Uxbridge— Weekly mails —Mr. Bascom's improvemenii; Other improvements— Joseph Marsland — His improvements — Mr. Anderson's improvements — 1836 — Unsuccessful merchants — The mills— Price of lumbei*- -Other old settlers 84 CONTENTS. Chaptkb XVI. PAOE Popularity of Gould's mill — Increasing prosperity — What industry and self-denial can do — Punctuality in engagements — Good results of this principle — A lesson to others— Looking out for a helpmate — Youthful follies corrected — Turns to his friends the Quakers to choose a wife— The James Family— Three well-brought-up daughters — Opinion of the Quaker dress for ladies— Fashionable dress condemned — Admiration of the James young ladies— Invited to the house — Courtship — Mary James — His attachment reciprocated— Proposes— Is accepted — The " day" fixed— A light heart—" Many a slip," etc 87 Chaptbr XVII. Politics — Takes the Reform side— Speaks at public meetings- A local leader — Incon- venient polling places— Evil effects of the system then prevailing— Polls kept open for a week and longer— The tavern-keepers' harvest— Their tricks— Open houses— Other bad practices— Violence and scenes of strife during an election contest — Free-holders — The work of canvassers— Mr. Gould's personal experi- ences — Support of Mackenzie — Mackenzie's expulsion from the House and re-elections — Election reminiscences— Mrs. Doble 91 i ! -i * Chapter XVIII. i 1837— Misgovemment of Canada— The causes which led up to rebellion— Mr, Gould's statement of the case — Political excitement— Position of Lower Canada— The power of the Crown — The system culminating in rebellion — Upper Canada- Refusal to redress grievances — The "Family Compact" — Mr. Gould's convictions —Ogle R. Gowan and Orangeism — Estimate of Mackenzie— Bishop Strachan- Chief Justices Robinson and Draper — Misrepresentation of Reformers in England — Irritation of the people — Neglect and injustice — Causes of antagonism and revolt — Opposed to taking up arms — Believed the trouble might have been avoided— Statesmen wanted — Sir F. Bond Head— Great expectations— Disap- pointed hopes— Tory action — Sir Francis cajoled— He takes sides with the Tory party— His appointments — Mr. Baldwin — His remonstrance — Ministerial respon- sibility—Resignation of Reform Ministers — Constitutional fight — Sir Francis's views of his responsibility — Action of the Assembly — Official insolence— Indig- nant citizens— "A Roland for an Oliver"— First low mutterings of insurrection — Demand for Responsible Goverament 98 Chaptbr XIX. Active measures— Mr. Gould not a willing participant — Confidence still in redress of grievances by the Home Government— Unable to dissuade Mackenzie from his plans— Taunted with cowardice — Remonstrances unheeded— Nothing left for him but join his friends— Arrival at Montgomery's— State of things there— Mackenzie opening mail-bags — No order or discipline— Precautions against surprise — Sets pickets, etc.— ** Captain " Matthews— First attack on the city by the Don Bridge —The troops in motion— The "patriots" march against them— Struggle in the **bush "—Badly armed— Hostilities commence— Play of the field-pieces— Destruc- tive efifeot-*' Captain" Wideman killed— Others wounded— Montgomery's taken CONTENTS. XI. PAOB >lf-denial lesson to 18 to his DUght-up ndemned irtship — 87 91 PAOK —The hotel set on fire— "The day lost" — Dispersion of the patriots— Unable to get home— Takes to the woods — Surrounded and captured— Taken to Toronto — Imprisoneil in the Legislative Council Chamber— Examination — Release — Marriage 106 Chapteb XX. County Ontario — Name — Extent— Boundaries— Face of the country — North and South Ridings — Parliamentary representation — The "Gerrymander"— West Ontario- Mr. George Wheler and Mr. J. D. Edgar— Municipal representation — Township, town and village municipalities — County council -United counties of Ontario, York and Peel — Separation— Ontario constituted a new county — Proclamation— Provisional County— Whitby the County Town 112 Chapter XXI. Ancient divisions of the Province— The Act of 1788 — New districts— Early settlement — U. E. L.'s. — American patriots— First county settlers — 1794 — Benjamin Wilson — Raiding Indians— Wilson's provisions looted — The frightened family move on — A friendly chief — Provisions restored — A peace belt — Friendship with the Chip- paway band— The first Farewells— Sergeant Cranford —Settlement of the Fare- wells—Trading with the Indians — The murder of John Sharp — Eleazir Lockwood — O-go-ton-og-cut — Colonel Givins— Arrest of the murderer— Toronto Island — Question of jurisdiction— Prisoner to be tried in the Newcastle District— Loss of schooner Speedy, with judge, crown prosecutor, prisoner, constables, witnesses and all on board- Solicitor-General De Grey — His will — Manumission of and provision for his slaves , 116 Chapter XXIL Names of early front settlers — First surveys — Whitby and Pickering one district municipality— Old municipal records — Extracts from minute book— Names of first township officers — Curious by-laws— Great plenty of game and fish— Salmon caught with pitchforks — Chased by wolves — Jabez Lynde — His house — 1803 — First Bchool in Whitby — Early immigrants — "The Irishmen" — "The Scotch- men"— "The Englishmen "—How distinguished— New arrivals — Gradual settle- ment—Names of settlers, 1811—1820—1822—1829 to 183:J— Old Baptist Church- Place for meetings — The Old Kirk built— Local gatherings — Consumption of whiskey — Division of the township — Area, assessment, valuation, etc. — Vil- lages, etc 123 Chapter XXIIL East Whitby— Area, population, assessed value — Number of ratepayers on roll — First settlers— First gristmill— Sawmills— First road made— Help's settlement — 1831 — Immigrants — Successful farmers — Their descendants — Oshawa Creek- Mills — Local market — Growth of settlement — Mr. Wright — His more the only available horse — His ox-cart — A kind neighbour— Villages 130 ^ . . Chapter XXIV. Pickering — Character of soil, area, population, assessed value, etc. — VillaKes — First settlers— Old records— Early township officers— 1800— 1810— Settlers— 1811— 1815-1816— 1820— 1821— Settlers, 1825 to 183&-Squire Leys-Squire Birrell— XII. CONTENTS. '■ i i PAOB Court of Requests— Fothergill — McKay— Old Brock Road settlement — Demorest's sawmill— Other grist and sawmills — Kinsale settlement— Captain Macaulay — Want of roads— Immigrants of '32 and '34— The Millers, Joneses, etc. — Thomp- son's tavern— Township meetings — Specimen by-laws— 1836 — 1837— Peter Mat- thews — Settlern up to 1846 — Finit township library— Hector Beaton— Truman White — Dr. Tucker — Magistrates' court — Anecdote of Sqiiireb Birrell and Green. 132 » Chapter XXV. Reach —Survey, 1809 — Area — Assessed value, etc.— Quality of soil— Reuben Crandell — First white child born— Scugog— Port Perry — Villastea— Sheriff Paxton— Early settlers — Scugog Island — Statistics — Increase in vr,lue — Indians — Surveyed, 1816-17— Purdy's milldam— First settlers— Brock—1817— Surveyed— First settlers —Statistics— Quality of soil — James Reekie- " King of Brock " — Col. Vrooman — Ancestors of present settlers — John Hall Thompson — Nipissing Railway — A Tory township — Scott — Statistics of— Survey, 1807 — First settlers— Evans Jones — The Leasks, Weldons, Phillips, Thompsons, etc., etc.— Settlement from 1830. . 141 Chapter XXVI. Thorah— Statistics— Surveys, 1820 and '27— White, the surveyor, 1822 -Ensign Turner — Squire Cameron — Glengarry immigrants, 1824-'28 — Settlement of half-pay offi- cers — Islay settlers — Donald Calder, Hector Grant— Long journey to mill— First bridge — The Beaver River — Road from Beaverton to Oshawa — Sutherland and Argyll settlers— 1830— The Bruces— 1833— The Proctors— Charles Robinson — His descendants— The Ellises — John McKay— First post office— 1835 — Col. Cameron — Beaverton — Progress of township — Government grants for roads— Grants by county council— Railway bonus— Municipal representatives— Churches — Beau- tiful situation of Beaverton— Originally called Milton — 18'M and 1887 contrasted. 14& Chapter XXVII. Mara — First survey — 1821 — Completed 1836— Settlement — Soil— First clearings — Patrick Corrigan— 1823 — Arthur Kelly, an old Reformer— " Votes for Paxton" — 1827 — The Camerons, McDonaghs, etc. — Large Irish Catholic and Scotch Catholic settlement — Philip McRae, Alex. Kennedy — D. G. Hewett, J. P. Foley — Brechin— Midland Railway -Stations in municipality — Increased value of farm lands— Separation of Mara and Rama — 1869 — Statistics. Rama— First survey, 1834— Second survey, 1855 — Final survey — Settlement of British officers in 1835 — Captain McPherson, James McPherson, Captain Garnet, and others— Bank of Upper Canada and Indian Reserve purchase — Indian settlement at Orillia removed to Rama — Rama Indian village— Picturesque spot — Longford Mills- John Thomson— His sons — Uxbridge — Other early settlers and prominent men of Uxbridge — Statistics, etc 150 Chapter XXVIIT. Whitby — Constituted County Town— Slow growth — General review — Rise and pro- gress — Speculation— Evil results— Collapse— Enterprise checked— Fine houses and those who built them — "Trafalgar Castle" — Ontario Ladies' College — Churches, schools— Public buildings— Railway debt— Poor return for— Market before railways — Trade cut off — Manufactures — Bonuses— Old residents and new comers 166 CONTENTS. XIU. PAOB )einore8t'a acaulay — — Thomp. Bter Mat- —Truman ad Green. 132 I Crandell )n— Early 3arveyed, at settlers rooman — ilway — A »na Jones )ml830.. 141 fn Turner f-pay ofR- ill— First ■land and ison — His Cameron Grants by !8— Beau- ntrasted. 14& Barings — Paxton " Scotch P. Foley B of farm survey, a in 1835 '8— Bank Orillia Mills- ent men 150 ind pro- houses ollege — -Market Eind new 156 • • Chaptkr XXIX. PAOB lOahawa — Skae's Comers — Pioneer settlers— Their dnacendanta -First mail — Firat mill — The old families — Repreaentative men— Manufactures — First incorporated village in the county— Statistics. Port Perry— Incorporated— First store — First aawniill — Firat atart — Growth — Induatriea — Fires — Statistics — Founders of village. Cannington — Incorporated — Situation — Manufacturing facilities — Statistics 162 CHAPTKn XXX. ' • " * Municipalities of Ontario in the United Counties — Causes of separation from York and Peel — First Provisional Council— First meeting— Provisional warden and clerk— Interesting proceedings — Speeches of Joseph Gould and others — lleso- lution in favour of an appropriation for County buildings— Second meeting— No quorum — The struggle for County existence— Determined action of Mr. Gould— His casting vote— A protest— The struggle continued— Another meeting — Michael McDonagh — County treasurer— By-law and resolution passed — Public meetings — Mr. Gould's action endorsed — Nextmeeting — Proceedings— Recommendations for County officeR— Names of candidates— Proceedings in the courts — Friends of the County united by the oppressive action of the United Counties' representa- tives-Site for county buildings chosen — Contract let — Further abortive legal proceedings 166 Chaptkb XXXI. ! Firat meeting of Provisional Council, 1853— Members present — Proceedings— Mr. Gibbs elected warden — Displaced — Captain Rowe elected — A retrospect — Claimants for the County Town— A better understanding — Action of Georgina — Secedes— Mr. Hartman's conduct — Unjustifiable legislation— Remonstrance of Mr. Gould— Progress of the County buildings — Laying the Corner stone — An account of the grand doings upon that occasion — Testimony in favour of Mr. Gould's noble course— A letter from him placed with the depoaita under the Corner stone 178 Chaptkk XXXII. The fight for the County offices — Proclamation dissolving thfe union of Counties — The County of Ontario constituted — Official appointments — New Commission of the Peace— Sheriff Reynolds's appointment 187 Chaptkr XXXIII. 1854 — First meeting of the new County Council— Members present— Proceedings — Mr. Gibbs elected warden — County officials appointed — Names and dates- Opening of the courthouse— First sessions of the peace— Compliment to Mr. Gibbs— First assizes— Compliments all around— The Railway questicm — Influ- ential meeting — Resolutions passed — Railway charter obtained — Directors— Steps taken to build a line from Whitby to Georgian Bay — Sykes and Co.'s offer to build the road— The question at the municipal elections — By-law before the County Council discussed — Mr. Abraham Farewell's advocacy— Defeat of the XIV. CONTENTS. FAOB by -laws — It« disMtrous effdct*— Offer of Hon. George Brown— Surveys— Vain appeals to the County Council— Causes of liostility to the project— Action of the town of Whitby — County by-law subinitted - Tiefeatcd- -The Railway agitation kept up— Other lines projected and extended- Hailway campaigns— Celebration of the opening of the Toronto and Nipissing 192 !, 1 Hi! 4 I I li Chapter XXXIV. New railway charter— Whitby to Port Perry— Directors—Stock— Subscriptiona — Favourable contract — DissenHions — A nev contract en* ired into— The terms- Turning the first sod by H. R. H. Prince Arthur — More grand doings— The cere- mony — Loyal and enthusiastic welcome of the Prince— Addresses of the Town and County Councils— Replies of the Prince and Governor-General — Progress of the work — Change of contractors — Squabbling and bad management — Impending ruin the result — James Holden to the rescue — Completion of the line to Port Perry — The latter place boomed and built up 213 Chapter XXXV. Extension to Lindsay— Connection with the Victoria Railway— Great expectations- Municipal bonuses— Whitby leads the way— Government aid— Line opened to Lindsay — Amalgamation with the Midland— Swallowed up in the Grand Trunk —The Ontario Central- Other railway projects— The C P. R.— Present railway lines and connections within the county 223 Chapter XXXVL Visit of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales to the County— A memorable event— Special session of the County Council— Votes for the reception— Interesting proceedings — Appropriation — A gala day — Great rejoicing — Immense crowds— The decora- tions—The addresses — The replies, etc., etc., etc 225 Chapter XXXVIL Roads — Harbours — Proposed canal — Early want of County roads — The leading County highways— Government sale of roads and harbours — 1852— Whitby, Lake Scugog, Simcoe and Huron Road Company— Simcoe Street and the Nonquon — Old Brock Road— Appropriations— 1860, $20,000— County bridges— Appropria- tions for— Whitby Harbour improvements — 1833— John Wehh— Want of early shipping facilities —1842— Windsor Road Co.— Warehouses built — Purchase of the road and harbour— Seized and sold in 1863 by Government — Mr. Gould and Mr, Draper become the purchasers— 1870 — Road surrendered to the County — Death of Mr. Draper — Refusal of the town to purchase the harbour — A golden opportunity lost — Proposed canal — County grant for survey— Report of engineer. 240 I t I Chapter XXXVIII. Educational interests — Growth of education in the County — A retrospect of the past —Statistics— Public Schools— Separate Schools— High Schools of the county — County Model School— Ontario Ladies' College— Demill College— Pickering Col- lege — Foundation of the High Schools — Brief sketches— Indian School, etc 253 ! I 1 I CONTENTS. XV. Chapteb XXXIX. i'AOB inning— Stock-breeding— Position of the Farmers— First County Agricultural Sooiety— Officers— North Ontario County S.x;iety— J'rizes in '53 and '86— Volun- teer Companies- Formation of 34th Battalion- County Wardens — Parliamentary Representatives— The County Press 261 Chapteu XL. it. Gould urged to enter Parliament, 1854 — Candidate for North Ontario — The nomination— The other candidates— A Tory stronghold —Ogle R. (Jowan — The speeches— Mr. Gould's eltction address — The vote — Gould elected— Quarrel be- tween Messrs. Gibbs and Gowan 267 Chapter XLI. iKeform measures passed— A contrast — Differences with Mackenzie— Mr. Gould votes for measures, not men— Acserts his independence— A "tongue-thrashing" from Mackenzie, and a retort — Mr. John Lumsden — His election for South Ontario — The vote — Meeting of Parliament at Quebec, September, 1854 — Hincks beaten— The MacXab Coalition— Mr. Gould's votes— Approval of his constituents— The Clergy Reserves Hill— Mr. J. W. Gamble's amendment — Mr. Gould speaks — His position defined— Settlement of the Clergy Reserves and Seignorial Tenure Bills — Sir Edmund Head's reference to the settlement 27J Chapter XLII. Representation by Population, Mr. Gould battles for — Advocates Confederation in 1854— The true remedy for Upper Canadian grievances— Meeting of Parliament at Toronto, February, 1850— The Seat of Government question — Mr. Gould's course — Motion moved by him— Ministerial changes — Votes non-confidence — His seat attacked — A Committee appointed — Report in favour of Mr. Gould — Spirited action of the Legislative Council — Elective Legislative Councillors — Queen's Division— The candidates— Meetings and speeches— Activity of Mr. Gould— Mr. Simpson elected 279 Chapter XLIII. Session of February, 1857 — Seat of Government question— Lengthy debate— Referred to the Queen — Mr. Gould's vote— His Parliamentary work— Dissolution — General election — Mr. Gould again nominated for North Ontario — His address to the electors — Mr. Ogle R. Gowan again his opponent — Interesting proceedings at the nomination — Mr. Gould's speech— His anti-Catholic sentiments misrepresented — The true account of what took place— Explanations —Mr. Gould re-elected- The " Moderates "—The "Grits "—The "Baldwin Reformers "—The Coalitionists. . . 283 Chapter XLIV, Sffects of the injurious accusation against Mr. Gould — Mutual explanations— Ample reparation— Letter of Rev. Father Brayere — South Ontario, 1857 — First election of Hon. Oliver Mowat to parliament— Hon. J. C. Morrison his opponent— Origin of the term, "Christian Politician "—The appellation justified — Votes with Mr. XVI. CONTENTS. /■' •!'! ( r ' HiJ i'ii Mowat— And lives to see his son supporting him as Premier in the Logialatu of Ontario— Hon. Mr. Mowat'a supporters- James Drydon — His son, John Dryden, M.PP.-General election, July, 1861- Defeated-" Orange and Green" influences-nis work in subsequent contests— His labours in other directions : Educational, agricultural, commercial— In private life 287 I ■ Chapter XLV. ' A lucky venture— Death— Children— His will— Bequests—Disposition of property— Uxbridge Mechanics' Institute -" The Gould Relief Fund "- Donations to churches— Interest in the cause of P^ducation— Disposition of property amongst . the children- Isaac J. Gould, M. PP. -Gould Brothers- Electric light introduced —Family gatherings— Pleasing character— Conclusion 291 INTRODUCTORY. THE Life and Times of Joseph Gould — extending from the opening to ahuost the closing decade of the present century — embrace an important and exciting period of Canadian history, [t is a period full of stirring events, and in which he played no mimportant part. The history of the trials and struggles of the )ioneers of early settlement — of those first Canadian settlers who courageously entered "the forest primeval," and manfully hewed )ut homes for themselves — must always form a subject of deep interest and reflection, more especially to the Canadian reader, lit has already been told, and well told, and no doubt read with [profit, in various publications. Taken from the lips of one born in the midst of the hardships and privations incident to the posi- tion, the story can scarcely fail to awaken fresh interest. The story of Mr. Gould's life not only tells of unremitting toil, and of lifticulties overcome in the early condition of the country, but it lalso exhibits the reward which awaits honourable industry, self- jdenial and heroic perseverance. Born in a log cabin in the woods, Foseph Gould endured all the vicissitudes, and experienced in his )wn person almost all the varying fortunes of Canadian life. From barefooted boy, assisting his parents to pile up and burn a heap )f "brush" in a "clearing," he advanced, as he grew to manhood, [through all the gradations of pathmaster, municipal councillor, Ischool trustee, and warden, to the honour of a seat in Parliament [as representative of his native county. Mr. Gould was self-taught, and considering his early educational 18 THE LjFE and times OF JOSEPH GOULD. 1 I' I I I'l, . ! opportunities, or rather the want of them, his proficiency was wonderful. He was an insatiable reader and fairly devoured all the books and newspapers that came in his way. His first real political lessons were learned from Mackenzie's Colonial Advocate, although long before that he had taken part in election contests against " The Family Compact," and was looked up to as some- thing of an active local leader. The most prominent feature of his character was, however, a stern conscientiousness, and an intense love of liberty, combined with a determination to assert his own rights, and never, come what may, fail in meeting his business engagements. Before he ever read Shakespeare he had adopted Hamlet's grand precept — This above all— To thine own self be true ; And it must follow as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. The following pages disclose these characteristics, and also, while glancing at the manners and customs of the early days of settle- ment, exhibit the growth and progress of the country, from an unim- portant Crown colony, to its present grandeur as the Dominion of | Canada. The printing of his memoirs had been for some years contem- plated by Mr. Gould. A few months before his death he expressed a strong desire to avail himself of the author's services for that purpose. Invitations had been given to visit him and "talk matters over." But — Life's latest hour is nimble in approach — Death, all too swiftly, stepped in and prevented the conference that from various causes had been from time to time deferred. The family of Mr. Gould, desiring to carry out what they believe to be his wishes, have now undertaken the publication of his INTRODUCTORY. 10 jrence that memoirs as a filial duty. To further that object, they have placed an accumulation of miscellaneous papers and memoranda — the greater portion of them in the deceased gentleman's own hand- writing — at my disposal. Amongst these papers I find what was intended as an autobiography, continued up to the year 1837, and which is here made available as far as possible in the task I have undertaken. In these prefatory remarks, I also deem it entirely proper to give the reasons supplied by Mr. Gould (and which must have weighed with his family), for wishing to print the account of his life. They must enlist the sympathies of the reader for the yearnings of the man, who, with nothing to back him but his native energy and extraordinary industry, fought his way to a front place in his own little world, and who longed to be remembered in the story of hia successful life-battle. Here is how he expresses his sentiments on this head: — "It has been stated by the author of the history of one of the early settlements of Ontario that there exists, as one characteristic [ of the nineteenth century, an earnest desire on the part of many to I recall, and in mind to live over the days and years that are past. And I, too, most frankly confess that I have great pleasure in pondering over and musing upon the scenes of bygone days, and in thinking over again the hardships and struggles of pioneer life. And whilst this feeling is pretty general amongst the early settlers [of Canada, it has for its justification the fact that those men lived I longer and saw more in the same space of time than most other [men in any other age or country. The man of seventy, who has lived either in Canada or the United States all his lifetime, will have [witnessed greater changes and more material improvement than has probably taken place in Europe for a thousand years anterior to his time. He will have more to talk about and more to leave to posterity than the men who have preceded him of any former time. [ Take for instance the social, political and commercial condition of this country at the present time, and contrast it with what it was 10 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Ill I iir ' 'I sixty or seventy years ago. Is not the mind bewildered and amazed at the progress that has been made? And as a son of one of the earliest pioneers of Upper Canada — born in one of the first shanties built in the backwoods — and having taken some part in the political and material progress and development of the Province, and assisted in my humble way in bringing about those great changes, I may be excused if I acknowledge the gratification afforded me in reviewing the past ; in contemplating the scenes of my youth, and pointing out what the country was then, and what it is now, and in narrating some of the trials and privations and early struggles in which I have been engaged, and in describing the humble part I have taken in assisting the men of progress of my day in bringing about the happy and prosperous state of things which now obtains in the country of my birth. It is the great pleasure which I feel in all this that prompts the desire to write a short history of what my memory still retains of my own life and times, having reference to Canadian progress in general, and of the town and township of Uxbridge in particular." Although acquiescing in the rule universally respected — Da mortuis nil nisi hotuim — I have felt throughout the preparation of this work that nothing could justify any departure from the strict historical record; and whatever its deficiencies in other respects, I trust that I may be able to claim for it at least the merit of truthfulness and impartiality. 16 Clarence Square, Toronto, July 'iind, 1887. W. H. HiGGINS. r- ill (lerefl and Hon of one )f the tirst me part in e Province, lose great [)n afforded ties of my I wliat it is i and early 3ribing the ress of my I of things s the great J to write a \vn life and and of the )ected — De jaration of the strict! r respects, he merit of IlGGINS. CHAPTKU T. Birth of Joseph (SoiiM — How hiH futhor, Jonathan (iold, wan ohlij^ofl to mak« a homo in Canada- rurentui^e — Ance:4lry A " boyiith whim " chau^oB the Kixjlling of the family name. JOSEPH GOULD was l)()rn on the old Gould Farm, lot 32 in the ^' (Uh concession of Uxbridge, on the 2'.)tli of December, 1808. According to the received traditions of the locality, he was the second male child (of white parents), born in the township. His father obtained a deed o£ this lot — then part of the primeval forest -from a Mr. Cornell, of Scarborough, and settle^l upon it in the early spring of the same year. Like so many other instances in which the future of man's life is determined by unexpected, and what are sometimes considered trivial events, the settlement of the Goulds in Uxbridge was brought about by an accidental circumstance of the kind. Mr. Gould's father had saved some $200 to enable him to remove to Ohio. This money he left in the hands of his employer, a Mr. Beaman. The employer failed in business and Gould, the father's, savings were lost. Beaman being an honourable man, and anxious to discharge his obligation to his employe, did the next best thing he could, by procuring for him the deed of the lot. The alternative of having to accept 200 acres of wild land in Uxbridge, instead of his $200 cash, was regarded at the time by old Mr. Gould as a serious setting back to his future prospects. He wished to go to Ohio; he was compelled to remain in Canada; and this he regarded as a calamity. In after years, when speaking of this incident, and of man's blindness touching the ways of Providence, II: 22 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. ¥ <■ I ^ i I 1i: i if! ill' im:;: 111. '- III ii,ii;i. Mr. Gould liked to quote the familiar lines from Pope's "Essay on Man" — O blindness to the future ! kindly given, That each may fill the circle marked by heaven. as apropos to the position. Joseph Gould was of Irish extraction. He gives the following account of his ancestry, which is authenticated by family records, and an old, well-preserved family Bible, of the date of 1714, and now amongst the most valued heirlooms that have descended to his children. "My great-grandfather, Michael Gold, emigrated from the north of Ireland to Philadelphia about the year 1720. My grand- father, Joseph Gold, was born in 1740; and my father, Jonathan Gold, was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, on the 5th day of October, 1774. My great-grandfather settled and married amongst the Dutch, and lived and died in Germantown. He went by the nickname of * Michael Killbuck,' from the circum- stance of his having killed a buck by breaking his back with a blow of a cudgel which he constantly (;arried, as the deer rushed past him. My grandfather also married into a Dutch family of the name of Carr, at the same place, and where my father was born. My grandfather and his family afterwards moved from Germantown to Western Pennsylvania, and settled near a village called Cata- wissa, in the iron region. Of the date of removal thence, my authority, an old family Bible, does not inform me. There my father married his first wife, Anna Hilborn. She was the oldest daughter of Thomas Hilborn, who afterwards came to Canada, in 1804, and settled on lot No. 35 in the 6th concession of Uxbridge. Anna died in giving birth to her third child, leaving surviving her a son and daughter, Isaiah and Hannah. About a year after her death, my father married again. His second wife, Rachel Lee, was my mother. She was daughter of Daniel Lee, who belonged to the State of Maryland, and was of Irish descent. She was a near ANCESTRY — THE FAMILY NAME. 23 's "Essay 3 following ly records, 1714, and Lded to his from the My grand- Jonathan J 5th day i married own. He le circum- ith a blow shed past ly of the was born, rmantown led Cata- ence, my There my the oldest anada, in Uxbridge. dving her after her Lee, was ;ed to the ;S a near relative — a cousin in the second degree, it has been traced — of Kobert E. Lee, the celebrated Confederate General. Her mother's maiden name was Buckman, from Buck's County, where many branches of the family still reside." From this, it will Jt>e seen that, although the father, Jonathan, had a dash of Dutch blood in him, on the female side, Joseph Gould was of Irish extraction through both parents. Speaking of the family name, he tells us: — "Our name should be Gold, as the family records show, for 170 years back. It has been corrupted by the introduction of the letter *u* since my time; and the change is chargeable to myself, I am very sorry to say, through a whim in boyhood while attending school." And then he very naively gives the following account, which from some may perhaps provoke a smile, at the "whim" that caused him to make the change in the spelling of his name: "I may say that the only book I ever learned spelling from was the old Webster spelling-book. It had a page or two of words with the meanings attached, and I noticed the words — G-o-l-d — a metal; G-o-u-l-d — a man's name. In the evening after going home, I asked my father why he wrote his name Gold, which was a metal, when Gould was a man's name. He said that the family had always written it so, as far back as he had any record. 'Well,' I replied, 'I think I shall write my name G-o-u-l-d, Gould, as I want a man's name and not the name of a metal.' And so I commenced writing the name GOULD,* and in a few years the whole family did the same." * In the record, carefully kept in the Bible, and inspected by the author, the name is invariably spelt Gold. lliiii'i i ' I'.' >< Jr ^m m ^M M m mm .i^ja^ !! i I I i I pi'. ii-i I j iiiii r lUi liH; 1 Ml 111! I' : ! I ■ 'Ml "''if '■ l;ii||i:i CHAPTER II. Migration to Canada, 1805 — Townships settleil by " Pennf-ylvanian-Dutch " families— ;^ How the long journey from Pennsylvania was made — First halting-place, New- market—Disappointed with the country — Wishes to return to the States— Sets to J work — Saving xip to return — Failure and loss— Accepts patent of lot in lieu of savings — The location— Description of the new settlement — Names of the first i pioneers of Uxbridge — Indians— Helpful neighbours. AFTER his father and mother had heen married a year or so, and had one child, they were induced to migrate to Canada. This was in the year 1805. Several families from the same neighbour- hood moved in together at the same time. Between the years 1800 and 1810 a very considerable migration took place from the State of Pennsylvania, to Upper Canada, of German families. They were commonly called "Pennsylvania-Dutch;" most of them were mem- bers of ihe Society of Friends, or Quakers, and all were an excellent class of settlers. From that element, principally, the townships of Markham and Yaughan received their first contribution of early settlers. The townships of King, Whitchurch, East Gwillimbury and Uxbridge also received a chief portion of their first settlers from the same source. And it was with a batch of neighbours and friends of this class that the parents of the subject of these memoirs arrived in this country. The long journey from Pennsylvania was, we are told, accom- plished in large covered waggons, of the most primitive style, with four-horse teams. One of such teams was driven by the father, Jonathan. Over the ample waggon-boxers there were raised large bent hoops, and these were securely covered over with strong canvas. In these receptacles were stowed away the beds and MIGRATION TO CANADA. 25 tch " families— ng-place, New- States— Seta to f lot in lieu of I 58 (if the first ir or so, and nada. This ! neighbour- 3 years 1800 m the State They were were mem- an excellent ownships of on of early jwillimbury irst settlers hbours and se memoirs old, accom- ! style, with the father, raised large vith strong beds and bedding, the provisions, the feed for the horses, all the necessary cooking and other household utensils, the family clothing, and all the other useful household belongings for which space could be found. In journeying along, they stopped wherever night overtook them, gave the horses a small feed of oats, and turned them loose to pick up whatever grass they could by the wayside. Some of the party were able to bring with them a cow, to provide their little child with milk on the way, and this was the means of supplying most needful wants to the young. They travelled slowly, making no more than twenty miles a day, and taking three "weeks to make the journey. They crossed over the Niagara lliver above the Falls, and so around by Hamilton and down to Little York, and thence north, up Yonge Street to Newmarket. On arriving in Canada, continues Mr. Gould's narrative, my father made his first halting place on Yonge Street, in the town- ship of King, a mile or so west of Newmarket. He had the right to a free grant of 400 acres of land for himself, and 200 acres for his eldest son, Isaiah Gold. But he was disappointed with what he saw and did not like the country. He therefore determined to return to the States and settle in Ohio, where he and his wife had relatives. Having no money to help him make the return journey, and the season being far advanced, he was obliged to stay over tbe winter. He rented a small farm of forty acres, which he worked ; and he also got work at teaming goods from old Mr. Beaman — his regular trips being between Newmarket and York (now Toronto). At this work he contmued for nearly two years, hoping to save money enough to enable him to remove to Ohio. But just then, lieaman failed, owing the father $200. The intention of going to Ohio had to be abandoned for want of means. And so the patent of the lot of wild land was accepted by Jonathan in lieu of his care- fully hoarded earnings, as has been already stated. Indeed he had no other alternative. And so we find him settling down on the 200 acres, composing lot 32 in the 6th concession of Uxbridge, in the ■II,' ; mf\ I li.iiii iil iiil ill \m lii'fi: iiilil !Visiii THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. spring of 1808. It was a lonely location in the depth of the woods. The place was over thirty miles distant from the settlement on Yonge Street. There was no road, only a track, for the greater part of the way, through a dense forest. The few settlers were scattered miles apart. There were only about a dozen of them altogether — all from the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Gould gives the names. They were, Elijah Collins, James Hughes, George Webb, Charles Chapman, Samuel Siddens, Samuel Hains, Job Webb, Ezekiel Eoberts, Eobert Wilson, Amos Hilborn, Joseph Oollins, William Gold, Ezekiel James, Thomas Hilborn, and Jona- than Gold. Those families for several years constituted the only settlers of Uxbridge. And there was not a solitary white settler further north at this time, none, it is asserted, north of Uxbridge range of townships to the north pole. The Indians were then numerous, and they were friendly and sociable. Sparse and scattered as the settlers were — some of them living at as great a distance as six or seven miles apart — they assisted one another in "blazing" and "brushing" roads and cut- ting pathways through the woods and swamps, and over and around the hills, and at "logging-bees," and otherwise in exchang- ing work from one clearing to another. Their helpful sympathies were awakened towards each other, and Quakers, or Friends, as they mostly all were, composing one little communit3% their ofhces of good neighbourhood were extended to each other in constant acts of ready brotherly kindness. i|; CHAPTER III. building of the log shanty-First residence of the Goulds in Tjxbridge — "My father's log cabin " described in ve^se— Brothers and sisters — Death of father and mother — Hospi- tality of the shanty -Karly impressions — First lesson. NATURALLY, the providing of a place of shelter for his family was the first thought of Jonathan Gold. The building of mything approaching what would be considered a dwelling-house in modern days was out of the question. The log shanty was the ill-prevailing habitation of the early settler. In fact it was the mly kind of dwelling that could be provided, with the means and laterial at hand. And so the log cabin, the first residence of the jroulds in Uxbridge, was put up. In after years, when Joseph lould was occupying his splendid mansioti, when he had reached position of afiluence and was surrounded with all the comforts and refinements of civilized life, his thoughts often turned with fondness to the humble home in which he was born. Those who only knew lim as the practical, industrious, money-making, self-made busin,ess lau and astute politician, would never have guessed that beneath ^hat calculating exterior there was a highly imaginative and senti- lental nature. But it is a fact that Joseph Gould indulged his fancy in courting the Muses, and that he was "guilty" of making (rhymes and verses. Amongst his papers there are several pages, leaded " Early Poetry," and scattered throughout an old memo- irandum book are to be found many fragments in rhyme, and some seemingly most industrious attempts at verse-making. The fol- lowing, descriptive of the first log cabin, is here introduced. It is )refaced ; — Ill' i "■■■' 1 i:: i, 'i • iiii: l! 'li'i'i ■' lijii ) m m I 'Si Si! ,'M \Mm 28 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. "On my birthplace; composed for my wife, while musing over the past." MY FATHER'S LOG CABIN. There was a man in early time — When Canada in childhood stood — Came from a southern, warmer clime, And sheltered in her shady wood. His wealth was in his head and hands ; His team ; a wife and children three; He wanted house, and home, and lands ; But how to get them could not see. With two years' toil of self and team, He bought a lot whereon to rest ; The price he paid, too dear did seem — The land was good, but not the best. This lot lay twenty miles away From settlement, in forest lone ; Where tall green pines, and large oaks, gray, Showed worlds of wealth, to him unknown. On this my father built a hut — A preface to Canadian life — In which, when finished, he could put His children, self and faithful wife. With small, straight logs the walls were made- The gables same ; all well notched down — With basswood troughs the roof was laid, Alternately, turn'd upside down. With split bass logs, he laid the floor — Hewed smooth and jointed with his axe — With two rough boards he made the door — With moss and mud he stopped the cracks. Beside the door, a window placed — A six-light aash, just seven by nine — Th' opposite wall another graced Of the same size, and square in line. nuBing over THE LOG SHANTY. A chimney built with straijjht split sticks, And plastered well with clay and straw ; No jambs were built; there were no bricks, Nor cash to buy, nor roads to draw. The floor above, with rough boards tight, Had made a lot't, the chamber over, In which we, children, slept at night, On ticks of chaff with feather cover. In winter time, the snow would sift, And sprinkle well the chamber over ; But it without might blow and drift, We slept secure beneath our cover. Of good flat stones, the hearth was laid — Full eight feet long at least, and longer — The logs cut out, the back wall made — Built up substantially, and stronger. To reach the loft, a ladder stands Perpendicular in the corner — 20 Secure from winter's frost and snow — From bears and wolves, then prowling round — A Home, that wealth could not bestow — Content and Happiness we found. Joseph Gould. In such a log shanty Joseph Gould was born; and in such lis father and mother and brothers and sisters dwelt for a quarter )f a century, until its place was supplied by Joseph with a new frame house, the work of his own hands, built for their better iccommodation. Jonathan Gold, the father, and Rachel, the mother, lived the remainder of their days in the house built by their dutiful son, on the old homestead. The building i till standing (in part), rebuilt ; very much added to, and the old hoi estead and farm owned by Mr. loseph Gould's youngest son, Mr. Harvey J. Gould. Jonathan died 30 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. :!' 11 "I' I ! I t I i m^ 111 I ! ¥ h (I ; 'It M 'Sii 111! ill 27th October, 1850, and his aged wife, Rachel, on the 5th of the same month, eight years afterwards. The remains of both are interred, side by side, in the lonely little Friends' burial-ground,] on the top of Quaker Hill — Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap. Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. There were ten children issue of the marriage of Jonathan and Rachel ; the names of the latter, according to priority of birthj were : — Annie, born 30th August, 1806. She married Mark Shell, andj died some thirty years ago, leaving a numerous family. Ruth, born 1807, married Joseph Collins, of the township oft Whitchurch. Both died several years ago, leaving one son surviv- ing them, J. J. Collins, of St. Catharines. Joseph, born 29th December, 1808, died 29th June, 1886. Margaret, born SeptemliT 19th, 1810, died December 15th, 1812.! Joel, born March 3rd, 1812, died April 4th, 1859; left two! children, a son and daughter ; the latter only survives. Thel widow is still living. Daniel Lee, born 26th November, 1813, died 27th June, 1851.1 He was twice married. First to Amy and afterwards to Jane, herj sister, daughters of William Hilborn. He leaves issue, by the first| wife five children, and the second wife, one child. All are residing! in the States. Jessie, born October 9th, 1815 ; still living, and resides near'^ Thornbury, county of Grey. Sarah, born 27th November, 1817 ; married George Hilborn ; still living, and resides at St. Thomas, county of Elgin. John (who died an infant), born 1820. John Lee, born October 19th, 1822 ; still living, and residing in Dakota, U. S. Of the three children of the first marriage of Jonathan with FAMILY OF JONATHAN GOLD. 31 (Anna Hilborn, the youngest, Abigail, died an infant. Hannah, the second, died in 1817, aged sixteen years. The eldest boy, Isaiah JGold, born 7th June, 1800, left the parental roof about the time of jthe death of his sister Hannah, to seek his fortune amongst his Irelatives in Ohio. Correspondence was kept up with him until |l850, when all letters from him ceased, and since which time noth- png has been heard of him by his Canadian relatives. The log cabin verses have been taken out of their proper order, jas to the date of their production. But they seemed to fit in more ippropriately where they are placed than anywhere else in these )ages. And what more accurate or interesting description could there be given of the mode of building the old Canadian log cabin )f the early settlers *? Snug and comfortable, withal, were those )ld-time shanties ; and the first years of hard probation over, after smiling plenty had blessed the toil of the pioneer, the wayfarer light easily find worse halting-places. There was always an abund- mt table, and hospitable welcome was everywhere the rule in the ;ood old time of the log shanties. And what roaring fires warmed md cheered them of a \vinter's night ! Here is how they made khem : — " To get the firewood into the house, we would take a horse, hitch Jn to, and draw the logs into the house. Then we would pile a tier )f them one on top of the other, with three huge back logs ; and )y such fires, on winter evenings, I listened attentively and with the lost exciting interest to many«thrilling stories of the past. It was by the light of such a fire that, as a boy, I was taught my letters |>y my dear mother, and it was she who also, thus early, first instilled ito my youthful mind that profound reverence for the Holy Scrip- ures which through all my life I humbly hope I have retained." %i n m m i' m I'm i !:^ if. • '\w an acre, k up the V a fallow rows, and i^ork well, ps of one em down vould fall id finally our first " — says In clearing the land little regard appears to have been paid to the value of the magnificent timber, which everywhere grew so abundiintly. Vast forests of the finest pine and oak were ruthlessly felled and given to the fiames, without a thought of the value of the sacrifice. The splendid trees were looked upon as an incum- brance upon the face of the earth, and a hindrance to the cultivation of the soil. The one grand object appeared to be to get rid of the growth of the forest anyhow, no matter by what destructive means, in order to speedily secure clearings for crops. And good crops they got in those days from the virgin soil. About the 10th of September was the time selected for sowing wheat. It was harrowed over with a "three-cornered drag" and oxen. Good crops were the invariable result. The mode of harvesting, we are informed, vv^as to cut down the grain with an American sickle. This was part of women's as well as men's work. All, male and female, young and old, turned out to help at haying and through harvest-time. In old cleared fallows the wheat was sown in "lands" or ridges. The best reaper was selected to take the lead ; the others started about a stroke of the sickle, each, behind and followed each other in rotation. It was part of the duty of the foreman to go back after the reapers, and see that each had laid his or her sheaf down evenly, so that there would be no trouble in binding. Oats were mostly cut with a hand-cradle ; in lodged places the sickle was used. The threshing was done either by hand-flails, or on the barn lioor by driving oxen or horses over the grain until threshed. The meadows were all cut with a scythe, and raked up by hand, and pitched on with a hand-fork. No steam, nor yet horse-power threshing machines, nor self-loaders or unloaders in those days. But, in time, the flail was driven out by the horse-power, and that in turn gave way to the steam thresher, while the reaper and mower, and the self- binder have taken the place of the scythe and sickle, and of the "leader" and the rows of men and women reapers who followed After him in the grain field. M THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH CIOULD. m 'It' ,lllIlM.;l ''A. 1 It was the custom of the early settlers to come together and help one another at all " raisings " and " logging-bees." They also "exchanged work," one neighbour with another in a friendly way during haying and harvest-time. Those living at a distance, and who would be returning home late, carried horns. These horns they blew, in case they got lost in the woods (which was frequently the case), to arouse attention to their position. The horns were generally made of tin, and could be heard a distance of three or four miles. Mr. Gould tells us that his mother had a sea-shell, which was used as a substitute for the horn, and it could be heard at a distance of five miles, on a calm night. Guns were also fired ofif for the same purpose, and a regular code of signals had been established and well understood. Those who heard the first alarm fired an answering signal, or tooted on the horn, and others responsively followed as soon as the nearest answering sound reached them. When safety was reached by the lost one, a general "tattoo" was sounded which made known the fact, and the search and the " music of the woods " discontinued at the same time. Failure of a member of the family to reach home after nightfall caused the alarm to be sounded. Nor were the precautions and pre-concerted signals for search unnecessary. Bears and wolves, and wolverines, were then plentiful in the new settlements, and, in severe seasons, were bold as well as numerous. To have to remain a night in the woods was a dangerous experience for the belated traveller who had lost his way. Stories almost innumerable are told of persons who were sftfely directed homeward by the tooting of the horn, and of the hair-breadth escapes of others, who were obliged to spend a cold night in the woods, and take up their lodging in the branch of a tree out of harm's way. Mr. Gould heard many instances in his childhood of women and children having been devoured by wolves, and of solitary settlers escaping from the ferocious animals by taking refuge in a tree, while a pack of twenty kept howling and snapping at him until UEAHS AND WOLVES. 35 daylight brought relief. He remembers that when quite a lad one of his father's hogs was killed by a bear, and that it was in the daytime and close by the house. That season, he tells us, the bears were so thick that not a day passed over without some neighbour having a cow, or a calf, or sheep, or hogs killed by the bears. So serious were the depredations of those animals that the whole settlement turned out, with dogs and guns, to hunt them; traps were also set, and deadfalls, and other devices resorted to to destroy them, and very great was the slaughter amongst the family of bruin. Other fur-bearing animals were also plentiful at that time in Uxbridge, and mink, foxes, marten, otter and musk- rat, and some beaver are mentioned as having been shot and trapped by him during his boyhood. Of the stories told at the cabin fireside of a winter's night of the depredations of the wolves, the following is amongst the saddest and most thrilling : — On the removal of the seat of Government from Niagara to York, in 1790, amongst those who followed in its wake were Cor- poral Crawford, his wife and two children. He was a discharged soldier, having left the British army a short time previously, on account of the loss of an eye, through an accident. He was a very fine-looking man, athletic and well proportioned, and standing over six feet in height. His wife, Mary, whom Crawford had married six months before, was the widow of a deceased soldier, and her two children, a girl and a boy, four and six years of age, respec- tively, were by the first husband. She was a tidy, clever, hearty young Irishwoman of five-and-twenty ; Crawford, who was about ten years her senior, was a Scotchman. He was much given to hunting and fishing, spent a good deal of his time in the woods, and was a most successful sportsman. Although he was privileged to take up 400 acres of land, and might have done so almost anywhere in the front along the Lake shore at the time, he was careless about selecting his location. In company with a friendly young Indian of the Mississagua tribe, for whom he had done some 36 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. W-^, friendly office, and who was very much attached to him, Crawford spent days and weeks camping in the woods, and trapping fur- bearing animals, which Tere then so numerous in the unbroken forest. In one of those excursions, the soldier was taken to a *' beaver meadow," on the borders of a little stream flowing into Lake Simcoe (supposed to be somewhere near the site of the present foliage of Beaverton), where the game was very abundant. There were many delightful spots on the margin of the lake, look- ing out over the tranquil waters, and to one of these Crawford was spocially attracted, and had determined upon making it his home. He managed to build a hut, and made a little clearing, and to this spot, with the help of the friendly Indian, the wife and children were removed in the early spring. The wife was charmed with the beauty of the place and its surroundings ; and if the hut was small it was well provided. Venison was plentiful and could be had almost anywhere in the woods with little trouble, and the most delicious fish might be taken at pleasure from the stream and lake. Wild strawberries and raspberries also grew in great abundance about the place. The witb was soon able to manage a canoe and paddle over the waiers of the lake with the delighted children. Summer and fall jiassed over joyously for the contented little family in the woods. There was an early snow-fall, and with this intimation of the coming winter, the wife wished to be nearer the setitlement at York. Sne had an additional reason for this, being near her confinemenc. The Indians were, however, very friendly, and the Indian trail froi i their village (now Orillia), to Lake Ontario, led by the hut. Their departure was delayed ; the wife was suddenly overtaken in her confinement ; her illness brought her to death's door, and her life would be endangered by any attempt at removal. Winter in all its severity came on apace, ar.d this year, much earlier than usual. The husband exhausted ah his ingenuity and resources in providing for the wants of his faLiily. Indeed from the ample means at command, he had no diHiculty in laying in stores of food and procuring firewood — bread, ATTACKED BY WOLVES — TRAGIC STORY. 37 and flour to make it with, was the one great deficiency, and the little stock on hand was supplemented by large gatherings of nuts. The mother and infant grew stronger. But by this time the snow was so deep that a journey through the forest, for the woman and young children, was out of the question. That winter was one of unusual severity. Towards its close, the howling of the starving wolves was incessant throughout the night, and filled the poor woman and children with terror. Craw- ford had his gun, but only a scant supply of ammunition. He was in the habit of making short excursions, in order to get supplies of fresh venison, which he was always able to fetch to the hut before night to the expectant family. From one of these — the last in this tragic story — he did not return as usual. Night came on, and the uneasiness of the wife grew to alarm at the husband's absence. She " tooted the horn " again and again, but there was no answer- ing response. Solitary wolves were seen prowling about the hut when the affrighted wife looked out at the door and "tooted" in the blinding snow storm which came on. This it became unsafe for her to do any longer, so the door of the hut was kept shut and barred. Far into the night, the howling of the pack, at first distant, came nearer and nearer to the hut ; the watching woman heard a rush past, and believing that her husband was pursued, in her fond eagerness to give him succour opened the door. Fatal step ! The ferocious brutes rushed in, tumbling over each other in their bloody eagerness ; the woman, with her infant in her arms, was knocked down, and the savage animals fought and tore each other in glutting on their defenceless prey. A child's crib, clumsily made of heavy timber, was overturned in the dreadful onslaught, and covered up in it was the little girl, the oldest of the children. She was completely hidden by the overturned crib, and, rendered unconscious by fright, never moved. Daylight broke in upon this horrible scene in the woods when Crawford arrived, to see the wolves, some of them with bloody jaws, slinking away from his wretched cabin. He had followed too far after a buck which he I . 38 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. had wounded, and on his return home night had fallen, the snow- storm V>ad come on, and pursued by a hungry pack which had got on the i il of the wounded deer, he had taken refuge in a tree. This was scarcely a mile distant from his home. While in this place of safety, the wolves, which were howling and jumping at the foot of the tree, suddenly followed in pursuit of the buck, which unluckily had taken a course that led towards the hut. Crawford could tell from the savage howling which arose above the storm that some- thing terrible was going on in that direction. With the first streak of daylight hf* made his way for home, where, frantic and heartbroken in his agony, he encountered the tragic scene described. Turning up the crib, the little girl was found, unhurt. Some bloody tresses of his poor wife's hair, some fragments of clothing and the half-devoured carcass of a wolf were all that was left to shew the dreadful havoc that had taken place over the bodies of the defenceless woman and two younger children. Immediately outside the door of the hut were found the antlers of the deer, from which it was conjectured that the hunted animal ran towards the light when the door was opened by Mrs. Crawford. Corporal Crawford never again returned to civilized life. The events of that dreadful night completely unhinged his mind. Through his friendly Indian companion, he was adopted by the Mississaguas, who regarded his infirmity of mind as an additional reason for their protection. The little girl, whose life was so mir- aculously preserved from the ravening jaws of the wolves, was returned to relatives of her mother on the American side, and was afterwards lost sight of in the march of events and settlement. Joseph Gould lived to see a thriving village grow up on the spot to which the foregoing story relates, and to see a populous, well settled county, with railways and telegraphs, and all the adjuncts of advanced civilization take the place of the dense forest which sheltered the wolves. he snow- id got on )e. This ; place of le foot of unluckily iould tell at some- the first ntic and c scene ;. Some clothing IS left to bodies of aediately jer, from ards the le. The mind, d by the iditional so mir- ;^es, was and was nt. the spot nis, well adjuncts t which CHAPTER V. Want of educational facilities — First school— Delight at first reading lesson — Extent of schooling — Studies by the log fire — Put to work— Handy at the axe— Soon able to do a man's work— Chopping and clearing — Connection with the Hilborn family. OF the educational facilities of those days, or rather the want of them, we have the following interesting details: — "Until I was about ten years old, there was no school in the township; nor was there any nigher than the Quaker schoolhouse on Yonge Street, about twenty miles west of our place. In 1817 or '18, a log schoolhouse was built on the north-west corner of lot 31, in the 6th concession. A little Irishman [he does not give his name] was employed to teach the school. But the teacher was liLo the house, a very poor one. I had been taught the alphabet by my mother, before I went to this school, and was able to spell Q/iid read a little. I shall never forget the delight it gave me to be able to spell and comprehend a short reading lesson — an interesting little anecdote. The people were all poor, and poor as was the school, they could only keep it open for three or four months during the winter season. I got a smattering of the three R's there, and such was the extent of my schooling." Young Gould, however, studied all he could at home and — Read his book by chimney nook in the evenings, by the light of the cheerful blaze of the heaped-up log fire, and was further encouraged and helped on by his kindly, good Quaker mother, Eachel Lee. But his father was working hard on the clearing, in trying to convert it into a farm, and the boy's 40 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. help, young as he was, was needed. Young Joseph was strong and hardy; he was fond of chopping, and became quite handy in the use of the axe. "I took great delight," he says, " in a good axe and in keeping it in good order." And further on — ** I was the oldest eon that was at home, my elder brother Isaiah having gone away to the west. That was another reason for my being anxious to n.ike myself useful, and I was soon able to do a man's work. Before I was seventeen, I was able to chop acres after acres — in four days to the acre — fit for the logging. I have known many oi our old jobbers clearing land, to chop and clear large fallows, at an average of ten days to the acre. Ten dollars an acre used to be the average ruling price for chopping, clearing and fenc- ing an acre of land fit for the harrow." He tells us that he paid for his first pair of boots by cutting seven cords of wood, and laughs over his disappointment that on taking them home, and tugging and pulling at them for an hour to get them on, he found that one was a number seven and the other a number nine ! The Gould connection with the Hilborn family, their near neigh- bours, stood in this relation: — Jonathan married Anna, the daughter of Thomas Hilborn, his first wife, as already related. William Gold, Jonathan's brother, married Eachel Hilborn, another daughter, an/1 Sarah Gold, their sister, married John Hilborn, a son of Thomas Hilborn. So that Joseph Gould's father and uncle and aunt all married Hilborns. In the next generation, Joseph Gould's sister, Sarah, marriea a Hilborn, and his brother Daniel L., married two Hilborns for his first and second wives. Through the Hilborns the Gould family connection extends to the Hambleton family. Mr. Eli H. Hilborn, who occupies such a leading position in Grange matters, is now the most prominent member of the Hilborn family in Uxbridge. CHAPTER YI. lEffectadf the War of 1812— Immigration checked — The Alien Act — Dishearteneil American citizens return to the States — Confiscations— Gloomy outhwk — Progress— Social ties taking root — Joseph Gould as a young man— Character — Books — Frame buildings — Decides upon being a carpenter — Arrangement with his father — Engagement with a master — Reflections on the step taken — Proficiency— Unhealthy season — Taken down with fever. THE War of 1812-14 completely checked all emigration from the United States ; there was very little from Great Britain and ■Ireland, or from European countries, and settlement appeared to be at a stand-still. Worse than that, instead of Canadian progress through immigration, the movement appeared to be in the other direction. On the breaking out of the war, many American settlers, who refused to take the oath of allegiance or bear arms against the United States, were at this stormy time imprisoned, and numbers of others went back to the States rather than renounce their citizen- ship, leaving large farms of excellent land behind them. Much of this land was confiscated, and sold under what is known as the Alien Act, creating widespread discontent and causing much fierce agitation for many years afterwards. The outlook was a gloomy one for the hardy pioneers from Penn- sylvania. They were disappointed in the country; they were dis- satisfied with their position; they were desi)ondent, and they believed there were grounds for alarm and apprehension as to their future prospects. Still they held on. They worked and toiled bravely, and although discouraged, they were not disheartened. Much progress had been made notwithstanding all drawbacks. The dense woods were year by year giving place to enlarged clearings ; 41 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. roads were being made through the "bush," and better facilities for travelling to mill and market provided. The pioneers saw their | children growing up around them, and becoming a help instead of! being an incumbrance. There were wooings and marryings and| merrymakings amongst themselves, and social relations and interests! established which, in a way, rooted them to the soil, and after a! while these influences had their share in removing from their minds ; all inclination for change. During this period of toil and trial and i uncertainty, Joseph Gould found himself rapidly advancing to man's j estate. His was a well knit, well developed frame, about five feet : ten inches in height ; he had a clear strong gray eye, fair complex- ion, and was considered a rather good-looking young fellow. With the fair sex he was a decided favourite, and we have more than family tradition in support of the statement of his youthful conquests and susceptibilities. His character was ardent and impulsive, and he was of a generous and adventurous nature. Amongst the books which then came in his way — and he tells us that he read every- thing he could lay his hands on in the shape of a book — were. The American History of the Early Settlement of each State; History of the Eevolutionary War; History of England, and Blackstone's Commentaries. Those books, he says, "I read and re-read care- fully, for I had none other for a long time afterwards." And there i^ .ttle doubt but that such reading must have largely aided in enlightening his u' derstanding and in enlarging his views of men and things, and in prompting the inward stirrings of his nature to the achievement of something better in life than the daily drudgery of a backwoodsman. Meanwhile, although immigration was almost at a stand-still, and the growth of population was but slowly advancing, the old log shanties and cob-roofed barns were beginning to give place to a better class of farm buildings. Frame buildings were erected wherever the settlers were able to do so, and young Joseph did not fail to observe that there was a brisk demand for carpenters. He CHOOSES THE TRADE OF A CABPKNTER. m lad made up his mind to learn the trade of a carpenter — he was l;hen in his nineteenth year — and here \a his account of how he ?ent about it : — " The necessity for new buildings was everywhere visible. My father's house and barn, like most of his neighbours, were about lone, and required to be replaced by new ones. I, therefore, )roposed to him to let me go for two years to learn the carpenter trade — promising to build him a new frame house and barn for the two years of time I had yet to serve him before I was of age. This le consented to. Accordingly, I engaged myself to Jared Irwin, a 3arpenter of Yonge Street, in the township of King. I spent one 3ummer with him, for which he paid me three and one-third dollars [per month. Small though the amount of wages was, I have always [considered that the insight which I got that summer into the jarpenter trade was worth more to me than any other thing I could [have done, as it gave a different bent to my mind, and a new [stimulus to my ambition. Hitherto I had lived in the woods [exclusively, with little education, and no current reading matter. There was not a post-office within twenty miles of me; and as to [newspapers, up to that time I had never seen one ; so that I was ; perfectly oblivious of what was going on in the world. During the I four months that I worked for Jared Irwin, four of us framed and finished a number of large barns and two .houses. With Irwin I also got a knowledge of the sawmill business, as my master had a sawmill, and I had to assist in repairing and working it occasionally. This knowledge did me good service afterwards, when I bought the Uxbridge sawmill property. The season that I was with Irwin learning the trade was very unhealthy. A gi'eat deal of low fever prevailed. Irwin was taken down with typhoid fever, and I had to wait upon him part of the time. Having gone to assist my father in the harvest field, I was also taken down with the same kind of fever, and was very ill. Ezekiel James, our near neighbour, was also taken very ill at the same time. He sent to '.Jt«.,J , 1 1 1,1 ' Is !■ 'if ii pi. ill: 44 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Newmarket for Dr. Thompson. The doctor also visited me, and bJ his treatment we both got well." It was during this illness that a| startling and cruel murder took place, which excited not onlj the indignation of the people of the new settlement, but of the! whole Province, and of those beyond its boundaries who read thel particulars, which are detailed in the next chapter. The Provincial! Government offered a reward of $400 for the apprehension of the| murderer. IP CHAPTER VII. , rhe story of the murder of Isaac James— Remarkable dream of his mother— The mur- derer tracked— His arrest and execution— Yankee " 'cuteness " in getting the reward. 1HE sad story of the cruel murder of young Isaac James, which occurred at this time, is narrat^ed as follows by Mr. Gould : — It so turned out that Ezekiel James had hired a man by the lame of Christie, who called himself an Irishman, to help him irough with the harvest. This was in 1828. Mr. James had breed, as part of the compensation, to move Christie and his wife i,nd two children to York, now in the city of Toronto, at the end of Ihe season. Mr. James was very fond of good horses, and had a rery fine span of dappled-grey mares. They had black manes and [ales, and were the admiration of the whole country round about. [e was very proud of them, and always drove them himself. Just |it the time that he was to take Christie to York, Ezekiel James i'as taken down with the sickness, and his eldest son, Isaac, had to |ake his place, and drive the team. His father had not hitherto lUowed him to drive the young mares, but there was no alternative, md he had to let them go. Young Isaac James was a fine young fellow of eighteen, of a most amiable disposition, and much beloved by all who knew him. The mares were hitched to a light double- raggon, with hoops bent over the box, and a canvas cover over all. fnto this Christie, his wife and children, bed and traps were taken. ^oung James, who had never made the journey alone before, Received from his mother and sick father all proper advice and lirection, and started upon what was then looked upon as a very long journey, going to and returning from York. It took four days' 46 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. travel. The only way to get from Uxbridge to York in those days was by way of Newmarket and Yonge Street. Between Uxbridgej and Newmarket there were twelve miles of solid "bush," with thei road merely brushed out around the trees. It was the lonesomest! part of the way. As young James's return was not looked for until after the! fourth day, his absence up to that time would have caused no| uneasiness, were it not for a dream which greatly troubled hisj mother. The night of the day on which he left home, she dreamtj that she saw her son wounded, and bruised, and bloody, and groan| ing in pain and agony. She awoke, greatly excited and alarmed, She was by no means a superstitious woman, nor were any of the| staid James, Quaker-family that way disposed. She slept again, and the dream was so vividly repeated that she was terribly troubled.! She got out of bed, being unable to rest any longer, and alarmed! the whole household, telling them the dream that came to her, and! of its vivid repetition. She wanted to set out at once and follow! her son. This, however, she was prevented doing, as her husband] was very sick. The next day, and the next, she was anxious to fol- low and make enquiries on the road, but Mr. James would not! consent until after the fourth night, when the son was expected home. He did not arrive as expected. The alarm was given to the neighbours, who had meanwhile been told the story of the anxious! mother's dreams and fears. Early on the fifth day, she took witlij her her son John, a lad of fifteen; two horses were procured and; saddled, and Mrs. James, who was noted for her good riding,! impatiently led the way through the bush, taking the road to New- market. They looked carefully into every thicket and swamp at \ both sides of the road as they passed along, without, however, finding any traces to excite suspicion. At one point, when within about a mile of being through the twelve miles of woods, the horses became frightened. They sniffed and snorted, and shied off as they passed a log-heap beside the road track. This was not much STORY OF THE MURDER OF ISAAC JAMES. 47 linded at the moment, as it was thought that some small animal night he in hiding in the log-heap. They pressed forward until Ihey reached her brother, Isaac Lundy's, at Whitchurch, where she expected to find some tidings of her son and the team. There was lone ; the team had not been seen passing. Mr. Lundy, taking [he alarm, immediately went along Yonge Street to a blacksmith's Bhop where the horses had been frequently shod, to make enquiries. 'he blacksmith told him that he had seen the team pass his shop )n the day they had left home; that a strange man was driving, md a woman and a child or two with him, but that he had seen lothing of Isaac. This information being circulated alarmed the ^hole neighbourhood. It was then late, and nothing could be done )efore next day. Mrs. James stayed that night at her brother's, [er mind was very much agitated, and she could not sleep, and it !&s while lying down in this condition, trying to compose herself to rest, that she heard a voice in her room saying very distinctly three times — " In the woods !" — " In the woods !" — "In the woods !" jhe was so startled that she immediately got up and called her }rother. She told him what she had heard, and she persisted in the statement that her son was murdered in the woods. Mr. jundy tried to pacify her, but finally yielded to her entreaties to' search the woods. He accordingly went himself, and sent men on lorsc'back to alarm the settlers in Whitchurch and East Gwillim- )ury to turn out and search the woods, on both sides of the road, for a distance of forty rods ; and a man was sent to Uxbridge to Warn the settlers there to turn out and search in the same way, from the Uxbridge side, until both parties met. Next day the [search began — Mrs. James still remaining at her brother's. She lied the Whitchurch party. They had proceeded only a little beyond la mile in the woods, when Mrs. James, pointing to a log-heap on Ithe right-hand side of the road, told the party to "Search there." This was the spot where the horses had shied on her journey for- jward. The search had not proceeded far when the body of the 48 TliE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Il missing Isaac was discovered. He had been shot through the head, and pounded with the gun in the hands of the murderer. Tliti pieces of the ))roken gun had been found as evidence of this. It was also plain that the shot had not been fatal, and that the poor! victim must have lived for some days after being left for dead, fori he had scratched up the leaves and dirt for some distance froraj where he lay, and he had evidently dragged himself some distancej from where he had been sho;. The scene presented was heart- rending in the extreme — of the fond mother lamenting over the! disfigured body of her foully-murdered boy. An inquest was held, and a verdict of wilful murder returned! against Christie. And the Government of Upper Canada issued aj proclamation offering a reward of $400 for his arrest. Meanwhile, the murderer got away with the horses and waggon. He avoidedl the town of York and the public roads, and succeeded in getting] around the head of Lake Ontario, and crossing into the State of| New York, stopping at Troy. In those days, before the era of rail- ways and telegraphs, it was not very difficult for criminals to get! away by crossing into the States, where it would be afterwards very} hard to trace them. The shocking circumstances attending the commission of thej crime and the reward offered by the Government in this case, stimu- lated many to action, who rushed in every direction in pursuit of j the murderer. William Eeid, of Sharon, a high-spirited youngi fellow, was amongst the foremost. Enquiries at Hamilton first | placed him on the track, which he had no difficulty in following up, on account of the remarkable appearance of the team of dappled- \ greys. He travelled rapidly on horseback until he reached Troy, i distributing along the route taken by him printed copies of the pro- \ clamation offering the reward and containing a description of the murderer and of the team. He posted up a copy in a bar-room at Troy, and there related the circumstances of the murder to an eager crowd present. Amongst those present, he noticed particularly one ARREST OF THE MU ^ERER, 49 roimg man, carefully reading the (locument, and who asked him for a copy of the hand-hill," saying, '* he was going into the country, ^nd would stick it up." He »ot one, and started for a farm, ahout luee miles outside the city, where he had scon a team and a man Answering the description, at work in a cornfield earlier in the day. )n the strength of this, he arrested Christie, without resistance, |,nd brought him into Troy. This man's name was Brown, a 'cute Yankee. He refused to give up the prisoner to the Canadian, who »ad the warrant, stating that he would deliver him to the Canadian Authorities himself, which he did, and got the reward. In less than week from his arrest, Christie was lodged in the gaol of York, and ^8 the court was sitting at the time, he was immediately placed on rial. He made a full confession of his guilt, and was hanged. From the confession, it would appear that the murder of Isaac fames must have taken place within four or five hours after he had iit home. Christie, who had carried a shot-gun, was going on ^efore the team, on foot. When they had got within nearly the last lile of being through the woods, between Uxbridge and Newmarket, Christie stopped, and told Isaac that he had got a ground-hog under log-heap. He asked Isaac to punch it out with a stick, while he Christie) shot it. And as poor Isaac, all unconscious of harm, [tooped to look under the log, Christie raised the gun and shot him the head. As the shot did not kill his victim outright, the lurdering villain beat the poor youth over the head with the stock ^f the gun, destroying the breach and breaking the weapon to |>ieces, as was seen afterwards when the body was found. It was to sister of this young man that Joseph Gould was subsequently larried. As might be expected, the sad story of the murder is a |>rominent on 3 amongst the family records, and has been handed town to tlicir children and children's children. ^ I CHAPTEK VIII. Illness— Recovery— Working at the trade— Builds a house and bam for his father — Other| jobs — Again ill— The " Fungus " trouble— The " great misfortune of his life "— Treatf ment— Dr. Widmer — The darkened consulting room— Fright and horror— Skeleton ofl Christie, the murderer — '* Quacks and fools " — Dr, Widmer's opinion— Treatment— ! Dr. Givins — Cause of the fungus -Detained in York three months for treatment — Noj permanent cure. MR. GOULD did not recover readily from the fever ; the typhoid! gave way to fever and ague, and that in turn to fever and! dumb ague. He was so prostrated that he had to remain home atl his father's that winter and all the next summer. He did notl return to Irwin. In the fall following he worked for a short time] with a Mr. Lewis, of Yonge Street, at the joiner trade. The ensuing spring he took up the trade of carpenter on his own account. And! although, as he tells us, he had only devoted one regular seasonl to acquiring a knowledge of the handicraft, he had already gained! the reputation of being a skilful artisan. One of his first jobs! was the building of the promised house and barn for his father,! The building of other houses and barns followed in quick succession,! and plenty of orders awaited his acceptance. But in the midst of! his career as a thriving young tradesman — or rather at the outset! of it — he was again overtaken by sickness. This time the trouble! was a "fungus " growing out of the left nostril. Speaking of thisj as the " great misfortune of his life," he has left the following inter- esting particulars : — About this time (1830), I had the misfortune to have a fungus! grow out of the left nostril. It was judged at first that it was a] THE FUNGUS TROUBLE. n polypus, and was treated as such by a Doctor Beswick. He first tried to cut it out, and that failing, he next tried to burn it out with caustic. But as it still continued to grow, he pronounced it a cancer. Now this was very altTming to me, as a cancer was considered as good [bad] as a death-warrant. We had no doctor in Uxbridge, and there was none in any of the adjoining townships that made any pretence to cure cancer. I therefore, with the assistance of my father, made arrangements to go to New York, to an emilient doctor there, to see what could be done. I was also advised to call upon Dr. Widmer, .at York, before going farther. This I did. When my father and I called the doctor happened co be out. The housemaid ushered us into a consulting room, which she had kept darkened to keep out the flies, it being sultry weather. She set my father a chair and me another. After sitting down I leant back in my seat, and something that felt bony and uncanny touched my head and made a rattling noise. As I turned to see what damage I had done, the girl raised the blind to let in the light, and behold there, to my horror, was a human skeleton ! It was hanging right over my head, with the bony fingers dangling in my hair ! With a bound, I sprang out of the chair, but I knocked down a pile of skulls near by, which served to increase the horror of my situation. Just at this moment the doctor came in, and whilst calming my fears, laughed heartily, as indeed did my father, at my fright and consternation. The doctor, turning to me, said, "You should not be afraid of your neighbour; he will not hurt you ; he has done all the harm he will ever do again in your neighbourhood." Turning to my father, he said, pointing to the skeleton : " That is Christie who murdered young James ; he was the strongest, the best proportioned, and most perfect man I ever dissected in my life." [The body of the mm'derer had been given for dissection.] After examining my nose carefully, and swearing a good deal at 52 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. the "quacks" and "fools" who had been "butchering" me, he stated his opinion that there were nc cancerous symptoms, but that no one could tell what it was, in such an inflamed state as it was then in. He advised me to go home, bathe it in cold water, and sniff some up the nostril, four or five times a day for three weeks, and then come to him again. . . . When I went to the doctor's again, Dr. Widmer and his partner. Dr. Givins, examined the nose and pronounced it a fungus growth at the inside of the bridge of the nose, and that it had resulted from a wound which must have been at some time inflicted upon that organ, and that the bridge of the nose must have been broken. ... I told them that the only time that I could remember of my nose getting hurt was when I was ten or eleven years old, at a " logging-bee." In helping to roll a log on the heap, I ran my handspike too far, and the log falling on one end, the other end flew up, striking me in the face, knocking me senseless, and completely flattening the nose. I bled profusely, and my father had to take me home. The doctor said that that was the origin of all my trouble. I had to stay in York some three months for treatment, when I was declared to be cured and allowed to go home. I was to follow certain treatment, which I did faithfully, but the wound did not harden and shrink down, as I was told it would do. On the contrary the substance grew, and filled up the cavity of the nostril so tightly that from that day to this I have never been able to draw a natural breath through it. And through this very impediment, of not being able to breath through the nostril, I may truthfully say that I owe more of my troubles in life than to all other first causes combined. In fact, I think it has brought the principal part of my troubles on me — being always obliged to talk, read, speak, and breathe through the mouth at the same time. In the manuscript left behind him Mr. Gould complains at considerably further length of the trouble caused him by his "THE GREAT CALAMITY OF HIS LIFE," S8 ' me, he but that as it was ater, and 36 weeks, ! doctor's the nose bridge of Lust have bridge of that the v&B when 3lping to I the log the face, . I bled ctor said ■ in York be cured it, which down, as rew, and day to rough it. breath of my n fact, I )n me — ugh the affliction. He mentions further visits to Dr. Widmer, all resulting in the assurance that the swelling of the substance in the nostril would go down, and that a complete cure would be effected in time. But no complete cure was ever effected. The trouble in the nostril continued to the end of his days, and he went down to his grave still calling it " the great calamity of his life." CHAPTER IX. Impressions of his first visit to York— Wonders how people lived such an idle life— And how they were able to pay their way — And at the large number who talked politics and walked the streets — Monice Lawrence's hotel— Learns his A B C in politics- First access to a newspaper — The Colonial Advocate gives him his first lesson — Opinion of the Lieutenant-Governor — Of the Executive Council— Of the Legislative Council- Humorous and sarcastic description — "Black Rod" — The Assembly — Our splendid country — One-seventh part of the land given away for the support of the clergy of the Established Church — The list of " Grievances " — The demand for Kesi>onsible Govern- ment, etc. — The popular representatives the best men in the country — Mackenzie, Baldwin, Rolph, Bidwell, Perry, Randall — The voice of the Assembly ignored- Agitation for the secularization of the Clergy Reserves — The Governor and Council opposed to all reform— Preparations for a general election — Public excitement — State of affairs in 1830— Reads and hears both sides — Makes a deliberate choice— The prin- ciples of the Reform Party the best for the country— Reasons for that conclusion— From that time out a Reformer. IT was in the summer of 1830 that Mr. Gould first placed himself under Dr. Widmer's treatment. He was then just twenty-one years old. Giving his impressions of this, his first visit to York, or indeed to a town of any size, he says : — Having lived all my lifetime in the woods, except the four months that I had been learning the trade with Irwin, and the short time that I was with Lewis the joiner, my sojourn at York (then a town of three or four thousand inhabitants), was to me a most wonderful and bewildering experience. A new world seemed opening out before m;e, the contemplation of which brought me some strange impressions. The inhabitants were mostly well dressed, and, as appeared to me, had very little, if anything, to do. Yet they bought liberally at the market, and lived sumptuously. But how they got the means to live I could not understand. A large number seemed to employ their time in talking politics and HIS ABC IN POLITICS. OO le life— And Iked politics in politics— on — Opinion /e Council— )ur splendid slergy of the ible Govern- -Mackenzie, ly ignored— and Council ment — State 5— The prln- ijonchision— i himself fenty-one to York, the four and the I at York I to me a I seemed ught me stly well ag, to do. ptuously. tand. A itics and [walking the streets. I boarded and lodged with Monice Lawrence, Iwho kept B: hotel on the east side of the Market square, and my (room overloo>ed the market. At first, for a few weeks, I was lobliged to keep my room, and keep out of the air and sun. And [here it was that I may say I learned my A B C's in politics — this being the first time that I had ever had free access to a news- paper. I made the most of my time reading the newspapers that Icame to the house — the principal one being the Colonial Advocate, published by William Lyon Mackenzie. It was chock-full of politics and of the grievances of the time. From that paper I got my first lesson in politics. I was a young man, entirely unbiassed, and profoundly ignorant of the tworld, and of governments, and laws, and politics. Here was a new field opened to my view like a panorama — all the public characters of the day standing out in [bold relief. Here, first to be seen, was the Lieutenant-Governor, I a mere figurehead, surrounded by six placemen, called Executive Councillors, who held the Governor as a mere puppet in their 'hands to do their will. These were appointed by the Crown during I pleasure, and were not responsible to any other body. They [received large pay and salaries for their services, and had sinecures I that made them quite independent of the popular will. Their duty was to advise the Governor on all matters pertaining to the Government, and to recommend candidates to office. Below them [ sat an assembly — mostly of old men — some lame, some halt, some nearly blind, and some quite deaf. Those men had a chairman, or speaker, to preside over them — mounted upon a high chair, called a throne, with a table in front of him. A clerk sat at the table to record the proceedings, and before him on the table was laid the mace, representing a brass crown ; and at the otlix^r end of the room stood a little black-haired, black-eyed man in black coat and black knee-breeches, and black silk stockings and pumps. The duty of the latter was to carry the brass crown before the speaker wlien he left the chair, and to summon the chamber below when '/I THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GC 'LD. required by the Governor. On these latter occasions, he carried a little black rod in his hand to rap at the door of the other chamber | with, and from this was called " Black Eod." The inen composing! this chamber were called the Legislative Council. They were appointed by the Crown for life, and were not responsible to any man or set of men for anything they should do, and could only be impeached for cause. They had the power of supervision over all legislation. Immediately below them again sat a much larger assembly of | men, much younger, and much more active and earnest, and zealous in the discharge of their duties. These men were from t^e country, and country towns, ejected by the free franchise of the people ; and their duty was to make and amend the laws, in accordance with the well understood wishes of the people. Such is the record left by Mr. Gould of the first impressions made upon his mind as an untutored young backwoodsman, on his first visit to the seat of Government. His first political lessons from the Advocate, it is apparent, were not calculated to inspire him with much reverence for the men who had the control of Government without any responsibility to the people. Later on, he continues his reflections : — In the background, we had presented one of the finest countries in the world. The largest lakes, the largest rivers, the best land and the finest timber were all ours. But with one- seventh part of this land already given away to support a Protestant clergy, and claimed and held by the then Established Church — the Church of England — whose members in this country did not represent one- twentieth part of the population — small wonder there were com- plaints of injustice. Yet this was but one of the grievances in the picture drawn by the Advocate, Farther on, drawing his inspiration from the Advocate, no doubt, he adds : — The following are a portion of those questions termed "griev- MACKENZIE S DEMANDS. 57 mces," that the country was labouring under at the time, and /hich Mackenzie was demanding that the House and the country should settle at once : — The first and principal demand, and t'hich, if granted, would have settled all the rest, was that the Executive Council should be swept clean of priests, bishops and )lacemen, and made directly responsible to a majority of the )eople's representatives in the Lower House of Parliament. Next, that the Legislative Council should be purged of all members receiving contracts, allowances, or perquisites from the Government. ?hen, that the Crown and Clergy Reserves be abolished. That laws be enacted for the better management and sale of the public lands. That means be provided for the support of a good system )f education. That laws be passed for the abolition of banking lonopolies ; for the reduction of law fees, and the simplification of law practice ; for the equitable distribution of intestate estates ; for establishing a mode for trying impeachments ; for assuring the control of the whole public revenue ; for a revision of the corrupt Ijury-packing system ; for the repeal of the everlasting Salary Bill ; Ifor disqualifying priests and bishops from holding seats in the jcouncils of the country ; for taking the freeholders' votes at [convenient* places, and for giving the people the control of their llocal taxes. These, he tells us, were some of the questions which Mackenzie [had pressed upon Parliament the previous session. And h& [adds : — The people's representatives in Parliament then were some lof the best men that ever represented Canadian constituencies. JAmongst them were Mackenzie, Baldwin, Rolph, Bidwell, Perry land Randal. But so little was known of the principles of [Responsible Government at the time, and so little was that [principle favoured, that an address containing a vote of censure jon the advisers of the Governor, although supported by every vote jiu the House (except one), produced no effect. A large number of 58 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. m 'it ^ l!j -Ul^l most necessary measures of reform had passed the House lastl session — not one of which was allowed to become law. Amongatl those was the Bill for the Secularization of the Clergy Reserves,! The Legislative Council, the Executive Council and the Governor, Sir John Colborne, were all hostile to reform, and opposed to the will of the people as expressed through their representatives in the! House of Assembly. They would allow no measure to pass that! would be likely to weaken their own power and influence. Norl would they allow of any reform that would weaken the Church ofl England, of which most of them were adherents. They showedl their hostility to the Lower House in every possible way. Members of Parliament were then elected only for two years,! and as the term of the late Parliament had expired an election was! to come off in the fall. Mackenzie was busy with his ylrfvoca^e, firing up for the occasion. Every number was filled with chargesl of corruption and tyranny against the Government, and the people] were called upon to stand by their friends in the late Parliament. The people of York were all politicians, or appeared so to me, some! taking one side and some the other, and excitement ran so high! that quarrels between neighbours were of frequent occurrence.! This was the state of affairs in the town of York in 1880, when I arrived there from the backwoods of Uxbridge. I had never had the opportunity to read or study anything political. I knew little or nothing of the constitution of the country, or how the Government was, or should be carried on, and hence did not know one party from the other. But now, having access to the newspapers of the! day, I read both sides, and being a little forward and inquisitive, I talked with both sides, in order to form my own conclusions as to which of the two parties had the best interests of the country at| heart, and which was the safest and best to entrust with the govern- ment of the country. And I came to the deliberate conclusion I +hat the Reformers were the party who were in the right, and the! CHOOSES THE REFORM SIDE. 59 [ouse last! AmongBtj Keserves, Governor,! Bed to the ves in the! pass that ice. Norj Ohurch ofl y showed! t»arty whose principles would secure the largest amount of liberty md happiness to the people of the country. And from that time fc)rth I was a Reformer. Thus, having selected the party to which was pleased to belong, I was ever after ready and willing, to the )est of my ability, to assist in working out the reforms so much hquirecl^by the country. wo years, ction wasi Advocate, 1 charges! he people! rliament.j me, some 1 so high) currence. 3, when II r had the! r little or ^ernment )ne party srs of the lisitive, I 9ns as to 3untry at| e govern- jnclusionl , and the CHAPTER X. Engagement to run a sawmill — The dam being carried away puts an end to the jol)- BecomeH a " Boss " carpenter— Contracts for and completes several buildings- Becomes restless — Prepares to go to Cleveland — A talk with Ezekiel James changeil his mind — Leases a Clergy Reserve lot— Chops and clears thirty acres— Puts in a first! crop— Something to brag of —Advantage gained and never lost afterwards— A barni wanted — No lumber to build— Interview with J. P. Plank— Unsuccessful— Planll offers to sell the sawmill — Negotiations— Buys— Plants his " first stake" in Uxbridg(| —The dam rebuilt— Breaks away again — Matters worse than ever— Severe loss. THE doctor having decided that he might safely go home, hel followed his advice and remained at home that winter. Nextl spring he engaged himself to run a sawmill for James Taylor in tbej township of Pickering. The mill was a new one, and the dam wasj new and had not settled properly. The consequence was that, after! running the mill some five or six weeks, the spring freshets camel and carried the dam away. That put an end to his job with Mr, Taylor. His next venture was to hire a young carpenter, and a| good journeyman carpenter. With this help, he took and completed! contracts for buildings of various kinds, in Uxbridge and the sur- rounding townships, and put up " a large barn for old ReubeD| Crandell in Reach." The prospects of the trade, however, do not appear to have been! so encouraging in his own immediate neighbourhood as he couldj have desired. Or, perhaps, influenced by his experience of town- life in York, and the insight obtained by him into the better oppor- tunities which centres of population offered to a man of push andl energy for making his way upward, he wished to try a wider field.l At all events, he was becoming restless in his circumscribed position] and longed to make a change. What he says himself is : *' Having! LEASES A CLERGY RESERVE LOT. 61 lecn an account that there was a great demand for carpenters in 'leveland, in Ohio, I determined to strike out and try my fortune Iraongst my cousins in the States. I therefore made me a good [trong tool-chest, and a chest for ray clothes, and arranged to start." The Sunday following this determination, he went " with the family to our little Quaker meeting," as he fully expected for the last lime. On the road home, while walking along with his father and [heir old friend and neighbour Ezekiel James, the latter enquired |f it were true that Joseph was about to leave home and go to the Jtates. On being answered that such was the intention, Mr. James jegan to "reason the case" with father and son. He pointed out [lie large field that would soon be opened at home to Joseph, if he ^hoose to continue at his trade. Meantime he made a suggestion. [e suggested (says Mr. Gould in his narrative) that I had better jtiise " that Clergy Reserve lot beside him, and go to work on it, md that father should help me." My father said he was " owing le for building the house, and had no means of paying me, but [bat if I would take up that lot and go to work on it, or let the job )f clearing, he would board me and my men until I got a good start b it." Mr. James said : " There's a good chance ; better than ^oing to the States," I said ; " Evans Jones had leased the lot, md although he wants to sell, I have no money to buy him out." Po this Mr. James replied : " I will lend thee the money to buy him )iit and wait until thee can pay me conveniently." And being hard pressed by his father and mother, and by Mr. and Mrs. James, he look a little time to look the lot over, and finally concluded to lease |t, and abandoned his intention of going to the States. Having made this decision, he immediately let a job to Samuel Viddifield to chop, clear and fence twenty acres the next summer, le also set to work himself with his wonted energy, and the same Rummer chopped and cleared ten acres. He successfully sowed both "fallows" in fall wheat the same seasc And, with par- ionable pride, he mentions the fact that all the work done, and 62 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. all the seeding was paid for ; and that his jjutting in thirty acre of a crop was regarded as an "extraordinary feat" hy his neiglij hours at that time — " for none of our ahlest farmers could cleai over ten acres and sow the land to wheat in one year ; that eve that breadth was considered a large fallow, and most of them woulii] be more or less in debt for chopping or logging." The spirit of self-laudation in which he mentions this event v. quite excusable, when we bear in mind the means and resources al his command. He was, as he says himself, " a mere boy," and t have cleared and sown thirty acres of land in one summer, and all| paid for, could not fail to be regarded, as it was, " a wonderful bi; affair." Nor can our admiration be withheld, when, speaking id the same connection, he says : " This work thoroughly establishedl my credit as a business man, and gave me an advantage which determined never to lose." And he never from that time forwardi did lose it in after life. But the next question was what to do witl: the wheat when it was harvested. He must have a barn to put it in. He could build one, to be sure. But where was he to get tliel lumber? "There was only one sawmill within twenty miles of me," he writes, " that belonged to John P. Plank. But the dam was destroyed, and the mill undermined and all wrecked to pieces, I must go and have him repair it, and have him saw me some lumber, and so build a barn in the spring." He interviewed Mr, Plank and made known his wishes, but did not succeed. Mr. Plank would not put the mill in repair. " I urged him and tried to induce him all I could," says the persevering young farmer; " offering to assist him with my oxen ; but this was the third] time that the dam had broken with him, and he was perfect!} disheartened and did not feel like touching it." After further unsuccessful parleying, Mr. Plank made an offer to sell him the sawmill and farm. "I laughed at the idea of his offering to sell me a sawmill," says Mr. Gould. " I assured him that I had put every dollar that I had or could get into the new land and wheat- / "FIRST STAKE IN UXBUIDOE." 6S lirty acreJ his neiglil ould cleai that evej lem wouldl s event ii sources ai y," and ti 3r, and all| iderful b leaking inl stablished e which 1 le forward! to do witlii 1 to put it to get tilt miles of the dam to pieces, me some ewed Mr. ed. Mr, and tried farmer ; ihe third perfectly ■ further him the ig to sell had put d wheat eltls, and therefore could not think of buying. I again renewed y proposal to assist him with my team in building the dam and epairing the mill ; that I should work for him myself in every ossible way, and take my pay in his sawing lumber for a barn." 11 was useless. Plank would not accede to the proposition, and oung Gould withdrew from all further attempts at negotiation. A ew clays afterwards, Plank called upon him, and pressect upon him he following proposition : To sell the mill, with a good stock of aw-logs, then in the yard, and the farm ; all for $1,200 ; and " to ive me five years to pay for it without interest, and agreed to epair the mill and dam, and put the whole in good order that fall or me, and to allow me to superintend the work, and have it done my own satisfaction." After some days' reflection and consulta- ion with his father and friend, Ezekiel James, the terms were ceepted. Of this, the turning point in his life, and the foundation of his arge fortune, Mr. Gould says : — " I concluded to accept, and commenced work at once, which was my first stake stuck down in the future town of Uxbridge." The building of the dam was, however, a more troublesome and expensive job than he had anticipated. He was inexperienced in such work, and after spending some six weeks in its repair, it broke away again, and matters were worse than ever. It was then too late in the fall to rebuild ; he lost the value of all his work and materials, and lost besides the use of the mill for six months. This unforeseen difficulty interfered with his plans and put back his prospects, and he regrets his temerity in taking upon himself the suj3erin- tendence of the building of the dam. He also mentions another " misfortune " which he met with during the winter, which came near causing him the loss of his life, and which is related in the next chapter. ■ ■'■\ Ifl^ H.--1 CHAPTER XL Unfortunate journey on Christmas Day — An undesirable driving horse— Bad runaway — Bad wound from a hemlock knot -The knot in the wounded flesh holds horse and driver ! — Taken to Joseph Wixson's and cared for— Doctor sent for — Terrible wound — A piece of the knot taken out — Taken home— Bemoans his loss, but thankful— Able to go to work again— The sawmill a complete wreck — Repaired — Irwin called in, and makes a good job of it — Mill works splendidly — A large lot' of lumber cut— Ready sale, but mostly on credit— Custom of paying accounts — Hard to make ends meet — Where there is a will there is a way— Successful struggle— Fortunate i a boarding- house. ON Christmas Day he started to go to York "with old Mr. Flewell " in a cutter. The horse was " a great overgrown brute, hard in the mouth, and bad to hold, very skittish, ugly going down hill, and inclined to run away whenever he got the chance, and had made several attempts to run down hill with us that morning." When they got to within about two miles of Joseph Wixson's, of Pickering, here is his account of what happened to them with the undesirable brute whose qualities as a driving horse are so graphically enumerated : — " While going down the hill, he made a dash and threw us both out of the cutter ; but I held on to the lines. He slid me down the hill at a rapid pace, and a hemlock knot, frozen fast in the ground and sticking up an inch or two, caught me in the fleshy part of the hip and held me fast, and I held the horse fast at the same time ! Mr. Flewell, having got up after his fall, without being hurt, came down the hill, and seeing my situation, sprang to my aid, and lifted me loose from the knot. Next he fastened the horse to a tree, took hold of me and helped me into the cutter, and after gathering up what had been thrown out of the cutter, took the horse by the head and led him BADLY HURT. gently forward to Joseph Wixson's. They had all gone to meeting, but the hired girl, who with Mr. Flewell, took me out of the cutter and into the house, and placing my buffalo robe on the floor in front of the fire, placed me on it with my feet to the lire." The character of the wound was alarming ; it did not bleed a great deal ; but the leg, hip and side became numb and lifeless. His companion remained with him until the Wixson family returned from meeting, and then pursued his way alone on foot to York. A doctor "was sent for to Stouffville, ten miles away, and did not arrive until late in the evening. He was greatly astonished, as he well might be, at the tremendous size of the wound, and took out of the gaping cavity in the torn flesh a large piece of the hemlock knot, which was tightly embedded in it to the hip bone. After dressing the wound, the doctor's opinion was favourable to recovery, and he cheered up his patient with the assurance that he would not be a cripple. After remaining at "Wixson's two weeks (of the kindness of whose family he speaks in the most grateful terms), and several visits from the doctor, the latter assented to his removal. " My people," says Mr. Gould, " came down with a bed swung up in a sleigh, and took me home, where I remained most of the winter confined to the house." He bemoans this accident and its results as "a fearful loss " ; but he was very thankful for his escape, and at being able to go to work again, " not much the worse for the wound." In the course of time it btcame perfectly healed. He had arranged to put in a large stock of saw-logs and to prepare material for building the dam, but of course the accident disarranged all his plans. The sawmill frame and machinery had been badly wrecked by former breaks, but this last one had about made everything useless, and he was " left without a shilling to help himself." But he was soon again up and doing, and in his emergency, he adopted the wise course of calling the experience of his old master, Mr. Irwin, to his aid. Mr. Irwin helped him to THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. i overhaul the mill ; put in a new wheel, the machinery was fixed, and everything put into proper trim. And while this was being done, the dam was efficiently repaired, and the mill started at work in the " fore part of June." A good job had been made this time, and the mill " ran splendidly." He " soon cut a large quantity of lumber, for which therp was a ready sale, but mostly on credit ; for nobody ever thought of paying money in summer time. Farmers could only move their produce to market in winter time, and consequently could only pay their accounts in winter. The custom of the country was regulated by the state of the roads and the time of the market for selling grain. And, at this time, all men in business trusted their goods from one winter to the next." Of course he had to do the same with his lumber, and this made it difficult for him, he says, " to make ends meet." But where there is a will there is a way. He did make ends meet ; and not only that, but also met the heavy expenses of repairir ^ the mill and the dam (an item of some $300), which was not coming badly out of such a struggle with untoward circumstances. He was also able to provide money enough to pay the board of himself and his "hands," which, he adds, was no small item; and also the following: "I was fortunate in getting a good boarding- house near the mill on the farm. Mr. Plank, who sold me the mill, and who kept a hotel, had rented the hotel and moved his family into the house that he sold me on the farm, and his wife boarded me and all my hands that summer, while he set up a store of goods in the township of Brock and tended that himself." I. «' i>'' i CHAPTER XII. Uxbridge-lS06— 1833-A mighty change— The "first break" in the forest— 1806 -Dr. Beswick— Sets about building a grihtmill and sawmill — Discouraged— Sells out — Joseph Collins — The mills finished — 1807 — 1809 — Robert Wilson — His improvements —Sells out to J. P. Plank— He builds a sawmill— Sells out to Mr. Gould— Enterprise of Joseph Collins— His accidental and melancholy death— 181.5 — A great calamity — Severe blow to the progress of the place— His widow and children — The property neglected — 1825 — Mr. Plank's purchases— Builds a hotel and storehouse— Carleton Lynde — First mere' ant in Uxbridge — Mr. Gould settles down— Uxbridge in 1832. THIS brings us to the summer of 1833. The village of Uxbridge consisted at that time of J. P. Plank's little old frame tavern ; Carleton Lynde's little frame store ; a little old gristmill with a small pair of native-rock stones ; an old log house, on the present site of the Mansion House, and a small unoccupied blacksmith's shop. These little old buildings were all that consti- tuted the village of Uxbridge at that time. What a mighty change has half a century brought about! We turn again to Mr. Gould's interesting narrative. The farm and sawmill that I had then bought from J. P. Plank were not then considered part of the village. They were a quarter of a mile south of it, up stre«;m. And since I have begun to describe the village, it might make it more interesting if I should state when and by whom the first break was made in the forest where the town now stands. Lot 30 in the 6th concession was patented in 1806 to Dr. Beswick; This gentleman made a start to build a gristmill and sawmill, on the present mill site, in the same year. After getting out the timber for the mill and probably build- ing the dam, he became discouraged with his prospects, and the next m 68 W' WW THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. year sold out to Joseph Collins. The latter continued the work and finished the building of the mills in 1809. In 1807 liobert Wilson patented lot 29 in the 6th concession, settling thereon the same year, and making a considerable clearing. He continued his improvements, bringing into cultivation quite a farm, upon which he resided for about twenty years. Wilson sold out to J. P. Plank, who, after building a sawmill, and holding the proj^erty for about five years, sold out to Mr. Gould in 1832. Joseph Collins, who was also from Pennsylvania, was, we are told, a man of enterprise, and that "had he lived he would have made quite a stirring place of Uxbridge much sooner than it was possible for any one else to do." Unfortu- nately for the progress of the new settlement, Collins met with a sudden death through an accident at the mill, in December, 1815. This accident and its cause are described at length by Mr. Gould. The death caused quite a sensation at the time. The account is here condensed. The mill was of the old-fashioned sawmill pattern, with a flutter- wheel and a crank attached to the end of it, to Vv'hich a pitman was fastened extending to the saw-gate, or saw-frame which held the saw. When the wheel moved the crank shoved the saw up and down, and thus ran the mill. The crank in turning dipped into the water and splashed it in every direction. The water so splashed would, in cold weather, freeze on the pitman, and the ice so accumulated would frequently have to be knocked off in order to give the mill freedom to run. On the morning of his death, Collins went to start the mill, and it is thought that, finding the pitman loaded with ice, he took his axe, and lying down on his breast on the fender under the saw-frame and striking the pitman, started the wheel half around, bringing down the saw-frame on his back, pressing with all its weight on the bea?n and killing him instantly. There was not a man about the place at the time. Collins's wife, a young woman, with three little children, after wait- ing a long time for the husband to come to breakfast, and he not A GREAT CALAMITY. 69 answering to her call, she went to the mill to look for him. She found him in the position mentioned — the body wedged under the saw-frame, as has been stated, and life quite extinct. With the strength and nerve of a woman in despair, she managed to raise the heavy frame. In doing so, the body slipped ofif, falling beneath, and rolling outward before the eyes of the agonized wife. The death of Collins was regarded as a great calamity to the whole neighbourhood. It must have been a severe blow to the progress of the place, the sudden taking ofif of such a man, just as his enterprise and resources were being actively employed for its develoi)ment. Certainly it resulted in the utter ruin almost of the property which he left behind him, and which, for nearly thirty years afterwards, wo are told, remained in a state of "utter stag- nation and ruination." Joseph Collins had leased lot 31 in the ()th concession, and that lot, together with lot 30 held by him at his death, contained the prin- cipal village plot that now forms the populous and prosperous town of Uxbridge. Collins died intestate, leaving one daughter and two sons — the eldest son being then only about two years of age. As the law of primogeniture then prevailed, this little boy was the heir- at-law and the property could not be sold until he came of age. The renting of the premises, the constant removal of tenants, and the need of proper repairs and due attention, led to the total dilapi- dation of the sawmill, so that in time it rotted down altogether. The gristmill was but a poor thing at best, and it was allowed to get so much out of repair that it did not run half the time, and it sometimes remained altogether idle for more than a year at a stretch. For nearly twenty years the people of the settlement were obliged to go to Newmarket to mill to get their gristing done. And when the heir, John Collins, arrived at his majority, the property was in such a wretched state of dilapidation, and the general stagnation and backwardness of the settlement so disheartened him, that he deter- mined to sell out. This he did in 1833, selling the east half of i 70 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. ''ill : if lot 30, and the whole of lot 31 for $1,300. Mr. J. P. Plank was the purchaser of one acre of the north-east corner of lot 30, and Joel Bardwell bought the whole of lot 31. About the year 1825 Mr. J. P. Plank bought the west half of lot 30 in the 7th concession and built a small hotel thereon. Two years afterwards he built a small store house. This latter he rented to Carleton Lynde from Whitby, who filled it with goods, and was the first merchant that located in Uxbridge. When Mr. Gould settled down as a young man in the village, in the fall of 1832, the whole of the buildings standing within the present limits of the town of Uxbridge were the little old gristmill and barn built by Joseph Collins, a small log house and blacksmith shop, built by John Lyons; a little frame tavern and driving house, occupied by J. P. Plank, a small cooper shop, built by Thomas Arnold, the store of Carleton Lynde, and the sawmill, house and barn purchased by Mr. Gould from Mr. Plank, and situated a quarter of a mile south of the other buildings. :ii' CHAPTER XIII. Successful operation of the sawmill — Good wheat crop— Prosperity — A hole in the dam — Narrow escape— Another bad break — Disheartened with the mill — Likes farminp^ better— Exchanges for farm land— Squire Bagshaw — Bagshaw rebuilds the dam — Breaks away again— Bagshaw disgusted— Wants to "trade " back— Leaves the place — Writes Mr. Gould, giving up the mill— Finds out that Bagshaw does not own the land traderf — Legal proceedings— Resumes possession of the mill— Bagshaw returns — A scene — Bagshaw in danger of another " mill " — Runs— Peace — An amicable settle- ment — A lasting job made of the dam— Increased prosperity— Better arrangements- Housekeeping — Reflections. AFTER the last good job made of the sawmill, it was now running smoothly. Thomas Hilborn, a good sawyer, was hired to run it, and he did his work well. That summer a large quantity of ; 'mber was cut, which sold very readily amongst the farmers of ti.v3 vicinity. Indeed the demand of the neighbourhood was greater than the supply. " This enabled me," says Mr. Gould, "to redeem myself considerably. My wheat turned out a heavy crop of straw, and upon the whole was a pretty fair crop of wheat. It cost a large sum to harvest it, although men then worked for geventy-five cents a day. But it took three very good men to cut, bind and stock an acre a day. I had, however, the good fortune to get my friend, Ezekiel James, to harvest and thresh ten acres of it." Mr. Gould drew the produce of about sixteen acres down to the village and put it in the barn belonging to the mill property, where he threshed it out in the winter. With his harvest safely housed and his sawmill in successful operation, everything was going on prosperously until one day in September, of which he says : — "I happened to notice some 'muddy' water running out behind the dam, and, on examination, found a small hole in front of the il 72 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. iiii dam. I ran and got a bundle of straw and attempted to stop it by treading the straw into the hole. Whilst on the straw, trying to squeeze it into the hole, the bank, which was undermined, com- pletely gave way under me, and it required all the effort I was able to make to keep me from being carried under. Had I once gone down, nothing could have saved mo. My escape was most providential, and made a deep impression upon my mind for many years afterwards." This break in the dam turned out to be a very serious affair. The water poured in over it in a large and rapid stream, cutting a hole twelve feet deep behind the dam, through which it rushed down to the bottom of the creek, candying away and destroying everything in its course. Disheartened at this, the mill property was regarded by him with disfavour, and he felt as if he had made a bad bargain with Mr. Plank. On the other hand, he felt elated over the success of his farming operations, and he believed that if he could now confine himself to the latter he would be more successful. In this frame of mind, when Mr. Abraham Bagshaw came that way and expressed a desire to " trade " a good farming lot for the mill property, Mr. Gould was not indisposed to come to his terms ; and so the mill and farm were "traded" for lot No. 5 in the 6th concession of Scott, subject, of course, to the lien to Plank, Bagshaw at once set about rebuilding the dam ; but before the water was raised to the top it all broke away again, and the concern was left on Bagshaw' s hands in as bad a plight as ever. The latter in turn became disheartened at his failure, and insisted upon Mr. Gould taking the mill property back again. But Gould had now made up his mind to be a farmer. He was well pleased with the 200 acres in Scott, and refused to "trade back" with Bagshaw. Bagshaw believed himself to be in a quandary ; he regarded the mill as an elephant upon his hands, and actually ran away from it and left the place altogether. After he had left, he wrote Mr. Gould a letter giving all up to him, and DIFFICULTY WITH SQUIRE BAGSHAW. 73 declaring he would never touch the mill again. Mr. Gould was not altogether satisfied at this state of things. A suspicion was aroused in his mind in some way ahout the hond for the lot that had heen traded him by Bagshaw for the mill. He went to York, and there, to his infinite disappointment, learned that Bagshaw did not own the land mentioned in the bond. Mr. Bagshaw's whole claim to lot 5 in the Gtli concession of Scott appeared to be founded upon an olTer to buy it from Mr. Billings ; but he had never paid anything on it, and Mr. Billings had determined not to let him have it. Mr. Gould was no\y in a " fix." He, however, as was his wont, acted promptly. He took out a capias for the arrest of Bagshaw for fraud, and, acting upon the advice of his lawyer, repossessed himself of the mill. As Mr. Bagshaw was not to be found, the sheriff made a return of non est. Mr. Gould being in possession, which he claimed never to have fully given up, and being further strengthened in that possession by Bag- shaw's letter of disclaimer, went on stocking the mill and repairing the dam, at the same time advertising Bagshaw through the newspapers. A thorough job was made of the dam this time, and so securely was it rebuilt that it has never since given way. Meanwhile nothing had been heard from Mr. Bagshaw. About six months afterwards, however, he suddenly put in an appear- ance one fine morning, and entering the mill laid claim to the property ! Of course Mr. Gould was surprised, but he did not allow himself to be taken at a disadvantage. Here is his account of the scene : " He [Bagshaw], began to abuse me and threaten me with the law and all its terrors for trespassing upon his property. His voice was loud and threatening, and his language was quite offensive. But I was in no humour to put up with his abuse, as I was the sufferer at his hands. He went on threatening and provoking me so that I could stand it no longer. I had a long ox-gad in my hand, and so I dashed up to him, and raising the gad, said I would soon give him something to take the 74 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. law for, if it was law he wanted. As I drew to put it about his legs, he quickly got out of my way and made off — his legs saving him from the danger of another ' mill.' " Next day the landlord of the tavern came on behalf of Mr. Bag- ehaw with a message of peace. He had, he said, come back to give up the property. There was an amicable meeting of the belligerents ; writings were drawn up, and Mr. Gould was left in the enjoyment of quiet possession. Everything was now satisfactory, and the mill and dam in good order; a large stock of saw-logs was laid in, and Mr. Gould's whole attention was turned to the work of the mill. He tried to get rid of his good fortune, but it stuck to him almost in spite of himself. Of his arrangements at this time he informs us — "I got Mark Shell, my brother-in-law, to run the mill, and my sister, his wife, to keep house for me. He was a good sawyer, and she was a care- ful housekeeper, and all went on well and I soon seemed to be getting on my feet." Pausing in his narrative, he takes occasion to present the fol- lowing result of his reflections : — I have no doubt but that some will think that I have gone too much into minutice in detailing more circumstances in the early history of Uxbridge than was warranted. But many small efforts bring about great events. Great success is often preceded by great disappointments. Many great cities are now found resting on the ashes of old dilapidated villages. Such seems to be a law of nature. May I not say that it is the law of God? The Mountain of Pros- perity xS only reached through the Valley of Adversity. Let no man think that he can jump all at once from poverty to opulence and stand, without the knowledge gained in the Valley of Adversity. The truth of this is verified every day. We see opulent and wealthy persons who began life at the lowest round of the ladder, and who by prudence and industry accumulated large estates, leaving at death large fortunes to their inexperienced sons and daughters, who intl pare the been fath( end REFLECTIONS. 75 in the course of a few years have wasted the life-long savings of the parent. The prudence and economy of the parent is outraged by the worthless extravagance of the child. My own observation has been that our sons are not willing to begin the world where their fathers did; but they must begin where their fathers left off, and end in almost every instance by leaving off where their fathers began. And this law seems to apply to villages and towns as well as to individuals. CHAPTER XIV. ' The Collins family - What hncame of the wiflow and children— Poetic epiHtln to Josoph Collins, enclosing a $10 bill -John Bogart— Further jxirticulars of early settlement— "A wide-awake Dutchman" — Tribute to Mrs. Plank — Renewed immigration- Further additions - 1834 — Joel and Rufus I'>ardwell— Two "smart" Yankees— R.iifus " wanted " at the American side — How the deputy sheriff and constal'le were tricked —Epistle to a brother poet- Still rhyniing and romantic. RESUMING the thread of his story, Mr. Gould nforms uk, in respect to the widow and young children of Joseph Collins, whose early death took place in the sad way already mentioned, that Mrs. Anna Collins, the widow, removed with her three children to her father's near Newmarket. "She married again, and raised another family by her second husband, and at her death left them well off. John Collins, the heir-at-law, raised one family, lost one wife and got another, and is now 1875; living in North Gwillim- bury. Joseph Collins, his brother, is now and has been Town Clerk of Whitchurch for over thirty years." It was to this Joseph Collins, with whom Mr. Gould had some intimate business dealings, that we find him addressing the following poetic epistle, on one occasion, when enclosing him a ten-dollar bill. EPISTLE TO JOSEPH COLLINS, WHITCHURCH. How do you do? my noble friend — And how are all around you? Has wealth, with health and peace to mend Your pleasures, ever found you ? Uxbridge. POETIC EPISTLE. If all is well — then all is right — For we're fat, tough and lazy — Yet lack the dust that shines so bright, And makes the world so crazy ! For other things we're rather scant, But yet we're not repining — Our only need and greatest want — The yellow gold so shining. If man had all his eyes could see, But gold — his heart would crave it — Nor would he e'er contented be — . Unless allowed to have it ! Nor then contented would be long — But schemes would be contriving—- To scrar/e the world, all in a throng, To keep his store a thriving. Thus man for self is made d slave — He never is contented — When got wliat most his hear', would crave- Then something else is wanted ! I've tried in vain to break this bill — To get what change is duo you — And thought, for fear you'd take it ill, I'd better send it to you. So, friend, if you can make it crack — And get what change is wanting — Then by the bearer send it back — For money I am panting ! I owe Jake Laing about two pounds — If you can plan to pay it, In work, or trade, or turn it round — From your account I'll stay it. Long may you live in wealth, I pray — Still by the plough to thrive, sir ; So fare you well — this second May, Of eighteen thirty-five, sir. 77 J. Gould. u 78 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. ■I John Bogart, the uncle of John Collins, took out letters of administration to the deceased Joseph, and managed the property during the minority of John, " the heir," renting the mill from time to time, as has been already stated, to different parties. At the time of Collins's death there had been no further additions to the village or settlement, nor Tvas there, we are told, a solitary settler in Eeach, Brock or Scott. Mr. Bogart put Stephen Hilborn in possession of the mill for a short time ; then d was rented to a Dutchman, named Abram Mericle, who ran it for two or three years. Ne^t, Robert Widdifield rented it for a year or two, and after him Amos Hilborn, who remained in occupation up to 1831. In the spring of 1826 a permanent acquisition was added to the village by the arrival of John P. Plank, "a wide-awake Dutchman," whose name has been already so often mentioned. He came from York State. He located on the west-balf of lot 30 in the 7th concession, built the tavern, and being a "jolly good fellow," and assisted by his " clean, tidy Dutch wife — one of the best housewives that ever cooked a turkey or broiled a beef- steak — they soon established for themselves a reputation that has served the family as a passport up to the present time." By this time a strong current of immigration had set in from the Old Country. The townships of Brock, Thorah and Mariposa began to be settled. The only road by which the immi nts to those townships could reach their destination was through Uxbridge. Mr. Plank's tavern became their resting place, and in this way he began to pick up money very fast. It was at this period that Mr. Plank, who saw the great advantage of a grist and sawmill to the locality, bought out Robert Wilson, the owner of lot 29, aiid became possessed of the sawmill privilege. Plank built the sawmill, which afterwards became the property of Mr. Gould. Chapman failed to complete his contract, sold out, and removed to Pickering. The chan-^es already noted went on up to 1834. In the spring of that year, a young man named Joel Bav( in tl prop in tb who the inter . TRICKS OF THE BAIIDWELLS. 7& Bardwell. an American, and his cousin Enfiis Bardwell (who had in the previous fall rented Plank's hotel), hought out the Collins property for $1,200 — paying $200 down. They made some repairs in the gristmill. Shortly afterwards, continues Mr. Gould, Rufus, who supplied the funds, appeared to be very much "wanted" in the States by some acquaintances across the lino who hud an interest in him. And in order that he might not miss his way in going back, one of those acquaintances called upon him one evening with the deputy sheriff and constable and offered him a safe conduct, pledging themselves to take good care of him by the way. For this polite invitation, Mr. Bardwell (not being destitute of the characteristics of his countrymen) expressed his most grateful thanks. He expressed himself profoundly sensible of their love and affection, and of the interest manifested for hiS safe return. He told them that he had anticipated their anxiety in 'this respect, and that he had fully made up his mind to go back and visit them in a week or so, but that now as they had arrived, it would be the greatest pleasure to him to return in such company. And he added that he was quite well aware, when obliged to leave them somewhat hurriedly, that he omitted calling upon some friends who had pressing claims upon his attention, and that the fact of his having in his possession plenty of money, which he felt under an obligation to distribute amongst those same friends, would not be the means of making his welcome on their return the less cordial. " But," he added, " you shall not pass from under my roof without resting and refreshing yourselves." Turning to his son, he said, ** Put up these gentlemen's horses, and tell the ostler to groom them well, and have them and my two best horses well fed and read^> by to-morrow morning, as you will have to come with me to accompany these gentlemen as far as Toronto." "Now, gentlemen," said the hospitable host, "have something to drink ; don't spare good liquor ; we will also soon have supper, um\ when you are refreshed, we will make an early start betimes in the 80 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. I 1: I morning." Mrs. Bardwell did not know what to make of ail this fuss, and coming on the scene, asked in an uneasy way — " What's all this hurry about, Eufus ?" " It's all right," he replied, " these gentlemen want me to go with them to the States, and I'm going in the morning ; it's a little sooner, you know, than I had intended to go ; but I want that matter settled ; and having the money, I may as well go now and settle it as a few days later." The constables accepted this as confirmatory of the already expressed intention of mine host to revisit the States, without their pressing invitation, and his offhand manner completely lulled their sus- picions. Their entertainment was of the most bounteous and liberal character — more especially in the liquor line — they drank freely, went to bed in a most glorious condition, and slept soundly. * But while the emissaries of the law slept soundly, Mr. Eufus Bardwell was wide awake, and kept his weather-eye open too. In the quiet of the midnight hour, guided by the calm moonlight,- he was " making tracks " from Uxbridge, out of the reach of the slumbering " minions of the law." Eufus and his son, Silas, were well mounted on the " two best horses " that were to take tiiem to Toronto with the constables, and they were accompanied by an American who had two racehorses in training at the place. They did not wish tj disturb the peaceful rest of the constables, even to bid them good-bye, and merely left word that they had taken advantage of the fine weather to ride out early, and would likely reach Toronto before their friends. It was rather late in the morning when the constables arose, after sleeping off the effects of the night's carousal. Breakfast was ready for them, and after making a leisurely me^l, they enquired for mine host. The message left by Eufus was delivered to them, and further inquiries satisfied them that the father and son and their "best horses" had fled at midnight in the company of the American and his racers. It is not related how the visitors returned to Toronto, or what accou menti leavin and V M] the fe the po have ANOTHER POETIL EPISTLE. 81 account they gave of their expedition to Uxbridge. But it is mentioned that they had to groom and saddle their own horses on leaving that morning; there is something added about "sadder and wiser men." Mr. Gould still mounted his Pegasus upon occasions, and gave the steed of the Muses a free course, whenever moved thereto by the poetic fancy. About this time, judging from the date, he must have written the following : — AN EPISTLE TO J. B. PEARSON, 01' MARIPOSA, A BROTHER POET. Written in extremely cold weather, March 3rd, 1835. Dearest friend, I got your letter ; Kindly thank you for the same ; Humbly own I am your debtor For your well composed strain. Pleased I was, beyond expression, When I read the subject through ; Found your heart had made confession Of that friendship that is true. Yet more joyed by far to know it, That the plan that had been laid Had inspired a brother poet To join in the pleasing trade. Early for to hail that season, When the Muses love to sing ; And though March is sharp and freezing, Yet it is a month of Spring. One more Winter 's gone and left ua. His record Above to give ; And to tell how he's bereft us Of one winter less to live. The old vet'ran when he started For his upper destined sphere — At that moment when he parted — Sent us Spring, our hearts to cheer. V 82 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. I il li 'f "Virgin Spring ! " said he, "you're welcome^ My inheritance to share ; All my subjects — you can tell them, — You are my right, lawful heir." Then he clasped the smiling infant To his death-cold frozen heart ; Breathed farewell— on the instant — Chilled her through in every part ! Yet, my friend, the season 's near ua When the flowery flelds appear , When all nature, smiling, cheers us, Then expect from me to hear. Then my Muse shall soar with pleasure ; Range her thoughts in pleasing rhyme ; Sing again — when I'm at leisure — Now, no more, I'm scant of time. May passing seasons ever find us Both engaged in virtue's cause ; Wrapt in peace, with love to bind us Closer still in friendship's laws. I remain, yours truly, Joseph Gould. Nor were his strains confined to the sentimental. He made love ditties and humorous ballads, and his productions of this character were in great demand by the neighbouring youths of both sexes. Those who knew Mr. Gould only during the last twenty years of his life would not credit him with the authorship of such verses as the following — made at the age of twenty -five. SONG. Come all ye jolly young men Who glory in your youth ; Come ! listen to my story, ^ While I relate the truth. The tale that I shall tell you — You may believe is so — For I love to kiss a charming lass That will not aay me. No ! s pen. in tl (after priso] with 1 intere of-fac subjec VERSE-MAKING— LOVE LETTEUS. 83 Such verseB in abundance were the veritable productionB of his pen They are here given as written, with some slight corrections m the spelling. His love letters to handsome Mary James (afterwards his wife)-some of them written while he was in pnson-are models of that class of literature, and invest both with a romantic character that, after the lapse of fifty years, is stUl interesting. But here we draw the veil, and continue those matter- of-fact details and events more intimately connected with our subject. CHAPTER XV. Abraham Anderson settles— 1835— Buys from tlie Bardwells — Joel Bardwell buys the Gould gristmill and farm— Joel "wanted" — His escape from the constable — The constable turns up as the owner of the farm !— Suspicions about the transfer — Robert Taylor builds and does a "smashing" business — Joseph Bascom starts a tannery, etc. — First mail route— First postmaster of Uxbridge — Weekly mails — Mr. Bascom's improvements— Other improvements — Joseph Marsland — ^His improvements — Mr. Anderson's improvements — 183G— Unsuccessful merchants — The mills— Price of lumber — Other old settlers. WHEN " the coast was clear " Rufus Bardwell and his son returned, but their stay in Uxbridge was short after this little performance with the constables. They soon left, it was supposed for Michigan. Before leaving, Rufus gave Joel instruc- tions to sell the Collins property. This was accomplished after a short time. Abraham Anderson was the purchaser. He came in, in the spring of 1835, and repaired the gristmill and rebuilt the sawmill. Joel Bardwell then purchased Mr. Gould's gristmill privilege, together with the farm of 107 acres. He made very few improvements beyond the putting up of a little log house, and after occupying it for a couple of years he, too, was " wanted," and a special messenger was despatched for him with a missive com- manding him to visit his cousins in Uncle Sam's dominions. The story was long afterwards current that, on the way to Toronto, Joel gave the bailiff the slip in the thick woods near the Rouge Hill, and shortly afterwards joined his cousin, Rufus. And when the bailiff appeared a short time afterwards as the owner of the 107 acres belonging to his prisoner, there was a second story told. And here is how Mr. Gould tells it : — The bailiff called upon Joel to accompany him to Toronto ; and MR. bascom's arrival. 86 this time was determined that his bird should not slip out of his hands — at any rate, not until he had picked his feathers. The 107 acres were transferred (on the way) from Bardweli to the bailiff, for a consideration, the amount of which was never made known, further than the bailiff's admission that he gave his prisoner a new suit of clothes, and otherwise fitted him out " in good running trim"; that Joel slipped off the horse (they were both riding), and ran into the woods, and that he (the bailiff') could not catch him, and that he never tried to do so afterwards. Shortly before Bardweli bought the Collins property, Mr. Robert Taylor had purchased one acre of the north-east corner upon which he built a store, and where for a time he did a considerable business. A *' smashing " business it was called, perhaps because he shortly afterwards failed. The property then fell into the hands of Mr. Plank, and is the site of the present Plank House, and of some of the best business stores in Uxbridge. In '1835 Abram Anderson having, as already mentioned, pur- chased the Collins property, came in that spring ; he repaired the gristmill and built a new sawmill. He induced Joseph Bascom to settle. Mr! Bascom started a tannery and shoe shop, built a house, and acquired property which has since grown valuable. He was a thrifty, honest, industrious man, and a great acquisition to the village. He was mainly instrumental in securing a mail route through from Duffin's Creek into Brock, and was the first post- master of Uxbridge. The mails were only delivered once a week. At that time, and for seven or eight years afterwards, there was no road connecting the east side of the creek with the west — a passage over the milldam serving for a thoroughfare. Mr. Bascom built the tannery fronting the milldam. The first post office was ko^t in the tannery. Mr. Bascom first built a little log house to live m, but he afterwards built the frame dwelling on the west end of Dr. Bascom's lot. About the same time Joseph Marsland settled, and built a little tavern and blacksmith's shop on the spot where the late Joseph Finch's tavern and shed stood. 86 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. By ISaO, Anderson had got three or four little frame houses built on the west side of Toronto Street, and had also got a small Bchoolhouse built upon the old schoolhouse grounds. These houses were occupied by Anderson's labouring men. At the commence- ment of 1837 the houses upon Anderson's property, on the west side of the creek, were seven or eight in number, and certainly did not exceed the latter figure. On the east side, there were only those already enumerated. This was all the progress that had been made in the five years, from 1832 to 1836. The few mer- chants who had tried to start business in Uxbridge, up to that time, were unsuccessful, and had either failed or moved away The gristmill was of the poorest possible description. Anderson's sawmill was not kept regularly running and cut very little lumber. Mr. Gould's sawmill was kept constantly running at its full capacity, cutting on an average about 9,000 feet a week, and supplying the country round about. He sold clear lumber of the very best quality, at the mill, for six dollars per thousand feet J*' II- CHAPTER XVI. Popularity of Gould's mill — Increasing prosperity— What industry and self-denial can do — Punctuality in engagements — (Jood results of this principle — A lesson to others — Looking out for a helpmate — Youthful follies corrected—Turns to his friends the Quakers to choose a wife— The James Family— Three well-brought-up daughters — Opinion of the Quaker dress for ladies— Fashionable dress condemned — Admiration of the James young ladies— Invited to the house— Courtship— Mary James — His attachment reciprocated— Proposes— Is accepted— The " day " fixed — A light heart — " Many a slip," etc. FROM the time that Mr. Gould engaged his brother-in-law, Mr. Shell, to run the sawmill, everything seemed to go on well. The mill was run steadily, and large quantities of lumber were cut and sold. The name of Gould's Mill had grown into high repute and popularity. Mr. Gould had a firmly established business, and his prosperity was daily on the increase. He had to pay Mr. Plank $200 a year on the mill and farm, and the heavy expense, which he was put to of repairing the dam, during the first two years, came hard upon him ; but by struggling bravely, by industry and self-denial, he was able to meet all his engagements. Of the efforts then made by him as a young man, he says : — " This struggle was to me a most beneficial lesson ; it compelled me to be industrious and prudent, and to practise the most rigid economy in order to be punctual in my payments — which I determined to meet when due, no matter what the consequence. x\nd I soon found that punctuality was a most profitable principle to act upon, as it soon gave me a reputation. My word became as valuable as my money, and more convenient, for I had it always by me, a-nd just the right change, and could pass it as currently as money for anything I wanted to buy. But it took a great deal of care in protecting it, ^= 1 88 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. I i ■f for it is a thing that if once broken, it takes a long time to patch it up again. And I knew very well that if once there was a Haw found in it, it would never he considered so good again." He had by this time made for himself a reputation for industry and good management, and was reputed to be growing wealthy. He was twenty-seven years of age ; he was " pretty comfortably fixed," as he says, and his careful sister, Mrs. Shell, was keeping house for him. He thought it was time for him to be looking about for a helpmate for life, lie confesses that he was becoming *' a little wild," and was fond of " balls, dancing and wild company." He had his love affairs of "callow youth," like other young men, and he does not conceal from us the fact that he had been " gallanting, first with one girl and then with another." He gives us the assurance, however, that latterly, since the noticeable improvement in his worldly circumstances, he had been " trying to find one whose social position, habits of industry, and feelings and sympathies, and religious sentiments should harmonize " with his own — " believing that conjugal happiness greatly depended upon these qualities, and upon similarity of temperament." He gave up the " balls and dances and wild company," and the " gallanting," and like the sensible young man that he was — "determined, if possible, to retrace his steps" and "go back to his friends the Quakers, in whose society he had been brought up," and there seek himself out a wife. It was a wise determination — such an eminently proper step in every way as to almost come up to the moral conveyed in Cowper's fable — " Pairing Time Anticipated " : — Misses ! the tale that I relate Tliis lesson seems to carry — Choose not alone a proper mate, But proper time to marry. At twenty-seven, and in Mr. Gould's position, the "time to marry " seemed all that was "proper." And where could he have CHOOSING A WIFE. 89 gone to make a better choice of a " proper mate " than amongst the friends " in whose society he was brought up " — the (Quakers ? No wonder that he " soon felt himself at home with them," for ho tells us: — "Our neighbour, Ezekiel James, the leading man in the community, had three fine daughters, whom his excellent wife, liuth, had carefully brought up, and well trained both as to religion and the practical duties of housewifery. Mary, the oldest of them, was nearly eight years younger than myself ; and the whole three, at this time, were blooming into womanhood. They dressed strictly in the old (Quaker style — rich, plain, clean and tidy. And to my mind, no dress in the world sets off a 3'oung woman so well as the Quaker dress. No trail to sweep the streets, sidewalks and barnyard ; no flounces, frills or tuckbacks to catch th(^ dust, rain and snow, and shackle the agility of a girl's movements. They take less material, less making, less time in washing and ironing, and are warmer, and far more durable, and in every way the most sensible kind of dress. Now those girls were perfect models of what a good Christian girl should be ; so innocently pure, unassuming and modest that, after my wild career, I despised myself in their presence, and frequently wished that I could obliterate the history of the last five years of my life." It would be an unpardonable omission to have excluded from this work Mr. Gould's admiration of the ladies, and the excellent qualities for which he gives them credit ; and it would be a tliousand pities to have left out his description and estimate of the style of dress which he admired as most becoming to the fair sex. The fair ladies who condescend to read these pages may now be able to take a " pointer " as to the style of dress which is considered most becoming and likely to ca])ture the heart of a prosperous young man in his wooing. As was very natural, Mr. James invited i> his young friend — to whom indeed, as we have seen, he had always proved a friend and counsellor — to his house. And what more natural than that Joseph Gould, who did not find himself an un- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 m lis iU M 1.8 U III 1.6 -♦" V] Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WESSTER.N Y 14580 ( 7»6) 872-4503 ^ *p Is %< «0 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. welcome visitor, notwithstanding his self-depreciation, should liave renewed his visits. And having ohtained that friendly footing, we can readily believe him that he " went home with the girls from meeting." And who shall blame him — indeed how could he help himself — when finding, as he soon did, that Mary, the oldest, " had quite an attraction for him, that he became fondly attached to her, and doubly so, if possible, when he found out that she reciprocated his attachment ? " Mr. James received his proposal with favour, and gave him some farther good advice. To Mrs. James he was also quite acceptable as a son-in-law ; both his own parents were satisfied with his choice, and Mary told him, one never-to-be-forgotten night, with all the demureness and candour of the young Quakeress, that " she should have great pleasure in joining fortunes with him " and becoming his wife, and " fixed the day." "I went home," he says, " with a light heart, and bright hopes of the future, for the day was fixed, and in four months we were to be married." But in his case, as in BO many others, the old saw of — Many a slip 'twizt the cup and the hp held good. The dark shadow of the " rising " of 1837 was looming up in the horizon and Joseph Gould, in spite of himself, became involved in the struggle. I CHAPTER XVII. Politics — Takes the Reform side— Speaks at public meetings— A local leader— Incon- venient polling places— Evil effects of the system then prevailing— Polls kept open for a week and longer— The tavern-keepers' harvest— Their tricks— Open houses- Other bad practices— Violence and scenes of strife during an election contest — Free- holders—The work of canvassers— Mr. Gould's personal experiences— Support of Mackenzie— Mackenzie's expulsion from the house and re-elections — Election remin- iscences — Mrs. Doble. FROM what has been already observed as to his political leanings, it need scarcely be added that Joseph Gould was a Reformer. As soon as they got a post-office and a mail to Uxbridge, he took the Advocate, Mackenzie's paper, from which his first lessons in politics had been gleaned. He was soon found discussing the poli- tical questions of the day, and upholding the Reform side. He was very active at election times ; had all Mackenzie's political griev- ances, and their bearings and remedies by heart, and could denounce Tory wrong-doing, and the political sins of the " Family Compact," in as vituperative language as Mackenzie himself. He was fre- quently called upon to speak at public meetings, and was always chosen to lead in the canvass, in his own and neighbouring town- ships. Meanwhile York had been changed to Toronto, and Mac- kenzie elected first Mayor, ''n 1834. In those times the Government selected the places of nomination in the constituencies to suit them- selves. The places thus selected became the places of polling ; and as there was only one polling place allowed for each riding, the poll was kept open for a week at a time, and frequently longer. The law was that the poll should be kept open as long as votes offered, provided an interval of an hour did not elapse without a vote being polled. It was only necessary to poll a single vote each hour in ii>p mw i ! i 4\ I! th 92 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. order to prolonj; an election contest. It was the season in winch the tavc^rn-keepers reaped a rich harvest, and it was a common practice with this class of gentry to hold a nutuher of votes in reserve, hringinp up one at a time within the hour when necessary to keep the contest Roin;,' on. It was also the practice of the (candidates, who expected voters from the distant townships, to keep a " reserve." And, if they were behind, this reserve was drawn upon and the battle kept up, so as to allow time for the arrival of their reinforcements. It was the practice then for candidates to keep open houses, providinj* refreshments and accommodation for their supporters. There was no restriction to the sale of liquors, or to treating. And as might be expected, those open public houses were fertile spots for securing plentiful crops of violence and bloodshed. Jiroken-heads and blaek-eyes were ordinary events. And sometimes men were maimed for life, or were killed outright, at those scenes of .strife during an election contest. The constituencies were very large — some of them of as large an area as two of our present coun- ties. Tlu! settlements were new and very much scattered, and the roads execrable. The amount of travelling and pulling and hauling required to get out the " free and independent " voters entailed an enormous amount of hard work. The franchise was then confined to freeholders exclusively, and as not many of them had tlfeir deeds, a freeholder ',Yho had was a very important person — at election time. A canvasser would drive a great many miles to secure even one vote. " I have myself," says Mr. Gould, " driven ten miles to get a voter, and found when I got to his house that my opponent had been there before me, and had secured the prize." That was no uncommon experience. In the struggle to get votes, he who could outwit his opponents was regarded not only as the " smartest" man, but he was considered the ablest man, and deserving of all honour. Mr. Gould remembered some amusing incidents in this connection. At the general election of 1828, he first took a prominent part. WORKINO FOR MAfKENZIE. 93 nnd worked hard for Mackenzie, who came out " on his own hook " RH a candidate for the county of York. The election managers did all in their power to keep Mackenzie out of the field. At a meeting of the committee held at Newmarket, Mackenzie only got three votes on the hallot for candidates. Mr. Small rece' »ed nine votes, the otlier candidates, Roe and Ketchum, received, respectively, iifty- seven and forty-one. Mr. Gould distrihuted large numbers of Mackenzie's election address, one of which is preserved amongst his papers, and is here given: — To thi' Electors of fhe "juuft/ of VorA: ; Gkntlkmkn, — I hiivo tho honour to inform you that it ia my intention to €omu forward as a caiulidato at the next election of members to serve for our County in the Provincial Parliament, and I most respectfully solicit your votes and support. I have no end in view but the well-being of the people at larc^e — no ambi- tion to serve but that of contributing to the happiness and prosperity of our common country. The influence and authority with which you may invest me shall alwayii be directed according to the best of my judgment for the general good, and it will bo my care to uphold your rights to tho utmost of my jxiwer, with that tirmtiess, moderation and perseverance which become the roproHonta- tive of a free people. If honoured with your suffrages it will be alike my duty and my pleasure to watch over the local interests of this great county, and to promote every public improvement and useful undertaking which shall be found conducive to your prosperity and the general welfare. I have ever been opposed to ecclesiastical domination ; it is at enmity with the free spirit of Christianity, and nations which have bowed to its yoke are become the dark abodes of ignorance and superstition, oppression and misery. That corrupt, powerful and long-endured influence which has hitherto interfered with your rights and liberties can deserve the good-will, the ali'ection and the contidenco of their fellow subjects. Among this latter class I am desirous of being numbered, and unless I shall be found deserting the cause of the people, I trust that the people will never desert me. Accept my sincere thanks for the abundant proofs of kindness and conti- donce and for the liberal assurance of supi)ort with which ycu have honoured me, and believe me, t^entlenion, Your faithfdl and humble servant, W. L. Mackkmzie. York, December 17, 1827. Mackenzie was elected, and his return was secured mainly through the activity and hard work of young Reformers like Mr. Gould. At the general election in 1830, Mackenzie was again a candi- date, and on the same side with him in the Reform interest was Mr. Jesse Ketchum. The candidates of the otiicial party were Messrs. Washburn and Thorne. Again Mr. Gould worked heartily for his favourite, and with such good effect that both the Reform can- didates were elected by large majorities. Mackenzie having been expelled the Assembly for an alleged libel, his seat was declared vacant, and another election ordered. In January, lH3ii, Mackenzie was again returned by an over- whelming majority — his opponent, Mr. Street, receiving a very inconsiderable number of votes, ^fackenzie was expelled a second time, and was also declared di8(pialilied. Notwithstanding the dis- qualification he again appealed to the electors of York at the new election tliat had been ordered. The other candidates in this contest were Small and Washburn. Mr. Gould took his usual active part at the side of Mackenzie, and the latter was again returned by an overwhelming vote of the electorate. In the struggle that followed, between Mackenzie and the electors of York on the one hand, and the ruling faction and Family Compact on the other, who desired to exclude Mackenzie from ^ seat in the House, Mr. Gould was an active partisan on the Liberal side. Mackenzie rnighl ELECTION UKMINISCENC'ES. fi raiglit 1)(; dragged from his seat in the House, and resolutions of disqualification raiglit be passed to prevent h'u^ election ; but again and again wan bis cause taken up by Mr. Gould and his frienda and Mackenzie sent back to tbe House. Even during Mackenzie's absence in Kngland, with the petitions for the redress of grievances (1883-4), tbe men of York stood by him and secured bis re-election. Mackenzie was expelled the House five times in all, and five times did Mr. Gould do successful battle for him in the county of York. After the division of the county into four ridings, who , Mackenzie was defeated by E. \V. Thomson, in the general election of 183(>, none felt the defeat more keenly than Joseph Gould. The scene* which he witnessed, and the work which he went through in all these contests were ever afterwards remembered, and some of them frequently described in a most entertaining manner. One incident he was fond of recalling, which took place during the contest between Lafontaine and Roe for one of the ridings of Y'ork. Peter Tyler, an old bachelor, son of old Major Tyler, a great Tory, was working hard for Roe. The polling took place at Newmarket. Peter was sent to Uxbridge to assist in the campaign and get out all the votes he could. " But," says Mr. Gould, *' I bad forestalled hira and bad most of tbe votes forwarded for tbe Reform candidate before his arrival. Peter was toU' hat there was one freeholder who bad a deed of a lot beside my larm, that bad not been brought out, but that tbe voter lived in Brock, some eight miles away, that the name was Mary Doble, an Irishwoman, and that she had a good deed. In speaking of Mrs. Doble, i do so with every respect, for she was a respectable woman and tbe mother of a respectable family. Well, away went Peter in search of the old lady. He found her out and managed to get her into tbe waggon, with five or six Orangemen, and started for Newmarket late in the after- noon. Before they had got half way through the twelve miles of unbroken forest, between Uxbridge and Newmarket, the axle of the i 1 96 THK LIFK AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. h waggon broke), and they were all dumped down on the road. There they were obUged to camp all niglit. It so happened that three of our young men — wide-awake j'oung Radicals rrora Sharon — who had been out canvassing in lleach and Brock, came by that way on liorseback with several voters, and they overtook Peter with his carload, just as the waggon had broken down. They asked thera if they were going to the election and who they intended to voto for, and where die woman was going. She said she had as good a deed as any of them, and that she was going to vote for Roe. Of course they had a good laugh over the woman-voter that Peter was taking to the poll, escorted by the Orang'jmen, and tliey rode off to Newmarket, without attempting to give aid or comfort to the enemy with the broken-down waggon. Mrs. Doble was met by one of her neighbours before being taken to the poll, and upon his assurance that women were not qualified to vote, she was induced to turn back without exposing herself to further humiliation. But Peter's predicament was long afterwards the subject of jokes and fun at his expense, and from that out he was never seen at an election contest." The Orangemen had long been a terror to the peaceably disposed at elections, and, armed with bludgeons, and sometimes with fire-arms, used to take possession of the polls, and they subjected those who difi'ered from them in opinion to all kinds of ill-treatment. Mr. Gould was upon one of those occasions attacked by four red-hot Tories, who had previously threatened him with personal violence; but he was prepared for them. He knocked down the leader and the others fled. A warrant for his arrest was obtained from Squire Bagshaw (his old enemy), and three constables were sent to execute it. Mr. Gould heard of their coming towards his house, and being dubious of the kind of justice that would be meted out to him, and acting on the advice of friends, he resolved upon having a second magistrate to try the case. With this intention SCENES OF VIOLENCE. 97 be mounted a spirited horse that he kept ready saddled. The con- stables tried to intercept him, and being armed, threatened to fire. But he made a sudden dash; rode the party down, and got safely away. He rode to Pickering and told his story to Squire Leys, who agreed to " sit on the case " with Bagshaw and prevent injustice being done. The result was the discharge of Mr. Gould, on pay- ment of a nominal fine. > rebellion— Mr. Gould's ntatement of the cane — P )litical excitement— Position of Lower Canada— The power of the Crown — The Hystem culminating In rebellion — Upper Canada— RefuHal to redresa grievanceH — The "Family Compact" — Mr. Gould's convictions— Ogle II. Gowan and Urangeism — Estimate of Mackenzie— Bishop Strachan- Chief Justices llobinson and Draper— Misrepresentation of Reformers in England — Irritation of the people — Neglect and injustice — Causes of antagonism and revolt— Opposed to taking up arms— Believed the trouble might have been avoided— Statesmen wanted — Sir F. Bond Head— Great expectations— Disappointed hopes— Tory action- Sir Francis cajoled— He takes sides with the Tory i)arty— His appointments — Mr. Baldwin — His remonstrance— Ministerial responsibility— Resignation of Reform Ministers — Consti- tutional fight—Sir Francis's views of his responsibility— Action of the Assembly — Official insolence— Indignant citizens — "A Roland for an Oliver "—First lew mutter- ings of insurrection — Demand for Responsible Government. It I . *i i\ ; THE history of the misgovernment of Canada, which led up to the rebellion of 1837, is so well known to the average Cana- dian reader as to be now regarded as an old story. It has been already glanced at in these pages. Authors have printed their opinions respecting it, from various points of view. Viewed from Mr. Gould's standpoint the subject cannot be devoid of some fur- ther interest. He has, besides, a right to be heard in hia own defence. In what follows his personal narrative is given, and in his own way as much as possible, and as far as is deemed consis- tent with the scope of this work, without too much repetition. The events recorded are taken altogether from the account which he has left behind him. And only in this way — by letting him tell his own story — can the motives by which he was actuated be fairly judged, for the part taken by him in the events described. From 1830 to 1837-8, both the Canadian Provinces were in a 8^>ate of ferment and continuous political excitement. Lower Canada BAD SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT. !)9 had her old Feudal Tenure Bystem of holding land, imported from despotic France; and her British constitution, imposed upon her after the Conquest by General Wolfe. The latter was only a cross between British freedom and P'rench despotism, the former arranged expressly to protect the latter. And whilst her popula- tion was fully four-fifths of French origin, who had their French laws, their French language, their Co.tholic religion, and their nationality secured to them by the Treaty stipulations of 1768, — yet they were governed by a Governor and an Executive Council, appointed by the King during pleasure, and who were responsible to him alone. Their legislation was controlled by a House of As- sembly, elected by the people, and a Legislative Council, appointed by the Crown for life, and responsible to no one. One cannot help wondering that the authors of such a system should not have fore- seen the dangers of constant clashing between such discordant elements. With the power of the Crown so largely preponderating over the popular branch, it was impossible that any harmony could long subsist between legislative bodies so constituted. Crude and absurd as it was, however, it seems to have lasted without much modi- fication for a period of nearly seventy years, culminating at length in open rebellion. In Upper Canada political differences ran very high for the ten years prior to 18B7. Petitions upon petitions were sent to England asking for the secularization of the Clergy Reserves, and for local self-governmont, but without effect. Delegates were sent to England to plead the cause of Canada, but without avail ; the way to the throne was blocked by the Governor and by the Family Compact, who kept their agents in England. My reading informed me of aii that was going on, and of what should have been the relative positions of the governed and the governor under the British constitution. I was firmly convinced that the demand of the people of Canada for responsible government was only what was fair, just and reasonable and should have been acceded to. And I never failed to speak o«t 100 THE LIFK AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. l! M ( ! m r my sentiments in this respect when occasion called for it. I also took my stand against Orangeism. When Ogle R. Gowan was establishing Orange lodges and became Grand Master, and was getting up hostile demonstrations, not only against the Catholics, but against the Reformers, I opposed the views of such oath-bound secret societies. But the Orangemen were patronized by the Tory party, and have ever since been up.ed as their tools. When the petition signed by thirty thousand Canadians was sent to England laying our grievances at the foot of the throne, I did not shrink from saying that, just as was the demand, Mackenzie was not the most likely man to succeed in getting what was asked for. I admired the man and his noble advocacy of the cause of the people ; but he was blunt and outspoken and had a stand-and-deliver kind of a way that caused him to be an unsuitable negotiator. Mackenzie was a great agitator and an honest opponent of all jobbery and corruption, but he was very unyielding in his opinion. He found opposed to him in England such men as Bishop Strachan, Chief Justice Robinson, and Chief Justice Draper, who lobbied against him and obtained the ear of the British Government. They represented the French and Upper Canadians as being all disloyal, and as wishing to shake off their allegiance to Great Britain and become annexed to the United States. The result was that our petitions were thrown under the table, and were only unearthed after Lord Durham had made his report. The irritation of the people by this neglect and injustice, the apparent indifference of the Home Government to all complaints and representations, the outrageous exclusiveness and nepotism of the governing faction, the powerless position of the Legislative Assembly, and the irresponsible form of government, all combined, must be a standing excuse for the unfortunate rebellion. For myself, let me say that I was from my earliest recollection driven into antagonism against the ruling powers in Canada. First, by the act.^on of the Government on the Alien Act. I saw my father "THE FAMILY COMPACT," ETC. 101 deprived of his franchise under that infamous Act. He could neither vote nor receive votes, although ho had the necessary pro- perty qualification and had worked hard for it. I saw the entire government in the hands of a lot of political sharks, known as the Family Compact. I saw an Executive Council ruling without responsibility. Judges, and confidential salaried officers of the Crown holding office, and expending the taxes raised from the people without any accountability for their acts, and generally controlling the legislation of the country. I saw, and could not fail to be infiuenced by the despotic tyranny, and the open corruption and bribery every- where prevailing ; and I saw, with grief, the just remedy which the people demanded, of responsible government, refused them. Yet I did not believe in the extreme means resorted to, of open revolt. I thought and believed that we might still be able to convince the Home Government of the justice of our complaints without the last resort of taking up arms. And I certainly believe now that a remedy would have been applied, and all the trouble would have been avoided, had not the statesmen of England been misled by the Tory Family Compact of Canada. Had England sent out to us a statesman, such as Lord Durham, or Lord Elgin, at that time, when they sent Sir Francis Bond Head, I do not believe there would have been any rebellion. But instead of sending to Canada statesmen of ability and capacity, who would have seen through the monstrous working of the system imposed upon ug, and who would have assisted in imposing restraints upon, or getting rid of a grasping oligarchy, they were constantly sending as our governors super- annuated old military officers, or tenth-rate Poor Law Commis- sioners, who knew nothing about the principles of popular govern- ment, and had no sympathy with the people over whom they were sent to rule. * Of this last class, and the man who brought on the crisis, was Sir Francis Bond Head. He was an English Poor Law Com- missioner, a weak wrong-headed man, whose government was even . 102 THK LIFK AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. |il! worHc than that of any of his predeccsHors. He was appointed by tho Whigs, then in power, and came out as a lleformer, with a flourish of trumpets, as the answer to the petitions carried home by Mackenzie, and pledged to remedy all our grievances. He com- menced his administration by dismissing one half of the Executive Council, and appointing in their stead three leading Reformers, namely : Messrs. Baldwin, llolph and Dunn. It was also known that he had instructions to appoint Mackenzie Postmaster-General, and to elevate JMdwcll to a Superior Court Judgeship ; and to initiate and bring about many of tlie reforms asked for. 'his change of policy, and the fact that Sir Francis was known to belong to the Liberal side of politics, was received with great rejoicing by Canadian Reformers. Public meetings were held and complimentary and loyal addresses to the Governor passed, and promises of cordial support given to assist him in his efforts to redress the grievances of the people, and he was everywhere received with acclaim as a tried and true Reformer and constitutional Governor. Rut those rejoicings were doomed to be of short duration. The Tories were at lirst quite shy of Sir Francis, and they petitioned the King against the first act of his administration. They also made an attempt at some public demonstrations a^a;ainst him. But the shrewd Family Compact leaders soon found out his weak side. They flattered him ; and, being a weak man, he soon succumbed to their cajolery and blandishments. He turned his back upon his Reform friends and went over to the Tories completely. He acted with the latter quite privately at first. It was however, soon seen by his acts, and the character of the appointments which he made, what party was controlling the Administration. He made appoint- ments to oftice without consulting his responsible advisers, and his selections were, wfth very few exceptions, taken from the Tory party. Sheriffs, magistrates, cbrks of the peace, constables, etc., were appointed, not because of any qualifications they possessed for their oflices, but because they were noisy Tory shouters and elec- w REMONSTRANCES OF REFORM MINISTERS. 10^ tion canvassers. I have known magistrates to have })een appointed at that time who could not sign their names. And young men, and even boys were appointed to office, and placed in the Commission of the Peace, simply because they happened to be sons of the ruling faction. At first, Mr. Baldwin and his colleagues in the Government remonstrated, and claimed the right to be consulted upon all ques- tions affecting the administration of the affairs of the country. They used strong and conclusive arguments to show that the claim was based upon the foundation of the Provincial Charter, and com- plained that they had incurred tne odium of being held responsible for measures which they had never advised, and for appointments upon which they were not even consulted. And so far was popular opinion in favour of ministerial responsibility, even then, that the three Tory members of the Executive Council joined in the resigna- tion of the Reform Ministers ; and all six united in an address to the Governor insisting upon their constitutional right of being con- sulted upon the affairs of the Province generally. The Governor, upon the other hand, contended that he alone was responsible, being liable to removal and impeachment for misconduct, and that he was at liberty to have recourse to their advice only when he required it. As to consulting them upon all questions that he was called upon to decide he deemed it utterly impossible, and out of the question. He attempted to sustain his position by a reference to the charter and other instruments. The House of Assembly charged him directly with misquoting and garbling, and here ensued a hot, wordy war of windy paper-bulletins, in which the Governor got the worst of it. His correspondence with the House was mainly conspicuous for a total ignorance of the ■working of the British Constitution, and how it should be applied in our circumstances. It was also tinged with a haughty insolence that was sure to irritate, where sound policy required that he fibould have used all his infiuence to conciliate. ! I' • n h i 104 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. w The author of the Life of "William Lyon Mackenzie" supplies a remarkable sample of Sir Francis Bond Head's style in this way^ which is well worth reproducing : — Sir Francis Bond Head having received an address, adopted at a public meeting of the citizens of Toronto, assured them that " he should feel it his duty to reply to them with as much attention as if it had proceeded from either branch of the Legislature ; but that he should express himself in plainer and more homely language.'' This was regarded as a slight by the ** many-headed monster," and was resented with a bitterness lihat twenty years was too short to eradicate. The manner of the Governor gave as much offence as his words. He met the deputation, surrounded by a crowd of military officers, and the members fancied that he pried impudently into their faces as if he regarded them with a sort of curiosity that one would have looked upon a collection of ourang-outangs. The deputation left the presence of the Governor inspired w'th an intense feeling of indignation at the insolent slight that he had intentionally cast upon them, and determined to give him " a Roland for an OUver," in the shape of a rejoinder. This was prepared by Dr. Rolph and Dr. O'Grady, and for biting, cutting, incisive sarcasm was a masterpiece. It was at the same time poorly calculated to narrow the breach that was fast growing wider between the Governor and the people's representatives in Parliament. And as this rejoinder is described by Mr. Mackenzie as the first low muttering of insurrection, and therefore is intended to include one of the excuses for the Rebellion, I think I cannot da better than copy Mr. Lindsey's version of it, which is as follows : — " We thank Your Excellency," said the opening sentence, " for replying to our address — principally from the industrious classes of the city — with as much attention as if it had proceeded from either branch of the Legislature ; and we are duly sensible in receiving Your Excellency's reply of your great condescension in A CHANGE DEMANDED. 10.^ endeavouring to express yourself in plainer and more homely language ; presumed by Your Excellency to be thereby brought down to the lower level of our plainer and more homely under- standings." They then proceeded to explain the deplorable neglect of education, by the maladministration of former gDvernments, of the endowment of King's College University, and the many attempts of the representative chamber, baffled by the Crown-nominated members of the Legislative Council, to apply three million acres of Clergy Keserve lands to the purposes of general education. " It is," they added, *' because we have been thus maltreated, neglected and despised in our Educational and other interests, under the system of government that has hitherto prevailed, that we are now driven to insist upon a change, that cannot be for the worse." The change which they wanted to bring about was — cheap, honest and responsible government. The responsibility of the Governor to a Government four thousand miles off, and guarded by a system of secret despatches, like a system of espionage, which kept in utter darkness the very guilt, the disclosure of which could only consummate real and practical responsibility, had never, they said, saved a single martyr to the executive displeasure. All peaceful means appearing to be exhausted, Mackenzie went on organizing his plan of political union of Keformers, regarding revolution as the only means of relief. Ii ' CHAPTER XIX. Active meaBUreB— Mr. Gould not a willinf;^ participant — Confidence still in redress of grievances by the Home Government— Unable to dissuade Mackenzie from his plans — Taunted with cowardice — Remonstrances unheeded— Nothing left for him but join his friends— Arrival at Montffomery's— State of things there — Mackenzie opening mail-bags — No order or discipline— Precautions against surprise— Sets pickets, etc.— " Captain " Matthews— First attack on the city by the Don Bridge— The troops in motion — The " patriots" march against them — Struggle in the "bush "—BaF JOSEPH GOULD. Lord Durham in Canada fortunately saved him from that fate. His lordship arrived at Quebec on the 27th May, 1838, clothed with extraordinary powers. One of his first acts was a proclama- tion of amnesty to the political prisoners. Taking advantage of an auspicious season — the day fixed for the coronation of the Queen — he suddenly proclaimed a general amnesty of all political offences committed during the recent troubles : making exception, however, of the cases of eighty persons ; but even in their regard an intima- tion was made in the proclamation, that, after undergoing an exile for unspecified periods, they might hope to be restored to their country and homes as soon as the public safety would permit. There were further excepted from final pardon the murderers of a British subaltern officer, who was intercepted and slain while carrying des- patches to his superiors at the outbreak of the late revolt. Of the eighty persons designated for banishment, some were in prison and the rest had fled abroad. The former were to be sent to Van Diemen's Land or Bermuda, and retained as convicts usually are. The Government having but a speculative power over the latter class of accused parties, could only forbid their return to the colony — unless by special permission — under severe penalties. This seemed to be a sage and huinane as well as an easy way of surmounting a great difficulty. But unhappily, by ordaining the transportation of accused persons to penal colonies without the accustomed forms of law, Lord Durham became himself a violator of his country's laws, •and as he had many enemies in the British legislature, the occasion was eagerly seized by the latter to denounce him personally, and damage the credit of the Cabinet under whose instructions he acted. By Canadians, and of course by those more immediately interested, charged with sedition and rebellion, his lordship's act of grace was most favourably regarded. It resulted in Lord Durham's resignation^ but it served to tranquillize the country, and it gave peaceful security to the ** disaffected" or those to whom suspicion was directed as such, by their "loyalist" neighbours. MAURIAQE. Ill Mr. Gould was not long in the eiijoyment of freedom from his prison bonds until he surrendered himself (a willing captive) to the bonds of matrimony. Trusting, handsome Mary James remained faithful to her plighted troth, and welcomed his release from prison with open arms. Their marriage was duly solemnized on the first day of January, 1839. They were married 1 special license by the Revd. Mr. Stewart, Baptist minister, at the house of their mutual friend, Mr. Reid, corner of Queen and Yonge streets, Toronto. His fond hopes were at last realized. Throughout all his struggles and vicissitudes of fortune, he tells us, the hope of such a realization was his guiding star, and the affectionate assur- ances of his future wife his great support and comfort in all his troubles. And say, without our hopes, without our fears ; Without the home that plighted love endears ; Without the smile from partial beauty won, O ! what were man? — a world without a sun ! Mrs. Gould survives her husband. She was born 14th October, 1816. For close on half a century of married life she was his devoted helpmate and true friend and companion. And in making ample provision for her future worldly comfort, Mr. Gould acknow- ledged how much both he and their children were indebted to the careful and economical habits, excellent management, and tender training of the good and loving wife and mother. ■I if i ■ 1 -ti ;| \ CHAPTER XX. County Ontario— Name — Extent— Boundaries— Face of the country — North and South KidingH — Parliamentary repreHentation— The "Gerrymander" — West Ontario- Mr. George Wheler and Mr, J. D. Kdgar — Municipal representation — Township, town and village municipalities — County council -United counties of Ontario, York and Peel — Separation — Ontario constituted a new county — Proclamation— Provisional County— Whitby the County Town. THE name of the county of Ontario is derived from the smallest of the great lakes, whose waters wash its shores on the south, and form the three harbours of Whitby, Pickering and Oshawa within the county on the south. While the extreme breadth of the county is only the width of two townships, or about eighteen miles, the length extends northward a distance of about sixty-six miles. The county of Ontario is bounded on the north by the township of Morrison in the county of Simcoe, on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the counties of Victoria and Durham, and on the west by the county of York, Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching, and the River Severn, which also separates it from the county of Simcoe. The encroachments of the waters of Lake Simcoe on the west and north-west reduce the width of the county to a single township north of Brock — the average width thence being about eight miles, and the narrowest point (a)^out the 9th concession of Thorah) extending but five miles across, from Lake Simcoe to the boundary line of Victoria. The general face of the county, in the south, is rolling, the soil mostly a rich loamy clay. In the north, beyona the Ridges, which cross the county about eleven miles from Lake Ontario, the land is THE COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 113 more of a level character, the soil fertile, and with plenty of liine- Htone northward. The county ia divided into two ridings. North and South Ontario, each riding sending one member to the House of ComraonH, and one each to the Local Legislature. The North liiding is in the electoral division of Queen's and the South Hiding in King's Division. The limits of both ridings have been altered for the purposes of Parliamentary representation, both by the Dominion and Local Parliaments. And under what is commonly known as the " Gerrymander Act " of Sir John Macdonald, a portion of the western part of the county has been detached for the purpose of forming a new constituency, known as West Ontario. An Uxbridge man, Mr. George Wheler, was the first representative of this new constituency; it is now represented by Mr. J. 1). Edgar, the well-known Toronto barrister, in the House of Commons. The county proper, for municipal and judicial purposes, is composed of the following municipalities : Rama, Mara, Thorah, Brock, Scott, Uxbridge, Reach, Scugog, the town of Uxbridge, and villages of Port Perry, Cannington and Beaverton in the north ; Whitby, East Whitby and Pickering, and the towns of Whitby and Oshawa in the south. These municipalities send thirty-five repre- sentatives, composed of the reeves and deputies of each municipa- lities, to the County Council. The North Riding has now an aggregate of twenty representatives, and the municipalities of the South Riding fifteen representatives. Up to 1852, the county of Ontario was included in and formed part of the county of York. Ontario did not obtain its separate municipal existence as a county until the first of January, 1854. By an Act of the Canadian Parliament, passed in 1851 (14th and 15th Victoria, cap. v.), which came into force on the first day of January, 1852, the old county of York was divided into three counties, viz.: Ontario, York and Peel — the union of the three counties, for municipal purposes, continuing until the first of < il i i i I. • .«( "4,-! I*! i il m 'l| 1 114 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. January, 1854, when Ontario left the union, and commenced house- keeping on her own account. The following is the proclamation made under the Act, and hy which the then village of Whitby is erected into the County Town of the new county : — PROCLAMATION. Province! of ) ,,, . , ,^. ,. f, , \ KlLMU and Kincamino. VicTouiA, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, C^ueen, Defender of the Faith, etc., etc., etc. To all to whom these presents shall come — Greeting : W. B. Richards, JWheueas, under and by virtue of the power and authority Attorney Genl. ( contained in an Act of Parliament of Our Province of Canada, passed in the Session thereof, held in the fifteenth year of Our Reign, intituled "An Act to make certain alterations in the Territorial Divisions of Upper Canada," Our Governor in Council of ( )ur said Province hath resolved that a Proclamation under the Cheat Seal of Our said Province shoidd be prepared, naming the Village of Whitby as a place within the County of Ontario, in Our said Province, for a County Town, and erecting the Town Reeves and Deputy Town Reeves of the said County of Ontario into a Provisional Municipal Council for the said County, as provided by the fourth section of tlie Act, and directing that the first meeting of such Provisional Municipi)! Council should be held in the said Village of Whitby, on Monday the thinl day of ^lay next after the teste of tliis ( ))U' Procla- mation. And wliereas Our said Governor in Council hath ordered that such I'roclamation should issue and bear teste on the eleventh day of thia present mouth of March : Now know ye that having taken into Our Royal consideration the Resolution so come to by Our said Governor in Council and fully approving of the same, we do this by Our Royal Proclamation, and in t)ie exercise of the powers in us vested in this behalf by the said Act, or otherwise however, declare, ordain, proclaim and appoint the said Village of Whitby as the place within the said County of Ontario for County Town, and we do hereby in further pursuance of the said powers erect the Town Reeves and Deputy Town Reeves of the said County of Ontario, at the teste of this Our Proclamation elected, or thereafter to ba elected for the same, into a Provisional Municipal Council for such PROCLAMATION— THE COUNTY TOWN. 115 County, luul declare such Municipal Council a Provisional Municipal Council under the authority of the Act passed in the twelfth year of Our K<*ign, intituled "An Act for aboliHliing the Territorial Division of Upi)er Canada, into Districts and for providing for temporary unions of counties for judicial and other purposes, and for the future dissolution of such unions as the increase of wealth and population may reijuire," until the dissolution of the said County of ( hitariu with tht^ (.'ounties of York and Peel in Our said Province. And we do hereby further order, proclaim, ordain and direct, that the first meeting of the said Provisional Municipal Council for the 80' \ County of Ontario shall be held in the said Village of Whitby on Monday, the third day of May following the date of this Our Proclamation ; of all which premises all Our loving subjects, and all others whom it doth or laay in anywise concern, are hereby reipured to take notice and govern tiiemselves accordingly. In Testimony Whereof, we have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent, and the Great Seal of Our said Province of Canada to be hereunto afhxed : Witness, ( )ur Right Trusty and Right Well-beloved Cousin, James Karl of p^lgin and Kincanlin CHAPTER XXI. Ancient divisions of the Province— The act of 1788 — New districts — Early settlement — U. E. L.'s. — American patriots— First county settlers — 1794 — Benjamin Wilson — Raiding Indians — Wilson's provisions looted — The frightened family move on — A friendly chief — Provisions restored— A peace belt — Friendship with the Chippaway band— The first Farewells — Sergeant Cranford- Settlement of the Farewells- Trading with the Indians — The murder of John Sharp— Eleazir Lockwood— 0-go-ton-og-cut — Colonel Givins— Arrest of the murderer — Toronto Island — Question of jurisdiction — Prisoner to be tried in the Newcastle District— Loss of the schooner Speedy, with judge, crown prosecutor, prisoner, constables, witnesses and all on board— Solicitor-General Da Grey — His will — Manumission of and provision for Wr slaves. AFTER the Conquest in 1760, when Canada passed under British rule, the Province was divided into districts. These district-divisions were extended in 1788 under the following proclamation : — PROCLAMATION. George III., by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth. To all Our Loving Subjects, whom these presents may concern, greeting : Whereas"' Our Province of Quebec st.ands at present divided only into two Districts, and by virtue of two certain Acts or Ordinances, the one passed by Our Governor and Legislative Council in the twenty-seventh year of Our Reign, ?nd the other in the present year, provision is made for forming and organizing one or more new Districts : Now, therefore, know ye, that Our Governor of Our said Provinces, and in pursuances of the Acts and Ordui- ances, hath formed, and doth hereby form the several new Districts herein- after described and named, to wit : The District of Lunenburg bounded on the east by the eastern limit of a tract lately called or known by the name of Lancaster, protracted northerly and southerly as far as Our said Province extends, and bounded westerly by a north and south line, intersecting the OLD DISTEICTS. 117 mouth of the River Gananoque, now called the River Thames, aboi;t the rifts of the Saint Lawrence, and extending southerly and northerly to the limits of Our said Province, therein comprehending the several towns or tracts called or known by the names of Lancaster, Charlottenburg, Cornwall, Osnabruck, Williamsburg, Matilda, Edwardsburg, Augusta and Elizabethtown ; and also one other District to be called Trent, discharging itself from the west into the head of the Bay of Quinty, and therein comprehending the several Towns or Tracts called or known by the names of Pittsburg, Kings- town, Ernestown, Fredericksburg, Adolphustown, Marysburg, Sophiasburg, Ameliasburg, Sydney, Thurlow, Richmond and Camden ; and also one of the Districts to be called tlie District of Nassau, extending from the north and south bounds of Our said Province, from the western limit of the last mentioned District, so far westerly as to the north and south line, intersect- ing the extreme projection of Long Point into the Lake Erie on the northerly side of the said Lake Erie ; and also one other District to be called the Dis- trict of Hesse, which is to comprehend all the residue of Our said Province in the western or inland parts thereof, of the entire breadth thereof from the southerly to the northerly boundary of the same ; and also one other District to be called the District of Gaspe, and to comprehend all that part of Our said Province on the southerly side of Saint Lawrence to the east- ward of a north and south line, intersecting the north-easterly side of Cape Cat, which is on the southerly side of the said river ; of which all Our Loving Subjects are to take due notice and govern themselves accordingly. In Testimony Whereof, we have caused these Our letters to be made patent, and the Great Seal of Our said Province to be hereunto affixed. Witness Our Trusty and Well-beloved Guy Lord Dorchester, Captain General and Governor in Chief of Our said Province, at Our Castle of Saint Lewis, in Our City of (Quebec, the twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight, and of Our Reign the twenty-eighth. George Pownali., Secretary. At the end of the Revolutionary War many families who had settled in the States, and remained true to British connec- tion, were persecuted by the triumphant insurgents for their loyalty. There was a general confiscation of their possessions and they were driven to seek a home elsewhere. Numbers of the ^^ 118 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. refugees settled in Canada after undergoing terrible hardshiijs. Other Americans sought a home under the British flag from less patriotic motives. They discovered the "sunny spots along the north shore of Lake Ontario, found that the soil was good, drew their 200 or 400 acres of land, and the three-years' rations, (then supplied pioneer settlers), from the nearest fort or garrison. And this class of settlers had no objection whatever to be classed as U. E. L.'s, notwithstanding that their sympathies were altogether with the "patriots." They became excellent settlers, and they throve on the virgin soil of Canada. Not a few of this class entered and took up their abode in the county of Ontario during the years of calm which succeeded, and have been erroneously claimed as persecuted U. E. L.'s. They, however, in the course of time, and their families became good British subjects, and at this distance of time, it would be a difficult, as well as an unnecessary and ungracious task to point out who were the real and who the pre- tended "loyalists," who had found out that they were likely to fare better under the proclamation of Governor Simcoe, with the dis- banded soldiers and loyalists, than in the struggle for a home in Uncle Sam's dominions. The first settlers took possession of the most tempting and accessible spots along the Lake shore. In this way, Whitby and Pickering, the two front townships of the county of Ontario, were first entered. The family of Benjamin Wilson (claiming to be a U.E.L.), the first known settlers in the county, entered the town- ship of Whitby in 1794. Wilson was aVermonter, and was born in the town of Putney, in the "Green Mountain State." For a couple of years they had no other near neighbour than the Indians— and the latter appear to have been somewhat troublesome at first. The first year a band of Chippaways swooped down upon the lone white settlement, and carried off the whole year's provisions which had been supplied the family by the Government. The frightened family fled in terror from their little settlement, stopping at a point INDIANS — EARLY SETTLERS. 119 further down the Lake, afterwards called Barber's Creek, in Dar- lington. The chief of the tribe, named Wabokishees, had been absent when the settler's shanty was looted, and on his return was very angry at what had happened. He compelled the Indians to give back all the provisions that were left, and to make ample pay- ment, in furs, to the Wilsons for such portion as had been consumed. This chief also gave Wilson a belt of wampum as a "peace belt," to hang up in his shanty, telling the white settler that thereafter, as long as the belt was kept in sight, there need be no apprehension of trouble from the Indians. After that the Indians became most friendly, and brought the white family plentiful supplies of fish and venison. The settlement of the Farewells is another of the earliest traceable, and there is somewhat of a little spice of romance about it. A. Moody Farewell and his brother, William, were the sons of a widow who came with her two boys from Oswego to Niagara, where she settled down in the time of Governor Simcoe. There she contracted a second marriage with Sergeant Cranford, of the Queen's Rangers, and at the time of the removal from Niagara to York, in 1796, <;ame with her husband to the latter place. Cranford got 400 acres of land and the ferry at the Humber. But it appears that, with a soldier's want of thrift, characteristic of the time, he permitted what would have been a splendid competence to slip through his hands without realizing any substantial benefit from his good fortune. About the beginning of the century, the two Farewell boys started in a canoe from York down along the lake shore — literally ** paddling their own canoe " — in order to spy out a place of settlement for themselves. They landed at the mouth of the Oshawa Creek. And there they took up and settled upon the land, where they made a home and afterwards lived for so many years, and on which their descendants still reside. A. Moody Farewell was the father of Mr. Abraham Farewell, ex-M.PP., wb" is still living, and the ancestor of the numerous family of t* 3 yr i'tL ■ ' : till if P i p.':? !| 120 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. ! .Ill li'' 111! '.''-' 1'- a! Farewells of Harmony. The frame house, built by Mr. Abraham Farewell, still standing at the latter place, was raised on the day of the declaration of war between England and the United States in 1812. Old Mr. Moody Farewell used to relate how he was frequently chased by wolves along the front road, and especially at the Cedar Swamp near Bartlett's, between Whitby and Oshawa, in those early days. Up to 1804, there was no house between Farewell's, east of Oshawa, and Lynd's, at Lynd's Creek, west of the present town of Whitby. The Farewell brothers, in addition to their farming operations, engaged, as most settlers did at the time, in hunting and trapping, disposing of the furs secured by them at York. About two years after their settlement, the brothers went out to Lake Scugog to trade with the Indians for furs. They left a man named John Sharp in charge of the camp while they proceeded up the Scugog. On their return they found the unfortunate Sharp murdered, his skull having been smashed in with a club. They quickly left the spot, and hastened back to their settlement. They told the story of the murder to Eleazir Lockwood, then just settled on the lake shore, and who afterwards (in 1802) became collector for the townships of Whitby and Pickering, as portions of the Home District. Lockwood stated that he had noticed the Indians camped on the shore, on their way to Toronto, a day or two pre- viously ; some of them, he said, were intoxicated, and it was dangerous venturing near them. One of them, whom he knew, a desperate " brave," named 0-go-ton-og-cut, was very demonstra- tive, and went through all the motions, showing how he had killed poor Sharp. This performance was watched by Lockwood from a distance. Having got hold of the story of the murder and a clue to the murderer in this way, Lockwood started for York after the Indians. He gave information to Col. Givins, the Indian Superin- tendent. The band of Indians were found encamped on the island outside York. A warrant was issued, a sergeant and guard pro- LOSS OF THE "SPEEDY." 121 cured and the murderer arrested, having been quietly given up by the same chief who compelled the restoration of Wilson's goods. Counsel was assigned to the Indian, and on the trial at York he successfully raised the question of jurisdiction. The question was as io whether the crime had been committed within the Home District or the Newcastle District. The formation of the new districts had only a short time previously taken place. It was decided that the locality of the murder was within the Newcastle District, and that the prisoner should be tried at Newcastle. This Newcastle was at Presqu' Isle, near the Carrying Place, in the present county of Northumberland, at which a courthouse had been located. A schooner. The Speedi/, had been provided, on which were embarked the judge, Judge Cochran, Mr. A. Mac- Donell, Sheriff, the Indian prisoner, constables, witnesses. Crown prosecutor, and others connected with the trial, or having business before the court. The schooner left York in fine calm weather with all on board well. Sad to say, she never arrived at her destination ! The ill-fated vessel is supposed to have foundered, and all on board were lost ! The court was kept adjourning from day to day in the vain hoj)e of the appearance of the prisoner and those on board with him, until all hope of the safety of the vessel was abandoned. Moody Farewell and Eleazir Lockwood went down to the beach to board the schooner, but they missed the passing boat — their tardiness in this instance saving them from a watery grave. Amongst those on board was the Solicitor-General for Upper Canada, Eobert Isaac De Grey. By tne will of Solicitor-General De Grey, dated 1803, he devises 200 acres, lot No. 11, 1st concession of Whitby, to " his slave servant, Simon, and his heirs for ever ; and to his * other black servant, John, 200 acres, lot 17 in the 2nd concession, Whitby.'" Another provision of the will runs as follows : " I feel it a duty incumbent on me, in consequence of the long and faithful services ( . 'I I 122 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. i I ll 1^ of Dorinda, my black woman-servant, rendered to my family, to release, manumit and discharge her and all her children from the state of slavery in which she now is, and to give her and all her children their freedom. My will therefore is that she be released ; and I hereby accordingly release, manumit and discharge the said Dorinda, and all and every one of her said children, both male and female, from slavery, and declare them and every of them to be free. And in order that provision may be made for the support of the said Dorinda and her children, and that she may not want after my decease, my will is, and I hereby empower my executors, out of my real estate to raise the sum of twelve hundred pounds currency, and place the same in some solvent and secure fund, and the interest accruing from the same, I give and bequeath to the said Dorinda, her heirs and assigns for ever, to be paid annually." The black servant-men are also freed by the testator. Accord- ing to this, it would appear that slavery existed in Canada as late as 1803, and that the two lots of land in the township of Whitby, mentioned in the will, were originally devised to manumitted slaves. Slavery was abolished by law in Upper Canada in 1793 — a fact which of course must have been well known to the Solicitor-General. But it may be conjectured that he wished to place the right of his former slaves to hold real property beyond all doubt, by the terms of his will. 1 i ) CHAPTER XXII. Names of early front settlers — First surveys — Whitby and Pickering one district municipality— Old municipal records — Extracts from minute book— Names of first township officers — Curious by-laws— Great plenty of game and fish— Salmon caught with pitchforks — Chased by wolves — Jabez Lynde— His house— 1803— First school in Whitby— Early immigrants—" The Irishmen "—"The Scotchmen "—"The English- men "—How distinguished— New arrivals — Gradual settlement— Names of settlers, 1811—1820-1822—1829 to 1833— Old Baptist Church— Place for meetings— The Old Kirk built— Local gatherings — Consumption of whiskey— Division of the township — Area, assessment, valuation, etc. — Villages, etc. THE names of the earliest recorded settlers along the lake shore are those of Wilson, Farewell, Lockwood, McGahen, Ran- som, Majors, Wilson, Knight, Shales, Stiles, Cranford, Rummer- feld, Hunger, Lloyd, Marvin. These occur in fragmentary records of the townships of Whitby and Pickering from 1801 to 1808. The Burks, Trulls and Conats had previously, in 1794, settled on Barber's Creek, now Darlington. Mr. Lovekin, an Irishman, settled in the adjoining township of Clarke, in 1795. Whitby and Pickering, the two front townships of the county, were first surveyed part in 1791, and the remainder surveyed and laid out in 1795. The earliest record of township matters begins with 1801. There is an old municipal book extant, the first date in which is 4th June, 1801, giving the marks of cattle, sheep and hogs, "belonging to the inhabitants of Pickering and Whitby." The following exi icts are given from the recorded minutes — the original orthography being retained : — ^'A record of a meeting for chusing the Town Officers and other Regtda- 124 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. 11 I iiii' \K li I I tors for the towns of Pickering and Whitby, held at the house of Samuel Munger in Pickering — March 7th day, 1803." Ebenezer Kansom, Town Clerk. John ^Iajous, 1 . 7^ I y Assessors. Llkaziu Lockwood,/ Anthony Rummerpielu.I ^ t^ , Adam Stephens, | ^^^'^ W<^rdens. David Stephens, Collector. Samuel Munger, \ Matthew Dewh^lger, John ^McGahbn, rPathmasters. Wm. Peck, i David Ci^awford, / -David Lloyd, ^ „ 4 rr' } P encevtewers. Auhaham ToWNaEND,j Sii^s Marvin, Poundkeeper. " A voted cal'd and passed that no Hogg shall be free comener Except they will wey more than Forty w't." "Voted that no fence be Lawful except it mea sure 4^ Feet high and two feet at the bottom the Rails not to be more than 4 inches a part. Meeting closed until warned again," *' Received of Mr. E. Lockwood, Collector of the townships of Pickering and Whitby for the year 1802, Five pounds 19s. Halifax Currency being in full Accruing to the Assessment Eoal for that year Returned." ".£5 19sh. '''York, 18th April, 1803." " Wm. Allan, \ ti t^ Treasurer.) Whitby and Pickering would appear to have been united in the Home District at this date. The names of Woodruff, Carr, Brisbin, Smith, Lynde are names of old settlers which occur in the old township records previous to 1812. Jabez Lynde settled on the Creek, still known by his name, immediately west of the town of Whitby, in 1804. Splendid salmon were caught in the same creek in those early days. It was a usual ffiii! EARLV SETTLERS — WHITHY. 12.= method to kill the fish with a pitchfork from a log stretched across the creek. Deer were plentiful, and were frequently chased by wolves up to the door of the dwelling. Instances were mentioned by the old settlers of the hunted animals running into the little shanty dwellings along the creek for safety. Mr. Lynde was employed by the Government to forward despatches between York and Kingston; he also made purchases for the Government Com- missariat. When his house — the present residence of Miss Lynde at the creek was built — it was considered the best dwelling between Kingston and Toronto. It was a stopping place for the troops on their marches, and appears to have been used as an hostelry. Dan Smith and a man named Quick lived on the lake shore of Whitby in 1803. A Miss Cross kept the first school in a little log hut opposite Nightingale's, now Mr. William Blair's farm. In 1811 Mr. Samuel Cochrane settled on the old Cochrane homestead; he was out in the War of 1812, and enjoyed a pension up to the time of his decease a few years ago. Mr. Cochrane came from Vermont, but was of Irish descent. John Hyland, John B. Warren and William Warren, Lawrence Hayden and O'Callaghan Holmes were all Irishmen who settled in the township of Whitby between 1812 and 1820. "Squire" Armstrong and "Dr." Still were their neigh- bours. The only post office on the front road next to Toronto was then at Hamer's Corners, then called Crawford's Corners, where Mr. John Spurrill now lives. The nearest doctor lived at Toronto. The Warrens commenced storekeeping in 1823 at Hamer's Corners, and kept the first post office. Theirs was the only store between Port Hope and Toronto at that time. The Warrens were called "The Irishmen," two Scotchmen, brothers named McGregor, were called "the Scotchmen," and the two Hnggins brothers, "the Englishmen." Land of the best quality in the township and along the front road could then be bought at $4 and $5 an acre. There were no settlers farther back than the 3rd concession. Mr. Law- rence Hayden kept a store for ten or a dozen years on the front 'i -1 ■J il ' 126 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. I i .(! . w t road before moving to Toronto. The Warrens built the gristmills at Oshawa. William Warren held the office of Collector of Customs at Whitby for many years ; he died a few months ago at a very advanced age. The Deharts and Mackies were early settlers, as were also the families of Hodge, Colley, Stevens, Pickell, Hall^ McGregor, McGill, Hull, Trull, Henry, Dullea, Annes, Howard, Corneille, Ross, Bartlett, Skae, Wood, Nicols, Taylor, Crawford^ Griffin, Losie and Farquharson. James Hall settled on the lake shore in 1820. Ezra Annes was an earlier arrival, and was at first a clerk for Losie who kept a small store. Losie became embarrassed, and his estate was pur- chased by Ezra Annes. The latter became an active magistrate and raised a large family. Mr. Fred. Howard Annes, his grandson, now owns the old family homestead. George McGill, who settled in 1822, was a native of Wigton, but came from Paisley, Scotland, to Canada, and penetrated the woods as far back as the 3rd con- cession to make a homestead. He was the father of Dr. William McGill, ex-M.PP., of Oshawa, and of Col. John McGill. The old gentleman lived to see his ninety-seventh year. Joseph Goreham built a fulling and carding mill south of the present town of Oshawa ; and previous to that Moody Farewell built a mill and small distillery on the Little Creek. John Gibbs settled in what is now South Oshawa, in 1829, and in conjunction with his brother Thomas bought the mills known as the South Oshawa Mills. The latter was the father of Hon. T. N. Gibbs and of William H. Gibbs, who for a number of years were extensively engaged in business in Oshawa, and both of whom represented the two ridings of North and South Ontario in the Dominion Parliament — T. N. Gibbs becoming a cabinet minister in the Government of Sir John Macdonald. Old Mr. Gibbs was an Englishman from Devonshire. Dr. Lowe became a resident of Whitby in 1828. Dr. Hunter was cotemporary with him. Both gentlemen were subsequently EARLY SETTLERS — WHITRV. 127 prominent, at opposite sides, in the rebellion of 1837. Dr. Lowe commanded a company of the volunteer militia, and was " hot " after the " rebels." Dr. Hunter was arrested and kept a prisoner for some time, and was afterwards discharged after examination before the commissioners. William Dow settled on the farm known as " Glendhu " (still owned by his grandson W. H. Dow), in the 3rd concession, in 1833^ He came from Banffshire, Scotland, landing in Quebec with his family in August, 1832. From Quebec they went to the Eastern Townships, remaining at Stanstead until the February following. Thence, with three teams of six horses, they came up through the State of New York, crossing the ice at Ogdensburg, and arrived at Whitby in the beginning of March, 1833. Mr. Dow was one of the foremost agriculturists o^ his day, and led the way in agri- cultural improvements in the county. He joined with Francis Leys, of Pickering (mentioned elsewhere), in importing the first bull. Mr. Dow had a large family of sons and daughters, whose numerous descendants occupy respectable positions. The only surviving son is Mr. Thomas Dow, manager of the Western Bank at Whitby, now well up in years, and justly well esteemed by his friends and neighbours, amongst whom he has lived from his boy- hood. The late Dr. Foote was married to one of the daughters. Mr. Hugh Miller, J. P., of Toronto, married another. John Ball Dow, barrister, of Whitby, also represents the family as a grandson of the first settler. William Gordon, of Bayside, who died a few years ago, was another highly respected old settler on the lake shore of the old township of Whitby. He was father of Adam Gordon, late M.P. for North Ontario, of William Gordon, merchant, Toronto, J. K. Gordon, barrister, Whitby, and has left numerous descendants. George McGillivray, of Inverlynn, west of the town of Whitby, is another very old settler. He came from Fergus, Scotland, some fifty-five years ago, and engaged in farming in Whitby. He married I i i 1 i 128 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. *i a (lauf^hter of Mr. Charles Fothergill, editor of the Wi'ckhi Rcfiister. Mr. Fothergill nat in the Provincial Parliament in 1832 as member for Northumberland, and took an active part in the politics of the day. He was deprived of the office of King's printer for giving expression to his liberal and independent opinions. It was he who first originated the law establishing agricultural societies. He published the " York Calendar " and " Koyal Almanac " for several years. He was also an eminent naturalist. Mr. John Fothergill, of Whitby, his grandson, now represents the family name. Mr. and ^[rB. McGillivray have a numerous family of sons and daughters, and are still hale and hearty though advanced in years. Mr. John A. McGillivray, barrister, of Uxbridge, and the opponent of Mr. Isaac Gould in the late Provincial elections contest, is one of the sons. The Tweedies, Farquharsons, Howards, Campbells, of Brooklin, Drydens, the families of Betts, Delong, Fisher, Lamon, Heron, Blair, Burns, Michael, Spencer, Anderson, Calder, Ogston, Jeffrey, Thomson, Martin, Starr, were all early settlers of the township of Whitby long before the agitation for the setting off of the new county. John Dryden, the member for South Ontario in the Legislative Assembly, worthily represents the family name. He lives on the old homestead first settled by his father in 1826, on the 7th concession. His splendid property, known as Maple Shade Farm, comprising some six hundred acres, is one of the finest and best cultivated farms in the Province. In those early days the kirk, built on Starr's Hill, between Whitby and Oshawa, accommodated all the residents of the old township, including the villages of Whitby and Oshawa, as a place of worship. Previous to that a little frame building, known as the Baptist Church, was the place in which all township meetings and public gatherings were held. An old resident says that after these meetings, and at all raisings and logging-bees, there was much drinking indulged in. Whiskey was the liquor invariably produced DIVISION OF TOWNSHIP — EAST WHITBY. 129 upon such occasions, and was consumed in large quantities. It was sold at from twenty to twenty-tive cents a gallon, and was often indulged in to a deplorable extent. The old township was divided into two separate municipalities in 1857— the eastern division being since known as the township of East Whitby, while the western part retained the old appellation of the township of Whitby. The area of the present township is 31,(560 acres, all good farming land. Valuation, $1,781,{)«2. The principal villages arc Brooklin, Ashburn and Myrtle. i' 15 *!■ ( "i' . ■■1" ' 'M CHAPTER XXIII. ft' East Whitby— Area, populativ^n, aHsessed value— Number of ratepayers on roll — Firat settlers— First gristmill— Sawmills— First road made — Helps settlement — 1831— Immigrants— Successful farmers — Their descendants — Oshawa Creek— Mills — Local market — Growth of settlement — Mr. Wright — His mare the only available horse— His ox-cart — A kind neighbour— Villages. THE township of East "Whitby embraces an area of 34,700 acres; population about 3,400. According to last returns the assessed value was $1,809,000; number of ratepayers on assessment roll over 800. The first early settlers selected the land along the Eeacli Road, or Sim'joe Street. They were the families of Dearborn, Ratcliffe, Widdifield, Kerr, Masson, Jameyson. Farther north, in the vicinity of Columbus, or English's Corners, as the village was formerly called, were the families of Wilcockson, Harper, Ashton, Adams, Webster, Carey ; and still further back the Smiths, Hodgson, Fisher and Harnden. The latter built the first gristmill on the stroam near the Ridges. It was a curiosity in its way — the bed-stone beinq an upright concave, and the moving-stone in th^ form of a grinastone working in the cavity. The same stream was utilized in several places to operate sawmills — there being, at that time, quite a sprinkling of white pine on the Ridges. On the extreme east of the township the Government cut out one of the road allowances, two rods wide, as far back as the rear of the 6th concession, in 1831, and nearly all that section of the township was settled in that and the following year or two. The ancestors of the families of Wright, Gould, Pickle, Beggs, Gilford, Pascoe, Luke, Ormiston, Gregg, Hutchinson, Graham. Stephens, Millar, Ratclifif, Campbell, Maltman, Hyland, Howden were all first OLD SETTLERS — EAST WHITBY. 131 settlers in the bush in this neighbourhood. Most of those named were successful farmers, and the land reclaimed by them from the forest continues in great part in the hands of their descendants. John Harper was the first settler to erect a sawmill on the east branch of the Oshawa Creek. Luke and Pascoe, Ray, Campbell and others afterwards used the same stream — Ray being the first to erect a gristmill on the spot now occupied by J. Goodman. . This and the gristmill, put up some time later by W. H. Gibbs, half a mile east of Columbus, on the other branch of the Oshawf. Creek — and where the first local market for wheat was established — were a a great boon to the young settlement, which quickly grew and expanded on the first-class land with which the whole locality is favoured. Few of the old pioneers could afford to keep a horse during the first years of occupation. Mr. Wright was an exception ; and to him many of the early settlers were obliged to have recourse for the use of his mare to carry a grist to the mill on a pinch. Indeed, we are told, that the mare was always at the service of a neighbour whenever required upon an emergency. An ox-cart belonging to the same neighbourly old gentleman was for a long time the only vehicle in the settlement. It was never refused to a neighbour. If a neighbour wanted to borrow it, and it had not then been returned by the previous borrower, Mr. Wright would say : — "I have an ox- cart somewhere ; if you can find it take it ; but for long spells I only see it when passing on the road behind somebody's oxen." The old gentleman, very far advanced in years, was still living, at Harriston, up to a few years ago. The principal villages in the township are Columbus, Raglan, Cedar Dale, Foley and Harmony. I* i t I i U.\ '■ t CHAPTEE XXIV. • Pickering — Ohapacter of soil, area, population, assessed value, etc. — Villages — First settlers-Old recorus— Early township officers— 1800— 1810— Settlers— 1811— 1815— 1816— 1820— 1821— Settlers, 1825 to 1835— Squire Leys-Squire Birrell— Court of Requests— Fothergill — McKay— Old Brock Road settlement — Demorest's sawmill- Other grist and sawmills — Kinsale settlement - Captain Macaulay - Want of roads — Immigrants of '32 and '34— The Millers, Joneses, etc. — Thompson's tavern — Township meetings — Specimen by-laws— 1836 — 1837— Peter Matthews— Settlers up to 1846— First township library— Hector Beaton- -Truman White— Dr. Tucker— Magistrates' court — Anecdote of Squires Birrell and Green. I^ART of the record of the old township of Whitby also belongs to Pickering. Like Whitby it is a fine, fruitful, well-tilled, well-farmed and well-settled township ; the character of the so" a, loamy clay, and the face of the country well watered. It embraces an area of 74,GG0 acres ; Population, 7,375 ; number of ratepayers, nearly 2,000. Total value of real and personal property, $3,918,429. The principal villages are Pickering, Brougham, Greenwood, Claremont, Whitevale, Balsam, Kinsale, Green River, Dunbarton and Audley. The name of Peak, of Duffin's Creek, occurs in old records previous to the year 1800, and is the oldest ascertained in con- nection with the settlement of the township. The names of the earliest settlers have been already given in the lists of the township of Whitby. In subsequent records, having reference to Pickering alone, the following are found. Under date of 1811, this is the entry in the first township book in which any records were regularly kept : — ^* Agreeable to an Act of the Legislature of this Province, made and passed in the thirty-third year of His Majesty's reign, for the purpose qf OLD RECORDS — PICKERING. 133 cltooaing and nominating certain fit and proper persona to serve as Parish and Town officers, we, the inhabitants of this Town, met the first Monday of March for the purpose of choosing the following officers : Thomas Hubbard, Town Clerk. Daviu Crawford,) . J ,j ' [Assessors. John Haight, j Abraham Townsend, Collector. NoADiAH Woodruff,] , Thomas jSEatthews, ^ Pathmasters, John Lawrence, j „ , Joseph Wixson, \ r, n rp 13 ' \ Pound keet Timothy Rogers,) ' oers. John Richard, James Poweli ::} Town Wardens. "By-law. — Voted tliat fences be four and a half feet high, and not more than five inches between rails." In the next year, under date of March 2, 1812, the name" of Nicholas Brown is to be found as one of the "Sessors." James " Lamoru " occurs as pathmaster. And there is the following brief and very explicit memorandum at foot : — " Our Town otfisors war Put in By the Qarter Sesons for the year, A.l)., 1813, By Reason of the Wor that was Declearede against us By the States in the year 1812." " By the Same Reason our townd metin war omited in the year, A.I)., 1814 and our Town officors war Put in the same manner. Timothy Eogers, who built a small mill at Duffin's Creek, was one of the earliest settlers. Nicholas Brown came in from Vermont in 1810, and after him came the Quaker settlement of the same numerous family in Pickering. The family of the Haights were of the same period. In 1815 the names of McCauslin (McCausland), Stott, Clark and Smith occur amongst the town officers. In 1816 Vanceleek (Vankleek), Post, Flowerfield, Powell, Craw- ford, Ray are new names occurring amongst the elected officers. And there is a by-law passed, as follows : — " Hogs is not to run as free commoners nor horses." i ■1 i 1 1 134 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. If the grammar be not the best, there is a brevity in this early law-making phraseology that might well commend itself to the law- makers of the present day. The names of James Sharrard, Peter Matthews, Joseph Brown and Samu' 1 Doolittle appear in the list of township officers for 1817. And in 1818 the names of Spenser, Udell and Andrew Losson. In this year the following by-law was passed, which is given vcrhatim from the original. "By-law. — Hogs is not allowed to run on the commons without a yoak that is six inches above the Neck and four Below." There are added to the list of township officers for 1820 the names of Zephania Jones, James Wood and Daniel Yeak. The entries made are : — ^ " Voted — That our fences is to be Nabourly and Law full," "Voted — That Horses shal not be commontrs." In 1821 the names of Joseph Winters, George Caster, Asher Wilson and Joseph Webster are found amongst the list of officers. Similar by-laws to the specimens already given were passed restraining horses, hogs and cattle from running at large ; and also a resolution appointing " the next meeting to be holden at John Major's in 1822." In this latter year James Brown, Samuel Eves, Solomon Sly, Georgv; Anderson, John Albright and Cornelius Churchill appear as township officers. By-laws as to fences and cattle are again^ passed at the annual meeting. Next year (1823), John Sharrard becomes "town clerk," and Thomas Hubbard, collector ; Joshua Kichardson, John Blair and David Wood, pathmasters. The family of the Richardsons came from the Queen's County, Ireland, and have numerous representatives of the old stock in Pickering and Whitby. In 1824 Silas Orvis, Reuben Steel, John Henry, Daniel Betts, OLD SETTLERS — PICKERING. 135 William Smith and William Losie appear on the list ; and the following are placed under the head of by-laws : — "Firstly — Voted that the fences shall be five feet high, and not more than four inches between rails two feet from the ground." " 2nd — That hogs are to run at large till they do damage, and then the owner of the hogs is to pay the same, and yoke them with a croch yoke, six inches above the neck and four inches below the neck, and let them run." " 3rd. — That any unruly Creature of any description, either horse, cow, bull, muUy, or young creature of any sort or size shall not be a free com- moner, but sliall be liable to be taken up and put in the pound by any person, either man or woman, or boy, and the owner shall pay all damages, poundage and costs, whether said Creature was found doing damage or not." These samples of early by-laws are worth preserving, although they are unlikely to be followed as precedents by the Pickering Councils of to-day. William Sleigh appears as township clerk in 1825. Elijah Foster and George Clark are new names amongst the township officers of this year. And in the next few years up to 1835, we find, year after year, the addition of well-known names long con- nected with the township, such as Francis Leys, Joseph Morel, John Cair, Anos Griswold, George Barclay, George Caster, ]tobeit Gager, William Calling, William Peck, Alexander Dunlop, Benjamin Cool, Ezekiel McWain, Eli Leavens, John Davis, Lawrence Smith, Geo. Berry, Abraham Stoner, James Monger, Thos. Thompson, Parnell Webb, John Laur, William Crothers (Carruthers), William Hattrick, Nicholas Austin, John Palmer, Joel Hughes, Timothy Gates, Benjamin Locke, Kobert Richardson, James Richardson, William Wright, John Tool, Job Burton, David Richmond, Michael B. Judge, James McKay, Abm. Knowles, Landon Wurts, Ashael Scott, B. Blanchard, Christian Stoffer, Joseph Chapman, John Terry, Israel Gibbs, Benjamin Holmes, Chas. Ward, John Laman, Jno. Van Home, Piatt Betts, Alex. Horsburg, Richard Lankern, Danl. O'Brien, Thomas Reazin, Isaac Campbell, Chas. Hadley, I. 136 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Josh. Thornton, Martin Niswander, Allan Granger, Saml. Plumb, Jas. Rowe, Peter Rushnell, David Crider, Kobt. Knox, Roland Brown, Ambrose Boon, Richard Dale, Urick Burkholder, John Jack- !^on, Joseph Gormley, William Wilkie, Ebenezer Birrell, Wm. Bice, Wm. Tracey, A. K. Stevens, Wm. Dunbar, Thos. Annan, Jacob Waltenberger and others, amongst the Wixsons, Woodruffs, Rogers, Sharrards, Browns, Haights, Posts, Mathews, Dales, Reazins, and Churchills of earlier years. When Mr. Birrell settled in 1834, there were few settlers back of the 6th concession, and even that concession line was but partially opened. The leading roads were the front, or Kingston Road, and the Brock Road, running through the centre of the township north into Brock. The leading men on the front road then were Squire Galbraith, a P.L.S., and Squire Leys, who kept the only store and post office in Pickering for years. Mr. Leys was a very prominent man in the township ; he was a commissioner of the Court of Requests, and his house was a great place of resort. The court sat in what was known as Squire Leys's schoolhouse. The other members of. the court at that time were Mr. Smith, J. P., who lived at the "Creek," Donald McKay, Squire Fothergill and Dr. Boyes. Mr. Francis Leys was father of John Leys, M.PP. for Toronto He died in 1853, much esteemed and deservedly regretted. Caleb Powell and Henry Powell came into Pickering as early as 1810. Caleb was the father of Mr. J. B. Powell, merchant, Whitby. Along the old Brock Road, Elder Barclay, James Sharrard and Joshua Wixson lived on the 9th concession, and had cleared farms. Mr. Wixson's was then the only gristmill in the neighbourhood ; it was built a mile east of where Claremont now stands. Shortly afterwards Mr. Fothergill commenced building a mill at Duffin's Creek, near the present line of the Grand Trunk Railway, but it did not long continue in operation. James ill OLD SETTLERS — PICKERING. 137 *( 15 Demorest built a sawmill on lot 12 on the 6th concession, which was of immense benefit to that portion of the township. A Mr. Sicilly had also a sawmill and gristmill on lot 15 on the 5th concession, which he subsequently sold to Mr. Howell, a Cork man, who erected a distillery and built a store, and with his sons carried on a considerable business. Crawford's, Palmer's and other mills were soon afterwards built on both branches of the Creek. The closest settlement eastward was rear of the 5th concession (now Kinsale), where were located the Messrs. Mackie, John Clcrke and Isaac Campbell. Beyond this there was no open road. Captain Macaulay, having considerable wild lands in that quarter, gave 50 acres to have the side line between 10 and 11 in the 4th and 5th concessions ; and 6 and 7 in the ()th and 7th concessions, and south part of the 8th concession opened. Not- withstanding the want of roads, the lands in all this neighbour- hood were all soon bought up and settled. Most of the settlers after 1834 were immigrants, and were composed pretty evenly of English, Irish and Scotch. It was at this period that Samuel and Joseph Jones with their large families settled on the 7th concession, where they have left their descendants in the enjoy- ment of comfortable homes. Messrs. Waddell, Hickingbottom, Gordon and James I. Davidson settled on their homesteads about the same time. John Miller first settled in Pickering in 1832. John brought out from Scotland some stock to his uncle George Miller, of Markham, at this date. The father, old Mr. William Miller, shortly afterwards followed, locating on the old homestead, lot 25 in the 7th concession. The Millers afterwards engaged in the importation of thoroughbred stock, for which they have long obtained such a deservedly high reputation. The township meeting for 1835 was held at Thompson's tavern on the 5th concession, at which place the township meetings " i li ;' 1 Jl I" i I I i I 138 thb: life and times of Joseph gould. continued to be held for many subsequent years. Here is another specimen by-law, passed in 1835 : — , "Voted that any dog foiiud two miles from his master shall he shot." In 1836 John Gierke appears as Township Clerk. The com- missioners appointed were John Haight, Isaac Campbell and Joseph Wilson. The names of Linton, Logan, Bentley, Agnew, O'Connor, Heaney, Carpenter, Michell, Sullivan, Gibson, Burns, Brennan, Stickney, McKittrick, Gilchrist appear for the first time in the list this year. The commissioners met several times during the year and gave judgment in a good many cases, and appear to have been especially severe in fining parties for road obstructions and non-performance of statute labour. In 1837 it was resolved that the township, on every concession, be divided into four divisions, and that every division appoint its own overseers. This does not appear to have worked well, for at the next meeting of the commissioners it is " resolved that it have no eJEfect." Mr. Ebenezer Birrell was elected one of the Town Commis- sioners in 1839, and Mr. James Sharrard, Town Clerk. The name of Peter Matthews, which hitherto appeared year after year very prominently for several years in the list of township officers, disappears this year. He was the unfortunate Peter Matthews who was hanged with Captain Lount for the part taken by them in the rebellion of '37. The names of Gregg, O'Leary, Valentine, Anson, and other well known Pickering families of the present day appear in '39, '40 and '41. Joseph Wilson was appointed clerk in 1840 ; and in '41 the township had a librarian, Mr. Thompson, the tavern keeper, to take charge of the books (viz., Journals of the House of Assembly) presented by the then sitting member, Mr. Small, to the township. The first district councillors were elected in 1842. They were Alexander Campbell and W. H. Michell. In 1846 Mr. Hector Beaton, who with his brother settled on 100 OLD SETTLERS — PICKERING. 139 acres in Pickering in 1836, was iirst appointed collector. In 1841) Mr. Beaton was appointed to the three offices of assessor, collector and clerk. For more than thirty years subsequently he held the office of clerk and treasurer, and discharged the duties with the utmost satisfaction. A more upright and faithful officer no muni- cipality ever had, as the universal testimony of the whole people of Pickering bears witness. Mr. Beaton's son now fills the office of township clerk, and is a worthy successor of his honoured father. Mr. Truman White came into Pickering in 1845 from the adjoining township of Markham, where he was born twenty years before. He built the sawmill and gristmill at Whitevale (pre- viously known as Majorville), and established a large business. He also erected extensive woollen mills, which were subsequently burned down, and again rebuilt. He filled the office of reeve of the township for several years with much advantage to the munici- pality, and was elected warden of the county. Mr. White took a leading part in municipal and political affa,irs for many years, and has always been a strong Liberal. He was the candidate of the Eeform party of South Ontario in opposition to Hon. T. N. Gibbs in 1873, and was only defeated by a very narrow majority in the hard battle which he then fought. James McCreight, of Cherrywood, a county of Dublin Irishman^ who settled in the township in 1834 ; Squire Green, of Greenwood ; Joseph Monkhouse, of Altona ; the Hoovers, of Green Piiver ; the Mackies, Parkers and Palmers, are amongst the old representative families. Dr. Tucker settled in Pickering nearly forty years ago, and was during a residence of nearly thirty years a very prominent man in the township. He was a defeated candidate in the memorable election contest of 1867 between Hon. George Brown, for the Com- mons, and Doctor McGill for the Provincial Legislature, as the candi- dates, on the Eeform side, and T. N. Gibbs and Doctor Tucker on the Conservative side, when Messrs. Gibbs and McGill were elected. The services of Squire Green (after whom Greenwood village was named) and Squire Birrell were somewhat in demand in those / ! 1 i 140 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. days, aK raagiHtrates, and rough customers they sometimes had to deal with. The " court " was generally held in Sterling's Hotel in a sitting-room off the bar-room. In the fall and spring fairs were held in the village — the fall fairs usually attracting large crowds of both sexes. Jumping and running, putting the stone, lifting heavy weights, and other athletic amusements and feats of strength and skill formed part of the programme — the admiration of the ladies present upon those occasions being no little incentive to the com- petitors. At one of those fairs, thirty odd years ago, a quiet, modest young man, a farmer's son from the front, proved himself the best jumper on the ground. His rival, Mick R , a big, burly fellow and a noted bully, who claimed the championship of the fair, felt so mortified at his defeat that, after some words of insult, he hit the young farmer a sudden cowardly blow on the temple and knocked him senseless. Burly Mick was arrested and brought before Squires Green and Birrell. He was abusive and insolent; threatened to choke the constable, and clean out the " court." He mocked the magistrates, and his language and manner became so violent and in.ailting as to be any longer unbearable. There was only one constable, a weak, elderly man, and Mike considered himself beyond all magisterial restraint, especially as a large part of the crowd present belonged to the "Order," of which he was one of the "brethren." " I can't stand this any longer; can you?" asks Squire Green of his brother magistrate. The latter said something about the power of the magistrates to summon assistance, and even to call out the ^kjssc comitatus. "Posse comitatus bo d d," exclaimed the irate Squire Green, " I can lick the scoundrel myself in less than two minutes. Adjourn the court. I declare this court adjourned for five minutes until I lick the fellow ! " And adjourned the court was. And when it re-opened very shortly afterwards, the discomfited bully held a handkerchief to his face, on which latter were signs of a black eye and bloody nose, and there was no meeker or quieter individual in court during the remainder of the proceedings. CHAPTER XXV. 1? each— Survey, 1809 — Area — AHsessed ' -vine, etc.— (Quality of soil— Reuben Crandell — First white child born — Scuko^;- x'ort Perry — Villa«es— Sheriff Paxton Early settlers — ScugoK Island— Statistics-Increase in value — Indiana— Surveyed, 181(1-17— Purdy's milldam— First settlers— Brock— 1817— Surveyed— First settlers -Statistics —Quality of soil — James Reekie- " King of Brock" — Col. Vroonian — Ancestors of present settlers — John Hall Thompson- Nipissing Railway — A Tory township -Scott — Statistics of -Survey, 1S07 — First settlers— Evans Jones — The Leasks, Weldons, Phillips, Thompsons, etc., etc. — Settlement from 1830. REACH, in the second tier of townships from the lake, was sur- veyed in 1809 by Mr. Wilmot. Contents, 62,237 acres; assessed value, $2,489,480. Up to 1st January, 1856, Eeach and Scugog were united. On the latter date, under a by-law passed at the June session of the County Council, Scugog Island became an independent municipality. The soil through the centre of the township of Reach is rather light ; the land to the north-east and north-west is of excellent quality. Reuben Crandell, who has left numerous descendants, is said to have been the first white settler and his son Benjamin, lately deceased, always claimed to be the first white child born in the township. The municipality formerly included Port Perry (as well as Scugog), which with the growth of population became a separate corporation. Reach contains a number of thriving villages with splendid names, including Prince Albert, Manchester, Epsom, Utica, Saintfield, Greenbank. The municipality sends a reeve and two deputy-reeves to the County Council. Mr. Thomas Paxton (late Sheriff of the county) was the earliest representative to the County Council after the county had been set off. The names of McKercher, Hurd, Covey, Croxall, Truax, Crowther, Stoutenberger, Christie,, , 1 ! 1 ' ' ' 1 1 1 ■ '■ 1 H \ ' \ \ 1 1 j } « 1 r ' i 1 ^ ■Ml > i l> ] u li \ I • 3 ' .,. IT , ■t- I 142 THK LIFK AND TIMES OF .lOSKPH GOULD. I I ■ ■ ■ 1 ''.•:'' } ('•. j ?Jil' 1 ■:='> i 'i'' » Crowther are those given amongst the earliest of the other early settlers. Property in Scun;og has increased immensely in value since the building of the bridge connecting the Island with the mainland after Scugog had become a separate municipality. It contains some fine improved farms and handsome residences. The assessed value in 1886 was $350,854. The Island contains 11,016 acres. The county valuators place land in Scugog at $38 per acre in equalizing the assessment rolls for county purposes. The population of the Island is about 400. There is an Indian reserve of about 800 acres, with a remnant of about fifty Mississaguas thereon. The Island was surveyed in 1816 and '17 when it formed a por- tion of both Reach and Cartwright. Shortly afterwards one Purdy erected a milldam across the Scugog Iliver, causing the latter to overflow its banks and converting Scugog into an island. Charles Nesbitt, an Irishman from, the County Monaghan, was the first settler; he went to live on the island in 1842. Brock, although not laid out or surveyed until 1817, is one of the oldest settled of the northern townships. It was named after the celebrated general, the conqueror of Queenston Heights. The first settlers entered the township by way of Yonge Street and Newmarket, and those later by Uxbridge when the road was opened from Duffin's Creek to the latter place. According to the last revised assessment roll, the township contains 66,181 acres; number of acres cleared, 40,000; value of real property, $2,779,602; population about 5,000. A large portion of the township consists of excellent land — a heavy clay loam; but there is considerable broken and marshy land along the Beaver River. Old Philip St. John, an Irishman from the County Limerick, the genial " King of Brock," as he delighted to be called, settled in the township in 1821 and reared a large family. Several of his descendants have long been prominent men in the township. James Vrooman, the kind-hearted old "colonel," and after whom the village of Vroomanton was h ?t -l *» KAULY SK'ITLEUS — H1U)C;K. 148 named, wa«» a still earlier settlor. Mr. James Reekie was a still older settler, and the record of himself ami family is one of the best of the independent yeomanry of Brock. Mr. lleekie was a native of Dundee, Scotland, where he was born in 17!>7. He left home when only sixteen years of age, and followed a seafaring' life for two or three years, beinf:f engaged in the King's service. He came to Brock on the 10th of October, 1818. The first night he slept under a tree, making his bed at the foot of a remarkably large pine, on lot 3 in the 4th concession. And here he settled and made his future home until his death on the 4th December, 1877, in his eighty- first year. He lived for several years a lonely bachelor's life, and was often for weeks together without seeing the face of a white man or woman. In 1824 he married Mary Hume, by whom he had nine sons and three daughters — all of whom survive him. The sons are all thorough lieformers, and before their father's death it was his pride to have them accompany him to poll their votes for the lleform candidate. Mr. Reekie was for many years a Justice of the Peace for the Home District, and after- wards for the county of Ontario. The hospitality of the Reekies — and the children in this respect keep up the good reputation of the parents — was well noted ; and in the early days of settlement the new-comers to the township and the passing traveller could well appreciate its value. Reuben Way came into Brock in 182() from the Bay of Quinte, and was the first settler to venture north of the Reekie settlement. Mr. Way settled on lot 13 in the 1st concession of Brock. He was one of the old District councillors. He was also a staunch Reformer, and, like James Reekie, a total abstainer. The ancestors of the Shire family, James Ruddy, George Smith, John O'Leary, the Keenans, and the families of Spieran, King, Ewart, Pordiff, Campbell, Amey, Bagshaw, Brethour, Bolster, Brabazon, Hart, McPhaden, Cowan, Ruttle, Monroe were all settlers of the following twenty years. Mr. Malcolm Gillespie came later, and has since his entry into the township occupied a very prominent position ! I ■if 144 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. in municipal and political matters; helms been repeatedly reeve, and was also elected to the honour of warden of the county. John Hall Thompson was long a prominent figure in Brock; he was^ elected warden of the county as often as five times, and also repre- sented the North Hiding in the Dominion Parliament. Much of the township of Brock was settled before Whitby was known farther back than the 3rd concession. The construction of the Nipissing Railway, towards which the township gave a bonus of $50,000 has greatly added to the value of land, and the people have learned to value and appreciate the advantage of railway communication. Had their railway education been of earlier date, it would have been an important matter for the county, and more especially the county town. Undoubtedly had Brock and the townships north been as favourably disposed thirty years ago to the aiding of railways, and understood then as well as they do now the benefits of railway connection, the grand county scheme of a railway line through the length of the county from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay would have succeeded. Brock is noted as a very Tory township, and has been the scene of many hard political struggles. The majority for the Conservative candi- date is generally piled up to between two and three hundred, coun- terbalancing the majority of about the same figures usually given in the Liberal township of Uxbridge in the Reform interest. Sun- derland, Vroomanton, Vallentyne, Wick and Cannington (the latter now incorporated as a separate municipality) are the most impor- tant villages in the township. The township of Scott was surveyed as early as 1807, by Mr, S. S. Wilmot, but settlement did not begin until a quarter of a century later. Contents, 49,219 acres ; population, 2,400 ; present assessed value, $1,525,789. Evans Jones, a hardy W^elsh- man, was the first known settler. He entered the township in 1830. From that date to 1834 the principal settlers were Andrew Turner, Hugh Mustard, Peter Leask, William Stewart, Thomas EARLY SETTLERS — SCOTT. 145 Hood, the Weldo- y, the Phillipses, Vernons, Pirts, James Gallo- way, George Smith (who afterwards kept a tavern in Whitby), David Urquharl, Thomas Thompson, William Sinclair, George Smith (who was for many years reeve, and in 1875 warden of the county), Eobert Eowland (for several years deputy reeve), William Nelson (formerly reeve and now township clerk), who all came in after the rebellion of 1837. A considerable portion of the land is very good soil, part inclined to be light, and interspersed with swamp. Scott has the character of a splendid wheat township. Of late years the township has progressed rapidly, roads have been opened up and improved, and bridges built where necessary, and such good husbandmen are the men of Scott that the county valuators extol the township as being the best cultivated and possessing the best fences of any township in the county. i'\ w li' •'<: ■ I i'i: 1 1 CHAPTER XXVI. Thorah— Statistics — Surveys, 1820 and '27 — White, the surveyor, 1822— Ensign Turner- Squire Cameron — Glengarry immigrants, 1824-'28 — Settlement of half-pay officers— Islay settlers — Donald Calder, Hector Grant— Long journey to mill — First bridge — The Beaver River — Road from Beaverton to Oshawa — Sutherland and Argyll settlers —1830— The Bruces— 1833— The Proctors— Charles Robinson— His descendants— The Ellises — John McKay — First post office— 1835— Col. Cameron — Beaverton — Progress of township — Government grants for roads — Grants by county council — Railway bonus — Municipal representatives — Churches — Beautiful situation of Beaverton— Originally called Milton— 1834 and 1887 contrasted. THORAH, which lies immediately north of Brock, contains 44,320 acres. Valuation, nearly $700,000. The township was sur- veyed, part in 1820 by J. E. White, and part in 1827 by D. Gibson. White, the surveyor, settled on the south shore of Lake Simcoe, a little north of Beaverton, in 1822. In the same year Ensign Tm-ner, a retired half-pay officer, settled in the south-west corner, near Georgina, where his descendants are still living. James White and Elizabeth Turner, son and daughter of the respective gentlemen named, were the first white children born in the infant settlement. In 1824, under the leadership of Donald Cameron, commonly called " Squire Cameron," a few immigrants arrived from Glengarry. Amongst these were the ancestors of the families of the Campbells, McRaes, McDonalds and Camerons, who so largely preponderate in the population of the township of the present day, and who have all made successful and become prosperous settlers. Between 1824 and 1828, several British half-pay officers and pensioners, veterans who fought under Moore and Wellington, amongst them the names of Ross, Neil, Murray and O'Donnell, ili EARLY SETTLERS — THORAH. 147 took up grants of land bestowed upon them for military services. Lieutenant Cameron settled upon a splendid 500-acre block on the smiling shore of Lake Simcoe, which he soon largely improved, and where he resided during the remainder of his life. It is the farm now owned by Messrs. Grant and Hodgkinson. A Lieutenant Osborne settled near Mr. Turner's, and a Captain Gibbs on the 1st concession near Squire Cameron's. Donald Calder, with the McMillans and Fadgens and other natives of the Isle of Islay, Scotland, afterwards arrived from North Carolina, in the United States, where they had been sojourning, and became welcome and valuable additions to the township. Calder was the first to erect a grist and sawmill. And primitive as they were in appearance and construction, they soon proved a great boon to the settlement. Many of the earlier settlers had to carry their bushels of flour upon their backs from the Holland Landing, a distance of forty miles ! The first bridge was at this time thrown across the Beaver River, near where the present structure stands. It was built by the voluntary efforts of the sparse settlers them- selves, without any outside help. Through the exertions of Squire Cameron, a road was "blazed" from Beaverton to Oshawa. Neither place had then much of an existence as a town or village, and were not known by their present names. The roads through the township were blazed lines with the underbrush cut, and fallen logs chopped, so as to allow of the passage of an ox-sled. The year 1830 brought a large influx of immigrants from Ross, Sutherland and Argyll, Scotland. Amongst them were John Bruce, John Gunn, James Gordon, Neil Murray, Alexander Eraser, Duncan McLellan, and several others, all of whom (with the exception of the two first named), having served their day and generation, have gone to rest. George Proctor came in 1833, and settled in the village. He was eminently successful as a merchant and miller ; his was the second store opened in the place. The first was by Kenneth Cameron in 1830, when the place was called Milton. I'! - ;;! i!i I I n I 148 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Mr. Charles Robinson, to whom reference is made elsewhere, for many years reeve of the township, also elected warden of the county, an upright magistrate and estimable citizen, settled in Thorah in 1833. He died a few years ago, having lived some fifty years in Thorah. Mr. Robinson has left numerous descendants. A son of his is Mr. C. Blackett Robinson, the well known publisher of The Presbyterian, and another, Mr. John G. Robinson, barrister- at-law, both worthy scions of a good stock. Mr. George Bruce, of Beaverton, for several years reeve of the township, and who was also elected warden of the county, married a daughter of Mr. Robinson. In the year 1838 the Ellises also came to Thorah, and so did John McKay, for many years township clerk. Up to 1835 there was no post office nearer than Georgina, a distance of eighteen miles. The late Col, Cameron, of the 79th Highlanders, settled on a lovely spot along the lake shore, in this latter year. His influence with the Government got a post office at the place, which was then designated Beaverton. The first postmaster was Mr. Ellis, who afterwards erected a carding, spinning and dyeing establishment, still continued by his son. The progress of the township was slow until the establishment of the Home District Council. Hard toil, distant markets, bad roads, low prices and small returns had all to be encountered by the struggling settlers. On the establishment of the old Home District Council, Colonel Cameron was the first representative of Thorah. Aided by Mr. Peter Perry, from the front, he succeeded in getting several grants of money for the improvement of roads. This timely assistance gave an impetus to much-needed improvements in the way of road- making. The County Council afterwards helped, and the Township Council made liberal grants from year to year in the same direction, until Thorah is now supplied with roads and bridges second to those of no other municipality in the county. The granting of a bonus of $50,000 to secure the extension of EARLY SETTLERS — THORAH. 149 the Midland Eailway from Lindsay to Beaverton was a good investment for the township, and from that time forward the progress of both village and township was most marked. Mr. George Proctor, sen., represented the' township munici- pality in '48, '49 and '50. In '52 Mr. Eobinson succeeded Colonel Cameron, and took the active part already related in establishing the new county, and in making Whitby the County Town. Thorah, since its first settlement, has been strongly Presby- terian. The first Presbyterian Church, a well-built stone edifice, was built in . 1843 ; it is built upon a 100-acre grant from the Crown. Rev. David Watson was the first minister, and occupied the manse for over a quarter of a century. The reverend gentle- man has since seen a splendid new church erected through his exertiouB at a cost of $14,000. The Canada Presbyterian congre- gation have since erected a handsome and expensive brick church, costing over $11,000. And the Eoman Catholics have built a neat frame church on lot 11 in the 4th concession, also upon another 100-acre Crown grant. The Church of England and Methodist bodies have also put up handsome brick churches in the village. Beaverton was originally called Milton. It is now incorporated into a separate municipality with its own municipal council. The village is very pleasantly situated on ' ith banks of the Beaver River, which winds its way through beautiful groves of second- growth cedar, and enters Lake Simcoe at this point. A large grist- mill with the latest roller process improvements replaces the old log mill of 1829, put up by Mr. Proctor. There are also steam sawmills, a planing factory, and other manufactures have been a,dded. In 1834 the total taxes payable by Thorah to the Home District amounted to £'34 currency. This year (1887) the valuation of the Township is $642,480, and of the village of Beaverton, $240,000. ''3i II ■■' CHAPTER XXVII. Mara — First survey — 1821 — Completed 1836— Settlement — Soil— First clearings — Patrick Corrigan— 1823— Arthur Kelly, an old Reformer— "Votes for Paxton "—1827- The Camerons, McDonaghs, etc. — Large Irish Catholic and Scotch Catholic settlement — Philip McRae, Alex. Kenne( Mr. Micliell moved, Reconded l)y Mr. GibbH, " Thtit no appro- priation be made until the question be referred to a direct vote of the ratepayers of the county." He said that the people ought to give an expression of sentiment on the (|ue8tion. Should his township be in favour of the appropriation he would not oppose it. Mr. Gould holds up the bugbear of taxation, but the old county never taxed us improperly, and he lind no jn-oof that they ever would. He considered the expense of building our county build- ings would be £10,000, and the cost of transferring registration of titles, l'3,000 ; but notwithstanding this, if he could see how we were to be benefited by a separation, he would not oppose it. The people did not want it. Petitions had been circulated, but how were they signed ? Again, is this a proper time to involve the county in heavy expenditure, when every kind of produce is so low, and the people impoverished ? Other counties, it is said, less populous and wealthy, have erected their buildings ; but they are not satisfied — they complain of expense and neglected roads. When he was in favour of division, it was when we had not the handling of our own money ; and when we heard a gentleman in Toronto say that he hoped to see the grass grow in the streets of Whitby, then he told Mr. Perry he would go for a division. Cir- cumstances, however, have changed since then, and the same necessity does not exist ; besides, the Government, acting on fictitious petitions, have taken the matter out of the people's hands, and he wished it restored to the people. Not till then would he yield a compliance. The cry for division was but an ignis fatmis, and the people would rise ujwn those that led them into the snare. Mr. Gibbs thought the amendment was the best under existing circumstances, and such as he expected Mr. Gould himself would introduce, from the expressions he had often heard him make. But that gentleman has changed his mind. He dreads a tax to be levied by the old county; but how can he show that we will be relieved from it ? It was well ascertained at the last meeting of 17(» TIIK. I.IKF. ANI> TIMKS «»K .lOHKIMI Nolvunty \\\\oi\ Hqmnition whonld tiikt> pluvc, i>n«l lie would tlu'ic foro ho in favour of lotting:; tln> taxpaytM'H d<>cid(> \\\o (|U(>Htion. Wliy this hast(< '* \Vl>at Iuim t'lunif^cd Mr. (IouM'h mind'.' He thought, siUH'ly. that tho oxiiMision of iho hiviHion Court Act had loss(M»o»l iho ni^'osnity of Hoparation. Ho fomid that the r\p(>nHOH of the now I'onnty would ho ahout $'J.(H)() por aninnn. and tlio pooplo two lunv (M>n\plaiinn!; of taxos. Truo, W(> could not on joy nwniioipal j;;ovonunont without taxation, hut tho taxon for fjiaoln and court h(>us«>s \mmo not niUMv^sary for tho good of iho pooplo at loasl, ho would \\\\o tho poopli> tho opportunity of sayiufj; whothor thoy woro si) or not. and then ho would yiold lo thoir docinion, Mr. I'iWors wiudd oppose tho ain«Midin»Mit of Mr. Mich(>ll, l)o»'aus(> that !;«>nthM»iaii had not hrouj^ht a sin<^lo ar-^mnont in favour of dolay. Mr. (lihhs says tho Lt^^islaturo will sotth* tho atuoiniti to h(> rofundotl by tho oKl county, thus showiufj;. (>von in his opinion, a> separation is not far ilistant : antl if noi Car distaiit, why not at ouco. and hoforo wo aro thoroughly lloocod hy tho old county ? Should tho ipiostion oi chiH)sing tho sito for tho county huildiugs ho loft to tho poo]ilo. whoro slu>uld wo not want thoni '.' What wt)uld Mr. (lihhs ha\o us do. it' not do as l)shawa onco did : askod tho liovornniont to shut up tho road loading to Whithy harbour? JKar. boar."* If tho sito had boon cboson in a certain neighhour- bcxvi. Mr. Gibbs would not refuse I'lO.ODO. or l"20.()()0 if nood bo, for the public buildings. (.Cheers.) Ho would thoreft)ro vote for the resolution. yir. Cialloway opposed the resolution, because the petitions for division were signed by names of persons who, be would uot say were unborn, but to bis knowledge the names of suckling babies were attjiobed to them. Mr. Taxtou said that in bis belief the whole people were in I'lloVIKlONAI rorNrii, lUHrilHHION. 171 favinir of Hie Miipropriiiiioii, luid thin Itciiij^' ho, whh It tiot tliflr duty, it(<(Miriliii(; to i\wiv oiitli, to t^oriKiilt tlitir JntttrdHtH not tluv Jiitrn^MtH of tliJH or tliiit tirifrlilioiirliood individiifilly, liut the whcdo comity'' Wo liiivo contended for n, diviHioii fornix yjiirH, mid Imd \V(t Hiicli olmtriii^tioiiiHtH itH M(*HKrH. (iil>lm iiiid Miclicli, wo riiif^lit Imvo to coiitiMid iiiiuiy ycjirH. 'I'lin HnlCiHliinHH of Mr. Midirll led liiiii to ffivoiir a diviHioii wlinii tlirt Itiick towrinliipH worn iniruiiuiliy iiHHoHHcd, Hiid wImwi tlioy liiul to pay iih tniicli tax for an a^cro of Hwaiiip an the front Inul to piiy for an iirro worth forty drdlarH ; liiit MOW that tlin aHMi'HHriKUit iH rrpiaJi/.od, and tin; front lian to hoar an rrpiaJ proportion with tho mar in th(! cont, h(; tiirtiH ahoiit and oppoHrH it. ((lh('(M'H.) Mr. (iihhn, in aimwrr to Mr. (ioiild, Haid t}i)i,t um ]i<> }iad hcf-n ('onliiKMi hy iliiK^HH, ho could not learn w)i(itli(;r tho coiirthoiiHc in Toronto had Ixmhi Hold or not, and wont on to hIiow tlift cxpfinHe of carryiii;^ on tlio (•(ninty hiiHinoHH, whi(di Ik; (!Htirriat(!^ county. Mr. Gould continued speaking at great length, going fully into the different improve- ments of the old county buildings, for which we have been taxed different times ; the object of the old county in pushing forward the present tax ; and strongly urging the Council to make this glorious effort to advance the interests of this section of the county by voting the appropriation. He sat down amidst great cheering. The ques-on was then put, and the resolution to appropriate cairied by the vote of the warden. The Council the*^ adjourned, to meet again after the adjourn- THK STKUOCSLK FOR SKPAUATION. 17» ment of the United CountieH* Council at Toronto (provided tliat the day be not Sunday, and if so, then the Monday following), in the l^'ree Church at Whitby Village. Mr. Hannam's residence, corner of ]irock and Mary Streetw, was the old Free Church ; it was free to all denominatiouH, and waH largely uned for public meetingH. On the Hame evening the Provisional Council embarked for Toronto on board the Admiral, to take their seats in the United Counties' Council. When the Provisional Council met again on Monday, lOth May, there was no quorum, the members opposed to separation, numbering one-half the body, all absenting themselves from the meeting, by preconcerted arrangement as was charged, in order to prevent the transaction of business ; and so block further proceedings. Thus was the county of Ontario organized on the 3rd of May,^ 1852. The passage of a resolution to raise the necessary funds for the erection of the county buildings was their first important act. For six years previously the friends of the new county had struggled hard to give it existence. The difiicuPies in the way were numerous and formidable, and had to be encountered at every step. There was a strong city intiuence of the bankers, merchants, and others of Toronto opposed to separation frorai the county of York, which, with the local jealousies and divisions then raging, principally on account of the location of the county town at Whitby, might well have deterred from, the task men less courageous and determined than those who entered the early struggle for county independence. The record gives the yeas and nays on the vote as follows : Yeah — Messrs. Rowe, Paxton, Gould, Robinson, Dryden, Taylor, Ewers — 7. Nays — Messrs. '^lichell, Gibbs, Sjroule, Galloway, Bouchier, ^[cPherson, Carmichael — 7. The double vote of Mr. Gould carried the day. Had he failed his friends, or hesitated to exercise his right to give the casting vote, as provisional warden, in favour of the appropriation at that 174 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. .1! supreme moment, the separate existence of the county of Ontario might have been indefinitely postponed, and Whitby's chances of being the future county town hopelessly jeopardized. The con- struction of the Northern Railway in 1853, touching Lake Simcoe, and giving the northern townships a new front, would have lost Thorah and Mara and Rama, and probably Brock. Nor was the struggle yet ended. A protest had been entered against what had been done, and a document drawn up and signed by six of the protesters, withdrawing from further attendance on the meetings of the Provisional Council. The ostensible reason put forward for this course was, that they wanted the whole question submitted to a vote of the ratepayers. This could, how- ever, be only a pretence, for the ratepayers had been consulted at the previous municipal elections, and had already instructed their representatives liow to vote. Nevertheless, the Council, as consti- tuted, had pronounced in favour of the by-law, which was imme- diately published, to raise six thousand pounds for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the erection of the county buildings. The next meeting of the Provisional Council was held on Tuesday, 1st June, "in the brick schoolhouse," Whitby. Nine members were present on this occasion, viz.: — Messrs. Carmichael, Dryden, Ewers, Gould, McDonagh, Paxton, Robinson, Rowe, and Taylor. Mr. McDonagh had established his claim to the seat for Mara and Rama to the satisfaction of the Provisional Council. He made a speech in favour of the new co.mty, stating that he had swam his horse across an arm of Lake Simcoe, in order to be present to do justice. He was well received, and entertained by the people of the town and the friends of the new county. Mr. Carmichael explained his position with regard to signing the protest, recanted, said, " he had come to perform his duty under the law," and approved of the course which the Provisional Council were pursuing. APPOINTMENT OF COUNTY OFFICERS. 175 At this meeting William Paxton, jun., was appointed county treasurer. The motion was moved by Mr. McDonagh, seconded by Mr. Ewers. The following resolution was also passed ; it is here given to settle a question of fact : — Moved by Mr. McDonagh, seconded by Mr. Ewers : 'That the provisional warden be instructed to receive as good and sufficient securities the following persons, viz. : James Dryden, Esq., William Paxton, sen., Thomas Paxton, Esq., and Mr. George Paxton, to the amount of £3,000, for the faithful performance of the duties of Provisional Treas'irer of the County of Ontario."— Canned. A resolution was also passed requesting the Government to appoint immediately a Registrar and County Judge. The by-law to raise the t'(),000 for building purposes was again passed at this meeting, the legality of the previous action of the members of the Council, who did not constitute a full quorum, being doubtless regarded as open to question. While the war of separation raged at this time, meetings were held in the various municipalities, at which resolutions were passed for and against, and in approval or disapproval of the action of their representatives at the County Council. Uxbridge especially passed resolutions heartily approving of the course of Mr. Joseph Gould. In Pickering, Peter Taylor's course was condemned at a public meeting, while that of W. H. Michell was approved. The town- ship was at the time divided into wards. The ratepayers of Mr. Taylor's Ward (No. 1) subsequently held a meeting, voting con- fidence in him and denouncing Mr. Michell. At the next meeting, which was held in the Free Church on Thursday, 24th June, the report of a committee appointed to draft an address to the Government recommending parties for appoint- ment to the several county offices, was presented. The recommen- dations made were — for Sheriff, Ezra Annes ; for Registrar, John Ham Perry ; for County Judge, Zacheus Burnham ; and for Clerk of the Peace, Chester Draper. The report was amended by substi- tuting the name of Charles Robinson, of Thorah, for that of Ezra 176 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Annes, and was so adopted. An unsuccessful attempt was made, through the interference of the Court of Chancery, to stop further proceedings in the new county. The courts were also appealed to I ;; to quash the by-law for raising funds for erecting the county build- ings, and to quash a second by-law passed by the Provisional Council for raising 4^887, to meet contingent expenses. In the latter the opposition were successful, the by-law being quashed on technical grounds. Peter Taylor's seat was attacked, on the ground that he was ineligible, inasmuch as he was treasurer of the township of Pickering, for which he sat as deputy reeve in the Provisional Council. Mr. McDonagh's claim to the seat for Mara and Eama was disallowed in Toronto, and Mr. McPherson retained by the United Counties' Council as the representative of the northern town- ships. The proceedings against the new county came to nothing. The representatives of York and Peel in the United Counties' Council, taking advantage of the differences between the Ontario representatives, manipulated the assessment rolls to their own advantage. In equalizing they took no less than $200,000 off their %: own municipalities, and placed the amount upon the new county i then struggling into life. Reach was increased i;()2,000, Whitby, ^ i'56,000, Uxbridge, £13,000, Brock, i:20,000, and so on. Nor did Osliawa escape ; its value was also largely increased. Mr. Gibbs took fire at this treatment, and joined with the friends of the new county in resisting the injustice. The site for the county buildings was another bone of contention. " ' Some half-dozen were laid before the building committee — one of five acres, north of Dundas Street, belonging to the Perry estate, being first selected. This was not agreeable to the residents at the Bay, and, as a compromise, the site upon which the county buildings now stand — two acres of the Worden estate — was accepted. When the Provisional Council met on the 7th of June, the by-law to raise £6,000 for county buildings was finally passed, . ABORTIVE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. 177 and the site agreed upon approved. The contract was let to Mr. James Wallace. After this there was a breathing spell. It was, however, but of short duration. It was discovered that Oshawa, as a municipality, was not rated highly enough on the aggregate assessment of the county, upon which the rate was to be levied for paying the debentures and interest, issued for the .jL'6,000, and this it was believed would prove fatal to the legality of the by-law. Oshawa was rated at ii'(Jl,6G6 instead of £92,500, the correct amount. The representatives of Oshawa in fact, who had hitherto fought against paying anything for erecting county buildings at Whitby, now complained of the lightness of their taxes for that purpose ! They had previously been taking advantage of the error of under-valuation, and paying less county taxes than their just, proportion in the United Counties' Council. They now sought to take advantage of their own wrong with the view of quashing the by-law ! Mr. G. H. Griert.on got the credit of making the dis- covery of this legal point. The courts were again resorted to ; bui the attempt to quash the by-law utterly failed, the lame arguments of the relators in the case being scouted by the court. . I CHAPTER XXXI. First meeting of Provisional Council, 1853— Members present — Proceedings— Mr. Gibbs elected warden — Displaced— Captain Howe elected— A retrospect — Claimants for the County Town— A better understanding — Action of Georgina— Secedes— Mr. Hart- man's conduct — Unjustifiable legislation— Remonstrance oif Mr. Gould— Progress of the County buildings — Laying the Corner stone — An account of the grand doings upon that occasion — Testimony in favour of Mr. Gould's noble course— A letter from him placed with the deposits under the Corner stone. AT the first meeting of the Council for 1853, which was held 10th February, there were present : — From Whitby — James Rowe, reeve ; James Burns, deputy ; Pickering — John Lumsden, reeve ; Peter Taylor, deputy ; Reach — James French, reeve ; P. A. Hurd, deputy ; Brock — George Brabazon, reeve ; N. Bolster, deputy ; Uxbridge — Joseph Gould, reeve ; Scott — James Galloway, reeve ; Georgina — John Boyd, reeve ; Thorah — Donald Cameron, reeve; Mara and Rama — James S. Garnett, reeve; Oshawa — T. N. Gibbs, reeve. Mr. Gibbs was elected provisional warden, the vote being taken by ballot. Some members of the Council took umbrage at remarks made by Mr. Gibbs on taking his seat. He was understood to say that his election to the wardenship showed that his course in the past, in opposing the setting off of the new county, had been right, and had been approved of. This was by no means the case with some of the northern men, who voted for Mr. Gibbs because of his personal fitness, and they resolved to let him see it by displacing him, or rather, as was expressed at the time, to test the opinion of the Council on the subject. Mr. Gibbs thereupon tendered his resignation. James Rowe, Reeve of Whitby, was then elected to FIGHT FOR THE WARDENSHIP. 179 the vacant chair by the casting vote of the township of Whitby, as having the largest number of names on the assessment roll, The vote stood six to six. Bolster, Brabazon, Gould, Lumsden, Taylor and liowe, voted yea; Burns, Boyd, Cameron, Gibbs, Galloway and Hurd, voted nay. Garnett had disclaimed the seat for Mara and Eama, and French, of Reach, was inveigled oif " to dine with a friend," and kept out of the way until after the vote was taken. Looking back now, at this distance of time, at the proceedings in connection with the organization of the new county, one is amazed at the bitterness of feeling displayed, and the tenacity of purpose with which every inch of ground was fought by both sides. The press teemed with letters full of charges and counter- charges, impeaching the motives and actions of individual mem- bers ; broad- sheets filled with earnest appeals, and full of fore- bodings of future ruin, protests and earnest appeals to the rate- payers against separation, were scattered broadcast throughout the country, and public meetings and demonstrations of all kinds were continuously held to keep up the excitement. The prize of the county town was, however, the great stumbling block to union and independence, for even those who opposed separation could not fail to see how Ontario was being fleeced, session after session, by the majority, in the union with York and Peel. To be the county town was a prize worth fighting for, and perhaps no representative is to be blamed for doing his best to secure it for his own locality. The claimants, with Whitby, were Brooklin, Manchester, Uxbridge and Oshawa. With the publication of the proclamation appointing Whitby, all but Oshawa succumbed. The latter fought it out as long as there was a hope or a chance, led on by Messrs. Gibbs, Fare- well and Grierson. James Rowe's election to the wardenship, under the circumstances, was a bitter pill to have to swallow. But, after all, it appears to have had the \\liolesome effect of bringi;^.g about a better understanding. At the very next meeting we find Mr. Gibbs 180 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. voting with the majority, side by side with Mr. Gould and Mr. Taylor, against a resolution of the representative of Georgina, " That no further action be taken in the construction of the county buildings, but that it would be conducive to the interests of the townships to remain in connection with the county of York." Oshawa appears to have at last accepted the inevitable. The work of the county buildings was allowed to go on without further interruption, and all active opposition had subsided, at the session of the Provisional Council hold in March, '53. Georgina was unrepresented at this sessioy, having applied to the Legislature for a special Act to be reunited to York. Mr. Hartraan's presence in Parliament secured the desired legislation from Mr. Hineks, against tlie remonstrance of the county of Ontario. Georgina was lopped off and annexed to York, and Mr. Hartman's seat was there- by made more secure. Mr. Gould exerted himself to the utmost to prevent the departure of the wayward child, Georgina. He soundly berated Mr. Hartman for his conduct — an angry correspondence between them being the only result. He protested against action being taken by the Gov- ernment — writing friendly letters of remonstrance to Mr. Hineks on the subject. In a letter under date of the 11th of March, 1855, addressed to Hon. Francis Hineks, Inspector-General, he says : — As provisional warden and as a county man, I protest most solemnly against Georgina being detached ; I ])rotest against the bill now before the House, and for the reasons already explained to you, and of which I again beg to remind you — that the wliole of the county, except Georgina, are opposed to it. And tiually, I beg of you to use your influence as a minister to prevent the passage of the bill. He concludes by telling Mr. Hineks that he has written Messrs. Wright and Hartman on the subject. But all remonstrances were to no purpose ; the deed was doue^ and a most shameful piece of work it* was. A glance at the map will show that Georgina properly belonged HIS CASTING VOTE. 181 tid Mr. orginn, county of the York." without , at the eorgina ishiture resence Hineks, ina was s there - parture artmaii iing the le Gov- nckH oil 1, 1855, says : — soleiunly fore the I I again ^iiia, are minister Messrs. IS doue^ lelonged to Ontario, and that attaching it to York was a piece of legislation that could only have been permitted by a Government desirous of serving a friend. The county buildings progressed rapidly in the hands of Mr. Wallace the contractor. On Thursday, the 30th June, the corner stone was laid with imposing Masonic ceremonies. The day was a red-letter day in the annals of the county, and the event is thus recorded in the Reporter of the week following, in which the " heroic fortitude of Joseph Gould " is conspicuously referred to : — According to the intimation in our last we now proceed to record the event of the laying of the corner stone of the Court House of the county of Ontario. It is not needed of us to enter into a recapi- tulation of the almost overwhelming struggles of our public men in the attainment of the great and important object of which the laying of the chief corner stone on the 30th June, 1853, was the triumphant consummation, nor of the heroic fortitude of Joseph Gould, of the noble township of Uxbridge, who, amidst the whirlwind of rage and disappointment of the enemies of this county, and every species of abuse that malice could invent, with the firm and unwavering spirit of a man who can be relied on in an emergency, braved the storm, and by hii? casting vote on the Ist of June, 1852, according to the provisions of the municipal law founded this county. He witnessed on the 30th ult. the laying of the corner stone of the county buildings, for which he laboured so incessantly, and the benefits of which to this section of country we hope he will live many years to enjoy. At no distant day we trust that both he and his co-labourers in this work will witness the whole length of this county spanned by the iron rail, and its fertile townships the thoroughfare of the commercial traffic between two great lakes. Pursuant to the request of the provisional warden, Jatnes Rowe, Esq., and the contractor, James Wallace, Esq., the fraternity of Freemasons began to assemble at an early hour on Thursday, 30th ult. The day was beautiful, and the town of Whitby presented a gay appearance as every avenue leading to it poured in its line of 'll 182 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. carriages filled with happy faces. Along the east front of the Court House, an area was enclosed, and strong and substantial raised seats at either end erected. In the centre was a raised dais covered with carpet, appropriated to the oilicors of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of the Province of Canada, the provisional warden of the county, the provisional council, the members for the county, the bar, the clergy and distinguished strangers. The arch that spanned the opening to the area was surmounted by a large crown, formed of evergreens and roses, and under which was suspended, in letters formed in evergreens the initials of our glorious Sovereign V.R., the whole surmounted by the Union Jack, and from various other points flags were suspended. At about three o'clock the area began to fill up, and at the time of the ceremony the seats presented an interesting appearance, filled as they were with the youth and beauty of the county. The Brooklin brass band being engaged for the occasion, arrived at an early hour, preceding the brethren of Mount Zion Lodge, Borelia ; shortly after which the lodge at Bowmanville arrived, and about two o'clock p.m. the steamer was announced with the officers of the Grand Lodge and brethren from the different lodges in Toronto, accompanied by the city band. The Eight Worshipful Grand Master, Sir Allan Napier McNab, was announced to officiate on the occasion but being suddenly attacked with illness, and the Deputy Grand Master, Mr. Kidout, being absent on Eailroad business at Quebec, the duties devolved on Bro. Eichardson, Grand Secretary. The carriages conveying the grand officers and brethren from the landing having arrived at the lodge rooms of the Composite Lodge, the Provincial Grand Lodge was opened in due and ancient foira. after which the brethren, being properly marshalled, proceeded in open lodge to the Court House building. There were represented the — Cadets of Tempsrance. Sons of Temperance. Bar. Clergy. 1 ' :i LAYING THE CORNER STONE. 183 i Court raised covered )dge of rden of ity, the panned formed [ letters n V.E., IS other I began nted an itli and iged for ihren of Ddge at ner was en from d. The ab, was ittacked t, being on Bro. le grand be lodge dge was rethren, le Court Mdgistriitt's. The Members for (Jntario. Freeniiisons. Brethren in proper masonic clotliir.f,' (i.e., black suit, with the exception of the vest, which is white, white neck-cloth and gloves), and such Aprons and Ornaments ;is tliey were (Mititled to wear : Two Tylers with Drawn Swords. !Music. Brethren Members of Various Lodges, Two and Two. A Cornucopia with Corn, carried by a ^faster. Two Ewers with AVine and Oil, carried by Masters. Grand Steward. (J rand Steward. Grand Pursuivant. Grand Organist. , Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies. Grand Director of Ceremonies. Grand Superintendent of Works (Architect of the Building) With the Plans and Inscrijjtion Plate. Past Grand Sword Bearers. Past Grand Deacons. Past Grand Secretaries. Grand Secretary Avitli Book of Constitution on a Cushion. Grand Registrar, with his Bag. Grand Treasurer, with Phial containing Coins, etc. Past Grand Wardens. Visitors of Distinction. The Corinthian Light cari'ied by a Master. The Column of the Junior (rrand Warden carried by a Master Mason. The Junior Grand Warden with the Plumb and Rule. Banner of The Grand Lodge. The Doric Light carried by a Master. The Column of the Senior Grand Warden, carried by a Master Mason. The Senior Grand Warden with the Level. The Junior Grand Deacon. Grand Steward — The Grand Chaplain with Bible on a Cushion — Grand Steward. The Deputy Grand Master, with the Square. The Ionic Light, carried by a Past Master. ,.^a. -r<^^i^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) // if, 4b> Yj 1.0 I.I •^' 1^ III 2.2 1.8 1.25 1.4 i6 ■• 6" ► A .% •e. VI / / o 7 /A Photographic Sciences Corporation «v f^ ^ ;\ \ ^^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER. NY 14580 ( 716) 872-4S03 >^% .> V ^ ^ ^ ip Cp, h r I > oil III: 184 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. A Post Grand Warden, with the Mallet. Grand Sword Bearer. The Grand Master — Senior Grand Deacon. Two Grand Stewards. Grand Tyler. Having arrived at the Buildings, and the acting Deputy Grand Master, Bro. Richardson, having taken liis stand on the platform assigned to him, pursuant to ancient custom addressed the great assembly from all parts of the county in these words : — Men, women and cliildren, here assembled to-day to })eh()ld this cere- mony, know all yon, that we be lawful Masons, true to the laws of our country, and established of old with peace and lionour, in most countries, to do good to our brethren, to build j^'reat buildinifs, ami to fear God, who is the Great Architect of all things. We have among tjs secrets which may not be revealed, and which no man has discovered, but these secrets are lawful and honourable to know by Masons, who only have the keeping of them to the end of time. Unless our craft were good and our calling honourable, we should liot have lasted so many centuries, nor should we have had so many illustrious brothers in our Order, ready to promote our laws and further our interests. To-day we are assembled in the j)re.S(!nce of you, to lay the Foundation Stone of Buildings for the public use of this new county, and promote harmony and brotherly love, till the world itself shall end. So mote it be. A prayer was then offered up by the Grand Chaplain, Rev. Bro. Mayerhoffer, when amidst a strain of music from the band, the Acting Grand Master descended, accompanied by his officers, and approached the north-east corner. The stone being pre- viously raised, the Acting Grand Master placed the deposits underneath. (The deposits were: — Minutes of Provisional Council, Toronto papers of Thursday, June 30th, Scobie's Almanac, Ontario Reporter and Oshawa Freeman, a List of the Executive Govern- ment, Members of both branches of the Legislature, of the Judi- ciary, and other functionaries of the Province, last number of Canadian Journal, various silver and copper moneys of the realm. MASONIC CEREMONIES. 185 y Grand platform he great this cero- vs of our intries, to il, wlio is liicli may Bcrcts are oepiiig of ir calling houM we )m()to our :esenco of e of this orlil itself in, Rev. le band, officers, ng pre- deposits Council, Ontario Govern- be Judi- mber of e realm, a copy of a letter of Joseph Gould, Esq., concerning the new county.) The following inscription is engrossed on parchment, and also placed in the bottle, which was carefully embedded in pulverized charcoal in the cavity : — This The Chief Corner Stone Of the Court House and Public Offices Of the County of Ontario, was laid on Thursday, the Thirtieth day of June, * in the year of our Lord one thousand eif,dit hundred and fifty-three. In the seventeenth year of the Reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, The Right Honourable the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, K.T., being Governor-General of British North America, by The Grand I^dge of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada "West, (^n the invitation and in the presence Of the ^lunicipal Council and the Inhubitants of the said County. The Provisional Municipal Council : — James Rowe, Esq., Warden ; Thomas N. Gibbs, Reeve of Oshawa ; James Burns, Deputy-Reeve of Whitby ; John M. Lumsden, Reeve of Pickering ; Peter Taylor, Deputy-Reeve of Pickering; Thos. Paxton, Reeve of Reach and Scugog ; Abel W. Kwe's, Di'puty-Reeve of Reach and Scugog; Nathaniel Uolster, Deputy-Reeve of Brock ; George Brabazon, Reeve of Brock ; James Galloway, Reeve of Scott ; Donald Cameron, Reeve of Thorah ; Joseph Gould, Reeve of Uxbridge, Michael McDonagh, Reeve of Mara and Rama ; William Powson, Clerk ; William Paxton, Treasurer. Cumberland and Storm, Architects. James Wallace, Contractor. The mortar being spread, the stone was then slowly lowered to its permanent resting place amidst the solemn and magnificent 186 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. strains of the National Anthem by both bands. The plumb, square and level were then each respectively handed by the Chief Architect to the Acting Grand Master, wi>o after applying them pro- nounced tiie stone " well formed, true u,nd trusty." Three immense cheers were then given for the (^ueen, and three for the county of Ontario. The silver vessels containing the corn, wine and oil were then presented by the Grand Wardens, and were each successively poured on the stone by the Acting Grand Master, saying : — " May 11)1 '! the all-bounteous Author of Nature bless the inhabitants of this place with all the necessaries, conveniences and comforts of life ; assist in the erection and completion of this building, protect the workmen against every accident, and long preserve the structure from decay ; and grant to us all, in needed supply, the corn of jiourishmcnt, the wine of rcfreshmeiit, and the oil of ./'>/y/" I • "Amen ! Bo mote it be ! Amen ! " in The stone was then struck three times with the mallet, and the ceremony was concluded amidst immense cheering from the vast multitude. The procession was then re-formed, and proceeding 'X' through the principal streets of Whitby, returned to the lodge room ^ at Scripture's, and the Masonic Lodge was closed. Amos Wright, Esq., member for this county, made some encour- ;' aging remarks touchhig our railroad prospects from his place on !' the platform, and was followed by the Itev. J. T. Byrne. There was a grand dinner after the ceremony, at which every- X' body was toasted and everybody's prosperity drank, as well as the i li future prosperity of the new county. The presence of Mr. Gibbs '^ ' and others who had taken part in opposing the setting ofif of tlie Ij county shows that all were now working amicably together. :i:': |i-; t Ijll 111! I ■ I CHAPTElt XXXII. The K),'lit for the County officeK — Proclamation diusolvini,' the union of Counties— The County of Ontario constituted — Official apixiintnients— New Comniisaion of the Peace— Sheriff Reynolds's appointment. IiHE appointment of County otlicers caused the next commotion. For the offices there was the usual scramble on such occasions, and more than the usual excitement in the struggle to secure them. The applicants were many and clamorous, each l)elieving his own merits and his personal and party claims to be the best. Judge Burnham had been already appointed Associate Judge of the United Counties of York, Peel and Ontario, in 1852, on the petition of the Provisional Council, and had been previously Judge of the Division Court. Mr. J. H. Perry received the :ippointment of Registrar in October, 1853. He was appointed under a special provision in the statute respecting the junior counties of Ontario, Peel, Elgin and Lambton. The " scrimmage " went on over the other offices, and especially for the shrievalty was the contest hot and warm. Mr. Ezra Anues was a prominent applicant ; Mr. John Campbell had pretensions to it, as well as to the Registry Office ; Mr. Charles Robinson was the nominee of the Provisional Council ; Mr. S. B. Fairbanks had been recommended by the member for the county (Mr. Wright), and also by Mr. Hartman. Mr. Wright was brought to book for the latter recommendation, and was forced to withdraw it at a public meeting, which also petitioned the Government against the bestowal of the appointment on Mr. Fairbanks. Finally delegates were appointed and a convention held in Reach, where the merits of the respective candidates were discussed. The voting 'i.t: 188 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. was in favour of Mr. Charles Robinson for Sheriff. There were ten candidates for the office of Clerk of the Peace, the contest finally settling down between Mr. Chester Draper and Mr. William Powson, the latter carrying? the day. Mr. Peter Taylor, of Pickering, was recommended for the o^ce of Registrar, the convention being evidently in the dark as to the appointment of Mr. Perry having been already made. There was afterwards a lull on the surface, although, beneath it, applicants for office and their friends were working like beavers to secure them during the remainder of 1853. On the Ist of January, 1854, the following proclamation was issued dissolving the union of counties, and erecting Ontario into & separate and independent county of the Province : — PR()CLA:NrATIOX. Province of ) -iir,,. v. UiUiiiila. j VicToiUA, l)y the (Jrace of Oo wlioin these presents shall come — Greeting : John Ro.ss, I WiiEUKAS, l)y an Act of the Parliament of Our Province .^ Attorney Genl. ) of Canada, jiaased in the twelftli year of Our Reign, I'i! C]ia])tered .Seventy-eight, and intituled, "An Act f.-r Abolishing the Terri- 'J torial Divisions of Upper Canada into Districts, and for providing for ■t Temporary Unions of Counties for Judicial and other purposes, and for !' the future dissolution of such Unions as the increase of wealth and popu- II' 1 lation may rerpiire," certain ])roviaions are made for the di.s.solution from i time to time of the different L''^niona of Countii^s by th(^ Separation of tlie ;' Several dunior Ccmnties as respects all matters both Judicial and ^lunicipal, ■It and for all other purposes whatsoever, and which provisions are by the said Act made applicable to the dissolution of such Unions in General. And whereas, by another Act of Parliament of Our said Province, passed in the S(!8sion thereof held in the fourteenth and fifteenth years of Our Reign, intituled, " An Act to make certain Alterations in the Territorial Divisions of Upper Canada," it is amongst other things in effect enacted, that so soon as the Court House and Gaol in any one of the Counties of Elgin, Waterloo, Ontario, Brant, Grey, Lambton, or Welland, shall have been erected and ■It i4' ,lti: PROCLAMATION OF THE COUNTY. 18D were ten it finally Powson, ing, was in being y having surface, ids were of 1853. tion was irio into at Britain Province IT Reign, tlie Ttu'ri- iiling for , iuul for md popu- /ion from in of the lunicij);!!, r the said al. And led in the ir Ri'ign, Divisions it so soon iVaterloo, scted and completed at tlie County Town of such County according to the provisions of the fifteenth section of the said tirst incntioneel Act, and the other pro- visions of the said fifteenth section sliall have been c(ini|)lied with by any one of such counties, and so soon as certain appointments mentioned in the seventeenth section of the said tirst rcciti^d Act shall have liccn thenNafter made in any one of the said counties, it shall and may be lawful for the (lovernor of Our said Proviiuie, in Council, to issue a Proclamation dissolv- ing the union between any one of such counties, and the county or counties to which it may bo united. And whereas, a Court ilouse and Gaol for thu said County of Ontario, one of the Tnitcd ' ounties of York, Ontario and Peel, in our said Province, have been erected and completed at "NVhitliy, the County Town of the said ccmnty, according to the provisions of the said fifteenth section of the said first mentioned Act and t)ie other provisions of the said fifteenth section have been eomplied with by the said county, aiul the appointments mentioned in the a.iid seventeenth section of the said Act have been made: And whereas the Provisioiuil Municipal t'ouncil of the said county have, thereupon, by their petition to Our Administrator of the Government of Our said Province in Council, Prayed that a Proclamation might be issued by Our said Administrator of the Government in Co\iiicil, disuniting the said County of (hitario from the said Union: And whereas it hath by Our said Administrator of the Government in Council been, t]iereui)on, thought ex[>edient that such Proclamation shall be accordingly issued, to bear teste on and to tleclare such separation upon, from and after the thirtieth day of thi"^ present month of December : Now, therefore, know ye, that We, takii ihe premises in Our Royal Consideration and fully approving of the Resolution so come to by Our said Administrator of the Government in Council in that behalf have thought fit to issue this, Our Royal Proclamation for dissolving the said Union. And we do accordingly, in pursuance of the provisions of the said Acts of Parliament, herel)y declare that ujjon, from and after the said Thirtieth day of Decendjer instant, the said Union of the said United Counties of York, Peel and Ontario, shall be and the same is here])y absolutely dissolved, and that from thenceforth the said County of ( )ntario shall be disunited from the said Counties of York and Peel, and have a separate and indepencient organization of its own as to all matters Judicial and Municipal, as well as for all other purposes whatsoever. And we do further declare, that the Provisional Municipal Council of the said County of Ontario shall, upon the day aforesaid, lapse and be absolutely dissolved, and that from thenceforth none of the Courts 190 TH^ LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. nor Odiccrs of the said Union ahull as such have any ,j»n'is(li(;tion nv nuthorit}' whatever in or over the saitl C<»unty of ( )nta:io ; anything' in tiieir resperiivf commissions, or in any Act of Parliament, either of the Province of Canada or late Province of Uj)j)er Canada, to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstandin<,'. And we do further, in jiursuance of the said first mentioned Act of I'nriiament, hereby further tledan;, that the Haiounties of York and Peel shall, uixMi, from an The first Court of AssizG for the county was opened by Mr. JuHtico Burns on Monday, 10th April, 1854. There was only one criminal charge (a case of larceny) and three records for trial. The lato Judge Morriwon attended as Solicitor-General ; Carelton Lyndo was foreman of the Grand Jury. In their presentment, Sheriff Reynolds is praised for his efficiency, and it is added — "Our Sheriff, though a stranger, merits the appro- bation of all for the foresight and judgment displayed in the arrange- ments made for conducting the assizes ; and although we may feel disposed to condemn the principle involved in the Government appointment, we have no reason to find fault with the man." The appointment of an outsider as sheriff, contrary to the voice of the peo- ple of the county, as expressed at public meeting, was naturally dis- tasteful, and especially so to the resident applicants for the shrievalty. Mr. Sheriff Reynolds's conduct, however, although "a stranger" was not long in securing for him the good opinion of the community. The other officials of the court, and especially the high constable, Mr. Keller, get a favourable word. The ladies are not omitted ; they were invited to reserved seats in court ; a dinner was given at Scripture's hotel, and there was general complaisance and rejoicing all around. Thenceforward the county pursued " the even tenor of its way." Railroads and Road and Bridge appropriations were the important questions up for discussion at several meetings. The project of a railway from Whitby to Georgian Bay had been agitated long before the separation of the county. With the inau- guration of the new county the special agitation of the question commenced. Now, said the men in advance of the slow growth of public opinion respecting railways, in that day, that we have the county question settled, the next thing to be secured to the pro- gressive welfare of the county is a railroad from Port Whitby to Georgian Bay ; and if we put our shoulders to the wheel with a will, this great achievement can also be accomplished. A preliminary meeting was held on the 13tb November, 1852, in Whitby, at which m. COUNTY RAILWAY PROJECT. 105 aly one il. The 1 Lynde iciency, ) appro- Lrran{:;e- nay feel Brnment ." The the peo- rally dis- irievalty. ger" was imunity. able, Mr. ed; they given at rejoicing tenor of on 8 were ngs. had been ,he inau- question [rrowth of have the ) the pro- Vhitby to ith a will, Bliminary at which James Rowe presided, and John Ham Perry acted as secretary. A committee to forward the project was appointed, consisting of Dr. Ounn, Messrs. James Wallace, J. U. Perry, E. Annes, Hugh Fraser, Lewis Houck, R. H. Lawder, James Rowe and L. H. Scho- fiold. A public meeting was next got up, the requisition calling it being signed by the leading men of the town and townships. The meeting was largely attended, James Rowe occupied the chair, and H. J. Macdonell acted as secretary. We are told that " the wealth and intelligence of the township " — then including the town of Whitby and East Whitby — " were well represented." The following resolutions passed : — Moved by Mr. Wm. Laing, and seconded by Mr. T. Dow : Resolved, — " That this meeting views with pleasure and satisfac- tion the probability of shortly having through this beautiful Pro- vince a through system of railroads, which in addition to their being the great civilizers and benefactors of mankind, are well calculated to draw out the industry and enterprise of a people and unfold the riches and treasures of a county." Moved by Mr. Ezra Annes, and seconded by Mr. Jas. Hodgson : Resolved, — " That the position of the western part of Upper Canada is such, situated between and bounded by Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, it naturally can, with prudent and judicious arrangements command the great carrying trade of the far west to the Atlantic cities, and viee versa.'' Moved by Mr. John H. Perry, and seconded by Dr. Foote : Resolved, — " That the tract of country from Port Whitby, on Lake Ontario, to Sturgeon Bay, on Lake Huron, offers many and important advantages for the construction of a railroad, over all other projected routes between those lakes — viz., while, for instance, the Toronto, Simcoe and Huron Railroad, which stands next in favourableness of route to this proposed line, will lessen the distance between Mackinaw on the west, and New York and Boston on the east, about 310 miles, the Port Whitby and Huron Road by narrows 196 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. m ' ;*■ Lake Simcoe, will again decrease the distance some forty miles below the Toronto and Huron route — a sufficient consideration to be able always to compete successfully with rival lines, and, in addition to having natural harbours at both terminuses, no exca- vating, embankment or bridging of account will be required, and will open up an extent of country which for fertility of soil, healthinesB of climate and natural advantages is not surpassed in Canada." Moved by Mr. Wallace, and seconded by Mr. Hopkins : liesolvcd, — ** That immediate steps be taken to obtain, at the adjourned session of Parliament, a charter to incorporate a company with a capital of £ , to construct a line of railroad from Port Whitby to Sturgeon Bay, or some other suitable point on Lake Huron." Moved by Mr. E. H. Lawder, and seconded by Mr. McPherson : Resolved, — ** That a committee of thirteen be appointed, to con- sist of Dr. Alliston, James Wallace, J. H. Perry, Wm. Laing, James Eowe, John Welsh, Dr. R. J. Gunn, E. Annes, W^m. Gordon, James Hodgson, and John Shier, whose duty it shall be to carry out the above resolution, and perform and transact all other business and matters requisite for the speedy prosecution of this important work." Moved by Z. Burnham, Esq., and seconded by Mr. Annes : Resolved, — "That the co-operation of Amos Wright, Esq., and Joseph Hartman, Esq., M.PP.'s for the third and fourth ridings of York, is respectfully requested to aid and assist the above committee to obtain a charter for the proposed road, and carry out the views of this meeting." Moved by Dr. Gunn, and seconded by Mr. Wallace : Resolved, — " That a subscription be now entered into for the purpose of meeting the expenses of obtaining a charter and other disbursements necessarily arising out of the foregoing resolutions, to be collected by the aforesaid committee and paid over to the treasurer by them appointed, whose duty it shall be to pay out such CHARTER GRANTED — PUBLIC MEETINGS. 197 Views money on the order of the chairman of the said committee, counter- signed by their secretary." A subscription was then entered into and upwards of one hundred pounds subscribed by parties attending the meeting, for the purpose of paying preliminary expenses, etc. Meetings were held in town and county during the next few months at a lively rate, at all of which the propriety of constructing the railway was fully discussed and approved of. Mr. A. J. Robin- son and Mr. Join. Shier made preliminary surveys of portions of the route and estimates of cost — the latter being set down at £4,000 per mile. In April, 1858, the first railway charter was granted. It was to incorporate " The Port Whitby and Lake Huron Railway Company." The corporators named in the charter are Joseph Gould, Peter Taylor, Henry Daniels, James Rowe, Wm. Laing, Ezra Annes, James Wallace, John Shier and R. J. Gunn. Capital .i'250,000 divided into 25,000 shares of i'lO each. At the first meeting of the provisional directors, held 15th May following, Ezra Anncs was elected President ; W. Laing, Vice-President ; John H. Perry, Secretary and Treasurer ; and John Shier, Engineer. Meetings were immediately held and surveys pushed forward, and the directors appear to have gone to work with vigour to bring the merits of the undertaking prominently before the public. A preliminary survey as far as Manchester was made, and the route found quite favourable. The hopefulness of the project is spoken of as follows : "In fact there are no engineering difficulties to contend with on the whole line. The whole country, from the southern terminus to the Georgian Bay, cannot be excelled in the Province in its natural advantages for the easy and cheap construction of a railway to connect the two great lakes, Ontario and Huron. Our peculiar position in relation to Lakes Scugog and Simcoe also is such that no line of road of the same length in the Western Province can command the trade of the same extent of country as F^ V ■r: ■]^ Id ) V: 198 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. the proposed northern line from this point. Take Port Whitby as the starting-point — for twenty-four miles north the country is rich and nourishing, laps the head of Lake Scugog, which will be a feeder to the road, drawing the trade and traffic from the north-east (of a distance from sixty to one hundred miles) in this direction. Another section of twenty-two miles will bring us to Simcoe, there to compete for the trade bordering on that lake. And a third section of thirty miles, also running through a portion of country unsurpassed for its fertility of soil, and we are at the Georgian Bay» in direct communication with the far west, and the rich and valuable mines of Lake Puperior. The road once built, it would be the shortest, cheapest and no doubt the favourite route of travel from the Atlantic cities to the west and vice versa, and, irrespective of its local advantages from the through trade and travel alone, it would become the leading and favourite road of the Province." The agitation went on and meetings continued to be held, one of the results being that even at that early day the ratepayers of the township of Mariposa agreed to take .i'20,000 stock, provided the road ran through that township. They had offers of a road then from Peterborough across the county, but they looked to Whitby as their natural outlet. In November, 1853, the Company had an offer from Sykes & Co. to build the road from lake to lake — an offer so entirely favourable as should have recommended its instant acceptance. The offer was as follows : — " I am directed by Messrs. J. Sykes & Co. to say that they will build the Port Whitby and Lake Huron Railway in first-class manner, and furnish the required rolling stock and make arrange- ments for the stock to be taken up in England on the following conditions : " 1st. That municipal aid to the extent of i^3,000 sterling per mile be loaned to constitute a first charge upon the road. " 2nd. That sufficient stock be taken within the district to FAVOURABLE TENDERS. 199 purcha&3 right of way, office (your own) expenses, including Engineer, Solicitor, Secretary, and if any such is appointed, the salary of a paid Director (during the construction of the road), and any other incidental expenses connected with your own acts. *' The road shall be equal to any road in the Province and they will guarantee to build it within reasonable time, paying interest upon the bonds during construction, and at a reasonable price, and will be prepared to go over the road and give tender as soon as you have the municipalities pledged to the undertaking. " Your obedient servant, " W. C. Evans." The acceptance of this offer would have placed the county in an excellent position. If the road earned enough to pay interest on i;3,000 a mile, it would not cost the county a shilling. While the road was in progress qi construction the interest would be paid by the contractors, and to secure principal and interest a first mortgage would be given on the line. A large county meeting was held at Epsom on the 15th December, at which resolutions were passed approving of the liberality of the offer of Sykes & Co., and pledging those present, individually and collectively, to adopt the best means in their power to procure the desired loan upon the credit of the county. The municipal elections in the following January mainly turned Uj-on the railroad question. The two parties. Railway and Anti- Railway, were very evenly balanced in the Council. At the lirst meeting of the County Council, in January, 1854, Mr. J. H. Perry brought up the question. He moved for leave to introduce a by-law to loan the credit of the county to the amount of ,4' , for the purpose of constructing a railway from Port Whitby to Lake Huron. A discussion ensued. Mr. Perry stated that he only desired to pass the by-law through a first reading and- print it for the information of the people. Mr. Thompson, of Brock, moved in •')-' r I 200 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. amendment that it was inexpedient to print such a by-law. Messrs. Lumsden and Taylor, from Pickeririg, opposed the intro- duction of the Bill altogether, having been pledged to do so by their township. Mr. Hamilton, of Uxbridge, opposed the first move being made, because he thought " a good farmer should prevent tho first seed of a poisonous weed from getting into his fiehi." To which IVIr. Wells replied that " the Keeve of Uxbridge stated what was not good farming in fact, for land could not become rich without becoming manured, and he would not withhold manure for fear of its containing a poisonous weed." Such are specimens of the arguments then used. Mr. A. Farewell warmly espoused the raihvay cause from the start, and sacrificed his popularity in his own section to what he rightly regarded as the interest of the county as a whole. What, he said, it was proposed to do was to take the initiatory steps, by laying information before the county as to the amount to be guaranteed, the nature of the security required, the terms of disbursement as the works proceed, and other matters ,^^hich it was desirable the people of the county should know. He wished to show the county that the proposition of Sykes t^ Co. would secure the road, and cost the county nothing. The question on amendment behig put, the yeas and nays stood as follov;s : Hamilton, Hart, Lumsden, McDermott, Taylor and Thompson — six for ; Farewell, McDougall, Paxton. Perry, Vtrnon and Wells — six against and in favour of submitting the by-law. The Warden, Mr. Gibbs, voted with the yeas, for the amendment, which he declared carried. This first check to the enterprise was disastrous in its consequences ; it not only prevented the Company from taking steps which would enable them to avail themselves of the favourable offer of Sykes & Co., but by putting back the project gave Port Hope and the railway promoters to the east and west the wished'for opportunity of striking in vigorously and cutting off the trade which properly belonged to, and naturally would flow through RAILWAY BY-LAW SUBMITTED. 201 the length of the county to the county town and port of "Whitby. Subsequently Hon. George Brown made an offer on behalf of a railway contracting firm, to construct the road from point to point at £4,500 per mile, but that, too, fell through. Surveys had been made, and especially an exhaustive survey, costing hundreds of pounds, by Mr. Shanly. The County Council was appealed to again and again, in vain, no substantial 3ncouragemont could be obtained from the county, as a corporation. Railways were then new to Canada ; their advantages were not understood ; many hon- estly believed that a railway would not benefit the county, while the representatives from the east and west opposed it because they conceived the centre of the county and the county town would only be benefited, and that to the detriment of their own localities. Hence tboir active hostility from the very inception of the scheme. The agitation for the next few years is one of constant meetings, discussions, amended charters, and, worst of all, local squabbles and personal differences between the promoters themselves. The town of Whitby had courageously come forward and voted for a by-law taking £75,000 stock ; the directors had worried and worked themselves sick, and spent no small amount of money out of their own purses in placing the feasibility of the scheme and all the facts before the public, but still little headway had been made. Once more, at a special sessio: of the County Council on 10th November, 1857, convened for that purpose, the railway question was brought forward. After a lengthy discussion, a by-law was passed authorizing the "Warden to subscribe for four thousand shares, or £100,000, in the capital stock of company. The repre- sentatives of Pickering, Oshawa, Brock, Uxbridge and Scott voted against the measure ; while it was sustained by the representatives of Mara and Rama, Thorah, Reach, Scugog, Whitby and Town of Whitby. The by-law was submitted to a vote of the ratepayers, to be taken on 16th December following. The result of the vote in the different localities was the rejection of the by-law. The defeat i| i':' 202 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. I 1../ of the by-law in the county '.vas overwhelming. Still the promoterb lost neither courage nor confidence in the cherished enterprise. Still the railway continued to be the question of questions in the county. It entered in^^o all municipal contests, and ma y of the best representatives weu defeated at the polls because of their railway sympathies — because they were able to see farther ahead as to the benefits to be derived from railways than were the bulk of their neighbours. The great depression of '57 and '58 by which the county was overtaken, and which paralyzed so many other enterprises, kept the railway question in the background for some time. The great mistake of the county municipalities, in rejecting a proposition which would give them a railvay from lake to lake — making the county of Ontario the grand highway for the trade of the west and north — was seized upon by the rival communities to the east and west to extend their railway operations. Lines run- ning across the county were projected and charters obtained ; the Midland extended, and the Toronto and Nipissing built, Uxbridge and Brock giving bonuses of $50,000 each to the latter, and the township of Thorah $50,000 to the Midland, and a large portion of the trade of the county was thus diverted from its natural channel. In these adverse circumstances, it was seen that the larger and more comprehensive scheme of a railway from Whitby to Georgian Bay could not be immediately accomplished ; but that if any por- tion of the trade of the county were to be retained, and in fact the county itself saved from being dismembered, prompt action was necessary — something had to be done by the central portion of the county to secure railway connection with the front. The history of the railway campaigns and the adventures of those engaged in them at this time would fill pages. John Ham Perry, James Kowe, Sheriff Reynolds, Chester Draper and others in the front, backed up by Thomas Paxton, Joseph Bigelow, W. S. Sexton, J. B. Campbell, James Dryden, and that tried and staunch friend of the county for so many years, Charles Robinson, in the OPENING OF THE TORONTO AND NIPISSING RAILWAY. 20» north, never wearied in their exertions, anf worked night and day in promoting the cause they had undertaken ; nor were their purses made any heavier by the very considerable personal expenses to which they were subjected. Mr. Gould did all he could in favour of the county line, and paid a large share of the expenses of the preliminary survey. That failing, he took up the cause of the pro- moters of the Nipissing line. He took stock to the amount of $10,000, and secured all the benefits possible to be obtained for Uxbridge by railway connection with Toronto. The Nipissing line to Uxbridge was formally opened on the 14th of September, 1871. The following account of the celebration of the occasion is taken from the Uxbridge Journal of the ensuing week : — FORMAL OPENING OF THE TORONTO AND NIPISSING RAILROAD. On Thursday last, the 14th inst., the Narrow Gauge Railway, known as the Toronto and Nipissing road, was formally opened with considerable ^clat. According to previous announcement, the excursion train arrived at this station at one o'clock, with about four hundred visitors on board, comprising a number of specially invited distinguished guests — members of the Ontario Cabinet, city aldermen, the Railway Board of Management and others. These were met by the leading men of our village, and, headed by the band of the 10th Royals, which had accompanied the party from Toronto, were escorted to the drill-shed, where a handsome repast awaited them. Along the line of railway the various stations were tastefully festooned with evergreens and approj)riate mottoes. The Uxbridge station was elaboratel}' decorated with an arch of ever- greens and the motto on the building, "Onward to Fort Garry." Five other arches were erected in the village, displaying with appropriate devices the following mottoes: "Space Conquered;" "Labor Omnia Vincit;" "The Old Times have Vanished;" "Who'd have Thought It;" and "Welcome to Uxbridge." Our merchants and others seemed to vie with each other in aiding t» U'' 1204. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. the beautifying of the place. Union Jacks and St. George's crosses floated from almost every building, while streamers crossed the streets from house to house. The printing-office was decorated with evergreens, interspersed with which were the following mot- toes : "Cead Mille Failthe," and "Broad Gauge Principles but Narrow Gauge Railways for us." Arrived at the drill-shed, the party were not long in introducing themselves to the excellent substantials which had been provided — a keen relish for which we have no doubt had been engendered by the morning's ride — and to which ample justice was done. The cloth having been removed, the chairman, Mr. John Shed- den, stated that he had received letters from many of the most prominent citizens of Canada, all of whom expressed their wishes for the success of the Toronto and Nipissing Railway, and their regret at not being able to be present at the banquet. He then proposed " The Queen," which was duly honoured by the company. Song — "God Save the Queen." The next toast from the chair was " The Governor-General," which was received with all the honours, after which followed "The Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario." The chairman then gave the toast of " The Dominion Govern- ment," and in doing so he said that he was sorry there was not a fuller representation of that Cabinet, but he was glad to see that it was worthily represented in the person of the Hon. J. C. Aikins. Mr. Aikins responded, saying that he knew how gratified every member of the Government would have been to be present on the occasion, but they could not neglect public affairs to attend the present meeting, however much they might feel interested in it. He thoroughly believed in the narrow gauge railways, and con- sidered that the country needed them very much. The Govern- ment had now a railway scheme of their own in progress — he ^alluded to the Pacific Railway — so that all parts of the country would be accessible to each other, and the people of the North- . BANQUET — SPEECHES. 205 8 crosses )88ed the decorated 'inp; mot- iples but troducing provided igendered me. lin Shed- the most jir wishes and their He then company. General," followed a Govern - was not a ) see that D. Aikins, fied every nt on the ttend the ted in it. and con- 5 Govern - jress — he e country ae North- west brought into direct communication with us. Twenty years ago it might be said that there were not ten miles of railwa} iu Canada, and now there were over three thousand miles. Great as the progress of the country had been in times past, he believed that it would be still greater in the future ; and that it might be 80, every encouragement should be „aven * ^ emigration by the Dominion Government, in order that the waste places of the land might be brought under cultivation. He was much pleased with what he had seen in connection with the Nipissing line, and it had his best wishes for its prosperity. The chairman, in a few prefatory remarks, gave the toast of " The Ontario Government and Lei^nslaturi." Hon. M. C. Cameron, who was warmly received, stated that no matter what might be the political feelings of those comprising the meeting, he was sure that all of them would agree that enterprises such as that the establishment of which they had now assembled to commemorate the members of the Government had always cordi- ally supported. The progress of the country had been very great for the past few years, and though he did not claim for the Govern- ment that to them the credit for this progress was altogether due, yet he would say that in a great measure this prosperity was due to the efforts they had made to promote the advancement of the people. They had established facilities for more general edu- cation flmongst the people, and had in every manner taken advantage of all the means which presented themselves to aid in developing the country. He could say sincerely on behalf of his colleagues that each of them was desirous of assisting to the utmost the progress of the Province, and when the people felt con- vinced that others more competent tluin the members of the present Administration to administer the affairs of the country would be found they would cheerfully retire and give place to their successors. He thanked the company for the reception of the toast, and resumed his seat amid loud cheers. 206 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD, i Messra. Paxton M.PP., and Coyne, M.PP., also responded ou behalf of the Legislature. Mr. George Laidlaw, who was greeted with loud cheers, then pro- posed " Success to the Toronto and Nipissing Railway. " He alluded to the difficulties which had to be overcome before the railway could be built, but these had all been conquered by energy and persever- ance, and from the appearance of things, everything in connection with the road was run in good working order, and its promoters felt every confidence in it, that its career would fully anticipate their earnest anticipations. Mr. Shedden responded to the toast, and said so far everything in connection with the railway had worked satisfactorily, notwith- standing the numerous difficulties that had to bo met and overcome i before the line could be built. He felt much pleasure in congratu- lating the shareholders and all interested in any way in the success of the Nipissing road that things were now so far advanced that there was no question that the enterprise would prove all that was anticipated by its friends. Mr. Wm. Gooderham, jun., also responded to the toast to the same effect as the preceding speaker, stating that no one could help feeling thoroughly satisfied with the manner in which the railway had been pushed forward to its present state of completion. Mr. T. C. Chisholm, bein^;; called for, also made a few remarks. He said that the great thing the company had to depend itpon was the Government and the municipalities, who he thought should liberally support the Nipissing road. The road would soon be in thorough working order to Coboconk, and then it would speak for A'. itself. In f.he meantime the line was in a very satisfactory con- '-4 ■ 4 dition, and he trusted that all the anticipations of the shareholders would be realized fully. Mr. Joseph Gould, Uxbridge, in responding to the toast, also urged upon the Government the great desirability for assistance on their part and that of the municipalities to the narrow gauge rail- T0A8TS AND SPEKCHKH. 207 Duded oil then pro- e alluded ?ay could persever- »nnectiou otors felt late their 'erything notwith- )vercome ongratu- 3 success iced that that was t to the uld help 1 railway •emarks. pon was . should on be ill peak for ory con- Bholders Lst, also ance on ige rail- roads, for the benefits which these roads conferred upon the country were unquestioned. The Government would fail in its duty if it did not do all in its power to forward enterprises such as these. The toast of "The Bar and Bench of Ontario" was next pro- posed and responded to by Judge Ilagarty, who made a brief hut eloquent reply. After expressing his cordial approval of the narrow gauge lines of railway, and the pleasure he felt at being present at the ceremony of the formal opening of the Nipissing line to Uxbridge, he referred to the magnificence of the country which these railroads tended to open up and improve. In one of tlie novels of the great and good Walter Scott, whose centenary had lately been celebrated in all portions of the civilized world, one of that worthy's heroes was represented as coming in sight of the beautiful city of Edin- burg, nestled under the crags, and with the picturesque waters of the Forth in the distance, and overpowered by natural emotion, asking himself where was the coward who would not dare to fight for such a land. He (the speaker) had some time aj;o stood on the heights of Queenston, by Brock's monument, and never had he seen a fairer view of a more beautiful landscape. He had also witnessed the magnificent scenery on the St. Lawrence, and the same thought as that given expression to by Scott's hero came into his mind — " Where is the coward who would not dare to fight for such a land ? " (Applause.) We had a great destiny before us, and it depended upon ourselves to improve the opportunities which were placed before us to make Canada one of the foremost nations of the earth. Let us work so that when our eyes close in death our children might have as good a heritage as could be bestowed upon them — a smiling and prosperous land, over which the Union Jack would wave to gladden their sight. Pounds, shillings and pence were not the only considerations to be thought of ; and he hoped that by mere mer- .€enary motives none would be led to forget the glorious heritage handed down to them, and seek to sever their connection with Great Britain, for wherever its flag had gone Christian liberty and all the ^t 20H THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. blesHingH of civilization had followed. The chains ha:l fallen otY slaves wherever the meteor flag of England had appeared, and in its phico came progress and improvement. May our children and grandchildren live under the protecting folds of the Union Jack — God hletis it ! Judge ])uggan also responded in a few well-timed remarks. Hon. Mr. McDougall then proposed " The Commercial and Banking Interests of Canada." He referred in pleasing terms to the position in which the people of Uxbridge and surrounding country now found themselves in regard to the railway which had just been built. It was only a few years since he and his friend near him (Hon. M. C. Cameron) had contested the representation of North Ontario, and each had defeated the othei- on two dilferent occasions, and he could bear witness to the great improvements visible in that section since he canvassed there. In regard to the constitution under which wo were now happily living, he might say, as one who had a share in the framing of the new system, that it was intended by its framers that the local Governments should be more municipal in their nature than political — that the heat of party spirit and strife should not be carried into these assemblies, but that all local questions should be discussed in a free but unpre- judiced manner, leaving more strictly political warfare to be con- tested in the Dominion Parliament. If the people think they would be better off in having party politics in their Local Houses, all well i and good. Speaking individually as a taxpayer and a citizen, he ,1 would say that, looking back to the legislation of the past four years, i , there was nothing in it with which he could find fault [applause] ; ' ' and in particular could he say thai he cordially agreed with the r railway policy of the cabinet. He referred to the fact that he had suggested the appointmeirt of Mr. Sandlield Macdonald to his ' I; present office, and concluded a very pleasing address by referring to, the banking and commercial interests of the country. Mr. Wm. Gooderham, sen., Mr. E. W. Elliot, Mr. A. E. MORE RAILWAY SPEErilES. 20f> McMaster, and Mr. J. D. Mt-rrick responded. The last-named gentleman stated that, however much some persons might feel against the Grand Trunk llailway, tliat institution had dealt with the narrow gauge railways in a most liheral spirit, and without the lioarty co-operation of the directors of that road the new lines of railway would not be in so prosperous a condition as they were at the present time. He therefore had much pleasure in proposing the toast of " The llailway Interests of Canada," coupling with it the Grand Trunk Railway. Mr. Aquila Walsh, in responding, drew attention to the fact that the money invested in the Grand Trunk Railway was a good investment to the Government, and that that road had proved of incalculable benefit to the people of Canada. For the railway with which he was connected — tae Intercolonial — he could say that everything was progressing satisfactorily in its building, and that before long it would be completed and the people would then witness the cheapest and best railway in Canada. The whole structures connected with the line were to be of woo;l, in order that it might be built with the greatest economy, and that it might also be successful as a commercial undertaking. Steel rails and iron wedges were to be used altogether in the construction of the rail- way, so that in every respect it would be, when completed, the best road in the Dominion. The Parliament of the country had acted liberally towards railways, and there would be nothing lost by them in continuing the policy they had hitherto adopted. Mr. Chester Draper also responded. He said that the word " Canada " now composed a large territory, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific — far different from what Canada literally was a few years ago — and to develop and settle this vast region enter- prises like the present they were now engaged in celebrating were needed in every direction before our resources could be thoroughly developed. Mr. Bellingham, of Montreal, being called upon by the chair- 210 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. W man, also replied to the toast. He said that he had come to this; province on the present occasion to witness the working of the narrow gauge railways, and he could say that he had heen much gratified with what he had witnessed. They had experimented with wooden railways in Quebec, but after repeated trials they had not been found to work well, and he could not therefore recommend them to the people of Ontario. The Government of Quebec had dealt liberally with railway enterprises, having made a grant of 10,000 acres in aid of a new line in that province. He had been forty-six years in Canada, and he had lived to see it become a great and prosperous country, with every indication of continued advancement. Mr. Sweetnam said he had a toast to propose which he was sure would be heartily received. He referred to those whom he might term for the present "Our American Cousins," who had greatly benefited this country, and had shown extraordinary enter- prise in opening and extending railways. Col. Shaw thanked the company for the kind manner in which the toast had been drunk. He alluded to the time when, not more than forty years ago, but a small railway was in operation in his native country, and now the land was intersected in every direction by rt^ilways — from the north and east to the far Goutii and west. After a few further remarks, eloquently expressed, the speaker concluded by expressing his earnest hope tLat Canada and the United States might ever remain in peaceful relations to each other, and that both countries might go on conquering and to con- quer in the highways of peace. "The Corporation of Toronto" was next proposed, the names of Aldermen Harman and Dickey being coupled with it. The former gentleman regretted the absence of the mayor, who had missed the opportunity of making a reply to the toast proposed in such a handsome manner. He (the speaker) referred to the vast strides Toronto is now making, the value of its real property eight years RAILWAY SPEECHES CONTINUED. 211 to this of the 1 much ' 3d with lad not mmend >ec had rant of id been come a ntinued he was hom he rho had y enter- n which ot more in his irection d west, speaker md the to each to con- names 3 former 3sed the such a strides it years ago being $20,000,000, while now it was $30,000,000. Recognizing fully this fact, who could estimate what further progress would be made in the next decade ? He heartily congratulated the Nipissing Company on the success which attended their efforts, and it would always be with a feeling of gratification that his name as the then Mayor of Toronto was signed to the debentures issued by the cor- poration in behalf of the Nipissing Railway. Alderman Dickey could but say that he felt highly gratified at the completion of the railway to Uxbridge. Even the most rabid opponent of the road was now convinced of its value to the country. Captain Taylor made a few remarks in reference to his personal labours when the railway was being inaugurated. Mr. Gould proposed the health of the father of the narrow gauge railways in Canada — Mr. George Laidlaw. The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm ; and in response* Mr. Laidlaw said it was the proudest moment of his life, but he would say that, without the aid of many of those whom he saw about him, all his efforts would have been futile. To the Hon. M. C. Cameron, who had so warmly assisted in getting the Bill of Incorporation through the House of Assembly, and through the vote of whose Premier the measure was at length passed ; to the merchants of Toronto — to such firms as John Macdonald & Co., McMaster Bros., Gordon, McKay & Co., and others, the thanks of the community through which the Nipissing Railway passed were largely due ; also to the members of the Toronto Corporation and the rural municipalities who had pushed the enterprise forward by liberal grants of money. These formed the bridge which had car- ried the railway over safely. On account of the present late hour he would not detain the company, but would again thank them most sincerely for their kind reception of the toast. The next toast was that of the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Rail- way, which was responded to by Hon. Mr. McMurrich in a few well-chosen remarks. < "^^^•^■(Illllll^lll '•I? 'n 4^ , Hi" ?-i 212 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Mr. J. G. Worts gave " The Municipalities Along the Line of the Eailway." Eesponded to by Hon. David Eeesor. One or two other volunteer toasts followed, and the meeting broke up. The visitors then repaired to the cars in waiting at the station, and thus ended the ceremonies in connection with the first three- feet six-inch gauge railway in the Dominion. ir ■; i \ CHAPTER XXXIV. New railway charter— Whitby to Port Perry — Directors — Stock — Subscriptions — Favourable contract — Dissensions — A new contract entered into — The terms— Turning the first sod by H. R. H. Prince Arthur — More grand doings— The ceremony — Loyal and enthusiastic welcome of the Prince— Addresses of the Town and County Councils — Replies of the Prince and Governor-General — Progress of the work — Change of contractors — Squabbling and bad management— Impending ruin the result— James Holden to the rescue— Completion of the line to Port Perry — The latter place boomed and built up. HAVING, after fifteen years' agitation, failed to secure the greater scheme of a railway to the Georgian Bay, a railway from Whitby to Port Perry, as the first link in the chain, was determined upon, a charter was obtained, and the following directors appointed in March, 1868: — A. Farewell, Thos. Paxton, M.PP., Joseph Bigelow, Charles Marsh, W. S. Sexton, Edward Major, Dr. Foote, Dr. Gunn, James Holden, Chester Draper, Sheriff Reynolds. Mr. Bigelow was elected president, and subsequently Mr. Draper, and after him Mr. Dryden. Of the capital, $250,000, the charter pro- vided that $100,000 should be bona fide subscribed and ten per cent, paid thereon, before the company could go into operation, and that the original subscribers or their assigns should never be released from their liability until the whole of the sto^k was paid up — a stringent provision contained in no other charter in the history of Canadian railway legislation. After considerable difficulty the necessary amount was obtained, ten per cent, paid in, and the company organized. Three gentlemen, Messrs. Sexton, Paxton and Bigelow, of Port Perry, subscribed $10,000 each, and subscrip- tions were obtained of from $5,000 and $3,000 downwards in "Whitby. The corporation of the town of Whitby ; a bonus of 214 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. $E $50,000, and afterwards subscribed $10,000 stock; Whitby town- ship, $15,000 ; from the township of Reach, $30,000 ; and Scugog Island, $2,500. Tenders were asked for and a favourable contract entered into with Messrs. Starratt and Kesteven. But dissensions immediately afterwards sprang up at the board ; it was also found that the contractors were not men of means, and they were got rid of. Mr. J. H. Dumble stepped in, after a time, and the contract was awarded to him at $290,000 and $40,000 stock, the latter a fruitful source of much trouble afterwards. The first sod was turned on Wednesday, 6th October, 1869, by His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, with great ceremony, when the following proceedings took place, the occasion being made a grand holiday in Whitby. The proceedings are thus chronicled : — VISIT OF H. R. H. PRINCE ARTHUR. The Prince and party arrived at the Grand Trunk Station precisely at twenty minutes past ten o'clock. The special train numbered five cars and one baggage-waggon. The engine was tastefully decorated, as was also the station and the surrounding buildings. Thousands awaited the arrival of the Prince's party, and hailed the coming in of the train with loud acclamations. The party at once alighted, and presentations were made by the Mayor of the members of the Town Council and others, to both the Governor-General and the Prince. The party alighted on the south side of the station, arches being extended across the track, and a platform ; the passage-way over being handsomely cari)eted. Immediately on arrival the party entered carriages which were in readiness awaiting at the G. T. R. station, and proceeded at a brisk pace through the town. Tho carriages of the members of the Corporation and Warden headed the procession ; next came that of His Excellency the Governor-General, accompanied by Mr. Turville, bis private secretary, Mr. Gerrie the Mayor, and Mrs. Howland. The Prince's carriage, with Lady Young, Col. Elphinston and the RECEPTION OF PRINCE ARTHUR AT WHITBY. 215 Sheriflf ; and after these Lieutenant-Governor Rowland, Sir John A. Macdonald, Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald and Miss Maedonakl, Mr. Potter, of the Grand Trunk Railway, Mr. Brydges, Mr. King, of the Bank of Montreal, Mr. Justice Morrison, Judge Duggan, Mayor Harman, of Toronto, Mr. White, of Hamilton, Mr. John A. Donaldson, Emigration Agent, and others. Along the line of procession crowds awaited and cheered the Prince. No fewer than about one hundred carriages and many equestrians waited at the station, and accompanied the procession from thence to the town. The town-bells rang out, cannon belched forth, the bands played martial airs, and the Prince's party received a right loyal and hearty greeting from the loyal people of the Town of Whitby. Everywhere arches and decorations were visible ; flags, banners and streamers fluttered in the breeze ; and Whitby pre- sented one of such holiday appearances as — When Royal Mary, biythe of mood, Kept holiday in Holyrood. On the arrival at the grounds, where the ceremony of breaking the first sod was to take place, the Prince and party were greeted with loud acclamations from between five and six thousand of Her Majesty's assembled lieges, one of the most interesting features of the reception being the greeting, the National Anthem, which was sung by the school children of the town, who were marshalled under their respective teachers on a roomy platform specially arranged for their occupation pn the occasion. Platforms were also erected for the Prince and party, the town and county councils, and in- vited guests. As we have just said, there were between five and six thousand persons present, and they did not include about 130 officers and men of the 34th Battalion, under Colonel Fairbanks, who mustered on the occasion and received the Prince as a guard of bono ir, and assisted materially throughout in preserving the best of good order. The Mayor, after a short space of time, during which invited 216 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. guests (and some who were not), obtained the Prince's and Governor- General's platform, delivered the following address : — *' To His Excellency the Bight Hon. Sir John Young, Baronet, K.C.B., Governor-General of Canada, etc., etc.: " May it please Your Excellency — " The Mayor and Corporation, on behalf of the Town of Whitby, most cordially embrace this opportunity of tendering to Your Excel- lency a hearty welcome to this section of Canada. It is with no ordinary feelings of loyalty and attachment to the Crown and Con- stitution of our country that we approach Your Excellency as the representative of Her Most Gracious Majesty. " We feel a just pride in acknowledging the wisdom and con- sideration of Her Majesty's Government in selecting as Governor- General of the Dominion of Canada one whose distinguished abilities have done so much for other portions of the British Empire. We confidently trust that your administration of the Government will secure lasting prosperity and happiness to the people of this Dominion, and additional glory to the British Empire, as well as increased honour to Your Excellency. " We sincerely hope that Lady Young and yourself may derive much pleasure from your journey through the Province, and our earnest desire and prayer is that Heaven's best blessings may attend you both. " James H. Gerrie, Mayor.'' To which His Excellency replied : — " To the Mayor and Corporation of the Town of Whitby: " Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen — " I appreciate at their proper value the warm feelings of loyalty to the Crown and attachment to the Constitution happily existing in Canada, which prompt you to approach me, as the representa- ADDRESSES PRESENTED. 217 tive of the Eoyal Authority, with a hearty welcome to the prettily situated and thriving Town of Whitby. " I am aided in the discharge of my duties by able statesmen, the choice of the people, and possessing the confidence of Parlia- ment. I trust that by their sage counsels my administration of affairs may be guided to good purpose, so as to merit approbation and promote the moral and material welfare of the country. Lady Young and I have derived much pleasure from our journey through the Province of Ontario, and unite in warmly thanking you for the earnestness with which you implore that blessings may attend us. ,^ _ John Young. The Mayor next proceeded to that portion of the platform occu- pied by His Eoyal Highness, and read the following address to th& Prince : — " To His Royal Highness Prince Arthur William Patrick, K.G.: " May it please Y^'our Highness — " We, the Mayor and Corporation of the Town of Whitby, beg most respectfully to approach Your Eoyal Highness on the occasion of your visit to this portion of Canada. "We hail the presence in our Dominion of a scion of the illus- trious House of Brunswick as a fresh token of the kind and queenly consideration of our dearly beloved Sovereign, and beg your Eoyal Highness to accept the assurance of our veneration for and devoted attachment to the person of our gracious Queen, whose benign sway has been fraught with untold blessings, not only to the great empire over which she reigns but to the remotest corner of the woi i 1 . ' We sincerely trust that the stay of Your Eoyal Highness in Canada may prove as agreeable to yourself as it is gratifying to us. " James H. Gebrie, Mayor." rr-^ >.. S. - i' I 'ii ■I ..I 'I ; 'ft 218 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. To which His Royal Highness replied in an audible and pleasing voice : — ** To the Mayor and Corporation of Whitby: " Gentlemen — " My visit to this town, associated as it is with an undertaking which I trust will increase the prosperity of this county, cannot be otherwise than most agreeable to my feelings. " For your welcome to myself, I feel, I assure you, sincere grati- tude, but it is still more satisfactory to me to witness your affec- tionate attachment and loyalty to the Queen, who has the welfare of her people sincerely at heart. "Arthur." The Warden was next presented to His Excellency, and read the Address of the County Council : — **To the Eight Honourable Sir John Young, K.C.B., etc., etc., etc., Governor-General of Canada : " May it please Your Excellency — " We, the Warden and Councillors of the Corporation of the County of Ontario, bid Your Excellency a hearty welcome to the confines of this flourishing county, and hope that at some future day Your Excellency will be able to pay a more lengthened visit to a portion of the Province second to none in material prosperity and enterprise. " Such undertakings as have this day been happily inaugurated are at once the sign and cause of progress, and indicate that the self-reliance and energy which distinguishes the country we are proud to call our Mother-land are not wanting in her sons under other skies and circumstances. " We take this opportunity of expressing to Your Excellency our gratification that, in nominating you to your high office, the choice of our gracious Sovereign has fallen upon one whose ripe statesman- ship, large experience and enlightened views will aid in securing CORPORATION ADDRESSES. 210 pleasing ertaking mnot be re grati- ir affec- ! welfare [UR." read the concord in the councils and stability in the institutions of our Dominion. " We desire to assure Your Excellency, on behalf of the inhabi- tants of this portion of the Province, of our unwavering loyalty to our Sovereign, and devoted attachment to the institutions we have inherited from the land of our forefathers. " Whatever shape our alliance with that country may hereafter take, we crave no other lot than to continue to form a part of the great Empire upon which the sun never sets ; to share her glories, and, if possible, contribute to her renown. " We would ask Your Excellency to convey to Lady Young our expression of respect towards her, and we venture to hope that her Ladyship may retain pleasing recollections of this your first visit to the County of Ontario. " Joshua Wright, Warden. " County Council Chambers, " Whitby, October, 1869." I of the 3 to the :e future i visit to irity and igurated that the we are 18 under ency our e choice tesman- securing The Governor-General replied : — *' To the Warden and Councillors of the Corporation of the County of Ontario : " Mr. Warden and Gentlemen — " I thank you very cordially for the words of hearty welcome with which you greet my arrival amongst you, and I have pleasure in assuring you of my entire reliance on your loyalty to the Queen, and your attachment to those British institutions which have been so happily established in Canada. " The purpose for which we are assembled here to-day is one of great importance. No works are of greater general utility than those which facilitate and extend the means of communication. They give a stimulus to industry by adding value to its products. Without such aids civilization cannot advance ; with them, the 220 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. prosperity of the country and the comforts of daily life are materi- ally enhanced. " I am glad, therefore, to have the opportunity of being present on this interesting occasion, and Lady Young joins me in wishing you all possible success, not merely in your present, but in your future undertakings. "John Youno." The Warden next approached the Prince, to whom he was pre- sented by the Mayor, and delivered the following address : — *' To His Royal Highness Prince Arthur William Patrick, K.G.: " May it please Your Eoyal Highness — " We, the Warden and Councillors of the Corporation of the- County of Ontario, beg to express our appreciation of the high honour conferred upon us, in being permitted for a second time to receive a visit from a scion of your Eoyal House. " We are again enabled to avail ourselves of the opportunity of expressing, on behalf of ourselves and the inhabitants of this popu- lous and prosperous county, our devoted loyalty to our Most Gracious Sovereign, your royal mother, our deep sense of the blessings we enjoy under her wise and beneficent rule, our undying attachment to the form of constitutional government established in our land, and our earnest desire that our new Dominion, in increased terri- tory, wealth and power, may ever form a part of a great confederate British Empire, bound together by the ties of patriotism, mutual interest and mutual support. » Joshua Weight, Warden. " County Council Chambers, " Whitby, October, 1869." To which the Prince replied : — " To the Warden and Councillors of the Corporation of the County of Ontario : " Gentlemen — " I thank you for your address, and heartily appreciate the ■ k' 3 materi- l present wishing in your UNO." was pre- G.: n of the- the high time to tunity of is popu- jracious sings we ichment ur land, 3d terri- federate mutual '•den. 'ounty of iate the "TUKNTNO THE FIRST SOD." 221 sentiments of loyal devotion to your Sovereign, and attachment to the institutions of her Empire, which you have just expressed. " I regret that my present visit, like the one of my brother, the Prince of Wales, does, unfortunately, not admit of a long stay amongst you ; but I am glad that, notwithstanding the shortness of the time, my visit here is associated with a work of public utility, which I trust may prove a source of increasing prosperity to this neighbourhood. "Arthur." The addresses were all well read by the Mayor and Warden, and were replied to in audible and distinct tones by His Excellency and His Royal Highness, and with what appeared to be much earnest- ness. The proceedings were listened to throughout with great attention. His Royal Highness next descended from the platform, accom- panied by the Governor-General, Mr. Bigelow, President of the Whitby and Port Perry Railway, and Mr. Dumble, the contractor, and went through the ceremony of " turning the first sod." A handsome silver spade, and a bird's-eye maple wheelbarrow, specially prepared for the occasion (and now in possession of the author), were brought into requisition, and the Prince, with much ease and deliberation, performed the ceremony of " turning the first sod " of the Whitby and Port Perry Railway amidst ringing shouts of applause. The auspicious proceedings with which the turning of the first sod was inaugurated did not help the road along. The work proceeded more or less satisfactorily, under Mr. Dumble, with a board of directors representing antagonistic per- sonal interests over which individual members never ceased squab- bling. Mr. Dumble sold out to Mr. English, from Toronto, who carried on the work a stage further, and quarrelled in turn with the directors, who were ultimately left to finish the road themselves, and with a number of lawsuits on their hands. They succeeded 222 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPFI GOULD. admirably in " running the whole thing into the ground," to use an expressive phrase; in hopelessly involving the Company and placing the members of the board, who had made themselves personally liable for obligations in carrying on the work, and in defending and maintaining lawsuits, in a position to be overwhelmed with loss of their private property. It was at this crisis that Mr. James Holden came to the front. And, certainly, if men had ever reason to be thankful for a timely rescue, they were the directors of the Whitby and Port Perry llaihvay at that time. ^fr. Holden had ' already shown his public spirit by subscribing and paying up $3,000 stock ; and, although an active member of the board, became utterly disgusted with the mismanagement and selfish- ness of some of his co-directors. He succeeded, however, as has been remarked, at the critical moment, when absolute ruin stared all concerned in the face, in enlisting as his copartners in the scheme for buying out the bankrupt concern Messrs. Austin, Fulton and Michie, of Toronto, the result being the speedy com- pletion and equipment of the line to Port Perry. Matters soon changed for the better under the new rer/ime. The line was freed from debt, the involved directors relieved from the pecuniary embarrassments which encompassed them, caused by their connec- tion with the undertaking, and the whistle of the locomotive was shortly heard along the line, with trains running regularly, con- veying freight and passengers. Whitby took a fresh start on the 1|; '. 1 road to prosperity. Property was enhanced in value, and Port Perry was built up, from an insignificant village at the head of Lake Scugog, to the dimensions of an important town, where quarter-acre lots became as valuable as one hundred acre farms had been a few years before in the same neighbourhood. use an 1 placiii}; irsoiiiilly efeniling witli loss •. James r reason s of the den had ying up 3 board, , selfish- ever, as ute ruin tners in . Austin, {dy com- 3r8 soon as freed cuniary connec- live was ly, con- on the hd Port of Lake ter-acre n a few CHAPTER XXXV. Extension to Lindsay— Connection with the Victoria Railway— Groat expectations- Municipal honuHes— Whitby leads the way — Government aid— l^ine opened to Lindsay— Amalgamation with the Midland— Swallowed vip in the Grand Trunk— The Ontario Central— Other railway projects— The (J. P. K. — Present railway lines and connections within the county. VARIOUS efforts continued to be made for the extension of the line northward, and the construction of the branch to Uxbridgo and several plans, all embracing promised bonuses from the muni- cipalities immediately interested, devised, but they came to nothing. At length Mr. Holden, allowing other propositions for extension to remain in abeyance for the time, bent all his energies on carrying the line to Lindsay. He expected that connection with the Victoria Railway at that point would secure to the Whitby line a large pro- portion of the traffic coming over the former ; or, in other words, that the Whitbj' line must be the main outlet for the volume of traffic coming over the Victoria road ; that that connection once secured, every mile built of the Victoria would in reality be an exten- sion of the Whitby line northward ; and further, that the Whitby line would be in a position to compete successfully with the Midland for the trade to the front. The town of Whitby at once came forward and backed him up with a further bonus of $20,000 ; Port Perry followed suit for a like amount ; the co-operation of the leading men of Lindsay, Ops and Mariposa was secured, and a bonus of $85,000 was obtained by grouping these municipalities, and also, subsequently, Government aid to the extent of $2,000 per mile. In the summer of '70 the contract was let. In the hands of Messrs. Gibson and Dixon, the contractors, the work was vigorously prose- 224 THE LiFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. cutecl, and on the Slot July following the line to Lindsay was formally opened. After a long struggle of a quarter of a century, railway communication between the port of Whitby and the far North was at last secured, although not in the direction originally contemplated, through the centre of the county. Not long afterwards the road became amalgamated with the Midland ; the Midland became part of the Grand Trunk system ; and the municipalities that gave the bonuses lost the benefits of a competing line, for which they gave their money. The Ontario Central Eailway, projected by the late Mr. Chester Draper, con- necting Whitby Harbour with Nottawasaga Bay, and the charter of which was allowed to lapse at his death ; the projected Toronto and Ottawa Eailway, to aid which Reach, Port Perry, Pickering and Scugog, grouped, passed « by-law granting a bonus of $90,000, next occupied the public mind for a while. The scheme resulted in the Ontario and Quebec line, now forming part of the C. P. E. system, and which runs across the county. The Toronto and NIpissing narrow gauge was converted into a broad gauge line, and now also forms part of the Midland system of the Grand Trunk. A connecting link from the Manilla Junction, by Wick, unites the old NipissJng and Whitby lines in the present system. The Whitby, Port Perry and Lindsay, north ; the Toronto and Nipissing, through Uxbridge and Brock ; the Midland, through Thorah and Mara ; and the Northern, crossing at the Narrows, and running through a portion of Mara and Rama to Gravenhurst ; and the C. P. R., already mentioned, form the railway lines and railway connections within the county. CHAPTER XXXYL* Visit of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales to the County — A memorable event— Special session of the County Council— Votes for the reception— Interesting proceedings — Appropriation — A gala day — Great rejoicing — Immense ciowds— The decorations— The addresses — The replies, etc., etc., etc. VISIT OF H. R. H. THE PRINCE OF WALES. THE visit of the Prince of Wales to the county, in 1860, was a memorable event. His Royal Highness was presented with addresses by the County Council and Town Council, and was received with great demonstrations of loyalty and enthusiasm. We give the proceedings, as a matter of historical record, from the ChronicU of that day. Extracts of a special session of the County Council, held Septem- ber 4 and 5, to consider the propriety of giving a grant towards receiving the Prince of Wales at Whitby on the 7th September, 18G0, as reported in. the Whitby Chronicle of September 8, 1860 :— Tuesday, September 4, 1860. A special session of the County Council was held, on call of the Warden, at the Courthouse, on Tuesday. It was five o'clock p.m. before the Warden took his seat. The roll having been called over the following reeves and deputies answered to their names : — Messrs. Brown, Bartlett, Rowe, Smith, White (Pickering), White (Whitby), Wright. Absent, Messrs. Pirt, Sangster and Wixson. The Warden said that in calling the Council together specially *Thi8 chapter is taken out of its proper chronological order so as to avoid nuvking a break in the complete railway narrative of the County. V .. 1 * ' [V: ■ 1 pli \i -T ii'm\ i 'I III': 41. ■' 226 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. it was necessary for him to state that he did so in consequence of the visit of His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales — the heir apparent to the great empire of which we formed a part — to this country. A visit, he said, from such a person was unprecedented in the history of Canada, and he had no doubt of the good it would produce. To have the future ruler of the realm, to which we were so nearly allied, amongst us, and carry back with him a personal knowledge of our unbounded resources and unparalleled progress, would be productive of the best results in the future. He believed that every one must admire the virtues of Her Majesty our Queen, who was deserving of all the respect and esteem that her loyal subjects could show towards a good and virtuous sovereign. And when Her Majesty had graciously accepted our invitation — although not honouring us with her own royal presence — by sending the Heir Apparent to the Throne, and when the Prince had placed himself at our disposal it was due to our Sovereign and to ourselves that we should express our deep sense of the unexampled honour conferred upon us. Under these circumstances, he (the Warden) had no hesitancy in calling the Council together, that the county of Ontario, with every other part of the Province through which His Eoyal Highness passed, might take the opportunity to give expression to those sentiments of welcome which, he felt quite sure, were entertained by every rate- payer of the county. The Warden further stated that he had deferred calling the Council together until so late a period because no requisition had been placed in his hands, but that having received a resolution, passed at a public meeting most respectably attended from all parts of the county, he felt that he could no longer hesitate ; and he believed there was still sufficient time to take the necessary steps for giving expression to the deep sense of loyal esteem which they all felt. Mr. Hewett did not know whether all gentlemen in the Council were in the sime position as himself ; but he did not exactly com- SPECIAL SESSION — COUNTY COUNCIL. 097 i e iquence 38 — the a part m was I doubt of the i carry sources results virtues respect a good iciously ler own ne, and 3 due to IV deep ir these mg the ler part , might ents of ry rate- le had because having »ectably ould no time to ense of Council ly com- prehend the nature of the business that it was necessary for the Council to transact in this matter. He quite agreed in the pro- priety of the remarks of the Warden as to giving the Prince a becoming reception, and of doing everything in a proper sense. Such a circumstance as the heir of the British Crown visiting this country never having taken place before, the honour was deserving every effort. But he was not exactly aware of the way in which the Council was called upon to operate. Everything was crude at present, but he had no doubt, when they understood things, the Council would do their duty. He asked Captain Rowe to explain what had taken ^ 'ace already in, relation to the reception of the Prince at Whitby. Mr. Campbell was not prepared to do anything until he saw his way clearly. Captain Rowe explained very briefly and explicitly what all our readers know already; that the town had invited the Prince to stop at Whitby, and had appropriated $300 for the presenting of an address ; that a requisition to the Sheriff to call a public meeting of the ratepayers of the county had been got up ; the meeting called, and an address adopted, which the Sheriff had been appointed to present on behalf of the county, and which the Prince had also agreed to receive at Whitby; and that it was expected the County Council would grant a sum equal to the small amount voted by the town towards the reception ; that the Prince was expected here some time on Friday — about mid-day. Mr. Ratcliffe believed in the necessity of doing something, but he believed the Warden was the chief elected magistrate of the county, and the proper person to present the address on behalf of the county; that, as the matter had been taken out of the War- den's hands, he (Mr. R.) did not think it would be proper to have anything more to do with it, and would therefore go for no appro- priation. Mr. White felt a good deal embarrassed at the awkward position 228 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. ■!| in which the Council was placed, and scarcely knew what to do ; he expected the Warden, in his address, would have told them precisely what action was necessary. Mr. Smith said he considered that the Warden stated expressly the purport of the meeting in his address. He, however, found fault with the way in which matters stood ; considered that the Warden was the proper person to present the address, and stated that, unless some arrangement was come to, he was not disposed to vote for an appropriation. Mr. Wright saw no reason why an address could not be pre- sented on behalf of the Warden and Corporation. After some further observations, a resolution, moved by Mr. Hewett and seconded by Mr. Smith, was carried, appointing a committee of five, consisting of Messrs. Eatcliffe, Smith, White (Pickering), Campbell and the mover, to confer with the Sheriff and the Executive Committee, to get explanations, and to report to the Council that evening. The Warden then left the chair until eight o'clock. In the evening the Council resumed, and the special committee reported an interview with the Sheriff and the Executive Committee of the Town and County for the Prince's reception. The report gave a resume of certain facts, and recommended that no appropriation be granted, inasmuch as an address would be then too late to be presented, and that the Council had no power to make the appro- l^riation for presenting an address on behalf of the Warden and Corporation of the county. The report was adopted. Council adjourned until ten o'clock next day. Wednesday, September 5. The Council did not meet until after eleven o'clock. There were present Messrs. Rowe, Robinson, Smith, Bartlett, Brown, Hewett, Wright, White (Pickering), White (Whitby), Hart, Mc- Gregor and Gamble — twelve. A resolution, moved by Mr. Wright and seconded by Mr. Smith, APPROPRIATION FOR THE PRINCE's RECEPTION. 229 to do ; \ them pressly found bat the stated isposed be pre- by Mr. nting a White Sheriff report In the reported le of the ; gave a ipriation lie to be 3 appro- den and ex 5. There Brown, irt, Mc- . Smith, to reconsider the report adopted the previous evening, on the ground that the report was adopted through error, inasmuch as it was stated therein that an address would be too late, and such now appearing to be not the case, was carried without dissent. The report was amended in committee, and, on motion of Mr. Wright, the Warden and Messrs. Hewett, White (Pickering), Smith, and the mover, appointed to draft an address. Messrs. White (Pickering) and Gamble opposed and voted against the amendment. The Warden left the chair at two o'clock, and the Council resumed at three o'clock, when an address was reported, and the Warden, with Messrs. Hart and Robinson, appointed a special committee to wait on His Excellency the Governor-General's Sec- retary, at Belleville, the next day, to ascertain whether the address would be received. On motion of Mr. Robinson, seconded by Mr. Smith, a sum of $300 was appropriated towards the reception, and the Warden and the County Engineer appointed to see to the expenditure. The Warden was appointed to present the address, accompanied by the Council. Friday last, the 7th September, will long be remembered as a great and important day in the annals of the good town of Wliitby. On that day Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the heir to the British throne, honoured Whitby with his illustrious presence, and received the addresses, congratulations and warm and enthusiastic plaudits of Her Majesty's lieges of the county of Ontario. From an early hour in the morning a continual stream of teams, buggies and vehicles of every description, tilled with men and women, dressed in their best holiday attire, kept pouring in from the country. Every avenue approaching the town, from the north, east and west, was thronged with equestrians and pedestrians making their way to see and welcome the Prince ; and on the south the harbour contributed its share to the spectacle, no less than eight steam- it f; Mil i Ih liii 230 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. boats freighted with passengers having steamed in to witness the embarkation. Alongside the wharf, with the Prince's steamer, the Kingston, were the Zimmerman, the Maple Leaf, and the propeller J. L. Tucker; outside the harbour five other steamers were in sight, decorated with flags from stem to stern. The town presented a most gay and lively appearance ; flags streamed from every house- top and from all the public buildings. Not a particle of the town was there which did not exhibit decorations of some kind ; people everywhere vied with each other in the variety and costliness of the display. The Mayor and Sheriff had received telegrams an-' nouncing the time of arrival of the Prince as between the hours of twelve and two o'clock, and before the latter hour fully twelve thousand persons had assembled at the railway station and at the wharf, and on the route between these two points. At the north side of the station a lofty pavilion, thirty-six feet by twenty-four, richly decorated, was erected. Over the pavilion were the letters "A. E." entwined of evergreens, and in large, bold letters the words "God Save the Queen." A rich carpet of crimson cloth covered the space inside the pavilion, and from thence to the Prince's car extended a novel and tasteful carpet, ornamented with maple leaves, the handiwork of the ladies of Whitby. The railway station was covered with flags, ensigns. Union Jacks, St. George's crosses, and streamers of every kind, and one immense royal ensign floating from a flagstaff on the most easterly point of the station. The sight from every point was a grand one, and well worthy to meet the view of a Eoyal Prince. The multitude was immense — on every side nothing but a living ocean of human beings. Upwards of three thousand persons were provided with seats immediately in front of the pavilion, for which the small charge of twenty cents each was made. In waiting on the pavilion to receive the Prince were H. J. Macdonell, Esq., Mayor of Whitby, attended by the Town Clerk, Mr. Huston, and the following members of the Town Council: — James Rowe, J. H. Perry, William Lang, R. J. Gunn, * :^..'. h WHO WERE PRESENT. 231 j\r.D., C. Draper, C. Lynrle, N. W. Brown, James Cameron, Ira Tail, N. G. Reynolds, Esq., Sheriff of the County, attended by his Secretary, Mr. C. Nourse; John Hall Thompson, Esq., Warden of the County, and the following members of the County Council : — Mr. White, Deputy-Reeve of Whitby; John Ratcliffe and William Bartlett, Eeeve and Deputy-Reeve of East Whitby; T. P. White and Josiah Wixson, jun.. Reeve and Deputy-Reeve of Pickering; Joshua Wright and H. McGregor, Reeve and Deputy -Reeve of Reach; J. Gamble, Reeve of Scugog; W. Smith, Reeve of Uxbridge; Charles Robinson, Reeve of Thorah ; D. G. Hewett, Reeve of Mara and Rama ; and John Hart, Deputy-Reeve of Brock ; the members of the Oshawa Corporation, consisting of J. Hislop, Esq., Reeve; James Carmichael, G. H. Gilchrist and J. Dickey; Z. Burnham, Esq., County Judge; W. H. Tremayne, Esq., County Attorney; J. Shier, Esq., County Engineer; Wm. Paxton, County Treasurer; Hon. 0. Mowat, the member for South Ontario ; and J. Gould, Esq., member for North Ontario; Lieut.-Col. McPherson, First Battalion Ontario Militia; J. B. Warren, Esq., Manager of the Ontario Bank at Oshawa; N. G. Ham, Esq., Barrister; James Dryden, Esq., G. Wallace, Esq., A. Farewell, Esq., Philip St. John, Esq. (King of Brock), David Spalding, Esq., Rev. J. Pentland, Rev. Eugene O'Keefe, Rev. Mr. Warner, Rev. J. T. Byrne, Rev. Mr. Wickson, Rev. Mr. Taylor, Rev. Mr. Law, and the following mem- bers of the press: — W. H. Higgins, of the Whitby Chronicle; E. Oliver and James Holden, of the Prince Albert papers ; W. H. Orr, of the Vindicator. The Whitby Highland Rifle Company, commanded by Captain Wallace, and the Oshawa Fire Brigade (Chief McElroy) were drawn up in front of the pavilion. Precisely at twenty-five minutes to four o'clock the train con- taining the Prince of Wales and suite came in sight, and che arrival was greeted by the firing of cannon and the most vociferous cheering from the multitude. Immediately afterwards the Prince and royal party alighted, and were conducted by the Mayor, Sheriff 232 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. i • I !!;;■■ I it U. 'A ,1 : ■('. ii '■''.• l^f: and Warden to the iDavilion, where the Prince was again loudly cheered. The County address was presented by the Sheriff first as follows : ** To Ilis Royal Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales : " May it please Your Royal Highness — " We, the inhabitants of the county of Ontario, in the Province of Canada, beg to approach Your Royal Highness to express our heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity afforded us at this time of greeting Your Royal Highness with a hearty welcome, and of expressing our unswerving loyalty and devoted attachment to the throne and person of our Most Gracious Sovereign the Queen, to whom we also hereby express our deep sense of obligation for her gracious condescension in readily acceding to the invitation from our representatives in Parliament to visit in person, or by repre- sentation on the part of some member of the Royal Family, this very important part of her empire. ** The auspicious visit of Your Royal Highness we regard as an event of great national importance to this country, and one which we feel confident will have the happiest effect in deepening and perpetuating that devoted allegiance and attachment felt by us to be due not more on account of the manifold blessings we enjoy under that benign government, than for the eminent virtues which adorn your illustrious mother, and by which, wo hope Your Royal Highness, to whom we proudly look as the future Sovereign of these realms, will ever in like manner be distinguished. "We earnestly hope that the visit of Your Royal Highness will not only be agreeable to you as it is gratifying to us, but will increase the interest already so long and warmly manifested on the part of the Queen and Government of Great Britain towards this important appendage of the British Empire. " We beg further to express our ardent desire, and hope that when Your Royal Highness may leave us for your native shores, you ADDRESS TO THE PRINCE OF WALES. 2nfi may enjoy unbroken health and comfort, and by a gracious Pro- vidence be safely restored to the bosom of your illustrious family." To which H. R. H. replied : — " Gentlemen — " I thank you sincerely for the address which you have pre- sented to me. " In the Queen's name I acknowledge the expressions of your loyalty to her crown and person, and for myself I am grateful to you for the welcome to your neighbourhood." The Warden followed with the address of the County Council, which read : — ** To Jlis Royal Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, etc., etc.: " May it please Your Royal Highness — " We, the Warden and Council of the Corporation of Ontario, in Council assembled, beg respectfully to congratulate Your Royal Highness upon your safe arrival in this county, and at the same time we desire to convey to Your Royal Highness the assurance of our respect for and our attachment to our beloved Queen. " That many advantages will arise from Your Royal Highness's visit to this country, we. have every reason to hope ; and trust that it may afford pleasure to Your Royal Highness, and a more inti- mate knowledge of the resources of Canada than could otherwise be acquired. " We heartily welcome Your Royal Highness to the loyal county of Ontario, and desire respectfully to convey through Your Royal Highness the high esteem in which we hold the many virtues of your Royal mother, our Queen ; that she may be long preserved a pattern to other rulers is our earnest prayer." The reply to the address of the Warden and County Council was precisely the same as that given to the Sheriff. 234 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. il^^«i i I) I' I The Mayor next proceeded to read the town address, which ran : — ** To His Royal TUrihncss Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, etc., etc.: "May it Please Your Royal Highness — " We, the Mayor, Corporation and Citizens of the town of Whitby, in the county of Ontario, most humbly beg leave to approach Your Royal Highness, to express the great pride which we, in common with others of our fellow-subjects in the Province, feel at the presence of Your Pioyal Highness in this extensive and, we may proudly add, important portion of Her Most Gracious Majesty's Dominion. " We offer to Your Royal Highness a most loyal and heartfelt welcome, and wo trust that the evidence of civilization and advance- ment which have greeted Your Royal Highness's progress thus far have not induced Your Royal Highness to deem the pioneers of the land, or their descendants, wanting in the energy and intelligence characteristic of the race from which they sprung, or undeserving of the incomparable honour which Your Royal Highness now confers upon them. " We pray Your P ^yal Highness to be pleased to convey to our Sovereign our fervent feelings of loyalty and attachment to Her Majesty's crown and person, and our grateful appreciation of the inestimable blessings of freedom and prosperity which, in common with all Her Majesty's subjects, we enjoy under the benign rule of our good and gracious Queen." To which the Prince replied : — " Gentlemen — " I thank you sincerely for the address you have presented me in the Queen's name. " I acknowledge the expressions of your loyalty to Her Majesty's crown and person ; and for myself, I am grateful to you for this welcome to your town." The Prince handed the several addresses as received to the RECEPTION OF THE PRINCE OF WALES. 235 Duke of Newcastle, who stood at his left hand, the Governor- General being at his right. Three cheers were next proposed by the Sheriff for the (|)ueen, three for the Prince Consort, and three for the Prince of Wales. Three splendid bands, brought from Bowmanville, Oshawa and Prince Albert, and which had kept the crowd in good humour while waiting all the morning, struck up " God Save the Queen," the cannons corr_ nenced blazing away, and the Prince, amidst all rejoicing, accompanied by the Governor-General, descended and entered the handsome carriage of John Ham Perry, Esq., which had been placed at the Mayor's disposal, and in a few minutes the Eoyal party reached the wharf. The Oshawa Fire Company and the Highland Rifle Volunteer Company followed at a long distance behind, the carriages having been driven at so rapid a rate that it was impossible for those on foot to keep up with them. An immense crowd lined the streets, and accompanied the carriages to the wharf. Ample accommodation had been provided for the Prince's suite by the Executive Committee, and the grand sight as a whole was not excelled at any similar demonstration in the Province. The streets along the route were somewhat dusty, and this, together with the desire to reach Toronto before nightfall, hastened the procession of the Eoyal cortege. At fifteen minutes past four o'clock His Eoyal Highness reached the wharf, and at once went on board the steamer Kingston, which in a few seconds steamed out of the harbour for Toronto, the immense crowd vociferously cheering until the steamer got fg^r out- side the pier. The sight along the wharf, which is more than half a mile in length, running out into the lake, beggars all description. It was one living mass of men, women and children, carriages and horses, huddled together so compactly that Avith every surge of the ocean of heads one wondered how hundreds escaped being precipi- tated into the water which bounded each side. However, no acci- i ^30 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. ( dent happened. Everything went off smoothly and pleasantly and " merry as a marriage bell." The good order maintained by the marshals of the procession was admirable. The Mayor and Sheriff, both of whom followed in the Prince's retinue to the wharf, accompanied the Royal party to Toronto. The steamboats and the train, which was sent off from the Grand Trunk station on the departure of the Prince, were loaded with passengers, all anxious to witness the disembarkation at Toronto, but only those, we believe, who were fortunate enough to get on board the cars were in time for the purpose. Altogether the visit of His Eoyal Highness to Whitby was under the most favourable auspices. The weather was delightful, the arrangements complete and satisfactory, and the people joyously pleased and enthusiastic to behold their Prince ; and in the latter respect we are very happy to state that so well were all the arrangements carried out, we have not heard of a single disappointment — all were gratified with the sight of the future heir of the British Empire. |i ; The only thing to give the people of Whitby any cause of regret f in connection with the Prince's visit is that time did not permit His Eoyal Highness to visit their handsome and well-decorated town. The town proper, as almost every one knows, is fully a mile and a half from the railway station and harbour, so that it was impossible for His Royal Highness or those in his train to see the preparations made there to receive them, in case it were possible to prolong his stay by driving through the town. At the railway station and at the wharf, however, we venture to say that enough was to be seen to demonstrate satisfactorily the loyalty, enthusiasm and hospitality with which the people of Whitby and the county of Ontario desired to welcome their Prince. We have already mentioned part of the display at the railway station. In addition to this, there was erected north of the station, on the junction of the street approach- ing from the base line, a very handsome and well-decorated arch, -VN'ith the words "Welcome, One and All," over the arch, in the THE DECORATIONS. 2^7 centre, between the letters "A. E.," wreathed in evergreens and surmounted by shielda bearinj^ the Prince of Wales's plumes. Next to the display at the station was a splendid arch erected on the approach from lirock Street to the harbour. This was a superb structure, built in the Gothic style, with extended wings, surmounted by flags, banners and streamers of every variety and colour, representing, the signals used by the Royal Navy. Over each wing were suspended shields emblazoned with the Koyal arms and the I'nnce'B plume, and painted in gorgeous colours. This arch appeared almost a permanent structure, being strongly built of lumber, and covered in the most tasteful manner with evergreens. Immediately west of the arch a point jutted out into the water beside the warehouse of Messrs. James Itowe & Co., through whose kindness seats were erected for the accommodation of about six hundred children, trained and schooled to sing the " National Anthem " during the approach and embarkation of the Prince. Over the large warehouses of this company there were some very appropriate devices, of a small ship at one side, and a huge sheaf of wheat and agricultural productions at the other, and extended between them the words, "Agriculture and Commerce." From the roofs of the buildings and high above floated from the elevators innumerable flags of every kind, presenting a gay and very animated appearance. Large ensigns. Union Jacks, and other coloured flags were unfurled over the residences of Messrs. Rowe, Watson and Warren, and from, with scarcely an exception, every house and building at the bay, most of which were also decorated with ever- greens, and contained handsome mottoes and devices. But it was up the town the gayest of the gay appearances was presented. Brock Street, from Pollard's hotel to the Market, was one con- tinued arch of evergreens. Almost every merchant's store had its arch or its grove of evergreens opposite, as had likewise the several hotels ; and flags in profusion floated from every housetop. Tlie most extensive arch, however, was that put up at the " Corners," 238 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. M'.: '•1 fiH., !i'1 m k \h at !;■! ii m I'i;! I tMMA which was extended in the shape of a crown over the entire area from Black's hotel to Laing's store, and thence again to the other side of Dundas Street to Bain's and the corner opposite on Brock Street. This arch was quite a splendid affair, and was very much admired. It was richly and profusely decorated with flags ; and from its centre were run up on flagstaffs ensigns and Union Jacks, which waved gaily in the breeze. From Crocker's hotel to Ham- ilton & Roberts' store another handsome arch spanned the street, heavily decorated, and surmounted by a large sheaf of wheat, from the centre of which flags were run up. Extended across Brock Street, from the Chronicle office to Zwickey's harness-shop, was a very beautifully designed arch, or rather a succession of arches, for the broad sidewalk at each side was covered by arches, and two arches spanned the street itself. From the centre an immense flagstaff, between fifty and sixty feet in height, arose, from which a large Union Jack fluttered, and the arch was also decked out with gay colours of various designs. From two large poles at €ach side of the street immense pumpkins were suspended, and from the centre pole a sheaf of wheat ; and these poles and the other portions of the arch were again decorated with corn, fruit and vegetables, and garlands of flowers. This was intended for the agricultural arch. At the rpsiclence of Mr. J. H. Perry a tasteful arch was erected over the gate entrance. It was sm*- mounted by a handsome shield, bearing the plume of the Prince of Wales, and decorated with small flags. Handsome flags, large and small, also swayed from Mr. Perry's residence, and the fence surrounding his pleasure-grounds was also overspread with gay St. George's crosses. Splendid flags were unfurled from the towers and roof of the Sherift''s new mansion, and from his present resi- dence, which was very tastefully decorated. The residences of the , Mayor and other prominent citizens presented a similarly gay appearance, and in fact — without entering into the tedium of enu- merating each separately — there was scarcely in the whole town. REJOICINGS. 2S9 from the county buildings downwards (and if we except our own precious market building), a house on a prominent point from which similar demonstrations of joy and welcome were not ex- tended. On Brock Street, at the entrance to Mr. Francis Clarke's cottage, a pretty arch was placed, which we had nearly omitted to notice ; and across the street, at the base-line south of the railway bridge, an arch partly constructed was left unfinished, through, we are grieved to state, an accident happening to one of the work- men — a young man named Wallis— whose arm was broken by the fall. This is the only accident of any kind which we are called upon to report. In the evening a bonfire was lit in the town, and the rejoicings kept up until a late hour. As our space will not permit our sup- plying a more extended statement, we have only to add that all the arrangements were as complete as it was possible they could be, taking everything into account; that the several committees, and their chairmen and secretaries, deserve the people's thanks for carrying out their wishes as they have done; and in particular, Messrs. James Eowe & Co. have earned for themselves all praise for the immense exertions made by them at the harbour in making everything appear to such advantage. f''^'^ if ", V:m: iW- Ifijlpi m SIXj m m CHAPTER XXXVII. Eoads — Harbours — Proposed canal— Early want of County roads — The leading County highways— Government sale of roads And harbours — 1852 — Whitby, Lake Scugog, Simcoe and Huron Road Company— Simcoe Street and the Nonquon— Old Brock Road — Appropriations— 1860, §20,000— County bridges— Appropriations for — Whitby Harbour improvements — 1833— John Welsh — Want of early shipping facilities— 1842 — Windsor Road Co. — Warehouses built— Purchase of the road and harbour— Seized and sold in 1863 by Government — Mr. Gould and Mr. Draper become the purchasers —1876 — Road surrendered to the County — Death of Mr. Drrner — Refusal of the town to purchase the harbour — A golden opportunity lost — Proposed canal — County grant for survey— Report of engineer. THE county of Ontario now possesses very good gravel roads throughout its extent. Through the townships in the front the roads may be said to be of an excellent character, and in the north they are fast improving. The Township Councils are quite liberal in their appropriations to this end. In the early years of settlement the want of good roads, or in fact of any roads, good or bad, was one of the greatest discouragements the settler had to encounter. In the course of time bridle-paths through the rlense forests gave way to blazed lines and corduroy clearings cut through the woods. Constant yearly expenditures of money and labour, with the increase of population and settlement, brought about the desirable state of things in the way of good and permanent high- ways, which, thanks also to the excellent provisions of the Muni- cipal Act, we now find in existence in every direction. The Gov- ernment laid out the main or Centre Road through the centre of the county, from Port Whitby to the Narrows Bridge. There was also then laid out a leading road — the old Brock Road — to the west through Pickering, north, and the road from Oshawa, known as ROAD APPROPRIATIONS. 241 Simcoe Street. At the time of the sale of the roads and harbours in Upper Canada by the Government, in 1852, the Whitby, Lake Scugog, Simcoe and Huron Road Company became the purchasers of the Centre Road and Whitby Harbour. The Company spent $30,000 in improving the road at) far as Manchester, making it one of the best travelled roads in the Province. They also spent $15,000 on the harbour. Simcoe Street and the Nouquon roads leading to Oshawa and harbour, and the western roads were improved by private companies, and by grants from time to time from the County and Township Councils. In 1860, after much discussion over a general scheme for improving the main county roads to the north, and when the railway scheme had been allowed to rest for a time, a by-law was passed by the County Council appropriating $20,000 for the purpose. Of this amount there was given to Simcoe Street $2,000; the Centre Road, north of Man- chester, $8,000; and to the Brock, or Western Road, $5,000. Scu- gog Bridge, the Narrows Bridge, the Talbot Bridge, the bridge across the Black River, between Scott and Georgina, and smaller bridges and pieces of road in various localities, and especially in Mara and Rama, had previously, and during this and following years, had considerable sums voted for improvements. The bridges specially named have, since the setting off of the county and being assumed as county works, been a source of considerable annual expense, and have annually drawn largely upon the county revenue to keep them in repair. Each of the three harbours has a history of its own. Whitby, originally called Windsor Harbour, and still marked as such upon old maps, was improved by the Government in 1843 and 1844; piers were built, a good deal of dredging done, and a considerable sum of money expended. As early as 1833 Mr. John Welsh had built a storehouse and tramway for shipping wheat and flour, which was done in scows, being taken out through the mud a long way beyond the present breakwater. Mr. Welsh had also opened a 242 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. genersii store, and did a large business for years afterwards. He was a native of Clones, County Monaghan, Ireland, and few men in his day were better liked or more respected in any locality. He died in 1860. The Windsor warehouse (since pulled down) was built in 1842, Messrs. Perry, Cochrane, Campbell, Nicholl and Mitchell forming a company, known as the Windsor Warehouse Company, for the purpose. Mr. John Watson, another Irishman, a native of the County Dublin, retained the various positions of Manager, Director, Secretary and Treasurer of the Company for seven years. He had been with Mr. Welsh for two years pre- viously. Mr. James Eowe, better known afterwards as " Captain Eowe," another warm-hearted Irishman, from the Queen's County, had in the interval, in partnership with Mr. James Cotton, obtained the contract for dredging the harbour, with other Government works. After the building of the piers, Messrs. Watson, Welsh and Rowe entered into partnership, purchased two lots of the Goreham pro- perty on the beach, and built the present warehouses, where busi- ness was afterwards carried on for ^o many years and with so much s'iccess by them under the name of James Eowe & Co. In 1852 the Whitby, Lake Scugog, Simcoe and Huron Eoad Company, already mentioned, was formed by the three partners, who pur- chased the road and the harbour from the Government. The Com- pany spent large sums in improving the road and harbour, and paid some $54,000 to the Government. Like other companies who had purchased works of the kind from the Government, which became depreciated in value after the construction of the Grand Trunk Eailway, the company fell into arrear. and were dispossessed, their property seized under a writ of extent, and the road and har- bour re-sold under the Sandfield Macdonald Government, in 1863. Messrs. Joseph Gould and Chester Draper became the purchasers. After two years these gentlemen severed the joint connection, Mr. Draper taking the harbour and Mr. Gould the road. The road was surrendered in the summer of 1876 to the county under the statute. WHITBY HARBOUR. 243 Mr. Draper died in December of the same year, and the property of the harbour afterwards passed into the hands of its present owners. A special Act was obtained to enable the town to pur- chase the harbour property, which could have been obtajned on most advantageous terms. The ratepayers were consulted, and the offer voted down. This was another opportunity lost. Whitby would have been immensely benefited by the ownership of its har- bour. Its possession would not only have netted the town a large certain annual revenue, but it would have enabled the Corporation to make terms with the railway companies, which could not fail to have enured to the lasting benefit of the people of Whitby. As in many other matters, the ratepayers were led away by foolish talk. They were talked and argued out of their right senses by noisy individuals in refusing the ownership and control of their own harbour, and in rejecting a source of revenue that would have very much lightened the burden of taxation, and perhaps secured the cancellation of the entire railway debt. Large sums of public and private funds have been expended in improving the harbours of Pickering and Oshawa. Both are also in the hands of private companies. A canal route through the county from Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario is another project to which public attention has been for a long time directed. In view of the importance of its advantages, the County Council, at the June session of 1863, made "n appropriation of $600 for the pur- pose of ascertaining by a survey the practicability of a route through the county. The survey was entrusted to Mr. T. C. Keefer, C. E., who made the following report : — " To Silas B. Fairbanks, Esq,, Oshaiva, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Roads and 43ridges, County Coimcil of the . county of Ontario : " Sir, — I have the honour to report that, in compliance with your instructions, I have examined the country between the townships of -'-r-~-|i'n-'i ~l~-'l 244 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. m i Whitby and Thorah, in the county of Ontario, as well as the valleys of the Scugog, Sturgeon and Balsam Lakes, and the Talbot Portage Route, in order to determine the practicability of constructing a canal between Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario by the route of Lake Scugog. " The practicability of connecting Lake Simcoe and Lake Huron is assumed ; and I have no reason to doubt that this may be done, either by the natural route of the Severn River, or by the Nottawa- saga — so that if Lake Simcoe can be connected with Lake Ontario, via Scugog, a route for a Georgian Bay Canal may be had, which will be as direct as any other, and at the same time be in com- munication with the inland waters or the Trent navigation. " The renewed importance which has been given to a Georgian Bay Canal, since the diversion of a western trade from the Missis- sippi to the Great Lakes, has induced your county authorities to undertake this examination, in order to bring forward the merits of the Scugog route, in competition with the only one hitherto agitated, that by the valleys of the Holland and Humber Rivers west of Toronto. " Before proceeding to give the result of my examination, I will refer to the question of a canal between Lakes Huron and Ontario generally, in order to show that the two routes above mentioned are the only direct ones which offer any inducements for consider- ation. " The object sought by the Georgian Bay Canal, in contra- distinction to the Welland route, via Lake Erie, on the one hand, and the Ottawa route, via Lake Nipissing, on the other, is to afford a navigation which will avoid the detour and extra insurance of Lakes Erie and St. Clair — the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, and especially the shoals known as the * St. Clair Flats ' ; and at the same time give a route not only to Montreal, but from Chicago to New York, via Oswego, which the Ottawa route could not do. The height and breadth of the dividing ridges between Huron and 1 GEORGIAN BAY CANAL PROJECT. 245 le valleys it Portage ructing a ce of Lake ike Huron y be done, I Nottawa- e Ontario, lad, which >e in com- n. L Georgian ;he Missis- horities to the merits e hitherto ber Rivers tion, I will nd Ontario mentioned r consider- in contra- one hand, is to afford isurance of livers, and and at the Chicago to t do. The luron and Ontario make it impracticable to use the waters of the former as a feeder, and thus obtain the minimum lockage, as is the case between Erie and Ontario on the route of the Welland Canal. A higher intermediate level must therefore be resorted to ; but there is a shortening of the route between Chicago and Oswego of two hundred and fifty miles, to be set off against the increased lockage required on the Georgian Bay route. " The range within which a canal route between Huron and Ontario can be sought for is limited to the valley of Lake Simcoe, which is common to every route ; and, as already mentioned, this lake may be entered from Lake Huron, either from the mouth of the Nottawasaga or Severn Rivers ; but the range by which com- munication between Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario is possible is much wider, extending from the Humber Valley, west of Toronto, to the mouth of the Trent, in the Bay of Quints. ** As the extreme eastern outlet, although the natural one, •embraces a length of navigation of over two hundred miles between Huron and Ontario, in addition to the maximum lockage, it cannot come into competition with either of the other routes in point of distance ; and the question then arises whether the difficulties in overcoming the natural barriers between Simcoe and Ontario, on any direct route, would force a resort to the circuitous one of the inland waters. "To this it may be said that there is evidently a limit within which the route of the Georgian Bay Canal may be lengthened, because, with the inevitable excess of lockage, a direct route is the only one which could, on commercial grounds alone, be advocnted in competition with the enlargement of the Welland Canal — a canal which has the advantage not only of the minimum lockage and cost, but also of accommodating the trade of Lake Erie, as well as that of Huron, Michigan and Superior. " In a military point of view there would be an advantage in favour of a Georgian Bay route (besides the local benefits conferred) 1 246 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. I wftm hr'Mii .■'I 'I 18 i over any enlargement of the Welland, or of a second canal on that route ; and if the St. Clair Flats may be regarded as a permanent obstacle to navigation, the commercial superiority of such a route for the trade of Huron, Michigan and Superior would be very decided. As a mere military work, the extreme eastern route already mentioned, by the Trent and Bay of Quints, might be pre- ferred ; but if commercial considerations prevail the question of route will be limited to the townships of York and Whitby. In these comparisons the question of cost is omitted : the surveys which have been made not having been carried far enough to give the datA, for arriving at the probable cost upon any of the routes, although enough is known to show that any direct navigation between the Georgian Bay and Ontario must be a costly under- taking in proportion to its length. " The old surveyed route, via the Trent and Bay of Quinte, would evade the formidable ridges south of Lake Simcoe, but, from the extent of shoal water and rock which would be encountered upon the route, the cost for a deep water navigation, such as is now demanded by the exigencies of through commerce, would probably be as great a total (though not so great per mile) as upon the shorter routes. " With these preliminary remarks, I will now describe the natural obstacles to direct navigation between Lakes Simcoe and Ontario, to follow which it is necessary to bear in mind that Lake Huron is 340 and Lake Simcoe 475 feet above the level of Ontario. " The peninsula of Eastern Canada, from the banks of the Niagara River, the natural outlet for the waters of the Upper Lakes, rises gradually from an elevation of about 360 feet. Ontario, at the Great Western Railway near the Suspension Bridge, to 550 feet, on the line of the Hamilton and Port Dover Railway, and 750 feet on that of the Great Western, between Hr.milton and the Grand River, where the high land, sweeping round to the north-east, an elevation of over 1,000 feet above Ontario, is encountered at the summit of i OBSTACLES TO DIRECT NAVIGATION. 247 il on that ermanent h a route i be very ern route ht be pre- lestion of litbv. In e surveys :?h to give be routes, lavigation ly under- ite, would from the red upon 18 is now probably upon the le natural Ontario, Huron is :s of the er Lakes, :io, at the feet, on feet on od River, elevation ummit of the Grand Trunk Railway in Esquesing, between Toronto and Guelpli. Here the elevated plateau bears ofif nearly due north, running into Lake Huron above Collingwood, with a precipitous escarpment on the eastern face — a fall of between 300 and 400 feet taking place rapidly in that direction. From the face of this escarp- ment a lower ridge (at about the general level of 700 feet above Ontario) sets out from a point about midway between the head of Lakes Huron and Ontario, having its summit north of Toronto, at a point half way between Ontario and Simcoe, but approaching the former as it proceeds eastward until it reaches the township of Whitby, where the summit, which had set out at Caledon, the third township back from Lake Ontario, enters the north-east corner of Whitby, a township fronting on that lake. Before reaching this point, however, the ridge attains its highest elevation (about 900 feet) in Uxbridge, from whence a broad ' spin ' strikes out to the north-east, the angle between the main line and spur being occupied by Lake Scugog. This spur, separating Scugog valley from that of Lake Simcoe, extends at a very uniform elevation ^with one remark- able break) up to Balsam Lake, where it falls off. The main line of the ridge between Scugog and Ontario has a summit of about 800 feet above Ontario, but here the ridge attains its narrowest dimensions, being * drawn up,' as it were, the breadth on the top ' being from 200 to 300 yards. At a level one hundred feet below the summit, the breadth through is less than half a mile. The spur between Scugog and Simcoe valleys has a tolerably uniform summit of 750 feet above Ontario, but it has great breadth, the high ground approaching near to Lakes Simcoe and Scugog. The spur is nearly cut through, on a direct line between Beaverton on Lake Simcoe, and Port Perry on Lake Scugog, by the valleys of the Beaver and Nonquon streams, on which route a narrow ridge, giving a summit of about 650 feet above Ontario, is found, which extends only half a mile, after which this is reduced to 630 and upder. " Scugog Lake stands about 575 feet above Lake Ontario ; so 1 248 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. that the highest ground between it and Simcoe would be about 75 feet above the level of the former, while the extreme summit of the ridge between it and Ontario would be 212 feet above Scugog Lake on the lowest, but 234 feet on the shortest route. The hilly country between Scugog and Simcoe ; the difficulty of following the timbered and swampy valleys, and the circuit required by reason of so many road allowances being closed, make repeated levelling necessary to ensure exactness. I think, however the above figures will not be seriously altered by a more careful survey. The first question which presents itself in projecting a canal between Simcoe and Ontario, via Scugog, is a supply of water. " Scugog Lake could not be depended upon for this purpose, and a supply either independent of it or auxiliary to it must be sought. This can only be obtained from that portion of the Trent waters which lie above the Scugog level. " If Lake Scugog be made the feeder an auxiliary supply must be thrown into it ; and this can only be done either by bringing Sturgeon Lake to the same level with Scugog (abolishing the dam at Lindsay), and sending a portion of the waters which pass Bob- caygeon dam at Port Perry ; or by bringing down a feeder from Cameron Lake and throwing it into the Scugog, above the dam at Lindsay. '* To effect this it is probable it would be found advisable to lower Scugog ^ake, say one-third, and raise Sturgeon Lake two-thirds of the difference between them. But in order to make Scugog a feeder, it would be desirable in view of the summit to be overcome between it and Simcoe and Ontario, to raise rather than lower its level, as every foot which could be put upon it would seriously diminish the cost of the summit cuttings. "It is impossible without a careful survey to express any opinion as to the effect of raising Scugog Lake above its present level any definite number of feet. If it be raised at all, or even maintained upon its present level, it would be necessary — as there is no proba- RECOMMENDATIONS. 249 ibout 75 it of the og Lake country ;imbered 80 many issary to 11 not be question icoe and lose, and ! sought, it waters must be bringing the dam ass Bob- er from dam at to lower ihirds of cugog a vercome ower its eriously opinion 3vel any ntained ) proba- bility that Sturgeon Lake could in that case be brought to the same level with it — to resort to the more expensive plan of bringing down a feeder from Cameron's Lake. There would be the disadvantage that as Cameron's Lake is over fifteen feet higher than Scugog Lake, the whole benefit which could be derived from such an expensive feeder would not be obtained unless Scugog Lake could be raised ten feet more — a proposition, I take it, which could not be enter- tained. " In view of the formidable character of the cutting between Scugog and Ontario, and the great length of the summit one between Scugog and Simcoe it would very much diminish the difl[iculty and cost of these, which are the keys to the undertaking, if a feeder at least as much higher than Scugog as the depth of the proposed navigation could be procured, by which these cuttings could be reduced in length and depth, and through drainage in both direc- tions be secured. Moreover it would be desirable that the schemes should be carried out without affecting the physical features of the country to the extent which would be done by serious alterations in the level of Sturgeon and Scugog Lakes. " The plan which therefore appears to me the most feasible would be, to make Balsam Lake or Gull Kiver the feeder, the waters of which could be had at an elevation of nearly 600 feet above Ontario, and to throw a sufficient quantity of these into Talbot Eiver, and conduct them by a feeder towards Cannington, in Brock, near which it would strike the line of the proposed navigation. With a feeder at a level, say, 13 feet above Scugog, the length of the cutting between Scugog and Simcoe would be still a long one, say nine miles, averaging 25 feet, with the exception of the half mile of summit, where the cutting would reach 70 feet. If Gull River can be tapped 'iove the level of Balsam Lake, the height of the ridge or spur beiore described, between the east branch of the Beaver Creek and the head water of Talbot Eiver, is such that it should €arry a feeder on a higher level than Balsam Lake, and thus attain 250 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. a greater command of the ridge between Simcoe and Scugog. Of course every foot added to the height of feeder would add two to tho lockage of the route, hut, within certain limits, this would he pre- ferable to long, deep cuttings in the bottoms of valleys which have high banks, or in swamps. " With respect to the supply of water which could he afforded from Gull River, or 13alsam Lake, I am of opinion that it couUl be materially increased by impounding the Hood waters in the lakes which are the sources of this stream, nor do I doubt that a survey would show a further supply could be added by diverting the waters from the sources of such streams as the jMuskoka, Madawaska, Petawawa, or Burnt liiver, or some of these. I have generally found that the chains of lakes which occupy the ' height of land ' are divided often by low and narrow barriers, and that water may be turned from the higher into the lower without serious diiticultv. " If the feeder be maintained on a level above the Scugog Lake, the canal need not enter this lake at all (except by locks for the purpose of branch navigation), unless the lake v/ere raised to the level of the canal by a dam at its outlet, which would not probably be entertained. Instead of this the Nonquon Valley might be dammed across at the junction of the north and south branches on the 13th line of Eeach, and the canal be continued in the South Branch Valley as far as the 10th concession, when it could be taken out to the shore of Scugog Lake, and thence by the valley of Cedar Creek to the Pine Pidges. " No steps were taken to ascertain the character of the summit cutting between Scugog and Simcoe, in the Nonquon and Beaver Creek Valleys and intervening ridges, but as I believe no rock has been discovered in Brock or Eeach, it may be assumed to be ear oh excavation. As to the more lofty elevation southward of Scugog, it would be difficult to surmise what would be found at the bottom of ROUTE — LOCKAGE. 251 gog. Of ,vo to the (I be pre- lic'li have f afforded could be the hikes a survey ae waters dawaska, generally leight of bat water it serious XOQ Lake, •IS for the ied to the probably might be niches on the South . be taken of Cedar e summit id Beaver rock has I be earch >cugog, it bottom of I \ an excavation of 200 feet and over, in its deepest portion, and several miles in extent. As shown on the top the ridge is a hard clay, overlaid in some places with sand. It may be that the core of the ridge is rock, which material is found near the Ontario level at Port Hope and Toronto, and again at Lindsay, on the Scugog River. " In a cutting of such depth, and in a district devoid of stone, rock would be the most desirable material to encounter, as it would be a guarantee against slides, and give the minimum quantity to be removed ; while, if of a useful quality, its value to the work would be considerable. " If the Severn route were adopted, between Lake Simcoe and Lake Huron, the Georgian Bay Canal route, via Scugog, would be between five and ten miles shorter than the one via Humber and Holland Bivers ; but if the Nottawasaga route be taken be+vveen Simcoe and Huron there would be about the same difference tiis other way. " If the Severn route be found preferable, it would not be neces- sary to enter Lake Simcoe at all ; and this may then prove the better course. It would be better for the canal if it had a con- tinuous towing-path (like the Welland) from Huron to Ontario, as both these lakes are well adapted for sailing craft. Since the feeder will leave the Talbot River valley, it may be found practicable to continue upon it as the main line of the canal, and descend from thence to Lake Couchiching or Severn Bridge; or the canal may be kept above the lake level from the shore near Beaverton to the same points, and thus avoid the cost of a harbour, dredging, towage, etc., which are involved by entering the lake. " The total lockage on this route would be very heavy, amounting to 840 feet, or about 500 feet greater than that upon the Welland Canal. The lockage upon the Holland and Humber Rivers route,, with Lake Simcoe as the feeder, would be 230 feet less than this,. 252 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. as that lake is 100 feet lower than Scugog, and 115 feet lower than the proposed summit or feeder level of a canal through the county of Ontario ; but the obstacles are so great to any route with a feeder so low as Lake Simcoe that I am of opinion the extra lockage would be preferred to attempting the long, deep cutting between the Holland and Humber Eivers. I have shown a section of ridge compared with the one south of Lake Scugog, by which the difference in the two undertakings will be shown at a glance." wer than ;e county 3 with a a lockage between . of ridge hich the 3e." CHAPTER XXXVIII. Educational interests — Growth of education in the County — A retrospect of the past — Statistics— Public Schools— Separate Schools— High Schools of the county — County Model School— Ontario Ladies' College— Demill College— Pickering College — Founda- tion of the High Schools — Brief sketches — Indian School, etc. IN treating of the portion of the historical sketch having refer- ence to education in the county of Ontario, there is little to be said in a general way in reference to the rise and growth of our present system of education that might not with equal justice be affirmed of almost every other county in the Province. The begin- ning was entirely insignificant, but the issue has been, except to eye-witnesses, amazing beyond credibility. The oak has indeed sprung from the acorn, and its boughs cover all the land. Inas- much, however, as there is, perhaps with increasing years, increasing danger that our young people, judging from the smiling scenes of prosperity, both material and educational, that greet them on all hands, may imagine that the present state of things has been continual, or may through sheer inability to believe, regard the tales of the hardships in the pursuit of knowledge that fell to the lot of our pioneers as the dreams of distempered imaginations worthy to be reckoned with the adventures of Sinbad or the exploits of Munchausen, it may be well to put upon record some authentic facts of these olden times, as described by the few ancients that still connect us with the primeval forest, and to revive those memories which are fast becoming lost in the multiplied experiences and ever-shifting panorama of these modern days. There are people still living whose memory can carry them 254 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. to the time when there was not a schoolhouse in the county of Ontario. There are many who can recollect when schoolhouses were few and far between, when the machinery of education was of the rudest descrijotion, and when the highest ambition of parents was that their children might be able to read and write. There are hundreds who can remember when the literary attainments of the teacher were gauged by his own appraisal of them, when an itinerant system of boarding supplemented his scanty wages, when '* healths five fathoms deep " and mighty potations were thought no discredit to him, nor were supposed to obscure his mental vision nor mar his usefulness ; when a prime requisite for success in his work was not so much the ability to impart knowledge as ^o inflict innumerable punishments of the most fantastic complexion for the most trifling offences, and to subdue backwoods lawlessness to some system of transatlantic civilization. In these primitive times the schoolhouse was constructed of logs frequently unhewn, and it contained hut a single room. The furniture was of the rudest description, consisting chiefly of long pieces of deal supported by pins inserted in the wall used for desks, in front of which extended huge pieces of square timber supported by legs of uneven length, whose unaccommodating unparity afforded more opportunities to the pupils of determining the centre of gravity than practising the art of caligraphy. Utterly blank were the walls, except indeed where some adventurous youth had carved his name, or with bold design had traced in carbon the well known visage of " the master." Maps, charts and all the other triumphs of Caxton's art that now adorn the walls of the humblest schoolhouse in the land were then unknown, and we doubt not many middle-aged men and women can recall their first impressions when they beheld unrolled before their admiring gaze a map of this stately planet, which they heard for the first time had been bowling around the sun for thousands of years. Like many dwelling-houses of the time, the schoolhouse was heated by means of an immense fire-place, upon whose ample i PROGRESS OF EDUCATION. 255 Dunty of olhouses n was of parents 'here are ts of the vhen an es, when thought ial vision 88 in his to inflict n for the 3snes8 to ive times n, and it le rudest [lorted hy extended .1 length, mities to ising the )t indeed ^vith hold master." ihat now vere then ;1 women ed ])efore ey heard isfinds of oolhouse se ample hearth blazed tremendous logs cut from the adjacent woods — a system that served the double purpose of heating and ventilation. Of fresh air, indeed, there was no lack, for after a few years' occupation this building disclosed many holes and crevices through which wind or rain found an easy entrance, and through which the youngsters, tired with their unaccustomed toil, might espy the progress of the world without. Tradition tells us that the first stove in any schoolhouse in the county was made from an old potash-kettle, two accidental holes — one in the bottom and the other in the side — suggesting to some ingenious patron of learning the stoking-hole and the Hue. Turned bottom up and furnished with a chimney, what need to state that it became the admiration of all the country-side. Eude and destitute conveniences as these first schoolhouses were, they nevertheless cost the early settlers much patient labour and no little self-sacrifice. Often the burden of completing them fell upon two or three public -spirited men of the section, and often too, extreme difficulty was experienced in raising sufficient means wherewith to pay the teacher. These striking memorials of backwoods times are fast disappear- ing, and giving place to elegant and commodious structures which dot the landscape in every direction, and which are no less the pride than the ornament of the wliole country. ]\[ay they all soon disappear, and may not antiquarian zeal nor blighting parsimony prevent them being replaced by schoolhouses more in accord with the progress of education and the necessities of the times ! Time and space will not permit us to go into any detail as to the various steps by which the means of education, from its rude and unpro- mising beginning have attained to their present happy condition ; it must suffice to mention results. ' According to the report of the Minister of Education, laid before the House at the last session of the Legislature (1887), the school population of the county numbered 12,291 ; the total number of pupils attending the Public Schools was 10,417 — 5,598 boys and 256 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. 4,819 girls. The total receipts for Public School purposes were $80,475.90; of which amount $59,843.28 were raised by municipal school grants and assessments. There were 146 Public School teachers employed who received salaries aggregating $52,451.13. These figures do not include the towns of Whitby and Oshawa. The school population of Oshawa was 1,634; total number attending the Public Schools, 975 — 490 boys and 485 girls. Total receipts for Public School purposes, $6,725.44; and the amount paid for teachers' salaries, $4,749.16. The number of pupils attending the Public Schools of Whitby was 677—372 boys and 305 girls. Total receipts, $5,993.85 ; and the amount paid for teachers' salaries, $4,540. There is only one Eoman Catholic Separate School in the county, at Mara; the total amount received for which is $590.20, and the amount paid to teacher, $396. Mr. J. P. Foley, J.P., of Brechin, already mentioned in these pages for his munificence in connection with the township of Mara, has largely aided in the erection of the school building. There is also a Roman Catholic Separate School at Oshawa, and one at Whitby. The total receipts of the former are $637.70; amount paid to teacher, $400. The total receipts of the Whitby Separate School are $649.03; amount paid to teacher, $475. There are four High Schools in the county — Oshawa, Port Perry, Uxbridge, and Whitby Collegiate Institute. The total receipts for Oshawa High School were $3,328; amount paid for teachers' salaries, $2,766. Port Purry, receipts, $3,348.49; amount paid for teachers' salaries, $2,868. Uxbridge High School, total receipts, $3,332.27; amount paid for teachers' salaries, $3,115. Mr. Gould built the first Grammar School in Uxbridge about 1856 ; it was a frame building, and was erected at his own ex- pense. 1 es were unicipal School ,451.13. wa. number . Total amount Whitby 35; and , in the «?590.20, in these of Mara, Oshawa, $037.70; Whitby 5. va, Port amount eachers' mt paid ^e about own ex- COUNTY SCHOOLS. 257 Whitby Collegiate Institute, total receipts, $5,495.48; amount paid for teachers' salaries, $4,943. 7Jhe number of pupils in attendance were — Oshawa High School 164 Fort Pyrry High School 114 Uxbridge " 101 Whitby Collegiate Institute 161 Total 540 This is stated to bo the largest number of High School pupils of any county in the Province. There are also two first-class Model Schools, one at Whitby and one at Port Perry. Last year the number of student-teachers on the Whitby roll was 26 — 14 males and 12 females. All the males and eleven females passed the final examination. Port Perry School makes an equally good exhibit. The Indian School at Piama is favourably reported on by the- County Inspector, Mr. James McBrien. The building is very com- fortable, and has ample accommodation, and the equipment is. good. At his last visit (1886) there were but twenty-two pupils present ; but there were twice that number of school age. Fair pro- gress was being made in reading, writing, spelling and geography. Through the exertions of this efficient County Inspector much interest is now taken in planting trees on the school grounds. As many as 2,252 had been planted out on last Arbour Day (1886), averaging about twenty trees for every school section in the county, and the work was still progressing. Some of the best schoolhouses in the county are to be found in Whitby, Oshawa, Port Perry and Uxbridge, and in Pickering. Prior to the year 1871 the inspection of the Public Schools was conducted chiefly by resident clergymen, appointed to the duty of examining schools by the County Councils, and not a little of the progress of education, not only in this county but throughout the Province, is due to the untiring energy of many of these men. ^[ 258 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Among many men of note in this county, whose personal efforts in early times contributed much to the advancement of the schools, was the Rev. Dr. Thornton. In the year 1871 many important changes took place. All the Public Schools were made free, trustees were compelled to provide adequate school accommodation, and the County Inspector, Mr. McBrien, was appointed. The County Board of Examiners was constituted, and several other changes in school matters took place which are common to all counties. The facilities for higher education in the county are of the most satisfactory character. There are, as stated above, four High Schools, called County High Schools, and two Model Schools for the training of both sexes for various grades of Public School Teachers' Certificates, and for preparing candidates for the Uni- versities and for entering the learned professions generally. These schools are conveniently situated, and are all exerv'sing a very great influence in their respective communities, and mtributing very largely to the growth of knowledge and culture throughout the county. 9 Whitby School was established 1846 Uxbridge " , " '. . . 1856 Oshawa " '• 1865 Port Perry " « 1868 T^ormerly there was a High School in the village of Cannington and one in Beaverton, but both were closed for lack of funds. The schools are supported equally by the Government, Legislative and the County grants being made in aid of them, according to a sys- tem depending partly upon the average attendances of the pupils and partly upon their proficiency in the subjects of a curriculum uniform for the Province, the number of teachers employed, and the equipment and buildings. In addition to these High Schools there are also private insti- HIGH SCHOOLS. 259 [ efforts schools, All the provide tor, Mr. ers was ok place 5 of the lur High lools for ; School the Uni- . These y a very ;ribiiting oughout t6 )6 |65 8 mington s. The tive and to a sys- 3 pupils riculum i^ed, and te insti- tutions: (1) The Ontario Ladies' College at Whitby, (2) the Demill Ladies' College at Oshawa, and (3) the Quaker School at Pickering (now closed, but expected to be again re-opened). A mere list of these places for higher education is sufficient to indicate the immense progress that has been made. The Whitby High School (now the Collegiate Institute) has a standing of over forty years, and was long known as the Senior County Grammar School. It was founded in 1846 by the liberality and public spirit of Peter Perry, Samuel Cochrane (the veteran of 1812) and Ezra Annes, to whom the county of Ontario in general, and the town of Whitby in particular, must ever owe the deepest gratitude. The school was opened with Mr. James Hodgson, late Inspector of Public Schools of South York, as head master. The successors of Mr. Hodgson in office were William McCabe, LL.B., Thomas Kirkland, M.A., S. Arthur Marling, M.A., George H. Robinson, M.A., and the present head master, L. E. Embree, M.A. Under the direction of these well-known masters the school has attained to a more than Provincial fame ; its pupils are being drawn from all parts of the Dominion, and its alumni found in every quarter of the globe. The old school was built two stories high, only one flat of which, however, was occupied or even finished; but the rapid success of the school soon laid under requisition both flats, and for some years the new improvement sufficed. But in 1872 the pressure for more accommodation became so great tliat the Board of Trustees determined to erect a structure commen- surate with the prospects of the school and adapted to the modern ideas of education. The present beautiful and commodious struc- ture was erected in 1873, and now stands amongst the most elegant and commodious schoolhouses in the Prr^'nce. The Port Perry High School was c d in 1868. Notwith- standing the disadvantages of an unsuitable building and a want of necessary apparatus, it sent forth many scholars, who have 1 2G0 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. sho-wn by their subsequent success that their training was thorough and substantial. In 1873 the Board of Trustees determined to erect school build- ings in some degree corresponding to the enterprise and prosperity of the village, and, as the result of this determination, we have the present handsome and commodious High and Public Schoolhouse. The schools of Oshawa and Uxbridge have been equally suc- cessful, and both towns have shown commendable liberality in providing educational facilities for the rising generation. In this connection the long services of Dr. Bascom and Rev. Mr. Cockburn in the cause of education deserve especial mention. For more than a quarter of a century the worthy Doctor has acted in the capacity of Secretary of the Uxbridge Board. Bev. Mr. Cockburn has for a period of fourteen years filled the office of chairman, and was also a member of the Board of Examiners of the county for several years. },, thorough 3ol build- )ro8perity have the oolhouse. lally suc- jrality in and Eev. mention. Lias acted Eev. Mr. office of miners of CHAPTER XXXIX. Farming — Stock-breeding— Pdsition of the Farmers — First Coiinty Agricultural Society — Officers— North Ontario County Society — Prizes in '53 and '8G— Volunteer Companies — Formation of o4th Battalion— County Wardens — Parliamentary Representatives — The County Press. IN imi^roved methods of agriculture, as well as in stock-breeding, the farmers of the county of Ontario stand foremost in the Province. The farms are generally well tilled and well stocked, and most farmers of the county have, now, comfortable dwellings, good horses and modern farm implements ; large roomy barns ; fine orchards and gardens, and every farm convenience, as well as the means of comfort and enjoyment. The front townships have often been described as the "Garden of Canada," and at the present day many of the townships north are little, if any, behind them. Years of persevering toil and praiseworthy self-denial have brought about this improved state of things for the successors of the early settlers, who, bare and ill-provided, entered the bush, and through struggles and hardships, of which their descendants know little, conquered such smiling homes from the Canadian forest. The Agri- cultural Societies have done their share towards the great progress that has been made, and the Farmers' Clubs are now helping them on in the grand work. Mr. Gould, as has already been gleaned from these pages, early in life took a deep interest in farming, and that interest was con- tinued up to his death. At one time he worked between six and seven hundred acres. He was always advising his farming friends to work the land better and graze more stock. The first County Agricultural Society was formed in February, J I 26*2 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. 1853. The officers were: — Ebenezcr Birrell, president; John Eitson, Ist vice-president ; Samuel Widdefield, 2nd vice-president ; John Ham Perry, secretary ; John Corbett, treasurer. Directors — Joseph Pierson, John Gierke, John Shier, J. C. Stirling, A. Farewell, Adam Spears and William Boynton. Before that time there were township societies, which held small fairs, sometimes united in order to make a better show. Those of Whitby and Pickering were held at Oshawa, Duffin's Creek, Greenwood and Whitby alternately. Cattle fairs were also held at Ashburn, Columbus and Greenwood. In 1855 the Ni.rth Biding set up as a separate County Agricul- tural Society. Both societies have since grown and flourished. The amount awarded in prizes at the first county show, held in Whitby, in September, 1853, wns 4*56 ($224). This was for the whole county. The amounts awarded in j)rizes by the South Ontario County Agricultural Society for several years past, average $2,500 per annum. And at a fair held at Port Perry in the north last year sums amounting to over $5,000 were given in prizes. These are indications of the progress which agriculture has made in the county of Ontario. The 34th Battalion, now commanded by Col. M. O'Donovan, is the County regiment of volunteers, with headquarters at Whitby. In 1858, under Baron de Rotenburg, the then Adjutant-General of Canada, the first company of volunteers was raised by Captain James Wallace. During the Trent affair companies were formed in Oshawa, Greenwood, Uxbridge, Beaverton, Brooklin, Cannington, Port Perry, Columbus and Whitby, which were incorporated into the 34th. The battalion was commanded by Col. Fairbanks up to the time of his death, and afterwards by Col. Wallace, and for a short time by Col. Warren, of Oshawa. On Col. Wallace's leaving Canada, the command fell to Col. O'Donovan. Officers and men have been always prompt to the call of duty, and both the County Council and the local municipalities of the com- panies have always given substantial recognition of their services. COUNTY WARDENS — PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATIVES. 263 t ; John •esident ; •ectors — ^^ are well, ere were nited in ing were ornately, ienwood. Agrieul- urished. held in for the Ontario ! $2,500 ast year lese are 3 county ovan, is litby. General Captain formed lington, ted into :s wp to d for a leaving >f duty, ae com- er vices ► COUNTY WARDENS. The following are the names the Warden's chair, and the year 1853, 18i)4. 1855. 185G. 1857. 1858. 1859. 1860. 1861. 1862. 1863. 1864. 1865. 1866. 1867. 1868. 1869. .Joseph Gould. \ T. N. Gibbs. 1 Juiues Rowe. .T. X. Gibbs. .J. 11. Thompson. .J. 11. Thompson. .D. G. Ilewett. . Chas. Robinson. .J. 11. Thompson. .T. P. White. • .AVm. Smith. .John Riitcliir. .J. II. Tliompson. .J. H. Thompson. . Calvin Campbell. .J. H. Perry. .J. B. Bickell. .Josh. Wright. of the gentlemen who have filled of their election : — 1870 AV. S. Sexton. 1871 (ieo. Whehjr. 1872 W. II. Gibbs. 1873 lames 0. Guy. 1874 Philip MeRae. 1875 Geo. Smith. 1876 John Miller. 1877 Yeoman Gibson, 1878 Malcom Gillespie. 1879 lames Graham, 1880 James McPlierson, 1881 Geo. F. Bruee. 1882 Peter Christie. 1883 Isaac -J. Gould. 1884 J. L. Smith. 1885 Henry Gordon. 1886 Chas. Gould. 1887 Joseph ]\Ionkhouse. REPRESENTATIVES IN PARLIAMENT. The county of Ontario was represented in the Canadian Parlia- ment from the setting off of the county up to the confederation of the Provinces as follows : — North Ontario 1854 to 1861 Joseph Gould. • ••• 1861 to 1863 Hon. Sir U. C. Cameron. " " • ■ • • 1863 to 1864 Hon. Wm. McDougall. " " • • • . 1864 to 1867 Hon. Sir M, C. Cameron. South Ontario. . . . 1854 to 1857 Jno. M. Lumsden. •••.1857 to 1866 Hon. 0. Mowat. " " • . . • 1866 to 1867 Hon. T. N. Gibbs. 264 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. * Since Confederation the mem])er8 have been, for the House of Commons : — Noimi Ontakio. .18G7 to 1872 Tuo. Hall Tlinmpson. •« ♦« 1872 to 1874 W. II. (}ib1)s. " «« 1874 to 187G Adam (Jonlon. " " 187G to 1878 W. H. Oibbs. " " 1878 to 1882 Geo. WlK'ler. " " 1882 to 1887 A. P. Cocklnirn. " «' 1887 to F. Miidill, tlio sitting member. South Ontario. . 18G7 to 1874 Hon. T. N. Gibbs. «' " 1874 to 1876 Hon. [Malcolm Cameron. " " 1876 to 1878 Hon. T. N. Gibb.s. ♦' " 1878 to 1887 F. W. Glen. * " From 1887 William Smith, the sitting member. For the Provincial Legislature : — North Ontario . .1867 to 1879 Thomas Paxton. " •' 1879 to 1883 Frank Madill. " *' From 1883 Isaac J. Gould, the sitting member. South Ontario. . 1 867 to 1871 Dr. McGill. « " 1871 to 1875 Ab. Farewell. « " 1875 to 1879 N. W. Brown. " " 1879 to John Dryden, the sitting member. Of newspapers the county of Ontario would certainly appear to have its fair share. There are no fewer than fourteen now published within the county. The Tribune and the Friendly Moralist were the earliest ven- tures. They were brought out in Oshawa in 1848 and 1849. They "Were followed by the Freeman and Reformer, in 1850 — small sheets which had only a short existence. The WiLithy Freeman first appeared in 1850, and was replaced by the Whitby Reporter for a few months, published by J. S. Sprowle. It then became the Ontario Reporter, a sheet of somewhat respectable dimensions, published by ■ COUNTY NEWSPAPKRS. 2G5 Messrs. Perry and Dornan, and was afterwards publisliod up to IS;'? by J. 0. Dornan alone. The Whitby Cominonivenlth was started in the town in 1855. The publication of the Whitby Chronicle was commenced in 1856, and was continued to its twenty-eightli year by W. H. Higgins. A serai-weekly edition of the Chronicle was also published, together with the weekly, from ^farch, 1859, to September, 18(50, and dropped after eighteen months' trial. In 1883 the office was purchased by Messrs. J. S. liobertson and Brothers, who after an experience of two years, sold out to the present proprietors, Messrs. Henderson and Gr \ham. Mr. John Stanton, who entered the Chronicle office in the early part of the year 1857, is still foreman, having been over thirty years in the same office. The Commonwealth and Reporter were followed by the Ontario Times, the Watchman, the Press — all of which, after short intervals, disappeared, leaving the field to the Chronicle. The Gazette next took the place of the Chronicle's old rivals. It has gone through a great and varied number of changes of editors and proprietors, and has been in the hands of the present publisher, Mr. Newton, between two and three years. The Vindicator has been continuously published at Oshawa since 1854. It was established by Messrs. Luke & Orr. After Mr. Orr's retirement, a quarter of a century ago, the firm became Luke & Larke. Mr. Luke and Mr. Larke both retired from the printing business, and sold out to the present publisher, Mr. Carswell. The Reformer was first published in 1S70 by Mr. W. R. Climie ; and was continued, upon his retirement, by Messrs. Luke and Larke, who afterwards sold out to Mr. Mundy, the present proprietor. The Oshawa Journal was started in Oshawa in 1861 by W. H. Higgins, but was given up, the Chronicle requiring his undivided attention. The publica- tion of a paper called the North Star was attempted in Brooklin in 1855 ; but there were only a few numbers printed. Some ten years ago Mr. James Cuttle gave Brooklin a printing office, and he pub- lishes a small sheet called the Times. The Pickering News was 266 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. I established by W. H. Higgins in 1882, and in 1883 the office was sold to the present proprietor, Mr. Ackerman. In North Ontario the first newspaper attempt was made in 1855 by William Hillam, who published the Packet for a couple of years. In 1857 Mr. James Holden commenced the publication of the Observer at Prince Albert. Shortly afterwards Mr. Oliver, who had been Mr. Holden's editor, published the Review at the same place, but the latter journal only lasted a short time. Messrs. Baird & Parsons afterwards purchased the Observer, and removed the plant to Port Perry, where the Observer still flourishes. Several attempts were made to publish a newspaper at Uxbridge previous to the establishment of the Journal and Guardian, but they were all unsuc- cessful. Mr. Mundy kept the Advocate going for a while, but it had to succumb for want of support, and the Standard was afterwards established by him at Port Perry, with better appreciation. A third paper, the Times, has now been placed at Uxbridge. It has been brought out as a party organ, and will have to be kept up as such, or by some other means than those which the legitimate business of the place affords. Indeed one printing office and one paper, instead of three, would be all-sufficient to meet the require- ments of a town of the i'"^. of Uxbridge, and afford a printer a chance of making a decent living. Cannington has had a news- paper for fifteen or sixteen years. The Gleaner was first published by Mr. Currie. Beaverton has now its Express, and Sunderland has. or had for a short time, its newspaper and printing press. While the usefulness and benefits of the newspaper press are unde- niable, it is very questionable whether the multiplication of so lar.ny little sheets within such narrow limits can be altogether beneficial, or indeed serve any good purpose. 1 CHAPTER XL. press, unde- leficiaU Mr, Gould urged to enter Parliament, 1.8.54 — Candidate for North Ontario— The nomina- tion—The other candidates— A Tory stronghold —Ogle R. Gowan— Tlie speeches— Mr. Gould's election address — The vote — Gould elected— Quarrel between Messrs. Gibba and Gowan. M r.. GOULD had been long urged by his political friends to allow himself to be brought forward as a candidate for a seat in Parliament. When Ontario was erected into a new county, com- prising two constituencies, he was regarded on all sides as " the coming man " for the representation of the North Riding. On the defeat of the Hincks-Morin Government, in June, 1854, and the dissolution and general election which quickly followed, Mr. Gould was at once brought prominently into the field to contest the North Riding in the Reform interest — being seljcted as the standard- bearer at the party convention. The nomination took place at Vroomanton, in the township of Brock, on Monday, July 27, the new sheriff of the county, Mr. N. G. Reynolds, being the returning officer. The following were the gentlemen nominated, and the " show of hands " for each, which it was then the practice to take at nominations : — Allan Macdonald, Toronto, moved by Col. Cameron, and seconded by John Campbell, of Thorah — show of hands — 5. John Hall Thompson, Brock, moved by Henry Gorman, seconded by Wm. Cowan — show of hands — 7. Archibald George McLean, of Toronto, was also moved by Col. Cameron, and seconded by Lachlan Davidson, and his show of hands was 5. Abraham Farewell, of Harmony, was moved by Robert Wells, ' 268 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. End seconded by Aaron Ross, of Eeach, and declined the nomin- ation. T. N. Gibbs, of Oshawa, moved by George Brabazon, Brock, seconded by Donald Cameron, Beaverton — show of hands — 3. Ogle R. Gowan, Toronto, moved by Thomas Bolster, and seconded by Joseph Johnson, of Uxbridge — show of hands — (about) 100. Joseph Gould, of Uxbridge, moved by George Currie, of Prince Albert, seconded by Joseph Bigelow, of Port Perry — show of hands — between 80 and 90. John Ham Perry, of Whitby, and Nathaniel Bolster, of Brock, were also nominated, but declined, and no show of hands was called for them. The show of hands was declared in favour of Mr. Gowan. A poll was demanded on behalf of Messrs. Gould, Gibbs, Thompson, McLean and Macdonald. The nomination being held in the centre of the Tory stronghold of Brock was not expected to result otherwise than in favour of the Tory candidate, Mr. Gowan. Tbc latter declared upon the hustings that he had his choice of seven constituencies open to him, but that his preferences were given to North Ontario. He desired to be the first representative of the new constituency. Mr. Gowan was a leading Orangeman, and as there was a large Orange vote in the North Riding — the brethren swarming in Brock — he felt very con- fident of capturing the new constituency. He raised the cry of " loyalty," axid taunted the Reformers with being " annexationists " and " rebels," and these were the main grounds on which he appealed to the electors for their suffrages. The real questions at -issue — the settlement of the Seignovial Tenure and Clergy Reserves — he evaded. In the speeches made by the other candidates and their movers iind seconders the railway question largely entered. Mr. Gould made a telling speech upon this occasion. After ELECTION ADDRESS. 26& nomin- , Brock, 3. er, and hands — F Prince if hands f Brock, IS called Nan. A Dmpson, onghold r of the mstings )ut that be the 1 was a e in the ry con- cry of onists " lich he tions at Reserves movers After refuting some charges that had been brought against him, and which were circulated through anonymous fly-sheets distributed at the meeting, as to the sale of the county debenturos, he turned the tables on Mr. Gowan by " showing up " the Tories who had signed the annexation manifesto ; referring to their treatment of Lord Elgin, the Queen's representative, whom they pelted with rotten eggs, and to the benefits of Eesponsible Government, which had been secured by those who had been branded as " rebels." He was able to refer to his own record and services as a County man, and convinced the electors present that they were listening to a friend who had their interests at heart. The polling days were fixed for the 31st July and 1st of August, and all parties went to work with a will. Meanwhile Mr. Gould issued the following address : — To the Independent Electors of the North Biding of the County of Ontario : Gentlemen, — Having been solicited by a convention of the Reformers of this Riding, and also by the principal Reformers of the townships of Scott and Brock (those townships not being repre- sented at the convention), to allow myself to be put in nomination at the coming election, I now beg most respectfully to announce that I shall, in accordance with the wishes of my friends thus • expressed, offer myself as a candidate for your suffrages to place me as your representative in Parliament. Gentlemen, I do not think it necessary for me to enter into any lengthened explanation of my political views ; I am not a stranger among you, having lived among you all my life, and having been most prominently engaged in every political contest for the last twenty years, and having voted for a professed Reformer at every election during that time. And also having been a member of our District and County Council for the last twelve years in succession, ample opportunity has been afforded for you to form an opinion upon my character and stability as a politician. ' 270 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Gentlemen, in coming before you as a candidate for your suffrages, I do not think it necessary to make any great swelling promises of what I shall do or what I shall not do if elected ; suffice it to say that I will not support any ministry who will not introduce a measure for the secularization of the Clergy Eeserves and the abolition of the Eectories. It may not be out of place for me to hint at a few of the measures which would meet with my hecrty support, and which I would wish to see brought before the House, were I a member, viz : A union of all the Provinces with a local legislature for each, and a general assembly for the whole ; an elective legislative council ; reciprocity, in the fullest sense of the word ; abolition of seignorial tenure ; abolition of separate and sectional schools ; a fixed day for Parliamentary elections ; a set time for the meeting of Parliament, and a thorough investigation into the reported stock-jobbing, railroad. Point Levis, and Bowes and Hincks jobbing of the Ministry, with the hope that for the credit of Keformers this may turn out not a tithe so bad as reported. Gentlemen, to all local questions affecting the interests of the Eiding I shall pay most particular attention ; a resident among you, with all the interest I have in the world staked on the prosperity of this county, it is quite clear that whatever is your interest is my interest, and all our interests are mutual ; and therefore in the distribution of the public revenues for the improve-' ment of the country, I shall endeavour to see that this Eiding gets a fair share in proportion to her necessities and the amount to be distributed. Hoping to see you in your several localities before the day of polling, where we may exchange views, and come to an understanding with reference to the great questions before the country, I have the honour most respectfully to be, gentlemen, Your obedient servant, Joseph Gould. Uxhridge, July 10, 1S54, ■ iprove- ggets to be )efore to an re the LD. ELECTION FOR NORTH ONTARIO. 271 Mr. Gould was elected by exactly one hundred majority over Mr. Gowan, the other candidates being far away behind. The vote stood as follows : — Gould. Gowan. Gibbs, Macdonald. Mara and Rama 15 1 5 39 Thorah 24 5 10 55 Uxbridge 124 '62 Brock 58 • 113 98 9 Reach 200 125 34 1 Scott 30 45 3 Total 451 351 150 104 The hollow defeat of Mr. Gibbs in this election was Mr. Gould's ■complete triumph as a County man. They had taken different sides in county matters, Mr. Gould's course was approved, while that of Mr. Gibbs was condemned. The defeat of Mr. Gowan was a great triumph for Eeform principles. He was an astute poli- tician ; had already sat in Parliament ; was an Orange leader, and had all the Ovange support of the Riding at his back. Mr. Macdonald, who was a Scotch Catholic, had detached from Mr. Gould the votes of the Catholic Liberals of the Riding, and this, it was expected, would make the seat certain for the Tory candidate. But the intriguers had reckoned without their host. Mr. Gould worked hard ; his past election experience stood him in good ser- vice; he held meetings and organized, and triumphed over all oppo- sition, and all the influences brought to bear against him inside and outside the county. The Whitby Reporter, speaking of the result, in the next issue of that paper after the contest, said : — *' The North Riding has redeemed the character of the county of Ontario in the triumphant return of Joseph Gould, Esq., a well- tried and independent Reformer. " In the election of Mr. Gould for the North Riding of Ontario, we have every reason to feel the same confidence in his integrity as 272 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. a supporter of the pure principles of Eeform that we did in his. advocacy of county interests. His firmness in the Provisional Council, when surrounded by the persuasions and intimidations of a selfish clique, and when the least wavering would have been fatal to the many advantages now enjoyed by the people of this county, gives a guarantee for his- conduct in the House when surrounded by more powerful influences." Of Mr. Gowan, the same paper said : — " It will be seen that Mr. Gowan made an unhappy choice in the seven ridings that invited him." And of Mr. Gibbs :— " Poor Gibbs ! He went out to ask the people of the north for their sweet voices, and they gave him their boot-taps ; " — was what was said. The Oshawa Freeman was scarcely any more consoling in what it had to say of Mr. Gibbs's defeat. " It is surprising," says the editor of that sheet, " that Gowan should run so much better than Gibbs in a riding where it had been supposed Mr. Gibbs was one of the most popular men." The writer had forgotten that the undivided Orange vote went for the Orange leader. Mr. Gibbs fared badly with both parties. He was abused in the Patriot as having been the cause of the Conservative defeat. And on the day of declaration of the result of the poll, Mr. Gowan was unsparing in his denunciations and his charges against the gentleman from Oshawa. He charged Mr. Gibbs with writing a letter to Mr. Thompson, a Eefornier, offering to resign in his favour as "they held similar views on the questions of the day," while he, at the same time, wrote him (Mr. Gowan) another letter asking him to retire, as they were both in the same interest ! 1 in bis ivisional itions of jen fatal county, mded by CHAPTEE XLI. jboice in aortb for svas wbat l in wbat says tbe |tter tban as one of vote went ed in tbe at. And Dwan was Eiinst tbe writing a lis favour wbile be, er asking Reform measures passed— A contrast — Differences with Mackenzie — Mr. Gould votes for measures, not men— Asserts his indejjendence— A "tongue-thrashing" from Mac- kenzie, and a retort — Mr. John Lumsden — His election for South Ontario — The vote — Meetinf,' of Parliament at Ciuebec, September, 1854 — Hincks beaten-The MacNab Coalition— Mr. Gould's votes— Apjjroval of his constituents— The Clergy Reserves Bill— Mr. J, W. Gamble's amendment — Mr. Gould speaks — His i)osition defined— Settlement of the Clergy Reserves and Seignorial Tenure Bills — Sir Edmund Head's reference to the settlement. i LL tbe reforms advocated by Mr. Gould bave long since been ^ ^ conceded. He saw tbe Seignorial Tenure question settled ; tbe Clergy Eeserves secularized, and tbe Rectories abolisbed, and bad tbe privilege of recording bis vote in Parliament in favour of tbe settlement of tbese important measures. He also gave bis support to tbe bill abolishing tbe old detested system of Crown- appointed Legislative Councillors, and witnessed tbe election of men wlio were tbe free choice of tbe people to tbe Upper Chamber. What a gratifying change this must have been to the man whose first introduction to tbe same chamber was as a closely-guarded prisoner, and an alleged "rebel" at that ! And what feelings must there bave been awakened in his breast on meeting within the walls of Parliament the arch-rebel, William Lyon Mackenzie, on whose bead a reward of $4,000 bad been placed, now also a representative of the people ! What memories must bave crowded on both men since they met at Montgomery's on the memorable 6tb of Decem- ber, 1837 ! and since that night at Stoutfville, just before tbe *' rising," when Mr. Gould objected to a resort to arms, and was taunted as a "coward" because of bis pacific views ! While still an ardent admirer of Mackenzie, and entertaining 274 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. for him the kindliest personal feelings, Mr. Gould did not take sides with him on entering Parliament. Mr. Gould wished to see the reform measures to which he stood pledged passed by the Hincks- Morin Government, and was one of the nineteen reformers who gave their vote to sustain the Government for that purpose. Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. George Brown, too, voted with the Tories in order to defeat the Government. They preferred the settlement of the Seignorial Tenure and Clergy Reserves and other burning questions by a Tory Government, with Tories such as Sir Allan MacNab at its head. Mr. Gould desired the settlement of those questions by a professed Eeform Government, and asserted his own independence, although reproached by Mr. Mackenzie with incon- sistency. Indeed the inconsistency appeared to be the other way. And Mr. Gould, retorting on Mackenzie, did not fail to tell him so. The little episode in the House is referred to by Mr. Gould in the following manner : — " He [Mackenzie] reproached me with inconsistency in sup- porting Hincks and Morin with abou^^ nineteen Reformers to secu- larize the Clergy Reserves and to abolish the Seignorial Tenure in Lower Canada and get reciprocity and an elective Legislative Council, after he, Brown, and the Tories, all of Upper Canada, had carried a vote of want of confidence while those measures were pending, and had got a pledge from Sir Allan MacNab and his friends that they would carry them through if we supported them. For this Mackenzie gave me a tongue-thrashing in the House. I told him that he had always been an impractical man whose hand was against every man, right or wrong, that would oppose him, and I should not be afraid to warrant that if he should have the forming of his own Administration, and select such men as were capable of carrying on a government, he would find a majority against him in less than a month's time." Mr. John M. Lumsden was returned for the South Ridmg of Ontario at the same general election. He was of Conservative take sides see the e Hincks- mers who lose. Mr. Tories in tlement of p burning Sir Allan t of those 3d his own ith incon- other way. ell him so. . Gould in py m sup- rs to secu- ial Tenure egislativG mada, had urea were ,b and his rted them. House. I Qan whose ild oppose lould have h men as a majority Riding of nservative DEFEAT OF THE HINCKS-MORIN MINISTRY. 275 antecedents, but professed Reform principles during the canvass and on the hustings, and declared himself a secularizationist to the fullest extent. Mr. Abraham Farewell was his opponent. The vote stood : — LuMsDKN. Farewell. Oshawa 61 22 Pickering 271 137 Whitby 215 323 Total 547 482 ]Majority for Lumsden — 65. Parliament met, in the ancient capital of Quebec, on 5th Sep- tember, 1854. The Government was beaten on the Address, and Mr. Hincks was forced to resign. Sir Allan MacNab was sent for by the Governor- General, Lord Elgin, to form a Cabinet, which resulted in the formation of a Coalition Government. The Lower- Canada section of the Hincks-Morin Ministry — Messrs. Morin, Tache, Chabot, Drummond, Chauveau and Dunbar Ross retained their places. Sir Allan MacNab, Wm. Cayley, Jno. A. Macdonald, Henry Smith, Robert Spence and John Ross composed the Upper Canada section of the Cabinet. Messrs. Ross and Spence were given portfolios as representing the Reformers of the Upper Province. Some fault was found with Mr. Gould for voting with the Hincks- Morin Government. What else could he do, and be consistent? The Government had promised to secularize the Clergy Reserves and pass the other reform measures advocated by Reformers. It is therefore difficult to see how Mr. Gould's conduct could be open to censure for the course taken by him. Other well-tried Reformers, older in Parliamentary experience than Mr. Gould, voted at the same side. It was simply a question of who were best deserving of Reform support — the Reformers in power, pledged to Reform measured, or the Tories who would take their places if Hincks were turned out. Mr. Gould and others believed it best to trust the men of their own party. Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Brown thought other- ir I 276 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. wise, and voted with the Tories. The inconsistency in this case, on the face of the record, was certainly not chargeable to the side espoused by Mr. Gould. His constituents appeared to be of this opinion, for we find that at a meeting of the Reformers of North Ontario, held at Uxbridge on the 30th of September, the following resolutions were passed : — "Moved by James K. Vernon, Esq., of the township of Scott, and seconded by William Smith, Esq., of Uxbridge, and "Resolved: That the course pursued by Joseph Gould, Esq., in Provincial Parliament meets with our approbation, and that it is the wish of this meeting that he will use his influence to secure those measures that the country has so unequivocally expressed ar wish to obtain, and that he will give his support to any Ministry that will bring forward and support those measures." " Moved by Joseph Bigelow, Esq., of the township of Reach, and seconded by Jonathan Moredan, Esq., of Uxbridge: That we exceedingly regret the factious opposition against the late Ministry by certain Reform members, thereby placing in jeopardy those measures that the country most requires. "Richard Lund, Chairman. "Robert Spears, (Setref a /•?/." The strength of the Coalition Government was proved by the vote on the Address in reply to the speech from the Throne. It was carried by a vote of 70 to 33. Mr. Gould voted with the majority, and for the same reasons that he had supported Hincks. The Coalition stood pledged to carry out the Reform measures of their predecessors. In the Address the word " adjustment " appeared instead of " secularization," as applied to the Clergy Reserves. Mr. Hartman moved an amendment to substitute the latter word for the former. Mr. Gould was blamed by some of his friends for voting against this amendment. But he was after the substantial measure itself, and it was a matter of perfect indifference to him the mere form of words in which it was promised. In this he had the HIS VOTES. 277 ; case, on the side B of this of North following of Scott, , Esq., in that it is to secure pressed [f Ministry )f Eeach, ; That we Ministry L'dy those man. tary. 'ed by the It was majority, ks. The 8 of their appeared ves. Mr. Drd for the for voting 1 measure the mere 3 had the approval of his constituents, who had expressed themselves as dis- countenancing factiousness, and what was no better than a mere piece of clap-trap. Mr. Gould, as was his habit, took a common- sense view of matters, and acted straightforwardly and above-board. The Clergy Reserves Bill was introduced according to promise by the Ministry,- and on the 25th of October carried to a second reading. Mr. J. W. Gamble, member for West York, moved an amendment to the effect that the secularization of the Clergy Reserves would be a violation of the public faith. The amendment was defeated by a vote of 93 to 12. Mr. Lumsden, the member for the South Riding, of whose sound- .ness upon the Clergy Reserves question there was some doubt, voted with Mr. Gould on this occasion, at the side of the majority, and gave mortal offence to his Tory friends in Whit])y and Pickering by so doing. Mr. Gould took part in the debate, and was active in opposing an amendment of Mr. Dorion, of Montreal, proposing to merge the funds remaining, after providing for the stipends of the present incumbents, into thet consolidated revenue. Mr. Gould contended that the municipalities of Upper Canada alone were entitled to share in this fund, and that it would on every ground be most unfair to the people of the Upper Province to permit the municipalities of Lower Canada to participate in it. He wanted a good plan of secularization, come from what quarter it might, and he, together with the eighteen other Reformers from the western Province who voted for the Bill, accepted the measure of the Coalition Govern- ment as the best settlement that could be obtained of the vexed question. He was actuated by similar motives when, Joining with the same prominent Reformers, he voted in favour of the Seignorial Tenure and Elective Legislative Council Bills of the Government. The latter bill was rejected by the Legislative Council. Mr. Gould pursued a course that was at once reasonable and patriotic, and the prudence and sound policy that dictated his votes have since IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / V ^ fe o P- w. i/x (/. ^m & /a ^y, ^: ^.f ■■>• o 7 //a 1.0 IIIM :i!lU i3 6 I.I 1.25 1.4 Photographic Sciences Corporation IIIM ||M IM 1.6 iV d ,v % NJ ^ ^ rv ^v> ^^>^ 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY 14580 (716) 872-4503 ! 1 278 THE LIFE AND TIMES OP JOSEPH OOULD. Mlt I I I 1 been abundantly justified. The settlement of the Seignorial Tenure and Clergy Reserves, which in their tendencies and results so deeply affected the political, civil and religious interests of the country, was an event of the highest importance. The questions had been fruitful of years of fierce agitation, and had greatly retarded the progress of the country. With their settlement a season of peace and quiet had been secured, and the material and social interests of the country advanced in an important degree. The words of the Governor-General, Sir Edmund Head, in proroguing Parliament in June, 1855, may well be recalled as the best vindication — if any were necessary — of the vote of Mr. Gould. Said the Governor : — •' An Act assented to by my predecessor has finally settled the long-pending dispute of the Clergy Reserves, and it has done so in such a manner as to vindicate liberal principles, whilst it treats the rights of individuals with just and considerate regard. The same may, I trust, be said of another important law — the Act for the abolition of the Seignorial Tenure. Great changes cannot be made without some hardship, but Canada will appear in history as the only country in the world in which the feudal system has expired without violence and revolution." al Tenure 80 deeply country, had been arded the of peace interests rds of the lament in n — if any tremor : — ettled the lone so in treats the The same 3t for tlie b be made ry as the s expired CHAPTER XLII. Bepresentation by Population, Mr. Gould battles for — AdvocatcH Confederation in 1854 — The true remedy for Upiwr Canadian grievances— Meeting? of Parliament at Toronto, February, 1866— The Seat of Government (luestion— Mr. Gould's course — Motions moved by him — Ministerial changes — Votes non-confidence— His seat attacked — A Committee appointed — Report in favour of Mr. Gould — Spiriteil action of the Legifi- lative Council — Elective Legislative Councillors- Q»ieen's Division— The candidates — Meetings and speeches— Activity of Mr. Gould— Mr. Simpson elected, AFTER the settlement of the Clergy Reserves and Seignorial Tenure, the subject of Representation by Population began to be discussed. Mr. Gould was amongst the prominent Reformers who early favoured the principle and continued the battle until the fight was won by Confederation. In his address to the electors of North Ontario, issued 10th July, 1854, and in his enumeration of the reforms which he would like to see take place, he says : " I should wish to see brought before the House, were I member — A union of all the Provinces with a local legidature for each and a general asscmhly for the whole." Just the remedy that was adopted after thirteen years of political agitation. Mr. Gould saw, in advance of most of his contemporaries, the true remedy for the existing system, under which it was complained that Upper Canada was bearing so much larger a proportion of the public burdens than Lower Canada. He was one of the earliest Canadian politicians who placed himself on record on the subject, and he lived to see the principle, which he first mooted in 1854, carried out into the great and comprehensive measure resulting in the Dominion of Canada — Canadian Con- federation. At> the next session of Parliament, which opened on the 15th 280 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. , February, 1856, and which under the alternating system was held in Toronto, the subject of a permanent seat of Government came up for discussion. Mr. Gould was not opposed to the principle of a permanent seat of Government ; but the subject was brought up in the J ' House in such a way, by amendments and amendments to amend- ments, that the abstract principle was lost sight of. The aim of each of the movers was to secure a vote in favour of the loca- tion in Montreal, Quebec, Kingston, Ottawa, etc. It was well understood that Upper Canada would never submit to have the seat^ of Government in Lower Canada, so long as representation was not based upon population. The union of th(! two Provinces at the time was indeed regarded as a doubtful experiment, and it was under these circumstances that we find Mr. Gould declaring, in a f . speech on the question, in favour of the alternate system. What he said was — " Unless there was to be a permanent union, it would not be expedient to change the present system of alternating Parliaments in the respective Provinces." He voted against the motion placing the seat of Government at Quebec, and against the appropriation for new buildings. During this session Mr. Gould introduced the bill incorporating |f the Whitby and Lake Huron Railway Company. He also moved for li'i a return of all the timber berths assigned to individuals on the waters flowing into Lakes Huron and Superior, and for copies of the con- Ijj' tract entered into by the Government for the sale of the Whitby ;i I Harbour, and relative to the Narrows Bridge and the public roads l{t; . of the county of Ontario. ;1; ■ The Ministerial changes during the session excited much more jl, than the ordinary interest caused by such occasions. Sir A.llan '1^ • MacNab, Hon. John Ross and Mr. Drummond were driven out of iji the Cabinet, their places being taken by Col. (afterwards Sir E. P.) ijl' Tacho and M. (afterwards Sir George) Cartier, Mr. John A. (now llil Sir John) Macdonald taking Sir Allan MacNab's place as Attorney- A "CONSTITUTIONAL VICTORY. 281 was held t came up lermanent p in the to amend- be aim of the loca- was well e the seat • »n was not jes at the id it was bring, in a What he I, it would Iternating gainst the gainst the irporating moved for he waters f the con- e Whithy jHc roads iioh more Sir Allan 3n out of 5ir E. P.) I A. (now Attorney- General West, and Mr. Vankoughnet as President of the Council in the new coalition. Mr. Gould was no friend of coalitions. After the fall of the Hincks-Morin Reform Government, he voted with their coalition successors for the sake of carrying the Seignorial Tenure and Clergy Reserves Bills, to which they stood pledged. Farther than that, neither his sympathies nor support extended. He was one of the fifty-four members who voted for Mr. Dorion's non-confidence motion against the coalition and new arrangement. It was during this session that the petition against Mr. Gould'a right to the seat was disposed of. A petty contract had been taken in his name for carrying the mails some few miles on a mail route, Mr. Grould permitted the use of his name in order to secure to the people of the locality the convenience. He had no personal interest in the matter. But Sir John Macdonald sought to punish him because he opposed the Coalition. The petition prayed that the seat be declared vacant, and a select committee of the House was appointed to investigate the frivolous allegation. The report of the committee, which was presented by Sir Allan MacNab, found that there was no disqualification ; that the Post Oftice Act imposed disqualification upon certain contractors, but not on con- tractors for carrying the mails. The seat was declared not vacated. This was Mr. Gould's first "constitutional" victory over Sir John, The session was a memorable one in many ways, but especially by the unexpectedly spirited action of the Legislative Council, which, by a vote of twelve to nine, defeated the action of the As- sembly in refusing to vote the appropriation of t'oO,000 in the Supply Bill for erecting Parliament buildings at Quebec. Thus was the seat of government question staved ofi' for another session. Under the Elective Legislative Council Act, passed the previous session of Parliament, the Electoral Division of Queen's included the North Riding of Ontario, the West Riding of Durham and the county of Victoria. On the 19th of, August, 1854, a meeting was held at Manchester for the purpose of selecting a candidate in 282 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. 1 1 ■ the Reform interest to represent the division. The calling of the meeting originated with Mr. Gould, who was desirous of securing unanimity amongst Reformers, and uniting the party upon one man. The meeting was very largely attended, and there was a good deal of speech-making. The names submitted to the meeting J were John Simpson (afterwards Senator), of Bowman ville, and Thomas Raxton, of Rort Perry (afterwards M.RR., and late Sheriflf . of the county of Ontario). The appearance of the latter gentleman Mu as a candidate was a surprise to Mr. Gould, who had already com- ^ " mitted himself to Mr. Simpson's interest, and upon whom he wished all the Reformers of the division to unite. He addressed the meet- ing at some length with this object. The meeting resulted in the Jl I appointment of a committee for each candidate, who were to try to come to some arrangement. The committee met in the evening, but were unable to come to any definite understanding ; they had agreed to leave it to three members of the Assembly to decide which would be the best candidate to put in nomination in the Reform interest. The names of Messrs. Mackenzie and Hartman were agreed to by both parties. Mr. Paxton's friends insisted upon Mr. J. S. Smith being the third name; and this being rejected by Mr. Simpson's friends, both parties separated without being able to arrive at a settlement. At the nomination held afterwards both gentlemen were nominated in the Reform interest, and Mr. H. J. Ruttan, of Cobourg, in the Conservative interest. Through the interference of mutual friends, and especially by the good manage- ment of Mr. Gould, Mr, Paxton was induced to retire in favour of Mr. Simpson, who was elected by a large majority over Mr. Ruttan. ing of the f securing upon one ere was a le meeting ville, and ite Sheriff gentleman eady com- he wished the meet- ted in the ere to try e evening, ; they had cide which le Reform man were upon Mr. ed by Mr. g able to ards both Mr. H. J. rough the raanage- favour of r. Euttan. CHAPTER XLIII. Session of February, 1867— Seat of Government question— Lengthy debate— Referred to the Queen— Mr. Gould's vote— His Parliamentary work— Dissolution- General elec- tion — Mr. Gould again nominated for No> /h Ontario — His address to the electors — Mr. Ogle R. Gowan again his opponent— '.iteresting proceedings at the nomination — Mr. Gould's speech— His anti-Catholic sentiments misrepresented — The true account of what took place— Exjilanations— Mr. Gould re-elected— The "Moderates" — The '•Grits "—The "Baldwin Reformers "—The Coalitionists. AT the next session of Parliament, which opened at Toronto, on 2Gth February, 1857, the Seat of Government question was one of the first mooted. After a four-days and nights' discussion, a Government resolution, moved by Attorney-General (Sir John) Macdonald, refeiTing the location to Her Majesty the Queen was carried. The vote stood 63 to 53. Mr. Gould voted with the minority. Mr. Gould introduced and carried through a bill to confirm certain by-laws of the late Home District Council establishing certain roads in tl county of Ontario. He voted steadily with the Opposition daring the session, and spoke vigorously against the Grand Trunk Aid Bill and other Government measures, which he believed to be dictated by corrupt motives, or which he feared would have an injurious effect upon the interests of the Province. He made a strong and successful fight for the amended charter of the Whitby and Lake Huron Railway, which had been applied for this session, and which was strenuously opposed by members in the interest of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway Company. A dissolution of Parliament and an appeal to the electors followed the reconstruction of the Mac^onald-Cartier Ministry in I »' J 284 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. •i I November, 1857. The lieformers of the North Riding held a con- vention, and again nominated Mr. Gould. The nomination took place on the 2l8t, and the polling on the 28th December. Mr. Gould issued an address in which he placed himself on record on f.he questions then forced to the front in Canadian politics. He leclared himself in favour of immediate representation based on population, without reference to a dividing line between Upper and Lower Canada ; retrenchment in every department of the Govern- ment ; annexation of the Hudson Bay territory ; no grant of public money for Separate Schools or sectarian purposes ; no appro- priation of the public moneys without the consent of Parliament, and finally, he Jeclarcd his hostility to the newly formed Coalition Government. The nomination was held at the old place, Vroo- manton, in J3rock. The candidates nominated were ^Ir. Gould and his old opponent, Mr. Ogle K. Gowan. A few of the recognized poli- tical speechmakeis upon such occasions were also nominated, so as to give them a chance to exercise their calling. They harangued the meeting until dark, when the show of hands was taken, and was largely in favour of Mr. Gowan — this point being, as has been heretofore mentioned, the centre of his Orange stronghold. Mr. Gould commenced his address by explaining that he had supported the Hincks-Morin Administration, because they had pledged themselves to settle the Clergy Keserves question and to give their aid to the settlement of the other reforms then demanded. He also, he said, voted with the MacNab Coalition Government for the same reason, and because if the Clergy Reserves were not then secularized, the measure was likely to be deferred for long years. He disapproved of the commutation clause, but accepted the measure as it was, on the principle that half a loaf was better than no bread. He was in favour of representation by population, irre- spective of a dividing line, because it was the only means of pro- tecting Upper Canada, so long as the union continued in its present shape. He was opposed lo Separate schools and to all kinds of 5 SPEECH ON THE HUSTINOS — RE-ELECTED. 28.- held a con- lation took aber. Mr. 1 record on )litic8. He a based on Upper and he Govern- it of public no api»ro- ?arliament, d Coalition lace, Vroo- Gould and ^nized poli- lated, 80 as harangued taken, and i,H has been id. lat he had they had ion and to demanded, rnment for e not then ong years, pted the letter than ation, irre- ms of pro- its present 11 kinds of sectarian legislation, because he was honestly convinced that they worked injuriously to the whole people. He was in favour of the youth of all sects and creeds receiving instruction together, without in any way interfering with their religious views or feelings. He was opposed to all ecclesiastical corporations, whether Protestant or Catholic, and to the giving them power to hold property. Ho was opposed to the incorporation of religious establishments, such as convents, just as he was opposed to the incorporation of Orange- men. He did not believe in ladies being confined in nunneries, and thought on the contrary that woman had a higher, holier and more useful sphere as a wife and mother than being buried in such institutions. Here Mr. Gowan interjected that he " had a great respect and admiration for the good work done by the ladies of those convents." "Oh, you have!" replied Mr. Gould; "and yet your Orange sup- porters speak of them as disrepectfuUy as they would of common houses of ill-fame. • I am different from that." At this point there were expressions of dissent and a good deal of confusion. Mr. Gould resumed his speech, blaming the Government for not settling the question of the Seat of Government and referring to the railway project then before the county. He concluded by replying to the charges of "rebel" and "atheist" that had been hurled against him in this contest. He defended the part which he took in the rising of 1837 ; and as to his being an atheist, there could be no foundation for the charge. He professed him elf a very humble follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was brougl.t up a Quaker, and he believed in the tenets held by that body of Christians, and in the efficacy of the blood of the Saviour for the redemption of all mankind. Mr. Gould was re-elected by a majority of 210. During this election contest, the name of " Moderates " was taken by the Government supporters, out of deference to those Keformers who joined hands with the Conservatives in supporting the €oalition. It was, however, dropped after the next campaign, and ',:^\ 'I I 286 THK LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. the good old names of Tory and Conservative resumed. It was after the defeat of tlie Hineks-Morin Administration that the term Clear Grit was first generally applied to the Reform followers of Mr. George J3rown, in contradistinction to those who called them- selves "Baldwin" Reformers, or Reformers who supported the Coalition, or the "Moderate Party," as they were designated by the Leadrr newspaper of that day. The " Grit " was the Canadian Radical in contradistinction to the Canadian lieformer. i. It was it the term ollowers of lUed tbem- ported the ignated by 3 Canadian CHAPTER XLIV. Effects nf the injuriouH accusation a^ainnt Mr. (roiiM —Mutual explanation!*— Ample repa- ration—Letter of llev. Father Brayere — South Ontario, 1857— First election of Hon. Oliver Mowat to parliament— Hon. J. C. MorriHon his opponent— Origin of the term, "('hristian Politician " —The apiwUation justified— Votes with Mr. Mowat— And lives to see his son supporting; him as Premier in the Legislature of Ontario— Hon. Mr. Mowat's supporters— .Tames Dryden— His son, .Tohn Dryden, M.PP. -General election, July, 1801 — Defeated -"Orange and tJreen" influences— His work in sub- sequent contests— His labours in other directions : Kducational, agricultural, com- mercial—In private life. MR. GOULD'S speech on the hustings at Vroomanton in refer- ence to ecclesiastical corporations and convents, and especially the latter, was for a time much misrepresented in order to serve party ends. He was held up to Roman Catholics as a calumniator of their religious institutions ; and to give force to the charge, he was accused as using for himself, and as his own opinion, the language towards convents which he simply attributed to Orangemen as the sentiments which they held towards those institutions. The repe- tition of the charge had the effect of detaching the Roman Catholic vote in the riding from ^Ir. Gould at the next election, as well as to cast unjust odium upon him for bigoted opinions which he never held. Mutual explanations were subsequently made by Mr. Gould and the reporter of the proceedings at the nomination (who was none other than the author), in which Mr. Gould was completely exonerated, and which were entirely satisfactory to the Catholic people. And this was made known in a letter written by the Catholic priest of Brock, Rev. Father Brayere ; but not till after the election of 1861, in which Mr. Gould was defeated. The South Riding followed the example of the North Riding in :H 2H8 TIIK LIKK AND TIMKS OK JOSEPH GOULD. Bonding a thorouKli Koform representative to Parliament at the H' KGiuTal election of IHO?. The K«»>t.lenian elected has Hinco left his iniprewH upon Cimiulian politicH and haw largely influenced the legis- lation of the country. ii Mr. Oliver Mowat, then a harrister at the head of the Clnincory hnr, and now Attc.rney-General, and the diHtinguiHhed Htatesman i and popular I'reniier of Ontario, won his lu"8t Heat in i'arlianient at the general election of 1H')7. lie was elected for the South Hiding of Ontario — defeMting lion. J. C. Morrison (the recently deceased and lamented judge, and then a memher of the Coalition Cahinet) hy a large majority. It was during this election contest ^ tiiat the term "Christian Politician" was lirst, and has heen since I api)li('d hy way of derision to Mr. Mowat hy his opponents. In his address to the electors, Mr. Mowat made use of the following words : — *^ But I maji saij (jeneralhi that, if elected, uuf desire is to perfonn my duty in VnrVuiment in the spirit and with the vieivs ivhieh become a Chrintinn politicidn." I Mr. Mowat may well look back with pride to this his first utter- ance on entering political life. Some of his opponents, who then jM jj sneered and scoffed and called it "political cant," have long since '% been numbered amongst his most ardent supporters. He has, ^1 through many trials, proved himself true to the performance of il * ' duty " in the spirit and with the views which become a Christian ., i*,l politician." And the whole of his blameless private and useful i public life has served to convince the people of Canada that it is ^ j^ possible to be a true Christian gentleman and at the same time a politician faithful to public duty. The death of Addison, the cele- brated Secretary of State for England — but far more celebrated by the excellence of his writings and the purity of his life — was pointed to with admiration as showing how a Christian could die. Mr. Mowat's life can be instanced as showing how a Christian statesman ought to live, and no nobler epitaph could be placed upon the monu- HON. MR. MOWATS SUPPORTERS. 289 int at the ce left liiH I tlio logiu- I Chancery HtateHmiin 'ariiamcnt tho South e recently e CoaHtion ion fontest been wince nents. In e following to prrJorDi hicli become first utter- , who then long since He has, innanee of Christian ,n(l useful that it is tme time a , the cele- ibrated by [as pointed idie. Mr. Istatesman ;he monu- ment which Canada is certain to raise to his memory, than the words "CnuisTiAN Politician" — exemplified in his life and labours. Mr. Gould invariably voted with Mr. Mowat, from the time the latter entered Parliament, in favour of Liberal principles. And, at the close of his life, hv had the great gratification (which he declared he prized much more than all his own successes in political life), of seeing his old constituency of North Ontario transfer the confidence they once })laced in himself to his son Isaac, and elect him as their representative to support his father's old friend, Mr. Mowat, in the Legislature of the Province. He lived to see the stigma of bigotry and intolerance wiped out from his name, and the Catholic electors of North Ontario amongst the strongest supporters of his son. Mr. James Dryden, who was lleeve of the township of Whitby at the time of Mr. Mowat's first candidature, was also one of his most ardent supporters. And now his son, Mr. John Dryden, the sitting member in the Provincial Legislature for Mr. Mowat's old constituency of South Ontario, follows in his honoured father's footsteps in supporting the Premier of Ontario. To have succeded, through all the political and party changes which thirty years have brought about in retaining the confidence of influential County families, from father to son, in this way, is perhaps the highest testi- mony that could be adduced to the Provincial Premier's popularity. On his third appeal to the electors of North Ontario, in July, 1861, Mr. Gould was defeated by a majority of ninety-nine, his opponent being the late Chief Justice Sir Matthew Cameron,, then one of the foremost men at the bar, and popularly known as "Mat" Cameron. There was a very heavy vote polled, the figures being Cameron, 1,102; Gould, 1,003. Mr. Gould made a gallant struggle. But there was a most influential and well-ofganized combination against him, and his friends were overborne by the united forces of " Orange and Green." The Orangemen embraced the opportunity to "pay him off" for his votes against their incorporation bill, and in favour of Mr. Foley's resolution to prevent the appointment of 4 i : . li f i! I I'i 290 THE LIFK AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. Orange Crown prosocutors ; and the Catholics desired to avenge the insult which it was erroneously believed had been offered to their religion by Mr. Gould. In the subsequent political contests in the Riding Mr. Gould did not wish to have his own name submitted as a candidate. ]5ut he helped with all his might to fight the battles all the same, and supported with all the weight of his influence the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party. Nor were his exertions confined to North or South Ontario. He took a prominent part in the Legislative Council elections, both of King's and Queen's divisions, and aided largely in bringing about the victories gained in those divisions by the successful Reform candidates. As president of the Reform Association of North Ontario, which office he held for the quarter of a century preceding his decease, he did much in maintaining party organization. His great services in this position were repeatedly recognized by complimentary resolutions and addresses. Mr. Gould's eftbrts were not confined to political and municipal affairs. Education, the town schools, the agricultural societies, and all commercial enterprises connected with his own immediate locality, as well as the county at large, received every encourage- nent and assistance at his hands. His usefulness was widespread, and was felt everywhere both in public and in private. Although Mr. Gould was sometimes regarded as a hard man at a bargain, and as being over-sharp in his business dealings, he had in private life performed innumerable acts of kindness of which the world knew nothing. Instances are related by Mr. Joseph Dickey, Inspector of Division Courts, and who for many years transacted Mr. Gould's confidential business, which place his character in a most favourable light in this respect. More than one farmer in the county, we are assured, owes the possession of his farm to-day to Mr. Gould's timely help. Towards his brothers and their families he has all his life acted a fraterpal and kindly part ; and indeed in every other respect, and in every relation of life, he has acted the part of a good citizen. Ji \ I ivenge the id to their Gould did . IJut he 3arae, and ard -hearer North or [jeginhitive and aided ivisions by he lieform he (luaiter laiutainiug itiou wore addresses . municipal 1 societies, immediate encourage- idespread, ird man at gs, he had of which r. Joseph any years place his More than session of 8 brothers nd kindly •elation of CHAPTEll XLV. A hicky venture — Death — (/hildren — His will — liequestH — DiHixmition of pro|)eity — Uxbridge Mechanics' Inrttitute— "The (lould Relief Fund"— Donations to churohes — IntereHt in the cause of Kducation—DiajwHition <)f property aniongnt the children — Isaac .F. Gould, M.PP. — Gould Brothers— Electric light introduced— Family gather- ings — Pleaning character— Oonolusion. ONE of Mr. Gould's lucky si)eculations was the purchase of the Hamilton property in 1850. It comprised about ;}()0 acres — the east half of lot 81 in the (Ith concession and the whole of lot 32 — less i)erliaps twenty acres sold for village lots. The purchaee money was |)11),000, and was considered at the time an exorbitant price. But the man of shrewdness and foresight saw much farther ahead of him than did his neighbours. Inside of two years of the purchase, he sold the mill-site to Mr. Edward Wheler, of Stouffville, for $11,000 ; and in one day a sale of town lots made by him produced over $10,000. The total sales of lots fell short of thirty acres. So that, making allowance for the twenty acres already sold, he had 250 acres left, free and clear, and the whole of the purchase money paid, and $2,000 over, from this bold and lucky venture. At his death, on the 21)th June, 188(5, Mr. Gould left surviving him his widow, then aged seventy. The following are the children of the marriage : — 1. Isaac James Gould, of Gouldville, born 13th November, 1839; M.PP. for North Ontario ; head of the firm of Isaac J. Gould & Bros., bankers, etc., Uxbridge. Eirst elected to Parliament, 1883; was also Warden of the county of Ontario, and for several years Beeve of the municipality of Uxbridge. Married, 28rd September, 292 . THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. • 1862, Rebecca Chapman, daughter of Ira Chapmau, Esq., of Ux- bridge. Has issue two sons and five daughters living. The eldest son, Joseph Walter, born 27th May, 18G3, engaged in business with his father and uncles. 2. Joseph E. Gould, born 2nd July, 1841; engaged largely in lumbering operations and as sawmill owner. Married in 1864 Elizabeth Sterling, daughter of ex- Alderman Sterling, of Toronto. Has issue four daughters and one son. 3. Charles Gould, born 15th April, 1843; of the firm of Gould Bros., mill owners, etc. Has been for several years Reeve of the municipality, and was elected Warden of the county of Ontario in 1886. Married, first, Miss Vernon, daughter of Silas Vernon ; secondly. Miss Annie Smith, of Scott, by whom he has issue. 4. Rachel Gould, born 27th February, 1845. (Died young.) 5 and 6. Twins — Mary and Sarah. Mary married H. A. Crosby, Esq., of Uxbridge, and Sarah is the wife of Thomas Watt, Esq., of Brantford ; both have large families. 7. Elizabeth, wife of Rev. Edward Cockburn, M.A., Presbyterian minister, of Uxbridge. Has issue. 8. Jonathan Gould, born 20th May, 1852; farmer; Deputy- Reeve of the township of Markham. Married Miss Plank, daughter of Bartholomew Plank, Esq., and has issue. 9. Ruth Alma, born 27th October, 1854 — the date of the battle of Alma, from whence the second name. Married Mr. Thomas Dale, farmer, etc., and has no issue. 10. Harvey James Gould, born 1st May, 1857; of the firm of •Gould Bros. Married Martha, daughter of the late George Sharpe, Esq., and has issue. 11. Annie, born 3rd October, 1860; died young. By his will, dated 15th June, 1886, after bestowing some small legacies upon members of his brothers' families, the bulk of his estate is vested ''n his executors for the purpose of carrying into effect the trusts therein mentioned. Amongst other bequests there BEQUESTS AND BENEFACTIONS. 203 J., of Ux- Che eldest iness with largely in I in 1864 f Toronto. . of Gould eve of the )f Ontario s Vernon ; sue. oung.) ied H. A. mas Watt, esbyterian Deputy- daughter the battle '. Thomas le firm of e Sharpe, >me small ilk of his •ying into ests there is one for the purpose of building a Mechanics' Institute (now being erecied), at a cost of $4,500, for the benefit of the tov,'n of Uxbridge. This building is to be put up according to plans prepared and ap- proved of by him previous to his death. Another bequest to the town of Uxbridge is a sum of $2,500, which is devised by him to the Mayor and Corporation. This sum is to be invested by the Mayor and Council, and is to be kept invested by their successors in office, and the interest to be applied annually for the relief of the poor of the town. He is moved to making this bequest, he says, " as I feel satisfied that a large number of families have suffered, on account of the use of intoxi- cating liquors obtained at the Mansion House hotel, of which I am the owner." And he directs that, in appropriating the proceeds to the destitute persons residing in the town, the cases of those so rendered poor and destitute through the evils of intemperance have especial consideration. The fund is to be known as " The Gould Relief Fund." Mr. Gould was a firm upholder of temperance principles, al- though his infirmities late in life prevented him from being a total abstainer, as he was obliged to use liquors in small quantities medicinally. • In his contributions for religious purposes he set a good ex- ample to others. He always gave liberally for church building purposes, and he gave to all without any exception. He felt this to be a public duty, and gave large help towards the erection of every church edifice in the town, Eoman Catholic as well as Protestant. Mr. Gould's interest in the cause of education has been already referred to, but scarcely with that adequacy and fulness which his well-directed labours deserve. He was one of the first and most earnest advocates of free schools ; and this, notwithstanding his already large school assessment was trebled by his action. He also took strong grounds in favour of compulsory education. He w 294 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOUI.D. never forgot the want of educational facilities of his boyhood, and was most zealous in insisting that every child was entitled to free education at the public schools. But, whilst taking this position, and whilst an ardent admirer of our School system, he had a great contempt for what he called "cramming" and the "higher branches." He deplored the valuable time wasted by persons in getting what was considered an advanced education, that was not likely to be of any practical use to them in after life. He did not believe that it was necessary for a man, in order to be a good farmer, that he should spend years in acquiring a smattering of Greek and Latin. He was a great stickler for devoting more atten- tion to the teaching of practical book-keeping in the Public Schools, and worked strenuously to this end on the School Board, of which he was chairman for more than twenty years. In fact, so strongly did he feel on this point, and so much reason did he see for finding fault with the slurring system in vogue, that he had in contem- plation the endowing of a Chair in the Uxbridge School, so as to make the teaching of book-keeping a specialty. The changes which he desired to see take place in respect to the subjects of book-keeping and elocution were afterward^ introduced, and the money which might have gone to found a Chair was devoted to the Mechanics' Institute. For his own children Mr. Gould did his best in this direction; and the efficient discharge of the duties of the public positions which his sons have been called upon to fill proves that they have not neglected their opportunities. «j il In the disposition of his propert}^ amongst his children Mr. Gould exercised the same prudence and foresight so characteristic of him in business matters. He became, to a certain extent, his own executor, and did not permit his children to wait in anxious longing for his death in order to become entitled to their shares. Some years back, after the youngest had become of age, he made a general distribution between them of a large sum. To the boys he gave absolutely $20,000 apiece, and on each of his daughters lifi HIS SONS FILLING HIS PLACE. 295 lood, and jd to free position, le had a " higher jrsons in was not 8 did not e a good itering of )re atten- 1 Schools, of which ) strongly 3r finding L contem- ol, so as ! changes ibjects of and the ted to the I his best es of the 11 proves dren Mr. acteristic xtent, his anxious ■ shares. he made the boys laughters he settled a sum of $10,000. With each child he kept a regular debit and credit account, and the portion which each took under the will was regulated in this way : those who had overdrawn during his lifetime, or for whose pecuniary help he had to give more largely, had the amount charged against the shares to which they became entitled under the will. The total of his fortune thus distributed amounted to over a quarter of a million, or perhaps nearly $300,000. The firm of Gould Bros, are extensively engaged in milling operations. The mill property acquired is still owned by the sons, Isaac J. Gould owning the old sawmill power, and also the old gristmill pov;er, and Charles and H. J. Gould owning the North mill and also the Wheler mill. New oatmeal mills of enlarged capacity, and with all modern improvements, have been recently erected by the firm ; and, although the manufacture exceeds one hundred barrels, per day, it all finds a ready home-market. Besides banking, milling and farming on a large scale, the firm of Gould Bros, are also largely engaged in general mercantile business in the town. Mr. Isaac J. Gould has, at his own cost, just introduced the electric light, by which the town of Uxbridge is now nightly illuminated. Mr. Gould did not live to see this, the latest and one of the most marvellous inventions of civilization, extended to the town, which he m^y be said to have founded; but he liv.d long enough to see his sons worthily fill his place as business men of the highest standing in the community, and fol- lowing in his footsteps, in engaging in and encoura,ging every enter- prise calculated to advance their, and their father's, native town of Uxbridge. For several years Mr. Gould was a great sufferer from asthma, which had the effect of checking his activity in public matters, inas- much as it prevented his going out at night and speaking at public meetings. Shortly before his death he underwent an operation for cancer 296 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. in the nose, 'vhich did not seem to cause him much pain or suffer- ing, and which was performed most satisfactoril}'. «? From the time that he had passed his seventy-seventh year, his ! bodily weakness increased ; he felt more acutely Death's nearer approach, and he frequently told members of his family that he knew the end wati near ; that he was prepared ; that he lived in hope and would die in hope, and that he waited for death in joy and peace. He repeated those beautiful lines of Watt often, and, as he said, with " comforting effect " : — H IK m This life's a dream, an empty sliow : But tlie bri{,'ht world to which I <^o Hath joys substantial and sincere ; When shall I wake and f..;(l me there ^ glorioiis hour ! < ) blest abode ! 1 shall be near and like my God ! And flesh and sin no more control The sacred pleasure of the soul. He had lived eight years beyond man's allotted threescore and ten. He saw nearly all the men with whom he had fought side by side, or who had led the hosts of the enemy, pass away. He was one of the last, as he was one of the first, of the pioneers of his own township and of the county. He saw his sons and daughters all grown up and married, and settled in life ; and in their children the aged grandfather saw his own youth renewed and his race per- petuated. He loved to play and frolic with his grandchildren. And the great delight of young and old was the annual family gathering. It was the custom to have a grand family gathering once a year at the family residence in* Uxbridge. This took place on the 1st of January — the anniversary of the marriage of the father and mother, when — The gay grandsire, skilled in gestic lore, Had frisk'd beneath the burden of threescore. CONCLUSION. 297 or suffer- : year, his I's nearer y that he 3 lived in in joy and md, as he score and ht side by He was )f his own ^hters all r children race per- children. al family athering ook place ihe father A3 the sons and daughters grew up and married, and the " olive branches " increased with each of them, these anniversary gather- ings grew into larger and larger proportions, until at that imme- diately preceding his death they numbered some sixty-odd, young and old. He was very fond of reading the Psalms, and upon these occasions would repeat the verse : " Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the side of thine house ; thy children like olive branches round about thy table." At his home and in the social circle he wls of a pleasant good- humoured manner, and even up to his latest days could enter into all youthful frolics and amusements with a zest and a relish that was most enjoyable and made him as welcome a guest as he was himself the most hospitable of hosts. He never declined a political encounter, and his vast stores of political and general information made him always a formidable opponent. Indeed he was a man — Exceeding wise, fair spoken and persuading. The task which we have undertaken in sketching the life and labours of Joseph Gould is nearly completed. Ours has been the office of the literary workman. We have felt it to be more our duty to record facts and events than to attempt to judge and criticise. Our aim has been to supply an impartial narrative. In doing this, we have endeavoured to assume neither the position of champion nor defender. We chose no hero to glorify. Our subject was — we were going to say — an ordinary man. But that would have been a mistake. Joseph Gould was no ordinary man. In his life he has left an example worthy of imitation. His perseverance, industry, self-reliance and determination, as man and boy, to conquer a place amongst his fellows are evidenced everywhere in these pages ; accident did not favour him. He had to fight his way from the first. And he did so manfully — sometimes against untoward circumstances. He set out with good intentions — and he kept them. He carried out his own plan in life — and stuck to it 298 THE MFK AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. patiently, honestly and conscientiously. He never failed to be punctual in meeting his engageraei:t8. He tells us of the straits to which he put himself rather than break his pledged word. And his life tells us how all this served him, and of the worth and value of punctuality in business matters. Were there none of those interesting reminiscences and descriptions of pioneer settlement; were there none of the important details and events in political and municipal life with which in his time he became so closely con- nected, and which have passed into the history of the country, the life of Joseph Gould of Oxbridge, was not a barren one. He not only created a large fortune ; but he literally and actually made a name and founded a family. The good that he has done will live after him. An humble stone marks his grave. His remains lie interred in the peaceful Quaker Hill burial ground beside those of his sturdy father and beautiful Quaker mother, Eachel Lee : — 80 may he rest, his faults lie gently on him. FUNERAL NOTICE. The following notice of the death and funeral of Mr. Gould appeared in the UxhriiUje Journal of the 2nd July, 1886 : — Mr. Joseph Gould, ex-M.P., died at his residence, Uxbridge, on Tuesday, the 29th ult., in his seventy-eighth year. Dissolution took place about half-an-hour before midnight, and was rather unexpected. Up to the last he possessed full consciousness, and spoke within a few minutes of his death. He passed away so quietly and peace- fully that it was thought he was sleeping ; but it was the sleep that knows no waking. He gave his orders and transacted business up to the last. Only the previous Saturday did he take to his bed, and the day before his death he gave directions and did some busi- ness. He himself had a premonition that the end was approaching, for he said to members of his family, on lying down, that he was going to take his final rest — that he was sure he would not rise FUNERAL NOTICE. 299 led to be ,he straits )rd. And and value of those sttlement ; litical and jsely con- untry, the . He not ly made a e will live jmains lie ie those of ee : — VIr. Gould jridge, on ution took Liexpected. e within a nd peace- ^leep that business his bed, ome busi- )roaching, at he was 1 not rise alive again from that bed of sickness. He had been for years a martyr to asthma, and latterly, as the burden of years grew upon * him, his health had become more and more enfeebled. The appear- ance of the germs of cancer in the face a short time ago, for which he underwent an operation, and which were removed without apparently much pain or suffering, .nust 1 \e helped still further to enfeeble his once vigorous frame. Withal, he carried the weight of his nearly fourscore years so jauntily, and had bafHed disease so long, that his friends had hopes that his life would have been pro- longed a few years further at least ; none of them certainly antici- pated the end being so near. But as there is nothing more certain than death, neither is there anything more uncertain than the time of (lying. Life's latest hour is nimble in approach, And like a post, conies on in swift career. Joseph Gould was born at Uxbridge, 29th December, 1808, and was exactly seventy-seven years and six months old at the time of his decease. He was the son of Jonathan Gold — a member of the Society of Friends — one of those excellent Pennsylvanian Quakers who emigrated to Canada in the first years of the present century, and settled at Uxbridge. Their location was called and is still known as Quaker Hill. It is delightfully situated on a rising ground within a mile and a half of the present prosperous town of Uxbridge. The old homestead, which the father and grandfather helped to clear and reclaim from the primeval forest, still belongs to the family. Mr. Gould underwent all the trials and hardships incident to the life of the early Canadian settler in the " bush," and whilst doing so, by his persevering industry and courageous self- denial, laid the foundation of the large fortune afterwards acquired by him during an honourable, well-spent life. He was a hard worker all his life, and a shrewd, intelligent business man. With the growth of settlement, he saw the face of the country changing from the unbroken forest to cultivated fields and thriving towns and villages, * 300 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. the seats of busy trade and commerce. He did his share as a worker in bringing about the change for the better, and profited by it by his enterprise and sagacity. He ])uilt sawmills, and grist- mills, and woollen mills, laid out town plots, and built on them, and encouraged others in building, and was mainly instrumental in securing to the town the benefits of railway communication. To him more than any other man the Uxbridge of to-day owes its existence. And with what feelings of pride must he have contem- plated its growth, from the few log houses of his infancy — from the little old sawmill put up by Dr. Beswick in the first decade of this century — to the ranges of spacious brick stores, the fine mansions, the town hall, large mills and manufacturing establishments, rail- ways, telegraphs and telephones of to-day ! It was not alone in the building up and material prosperity of his native Uxbridge that the deceased Joseph Gould took an active part ; he took an interest in, and helped on, every movement and good work calculated to promote its moral and educational advance- meiit ; and one of his last acts was to give a free site and money to build a fine Mechanics' Institute and Free Library. He was also eminently a County man. His efforts contributed largely to the early setting off of the county of Ontario from York and Peel. And his efforts on behalf of County independence did not go unrecognized, for at the first meeting of the Provisional Council, held 3id May, 1852, he was elected warden. He always took a leading part in county matters. He did his best to obtain a charter and promote the construction of a county railway — a line running through the entire length of the county, from Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario, with a branch to Uxbridge. His efforts in that direction proving fruitless, he joined in with Mr. George Laidlaw and the promoters of the Nipissing Company, and secured to the people of his own locality the benefits of that line — which now forms part of the Mid- land division of the Grand Trunk. From his earliest youth Mr. Gould was an active politician. FUNERAL NOTICE. 301 liare as a rofited by md fjrist- on them, truniental ,tion. To ' owes its e contem- -from the de of this mansions, ents, rail- sperity of : an active ment and I advance- money to ! was also ely to the eel. And scognized, 3rd May, kt part in promote ough the Ontario, proving )romOters his own the Mid- )oliticiau. His mind was early imbued with the principles of freedom and liberty of conscience inherited from his Quaker parentage. He may be said to have been born a Canadian Liberal. Throughout his long life he was a consistent, unHinching llcformer. And he was a man who stood up boldly for his principles. When the political grievances of the country led to Mackenzie's unsuccessful rising in 1837, Joseph Gould was no shirker. He took sides with the " patriots," who, failing in their efforts to obtain peaceable reforms, felt themselves justified in resorting to revolution — a course for which they had before them plenty of British precedents. And he suffered the penalty of his patriotism. He was arrested, and incar- cerated from the 13th of December, 1837, to October, 18;J8, when he was pardoned on giving security to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for three years. The man who was stigmatized as a " rebel of '37," and who never felt abashed or ashamed of the taunt, was, like his leader and many of his compatriots, afterwards elected to every office in the gift of the people for which he was induced to offer himself as a candidate. Previous to the insurrec- tion he represented his municipality under the Township Commis- sioners' Act. Afterwards he was elected to the District Council from 1842 to 1854 ; he was elected first reeve of Uxbridge when the county of Ontario was separated from York and Peel, and subse- quently, as has been already stated, first warden of the new county. He was also the first member of Parliament elected for North Ontario, in 1854, and was elected for a second term in 1867-8. His defeat on the next appeal to the people, by the present Chief Justice Cameron, was owing to local combinations, an account of which would be here out of place. Continuously since then, he was year after year elected president of the North Ontario Reform Associa- tion, and held the position of honorary president at the time of his death. No man was more trusted by his party or had more influence in his own section. He lived to see his political character fully vindicated, and his eldest son, the present popular member for 302 THE LIFK AND TIMKS OF JOSEPH GOULD. North Ontario, in the Local Legislature, take his place in the couucilB of his country. Joseph Gould was a man of sterling principle and high honour and integrity, and was as well respected as he was widely known. No man will be more missed in this community in which he had so long lived. But whilst his family and friends mourn their loss, they have the consolation that he died full of years and honours, a true and humble Christian, leaving an untarnished rei)utation and good example behind him in the lesson of his well-spent life. He leaves a fortune of upwards of quarter of a million dollars, to be divided amongst his children, according to the terms of his will. THE FUNKUAL. The Globe, giving an account of the funeral, which took place on Friday, the 2nd inst., has the following: — The remains of the late Joseph Gould, of Uxbridge, were interred at the Friends' burial ground, Quaker Hill. The funeral cortege was perhaps the largest ever witnessed in that section of the country. It extended in almost a continuous line from the family residence to the place of burial, a distance of nearly two miles. Besides the large concourse of people on foot there were some 150 carriages in the procession. From early morning people from a distance poured into the town in large numbers, and the railway trains brpught in their quotas from every direction. The citizens of Uxbridge turned out en masse, the Mayor having issued his pro- clamation requesting the closing of all places of business during the afternoon. The Board of Trade passed a resolution to the same effect, and tendering their condolence to the family. The Mayor and members of the Town Council headed the procession, the fire- men turned out in their uniform, and although the funeral cortege had been announced to move at two o'clock it was close upon four before it started, in consequence of the crowds which kept thronging FUNERAL NOTICE — NOTE. 303 ee in the gh honour ly known, he had so their loss, lonours, a tation and t life. He ars, to be lis will. took place re interred al cortege 3n of the le family wo miles. some 150 e from a le railway e citizens d his pro- ss during the same he Mayor the fire- al cortege upon four hronging forward in order to have a last look at the well-known features of him whom they had come to honour. The pall-hearers were Hector Grant, of Thorah, the veteran Reformer, who had fought so many gallant battles side by bide with Mr. Gould ; A. T. Button, Hugh Miller, John Leys, T. C. Forman, and W. H. Higgina. Amongst others present from a distance were A. P. Cockburn, M.P.; J. D. Edgar, M.P. ; John Dryden, M.PP. ; Sheriff Paxton ; George Wheler, ex-M.P. ; Messrs. George and James Watt, of Brantford ; reeves and representatives of most of the municipalities of North and South Ontario, and from several of the municipalities of adjoining counties. The gathering of the old " stand-by " lleformer& was immense, and many leading Conservatives were also present to pay the last tribute of respect to the remains of the old Refor- mer to whom they had so long stood opposed as a leading man of his party. Rev. Mr. Dorland, minister of the Society of Friends, preached the funeral sermon, and the casket cox-taining the body was placed in the grave with the simple funeral services of that religious body. NOTE. During his trip to the great American Centennial, in 1870, Mr. Gould took occasion to visit Germantown, the home of his ancestors. He employed the oldest cabman he could get to drive him round, and look up the old places. One of the first spots visited was the little churchyard where sleep the remains of his great grandfather, Michael Gold, the first Irish exile of his name who " sang the bold anthems of Erin-go-bragh " by the banks of the Susquehanna. He had no difficulty in tracing out the homestead of his grandfather, Joseph Gold, and the house where his father, Jonathan, the future Canadian immigrant, was born. He appeared to know all the land- marks as well as if he had been born and reared on the spot, he says, 304 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOSEPH GOULD. SO vivid was the picture impressed upon his retentive memory by the oft-repeated description of the locality which he had listened to from the lips of his father and mother. The cabman was an Irish- man named Corcoran, who had known the place for upwards of fifty-five years, and he was, as he acknowledged, " nonplushed entirely " at the facility with which Mr. Gould was able to trace out the different locations in the neighbourhood. Of the Gold family the cabman had heard many stories. He had heard all about " Michael Killbuck," the deer-slayer, and he had heard of two sons of Joseph (the grandfather), by his first wife, who had joined the patriotic army of Washington and who had, according to his story, performed prodigies of valour on the field of battle. " England," said this Irish-American Jehu (who, like many of his congeners, was a bit of a wag), *' England, an' English goold, begorries, won many battles ; but it was Goold, afther all, an' the Irish Goold at that, that wallopped 'em at Gerraantown." Mr. Gould went over the old battle-ground with his talkative cabman, who was full of anecdotes of the scene. The only Gold he could trace up was Charles Gold, who was absent at the time, and whom Mr. Gould consequently did not see. The cabman described " Charley " as "a strapping big fellow." " He has been to the war," said he, "an' did a citizen-soldier's share in puttin' down se3esh an' slavery. He can knock down more men and drink more whiskey than any man in the State ; an' he is a thrump ev^ry time." Mr. Gould, after this, did not take much further trouble to hunt v.p his relative, the " Thrump," and left the Centennial without makii'g his personal acquaintance. Of the great exhibition, he speaks with his usual intelligent observation, and with that admiration which was felt by all who saw the grandeur and magnificence of the display. memory by listened to ts an Irish- Lipwards of aonplushed ;o trace out rold family . all about )f two sons joined the ) his story, England," congeners, 3rries, won b Goold at went over vas full of ce up was Mr. Gould ey" as "a I he, "an' i' slavery. ' than any ^r. Gould, ^s relative, s personal his usual ms felt by