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 ^-^:.^;i/. jj:u^.,-^.vI",,) 
 
 THE 
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 OF A 
 
 CANADIAN SECRETARY. 
 
 A POSTHUMOUS PAPER. 
 
 

 
 
 
 •,V< V, 
 
 1,^ 
 
 X .fr^ 
 
^ 
 
 TIIK 
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 OF A 
 
 CANADIAN SECRETARY. 
 
 
 A POSTHUMOUS PAPER. 
 
 $<iAac tWi 
 
 a^x. 
 
 <j?cY 
 
 
 4--; 
 
 6 
 
 f y 
 
 TORONTO, ONT. : 
 
 ORKENLEAF & KIRKLANI). 
 
 1928. 
 
 [The right of Translation and Reproduction in reserved J] 
 
TO THE READER AND THE PUBLIC. 
 
 In consequence of the receipt of the letter which follows, and 
 the manuscript enclosed therein, I am forced to assume the duties 
 of an editor. I say that I am forced, but, in reality, there is no 
 compulsion in this matter, and therefore the expression should per- 
 haps be changed. But let it go, for, although it is a labor of love 
 to carry out the wishes of my dead friend, it is still something of a 
 task for a business man to move out of old ruts. 
 
 I should wish to write a short Biographical Sketch of Mr. 
 Ryerson, but I cannot trust myself to the task, partly from lack of 
 confidence in my own literary powers, but largely and I may say 
 principally, because the greater part of his life was so largely mixed 
 up with that most melancholy subject, later Canadian history. It is 
 several years since we parted. I, an Englishman, who would not 
 remain in Canada when I saw that her rulers were determined to 
 impoverish the country and inthral its inhabitants, removed, in 
 sorrow, to my present home. He, strongly imbued with autocratic 
 ideas, and cherishing an ardent admiration for political leaders 
 whom I hated, remained. It is a melancholy satisfaction to me, 
 who always continued his friend, despite our political differences, to 
 find that his views upon political subjects were changed in his later 
 years. The contemplated Sketch however will not be missed by 
 Canadian readers, to whom my friend was well known, and English- 
 men and Americans are probably sufficiently acquainted with the 
 leading incidents of his life and with his intellectual powers. 
 
 The private and personal revelations of the Memoirs will, I 
 trust, be respected. Those of a public, political, and historical 
 nature will, I am satisfied, be read with a deep interest ; and may, 
 perhaps, even now, be ))eneficial. 
 
 EPHRAIM DAVIS. 
 
 N&w York, February, 1928. 
 
(The foll.)winK '» Mi«' Iflttcr referred to.] 
 
 Alderhiiot, Englani'. 22ud December, 1927. 
 
 To Ephraim Davis, Esquire, 
 
 New York, U.S.A. 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 In compliance with the directions of ray deceased uncle, and 
 your friend, 1 enclose a manuscript prepared by him for publication. 
 My wife and I would much prefer the onjission of certain passages 
 which it contains, but, believing that we are strictly complying with 
 his desire, we withdraw all objections, and propose that you should 
 have the paper published just as it is. 
 
 I have not the pleasure of your personal acquaintance, but, 
 on my uncle's account, beg to extend the most friendly feeling 
 towards you ; and hoping that we may hereafter meet each other, 
 
 I am, 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 
 RICPIARD L. MANSFIELD. 
 
MEMOIRS OF A SECRETARY. 
 
 It is the feast of St. Jean Ikptiste, and, languidly .sitting by 
 the open window, I listen to the music of a band which — fortu- 
 nately for my fairly well trained and now particularly sensitive 
 ear — is some distance away and gradually receding. But soon, 
 other sounds are heard, human and not uncultivated nor unplea- 
 sant voices, singing the grand old hymns and psalms of the 
 Church ; and pushing the curtain to one side, forgetting my good 
 doctor's advice for the time, I stretch mv bared head outside 
 into the somewhat moist and breezy atmosphere, and watch the 
 sights below. It is almost worth the risk of a relapse. The 
 procession is singularly pieturescpie, and probably could not, at 
 the present day, be seen anywhere except in Canada. The vested 
 priests, the members of the religious orders, generally in sombre 
 garments, and the silken banners adorned with holy symbols, 
 cast an air of dignity and solenmity upon the scene, and prevent 
 the eye from dwelling upon much which, without these accom- 
 paniments might appear frivolous and, in some respects, gro- 
 tesque. But the people who chiefly compose the procession after 
 all claim a large share of attention, on more accounts than one 
 indeed, but chiefly to a gazer from a second storey window, like 
 myself, from the manifest evidence of their love of color and 
 display. I watch the procession as it passes towards the mouth 
 of the harbor, along the wide grass-grown street, past t!ie dila2)i- 
 dated buildings of the old New Brunswick mei'chants, which 
 look all the more decayed by contrast with the daunting scarves 
 and flags hanging from the many sashless windows. A group 
 of Americans, from the Carleton shore, also gazes with interest 
 and curiosity at the receding pageant, but, as the balloon-carriage 
 
e 
 
 crosses my window on the return trip, it is evi<lcnt that the i)re- 
 sence of a solitary Kiif^lisiinmn Is more curious, and is certainly 
 most unexpected. 
 
 I am writing tlie day after tiiese occurrences, and I ask my- 
 self, "Shall I write more"? There is indeed mucli which one 
 with my experience might write with profit, perliaps for the 
 jieople of to-day, and certainly for future generaMons. But 
 would lis Grace be pleased, if a Secretary on sick leave should 
 s|)end his holiday in narrating his ex})eriences, and then give his 
 story to the world ? It is not difficult to answer such a question, 
 or to hazard a guess at the (lertain result of my temerity. A 
 closed van would he my quarters for a few weeks, my companions 
 Grits or murderers, our journey Avould he across very rough 
 country, our destination INIanitoha, whence I at least never should 
 return. No! I am now too old and perhaps too cowardly to 
 run the risk of such a fate as this. My narrative, my expe- 
 riences, my opinions must not be printed ; probably it would be 
 better not to commit them to writing. 
 
 The determination not to write for publication pleases me ; it 
 relieves me from the careful arrangement of details, the dividing 
 of my manuscript into chapters, each perhaps with an apt (piota- 
 tion at its head ; and further, it relieves me from the fear of the 
 critics, who are more objects of terror to an old man, conscious 
 of the imperfections of all human work, than to a young man 
 blessed with those attributes of youth, self-conceit and faith in 
 the powers of humanity to attain ideal excellence. It is also 
 very pleasant to be able to pour out one's soul to one's self, to 
 feel that there is no necessity for withholding any secret, that one 
 is not writing for the unfeeling, or for those who read, not to 
 sympathise with the Avriter, but to try to analyze his inmost 
 nature, to satisfy unhealthy curiosity. 
 
 Ah me ! there is much to make one think in this decayed 
 City by the sea. And first and sweetest, though saddest in my 
 memory, is one object, lost to me forever, who, when lost to me, 
 changed entirely my views of life on earth, and, for a time, made 
 
me lose confidence iu Heaven. Never shall I forget the time 
 and place when first M'C met; never shall I f«)rget the sweet 
 sad tones of her voice, the steadfast yet melancholy expression of 
 her eyes, or the very words of the old ballads \vhi(!h she sang. 
 It was an Angust night, and the great yellow moon hung over 
 the eastern shore of the harbor, making a path of rippling light 
 across the water, where our boat floated, while 1 and three 
 brawny friends and a party of gay young girls listened, not only 
 with ears but with hearts. In the distance the City shone with 
 myriad lights, and afar oft' could be heard the confused sounds 
 of those on the wharves and on board the ships whose spars stood 
 out against the sky in bold relief. But it was only the sweet old 
 ballad which we heard, for even other pleasure-seekers, rowing 
 across the moonlit waters, like ourselves, rested upon their oars 
 and listened. Alas for love's young dream ! I am an old man, 
 more glad than sorry for the death of a rich wife ; and she, my 
 only love, so far as I know aiiything, died long years ago. 
 
 My present quarters are comfortable, though somewhat 
 shabby, in a large granite building, formerly occupied by two or 
 three Banking Companies. The banking offices are now filled 
 with fish and marine stores : the upper storeys are tenanted by 
 my landlady, whom I have never seen, who is said to be very 
 old and infirm and somewhat eccentric, and who never appears 
 on the streets exce})t rarely at night time, and on one particular 
 day, I think the eighteenth day of May, when she visits a ceme- 
 tery on the outskirts of the City. The pretty girl who lives with 
 her, and avIio 1 believe is her niece, is conversable enough, but 
 does not care to talk of her aunt's peculiarities. Yet, by her 
 very reticence, she makes me feel that there nuist be some mys- 
 tery about the good lady. The old man and his wife, who are 
 the only domestics, are not averse to an occasional chat, but, even 
 in my conversation with them, I can see that, if I wish to satisfy 
 my curiosity about their mistress, it is absolutely necessary that 
 I should make it appear that I am not seeking information. 
 
 The French have simply translated the names of most of the 
 
8 
 
 streets, and it is easy to restore to these streets their old appella- 
 tions, if not their old aspect. Our crumbling granite building, 
 for instance, is on the southern side of King street, and at the 
 corner of King and Prince William streets. There used to be a 
 great Slip at the end of the former stroet, but it is now almost 
 filled up with silt and the debris of the wharves and warehouses. 
 I wander hither and thither on the warm days, when there is no 
 fog, with my little friend /i.lice, or old Marshall, and take a 
 melancholy pleasure in observing the transformations which have 
 taken place in scenes and objects with which I was once familiar. 
 There is a Church at the north end of Germain street, with a 
 quaint square tower, which may be seen for a long distance by 
 cne approaching from the water. Surely the ghosts of the dead 
 worshippers must shudder, if they have the power of shuddering, 
 at the thought that this is now Our Lady's Chapel, filled with 
 pictures of the saints, redolent with incense, and lit with candles. 
 The Court House and the Jail are little changed, but the great 
 Square in front of them is enclosed by the Xntendant, whose 
 residence lies to the south of the fountain which is still there. 
 A large building which I think was called either T"inity or the 
 Centenary, on Germain street, is used as a barrack ; the other 
 ecclesiastical buildings are occupied by the various religious 
 orders, and some of the old public buildings are employed for 
 religious purposes. 
 
 By the construction of the huge breakwater, the sea was 
 prevented from filling up what was formerly a basin, known 
 as Cartnay Bay, but which is now a waste, half marsh, half 
 desert, covered with rank p;rass, upon which cows and oxen 
 feed. The southern portion of the promontory, from what was 
 formerly known as Meglinburg street, is pretty well covered 
 with a growth of shrubs and straggliig cedars, but here and 
 there a few ruins of brick and stone mansions may be seen, 
 which not infrequdntly are inhabited by the fishermen and dulse 
 gatherers. Dulse, it seems, is obtained in large quantities along 
 the coast and in the immediate neighborhood of the City, and, 
 after being subjected to some peculiar process, is packed in light 
 
9 
 
 wooden boxes, and forwarded by the Grand Southern Railway 
 up the Megantic, or by the Maine and Massachusetts Central to 
 the Canadian and American cities. All the shipping of any size 
 lies on the Carleton side of the harbor or in mid channel, and 
 only a few coasters utilize the ruined piers cf Saint John. It is 
 astonishing to observe the tenacity with which the French adhere 
 to beaten paths, and the unwillingness w'hich they evince to 
 adopt and utilize modern inventions. The streets of the City, 
 for instance, are lighted with coal gas, and for that matter they 
 might be left unlighted, as the lamps actually pale beneath the 
 brilliancy of the electric light reflected from the other shore. 
 So a Frenchman rarely travels by balloon, but takes his place 
 among the Iicavy freight, in the slow and steady and conservative 
 steamers and railway cars. 
 
 I have gathered much curious information from an old Fran- 
 ciscan Friar with whom I have become acquainted, and who is 
 quite an antiquarian. Among other things, he discovered several 
 bottles of rare wines and liqueurs in the vaults of a buildinf? 
 upon the southern side of Prince William street, which he says 
 was formerly owned by a man named Miles. I doubt however 
 whether he has not mistaken the name, as it is not at all familiar 
 to my ears. He has also been excavating a singular raised cause- 
 way, " La Rue Dorcestre," at the instance of the Historical 
 Society of Quebec, and has there discovered many singular 
 articles of apparel and for domestic purposes. 
 
 There is a large military force stationed here, larger indeed 
 than the returns to the War Department would indicate, as there 
 are several detachments of the Duke's household troops which 
 are maintained at his own cost. These are generally armed with 
 the old-fashioned Purcel rifle, with which however it is said they 
 make good shootmg for two thousand yards, although for greater 
 distances it is practically useless. Some of the batteries are 
 mounted with heavy breech-loading guns, known as improved 
 Whitworths, in which they use gun powder instead of gas. It 
 carried me back to old times, watching the artillery at target 
 
10 
 
 practice, with tliese huge weapons belcliing forth masses of flamej 
 and surrounded by smoke. 
 
 Fatlier Francis took me for a drive in a calache one sunnv 
 afternoon some distance into the country. We drove through 
 flat low land which extends between two lines of hills for about 
 three miles, and which, on either side of the highway, is divided 
 into narrow farms. The houses looked very picturesque amid 
 the hop vines and the flowering plants, but the land is poorly 
 cultivated by hand, or rarely by horse power, and the farm stock, 
 both cows and horses, arc small and show no good blood what- 
 ever. The worthy Father pointed out a tavern at the end of the 
 road, kept by one I^ouis Gamier, which he said was of great age, 
 and in which the same business had been carried on, he consid- 
 ered, little less than a century. Somewhat beyond this point we 
 saw the remains of a stone bridge where, if I remember rightly, 
 poor Major King and liis little band were annihilated by the 
 regiment from Trois Pistoles, whose passage by rail they at- 
 tempted to intercept. I managed to clamber up the bank, and 
 succeeded in tracing, as far as the eye could reach, the line of 
 this railway whicli once formed a portion of the old Intercolonial. 
 The track is now overgrown with raspberry and other shrubs, 
 and with various plants, some of which are common in the neigh- 
 borhood, M'hile others were evidently produced from seeds drop- 
 ped from cars containing hay or farmers' stuff obtained from 
 distant sources. 
 
 It is nearly a week since I have looked at a book or touched 
 pen and paper, and my prostration warns me that Father Fran- 
 cis is too rugged a companion, that a calache is too rough a 
 vehicle, and that a scramble upon a steep embankment is entirely 
 too much for one with my enfeebled constitution. Oh the weary, 
 weary hours which I have passed since that imprudent expedi- 
 tion; my head racked with pain through the long, sleepless 
 nights; the organs of the body inactive, but the mind doubly 
 quickened and never resting. It is DeQuincy who likens the 
 brain to a palimpsest, and to me, the victim of so much recent 
 
11 
 
 thought, the simile seems singularly appropriate. Doubtless 
 my present surroundings, the very air which I breathe, have all 
 their influence in directing my thoughts. But why should I 
 become uninterested in recent events ; why should my mind so 
 constantly revert to matters which transpired many years ago ? 
 I try to shake off the tendency, but cannot ; and although no one 
 can accuse me of being a laudaiw temporis acU, and the compo- 
 sition 01 my library, and the practical interest which. I have 
 always taken in progressive science, would prevent any one from 
 naming me a fossil, I must confess that the things of to-day have 
 not the charm for me which they had a month ago. The fair 
 Alice has been very kind, and has given me many hours of her 
 swQet companionship, and I, old and selfish, cannot spare her for 
 those many duties which devolve upon a willing hand in a poor 
 household. For the last three afternoons she has been sitting by 
 the window, working of course, for she is never idle, with deft 
 fingers navigating her needle through marvellous convolutions, 
 and with head bent forward, and lashes for the time covering 
 her eyes, which may well be called, in the language of some dead 
 poet, "floating gems." Her style of beauty is certainly very 
 rare ; but it is not her personal loveliness, or even her goodness 
 or cheerfulness, or all of these combined which attracted me. 
 Watching with tired eyes, I beheld a petite somewhat plump 
 figure, clad in muslin of the lightest blue, with beautifully 
 rounded shoulders, and a well poised head, covered with rippling 
 masses of brown golden hair. I do not trust my aptitude for 
 describing female beauty, even so far as figure and general fea- 
 tures are concerned, and I dare not attempt to describe the face of 
 my gentle nurse. Suffice it then to say, that forehead, nose and 
 lips are simply perfect, and that if the chin has any fault, it is in 
 the rich sweeping fullness which perhaps scarcely complies with 
 the rule which a sculptor would insist upon, but which would 
 not repel a lover. But what can I say of the complexion of this 
 little girl which, though brown, is at the same time peach-like, 
 brings before the mind's eye sunlight and summer, and seems to 
 have collected all the gentle tints of umber, pink and yellow 
 
12 
 
 •which an artist could suggest. It is not on lier own account, or 
 on account ot' her many attractions however, that I take so deep 
 an interest in this young girl. It is many years since I have 
 made a friend. Intellectual gifts and physical charms possessed 
 by others of either sex have indeed attracted me, but they have 
 had no more influence upon me than mere abstract ideas ; they 
 have not drawn me towards their possessor more than moment- 
 arily, if even that. From the first, however, I have dfesired the 
 companionship, and I may say the friendship of this fair maiden; 
 but it has taken me weeks to learn that it was because she is an 
 umbra, a reflection — how weak language seems in supplying 
 words to express the idea I have before me — of my long-lost 
 love. I trust and I believe that fair Alice possesses sufficient 
 humility to prevent her from hating me should she suspect that 
 I esteem her for another's sake. I wonder if the clover, which 
 an Irishman wears on St. Patrick's day in Canada, in place of 
 the shamrock which cannot be procured, hates the wearer. 
 
 Is the individual so merged in the community that his indi- 
 viduality runs the chance of being lost? Is my life a part of the 
 life, the history of Canada ? I begin to think it ii^, and some- 
 times almost imagine myself not quite a chapter in the annals of 
 the Dominion, but perhaps of a Province. 
 
 The federation of the several divisions of British America 
 was a noble idea, and it is no wonder that it attracted the atten- 
 tion of enthusiasts. It is also no wonder that it was favored by 
 those who consider the powers of their mind contracted by the 
 limited number of acres which embraces their native or adopted 
 Duchy, State, Province, or whatever it may be called. But there 
 were certainly some serious difficulties in the way of rendering 
 the scheme a complete success, some of which were in existence 
 before the consummation of the Union, while others arose from 
 want of foresight of its projectors, or from the mismanagement 
 of those who had control over the affairs of the confederated 
 Provinces. The physical configuration of the country may be 
 mentioned under the first head, for I hold that the mere fact that 
 
13 
 
 the territory of the neighboring Republic separated the lower 
 part of Quebec and the whole of the Maritime Provinces from 
 the upper portion of Quebec, Ontario and the North West, tended 
 to prevent a complete amalgation of the people of the country. 
 Then again, the presence of a large French population, with a 
 different religion from the majority of their English compatriots, 
 speaking their own language, governed by their own laws, and 
 having peculiar customs with reference to the tenure, transmis- 
 sion and division of land, was much to be deplored. Had this 
 foreign colony existed on the Pacific coast, or even in Nova 
 Scotia, it would have been far more tolerable, and far le&s calcu- 
 lated to promote or continue diversities of feeling and manners 
 among Canadians. But as it was, the English colonists of Onta- 
 rio were entirely divided from those of the Maritime Provinces, 
 and, through want of contiguity and constant direct personal 
 intercourse, they rarely seemed to luiderstand each other. From 
 all that I can learn of the conditions of Canada shortly after 
 Confederation, it would almost appear that those who called 
 themselves Liberals in New Brunswick were the strongest allies 
 of the Conservatives in Ontario, and that many Avho were termed 
 Grits in Nova Scotia Mould have been hailed as Tories in the 
 West. It would be tedious to enumerate the proofs of the cor- 
 rectness of my statement, that want of foresight and mismanage- 
 ment were productive of very serious results in Canada. I must 
 however advert to the terrible extravagance which distinguished 
 the greater part of the early history of the Dominion, — an extra- 
 vagance which largely aided in swelling our present debt of 
 725,000,000 of piastres, which, large as it is, would be still larger 
 did I include that indebtedness which our Government, ten years 
 since, to its eternal disgrace, repudiated. I wonder how a man 
 enjoys life in a country where government 9 per cents are sold at 
 a better rate than 12 per cent, discount? 
 
 It would be unjust to attribute all the misfortunes of Canada 
 to extravagance ; but there can be no doubt that extravagance 
 was the mother of the National Policy, and that the National 
 Policy must be made responsible for many, if not most of our 
 
14 
 
 1 
 
 afflictions. The plan of protecting liorae productions in Canada 
 was adopted at a jieriod of very great financial depression, which 
 had extended over many years, and which was not confined to 
 the Dominion. It was perhaps not unnatural that the great 
 mass of electors throughout the country, incapable for the most 
 part of fully grasping the various theories and arguments ad- 
 vanced by the leaders of the two factions, the Protectionists and 
 Free Traders ; and impressed with the fact that the former alone 
 offered something as a cure for the prevailing poverty, determined 
 to give them an opportunity to try the effect of their me+hod. 
 It is impossible to learn the immediate result of the experiment, 
 for all works devoted to the history of the period, for some rea- 
 son or other, have been destroyed or suppressed, and the only 
 available sources of information are a few files of newspapers, 
 all strongly partizan, and probably in no case stating the exact 
 truth. In considering the matter, however, it must be borne in 
 mind that, ai the time of which I am writing, coal, including 
 hard coal or anthracite and soft coal, was exclusively used for 
 heating purposes, while petroleum oil was verly largely employed 
 for lighting. Now, petroleum could be obtained solely in Western 
 Canada and in the United States, while soft coal could only be 
 procured in the Dominion from the mines in the Maritime Pro- 
 vinces. The other conditions, calculated to create diversities of 
 opinion with regard to the details of a Protective Tariff, exist at 
 the present day, and do not require a special reference. The 
 posture of the inhabitants of the Provinces towards a tariff and 
 each other was somewhat as follows : The people of the Mari- 
 time Provinces were unable to grow wheat, and therefore they 
 demanded free bread stuffs ; they had no oil or salt, and so they 
 opposed the imposition of duties upon these articles. On the 
 other hand, the Ontario farmers and millers insisted upon shut- 
 ting United States flour out of Canada ; and the proprietors of 
 salt springs and oil wells of the same Province required protec- 
 tion for salt and oil, but at the same time asked for free coal. I 
 refer to these conditions as illustrating the extraordinary diffi- 
 culties of the tariff-makers, and the impossibility of satisfying 
 
15 
 
 irreconcilable demands. It must not be imagined however that 
 the other Provinces could be satisfied with any plan adopted, for 
 on the contrary, Quebec had many reasons for joining with the 
 Maritime Provinces in opposing concessions to Ontario, and had 
 ako special demands of her own. As for British Columbia, she 
 too was dissatisfied with the tariff, although it would not seem 
 that her representatives laid so much stress upon this as upon the 
 alleged bad faith of the Dominion Government in not completing 
 the construction of the Pacific Railway, in the movement which 
 they now made for the repeal of the Union. The opponents of 
 the Protectionists were not generally absolute Free Tr9,ders, but 
 differed from the upholders of the National Policy as to the 
 objects of imposing duties upon importations, and as to the extent 
 of such imposition. The supporters of the National 'Policy 
 claimed that duties should be imposed, not only for the purpose 
 of raising a revenue, but also to foster the struggling industries 
 of the colony, to favor home productions, and to prevent foreign 
 manufacturers and producers from competing with the manufac- 
 turers and producers of Canada. They claimed that their motives 
 were purely patriotic, and they insisted that those among the 
 Canadians who were not manufacturers or producers, or vho 
 would in any way suffer by the adoption of the policy, should 
 be willing to make some sacrifice, on patriotic grounds, and that 
 in the end they would be gainers by the general i)rosperitv which, 
 some how or other, would certainly ensue. 
 
 The adversaries of the scheme, on the other hand, contended 
 that the imposition of duties was only justifiable on the ground 
 that a revenue must be raised to defray the expenses of govern- 
 ment ; and they contended further, that a very large class in the 
 community could not in any way be benefited, and would cer- 
 tainly be injured by protection, and they objected in the strongest 
 terms to legislation which was only calculated to enrich a limited 
 number of persons at the expense of their neighbors. They also 
 argued that, owing to the prevailing depression, buyers would 
 be obliged to curtail their })urchases of all articles, especially 
 those subject to heavy duties, and that, as a consequence, there 
 
16 
 
 would be a deficiency of revenue, at least until the times im- 
 proved. They admitted the possibility of such an improvement 
 for a short period, from the sudden growth of manufactures 
 under the cegis of Protection ; but they foretold that the result 
 would be over-production, glutting of the market, and serious 
 loss to the very class of persons intended to be benefited. But it 
 was not the National Policy alone which the gentlemen out of 
 office had to oppose, for this scheme was s[>eedily followed by a 
 measure warmly supported and eventually carried by the Gov- 
 ernment. I refer to the system, actually in vogue in Canada for 
 many years, of issuing Scrip, not upon a gold basis, but at first 
 to an amount based upon the anticipated revenue for a given 
 period, at the end of which the Scrip was redeemable, at the 
 option of the Government, in gold or newly issued Scrip ; and 
 eventually to an extent unlimited, so far as the available re- 
 sources of the country were concerned. 
 
 I wish sincerely that I had undertaken the task of writing 
 the political history of r'anada five or six years ago, when my 
 brain was more active and my powers of memory greater than at 
 present, and my bodily strength at least not seriously impaired. 
 Little did I think in the old sporting days, when sub frigida jove, 
 as Juvenal has it, I trusted in my rude physique, and engaged 
 in all sorts of adventures in Labrador and Anticosti, and on the 
 shores of Lake St. John, that I was to pay very dearly for my 
 amusements in after life. It would certainly be a source of regret 
 to an aged sportsman that he hod not availed himself of his 
 youthful opportunities in a land abounding in all kinds of game ; 
 but present health is far more useful than pleasing memdl'ies, 
 and my conditions are not so happy in other respects that I can 
 hail physical discomforts as necessary to prevent me from feeling 
 too contented with ray lot. 
 
 Another week has passed without a word being written, and 
 were it not that Rick has read to me steadily I should feel in a 
 state of intellectual stagnation. Who is Rick ? a possible reader 
 may ask. Why, Rick is a British officer who has come out here 
 
17 
 
 on leave, to get some fisliing and shooting; and as it happens 
 that he is my grand neplicw, he looked me up before starting for 
 the wilderness. He is a manly young fellow, and more than 
 that, he is thoroughly kind-hearted, and, despite my strong pro- 
 testations, he declares that he will set me up on my pins before lie 
 fires a shot or casts a line. I have complete confidence in Rick, 
 and have told him all about my mamiscript, and have directed 
 him to publish it, if he pleases, when my toes are turned up to 
 the daisies. This you see is a double explanation, in that it 
 shows who Rick is, and also why it is possible that what is writ- 
 ten may be read. It is not likely that my erratic paper will be 
 re-cast, though this Avould be very desirable ; and so the reader, 
 if there ever is one> will make, I do not doubt, all just allow- 
 ances for deficiencies. But he at least will see that — although I 
 first began to write without a definite purpose — eventually there 
 was a purpose, an earnest purpose on the part of a dying man, 
 for so I feel myself to be, to tell the truth, and to teach a lesson 
 which might be useful. 
 
 It is with a deep feeling of shame that I acknowledge that 
 the part which I have taken in life has been all wrong, but it 
 relieves my conscience from a great weight in making this 
 acknowledgment, which I now do calmly and deliberately. My 
 formal resignation has been posted to His Grace, and henceforth 
 I am as free as any act of mine can make me. I feel that I 
 have been to him a faithinl servant, and am assured that he will 
 acknowledge as much, and though it Avould be ungenerous in me, 
 while in his service, to attack the policy of the party to which he 
 is attached, the party at least can claim nothing from me. I 
 know however that if 1 , while holding office as his Secretary, 
 were to express sentiments hostile to his friends, he Avould sufier, 
 and although he is too generous to expect complete subserviency 
 to his methods of thought, it would be most ungrateful and 
 unfair in me to jeopardize his prospects or position. 
 
 It is stated somewhere in these pages that it is im2)ossible to 
 know the immediate effect of the National Policy, but this was 
 
18 
 
 written befoi'e the revulsion in my feelingn, Ixifore my mind was 
 led to the determination to write with complete candor, to palli- 
 ate nothing, and not to give false coloring to facts. I, Geoffrey 
 Parker Ryerson, a dying man, as I believe, and having no motive 
 to say aught but the truth, do solemnly charge the Government 
 of Canada with initiating and maintaining a fiscal policy which 
 has proved utterly detrimental to the interests of the country, 
 and which has blasted the hopes and destroyed the fortunes of 
 millions ol' pcixons. What need is there to recount the iiistory 
 of cv(!ry Province ? It is suificicnt if the history of one is known. 
 The gangrcened hand tells the surgeon at a glance that the whole 
 body soon will be diseased if the offending member is not sj)eedily 
 removed. Alas, for Canada, the t'wnw was in her system, but 
 there was no physician. The ix3ople of Canada accepted the 
 National Policy, and waited the results. Protectionists, Free 
 Traders, believers in a Revemie Tariff, limited Imperialists, 
 Annexationists, Disunionists, all waited with bated breath, some 
 believing, some doubting, and others, certain that the scheme 
 would not succeed, rejoicing that the time was now a])proaching 
 when Canada should be dismembered or become a portion of 
 another country. 
 
 Let us see how it befell in New Brunswick, and thus we can 
 learn approximately the fate of the other portions of the Do- 
 minion. 
 
 From what I can gather I am led to believe that the jjcople 
 of this Province, during the English regime, were somewhat 
 phlegmatic, that they were slow to realize the full measure of 
 either good or evil fortune, and not over rapid to avail them- 
 selves of the former or to take measures to mitigate or dispel the 
 latter. An honest, kind-hearted, industrious population, they 
 preferred to attend, each to his own special business by which he 
 provided bread for himself and family ; and while not generally 
 wealthy as individuals, they were at least not suffering, and were 
 in most cases in easy circumstances. This at least was the gen- 
 eral condition of the people before Confederation and until the 
 conclusion of the depression to which I have referred. My pic- 
 
19 
 
 tiire may possibly be eonsiderccl Homcwhat Utopinn, but a cnrcful 
 investigator, it* at least he is a social philosopher, while he recog- 
 nizes elements of happiness in the conditions stated, will j)crccivo 
 in them a possible source of misfortune. Under the rule of a 
 despot, possessing good powers of judgment, and ever endeavor- 
 ing to exercise those i)owers for the l)encfit of the conun unity 
 over which he rules, the people may with safety remain apathetic 
 and contented. Where, on the other hand, the right of self- 
 government is vested in the jKiople, the right should be exercised 
 by them ; it should not be delegated, further than is absolutely 
 necessary, to others. The mistake made by the inhabitants of 
 this Province was that they placed implicit confidence in their 
 leaders, or nay I not rather say, their leader. Before Confeder- 
 ation they permitted him to adopt any line of policy which he 
 thought best. On entering the Union, they relied entirely (m his 
 calculations and his j)ropiietic powers ; and, for years after the 
 accomplishment of that scheme, in spite of many reasons to doubt 
 his judgment and his honesty, they still believed him capable 
 and true. In twelve years after Confederation the taxation of this 
 Province had increased to nearly three times the amount which 
 he calculated would not be exceeded in twenty years, and still 
 there were those who trusted in him. This is only one instance 
 to show how little this man deserved the confidence reposed in 
 him ; but it is one of many which might be cited. It is in the 
 National Policy however that we see his state-craft, and at the 
 same time his utter disregard, his supreme contempt for the inter- 
 ests of those to whom he owed everything. It was my intention 
 when I last took up my i)en to treat solely of the results of the 
 National Policv in New Brunswick, but in order to enable the 
 reader to comprehend tlie situation, it seemed advisable to digress 
 from the plan laid down ; and indeed it will probably be impos- 
 sible to tell my story without here and there digressing to a slight 
 extent. 
 
 Hard times were not driven away or abated by the National 
 Policy in New Brunswick, that at least is clear. Lumbermen 
 were actually conducting business at a loss. Farmers barely 
 
20 
 
 managed to support themselves, notwithstanding the large de- 
 mand for potatoes — a steady crop in the Piovince — by the 
 United States, where tiiis root was almost destroyed by a rapa- 
 cious insect. Manufacturers had little capital, and feared to 
 run the slightest risk with the small means at their command. 
 Mechanics were without employment. The only busy men were 
 the creditors' trustees, and the receivers in bankruptcy. The 
 effect of the tiiriff upon many imported articles was not at once 
 perceived, for the im[)orters had large balances of stock on hand, 
 which they could scarcely sell at any price, and it would have 
 been nuidness to add the amount of duty to the ordinary i)rofit 
 per centagc, liut when it was necessary to renew the st(yk, the 
 buyers had to pay tiie duties, and then complaints were heard on 
 every side. It is true that many new branches of industry were 
 started in Ontario, and gradually the products from the \vestern 
 manufactories found their way to the Maritime Proviiv^es. But 
 the manufacturers showed no consideration for the unfortunate 
 consumers, and offered them articles, in many instances inferior 
 to the importations, and only for a fraction Ic&s. The members 
 of the Central Government trembled in their shoes, for it was 
 evident that the (country began to recognize that the National 
 Policy was a sham. It is necessary to consider how they acted 
 under the circumstances, how in short they succeeded iu keeping 
 themselves in office and ruining the country. 
 
 There was a gentleman named Letellier, who liad been ap- 
 pointed Governor of Quebec by a Liberal Government in office 
 before the promulgation of the National Policy. That this gen- 
 tleman possessed ability there is no doubt, and that he was 
 patriotic and desirous to promote an honest and economical ad- 
 ministration of the affairs of his Province, many of his greatest 
 enemies have been compelled to admit. When he was appointed 
 Governor he found himself surrounded by counciiloi's with whom 
 he had no political or personal sympathy, whom he believed to 
 be dishonest, and whom he knew to be extravagant; and he 
 determined that his advisers should be neither the one nor the 
 other. A modern Canadian would doubtless laugh at so humble 
 
21 
 
 a functionary as ji (Jovornor forming so lofty a rcsolut.on ; for 
 in the Provincial Intcndant of to-day we see but a sorry tool, a 
 mere shadow of authority, a being with no more discretionary 
 power than the crier of the humblest court. But it was other- 
 wise in the old days. The Governor of a Provinc* was the 
 (Queen's representative, and although, after Confederation, he 
 received his commission from the Dominion Government, he was 
 not supposal to Ix) thereafter under its control ; and, during the 
 term of his office, he was considered to be almost as secure of his 
 seat as the Monarch of England is of his throne. He had many 
 of the same privileges, within his limited domain, as the Sover- 
 eign : he had the right to veto parliamentary enactments, and he 
 had the right to refuse to act under the advice of his Council, 
 and even to dismiss his Councillors from office. • The risk of 
 doing either one of these things might be far from insignificant, 
 but if he was supported in his act by the popular voice, no one 
 could complain. The Avhole theory and practice were based 
 indeed upon motives of expediency, and formed safety valves in 
 the constitutional machinery, and were at the same time neces- 
 sary and exceptional. 
 
 Letellier had both courage and energy : he fully appreciated 
 the delicacy of the situation and the necessity for action : he 
 thought he understood the popular feeling : he ran the risk, 
 dismissed his Cabinet, and appealed to the country. If evc^ the 
 end justifies the means, it did so in his case. The people of the 
 Province rallied round the opponents of the degraded Ministers, 
 and the latter — in spite of the most strenuous exertions on their 
 behalf — were discomfited. Maddened with defeat, and burning 
 for revenge, they required of the Dominion Government that 
 Letellier should be dismissed, and they succeeded in securing the 
 passage of a resolution in Parliament supporting their demand. 
 The Premiei was terribly embarrassed by these proceedings, 
 which indeed were the result of his own machinations, but which, 
 trusting to the chapter of accidents, he never anticipated. He 
 tried to shift the responsibility from his own shoulders to those 
 of the Viceroy : he endeavored to his utmost to avoid establish- 
 
 B 
 
22 
 
 ing a precedent which might at some future time damage his 
 own''friends ; but he was powerless ; he had to yield, and had to 
 bear the responsibility of yielding. It was absolutely essential 
 at the time that he should secure, or rather continue the support 
 of the Conservative French in Quebec : he succeeded in accom- 
 plishing that object, but he rang the death-knell of liberty in 
 Canada. , * 
 
 By the dismissal of Letellier the Canadian Government ap- 
 peased their wavering followers in Quebec, and by making a 
 sweep of all the Liberals in the public departments or otherwise 
 employed by Government, and substituting for them strong Con- 
 servatives, or pliable men with no political principles, they were 
 enabled to obtain a wonderful ascendancy over the popular vote, 
 if not over the popular mind. The loss of several seats in 
 Ontario however, and the defection of a number of followers in 
 Nova Scotia, and the assurance that the National Policy was 
 becoming every day more and more unpopular, forced the Cab- 
 inet to adopt further measures to obtain a majority at the then 
 approaching election. It was in the Maritime Provinces, but 
 especially in New Brunswick, that the attempt was made to 
 secure such a following as would ensure the victory desired. 
 But little had to be done in Nova Scotia or Prince Edward 
 Island, for in both these Provinces Conservatism was in the 
 ascendant, but in New Brunswick it was entirely otherwise, and 
 it may be said that the general feeling there was one of intense 
 hatred of the dominant party. To overcome this sentiment, 
 every conceivable plan was tried. Several persons, distinguished 
 for their ability as canvassers, or blessed with large family con- 
 nexions, who had been deprived of positions on the Intercolonial 
 Railway or in the public departments were reinstated. Large 
 sums were expended on public works in different parts of the 
 Province, but especially at St. John. Hundreds of masons were 
 employed at the batteries on the Carleton shore and at Red Head. 
 The huge breakwater, to which I have referred, was constructed 
 across the mouth of CartnayBay, and nearly $100,000 was expend- 
 ed in the absurd project of damming the St. John at its embouchure 
 
23 
 
 and conducting the water through the great inarf>h which lies to 
 the eastward of the city. The Government could not do enough 
 for the people of the Province, and even went so far as for a 
 time to remit the duty on certain classes of bread-stuffs imported 
 by the merchants of St. John, but were obliged to enforce the 
 tariff when pressed by the western wheat grower?. Drawbacks 
 were also allowed on articles used in manufactures, and, as a 
 consequence, many establishments on a gigantic scale for the 
 manufacture of wooden and metal wares were commenced and 
 carried on. It is not astonishing that prosperity soon took the 
 place long held by indigence, and that +he hard times disap- 
 peared : neither is it astonishing that, when the elections were 
 held, the Province returned supporters of the Government from 
 almost all the constituencies. 
 
 Alice and Rick, as might naturally be expected, have become 
 fast friends. They walk together, and undertake small botanical 
 excursions from which they return with bountiful supplies of 
 richly tinted, sweetly smelling flowers : they row on the harbor, 
 often favoring me with a seat in the stern sheets ; and in the 
 evenings and on stormy days they sing duets. It is most galling 
 to a lover of music to have to use the detestable home made 
 pianos, for as the importation of foreign instrunients is absolutely 
 prohibited our manufacturers use no care in construction, and 
 utterly discard all modern impro^^ements. It is an outrage that 
 this poor girl has to accompany her voice with the vilest of 
 instruments ; but she never complains, and fortunately she sings 
 8o sweetly that the listener at last becomes almost, if not entirely 
 oblivious of other sounds than those which come from the little 
 songstress. 
 
 For myself I am almost driven to tears when she sings alone, 
 for most strange to say, I hear not only the voice but many of 
 the songs of my lost love. What can it mean? Why does 
 fate torture a miserable old man by reproducing the things he 
 loved in youth, and forcing him to revive sad »nemories ? And 
 yet so strangely inconsistent are we, that we sometimes nurse our 
 
r 
 
 24 
 
 sorrows and would not part with them for worlds. I, for in- 
 stance, would not remove the cause of my melancholy, and if the 
 voice and songs were but to cease, I think that I should die. 
 The poor girl has had, for the last few days, but little time to 
 sing, for the elderly lady, her aunt, has been quite ill. Will the 
 old bank building eventually become a hospital ? 
 
 It seems strange that I, an Englishman, should be the first 
 person to write anything approaching to a history of the last forty 
 odd years in Canada. I feel the responsibility of the task so 
 keenly that I am at times tempted to abandon it entirely. What 
 I write seems in so many respects slipshod and unmethodical 
 that my critics, if there ever are any, will certainly find much to 
 pick to pieces. They may, for instance, complain that I give no 
 dates, and no carefully prepared statistics. . O critics, have mercy 
 on an old man whose memory is not over clear, and who is hun- 
 dreds of miles away from any blue book. 
 
 The change which took place in New Erunswick after the 
 election was immediate, and all the bright hopf 3 of the provin- 
 cialists proved to be delusions. Ketrenchment was the order of 
 the day in almost every department; the Government works 
 were left unfinished ; drawbacks were no longer permitted ; large 
 bodies of workmen were left with nothing to do ; factories were 
 closed ; and utter stagnation was felt in business circles. I will 
 not anticipate the final results, as it is first necessary to treat upon 
 matters rather of Dominion than of Provincial significance. 
 
 About this time the Government was obliged to raise some 
 six million dollars for public purposes, but principally for the 
 construction of the Pacific Railway, and a delegation was sent to 
 England to ask for an Imperial guarantee. The English Lib- 
 erals, who were then in power, demurred to this application, and 
 in the end refused it altogether, alleging as a reason for their 
 refusal that the duties levied under the Canadian tariff practically 
 shut out the British manufacturers from the Canadian market, 
 and indeed seenied especially to discriminate against them, and 
 
25 
 
 that so long as Canada continued to adopt so unpatriotic a course, 
 the mother country could grant her no favors. The loan was 
 eventually secured from France, upon conditions which were 
 generally considered humiliating to the Dominion ; but the his- 
 tory of that transaction need not here be given. The refusal of 
 the British guarantee however produced a profound sensation in 
 Canada. Indignation meetings were held in all the large cities, 
 and within a year from the refusal, Canada ceased to be a British 
 possession. 1 need not refer to the events of that period at 
 length, as they are painful to contemplate even at the present 
 day. The Governor General retired from OttaAva to England ; 
 the old standard was hauled down, and in its stead the tri-color, 
 bearing the beaver and maple leaf, floated from the staff at the 
 capital. 
 
 The day upon which the declaration of independence was 
 formally read was more like a fast than a feast day, and a pro- 
 found sense of solemnity seemed to affect the people from the 
 Pacific to the Atlantic coast. Thank Providence, the dissolution 
 of the old bonds was accomplished without bloodshed. 
 
 It must not be supposed that the assumption of independence 
 by the Dominion involved a complete change of government, for 
 in reality the administration was conducted much the same as 
 usual. Almost immediately after the refusal of the guarantee, 
 Parliament was convened at Ottawa to consider the question of 
 separation, and although a few exceedingly intemperate speeches 
 were made, and some steps were taken which entirely precluded 
 the possibilitv of healing the breach between England and her 
 colony, the legislation of the session as a whole was such as the 
 exigencies of the case required. Among other things, it was 
 provided that the President of the Senate should, until further 
 provisions were made, preside over the Dominion with the title 
 of Archon, — the title President being discarded by a large ma- 
 jority ; that he should be invested with all the ordinary rights 
 of a Monarch under the British ctustitution, not however to 
 include the right of veto or the power to dismiss his Council ; 
 and that all commissions should be signed by Iiim and counter- 
 
26 
 
 signed by the Chief Justice, who was vested with the title of 
 Chancellor and given a seat in the Cabinet. The ensuing session 
 of Parliament was rich in surprises, if not to its members, at least 
 to the country. Almost every measure was submitted by the 
 Government, although only faintly foreshadowed in the Archon's 
 speech. An Act was passed by which the Premier was created 
 Duke of Kingston, while other members of the Cabinet were 
 created noblemen. The Dukes of Kingston, Quebec and Parrs- 
 borough, the Earls of Victoria, Trois Pistoles and Gasp6, and 
 the Marquises of Gagetown, Charlotte, Assineboine, Glengary 
 and Lunenburg thus obtained their patents, and were given seats 
 in the House of Lords, which was at the same time formed. All 
 the members of the old Senate were also granted patents of 
 nobility with seats among the Lords, without the right of trans- 
 mission, and with the title of Sieur. It was contemplated to 
 appoint the Premier Despot of the country with hereditary rights 
 to his children, but this was more than tlie majority of the House 
 would concede, and eventually it was determined that the title 
 Archon should be retained, and that the office should be filled 
 by the senior Duke for the time being. Thus was inaugurated 
 that extraordinary system which eventually destroyed almost 
 every vestige of popular power, and which transferred from the 
 people to a hybrid aristocracy the right to administer the affiiirs 
 of the country ; for it may be observed, that the majority of the 
 Cabinet was transferred from the Commons to the Lords, and 
 that practically their seats were secured not only for themselves 
 for life, but to their descendants in perpetuity. It must not be 
 imagined that the people calmly submitted to the changes which 
 took place. On the contrary, there were popular uprisings 
 through the length and breadth of the land. The Government 
 however was fully prepared for these, and it soon became quite 
 evident that the long continued confidence which the country 
 had placed in conservative princij^les and in the Tory leaders 
 had given the latter every opportunity to strengthen their posi- 
 tion, and that they had fully availed themselves of their oppor- 
 tunity. The Governments of the Provinces were in every 
 
27 
 
 instance in full accord with the Government of the Dominion, 
 and at its instance succeeded in inducing the Provincial Parlia- 
 ments to put an end to their existence. The affairs of each 
 Province were thereupon placed in the hands of a Council of 
 four and an Intendant, who received their appointments from 
 Ottawa, and held them at the pleasure of the Archon. All the 
 public officials were appointees of the Dominion Government, 
 and by extraordinary manipulation and an unblushing system of 
 favoritism, almost every officer in the Canadian army was a 
 Tory, died in the wool. And to cap everything, the Govern- 
 ment, by cancelling or threatening to cancel the charters of 
 Banks under Liberal management, so far controlled these insti- 
 tutions that it was almost impossible for any one with Liberal 
 tendencies to obtain discount. It may thus be seen that the 
 Government possessing or controlliifg so many methods for com- 
 pelling compliance with their wishes, found little difficulty in 
 suppressing active revolt and stifling complaints. 
 
 It is impossible to give an account in a few words of the 
 events of the next few years, so rich in incidents, but above all 
 in misfortunes ; but it would be absurd to attempt the slightest 
 sketch without referring to the difficulties with the United States. 
 I believe that while the Dominion was a British Colony its rela- 
 tions with the States were amicable, and that kindly expressions 
 of sentiment were frequently interchanged between the two 
 ccvntries. From the day that Canada commenced her career as 
 an independent power it is certain that courteous expressions 
 and friendly sentiments between the two nations ceased. It was 
 jxjrhaps natural that our Republican neighbors should object to 
 the institution in America of a titled aristocracy, but I scarcely 
 think they can be justified in habitually describing our country 
 as a one-horse affiiir, or in speaking of our nobles as Codfishes 
 and Potato Bugs. It certainly did not please the latter to have 
 their honors treated with such contempt, and although Canadians 
 did not retaliate by using insulting invectives, the haul ton cher- 
 ished a supreme contempt for the shoddy Yankees who possessed 
 neither titles nor family estates. Again, the Free Trade pro- 
 
■ 
 
 28 
 
 clivities of tlie Americans made them feel less sympathy than 
 they might otherwise have entertained for a people who main- 
 tained a policy of the most uncompromising Protection ; and 
 while our Government found it impossible to prevent or even 
 check smuggling along the boundary, the authorities at Wash- 
 ington treated the whole matter with indifference, or indeed rather 
 encouraged the infraction of our Customs regulations. 
 
 It was impossible that this state of affairs could long continue, 
 unless indeed the Canadian Government was prepared to submit 
 to proceedings which not only tended to cripple its finances, but 
 which also served to diminish its prestige. A Mr. Frederick 
 Gordon, a United States Senator, and who certainly should have 
 set to his countrymen an example of at least apparent respect 
 rather than contempt for t!ie regulations of a neighboring coun- 
 try, had established a larg^ trading concern on the Aroostook, 
 whence he managed to smuggle enormous quantities of dutiable 
 goods across the line. He was greatly assisted in his enterprise 
 by the Provincialists, and especially by a number of persons who 
 were avowedly employed in a potato starch factory near Edmond- 
 ston, from which it may be observed however that a very limited 
 supply of that article ever reached any market. The Intendant, 
 Sir Narcisse La Rue. a man distinguished equally for his cour- 
 age and his rashness, in imitation of Sir Howard Douglas, one 
 of the old provincial Governors, by a wonderfully rapid move- 
 ment, which was entirely unheralded, with two companies of 
 militia surrounded Mr. Gordon's store and dwelling houses at 
 midnight, burned the buildings and a large stock of miscella- 
 neous \yares, and carried off Mr. Gordon, who happened to be 
 there at the time, and his clerks. Sir Narcisse immediately 
 reijorted what he had done to Ottawa, and received from the 
 Archon a letter, in which he expressed his entire approval of the 
 course pursued, and directed the prisoners at once to be removed 
 to Quebec. This occurrence, as may readily be imagined, created 
 intense excitement at Washington and throughout the Union. 
 The President forthwith demanded the release of the prisoners, 
 an ample apology for the outrage, and the payment of an in- 
 
29 
 
 demnity somewhat more than double the value of the property 
 destroyed. The people of the State of Maine, without waiting 
 for orders from head quarters, formed themselves into companies 
 and burned and pillaged the dwellings of several farmers and 
 storekeepers near Tobique and Grand Falls and at other points 
 on the Canadian border. A small body of troops however was 
 brought up from Fredericton and posted in the neighborhood of 
 the Falls, and their presence served to preserve comparative 
 tranquillity. It must be confessed that, after the first excite- 
 ment, the people of the States, Maine alone excepted, behaved 
 with noticable moderation. The most respectable classes felt 
 no sympathy whatever for Gordon, and many honest traders 
 openly rejoiced that a competitor in the race for wealth had been 
 taught that wrong methods of acquiring riches could not be tol- 
 erated. As he was treated with great consideration in Quebec, 
 and even partook of the hospitality of leading citizens there, and 
 as his means were so amj)le that the loss of the Aroostock 
 property was a mere bagatelle, it was absurd and useless for the 
 socialists' leaders and mob orators to strive to awaken an intense 
 interest in his fate. Under all the circumstances, there can be 
 no doubt that had the authorities at Ottawa evinced the slightest 
 inclination to make reasonable concessions, the whole matter 
 might have been satisfactorily arranged, and not improbably with 
 some guarantee that a similar offence to that of Gordon's would 
 not again be committed. Unfortunately, the Archon was at this 
 particular period prostrated by one of those attacks to which he 
 was i^eculiarly liable, and the conduct of the matter was left to 
 the Duke of Pari-sborough. This nobleman, although possessing 
 abilities of no common order, was more inclined to butt against 
 difficulties than to work round them, and being naturally vin- 
 dictive and unforgiving, he could not miss this opportunity of 
 treating with supreme contempt a nation whose press had loaded 
 him and his title with ridicule of a particularly irritating charac- 
 ter. It may be added, that owing to the regular army and navy 
 being engaged in quelling the outbreak in the South, there was 
 certainly some ground for believing that the Government of the 
 
30 
 
 United States would not be able to enforce compliance with their 
 demands. The reply from Ottawa was couched in offensive 
 terms, and the Duke not only refused to release the prisoners, to 
 apologize for the acts of the Intendant, or pay any indemnity, 
 but required that, before any consideration should be given to 
 Mr. Gordon's case, the Government of the United States should 
 guarantee that its citizens should for the future abstain from any 
 infrii.gement of the Canadian Customs regulations, and should 
 pay to Canada, for the past infringement of the regulations, a 
 compensation, the amount of which should be settled by arbitra- 
 tion. 
 
 This ended the official correspondence ; the Ambassadors of 
 each country were ordered home, and both sides prepared for war. 
 
 It is not for me to speak in laudatory terms of the manner in 
 which the Canadian Generals conducted their operations during 
 tiie campaign ; but the most competent authorities have repeat- 
 edly expressed the opinion that the management could not have 
 been surpassed. It was also not till then suspected that so much 
 latent patriotism existed in Canada, or that the Goverrmient and 
 people would act so well together. It was about the end of har- 
 vest that the war broke out, and measures were at once taken to 
 secure and husband the crops, the exportation of which and also 
 of cattle, was prohibited. It was wisely considered that this 
 measure would prevent the inhabitants from suffering from star- 
 vation, and that eventually the people of England, deprived of 
 Canadian beef and grain, would be forced to interfere on our 
 behalf. The border settlements and villages were abandoned, 
 and the inhabitants retired with all their properties to the popu- 
 lous centres. ^ Bodies of troops were massed at the most available 
 points along the border, and comparatively perfect communica- 
 tion established between them. Detachments of the regular army 
 were stationed at the most vulnerable points, and to these the vol- 
 unteers were gradually added, after they had been subjected to as 
 severe and lengthy a course of discipline, as the circumstances, 
 especially the time, would permit. At the commencement of the 
 war a number of retired military and militia men came out from 
 
31 
 
 a 
 
 England and tendered their services, but at the instance of the 
 President, the British Government intervened, and as far as they 
 were able, prevented British subjects from violating a strict neu- 
 trality. The mechanics from the cities formed themselves into 
 regiments, and so did the farmers in the agricultural districts, 
 and in a word, all the Canadians capable of bearing arms volun- 
 teered for service and submitted themselves to a discipline of the 
 most exacting character. The women formed themselves into 
 guilds for the purpose of nursiivg the sick and wounded, or to 
 make clothing for the soldiers; and hospitals and magazines 
 were placed at intervals along the lines of railway. 
 
 The engineers were recalled from their labors on the Pacific 
 Railway, and colleges are established at Quebec and Montreal 
 to instruct them in the construction of fortifications, pontoons, 
 and such other works as were required in aggressive and defen- 
 sive warfare. As the time was exceedingly limited, and as it 
 was necessary to make constant drafts upon the students of these 
 institutions, it was impossible for them to obtain more than a 
 mere smattering of information, but it is certainly remarkable 
 that the members of the engineer corps were not one whit behind 
 their brethren in the other branches of the service. The fleet, 
 consisting of "The Sachem," a ])owerful ram; "The Conserva- 
 tive," a frigate ; and the gun boats "Protection," "La Fontaine," 
 " Sir George Cartier," and " The Beaver," were stationed at the 
 mouth of the Gulf and the entrance of the Bay of Fundy until 
 the close of the navigation, when the gun boats wintx^^red in 
 Halifax, and the others kept in harbor at Saint John. The 
 Americans apj)eared to treat all these preparations with indiifer- 
 ence, and, while they drafted a very considerable number of 
 troops, did nothing of an aggressive nature, and seemed to con- 
 sider that the Canadians could not be in earnest, but were only 
 making a final flurry before the consummation of that grand 
 scheme, so long expected, whereby the whole of North America 
 should come under the Stars and Stripes. 
 
 The first actual hostilities were commenced in the far west 
 by a handful of Canadian traders, who assembled a large force 
 
32 
 
 of Indians, with whom were many brethren across the line. A 
 raid was made by this body on the prairie farmers, and although 
 a vigorous resistance was offered, the latter were utterly defeated. 
 The attack was attended by so much wanton cruelty and brutal- 
 ity that our neighbors could stand it no longer, and a cry went 
 up from the whole Union for revenge. I would refer to Van 
 Heutsler's account of the winter campaign as affording to the 
 enquirer ample means to inform himself of the successes and 
 reverses of the two armies, for, although the author is a natural- 
 ized citizen of the United States, he shares none of the prejudices 
 of the people among whom he lives, and writes with an evident 
 desire to state nothing but the truth. 
 
 It is needless to tell of the contemplated simultaneous attacks 
 upon Toronto and Montreal ; of the defeat of General Freeman 
 and his picked Detroit and Chicago regiments ; of the retreat of 
 our troops at Lennoxville, and of the brave stand which they 
 and the reinforcements made at St. Hyacinthe, whence the pur- 
 suit of the American columns was only stayed by the greatest 
 snow-storm ever known in Canada. The author to whom I have 
 referred pictures both of these in a masterly manner, and in read- 
 ing of the latter esj)ecially, you seem to hear the roar of the 
 cannon and to see the flakes drifting and whirling before the 
 wind in all their whiteness, and changing, as if by magic, into 
 crimson when they find at last the battle-field. All the old order 
 of things was reversed in this great struggle, for neither army 
 went into winter quarters, but spent the long inclement season 
 either in the field or in the border towns, the Canadians being 
 mainly on the defensive, but now and then distinguishing them- 
 selves by bold dashes upon the enemy, gaining thereby, it must 
 be confessed, rather glory than profit. 
 
 Thus the winter passed, with great loss of life on both sides, 
 but with no decided advantage to either, unless indeed the respect 
 which the Americans were forced to entertain for the military 
 organization and the heroic conduct of the Canadians may be 
 considered an advantage. 
 
 During the latter part of April and for the whole of May, a 
 
33 
 
 dense fo^ hung beyond the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, and, like 
 a great dripping pall, covered the entire Province, the Western 
 Islands and the Bay of Fundy, stretching inland over the coast 
 line of Maine and New BrunHwi{!k. On the evening of the fif- 
 teenth day of May the vessels of the Canadian fleet, to which a 
 corvette had been added, might have been descried a few miles 
 distant from Grand Manan, looming through the mist, one by 
 one dropping into appointed places. Early in the following 
 morning a single gun was fired from The Conservative, and the 
 vessels slowly steamed away in a single line, noiselessly, save for 
 the whispered sound the long swash left in the wake of each, and 
 vanished in the oozy air. Lonjr before dawn on the seventeenth 
 the jKJople of Portland, Maine, were awakened by the boom of 
 cannon, the whistling of rifle balls, and the bursting of shells. 
 By mid-day the abandoned city was everywhere in flames, and the 
 fleet was steaming off fidl speed for Boston. It seems almost 
 incredible that the people of Maine were so entirely taken by 
 surprise on this occasion, but it must be remembered that the 
 eastern lines of telegraph were totally destroyed, that Eastport 
 and the Maine coast were deserted, and that only a few venture- 
 some fishermen were afloat on the waters through Avhich the fleet 
 made its way. Again, so carefully was the secret guarded that 
 even I, who had the means of knowing every contemplated move- 
 ment, was unaware of this. It is the belief of many to the 
 present day that the Archon, the Duke of Parrsborough and Sir 
 Louis Hebert the admiral, projected, and were alone aware of the 
 scheme until the fleet sailed, and that from that time, only those 
 on board the vessels could form any surmise as to their destina- 
 tion. 
 
 Had fortune been propitious a little longer, no one can tell 
 what might have been the result. Alas for Canada ! on the very 
 day that Portland was in flames, the rupture between the North 
 and South was healed, to the satisfaction of both parties, and 
 Admiral Hailes with the whole United States fleet, and fully 
 aware of the perils of his native State, was steaming rapidly to 
 the eastward. Detaching five vessels^ including his largest ram, 
 
■I 
 
 34 
 
 to awjist the JioHtoniaiiH, he made his way up the St. Lnwrence, 
 and on the second of June appeared l)efbre (iuebet;. HcroicjiIIy 
 did the garrison of tliat ancient city defend thcmHelvcs, hut when 
 they learned that Toronto was in tiie hands of the enemy, and 
 that the victorious army was marching upon Montreal, having 
 destroyed the intervening towns and cut to pieces the interce[)ting 
 Canadian columns, they accepted the honorable terms proposed, 
 and surrendered. 
 
 The Commandant has been severely censured for not availing 
 himself of a longer period of hia position and opjmrtimitics. I 
 cannot think that he deserved censure, and indeed had he j)er- 
 sisted in his defence througii the summer, as I grant he might 
 have done, he would, in ray opinion, have incurred a serious 
 responsibility for the great loss of life which would have cer- 
 tainly ensued, while in the end he must have succumbed. It 
 should be borne in mind that he had no chance whatever of relief 
 from outside, and that the victorious army, marching from Tor- 
 onto, consisted not of raw levies, as during the previous winter, 
 but of tried soldiers recently 'from the South. Neither should it 
 be forgotten that by the massacre at Kingston, Montreal was 
 practically defenceless, as the city could expect no relief from the 
 battalions at St. Hyacinth almost encompassed by the large and 
 increasing forces of the enemy. 
 
 Had it not been that England and the United States were at 
 the time on those friendly terms which have subsisted ever since, 
 it is not improbable that, as a result of the war, Canada would 
 have been absorbed by the Republic. England however exerted 
 all her influence in our favor, and the King, who had a vivid 
 remembrance of the reception extended to him by the people 
 of the Provinces when he was Prince of Wales, sent an auto- 
 graph letter to the President entreating, as a personal favor, that 
 every possible indulgence might be extended to the Canadians 
 in the final negotiations. The efforts of the British were far 
 from being ineffectual, and although much was conceded by the 
 Dominion, it was far less than had been anticipated. By the 
 
35 
 
 treaty of Quel)e(! liowevcr the Americtiurt extended their Ixmnda- 
 rics to the western "lore of the St. John River, obtained control 
 of the navigation of the great Lakes and the River St. Lawrence, 
 equal rights with the Canadians in the coast and deep sea Fish- 
 eries, and secured for British Columbia and Vancouver's Island 
 a long sought independence. On the other hand, tiie United 
 States, as I think with a go(xl deal of niagnaniniity, undertook 
 to prevent smuggling across the border as ft«r as it was possible, 
 it being admitted that the facilities (sreated, by tiie ac<{uisition of 
 inland navigation, for the commission of this offence, rendered it 
 more necessary than before to take ste])s for its prevention. 
 
 lans 
 far 
 the 
 the 
 
 It would naturally be imagined that, after the national liUf 
 niiliation, the yielding of so great an extent of territory, and the 
 surrender of such important advanUiges, tlie Canadian Govern- 
 ment would have exiiibit* <1 more modesty than before, and have 
 shown an inclination to } • M something to the people. It was 
 not so however, and it so' became apparent that no means 
 would be left untried to ml the powers of the favored classes, 
 the recognized aristocracy, and the great manufacturers. Again, 
 the French Conservatives, wiiose theories were entirely opposed 
 to popular rights, year by year gained an influence which was 
 alike irresistible and intolerable. This was largely due to the 
 enormous emigration of English-speaking people which, begin- 
 ning after the separation from P]ngland — when indeed an insig- 
 nificant number only left the country — gradually increased to 
 such an extent that, at the sacking of St. John, there were not 
 more than two hundred thousand English or Anglo Americans 
 in the Maritime Provinces. The French Liberals also removed 
 in large numbers to Newfoundland and the United States, find- 
 ing life simply uubeaiable in Canada. Again, as the French 
 loan, to which I have referred, was mainly and necessarily repaid 
 in land, which was put in the market in France, numbers of the 
 people of that country, more esi)ecially believers in the hopeless 
 claims of the Bourbons, eagerly purchased, and sought a country 
 whose institutions surpassed their own ideal. 
 
36 
 
 It soon became a crime to be a Liberal, and the greatest pains 
 were taken to degrade the leaders of the Liberal party. An Act 
 was paseed changing the names of McKenzie, Cartwright, Hunt- 
 ington and Blake, by whomsoever borne, into Smith, so that the 
 former jiatronymics should merge into one that was largely disse- 
 minated, and of itself, except with reference to a few instances, not 
 offensively distinguished. For the same reason, parents, sponsors 
 and ministers of religion were absolutely prohibited from baptizing 
 or jxirmitting any infant or person to be baptized by the name 
 of Alexander, Richard, Lucius, Seth, or Edward. The Parlia- 
 mentary enactments however were not many, for Parliament met 
 only at intervals of five and seven years, and its functions indeed 
 were largely abated by the system pursued of initiating and even 
 absolutely allowing money grants in the Lords, who were some- 
 times summoned without the Commons. 
 
 I have stated that the French Conservative influence gradu- 
 ally increased, and I may here projierly report a few of the 
 results of this. 
 
 In the first place, the Divorce Court was abolished, and Bills 
 presented to Parliament for divorce a vinculo were so persistently 
 thrown out that very soon no person had the temerity to attempt 
 to dissolve the marriage tie by this method. I am not entirely 
 prepared to condemn the views of those who succeeded in pre- 
 venting husbands and Avives from absolutely separating from 
 each other, because I know that much may be urged in their 
 favor. 
 
 But I am unable to express any approval of the introduction 
 of Ecclesiasticf: jto the Courts, a system which has been gener- 
 ally and properly condemned for many reasons which are so 
 obvious that they need scarcely be discussed. The most striking 
 instance of the influence of the party will however be found in 
 the Act for regulating and establishing religion. It must indeed 
 be stated that the French Conservatives cannot claim this mea- 
 sure entirely as their own, for a certain Professor was probably 
 responsible for an important part of its composition. This 
 gentleman, although a Liberal Free Trader in England, was 
 
37 
 
 a violent Tory Protectionist in Canada, and being a ready, 
 though not a convincing writer, was greatly patronized by the 
 Canadian Goverr.'^'.e'it. Possessing inordinate confidence in his 
 own prescience, he indulged to a large extent in prophesying 
 the future of Canada, and amongst other things, foretold that 
 eventually all Canadians would be members of the Methodist 
 Church. No one, unless perhaps an occasional extra sanguine 
 class leader, placed nuich reliance in this expression of the some- 
 what over-productive seer ; and probably no one was more sur- 
 prised than he when his prophecy was half fulfilled. The French 
 Conservatives, led by their priests, were perpetually clamoring 
 for Church establishment in Canada, and although at first the 
 resistance to their claims was very vigorous, it gradually be- 
 came more feeble, and eventually entirely disappeared. The 
 establishment of the Roman Church was of course implied, or 
 rather, distinctly demanded, but the Protestant element was too 
 strong to yield to quite so large a requisition. At length it was 
 agreed that the Roman Church should be established in Quebec 
 and the Maritime Provinces, and that a Protestant Church, re- 
 cognizing infant baptism and the fundamentals of religion, should 
 be established in the West. Some time elapsed before a selec- 
 tion could be made, but as the Baptists were ineligible, and the 
 Anglicans divided into stormy factions, and as the French could 
 not tolerate the Calvinism of the Presbyterians, the Methodists, 
 who formed a large and compact body, holding homogeneous 
 views, and acting harmoniously together, eventually secured in 
 the West the same position which the Roman Catholics obtained 
 in the Eastern Provinces. It cannot be said that the Methodists 
 gained much by the status which they acquired, and not impro- 
 bably the French Prelates foresaw results which later days have 
 developed. The acquisition of tithes and the accumulation of 
 revenue begat a spirit of inertness among the laymen which was 
 in no ways counteracted by the clergy, who, relieved from de- 
 pendence on their congregations for support, rapidly became 
 adepts in political intrigue, in hopes of procuring preferment, 
 devoted no attention to the art of preaching, and neglected their 
 c 
 
38 
 
 spiritual functions. In Toronto at the present day the temples 
 of Eleusis and the halls of the secret societies are better attended 
 than the churches, and the congregations in the tolerated schis- 
 matic churches are, I think, larger than those of the Establish- 
 ment. 
 
 I have used the expression Roman Church to distinguish 
 the religion of the French Conservatives from that of the Eng- 
 lish-speaking Protestants, but there are those who would have no 
 hesitation in pronouncing the term in this connection a misnomer. 
 I am not a theologian, and in vexed religious matters cannot 
 pretend to call myself an authority. I am however justified in 
 stating that, owing to various reasons, but especially to the strong 
 opposition to the appointment of Irish Prelates in Canada, the 
 Roman Catholic Irish have long held the opinion that the 
 French Conservatives are unfaithful churchmen. I have some 
 doubts whether the Irish are quite just in their views, but know- 
 ing the hatred of tyranny and the love of liberty which have 
 always distinguished these people, I can well understand the op- 
 position which they maintain against clerical assumj>tions, which, 
 they contend, are put forward not for the benefit of the church, 
 to which they are most warmly attached, or at its instance, but 
 solely for political purposes. 
 
 Who would imagine that the country which, three centuries 
 ago, was a howling wilderness, should now enjoy so many of the 
 privileges of civilization ? Let me enumerate a few of them : — 
 titled aristocracy ; established churches ; enta' I estates and large 
 landed proprietors ; thousands of tenants paying rents on unre- 
 newable leases ; game laws, and parks protected for the nobility; 
 postal rates as high as in England during the reign of Elizabeth ; 
 a six hundred pia.stre freehold franchise ; monopolies by the old 
 or wealthy families of all offices ; no public schools ; tiie aboli- 
 tion of trial by jury; occasional sessions of Parliament; super- 
 vision of the press ; a huge national debt ; and last, but not least, 
 the National Policy. And yet, with all these blessings, there are 
 actually some Canadians who pretend that they are not liappy. 
 
39 
 
 I was not ill the least surprised, and had some difficulty in 
 pretending to be so, when Rick informed nie that he and Alice 
 were engaged. He was greatly alarmed lest I should consider 
 this a misalliance, little guessing how much I appreciate modest 
 worth. I am charmed with the termination of this short court- 
 ship, and Rick and Alice shall have between them, when I am 
 no more, £70,000 at least, not in Canadian bonds, but in British 
 consols, and I dare say that with economy they will be able to 
 journey through life pretty comfortably. 
 
 12th September. — A black day in the annals of St. John and 
 in my memory. On the day previous to the events which I am 
 about to relate I was with the Marquis of Gagetown at Amherst. 
 It was late in the evening, and we were about stepping into the 
 train for Halifax, when a telegram was delivered to my superior. 
 Although in general he possessed complete command over tne 
 expression of his face, his features on this occasion exhibited pain, 
 dread and surprise, and handing me the message, he at once 
 ordered the luggage to be taken back to the inn, and before I 
 fully understood what had occurred, the train was off and we 
 were standing on the platform of the station. The message came 
 from the Prefect of St. John and was as follows : 
 
 " The citizcrs are up in aruis. It is of the utmost import- 
 ance that you should be here, and as soon as possible." 
 
 A special train was at once secured, but a clear track could 
 not be obtained for some hours, and it was not till after mid- 
 night that we were on our way. Oh the agonies of that swift 
 journey through the darkness : we two, sitting opposite each 
 other, saying little, but thinking, aye, thinking till I at last be- 
 lieved I should go mad : he, doubtless troubled for the welfare 
 of the country, and perhaps chiefly for the safety of his old con- 
 stituents and quondam friends : I, not indeed utterly regardless 
 of public matters, but thinking most of her. Yet I was not so 
 self-absorbed that I fiiiled to notice what transpired around me ; 
 indeed the most trivial matters attracted my full attention. And 
 amid all my misery, I could scarcely refrain from laughing 
 
40 
 
 aloud as I observed tlic Marquis jotting down column after 
 column of figures, and working out the results. The worthy 
 nobleman was indeed a worshioner of arithmetic, and I have no 
 doubt that he fully believed that his calculations would restore 
 harmony and happiness where discord and wretchedness now 
 reigned, in the ill-fated city. 
 
 It was a dull, lowering morning when we reached Rothesay, 
 and the branches of the trees were wet and dripping from the 
 drizzle of the preceding night. A couple of detachments of 
 mounted rifles met us, and from the officer in charge we learned 
 many more particulars than those obtained on the road. The 
 conflict between the citizens and the soldiery liad been severe, 
 and it was estimated that fully eight hundred of the former had 
 fallen, although it was difficult to say how many of these were 
 killed and how many wounded. Of the military, one hundred 
 and ninety-four were reported dead or missing, and one hundred 
 and seventy-three M^ounded. 
 
 It was a weird, dreary looking sky above us, and dark scud 
 was moving slowly towards the north. The fog horn and the 
 surf bell sounded ominously from the water, and the guns from 
 Red Head battery proclaimed a muffled welcome to the fleet 
 which we learned was just entering the harbor. 
 
 The military guarded all the approaches to the city, for there 
 was some fear of the yeomanry of King's County ; and we saw 
 none other than soldiers till we reacl^.ed the Court House. 
 
 Never till life ends shall I forget that fearful picture. On 
 the one side, the soldiers drawn up in solid ranks with fixed 
 bayonets, prepared at any moment to renew their bloody work. 
 On the other side, the towns-folk, chiefly men, but some women 
 and many boys, wretched yet defiant, and with countenances that 
 betokened mingled feelings of ferocity and despair. And I noted 
 many with bandages, and with arms in slings and streaks of red 
 upon their faces. 
 
 Then there was that single speaker upon the Court House 
 steps, now beseeching, now reasoning, but ever falling back on 
 
41 
 
 those interminable calculations, and I must confess with such 
 effect on me that I almost began to think that surely he was the 
 only one who saw realities, and that all the suffering and injus- 
 tice of which we heard so much were shams. 
 
 Yet even he could not have believed all he said, for suddenly 
 he changed his tone, and in the most earnest manner, promised 
 a readjustment of tariff, and redress for everything of which his 
 dear friends, the people, had reason to complain. 
 
 A sharp report! I turned and saw the man who fired: 
 great heavens, it was her father ! I looked for the Marquis and 
 saw a figure falling into outstretched arms. A how), followed 
 by a rattle of musketry, and all was sound and smoke and miserv 
 and frenzv. 
 
 A knock ! How it startled mo : and yet I think that, half 
 unconsciously, I heard it tvvi(!e before. It is only Alice, who 
 tells me that her aunt is dying, and wishes to see me. 
 
 I make a note of this, because it may explain any difference 
 between what is written and what is to follow. 
 
 N. B. — I must relate the remainder of my story more calmly. 
 
 Note.— My poor friend's Njirrative ends here, and the iinal words are 
 indeed the la,st which he ever wrote. Why Jie did not continue his labors I 
 might exphiin at length, but it would be a sad task. I therefore content 
 myself with furnishing, by way of explanation, the following translations of 
 extracts from " Le Courrier de St. Jean " newspaper of 13th Seiiteniber, 1<)27. 
 
 E. D. * 
 
 " It is our melancholy duty to announce the death of Mr. Ryerson, whiVli 
 occurred yesterday morning. The deceased died suddenly, and was found bv 
 his nephew — who had conversed with him only an hour before — sitting in his 
 chair with his head bent forward on the table, ipiitc dead. Mr. Ryerson, who 
 Jias been largely connected with public life in Canada, was an Englishman bv 
 birth, but a Canadian in feeling. Politically he was an ardent Blue, and an 
 uncompromising opponent of that party M-hirh fortunately no longer raises its 
 (iursed head. He was a man of great culture and excellent judgment, and will 
 
42 
 
 be Kreutly missed by tlie proiuining young Nobleman for wliom he acted ii« 
 fcSecretary. We sl.ail refer to the liistory of the deeeased more tidly in our 
 next." 
 
 "On the same dav, and almost at the same hour as those on which the death 
 of Mr. Ryerson occ'urred, and strange to say, in the same buildn.g as tlnd in 
 which he died-the granite Bourse-an elderly and well known ady departed 
 this life. It has been currently reported that Miss Morton, as she wa« c'vHed, 
 was in reality the daughter of the detestable would be assassin ol the first 
 Marquis of Gagetown. There is some reason to believe that the repor i« 
 true but if it is, we will do the dece=u.ed the justice to state, that by her an able 
 conduct and her constant active charity, which was particularly noticeable m 
 a heretic, sjie did much to efface the black mark of her origin. 
 
111- 
 kill 
 
 in 
 ;ed 
 
 ed, 
 rst 
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 ble 
 in