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SHOET HISTOEY
OF TUK
rri
CANADIAN PEOPLE
BY
GEORGE BRYCE, M.A., LL.D.
PROFESSOR IN MANITOBA. COLLEGE, WINNIPEG;
l>ilii/ui,i,jion.,l de llmtituthn r.thnou,a,,hique. Pans; Pn-M;U Manitoba UUtorirnl Sorutu-
Conrsiwmlimj Mnuher Am,;icau Uistoriral .Issovinti,,,,, ,„„l of M„ntn;d Celtic Sociftt/ ;
Author, " .Mimitoh,!, its Infaiidj. Oniiri/i, ami Vrrscnt Omilitimi " [\m-i) ;
Article, " Manitoha " in " Jincijrlnpieilia Uvitannica ;"
t ' ' Fife Forts of Win n ipeg ' ' ( Royal Society) ;
" MoumI Uitililcrs," .\c.
■IJ
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTOX, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET
Coionto
W. J. GAGE AND COMPANY
1S87
r
lAU rights reserved]
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
CroKH Swo, with IllustraHont and Mups, 7i>. Gil.
MANITO BA :
Its Infancy, Growth, and Becent Condition,
London . SAMrs.ON LOW, MARSTOX, SEARLE, & RIVINGTOX,
188, FtEET Street, EX'.
f .^ ; ■
1— £ — 1— ,^
St
I
n
rREFACE.
Canadians desire to know more of the ofirly condition of
their fathers, of the ek'ments from which the peoph' huvo
sprung-, of the material, social, and religious forci's at
work to make Canada what she is, of the picturesque or
romantic in deed or sentiment, and of the growth of the
great principles of liberty by which the nation is main-
tained.
The writer has departed from the usual custom in
previous Canadian histories of giving whole chapters on
the war of 1812 — 1815; the rise and fall of administra-
tions, whose single aim seemed to be to grasp power; and
on petty discussions which have left no mark upon the
country.
Instead of making his work a "drum and trumpet
history," or a " mere record of faction fights,'^ the author
aims at giving a true picture of the aboriginal inhabi-
tants, the early explorers and fur-traders, and the scenes
of the French regime; at tracing the events of the
coming of the Loyalists, who were at once the " Pilgrim
Fathers '' of Canada, and the " Jacobites " of America ;
and at following in their struggles and improvement the
bands of sturdy immigrants, as year a . year they
sought homes in the wilderness, and by hundreds of
thousands filled the land.
While a sympathizer with movements for the wide
extension of true freedom, and rejoicing that "through
the shadow of the globe we sweep into the younger day,^'
yet the author is a lover of the antique, and finds interest
A 2
17
PREFACK.
in tlio misncccs<at
majoi'ity <>f cases the "original" sources have been con-
sulted, and some of the more reliable authorities have
Ix^en named in the "references" at the head of each
chapter.
In the Appendices, Chronological Annals, and Index,
assistance for the reader in consulting the work will be
found.
'Co make history picturesque must be the aim of the
modern historian. The time has gone by when mere
compilation of facts, however accurate, and collections of
undigested material will be taken as history. History
must bo a picture of the working out of human life
under its conditions of infinite variety and complexity.
The author aims at viewing Canada from a " Dominion"
standpoint. IJeing a Canadian, born and bred, he wishes
to portray the beginnings and growth of life, in the
s(;verjil provinces, from Halifax to Victoria, with patriotic
feeling. His extensive acquaintance with the various
parts of Canada, and his connections with learned circles
in Britain and the United States, have given him ex-
ceptional opportunities, in consulting useful manuscripts
and original documents.
The author desires to return warmest thanks to Justin
Winsor, Esq., Librarian of Harvard College, Cambridge ;
Dr. Green, of Massachusetts Historical Society; M.
Sylvain, of Ottawa Parliamentary Library ; Douglas
Brymner, Esq., Archivist, Ottawa; and to Messrs. Bain
and Houston, Librarians, of Toronto Public and Parlia-
mentary Libraries. The services of these scholarly and
obliging gentlemen Lave been invaluable to him.
f?0(
UohJi'filin
>ti;i,inid
I'Jll JJl'O-
u
w infiiiy
(' gri'iit
cMi con-
OS hav(?
of oucli
Iiulox,
will bo
I of tlio
n mere;
tioiis of
History
an life
3xity.
niuion
( wishes
in the
atriotic
various
[ circles
lim ex-
iscripts
Justin
bridge ;
y; M.
)ougla3
's. Bain
Parlia-
rly and
CONTENTS.
CJIAPTKR I.
THE DOMINION OF (ANA DA.
Section I. — Namo and Extent
„ II. — Boundaries oi' ( 'iinada .
„ III. — (Jeneral .Sketch of the i*roviuces .
CIIArTER 11.
rREIIISTOIUC AND EARLY AMKIUCA,
flection I. — Geological Data ....
II.— .Alyths
in. — Traditions .....
IV. — Notable Voyages and Discoveries
CHAPTER III.
THE ANC'IKNT INHABITANTS OF CANADA.
Section T. — The Mound Builders
„ n. — The present Indian tribes ....
„ III. — Domestic life of the Indians
M IV.— Language, Manners, and Customs
»i V. — Social, Political, and Religious Organization
CHAPTER IV.
THE OLD COLONIES ALONG THE ATLANTIC.
Section T.— The French Colonies of Acadia and Canada
„ II. — English CavaUer and Puritan Colonies
». III. — Colonies of various origins ....
PACK
1
6
?>'2
'37
55
85
88
01)
TOO
118
128
II! >
16-2
J;
VI
Contents.
VUAVTVAl V.
THE FRENCH Uh(;i.MK IN CANADA AND ACADIA.
PAOK
Section T. — fJovornor and T'('oj)lo . . . . , .171
„ H. — 'I'lic Cliurcli ami MissioiiarioM .... 177
,, III. — TIk^ inarvrllouH Opening of the AVost . . . 181
„ IV. — Indian iloHtiiitit'.s ...... 19^1
,, V. — WavH and trncew en 202
. 221
248
262
274
281
288
291
298
310
CHAPTEIl X.
THM MAKrVfJ OF (ANAHA. (1817—1835.)
Section I.— 'I'ho threat Imini^'nitioii . . . ,
„ II. — The Fiitnily Compact utkI itH Oppououts .
„ III.— Tbo Htruggle for Freedom . . . .
CHAPTER XI.
THE nEHKLLIONS AND TIIK NKW CONSTITUTION,
Section I. — Sedition in Lower Canada ....
„ II. — The Rebels in Upper Canada
,, HI. — The New C(juHtitutiou ....
CHAPTER XII.
PROGRESS IN PROVINCIAL LIFE.
Section T. — Growth in Population
,, 1 1. — The Stormy Sea of Politics ....
„ 111. — Keel, Lock, and Rail .
„ IV.— Field, Forest, Mine, and Sea
>>
V. — Commercial, Flducational, and Social Progress
VI. — The Federal Union accomplished
CHAPTER XIIL
TUE CANADIAN PEOPLE UNDER CONFEDERATION,
Section I. — The Affairs of State .
„ 11. — Acquisition of the Great North -West
„ HI. — The National Highway
„ IV. — Growth of a Military Sentiment
» V. — Literature, Science, and Art
„ VI. — Religion and Morals
,, VII. — The destiny of Canada
PA OR
346
357
368
A PPENDIX A. — Provisions of British North America Act
„ B, — Comparative Table of Governors of Canada . o
Chronological Annals . .511
Index 521
445
454
460
466
474
483
490
495
^■08
I 1
380
Vk
385
^:i
392
»■'''«.
n
1 1'
398
V'-
407
:i
420
ti
427
<
432
440
■ »
r
3 '
Map of the Dominion of Canada.
i
t:
^i
^ (Rof(
<) vols.
Utrech
G vols.,
It was
in hist
the CO
countr
their I
on Hi
king a
the lar
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—the:
Fraser
Scottis
to can
Montre
"wilderi
Edwan
of ener
t'A
A SHOET HISTORY
OF
THE CANADIAN PEOPLE.
CHAPTER I.
THE DOMINION OF CANADA.
' *
' '■ iJ
Section I. — The Name and Extent.
(References : Charlevoix, " Histoire de la Nouvelle France,"
vols., Paris, 1744; Hennepin, "Nouvelle Decouverte," &c.,
Utrecht, 1698; Schoolcraft's "Indian Tribes of North America,"
6 vols., Philadelphia, 1853.)
: It was a Frenchman of Brittany who, first of Europeans
in historic times, set foot upon Canadian soil and claimed
the country for his kino;", and so for many of his fellow-
countrymen who afterwards came to make New France
their home. It was a company of English adventurers
on Hudson Bay who for two centuries kept for their
king and country the almost continuous sovereignty of
the land bestowed upon them, and it was a young English
general, dying in the hour of victory on the plains near
Quebec, who engraved the name of England on Canada
— the fairest jewel in the British crown. It was brave
Fraser and Montgomery Highlanders, and restless
Scottish pioneers, who came as early settlers, the former
to carry with French voyageurs the fur trade from
Montreal to distant Athabasca, the latter to reclaim the
wilderness along the sea-shore of Nova Scotia and Prince
Edward Island, as well as elsewhere, who gave elements
of energy and thrift to Canada. It was the sweetest
B
. 1 .
• «..
?' r
¥'
11-
I ' '. '
A Short History of
poet of Ireland who, gliding with the boatmen down the
beautiful St. Lawrence, sang the best-known Canadian
song in the land whither many of his countrymen have
since come to find freedom and prosperity. Last, and
perhaps most important, it was American loyalists who,
sacrificing Avorldly goods, preserved their honour to be
an inheritance to their children in New Brunswick and
elsewhere along the sea, as well as to bo the leaders in
laying the foundations of a new community upon the
shores of the lakes Erie and Ontario. Ours is the duty
of telling the story of this gathering of the races from
the several sources named, and of the consolidation of
them and their descendants into one people bearing the
name Canadian, and who have, under the shelter of
Britain, extended the rule of Canada to a region stretch-
ing between the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans,
including well-nigh half of North America.
No name could have been more appropriate for this
vast territory, for the name Canada goes back to within
half a century of the discovery of the continent by
Colombo. We find it first used in Cartier's account of
his voyage given by Bamusio, 1556. It was used for a
century and a half before we find any allusion to its
meaning, and this no doubt accounts for the difference of
opinion on the subject. It is in the writings of Father
Hennepin in 1698, that we are told "that the Spaniards
were the first who discovered Canada ; but at their first
arriving, having found nothing considei'able in it, they
abandoned the country and called it ' II Capo di Nada,^
i.e. a cape of nothing ; hence, by corruption, sprang
the word Canada, which we use in all the maps.^^
About half a century later, Father Charlevoix, in 1744,
states that the Bay of Chaleur was formerly called the
" Bay of Spaniards," and an ancient tradition goes that
the Castillians had entered there before Cartier, and
that when they there perceived no appearance of mines,
they pronounced two words, " Aca nada,^' nothing here,
meaning no gold or silver j the savages afterwards re-
peated these words to the French, who thus came to
look upon Canada as the name of the country.
was
THE Canadian Pkopli-:
m
1
m
As regards tho voyaps-es of the Spaniards to which
rrference is made, it has been usual to identify them with
tliose of Velasquez to the coast of Canada. It has now
l)een found that the reputed voyages of this Spaniyd
are spurious, so that it is evident no reliance can bo
])liic'ed on this as tlie origin of t'le name Canada.
Father Charlevoix states in a note that " some derive
this name from the Iroquois word ' Kannata/ which is
pronounced ' Cannada/ and signifies a collection of dwell-
ings/' This derivntion is borne out by Schoolcraft,
who states that the Mohawk word for town is '^Ka-na-ta/'
the Cayuga "Ka-ne-tae/^ and the Oneida '^ Ku-na-diah,''
and these were three members of the Iroquois confederacy.
The use of the word Kannata ibr village, in Jirant's
translation of the Gospel by Mark into Mohawk, in the
latest years of last century, confirms this derivation;
while the detection of Iroquois intlnence by recent in-
vestigators m the villages of Hochelaga and Stadacona,
at tlie time when Cartier first visited them, renders this
explanation reasonably certain.
Canada continued sole name of the country discovered
by the French on the banks of tho St. Lawrence until
1G09, in which year the Canadian explorer, Ghamplain,
havinir o'iven at Fontainebleau before the French kin"",
Henry IV., an account of the country, it received the
name " La Nouvelle France.'' As the French explora-
tions were continued up the St. Lawrence and along the
shores of the great lakes, the name Canada or Nouvelle
France became one of wider significance, until towards
the end of the seventeenth century it meant all the
territory claimed by the French southward to the English
possessions, from which it might be said in general
terras the Ohio River divided it, and west until the
Mississippi was reached.
\V\^st of the Mississippi lay Louisiana, seemingly
claimed by the French by virtue of their explorations by
way of the mouth of the Mississippi. Northward the
territory from St. Anthony Falls, on the Father of Waters,
was practically unknown till the third decade of the
eighteenth century. The northern boundary of Canada
13 2
i
U'-1
[A
Si
t.
!■
«■■ ■
A Short History of
was at the time of the Treaty of Utrecht ia 1713, regarded
as being described by the lieight of laiid between the
lakes and Hudson Bay. That treaty provided thaiy
commissioners should be appointed to lay out this line,
but this was never carried out.
It was after the American Revolution, in what, so far
as Canada is concerned, may be called the Cession ratfior
than the Treaty oF Paris, that the vast territory south
and west of the great lakes to the Ohio and Misis^sippi
rivers was deliberately given up to the United States.
This seems all the more surprising and unfortunate
when it is remembered that the British Parliament had
in 1774 extended, by its own legislation, the boundaries
of the then Province of Quebec to the wider limits named.
A few years after the Treaty of Paris, when Canada had
been so shorn of her wide domain, a division was made
of the territory remaining, by the Imperial Parliament,
into Lower Canada, containing chiefly the French popula-
tion, and Upper Canada, that portion bounded mainly by
the Ottawa liiver, the Upper St. LaAvrence, and the lakes.
It was only in 18G7-73 that the name of Canada
was given to a wider region than ever before, under tha
rule of a dominion or confederated government. The
Canada, then, of the united Canadian people is the
result of the natural ties and patriotic statesmanship of
those attached to the British Crown upon the North
American continent. It was on .Dominion Day, July 1st,
1867, that the Royal proclamation, dated on the 22nd
May preceding at Windsor Castle, joined the four leading
members of the Confederation, Ontario, Quebec, Nova
Scotia, and New Brunswick, into a united Canada. This
union not only gave relief from political difficulties then
existing, but consolidated British power upon this con-
tinent, and awoke to life in the Dominion a young
national existence, afterwards bringing in the North-
west, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia.
True there are those who lament that among Canadians
there is not a stronger sentiment of nationality. There
does not seem much ground for this complaint when it
is remembered that there were in 1881, out of 4,324,810
"ii
THE Canadian People.
5
of a populiition in tlio Dominion, no less than 3,715,492
nativo-born Canadians, and when ifc can be stated that
there i.s n far stronger feeling of nnity in the Dominion
now after its short career of eighteen years, than there
was in the United States in 1812, when the republic
had been twice eighteen years a nation.
It may be admitted that the Dominion lacked the
fierce enthiisiasni with which the thirteen Britisli colonies,
throwing oil" the control of the mother country, began
their career in 17 70, with numbers in both cases not
widely differing ; but it has been Canada^s advantage
that under the tegis of Great Britain she has been com-
pelled to explore no unknown sea of political uncertainty
in prosecuting her way.
The new capital at Ottawa, removed from the American
frontier, and fairly central for the confederated provinces,
had been Queen Victoria's choice, and the lofty and costly
towers crowning the height of Parliament Hill are a
centre of national life worthy of any people.
Parliament, like its model in Westminster, is made up
of the three estates, the Queen and the two Houses. By
the quinquennial appointment of a British nobleman of
unblemished character and high distinction as Governor-
General tlie Queen represents herseU' worthily at Ottawa,
and delivers the country from the civil revolution of a
ballot-box election, which periodically convulses the
United States. By the appointment, aut vitam aid
cAilpam, of eiglity-one members by the Governor in
Council, from among the men of wealth and political
experience of the Dominion, the Senate, or Upper House,
is created, without the evils that flow from a hereditary
aristocracy, and serving as a protection to the weaker
provinces.
The 211 members of the Commons, or Lower House,
are chosen by the people by ballot every five years at
least, from constituencies adjusted every decade accord-
ing to the variability of the population in the several
provinces. The Dominion Government appoints the
Judges of Chancery and Queen's Bench throughout the
country, by which the evils of an elected justiciary are
;;l
m
';^
A Short Htftorv of
GFScnpetl, and a Supremo Court of Appeal has been con-
stituted at Ottawa ; while, in order that no subject may bo
denied justice, and tliat tlie l(\arning' and freedom from
popular clamour of Jii-itish jud<4'es mny bo available, an
appeal is allowed in certain cases to tho Privy Council in
London.
Tho military and naval equipment of Canada, which,
with a trilling exception, is not of the nature of a standing
array, is under tho direction of the Dominion entirely,
thus escaping complications between the dill'erent pro-
vinces; and tlie customs, trade, and currency are under
the same authority. Each of the provinces existing
before coiifedei-ation has control of its public lands,
forests, and mines, though the fisheries of the whole
country, along with the lands, forests, and mines of
Manitoba and the north-western territoi'ies, are con-
trolled by the Dominion. Matters relnting to social lif(3,
morality, and education are under the jurisdiction of
tho several provinces, though tho full control of the
Indian population is under the Dominion. It is not to
be supposed that in the heat of political feeling no con-
flicts should have arisen between the Central Government
at Ottawa and the several Provincial G* v^ernments, but
a reference to the British Privy Council has secured an
impartial settlement of these difficulties.
Section II. — The Boundaries of Canada,
(References : Treaty of Paris, 1783; "Treaties affecting Bonncl-
aries, &c," Bamsay, 1885; "Boundaries formerly in Dispute," Sir
Francis Hincks, 1885; "Boundaries of Uuiled States," &c. ;
*' United States Government," 1885; "International Law," W. E.
Hall, 1880.)
It is of prime importance to consider the limits of this
larger Canada, and to refer to the circumstances under
•which these boundaries were settled. During the past
100 years the numerous treaties, conventions, and com-
missions in which Britain and the United States have
taken part have largely been occupied with the adjusting
of the international boundary line. •
The most noticeable thing about these negotiations is
THE Canadian People.
'■it
tlio tact thai it was tlio former posaessioti of Caiiailu by
France, and tlie lino of floava<^o thus clearly marked
between Canada and the British Colonies, that led
Canada to cling to Britain when her own colonies
deserted her. Jt was the existence of boundary lines,
more or less sharply defined, between the English and
Treuch Colonies which supplied the data for deciding
the boundary line of Canada. Hiiving succeeded in
gaining independence, and this with the hearty approba-
tion of a very important part of the British people them-
seh^es, it was in the next year after the British surrender
at Yorktown that the United States' commissioners suc-
ceeded in obtaining a provisional agreement as to the
leading principles on which the boundary should be
decided. The Ministry then in power had as two of its
leading members Lord 8helbourne and Charles James
Fox, and the very existence of that Ministry was due to
the I'act that the British people desired to have a harmo-
nious settlement of these difterences with the rebellious
colonies.
A British merchant named Oswald, well acquainted
with America, was the commissioner for Britain, and the
negotiations were conducted in Paris. On behalf of the
United States there were Franklin, Adams, and Jay,
and it is not too much to say that the desire of the
British people for peace with their own flesh and blood
beyond the sea, as well as the remarkable ability of the
American commissioners, gave Canada much less terri-
tory than she should have had.
The I'esult of the negotiations was the memorable
Treaty of 1783, usually known as the Treaty of Paris.
In this the agreement as to boundary was very vague
in some parts. This was probably inevitable from the
unexplored character of the vast territory under con-
sideration, and many a subsequent dispute has grown
out of this want of definite description.
There was a dispute as to the line drawn from the
north-west angle of Nova Scotia, which was defined as
an angle formed by a straight line north from the source
of St. Croix itiver to the Highlands. The line running
4
•'ill'
8
A Short History of
tlicncc along tlic lioiglit of land to the north-west head
of tho Connecticut Kiver, was almost impossible of
interpretation. This part of the boundary was not
Bettled for nearly sixty years afterwards. Running from
the point reached on the Connecticut River, and down
tho river to tho 45° N. lat., the line followed the forty-
fifth parallel to the St. Lawrence. Tho middle of the
St. Lawrence, and of the rivers and lakes from this point
up to the entrance of Lake Superior, formed a most
natural boundary. From the St. Mary's River the line
of division ran through the middle of the lake, but to
the north of Isle Royale, and then indeed the description
became vague.
A certain Long Lake is mentioned as an objective
point, but no one has ever known of a Long Lake. From
this supposed point the line was to have run along tlio
watery way by which at last Lake of the Woods is reached,
whose north-west corner was the point aimed at. A
west-bearing line was then to be drawn until the Missis-
sippi was reached, but the source of the Mississippi was
found to be three or four degrees to the south of the north-
west angle named.
No further attempt to fix a boundary was needed west-
ward, for to the west of the Mississippi to the south of
49° N., a line seemingly chosen as very nearly excluding
the sources of the Missouri, lay Louisiana, claimed by
the French; and to the territory west of the Rocky
Mountains the United States at the time of the Treaty of
Paris laid no claim.
The indefiniteness of the boundary line described, and
the subsequent purchase of Louisiana and the country on
the Pacific coast by the United States, gave rise to dis-
pute after dispute. The definition of the Maine boundary,
the finding of the line from Lake Superior to Lake of
the Woods, the line to the forty-ninth parallel, and the
Oregon difficulty, including in it the San Juan affair,
were the chief of these.
In the Treaty of London, 1794, known as that of
The Maine amity and commerce, the question arose which
Boundary, was the true St. Croix River, whose source
K
I
"I
17
in
up
hv
the
THE Canadian PForLE.
■%
was namod as a startinfjf point. Coniinisslonors wcro
appointed to examine tlio p^round. Tlioy decided in
179;^ in favour of the smaller Ijranch, inasmuch as it ran
in the most nortlierly direction, and at the spot agreed
upon they caused ii monument to bo erected.
But next it must bo decided where tho highlands
referred to in the treaty were. The Americans chiimed
heiyfhts even overlooking the St. Lawrence. l^i'itaiu
Tefused this. The treatv liad said the highlands between
the streams running into tho St. Lawrence, and those
into the Atlantic Ocean. 'J'ho headwatet's of tho St. John
and Kestigouclie rivers were those relied on by tho
Americans. " No/* said the British, ^' tho St. John
empties into the Bay of Fundy, and the Rcstigouche
into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, neither of them into tho
Athintic Ocean."
So raged the contest. The lino running nortli from
the monument was claimed by the Americans for one
hundred and forty miles ; the British would only allow
them forty miles. In 1829 the knotty question was
referred to the King of the Netherlands as arbitrator,
The arbitrator made an honest effort to decide, but was
compelled to return the matter to tho parties concerned as
inexplicable and impracticable. He at the same time sug-
gested a compromise solution. This was not acceptable.
But the question must be settled. Land and forest
were being sought for by settlers, and conflicts between
American and Canadian citizens were constant. In 1833
President Jefferson made a proposition to Lord Palmer-
ston, but this was not adopted, as it appeared somewhat
ambiguous. A temporary joint occupation was next
agreed upon, and in 1842 the contending governments
appointed commissioners to consider the matter. The
well-known Daniel Webster was the United States^ com-
missioner, and the Hon. Alexander Baring, afterwards
Lord Ashburton, was for the British.
Many have been the criticisms on these national repre-
sentatives. To have succeeded was in any case to have
brought down adverse criticism. Webster was astute,
and Baring, belonging to a banking-house, closely con-
it,
ti',
ifJ
; r
risj...
.'Vt,?
f.
%:
i-il
10
A SlIOR'I' IIlSTUK\' OF
iiccti'd willi Ainrriciiii iiil( rusts, wjis ssiipj used lo Iwivu
bcH'ii specially fitted lor tlio woi'k, aud seems to liiivc
bi'en lii^h-iuiiidi'd mikI honest. Perha})s ho was not suffi-
ciently alivo to eol<»iiial interests.
'J'lu! eoniniissioners ji^'reed to take tlio Uivor St. »)olm
and its l^i-aneli, iho St. I'^rancis, as the nortliern boundary
of Maine. Tiiis jj^avo soven-twelllhs of the disputed
t(Mritory to tho United States, and five-tvvolt'ths to
Canada.
A curious incident of this boundary disputes was in con-
nection with th(! part consistin' '' west alon^* the said dividing- line, as hereto-
fore.; known and understood/-' Creat satisfaction was
expressed by the British on the settlement of the Maine
bounchiry dis[)Ute, and Mr. Barium- ^v{ls raised to tho
peerage in consequence. The Americans were chagrined
at tho decision, until an event transpired — one of tho
most remarkable in the history of diplomacy.
Tho American Congress while discussing the treaty
sat with closed doors, and were disposed to reject it. At
this juncture AV cluster laid before tho Senate a map
which luui l)een discovered among the archives in Paris,
just before the beginning of tho treaty, by an American
litterateur named Sparks. Tho map had been in Web-
ster's hands during the progress of tho whole treaty. The
map in question was the copy of one made by Franklin,
as giving the boundaries agreed on in the Treaty of
1783, on which was a strong red line, marking tho boun-
dary exactly where the British claimed.
The effect of tho map u})on the unwilling senators is
said to have been magical. The treaty was at once
ratified. Severe things have Ijeen said in connection
with this affair. It has been said that the original map
was sent by Franklin to the Count de Yergennes to mis-
lead him at the time. This certainly reflects on Franklin.
()
in
il)
o
ol
%
TiiK Canadian Pkoimk.
II
(^
Others say tlio maj) used bel'orc! the Seuate was an
invention, to inihieo it to adopt the trejity. In favour of
tliis view is tlu^ faet that sinee that date the oriirinal lias
iu»ver been found in tho urehives at l*aris. Wliatevor
explanation may be accepted, the affair is not credit abh)
to American Ht{itesnianshi[), and has nt ^aife Su-
of the line from Lal Superior to Lake of the perior to
Woods. It was not, however, until the Ti'eatv La>*eotthe
of Ghent in l.Sll. that the step was taken .if ^°°'^'-
apj)ointing commissioners to continue the boundary to
the Lake of the Woods north-westward. Tho commis-
sioners met, but could not agree ou this matter. It then
remained unsettled until it came up for decision at tlio
time of the Ashburton Treaty. Britain claim(;d that her
territory should extend from the western extremity of Lake
Superior northward, '^riie Americans, while unable to
point out the Long Lake referred to, fell back on the
Treaty of 1783, saying by way of the ''water communi-
cation '' to the Lake of the Woods. The Jidditional fact was
in their favour that the lino must run north of Isle Koyale.
It is undoubted, taking these points into consideration,
that the Pigeon River route, and by way of the '' Grand
Portage," was pointed to by the Treaty of 1783, and so
it was decided by Mr. Baring. Wo have already noticed
that though the British commissioner of 1842 cannot bo
blamed for his decision, yet, taking into account the early
explorations of Du Luth and the French explorers, and
the occupation of territory south-west of Fond du Lac by
the Ojibway or Canadian Indians, the original treaty
should have preserved a far greater territory to Canada.
It was by the commissioners appointed in 1794 that
the further difficulty was recognized of settling j^^j^g ^f
the line west of Lake of the Woods. By this the Woods
time it had been discovered that the Mississippi to 49^ N.
was many miles south of Lake of the Woods. In
consequence of this the parties to that treaty agreed
4
Ik
I:
12
A SnoRT History of
tliuL (lio f|ucsti()u sIk-uUI 1)(! scttU'd hy " nniicMblo
iir«^'()f ijition/' Tlie iniittcr wns (h^ti'rrrd until IHlJ., wiicn,
no.'ir tlio closo of tlu3 war between liiit.iiii uud LInitod
Stiites, ;i pciK'O WMH concluded at (ilient. It Hccins fortii-
nutc that an iiiiderstandinjjf was tlien ri'aclied. Tlio
l)jittl(? ot New Orleans, fought in IHIT), after tlu; treaty
wjis made, no raised the hopes of tho American ])eoplc
thiit an a;^n*eement then W(»nld have been dillieult to reach.
The commissidners ajipointed at dhent succeeded in
l^ilH, at what is called the Convention of London, in
closine- the matter. Jt was a<^'rcod to draw a lino duo
north and south from the north-west anylo of the Lake of
the; Woods until it met tlu; forty-ninth parallel. An unex-
pected and amusing result of this mode of settlement in
that a small [x'ninsuhi juttin ".I
t
i.
14
A SriORi History ob'
Britain was quite content to recognize tlie forty-ninth
parallel from the mountains to the Columbia, but then
claimed the river as the boundary until the mouth was
reached between latitudes 46° and 47° N.
In 1818 it was aj^j-reed between ]5ritain and the United
States that this territory on the north-west territory of
America sliould for ten years be opeu to both countries.
The Monroe doctrine, that the American continent should
not be free to the future colonization of any European
power, was about this time being vigorcnisly asserted,
and was used in connection with the Pacific coast. In
1824 an attempt was made, though ineffectually, to
extend the boundary to the Pacihc Ocean. Again in
182(), ])r()pos;ils and counter-proposals between the in-
terested parties were mnde, but to no purpose.
Between Russia and Britain, towards the north, so early
as 1825 a treaty had been made, by which the meridian
of 140° + west longitude should be the boundary of
Alaska, but that a strip of territory commencing at
00° N. along the Pacific coast, some fifty miles wide,
and as far south as 54° 40' N., should be recognized as
liussian territory on account of prior occupation. In-
spired by the preposterous Monroe doctrine, the cry of
the American people was that they should possess the
whole coast up to Bussian territory. Their claim was
put epigrammatically, " Fifty-four forty, or light.''
This came up with the other important matters of
dispute before the commissioners of the Ashburton
Treaty in 1842, but was left unsettled. For several
years there was an active correspondence between the
rival governments. At last, in 1846, a compromise was
offered by the British Government, viz., that the line of
49° N. hQ taken to the sea, but that the whole of
Vancouver Island, a part of which ran nearly a degree
to the south, should be British. This proposition was
accepted and the treaty ratified.
The American authority quoted above has stated his
difficulty in deciding which of the three grounds ad-
vanced by the United States was the means of establishing
the boundary. We would suggest that possibly none of
THE Canadian Peoplk.
15
of
these, but rather the unblushing assertion involved in
the Monroe doctrine agitation was the chief factor.
Happy had the two nations been had all dispute then
ended. But it was not so to be. When the The San
district of Yancouver Island caine to bo ex- Juan
plorcul, it was sliown that between its southern Affair,
cxtrouiity and the mainland there were three channels,
■ any one of which might be meant by the Treaty of 1846,
viz., the Do Ilaro Cliannol, nearest Vancouver' Island,
\]\() Rosario, near the niiiiiiland, and ;in intermediate
channel, the Douglas. The British maintained their
rifi-ht to the ^me throuffh the most eastern chaune). The
;; Americans claimed that through the De Haro Channel,
.'M which would give them the island of San Juan.
'i'he discussion waxed hot in inverse ratio to the value
of the disputed islands. An injudicious American com-
mander, named Harvey, occupied San Juan with an
armed force. British men-of-war were sent out, and a
collision very nearly ensued. Negotiation, however, led
to a joint occupation of the island by a force belonging
to each party, and by the Treaty of Washington the
matter was referred to the decision of the Emperor of
Germany. The arbitrator decided in favour of the
United States' claim. Admitting the terms of the de-
cision of the Treaty of 1846 as to the forty-ninth parallel,
there seems no ground for complaint on our side in the
matter.
Thus by many a severe dispute and after much na-
tional ill-feeling, has our long boundary line been settled,
with the exception of tlie boundary between Alaska and
British Columbia, which still remains undecided. It is
true, compared with the blood and treasure spent on
European soil to adjust boundaries, we have abundant
ground for thankfulness ; but Canadians are almost
unanimous to-day in the opinion that, at any rate, up to
the Treaty of 1871, Canadian interests were too often
treated with little consideration.
Too often it has been as in the case on the dispute on
the Pacific coast, the British ambassadors have under-
valued our possessions. Mr. Packenham, the British
if. ;
■ni ■
^v :
*' ' ■
i6
A Short History of
Ambassador at Washington, who was also a sportsman,
without much regret surrendered the Columbia River,
because the salmon in it were said to be so spiritless as
not to rise to take the .ingler's fly.
Srction III. — .1 general Sketch of the Provinces.
Quebec.
First in age of the seven provinces now happily united
in the Canadian Dominion is Quebec. Its
name is got from the ancient capital founded
by Champlain in 1G08 ; and as truly as Paris is France,
so Quebec, the capital, has been and continues to be
Lower Canada. The religion, literature, and politics of
French Canadian life all centre in the quaint old city, to
equal which in unique resemblance to the time of Louis
Quatorze, one searches even Normandy in vain. A
titular noblesse, and the ptdois of the people, connect
at once with the time of le grand monarqiie. French
noblemen at that date undertook with alacrity enterprises
for building up and extending " Nouvelle France,'^
French religious orders struggled to extend their faith
among the new-world people, and the quiet French
Canadian hahltants have long been accustomed to take
their views of public and social life unquestioningly
from their religious teachers.
Suflering as New France did from maladministration
under the rule of the French kings, it can have been
little less than an exodus from bondage when in
1759-63 she acknowledged the British as her new
rulers.
On the immediate borders of the young republic, it
could hardly have been expected that the mode of royal
government introduced by the Quebec Act of 1774 could
have succeeded, and it was within twenty years thereafter
that the changing phases of new-world life and the
influx of the loyalist population along the Upper St.
Lawrence and the lakes, demanded not only a division
of the province in 1791, into Upper and Lower Canada,
but also the bestowal of a more liberal constitution on
each portion.
I'
THE Canadian People.
17
«»i
The intluciicc of the American Revoliitiou ia discernible
on the; temper with which the Imperial Parliament dealt
with the I3ill of 1 791. Tlie Parliament of Lower Canada
was to consist of two Houses, viz., the Legislative Council
of fifteen appointed members, and the Assembly of fifty
mcmbGrs elected by the people. In ITTl it had been
claimed that there were not more than ()5,000 of a
p()|)ulation in Lower Canada, and though this was pro-
bably l)elow the true number, yet it can be safely stated
that its people in 1791 did not exceed 100,000.
A French ])rovince with British rulers was an anomaly
for the world to ponder over during such disturbing
events as the American struggle for independence, the
French Revolution, and the Napoleonic wars. In 1812
Lower Canada was loyal to Britain, and was no doubt
pre] la red by the disquieting events of the outbreak of
lc!!o7-8 for uniting, as she did in 1811 under the
Imperial sanction, with Upper Canada.
Thus she remained for a quarter of a century, until in
1807 the province to which Britain had granted '^ses
lois, sa langue, et ses institutions,^' entered, with twenty-
four members in the Senate and sixty-five in the
Commons, most heartily the new confederacy of the
'' larger Canada,^' with the motto '' that when the last
shot was fired on the American continent for British
supremacy, it would be fired by a French Canadian.'"
One hundred thousand pec pie in 1791 had become
1,300,000 in 1881.
'* Wolfe and Montcalm ! two nobler names ne'er graced
The page historic or the hostile plain ;
]SIo braver souls the storm of battle faced,
None more heroic will e'er breathe again.
They passed unto their rest without a stain
Upon their kindred natures or true hearts.
One graceful column to the noble twain
Speaks of a nation's gratitude, and starts
The tear that Valour claims and Feeling's self imparts."
iSaiigster.
Xe."it in order of the seven provinces comes Nova
Scotia. The name is a memorial of the united Nova
( lown of England and Scotland under James I. Scotia.
if ■
m ■-
I8
A Short History of
!•
The "shambling inonarch/' as Macaulay calls liini, must
needs exalt his Scottish kingrlom to the same plane as his
new Kii<4'lish inheritance. If ia the New W ov\d thero
bo a New Enf^land, so must there be a New Scf)tland ;
and James, who was a thorouf^h believer in an aristocracy,
created an order of baronets of Nova Scotin, as \vell.
Bat Nov;i; Scotia was lonuf tlie battle-ffround of
Eno'lish and French in the New World. The names of
Louisbourg and Port lloyal are nlinost as suggestive of
war as Gibraltar or Quebec. Acadia stands out before
us as the poetic region of French rule in North America.
It was because of the passionate attachment of the
Acatbans for their land, and for French power, that
]5ritain took decided steps to compel the loyalty of Nova
Scotia. Two measures were adopted, y'va., '^ to colonize
with loyalists, and to deport the disloyal/'
In 1749, Lord Cornwallis, with a well-equipped colony
of trusty English people, founded on Chebucto Bay the
city and arsenal of Halifax, so-called from Lord Halifax,
J^resident of the Board of Trade and Plantations. The
argument for loyalty presented by such an imposing
immigration movement could not be withstood.
In 1755, when, as now fairly shown by Parkman, the
French population, by obstinate hostility, proved them-
selves unworthy even of forbearance, thousands of Aca-
dians were transported to regions where the strife was
less critical than the border land of French and English
in Nova Scotia. Bands of sturdy Scottish people were
attracted to the newer Scotland. The close communica-
tion between Halifax and the old city of Boston iu
Massachusetts, which contained so many lo3^alists, led to
the transfer of many such after the peace of 1783.
Germans and other European immigrants have also
settled in Nova Scotia, and given their names to various
localities. But before Scot, Loyalist, or German had
come, the first House of Assembly for Nova Scotia met
under Imperial authority in 1758.
So cut off by nature from Nova Scotia, Cape Breton
desired separate government, and this was given it iu
1784. Cape Breton, however, could not stand alone,
■u
n, must
e as his
d tliei'o
otland ;
tocracv,
II nd of
iimes of
stive of
b('for(3
.mci'ica.
of till'
3r, tlint
of Nova
:olonize
I colony
Hiiy the
Halifax,
s. The
iiposiug
an, the
1 them-
of Aca-
ifo was
:!jnglish
tie were
nunica-
stou iu
, led to
If 1783.
ve also
various
111 had
tia met
Breton
n it in
. alone,
Till': Canadian' People.
19
'^
■ii
and ill l'^2U nyaiii hceaiiie a part of Nova Scotia.
I Staunchest of the British Colonies, as we should have
expected from its origin Nova Scotia would be, its
devotion to Britain daring the war of 1812 was most
marked, and Nova Scotians have always been noted for
industry, intelligence, and public spirit. Nova Scotia has
:1 ever been the fruitful school of liberty, and looks to-day
I with moi'e affection to the statesmen who have served
■? her than perhaps does any province of the Dominion.
In ship-building, the fisheries, and commerce have her
'^ sons struggled and gained a name, and Nova Scotia
brings into the confedei'ation many of the most needful
? virtues for building up a strong and noble nation. She
' is now represented in the Dominion Senate by twelve
members, nud in the Commons by twenty-one, and, like
• every other province of the Dominion, has a Lieutenant-
' Governor of her own. With an uninterrupted provincial
existence of a century and a quarter. Nova Scotia ranks
as oldest in the Dominion. Judging from past increase,
the population of 440,500 in 1881 will, during the
present decade, reach half a million.
" Two himdred miles to the south -south-east,
On ' George's ' the billows foam like yeast,
O'er shallow banks, where on every side
Lies peril of billow, shoal, and tide.
There, riding like sea-gulls with wings at rest,
Cape Ann's swift schooners the sharp seas breast,
With their straining cables reaching down
Where the anchors clutch at the sea-sands brown.
There gather when shorten the wintry days,
The tish of a thousand shallow bays ;
There men of a score of races reap
Their dear-bought harvest, while billows sweep,
And drear fogs gather, and temjiests blow
O'er the fatal sands which shift below
The ever •angry sea, which laves
A thousand wrecks and a myriad graves.
As the frigate steams in where her consort sank,
So when maidens are weeping, and widows are pale,
New vessels are manned for those lost in the gale.
The orphan fears not the restless wave,
Which gave him food, and his sire a grave :
C 2
''I
■ 'ill" .
'-'■■5 •'
I •.-■'"( .
%! Ill
1. t
20 A Siioiir History of
And the soulless Vetei'iiu soundly slL'e]is,
]locked l)y the rnni,di sea, which sullenly sweeps
O'er the bones of comrade, brother, and son,
Whose long, hard, perilous task is done."
IlaU.
The remarkable Inlet which divides portions of Nova
New Scotia and New Brunswick — the Bay of Fiindy —
Brunswick. -afforded the means for the early colonization of
New Brunswick. Probably 17<)0 is the earliest date on
which we can certainly fix for the arrival of the settlers
in New Brunswick. At that lime New Brunswick was
still a portion (d' Novn, Scotia, and the district of
Sunbury was that first chosen for settlement. Perhaps
not more than 800 white persons altogether were to be
found within the limits of this province in 1783, the
year of tlie treaty.
The sudden influx after tlud- date was so great, how-
ever, that New Brunswick, so named as a ])rotest against
the revolt of the rebelHous States against the royal
house of Britain J may be regarded as the creation of the
loyft lists.
The following year marked the organization into a
1784. province distinct from Nova Scotia, and the
1785. next year saw the selection of the^' little town
of St. Ann, up the St. John lliver, as capital, but with its
name changed to Fredericton.
New Brunswick is a forest province. The l^eauty of
its woods in autumn has brouglit forth praises from
many visitors, while their vast extent aflords a chief
means of support to the people. Reared amidst its
forests, to be a New Brunswicker is to be one accustomed
to the free life and industrious habits of the woodman.
And yet, serving the purpose of a large and hardy fishing
and ship-building population. New Brunswick has 410
miles of sea-coast, one-half on the Bay of Fundy, the
other along the coast exposed to the searching breezes
from the Atlantic. This latter coast is familiarly known
as the North Shore.
Dravfing most of her later population from Great
Britain, this province has seen a large portion of its
m
irnni
THE Canadian PEorLE.
21
how-
man,
sliing
s 410
the
eezcs
nowii
1 irnmip^ratioii from tlio north and other parts of Ireland.
The IJay of Fiindy has alVordcd the moans for a lar^e
coastiui^ trade with the nortlioni Now England states,
and the city of St. John, claiming to bo the commercial
nictr()])ulis of the province, has far ontstripped the
capitah The amazing tides, which on the opposite side
of the bay in the Shubenacadie River rise to a height of
seventy-five feet, come up to the docks of St. John,
rising forty feet, and are a wonder to all spectators.
New Brunswick retains her old provincial Parliament,
with an Upper House of thirteen, and a Lower of forty
members. The population had in 1881 become 321,200,
and the representation accorded her in the Dominion
Senate is twelve members, and in the Commons sixteen.
Fourth of the original confederating provinces in age,
though first in numbers and wealth, is the pro- - .
vince formerly known as Upper Canada. Being
an itiland province, only reached in the earliest times by a
difficult river navigation, i.e. up tlie St. Lawrence, its
growth was slow, though its fertile soil was known.
Creeping up the portnges of the great river of Canada,
or through the water-courses of New York State, bands
of American refugees entered Lake Ontario, found a
resting-place along its shores, or, more adventurous,
crossed the Niagara peninsula, and settled along Lake
Erie. It is believed that there were not more than
10,000 souls in the whole province from Detroit to the
Ottawa, when it was in 1791 severed from Quebec to
make a new province.
Its first Lieutenant-Governor, Simcoe, sent forth his
proclamation from Kingston, but called the first Parlia-
ment, consisting of a Legislative Council of seven
members and an Assembly of sixteen, to meet in Newark,
at the mouth of the Niagara River, in 1792. Shortly
after, on finding, in 1794, that the fort on the American
side of the Niagara River must be surrendered to the
United States, and this contrary to the general expecta-
tion of Canada, the capital was removed to a position
further from the frontier, and the second Parliament
met at Little York, now Toronto, in 1797,
'4
22
A Short History of
i'l
On tlio report of tlie great military engineer, Boucbette,
showing that Toronto was easily accessible to an invading
force i'l'oni the United States, (Jovernor Siincoe deter-
mined to again move his ca])ital. Now he chos(3 London,
in the inaccessible forests of the western peninsula, on
the River do la Tranche, which he, as Governor, changed
to Thames, and on it he founded Chatham as tlie naval
port for his new metropolis. This choice was disap-
proved by the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Dor-
chester, and over since Toronto has been regarded as the
chief phice of Upper Canada.
As to Upper Canada at large, her early history was
largely moulded by the loyalists; national spirit was
developed by the war of ]^!l2j population increased
from the United States, from Great Britain, and h'oland;
and in the mettlesomeness of her growing youth the
rebellion of l8'!57-8 took place, not against the young
Queen Victoria, then ascending the throne, but against
local misgovernment. The two Cauadas having been
united together in 1841, their prosperity was very great.
Between 1842-72 Upper and Lower Canada received
881,000 of a population from the British Isles alone, and
of these Upper Canada much the larger number.
The resources of Ontario are varied. Along the
northern portion of her territory great forests yield a
livelihood to the people, and a revenue to the Govern-
ment. Deposits of petroleum, salt, iron, and copper are
sources of wealth, but farm-life is that best known to
the masses of the population. Perhaps no form of
civilization can be imagined, bringing a larger amount of
comfort to the largest number, than that of the farm
system of Ontario. The great number of the farms are
of the extent of a hundred acres. These are usually held
in fee-simple by their occupants ; they yield a sufficient
return for the maintenance of their owners without culti-
vating extravagance, so that it is safe to say nowhere is
to be found a more educated, happy, and enterprising
popuiition than that of the yeomanry of Ontario. The
peaceful sweetness of the Sabine farm of Horace, or
YirgiFs pictures of the Georgics and Bucolics, are not
■■:!!
w
THE Canadian People.
23
cbette,
vading
doter-
011 don,
ulii, on
laug'cd
B naval
disap-
d Dor-
as the
ry was
L'it wa.s
LTcascd
I'olaiid;
til tlio
younc,'
xgainst
been
^ great.
Dceived
QC, and
ig the
yield a
rovern-
per arc
own to
3rm of
ount of
e farm
ms are
ly held
.fficieut
it culti-
here is
moro delightful than thoso to bo found in our Ontario
homesteads.
I To niako farming consist in not the moro drudgery of
training a living, but in the growth of flocks and herd.s
of supei'ior value, in the scientific cultivation of grain
■" and fruit, in the utilization of every process for saving
laboui', and in the development of a taste for farming and
pastoral pursuits, is surely the path of patriotic service
ibr the Canadian family.
Ontario, on entering confederation, took the bold
step of dispensing with an Upper House in her local
l^arliainent, and has but one Legislative Chamber of
eighty-nine representatives. Her population had grown
to be 1, 92:3,01)0 in 1881, and in the Dominion Parliament
twenty-l()ur senators and ninety-two commoners are her
contingent.
" T dreamed not then that, ere the rolling year
Hud tilled its circle, I should wander here
In musing awe; should tread this wondrous world,
See all its store of inland waters imrled
In one vast volume down Niagara's steep,
Or calm, behold them in transparent sleep,
Where the blue hills of old Toronto shed
Their evening shadows o'er Ontario's bed ;
Should trace the grand Cadaraqui, and glide
Down the white rapids of his lordly tide.
Through massy woods, mid islets flowering fair,
And blooming glades, where the first sinful pair
For consolation might have weeping trod,
AVhen vanished from the garden of their God."
Moore.
Midway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, so
long ago as 1812, a band of Scottish colonists, w •* 1.
with a small admixture of Irish immigrants,
took up their abode on the banks of the Ked River of the
7iorth, a tributary of Lake Winnipeg. The colonists
were brought thither by way of Hudson's Bay by the
energy of a Scottish nobleman of great patriotism and
benevolence — Lord Selkirk.
Their first years were years of much hardship, not
entirely on account of the inevitable difHculties of a new
land, but because two rival companies, the Hudson's Bay
1'
■':»:■
fm
24
A Short History of
|lv
i
li
Company and tho Nortli-West Fur Conipigiy of Montreal,
Hti'u^'^'k'd I'oi' supi'i'iimcy (»ij i]u) sanio ^^Tound, and so
involved tlio colonists. A ])ortiou of tlio colonists
nttacliod tlionisclves in thoir fortunes to each company.
Tho adherents of the North- West Company in 1815 left
the Red Uiver and found homes north ot Toronto, and
in Ijondon district \u lJpp(n' Canada. Tho portion
remaining was reinforced by new immigrants coming by
way of Hudson Hay. The conflict bt^twi'cn tho two
companies resulted in an unfortunate collision in 1 S] (),
in which the Hudson's Jiay Company's (Joveruor ►Semple
was killed.
In 1817 Lord Selkirk hastened by way of the lakes
to the rescue, being accompanied by a body of dischai'ged
soldiers of the Cierman mercenai'ies remainint'' in Canada
after the close of thi^ war with the United States in
181 2- J 5. In 1821 the warring companies united, a
number of Swiss immigrants reached the country in the
same year, and under the amalgamated fur companies
the colonists who still chuig to tho country gradually
grew into peaceful independence.
In 18^5 the first Government was constituted at Fort
Garry, under the title of the Council of Assiniboia, Sir
George Simpson, tho Governor of the Hudson's Bay
Company, being its President. This ruled the country
amidst considerable clamoiu* till the time wdieu Canada
obtained possession of the North-\Vest by the payment
of JiUO,OUO/. to the Hudson's Bay Company, ^riirough a
failure of the Canadian Government to satisfy the 12,000
people of Assiniboia, live-sixths of whom had Indian
blood in their veins, a rebellion arose in 1809, to quiet
which Colonel Garnet, now Lord, Wolseley, was sent out
with a joint expedition of British troops and Canadian
volunteers by way of Lake Superior and the old Cana-
dian route to Lake of the Woods and the Bed Biver.
The Canadian Parliament next constituted, on the
suppression of the rebellion, the new province of Mani-
toba, and its first Parliament, consisting of a Legislative
Council of seven members, and of twenty-four of an
Assembly, met in Winnipeg, near Fort Garry, in 1871.
4
THE Canadian Peoi'le.
25
Since that dato tlio populntioii lias •'•roatly incrcaaod,
mu\ it is rstiiiiatcil that in I HH.") tlui l:i,U<)() iiav(i jj^rowii
to loo, 000 or l.->U,Ul)l). The c()iji|)I("tioii of tho (aiiiuliaii
Piicilit; llailway in J 880, iVoiri (.^)ii{;l)('(; to the PaL-iTu;
Ocean, thus connecting'' W'innipeuc by rail with tho
Atlantic and l*aciii(3 Oceans, is iiu event of tho greatest
iiiiportance to tho Dominion.
iMiUiitoba is tlio lirst prairie ])r()vinc(», ami in it (.*ana-
(liiin Hl'c is bcini;* modilicfl to suit tlie conditions ot a
prairie home. The Canadian i'arni nl" |()() acres is
Hpliiced by one nsiuilly <»t' I5lM) ncres' I'xtent. Fiehls
i)t' ^^'oldeii <4raiu sixty or ei^^lity acres in size are common,
and wouhl in July and Aui^aist satisfy a J^)mau ])oet
TihuUus, or tho English sin«^-(n* of the hai'vest time.
'L'Ik' Manitoba iarm is conductinl on a much greater
scale than that of Ontario. 'J'he shorter season, arising-
from Manitoba lying iu ')0° N., and tin' scarcity of
labour demand the use of every appliance of labour-
saving machinery.
'J'he conilicting claims which arise between the country
of wheat-fields on tho prairie, and the nianu- xhe North,
facliiring interests of the eastern provinces of ^yest Ter-
the Dominion, will call for eveiy resource of "'o"®^'
the statesnuMi of Canada to maintain the union intact.
The pi'ovinco of ^lanitoba has now dis])eused with its
Legishitivc^ Council, and has a liCgislativo Assembly of
thirty-live mend)ers, while \Vinni{H'g has become as a
business centre one of the chief cities of tho Dominion.
'1
t1
1
" These are the gardens of the desert, these
The unshorn lields, boundless and bt-antiful,
For which the speech of JMii^land has no name, —
The ])rau-ies, I behold thtin fur tlie tirst,
Aud my heart swells, while the dihitt.-d sight
Takes in tlie encircling vastuess. Lo ! they stretch
In airy undulations, faraway,
As if the ocean, iu his gentlest swell,
Stood still, with all his rouuded billows, fixed
And motionless for ever. — Motionless ?
No — they are all unchained again. The clouds
Sweep over with their shadows, and, beneath,
The suriace rolls aud fluctuates to the eye
4'
V. ' ^
26
A Short History of
Dark boUows seem to glide aloncf and chado
The Hunny ridges. . . . Fitting tloor
For tills injignilicent teniph* ot tlicHky,
With liowtTH wli(is(> glory and \vlio.s(! inultitud«»
Rival the constellations! '' lii'ijunt.
|V
I I'.
"I. ■
=«;
I'.Si
11
Always nssocintod with iSTMiiitolja ;iro tlio vast Nortli-
West territories, whicli, tliouo-li not provinces, yet an?
entitlnd in tli'i Dominion I'iii'liiinient to five nietnhers,
liiive a. Governor, iind ulonu;' with him a Conucil, ])artly
elected nnd partly nominated. These va«t extents of
])raino reiieli to the vi'iy loot of tho Ifocky IMountaius,
and north wjird even t(j the Arctic Ocean by way of
tho j\Iackenzie Iliver, tho Mississippi of tho north. This
vast region must yot become the homo of millions.
Already miiy we descry tho dim outlines of the pro-
vinces in the divisions that have been made for postal
])ur[)oseH of Assiniboia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and
Athabasca.
'J^he Governor of these wide territories resides at their
capital, Hegina, a town upon tho Canadian Pacific Rail-
way, 350 miles west of Winnipeg. Localities such as
Edmonton, . ince Albert, Jiattleford, Calgary, and
others are becoming known, and may bo called the
nerve-centres of the futui'o life of tho North-AV^est.
Scattered over these territories are many of the origi-
nal inhabitants divided up into tribes, as Crees, Black-
feet, Ojibways, and Assiniboines, all Indians under treaty
with the Canadian Government, and the Chippewyans
and Eskimo of the far north. Of tho Crees, Blackfeet,
and allied tribes, there are 34,520. Of the Chippe-
wyans or Tinue, and Eskimo, there arc 20,054, making
foi' the North- West and Manitoba upwards of 60,000
ab(n*igines. There is an air of immensity connected
with tho Canadian North- West. Vast plains, great
rivers, and lofty mountains betoken future movements
of the most important kind. As the prairies are occu-
pied one after another shall these territories enter into
the sisterhood of confederated provinces, to assist in
making our Dominion great in deeds as well as in extent
of territory,
I !«
THE Canadian Peoi'le.
27
Tho west side nf tlic llorlcy Mountains lins hitliorto
boon an almost unktiown land to tluMiwellers on
llie prairies. Il is true thai wi'll to thenortli, in colui^bia
tlie i'('^''ion of tli(5 Peace Kiver, tlio nioiintain
riiii^^e heeonies less I'levated, and this river runs throu^'h
the tnoiinlains IVoni tho west to tho east, wliei'(» it empties
into Jjake Atlial)ase<'i, Tlie currents of t I'ude, following''
the discovery of tho I'acilic Ocean by Sir Alexamh'r
Mackenzie in liis overhind journey of l7l>o, passed for
ninny years l>y way of Peace Uiver.
2suw Cah'donia, and p(»j'tions of Ahiska, as well as tho
rcf^ions lying* aU)nL;' the Frasei* and Columbiji J^vei's,
were thus visited by traders fi'om the east of the moun-
tains. Other 2^'i^^<^'^^ such as Yellow Head, Kickin;^
Ilorse,I]ow River, tVc., further south, have been threaded,
but frou) their dilliculty not extensively folhjwed.
J)i'eon, while
on tho Island of Vancouver is at once tho best coal-
lield on tho Pacific coast, at Nanaimo, and the best
harbour on the Pacific, that of Esquimalt.
Not as a land of farmers, but of lumbermen, lierdsmen,
shepherds, miners, fishermen, and traders will British
Columbia bo known. Its climate, with roses ofteu
blooming at Christmas, is one of the most agreeable.
The tremendous gold fever of 1 857-8 ])roduced a time of
wildest excitement, and the want of connection with Canada
has since led to a want of enterprise, but the open-
ing of the Canadian Pacific Railway, whose first through
train from Montreal reached the Pacific Ocean on July 4th,
188G, will undoubtedly bring a largo population to the
Pacific province.
'i '>Ji
I ■'
28
A Short History of
if
ll
1 t;'
■;W
The magni licence of the Rocky Mountains, now pierced
hy the railway, can only b'3 appreciated by being seen.
Vast glaciers, innumerable snow-peaks, lofty cataracts,
and ])alisaded ranges of mountains characterize these
Caiiadiiiu Al[)s, a.ii(l hll tli(5 imagination as greatly as
does Jliglii or the Matterhorn.
For jsevei'al years British Columbia iind Vancouver's
Island had separate governments, but in 1800 they be-
came one. The Legislature of twenty-live members in
one liouse survives under confederation, into which the
province entered in J 871 with three Dominion Senators,
and six members of the Commons. The popula,tiou was
in 188J, 4U,'j()0, of whom oo,483 are given as Indians.
"The mikl, bright inoon lias upward risea,
Out ol* tlie grey aii-l Ixnuidless plain,
And all around the white snowrf glisten,
Where frost and ice and silence reign —
While ages roll away, and they unchanged remaiu.
These mountains, piercing the blue sky
With their eternal cones of ice ;
The torrents dadiing I'roni on high.
O'er rock and crag and preci])ice ;
Change not, but still remain as ever,
Uu wasting, deathless, and sublime,
And will remain while lightnings quiver,
Or stiirs the hoary summits climb,
Or rolls the tluiniler-chariot of eternal Time."
Pike.
One of the first portions of Canada to be discovered
Prince ^'7 Europeans was St. John^s Island in the
Edward gulf. With its brick-red clay it strikes the
Island. attention of the most unobservant. It is the
seventh province of the Dominion. In 1764-6 it was
surveyed by the British (lovernment and granted to
about one hundred English and Scottish gentlemen as
estates. Though they were required to pay a very
small quit-rent to the Crown, and to place only one
settler on every two hundred acres in ten years, yet even
this most of them faded to do. The first settlers of St.
John's Island were chiefly Scottish. In 1770 it was
erected into a sepai'ate province, and in 1773 its first
Legislative Assembly was held.
■liii
mi
THE Canadian Peoplt:.
29
111 IT-'^O Uio (idvcrnor of tho ishiiul, ;i iNfr. Pjittcrson,
indiic'i'd the Li'<4'isl;itiir(^ t()])ass an Act c'lian<^-iuo' thcMiamo
of the island to New Ireland, King George 111., how-
ever, refused to sanetion the chajige of name. It wiis in
the year 1708 that the Legislature passed a new Act call-
in o- tho island after l^ldward, Duke of Kent, lather of
Queen Victoria. The J3nke of Kent was the commander
of the forces in British Xortli America at the time. In
1800 the name Prince Edward Island came into common
use. In I8O0, Lord Selkirk, of whom we have already
spoken nsthe philnnthropic colonizer of tho Hed River,
brought 800 Highlanders to ]?ri]icG Ldward Island.
11(^ givca an interesting account of the colony in his work
(jf 1805.
It is in ({uilo recent years that relief is being obtained
from the troubk\some system of land tenure cjirly in-
troduced there. The excellent soil of Prince Ldward
Island supports a hiii'dy agricultural population, while a
portion of tho pe02)le is devoted to pastoral pursuits.
The taking of iish and lobsters forms one of the best
means of support on the island. Charlottetown is tho
capital, at which meets the Provincial Parliament.
Thirteen members make up the Legislative Council,
and thirty the Assembly, and up to the present universal
suffrage lias been the method adopted in elections. It
was in 1873 tliat Prince Edward Island entered confede-
ration with her three Dominion Senators and six mem-
bers in the Commons. Her population, one of tho most
thrifty and industrious in the whole Dominion, in 1881
numbered 108,200 souls.
Though not a member of tho Canadian Confederation,
our preliminary sketch would fail in its ])urpose
did it give no account of Newfoundland. Per
Newfound-
land.
haps the earliest portion of British America to be
discovered, it has long been one of the best-known parts of
the new continent. It was in 1583 that Sir Humphrey
Gilbert undertook to colonize Newfoundland. He took
out 260 men — masons and sriithsj mineralogists and
rehuers, and even musicians. On August 4tli he took
possession of St. John^s harbour, Newfoundland, and
i
" '[
'I
30
A Short Historv of
I*'
!|
If::
• ■''■■'
■I;
I'
ii'iii
rill ,
«l
^1
erected a monument, on wliicli ho fastened the arms of
En^'land, enijfraven in load. Ho promuli>-ated three laws :
(1) To establish the; Church of Englnnd; (2) Queen P]liza-
beth^s rifi'lit of possession; and (•]) Pennlty of loss of
ears for disloynlt y. Tlie colony failed ; and the sad loss
in mid-ocoan of Sir Humphrey himself is known to all.
So early as l()cS() there were 2280 people upon the
isliind. In 1728 Newfoundland became a British pro-
vince, and courts wore then established. The whole
island is now, as it ever hns been, redolent of fish.
Shipping', fish, seals, oil, and the like are the every-day
thought of the people. Its early fishermen were much
beset by pirates, and now independent of Canada, as
well as of the United States, though sometimes thinking
of Britain, it is the embodiment of a confirmed insu-
larity.
Its population, now almost entirely native-born, is
largely of Irish extraction, as after 1798 many refugees
from Ireland found in it a peaceful haven. In 1832 its
first Legislative Assembly was held, and several minor
changes in its constitntion have since taken place.
Its Legislative Council contains fifteen members, and
the Assembly thirty-one. Lying far out toward Britain,
its seaward capos serve for the landing of the Atlantic
cable. It receives the service of the Allan line of steam-
ships ; and its population had in 1881 reached 185,114.
Its small debt and distinctly marked insular tendencies
w^ill probably long prevent its entrance into the Dominion
as one of the provinces.
Seven provinces, and a vast extent of unoccupied but
. fertile territory await the influx of the hardy
jjJq^ " and industrious from European lands to become
a still more important part of the Greater
Britain. True patriotism seems best to find its expression
when we find the English race abroad in the colonies.
A happy and contented Canada regards the bond that
binds her to Great Britain as a tie of love, without eveu
a suspicion of servitude.
" Witness, too, the silent cry,
The prayer of many a race and creed to clime, —
,> m
THE Canadian People.
31
Thunderless lightnings striking under aea
From sunset and sunrise of all thy realm,
And that true North, whereof we lately heard
A strain to shame us, ' keep you to yourselves ;
So loyal is too costly ! friends — your love
Is but a burthen : loose the bond, and go.'
Is this the tone of empire ? here the faith
That made us nders ? this, indeed, her voice
And meaning, whom the roar of Hougoumout
fieft mightiest of all jDCoples under heaven ?
What shock has fc>oled her since, that she should speak
So feebly? wealthier — T'ealthier — hour by hour!
The voice of Britain, or a sinking land,
Some third-rate isle half lost among her seas ? "
Tennyson.
f
"'■h
v^'' ^^r
fk\',
., I . i
-•,yi ^ti'
32
A Short History of
CilxVPTER 11.
PREHISTORIC AND EARJ-Y AMERICA.
!'ii>:
' '1.1''
k
';Ljl!;|
I:
is*.
r
Section T. — Geological Data.
(References: " C'aiiinHan Gef)lo,u'y ;"' (lovernment Reports of
Geoloirical Survey, lS():;-85; Dauu's "Geolo«?y;" Geikie's "Ice
Age ;" iS'icholsou's " Palioontoloyy ; Publicatious of jMauitoba His-
torical and Scientific Society ; Map of 188i of Geological Survey.)
The condition of peoples is largely dependent on the soil,
The Lau- cliniutOj and eliaracter of the country tliey in-
rentide Labit. To attempt the study of the history of
Island. ^[^Q Canadian people without examining the
physical features of their country would be to ignore
tlie very explanation of the movements of population
within its borders. The geological features of the
country give a clue to the causes or failures of settlement.
We are tlius compelled to look back to a time entirely
prehistoric — to a time long antecedent to Norseman,
Indian, or voyageur — to iiiid out the reasons for the
course which immigration has followed.
At the time when any portion of this continent had
reached the stage in its development which it now re-
tains, was undoubtedly ages ago, at the period when
there were yet only the Archtean or primitive rocks.
Then only the north-eastern part of North America
appeared as an island in the midst of the tepid ocean
which surrounded it.
The rugged land of Labrador, and the Laurentide
hills, and the wilderness country between Hudson's Bay
and Lakes Huron and Superior, extending far away to
the mouth of Mackenzie Iliver, and north-eastward to the
Tin: Canadian Pi:oi'li:.
Arctic Ocenii was a rockv waste. Solid "'ueiss aud tlio
variegated granites ; lava and obsidian ; syenite and
serpentine and the like roeks after their kind — all were
there. These have contained hidden in them from that
primeval day till now the veins of gold and silver and
copper and iron which men are discovering to-day, but
at the early time referred to not even iNfammon, '^ the
least-erected spirit that fell from heaven," had peered
into their glittei'ing crevices.
No trace of plant or animal appeared, unless the beds
of transformed carbon or graphite represent the rem-
nants of an early plant life. Mountain chasms and fall-
ing streams were all ; there was no sound of bird or
iieast ; no fish swam in the heated waters. And ever
since, through colder and hf)tter as the changes have
come, those primeval rocks have remained, except that
glaciers have since that time ground down their rough-
nesses, and cruslied rock matter has been carried out by
the streams upon the ocean and lake beds. These vast
fields of imyielding rocks have been the backbone on
which the continent has been formed.
At length along the south and west coast-line of this
expanse of rocky island in the sea, plants and ,
animals began to appear, but all seemingly be- pgriod.
longing to the sea. At first, no doubt, the wide
cxpanseof rock, rising above the sea, was like the 'M)urn-
ing marl " of Milton, but was slowly cooling down. Not
highly developed animals, with acute nerves and tender
bodies, but hard, thick-plated animals were the first to
appear — all were suited to their rough environment.
There were great colonies of corals, headless bivalve shell-
fish, called Brachiopods, in great numbers, hardy cylin-
drical mollusks with heads, called Orthoceratites, and
these dwelt among the fucoids that grew a mass of leathery
weeds along the shore. The remains of these and many
other animals are found in rocks many thousands of feet
thick, which must have taken many years to fall as
great mud deposits along the coast. It is hard to con-
ceive the time those plastic beds have taken to form the
hard rock masses of to-day.
D
■ i ■,!
I'
t
,'ij
»
»♦
•i»:
■M
■V
■n
,i;
■ -H
34
A Short IIisiorn' ok
\^\
IK;
This first period is called the Sihiriiiii, from the {'net
that rucks of this time, such as wo find in Nova Scotin,,
New ]^runswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, the North-
West territories, and also British Cohnnbia, were found
by the ^'eologists in Wales, tlie country of the ancient
Silnros. The region covered by deposits during that
first gush of life — for it was a time of much exuberance
of the lower forms of life — either rose from the sea by an
inner motion of the earth, or was built up by the detritus
carried down from the land.
Now with the cooling of the waters and the greater
fitness for a higher animal life came in time a
PerioT*^ new age, as under changed conditions the
southern fringe of this now considerable area of
new-made laud began to form. IMany corals and large
mollusks still continued, but there were now changes of
species, an armed lobster that swam the salty seas, strong
armour-covered fish, and creatures that '^ tare each other
in their slime" — the first animals to appear with brain.
Vegetation of the sort of the spore-bearing ferns began,
and the dry land was plainly becoming more fit for
habitation. An abundant life swarmed in the seas of
this time.
This period was known to Hugh Miller, the Scottish
geologist, as the Old Red Sanc^stone, but in Canada it,
like the Silurian which preceded it, contains rocks of
chiefly white, reddish, or black limestone or of shaly
structure. It is more common to call them after the
similar rocks appearing in the south of England — the
Devonian beds. In the Upper Silurian and Devonian
deposits, salt and petroleum are found in Western
Ontario and the district of the Mackenzie River.
At the close of the Silurian and Devonian periods the
ancient Lauren tide Island had been extended by the
addition of beds, chiefiy of Silurian and Devonian lime-
stone and shale, on its south-east coast fifty miles, a hun-
dred, and at points even of greater breadth, in Ontario,
Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. On its
south-west side in the district of Manitoba, and the
North- West territories, the Laurentide Island also ex-
riiE Canadian Pkoplk.
5
of
tended its borders, aud n baud of vSihirian and Dovouiau
rocks, from eighty to one liinidred miles wide, was
formed. A lar^'e portion of the fertile lands of Canada
lies above these rocks of the early time, though they are
covered by a soil or drift helougiug to a much later
period.
During I he succeeding time when the deep sea seems
not to have completely surrounded the enlarged
island, as in the regions now included in the
south-eastern portion of Nova Scotia, as well as in tho
American States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan,
a large extent of the country along the shore must
have been a dense marsh and jungle, where, during this
carboniferous period, great ferns and club mosses, and
strangely-marked trees of large size formed the coal
measures as they lived and died and were imbedded in
the deposits.
In Canada these coal measures proper seem to have
been confined to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. Iron
is here, as elsewhere, found accompanying the coal. So
far as eastern and maritime Canada are concerned, with
these periods of formation the completion of the Lauren-
tide Island was readied, until by a subsequent change
the soil was deposited upon much of it.
After a gap of time, the rising ocean bottom appears,
in a mighty, shallow, north-western sea, to have
extended from Lakes ]\Iaiiitoba and Winni- Period^°^'
pegoosis, which mark the western limit of the
JJovonian formation, for 1500 miles unbroken to the west
of Vancouver Island, for no I'ocky moantain range had
yet appeared to interrupt this vast expanse. Here, during
this Cretaceous period, so called from its being of the same
age as the chalk cliffs of the east of England, huge rep-
tiles, whose remains are being unearthed on the banks of
the Saskatchewan River to-day, lived and died, and were
in part preserved. Ammonites and liaculites, the suc-
cessors of the cephalopod moUusks of the earlier time,
of great size and ghstening in their pearly shells, lived
ill the salty waters of the period.
The w^hole of this wide sea-bottom seems to have risen
D 2
. . \' V '' ' - ■ ■
3<
A Snoki- IIisTOKV ok
;^raclnally, and in time to have become, in parts at least,
a marsh, in which an exuberant vegetation lived, died, and
accumulated, until coal formations, rivalling' in quality
many of the earlier carboniferous deposits, were formed.
These, spread over the country for hundreds of miles, con-
stitute the lar^'est coal area now known in the world.
Along with this coal are now found also extensive
deposits of clay ironstone. Ou Vancouver's Island is
I'eached the western limit of this great cretaceous coal-
Held. The eastern limit of the deposits of this secondary
age is marked by a range of hills south-west of Lakes
Manitoba and Winuipegoosis, comprising Duck and
Kiding mountains, the Manitoba sandhills, and the
Pembina jMountain.
The western and southern portion of this wide coal
area seems to have been again submerged,
Age.^*^^ and deposits of sandstone are found in which
are traced remains of mammals, resembling
those now living on the earth. There are also
imbedded in the rocks well-preserved leaves and nut-
fruits of many trees, such as sassafras, poplar, tulip-
tree, oak, yew, and plane-tree, ft was during this
third age that the Rocky Mountains appeared. This
was probably caused by the collapse of the extended
plain — 1500 miles wide — which, falling in, caused the
elevation of the great core of ancient rocks which had
been lying below. The fracture thus made must have
been enormous, extending as it did from the north to the
south of the western hemisphere, and may have led to a
disturbance of the centre of gravity of the whole earth,
by which the axis may have changed its direction, and
the ice age been brought on on account of a new relation
of the earth to the sun.
Whatever the cause may have been, the fact remains
that after this time an extension of the region
Period^*^^^ of cold to a far more southward point than it
had hitherto covered took place. This time,
known as the glacial period, was, so far as the v;hole of the
territory of the Dominion of Canada is concerned, one of
Arctic winter, and of a short and intensely hot summer.
■d
Tin: Canadian Pkopi.k.
37
1 hIso
I nut-
tulip-
this
This
ended
the
had
have
to the
to a
earth,
1, and
hitiou
(ihiciers foi'iiiod and ^lid down over the rocks, crushing
rlicni to powder, and the melting stroam distributed the
di'tritus over the whole extent.
It is to this period we owe our soil, hi every purt of
Canada great striated markings from north-east or noi'th-
\V(!st toward the south are found, indicating the progi'ess
of this powerful crushing process. Bouklers of rocks
from the north are mixed with the finer soil, and lie
scattered in places over the surl'ace of the earth, as de-
scribed by Oliver \Vendcll Tfolmes in his fanciful sketch
of the *' Dorchester (Jiant.^'
According to Archibald Geikie^s estimate, for 180,000
years this grinding process of the rocky world continued.
At length, in common with other temperate regions
of the earth, the territory of the Dominion assumed
something like its present conformation. In all pro-
Inibility by other great terrestrial changes the icy hand
of the glacial epoch became relaxed, and the land of
Keewaydin, or the North Wind, was driven back to its
former limits. This was the land prepared after untold
ages for its earliest Mongolian or Norseland visitors.
Section II. Mi/ths.
(References : " Timosus of Plato," translated hy f^ro'^essor
Jowett; Seneca's " Medea ;'' " Fusang," by C. (i. Lelund ; " Uon-
giTs (les Americanistes," 2 vols., Paris, 1875 ; "History oi" Wales,"
liy Dr. Powell; Hakluyt, "Navigations, Voyages, &c., of the
Kiighsh Nation," 'A vols., London, ir»99.)
The earliest accounts of a land lying west of the Straits
of Gibraltar go back as far as the time of Plato, . . .
the Greek philosopher. Writing less than four
centuries before the Christian era, the Athenian philo-
sopher, in his work known as the "Tima3ns,^' gives a
part of the tradition to Socrates, viz., what the aged
Critias had heard from Solon, one of the seven sages of
Greece, who in turn had obtained the story from a body
of priests in the Egyptian city of Sais on the Nile.
Following Professor Jowett^s rendering we give the
myth of the fabled continent in the Atlantic Ocean.
.\ ,11
7.,
'I
'^'d.
*,' .
3'^
A Snoiri" Hisiokv of
^
Said the Egyptian priests to Solon : —
*' These histories tell of a riii|»hty power which wns ng-
I'ressing wantonly against the vvhoU; of Fiiiropo anil Asia,
and to your city (Athens) pnt an end. This poW(»r came
I'orth out ol' the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the
Atlantic was navigable, and there was an island sitnated
in front of the straits which you call the Columns of
Hercules (Straits of (Jibi'altar) ; the island was lai'gei'
than Libyn and Asia put together, and was the way to
other islands, and from the islands you might pass
thronyh tlu; whole of the opposite continent wliich sur-
rounded the ti'uo ocean; for this s(ni which is within the
Straits of Hercules is only a harbour, linving a narrow
entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surround-
ing laud may be most truly called a continent.
" Now, in this island of Atlantis there was a great and
wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island
and several others, as well as over part of the continent ;
and besides these they subjected the parts of Libya within
the Columns of Hercules as far as Egyjit, and of Europa
as far as Tyrrhenia. The vast power thus gathered into
one endeavoured to subdue, at one blow, our country
and yours, and the whole of the laud which was within
the straits; and then, Solon, your country showed forth
in the excellence of her virtue and strength among all
nuinkind, for she was the first in courage and military
skill, and was the leader of tlie Hellenes. And when
the rest fell off from her, beiug compelled to stand alone,
after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she
disputed and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved
from slavery those who were not yet subjected, and freely
liberated all the others who dwell within the limits of
Heraclea.
"But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes
and floods ; and in a single day and night of rains all
your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the
island of xitlantis in like iiianncr disa'ppeared and was
sunk beneath the sea. And that is the reason why the
sea in these parts is impassable and impenetrable, because
there is such a quantity of shallow mud in the way, and
this was caused by the subsidence of the island. ^^
,< ^ I
THK CANADIAN' I'KOl'LK.
O^J
Plutu gives ill tlio " Critias ''a full detailiMl account of
the island of Atlantis — its people, government, rulers,
religion, and pliysieal features. Thero aro several con-
siderations of a geological Jind etlmologieal kind which
seem to point to a submerged continent in the Atlantic ;
but its existence, as well as its supposed connection with
America, are all shrouded in mythical story.
Among the Roman writers shoi-tly after the Christiim
era was the i)hilosophic Seneca, lie was the _
1 .'ii /• 1 in Seneca,
teacher oi the young, atterwards cruel, hmperor
Nero. Seneca is said to have been a Spaniard or Iberian,
born in Cordova. It is jjerhaps reasonable to suppose
that he, a native of Spain, the country which looks out
on the Atlantic Ocean, should have had his atteutiou
directed to the possibility of a continent existing in the
tar west, but the forecast found in his " Medea '* is so
exact that some have seen in it almost ])rophetic
force.
AV^e give Arclibishop Whately's rendering of it : —
" There shall come a time in later ages when ocean
sliJill relax his chains, and a vast continent shall appear,
and a pilot shall lind now worlds, and Thulc shall bo no
more earth's bound."
Most of the early stories of America came from tlio
west of Europe. The prosecution of travel in _
Eastern Asia and acquaintance with Mongolian
traditions has in the last few years brought to light a
story of the visit to some foreign land, far east of China^
by Buddhis*; monks, and which would seem to give an
account of an expedition to Mexico about the same time
as our Saxon forefathers were invading Britain.
We are indebted to a German savant, Carl Neumann,
for the translation of the Chinese record, and follow the
English version given by the authorities quoted above.
The following is the myth : —
'^ The Kwydovi of Fasany (Mexico, Ed.).
" During the reign of the dynasty Tsi in the first year
of the period, naming ^Everlasting Origin' (a.d. 4'}0),
came a Buddhist priest from this kingdom, who bore
•I
' .11
T
'/■.
"• ,.■
^■^^n.
ji',,! 'i}*A
>;-it::
40
A SlIOK'l ITlSTOkV OK
|i
•.V Ji
i}
4t
the clni.stor nnino of Hoei-Hcliin, i.e. " Universal Compas-
sion/' to tlio pi'C'sciit (listri(;t of Jluknang and tlioso sur-
roundin<4" it, wlio narnitod that Kusjin^ is about 20,000
Chinese nulea in an eastern direction from Tahan, and
east of th(5 ini(hlle kingdom.
*' Many Fnsang trees grow tlierc, whoj^e leaves re-
semble the Australian Drijamh'a ronlijnlin ; the sprouts,
on the contrjiry, resemble those uf the hjiniboo-tree and
are eaten l)y the inhabitants oF the land. The fruit is
like a pear in Form, but is red. From the bark they pre-
pare a sort of linen which they use for clothing, and also
a sort of ornnnicntid stufi'. 'J'lie houses are built of
wooden beams: foi'tified and walled places are there
unknown.
" Oj IFritliiy and Civil iLt'yulatiuvs in Fnmng.
" They have written characters in tliis hind, and prepare
paper from the bark of the Fusang tree. 'J'he people
have no weapons, and make no w{»rs; but in the arrange-
ments for the kingdom they have a northern and a
southern prison, ^rriiiing offenders were lodged in the
southern prison, but those confined for greater offences,
in the northern. Those men and women wdio were im-
prisoned for life were allowed to marry.
" The boys from these man '^s were, at the age of eiglit
years, sold as slaves ; the ' .jt until their ninth year.
If a man of any note .jund guilty of crimes, an
assembly was held ; it .st be in an excavated place.
There they strewed ashes over him, and bade him fare-
Avell. If the offender was one of a lower class he alone
was punislied, but when of rank the degradation was
extended to his children and grandchildren ; with those
of the highest rank it attained to the seventh genera-
tion.
'* Tlir KiiKjdoni and the Nobles of Fu sang,
" The name of the king is pronounced Ichi. The nobles
of the first class are termed Tuilu ; of the second, Little
Tuilu; and of the third, Na-to-scha. When the prince
Til.
of ll
are
veil.
rill, Canadian Pkoi'm;.
41
^•oes tbi'th he is nccoin))iniii'(l by lioniH and trum])cts.
The c<»k)ur of his clothes t'him<;i'.s with tho clilVeruiit yoars
ol'liis reign. In the two first of the ten-year cychis they
are bhie ; in tho two next, red; in tht» two t'oUowini^,
\('llo\v ; in the two next, rod; uud in tlio hist two, hhiek".
i\
' 11
' -u
*' Maniifi's (uiil Cnsfoma.
" The horns ol' tli(5 oxen are so larye tliat tlioy hold ten
hiishels. 'J'hey use tluMn to contiiin all ni!inn(»r of things.
Horses, oxen, and stags arc harnossed to th(iir wagg(jns.
Stno's aro used here; .ms cattlo are used in the middle
kingdom, and from the milk of the hind they make butter.
" The red pears of the Fusang tree keep good through-
out the year. Moreover, they have apples and reeds.
From the latter they })repa,re mats. No iron is found in
this hind ; but co})per, gold, and silver are not prized, and
do not serve as a medium of exchange in the market.
^Inrriage is determined upon in the following manner :
The suitor builds himsell: a hut before the door of the
house where the one longed for dwells, and waters and
deans the ground every morning and evening. When a
year has passed by, if the maiden is not inclind to marry
liini, he departs ; should she be willing it is completed.
W hen the parents die tliey fast seven days.
" i'\)r the death of the paternal or maternal grandfather
tlioy lament five days ; at the death of elder or younger
sisters or brothers, uncles or aunts, three days. They
sit from morning to night before an image of the Ghost,
absorbed in prayer, but wear no mourning clothes.
When the Icing dies the son who succeeds him does not
busy himself for three years with state atfairs.
^' In earlier times these people lived not according to the
laws of Buddha. But it happened that in the second
year, named ** Great Light of Song'' (a.d. 458), five
beggar monks from the kingdom of Kipin went to this
land, extended over it the religion of Buddha, and with
it his holy writings and images. They instructed the
people in the principles of monastic life, and so changed
their manners,"
fel-
42
A Short History ok
.114 ii
:^^
•J; ink ;
!■
Thus ends the chronicle. A number of reseniblauces
have been pointed out between the land of Fusaug hero
described and Mexico.
A tree, the American aloe {Aijava Americana), would
seem to represent the tree called Fusang, which gives
its name to the country described. From the leaves of
this aloe in Mexico it is said paper is still made, from
its sap an intoxicating drink, p d its boiled roots are
used as food. No iron was found among the Mexicans
on their discovery ; but it is said two kinds of copper
were used, one hard, for tools, the other soft, for pots.
Bundles of cacao, containing a certain number of seeds,
were used as money. Prescott says the Peruvians
found that their houses resisted the effects of earthquakes
better by tying the beams of them with thongs of the
^' manquey."
The resemblance between the word " Ichi" and " Inca "
has also been pointed out. The following facts are cited
as showing the possibility of crossing from Asia to
America in small vessels, and this bears upon the originni
settlement of America from Asia as well. In 1832 a
Japanese vessel was wrecked on Oahu, one of the Sand-
wich Islands. In 1833-4 a Japanese junk was washed
on the north-west coast of America, near Queen Char-
lotte's Islands, and all on board murdered but two per-
sons. The Hudson^s Bay Company sent tlie two survivors
in 1834 to England ; from England they were forwarded
to Macao. So much for the mythical story of Fusang.
About the time that Richard the Strongbow was going
, forth to conquer Ireland, according to Dr.
PoAvell the Welsh historian, a Welsh prince,
named Madoc, sailed away to the West, and discovered
what has been claimed to have been America.
The following is the story : —
"After the death of Owen Gwyneth, his sons fell
into great disputes as to the succession. Madoc,
one of Owen Gwyneth's [sons, left the land which
was in contention between his brethren, and prepared
certain ships, with men and munition, and sought adven-
tures by seas, sailing west and leaving the coast of Ireland
i -i
i)
il
Dr.
1
THE Canadian People.
43
so far north that he came into a land unknown, where he
saw many strange things.
• • • • • •
^' Of tlie voyage and rt'turn of this Madoc there be many
fables fniiied ; as tlie common people doe use in distance
of place and length of time rather to augment than to
diminish ; but sure it is there he was. And after he had
returned home, and declared the pleasant and fruitful
countreys that he had seci without inhabitants, and upon
this contrary part, for what barren and wild ground his
brethren and nephews did murther one another, he pre-
pared a number of ships, and got with him such men and
women as were desirous to live in quietnesse, and, taking
leave of his friends, to his journey thitherward again.
" Therefore it is to be supposed that he and his people
inhabited part of those countreys ; for it appeareth by
Francis Lopez de Gomara that in Acazamil and other
])lacos the people honoured the crosse, whereby it may be
gathered that Christians had been there before the
coming of the Spaniards. But because this people were
not many, they followed the manners of the land which
they came unto, and used the language they found
there.
" This ]\Iadoc arriving in that westerne country, into
which he came in the year 1170, left most of his people
there, and, returning backe for more of his owne nation,
acquaintance, and friends to inhabit that faire and large
countrey, Avent thither again with ten sailes, as I find
noted by Gutyn Owen. I am of opinion that the land
whereunto he came was some part of the West Indies.'"
Meredith, son of Khesus, in 1477 wrote Welsh lines
which translated are as follows : —
" Madoc I am, the sonae of Owen Gwynedd,
With stature large, and comely grace adorned ;
No lands at home nor store of wealth me plese.
My minde was whole to search the ocean seas,"
til
' 'v.
ilii
\i^
-Hi
I
■■f|
:> ■;;«'
i!>j'-
I
The Indian authority, Catlin, has taken much pains to
show by comparison of name, language, and customs,
aud even by physical features, that the Mandans, or,
I' ; ■ .■' ',..
44
A SlIOJ Mill
Hi
.t,-
46
A Short ITisroRV of
>',
■f^
w.t:
725
of these islands mentioiK^d, and tlie consequent story of
American settlement. The records of the settlement of
Iceland and Greenland, and the discovery of America
by the Norsemen, have been obtained from old manu-
scripts containin the Sagas or chronicles froni religious
houses in Iceland by the diligence of Danish archa)olo-
gists from Copenhagen. These documents are believed
to belong to the 12th century, and if the account of
Christianity having been introduced into Iceland at the
time they state, viz., a.d. 985, be true, they are very
likely to be authentic. At the same time we can only
regard them as traditions, and not as reliable history at
the best. According to the Saga of Olaf Tryggvison it
was from the ambition of Harold Haarfager, or Harold
the Fair-haired, that dissension rose in Norway. His
tyranny of the people, as well as his partiality
among the '^jarls," drove many of his subjects
from their native land. Some fled to the Orkneys and
settled there, some to the Faroii Islands, others went to
Shetland, while others still took up their abode in the
Hebrides. It was the Orkney colonists who rebelled
against Harold. Harold invaded the Orkneys.
He found beside his rebellious Scandinavian subjects
two other elements there. The first of these was then
known as the " Peti." In all probability these were
J'icts from the neighbouring mainland, and the name
seems to survive in that of Pentland Frith. Among the
islanders w^as also a class called '' Papae.^' These would
seem to have been the Ci'ldee fathers, who lived among
them as missionaries. According to Dicuil, an Irish
monk, who wrote in 825, these priests about 625 had
come to the Orkney, Shetland, and even Faroe islands.
In 725, Grim Kamban, a Norwegian pirate, had come to
establish himself in Faroe, and the Irish anchorites, who
had for a century been there, were driven out by that
Scandinavian Attila.
It was in 861 that a Norwegian pirate, Naddod by
name, fleeing from Norway to the Faroe Islands,
lost his course, came to a barren island, landed,
and on ascending a mountain on it, seeing only a white
Iceland.
:v
'I'lir. Canadian Pkopi.e.
47
expanse, called it '' Snoelaiid." Another Scandin.'Lvian
freebooter, Flokni Rafna, departed for this " Snoeland,"
reached and explored it, found the burning earth and hot
springs, but called it '* Iceland.'^ It was afterwards
improperly known as '^Islande/^ The pirate gave a sad
account of the island on his return, but a companion of
his, Thorolf, took another view of it, and called it a
"sunshiny, flowery, fable-land, where the plants dropped
of butter." Some years later, Ingolf, a jarl and noted
pirate, also departed for the lonely island, took ««.
up his abode at Reykiavik, the present capital,
and became the founder of the colony. IngolPs tomb is
still pointed out in Iceland. In 885 many refufrcv^s tied
from tScandinavia to Iceland, and in 080 all the hajitable
parts of the island were taken up.
Three years after the arrival of Ingolf in Iceland, that
is in 877, Gunnbiorn, another Norweofian adven- « , ,
,r 1 ji ^ ■ , 1-1 1 Greenlana.
turer, discovered the white tops which mark
the eastern coast of Greenland, and simply visiting a
group of rocks lying near the Arctic Circle, gave them his
name. The discovery of Greenland and its settlement,
as well as the reputed discovery of America, is detailed
ill the celebrated Saga, of which we give the main
features.
II
•
1
• 1
^1
1
1
9 ' •'
-^
r'
jk
'f
" /vVi/c the Red."
Thorvald Osvaldson dwelt at Jaeder, on the coast of
Norway. His son was Erik the Red. Having brought
themselves into disgrace by murder and violence, they
fled the country. Reaching Iceland, father and son there
took up their abode, and Thorvald died a short time
after. Erik married Thorhild, the daughter of an Ice-
landic colonist, and removed to another portion of Ice-
land from that where he first dwelt. The spirit of
violence, however, was a part of Erik, and from his second
Icelandic home he was banished for the crime of murder.
Taking up his abode at another point, he soon quarrelled
with a powerful neighbour, Thorgest, the quarrel having
arisen from his lending him his sea-posts — ornamental
v'l
;';f'.'y.;ti' .
o ■'?.'■•': f eft *■•
r \u '1.
48
A Sii(M<'r IlFsi'Ok\- ov
Loams with " Odin " 5iiicl " Tlior '' curved upuu the tops
of them, used as insignia ot" raidv.
The case being brought before the Thorsnesthing, or
popular judiciary, Erik was declared an outUiw in Ice-
land. Compelled to seek a new home, he sailed out from
Snaefellsjcikul, the " Snow-hill Glacier/' and sought the
land near the rocks discovered by Gunnbjorn, near the
Arctic Sea. For two winters he took up his abode at
different places on the newly-occupied land, and spent
the summers in exploring and naming the mountains and
fjords of the coast. Then he returned to Iceland, having
called his new home "Greenland/' " for/^ quoth he,
" people will be attracted thither if the land has a good
name." Now Erik sought colonists to occupy his new
land. It was about the year a.d. 070 that the surprising
energy of Erik had accomplished so much, that thirty -
live ships left Iceland with colonists for Greenland. Only
fourteen ships of the fleet arrived, some of the others
being driven back, others being lost.
Bjaiiii Uc)jul/so)i.
Herjulf was an Icelandic colonist, the kinsman of
9g6. lugolfj the founder of the Icelandic colony.
America His son^s name was Bjarni. This Bjarni was a
discovered, yery hopeful man, and when yet young had a
great desire to travel abroad. As soon as he had
earned enough he spent every alternate season cruising
on the unknown seas or going to Norway. It came
about that Herjulf undertook a voyage to Greenland
in company with Erik. AVith him in the ship was
a Christian man from the Hebrides (probably a Culdee
missionary, Ed.), who made a hymn respecting the
whirlpool, of which the following is the translation of a
verse : —
" Ma,j he -whose hand protects so well
The simple monk in lonely cell,
And o'er the world upholds the sky —
His own blue hall — still stand me by ! "
Herjulf took up his abode in Greenland, calling his
THE Canadian Peopi-l:.
49
H
* i
, * ■ .1
place Herjulfness — and had the respect of all. Erik
the Red lived at Brattahlid, and was the most intinential
man in Greenland. Erik had three sons : Leif, Thorvald,
and Thorstein. He had also one danghter, Ereydis, who
wns married to one Thorvald, but the marriage was
uuhiippy. At this time all the Greenland colonists were
liontliens. In the summer of the same yc^iir that his
father, Ilerjulf, sailed to Greenhmd, Bjarui came from
Norway to Iceland. The reptjrts uf his father's de-
parture did not please him. But on his companions
consenting, he determined to go to Greenland after his
fiither, tliough indicating the danger by the remark,
" Impudent will appear our voyage since none of us has
heeu in the Greenland Ocean.*'
Not to be deterred, however, they started. For three
(lays they sailed towards Gi'eenlaud, but on the fourth,
strong north winds and fogs overtook them. For many-
days they knew not where they were. On the sun
reappearing, they sailed another day and land appeared,
but Bjarni said it could not be Greenland. He then
directed them to sail close to the land, and the land was
found to be without mountains, and covered with
wood and had small heights. They now left this land
on their larboard side, and seem to have gone north-east.
For two days they sailed, following up the coast, when
they sighted land again.
Bjarni said this could scarcely be Greenland, for it had
not ice-hills like Greenland. On their approach to the
land they found it flat and covered with trees. The sailors
were anxious to land, ostensibly to obtain wood and water,
hut Bjarni forbade it. Now having left the land, and
driven with a south-west wind for three days, they saw
at length a band of mountains and high ice-hills. For
Bjarni there was here no landing, and he said, " for to
me this land appears little inviting."
Tl ey coasted along the land and found it an island.
Probably having reached some point on the north-east
shore of the island, they turned the stern from the land,
and now the breeze freshened. The ship was driven at
such a rate that t-ails were shortened, lest they should
E
I* .1
r,
50
A Short ITistokv of
be torn away, and after j^rojit speed for four days the
crew sin'htcd land. Now lijiinii said, '' This, according to
wliat I have hocii told, is tho most like (ireoulaud W(^
liavo scen,^' and tliey rowed fur tlio liind. They arrived at
a ness, seemingly about the southernmost point ot! Green-
land, and found it to l)e the very abode of Ilerjuif,
Jijai'iii's t'nthor. lijai'ni now gave up seafaring, and lived
with his father while Ilerjuif lived, and dwelt there
also after his father died.
Voyage of Lelf tJrUison.
The news of Bjarni Ilerjuif son's discoveries created
much talk in Greenland, but as Bjarni could not describe
the lands he claimed to have discovered, not having
landed upon them, there was not much credence given
to his story, and it became a reproach to him. But Leif,
the son of Erik the Red, was of an adventurous disposi-
tion, and having heard Bjarni's story, bought the ship in
which he had sailed, and engaged the full complement
tjg^ of men for it, thirty-Jive in all. Leif's father,
Erik, was now old, but ho was so fitted for
leader, that his son urged him to undertake the voyage.
The veteran at last assented, but riding on his way to
embark, his horse stumbled, and the aged hero was
thrown off and his foot bruised. Erik the Red then
said, " It is not ordained that I should discover more
countries than that Avhich we now inhabit, and we should
make no further attempt in company. '^
Leif now started with his sailors, including one
supposed to be a German among them, and in due time
found first what Bjarni had found last. They deter-
mined to avoid Bjarni's reproach, and so they landed.
There was no grass in the land ; it was flat and rocky —
a great plain of flat stones from the sea up to the
mountains. Leif called it Helluland from the flat stones.
Next the party put to sea and came to a land flat and
covered with wood, whose beach was an expanse of white
sand. This shore was named by the explorer, Markland,
from its forests, A short visit paid here, the ship
■^
TFir, Canadian Pi:oi'li:.
51
sallied fortli to opou sea, anil, rminiiig before a north-
east wind, caino to an island where they landed and
found grass covered with honeydew. Sailing next be-
tween a ness and the island until reaching the month of a
river, they ran up this, and having landed their skin cots
upon th(? shore, (n*eeted booths lor themselves. JMueh
iiiipress(Hl with the good (jualities of tlieir new st^ttle-
nicnt, they resolved to winter there, and erected con-
siderable houses for their shelter. The salmon in tho
river were plentiful, and they thought that should they
settle pei'mauently, cattle would live through winter
without house-feeding, for tho grass was green tho
winter through.
Leif determined next to explore the country; one half
of his men kept the fort, and tho others visited ditferent
parts of the country. It was while on one of these
expeditions under Leif himself, that Tyrker, the German,
was found missing. Tyrker had been his most faithful
attendant in his father^s house in his youth, and Leif
was sad at his loss. At length the party found Tyrker.
But Tyrker was excited and seemingly had lost his
senses, Leif said to him, '' Why wert thou so late, my
tosterer, and separated fi'om the party ? '^ After speak-
ing foolishly for a time in German, the wanderer said in
Norsk, ^' I have not been much further off, but still
I have something new to tell ; I found vines and
grapes."
After retiring for the night, Leif in the morning
determined to gather grapes and cut down a cargo of
wood for his sliip. This he did so readily that the long
boat was filled with grapes, and the ship with timber.
When spring came the party sailed homeward, and Leif
named the land as he left it, ** Vinland," for its grapes.
After his departure from tlie new lands, as Leif drew
near Greenland he saw on the coast a sliipwrecked
party. He determined on their rescue. Arrived near
theui, he lowered a boat, and found a castaway captain
— a Norseman, named Thorer — his wife, Gudrid, and a
part of his crew, clinging to the island. The shipwrecked
mariners and as much of their cargo as could be taken
E 2
■ ■ .w
■ ;■ ■'■..ff.---
Pi':-*.'-.
52
A Short Historv of
jiboard were carried to Greenland, to Erik's fjord, and
Bubsequontly to 13rattalilid, the house of Erik.
Leif was much coinniended for having rescued the
fifteen wlio were clinf^ing to tlio rock, and was afterwards
known as " licif the Ijuciliristiiin scholar regards the discovery
r>f America, as the unfolding of the grent pnr])oses of the
Creator for the enlargement and benefit of the human
race.
There seems no difliculty in reconciling at least tho
philosophic and ChristiMii explanations given. The
Crusaders made Europe familiar with a world beyond
the bounds of Christendom ; the treasures brought back
as trophies by the ''soldiers of the cross '"' from eastern
lands inflamed the imagination of the west of Europe;
the accounts given ("f the dwellers in heathenesse were
as astounding as they were contradictory.
Cathay was to the West the embodiment of a land of
diamonds and gold. Ci})ango was a veritable land of
Ophir with peacocks, pearls, and silken fabrics. To tho
adventurers of Venice, and Florence, and Genoa, cities
on the highway from East to West, it was a new joy to
hasten to the East in the search for the '' Golden Fleece,"
and bring back from the Orient tliose luxuries contrast-
ing so strongly with the cDujustas rett of their own
western domestic life.
Either on the banks of the Nile, transported thither
by great caravans over the deserts, or at Byzantium,
brought by way of the rivers Indus and Oxus, and the
. ■ ■
; ' k '
:
• ' ,' .^!v.
■•- :J;,
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li.rh-^
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\^ >
. ''■.<*."
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56
A Short Htstorv of
Caspian and Euxine seas, did these Argonauts receive
their treasures from the Eastern merchants, and hasten
back with their spices, jewels, precious fabrics, and
articles of gold and silver, to sell them in European
marts, in their shops marked by the three gold balls, the
arms of their Longobardic ancestors.
The printed book — the vehicle of knowledge — the in-
vention of those centuries, became the means for giving
more definite information to a larger number, and also
for stimulating the imagination by marvellous recitals.
The burning spirit of adventure led some to penetrate
the very heart of Asia, and beyond.
Sir John Mandeville, a restless Englishman, who died
at Liege in lo72, according to his own account, 'Wiaged
through Tartaric, Persie, Ermonie, the little and the
great, through Li bye, Glial dee, and a great partie of
Ethiop ; through Amazoyn, Ind the less and the more, a
great partie ;" and he gives a glowing account of Cathay;
while Marco Polo even before the time of Mandevillc
gives an account of a visit to that wonderland.
The opportune invention of the compass and the
adaptation for use by two Portuguese physicians of
the astrolabe, gave the intrepid sailors of the time
the means of prosecuting their journeys across the
pathless waste of waters. It is remarkable to how great
an extent the free republics of Italy and the Italian
cities took part in this feverish quest for glory and wealth.
The home of religion and learning Italy had been for
a thousand years. Even three centuries before that, in
old lioman days, she had led the world in letters and
in arms. Now she was to yield to the world such
names as Colombo of Genoa, Marco Polo of Venice,
Toscanelli of Florence, Caboto of Venice, Vespucci of
Florence, and Verrazano, a third from the city of the
Arno — kings of adventure and geographical knowledge.
Tlie Discoverers.
(References : " Delle Navigatioui et Viag^i," by G. Battista Ka-
musio, 3 vols., Venetia, 1556 ; " Historia del Almirante " (Fernando
'^:
a
THE Canadian People.
57
Colombo) ; " Jlaccolta completa ilegli scritti di Cristoforo Colombo "
(Torre Lione, 1864) ; " Memorials of Columbus " (Spotorno, 1823);
" Life and Voyages of Columbus " (Washington Irving, 1823) ;
" Le Revclateur du Globe " (L. Bloy, 1884) ; " Navigations, Voy-
ages, &c.," by Richard Hakluyt, Preachei', 3 vols., London, 159i) ;
"Vespucci," by F, Martolozzi, Firenze, 1789; "Viaggi d' Ame-
rigo Vespucci," by S. Carnovai, Firenze, 1817.)
Quite rcceDtly a devout Frenchmjin lias given in a
work of mucli interest, his grounds for desiring The Prince
that the discoverer of the New World should be of Dis-
raised to the dignity of a saint in the Roman coverers.
calendar. The name of Cristoforo Colombo, whether
canonized or not, will ever be a glorious one.
The family Colombo, belonging to Genoa, had even
before Cristoforo famous naval commanders included
iu its members, but Fernando, son of the discoverer,
who writes his father's life, says that he cannot trace a
close connection between his father, who belons^ed to
...
a poor woolcomber s family, and these dip'-'nguished
Genoese. Further, F'ernando prefers it shoula be so, as
thus his father Cristoforo founds on the firm basis of
his own exploits a family with a loftier patent of nobility.
It has been a common opinion of the many that the
discovery of America by Colombo was a lucky stroke,
for which there had been no previous preparation justify-
ing such glory as has been attached to the name of the
discoverer. A little acquaintance with the subject shows
this to be an entire mistake. There had been mi Italian
cities, and in Spanish and Portuguese seats of learning,
much interest and research as to a new continent for the
whole half-century preceding the New World discovery.
In the beginning of the 15th century the geographical
work of Ptolemy had been translated into Latin, the
language of scholars of the time. Piiuce Henry of
Portugal, imbued with a love of study, became a Mae-
cenas indeed, in his gathering together of learned
men, and his care for them. Preferring the allurements
of study to even the honour of a crown, he retired to a
spot in his dominions near Cape St. Vincent, and
established an observatory at Sagres. His abode over-
i
■I
^1
!'
. !.]■
58
A Short History of
h --fi
looked tlie sea, and here lie pondered over the task of
navigating around the coast of Africa.
In 1474 Toscanelli, the Florentine, had maintained
before Portuguese savants that there ^^;ls an open sea
to thf west of Europe, by which Eastern Asia could be
reached. The Portuguese were at this tune engaged in
an extensive trade to the coast of Guinea, and various
islands along the Atlantic coast of Europe had been
discovered. Venice and Portugal, especially, in Southern
Europe were during the later part of the 15th century
active in maritime aifairs.
It was into snch a half-century of enterprise that
Cristoforo was born, in Genoa, about the year 14o6.
Early compelled by poor circumstances to leave the
University of Pavia where he was studying, he went as
a lad of fourteen to sea. In his time piracy on the
Mediterranean was common, and desperate sea-tights
were the ordinary experience of the young sailor. One
of the first expeditions of the young mariner was that of
the Duke of Calabria to rescue Naples from the hands of
Kene, its king.
A soldier of fortune, as Colombo now became, he served
the King of Naples, and accomplished a daring exploit
in cntting out a galley from the port of Tunis. He
afterwards saw service in the Island of Scio, but to find
scope for his ambition, entered the field of adventure in
Portugal, the greatest maritime power of the time.
He arrived at Lisbon in 1470, not entirely to supply
charts and maps, which seems to have been his means
of livelihood, but to fall in love with a young gentle-
woman of his own country, Felipa, the daughter of De
Palestrello, one of the most distinguished of Portuguese
navigators. Married to Felipa, he was soon, by the
death of Palestrello, compelled to reside, at least at in-
tervals, at the newly-discovei*ed island of Porto Santo,
where the family of Palestrello possessed an estate. The
papers, charts, and journals of the deceased Portuguese
captain were open to the ardent young Genoese, and he
soon sailed as a naturalized Portuguese commander to
Guinea.
t
' j
THE Canadian People.
59
It was in tlie year 1477 that he made an expedition,
according to his own account, one hundred leagues beyond
Thule (probably Iceland), which he states was 77° N. lat.
He states that the English from Bristol at that time
visited Thule. One can hardly conceive of the inquiring
young navigator visiting Iceland, without hearing of
the Vinland, and Markland, and Helluland of the
Sagas.
Naturally of a vivid imagination and enthusiatic in his
projects, with the myths and floating tales of Europe to
inflame him, such as those of Plato, St. Brandan, of the
Insula Da3monorum, of the stories of Prester John, and
of the Cathay of Marco Polo, the young sailor became
thoroughly imbued with the enterprising spirit of Por-
tugal. He had the compass and astrolabe to guide him
in his course, and moreover that strong impulse to
action — want, as he proposed to John II., King of Por-
tugal, the fitting out of an expedition to find a new
world.
The junto of wise men, however, pronounced the
scheme visionary, and the council of state, too, con-
demned it. Notwithstanding this, the perfidious Portu-
guese, after getting from Colombo his charts and plans,
actually sent away in secret a vessel upon the track
proposed by him. It took, however, more than the
courage of deceivers to find a new world, and the caravel
turned back.
Maddened by the repulse of the king and council, and
by this act of treachery, being also heavily in debt,
with his son Diego, his only solace, for his wife Felipa
was dead, he secretly fled from Portugal in 1484 to his
native city of Genoa. He obtained no assistance in
Genoa, and now came the long six years of his application
to the Spanish court, following those twelve wearisome
years which had already elapsed since his famous con-
ference with Toscanelli.
Though his chief enemy in Portugal had been a
Churchman, the Bishop of Ceuta, yet it is pleasing to
find that he found fast friends in Spain, in an Andalusian
convent of the Franciscans, that of De Rabida, near the
Wi
>'-:}iA
■f - ;
. " '' 1
■ ^
60
A Short Histokv of
I w^
I
I
■I
■ 1
port of Ptilos. At the end of the six years' struggle it
was to this convent he returned to receive the parting
benediction ere he began his great voyage. It was to
Ferdinand and Isabella, joint sovereigns of Spain, en-
gaged in their hard task of conquering the Spanish
Moors, that application was made on Colombo's behalf.
Through several channels of Churchmen and nobles was
request made to the Spanish sovereigns.
On several occasions, just as the thirsty and waiting
applicant seemed about to have his thirst quenched by a
successful answer, a new turn in the Moorish war dashed
from him his cup of Tantalus. Sometimes, indeed, it
seemed the obstinacy and unyielding character of Colombo
which hindered his success ; but Colombo had a dis-
tinct purpose, and it is more than likely that his plan was
the only successful one. The termination of the Moorish
war was an event on which the expedition seemed to hang.
And now, when the Spanish flag floated in triumph over
the Alhambra, Colombo was doomed to disappointment,
by an absolute refusal of his conditions. From Santa Fe
the discouraged applicant turned his steed away, and
determined to make his way to Cordova, and thence to
France to seek new patrons.
It was a Churchman, St. Angel of Aragon, who saw
the disheartened mariner depart, and in haste the cleric
obtained an interview with Queen Isabella, and the elo-
quence of the pleader at last drew forth the promise that
she would pledge her jewels, to bring such glory as had
been depicted to Spain and to the Church. A mes-
senger overtook Colombo, two leagues from Granada, and
he returned to take his last steps towards the discovery
of the New World.
On the 17th of April, 1492, the required documents
were signed by Ferdinand and Isabella, and Colombo
became for life, High Admiral, Viceroy, and Governor of
all the lands he should discover, with one-tenth of tlie
profits of trade in his admiralty. Unnumbered difficulties
were next encountered in obtaining ships and men for so
hazardous an undertaking, even with royal favour and
means.
,-fll
THE Canadian People.
6i
Not till the 3rd of August, 1492, did the three ships,
the Scuita Maria, commanded by the admiral; the Fiiita,
under Piuzon, a partner in the enterprise; and the Nuia,
commanded by a brother of Piuzon, tjiko thoir departure.
One hundred and twenty souls, nil told, made up the
throe ships' companies, as they sailed out of the harbour
of Palos, the admiral, captains, and all on board havinj^
previously devoutly sought God's blessing on the under-
taking. Delayed by the repairs needed on the Plnta, at
the Canaries, it was not till the 9th of September that the
admiral lost sight of the Old World to Hud the New.
It were long to tell of the discouragements of the
voyage. There was hopefulness inspired at first, but fear
fell upon them as they saw the sedgy surface of the Sar-
gasso Sea. The admiral found encouragement necessary
for his crew now^ and at other times words of stern com-
mand. A bank of cloud seeming to be the land awakened
hope, but it was again dashed away as the cloud vanished.
Singing-birds came in flocks upon the ship and there was
joy, but fear soon followed, lest they should be sailing past
the island from which perchance the birds came. All
were alarmed by the gale blowing from the east lest they
should never reach Spain again, and then there was the
fear when the wind ceased that they should be becalmed
on the dreaded fabled island of Atlantis.
On one occasion high hopes were raised by finding
reeds borne by the current, and a carved image of wood,
a live crab, and a bird from the tropics which never
sleeps at sea, as well as shoals of tunny fish ; but even all
these were left behind. With captains and men on the
verge of mutiny the admiral held on his undeviating way
to the west, turning at last somewhat to the south-west.
He was himself alarmed by the variation of the compass,
and by the fact that his private chart had been overrun
by the distance gone.
He had kept a record open to his crew, differing from
his own, but at last it was reserved for the heroic soul,
Colombo, himself to see, thirty-two days out from land,
a hght in the offing in the darkness. Next morning, the
12th of October, appeared an island of the New World.
til
■ ■*•
I
62
A Short History of
m:5P
Thougli overwhelmed witli excitement, yet as became
Spaniards, they took possession of ihe island with dignitied
formality.
The admiral, in scarlet, entered his own boat, bearing
the royal standard; in his train followed the other boats,
each bearing a flag with the letters F and V, the initials
of the names of their joint sovereigns, Ferdinand and
Isabella. The procession having reached the land, all
disembarked, and, following the admiraFs example, threw
themselves on their knees, kissed the soil in the sight of
the astonished natives, who had fled to a place of safe
observation. With royal banner unfurled and with
drawn sword the admiral took possession for Isabella of
Castile, and named the island San Salvador.
We shall proceed with Colombo but little further.
Going from one island to another, he met and traded
with the natives, whom he called Indians, thinking he had
discovered India. Exchanging trinkets with the natives
for gold, of which he found far too little ; discovering
Cuba, St. Domingo, and other islands ; and finding two
important products, which he brought back — one a
benefit, and the other a bane to the race — the potato and
tobacco— the admiral continued his voyage around the
West India Islands, until he returned to Europe to receive
from his sovereigns and the people of Spain all the
honours of a returning conqueror.
Other expeditions and discoveries were made by him,
but lawsuits, persecution, and debt were his chief reward.
The great discoverer died on the 20th of May, 1506, at
Valladolid, but his remains were taken to the New
World, and his dust now lies in the Cathedral of Havanna,
Cuba. His native city of Genoa has honoured him with
a beautiful monument, which the tourist to Italy observes
as he enters Genoa from the railway-station. This was
erected in 1854.
Colombo stands on a pedestal of his own. No suc-
ceeding mariner can ever be called on to show the
strength of faith or majesty of resolve which charac-
terized him. He must remain solitary in his greatness.
But once the feat accomplished — the egg once firmly
poised
ment
naval (
of an i
sible t(
Lik(
their c
Spain,
their w
the su(
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Sp.ain i
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lombo '.
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and the
the Levi
belief th
year 14'
that tim
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It is sa:
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Brezil, b
■'1 ;!^
'#1
THE Canadian People.
63
poised upon the table — Western Europe was all excite-
ment to explore the Now World. A half-century of:
naval enterprise new to the world was seen, and possessed
of an interest and hope such as can never be again pos-
sible to the woi'ld.
Like little wnnton boys — ^'venturing at times beyond
their di'pth, sailing upon })ladders /' Kngland, Portugal,
Spain, and France pursuinl with unsurpassable selfishness
tlieir wild career of rivalry and ambition. To Spain, by
the success of Colombo, was })lainly duo the place of
prestige. Yet Portugal had been more successful than
Spain in its expeditions to the Guinea coast; and these
voynges had strongly influenced Colombo. England
iind France had both the imagination of a Norse viking
ancestry to be kindled into life by naval adventure. For
half a century the uncertain rivalry continued, till, as we
shall see, the palm was claimed, and lias ever ^iince been
held, by the sailors of our island of Great Britain.
Though first in one great series of ^^oyages, England
in this fifty years of naval enterprise stands by no
means conspicuous.
England.
To England belongs the honour of being first to reach
the Continent of America, whose islands Co-
lombo had discovered. It was, however, not cai,oto8
by island-born, but by Italian navigators that
the task was accomplished. John C^:4.boto was a Genoese,
born about 1460, but in 1474 became a naturalized
citizen of Venice. Given to the study of cosmography,
and the practice of navigation, he had gone as a sailor to
the Levant, but like Colombo, became possessed with a
belief that a new world was to be discovered. About the
year 1477 he took up his abode in Bristol, England, at
that time a considerable seaport tow^n.
There are grave doubts as to the reality of certain
early voyages said to have been made by Caboto.
It is said that in 1480, with a vessel of eighty voyage*r
tons, he went in search of the fabled island of
Brezil, but in two months returned unsuccessful. Again,
^1}
".1
64
A Short History of
ill
v!
we are told that in 1 iOl he sailed west in the same quest
and with the same result.
It is, however, a voyage attributed to him in 1 1-9 )■
around which rages the war of controversy. In the Im-
perial Library in Paris is a map dated 1544 made by
{Sebastian Caboto, son of the older mariner, This map
states that at live in the morning on the 24tli of June,
] 191', with his son Sebastian, John Caboto discovered the
island of St. John on the coast of America, and a
peninsula of the New World called in Spanish ^' First
Land Seen."
Numerous good authorities accept this map with its
inscription as authentic, but the most careful historians
regard the 11-94 as an error* for 1497. This seems the
more likely since the maps with the date usually taken,
1497, have the 24th of Juno, the same month and day
as the map in Paris. Believers in the earlier date state
that applications before 1497 were made to Henry VII.
by Caboto for lands already discovered. This claim does
not seem to bo supported.
It is a matter accepted by all, that on the 5th of March,
First un- ^'^^^> Henry VII. granted letters patent to
disputed Caboto, and that departing in May, 1497, with
Voyage of a man-of-war, the Mdftlww of Bristol, and
the a otos. ^|^^,pg merchant ships — an equipment worthy
of the undertaking — John and Sebastian Caboto set sail
for the New World, and having come upon Newfound-
land, they next coasted Labrador and the American
coast for three hundred leagues, and erected upon the
coast in token of their early possession the flag of Eng-
land, and the standard of St. Mark of Venice.
Sebastian Caboto seems to have risen to greatness as
Voyage of ^ navigator. Under new letters patent from
Sebastian the king given February 3rd, 1498, he under-
Caboto.' ^qq], j-^q^ Qj^iy |.() i^evisit the New World, but
to plant a colony. He ^ook not less than three hundred
persons, mostly victims of the Perkin Warbeck rebellion
of the time, and with these he sailed, seemingly, far north
on the coast of Labrador, where numbers of them died,
but he was driven southward by the ice, and havirig
,.;w '
\\
Tin-: Canadian Pkopli;.
«5
explored the coast fi-om about G0° N. lat. to 30°, retiirnoLl
witli tlio remiiaut of Lis colonists. Such was the lui-
liappy beginning of a vast colonization movement which
has since brought " name and fame " to the English
people.
Sebastian Caboto remained in England one of tho
loading soainen of the land till 1512, when he entered the
service of Spain, but to return to England in 1510. It
was under the young king Henry VIII., and sailing
under the English flag, that in 1517 he again conducted,
in company with Sir Tliomas Pert, an expedition to the
Now World. The ships reached tlio North American
coast in 07° 30' N. lat., but though the sea was open,
according to one authority on account of timidity, or as
one report goes, upon the mutiny of master and mariners,
tbe party returned without any new laurels gained.
bi 1518 Sebastian Caboto entered for a second time
the service of Spain. While in the Spanish service his
voyages included the discovery and exploration of the
I.a Plp.ta River in South America. In 1548 Caboto
returned to England, and received from Edward VI. a
pension, and is regarded by some as the creator of our
Ijritish navy, and one of the most adventurous captains
of his time.
Portugal.
Irritated at the thought of having been ofifered the
services of Colombo, and at having refused them, Portu-
gal now put forth great exertions to regain her lost
prestige. Bound by treaty and by papal decision to
allow Spain the discovered portions of the New World in
peace, she had at least the first place along the African
coast. Following the eastward route, to Portugal is due
after all, the honour of first reaching the Cathay after
which Colombo panted.
In the same year (1497) in which Caboto discovered
the continent of America, the new King of Por- Vasco di
tugal, who had succeeded King John — Emanuel, Gama.
the Fortunate by name, determined to send an expedition
which should double '' Capo d' buono Speranza '' of Bar-
F
»
I'
m^
66
A Short History of
1498.
tolonieo DijiH, jiiul thus reach the East. Unable to settle
in his mind upon a suitable captain, there happened to pass
throuf^h the liall in which the king was sitting, Yasco,
tlie son of a i'ortuguose noble, Estevan di (Jama, himself
a famous soa-caj)t}iin.
The nuin for the task wjis before him, and Vasco di
Gama undertook the enterprise. In the oath dral of
Lisbon, amidst solemn ceremonies, the king ' 'tted
to the hands of the iiavigat(n' the royal stand. .>. The
tliree ships provided bore the names of the three arch-
angels, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael, and gave omen of
a successful voyage. On the 2.")rd of March, 1497, Vasco di
Gama set sail to discover Cathay. The Cape of Good
Ho})e was reached in time, and again the ships failed to
round it, and were driven back, so justifying the name it
had formerly borne of Capo Tormentosa, or Htormy Cape.
The Cape passed in November, in August of the
following year Cathay was reached. A speedy
return to tell the tale brought back the captain to Lisbon
by the 18th of September, and the honour of Portugal
■was vindicated.
But Cathay did not satisfy the desire of Portugal.
Cabral. Within two years after Di Gama's return, on the
1500. 9th of March, Pedro Alvarez Cabral was sent out
in command of a Portuguese expedition. In forty-two
days afterwards the navigator was rewarded by the dis-
covery of Brazil in South America. The name of Terra
di Santa Cruz was soon given to this newly-found region.
This designation was highly pleasing to the Church, and
for a time was extended to the whole continent. But for
its unwieldiness it would probably have remained till
this day.
Desirous of gaining further renown, Portugal fitted out
an expedition and placed it under the command
tereals. ' ^^ ^ representative of the high Portuguese family
of Cortereal. There is a story, entirely impro-
bable, given by Cordeyo, a Portuguese historian in 1717,
that Joad vas Cortereal had in 1463 crossed the ocean,
and discovered the coast of Labrador, which was already
known to the Basques. He is said also to have dis-
1^1 >.
THE Canadian Ploi'Li:.
67
covered the island of •Novvl'oiindluud, which ho natnod
Bacalaos — a name referrni^ to the cod (ishory. A fatal
obj(?ction to this claim is that tho geographer Behaim,
whose fathor-in-lavv had lived at the Azores, in making
liis celebnited globe of the earth in 1 101, takes no noto
of this Cortoreal's voynge.
It was one of the sons of the aforenamed Cortoroal,
Gaspard by name, who now in 1500 mulertook .
tlie New Worhl (^x|)edition on belialf of I'ortn-
gah We are indebted to the Itjiliun Ranuisio, writing
in 15o0, for the information that Gaspard Cortereal
sailed to tho West with two caravels, seeking a shorter
passage to the S})ico Islands than that by way of the
route around Cape of Good Hope.
He is said to have found about GO^ N. hit., a river
closed with snow, to which he gave the name Rio Nevado.
According to a letter published at Vicenza in 1507, and
which has been the subject of much controversy, one of
the ships returned the 8th of October, 1501, that is from
the second voyage, and reported that the expedition had
followed the coast near tho Rio Nevado some six or
seven hundred miles, that they had carried home seven
natives, and that the other caravel was coming with more.
It was said that the natives brought a piece of a broken
sword, which was gilt and had evidently come from Italy,
and that a boy had in his ears two silver plates, which
beyond question had been made in Venice. It has been
supposed that these were remains of Caboto's visit, for
Lord Bacon speaks in his history of Henry VII. of
Caboto's expedition having been supplied with trinkets
— '' gross and slight wares " — for trade with the bar-
barous people. The facts thus far of the Cortereal
voyage seem reliable.
An impudent attempt was made in an " Itiuerarium
Portugalensium,"' printed in Milan in 1508, to change
the letter named, and connect it with the brothers Zeni,
the Venetian navigators. The error thus, jegun has
been copied into various histories and encyclopaedias.
The unfortunate navigator never returned from his second
voyage. His brother Miguel explored in 1502 with
F 2
m
1 ■ ('.I
M.
i
68
A Si lour IIisTOKN of
three vessels, ])iit in vain, the gulfs mid bays of the New
World in search of him. It is supposed that the natives
of the liiibrador coast revenged themselves on the kid-
iiap})ers,us it is recorded that subsequent explorers found
tlu^ Kskimo in yciirs after very h()stil(> to foreigners.
The name Ijabrador was given, it> is said, by Cortereal
to the coast discovered by him, meaning the hiiid of tli ■»
hd)our(»r, — probably an ('([uivident expression to ''slave
coast;'' not as nn American historian makes it/'a ploughed
laud," such a luime being a contradiction of the natural
features of the coast.
On a Portuguese map of ir>0;3 (Harvard Coll. Collec.
128) the coast of America is marked ''Terra de Corte
Healle," and in Freiss's Atlas of the World, 1525, Labra-
dor is connected with the voyage of Gaspard Cortereal,
though the name is given in a corrupted form. 'Jliere is
no doubt, as shown by many old maps, the name " Terra
Corterealis " long continued to belong to Labrador. The
melancholy fate of Cortereal has joined his name to the
somewhat long list of those wlio have i'ound in the New
World an unknown grave.
Sl'AIN.
The age following Colombo was one most glorious for
Spain, though disfigured by the cruel rapacity
Vmpu^cI ^^ ^^^ New World commanders. Contempora-
neous with Colombo was the geographer and
explorer, Vespucci. Born in Florence on the 9th of
March, 1451, the naval enterprise of Spain drew him to
that country. In 1493 Vespucci went to Seville, and
engaged in the work of equipping vessels for sea.
He succeeded in inducing Ferdinand and Isabella to
modify the monopoly given to Colombo as Admiral of
New Spain, and on the 10th of April, 1495, permission
was given to other Spaniards to explore the New World.
In 1497, with a fleet of four vessels, this stirring geo-
grapher went to the New World, and returned on the
15th of October of the following year, with a cargo of
upwards of 200 slaves. Another voyage was undertaken
■i'*l i
Tiii; Canadian PEoi'ir.
69
ill 1400, from which Vospiioci rotiiriicrl in tho nrxt; yoar.
Thoso voyupfos wcm'c in tho intorrst of Spain.
Tlie third voyupfo tnndo hy this navi^utor was un(h>r
the auspices of Portugal, and it was ui'dertaken t'l'om
Lisbon on tho l-ith of May, 1501, and h. return was on
the 7th of September of tho following year. His last
voyage was made in I50;i, and ho arrived in Lisbon oa
the 1 81 h of J unc, 1 ;"*04. I n tho year 1 ^OH Vespucci retired
from tho service of I'ortugal and re-entered that of Spain,
being appointed chief pilot with a good remuneration.
He did not live long to enjoy his position, for ho died at
Seville on tho 22nd of Februiirv, 1512.
Much has been said of tho ungrateful [)art taken by
Vespucci in robbing Colombo of tho honour of having
bis name attached to tho Now World. It is true Ves-
pucci did labour against the monopoly enjoyed by
Colombo, but no blame seems to attach to Vespurci in
connection with the naming of tho continent. C iombo
does not seem to have blamed Vespucci, for in 1504 the
great discoverer gave the Venetian a most cordial letter
to the perpetual gonfalonier of the Republic of Venice.
Vespucci had made a map of Brazil, but does not appear
to have inscribed his own name upon it. Without doubt
all regard the name of Colombo as that which should
have been placed upon tho New World, but the almost
accidental circumstances resulting otherwise seem to
have been as follows. In the cosmography of Itacombo,
printed at Strasburg in 1509, the first name of Vespucci,
viz. Amerigo, is g-iven to Brazil. A Swiss scholar in
1514 followed in tho same course. In Venice, in 1535,
Brazil was called Amerigi or America.
The real fault seems to have been with Spain. The
Spaniards desired to call the New World " Fer-Isabel-
lica.'' No doubt this was the means of displacing the
name of Colombo, so that the adoption of America
seems to have been a trifling national incident. Orte-
lius in 1584 gives to that part of the continent the two
names, Brazil and America. The name America once
firmly fastened on Brazil, its extension to the whole
continent was quite natiu'al. The geographer Ves-
»•
.. iY
70
A Short History of
1 -
4 .
'»■
i
Magal-
haen!'.
pucci, at any rate, seunis without blame In the
matter.
To Spain belongs not only Colombo^s unequalled ex-
ploit, but also the expedition which first circum-
navigated the globCj and yet the leader of it
was a Portuguese. Born in Oporto in 1470,
Fernan di Mngalhaens, or as his name is latinized, Magel-
lan, undertook for the Spanish Government an enter-
prise of the greatest moment. The necessity of reaching
the Spice Islands by a shorter route was the promoting
cause of more than one navigator^s zeal. Leaving
Seville with five ships, four of them commanded by Spanish
captains, and all these hostile to him, gave the Portuguese
admiral no easy task.
The expedition sailed for the Moluccas, 1519, leaving
-g.g Cape Verd on the 10th of August. Brazil was
reached and the harbour now known as Rio
Janeiro entered on the 13th of December. It was May
of the next year when the explorers found themselves
at the southern extremity of this continent. The
inhabitants here were gigantic in stature. It was
here the hostility of his Spanish crews broke out into
open mutiny. Magalhaens acted with decision, and a
number of leading mutineers paid the penalty with their
lives.
On Monte Cristo, on the coast, the admiral planted a
crosF, and wilh religious formalities took possession of
the country for Spain. Passing through the straits
which have since borne the name Magellan, it was on thu
28th of Noven^ber when the fleet—at least three of the
vessels, for two had turned back — entered the Pacific
Ocean. In due time the islands of Oceanica were in turu
reached and passed, but on the 27th of April an irre-
mediable disaster occui red in the murder of the admiral
by the natives.
At this stage of the voyage one of the ships was
burned, and another was left behind as leaky and un-
seaworthy. Upon Sebastian del Cano now devolved the
command, and in charge of one ship, Le Vic-
torkiy he arrived at Seville on the 8th of Sep-
age
Soto,
Missis
its flo(
ueighb(
■i
riiE Canadian Peoi'Li:.
71
foiuber, Jiud In token of its having been the good fortune
of this navigator to be the first to go round the world,
he was granted on his coat-of-arms by his sovereign,
a globe, and upon it, " Primus circumdedisti me."
It wculd be interesting did it come within the scope
of our Canadian history to follow the Spanish explorations
in Central and South America. We but mention them
for the sake of connection. Ponce de Leon, who in old
age sought a land of perpetual youth, on the 2nd of
April, 1512, discovered and named Florida.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who was first — on the 2Gth of
September, ]51o — to lo(jk upon the Pacific Ocean from
the mountain tops on the isthmus, addressed his Spanish
followers : '' Be as you have hitherto been, faithful and
true to me, and, by the favour of Christ, you will become
the richest Spaniards that have ever come to the Indies. ''
Hernando Cortez, the conqueror of Mexico, who
burned his ships on the sea-coast, and on the 16th of
August, 1519, penetrated the land of Montezuma.
Francisco Pizarro, the cruel invader of Peru, in 153-3
entered Cusco, the city of the Incas ; and Ferdinand de
Soto, the hero of a love-tale, and the discoverer of the
Mississippi, died upon the banks of the Father of
Waters, on the 5th of June, 1542, to be buried beneath
its flood.
FfiANCE.
Francis I. of France could not be a - ilent spectator of
the discoveries of his Spanish and Portufifuese
neighbours on the south, or of his English j-azano "
rivals to the west. Unable to obtain the means
for carrying on his wars, he thought to obtain treasure
for this purpose by sending an expedition to Cathay, or
the much-lauded Moluccas.
It \vas when the first quarter of the fifteenth century
was nearirg its end that, following the example of his
neighbours, who availed themselves of the power and
naval skill of sailors trained in the school of Italian ad-
venture, Francis obtained the services of a daring and
reckless navigator, sometimes known by the Spaniards,
. -1
^i:
(
, I/I
72
A SiioK'i' lIis'iOkN' OK
I)
A
1485.
1621.
1522.
wlio li;i(l i'(!ii,S()ii 1() I'cincuihci' liiiii, -iiiiply :is Juiin IIh;
l^'J()!-('jil;iri(', ov \>y LIk; J''i-(;ri(;li jis fJciin \ Liii-a/ano. 01" liis
osirly lilo wo know notliiii;^, exec])!, ili;it- he seems to liav(!
b(;eii Ijoni ill ji, siiimII town near J''lereiie(.'.
I'^rjuieis seems lo lia,ve soii^lit an ea,sy way of
gaining- (rtjasnro l>y allaekin^- Uic Spanish ships us Ihey
retui'iied li(jinewa,i(J lr(>m ih(! New VVerhi. John IIk;
I'hji'OMLiiK! was a liUiii^* a,^^'ejil foi- Ihc; kiii^' in iliis wy us oj"
Vori'azaiio is a, h.'ttcM- written from J)ieppe to r'raneis 1..
J 1 i/i24 ^^^' ^^'''"^ letter we Jiav:j net tht,^ oi-i^'inal, but a
eopy found in J(amusio (1050^. So late as J 852
a planisph(!i'e of Jlieronyrnus de Verra/a,no of 152'.>, was
discovered in the College de Propaganda l'"i(l(;, in Jionn;.
A letter written by one i^'ernandcj Carli, an Italian, I'roni
liy(jns in France to his father in l'lorenc(^^ (jnt]ie4lh
of August, 1 521', has been found conliniiing 1 Ik; epistle
giv(ni in J[a,niusio.
This hitter of Carli gives an acc(junt of Verra/ano's
return, and of Jiis letter t(j King l^'i-ancis. It is referi'cd to
as having been in the yea,r I 72H in tin; Sli-o/zi Jiibrary
in l*'loi-enc(;, and wa,s published in I f^ 1 I . A determiiicd
ellbrt lias been mad(; to disjjute the a,ulhenlicily of Voi-
razano's lettei', but_, to the mind of the writer^ unsuccess-
fully.
l^rom tlioHo authorities wo lefirn tliat Verrazano, start-
ing with four vessels to explore the New VVcjrld, was at
first (iriven ])aek by a storm. With oik; ship, tin;
Jj(.tnj)/ilin', sailing for the New \V(nld, he lelt
'624 * ^''^^ island of jVladeira. I'assing well iKjrtli of
tlio ]iermu(las, and luiving run 1200 leagues,
about the Oth of March (old style) Veri-azano saw "a new
land never seen by ancient or modern/' 'J'his seems to
have been about Cape -May on the coast of IVew Jersey.
Judging by the description of the land, he passed north-
wai'd along (lie ctast of ISew Jersey, New YorK, and
Long
island
" Lou
Fro
New])(
tli(! na,
iiarra,t
lor the
(jcjnsun
covei'(!(
nions (
wood,
ilppCilK
as lia,vi
JIak
ill pa,r(
There
L')2(> {]■
iuid tli(
to tll(! (
}>y th(;
olli(!r, f
I lie Noi
lurc.'d li
tiiom in
Jiia,ngia,(
i rain
was the
liis retui
of a Ne
St. iVlah
'liat Joe;
liavinga
was j'iai
lie h
(A'ltherii
clio'valioj
MaJo, ai
iMllu(;nc(
l'liilipj)e
I ill: Canadian Pi:oi'I,i:.
n
Lony IsI.'ijkI. All isliiml, ( ri;iii<^MiI;i,i- in foi'iM — like ilio
isliuid of IMkxJcs — oiirric in viow, iind Uiis wus callod
" liouisa'^ nJlcr tli(! inotlu^r of \\\\\\* l'V;i,n(;i,s.
Fi'Otri tlio land ill 41;";^. lain — about; lh(5 locality of
Newport — tlio iidiahitaiils of tlio coiiiiiry w(!ro soun by
tJi(^ navi^a,t(ji' to l)(! ciotlKid in fcho skins of anitn.'ds. Tlio
iiiiri"a,tiv() (^los(!S tlius : '' Sailin*^ hcitvvccri (;ast and noi'tli
lor tli(! Hp!i,c(ioi' Olio linndi'cjd and (illy Icii^uos, and having
consnnKid all our iiav.'d stores and victuaJs ; having dis-
cov(jr(!(l liv(! liundrod and two k.'a^ncs, i.e. sovon hundred
niorc! ol" n(!W land, supplyinj^' oui'scslvos with water and
wood, we (hiterinined to rciturn to Franco." In tlio
apjXMidix Vorrazano ^iv(!S liis dc![)ai't ure IVorn tho coast
as li;i,vin<^ boon in lat. oO'.
Ilakluyt speaks oi" so(!in<^- ^' ji, iniglite ia,r<^(^ old map '^
ill {);u*clinient, made, ;i-s it would seem, by V(;i-ra/aJius.
Tli(!r(! a,ro evidences tliiit V(!rra/,.'i!io was still alive in
lo2b from an a^'i'eonKsnt between tlie admiral of Franco
;iiid the navi^'ator. 'J\vo dill(;r(;nt, accounts aro extant as
to the d(!atli of Vori'a/ano. One is that ho was caur(!ton fishermen, Cartier
was the littino- inslrumont I'orF'rancis, who, after
his return from i'avia, was still 1111(^1 with drc^ams J^JJ^^^
of a New World king-dom. IJoni in 1 l'.» I in
St. Malo, of a, family trac(!abl(! bii(;k t'oi' some time in
tli!i,t locality, the youno- ciiptfun, wil h tla; r(;putation of
having'' acl day tin; Agoidiaiiua, or lord of the
country, Donnaeonna by name, canu! vvilh twelve boats,
(if wlii(;h two pulled up alongside the Freneh ships. With
violent gesticuilations the Agonhanna dcdivercul the usuiil
Indian address, 'i^he ret^urned savages oi" the first voyage
then recited the good tr(»atment they had received in
I'nmce. The cennnonies of introduction past, tlie ex-
plorers coasted along the island, and at the upper end
of it found the mouth of the little river to afford a safe
harbour. This they named Ste. Croix. The Kecolhjts
afterwards, in l(il7, called it St. Charles, the name it
still bears. ^Fhe };old point on which Quebec nmv stands
was the abode of Donnaeonna, and was called by the
people themselves Stadacona. The point was then plen-
tifully wooded with fruit and ornamental trees. On the
island in front of Ste. Croix being explored it was
named by the explorers, on account of the presence of
the wild gra,pe of the country, ^' li'lle de Bacchus/'
})ut the name of island of Orleans lias quite superseded
this.
After consultations many with Donnaeonna, and his
poo])le, Cartier determined to go further up the river.
To this the natives were very much opposed, and employed
many devices to dissuade Cartier. Donnaeonna pre-
sented some of his kindred to Cartier as a peace-
offering, and thr(^e Indians were (ileverly dressed up
to re})resent demons, covercid with dog-skins, and
bearing horns. These came past the vessels of Cartier,
and, without a word or look to the ships, passed
out of view. Donnaeonna and his Indians then appeared
and dissuaded Cartier from leaving his ships. ^J'he two
guides now came from the woods, and with cries of
"Jesus/' "Marie,'' and the like, appealed to Cartier.
On being asked the meaning of this performance, they
said their god, Cudouagny, had spoken from Hochelaga,
and that the three demons had come to announce that on
■i'i
'I
78
A Short History of
account of so much suow and ice, all the people of
Hochcla^a luul died.
In spite of threats and persuasions, the explorer on the
18th of September sailed up the riv(ir, thouf^h without
the two Indian ^'•uides. M'ho voyageurs w(ire struck with
the l)ea-uty and I'tn'tihty of tlie banks of the river, as well
as with the a]>undance of game. Tiiey passcMl th!'OUf»"l)
Jjake St. I'eter on the 28th of Septendjer. Taking the
North Channel the; shabowness of the water prevented
i'urther progress. Landing on the shore, tins voyageurs
met the natives, and received assurances that they were
on the proper course for llocheiaga. 'Jartier, now con-
vinced that 7y'./7''/'/uy'?ifj could not na.igate the lake, h^ft
her some forty-five leagues from llocheiaga, and with his
most intimate friends, litted up the two smaller vessels,
with which he arrived, on the 2nd of October, safely
before Hochelaga. Cartier was received here as he had
]}een at Gaspe and at the ishmd of Orleans, with gifts of
the products of the country and with great demonstra-
tions of joy. lie bestowed freely upon the men, women,
and children from his store of weapons, beads, and
trinkets.
From Cartier's description it is evident that the people
of llocheiaga diif'ered from the ordinary Al-
The Hoche- • t i- rin 1 1 • •
lagans gonqum Indians, iliey were less wandering in
their habits, and were regarded as superiors by
the other tribes. The town uv village of Hochelaga
was three-quarters of a mile distant from the mountain
at Montreal. It consisted of a walled enclosure, witii
barred gates. Around it nnd halfway to the river were
the cultivated fields belonging to the village. The
village contained some fifty houses ; each of these was
upwards of fifty yards long, and from twelve to fifteen
wide. The houses were wooden and were covered with
the bark of trees. In the midst of each house was a
great earthen chamber where the fire was ke[)t.
In the houses were granaries, and from the^e stores of
Indian corn and peas they obtained their food, pounding
out the grain to make flour for bread, "^^l^hey used the
same material for oups ; and they likewise had an
TiiK Canadian Peoi'li:.
79
iibiindauco of melons nnd fniitM. Thoy had Inrf^'o vcssoIh,
probably of pottory, in their liousos for keepinpf fish, of
which thoy stored lar<^o (juaiitities fi)i' winter. In their
houses wer(3 IxmIs made of bark, nn(i thoy used the skins
(il jinimals for coverin«^'s and clothing*, 'i^lusy liad also a
species of })ead or slicllwcn'k which they vaJned highly.
This they calleil l^iSin-^ni and was pi'(jbal)ly the woU-
kiiown wanif)nni.
The explor(!rs were nuieh intei'ested in the llo(;h(;la^ana,
;ind i^'ave the nana; to tlieii' monntain of Mount Royal.
Durinj^ this visit their chief was ill: Cartier read the
(iospel of St. flohn and oifered pi'ayers f(jr him; and
daring' all, the natives rej^ardcnl tlie explorei* with re-
verence. In company with the leaxlers of the Indians,
(>jirtier and his corn])anions ascended the mountain, and
learned of the St. Louis and other rapids up the river, which
they could see stretching westward, and were pointed in
tli(! dii'ection of the other great river — the Ottawa. The
Indians had seen the gold and silver in Cartier's coat-of-
arriis, and they informed him that these metals were
found up the river. ]?ed copper, they said, also was found.
Hut there were warlike and dangerous tribes living
toward the setting sun. After many leave-takings, the
explorers departed on tlio 5th of October.
At the mouth of a tributary of the St. Lawrence they
erected a commanding cross, and dropping down the
river, on October llth they arrived at Ste. Croix. On
his return to Stadacona, Cartier became familiar with
the Indians. He pointed out to them that their
Cudouagny was an evil spirit, and that there was only
one true God. Many of the Indians on hearing his
fuller explanations became anxious to be baptized ; but
ou the plea that he had no holy oil, he deferred the
matter, promising on his next voyage to bring priests
and all the accompaniments of religion.
During the month of December the people of Stadacona
wore attacked by a severe disease and some perished ; and
though they were forbidden to approach the fort which
had been erected on the shore opposite the vessels, yet
the disease attacked those wintering in the fort. It was
■ I
•1
'I
»
! *
ii\
.1
i
'1
|i ' lii
■) '
80
A SiKuri' lli>r(U;\ oi'
evidently soiiio scorbutic discjisc, l>iit was unknown to
the French. Carticr t'Uj^Ji<^'od in devout relio-ious ser-
vices, lio|jin<:f to drive away tluj plaj^Mie. All but tliree
men of tlio expedition W(M'e invalids. The winter
proved severe and tryinj^' ; I wo I'eet ol" ice on the water,
and four feet of snow on land, was a new experience.
(Jartier was arnon;^; \\\v. well. Jle saw that Doma-
f^aza, one of tlie j^uides, who ]ia,d been under the
})la«^ao, had suddenly recov(!red, and ascertained from
liini that extract of the s})ruee was a certain remedy
for tlie disease. The i-esult of the ap])lication of this
n^medy was remai'kable. Cartier, speaking- of its success,
says: " If all the physicians of Louvain and Montpellier
liad been there with all the drugs of Alexandria, they
could not have done as much in a year as this wonderful
tree did in eight hours;" and he thanks (lod for the
marvellons cure. Canadians are well aware still of the
curative power of the balsam of *' Kpinette blanche."
On the J3rd of May, looO, the explorers erected a
cross thirty-five feet high, and upon the shield fastened
on it, inscribed in ancient letters, '' Franciscus primus,
Dei Gratia Francornm rex, regnat." Having done this,
Cartier, by a surprise, ki(lna])ped Donnaconna, with the
intention of taking him to France. During the night a
great number of the Indians came opposite the ships
crying, *^ Agohanna ! agohanna ! " wishing to speak to
liini. Cnrtier assured them lie would be absent only
twelve or thirteen months, th.at he would see the great
king, and would return with a great present again.
Laden with gifts of fruits the explorers, on May IGth,
left Ste. Croix, accompanied by many boat-loads of the
subjects of Donnaconna. On being rewarded by Cartier
with valuable presents, the Indians returned rejoicing
to Stadacona. Passing lie aux Coudres on the 21st of
May, and 8t. Pierre Islands on June 11th, where they
were met by many French fishing-vessels, the expedition
on July IGth reached St. Malo, having been twelve or
thirteen months rbsent. Thus finishes Cartier's most
notable voyage.
After the return of Cartier, it was four years before
^ ri'l-
Tin-: Canadian Pkopi-k.
.Sr
another cxpodition from Franco to tliu Now xhird
World was uiidortaken. Dunnaconna and th(3 Voyage of
(itlu'r captured savages had, oil roacliiiig France, C^'^'ior.
during the cuiirso of these years become Christian, and
had been baptized into the faith in lirittany. Unfor-
timatoly all of them except a little gii'l of ton years of
asre had died. Cartier seemed somewhat unwillin ,>>
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A Short History of
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II
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and he was bringing- out somo two hundred colonists,
women as well as men, to build up his possession. Suc-
cessfully the expedition reached the harbour of St. John,
Newfoundland, on June 8th.
Here, to the surprise of the governor and his party,
they met Cartier now returning from Canada. He spoke
well of the country, showed diamonds and gold obtained
in it, but said he had left it on account of the number
and disposition of the savages. Ordered by De Koberval
to return with the colony, Cartier stole out of St. John
Harbour by night, and returned to France. De Roberval
went on his way, arrived in Canada, and built a great
fort, 'Tort France Roy," at Ste. Croix, four leagues
west of Orleans.
In September he sent back two of his ships to France,
and with the colony remained to face the winter. During
the winter the scurvy again appeared, and about fifty of
the colony succumbed to it. The governor seems to
have had no lack of occupation in the management of
the colony. A number of men and women were whipped,
and Michael Gaillon, one of the number, was hanged for
theft.
In June, leaving M. Royere as his lieutenant and thirty
1543 ^^ ^^® colonists, he sailed with seventy in
search of gold, leaving the colony till his return
from the Saguenay. It was the disturbed state of France
that led to De Roberval being left without succour.
There is a report given by Lescarbot that Cartier was
1543 despatched to Canada, and that Roberval and
the whole surviving colony were brought back
to France. Engaged in the French wars, De Roberval,
the Governor of Canada, was not able till peace returned
to seek his New World possession. It is stated that in
j-^g company with his brother Achille, another
brave soldier of the French king, he started on
an expedition for the New World, but that the fleet and
all on board were never heard of again.
The supremacy of England on the sea is to us an
English inheritance mainly of the days of Good Queen
Voyages. Bess. The limits of our work but permit us to
»■
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Till-: Canadian Pkoplk.
«3
>v:.i^?
iinnio tliosc great captains who made England famous,
but whose career was not directly connected with Canada.
There is the family of the Hawkinses belonging to
Devonshire. William Hawkins in 1530 sailed to the
Guinea coast, and obtained a cargo of ivory. His son,
Sir John Hawkins, was a buccaneer and slave-trader,
whose name was feared on the seas. One reads with a
shudder of his carrying slaves in his ship, the Jcsvs, of
Lubeck. Sir Richard, son of Sir John, was a brave
commander in the destruction of the Armada. William,
the fourth great Hawkins, was the son of Sir Richard,
and traded to the East Indies.
Another great captain, and from Devonshire also, was
Sir Francis Drake. It was his great honour in 1577 to
undertake the voyage in which he succeeded " in first
turning up a furrow about the whole world.'^ It is
interesting to Canadians to know that, running up the
west coast of America, Drake reached latitude 48° N.,
and saw in the distance the peaks of our Columbian
Rockies.
Passing by in the meantime the names of Frobisher,
Davis, Gilbert, and Raleigh, we reach Henry Hudson,
whose name and fate have both become historic. He
was connected with a family of position which had long
been engaged in trading in the great Muscovy Company,
but nothing is certainly known of Hudson's birth and
parentage. Four voyages performed by him constitute
his fame. Two of these were for the Muscovy Company
to the north-east of Britain in Russian waters, -g^g
His third voyage was made in the ship Half-
Moon, provided by the Dutch.
He had intended to have gone to the north-east, but
changed his course and reached Newfoundland. Sailing
south he touched Cape Cod, to which, supposing it an
island, he gave the name New Holland. Passing Cape
Charles, the navigator ran up a roadstead, and then
ascended the river which bears his name, until the
stream became too narrow for further progress. Return-
ing to England, the Half-Moon was delayed jg^^
for ten months^ but then proceeded to Amster-
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A Short History of
dam to give her report. In consequence of the in-
formation received, the Dutch sent out agents who took
possession of New Netherlands, which name the region
bore till afterwards changed, upon its capture by tho
English, to New York.
In the year of Hudson's return from America, the
English, unwilling to lose the services of the navigator,
induced him to leave the Ilalf-Muon, and to undertake
a
for them. ]n this,
crossing
to the
April,1610.- ^^^^'^^^
west, Hudson discovered the strait to the north-
west of Baccalaos Island (Belle Isle).
He determined to follow the opening further up the
coast, laid down by AVeymouth (1602), which Davis had
also marked, and called '' the furious overfall. '^ Through
this strait Hudson passed. Entering the bay which, like
the strait, now bears his own name, he wintered in latitude
52° N. The motion of the tides caused him to hope that
a passage to the westward would be found, but the mutiny
of his crew led to his being cast adrift with his son and
a few sick companions, and it is a sailor's story that the
spirit of the departed navigator, like an icy spectre, still
hovers around the Hudson Bay.
The perfidious crew were thrown into prison on their
arrival in England, and though, by the direction
of the Prince of Wales, three ships were sent
out in the following year, in consequence of a
hope that the navigator might still survive, the search
proved a fruitless one.
1611.
1612.
THE Canadian People.
85
CHAPTER in.
THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF CANADA.
(References: "On Mounds;'' Publications of Smithsonian Insti-
tution and of Manitoba Historical Society ; Schoolcraft's " Indian
Tribes" {vide ante); "North American Indians," by George
Catlin, 2 vols., London, 1866 ; Articles in " Encyclopaedia Britan-
nica" (9th edition), by A. H. Keane and Henry Gannett; the
most valuable series of " Library of Aborijojinal American Litera-
ture," 6 vols., by ]). G. Brinton, Philadelphia, 1882, &c. ; " Dic-
tionary of Dakota Langnage," by Dr. Riggs, vSmithsonian Insti-
tution, Washington ; "Dictionary of Cree Language," by Father
Lacombe, Montreal, 1874 ; " Dictionary of Ojibway Language,''
by Bishop Baraga, Montreal, 1879; *' Mcmoire sur les Laugues de
I'Amerique du Nord," by M. Ponceau, Paris, 18o8 ; Charlevoix,
" llistoire de la Nouvelle France " {vide ante) ; Hennepin {vide ante).
Section I. — Tlie Mound Builders.
Almost the only remains of a prehistoric people in
America are in the mounds of earth which are found
along the rivers and lakes extending from Central
America to Lake Winnipeg, and from the Atlantic to
the Pacific Oceans. Many of these have disappeared
without notice in the eastern part of the country, but the
regions upon the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Souris, Red,
Rainy, and other rivers in more western longitudes have
been settled in comparatively recent times, and along
these rivers the mounds have been observed. In
Canada mounds, or bone-pits corresponding to them,
have been found on the site of Hochelaga, in the region
between Toronto and Lake Simcoe, near London, and no
doubt elsewhere in the eastern provinces.
In the Canadian North-West a well-defined mound area
has been observed, and to some extent explored. The
't '•!•'■■.». Mil
i" .1 ,
it''-
4m
86
A Short History of
mounds in Canada have been chiefly found as circular,
and were plainly mounds for burial, and also for the
purposes of observation. They are generally placed at
points of advantage along the rivers, on high cliSs, or
where there is a good view of the river up and down to
be obtained, or at the junction of rivers, or near rapids
and ^^ saults."
Mounds made in the outline of a serpent, bird, or
animal, and seemingly used for defence, have been traced
on the Ohio, but not to any extent in Canada. The
Canadian mounds vary from six to fifty feet in height,
and from thirty to 120 feet in diameter. They are
chiefly found in good agricultural regions, whence it has
been inferred their builders were tillers of the soil. The
mounds are built of the earth in their neighbourhood,
and sometimes contain layers of stone if beds of rock
are found near. On the Rainy River in North- Western
Ontario no less than twenty-one mounds have been ob-
served along some forty miles of the course of that river,
and on the Souris twenty in an area of four miles square.
The mounds contain large quantities of human bones,
and were evidently used as places of burial. In some
cases groups of detached skulls and bundles of leg and
arm bones in heaps are found, as if these had been carried
from a distance and deposited there. Skulls are found
showing their possessors to have been killed by the blows
of heavy weapons, and in some cases with red ochre still
remaining on the faces. In the large mounds it would
seem as if all tlue boijes more than six or eight feet from
the surface of the mounds had been reduced to reddish
dust. The conception that the mounds were formed by
a vast band of men working together like the builders
of the Egyptian pyramids is probably a mistaken one,
and if the mound grew from one generation to another
by the accretion of the remains of the same family or
sept, brought perhaps from great distances whither the
family had spread, the supposition that a few hundred-
weights or tons of earth carried by the mourning
relatives in baskets from the neighbourhood to cover
the remains deep enough to prevent wild beasts dis-
THE Canadian Peofle.
87
tiirbing them, would suflBciontly account for what wo
find.
Among natural products found in the mounds besides
human remains are bits of charred wood, ^
scorched birch-bark, lumps of red ochre, and
pieces of iron pyrites, probably regarded as sacred
objects. Manufactured articles are also found, such as
stone scrapers and gouges, axes and malls, as well as
stone tubes of the medicine -men. Horn spear-heads
with barbs, used as fish- spears, and in the Rainy River
mounds, native copper di'ills, cutting and scraping knives
and chisels, shell ornaments, either from fresh-water
clams cut into shape, or small sea-shells pierced and
used as beads, are found. The most remarkable re-
mains are those of pottery cups and vessels. In most
cases these are broken, but perfect cups have been found
occasionally. The pottery seems hand made, and has a
considerable variety of markings.
As to the age of the mounds, and the race to which
the builders belonged, there has been much discussion :
some seek great antiquity, others are satisfied with a few
centuries. On many of the mounds trees from two to
three feet in diameter are growing, several hundreds of
years old, and these may be the successors of other trees.
As to race, the mound-builders seem extinct, though cer-
tain Indian tribes still show certain affinities to them.
The supposition that seems most satisfactory on the
whole is that they belong to the race of peaceful, agricul-
tural, industrious, pottery-making builders, known as the
Toltecs, who are known to have occupied Mexico from
the seventh to the eleventh centuries, and seem to have
spread up the Mississippi valley from its mouth to the
sources of its furthest tributaries.
They would seem to have occupied their northern
settlements in Canada from the eleventh to the fifteenth
centuries, and to have been swept away by fierce tribes
such as the Iroquois and Sioux following in their wake,
just as the Aztecs destroyed the parent Toltecan race in
Mexico. Probably the Hochelagans of Montreal, who
disappeared between the time of Cartier and Champlain,
.•.;(•■;■■■■
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88
A Short History of
I '
and the Eries who perished just before the French occu-
pation of Canada, may have been the last remnants of
this race, who are now pretty generally spoken of by the
learned as ^' The Alleghans/' The Ojibways of Canada
speak of the builders of the mounds as having been of a
different race from them, and call them the Ke-te-anish-
i-na-be, or ^Wery ancient men," though a number of
facts soom to connect the Mandans of the Missouri with
the Mound Builders.
Section 11. — The Present Indian Tribes of Canada.
On the Continent of America lived, when Colombo,
Caboto, and Cartier discovered it, a native race. In
appearance and in language this race was so distinct from
any people of either Europe, Africa, or Asia known to
these commanders, that they were concluded to be the
inhabitants of the unknown and sought-for Cathay, and
hence Colombo called them Indians.
This guess seems to have been a happy one, for all the
latest investigations go to show that the American
Indians are of Mongolian type, and came — though, from
the wide divergence of their languages from even the
Asiatic, it must have been at an ancient date — from the
eastern coast of Asia. With abundant hair, black,
coarse, and " glossy as a horse's mane," slight beard,
small dark eyes, narrow arched eyebrows, and prominent
cheek-bones and nose, the red man has become of so
decided a type as to cause some, though not the majority,
to regard him as indigenous to the soil to which so long
ago he came a stranger. Without dealing at large with the
several American tribes, in Canadian history we meet with
some of the most celebrated of all the Indian peoples.
The British or French colonists along the Atlantic first
became familiar with various families of the
great Algonquin nation. While following the
general Indian type the Algonquin is a heavy-boned,
somewhat coarse-featured, and far from best-looking
Indian of the country. Accustomed to the rocky shore
of the Atlantic, and spreading between the Atlantic
Algonquins.
THE Canadian People.
89
coast and the AUeglianies, he claimed as his Lome the
rocky and wooded Acadia, as well aa the north shore
of the 8t. Lawrence. Hut little addicted to agriculture,
the sea and the forest yielded him his precarious living.
Used to the chase, he was accustomed also to war, and
turned his weapon readily westward against his hostile
native neighbours, or, when wronged, with terrible
ferocity against the white intruders.
Known as the Powhattans in Virginia, though intro-
duced to the whites by the mythic story of Pocahontas,
these Algon quins soon took up the tomahawk against
the colonists, and in the end suffered extinction. The
Pequods of Massachusetts, as the Algonquins of that
state were called, while kindly receiving the pilgrims,
are represented on the coat-of -arras of that connnonwealtli
by a sturdy Sagamore with bow and arrow, but above
his head a soldier's arm with a drawn sword.
The Natics of the same stock have left their only
memorial in the dialect in the Bible translation of the
apostolic Eliot. The Mohicans of Connecticut and New
York, once noted in war, were crushed between the
whites on the east and the Iroquois on the west, and the
last of them have but lately passed away. The Leni-
Lenapes, or Delawares, the '^ men of men '* of the
Algonquin stirps, have even been regarded as so repre-
sentative as to have had their name transferred by some
to the whole family in place of Algonquin. A remnant
of the Delawares still survives in the Indian territory.
A wretched band of Algonquins known as the Micmaks
still flit about the Nova Scotian waste places like re-
turning ghosts of a departed people ; while Algonquin
Abenakis yet wander over the land of their fathers upon
the St. Lawrence and along the gulf in New BruuL
wick. These and others have been unable to stand the
shock of a meeting with the whites. Many tribes and
families are only remembered by the names of the
rivers, lakes, and headlands where once they dwelt.
A more persistent type of Algonquins have been the
famous Ojibway or Chippewa tribes, extending q...
from the St. Lawrence along the north of all
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90
A Short History of
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the lakes. A hardy, persevering and determined people,
they have steadily pushed their way north-westward,
have proved an equal antagonist for tho Iroquois, and
instead of quailing before the Sioux have actually
pressed these " tigers of the plains '' to the west, and
have established themselves south of Lake Superior, on
the former territory of the Dakotas.
Inhabiting as they did a most rocky and wooded
country, they have been a scattered bub self-reliant
people, dwelling in their round-topped birch-bark " tee-
pees,^' at home on their lakes and rivers in their birch-
bark canoes, and living on fish and game — a sturdy race.
Closely related to them, if not a part of them, were the
Ottawas, who lived at first on the river of that name,
- but sallied forth westward to Manitoulin Island,
and thence to the west side of Huron and
Michigan lakes.
The greatest offshoot of these Algonquin Ojibways
Croes ^^^ been the Crees, known to the early French
and English traders as Kristineaux or Klistinos.
They seem in their migrations to have pushed their way
up the Ottawa and Nipigon rivers, and to have occupied
the great muskegs of the country towards Hudson Bay,
in which wide region they are known as the Swamp
Crees, or '^ Muskegons." So strongly do they seem
entrenched in this region that there have been those who
have held that here and not to the southward was the true
Algonquin starting-point.
As a western branch of the same Cree wave reached
Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg, and the Saskatchewan
River, these sturdy Algonquins seem to have been
modified by the different conditions of the country, and
are known as Wood Crees ; while a still more adventurous
offshoot had facility enough to adapt itself to the changed
life of the prairies, where, exchanging their canoes and
dogs for horses, and their birch-bark teepees for buffalo-
skin and moose-skin tents, they are known as the
" Plain Crees," 700 miles from the mouth of the Sas-
katchewan, and even to the Kocky Mountains,
When the French traders, early in the 18th century,
Tin: Canadian People.
91
loft Sault Ste. Marie to coast along the shore of Tiake
Superior, and even to pass by stream and portage to ^ake
Winnipeg, they were accompanied by Ojibway canoemen,
who liave formed an intrusive race even as far west as
the Winnipeg, and Manitoba lakes, being known as
the Saultoaux from their ancestral home at tlie emptying
of Lake Superior. There are said to be 1(3,000 Crees
on the Saskatchewan River alone. The affinities of
the 7000 Blackfeet on the South Saskatchewan are
doubtful, though some class them as Algonquin also.
Undoubtedly the most distinguished of the Indian
races met with on this continent has been the
Iroquois, or as it was first known, '' Five Nation *"°1'*°"-
Indians." In the territory of what is now the State of
New York was the home of this people; and yet they
kept up so close a connection with the Ohio River that
the impression is becoming stronger that it was up this
river they had come in prehistoric times. This race, how-
ever, has been closely connected by residence and in-
vasion with Canadian soil.
The five nations, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas,
Senecas, and Cayugas, united in a league, were known
as the " Ongwehonwe,'' or " Superior Men," And it
was this league that gave the Iroquois so remarkable a
power, not only in their conflicts with other savage tribes,
but in their attacks on the infant colony of New France.
Cultivating their fields of Indian corn, growing, in
the cleared openings of the woods, pumpkins and melons,
rich in their supply of wampum, gregarious in their
mode of life, picturesque in their distinctive games, and
cruel in their warlike customs and religious rites, the
Iroquois fill up a large space in the early history of New
France and New England alike.
It was in 1712 that the Tuscaroras, one of their own
tribes, speaking a dialect of the same language, having
been forced at some time previous to find a home in North
Carolina, rejoined the confederacy to make it the "Six
Nations."
The Iroquois were always attached to the English,
though strangely enough about the time of the American
i
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A Short Historv of
Rovoliition, French inlluonco was ''•iiinlncr i^round ainonu:
tliem. Idoiitifiod with British nrins in tlio revolutionary
war, a portion of the Inxjuois h>ft tlicir old homes in the
State ol' New York, and found alter llu' Treaty of l*aris,
as wo sludl see, new homes within our horch'rs, that have
made tliein over sinee loyal Canadians.
Straif^ht as arrows, tall and athletic, with clean
lind)s, more eopper-eolonred and less swarthy than tho
Algonquins, with finely cut faces, tlieir dashin<^ warr rs
and comely women formed a great contrast to the ralner
coarse-<^ rained AlgonfjuiiM. A few thousands in Ontario
and Quebec — a few of tlieso pure Indians — arc memorials
of a once powerfnl race, which on its flight to Canada
also absorbed tho Nottoways and Tutelas, two Indian
fragments of doubtful affinities.
When in 1535 Cartier ascended the St. Lawrence,
he found tho present sites of Quebec and Mont-
or^Hurons. ^^^^ occupied by the two villages of Stadacoua
on tho cliff, and Hochelaga, the village of tho
rapids. The palisaded dwellings in which the natives
lived were arranged together and were strong for defence
against Indian weapons.
Wo have seen that it was these villages J:hat gave the
name to Cartier, by Avhich he called the whole country
Canada. It was in the language of the people of these
two places that it was so-called. The word, as wo have
seen, was Iroquois, and the people of these villages were
related to the great Five Nations and are known to us as
the Wyandots or Huron-Iroquois. It has been lately
surmised that the Cayugas, one of the Five Nations,
lived at Hochelaga in company with these Hurons.
The besom of destruction had swept them and their
villages on the St. Lawrence all away before 1600, and
Champlain found only a few Algonquins — no doubt the
Algonquins were the destroyers — living upon the village
sites. To the west, however, the French found the
Wyandots occupying the fertile country to the north of
Lakes Erie and Ontario. They especially abounded on
the shores of Lake Huron, which bears one of their
names, for the story goes that on account of their mode
'' -M
I.
THK Canadian Pkoimj:.
93
of wear in <^ tlu-ir liuir doiio up in peaks iibovo their hoad.s,
tlu) t'uily Ficncli voyafjfours oxclainiod on Hcein^ tliem,
'' Quelles llures!'' — what top-knots! — henco their name.
Their language, physical features, aud aocial life were akiu
to those of the Irociuois.
It was in eonsequence of an ancient feud, long before
the advent of Europeans, that these Huron Iroquois hud
SL'pJirated themselves from the Five Nations. Their
tradition was to the effect that origiiiMlly they consisted
of two villages, but that either by subdivision or alliance
they grew to four. It is stated ])y Charh^voix on the
authority of the early Jesuit missionaries that they
associated with theniselves other tribes about them.
It is in connection with the undoubted composite
ch.racter of the Wyandota that a suggestion has ' en
entertained by some that this union may have been
between the remnant of the Mouud-J5uilders, and this tribe
of the Iroquois on their career of conquest up the Ohio and
on their appearance on the shores of the great hikes. This
opinion gains much force from the fact tliat the Hoche-
lagans were constructive in tendency, were agriculturists,
wvvG less "svandcring in their habits than the other
tribes, and made pottery. There are traces among the
W'yandots of a composite language, for the earliest
annalists state that there were some of the Wyandots
who called themselves " the people who speak the best
language.'*
The estimate of 50,000 of a population as given by the
early chroniclers as belonging to the Hurons must be
received with caution, as there can be no doubt that the
good missionaries were in the habit of exaggerating the
numbers of all the tribes. The Hurons were seemingly
more accessible to the first Jesuit missionaries than their
Iroquois relatives, or perhaps the French fathers looked
upon them as being more within their district, living, is
they did, north of the lakes. And yet it was among the
Hurons that the bale-fires of torture rose with such lurid
flames in the cruel deaths of the Jesuit fathers, Brebceuf,
Lalemant, and others, though at the hands of the Iroquois.
The fierce wrath of the Iroquois was at last too great
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94
A Short Hi story ok
The Eries.
The Neu
trals.
for the Iliirons, unci they swept them away like the early
snow before the sun. A few Hiirons at the "Ancient
Lorette '* near Quebec are to us the sole Canadian repre-
sentatives ot this once numerous people. With the
Wyandots are usually associated as relatives the
Eries, who in times before the arrival of the
French dwelt on the south of the lake bearing their
name. This nation were called by the French the
" Cats/^ from the great quantity of lynx-skins which were
obtained from the country they had formerly occupied.
A nation called the " Attiwandoronk," or
" Neutrals/^ the kindi-ed of the Hurons, livea cii
the borders of the Iroquois country. These
gained their name from a long refusal to enter into
the wars of either the Iroquois or their enemies, but in
the end an Iroquois invasion exterminated them. Hurons,
Eries, and Neutrals thus melted away before the whirl-
wind of savage fury of the Iroquois, which well-nigh
destroyed New France as well.
It was as the French penetrated the interior, and
reached the greatest of the lakes, Superior, that
they first met a travelling band of a new nation
of Indians, of whom they had heard reports from
the Ojibways, under the name of the " Nadouessi,^^ or
" Enemies." It wf ^ a band of Sioux, into whose hands
Hennepin fell w^ en ne discovered the Mississippi, and
with whom he to^ led that river until they met Du
Luth, the intrepid -ader pushing his way inland from
the western extrei :y of Lake Superior. These new-
found Indians bore to the Frenchmen the characters of
the Iroquois, and they were known as "people of the
lake," and were spoken of as the '' Iroquets," or " little
Iroquois of the west." Employing the latter part of the
name Nadouessi, the French gave it their own termination
and it became " Sioux."
Not only were there a personal appearanc"! and a war-
like disposition in these Indians of the west resembling
the Five Nations, but like them, they consisted, and
still consist of a confederacy of united tribes. In was in
allusion to this political feature that the Sioux nation
' V.
THE Canadian People.
95
called themselves "Dakotas," or *' Allies/' Isauuties,
Yantons, Teetons, and Sissetons united together in one
powerful league, to make themselves as terrible on the
prairies as the Iroquois had done in the eastern forests.
Not only so, but linguistic resemblances appear between
Iroquois and Dakotas, in addition to the lithe, erect
figure, aquiline nose, and keen intellectual features,
which all who know the two families observe in both.
It is hard to resist the conclusion that Iroquois and
Sioux are not different branches of one invading people,
who as an American race of fiery Huns swept up the
Mississippi valley — the one part ascending the Ohio to
their northern home, the other up the Mississippi proper
to be the scourge of the plains. We have already men-
tioned the fierce conflict that subsisted between Ojibways
and Sioux. The Ojibways succeeded in pushing their
conquests to the shores of Red Lake, the reputed sourco
of the Mississippi itself. The vicissitudes of war and
disease have much lessened the great Dakota family, but
their numbers are said still to reach to 30,000, and they
now live toward the western limit of their former wide
domain, many of them in the vicinity of the Missouri
river.
Stirred up to vengeance in 1862, against the encroach-
ments of the whites, and by the bad faith of the American
Government, the Sioux of Minnesota rebelled, and several
exiled bands have in consequence taken up their homes on
Canadian soil.
Strangely like the history of the Iroquois also was that
of the Sioux, that on its northern limit one of the tribes
broke ofi*from the confederacy and lived as borderers on in-
timate terms with theCrees. These were the Assiniboines,
or as their name implies, '' Sioux on the Stony River."
Their separation from the Dakota nation took place long
before the advent of Europeans, and was caused accord-
ing to the tradition by a quarrel between two families of
the Yantons at Lake Traverse, the head-waters at the
same time of the Red River and of one of the branches
of the Mississippi. A Dakota traitoress led to the re-
enactment of the story of Helen of Troy. A feud of
■ - 'if
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96
A Short History of
H i
wide and serious extent ensued, and the Assiniboines
became the inveterate enemies of the Sioux.
Thrown into intimate rekitions witli the Crees, the two
nations were largely intermarried, and dwelt together.
Bands of Assiniboines are found scattered along the
tributaries of the Saskatchewan River, many of whom are
acquainted with the Cree language. The fur trader,
Alexander Henry, Jun., in his unpublished manuscript
gives a full account of the Assiniboines along the Sas-
katchewan, and early in the century numbers them by
thousands, popularly known as the " Stonies ■/' this band
of Canadian Sioux live far west of their old haunts,
having deserted the tributary of the Red River, which
bears their name.
To the north of the country of the Crees live tribes
Chippe- with very wide connections, known as the
wyans or " Tinne,^^ or -' People," the name, indeed, borne
Tmne. j^^ their own language by many of the Indian
tribes. They are also called Chippewyans — not Chippe-
ways — a name they receive as referring to their own tra-
dition that they sprang from a dog. This derivation
seems likely as the Chippewyans have a great aversion
to the flesh of the dog, and to the other savages who eat
it. This tribe extends from the neighbourhood of Fort
Churchill, on Hudson Bay, across the country on the
north of the Missinipi, or English River, to Isle a la
Crosse, and thence north to Lake Athabasca.
' On this " Lake of the Hills " is to be seen Fort Chip-
pewyan, founded as long ago as 1 788, and the scene of
many a fur-trading adventure. And yet west of this the
widespread nation is found, for ascending the Peace
River, and following its romantic course as it flows
through the Rocky Mountains from the west, scattered
Tinne families are still found. On the west side of the
Rocky Mountains a race still speaking the Tinne tongue
is met even to the Pacific Ocean, like a wedge between
the Columbian Indians on the south and the Eskimo,
who are driven back far to the north-west of Alaska.
Returning again to the east of our Canadian Alps, on
the head-waters of the Saskatchewan, a tribe of Chippe-
wyun a
The ex
seen, v
Mexico
even in
appear.
vival, it
pewyan
und pei
is, they
excessi'
Livin
meagre
pewyani
the fish
easily e
wanderi
unambit
the Chi
years thi
and hav(
been strj
A perl
examine
This givi
coast is
races an
peopled
boat of
shore bu
copper I
West, as
With 1
amono" 1
O
Indians t
ears the
haptans (
well kno^
trading j
well to d(
M
THE Canadian People.
97
wyjiu affinities is found, known as the Sarccos. g-ygges
The extended character of this people may be
seen, when it is stated that in Oregon, Arizona, New
Mexico, that fruitful nursery of nations, Colorado, and
even in North Mexico itself bands of these Athabascans
appear. From their extensive area and remarkable sur-
vival, it might have already been inferred that the Chip-
pewyans are a robust race. They are a medium-sized
rind persevering race ; swarthy though their complexion
is, they have neither the intensely black hair, nor the
excessively piercing eye of the better-known Indians.
Living as they do where scanty nature gives but a
meagre supply in return for great exertion, the Chip-
pewyans have not developed a high civilization, though
the fish and game are so plentiful that life is sustained
easily enough. Sober in habits, timid in disposition,
wandering over vast areas, sluggish in temperament, and
unambitious so long as their bodily wants are supplied,
the Chippewyans have been for upwards of a hundred
years the servile dependants of the various fur companies,
and have enjoyed the sunshine of peace, even if they have
been strangers to an exuberant plenty.
A perfect chaos of race and language meets us as we
examine the Indian tribes of British Columbia. British
This gives colour to the theory that the Pacific Columbia
coast is the side from which the Mongolian Indians.
races and those from different Asiatic localities have
peopled our continent. A Japanese junk and a drifted
boat of natives from the Pacific Isles falling upon our
shore but repeats the process of settlement by which the
copper races subjugated unoccupied America from the
West, as the whites have done from the East.
With this in view it does not surprise us to learn that
among the 36,000 and more of British Columbian
Indians there are five distinct stocks. To our unfamiliar
ears the names of Hydahs and Nutkas, Selisli and Sa-
haptans convey no meaning, but the fifth, Chinooks, is
well known, not from their original language, but from a
trading jargon which has grown out of it, which it were
well to describe more fully. Their habits and modes of
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98
A Short History of
Eskimo.
life liavo made a marked difference between these o0,00r»
or 40,000 Indians. While the tish-eating natives, those;
who either dwell on the sea-coast or along the rivers, an;
a dwarfed aud despised race, no doubt from their being
as constantly iii their canoes as the ancient Parthian was
on his horse, the inland Indian, accustomed to athletic
pursuits and exciting s])orts, is physically and mentally
a much better type of savage.
It but remains to notice among our aborigines on
Canadian soil, the hyperborean savages, who
with the Tinne reach the number of 26,000
souls. Dressed in a manner like the Christmas Santa
Claus of our boyhood days, the Eskimo as we have
become acquainted with him, chiefly in absorbing ac-
counts of Arctic adventure, is surrounded by a species of
romance.
Habited in his impervious seal-skin suit of clothing,
dwelling in the hut built out of congealed snow, coming
at times even to the frontier posts of the fur trader, his
wolf-like dogs, so characteristic of the north as to have
taken their name from his, as " Huskies,'' or '^ Eskies,''
bearing him full speed across glacier or snowy plain, the
Eskimo of Labrador, of the Copper-Mine River, of the
Arctic Coast, or of the Alaskan Peninsula, awakens
the keenest interest.
The seal and walrus on the coast and the reindeer on
the land afford him his food, and the Ojibway meaning
of his name, "the eater of raw flesh,'' shows his notions
of cookery. Known among themselves as the " Innuit,"
or " People," the different tribes that make up the ho-
mogeneous race, confined almost exclusively to the
American continent, stretch along its northern coast for
upwards of 3000 miles.
It is a mistake to suppose the Eskimo a race of dwarfs.
They range between five feet four inches and five feet
ten inches. It is their oily stoutness and thick skiu
clothing that give them a dwarfish appearance. The
Eskimo is far from being the lowest of discovered men.
Accustomed as he is rarely to pass beyond twenty-fivo
miles from the sea-coast, it is largely for the sea and
3^i
THE Canadian People.
99
from tbo sea he manufactures his implements. Tho
walrus-tusk and whalebone are worked up by him in a
most skilful manner into harpoons, spears, spoons,
ladles, ornaments, and trinkets of every description.
The *' kayak," or one-seated skin boat of the Eskimo
sailor, and the "umiak,'^ or flat-bottomed boat, rowed
by his wife and family, are well known to all readers of
Arciio story. Though fierce onsets have been made by
the Eskimo on their enemies, they are usually a peace-
loving and tractable people.
Our general survey of the Canadian aborigines thus
comes to a close. Our 35,000 Algonquins, whether
Ojibways, Crees, or Blackfeet ; our Iroquois with their
different tribal divisions ; our Sioux, whether Teetons,
Sissetons, or Assiniboines ; our wide-spread Athabascans ;
our much-dreaded tribes of the Pacific slope, and Eskimo
from the Arctic Circle, make up a motley assemblage, all
of undoubted Asiatic origin, and with the exception of
the last-mentioned, while widely differing in minor
customs, yet all presenting physical, social, mental, and,
so far, linguistic features, very much after the same type.
We now undertake the description of the life and habits
of our aborigines.
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Section HI.— Domestic Life of the Indians.
An old plate in theEamusio of 1556, in connection with
Cartier's voyages, gives the first diagram we j. ,,.
have of an elaborate Indian village. This was
the plan of Hochelaga, a village belonging probably to the
Alleghans, or, as we have seen, Huron Iroquois. This had
disappeared in three-quarters of a century. It was when
he had crossed Lake Ontario, in his hostile expedition
against the Iroquois, that Champlain saw the same Indian
villages and the " long house '^ in which dwelt in some
sort of communistic harmony, the several related families
of the tribes of the Five Nations.
The Indian cornfields and the plots of cucumbers and
melons surrounded the wooden erections^ and these
forest clearings made the Iroquois tenacious residents of
H 2
^''' v'M^Y
f ■-,
100
A Short History of
the land in which thry dwelt. We have already men-
tioned the birch-bark teepee of the Ojibway. Flattenorl
slips of ash or hickory or some ehistic wood were
fashioned in the forest, .and wore thrust with sharpened
(;nd into the soil. Joined together at the top or bent
over and again fastened in the ground, they formed a
round-topped framework for the dwelling. Spread over
the frame thus erected, the thick leathery bark of the
birch-tree [Betula papijracra) made a covering to shed
the rain and keep out the wind, and open enough at
the top to allow the smoke from the fire of sticks, in tho
centre of the tent, to escape freely.
And yet to seek a new hunting-ground, or at the
alarm of an advancing enemy, the few ashwood bents and
tough birch-bark plates could be hastily folded into a
small bulk and carried to another spot ; or, if indeed all
must be left behind, their place could be easily supplied
again by the use of the axe in the forest anew.
Of the Ojibway the teepee was characteristic. When
his art was at its best he could erect a central building,
covered over with tho rough bark of other trees, to be
his council-house, or to shelter him in his dances, but
this is believed to have been a feature of later timcF and
the idea to have been borrowed from the whites. When
the transition is made to the western prairies by tho
Algonquin emigrations to localities where the birch-tree
is not found, and life is exceedingly nomadic, a firmer
material must be sought for tent- making. The skin of
the deer or buffalo then becomes the material for the
wigwam.
The art of tanning leather was possessed by the
Indians, and the softness and suppleness of the tanned
skin, produced by the skill of the Indian women, chal-
lenges admiration. Carrying their tent-poles in bundles
fastened over the backs of their Indian ponies, the free
ends dragging on the ground form a frame when tied
together, on which are straped the whole of the camp
equipage. The rapidity with which an Indian tribe, in
a large encampment of Plain Crees or Blackf eet strikes its
tents, when the cry of the buffalo being near is passed about,
■ V.
V' .'
THE Canadian People.
lOI
might well excite the envy of a military quartermaster.
Women and children do the work, and, mounted on her
pony, the squaw of the prairie, with a papoose clinging
to each side, if need be, hastens off at full speed with
the ability of a Parthian rider.
The tents made of bufi'alo-skin are much loftier than
the bark teepees of t.e Ojibways, and are much less
likely to ' ubject their occupants to the inevitable smoke
of the wigwam, which among the Ojibways causes frequent
affections of the eyes. On the skin tents of the plain
tribes tbeir owners exercise their decorative art. The
exploits of the warrior may be represented in pictorial
detail. His totemic symbol or crest marks his tent as it
does every other important article of his possessions, and
the tent leather is sometimes covered with figures in
red and yellow ochre, or made by staining with the
juices of certain plants.
The well-appointed tent of a plain Indian is an object
of considerable value, and exhibits workmanship of a
creditable kind. In order to guard the sleeping occu-
pants of the tent at night from the arrows of an attack-
ing foe, who would, according to Indian custom,
approach the camp stealthily, and might dart arrows
through the skin of the tent, wide strips two feet or
more in width, of very hard and impenetrable leather,
are stretched around the base of the tent; these were called
by the early French voyageurs '' Pour Heches.''
In plain and forest wigwam alike, seated on the
ground around the smoky fire, the Indian family passed
summer and winter, except that in the summer, in hot
and dry weather, the fire might be kindled outside the
tent, and in winter the tent was sheltered from the icy
winds by being placed in the lee of rock, or thicket, or
forest. The efforts of civilization have been exerted
towards inducing many of the Ojibways, Crees, and
Sioux to surrender their movable and insufficient dwell-
ings, and accept the shelter of log-houses erected by
Government and tribal labour ; and if the picturesque
birch-bark or leather wigwam is to be superseded, the
Indian is for a generation likely to return in summer
m
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102
A Short History of
:V1
to his tent pitched outside of his log dwelling till the
hot weather is past.
It has been said that the Indian from the limits of
General Canada to the Gulf of Mexico is the same, and
Character- that as when you scratch a Turk you catch a
istics. Tartar, so a close examination of the Indian
belonging to any of the tribes proves him an Asiatic. The
same has been said of the Indian languages, of which wo
speak at greater length elsewhere. It has been said that
one root language forms the basis of all the Indian dialects.
Of this also we speak again. It is too early in the course
of Indian ethnology to admit either of these [positions,
except in the most general way. Although the same
instincts of reserve, cunning, and revenge may charac-
terize them, yet every variety of character exists among
the Indian peoples.
The dark eye of the same colour as the gloomy forests
through which the Indian roams, can detect a stranger's
footprint on the ground, the track of the animal he is
pursuing, or catch the first movement of enemy or prey
at surprising distances. With unerring instinct he
pursues the wary moose, or gains the first intimation
of approaching game by the sound of moving leaves or
crackling branches. With light foot he pursues the
trail in the forest or on the prairie, which a white man
can scarce discover ; and, well accustomed to the indistinct
path, the Indian traveller, followed by faithful squaw
with her intoed gait, and the young men anri maidens
of his family, penetrates, for long distances, the forest
or prairie in " Indian fashion."
A sort of trot is the Indian's favourite manner of
journeying, and at the present day the Indian guide will
follow the dog-train hastening over the frozen crust of
snow for sixty or seventy miles a day with a midday rest
alone. His keen powers of eye and ear, and his skilful
use of hand and foot, make the Indian an invaluable
guide in penetrating the fur trader's land, in exploring
the unknown regions of the country, in running the
rapids, in piloting the '^ brigade " of canoes, or even the
steamers of the interior.
TiiK Canadian People.
103
Living as ho docs in a northern clime, the Canadian In-
dian is compelled to protect himself by clothing.
The skins of the animals he kills afford him this.
If to the Eskimo the reindeer supplies everything needed
for bodily use, so to the Indian in the liir West, the
bufTalo, ere the coming of the white man, did the same;
while the Algonquin must chiefly depend upon the un-
certain supply of the moose or other deer and bear-skins
of the chase. No doubt before the coming of the white
man the Indian disported himself, except in the severest
weather, destitute of clothing.
Of his leather covering perhaps the most distinctive
feature was the moccasin. Shaped exactly to the foot of
the Indian it does not impede him on the march, while it
protects his foot from the thorn or cutting rock. Made
as the moccasin is of well-tanned leather, which is
thoroughly soaked in oil, it will withstand much mois-
ture, though dwellers in Indian countries are familiar
with the careful Indian using his bare feet to
bear him thi'ough the damp and mud, with, his ^^^^^ °^'
moccasins tied together by the strings, carried
dangling over his arm. The leggings of the Indian
fringed by the leather being cut into thongs, were strong
and comfortable, while the skin coat, ornamented with
barbaric art, often sewn with coloured thread or decorated
with porcupine quills, pleased the savage eye ; and the
deer-skin supplied his mittens for the frosty weather.
The Indian wears his head uncovered, unless decorated
for battle or the dance, even in the coldest weather. At
times his hair hangs in unkempt locks, at others it is
braided into two long plaits, which are tied at the ends
with brilliant-coloured thongs and fall from behind upon his
breast. On great occasions the head-dress of the Indian
is gaudy. Eagles^ or hawks' feathers are often used for
decoration, and are combined into an imposing head-
gear.
All Indians are fond of ornament. On special occa-
sions the face is smeared with ochre and grease, and
sometimes presents a grotesque appearance. Skilful
native artists are able to paint the nose and face so
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104
A Short History of
that ono viow presents the appearance of an eagle's
beak, another the face of an owl, and from the other
bide that of a dog. '^^Phe faces of the men are beard-
less, the hairs of the face being plucked out most
persistently. Tattooing has been quite common among
some tribes, the figures of animals, as is quite natural,
being the usual devices made.
W^hile the warriors often wear ornaments, such as a
necklace of bears' claws or a circlet of the scalps
taken in battle, the dress of the women is at times
highly ornamental. Necklaces of shells and brilliant
stones are common ; the petticoats and leggings are
covered with high-coloured designs, and the early traders
found difficulty in supplying a sufficiency of bandanna
handkerchiefs and bright ribbons to satisfy the fair.
Bands of silver and copper are often worn upon the arms,
bone and horn ornaments are suspended from other parts
of the clothing, especially on the breast, and the ear
and nose rings are regarded as special objects of
beauty.
Judged by their standard of development in the
mechanical arts, the Indians rank low. Their
'wandering habits and the insecurity of life and
property among them, have rendei'ed progress impossible.
Art and skill can only flourish where peace prevails. Yet
the Indian is not lacking in the ability to make imple-
ments for his use. In the far past the Mound Builders
seem to have possessed a greater knowledge of the arts
than most of the present races of Indians. The faculty
Potterv ^^ making pottery from a mixture of the coarse
sand and clay found scattered everywhere was
possessed by this lost race, as is well shown in their
remains. While the Hochelagans of the time of Cartier
and the Mandans of the Missouri of the present century
have possessed this art, it is not known that any of the
tribes now under review have possessed it.
The women of all the Indian tribes are skilled in
basket-making, and while their baskets, stained with the
juice of certain plants, are coarse and far from elegant,
yet they are strong and serviceable. It is not unlikely
nr Canadian ProrLF.
10?
'. "y-k
that the Mound Builders used baskets in carrying together
the earth of the mounds.
The instruments of war, fishing, and the chase tire
those most needed by the Indian, and his stone im-
iiitrenuity first showed itself upon the materials piementt.
lying near his hand. As in the older civilization of
Kurope, the stone age was also the first among tho
Indians. All of tho Indian tribes seem to have had the
knowledge of tho manufacture of arrow-heads from tho
cherty nodules found in tho primitive rocks. They have
made flint scrapers from the same, formed hard stone
chisels, polished and worked-down granite and crystalline
limestone into axes and tomahawks, with a groove around
the middle by which strong sinews were attached and
handles fastened to them for use. Stone hammers formed
in the same manner were formerly used, and among some
of the western tribes are still considered as of value. Tho
stone-cutters are also able to manufacture from the soft
pipestone, sometimes grey, and in the western prairies
bright red, pipes for smoking the several kinds of dried
leaves and bark used for the purpose.
Among the implements of the earlier inhabitants of
the country are found hooks, chisels, knives, «-,«-,«_
and other articles made of copper. These,
however, are usually of the native copper of the Lake
Superior region, having, as shown by the microscope, the
grains of silver found in that ore. As the copper in these
implements was never melted, but had simply been
beaten into shape, this manufacture comes rather under
the stone age than under any succeeding. The only case
known to the writer of an article of the nature of an alloy
was found near the falls of Rainy River in the soil, in
which a portion seemingly of a cup made with markings
similar to those of the Mound Builders' pottery was
unearthed.
The advent of the white trader has largely put an end
to the rude manufacture of stone implements. The
scalping-knife and tomahawk, made of iron in any form
to suit the Indian^s taste, was the first contribution made
him by the white trader, and soon these weapons, which
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A Short IIistokv ok
have como to bo tho emblems of Indian cruelty, super
soded the woodon war-el ub, stone hammer, and bow
and arrows, where tlie redmun eonld puichase them.
In time also tho trader entrusted, though at exorbi-
tant {)riees, to the Indian tribes tho firearms whieh were
so great a source of wonder at first to tho unsuspecting^
savage. It was the possession of firearms, obtained by
the Ojibways from the French, which enabled that tribe
to drive tho Sioux out of their original possessions on
Lake Superioi", when the latter wore not able to obtain
equal wf>apons. In later years the Indians of the plains
have been able to furnish themselves with the deadly
]{emiugton rifles, with their eighteen repeating charges.
No article of manufacture of the Indian indicates so much
TK« n-««- skill as the construction of the birch-bark canoe.
Tne Canoe. .,,, tt \ • m -i iti
i he Indian himself so values it that he declares it
to have been the gift of the Gitche Manitou, or Great
Spirit. With the canoe the Indian can cross the deepest
water, as tossed like a duck on the waves, his frail bark
survives where heavier and more unwieldy craft would
have been swamped. When the wind is favourable,
fastening his blanket or skin robe between two poles, he
erects them in the bow of his canoe, and is carried at a
rapid rate before the wind. When he must ascend the
river, and finds paddling against the current too difficult,
attaching a long line of buffalo or deerskin to the bow
of the canoe, with one in the canoe to steer it, he walks
along the sho^e and " tracks ^' up the canoe in the shallow
water.
Indian women manage the canoe as skilfully as the
men. The canoe requires practice to control it well, and
is dangerous to those unaccustomed to its use. It is a
most interesting sight to meet on the bosom of some
inland lake the Indiau mother, with her half-dozen
children, paddling with rapid speed, the youngest child
of three or four years of age sitting statuesque, lest a
careless lurch should overturn the uncertain craft. Its
lightness is one of the chief merits of the birch-bark canoe
when the passage is to be made from one river to another,
or a dangerous rapid or fall is to be avoided. The canoe
11
is tl
to tl
thebi
the f
its loi
VVl
uiun i
he pu
genioi
light
the 81
Itsbi
tually
first ui
stop p
of the
knew i
Livi
northei
iis in t
object
plentifi
and the
dren p
forest t
capture
such as
of wint(
It mi
by any
to his (
" gophe
his rave
and car
the mus
lately, t
ties witi
of the b
gave pa
lies, an(
'V
TiiK Canadian People.
107
Food.
is then unladon ; the cargo is carried by way of tbo portage
to the smooth part again, while inverted on the head of
tlie burden-bearing aquaw the birch-bark boat is borne by
the forest path or trail to the spot where it again receives
its load.
When the winter seals up the river or lake, the red-
man is driven to the use of his suow-shoe would „.
, 1 rvi, 1 The Snow-
he pursue his game, ino snow-shoe is as in- ^^^^
('•enious a device as can well bo imayfined. So
li<^ht as to add but little weight to the foot, the frame of
the snow-shoe is joined by a network of leather thongs.
Its breadth, while compelling an awkward gait, yet effec-
tually supports the walker on the softest snow. On the
lirst use for the winter of the snow-shoes, the awkward
step produces after long exercise an .excessive soreness
of the muscles of the leg, which the French fur traders
knew as the " mal de raquette."
Living as the tribes we are considering do in their
northern home, where nature is not so bountiful
51 s in the tropics, the food supply is always an
object of anxiety, in seasons when game and fish fire
plentiful the Indian prospers ; but in the long winter
and the scarce seasons the aged, and the wives and chil-
dren perish from hunger. Among the Indians of the
forest the moose and deer are much prized, but are only
captured by the well-skilled hunter. The small game,
such as rabbits, is snared by the squaws during the times
of winter scarceness.
It must be stated that the Indian does not feel bound
by any of the strict requirements of the Jewish law as
to his diet, and beavers, foxes, squirrels, and even the
" gophers " of the plains are not excluded from appeasing
his ravenous appetite. The buffalo on the western plains,
and cariboo or reindeer of the Arctic regions, as well as
the musk-ox of the same latitudes supply, or did until
lately, the Indians and Eskimo who live in these locali-
ties with sufficient food as well as clothing. The flesh
of the buffalo when newly killed, and especially his tongue,
gave palatable food to the plain-hunters and their fami-
lies, and the ^^ dried meat ^^ and '^pemican" were pre-
i.
"Si
. ''.1
., '. I.
'! i>
A
■ t'('
i I vtfii''
io8
A Short History of
pared for winter use. It is surprising how on the dry
plains- of the west the flesh of the buffalo, exposed in
strips in the open air without salt to preserve it, dries up
without decaying,
Pemican was tlie name given to the most common
preparation from the tlesh of the buffalo. The flesh was
cut in strips and pounded with sharp stones by the
squaws. Dried for a short time iu the sun, it was next
thrust into bags made of the buffalo's hide, into which,
when it was nearly filled, was poured melted fat and
marrow of the buffalo. This on cooling consolidated
into a mass which will keep for years. The berries of
the saskatoon tree (the Amelanchiar Canadensis) are
mixed with the pounded flesh in some instances, and
" berry pemican ^' . is thus formed. Unfortunately the
advance of civilization has made in the last decade the
buffalo an almost t^xtinct animal. Indians in the Rocky
Mountains pursue and capture for food the mountain
sheep and goat in addition to the deer which become
their prey.
The sea and river have always given of their treasure
to the skilful Indian fisherman. The 'Hitimeg'^ or '^white-
fish, and the '' ajidaumo " or sturgeon, with the pike or
"jack-fish'' have ever in the American rivers and lakes
supplied a plentiful food. In some r: vers of the Ameri-
can continent the sturgeon swarm in such numbers that to
catch them requires no skill, w^.id great numbers are
slaughtered wantonly in the spring time. In the rivers
of British Columbia the salmon are quite as plentiful,
and afford food and means of merchandise to the
natives.
Among the Iroquois and Ilurons the food supplied by
the game and fish was supplemented by the corn planted
and cultivated by themselves. The beds of wild rice
{Zizania aquatica) in many of the lakes and rivers supply
food of a most wholesome kind. Where rice is found,
the Indian settlements in its neighbourhood are deserted
in the month of August, the rice-beds being penetrated
by numberless harvesters, and the grain is beaten from
the stalks with clabs into the canoes.
of s
.'Ml I
K\ 1.1
, . ,Vi I
TiiK Canadian Pt^oplt;.
109
The cookery of the Jndian is performed over open fires
of sticks. Before the advent of Europeans, when clay
pots were used, fire could be applied with ease to the
well-constructed vessel ; flesh was also broiled over the
coals and formed what the French voyageurs called a
*' barbecue/' but the Assiniboine or Stoney Indians, as
well as others, are said to have heated stones red- hoi
and then cast them into holes dug in the earth into which
the flesh to be cooked was placed in water. On the
Pacific coast the Indians to this day plait strong grass,
and from this cons^-uct vessels, into which, filled with
water, hot stones are thrown, and thus flesh is cooked.
After all, the Indian is largely a flesh eater, and living as
he does by the chase the uncertainty of gaining his food
has a most unsettling effect upon his habits. With him
it is always either a '' fast or a feast," and the scene in
a large Indian camp when a supply of buffalo flesh
is brought in beggars description. Nothing could
exceed the gluttony and over-feeding of these hungry
savages.
By some it has been thought that the constant use of
animal food has given the Indians their craving for the
''ishketewabo," or fire-water of the white man, while others
have attributed it to the want of a regular and satisfying
diet. Whatever be the cause, the fact is undoubted that
the Indian on the verge of civilization has almost invari-
ably a taste for the deadly strong drink of the trader. Rival
fur traders, and even nations fighting for supremacy in
North America, have too often made use of strong drink
to advance their projects with the Indians. So univer-
sally is this practice condemned that for many years both
in Canada and the United States it has been illegal to
sell or give spirits to an Indian.
Section IV. — Language, Manners, and Customs of the
Indians.
Little can be said of a satisfactory kind of the Indian
languages. Sioux and Crees cannot understand
each other speaking, though the general struc- '^^S^age.
ture of their languages have points of resemblance. Cree
'«
»' 1.
' ; ;;-'i:»''
1 10
A Short History of
Authors.
jind Ojibvvay^ however, can hold converse together.
'J'he Indian languages seem to have been derived from
the Malayan, though since the branching off the Malayan
has been greatly developed. This would indicate an
ancient date for the peopling of this continent.
And yet the Indian languages are not " isolating or
monosyllabic like the Indo-Chinese group, agglutinating
like the Ural-Altaic, nor inflexional like the Semitic and
Aryan. '^ Strange as it may seem, according to Keane
and Gannett the only language of a similar structure is
that of the Basques of the Pyrenees, who speak the only
'^ incorporating ■" language of the Old World, though the
Indian languages far exceed that of the Basques in this
peculiarity. The effect of the languages of the whites
and Indians on each other has been marked.
Immediately upon the arrival of the whites in America,
intelligent men among them began to study, classify,
and reduce to a written form the various Indian dialects.
Eliot, the famous missionary, and Hecke welder,
of Bethlehem, have preserved for us the dialects
of the Indians on the Atlantic coast, who are now extinct.
For the languages of the tribes of Canada, we consult the
vocabularies in the works of Baron De Lahontan (1690),
J. Long (1791), Mackenzie (1801), Jonathan Carver
(1774), Daniel Harmon (1820), Keating (1824), and
especially the magnificent works of Henry Schoolcraft
(1834) ; recently the Ojibway Dictionary of Bishop Baraga
(1879), the Cree Dictionary of Father Lacombe (1873),
and the Dakota Dictionary of Dr. Riggs.
One of the most remarkable linguistic phenomena
in this connection is the Indian jargon among
the tribes to the west of the Rocky Mountains-
This is a combination of Chinook and Clatsop words
with French and English introduced among them. It
is used in barter all along the Pacific slope. It resembles
in its use the linnua franca of the Mediterranean, or
the " pigeon-English " of China. The jargon originated
about the beginning of this century, and chiefly from the
meeting of the North West and Hudson's Bay Companies
with the Indians.
Chinook.
THE Caxadiax People.
iir
Some of tlie words in use tiro worthy of notice. " Pass-
piiss " is the Chinook for cat ; '' King-Chautshman " is
a King George raau or Englishman ; " Boston " desig-
nates an American ; '* Potlatch '^ is a gift ; " Pasiooks "
is a Frenchman ; " Piah-ship " is a steamer, a corruption
of " fire-ship \' '' Cosho " is a pig, from the French
" Cochon /' " Tahla '* is a dollar, and so on.
The mode of representing his ideas in a pictorial
manner is a marked peculiarity of the Indian.
Numerous writers have given examples of this, ^ritint'
The " totem '' of the Indian is an illustration of
it. It is some object, generally an animal, used as a
crest. On the "Roches Percees,^^ a group of remarkable
rocks on the prairies, along the forty-ninth parallel,
between the United States and the North-West Terri-
tories, are figured moose, horse, sturgeon, buffalo-heads,
and the like as the totems or '' symbols " of visitors, who
have cut them on the rocks, as tourists to Niagara Falls
and elsewhere do.
Very ingenious uses are made of picture-writing by
the India: j. The writer has in his possession a drawin
by Mawintopaness, chief of the Eainy River Indians,
representing himself as an Indian in the centre, with one
eye turned to the right to the missionary to see the way
he points out, and the other to the trader on his left to
show the necessity of also having en eye towards busi-
ness ; and the poor Indian is divided between the two
opposing forces.
The same chief keeps a perfectly accurate account of
what the Government gives him from year to year on a
sheet of foolscap in pictures. A barrel of pork is a
picture of a barrel with a rude drawing of a pig upon it ;
a box of tea is a square with steam puffing out of one
corner of it; oxen and cattle, plough, harrow, saws, &c.,
are easily recognizable.
In connection with Indian writing a most interesting
system, called the syllabic character, was in-
vented in 1840 by the Rev. James Evans, then ^a^*,f^^'
a missionary on Hudson Bay. It consists in
using triangles, circles, hooks, and other characters as
'■, n 'r
1. -
m
t,''.
' " ' * * I
■>.-t'-
M
;il^
,lr.
/v
112
A Short HiSTOin- oi^
symbols for syllables. It is now extensively used by the
Crees of the Saskatchewan, who write letters with it on
birch-bark to one another. It may be learned by an in-
telligent Indian in an afternoon or two, being quite
simple.
The British and Foreign Bible Society, the Church of
England, and the Roman Catholics use this character in
printing Indian books. When Lord Duiferin was in
North-Western Canada in 1878, he heard of this character
for the first time, and remarked that distinguished men
had been given a place in Westminster Abbey for doing
less than the inventor of the syllabic characters had done.
Among the Indians it has been the custom to record
events by the use of wampum belts or by knots of par-
ticular kinds. The Indians have a considerable skill in
geography and astronomy, though, like all savage peoples,
they regard celestial phenomena with awe. The divi-
sions of time are carefully noted by the various tribes.
Some of the nations, such as the Blackfeet, regar^l the
sun as a " Manitou '' and worship him. A number of
the constellations are known to the Indians.
The mode of reckoning time is by '^ nights " rather
than by days. The greater divisions of time are counted
by " moons ^' or mouths. Among tho Crees the months
are as follows : May, " Frog-moon ;" June, the moon for
birds laying eggs ; July, the moulting month ; August,
the moon when the young birds fly; September, the
month when the moose casts his horns ; October, rut-
ting moon; November, hoar-frost or ice- moon ; Decem-
ber, whirlwind moon ; January, very cold month ;
February, big moon or old moon ; March, eagle moon;
April, ^' goose moon.'^
A people so devoted to a wandering life as the Indians,
SDorts in^st become noted for excellence in violent and
exciting games. It is true the restless tendencies
of the Indian tribes found an outlet in the frequent
wars carried on. When the young men of the tribe be-
came wearied with '' inglorious ease '' at home, a war-
party was organized, and frequently wars were undertaken
with no other motive than that with which a Russian
each
one.
ari
THE Canadian People.
113
autocrat is said to incite a European war, viz. for the
purpose of creating a public interest.
But athletic sports of various kinds are earnestly
followed in times of peace. Chief among them is the
game of ball, which has been preserved in what may be
called the Canadian national sport, that of '^ lacrosse."
In this the ball is thrown by a " stick," some four feet
long, made of tough wood, bent round at the top, and the
hooped part of the instrument, which is ten or twelve
inches wide, covered by a network of strong thongs of
buffalo or other skin. Among some of the tribes the
game is played by each player having a stick in
each hand ; among others, by the player only carrying
oue. Any number of chosen players can engage in the
game. In the great camps of the western plains as many
as 800 players take part in the game. The contestants
are divided into two equal parties, and the object is to
pass the ball through the opposing goals, which are made
by two poles some ten or twelve feet high, with a bar
extending across the top. The game is one of the most
exciting that can be imagined.
Violent encounters are constantly occurring, in which,
amidst the dust and confusion, the ball is for the time
entirely lost from sight. Tripping, pushing, and the
roughest jostling all seem a part of the game. At times
serious conflicts take place at which blood is drawn. The
writer has seen a Caughnawaga Iroquois receive a blow
with a stick on the face that split his nose completely
open.
At times the game of ball with the sticks described,
or with instruments resembling those used in the British
game of " shinty," is played upon the ice, and creates
great interest, though skill is not so easily manifested
in the management of the ball as in true lacrosse. Com-
petitions with bow and arrows are common, and these
weapons are handled with great skill in shooting at
marks. Races on foot are frequent among the Algonquin
and Iroquois young men, but on the western prairies,
where horses are abundant in the Indian camps, horse-
racing is one of the most absorbing sports, and feats of
I
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114
A Short History of
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4
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'ri,
liorsemansliip perfectly astounding to the white onlookers
are performed.
High-spirited and excitable as the Indians are, almost
all their games afford the opportunity for taking
^' "wagers" — a custom in which too often the white
man in his sports has not succeeded in escaping the
savagery of the redman, whom he follows. The ball-play,
the foot-race, and the horse-race were formerly marked by
the men, women, and children of the camp, and even whole
tribes, wagering wam'pum belts, household utensils and
possessions, tents, robes, and even horses, with one another.
Wives were at times in the excitement of the game bar-
tered off by their husband.
Leaving the athletic sports of the Indians and coming
to the amusements of the camp in quieter times, it may
be stated that the Indians are inveterate gamblers. Some
element of chance makes almost every game of absorbing
interest to the redman. The game of " plum-stones "
consists in painting one side of each stone of one par-
ticular colour, and then gambling with the parti-coloured
stones as dice are used. The game of seeds consists of
taking some hundreds of pieces of seeds of the same
size, separating them into groups, and selecting in order to
obtain a certain lucky number. Another game among the
Crees is that of hiding any small object in one of several
moccasins, and then leaving the proper one to be guessed,
as is done by the thimble-rigger or juggler in society
called more civilized.
By these and other like methods the Canadian redman
gains mental excitement of as extravagant and wild a
kind as do the gamesters of Baden-Baden and Monte
Carlo in European society. Indian gamblers will con-
tinue their play for forty-eight or sixty hours without
rest or food, and in that time will often lose all the money,
guns, and horses of which they are possessed.
But probably the most remarkable thing about the
social life of the Indians is the elaborate system of
dances, many of which indeed lose their character of mere
amusements, and are identified with the social and reli-
gious ideas of the peoples.
THE Caxaimax Pi-orij;
11^
The (lance seems to have boon, and to be an outlet for
tlie several emotions that rise in the breast of
the savagfe in connection with his life. To him, dances
a wanderer, the procurement of food is one of his
deepest objects of thought. Accordinj^ly the change of
the seasons, the time for seeking the different varieties of
game or food, and the abundance of anything ministering
to his bodily wants are sufRcient reasons for an overflow
of animal spirits.
The exciting preparation, for war and the victorious
ivturu gave rise to a special class of histrionic celebra-
tions. Veneration for the departed, or great admiration
of the living were also connected with a special exube-
rance of feeling.
It is to be noted that the wild pnssion of an Indian
dance is heightened as the sport proceeds, until, like the
reeling dervishes of the East, the dancers are brought to
a pitch of absolute frenzy. In all the Indian dances
there are common features recognizable. Music is an
invariable accompaniment. In the earlier times bands of
men or women sang, and thus supplied the weird sounds
with something of rhythm in them.
In later times a species of tambourine with rattles
upon the sides is beaten by bone or stick. This rude
instrument, known as the '* tom-tom,^' is usually beaten
by the women, and secures a certain regularity of motion
among the dancers.
When the dancers have painted themselves and, fan-
tastically dressed, await the beating of the ^* tom-tom,''
suddenly the dance, which is usually carried on by the
men, is begun by any one to whom the impulse comes
rising up and slowly beginning to circle round the o])ject
which is the occasion of the dance. The motion of the
dancer is that of a strange flexure of the body, as if
the joints of the lumbar region were all relaxed. As
the speed of the dancer increases he accompanies his
motions with a strange sound, ''E — he — e — he — ye — ye —
yeah," interrupted by an occasional imitation of the
scream of some wild bird of prey.
One of the commonest dances is the '^ beggar's dance,"
I 2
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n .
j>j ■
■■-•'■^■•, v-^ ,'■'■*• ll. -
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ii6
A Short History of
in which on receiving bags of flour or flitches of bacon
from the settlor on the frontier, the redrnen indulge their
joy for hours together in this wild sport to the delecta-
tion of the settlor and his family. The fire-dance, pro-
bably a relic of some ancient fire-worshipper's custom,
consists in the usual dance, while one of the dancers
carries in his wild career around the circle a burning coal
of fire between his teeth.
Among the Indians who follow agriculture, the ap-
proach of harvest is the occasion for the dance of thank-
fulness to the " Manitou " for his gift of the cornfield.
A boiling pot of maize is placed in the centre of the
circle of dancers, and each dancer, armed with a stalk of
Indian corn, engages in the wild merriment. Among
the tribes of the plains one of the greatest dances
was that to the buffalo. This has now almost disap-
peared from the scarcity of the buffalo. If the buffalo
were becoming scarce the Indian council decreed a
dance. Then the hunters came forth each with his mask,
consisting of a buffalo head and horns, which he wore,
while he carried the buffalo spear in his hand. Day after
day, by fresh relays of dancers, the dance was kept up
until the buffalo come, and the camp again rejoiced in
plenty.
As the winter approaches hunger begins to stare the
savage in the face ; the snow presents obstacles for his
pursuing the game with ease. On the fall of the first
snow among the Ojibways a pair of snow-shoes is erected
on lofty poles in the middle of the ring ; the dancers,
dressed in leggings of fur, and their feet shod with snow-
shoes, show their gratitude to the Manitou for the snow-
shoes which enable them to overtake the game.
Another series of these Indian orgies is connected
with the paying of honour or respect. When a dis-
tinguished visitor is received among the Dakotas, it is
the custom for the chiefs and older men to dance in the
presence of the honoured guest who is present, and it is
said that this is one of the few cases in the prairie country
where women are allowed to take part in the dance.
The memory of the departed brave is also honoured by
these
modi
bruv
mccl
hush
wliih
It w
extra
^m
riiL Canadian Pr.oPLE.
117
tliese savago nations in what is called the danco to tho
medicine of the brave. The companions of the departed
brave assemble around the lodge of the widow. Tho
medicine-bag of her departed spouse is liung on a green
bush before her door, and under this she sits and weeps
while the dancers career in wild fury around the tent.
It was, however, to have been expected that the chief
extravagances of these savage sports should bo observed
in connection with war.
The *^ sun-dance " is the ordeal by which the young
braves show endurance and receive their degrees of
honour. A booth of branches is erected ; tho medicine-
man directs proceedings ; from the centre of the booth
and attached to a high post a strong rope or line is sus-
pended ; on the end of this is a strong hook ; an in-
cision is made under the muscles of the breast of the
candidate for honour, and the hook is fastened in it ;
then while the music prevails the young warrior throws
himself back from the hook, and for a considerable time
he is held up till the muscle has been drawn out some-
times six or eight inches. If without flinching he
endures the ordeal, he is declared worthy of the dignity
of a brave, and fit to go upon the war-path. So high
is the Indian ideal of endurance !
Among the most characteristic of these Indian symbolic
rites is the discovery-dance, also connected with war.
This is performed without music. It represents the
various stages of an Indian attack : the skulking
approach, the creeping up to the unexpecting enemy
through the underwood and grass, the falling on the prey,
the deadly tomahawking, the snatching otf the scalp, and
the victorious return. It is indeed a pantomime of Indian
warfare, and is often adopted to secure recruits for the
warlike expedition by inflaming the imagination of the
spectators.
Of all the wild orgies we have described none is to be
compared to the terrible scalp-dance. This is performed
by the victorious war-party on its return. For fifteen
summer nights it is continued, and while engaged the
participants are more like demons than men. They
,•1 <.
■ ■■:!
4
Ii8
A Short History of
leap, liowl, Mild cry lik(! wild beasts, brandisli (licif
weapons, dangle the scalps which they liave lately taken
from their enemies, and become so infuriated in many
instances that like i'avin<^ wild beasts they creep on the
ground and seem to be devouring tlicir enemies.
And yet wlien meek-eyed peace returns, it also is
celebrated by the pipe-dance. The medicine-man seats
himself with the calumet or poace-pipe and commences
to smoke it. As the music begins, the first dancer
springs forth, and seizing another drags him into the
ring. The two dancers now seize a third ; and so on the
sport continues until all are gathered into the ring, and
with the wildest enthusiasm the return of goodwill and
the reign of brotherly love are shown forth. I'hus in
common life, in honour, and in war, do the savage peoples
of America show foi-th in an ingenious and emphatic
manner the ruling emotions that rise within them.
SectLO)b V. — Social, Political, and Rellgloti-s Organization.
The organization of an Indian tribe is one of the
things perplexing to the white man. It is a strange mix-
ture of aristocratic precedence and democratic equality.
Out of the ludian^s strong respect for age grows the
precedence given the old men. The old men, no doubt,
lament the waywardness of the young warriors, but the
council is the tribunal that decides on war or peace,
spares life or thrusts forth to execution, and is the
ultimate source of appeal for everything in the life of
the ti-ibe.
The family is the basis of the tribal relation, and
accordingly there is a hereditary position held by dis-
tinguished f^iinilies, but this seems to be modified by
the decisions of the council. Among the Indian races
there is a strong sentiment as to the inferiority of
woman. Woman is the mother of the family and the
slave of the family. Woman must strike the tent and
erect it, must do the great share of the burden-bearing
on the march, must paddle the canoe on the voyage and
portage the cargo about the rapids — she, in short, but
atteiK
spani<
nuitro
" iniiK
into tl
from a
the vi>
The
throng
euduni
must
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which
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the pa
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ings.
Pers
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and for
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families
their o\\
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faculty :
that ha
limit am
has indu
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has shel
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with ea
earth oi
far away
World i
THE Canadian People.
IIQ
utteuds tlio footsteps of her stalwart lord, like tlio
spaniel, to fetch and carry. Wheu ago cree})s over tho
matron, she is then regarded as a burden, and is but a
" niindirnoie '* — a miserable old woman. To send a woman
i!ito tho presence of a council to speak with ambassadors
from another tribe is to cast thorough contempt upon
the visitors.
The young warriors are tho hope of the tribe, and
through many severe ordeals tliey aro trained to
c'uduranco ere thoy receive tho rank of warrior ; they
must metaphorically win their spurs. In deeds of
daring* or even of cruelty they must gain the renown
which gives them standing. Fondness for her children
is a mark of the Indian mother, and consideration for
their wives and children is a feature of all the Indian
tribes even in times of extremest peril. The mixture of
the patriarchal and the democratic in Indian society
gives rise to many misunderstandings and heartburn-
ings.
Personal prowess is the guerdon of honour, and is
yielded willing recognition. The medicine-man or tho
war-chief may be more powerful than the chief, and it
is often the case that the chief is completely outnumbered
and forestalled by the young men or by ambitious
disturbers. Family feuds often break up tribes, and
many great peoples are but the descendants of separate
families who have broken off and set up an autonomy of
their own.
Among the Algonquin Ojibways there seems little
faculty for political organization. The wandering habit
that has distinguished them alike from their eastern
limit among the Pequods to the furthest western Crees,
has induced a disintegrating tendency among them. No
cornfields have held them to one spot ; no '^ long house '*
has sheltered them in one common village. Their food is
game and fish ; their birch-bark teepees can be moved
with ease; their canoes are always at hand; and if
earth or river fail to supply their food they journey
far away to other haunts. The Algonquins are the New
World gipsies. A Pontiac or Tecumseh may have had
i
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It
t ' ^'. - ^ •' •..1.1'*
120
A Short History ok
his dream of uniting lils AlgoiKjiiiii follow-countrymen
into a grand league against the wliito man, but it was
the wild, short vision of a leader sinking with his people
into the abyss of extermination.
It has been otherwise with the Iroquois and Sioux.
In each of these nations there was a confederation. And
yet this seems to have been but little more than a league
of peace between the tribal subdivisions, and of co-
operation for attacking the other nations, or defending
themselves when attacked. The wampum belts must
Bummon the gathering; the council fire must burn; and
tho general decision be made before war or peace could
bo determined, but all tho personal animosities and the
tendencies toward disintegration which distinguished
the Highland clans in former days are seen among the
members of the confederacy.
Tho Iroquois seem to have allowed one of their
number, the Tuscaroras, to drift away from them, but
again in 1712 took back tho wanderer, and in later
times they became the Six Nations, while known to tho
early New England sc 'er as the Five Nations. Feud
and hatred, as we have seen, separated one of the Dakota
nations, the Assiniboines, from their confederation. It is,
however, conceded that the Iroquois and Sioux have had
more political capacity than the Algonquins or most
other North-American Indians.
The deficiency of social or pohtical organization in tho
best, however, may be seen in the absolute helplessness
of the tribe in the presence of the avenger of blood. If
by accident or malice life was taken, the manslayer had
no protector. The friends of the slain became the
avengers — blood alone could atone for blood. No law of
restraint, no mode of compensation, in fact no social
remedy could be found; and cases have been known
where the obligation to take vengeance for some wrong
done has been the only barrier from keeping individuals of
Indian tribes from attaching themselves to the Christian
Church and listening to the entreaties of its mis-
sionaries.
The Indian with his strong imagination peoples nature
' Ji
Tiir Canadian Peopi.k.
121
with 8pi»'its ; but his conception of a (Ireat
Spirit, or " Gitcho Manitou/' is probably a
purer conceptiou of Deity than that of most aava^o
nations. Like many of tho Asiatic peoples, tlio Indian
has a conception of a " Matche Munitou " or Evil Spirit
of d therein. Over the grave an erection,
like the roof of a house, is built a foot or two high. This
is sometimes entirely covered by pieces of wood ; at
others, with white cotton cloth. At the head of tho
grave food is placed, and often a picicc of tobacco, while
weapons for the chase or for defence are buried with the
body.
On the western prairies different customs in part pre-
vail. The Sioux mode of burial is to lay the corpse on
platforms erected on posts, or constructed on the branches
of trees, though the Sioux now bury in graves.
Of primitive beliefs there are several which are very
. . widespread among the Indians. One of these is
Tradftions. *^^^^ ^^ ^^^ Deluge. The earth was, according
to their story, dark for a time ; the medicine-
man at last saw light in the north ; but soon the moun-
tains of waters came rolling over them. All were
destroyed except a few families, who built a raft and
esc.'i
vari;
bcli
mus
prcs
cms
rock
gnof
The
THE Canadian People.
123
psc'Mpod. Tho Iroquois, Dclawjires, and other tribes liuvo
variiitions of this same tradition. All the Indian nations
believe in a future state. They believe that the dead
must journey fni* to the west ; that a river divides tho
present from tho future; that a narrow and slippery
crossinpf must be passed to reach tho other side: that
rocks are hurled at all who cross ; that from these tho
pfood escnpe and enter into the happy hunting-g-rounds.
The bad wlio cross are struck by the flying rocks, and,
driven from tlui crossing, fall into the river beneath,
which is filled with dead animals and fishes, and all evil
tilings. The lost, the}' believe, live in sight of the abode
of the blessed, but cannot reach it.
Among the Blackt'oet some strange religious rites pre-
vail. On a lonely hill a stone with certain circles and
other markings is placed. Hither women who have
lost their children or husbands retire to worship. A sharp
stone lies on the other stone. The worshipper cuts off
one or more joints of the finger and offers this as a
propitiation to the Deity.
Among the most remarkable traditions of the Indian
tribes is one exceeding the wonders of the Arthuriaa
legend, or the Nibelungen Lied. It is evidently a pious
and devout tradition. Hiawatha was a person of mira-
culous birth, and bears this name among the Ojibways.
Among other tribes he was called Michabou, Chiabo,
Mauitboio, and Tarenyawagan. His mission was to clear
their rivers and forests and fishing-grounds. He was
to teach peace and its arts. The myth is plainly the pro-
duct of the heart of man universal seeking after some
higher power to help it, and the hereditary belief that a
celestial visitant was to come to rescue white and red man
alike. We are indebted to Longfellow for his making
Hiawatha a household word, and we hail such a tradition
as showing the common origin of white and red men, and
of all the nations which dwell on the earth.
But little value can be attached to the Indian tradi-
tions about their own origin. The Algonquin
story, where it departs from the general theory ^f oriffin
that the Gitche Manitou created their nation in
, ■Hfi-
■ ■ -a
||^.ritil:!Hli
'' ''M'-'
I
124
A Short History of
their own rock-bound coast, is that their nation emerged
from a great opening in the Rocky Mountains. 'J^his is
probably a shrewder guess as to the direction of their
long-lost home in Asia than most of the other tribes
possess.
The Sioux hold that they were created in their own
land of the Dakotas by the Great Spirit, who is known
to them as " Wahkan Tanka.'^ They have, they say,
always occupied their present home. According to
their tradition it was a Frenchman who first of white
men visited them. He carried a gun which greatly in-
terested them. On his showing its power upon a dog
they fled, calling the new visitant " Thunder.'^
The Chippewyans believe that the world was all a wide
ocean, and only one inhabitant was on it, that a huge
bird with eyes of fire, which flashed like lightning, and
the flapping of whose wings was thunder. At its mighty
touch the ocean heaved up the land ; and by it were pro-
duced all living creatures, except the Chippewyans them-
selves, who sprang from the too much-valued ancestry of
a dog. They regard themselves as intruders in their
present country, having traversed a great lake to escape
from a very wicked people in their old home. They
suffered greatly on the voyage. Their ancestors lived
to a great age, even till their feet were worn out
with walking, and their throats had failed from
eating.
The Columbian Indians have a still stranger account
of their origin. There was a time, they say, when only
birds, beasts, and fishes existed on the earth. Whence
the first Indian came they know not, but he was of short
stature, and had heavy arms and legs. He killed himself
— why, it is not stated; but as the worms were devouring
the uncovered corpse a bird attacked the destroyers, and
the slain man revived. The restored Indian then married
the bird, and from the alliance sprang the present
Indians.
Such vague and trivial accounts give us no clue to the
original home of tho Indians; but they are plainly
guesses, and as such not so far behind the theories of
those
to col
It m
gininj
light
tribes
.' .'•!
THE Canadian People.
125
those who, without the aid of the Creator, make effort
to construct the world of things inanimate and animate.
It must be toward sources outside of the empty ima-
ginings of crafty medicine-men we must look for any
light as to the affinities and original home of the Indian
tribes.
*
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. i'. ■ tfl * /
tft^fiie-i 4
^'^■
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126
A Short History of
CHAl^TER ly.
THE OLD COLONIES ALONG THE ATLANTIC.
(References : *' CEuvres de Charaplain," 6 volumes, Quebec,
1871; Charlevoix, " Histoire de la Nouvelle France," 6 volumes;
" Histoire de la Nouvelle France,'' Lescarbot, Paris, 1866 ; " His-
toire de I'Acadie Fran<;aise," Paris, M. C. Moreau, 1873; "Acadia,'
a Lost Chapter of American History," P. H. Smith, 1884 ; " His-
tory of Acadia," James Hannay, 1879 ; " History of Canada," vol. i.,
F. X. Garneau, 1862; " Short History of the English Colonies in
America,'' by H. C. Lodge, Harper, New York, 1881 ; " History of
the United States," B. J. Lossiug, New York, 1857 ; " History of
the American People," Arthur Gilman, Boston, 1883 ; " Concise
History of the American People," J. H. Palton, New York, 1883;
" History of the People of the United States," J. Bach M'Master,
Appleton, New York, vol. i., 1885, vol. ii., 1886.)
Those were red-letter days when the great English
navigators were making the world ring with the account
of their discoveries. The Italian Ramusio had done
good service in the middle of the 16th century, in
keeping a record of the half-century of naval glory im-
mediately preceding his time ; and now a Puritan divine,
Richard Hakluyt, preacher, laid all succeeding times
under obligation by chronicling, in addition, the deeds
of the navigators. At the beginning of the 17th cen-
tury Western Europe was considering what might be
secured from these discoveries. To Spain, with her in-
satiable thirst for gold. Central America became the
hunting-grounds for the most bloodthirsty and unprin-
cipled band of marauders the world has ever seen.
^ The name " Acadia," in French Acadie or Cadie, is said by
some to be derived from " Aquoddie," the Indian name for a fish
found on its shores.
,M
THE Canadian Peopli;:.
127
Spanish America, to this day in revolution and unrest, is
paying the penalty of those fearful scenes. The French
had a dream of an unbounded empire for church and
king. The thought of France in her occupation of the
New World was that in Nouvelle France extending to
the Mississippi, and in Louisiana to the Gulf, her reputa-
tion might be maintained.
The Dutch, famed for their love of gain, looked on
Now Amsterdam as simply a meeting-place with the
natives for the exchange of furs, and for obtaining the
excitement that comes to the shrewd in successful
bargaining and trade.
To the English, as they conned over the recitals of
Hakluyt, dreams of a widely different kind appeared.
The merry cavalier, it is true, looked upon the new land
as a field for wild adventure. The killing of game and
catching of fish in the New World, the masterful striving
with the savages, the transplanting across the sea of
English sports, and the founding of family names amidst
the freshness of a New World life, opened up an enchant-
ing vista to the young gentleman of birth and
education.
But there were sober-minded men who read another
meaning in Hakluyt's story — men in whose lives the
shadows were more frequent than the sunshine. It
became evident to the deeper thinkers among these
Puritans that the Stuart line was hostile to liberty, and
so across the ocean they looked for a refuge on the rock-
bound coast that might prove to them the citadel of God.
Amid the chaos of religious thought in England there
were others also who in their creed of separation and
division desired to be free from all government, and
who hoped to find in the New World such a radical
Utopia.
Further there were the followers of Fox, who in the
intolerant spirit of the time were given but little rest in
their attempts to bring society back to first principles,
and secure an enforced simplicity. The Quakers looked
to the New World for a peaceful haven.
The Roman Catholics, too, finding England a land of
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128
A Short History of
possibilities to them, sought, under the distinguished
leadership of Lord Baltimore, to found a free state on
the American coast ; and last, in the untilled acres of
the New World, philanthropists like Oglethorpe saw
the opportunity not only for strengthening the power of
England abroad, but also of giving comfortable homes
and independence to many in the Old World, whose lot
was one of degradation and penury.
All of the movements named were not only entertained
as plans, but all succeeded in gaining foothold on the
Atlantic shore, and in forming colonies, and, in some
cases, afterwards independent states.
Acadia.
1699.
Section I. — The French in America.
Acadia is the land of poetry and legend. Its early
days were days of fierce conflict, deceit, and
blood. It was the border-land of English and
French dispute, and even of Catholic and Calvinist
bickering. The figure of Champlain appears upon this
scene before we find him in Canada ; and well had it
been had his wisdom and strong arm been retained to
Acadia in her misfortunes. It was in the service of a
rich merchant of St. Malo, named Du Pont, or better
known as Pontgrave, that Captain Chauvin, of
the French navy, first went forth. This was
under a patent, subsequent to that of Marquis de la
Roche, who in 1598 took up the title of Lieutenant-
General and Viceroy of Canada, left vacant by the dis-
aster of Roberval on his last voyage. The super-
stitious sailors of Brittany thought the track of
the lost Seigneur unlucky. Captain Chauvin having died.
Chevalier de Chaste succeeded him. In the
following year (1603) the expedition — a fruitless
one — ascended the St. Lawrence to Hochelaga. On that
voyage were the men destined to guide the afi'airs of the
French in America. These were Pontgrave, Champlain,
and the Sieur de Monts.
De Monts, whose family name was Pierre du Gua, was
De Monts. in high favour with King Henry IV. He was a
1547.
1602.
•.»U ■!
• ^
f\
TTTE CAXADTAN PFOrT.K.
129
Ilugncnot or C^alvinist nobleman, had seen hard service,
and had achieved renown in the French wars. Preferring
Acadia to Canada, on account of its supposed milder
climate, he obtained, under the charter of the old company,
for himself froTu the kinf^ an exclusive grant of the
territory from 40° to 4()° N., and went forth dignified as
liieutenant-General of Acadia.
Inducing a number of his co-religionist merchants of
Rochelle to join him, with four ships and a gay party ho
went forth to the New World. Champlain commanded
the fleet. Led by the novelty of the enterprise, many
volunteers had joined De Monts. Of these one of the
most distinguished was the Baron de Poutrincourt. His
family name was Jean de Biencourt. Like De Monts he
also had fought bravely in the wars of the king. lie had
now resolved to make a new home for himself and family
in the New World. The plan of the expedition was that
one vessel should go up the St. Lawrence to trade for
furs ; another under Pontgrave — the indefatigable explorer
— was to scour the Gulf of St. Lawrence to drive off
ponchers on the fishing-grounds; while the remaining
two vessels, under De Monts himself, were to carry out
the colonists, about 120 in number, consisting of artisans
and agriculturists, clergy and gentlemen. The Huguenot
leader in charge of so important a company had the
honour of ffoinsf forth to establish the first per-
inanent settlement in the territory now included jgQ^ '
in the Dominion of Canada.
The expedition had a good voyage, for in one month
the New World was reached, though De Monts lost his
course, and arrived at Cape la Have, near the present
Lunenburg in Nova Scotia. Finding the coast rocky
and inhospitable the colony re-embarked, rounded Cape
Sable, the south-west extremity of Acadia, entered what
they called " La grande Baie Fran9oise," now the Bay
of Fundy, the '' Fond de la Baie " of the old French
maps.
Running into the narrow passage known as St. Mary's
Bay, the expedition advanced into a narrow channel
between the hills, which opens out into a capacious har-
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130
A Short HisToin' of
l)Our, which C'liamplnin tloscribes with admiration, and to
-svhicli, with the f'oresig'ht of u pioneer, ho gave the name
of Port Royal. The J3aron do Poutrincourt was also
captivated with the beauty of the now well-known
Annapolis Basin, and obtained a grant of it for himself
from De Monts, a privilege afterwards confirmed by the
king.
Under Champlain's leadership much of tlie neighbour-
ing coast was explored and named, and the mouth of
the large river running from the north into the Bay of
Fundy, now the St. John of New Brunswick, was
reached.
The coast having been largely explored by Champlain,
and the patience of De Monts and his colonists exhausted,
the choice of a place for settlement was made up Pas-
samaquoddy Bay, on an island of the Ste. Croix River.
On their island home operations were at once begun by
the colonists. On the north side was built a fort, outside
of it a barrack; and other buildings, including residences
and a chapel, were erected, while on the west side of the
Ste. Croix a mill was built.
The severity of a New World winter was a rude sur-
prise to the unprepared colonists : wood and water failed
them ; the Indians seemed hostile ; and. the scourge of
Cartier's early settlement, the scurvy, cut down the
colony to forty-four. The spring came to find De Monts
sadly discouraged. The disheartened colony determined
to seek another situation. Along with Champlain, De
Monts explored the coast southward to Cape Cod, but
no place excelling in their eyes their first-chosen spot,
Port Royal, could be found.
Deserting their buildings on the Ste. Croix, they
crossed the Bay of Fundy, and found on the shores of
the spacious Port Royal Bay a resting-place. Shortly
after Pontgrave arrived from France with forty new
settlers and supplies for the colony, and new heart was
given to the discouraged colony. Port Royal now
seemed to offer everything needed for a successful settle-
ment, beauty and safety of position, plenty of timber,
fisheries, nearness to the rich marsh- land, and a
nil
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irks
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Tin-: C.WADiw Pi:ni'i.i:.
fli
mild climate. J [ore tlion dwollings and storohousos
wero built, and a fort an vvoll.
The colony firmly established, Do Monts returned to
France. The succeeding winter again proved very
ii'ksomo to the new settlers, and on the return of spring*,
!i,t the request of the colonists, Pontgrave again ex-
plored the coast to the south, seeking a more favourable
spot.
But De Monts found his pathway in France surrounded
with difficulties. The Rochelle merchants who were
partners in the enterprise desired a return for their
investments. The Baron de Poutrincourt, who was still
possessed with the desire to make the New World his
home, proved of assistance to De Monts. De Poutrin-
court returned to Acadia and encouraged the
colonists, who were on the verge of deserting ^gQg '
Port Royal.
With De Poutrincourt emigrated at this time a Parisian
advocate, named Marc Lescarbot, who was of great
service to the colony. During the absence of De Pou-
trincourt on an exploring expedition down the coast,
Lescarbot drained and repaired the colonists' fort, and
made a number of administrative changes, much improv-
ing the condition of the settlers. The following winter
was one of comfort, indeed of enjoyment, for Lescarbot
says, " They lived as luxuriously as they could have
done in the street Aux Ours in Paris, and at a much less
cost.''^
In May, however, the sad news reached the colony
that the company of the merchants on whom it depended
had been broken up. Their dependence being gone, on
the 30th of July most of the colonists left Acadia for
France in vessels sent out for them. For two years the
empty buildings of Port Royal stood, a melancholy sight,
with not a white person in them, but under the safe pro-
tection of Memberton, the Micmak chief, who proved a
trusty friend to the French.
The opposition to the company of Rochelle arose from
various causes. In addition to its financial difficulties
the fact of De Monts being a Protestant was seized on as
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'■•'. i::m^': ^
132
A Short History ov
1610.
the reason wliy iK)tliin<( was l)oin<»' done in tlio colony to
cliristianizo tlio Indians. A('Cordin<>'ly when
I)e Monts, fired witli a new scheme for explorinj[^
the north-west passage, turned over tl»o management
of Acadian affairs to De Poutrincourt, who was a sin-
cere CathoHc, some of the difficulties disappeared. It
was not, however, till two years later that
arraniifements were made for a new Acadian
expedition.
Under the blessing of the Roman Pontiff the new
enterprise began. With the reorganized movement was
associated Jesse de Pleucher, a priest of Ijantage, Soon,
dismantled Port Royal was revived again. Houses were
occupied along the river by the artisans and labourers,
and successful efforts were made to convert the Indians.
Twenty-one Indians became Christians in the first sum-
mer. Chief Memberton, his son, and his son's wife
were among these, and were baptized with the names of
Henri, Louis, and Marie, the names of the King, Dauphin,
and the Queen.
Baron de St. Just, eldest son of the Baron de Pou-
trincourt, was despatched to France with the news of
these conversions. Great joy was expressed at Court.
Two Jesnit fathers were named to accompany the mes-
senger on his return. An unexpected obstacle inter-
vened. The merchants of Dieppe, who controlled the
ship going to Acadia, were Huguenots, and they refused
the Jesuits a passage. At this juncture, Madame de
Guercbeville, a noble lady, purchased the interest of
these traders in the ship, and the fathers were allowed
to go. Arrived at the colony again, De St. Just
took charge of it, and allowed liis father to return
to France. At this time it contained but
twenty-two persons. Its difficulties and trials
were many.
About this time, Madame de Guercheville sent another
colony from Honfleur to seek a place on the coast of
the New World. The Jesuit father who accompanied it
had quarrelled with De St. Just, and it was deemed wise
to seek another situation than Port Royal for it. It
1611.
;^li
TiiK Canadian Pfopm:.
133
1613.
CODsiated of f(ii'ty-ei<^'lit rolonisfca, nnd in iho ship coii-
tnininn* tho cmi«i-iMnts vvcro pnwisioiis for a ycjir. Tlio
spot clioson for suttlomcut was ^ft. Desert, an island,
now a fasliionablo sninmor resort on the coast
of Maine. Tho name given the new settlement
was St. vSanvcnr.
This attempt was, however, ill-starred. The situation
cli(jseu was on territory claimed by the En^-lish, and iu
consequence a Vir«^^inian captain, Samuel Argall, fell
upon the colony, and showing- no mercy, carried fifteen
of the colonists away in chains, and turned the remainder
adrift on the ocean.
The captain of the French at St. Sauveur had shown
to Argall tho commission of the King of Franco to
choose the situation he had done. In consequence of
this, two ships irom Virginia sailed north, and cast down
every vestige of French occupation found on Mount
Desert. The expedition visited Ste. Croix, and crossing
over to Port Royal attacked it and left it in ashes. In
the same year the aged Baron de Poutrincourt .„..
arrived in the New World only to see the
desolation of Port Royal ; he returned to France, to fall
litifhting in the wars of his sovereign in the
following year. His son, De St. Just, remained
in Acadia, became a border ranger, and, with the remnant
of the colony, lived among the Indians.
The successful attack by Argall was a heavy blow to
French interests in Acadia. It revived the claim of the
English to the Acadian coast. The weak hold given by
the almost forgotten voyages of Caboto was now insisted
on.
The Puritans of King James's reign had much interest
in the New World. It was to Sir William Alexander of
Menstry, afterwards Earl of Stirling, a favourite of
King James, one claiming to possess royal blood, and
also a writer of plays and poems, that the g -„„-
territory of Acadia was given, under the name
of Nova Scotia, and for which a nominal rent was to be
paid. In the year following, the new Viceroy _»
Alexander sent out a vessel with a Scotch colony,
" :; 1. ;l.
. i t 7 ^ ' "^ -!
' ■'■■■ '■; ^4».,
134
A Siioui" IlrsroKN' of
wliicli wititorod '\n i\\o New World, and in I ho iiuxt
Kpriiig" visitod tlio coiist of Acadiii, l)iit ivtnrnod to
Scotliuid in »Iuly. Soiiio I'^roncli mcI tiers nt this timo
still scorn to liiivo boon at l^orfc Koyal. 'IMio woidd-ho
Mow World monarch, Kin*,'" dninos, continued to send ii.
vessel iiJinuiilly to tlio coast of this donuiin, to trade with
tho Indiiuis.
Kinn;' Jsunes undertook thc^ foundation of an order of
haronets of Nova Scotia, hut it was only in tho first
1626 .year of the rciufu of Chai'lcs T., his succcssoi-,
that the oi'der was foundc(l. Pnt(nits to no less
than 200 barons have been granted, of wliich about
loO still exist. Up to lOlJo there wore in Nova Suotia
Baronets fifteen of tliese baronets' estates, thirty-four in
ofNova New iirunswiek, twenty-four in Capo Breton,
Scotia. .,^,j| tliii-ty-foui. in Anticosti. Kach estate was
to have been six miles by three in area, and only to be
luOd on conditicm of its bein;^' settled.
The renmants of tho French colony of Port lloyal
never deserted Acadia. As ah'eady stated, i)e
St. Just — perhaps better known by his family
luinie, Biencourt — with a small band of followers,
lived a semi-barbarous life on the Acadian shore. Amonu'
the colonists at Port Royal had been a man of high
1609 birth — the Sieur de 1^ '"" ur. Allied to the
noble house of Bo"'" this colonist was a
Huguenot, who had lost 1 .i-ces in the civil war in
France. His family name .6 Claude de St. Etienne,
and, with his son Charles, he had only cast in his lot for
four years with the Port Royal coluny, when disaster
overtook it.
The Virginian expedition which had destroyed Port
Royal ruined the fort in the absence of its possessors,
who returned to find their place of shelter in ashes. The
De la Tours, father and son, had then established a fort
at the mouth of the Penobscot River — Pentagoet — but
being on territory claimed by the English, they had
been driven from it by the Plymouth colonists. Charles
de la Tour, who is almost a romantic figure in the history
of Acadia^ had then taken to the wild life of Biencourt
De la
Tour.
iiii; Canadian' I'ioi-ij:.
135
ill ilic iit'i<4'lilj()iirln>()«l of tJic (IcslroyiMl I'ort Koyal. Kiii-
(liTil spirits, so grosit trioiids liiul tlicy l)ecniiio, when
the forcHt rsmpjor Hioncourt (liinl, lio left liis
ri^'lits ill Port IJoyiil to i\w younuf St. Eticmio,
then but twenty-eight yoars of w^o.
Th(! young h-iulor of tln^ hordors was a, man actlvo and
Hiigacious — ono of thoso scslf-rcliant tnen dov('h)p(ul always
on the bordor-laiid of civili/iSition. Two yoars after
liicnt'ouj't's dealli, CharU\s St. r^tietino ninrricd .«„.
ji ilngiienot hidy, al'tervvMrds tliu heroine of tlio
shores of St. Jolm. About tliis time, St. Etieniio built
a fort, St. Loais, near Capo Snblo, on the south-west of
Acadia, and the adjoining harbour bears his njinie. La
Tour. Claude St. Ktienne, the father, driven away as
we have seen from his fort at the mouth of the i'enobseoi,
now resort(!d to Fort St. Louis with his son, and under-
took to carry a message from his son, the real commander
of the fort, to the French king, asking for ships and
men to preserve Acadia to France.
It was at this juncture that another Huguenot, Sir
David Kertk, in tlie service of the lOnghsh, made an
attack on the Fi-ench settlements in America. Sieur do
la Tour had been successful in his nusaion to France,
and was coming out, bringing eighteen vessels laden with
men, cannon, and amnmnition. Kertk captured the
whole fleet and took the ships to England. Young St.
Etienno gathered all the French and Indians he could
influence in Acadia into his Fort St. Louis, and stood
for its defence in case of attack.
Jiut strange indeed are the vicissitudes of fortune.
The elder La Tour taken prisoner, was carried to England.
Being a nobleman and a Protestant, he was received at
the English Court. Having become friendly with the
Nova Scotian pseudo-monarch, Sir William Alexander,
he had gone over to the English side, and had obtained
for himself and son, baronetcies under the English Crown
in Nova Scotia. The estate bestowed on father and son
extended along the coast from the present towns of
Lunenburg and Yarmouth, with a depth into the interior
of fifteen miles, and comprised 4500 square miles. Two
f
ii ■ 'i
-'"■—-'--■''•-- ^*-''-*—^-- -■ -■"'■
136
A Short History of
i
i !.
baronies were to be establislicd, St. Etionnc and La
Tour, and a Scotch colony was to be formed.
The new lord of La Tour had married while in Eng-land,
jggQ an English lady of rank, and embarked with a
number of colonists in two vessels for Nova
Scotia. On his arrival before Fort St. Louis he ac-
quainted his son with what he had done. His son, how-
ever, utterly refused to have any cor jction with the
English. The father used threatening and winning
words alternately with his rebellious son, but all to no
avail. He even sought to compel his son by arms, but
failed in this as well. Chagrined and disappointed,
La Tour was compelled to resume his voyage and
conduct his colonists to Port Royal, where a son of Sir
William Alexander had founded a Scotch colony in
1620.
A few years later this Scotch colony, along with the
remainder of Acadia, was surrendered to France. The
elder La Tour, now on the invitation of his son, repaired
to Fort St. Louis. In the same year in which La Tour
arrived from England, a vessel was sent out from Franco
with ammunition and supplies for Fort St. Louis ; while
the young commander was highly honoured for his
devotion to France.
A new undertaking was next entered upon of building
a fort at the mouth of St. John lliver, in what is now
New Brunswick. To cap the strano'e events of
March 29th,i.i • -i/m i t- ^ j^ -t 1 • i-
16ii2 this period, Charles i. m order to obtam iroai
France the 400,000 crowns of his queen
Henrietta Marians portion, basely gave up Acadia in the
surrender of St. Germain-on-Laye. It was a part of the
policy of the adroit Cardinal Ilichelieu to retain at all
hazards Acadia and Canada as French possessions. He
had five years before the Treaty of St. Germain- en-Lay e
organized ^* the Company of New France." The com-
pany must for fifteen years send out 200 colonists a year,
and thus raise the colony to 4000 ; all the colonists
must be French and Catholics, and they must be supplied
with priests. The company received the gift of two
men-of-war in addition to other importantf privileges.
titt: Canadian Peopt^k.
^}>7
A reliitivc of the Great Cardinal, Captain de Kazilly,
Avho bore ma'^ks of the king's favour, was chosen to
colonize Acaciia, nud a vigorous pclicy was expected.
The new coniniandor was furnished with documents to
dispossess die vScotch settlers of Port Jloyal. Artisans
and peasants were taken out to strengthen the settlement.
Along with De Kazilly went two men, whose names are
indelibly im])re.ssed on Acadian history — these D'Aulnay
are De Charnissay, and the uistorian Denys. de Char-
The former of these, D'Aulnay de Charnissay, '^^^^^y-
AViis an officer of the French navy, who had served with
distinction under De Razilly. He was in many ways a
competent leader oi' men, and acted for De llazilly, who
bad unbounded confidence in him.
The other notable man of the party was Nicholas Denys,
born in 1598 at Tours. Little is known of his
early life. He wrote '^A Geographical and ^^^^*
Historical Description of the Shores of North America,
with the Natural History of the Country.'' De Razilly in
founding his colony did not take hold of Port Royal,
but chose La Have Bay, and with his forty families of
colonists settled there on account of its better fisheries,
and erected his fort. Denys established a fishiug-statio:i
near it at Port Rossignol. New troubles now arose.
The French had begun to claim the coast as far south
as Cape Cod ; and De Charnissay took possession of the
old French station of Peutagoet at the mouth .g _
of the Penobscot liiver. This annoyed the
Plymouth Company.
The other, and yet most prominent figure in Acadian
affairs was La Tour. It was soon manifest that the old
French element and the new could not agree. It was in"
1600 that the " Company of New France " granted to
Charles de St. Etienne, Sieur de la Tour, the fort of St.
John, and in that year he removed a portion of his goods
from his Fort St. Louis, near Cape Sable. The greatest
blow to the internal peace of Acadia at this ,««„
time was the death of De Razillv.
On his death De Charnissay, or as he is perhaps more
commonly called, D'Aulnay, as next in command, and
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A Short Histokn" ov
also Ji rolaiivo ol' tlio deceased cominaiider, became
fsuccessor in office. He removed the settlers to Port
lloyal, but bein^* chiefly a fur trader, did not encourage
immigration. JJ'Aulnay wns now virtually ruler at Port
Royal, La Tour at St. John. La Tour lived like a baron.
His fort was strong ; large numbers of Indians assembled
there to trade ; fishing with nets was there successful,
game of every kind abounded ; and Lady La Tour pre-
sided with grace in her New World castle. La Tour in
l6'S^ seems to have been a nominal Roman Catholic,
though his wife always remained a Huguenot.
Jealous of the distinction of La To'"-^-, D'Aulnay begau
to poison the minds of the French Court against him.
He represented that instead of being the son of the
well-known officer, Claude St. Etienne, La Tour was an
impostor, being an adventurer named Turgis, the son of
a mason of St. Germain, who had gone out as a commou
soldier to Port Uoyal ; and that he had obtained the
goods of Biencourt, some 70,000 livres in value, including
the Port Royal Fort, by fraud. La Tour knew nothinij;'
of the secret plot to destroy him. In 1640 he had gone
1641 ^^ Quebec, and in the following year he was
surprised by a peremptory summons to repair
to France to answer the charges made against him. A
vessel, the St. Francis, was sent to conduct him to France.
Though innocent, La Tour refused to go, on the ground
that misrepresentations had been made against hira,
and he well knew that D'Aulnay had the ear of the French
Court.
Seeing no help likely from the French Court, La Tour
adopted the bold expedient of calling upon the Puritans
of Boaton to assist him. The Bostonians, though willing
enough to trade with all and sundry, were not disposed
to embroil themselves in war. Nevertheless hearty ne-
gotiations were maintained between La Tour and the
Puritan governor, Winthrop. D'Aulnay had proceeded
to France to further his designs, and a strong expeditiou
was being fitted out to punish La Tour. It would seem
that religious hate lay at the bottom of the conflict, for
now La Tour appealed, and not unsuccessfully, to tho
V, I
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for
tlio
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KV)
Protestant city of Rochelle for help. The Kocliello
merchants fitted out a vessel, the Clement by name, and
sent out munitions of war and supplies, alon^" with 140
Rochelle troops, to assist the Governor of St. John.
The siege of La Tour's fort began early in the spring,
when D'Aulnay with several ships and 500 men -«,„
appeared in front of the fort. A short time
alter the Clement of Rochelle came up the bay behind the
French fleet, but could accomplish nothing. But full of
expedients, having left his fort as well defended as
possible, the brave La Tour, accompanied by his heroic
lady, escaped past the blockading fleet at night in a
shallop, boarded the Clement, and set sail in her for
Boston.
The vigorous commander succeeded in hiring four New
England ships, and in enlisting 100 soldiers, and with
these he hastened back to attack the blockading French
vessels.
Surprised beyond measure at the turn in events,
D'Aulnay saw the hopelessness of his case, and speedily
withdrew, running across the Bay of Fundy into Port
Royal, pursued by La Tour. The vessels grounded, and
a party of the Rochelle and the English troops landing,
defeated those of D'Aulnay. A craft laden with furs
was also seized ai^d the cargo divided between the
Huguenots and Puritans.
But D'Aulnay thwarted was not defeated : he again
repaired Port Royal, and went to France to organize
another expedition. At the same 'ime Lady La Tour
also crossed the ocean and sought to gain assistance lor
her husband's cause in Rochelle. D'Aulnay, hearing of
her presence there, obtained a warrant for her arrest,
which, however, she avoided by flight to England. The
unflinching heroine now took ship tor America, but was
very nearly captured by the vessel being driven on the
Acadian coast. By assuming a disguise she eluded the
French in Acadia, and sailed with the vessel to Boston.
Absent nearly a year. Lady La Tour, having escaped
almost every variety of perils, arrived safely at St. John.
D'Aulnay next concluded a treaty with the Bostouians,
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140
A Short History of
but it inoant iiotLing, as tlicy still traded with La Tour ;
for this, however, D'Aulnay afterwards avenged himself
upon them.
Soon the last lurid scene of the drama came. D'Aulnay,
hearing of La Tour being absent in Boston,
1646. ' attacked the fort at St. John. The lady de-
fended it, herself from one of the bastions
directing the cannonade on the vessels. For three days
and three nights D'Aulnay's attacks were driven off
with loss, till a traitorous Swiss betrayed the fort while
the garrison was at prayers. D'Aulnay offered terms of
surrender, which being accepted he basely broke, and
hanged the garrison, compelling the lady to be present
with a halter around her neck to witness the execution.
Three weeks after the heroine died of a broken heart ;
her distinguished courage throws a halo of honour around
her times. The American poet Whittier has in stirring
accents of immortal verse preserved her name. Her hus-
band heard the sad story in Boston. His fort lost,
La Tour sought assistance from Sir David Kertk, the
Governor of Newfoundland, but in vain.
Driven from Acadia, La Tour went to Quebec, where
he was received with much distinction by the governor,
1646 Montmagny. In New France he took a lead-
ing part for four years in exploration and border
warfare.
Acadia, now completely under D'Aulnay's control,
grew ; mills were erected ; vessels built ; the marshes
were dyked ; the people increased in resources. Three
hundred men were kept as a small standing army to
defend the settlements. The victorious D'Aulnay con-
cluded a treaty with Massachusetts amid much demon-
stration, and left the harbour under a salute from Boston,
Charlestown, and Castle Island.
Freed from La Tour, the jealous D'Aulnay must now
rid himself of the enterprising Denys. This adventurer
had been successful. He had built up two fishing-sta-
tions on the Cape Breton coast, and another at Chaleurs
Bay. Armed with a high commission, D'Aulnay seized
Denys' property, broke up his establishment, and drove
u
TiTF Canadian Pfopt.f
141
Ill's fornirr friend into exilo to Qneboo. But justice,
though long deferred, ovei'takes the violent; and
D'Aulnay de Chnrnissay was drowned in Port Royal
River. ^' Rapacity, tyranny, and cruelty " is the terrible
ti'initv in which his life in Acadia has been summed
On the death of his rival La Tour hastened to France,
and succeeded in obtaining the appointment of Governoi*
of Acadia, with many valuable privileges. There was a
prospect of much trouble, arising from the claim of the
widow of D'Aulnay to her husband's property, but at
length the difficulty was overcome by marri^gv, as
quaintly expressed in the marriage contract, for the
" peace and tranquillity of the country, ana concord and
union between the two families.'^ A. prospect of peace
now seemed to rise before the long-disturbed view of
Governor La Tour, but this was soon dissipated.
A creditor of D'Aulnay, who claimed a debt of no less
than 260,000 livres, now came to seize the whole of
Acadia. This daring man, Emmanuel le Borgne, carry-
ing not sword and hre, but writs and ejectments instead,
was the cause of serious trouble, and was about to seize
Port la Tour, at St. John, when an English squadron
took possession of the whole of Acadia, in the name of
the Lord Protector, Cromwell ; it was some -«
years after, however, restored to the French.
Under the English La Tour succeeded in regaining all
the old grants made him by Charles I. as a baronet
of Nova Scotia, which it will be remembered he at the
time refused. In 1660 he still retained his possessions,
and we know but little more of him till the
time of his death.
1672.
Canada.
In the last year of the 16th century, two French master-
mariners sailed forth to different parts of the . -.g
New World. One of these was the short-lived
Captain Chauvin, who, as we have seen, entered the St.
Lawrence to Tadoussac ; the other was a native of the
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A SrioKr ITtstorv of
Biscayan coast, sprnn<( of a race of hardy fishermen.
This young mariner had risen to bo ship's quartermaster
in the French navy, and in this year ho found employ-
ment in the Spanish service, through tlie recommendation
of his uncle, who by the Spaniards was known in their
navy as the " Provencal Captain/' The young quarter-
master, who now undertook to go to the West Indies,
was the son of Antoine de Champlain.
The young man, of the age of twenty-two, bore the name
of Samuel, a name then common among the Huguenot
people of Jlocholle and its neighbourliood. It was on
g^ his return from the West Indies that the am-
bitious captain threw himself willingly into
an expedition, already named by us, along with tlio
merchant Du Pont to visit the river of Canada. The
voyage from Honflcur to Tadoussac occupied from the
15th of March to the 24th of May, and the summer was
spent in conference with the natives, in the exploration of
the St. Lawrence, and in the examination of the minerals
of the country.
We have already noticed that Henry IV., the re-
doubtable Henry of Navarre, gave a wide commission to
a Huguenot favourite, the Sieur de Monts, to especially
open up and govern Acadia. Bancroft has well pointed
out the remarkable part taken in early colonization by
the French Calvinists. It was in the spring of 160 i
that the active Santongeois Champlain joined his for-
tunes to those of De Monts; and during that year the
energetic captain had explored a good part of the North
American coast along the North Atlantic ; and in the
next spring as far south as Cape Cod was reached. It
was after passing through, his Acadian experience that
Champlain accepted the suggestion of his patron
to go to Canada, which, from its fewer ports,
and from its wide extent of territory, De Monts regarded
as better suited for the fur trade than Acadia.
It was in the next year, as we learn from Champlain's
own account, that on the 3rd of July he chose
the point of Quebec, so-called by the natives,
probably from the Algonquin word, '' quebio " — the nar-
1607.
1608.
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rows or straits — on wliicli to found what has now come
to 1)C known as the "Ancient Capital." Here he chose
ii lit place, than which he found none better situated for
the habitation of his infant colony. Workmen were at
once employed to (nit down the nut-bearing trees of the
point of land made by the entrance of the St. Charles
Kiver into the Ht. Lawrence. A portion were employed
in sawing lit building material, and others in hollowing
out cellars and trenches for the dwellings.
A plot to destroy Champlain was discovered by him,
hut the ringleader, Jean Duval, a Norman locksmith,
who had intended flight to Spain, after accoraplisliing
liis malicious purpose, paid the penalty with a ti'aitor's
death. Champlain, with twenty-seven or twenty-eight
for a company, i emained for the winter at his newly-begun
capital. Of his choice of Quebec as capital, the Abbe
Fei'Iand has well said : " It is the key of the valley of the
great river, of which the course is nearly 800 leagues ; it
is tbe advanced watchman of the immense French Em-
pire of which Louis XIV. dreamt, and which was to
have extended from the Strait of Belleisle to as far as the
Gulf of Mexico." The winter was one of misery and
sickness, and in the spring but eight of the colony sur-
vived.
In the next year Champlain, with a few Frenchmen,
joined the Algonquins and Hurons in an expe-
dition against the Iroquois on the borders of
tbe lake thenceforward to be known by the name of the
explorer. Victorious over tlie Iroquois, after his return
to his capital, Champlain set sail for France. It was on
the 7th of March of the year following that, .„.q
with a number of artisans, the commander again
embarked at HonHeur for Canada. His taste for blood
once awakened in the Indian wars, he was, unfortunately
for his colony, soon involved in another attack on the
Iroquois. Successful iu his expedition, towards the close
of the year he returned, on account of the death of
Henry IV., to France, leaving a garrison at Quebec of
only sixteen men.
It was while at home in France on this occasion that
1
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A SifOKT IlrSTOKV OF
1613.
Chninplnin mnrvied a youn<^ «^ir] of tbo tender .'ii>'0 of
twelve, of a Huguenot family named Boulle.
Leaving behind his youthful spouse, in the next yenr
j_jj Champhiin, with Pontgrave, again by a long
and dangerous voynge reached the New World.
It was in this year that Chainplain repaired to the
" Grand Sault '^ which Cartier hud visited, and the moun-
tain near, which he called Mont Hoyal. It had been
but seventy-six years before that Cartier had visited this
island and found a race of natives living, as we haveseen, in
a fortified camp, in wooden houses, agriculturists, pottery-
makers, and much more civilized than their neighbours;
but now not one of them remained to greet Champlaiii.
They had been crushed out between the opposing waves
of Algonquins from the east, and Iroquois f I'om the south.
The next notable event in the career of the founder
was the voyage by which the hope was awakened
that has been the cynosure of many generations
since, of finding a north-west passage. Led by the stoiy
of a deceiver, De Vignau, Champlaiu went up the Ottawa,
hoping to reach a point on the Northern Sea. Though
the expedition never reached the sea, it opened
up the country to the French, and bronght the Indian
tribes of the Ottawa and Georgian Bay into kindly rela-
tions with the French. It was now necessary for the
daring explorer to return to France, for the aiiairs of the
trading company for which he acted were not in a pros-
perous condition.
The merchants of three French seaports entered
into treaty for the formation of a strong company.
The Kochelle merchants not having consented to enter
the company, those of Rouen and St. Malo divided
the enterprise between them. A charter was obtained
from the king, and tlie Prince of Conde took the title of
Viceroy of New France. To forward his enterprise the
colonizer now sought to obtain spiritual guides for his
colonists. Negotiations were opened with Father dii
Verger, the Provincial of the Recollets, a branch of the
reformed Franciscans, which had taken strong root in
France and Belgium. Thus in the spring the Franciscan
of Ni
Lake
>.
■r^i
.11
TiiH Canadian Peopi.i:.
145
iktiiers, Deuis,Dolbeiiii, Le Caron, and a brother^ --.,
Dn Plessis, came to tho barren religious soil of
New France to scatter the seed of tiiitli.
It was one of the marks of tho French occupation of
Canada that priest and explorer wei'e constant com-
pauioDS. On a spot near Champlain's garden, within a
short time of the arrival of the RecoUets was erected a
small church to keep alive the sacred flame.
It was in thefyear of return from France that the ex-
plorer ascended the Ottawa, and passed by way .„.^
of Nipissing and French liiver to tho waters of
Lake Huron, the " Attigouantan " of the natives. Leav-
ing its shores, he journeyed southward down the lake
now known as Simcoe, and reached our Lake Ontario,
known to the Indians as " Entonoron."
Crossing this lake Champlain encountered the Iroquois,
and though twice wounded in the fray, gained the
victory. He spent the winter in the Huron country,
north of Lake Ontario. In tho colony two fruitless
years succeeded. Religious disputes between Catholics
and Huguenots, represented by the fathers and the
Kochelle merchauts respectively, retarded the advance-
meut of the colony, although Champlain succeeded, by
his frank, true, and fair management, in keeping himself
free from all entanglements.
In 1620 the founder brought out his wife and family,
believing *' that New France was about to put on a
new face." The Prince of Conde, embarrassed by po-
Htical and private troubles, made over to his brother-
iu-law, the Due de Montmorency, the viceroy alty, re-
ceiving the solatium of 11,000 crowns ; and
iu the following year the distractions of trade
were removed by all interests being consolidated in one
company.
The need for such union was evident, for in this year
the whole population of Quebec, old and young,
was but fifty. It was in 1624 that the fort of
Quebec was built of stone. It was a considerable
structure, 108 feet long, with two wings of 60 feet, and
tour small towers at the angles of the structure. In the
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146
A Short History nv
1625.
i«
1628.
followinj^ year tlio Jesuit f'iithers, Lalcniiint and
IJrL'beiit" — nniiies cel('1)riite(l in tlio jinniils of the
missions of their society — witli two others Jirrivcd in
(yfinada from France. Kecollets and Jesuits now intro-
duced dissensions, annoying and needless, into the infant
colony.
On the arriviil at Quebec of Emeric do Caen, a Hugue-
not, who WHS in charge of the company^s operations,
Champlaiu, with his wife and fiimily, who for five years
had been cut off from the attractions of Parisian society,
and were a,nxious to Iciive the colony, crossed over to
France. The contentions betwecm the old and new asso-
ciates of the consolidated company so annoyed the Viceroy
that he transferred his office to his nephew, Do Levis,
the Due do Ventadour. In the same year Champlaiu
returned bo Quebec, and finding the fort out ol" repair,
rebuilt it.
At length the distressing differences of the associates,
one part of whom desired, to colonize, and tho
other to prosecute the fur trade, along with the
(,'ousiderable success of the Huguenots in retaining in-
fluence in New France, decided Cardinal Richelieu iu
favour of organizing a new company. His brilliant
scheme, known as the '' Company of New France," re-
quired that in the first year two or three hundred
citizens should be added to the colony, and. that in fifteen
years the population should be increased to 4000. Laud
and seed were to be furnished the colonists, religion must
be supported by the company, and, what was the highest
object to the cardinal, no heretic muet set unhallowed
foot on the soil, but all must be Catholic and French.
The following were the main concessions to the com-
pany : 1. The possession of New France and Florida;
2. The right to alienate the land, and confer titles with
certain restrictions; o. The monopoly of trade, all pre-
vious grants being revoked, except cod and whale fishing
in the deep sea; 4. The right to purchase at a certain
rate all furs taken by the trappers of the country ; 5.
The gift of two men-of-war ; 6. That artisans should he
at liberty to return in six years ; 7. Free trade for the
cd
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TiiK Canadian Pkof'Li:.
^47
incrcliandisi' dF New Franro ; H. The distribution of a
(■ertaiu number of titles upon persons recommended by
the company.
It was in the first year of the operations of the com-
pany that a new danger beset it. This was none other
th.nn an attack by the PJnglish. Three brothers, David,
Louis, and Thomas Kertk, who liad left their native
country of France in angi^r at the severe treatment of
thoniselves and their Huguenot compatriots, undertook
ho task of assisting England against Now France. The
Dnko of Buckingham was making a demon- -ggg
strut ion to relieve the beleaguered Protestant
town of Rochelle, and Kertk's attack in the New World
was a part of the same campaign against France.
Admiral Kertk made a demand l)y letter upon Champlain
to surrender Quebec from so safe a distance down the
St. Lawrence as Tadoussac. Though the garrison was
at the time on short allowance, Champlain sent an answer
of defiance, and the English in that year withdrew from
the conflict.
Li the following year, however, when famine had
done its work, the starving people of Quebec .q^q
were peering anxiously from their rocky citadel
down the St. Lawrence, past the island of Orleans, for
ships with supplies from France, when in July three
English ships of war appeared instead.
Champlain had no resource but surrender, and on
July 22ud the English ensign waved over the fort of
Quebec. Louis Kertk, with 150 men, landed, and was
iustalled governor, while Champlain was taken aboard
the admiral's ship and conveyed to England. The supply
ship expected by Champlaiu's garrison was encountered
and, after a severe contest, captured by the English. The
capture of Canada gave great satisfaction to the English
people, and to their colonies along the Atlantic, and yet,
as we learn from Father Charlevoix, the possession was of
little value at the time, for the progress of French
Canada had been painfully slow. He mourns thus :
"The fort of Quebec, surrounded by several wretched
houses, and a number of barracks, two or three huts on
L 2
t^
'T:
■HI
' . . '^ '■*{
V
■ ■'!■
>- • • ; I
./4'.'.
M. •
•• ;: .V.J
. ^ 1 1
;'• -t
148
A Short IIistokv or
i«
the island of jMoiitrojil, also perhaps at Tadousaac, and
in somo otbor directions on tlio Uivoi* St. Lawrence for
the convenience of fishinu^ and trade ; a comnKMicetnent
of settlement at three rivers . . . b(;hold I in what con-
sisted New France and all the fruit of the discoveries of
Vurnvzano, of Jae(|ues Cartier, of M. do Jloberval, of
Champlain, of the ^reat expenditure of Mai-quis de la
Roche, and of M. de Monts, and of the industry of a
great uuniber of the Fi'onch ! " Tiio popuhition of the
capital of the colony at the time was not above lUO.
The Treaty of St. Gerinain-en-Laye, as iu the case of
-gg- Acadia, also gave back Canada to France, not
only to the intense chagrin of Kertk, its captor,
but also of the whole English ])eople and colonies.
Champlain was for one year after the restoration dis-
placed from his position as governor, in ord(»r that J)o
Caen might enjoy the sweets of office, and bo recouped
for losses. That year Champlain employed in publishing
a new edition of all his voyages.
In the next year he was appointed by Cardinal
1633 Richelieu as his lieutenant. In March of that
year, with the three ships, St. Pierre, St.
Jean, and Don de Dleii, with about 200 colonists, the
veteran commander set sail for his beloved Quebec. Ou
his arrival Champlain was received with loud acclama-
tions. A treaty with the Algon quins to secure the fur
trade, the building of a new post on the Richelieu River,
and greater efforts to convert the Indians were the
features of the new French occupation. In gratitude
for the restoration of Quebec to his nation, and in fulfil-
ment of a vow, the founder, on the site of the present
cathedral of Quebec, erected a new chapel, called*' Notre
Dame de Recouvrance.^^
On Christmas Day Champlain died. As says a pious
1636. father, Champlain " took a new birth to heaven
Death of the same day as the birth of our Saviour on
Champlain. ^^^ earth.'' Few men in our Canadian annals
have had the enormous difficulties to meet that Champlain
encountered. He founded a nationality on the banks of
the St. Lawrence, now numbering a million and a half of
l/'i i|
THE Canadian PEori.K.
149
rouIh. He RGomH to bavo boon a slirowil, calm, and
pationt master of mon.
Ifo could work with doterminod Cnlvinist and subtle
Jesuit alike : 1k5 inediatc^d botwcen opposing" religious
orders, thouj^li his sympathies wei'(^ always with tlio
I'Viiiieiscans, "who,'' ho said, " wero less ambitious"
tliMU their rivals : ho liarmonized th(i coidlictiu'*' interests
of fur traders and colonists to a surprisin*^ de«j;ree, and
soothed tho asperities inevitable to the early life of a
New World colony. Ha])py had it becui for New Franco
had tho governors who succeeded him been of kindred
spirit.
Hero for n time wo must leave tho French colony on
the St. Lawrence.'
I
• ■»"
• -^^
.1
BUt
kre
■;
■
Section IT. — Ihu/Ush Cavalier and Pnvitan Colonies,
An account has been given already of the unsuccessful
attempt of Raleigh to found colonies at Koa- jjjg cava-
iioke Island. Tho real settlement of Virginia liers.
was begun thus. An enterprising Eiiglishtuau, Virginia.
Captain Gosnold, having built a fort on an ^602.
island of what is now Massachusetts, led to the formation
in England of two companies for colonization. To the
London Company was given the coast from
:i8^ N. to Delaware Bay in nearly 40° N. From ^®"^-
Delaware Bay northward, along the coast to the mouth
of the Ste. Croix, in lat. 45° N., was bestowed upon the
Bristol Company. The dividing-line of the territories
was not marked. Captain Gosnold, along with Wingfield
and John Smith, were among the leaders of the Virginia.
colony. On January 1st the company, con-
sisting of '^ poor gentlemen, tradesmen, serving
men, and libertines,^^ sailed for the New World. On
May 13th they arrived at their new homes, and in honour
^ From the standpoint of the author it were impossible to under-
stand early Canadian colonization, and especially the later Loyalist
movoment, without a sketch of what became the independent
American colonies.
t-
■f- '■
\ '
T^O
A SiroRT ITiSTORV oi'
.t,
■ f
'■ v
1610.
of their English l :'fi
pi
wu
town, where now stands Bunker Hill Monument ; but,
dissatisfied with the situation, many of the colonists soon
crossed over the arm of the sea to '' Tremontane/^ where
Boston now stands. Thus besides the Plymouth pilgrims,
the Puritan settlements on Massachusotts Bay were
Salem, Charlestown, and Boston. These three contained
the flower of the Puritans. The settlers had not yet
severed their connection with the Church of England.
Yet when in their isolated condition they determined to
found religious institutions, the circumstances favoured
the adoption of the Independent model belonging to their
predecessors at Plymouth.
These were men of great fervour, faith, and intelli-
gence. It is said that no less that forty graduates of the
English University of Cambridge were among their clergy
a few years after its founding in the colony of Massa-
chusetts Bay. Among them were such men of note as
1633 John Cotton and Thomas Hooker, driven out
of England to the New World by the fierce
threats of Laud. Four thousand people in sixteen towns
at this time made up the colony. And now they sought
to set up a state after the theocratic model. ^' 1 am the
Lord thy God, which brought thee up out of the land of
bondage/^ seemed to be the voice of their Ruler speaking
to them from the clouds, and who had delivered them
from persecution.
The laws of the Puritans were severe, for the Puritans
were men of thoroughness. They would regulate the
Sabbath and the family discipline by statute law. They
were not quietists. They were the people who ruled a
commonwealth, and whose ideas now govern half a con-
tinent.
They were narrow for they were zealous; but they
showed a remarkable faculty for organization and govern-
ment. They chose their governor, elected selectmen,
condemned eighty-two tenets of theology objectionable
to them ; sent into banishment, after having cut off from
the Church, men and women who were troublers, as they
would have plucked out a right eye — these and other im-
portant matters^ such as the payment of their preacher
Ma
a
1
Tin: Canadian Pkopi.i;.
T57
and school Qiastor, us well as raising levies to fight the
Indians, they did by the simple machinery of the '^ town-
)>
meetmg.
They valued education highly ; indeed, standing on a
granite pedestal on Cambridge Green, near Boston, is a
noble bronze statue of the broad-brimmed Puritan,
John Bridge, the first Cambridge schoolmaster employed
in the first decade of the colony ; while in front of the
magnificent halls of the oldest university in America, a
few hundred yards from Bridge's statue, sits the figure
in bronze of the devout young founder of Harvard
College. Bent on dominion, it was not long till .«.„
Massachusetts extended her boundaries to the
north, and included the territory now in the States of
Maine and Vermont.
The unyielding temper of these rulers of the coast may
be seen in the severe dealing with the Quakers .gg^
and Baptists, whom they regarded as disturbers
of the peace. The part of the colony settled by Endi-
cott, about Salem, seems to have been overrun by a witch-
burning epidemic, not in any way different from that
which was at the time prevailing in England and Scot-
land. To Massachusetts belonged the chief task of
defending British interests on the North Atlantic coast
of America. Massachusetts was indeed New England.
Her sons valiantly defended her frontier from the Indians,
and her coat-of-arms shows an Indian and a military arm
and hand grasping a drawn sword above him.
Tlie Massachusetts militia took part in the wars against
the French in the New World, and a cross is still dis-
played at Harvard College, captured from the fortress of
Louisbourg. In such a school colonial troops were
trained. The sturdy independence of New England is
seen in her statesmen. There was a notable succession :
Otis, Samuel Adams, Prescott, and Warren. They were
of the same stock which made England great — of the
same ilk as Hampden, Drake, and Hawkins. Stirred
with a sense of injustice, the colonists showed in Boston
Bay, Bunker Hill, and Lexington, that they were worthy
of their lineage.
t J
IR
158
A Short IIistous oh
!i
rili;
;■':::
I,:,:,.
n.
It;:;
111'!
Tlio history of the Stato lyiii^ in thu valley along the
Conneeticut Kivor is that of a frontier settle-
J.^^!t^^ ment between the Puritans and Dutch. From
ticut. 1 /. • -1 1 • i 1
the nrst it was evident that it was to bo a bit
of Puritan New England. Its iirst governor, John
Wintlirop, junior, carne out under the patent of Lords
Brook and Say and Si'le, and pulled down the Dutch
arms in the territory. A difference of opinion in the
colony of Massachusetts was the cause of the beginning
of Connecticut.
One of the best bands of settlers that ever came to the
New World was that which jirrived to settle in Cam-
bridge, Massachusetts, under 'Hiomas Hooker, known as
the Braintree Company, which came with the ministers,
John Cotton and Samuel Stone. In their sober Puritan
humour they said, " they had all needs for life : they
had Cotton for clothing, Hooker for their fishing, and
Stone for their building.'^ But Hooker and his followers
did not take kindly to the colony of Massachusetts : per-
haps the ministers did not agree, or ])ossibly Governor
Winthrop was too dictatorial, but the Hooker colony sold
out their houses to a new company, and taking their
journey through 100 miles of trackless forest^ driving
their cattle before, and carrying their sick on litters, they
founded Hartford, so-named after the birthplace of Mr.
Stone. The new colony bore the brunt of a fierce Indian
war with the Pequods.
Another company of settlers of property and respecta-
bility coming to Massachusetts also failed to regard
with favour its usages and requirements, and
sailed south to settle thirty miles west of the
mouth of the Connecticut River. They lived for a year
" under no rule but a compact to obey the Scriptures,'*
and formed the most intensely rehgious of the Puritan
settlements known as the New Haven Colony. This
settlement chose a rich merchant, Theophilus Eaton, as
their governor.
Thus there were two independent religious democra-
cies, Hartford and New Haven, founded within the same
territory. The Governor Winthrop of the Hartford sec-
1635.
7
riii: Ca\.\[>i w Pf.om.i:.
i.=;9
tioii succeeded l)y tact and ouergy in getting' ii curpora-
tion established by Charles II. — '* The Governor -g-g
and Company of Connecticut." New Haven re-
sisted the encroachments of this vigorous company, but
fit last, in order to avoid being swallowed up by the
Dutch, took refuge under the charter. On the jggj
visit of the royal commissioner, no course was
left but to take the oath of allegiance to the king, and
the duty, though disagreeable, was performed by these
independent religionists. The colony suffered much
from King IMiilip's Indian war, but ever bore itself
bravely.
The people of Connecticut from the first showed a con-
siderable faculty for self-government, as well as for shrewd
diplomacy. While Massachusetts J5ay settlements were
too assertive to live at peace with the king, Connecticut
succeeded, '' by bending before the breeze," in sailing
within the limits of the king's favour, and in con-
sequence retained, though not without difficulty, her
free charter. Schools wei*e established and maintained,
towns were improved, legislation was wise, debts were
paid, and her magistrates were worthy of their office.
Taken altogether, Connecticut lived the happiest, most
prosperous, and most contented of all the Atlantic States.
This arose largely from the respectable and upright
character of her first settlers.
Religiously the people seem to have been harmonious,
and the foundation of Yale College at Newhaven was
an event of national importance. While Massa- ,„qq
chnsetts was the representative of an outspoken
and somewhat quarrelsome uonconformity, Connecticut
was the home of a more quiet and peaceable, though none
the less determined type of Puritanism.
So early as 1G03 the two small English craft, Sjjeed-
'i.'dl and Discoverer, under Captain Pring, who
had traded with the natives along the coast, Hampshire,
from Penobscot Bay southward, had discovered
the islands along the coast, and found the river of Maine
and New Hampshire. The redoubtable Captain Smith
had entered, like Captain Priug, the Piscatqua, destined
i
M
i6o
A Short IIistokv ok
fm^
Ml
»'!:'
"iiiii
•■.(I!
ill
1653.
1679.
to bo tho river at whoso mouth stniids the only port of
New Hampshire — Portsmouth.
One of the most oncrgetic oi" the Plymouth Council,
Sir Fordinand Gorges, associated with himself ono Mason,
who had been governor of a Newfouiulland pi' utation,
and to these two jidventurers was n the
country between tho Atlantic, the Law-
rence, tho Kennebbec, and tho M(U'rimac — a district in-
cluding the present New Hampshire. Lawsuits on tho
part of English claimants, and contests with the French,
who looked npon this as a part of Acadia, followed in
duo course. Li IGU tlio colonists united with Massa-
chusetts.
Fifty or sixty English Hampshire families represented
the whole population, thirty years after the
colony was begun ; but some time afterwards
the settlement was deemed by Charles TL of sufficient
importance to bo erected into a royal province.
In later years New York and Massachusetts
both asserted a claim to portions of the ill-defined terri-
tory, until in the following century the boundaries of
1741 what is now known as the '^ Granite State "
were fixed. To this Switzerland of America
many a tourist finds his way. Excepting the Irinh and
French Canadians of its manufacturing towns, the people
of this State are purely the descendants of the original
English and Scottish settlers.
From the summer heat of these great religious move-
ments, there follows not only a harvest-time of
useful fruitage, but an after-growth of spurious
seeding. As after the German Reformation
came the extravagances of Miinster and his followers, so
out of Puritanism, with its thorough earnestness and
power, grew an abundant yield of Separatist fruit. The
right of private judgment abused, and unmodified by a
principle of charitable cohesion, leads to disintegration in.
society. Just as in civil government the struggle for
freedom in the case of the revolting colonies led to
General Washington's complaint that after the fight of
Bunker Hill every colonist soldier thought himself a
Rhode
Island.
■ r^
THi: Canadian Pfoplk.
i6r
captain j so in tlio strai^j^lo for the soul liborty it was
not surprising that the tendency towards continued dis-
integration sliould show itself. Especially might this
linvo been expected among sucli masterful men as the
English Puritans. Even women rose to bo loaders ol!
sects. The consciousness of such danger undoubtedly
led the I^uritan leaders to adopt strong measures.
It is, however, rarely that the divisive tendency spoken
of is found so strongly developed as it was in one of such
marked private and domestic virtues as Roger Williams.
Williiims was an English Puritan of great ability and
logical power. To him the truth was everything. While
the idea of a Puritan theocracy as held in Massachusetts
and Connecticut, or on the other hand of an aristocratic
Government and State Church, as in Virginia, have
perished, among the English of the American con-
tinent, Williams's principle of a severance of Church and
State has become supreme.
It will be noticed by careful observers that the grounds
for the persecution to which Williams was subjected in
Massachusetts, were the conclusions as to civil affairs
reached by him as flowing from his religious doctrines.
As in religious matters, Williams objected to a fort-
nightly meeting of the Puritan ministers for the dis-
cuission of religious questions lest this should lead to a
superintendency or ecclesiastical control ; so it was a
mark of the civil system established by him that for a
time it " would have no magistrates." While the prin-
ciple of Williams, in which he differs entirely from the
Massachusetts Puritan, that " the civil magistrate may
not intermeddle even to stop a church from apostasy
and heresy " is undoubtedly correct, yet his antipathy to
authority in civil matters led him very near to the position
of the " levellers " or " root and branc' men.'" The
colony of Rhode Island, while certainly a school for the
development of rigid principles, was also distinguished
for its turbulence.
Driven forth by a tyrannical edict of Puritan Mas-
sachusetts, in the cold of winter, it was by the kind
suggestion of Governor Winthrop that Williams made a
M
'm^
l63
A SirOKT HfSTORV Ol
w
1743.
new homo on tho unoccupied slioro of NTan-ji^ansott Bay,
1636 wlu^ro, witli piouH gratitude, ho naiuod his Hct-
tU'incnt " I'rovidouco.'* His HettU;mont proved
a city of refuge for religious exiles — and these were not
fow — from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Now York.
It was seven years later that the four towns
already sprung up of i^rovidence, Newport,
Portsmouth, and Warwick were united under one juris-
diction, and given a charter by the English Parliament.
To lloger Williatns's colony, by invitation of tho
founder, gravitated with her adherents tho remarkable
lady. Anno Hutchinson, the source of such serious
trouble in Massachusetts, whose tendencies may bo
judged by her habit of referring to the Puritan ministers
as the " black coats " trained at tho " Ninneversity.'^
But even the mild restraints of lihode Island drove tlio
Hutchinsons away from the separatist settlement into tho
wilderness of New York. Rhode Island was the smallest
of the original colonies, as indeed it is still tho smallest
of tho American States.
m
Section TIT. — Colonies of Various Oru/ins.
The days of tho early English Stuarts were sore upon
Enelish ^^^ ^^^^° disagreed with the State religion. But
Catholics while a Puritan like Baxter might be soundly
in Mary- berated by a judge, and perhaps condemned
' to pay a fine, yet he was looked upon only
as a member errant of the Church as by law established.
But so strong was the feeling against the Papists, as they
were derisively called, that they were considered as
enemies of the State, and so were not eligible to hold
civil office. Like hunted beasts, the Catholics hid them-
selves in their homes if they were poor, or sought refuge
from the intolerance of the age, if they were rich, in the
Catholic countries of the Continent, for in the time of
the first James or the two Charleses, insult and perhaps
legal penalty were meted out to them.
As in times of persecution there are some so con-
stituted as to embrace a cause out of sympathy for the
Tirr. Canapian Pf.oi'i.r.
I '53
,.♦1
■* ' <■ I
siiffiM'Inpfs of its adliorrnts, so Sir fioorofo Calvort, an
Oxf(jnl ^radiinto, u Mofiil)er of Purliaf'^LMit, an officer of
Htate, and a most activo pnblic man, ..jrrendored office
on account of a chaii^o of opinion, and idtmtifiod hini-
solf with tho proscribed CatholicH. Ilia high atandin«^
and personal qualities retained him some conwideration
from James I. Like moat of the public men of the time,
Calvert took an interest in New World settlements. Not
only (lid ho belong to the famous Virginia Company, but
he had secured a grant of the Peninsula of Avalon, on
the barren coast of Newfoundland. Ho now sought to
establish a New World homo for his co-rebgionists.
The most noted feature of his colony was its toler-.nco
of Jill forms of faith. A strong contrast has always been
drawn between the tolerant colony of Maryland and the
persecuting Puritan colonies. Yet the case is often
misconceived. The Puritans fled not so much to obtain
fret'dom to worship God, for they were gaining ground
in England at tho time. They desired to rule and could
not brook kingly authority. They were desirous of
founding a theocratic state. They wore masterful men,
and the spirit of domination which they showed in tho
L'onnnonwealth they bore to the New World. It is a
mistake to regard them as a covey of hunted partridges
Hying for cover. They neither understood nor tried to
understand the principles of toleration. They were
narrow ; and b jwever wrong and little to be admired,
yet they were not inconsistent with their other opinions
when they sought by law to repress divergences of
behef.
With Calvert, or as he is better known, Lord Balti-
more, and his Catholics, the case was different. They
had mainly given up hope of regaining England.
The severities following the Gunpowder Plot, as well as
the previous execution of Mary Queen of Scots, had
broken for half a century the expectations of the Roman
Church. Lord Baltimore sought for peace. In order to
obtain it, he adopted a like expedient, afterwards used by
James II. when he became tolerant, threw open his colony
to all in order that he and his Catholic colonists might
M 2
1 ■ 1
164
A Siioiri' TIiSTOKV oi"
>, V
!t"'!'
-.1,1
l[.l,
•I '\
unmolested onjoy their own Initli. 'IMio law of tolerance,
liowevcr, only included Christians, for an early law was
passed in Maryland, that death should be the penalty
for the denial of the doctrine of the "^Prinity.
Lord Baltimore, finding Vir^^inia pnjper impossible as
a residence for Catholics, turned his attention to the
coast lying north of the Potomac. This region he named
Maryland in honour of Charles I/s queen, Henrietta
Maria. The territory was bestowed absolutely upon
Lord Baltimore, with a feudal obligation to render two
arrows and one-fifth of the precious m(;tals found to the
king. The charter, however, gave large powers of self-
government to the people. The royal gift was now
found to conflict with a trading licence previously given
to William Clayborn^;, a surveyor, through the agency
of the founder of the Nova Scotia baronetcies, Sir
William Alexander. This double grant afterwards pro-
duced conflict.
On the death of Calvert, his son Cecil became heir
to the territory, and to Calvc^rt the younger was for-
mally granted the charter. It wjis in two vessels, tli(^
ArJi and iliCi Dove, that on the 22nd of November Leonard,
brother of Cecil Calvert, with about 200
Catholic gentlemen Jiiid their retinues, departed
for their New World plantation. JJelayed at Barbadoes
. _„ and elsewhere, it was not till the 24th of February
that they reached Virginia, and not till March
that they ascendt;d the Potomac, and planting the cross
on an island, took possession of it in the name of King
Charles. Kindly relations were at once established with
the Indians, and the colony endured but few hardships.
Within a year a popular Legislative Assembly had met,
the only thorn in the side of the colony being the
continued hostility of the claimant Clayborue, whose
influence in ^ irginia and with the Indians was con-
siderable.
The disturbed state of England under the last years
of Charles I., and the supremacy of the Puritans in the
Commonwealth, gave considerable annoyance to the
Maryland Cathol'cs^ who were royalists. The uncertainty
1634.
tain M
Butch,
Man ha
tbe l)u
New N
Soon
from
tlicy o)
the In(
their te
^vas sna
fiettle^s.
It w
. ,1*^
riiK Canadian Veovia:.
165
as to the allegiance to hv. roqiiircd oF tlieni rosultcd in
Jilmcst su]ireine antliority in their own territoiy being
^iveu to tlieir Legishitive Assembly^ the king still being-
re ojirded as snzoi-ain. Within a iew years the -gg^
|)()pulation of the country was estimated at
iihoiit from eight to twelve; thousand, these a mixture of
K(jraan Catholics, English and Massachusetts Puritans,
and Virginia Prelatists.
No gi-eat ieligious or philanthropic purpose led to
tlic; settlement of the New World possessions
which had been discovered by Captain Hudson N^^^o^^*^-
on belialF of the Dutch. It was in the year leio.
Jil'tcr the navigator's return from his last
voyage for the Dutch that a number of Amsterdam
merchants sent out a ship to trade with tlie Indians on
Manhattan Island. As a consequence of success in this
venture, a small ti-ading village was built where the city
of Now York now stands.
It was probatily in the autumn oi' 1014 that a small
I'ort was ])uilt to protect theii* trade by the Dutch.
Christiannse, Blok, and May are the names of the three
chief captains of their e;irly expedition of five ships.
Capo May and Blok Island commemorate two of them to
this day. In the next ye r Captain Hendricksen as-
cended the Hudson River, and built Fort Orange where
Albany now stands. In 1G21 Manhattan Island was
bought from the Indians for twenty-four dollars. Cap-
tain May took possession of New Jersey for the -g^o
Butch, erecting Fort Nassau. The colony on
Maidiattan Ishmd. was named New Amsterdam, and
the Dutch settlements collectively v^ere known as the
New Netherlands.
Soon the claim of the Dutch to the coast extended
from Cape Henlopen to Cape Cod. Of Delaware Bay
they once took possession, but they were driven out by
the Indians, and Lord Baltimore afterwards occupied
their territory. On the north the coast of Connecticut
was snatched from the Dutch, as we have seen, by English
settler's.
It was about this time that another European
i
f
t
' Hi
66
A Short llrsTORV or
1639.
ii '■;■(.>.
I"i:.l'i,;
• •ll*
I,, ,'r
I'"
I'l;!;!;!
I..;', i.i
r,;;
Lii::.i
'f :."i!,;|!
!!•''::?
nation ^'aincJ, for u. time, a footJiold on tlio
Atlantic cojist. This was Sweden. Gustavus
Adolphus had before liis death proposed such a seheino
Delawar " *^ ^^^ conntrjnien. Two vessels, the Key and
Oriffen, laden with Swedes and Finns, were taken
to America, by ]*eter Minuet, the former Dutch fj'overno)-
of New Amsterdam. By purchase from the natives the
colony obtained the coast alon^ Delaware Bay, known as
Poutaxat. Delaware Bay, it has been often said, was
visited by Lord de la Warro in IGIO, but this report is
not now regarded as authentic.
An Indian war, brought on by a cruel massacre of an
jg^g Algonquin camp by the Dutch, desolated New
Netherlands. It was when u, treaty had been
made with the Indians that Peter Stuyvesant, the ffimous
J3utch governoi", arrived, finding a colony of some oOOO
1646 souls all told. A misunderstanding betwecu
the Swedes and the J3utch on the coast 1(^1 to
the old soldier Stuyvesant organizing an expedition
which captured all the Swedish settlements, and New
Sweden was blotted out. Stuyvesant ruled his enlarged
colony with a somewhat strong hand, but tolerant prin-
ciples prevailed. It became an asylum not only for tlio
Dutch i^rotestants, but for Huguenot I'ugitives and exiles
from Bohemia, the Maritime Alps, and Switzerland. A
broad foundation was being laid for a commerce which
is now one of the world's wonders at New York.
But England could hardly have been expected to have
allowed such colonies to cut her seaboard in twain. Ac-
cordingly, the grant of the Dutch coast was given as apart
of that conferred upon his brother James by easy-goinj,''
CUiarles 11. N(3W Netherlands was changed by antici-
pation to New York, and an expedition of three ships
arrived before New Amsterdam, and demanded their
surrender to England. The old warrior, Stuyvesant,
would have fought, but the people were without hope,
1664 ^"^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ *^^ September the commercial city
of the Atlantic seaboard, and the territory of the
Empire State, passed ovej" to Bi-itaiu.
Similar to Delaware in the character of its early
Penn
giouf
heiii!
ligl,
virtu(
Wan
M
Jania
stan(
him,
"'Aine
final
tic at
havin;
forsoc
A del
hy th
Worh
roligic
new
ilos
'I'lii'. Canadian Pi;oi'i,i:.
167
Swodisli and iJiitch sottJorK, who iiad coiiio New Jer-
(!Vf3n before the Pilgrim fathers landed in Mas- sey.
Kachusetts Bay to the coast between Long ^^^®'
Isljind and Cajx; May, New Jersey has been an impor-
tant State. It was ciidod. by Charles II. to his brother
.lariies, who afterwards passed over the tcn'itory l)estowed
i)\i him to Lord Jierkeley and Sir George Carteret, tlie
latter being the governor of th(5 English Isle of Jersey,
hence the name of the New World State. ^J'hc Dutch
succeeded in dispossessing the English of it, .g^g
but Sir William Penn and other Quakers sub-
sequently purchased it. It was a hard battle-ground
during the Revolutionary War.
To their early history do all countries look })ack as to
tlicir golden age. This is usually because, not
only are the infant strifes forgotten, but the v^Jfa
enforced simplicity of the earlier time is in
strong contrast to the artificial and conventional state of
the later period. In few cases has a golden age better
deserved the name than that of the Quaker colony of
Pennsylvania. The quietist followers of an P]nglish reli-
gious enthusiast, George Fox, were democratic without
being demagogues, and were believers in an " inner
light '' without being mononumiacs. They practised the
virtues of industry and domestic life, qualities too often
wanting in enthusiasts in political and religious matters.
William Penn, the son of the famous admiral who took
Jamaica, and grandson of another naval officer, notwith-
standing the obloquy and even imprisonment endured by
him, forsook the warlike course of his fathers, and be-
'"Amo an uncompromising opponent of war, even as the
linid resort of nations which disagree. Of high scholas-
tic attainments, of iirst-rate political ability, and one
having avenues of honour waiting to receive him, he
forsook all to "suffer affliction with the people of God.''
A debt owed his father by Charles II. was paid to Penn
l)y the bestowal of a grant of territory in the New
AVorld, By his persecuted and suffering co- -gg_
religionists, New Jersey, Delaware, and the
new State, to be afterwards known by h!s name, were
^;
.'I
*
168
A Short History of
''mdfl'
l?vi
■'-'tit
II',, 4
f'Vl|},|
Jill
the centre towards whicli flight was made from lutolu-
rant New England, and the unkind mother-land.
On the northern edge of his famed Philadelphia, the
expatriated gentleman and his friends met the Algon-
1683 quins of the region with the olive-branch, and
showed the brotherly love inculcated alike by
his creed and his noble nature. *' We are all one flesh
and blood," said the white chief to the redman, and tlio
chiefs of Penn\s forest swore friendship " as long as the
moon and sun shall endure." Not only kings and princes
of Europe admired this peaceful Arcadia, but so, too, did
the poor and the persecuted from England and Scotland,
from Ireland and Wales, from the Netherlands and the
upper waters of the Rhine, and thus the foundations were
laid of one of the most influential States of the American
Union.
Noted alike for its kindly Quakerism and for its sturdy
Calvinism, the " keystone '' State has distributed swarms
of " Pennsylvania Dutch " and Irish-American Protes-
tants to every part of the continent. Two young sur-
veyors, Charles Mason and Dixon, ran the line between
Pennsylvania and Maryland, a famous boundary in later
anti-slavery discussions. Philadelphia gradually became
one of the most important places of the seaside colonies.
It was here that the celebrated Congress of the Colonies
„g met, when the thirteen colonies declared
themselves independent of British rule, and
Benjamin Franklin became chairman of the Committee
of Safety. Not an Indian war, not a case of persecu-
tion, nor since 1780 the disgrace of owning a slave, has
disfigured the fair fame of this great State, which now
contains upwards of 4,000,000 of inhabitants.
Many as we have seen the motives leading to the
. foundation of new colonies along the Atlantic
seaboard to have been, none were nobler than
those which led to the settlement of Ceorgia. The
penal laws of England against debtors, which had not
yet disappeared in their severity even so late as the time
of Dickens, were far more severe a century ago. To bo
a debtor and unable to pay subjected the unfortunate
token
it
fi
THE Canadian People.
169
man thus involved to treatment almost as ignominious
as that of a Roman client from his patron. The common
jail with all its horrors, and that of a quarter of a cen-
tury before Howard's woi'k of amelioration, was the home
till death came to their relief, of multitudes whose only
crime was poverty.
A noble-hearted and generous man was stirred to
activity by witnessing the sufferings of the helpless
debtors. This was James Oglethorpe, an English
general, who had fought against the Turks, and along
with Marlborough. The pot^t Rogers called him '' the
finest figure of a man you ever saw.'' Edmund Burke
said he was a more extraordinary person than any he
had ever read of. Oglethorpe having had a friend sorely
oppressed as a debtor, appealed to Parliament, and
gained some modification of the law. But the opening
of the prison doors to a large number of these unfortu-
nate debtors but threw them helpless on the world.
The extensive territory from the land of the Iroquois
south to 34° N. lat. was surrendered by the
• • 172ft
Cherokee Indians to Britain. From this, three 1732'
years later, the philanthropic general obtained,
under Letters Patent, a territory organized for the pur-
pose of conveying thither a number of the homeless
debtors. This he named from the reigning sovereign,
George II. In November, with 116 unfortunate emi-
grants, the general took ship for his new plantation of
Georgia, and a peaceful settlement alongside the Creek
Indians was made where Savannah now stands.
Religious persecution sent, in the next year, a hundred
Bavarian refugees to the new colony. These were
a part of the quiet and industrious Salzbergers,
who were expatriated because they swore upon the " host
and " consecrated salt " to be true to their faith, and to the
number of some 20,000 in all were driven forth to be
scattered hither and thither as rebels. The pious Bava-
rians named their New World settlement " Ebenezer," in
token of deliverance. In thf-ir southern homes they be-
came successful producers of indigo and silk. Through
!i grant from the English Parliament, and from private
1733.
})
\
fill*
170
A Short History ok
'kill
'"1 Hi
l'.,iii,3|.
\$
i
subscriptions^ Ji?:]0,U0O of a Lund was raised for llic;
colony. The colony was popular, and accordingly many
of the weak and unsuccessful — not, it is true, the best
settlers for a new country — found their way thither.
Hardy Swiss and Scottish Highlanders of a more self-
reliant kind were also induced to colonize lands in
Georgia. General Oglethorpe's second expe-
dition brought considerable numbers to the
colony, and, with the others, the brothers John and
Charles Wesley, while two years later the celebrated
revivalist Whitfield visited the scattered settlements of
the colony.
Whitfield founded an orphanage called '^ Bethesda,"
at Savannah, and through his fervid appeals subsequently
obtained sufficient for its maintenance. Troublous rela-
tions with the Spaniards of Florida afterwards led to
bloodshed.
At the very beginning of the colony slavery obtained
a foothold, though Oglethorpe had forbidden it
^as opposed to the teachings of the Gospel. A
royal government and council were appointed by the
British Government, and in the year of the
1752 .
Revolution the colony had so prospered as to
contain 70,000 souls. General Oglethorpe, the founder,
died in a ripe old age, having lived to see
Georgia a prosperous State of the American
Union.
1730.
1785.
,;„!'
m^
I
'mi;
m
m
\m\
:i^
THE Canadian Peoi'LK.
i7r
))
CHAPTER V.
THE FRENCH REGIME IN CANADA AND ACADIA.
(References: "Notensurla Wpuvelle France," Paris, 1872, by
H. Harrisse ; " Decouvertes et Etablissements de Cavalier do La
Salle," Paris, 1870, by G. Gravier; •' Discovery of the JNortb-West
by John Nicolet," Cincinnati, 1881, by C.W. Butterfield; '' Margry's
Original Docnnients," 3rd and 4th volumes, Paris, 1879 ; " Histoire
lies Canadiens Fran(;ai.s," Montreal, 1882, by B. Suite: "The Old
Regime in Canada,'' Boston, 1884, by F. Parkman; "Premier
Etablissement de la Foi dans la Nouvellc France," Paris, 1691, by
Father 1 je Clercq, aad also Father Membre ; "Nouvelle Decouverte,"
1697, by Father Hennepin ; " La Salle and the Discovery of the
Great West," Boston, 1884, by F. Parkman; "Montcalm and'Wolfe,"
2 vols., Boston, 1884, by F. Pnrkman; " L' Histoire du Canada,"
Quebec, 1852, by F. X. Garnrau ; " History of Canada, French
Regime," Montreal, 1872, by H. H. Miles; " History of Modern
Europe,'' vol. iii., 1864, by Thomas Henry Dyer ; " Manual of Mo-
dern History," London, 1851, by W. C. Taylor; "Documentary
History of New York," vols. x. xi. ; " Maple Leaves," Quebec,
1863, by J. M. Lemoine ; " The Conspiracy of Pontiac," 2 vols.,
Boston, 1884, by F. Parkman ; " Narrative and Critical History
of America, vol. iv., Boston, 1886, by Justin Winsor.)
Section I. — Governor and People.
From the death of Champlain to the close of the French
regime in Canada, was nearly 130 years. As regards
the improvement of the colonists in comfort and the
establishment of stable government, this period presents
a melancholy picture. The heartless autocracy of Louis
XIV., then flourishing in France, was also felt in Canada,
with the difference that its agent, the French Governor,
was in the New World playing the tyrant over a handful
of miserably poor, nay, hungry colonists.
"v ir* '.-'.'ik
f 'j '■ >#
i
m
172
A SiiOR'i' History of
Successive Governors arrived and departed vvitli but
little change ; a struggle between the Governor and tho
bishops and priests of the Church was the rule rather
than the exception ; working at cross purposes, the
Governor and the Royal Intendant often lived at open
enmity; and at all this the poor people looked on, usually
regarding the quarrels as none of theirs, and knowing
that whichever party won, no benefit followed to
them.
The records of the time exhibit duplicity, petty spite,
and selfishness — a condition of things almost unparalleled.
The Colonial Governor always had enemies in the Court
of the king plotting against him ; at the Governor's
chateau at Quebec every explorer in the wilds, who had
a fur-trading licence, was sure to be traduced by rivals ; in
the exploring party in the forest mutinous spirits were ever
plotting against the leader ; and religious orders usually
appeared on the surface as having a hand in every dis-
pute. It seemed as if loyalty and trust had deserted
New France.
It were useless to follow in detail the appointment and
recall of Governors, many of whom left no mark on the
country. Our readers will find their names in lists in
the Appendix. We but single out some prominent
names, and though there were some truly great men
during this regime, their fewness shows the barrenness
of the period in other respects. Midway in the period
c lb -t stands the name of a most remarkable man,
who, as Prime Minister, guided the destinies of
France. This was Jean Baptiste Colbert. In the year
1651, at the age of thirty-two, Colbert became confi-
dential agent of Cardinal Mazarin. In 1 661 the Cardinal's
nominee became the head of the Government, and was
some years after appointed Minister of Marine, of Com-
merce, the Colonies, and the King's Palace. Colbert
reduced French commerce from a state of chaos to order,
and likewise built up a marine for his country. It is
true his economic ideas were no better than those of his
age, but his organizing ability was surprising. Colbert
scouted diplomacy ; his methods were severe, even un-
li
il
t'
I ■■ ;!'
iFFK Canadian I'Knpi.i:.
73
merciful — so much so, tliat ho was known as the " man
of marble/'
New France was under his special control. Having
lu'oken up org-anized corruption in France, the reformer,
ill 1()G."3, reraodcllcd colonial affairs. "A royal adminis-
tration " was established in place of the *' old company '*
rule, and the ^^ Sovereign Council of Quebec '* was con-
stituted. On this Council were the Governor, the Bishop,
"" imd Royal Intendant. At first there were also five
councillors ; afterwards the number became twelve.
These councillors were appointed by the Governor and
F^ishop conjointly, and their election was annual. When
the Council sat as a Court, the Governor presided ; on
Lis right sat the Bishop, on his left the Intendant.
According to the rules drawn up, the desire of the rulers
was to make the Council " neither aristocratic, nor demo-
cratic, but monarchic."
The Council had no power of taxation. This the King
retained, though for years it was not exercised. It was
not even permitted to the people to impose a tax upon
themselves. The King, of his bounty, at times gave
over his revenues to tho people. The Constitution of
16G3 seemed to give some power of electing repre-
sentatives to the people, but France was too strongly
absolutist to allow this to remain. In 1667 the affairs
of the colony were again under a monopoly, known
as the " West India Company,'' and to this were given
all the rights of Richelieu's former company of 100
associates.
At this time the population of the colony did not
exceed 2500, from the Sagueuny to Montreal. At Quebec
there were but 800 inhabitants. Colbert had resolved to
send out 300 colonists yearly. In 1663 some 300 persons
embarked for New France at Rochelle, but little more
than half of them reached France or Acadia. They were
" clerks, students, or the classes who had never worked" —
not very promising settlers !
Colbert chose capable men for carrying out his plans.
One of these was M. Talon, the Intendant. He was sent
to introduce the new system. He was not the head of
;^.?9fWc* ■
174
A Short ITistorv ov
III
if"
tlie colony ; ho was tlio workinjj^ head notwitlistanding.
T)e CourcelleH, an si^rcoablo but indolent man, was
Governor. A. still higher oflicial, Viceroy of French
America, was appointed, having the French West Indies
in his jurisdiction as well. This officer was the Marquis
do Tracy, a lieutenant-general of* the royal army. The
Viceroy, Governor, and lutendant all arrived in the colony
in 1GG5.
In this year came a largo number of immigrants from
France ; cattle and horses were jdso brought — the latter
for the first time. With the colonists there was also a
body of men of the Carignan Regiment, brave troops who
had fought with renown against the Turks. Some of
these afterwards settled down in New France, and tho
officers, who were chiefly noblesse, became seigniors.
It was Talon's duty to report to Colbert on the state of
the country. The Intendant was of the same enter-
prising spirit as the great Prime Minister, He was a
good friend of the explorers, and had enlarged views as
to government. He encouraged the fisheries, especially
seal-fishing, tho export of timber, and the cultivation of
the soil. In 1 008 Talon obtained leave to return to France,
but in the following year was again sent out as being
indispensable to the colony. With him there returned
700 emigrants, nearly half of who were soldiers. In
1072 Talon returned to France. Tired of his Canadian
life. He Courcelles was allowed, on his own re(piest, to
retire from New France.
In the year that Talon returned there went to Canada
Frontena ^® man, after Champlain, most celebrated in
its early history. This was Louis de Buade,
Count de Frontenac et de la Paluau. De Buade was bora
in 1020. He had served in the French wars in Italy,
the Netherlands, and Germany, and had risen to be
lieutenant-general. Frontenac was large-hearted, but his
high birth and military career had made him haughty
and severe. This was the more noticeable as he followed
the indolent De Courcelles. He maintained a high
ceremony and strictness in the affairs of State.
With stern promptitude the Governor called to account
lii
JN'
■ I*
Tin: Canadian I'koim.k.
'75
Coinmandnnt Porrot, of Montroiil, for inaliidininistration,
and tho wrong-doer was thrown into prison. His caso
was, liowevcr, takon np by sonio of the Snlpicians of
^loiitroal, notably by tho Abb6 Fenolon, a rohitivo of tho
{^^rcat French Ai'chbishop. Governor Frontetiac wa3
loudly denounced in Montreal. Tlui old soldier retorted;
I'errot and LA'nelon were sent as prisoners to France.
Disputes also arose between Froutenac and tho JJishop,
and between Governor and Intendant. Tho French
(jlovernnient couhl restore quiet only by recalling both
(jovcrnor and Jntendant. 'i'he ljisli()p\s party rejoiced
irroutly at this, but tho colony could ill spare Froutenao
in its coming troubles.
Failure and defeat marked tho course of Froutenac's
successors. M. do la ]3;ii're, a distinguished niival ofHcer,
soon arrived, but was glad to take his flight from the
worry of Indian attacks, and the din of disputes with
rho clergy, in 1(585. His successor was the Marquis do
Denonville, an honourable and religious military ofHcer,
hut misfortune seemed to follow his every step, Tho
Iroquois sorely beset tho colony. An expedition was
planned with much deliberation against their country,
hut resulted in nothing of consequence. His recall was
imperative, and under the pretence of asking his advice on
military matters in France Denonville was relieved, and
the veteran Frontenac returned to Canada.
Bracing himself firmly to tho task_, tho Governor
checked the British in tho border settlements, and held
the Iroquois well in h 1. With clear eye and un-
diminished vigour, thv. .Aged soldier held his difficult
post till his death, November 28th, 1G98.
Frontenac^s place was hard to fill. A gallant and
cautious officer, the Commandant of Montreal, M. de
Callieres, succeeded him. He held office only until
17U3, when he died, greatly regretted by the French
Canadians.
M. de Vaudreuil, who had succeeded De Callieres
in Montreal, now became Governor-General, y j -i
The new Governor was popular with the
colonists. His wife was a French Canadian. It was his
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176
A Short Htstorv of
lot to bo Governor at the time of the Peace of Utrecht.
Border wars raged fiercely durino^ his rule. Vaudreuil
spent the time in France from the Treaty of Utrecht
until 1710. Ho remained in office till 1725, when ho
died at Quebec, greatly regretted by the people.
M. de Beauharnois, a natural son of Louis XIV., now
became Governor-General. He followed the policy of
his predecessor in encouraging exploration, and in seek-
ing peace with the Indians. He was gratified in seeing
the population increase to 50,000, and his prosperous
rule continued until his recall in 1747.
After short terms of office by several Governors, M.
de Vaudreuil, son of the former Governor of the same
name, arrived at Quebec in 1755. It was his hard lot
to pass through the border struggles and the Seven
Years' War, and to be the instrument of handing over to
Great Britain the portion of New France still remaining
after the Treaty of Utrecht.
It was under Vaudreuil that M. Bigot reached the
height of his power as Royal Intendant, and
accomplished his scandalous robberies. Having
commenced his rascalities at Louisbourg, where he had
been Intendant, he had come to Canada in 1747. He
was a most vigorous and capable man of affairs, but
absolutely corrupt. It was not a new thing in New
France for officials to be charged with malversation of
office. It had been said of Governor Perrot of Montreal,
by the quaint Lahontan, '^ that he cleverly multiplied a
yearly salary of 1000 crowns by fifty, through unofficial
traffic with the Indians." A complaint against the elder
Vaudreuil had been sent to France, and the French
Minister had only written on the margin in pity, '' Well,
he's poor.'' Frontenac's mysterious connection with the
trader Duluth, gave rise to suspicions ; and Vaudreuil
the younger was, after the conquest, charged with
having been leagued with Bigot^ though he was
acquitted.
Bigot's operations, however, were conducted on a
magnificent scale. On the purchase of provisions and
equipments^ he and his confederates in 1757 and 1758, in
Bigot.
THE Canadian Peopi.t:.
^77
two transactions, profited 24,000,000 francs. At tho
very time when the soldiers were without necessaries
the king was charged with rations and equipments which
had never been supplied. The pay-rolls were falsified to
twice or thrice their true amount ; 300,000 moccasins for
the savages, costing oO.OOO francs, were charged for and
not delivered.
These are but instances of the shameless corruption
in New France. These wrongs weakened the attach-
ment of the people to the Governor or Montcalm when
the supremo struggle came at the siege of Quebec.
Bigot, after the loss of Canada to France, was tried in
Paris, and condemned to expatriation, and required to
restore the enormous sum of 1,500,000 francs; but the
remedy was too late. Canada was lost, and it was a
blessing to the French Canadians that it fell into the
hands of Britain.
'*-•■'. :m^|
■ ' 1
He
HcctloH- II. — The Church and Mlbfiionaries.
Mention has been made already of the rivalry pre-
vailing between the several religious orders in the early
history of Canada. The RecoUets for a time withdrew,
but tho contest still raged between the Sulpicians and
the Jesuits. In the eyes of cultivated France the exist-
rnce of a government made a bishop necessary. The
largo missionary operations among the Indians made
this desirable also.
It would have been a surprise had no contest ensued
over the appointment of this important functionary. The
Sulpiciaus recommended Father Queylus, one of their
number. Cardinal Mazarin favoured this father, but the
Jesuit influence around the king was too strong, and
that society was called upon to name a bishop. Their
choice fell upon a highly distinguished and
influential young ecclesiastic. This was none
other than the afterwards great Laval.
Pavilion de Montigny, of the noble and ancient house
of Laval Montmorency, was born April 30th, 1623. In
order to enter the Church he renounced his inheritance
N
I7S
A Short IIistou\' of
'tti
■.;v' !.
•■....*
iVftiai;
Cfe . ;
1659.
as eldest son. Ho devoted himself to tlic asceticism of
the vigilant and ultraniontano band of young enthusiasts
at the "terrestrial i)aradis(3 of M. do Bernieres " in the
Caen Hermitage. He was ordained priest in 1647.
Nominated now by the Jesuits, his piety and lofty family
connections secured his appointment. According to the
custom still prevailing, when missionary bishops are
appointed, of giving an eastern title, the young bishop
was consecrated by the Pope's nuncio at Paris, on
December 8th, 1G58, under the name Bishop of Petrosa,
and Vicar Apostolic of New France. He arrived at
Quebec in the following year to meet the strong
opposition of the Sulpicians. Father Queylus,
having vigorously opposed his authority, was in the end
recalled, and returned to France.
Bishop Laval had extremely high notions of the Church
and its offices. He was a Hildebrand in a narrower
sphere. His rank, natural disposition, the opposition of
the Sulpicians, and the state of morals in the colony, all
tended to make Laval unyielding, and even dictatorial ia
his bearing.
Governor D'Argenson disputed with the bishop as to
precedence, both in Church and State. The ecclesiastic
asserted the rights of the Church to be supreme.
Another Governor, the Baron D^Avaugour, a fiery old
soldier, thought the bishop's opinions on the sale of
liquor to the Indians, by which at that time the fur
trade was largely carried on, were far too precise. Con-
flict ensued, when the bishop, hastening home to France
in 16G2, complained of the laxity of his Excellency's
views, and he was recalled.
The Government, in despair, asked Laval to name Lis
own governor. This he did; and M. de Mesy arrived in
1663 as the bishop's creature. The Sovereign Council
was made up of the bishop's nominees. Dumesnil, ageni
of the Company of New France, was at this time pressing
the Council for a settlement of debts. The agent was
too faithful, and members of the Council were themselves
debtors of the Company. At the instance of the bishop
the papers of Dumesnil were seized ; but this proceeding
t .%'t 1 ,1
Tiir: Canadian Pkot'I.f.
T79
was more tlum even Governor Do ^Fosy rould eiulnro.
He asked that the aforesaid members of Council should
be exclud(^d. The bishop refused. The governor per-
sisted. His lordship threatened his ?]xcellency with the
loss of the saci'aments. De Mesy was aroused, and
appealed to the opinion of the people; but so undij^-nified
a course in the eyes of majestic France procured his
recall.
liishop Laval will, however, ever be remembered as
tlio founder of the seminary of Quebec. He was a far-
seeing prelate, and so laid the foundation of an educated
class in New France. The seminary received largo
donations from France. Laval gave his own valuable
possessions, large tracts of land in the seigniories of Petite
^'ation, Isle of Jesus, and Beaupre, to this child of the
filth year of his episcopate. In 1674 he was made
Bishop of Quebec by Pope Clement X. The revenues
of the French Abbey of Meaubec were given, according
to a usual custom, for the support of this missionary
bishopric.
Pious ladies did much for the Church in New France.
The Hotel Dieu, a sick hospital, had been founded by
the Dnchesse d'Aiguillon, niece of Cardinal Richelieu^ in
l()37. The Hotel-Dieu of Montreal was erected by
Madame de Bullion and Mdlle. Mance. The great Ursu-
line convent of Montreal was founded by Madame de la
Peltrie, while under Bishop Laval, a poor but pious
sister, Bourgeois, began the congregation of Notre Dame
for the education of poor girls.
Bishop Laval met his strongest opponent in the person
of the stern old soldier Frontenac. It was the same
story of precedence at church and in public meetings.
The bishop, as we have seen, rejoiced at Frontenac's
recall. Laval also disputed with the Home Government
as to his right of removing cures from parishes to which
they had been appointed. He actually once disregarded
a royal edict. While these contentions were still in pro-
gress Laval returned to Paris, and asked to be relieved
of office. In 1688 this request was granted. Laval was
uot permitted to return to New France at once, though
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A Short IIistorv of
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his lioart was ntill thore. Four years aftorwurds tbu
probibition was relaxed, and the late bishop came to
New France again.
The French Government was convinced that a bishop
Bt V ir ^^ ^ different order should be chosen, if peace
were to roign in Now Franco. The choice now
fell on a noble and pious priest, well known at Court as
the Abbe St. Vallier. Jean Baptiste St. Vallier was
born at Grenoble, November 14th, 1(353. He was
educated in the college of his native town, and became
a doctor in the Sorbonue at the early age of nineteen.
After serving as almoner to the king, and refusing to bo
made a French bishop, St. Vallier, after visiting New
France, accepted the vacant position there. He was con-
secrated bishop on January 25th, 1088, in the church of
St. Sulpice at Paris.
As Bishop Laval had inclined to education, so St.
Vallier was drawn out toward charities. The new
bishop founded the General Hospital of Quebec. Claim-
ing certain rights in its administration, he engaged to
pay the community of the Hotel-Dieu 1000/. a year. Si.
Vallier bestowed upon this institution the houses and
lands which he had obtained from the Jesuits. He seems
to have lived on good terms with Governor Frontenac, now
in his second term of office, and with succeeding governors.
As bishop the Jesuits blamed St. Vallier for hostility
to LavaVs seminary; but the death, in 1708, of the
doughty old ex-bishop, who had returned to Canada,
largely ended the contest. Bishop St. Vallier seems to
liave been a kind and yet dignified prelate. His death,
which took place December 26th, 1727, was greatly re-
gretted. A strange dispute took place as to his inter-
ment. In the funeral ceremonies a time had been fixed
for his burial. According to appointment, the dignitaries
assembled, when it was found that the interment had
already taken place. It was next reported that there
was doubt as to his having been dead. The tomb was
opened, and his body was found supple, but he was
dead. The affair found its way into the civil courts, and
created much angry feeling.
r
THE Canadian Peoplk.
I Si
Up to tlio time of tho conquest there had been in all
six bishops. During this time the support of the
Church was by tax or tithe. During Bishop Laval's first
years one-thirteenth of everything, " whether born of the
labour of man, or what tho soil produces of itself," was
demanded. Since, 1679, however, the rate has been one-
twenty-sixth. Complaint has been made by Roman
Catholic historians of the opportunities for education
having been " miserably scanty " during this period. In
the unsettled state of the country it would have been
most difficult to have reached the scattered communities.
At the same time it is true that the watchful and un-
wearied efforts of its early bishops placed the Church on
its present firm foundation in Lower Canada.
Section IIT. — Tlie marvellous Opening of the West.
There is nothing more glorious in the history of
France than the zeal and success with which her mis-
sionaries and explorers became the pathfinders to vast
regions of New France and Louisiana. The successful
explorer needs almost every good quality. He must
have foresight to provide for such wants as cannot be
supplied en route ; he must have strength and energy
to overcome the hardships of the way ; he must have a
mixture of suavity and firmness to meet with savage
tribes, and must know the points of strength and of
weakness of these wild peoples ; he must also have the
faculty of ruling men and attaching his dependents to
him. Wind and wave, hunger and thirst, fatigue and
sickness, are by no means the most formidable enemies
of the discoverer.
Champlain was the first great explorer of the interior
of New France. He ascended the Ottawa, „. . .
passed Lake Nipissing, coasted Georgian Bay
—the Mer Douce — threaded the inland lakes and rivers
of Ontario, crossed the Lake Ontario, or Frontenac, as it
was afterwards called, and also penetrated south to the
lake that bears his own name.
Champlain's west fell far short of that of one of his
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A Short History oi
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Nicolet.
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own followoi'H — Jean Nicolet. This bravo man
was born at Cherbourg in Normandy. In IG18
lio canio to Now Fninco, and was despatched to tlio
interior. In Champlain's service ho became familiar
with the customs of the Al^onquius and their langua^'o.
After dwelling' some time among the Nipissings, ho
visited the Far West ; seemingly between the years lGo4
and 1G40.
In a birch -bark canoe, the brave Norman voyagonr
crossed or coasted Lake Huron, entered the 8t. Mary's
River and, first of white men, stood at the strait now
called vSault Ste. Marie. He does not seem to have
known of Lake Superior, but returned down the St.
Mary's River, passed from Lake Huron through the
western detour to Michilimackinac, and entered another
fresh-water sea, Mitchiganon or Michigan, also afterwards
known as the Lake of the Illinois, Lake St. Joseph, Lake
Dauphin, or even Algonquin Lake.
Here he visited the Meuomonee tribe of Indians, and
after them the Winnibagoes. The last-named wei'o the
first Indians of the Dakota stock met by the French,
and marked the eastern limit of that great family.
Nicolet returned to Canada and lived at Three Rivers,
but was drowned near Sillery, on the St. Lawrence, by a
squall in 1G42.
It has been well pointed out by Parkman that the
. second generation of Jesuit missionaries was
Explorers, widely different from the first, whose martyrdom
has become so celebrated. Whilst the names
of Lalemant and Breboeuf, from their zeal and lofty piety,
ought to be written on the skies, many of the missionaries
of later time were of the earth, earthy. They were ex-
plorers rather than missionaries. Father Marquette was
the connecting link between the fervour of the old school
and the worldly wisdom of the new.
The fierce wrath of the Iroquois had driven numbers
of the Hurons, Ottawas, and several minor Algonquin
tribes westward. The Iroquois, like a wedge, had split
the northern tribes into east and west. Sault Ste.
Marie became a central point for the refugees. The
l.o
THE Canadian PKori-K.
183
flooino- Algonquina had oven prossod on and driven away
the Sioux from tho southern shore of Lake Superior or
Lac (le Tracy, as it was afterwards called.
Another gatherin^-placo for tho fugitives had been
found very near the south-west corner of this great lake.
This was La Pointe, one of the Apostle Islands, near tho
present town of Ashland in Wisconsin.
The Jesuits took up these two points as mission centres.
We learn of much of the period from 1071 even to 1079
from one of the ablest of the Jesuits, Father Claude
Diiblon, in the ^^ Jesuit Relations." In 1G69 the Fathers
Dablon and Marquette, with their men, had erected a
palisaded fort, enclosing a chapel and house, at Sault
Ste. Marie. In the same year Father Allouez had begun
a mission at Green Bay. In 107U an intrepid explorer,
St. Lusson, under orders from Intendant Talon, came
west searching for copper-mines. lie was accompanied
by the afterwards well-known Joliet.
When this party arrived at Sault Ste. Marie, tho
Indians were gathered together in great numbers, and
with imposing ceremonies St. Lusson, in the name of his
sovereign, Louis XIV., took possession of" Sainte Marie
du Saut, as also of Lakes Huron and Superior, the island
of Manetoulin, and all countries, rivers, lakes, and
streams contiguous and adjacent thereunto. '' A cedar
cross was then erected, and upon it the royal arms in
lead were placed. The Jesuit father Allouez then
harangued the Indians, magnifying the sovereign
Louis XIV., and telling them " that the great king
had 10,000 Onontios as great as the Governor of
Quebec."
The station at La Pointe was occupied by the Jesuit
father Marquette, of whom we have more to learn.
Shortly after this time the Sioux attacked the mission of
L'Esprit at La Pointe, and the young priest and his
Indians were driven back to Sault Ste. Marie. Marquette
now undertook the new mission of St. Ignace at
Michilimackinac, and Father Andre that of Manitoulin
Island.
It was undoubtedly the pressing desire of the Jesuit
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184
A Short TTistorv of
The Mis
fliisippi.
fathers to visit the country of tho Illinois nnd
their ^rcat river that led to tho discovery of
tho ^'Father of Waters/' Father AUouez in-
deed had already ascended tho Fox TJiver from Lake
Michigan, and seen the marshy lake which is the head
of a tributary of tho Mississippi. At last on Juno 4tli,
1G72, tho French minister, Colbert, wrote to Talon: "As
after the increase of the colony there is nothing more
important for the colony than the discovery of a passage
to the South Sea, his Majesty wishes you to give it your
attention/' This message to the Intendant came as ho
was leaving for France, and he recommended the scheme
and the explorer he had in view for carrying it out to
the notice of the Governor Frontenac, who had just
arrived.
Governor Froutenac approved and the explorer started.
J .. The man chosen for the enterprise was Louis
eToliet, who had already been at Sault Ste.
Marie. He was of humblo birth, and was a native of
New France. Ho had been educated at tho Jesuit
College, Quebec, but had given up thought of entering
the Church in order to prosecute the fur trade. The
French Canadian explorer was acceptable to the mis-
sionaries, and immediately journeyed west to meet
Marquette, who was to accompany him.
Joliet, it is true, in the end received but little — the
usual reward of explorers in New France. He was
refused a possession in the western land he had dis-
covered, and given a trail on the barren island of
Anticosti, where he built a fort. He died before
1737.
M. Joliet met the priest Marquette at St. Ignace
Mission, Michilimackinac. Jacques Marquette,
of whom we have already heard, was born in 1637
at Laon, Champagne, in France. He sprang of an ancient
and distinguished family. His mother was the pious Rose
de Salle, a relative of De la Salle, the founder of the
"Brothers of the Christian Schools."" In 1654 young
Marquette entered the Jesuit Society, and in 1666 sailed
for Canada. On arriving at Three Rivers he began at
:tore
Tin: Canadian rEoi-i.K.
iSi
onco to Htudy tho Algonquin l.'ingunjjfe. Wo luivo already
seen him .it Sjiiilt Sto. Mario and La Pointo. At
Mic'liilimackiiiac tlio chapel of "walls of logs and roof oi
hark " liiid been ercctod, and n(;ar it tlio liiirons soon
huilt a ])alisad((d fort.
Ou May 17th, l()73, with deepest religious emotion,
the trader and missionary launched forth on Lake
Michigan their two canoes, containing seven Frenchmen
in all, to make the greatest discovery of the time. They
hastened to Green i^ay, followed the course of Father
Allouez up the Fox Jliver, and reached tho tribe of the
Mascoutins or Fire Nation on this river. These were
new Indians to the explorers. They wore peaceful, and
helped the voyagers on their way. With guides furnished
tho two canoes were transported for 2700 paces, and
the headwaters of the Wisconsin were reached.
After an easy descent of thirty or forty leagues, on
June 1 7th, 1073, the feat was accomplished, the Mis-
sissippi was discovered by white men, and the canoes
shot out upon its surface in latitude l-i'^. Hailing down
the great river for a month, tho party reached the village
of x\.kansea, ou the Arkansas River, in latitude 34°, and
ou July 17tli began their return journey. It is but
just to say that some of the Recollet fathers, between
whom and the Jesuits, as we have seen, jealousy existed,
have disputed the fact of Joliet and Marquette ever
reaching this point. The evidence here seems entirely
in favour of the explorers.
On their return journey the party turned from the
Mississippi into a tributary river in latitude 38°. This
was the Illinois. Ascending this, the Indian town of
Kaskaskia was reached, and here for a time Father
Marquette remained. Joliet and his party passed on,
reached the headwaters of the Illinois, crossed to the
Miamis, and descending it reached Lake Michigan. The
joyful explorers now hastened on to Michilimackinac,
aud thence to Montreal, to proclaim their discovery,
while Marquette having gained access to the Illinois
hidians, returned near the end of September to Green
l^ay. Joliet's party were successful on their journey
•ii
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1 86
A Short History ok
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till tlio rapids of tlio St. Lawronco abovo Montreal wore
reached, whero the papers {.'outaining the details of the
voyago were lost, and the explorer could but make his
report from memory.
Father Marquette, now detained at Greon Bay by
dangerous hemoi'rhago, was not able to visit the Illinois
tribe till the winter of 1G74-5. On his way to his
missionary work ho was overtaken by his disease and
compelled to land, build a hut, and take repose for ii
time. On April 8th, 1675, the bravo father reacli -l
Kaskaskia, and *' was rece'ved there as an angel of light. '
Returning to Green Bay h ) was again too ill to proceed.
He landed, was seized with his last illness, and died iu a
bark cabin on the lonely shores of Lake Michigan, May
18th, 1075. His bones were removed to Michilimackinuc
in 1077.
High encomiums of Father Marquette fill — and de-
servedly so — the " Jesuit Relations." We have his
autograph map of the Mississippi. This great stream
he desired to call " Conception River," but the name,
like those of " Colbert " and ** Buade," which wero
both bestowed upon it, have failed to take the place of
the musical Indian name.
One of the most daring of the early explorers was Daniel
D 1 th Greysolon Duluth, or De THut. Charlevoix
speaks of him as " one of the bravest officers the
king has ever had in this colony." He was born at St.
Germain-en-Laye, though Lahontan calls him a "gen-
tleman of Lyons." He was a cousin of Tonty, the
faithful friend of the explorer La Salle, and came to
Canada in 1674, but went back to Europe and was pre-
sent at the battle of Senef, where he met his after friend,
Hennepin. In 1078 he returned to Canada, and soon
went west to explore the country of the Sioux. Duluth^s
enemy, the Intendant Duchesnau, charges him with
having been at this time a freebooter, working in a
secret compact with the governor.
Duluth suddenly bursts upon our view in 1680 on the
Mississippi, where he appears as the deliverer from cap-
tivity of Hennepin and his two companions. The chief
'X '
ruF Canadian pForrr.
187
the
at St.
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ne to
pre-
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I soon
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with
Rccuo of Dnlnih's nctivitios wmh in t]w region about Luko
Superior, and tlu; eity of Uuluth, near the old Fond du
liuc, well represents the centre of his work at the mouth
of the little river St. ijouis, which eoinnieinoratc's his
royal master. 'V\w el»ar<^e of the liitcndniit of being a
'Moa(l(!r of eourcurs des hois systotjiaticaliy breaking the
royal ordinances as to the fur trade,'' would seern not to
have been far astray ; for ho was on mysteriously inti-
mate terms with Governor Frontenac. 'J'o Diduth
belongs the great distinction of founding Fort Kaminis-
tiqiiia on Thunder Hay, Lake Superior, and this would
seem to have been before 1700. Though a terrible
sufferer from the gout, Duluth was a doughty warrior
against tlie Iroquois. In 1G95 he was placed in charge
of Fort FVontenac. Governor Vaudreuil in 1710 an-
nou!- :es the death of this famous explorer as havir •
occurred during the previous winter.
Among the brilliant cluster of explorers belonging to
this period in New France, none are so - . .
unique and amusing, not to say inventive in
their narrations, as the Baron Lahontan. Ho was a
young Gascon of good family, born about the year 1007.
lu the year of his majority he came to Canada, and was
an observer and critic of all that went on there. He
was " caustic and sceptical.'' He had little respect for
rehgion, and might almost be called the Voltaire of New
France. He was merciless upon the Jesuits, scotfed and
sneered at their work, and rather delighted in the vices
and waywardness of the Indians. He was a favourite of
Governor Frontenac, and was selected by him to bear
the despatch to France announcing Phipps' defeat in
1690.
The baron travelled in the Far West, — how far is the
matter under dispute. He describes the " Riviere
Longue," which he claims to have ascended, from the
Mississippi, to the west, and of which he has left a map.
It is generally believed that he may have got from Indian
description some clue to the great Missouri. As to his
having visited such a river, Parkman declares it a " sheer
fabrication." Pa^.her Charlevoix, the Jesuit traveller.
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1 88
A Short History of
I
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never forgave Lahontan for tho attacks on his order,
and says in his spicy manner : '' The episode of the
voyage up the Long River is as fabulous as the Barataria
of Sancho Panza/' Lahontan became in time Deputy-
Governor of Placentia (Newfoundknd), but quarrelled
with his superior, fled to France, and only avoided
arrest by another flight. His first work was published
in 1703; several editions appeared. It is interesting for
its statements about the Indians, and for an Indian
vocabulary.
But no doubt the most remarkable and capable of all
La Salle ^^^^ explorers of New France was Rene-Robert
Cavalier de la Salle. His vast projects were
not crowned wi ;:h success, but La Salle was unsurpassed
in the courage with which he met misfortune, and the
energy with which he traversed the continent. Indeed
one is appalled at the dangers and hardships endured by
him. He was born at Rouen in 1G43, and was educated
among the Jesuits. He even entered the order, and sur-
rendered his paternal fortune in doing so. He after-
wards seems to have become bitterly hostile to the
Jesuits, and much preferred the RecoUets, the " bare-
foots of St. Francis/' as the Indians were used to call
them.
In 1G67 La Salle, with his brother Jean Cavalier, a
priest, came to New ^ -ance. Obtaining from the semi-
nary at Montreal i soigniory which he called " St.
Sulpice," La Salh l>l . the village, either at this time or
later, called Lachine s marking the explorer's dream
that up the St. Law. nee was the path to China. In
1669, with the authority of Governor de Courcelles,
Seigneur la Salle made a journey up Lake Ontario, and
by way of Fond du I^ac, now Burlington Bay, crossed the
country to the Grand River, reaching it probably near the
present village of Caledonia, if not further north, intending
to descend to Lake Erie, or Conti, as it was later called.
Here the party met Joliet returning from his first
expedition to Sault Ste. Marie. La Salle, under plea of
illness, separated himself from Fathers Dollier and
Galinee, of the Seminary of St. Sulpice, who accompa-
THE Canadian PEorLE.
189
iiiLil lilm, and while tlioy tlioupfhfc him returning to
Montreal they descended the Grand Eivor to Lake
Erie.
At this point comes in the mystery of La Salle. In a
paper entitled " Histoire de M. de la Salle," purporting
to be a conversation between fja Salle and an unknown
writer, it is stated that La Salle turned eastward, went
to the Iroquois country instead of Montreal, was con-
ducted by the savages to the Ohio River, and descended
it to 37° N. In support of this, Joliet's map of the Missis-
sippi, afterwards made, states that La Salle descended
the Ohio.
Another part of this *' Histoire " claims that on this
mysterious disappearance of La Salle he likewise by
way of the River Illinois, reached the Mississippi and
descended it to o5° N. This statement lacks confirma-
tion. A great controversy has raged on this question.
The truth of the matter would seem to be that La Salle's
claim to have descended the Mississippi at this time is
false, the report having probably taken its birth in the
desire of the Recollets to rob Joliet and Marquette of
their laurels.
On the arrival of Frontenac as governor, La Salle and
lie at once fraternized. They were of kindred spirit,
they were both men of marked ability, their combination
might be of material benefit to both, and in common
they disliked the Jesuits. La Salle entered heartily
into the governor's plan of having the fort at Cataraqui
replaced by one of solid stone.
In 1674 La Salle went to France and obtained a patent
of nobility and a grant of the Seigniory of Frontenac.
The fortunate seignior returned and made Fort Frontenac,
as the new fort was nov/ to be called, his residence. In
time the fortified stone fort was built, and was a consider-
able establishment. It contained a fair complement of
men ; nine cannon threatened the intruder from its battle-
ments ; outside its precincts a band of settlers was placed ;
near its walls was built a chapel, and beside this was
the priest's house in which now Father Hennepin dwelt.
La Salle visited France again' in 1677; on this occasion
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to obtain authority to advance to the west. lie recoivoci
a patent from the king in \IG78. The explorer Hkewise
obtained large loans from relatives and others to carry
out his enterprises.
While in France he attached to himself a man who
became the right hand of all his undertakings — one of
the bravest and most faithful men in the service of
France in the New World. This was Henri de Tonty.
This man was the son of Laurent de Tonty, an Italian
officer, who in the troubles of the time was confined in
the Bastille for eight years. From this Italian officer, as
its inventor, the Tontine system of life assurance receives
its name. Young Tonty entered the French army as a
cadet in 1668. In the siege of Messina by the Spaniards
the young officer lost a hand by the bursting of a
grenade. He obtained afterwards a false hand covered
by a glove, and this in his conflicts in the west he used
with much effect, and was in consequence named in New
France " Main-de-fer.^' On the advice of the ]-*rince of
Conti, La Salle took Tonty into his service.
On the return of La vSalle to Quebec new combinations
were made with powerful merchants, and the expedition
was begun.
Here joined him Father Hennepin, who had come down
from Fort Frontenac to meet him. This father, if
not one of the loftiest spirits of the time, was at
least one of the most remarkable. Louis Hennepin was
born at Roy, in Hainault, about the year 1640. He entered
the order of the Eecollets. It has been mentioned that
he was present at the battle of Senef. He was of an
unsettled and adventurous disposition, and came to
Canada in 1676. He sailed in company with Bishop
Laval, and made a good impression on him. Engaged
in various services in the wilds, for which he had a taste,
he now, with the approval of his superior, found himself
joined to La Salle's expedition.
La Salle, Tonty, Hennepin, and the party of some
thirty left Fort Frontenac for the mouth uf the Niagara
River in two small vessels at different times, late in the
autumn of 1678. A.t a chosen spot above the Falls of
Hennepin.
I
whi
Fort
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joiirr
Oi
after'
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a
TiiK Canadian Pkopli:.
191
Niagara was built a vessel called the UriJJiiL, uanied, it is
supposed, from Frontenac's crest. With this it was
intended to navigate the upper lakes. In August La
Salle arrived, and with him the Recollet brothers, one of
whom, Le Membre, has left a memoir of the journey in
the '' Etablissement du Foi.'*
On August 7th La Salle and his followers embarked
for the west, and their little vessel was an object of terror
to the natives as she fired her small cannon. On the
arrival of the Griffin at Michilimackinac, the journey was
continued to Green Bay, and from this point the vessel,
lad on with furs, was despatched to Niagara to satisfy La
Saile's creditors, who, urged on by his enemies the
Jesuits, had seized Fort Frontenac and all his property.
The Griffin was never heard of again.
With a portion of his party La Salle now hastened
forward, and near the large Indian village in January,
lf)80, began his fort. Father Hennepin and two com-
panions were sent in February on an expedition down
the Illinois River to reach the Mississippi, and then
ascend it. Tonty was to remain in charge of the fort,
which La Salle, on account of his misfortune, had called
Fort Crevecceur, or Heartbreak ; while the commander
himself would return by an enormous land and water
journey of 1000 miles to Canada.
Of the trip made by him, Hennepin the Recollet father
afterwards in 1684 wrote an account. It must be con-
fessed that a haze of uncertainty surrounds all Henne-
pin's recitals. His first published story of his voyages is
generally accepted as true ; the second, published at
Utrecht in 1607, in which he claims to have descended
the Mississippi to the Arkansas, is now rejected by most
writers. With his two companions, Accan and Auguel
of Picardy, the father reached the Mississippi. Here he
was captured by the Sioux, and with them went north-
ward to the grand falls, where the city of Minneapolis
now stands, and these he named St. Anthony of Padua,
m honour of the patron saint of his order, who is also the
guardian of sailors. On the Mississippi, as already
stated, the captives were rescued by Duluth. It is now
r ii»
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192
A Short IIistorv of
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{^'L'lierally believed that tlie t'u vest- ranger had heard of
the three Frenchmen in captivity, and had hastened to
their rescue.
Tonty had many difficulties at Crcvecocur. The
Iroquois invaded the Illinois country, and many conflicts
took place, in which the Italian captain proved himself
shrewd and valiant. \a\ Salle, as we have seen, had
returned to Canjida. He was marvellously successful in
repairing his shnttered fortunes, but while at Fort Fron-
tenac received the bad news that his men at Creveca}ur
had mutinied and destroyed the fort. Some of the
returning mutineers were ari'ested by him and iui-
prisoned at Fort Frontenac. Knowing that the faithful
Tonty must be in a sad plight, the commander fitted out
an expedition to relieve him, which soon arrived at the
Miamis River. Tonty on the loss of Crevecucur had
betaken himself, after various wanderings, to a village of
the Pottawattamies. Ija Salle sought long for his faith-
ful Tonty, but at length the rejoiced friends met at
Michilimackinac. The unfortunate explorers returned
to Fort Frontenac.
But the heart of steel of the commander was hard
to break. In December, 1G81, the great expedition of
which La Salle had long dreamt was planned — this, to
find the mouth of the Mississippi. Hastening west by
the usual route, the *' Father of Waters '' was reached on
February 8th, 1682. The Arkansas Hiver, the furthest
point hitherto gained, was left behind, so also the Nat-
chez Indians, afterwards so celebrated, and sailing out by
different mouths of the river upon the Gulf of Mexico,
the dream became a reality. On the dry shore of the
gulf beyond the mouth, a column was erected on April
9th, 1682, with the usual ceremonies, and the country
was claimed for the King of France, and given the name
Louisiana.
La Salle returned up the Mississippi and took the
route for Canada. On his arrival there he found that the
Governor Frontenac had been recalled. The wearied
explorer was greatly discouraged, having journeyed 5000
leagues, most of it on foot, lost 40,000 crowns, and
THE Canadian People.
193
endured untold hardships and disappointments. Hia
chief discouragements had been the treachery of his men,
and the hatred, of his enemies.
Returned to France, tlie explorer saw the star of hope
rise asfain. It was now determined to colonize the country
at the mouth of the Mississippi. In company with Com-
mander Beaujeu, of the Royal Navy, La Salle departed
on July 24th, 1684, in four ships with a large number of
colonists. After many difficulties, and a severe illness
of La Salle, the expedition reached Louisiana, but
failed to find the mouth of the Mississippi. On the coast
of T'ixas they built a fort — St. Louis. Beaujeu returned
to France, and with him some of the colonists. La Salle,
with a chosen band, made an overland expedition, but
the mouth of the great river could not yet be found, and
Lis party returned to Fort St. Louis. 'J^he disappointed
leader now determined to make the great overland
journey to Fort Cievecoeur. His faithful Tonty know-
ing of the coming of the colony to the mouth of the
Mississippi, had already descended the river, but meeting
no one had returned to the Illinois country.
AftPr journeying many weary days La Salle was way-
laid by some of the baser members of his own band and
basely shot. The mutineers, however, quarrelled over
the booty, and the murderers were killed, for vengeance
suffered them not to live. The survivors of the exploring
band, including the priest Cavalier, La Salle's brother,
arrived in a miserable plight at Crevecceur. The St. Louis
colonists suffered death or slavery at the hands of the
Spaniards. Tonty spent his life among the Illinois, and
here disappears trom view. Hennepin quarrelled with
all his old Iriends, and even deserting his own country,
entered the service of William III. of England, to whom
his second or improbable work of 1697 is dedicated.
Thus passed away the trio — La Salle, Tonty, and Henne-
pin, whose fortunes had been so closely bound together.
Following in the train of the great explorers came De la
Verandrye, a most successful discoverer. Like -. ,
Duluth, he found on Lake Superior the scene of his
earlier operations. He discovered the rivers of the Canadian
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A Short History of
North- West, and his sons reached the Rocky Mountains.
Pierre Giialtier de Varennes, Sieur de \ii Verandrye, was
born at Throe Rivers in 1 085, and was tlie son of the French
Governor of Three Rivers. Ho early went to Franco,
and served as a cadet in the Marlborougli wars. He was
severely wounded, rose to the rank of lieutenant, and
came to Canada, to live in poverty. The fur trade
attracted him as affording the only opening in Canada
for a gentleman and a soldier.
While trading on Lake Superior he heard at Nepigon
in 1728, from an Indian Ochagach, about the Winnipeg
country. A birch-bark map of the countiy was obtained
from this intelligent savage, and forwarded to Governor
Beauharnois at Quebec. The Governor was ambitious of
equalling his predecessoi's in discovery, and willingly
granted permission to Verandrye to explore, and issued
a licence to trade.
At Michilimackinac, a Father Gonor and Verandrye
laid their plans, and in 1731 Verandrye's party proceeded
to Lake Superior, left the lake by the Groselliers River,
now called Pigeon River, and took the canoe route to the
interior. Reaching in the first year of their journey
Rainy Lake, they built Fort St. Pierre at the foot of it.
The site of this fort is still pointed out. A descent of
the Rainy River was made, and in 1732 Fort St. Charles
was constructed on the south-east shore of Lake of the
Woods. Across Lac des Bois, or Minitie, as this lake was
called, and down the Winnipeg or Maurepas River,
brought the explorers to Lake Winnipeg or Ounipique.
Having built Fort Maurepas at the mouth of Wmui-
pog River, the lake was crossed and the Red River was
discovered. Ascending this, the Assiniboine, called by
the party St. Charles, was reached, and Fort Houge built;
about 1735 or 1736, where the city of Winnipeg now
stands. Going west on the Assiniboine River, Fort de la
Reine was erected at Portage la Prairie, as a good trading
post, in 1738.
Verandrye was accompanied by three sons, and his
nephew Jemeraye. While one of his sons, with a priest
and a number of the party were unfortunately killed on
"M
THE Canadian Pkopli:.
195
fin island in Lake of the Woods by the Sionx, another
of \m sons with d band of voyaj^eurs ascended in 1742
tlie Souris, or St. Pierre River, made a portage to the
Missouri, proceeded up this great rivei, and, on the 1st
of January, 1743, saw the eastern slope of the Rocky
Mountains or " Montagnes de Pierre" — first of white-
men north of Mexico. i\fter this the explorers visited
Liikos Manitoba, Winnipegoosis, and Dauphin, and the
Saskatchewan as far as the Poskoiac — " the Forks."
The father and his sons gained much honour but little
reward for their discoveries. They were overwhelmed
with debt. The veteran explorer was on the point of
visiting the Upper Saskatchewan when he died — 1749.
His sons lost their licence, it having been given to Legar-
(leiir (le St. Pierre, who ascended the Saskatchewan and
ill 1753 built Fort la Jonquiere, near the site of the present
town of Calgary at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
Section IV. — Indian Ilustilities,,
Reference has been already made to Champlain's mis-
take in involving himself with the Algonquin Indians
against their enemies the Iroquois. The valiant founder
left a sad heritage to his successors. M. Montmagny
succeeded Champlain as Governor in 1636. The Hurons
and Algonquins, the allies of Montmagny, called him
"Ononthio" — "the Mountain.'' The greati effort of the
Iroquois was to break up the alliance of the Hurons and
Al<,n)nquins with the French.
The building of Montreal in 1642 by M. Maisoneuve
was regarded as a menace by the Iroquois. During the
two years succeeding its founding it was in a constant
state of siege. The fury of the Iroquois knew no bounds.
To the west, near Lake Simcoe, the daring Jesuit fathers
liad gone, and done much work among the Hurons.
Like a forest fire the Iroquois swept down upon the Hurons
and their missionaries. Jogues, while on an embassy to
the Iroquois in 1646, was put to death ; Daniel was killed
and his body burnt in 1648 ; and the two distinguished
missionaries, Lalemant and Breboeuf, suffered terrible tor-
O 2
19^
A SllOKT HiSTOKV OF
tures. '^ Tearing off the scalp " of Laleniant, his butcher.s
"thrice dashed upon his head boiling water in imitation
of baptism. They clove open his chest, took out his
heart and devoured it."
From Tadoussac to Quebec, thence to Three Rivers,
and all the way to Ville Marie, there was nothing but
traces of blood and havoc. 'J'he liurons were swepc out
of existence, or driven to the Far West.
An incident of surpassing bravery in IGGO checked
the fury of the Iroquois invasion, when it looked as if
thev were about to exterminate the French. Sixteen
Frenchmen, led by one Captain DoUard des Orineaux,
with Hurons and Algonquins made up a war-party of
sixty. At a spot north of Montreal, near the bank of the
Ottawa, they secreted themselves ; 200 Iroquois warriors
advanced to attack them and were repelled. Reinforced
by 500 more the Iroquois again attacked. For ten
days the brave defenders held out. All of Dollard^s
party were killed except five Frenchmen and four Hurons,
who were reserved for torture. The Hurons escaped to
Quebec and told the tale. The Iroquois had already
planned with 1200 men to sweep the banks of the St.
Lawrence, but the heroism of DoUard's band seems to
have led them to change their minds.
The more pf^aceful disposition of the Iroquois, and the
arrival from France, in response to the frantic cry of
the settlers for help, of a company of soldiers in 16G2,
gave rest to the colony. The Indian country was a
source of constant anxiety. When M. de Tracy arrived,
as we have seen, as Viceroy in 1665, he had instructions
to conquer and exterminate the Iroquois. Four forts
were built for protecting the country : St. Louis, at the
mouth of the River Richelieu ; Fort Richelieu, near the
rapids on that river; Ste. Therese, fuither up the river;
and Ste. Anne, on an island in Lake Champlain.
In January, 1666, M. Courcelles penetrated, though
with discomfort to his troops, the very country of the
Iroquois and brought them to terms. In the following
year De Tracy headed a strong expedition, which
entered the cantons of the Iroquois and humbled them.
y ^'^
1002,
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THE Canadian Peotlf:.
197
In 1680 the brilliant old warrior Frontenac held a
great inectitif^ with the Iroquois at Montreal. Appearing
amnnnistH sowing seed
in their fields. The colonists were being inured to
their own defence. Itoused to desperation, the veteran
Governor determined to put an end to these continual
aggressions of the Iroquois. Ho assembled in 1G96,
2300 men, and with this considerable army went up the
St. Lawrence. Tribe after tribe of the Six Nations were
driven out, and their country ravaged. The Freueli
prestige was completely restored in the west. A Sioux
chief, representing twenty-two bands, pledged his service.
The order of St. Louis was bestowed on Frontenac, and
though he died in IG.')8, his power over the Indians had
become so strong that, at a great gathering in 17Ul,
1300 Indians, representing all the Iroquois and Algon-
quins, in the presence of Governor de Callieres established,
amid salvos of artillery and discharge of small arms, the
peace of North America.
The French and English still strove vigorously for
p . cotitrol over the various Indian tribes. VV'hile
the English seemed more powerful with the Six
Nations and other Indians to the south, the French re-
tained their influence over the tribes of the upper lakes.
This was well seen in the fact that the last blow against
the English, sixty years after this great peace, was dealt
by the Indian Fontiac and his confederates, whose story
Parkman has so well told.
Detroit had been founded by La Motte Cadillac in
1701. The settlement of which it was the centre had iu
sixty years grown till it numbered 2500 souls. The fort
in 1763 contained about 100 houses. The British had
De
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THE Canadian PEorrr.
20T
rapfurcil it in tlio year uftcr tho fall of Qiiel)cc. It wna a
military and fur-tnidirip- depot, and contaiiKMl about 120
soldiers, and forty or tilty tur-traders and cnrjntjt'H. Two
KchooncM's, tho Bcnvrr anil tlio Glfidirifn, did its trade.
It was to capture this and tlie associated tort of
Micliiliinackinac that Pontiac laid his ])Ians. l^)ntiac.
we arc told, was "king and lord of all the country."
]lt> was born about the year 1713, and belonged to the
Ottawa tril)e, tliough his mother is said to have been
Ojibway. Ho lived on a small island near the St. Clair,
liis plan was to enter Detroit with the appearance of seek-
ing peace ; but each of his followers had cut a portion of
his gun- barrel off, and secreted the gun under his
clothing. The policy to bo foUoweil was " to kill every
Eiiirlishnian, but not to touch the scalp of a Frenchman."
Unfortunately for his plans, tho attachment of an
Indian girl to Commandant Gladwyn betrayed j_ .-g-
tho secret, and saved tho fort. With sixty
chiefs as his followers the crafty I^ontiac entered the fort,
but armed men met him at every turn. He then assumed
aa appearance of devoted friendship. The danger for
this occasion was over, but shortly after the siege of
Detroit began. It was conducted with great skill. Pon-
tiac, though the leader of numerous bands, held them
together for months by his personal power, issued paper-
money, and showed consummate statesmanship.
A part of the plan of war was the taking of Michili-
niackmac. On the 4th of June, 17G3, this fort, under a
Coinniauder Etherington, was attacked by the Ojibways
diii'iug a " ball play,'' and many of the unsuspecting
re!>idents massacred. The Ottawas rescued some ot the
prisoners from burning. On the failure of the Indian
confederacy Pontiac went, in company with the Indians
of the upper lakes, to Oswego, where he met Sir William
Johnston and concluded a peace. In 1769 the well-
kuovvn chief was in the neighbourhood of St. Louis, at
Cahokia. The Illinois Indians ffave him a feast. An
J^ughsh trader, displeased at this, bribed a worthless
Indian with a barrel of whisky to kill him. Thus fell
Hontiao in 1769.
<.'
•rjl
.:;i
m
202
A Short History of
Section V. — Wars and Truces ending in the Conciiied of
1759.
Peace, as we hr.ve seen, restored Canada to France in
PeacfiofSt ^^'^'^^' l^liis was the Treaty of St. Germain-eii-
Geimain- Laye. Before a score of years another out-
en-Laye. break between the powers had taken place;
Treaty of ^nd now to end the war the Treaty of West-
estp a la.pi^^^ji^^ ^^^^ signed at Mnnster in 1G48 — one of
the waymarks in the history of modern Europe — the
establishment of the idea involved in the '^ balance of
power." The infant Louis XIV. had then been five years
on the throne, and the policy of France was dictated by
Mazarin, who followed the great Cardinal Richelieu iu
his plans. Louis XIV., as he grew, was matured in this
school of national aggrandizement. The age of Louis
XIV. in France was in military glory, iu manners, and
in liteiature one of wonderful brilliancy; in politics
and economics it was the age of lead. Napo-
leon long afterwards revived in a different form tho
France of Louis XIV., so far as grasping at power was
concerned.
Thus grew the wars — and war in Europe meant war iu
America — with gaily-decorated regiments, and stately men-
of-war in Europe, with hungry atid bi^dly-equippeil troops,
and worn-out or condemned old ships in New France.
Louis XIV. was at his hei^rht ' hen the Grand Alliance
was made against him in 1090. It consisted of Cermauy,
Spain, Holland, and England. William III. of England,
who was versed in the school of French diplomacy, was
the leader of this league. With its European battles we
have now nothing to do. Governor Frontenac had but
returned on his second term to Canada. He was exas-
perated with tho English of New York for inciting the
Iroquois, and New France was in her last gasp. War
being declared between the mother-countries gave him the
opportunity of striking a blow at the English settlements.
The first expsdition was started from Montreal under
Le Moyne de Ste. Helene, one of the famous
Longueil family, and with him another Le
<( ,
1690.
■~mm
THE Canadian Peoplk.
203
Moyue, surnamed D'lberville, of whom more hereafter.
The party of 200 was made up of coareiirs des 6oiv, with
iKai'iy 100 '^Christian" Iroquois. In mid-winter they
fell on the oiitpost of Corlaer, or Schenectady, in New
York, and silently in Indian fashion a nit^-ht attack was
iiuidc, and sixty men, women, and children were slain in
cold blood. The second party, commanded by Francois
Ilertel, left Three Rivers in the end of January, and on
their attack of Salmon Falls, New Hampshire, thirty
English settlers were killed or wounded. The third
expedition, under M. de Portneuf, started from Quebec.
It was twice the size jf the Three Rivers party. The
town of Canso was sacked, and numbers like those in
Salmon Falls were among the fallen.
These were barbarous measures. No doubt they were
looked on by the French as retributive, but the customs
of border warfare on both sides were unmerciful. The
colonists were awed by this mode of warfare, and no
doubt it did much to restore the prestige of the French
among the Indian tribes.
The Puritan colonies were of too stern stuiT to endure
quietly such outrageous attacks. They furbished their
arms, which had been chiefly used in Indian warfare.
Boston, as was usual, took the lead. Ships and money
were with some difficulty gathered together. .^^^
And now for a Miles Stand ish or other leader
"with a martial air." The most available officer to
command was a rough backwoods captain from the
Kennebec in Maine, William Phipps. He was now
upwards of forty years of age. He had succeeded after
two attempts, with the assistance of friends in England,
in fishing up treasure from a sunken Spanish galleon in
the West Indies, and thus secured for himself a small
fortune and the honour of knighthood. There was much
of the ruffian spirit about the vociterous coasting captain.
Thirty- two vessels, large and small, were gathered for
the expedition, and with pious Puritan services the
enterprise was undertaken.
It was decided to strike the first blow at Acadia.
Acadia had grown but little. There were not in it at
■ '!''P^
204
A Short History of
Acadia.
:^' ^'
•■'I!
this time 1000 people all told. Port Royal,
the Acadian capital, was defended by only
seventy-two soldiers, and its fortiKcations were in ruius.
In May Sir William Phipps appeared with a forty-gnu
frigate, and several smaller war- vessels, before Port
Royal, and to him it at once surrendered. Other points
on the Acadian coast submitted, and Boston, ever for-
ward to seize territorv, considered Acadia as now an
appanage of its own.
With his fleet of thirty-five sail, and having on
board 2000 militiamen, Commander Phipps set out for
Quebec. Froutenac was at Montreal when he heard of
the approaching fleet. Intelligence had already reached
him that the overland expedition against Canada had
failed, and thus free, he hastened down the St. Lawrence
with 1200 men to defend the capital. On the 16th of
October the fleet appeared before Quebec. Sir William
sent a messenger demanding a surrender. Frontenac,
confident of his strength, refused to submit to the
" usurper William III.," and said " the muzzles of
his cannon would bear the answer " to the English
demands.
Thirteen hundred men of the New England militia
disembarked on the soft flats of Beauport, but could
accomplish nothing. The cannonade from Quebec
damaged the ships of the Bostonians, while the ships
could damage the citadel but little. The siege was
raised, the New Englanders returned crestfallen to
Boston, and Massachusetts was compelled to issue paper-
money to meet the heavy debt incurred. Frontenac sent
word to his sovereign of the great deliverance, a medal
was struck, the new church of Notre Dame de la Vic-
toire was built in Quebec, and an annual day of rejoicing
set apart in memory of the event.
The great failure of the Boston fleet was aggravated
still more by disaster from another quarter. This was
from the well-directed attacks of an expedition under M.
d'Iberville. Pierre le Movne d'lberville was one of the
most brilliant commanders of his time. He was a native
of Canada, his father, Charles le Moyne, first Seignior
THE Canadian Peoi'LK.
205
vated
IS was
er M.
f the
native
ignior
of Lorigeuil and Chateau guay, having come from France
in 1641. Pierre was the third son, and was born in
Montreal in 1661. He was recommended ^o^' D'iberville
a commission in the. French navy, and after-
wards became captain of a frigate.
After various brilliant naval attacks in previous years,
in 1696 his victories over the seaboard forts of the
British were most disastrous. The fortress of Pemaquid
had been raised at the mouth of the Kennebec as a pro-
tection from the French of Arcadia. D'Iberville took
this, the strongest fort on the Atlantic coast, and
demolished it. In this year, 1696, D'lberville sailed to
Newfoundland, where the British still claimed certain
possessions. Meeting here other ships from France, the
combined ifleet fell upon St. John's. D'lberville landed,
and, taking charge of the assaulting party, seized the
fort after a stubborn fight. The winter was spent in
subduing Newfoundland.
The task was not quite accomplished, when five ships
from France arrived with orders for D'lberville to take
command, u,nd with this fleet to capture the British
forts iti Hudson Bay. The dashing Frenchman knew the
region of Hudson Bay very well. Years belbre, in
lb85, D'lberville had been one of an overland party
which captured the English forts around Hudson Bay,
and had taken in one of them 50,000 crowns' worth of furs.
The expe ition for Hudson Bay now set sail from
Newfoundland in July. After having trouble ^ggg
with the ice, the commander entered with his
flag-ship Pelican, having been separated from the remain-
der of his fleet. Here he was met face to face with three
English men-of-war. There was no escape from the
contlict. Though the Pelican carried but flfty guns she
sank the English Hampshire of fifty-six guns, captured
the ship Hudson's Bay of thirty-two guns, and only
failed to overtake the Dehring of thirty-six guns. Fort
Nelson was next attacked, and Governor Bailey capitu-
lated to the dashing seaman on honourable terms. Thus
France had captured the whole of Hudson Bay, to which,
indeed, she had always laid claim.
206
A Short History of
<■:,
But the Canadian captain's work was not yet done;
ho was now but thirty-five years of ago. The settlement
of Louisiana, wliich had ended so sadly with La Salle's
expedition, was to be a<*'ain attempted. With two ships
D'ibervillo sailed for the Gulf of Mexico, found the
mouths of the Mississippi, ascended the river, and
returning built a fort at Biloxi, on the coast of Louisiana
in 1()99. Having again reached France, the successful
colonizer was made a Knight of St. Louis and Governor-
General of Louisiana. A substantial bastioned fort was
built at Mobile in 1 70L This remaikable French Cana-
dian ended his life as Governor of Louisiana, and died
of yellow fever in 1 700.
The European nations had now tired of war, and the
Treaty of Grand Alliance could not continue. In 1 096,
R^swick, by the action of Italy, the compact was broken.
1697. Louis XI v. took the occasion to make over-
tures of peace. Accordingly a meeting of plenipoten-
tiaries took place on the 9th of May, 1097, at Ryswick, a
village near the Hague in Belgium, and at William IIL's
chateau of Neuburg Hansen there. The treaty gained
the acknowledgment by France of William III. as King
of England — a matter of much moment — and resulted in
the restoration by England and France to each other of
the conquests they had made during the war. To what
little purp se had been the bloodshed in Acadia, Maine,
Newfoundland, and Hudson's Bay !
The nations had but a short respite. In the last year
of the life of William III. of England there
was formed the " Second Grand Alliance," to
check, as the first had done, the greed of Louis XIV.
The death of William gave Louis increased hope. He
sought to make terms with Holland, and thus break the
league. In this Louis failed, and Queen Anne followed
out the policy of William. Accordingly England, Ger-
many, and Holland in 1702 declared war against France
and Spain. This was the great Marlborough War, or,
from one of its causes, called '' The War of the Spanish
Succession." The victories gained by the English in
Europe were marked and memorable.
1701.
it
BE
VX'
THE Canadian Peoplk.
207
In America there was comparatively little bloodshed.
The sanguinary liertel led another expedition ngainst
the border settlement of Deerfield in 1 70 1, and Haverhill
on the Merrimac, and the peaceful inhabitants were
killed and their dwellings burnt. In Acadia, in 170G,
and iigain in 1 707, unsuccessful attacks were made by
New Kiiglanders on Port Royal. In 1710, however, an
expedition with 3500 ti'oops sailed against the Acadian
capital from Boston. The defenders of Port Royal sur-
rendered, and, as the captors thought, all Acadia with it.
It was Port Royal no more, for its inhabitants to the
number of 450 were sent in transports to Rochelle, and
the name of the place changed to Annapolis in honour
of the sovereign. The loss of Acadia was felt keenly in
France, though by an expedition in 1708 France had
gained the whole of Newfonndland, except the settlement
of Carbonneau.
In 1711 one of the most tremendous failures ever seen
iu the New World overtook an expedition organ-
ized by England to take Ca nada. It was a New ^°^*^^®'^
World Armada. The fleet under Sir Hoveden
Walker contained eighty-eight sail, and was to carry 6500
troops, among whom were seven regiments of the flower
of Marlborough's army. There was also colonial militia.
To co-operate with this there was a land force of 4000
Massachusetts men and GOO Indians. The land army,
under General Nicholson, moved to Lake Geoi^ge, there to
await the attack on Quebec by the fleet. But the ele-
ments fought against Admiral Walker. Eight ships were
Avrecked, and corpses were thrown up on the gulf islands
like those of Pharaoh's army on the Red St a coast. Sir
liuveden called a council of war at Cape Breton. The
attempt was given up ; the colonial vessels returned to
Boston, and the British to England. The Massachusetts
volunteers retired discouraged to their homes. England
was the laughing-stock of Europe !
But now in 1713 the '' dogs of war " were leashed
again. After mucli negotiation the great
Treaty of Utrecht was signed at the'," Ferry StreSt°^
of the Rhine'' on the 11th of April, 1713.
•1.
1 ■
208
A Short Mistokv of
:i|5=**!:-
By this the Hanoverian line was recognized in
England, the fortifications of Dunkirk, which had
menaced the British coast, were to be destroyed, and to
England was ceded Acadia, Newfoundland, and the
country of Hudson Bay. To France alone remained in
the New World, Canada, Louisiana, Cape Breton, St.
John's (Prince Edward's) Island, and certain fishint^-
rights on the Gulf. It was a day of glory for England ;
it was a day of dolor for Louis le Grand, thouj)utL' uitli waniitli ho pursued a decidedly nggresslvo
policy, lu order to strengthc^n Canada on tli(! side of
Acadia, the French began a nioveinfnt for the etnigra-
tioii of all the French in Acadia to the north side of the
]j:iy oFFiindy in the disputed territory.
'i'he second step was to connect LiHiisinna and Canada.
These wei-e, so to sp( ak, the two bastions of the French
power in America, The Governor would unite them by a
line of tortilied posts up the Ohio ilivor and al-aig the
lakes. IJaviiig gone on a great expedition to the west of
^oine 1200 leagues, Galissoniere understood the country,
aiul saw its deplorable condition. A fort was determined ou
among the Sioux, another was erect(>d at Green Bay, Detroit
was garrisoned, Fort Rouille was built at Toronto, and a
fort at Ogdensburg was erected called " La Presentation."
It was in 171'9 that this energetic Governor was re-
placed by the Marquis de la Jonquiere, also a naval officer
of uote. No change of policy from that of Galissoniere
was made. He would have built forts along Lake Erie,
but the royal despatch of J 750 declared " Niagara and
Detroit will secure for ever our communications with
Louisiana.'" The attempt to remove the French from
Acadia was succeeding. This was rendered more
easy now that Britain had decided to occupy Acadia,
lu 1/49 Governor Cornwallis with 3800 colonists
had come to settle Halifax. His proclamation had
been that the French in Acadia might remain, provided
that the priests they retained were approved by the
British Government, and that the Acadians would defend
their homes, and take the oath of allegiance. Not less
than 3000 Acadians betook themselves to the north of
the Bay of Fundy, and the island of St. Jean. At the
isthmus between Acadia and the mainland was the
French settlement of Beaubassin. This the English
attacked. On a liill near by, the French determined to
erect a fort, and this they did, calling it Fort Beausejour.
i'he Marquis Duquesne, a captain in the Royal Marines,
arrived as the new Governor in 1752. A new New Route
route to the Ohio was now discovered. This to the
Was by leaving Lake Erie where Erie city now ^^*°'
r 2
linll
HHHf
MBBmiij
HB^II II
H|f |>4'>v,f ||
212
A Short History oi-
1763.
stands. A roiid was cut tlironfrh the woods to Froiicli
Creek, a tributary of tho Alloghnny, ono of tho branches
of tho Ohio. Here was biiilr, Fort Loljocuf, nnd hiilier
cnme ascommnndant, Lcgardeur do St. Pierre,
whom wo have seen as a successor of Vcrnndrvo
on tho Saskntchewan. To tlic officer in charge of this
fort was -.I i riM • 1 1 i. Braddock.
two liritisu repfiinents. lliis niuii was a bliister-
incf, bravo, Hclt'-opinioimtod Hritish otlicor. Ho despised
colonists and coloniid iiianiiers. With a forco of some
12U0 inon — regulars and nniitia — on the lUtli of June,
1755, h(! l)(»gau his march over the Alioghanios to attack
Furt DiKjiu'sne. He preserved on the march all the
features of a European campaign. Axemen opened up the
road ; the wagons proceeded slowly and with military
precision. At length so slow was the progress that he
listened to the advice of Washington, one of his officers,
to leave the train to follow and to hasten forward with the
troops. After the mountains were passed, and some
eight miles from Fort Duquesne, just after the Monon-
galiela had been crossed, Braddock^s army was surrounded
by French and Indians. The enemy was invisible. The
martinet Braddock insisted on his troops fighting in line.
His men v/ere cut down like the wheat-field before hail.
The officers fought most bravely. After sixty-three o£
these out of eighty-six had fallen and Braddock himself
been mortally wounded, the remnant retreated. It was an
absolute and crushing defeat.
The second point of attack was Acadia. On both sides
of the Bay of Fundy a considerable French _
population lingered. Those who had emigrated
to the north side were miserably poor. The attack on
Acadia was made by a body of Massachusetts militia,
under command of Moncton, the agent of Governor
Lawrence of Nova Scotia. Colonel John Winslow com-
mauded one regiment. On the 1st of June ^^g-
the expedition landed at Beausejour. The
garrison consisted of but 160 troops, and they, as well as
the French colonists, were much discouraged. They were
under the command of one De Vergor, but the leading
spirit of the defence was a priest. La Loutre, to whose
malice and determination most of the troubles of the
Acadians at this time may be traced. Little fighting
took place, for the garrison judged it wise to capitulate.
La Luutre escaped, but was afterwards arrested, and im-
prisoned in the isle of Jersey for eight years.
if
I ' < !•
ii
4
M
214
A SiroRi" IlrsToin' ok
V
. ■ i;
. Ji ■ ■ ■ II
And now cuinos 0110 of tho most mournful cpisodos of
Tram- liistory. (lovcrnor Sliirloy, of MiiSMicliusctts,
portnion of had lor sotuo tirno fidvocatod exportation of
Acadians. ^j,y A(.'Jidi:ins. Now it was to bo dono. It is a
vexed subject of discussion, and tiie last word has not
yet been said u|)oii it. Undoubtedly the Acadians rct'iiscd
to take the oath (»!' ii'lo^naiieo. That in itself would
I)ai(lly, liowever, hnve justilied their expulsion. Ihit it is
cliarfjced a^^'ainst them that they incited tho Indians
n|]fjiinst th(! hritish, that any hostile French expedirion
fot 'id in them sympathizers, and that beiiiut
the danger of attacking Niagara lay not only in the 1200
men, ninny of them Indians, defending it, but in tlie fiict
that Fort Frontenac lay in the rear, and might cut tho
party olf from its supplies entirely. And so, after braR'ly
considering the matter, Shirley nnd his councillors allowed
their discretion to rule, and making no demonstration
against Niagara, returned quietly home.
In addition to these border conflicts, the British war-
vessels had captured some 300 French ships. It t\us
happened that when, on the 17th of May, 175G, a formal
declaration uf war was made, by which Britain and
Frederick the Great's kingdom were combined againbt
the remainder of Europe, the relations of France and
England were but little changed. Fiance braced herself
more firmly for war, and sent General Montcalm to
command the forces in America.
Louis Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm-Gozon de St.Veran,
was born at Nismes,in the South of France, on the
29th of February, 1712. Privately educated, at
the age of fifteen he entered the army as an ensign. Ho
married the Lady Louise Talen, and had a family of ten
children. Montcalm was a good father, a true soldier,
and was devoted to his country. He fought in Italy and
Germany, and had been severely wounded. With 1000
regulars and 400 recruits the general embarked for
Canada, which he reached in May, 1756. Sixteen hundred
soldiers had arrived from France in the year before, so
that the forces under Montcalm at this time numbered
about 4000 men. Two officers, afterwards well known,
accompanied Montcalm, viz. the Chevalier de Levis-Verun,
and M. de Bourgainville.
Alter full conference it was decided to fortify Niagara ;
and to make Fort Frontenac, on Lake Ontario, and
Ticonderoga (Carillon), on Lake Champlain, the two
Montcalm.
eran,
I, on the
,tcd, at
Q. Ho
of ten
ioldier,
[ly and
1000
led for
ndred
|ove, HO
ibered
:nown,
'eran,
icrara ;
and
two
TiiK Canadian I'iioj'u:.
217
central camps of defence. Louisbour^ wjis defended by
I iOO men and much needed streu^'thening in its defences,
|)ut this was never accomplished. Great IJritain now
throw herself, as never before, into the colonial war.
(iovernor Shirley had planned another great expedition
against Forts Frontenac and Niagara; but as 10,000 men
Avere asked, the States voted nny. This bustling loiider
was now superseded by the Earl of Loudon, who added
little to the lustre of British arms in America. With
Geiiei'al Loudon came also General Abercrombie.
Oq the opening of the campaign Montcalm attacked
and took without difficulty Fort Oswego, which, though
not so disgraceful as Braddock's defeat on the Monon-
galicla, was a greater strategic loss. In l?.")? the French
determined to secure the positions about Lake Cham-
plaiu. An attack was made by Montcalm on Fort William
Henry. The English garrison was reduced to want,
sniall-pox entered among the defenders, their cannon
were disabled ; aud as Montcalm was soon to open on
the fort with his artillery, the garrison surrendered.
Thus to the very south of Lake George the French flag
iioated triumphaLt. The French cause was now most
hopeful, although a total failure of crops in Ctunada left
the people in a state of famine.
In 1758 the English made an attempt to regain the
Lake Champlain forts. General Abercrombie, with 16,000
men, made an attack on Ticonderoga. Montcalm arrived
in time, however, to take command of the 3500 troops in
the besieged fort. Behind the defences of Carillon he
awaited General Abercrombie's attack. After a most
determined series of ouvsets by the British, they were
compelled to retire without accomplishing anything,
having lost 2000 men in killed and wounded, while the
French had not suffered to the extent of one-fifth. The
liritish, however, took and destroyed Fort Frontenac ;
they also drove the French from Fort Duquesue aud off
the Ohio, and compelled a retreat to Fjrt Erie.
In the end of May, 1758, Admiral Boscawen, arriving
at Hulitax, met General Amherst, who had been sent by
Ueneral Abercrombie to take Louisbourg. In the pre-
^^
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.91
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2l8
A Short Htstorv of
Wolfe
appears
ceding year Louisbourg had been threatened, but the
attack was abandoned. Now, on the 2nd of June, Louis-
bourg was reached. It was still a great fortress. The
British, after a severe encounter, effected a binding. A
siege and bombardment by the assailants resulted in a
capitulation on the 27th of July, 1758, of the entire force
of the 0000 soldiers and sailors in the garrison. Great joy
was shown in England over this capture.
At the taking of Louisbourg there leaped into promi-
nence a young officer, who was the "life of the
siege.'' This was Colonel James Wolfe, aged
thirty-two years. At fifteen he had entered the
army, fought in the battle of Culloden at the age of
twenty-three, and at that age became a lieutenant-colonel.
Though of a most delicate constitution, he was "all life."
The remarkable statesman, William Pitt, who then guided
thedestinies of England, had much confidence in the young
soldier. He now appointed him to command the expedi-
tion against Quebec, made him a major-general, allowed
him to choose his own staff', and sent him a strong con-
tingent of Scottish Highlanders, " les sauvages des
Ecossais,'' a new class of British troops organized by
Pitt's suggestion after 1745.
The last of the fleet, with some 8000 or 9000 troops uu-
To Quebec ^^'' ^'^l^^^l^'ft Louisbourg Harbour on the 6th of
1759 * '^^^^^ ^^® soldiers drinking to the toast, " British
colours in every French fort, post, and garrison
in America." The taking* of Quebec by Wolfe is now
an oft- told tale. In Canada proper the French arms
had been very successful. Now there were to meet in a
desperate struggle the two armies — one flushed with
success in the interior, the other fresh from capturing
the French stronghold on the sea. There were two
brilliant opposing commanders — Montcalm and Wolfe.
It was a supreme ciisis. The French forces had been
concentrated at Quebec. The whole city was now a fort,
and for ten miles along the shore from Quebec to Mont-
morenci Falls was an armed camp. The Kiver !St. Charles
was obstructed by sunken hulks and a " boom of logs/'
A hundred cannon and more defended the walls of the
3d by
IS iiu-
[6 th of
Iritisli
IrrisOQ
now
arms
;t in a
with
during
two
'olt'e.
been
fort,
iont-
iiarles
[ogs."
)f tlie
tht: Canadian Peopt.e.
19
fortress. The French fleet had retired up the river for
safety — a mistake, as it afterwards appeared. Fourteen
thousand regular French trocps, colonists, and Indians
maiuiod the Benuport works, or defended the city.
Montcalm bad full delegated authority from Governor
Vaudreuil, who, however, was present also.
On the 2Gth of June, 1759, the P]nglish fleet anchored
off the island of Orleans, near Quebec. Wolfe soon
landed, and took a reconnoissance from the west end of
the island. It was a discouraging prospect for him.
High in front of him lay the threatening fortress, and to
the right the elevated coast was an extended camp. He
was outnumbered by the defenders. The French soon
attempted to burn his fleet by sending down the tide
vessels filled with combustibles, but they wasted their
fierce strength in vain. The British took possession of
the south shore of the St. Lawrence at Levis, opposite
the city, and from this point battered the lower town to
pieces. Wolfe next landed below the Montmorenci Falls,
and took a strong position. The young general was thus
much divided, having Montmorenci, Orleans, and Levis in
possession, and his fleet as an object of anxiety beside.
Montcalm, however, obstinately refused to attack the
English ; his plan Avas one of determined defence.
Wulfe made a proclamation favourp^ble to the French
Canadians, and thus weakened the defenders somewhat.
On the 18tli of July Wolfe accomplished a feat which
was to change the campaign. The vessel Sutherland,
under a heavy fire, successfully passed the batteries of
Quebec, and now lay above the city. Boats were taken
hy portage by the British across Point Levis, and thus
Montcalm was compelled to send troops to diflerent
points up the river, and occupy exposed points. Thus
far Montcalm seemed to have the best of it, and Wolfe was
no doubt in much perplexity. An attack had been made
by Wolfe near Montmorenci. The British seized the
redoubt on the water's edge, but could not take the
heights above. Failing to di'aw forth Montcalm, Wolfe
now ravaged the country, and, with a doubtful morality,
hurned houses and turned forth homeless families.
n
.1;!:
220
A Short History of
1;,.M. ViSi' I
f f t ■•
#.'
Montcalm was immovable. Wolfe was continuing his
movement of vessels above the city. De Bourgainville
bad been detached by Montcalm with 1500 men to guard
the shore above Quebec. By the end of August both sides
were in despair, though to cheer the British somewhat
Wolfe had recovered from a dangerous attack of illness, and
to comfort the French news had arrived from the interior
that the expedition against their forts had failed. Wolfe
now adopted the hazardous, but in the end successful, plan
of evacuating Montmorenci, and, with his twenty-two ships
above the city, effected a lodgment on the north shore.
On the night of the 12th of September, boats laden with
^ chosen men dropped down the stream. After
victory meeting with challenge after challenge, and
through the skill of one of Fraser^s High-
landers, who knew French, evading them, the advance-
guard of twenty-four volunteers scrambled up a path at
Wolfe's Cove, a few miles west of Quebec, overpowered
the sleepy guard, and by the morning Wolfe's army of
between 3000 and 4000 men was on the high plateau — the
Plains of Abraham. During the night Admiral Saunders
had bombarded the Beau port shore, and Montcalm and
the bulk of his troops had been drawn in that direction.
In the morning Montcalm was surprised on cominof
towards Quebec to see the redcoats and Highlanders on
the heights, drawn up in line He calmly remarked, ^' This
is a dangerous affair.''
With haste his attack was made. The steadiness of
the British troops was marvellous. They stood silently
under the fire of the approaching enemy, and at forty yards
discharged two or three murderous volleys, and the work
was done. Wolfe, thrice wounded, died, having been in-
formed by his attendants of his victory ; and Montcalm,
shot near the city, v^as led in, supported on his black
charger — led in to die ! Rarely have two nobler spirits
met in battle-array than Montcalm and Wolfe.
The rout of the French was complete. Bourgainville,
coming down the river shortly after with 2000 men,
retired precipitately. The British troops proceeded to
entrench themselves. Vaudreuil had sent for De Levis,
f liis
ville
uard
sides
what
, and
erior
Volfe
, plan
ships
ore.
. with
After
, and
High-
/ance-
ath at
)wered
•my of
u— the
anders
m and
ction.
oming
ers on
"This
less of
lilently
yards
work
ben in-
itcalm,
black
I spirits
inville,
men,
led to
1 Levis,
THE Canadian People.
22 T
and liiid gone to moot him, the scattered, fleeing troops
having concentrated at Jacques Cartier, thirty miles
above Quebec. Jiamesay, the commandant, with a
hundred or two of troops, still held the city. Ho
was compelled, under threat of immediate attack, to
capitulate. A body of British artillery occupied the
city, and the British flag was unfurled at the top of
Mountain Street.
Vaudreuil withdrew to Montreal, and, to his disgrace,
threw the blame of the defeat on the dead soldier, Mont-
calm. B'igadier-General Murray now remained in com-
mand of Quebec. In the following year De Levis attacked
Quebec, coming from Montreal. The British forces left
Quebec, and received the attack at Ste. Foy, near the city.
The French were successful. The British fell back on the
city. Apillar at Ste. Foy commemorates this victory of De
Levis. The arrival of a British fleet made De Levis' eff'orts
hopeless. This fleet destroyed the six French vessels above
Quebec. It but remained to take Montreal. Generals
Amherst and Murray, coming from Schenectady by way of
Oswego and down the St. Lawrence, landed on Montreal
Island, and invested the city on the 6th of September,
17G0. On the 8th of September Governor Vaudreuil
yielded, and New France became a dependency of Britain,
so that by 17t)l French rule had ceased in every part of
Canada, having endured for a century and a half.
Section VI.— The French Canadian People.
At the time of the conquest the French Canadians were
already children of the soil. It is estimated that not
more than 8000 immigrants came from France to Canada,
all told. As we have seen, the chief colonization period
was in Colbert's time, and under his wise and energetic
guidance. The papulation had now at the conquest
grown to be 65,000. Three generations had passed
away, so that not only had the people been fused into
one, but their fathers' graves held them to the soil.
Kor had the population of French Canada been of a
very mixed kind. At one time during his autocracy,
222
A Short Histokn' of
fim^^
Laval had objected that heretics from Rochello were
being sent to the colony, and at once the French rulers
turned to the rorth-vvestern provinces of France for the
new settlers. From Normandy the (j^reater number came.
As the traveller drops oil' tlie railway I'rom Dieppe to
Paris, at the (nty of Rouen, he is in the midst <>t the
fatherland of French Cansida. He sees there much that
is the prototype of style and general outline of the French
Canadian homes.
The Government was renlly active in sending forth
emigrants in Colbert's day. Many ruined gentlemen
and half-pay officers went to Canada. As governors and
officials men of high rank were sent — '' noble dukes,
proud marquises, great sea-captains, and engineer
officers '^ were all found in Canada. Baron Lahontau
said he "preferred the forests of Canada to the Pyrenees
of France,^' and Louis XIV. boasted that " Canada con-
tained more of his old nobility than the rest of the
French colonies put together." It was the avowed object
of the king in 1G63 to ''infuse a more liberal spirit into
the colony, to raise the quality and character of the
settlers, and to give a higher tone to society.
It was a part then of the plan to transplant feudal in-
stitutions to Canada. De Tracy — the Viceroy — always
appeared in public with a " Garde Royale" of twenty-
four men. The Governor and Intendant each had a
splendid equipage. Of the Carignan officers, as already
said, many were noblesse. On the recommendation of
Governor De €ourcelles, four families in Canada were
ennobled, and five more on the recommendation of the
Intendant. Seigniories were bestowed upon those con-
sidered deserving of them, and the other colonists must
receive their tenures from the seignior.
The *" censitaire,'' or settler, must come to the seignior
'* without sword or spurs, with bare head, and one knee
on the ground," must repeat his lord's name three times,
bring his " faith and honour," and pledge himself to pay
"seignorial and feudal dues." If he sold out his right
to another, the feudal lord was entitled to one-twelfth of
what he received. Then the " censitaire " must grind
nmM
.>•-
TiiK Canadian Peoplk.
223
lii.s flour at ilio scignior^s mill, bako his broad in the
soifi^nior^s oveu, give ono fish in every eleven caught, and
■work for his lord one or more days in every year.
A somewhat highly organized society was thus at once
formed. But the Governmeut could induce but few
families to emigrate. The louely settlers in their cabins
longed for society. Colbert was equal to the emergency.
In 1(305, 100 French maidens were sent out to the colony,
and married at once. In 1GG7 eighty-four girls from
Dieppe, and twenty-five from Rochelle, went out to
Canada, and so in other years. These were jocularly
called the " king's girls -" but, notwithstanding the
sneers of the cynical Lahontan, they seem to have been
generally honest peasant maidens. There were excep-
tions, however. Mother Mary, who had charge of them,
in an offhand way called them " mixed goods," and at
last a rule was enforced that each should bring from
her parish priest a certificate that sIkj had not been
married before. As soon as the maidens were married,
and that was usually very soon after arrival, to each new
family was given by the Government an ox, cow, pair of
swine, pair of fowls, two barrels of salted meat, and
eleven crowns in money.
Further, to encourage marriage in the colony, twenty
livres were given to each young man married before
twenty years of age, and to each girl married before
sixteen. This was known as the " king's gift." This
was independent of the dowry also bestowed. In addi-
tion, there was a bounty given to the parents of every
child. The practical plans of the Government resulted,
as we have mentioned, in a rapidly increasing and moral
community. It is rather remarkable that the custom of
early marriages is a prominent feature of Lower Cana-
dian society to this day. A good Jesuit father informed
the writer that he lias seen a grandmother among the
French Canadian peasantry at the age of twenty-eight.
Undoubtedly, the system of a peasantry dependent on
the noblesse has made the French Canadians a peaceable,
industrious, and light-hearted people ; but it has likewise
taken away the mainspring for actioU; the hope of rising
. 1
224
A Short History of
i m
ill soclt'ty, and whilo tlioir life may bo compared to a
" pastoral idyl," yet it would be all the bettor for some
enlivening or even discordant strains.
The same trustful spirit with which the peasant in
Lower Canada looks on the higher classes is transferred
to the priest or cure of the parish. The cure baptizes
the children, and keeps a most careful register by a
system which has resulted in the industrious Abbe Tau-
guay being able to make a genealogy of upwards of a
million of French Canadians. The cure marries, con-
fesses, and advises all, and at last speaks the words,
"Dust to dust" over their graves. This is the unevent-
ful life of the French Canadian habitant.
The language of the French Canadian peasantry is by
no means the "patois" some would have us believe.
One of their writers has said, " Our French Canadian
peasantry talk better French than half the peasantry of
France." The first settlers of* Canada left France when
literature was at its zenith under Louis XIV. The
French Canadians of to-day retain the " simple old
Norman songs " in all the purity with which their fathers
brought them ; and it is worthy of note that requests
have come from France to have them collected, as not
occurring now in any part of France.
The French Canadians had few regrets for "la belle
France," for they had all been born in Canada, and the
French officials went to France after the conquest. As
already said, the French Revolution rudely severed
French Canada from the mother-land. It was in con-
templating this fact in 1794 that Bishop Plessis of
Quebec " thanked God the colony was English."
"■ .Jt
V
< ■
f '{
i«»i •m,m,Mmm.t»immt0'
TiiK Canadian People.
22 c
CHAPTER YI.
''*i
»^^
;J'
3ll(
10
Ai
of
BRITAIN S COLONIAL POLICY AND LOSS OF SUPREMACY IN
AMERICA.
(References: " Cai)itulatioii of Governor Yandreuil," 17(><) ;
Mannscript, Ottawa IjiLrary, "Treaty of J*ari-)," 170;?; Appendix,
Miless's "History of Lower Canada;" "The Quebec Act, Statntes
of Imperial House of Coninious," Ottawa Tiiln-ary ; " Debate on the
Quebec Act," London, 18ol) ; "History (jf Lower Canada," vol. i.,
Quebec, 1848, by Robert Christie; "The Remembrancer," vol. i.,
Loudon, 1775; '"Prior Documents, 1701—1775," London, 1777;
"Controversy between Great Britain and her Colonies reviewed,"
London, 170:i ; " Precis on the Wars in Canada," London, 180"2, by
Major-General Carmichael Smyth [the author follows this hi<^'h
nutliority closely for war 1775-7]; Manuscript, "Recitals of the
U.E. Loyalists," 2 folio vols., Ottawa Library.)
Section I. — Constitutions and Conventions.
The task of establishing satisfactory g07cruiueiit was
not free of difficulties in the older colonies constitution
along the Atlantic. From the first the colony of Nova
of Massachusetts had been ruled by the demo- S^^^^^*-
cracy. In other cases a strongly royalist government
had been established. The Nova Scotiau Government,
begun in 1749, was the first in any of the provinces of
the Dominion. In this case, with a military officer.
Governor Cornwallis, at the head of it, it was strongly
monarchical in type.
In the proclamation made on behalf of his Majesty
King George II. for settling the Province of Nova
Scotia, it was stated that a civil government would be
established with all the " privileges granted to other
colonies in British North America." It required a
Q
'i\
;^.^-
^)^'>
:li!?'
226
A Short History ok
I'i
Htruo-o-h; ill after years to obtain an Assembly under this
])r()niise, and a still pfreatcr aL^'itation to secure respon-
sible <^"overnnient in Nova Scotia.
The formation of FrtMich Canada into a British ])ro-
Lower vinco in so slioi-fc a space of time was must
Canadian remarkable. The terms <^n'anted to (lovernor
Convention. y.^jjj|j.j,„il .^^ ^],(. c!ii)itnliiti<)n of Montreal, on
tlio 8tli of Si>ptemljer, 17<*)0, and the provisions of the
'i^'eaty of i*aris, l7()o, were the basis of this Conventi(»n.
In the Artieles of Cajiitnlation the French were t^-ranted
the free exercise of their religion. Their priests wero
continued in their functions as before the conquest.
Quiet possession of property was guaranteed to the " new
subjects," as the French were cidled, except in the case
of the Jesuits' estates. These Articles did not preserve
to tlio people the system of French law, known as the
"Custom of Paris ;" but it was g-uarjinteed that "in-
habitants and merchants wero to enjoy .'dl the privileges
granted to subjects of his Britannic Majesty .''
The Treaty of I'aris, which was put in force in Canada
King's Pro-^^y ^^^^ M.'ijesty's ])roelamation, dated St.
clamation, James's, 7tli of October, 17('»-l!, says nothing
^^^^' about rebgious rights, olfers liberal grants
to military officers and soldiei'S of Britain, directs
the establishment of courts, " as near as may be agree-
able to the laws of England," and provides for the caUing
of "assemblies as used and directed in those colonies and
provinces in America which are under our immediate
government. '^ Though nt)t so stated in the proclamation,
yet in the 4th Article of the Treaty of Paris,
Pari8^n63 *^^*'''^» ^^^^ king promises "to give the most
etl'ectual orders, that his new Roman Catholic
subjects may profess the worship of their religion ac-
cording to the rites of the Roman Church, as far as tlio
laws of Great Britain permit."
The first Governor of Canada under the British was
General Murray. He selected, according to his instruc-
tions, an Executive Council. They were all of British
extraction, except one — a French Canadian. As there
were 05,000 French, and they had expected to become
_.SkR** „,,^
^7W
111-
aiiadii
a St.
thing
;TtllltS
irects
o-ree-
I'llling
s and
diato
ation,
Paris,
most
tliolic
n ac-
s the
11 was
Istruc-
Iritish
there
jcome
THE Canadian Pkopli:.
227
possessed of all the rio-lifs of Pi-itisli subjects, tho Frciidi
complaiiiod of tliis, jintl spuko for years after with jiiiich
severity nt' tlu* four years suoccedinLT 1 700, wliicli they
called the ''rule of tlic soldiery." (ieneriil Murray was
popular unioiio' tho Freucli Cauadiaiis. hi 17('>() JJrigadior-
(leueral (Sir Guy) Carh'toii beciino Governor. Tho
British system of jurisprudence was bein<,' introduced.
Against this the French eoniplaiu(Ml. They also repre-
sented that tho means of obtaiiiiug justice under the new
method were not equal to those uuder tho old. When
we take into account that the Caniidians were a conquei*ed
pcujile it is marvellous that they so soon became n^conciled
to their lot. Nine years passed away. There was com-
plaint enough among the new subjects, but notliiug like
rebellion or hostility to Britain.
Ihit now Governor Carleton, who, as wo have seen,
well understood tho Canadians, and was much trusted
by tliem, in company with Chief Justice Hey, crossed
the ocean, and with cx-Attornoy-Goneral Maseres, a
distinguished EugHsh hiwyer, who for three years assisted
Carleton, undertook to bring before the Houses of Par-
liament a measure for the organization of the province,
and tho settlement of certain disputed points. This Act
became the celebrated "Quebec Act of 1774." It was
a great experiment. Wo know now, that The Quebec
taken altogether it was a successful venture, Act of
and we are fortunate in having preserved for ^''"''^•
us full accounts of the discussions connected with its
becoming law. It was first introduced in tho House
of Lords, and afterwards there received the opposition of
Chatham.
On coming to the House of Commons also it recoivcd
strong opposition. Its provisions as to the boundary of
the province, the use of French law, the granting of no
Assembly, and the propositions for supporting the
Roman Catholic faith were the chief subjects of discus-
sion. Petitions were presented against the bill on
behalf of the State of Pennsylvania, objecting to the
encroachment on the Ohio country. A plea in favour of
New York was also entered. The merchants of Loudon
Q 2
'M
){ ■ .1
228
A Short IIistokv of
potitioiioJ agfiitist it on \\\v ^Toiind that tlio use of tho
Frcnc'li law would ])r(>jii(lico tho rights of capitalists who
had ali'cady iuvostud money in tho province.
'J'hc Iloji. Thomas Townscnd, afterwards Lord Sydney,
f<])oki' a^-ainst the olit'-archie prineipUi of an Executive
Council witiiout an Assembly. Mdnnind Hurko opposed
tho introduction of l"'rench law. 'rii(» answer to Burko
•was, that tho French Canadians objcu'ted to tho principle
(if trial by jury of tho Knylish law. '* They thoupfht it
Htrfinrcl
|)iillict
IcUide
rari'V-
sliall 1)0 lm, as the Aet declares, that "it is at jiresent inex-
peilient to call an Assembly. " (governor Carletoii
returned to Canada ^'•roatly deli^'hted with tho Acfc
passed, and tho French Canadians hailed his return with
loud acclaim. As wo shall afterwards see, tho Conti-
nental Connfross, meetinjLiC at Philadelphia tins year, eom-
niiserated with tho Canadians on the tyranniejd character
of the Aet.
Tho Qncbcc Act had ])Con in force in Canada for
seventeen years. DnriiiL^ that ])eriod chanu'f^s xhe Con-
of p^reatest moment had taken ])la('e in ATneriea, stitutional
Dritain had lost her old colonics; the Preueli ^^'°^^'^^'
pooplo liad accepted IJritish rulo, and, so far ns they were
concerned, there was no great incpiietudo in Canada. In
178-t the loyalist immigration to Canada took place.
Petitions were in that year presented to the king and
Parliament of Britain asking for a " representation of
the people" in the government of tho province. Those
petitions were largely from tho English-speaking resi-
dents of Montreal and Quebec.
Put there were two shades of English opinion in
Canada — that of tho Loyalists, who tlesircd a separate
province in tho west, and that of tho English of Montreal
and Quebec, who feared that division would leave them
in a helpless minority with the French. The Bill pro-
posed in response to the king\s speech of 171)1 was in
the direction of granting moro self-control to the
Canadian people. There were many reasons at the time
for this. The republic of tho United States was now
side by side with Canada — a pure democracy. The
U.E. Loyalists, though attached to the king, were yet
accustomed to popular assemblies, and tho demand
for the rights of the people, which had blazed forth
like a devouring flame in the French Revolution, was
in the same direction. It was wise to bestow a me-"^
• J
x\
I
230
A Short History of
libcrjil constitution on Canada^ tliongh it must bo said
tLo French Canadians, uneducated in politics, were list-
less about it.
The chief opponent of the Bill was a merchant of
Quebec, Adam Lymburner, Esq., who came as the chosen
reprcseatative of the English party in Queljec. Mr.
Lymburner was a native of Kilmarnock, Scotland, had
come to Quebec as a merchant before 177G, and had now
long" been a member of the Executive Council. He was
especially desirous that the Quebec Act of 1774 should
be repealed as a whole. Tliis Act continued the Custom
of Paris as a system of law in Canada, and he would have
it blotted out. He contended that this should be done ou
account of the uncertainty of knowing what the " laws
of Canada to the conquest " were. Lord Dorchester
(Sir Guy Carleton), who had left Canada in his first term
of office in 1778, and had been reappointed in 1786, had,
in 1787, inquired into the working of these laws. Ho
found some judges were following English procedure,
others the French code, and still others administering
justice according to no law.
Mr. Lymburner was especially strong against a division
of the province and the establishment of two legislatures.
He prophesied many evils as likely to overtake both
provinces, and caricatured the new western province with
its small population of 10,000. Yet the aspirations of
the Loyalists and the opinion ofLoi'd Dorchester were for
a new English province. Mr. Lymburner, in pleading
for free government, objected to the proposed hereditary
Council, and also to the power given by the Bill to the
Governor of fixing the bounds of electoral divisions.
After full discussion the Constitutional Act passed, and
was undoubtedly a blessing to Canada.
Its main provisions are worthy of note. It divided
Canada into two j^rovinces. Upper and Lower, on the
line still existing between Ontario and Quebec. A
Legislative Council was to be appointed in each province
by the king, its members being for life. The king was
authorized to confer titles, whose possession should
entitle to membership of this Council. This provision for
.f
Otll
with
of
for
ing
ary
the
LOUS.
and
idecl
the
A
duce
was
Loukl
11 for
f
THE Canadian People.
2U
a House of Lords was fortunately never carried out.
Eacli province was to have an Assemhly, of meinbors
chosen from districts set apart by the Governor — a pro-
perty qualification being* required for electors. No
clergyman could bo a member of the Assembly, though,
as will afterwards be seen, this restriction did not apply
to the Legislative Council. Power was given the
Governor to convoke and prorogue or dissolve these
Houses of the l?rovincial Parliament. The Assembly
could not continue.' more than four years. Wo shall see
how arbitrarily this power of the Governor was sometimes
exercised.
It was further decreed in the Act that an allotment of
Crown hinds in each province for the " support and
maintenance of a Protestant clergy '' be made, to be one-
soventh of all the Ci'own lands o'ranted. The governors
of the several provinces were also empowered to "erect
parsonages and endow them, and to pi'esent incumbents
of ministers of the Church of England/^ Here lay the
germ of the greatest political question that ever agitated
Canada. The land grants of tlie crown in Upper Canada,
and in Lower Canada if desired, were in freehold. Tho
British Parliament, in the Act, reserved the power of
regulating duties on navigation and commerce, but left
to each province " the exclusive appropriation of all
monies so levied.^' The ^^ Quebec Act,^' except tho
portion relating to an Executive Council, continued in
force.
Lord Dorchester obtained leave and went to Ensfland
in August, 171)L Alured Clarke, Esq., Acting-Gover-
nor, declared the '^Constitutional Act^^ in force, esta-
blishing Upper and Lower Canada, Dec. 26th, 179L
This day was celebrated with great rejoicing in Quebec.
The city was illuminated. All were agreed that distinc-
tions between '^ old '' and '^ new " subjects should be
forgotten, and the 100 gentlemen who attended the
public dinner in Quebec formed themselves into the
" Constitutional Club.'^ The subdivision of the provinces
into counties went on apace. Li 1702, as we shall see,
the ucw^ Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe,
■,\>
V
si
•T-l
4
■ii
«
II' ?
232
A Short History of
arrived — a great day indeed for Upper Canada. In duo-
course, in that year the elections were held, and tho
Provincinl Legislatures met.
A striking incident took place on the 27tli of June,
1792, as the election for Charlesbourg, near Quebec, was
closing. Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and father of
Queen Victoria^ was in Canada at this time, and was
present at this gathering of the electors. High feeling
prevailed and a riot seemed inevitable. The prince, seeing
the danger, rushed to a prominent place, and called for
silence.
He then in pure Frencli called out, " Can there be any
man among you that does not take the king to be the
father of his people ? " A shout of " God save the king^'
greeted the question. " J' there any man among yon/'
then asked his Highness, " that does not look on the new
Constitution as the best possible one, both for the sub-
ject and the Government ? " Loyal shouts were again
repeated. " Part then in peace. I urge you to unani-
mity and concord. Let me," continued the speaker,
"hear no more of the odious distinction English aud
Frencli. Yon are all his Britannic Majesty's Canadian
subjects." The effect of this speech was magical.
Harmony was at once restored. Happy for Canada had
the princely advice been always followed.
\
9
Section II. — Causes of tlw American IlcvoU (1775).
The thirteen British colonies along the Atlantic were
becoming strong. In the year preceding the Seven
Years' War, they had at their own expense carried on ca
series of border campaigns. Virginia and Massachusetts
especially were populous and growing in wealth. The
differences arising from origin were disappearing, and
common enterprises and common dangers were bringing
the separate colonies together.
As a colony grows strong a feeling of independence is
sure to manifest itself. The older land patronizes the
new. It must be so. The father never can forget that
Lis son is his junior, remembers him as an infant, knows
THE Canadian People.
233
J5
\mg
IS
Ithe
Ihat
tlic pranks of his youth, never can regard his actions as
those of an equal. The youug colony is conscious of
strength. Its life, it is true, is raw and crude, but it is
bred amidst difficulties, and these it has fought and, to
some extent, overcome. It is a young giant, and is
anxious to try its strength with those older and less
vigorous than itself. The rise of the spirit of indepen-
dence often is the evidence of a capacity for self-control.
The colouy is frequently foolish ; far better remain a
little longer a child. But who can eradicate the way-
wardness of youth ? Besides their experience in border
wars, the thirteen colonics now had a population of some
four millions of souls.
It must not be forgotten, moreover, that the colony of
Massachusetts had been founded by a determined and
assertive people. It was, so to speak, established in the
face of the King of England. The desire of leadership
among the colonics was ever a feature of Massachusetts.
Her lust for power was seen in the energy with which the
Puritan province carried on the war against Acadia ia
1745, the Phipps^ expedition against Quebec, and met
the cost of these contests.
Undoubtedly the ties binding the American colonies to
the mother country would not have been severed so soon
as they were had it not been for the exercise of arbitrary
power on the part of Britain. A strong party in Eng-
land at the time was opposed to these measures, and
posteriiy is unanimous on the subject. In 17GI the
British Ministry determined to enforce Customs regula-
tions more strictly in the Atlantic colonies. A most
lucrative trade had sprung up between the English and
Spa,nisli colonies in America. An exchange of products
and merchandise between our colonies and those of the
French in the AVest Indies was also growing. British
manufactures taken to our colonies were carried to the
West Indies and the Spanish main, and England as well
as the colonies was benefitted. By the Act of 1764
Spanish goods were excluded from the English colonies,
and heavy duties placed on French West Indian products.
This seemed to the Americans an unwise and tyrannical
'm
M
' kS
J
fll
234
A Short History of
11
procedure. In the same year an Act was passed Iq the
Imperial Parliament '' to restrain the currency of paper-
money in the colonies/^ These were Llows at the very
prosperity of the colonies. In the making of -such laws
the colonies had no voice, though no doul)t they had an
interest in the Seven Years' War for which the tax was
being raised.
But it was not in 1704 that the disposition to tax the
colonies for war expenses was lirst manifested. There
is indeed some evidence that the project originated with
the official classes in the colonies themselves. In colo-
nial life it is often seen that the greatest tyrant of the
people is the colonial official. The British otlicial abroad
is often an absolute bureaucrat. AVe find that so early
as 1754, when Dr. Benjamin Franklin was in Boston,
Governor Shirley of Massachusetts communicated to him
as a profound secret, the *"' great design of taxing the
colonies by Act of l^arliament.'^
Franklin's written answer was decided and statesman-
like. " To tax the people in Parliament," said he, " where
they have no representative, would give dissatisfaction;
That while the people were willing to contribute for their
own defence, they could better judge of the force neces-
sary and tlie means for paying them, than the British
Parliament at so great a distance ; That parliamentary
taxes once laid on are often continued longer than neces>
sary ; That colonists are always indirectly taxed by the
mother countiy, which enables her to pay taxes; That
the colonists have at personal risk extended the empire,
increased her wealth, and should not be deprived of the
native right of Bi 'tons."
This is but a part of the document, but it shows the
nature of the colonial contention. Some parts of the
reasoning may be specious, rather than solid, but such
were the opinions of the most intelligent of the colonists
nine or ten years before the close of the Seven Years'
War.
At the close of this war the Governor of Massachusetts
was Sir Francis Bernard. He was an astute, ingenious,
and dignified Governor, but an absolutist in principle,
""'-1 " 'iMniiifc-tiitiiai'iiniirriiii
/
THE Canadian People.
235
he
at
ire,
le
the
the
lists
)tts
)US,
Iple,
niicl a constitutional tyrant. He had been transferred
from the governorship of tbe loyal colony of New Jersey,
to check the troublesome Puritans of Massachusetts Bay.
After Bernard was the deluge ! It was from Governor
Bernard that the project came, to the financier of the
JJritish Ministry, '' driven out of his wits for ways and
means/^ of which Shirley had spoken to Franklin ten
years before. The "official junto'' in America wished
taxes levied by Parliament, and the salaries of Governors,
Judges of Admiralty, Judges of Common Pleas, and
other high officials paid by the Imperial Government.
It was also recommended that the colonies should be
combined into fewer but larger provinces, under a now
system of royal government. This In/^t proposition was
in order that the too popular ccnsti; ^tions of some of
the colonies might be remodelled. Governor Bernard
strongly maintained the right of tho'Parliamcnt of Britain
to tax without representation ; and in ninety-seven pro-
positions laid down extreme reactionary principles, even
recommending the establishment of a nobility in America.
{'an it be wondered at, that great statesmen like Chat-
ham, Burke, and others who defended America, were
roused to patriotic denunciation, when they saw those
who should have been the defenders of colonial rights,
plotting for their destruction.
There was another element in the case. In the war
which had but closed and lor which taxes were asked,
ther*" had been much feeling between the regular and
colonial troops. The British officials and soldiers had
despised the provincials. No provincial troops had taken
part either in the successful attack on Louis bourg, or in
Wolfe's victories at Quebec. No doubt it was showing
jealousy and littleness of soul for the colonists to com-
plain, when all had ended so well for them. But there
is much human nature in the colonies !
It was in March, 1764, that in a thin House and with-
out much discussion, the British House of Commons
passed a bare resolution, *' that it was proper to charge
certain stamp duties in the colonies and plantations.""
No sooner had the news of this reached America, than
■\i\:
,1
■■'<
i
*'
W
•r
'IW
I'
'itt
'rtf!
II* ■ » &
236
A Short History of
the Assemblies of jMussaclmsetts and New York adopted
strong remonstrances. On their receipt, the Privy
Council advised the young king George HI. to lay them
before Parliament. The request was not granted : the
petitions were suppressed. In March, 17G5, the Stamp
Act was passed in the face of opposition by the American
agents in London.
Speaking of the Americans, Mr. Grenville, who had
charge of the Pill in Parliament, said, —
''"These children of our ])lanting, nourished by our
indulgence until they are grown to a good degree of
strength and opulence, and protected by our arms, will
they grudge to contribute a mite to relieve us from the
heavy load of national expense which we lie under ? "
Colonel Barre, who had been in America, certainly
replied with plainness of speech : —
" * Children planted by our care ! ' Xo, your oppres-
sion planted them in America ; they fled from your
tyranny into a then uncultivated land. . . .
" ' They nourished up by your indulgence ! ' They
grew by your neglect of them ; as soon as you began
to care about them, that care was exercised in sending
persons to rule over them.^' (Then follows a denuncia-
tion of these officials.)
*' ' They protected by your arms ? ' They have notably
taken up arms in your defence, have exerted their valour
amidst their constant and laborious industry for the de-
fence of the country. . . . The people in America are,
I believe, as truly loyal as any subjects the king has ;
but a people jealous of their liberties, and who will vin-
dicate them if they should be violated.^'
We quote these rather extreme words to show that
the American case had a hearing in England.
As soon as the passage of the Stamp Act was known
in America the whole Atlantic seaboard was in a flame.
Virginia, the great cavalier colony, passed dignified but
decided resolutions, declaring the action of the British
Parliament to be '^ illegal, unconstitutional, and unjust,
and having a manifest tendency to destroy British as well
as American freedom."
kt^MI
THE Canadian People.
237
lat
isli
.st,
fell
The text of the Act was printed and scattered tlirougli-
out the streets of New York, headed, '^Tho folly of
]']nglaud, and the ruin of America/^ In Providence,
Khode Island, the stamp-officer was compelled to refuse
to servo. In a published gazette, protesting against the
Act, was the motto, '* Vox yopuli, vchv Del,^' '' Where
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liljerty/' The CoU'
Aitutioncd Courant had an emblem of a snake cut in
pieces, each piece having on it the initial letter of the
name of a colony, and under this inscribed, '^ Join or
die/^
In Boston the feeling was intense. Effigies of the
three Stamp Commissioners were burned under a gallows.
The stamped paper was by the law required for all con-
tracts, bills, promissory notes, and other legal documents
thereafter made in America. No one would take the
])aper from the shijos bringing it from England to Boston.
The Assembly was asked to receive it but refused.
At last the Governor took it in charge to the castle, with
the understanding that it remain unopened.
Assembly after Assembly throughout the colonies de-
clared against the Act; and commissioners from nine
]irovinces met in a Congress at New York — the first
Congress of the United States — on the 7th of October,
1705. While professing loyalty to the King of England,
vet the Congress passed fourteen resolutions distinctly
laying down their rights, and objecting to "taxation
without representation." Riots and disturbances took
place in all parts of the colonies.
The agitation compelled the attention of the English
Parliament. Mr. Pitt thundered forth in behalf of the
colonists. The House out of mere fright repealed the
Act on the 17th of March, 1706, but at the same time
passed an Act which declared, " that the Parliament of
Great Britain had a right to bind the colonies in all cases
whatsoever.'^ The expression of opinion in the House of
Lords was especially strong for the preservation of the
prerogative.
The arrival of the news of the repeal of the Act was
received with loud acclamations in America. In three
'1'J
:l
23^
A Short History of
ii
years, however, on tlie29tli of June, 17<)0, a new Reveuuo
Act was passed, wliicli revived the old opposition. In
the harbour of Boston, a colonial sloop, the Lihcrty, was
seized hy the revenue officers for a breach of the law.
This was done in an arbitrary manner. In addition,
several men were pressed into the navy in Boston.
Boston was all excitement. There was danq;er of riot.
To bo ready for emergencies a body of regular troops
was sent to Boston. It was against an Act of Parliament
to quarter these in the city. The Governor, on his own
authority, quartered them in tlie State House, and two
field-pieces were placed in front of it. In 1707 the
English Parliament asked that inquiry be made in Mas-
sachusetts as to the treason existing there, and that
offenders be sent to England. This irritated the people,
and Faneuil Hall, Boston, wdiich has been called the
" Cradle of Liberty,'^ again rang with angry denuncia-
tions. Governor Bernard's recall at this time gave great
satisfaction in Boston.
Lord North, coming into power in 1770, repealed all
the port duties except that on tea. In March of this
year an unfortunate collision took place in Boston, between
the military and the citizens. The soldiers opened fire,
and several citizens were killed. The excitement rose to
fever heat. A public funeral was given the dead, and a
great crowd attended the funeral. In 1772 thejndges'
salaries were paid out of amounts from the Revenue
Tax by the British Government. Much anger was
aroused in Britain in 1772 by an outrage in Rhode
Island. A revenue cutter, the Gaspce, ordered the Proi'/-
deuce packet to lower her colours. The packet refused.
The Gaspee fired on her. The packet led the Gaspce
into shallow water and escaped. The Guspee ran aground,
as the tide went out. At night the Rhode Island fisher-
men attacked the Gaspee, took Commander Doddington
and crew ashore, and burnt the vessel. In 1773,
Governor Hutchinson debated with his two Houses of
Assembly as to the supreme legislative authority of
Parliament. This was interesting, but not profitable.
In 1773 the denouement came. In that year ships
THE Canadian People.
239
\n\
lier-
••ton
73,
of
of
hips
1774.
laden with tea arrived in Boston ILirl)()ur, witli the duty
unpaid. Ail the colonies ;had previously a^'rced not to
admit tea at all. The people in l^oston insisted on tlu)
ships returning to Britain with their cargoes. Governor
Hutchinson reluscd to allow the ships to return. Then
according to local tradition in Boston happened tho
" tea-party.^' It is said a public meeting was in progress
in tho Old South Meeting House, when some one cried
out, "What kind of a mixture would salt water and tea
make ? '^ Inimcdiately some say, a few days later
others, fifty men, dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded
the vessels and emptied the boxes of tea into Boston
liay. A specimen of the submerged tea may still bo
seen in the rooms of tho jMassachusetts Historical Society.
Tho British Parliament was now roused in turn. A
Ihll was broui^fht in closing Boston Port, and removinir
tho Custom House to Salem ; another Bill
subverting tho constitution of Massachusetts,
and next a Bill for bringing those guilty of sedition to
England for trial. All these Bills passed. It was at
this juncture the '^ Quebec Act '' became law. Hence,
probal)ly, its illiberal features.
Next, the colonists in Boston and elsewhere sought to
retaliate. They agreed to stop all imports and exports
to and from Great Britain, Ireland, and West Indies,
until the obnoxious Bills were repealed. So greatly
were all the colonies stirred, that a Continental Congress
met in Philadelphia, under the presidency of Peyton
Eandolph, of Virginia. That meeting of Congress was
the beginning of the end. A resolution was passed
approving of the conduct of the people of Massachusetts
in resisting the encroachments of arbitrary power. A
declaration of rights was adopted.
Addresses were passed to the people of Great Britain,
to the American people, to the king, and to tho Canadian
people. The address to the French Canadians of Lower
Canada overflowed with tenderness. It sympathized
with them in the arbitrary character of the " Quebec
Act,'' over which the French Canadians were in raptures.
It was, indeed, rather amusing to see provinces which
^! I
240
A Short IIistorv of
flW
i I
had been hostile to New France for 1 50 years hopiiif^ to
iiKiko tlioiii friends by ^ circular letter. As there were
no printing' facilities in Canada the letter never reached
the French Canadians.
An Act was passed in the ]3ritish Parliament now to
restrain the trade of New Fn^'-land, and ])rohibiting her
irom carrying on fisheries on the banks of Newfoundland.
Most of the other provinces hurried to the support of
New England. A second Act was passed in liritain,
including all the other provinces in the same condemna-
tion, except New York and North Carolina,
There seemed now no alternative but war. Through-
out the colonies arms were collected, companies formed,
and preparations for the worst were made. Nor had
they long to wait. The colonists seem to have shrewdly
determined that on the royal party should lie the onus of
beginning war. General Gage, on the 19th of April,
1775, sent out a detachment of 800 men, under Major
Pitcairn, to destroy colonial stores being collected at
Concord, eighteen miles from ]3oston. At five in the
morning the troops encountered about 100 colonials
assembled at a meeting-house. *' Disperse, d you,
rebels, disperse,'^ cried the choleric major. Firing
began, and eight men were killed and a number wounded.
Having proceeded to Concord and destroyed the stores,
the regulars were beset by the provincial militia. The
old New England drums, which had beat in Acadia and
on the borders, were now heard again. The fight
was severe, and nearly 100 killed and 200 wounded
marked the course of Pit cairn's detachment back to
Boston.
An early movement of the provincials on the 9th of
May was that of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, by
which Ticonderoga and Crown Point were seized, and
the shipping in Lake Champlain captured. In the second
letter of the Continental Congress to the French Cana-
dians reference is made to this unbrotherly act, and
asking them not to keep in mind so trifling an occur-
rence. With the progress of the war, the raising of the
Bepublican army, the large reinforcements sent over
^tS
THE Canadian People.
^41
ugh-
mctl,
liiid
iwdly
us of
^pril,
^ajor
cd at
a tlio
puials
you,
iring
ded.
ores,
The
and
fight
uded
k to
th of
I, ^y
and
Icond
fana-
and
icur-
the
lover
from Britain, and tho battles and varying fortunes of the
campaign, wo have hero notliiiig to do.
Tlie Congress of 177.') liad voted to ofpiip 20, 0(H) nu'ti.
Bills of credit to tho extent of Ij, 000^(100 dollars nero
issued on tho credit of tlie '' United (.^olonies,'' and
General George Washington, of Monongahela fjiine, was
appointed Commander-in-Chief. In July, 177-'), nmler
the historic olm-treo in Cambridge, near JJoston, shortly
after tho battle of Bunker's Hill, Ceneral Washington
took command of tho Amei'iean army.
In November, 1775, intelligcMiec^ i-eaehed the Congress
that the second petition to the British l*arliament had
been rejected. Independence began to be considered as
the only remedy for their grievances. A brochure,
entitled " Common Sense/' by a loose-principled llnglish
immigrant, named Thomas Baine, had a wide circulation,
and prepared the people for what was coming. On tho
kh of July, 1770, after full consideration, tho Declara-
tion of Independence was made by the Continental
Congress, and a new and mighty nation was born.
This Declaration, which has become a historic docu-
ment, speaks for itself. Fault has been found with it,
that it too distinctly lays the blame of the arbitrary
course of Britain to her colonies on the head of Kinjj
George III. The Declaration says : " In every stage of
these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the
most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been
answered only by repeated injury. A prince whose
character is thus marked by every act which may define
a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.'^
These are strong words. Yet they are probably no
stronofer than truth demands. Letters of the kinsr
show that these words do not misrepresent him. Tho
king afterwards stated to John Adams, the first Ambas-
sador from the Uiiitod States to England, " that he was
the last man in his dominions to consent to the recogni-
tion of Lheir independence. '^ Sad to think of the havoc and
bloodshed caused by our old King George III., who was in
many other ways so worthy. Independence, however,
must, in tlie nature of the case, have come sooner or later.
R
'H
• I
I
1 . 1
242
A Short IIistorv of
1'
ii!
L
:ii
\ '
Wm \
41
„., ;|
'" 'Lkil ' ' i'i ! '
Scctiuii III. — The lie V oh d ion III' 1 1 War an it o^'ccicd
Ciuuula.
Ah Massaclnisotts wns tlio licad, Boston was ilio brain
oE the rcvoliitioiiiiry movoiiuMit. 'I'lio f'ow Hritisli troops
ill tlio oltl c<)l(^iiii's woro in Boston, for lioro (Jcnoral
Gaco had Ix'cn SL'iit to enfoivo obedionco wlion Boston
port was closed, and the charter of the State of j\Iassa-
chnsotts annulled by tlio Britisli (Jovernnient. Colonial
troo])s, such as these Shirley or I'eppcM'el had led against
Acadia, or perhaps even less disciplined than they, sur-
rounded Jioston,and sought to cut it off from influencing
the surrounding country.
On the 1 7th of July the British army strove to dis-
lodge the colonial forces from liunker's Hill, a
rising ground in CIiarlestown,asuburb of JJostoii.
The ^'^ rustic^'' irregulars made so bold a stand, and did so
well, that, though compelled to retire, they were encou-
raged, by the trial of strength. General Gage awaited
reinforcements. In this suspense it occurred to the
colonial leaders that their greatest obstacle would bo
removed were Canada subdued, and thus a safe base of
ojierations taken from the British.
The border wars had opened the roads by which
Canada could be reached. One of these old routes at
least was chosen. General Montgomery, with 3000 men,
would go down jjake Champlain, and attack Montreal;
while General Arnold, with 1200, was to seek the head-
waters of Kennebec Biver, cross the height of land, and
descend the Chaudiere to the very gates of Quebec.
The brave General Carleton, who had been with AV^olfe
at Quebec, was now in command of the forces of Canada
— if 'jOO Britisli regulars and a few hundred militia
might be so denominated. No doubt Governor Carleton
with his small army undertook too much. He sought to
defend the way to Montreal by holding Fort St. John,
and that to Quebec by defending Chambly. Both these
places fell before the Americans.
General Montgomery pushed on down the River
Kichelieu and occupied Sorel, throwing forces across the
■,;!il
:n^
I '
Tin: Canadian Pkople.
2^3
St. Tiawroiico, nnd erected l)iittcries on both sides to pro-
vent intorcinirse l)etweeii Montreal and^^iiehee. Montreal,
\\n\v defencelosM, was eoniju'lled to Hurrcnder on the l-Jtli
of November, and eleven Jiritish vessels wcni given up
to the enemy. It was ri.'ally a dark Ikmip for Canada,
(ieneral Carleton lias been severely ericieized for dividin.Lj'
ills forces. Tho truth is, the attack was so unexpected,
aiiid so soon after the outbreak of the rebellion, that no
plans of delence for Canada had been laid. It was tho
kiiowledgo of this fact that caused such })rompt action
on the ])art of the Americans. General Carletou luin-
stlf eseaped from JNTontreal, and, in a boat, ])assed tho
Sorel batteries with mullled oars under cover of niyht.
Tho general had but r(>:i.elied (j)uebec in time. The ex-
l)odition of Arnolil had already gained the St. Lawrence
t (large collection), Canadian Archives, Ottawa ; " Acconnts of
the U.E.'y," 2 vols., ]\ranLiscript, Parliamentary Library, Ottawa.)
Section I. — The Comuvj of the LoijaUsts.
The refugees who thus lied from the now independent
colonies were, many of them, of the highest intelligence
and standing. As the traveller to-day passes through
the vicinity of the city of Boston, Massachusetts, in <"he
suburbs of Cambridge, Newton, Dorchester, and Charles-
town, and other towns, fine old mansions attract the
eye. As inqnir}'' is made as to the history of these
square-built, rather antique-looking houses, the answer
is given that one was the residence of a Tory in the
Revolution, in whose house General Burgoyne, when a
prisoner, was quartered ; in another Tory dwelling
General Washington at one time held headquarters;
and in this abode the poet Longfellow afterwards dwelt ;
and that, said a guide, is where two Chief Justices of
Massachusetts lived, and they were of the straitest
Tory opinions. And so it was those of official position,
% •*
THE Canadian People.
249
''Ml
ill
leaders in society and intelligence in the old colony days,
ns was quite natural, who at last took sides with
iiritain, and wlion Uritisli power fell in the thirteen
states fell with it.
As already stated, a nnmher of the best regiments in
the American war lighting for Britain consisted of loyal
colonists. Against these the feeling of the rebellious,
hut now successful Americans was most intense. A
British redcoat was an object of detestation, for ho was
a foreign opponent ; but a colonial soldier of King George
was despised as a trjntor to his country. It was inevit-
able that these regiments of the king, officials holding
positions under the royal government, as well as the
large circle of non-combatants who held like opinions
with these leaders on the loyalist side, and had expressed
them, must seek some other home than the now indepen-
dent commonwealths of A^irginia, New York, or Mas-
sachusetts.
Accordingly, as is well known, there flocked largely
into New York city great numbers of the unfortunate
outcasts fleeing from the fury of their several localities.
The circumstances of their flight precluded their having
any great amount of property. Their houses and lands
bad been left behind ; a Avar of eight years had reduced
the colonies to penury ; no more indigent class of depen-
dants were probably ever left upon the hands of a
government than these brave but unfortunate people.
Yet they were possessed of an inflexible purpose : con-
tempt for the republican government which had been
established was commingled with the recollection of their
own lost positions.
They were the New World Jacobites. A sense of
higher standing was added to the powerful sentiment
gathering around the glory of their lost cause, and of
their still being attached to the land of their ancestors
and the land of unequalled prestige.
Utilitarians have read them many a lecture on the
folly of pursuing phantoms, and the wisdom of being
practical, but the United Empire Loyalists, as they
delighted to style themselves, never deigned to look at
;•>
m
■■ I
*
ir
250
A Short History of
;;:i
sucli consiilemtions, so strong were tlioir antl-rcpiibliean
antipfithics.
Nor were tlioso snfFcrcr.s for conscience' sake without
active find influential sympathizers in Britain. Leading
peers, wliose names wo now find commemorated in
difFerent Canadian localities, spoke in terms of highest
praise. Said Lord Storinont, '' Ih'itain is bound in
justice and honour, gratitude and affection, and by every
tie, to provide for and protect thom.^' Viscount Town-
send declared, '^ To desert men who have constantly
adhered to loyalty and attachment would be a circum-
stance of such cruelty as had never before been heard
of." While Lord Walsingham said " he could neither
think nor speak of the dishonour of leaving these
deserving people to their fate with patience." True, as
we have seen, the anxiety of the British Government for
peace had led to the sacrifice of the interests o£ these
loyal su])jects, but all in Britain admitted the justice of
giving them new homes under their own flag.
The means were already prepared for the settlement of
all v/ho chose to leave the land now so detested by
them. In tlio " famous " proclamation of George III., 7th
of October, 1 703, provision had been made for dispens-
iug the king's bounty from the waste lands. To every
person of field-officer's rank 5000 acres was promised ;
to a captain, oOOO ; to subalterns, 2000 acres apiece ; to
each non-commissioned officer, 200 acres; and to every
private man, fifty acres.
These terms were afterwards modified, remaining the
same for non-commissioned officers, being 100 acres for
privates; and the amounts for officers less than in the
original proclamation. The refugees were now offered
all the advantages mentioned, were taken by sea in
British ships, or overland in parties, to a safe resting-
place, and were supported by Government rations for a
considerable time.
Gathered in the seaports along the Atlantic coast,
crowds of the helpless exiles awaited the ships for their
relief. The country about the Bay of Fundy, wdiicli on
both sides was at that time known as Nova Scotia,
MNyMUbUiil* ^ '-i-nf ■
THE Canadian PEorij:.
251
affordod ample room for settlement. '^J'owni'ds the end
of 178- the loyalists had beo-nn to see tVom tlio negotia-
tions in progress that their departure would bo a hurried
cue. The first instalment of refuLTt'os arrived on the l8tli
of May, 1783, off the month of the Kiver tSt. Jolni, in
what is now New Ih-unswiek, and before the end of that
summer not less than 5000 liad found liomcs along* the
river from the mouth, which, after the Governor of Nova
Scotia, was called I'arr Town, up to St. Ann's, now
Fredericton.
In Nova Scotia proper extensive settlements wore
made. In the south-west of the peninsula, in the old
locality of La '^Pour and Dc Ha/illy, now the county of
Slielbourne, in 178-') arrived oUO families of lovalists. On
Slielbourne Harbour they erected with great energy a
town which was to be the Carthago of the hjyalists. This
increased in the course of a year so greatly that its popu-
lation reached some 12,000. Now a deserted spot on the
spacious bay marks the site of this transient town, which
indeed within two or three years from its founding began
to decay.
The busy season of 1788 was said in September to
have resulted in lo,000 loyalists having taken up their
abode in Nova Scotia and St. John's, now Prince
Edward's Island. In the following season a like activity
prevailed. The township of Digby in the xVnnapolis
region was settled, Aylesford and Kawdon both re-
ceived large additions of settlers, the Douglas settle-
ment was hlled by disbanded soldiers of the 84tli Regi-
ment, while Clementfi County was largely taken up by
disbanded Hessian soldiers and refugees.
On the coast above Halifax, in the county of Sidney,
iu Coventry Harbour, the refugees erected a town, to
which they gave the name '^Stormont'' in honour of
their British defender and friend. Guysborough, in that
county, was similarly settled, as well as Preston in Hali-
fax County.
During the same period the importation of British
dependants continued up the St. John Piver, in New
Brunswick. The Sth, 98th, and 104tli Pegiments, and
nil
1 1
* ;
' 1
i
.1
i
i
i^i
di
,ii
m
25^
A Short History of
f'^
ii Ef-I
New Jersey Yoluutocrs of Coloniul ]\rilitin, all liaviiif^
boon (lisbiiiulod, wero jjfivoii luiids in this region, wliilu
the " (^)uoon's Kangers/' the regiineiit second to none in
distinction, was also qnartered on holdings here.
There can be little diflicnlty in admitting that 20,000
of the U. E.'s from the seaboard found their new
lionies in Nova Scotia, and numbers of these after-
wards journeyed westward to Upjier Canada, yet the
lai'ge number remaining, and their descendants. Lave
taken an important part in the conduct of affairs in tlio
provinces by the sea, as the names of Howe, Tuppcr,
Wilmot, Chandler, Williams, and llobinsou abundantly
testify.
No sooner had the loyalists taken possession of tlio
north shore of the Bay of Fundy and settled tlio River
St. John, than they began to clamour for self-govern-
ment. (Jovernor Parr was much opposed, to the division
of the pi'ovinco, and removed a number of the loyalist
agitators to the south side of the Bay of Fundy, but it
was of no avail^ and in 1784 New Brunswick was set
apart, as we have loeforo seen, as a separate province.
The character of the loyalist settlers of St. John River
may, as has been pointed out, be seen from the following
of the twelve members of the first Council of New Bruns-
wick. *^ Chief Justice Ludlow had been a judge of the
Supreme Court of New York; James Putnam, one of the
al)lest lawyers in America ; Rev. and Hon. Jonathan
Odell, Provincial Secretary, had been chaplain in the
royal army ; Judge Joshua Upham, a graduate of Har-
vard, hatl been a colonel of dragoons ; Judge Israel
Allen had lost an estate in Pennsylvania, and been a
colonel of New Jersey Volunteers ; Judge Edward Win-
slow was a colonel in the royal army ; Beverley Robin-
son, who had lost great estates on the Hudson River,
had raised the Loyal American Regiment ; Judge John
Saunders, of a cavalier family in Virginia, had been cap-
tain in the Queen^s Rangers, and afterwards studied law
in the Temple, London ; David Bliss had been a commis-
sary in the royal army.''
When the lovalists were flockino' to Nova Scotia and
of tlio
Rivci'
ovorii-
Lvi.siou
oyalist
but it
^as set
lcc.
Kiver
owiiiL!'
ruus-
.f tlu'
of tlio
latliaii
11 the
Har-
Israel
eeii a
Win-
obiii-
iver,
John
cap-
id hiw
imis-
|a aiii-
1
-33
TiiK Canadian People.
Xew Brunswick, tho JU'itish Government for- _ -, ,
,,,,,, ,,^r u 4.- - ,1 Cape Breton,
bade tlu,' (»overnor or IS ova neotia to settle any
Loyalists in Capo Breton ishmd, which was then a.
part of his province. Tho Hon. Thomas Townsend, who
in 1781 became Secretary of State, and was raised
to the peera<^'e as Lord Sydney, separated Cape Breton
from Nova Scotia 'at tho same time as New Brunswick
was set apart. The first Governor of Cape Breton was
Major Desbarres, a brave officer wlio had j^'one throu^'li
the Seven Years' War, and had been for years on tho
coast survey of Nova Scotia. Tho Governor g-avo up
Lonisbourg', the former capital of the island, and founded
Sydney, which possesses a safe liarbour, and which lio
named after the Secrctarv of State.
A band of the refugee hnalists now obtained leave
through the kind offices of Abraham Cuyler, formerly
Colonial Governor at Albany, to settle in Cape Breton.
These to the number of 140 souls, calling themselves tho
" Associated Loyalists/' sailed in three vessels under
Colonel Peters, Captain Jones, and Mr. llobertson, wh(»
had been officers of the Eoyal Bangers. Some of them
settled at Baddeck, others at St. Peter's, and still others
at Louisbourg. It is stated that 800 loyalists followed
this band of pioneers to Capo Breton. The statement
made by Governor Desbarres, that three or four thousand
loyalists came to Cape Breton, is gxmerally discredited.
Much hardship was endured by these first settlers.
In the winter of 1785-6, the colonists would certainly
have starved had it not been for a Quebec vessel, which
remained ice-bound in Ariclia Harbour, and whose cargo
of provisions was purchased for the perishing settlers.
In the year 1788, Prince William Henry, afterwards
William lY., to the great delight of tho loyalists, visited
Sydney in his frigate, the Andromeda.
The Governor-General of Canada at the time of the
flight of the loyalists was General Haldimand. Their
natural leader, Sir Guy Carleton, had been relieved of
his command of the British troops on the appointment
of General Burgoyne in 1777, having regarded that
appointment as a personal slight to himself. He had
I,
4
I
I
.. (11
I
254
A Short History of
m
'HI
■ii!|
resigucJ his rjovcrnorsliip of Cimada in 177-^, liad iv-
turncd to !']n«^'l:iiul, but wjisiii 1 7H2 appointed to Kuccccd
♦Sir IltMiiy Clinton in connnand of tho British troo})s iu
America. Jic arrived iu New York iu ^lay of tliat
year, and Mas iu coniuuiud of New York at tlu' iinio
of its evacuation. Ciiplaiu Siuicoe, tlio hite frii'inl of
the loyalists, liad returned from America to JJritain.
Governor lialdimand, a Swiss by birtli, much mali«^"ned
l)y a troublesome wroug-doer, i)u ^'alvet, will yet have
justice done him for his uoble as' 'cc to the Loyalists.
Nova Scotia and New ]k'unswic. — ;d been hllod to rc-
})letiou by the large inllux of loyalists iu so short a period.
Tho loyalists remaining in the places yet held by the
British, now turned thoir eyes to tho west.
At the close of the war a proclamation had been made
to the effect that those who had remained loyal to Britain
should rendezvous at convenient stations along the
Cauadian frontier. This had been intended mainly for
those living inland, who might not be able to avail them-
selves of the transport offered I'rom the seaports to Nova
Scotia. Tho centres named "were Sackett's Harbour,
Carleton Island or Oswego, Niagara on Lake Ontario,
and Isle aux Noix on Lake Champlain.
Even from the seaboard did the exiles now seek their
way to these new homes which had been offered them.
The yet undivided province of Quebec became their
place of destination. An U.E. Loyalist, named Grass,
son of Captain jMichael Grass, has left us an account of
this turning of the emigration from Nova Scotia toward
the Ui)per Province. From Bishop Bichardson we have
bis words : ^^ My father had been a prisoner among the
French at Froutenac (now Kingston), in the old French
war (1 750-63), and at the commencement of the American
Eevolutiou he resided in a farm on the borders of the
North Biver, about thirty miles above New York. Beiug
solicited by General Herkimer to take a captain's com-
mission in the American service, he replied sternly and
promptly that he had sworn allegiance to one king,
meaning George HI., and could not violate his oath or
serve auainst him. For this he was obli":ed to llee from
THE Canadian PicorLi:.
255
tano,
tlieii*
;liem.
tlieir
rniss,
mt of
J ward
bavo
Icr tlie
:*encli
jricaii
)f tlio
leiug
coni-
aud
Iking,
Itli or
I'rom
Ills home and tako refugo witliiii \uw York, uiidor
Jiritish jn'otection. . . .
'^ Ou the return of peace, the Americans having gained
their independence, tliere was no longer any home tliero
for thi' fugitive h3yalists, of wliich the city was full;
and the iiritish (Jovernor was much at a loss for a ])]ace
to settle them. . . . Their iiiiiuense numbers made it
difticult to find a home for them all in Nova- Scotia. In
the meantime the Governor, in his perplexity, having
heai'd that my father had beefi a prisoner among tlio
I'rench at Frontenac, sent for him and said, ' Mi'.
Grass, T understand you have been at Frontenac in
Canada. Pray tell me what kind of a country it is. Can
people live there ? What think you ? ' My father re-
plied, * Yes, your Excellency, I was there a prisoner of
Avar, and from what I saw 1 thiidv it a fine country, and
that people might live tliero very well.' ' Oh ! IMr.
Grass/ exclaimed the Governoi*, 'how glad I am to
hear that for the sake of these poor loyalists. . . . Will
yon undertake to lead thither as many as may choose to
accompany you ? If so I will furnish a conveyance by
Quebec and rations for you all till such time as you may
be able to provide for yourselves.' "
The loyalist captain, having taken three days to con-
sider the Governor's offer, accepted it, and notice was
posted throughout the city with an offer to conduct as many
as desired to go to the Upper Province of Quebec. Two
shiploads of men, women, and children soon after started.
These were the pilgrim fathers of Canada. They may
])e called the founders of Upper Canada. Their service
was as conspicuous to Canada, their bravery was as
great, and their devotion to their principles was as strong
and beautiful as anything that can be seen in the heroic
and much-lauded course of the Pilgrims of Plymouth
Piock. It was shortly before the evacuation of Xew York
by the British, which took place on the 25tli of November,
178o, that the two ships sailed up the shore of New
England, entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and landed
their precious cargo at Sorel, a town, as we have seen,
some miles below Montreal on the St. Lawrence.
> ■ m
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256
A Short History of
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Tlio ships li;i(l boon coiivoyoil l)y tho Britisli briy,
TTope ; Captain Grass loil tlu' one |>arty, and Caj)taiii
Van Alstino the othor. At Sorol Infr-lmts wvvc built
for tho winter, and tho colonists, al(»M^^ with othors who
had come down tho IJichclioii, awaitotl tlio opcnino; of
tho noxt season, sniTei'in;^' in tho nicantimo I'roni tho
scourge of sniall-})o\. 'i'hc oponinn- sj)i'in^ saw those
pioneers nndortako in ilat-bottunicd boats tho toilsomo
journoy up tho rivor. They worked niaiilully, snftbrod
many privations, and at times wore compelled to leave
their unwieldy cial't and "track" them u]) tho bank,
especially at tho " Cedar llapids " jind the Lonj^* Sault.
Passing' throni'h tho Thousand Islands, the wanderers
from Now York wore captivated by tlu; beauty of tho
region, and settled just above them, on '^ Indian Point/'
near Port Prontenac, wlioro the city of Kingston now
stands. Tlio hrst survey of the new district to be settled
Lad been begun in l78o. JJeputy- Surveyor Collins seems
to have conducted it, but a new survey was needed in
1784 to correct this. It was not till July that the land
was ready for distribution.
But not only by way of the St. Lawrence, but through
the waterways of the State of New York also did the
loyalists reach Upper Canada. Not more were
the Thames, the If umber, and tho Trent, tho
arteries by which the Saxon ])eoples penetrated
England, than were the several bnos of water communi-
cation and portage between the Hudson liiver and Lake
Ontario, the means by which the loyalist refugees reached
their new homes.
The best-known route was that up the Hudson Piver
on its western branch to Port Stanwix, now the town
of Rome — thence by a portage to Lake Oneida ; through
this lake and down the Itiver Oswego to the town of tho
same name where the river enters Lake Ontario. Prom
Oswego any station on the borders of Lake Ontario could
be reached by boat.
A second route was that by which, leaving another
branch of the Hudson, the Black River was gained by a
short portage. At the mouth of this river was Sackett's
Loyalist
Eoutes.
Tin: Caxapian* PFOPi.f:.
^57
nst, a ti'ibut iry of the Mlack liivur was
jvacliod, by which again iackott^s Harbour could bo
gamed.
Bv a track a little more to the north, thronjrli tho
Adirundacks, tlie Oswcg'otchio liivcr was found, which
li'd down to Otjfdensbur^h — the old fort "La Presenta-
tion '' — on the St. Lawrence,
A fifth route throm^'h tlie interior was by tho military
road, a relic of tho French wars, which ran alono' tho
west shore of Lake Champlaiu. Prom this road tho
traveller Tiiight proceed westward to Cornwall, or con-
tinue his journey down tho liichelieu liiver to Sorel, tho
rallying-point, as we have seen, for tho refugees coming
up the St. Lawrence. It was the first of these routes —
that leading to Oswego — which was most popular,
although there were those who followed a still moro
westerly way, as they catno from Pennsylvania, from tho
headwaters of the Sus(|uehanna to Lake Erie aud Niagara.
But as in England all roads lead to London, so all tho
routes named converged on the new land of hope, where
a united empire might still be maintained.
At Sorel, we have said, several bodies of refugees
gathered, as well as those who came up the St. Lawrence
from New York. Many of these were disbanded soldiers,
whose families had joined them. Sir John Johnstone
was the officer in charge of one body. This officer was
tho son of Sir William Johnstone, of fame in the Seven
Years' War. Like his father he had been an ardent sup-
porter of British claims.
Johnstone had raised a force 800 strong of his own
neighbours and dependants, from the Johnstone estates
on the JNIohawk River. This regiment was known as tho
"84th Boyal New York ''—or " Boyrl Greens.'' Tho
war over, the 84tli had been stationed at Isle aux Noix
ou Lake Champlaiu. The wives and children of tho
. V.
'm
•• #i«
258
A Siiorrr History of
S'
:ii
i
ii'i
V, '
Jul;
soldiers had come from the Mohawk Iviver overland^
through great liardships, to join them. Late iu 178-] the
refugees passed down the Eichclieu and I'eached Sorel,
the meanwhile rendezvous.
In 1 78 t, in company with the other exiles, they ascended
the St. Lawrence, and the first battalion took up its loca-
tion in what is now the county of Dnndas, in the townships
of Cornwall, Osnabruck, Williamshurgh, ;ind Matilda.
The latter two townships afterwards received these names
from King George III/s third aud fourth children.
Almost all of the first battalion of the " Royal Grreens^'
"were of German origin.
Westward on the St. Lawrence, went to the adjoining
townships the remaining part of the first battalion of the
Johnstone regiment, known as '^ Jessup's Corps.'^ These
were chiefly of British parentage in New York State.
Their townships were afterwards called Edwardburgh,
Augusta, and J'^lizabethtown, the names being given after
the fifth, sixth, and seventh children of the king. It
was on the 20th of June, ITSf, that the first of the dis-
banded soldiers of the 84tli landed in the townships
named. The second battalion continued its way up the
St. Lawrence and arrived iu a few days after at Fort
Frontenac.
It was in July, 1784, that on '^ Indian Point " at Fort
Frontenac, there met together the contingents of Cap-
tains Grass and Van Alstine, Sir John Johnstone, and
Colonels McDonell and Rogers, to receive their lands.
The townships beginning at Fort Frontenac Avcre num-
bered westward up to five. It has been suggested that
the fifth, lying along the Bay of Quinte, gave its Latin
equivalent, Qidutus, to the bay. This,, however, is a mis-
take. In the old maps of 177G the mdian name of the
river running into the bay is the '* Kentio/^ no doubt the
original of Quinte.
The leaders of the several companies having assembled,
to Captain Grass, as the original suggester of the region,
was given the first choice. He selected township one, to
which in honour of the sovereign was given the name
Kingston. Township two^ named Ernesttown, after the
land,
:] the
5 Orel,
nieled
loca-
isliips
ttiUla.
1 allies
Idren.
'GUS
}}
3ining
oi: tlie
Tluvso
State.
JUl'gll,
11 after
ig. It
le elis-
■usliips
up the
t Fort
.t Fort
It" Cap-
aiid
lands,
uuin-
d tliat
Latin
a niis-
lof the
ibt the
Lbled,
legion,
)ne, to
name
:er the
THE Canadian People.
259
king's cif^hth child, was given to Sir John Johnstone.
Colonel liogors and Ins party took the next in order,
which from the next in order of the royal family was
called Fredericksburgh. The New York City party,
under Major Van Alstino, obtained township four, which
in its turn was named Adolphustown. The Van Alstino
contingent was of the very best of the U.E. stock. It
seems to have been composed of even a more intelli-
gent and energetic class than that of the military settlors.
Several distinguished Canadians, among others Judge
Hagerman and Sheriff Ruttan, have sprung from it.
* The fifth township, known as Marysburgh, from another
child of the numerous family of fifteen belonging to the
sovereign, lay along the Bay of Quinte. Lt was but
partially settled by Colonel McDonell and his disbanded
men of the 84th, and in the next year 17b^5, a body of
Hessian mercenaries, who had remained in Lower Canada,
took up the remainder of the township. They were a
turbtilent and dissatisfied body of settlers.
So soon as the townships along the river and lake
were filled with loyalists, the sons of the U.E.'s, who
were entitled, on coining of age to 200 acres of land
apiece, settled in the second range of townships such as
Winchester, Mountain, and others.
For several years after the first coming of the refugees
there continued fresh arrivals of the friends of the earlier
settlers. These found suitable localities for settlement in
Sophiasburgh and Ameliasburgh townships, still follow-
ing the royal liamily in their names. Thus also were
settled Sidney, Thurlow, and Richmond. To have been
among the first exiles in their western Hegira was deemed
a special honour, and to those who came in from year to
year w^as given the name " Late Loyalists.'"
The saying of the New York refugees as they left
their country to go into exile to Canada was Lake Erie
that they were going to '^a. country where there Settle-
were nine months of winter and three months ^^^^^'
of cold weather every year.'^ This remark but serves to
show the unselfish devotion to principle which animated
the U.E.'s. They w^ere, however^ on coming to W^estera
S 2
I ■
•i«n
26o
A Short IIlstokv ok
CaiiJuLi, iigr(!e.'ibl^ disuiipoiiitod. Tlioy foiiiid a I'Ofyioii
capal)lo of pi'odnciiif^ tlio inolori, tlio J^r.'ipo, Tiidijiii corn,
and evon l.lio peach pl-'niifully. lint tlu) portion of
country about }'\)vt FronttMuic, so ]ar<>'cly s(;ttlcd by tlic
now iniJiiiL!;rants, was far froui being tlio best ])art oi' what
is now the province (d' OiitMrio,
So oai'ly as 1 7.")() nunil)('rs of disband(,Ml soldi(;rs fi'oni
the J''i-onch artny, wlio knc^w tlio interior of \ew Franco
"wolb had passed l)y ]*\jrt Frontenac and taken up their
al)odo neai* l*'ort Deti'oit, whicli nearly fifty years beioi'o
tliat — in 1701 — bad been founded by Cadillac, in the fine
retrion Ix.'tweeii Ijakes Ilui'on and St. Clair. And so
now thor(^ wei'e those among tlie more enterprising
of tlie U.i']/s who came ohrough, as wo mentioned,
from the lieadwaters of the Susquehanna to Lake
Frio, and Ijy ofher routes, who crosscMl the lake
and sought new homes on the west of tlie Fssex
peninsula.
Ilio (^ai'lier French settlers of Sandwich township had
surveyed their hinds into nari'ow strips along the river
bank, in French Canadian fashion, in oi'der tlnit they
might build their houses more closely together; nor was
this plan a bad one in a country infested by wild ])easts
and treacherous redmcu. It was in 1784, the same year
as Kingston was settled, that a band of U.I'j.'s took up
the most south-westerly township of what was afterwards
Upper Canada, viz. that of Maiden. That the nuinber of
settlers was considerable may be seen from the fact thiit
in the same year Colchester, Coslield, and Mersea, all
contiguous townships bordering on Lake Erie, were to
some extent occupied.
It must, liowevor, be borne in mind that the population
was very sparse, each settler choosing some spot attract-
ing him, even if it were miles from his neighbour's abode.
As w(5 shall see, the U.F.'s liad little feeling of com-
munity with the earlier French Canadian settlers, anu
so not oidy kept the former occupants at a. respectful
distance, ])ut likewise called their own townships "the
new sctthnncnt.''
The fact that Fort Niagara liad been named as a point
had
)0
iat
'mK Canadian Pkoi'll:.
26r
of rendezvous in tlio ])r()cliiui;itioii ;it (lio cl(».s(; The
of tlio wnr was tlio causo likowisu of a sottlc- Nia^^ara
nicnt of r(.'fu'''0('s l)('in^ bc'nm in tlio Nian-ara, Settlers,
peninsula. So early us I 7.S2 iiic towusliip of Caistor, in
the centre of tlio Niagara i)eninsula, received its I'irst
(settlers,
ft was in that red-letter yeai" of ilio loyalists, 17S1<,
that the t(nvnshi[)s uhKig tluj Uiver NiagitiM, frcjiii Jjuko
I'lrie to Lake Ontario all r^'ceived their first settlers.
These townships arc Jiertie, Wiilou^-hhy, Stamford, and
Grantham. '^Fhey were (!hielly occupied hy the disbanded
soldiers of Ihitler's J^ingers.
It is not stran,L;'o that a, mimhei- of the U.K.'s should
have sought to escape the hardships (A' a Loyalists
long aiid wearisonu! journey inland l)y settling in Lower
]iear L.ake (yhamjjlain close to tlu; hoimdai-y ^'*"^''^-
line. St. Armand is a disti'ict which was taken up by the
loyalists in 1 7Ht. Hie greatest ninnljer of those settlerg
consisted of those who had be(;n under arms on the
king^s side; they were chiefly of (ieriiian origin, {uid
were born on the Hudson River. Many of this (irst band
of refngees became leaders of coloiiics, which afterwards
occupied Ji group of 100 or moi-e townships lying near
the forty-liftli parallel of latitinle, largely held now by
Knglish-speiiking people, and known as the "^ I^iastem
I'ownships.^'
That this district was not more largely settled by the
IJ.I'i.'swas no doubt owing to th(3 contiguity of tl)(- J^^'cnch
Canadians, and the desire lying a,t the root of the loyalist;
movement of having a new I'ritish province undei' [J.Yj,
control; as well us the unwillingness of Governor llaldi-
inand to have them on the frontier. Several of the families
who had made Sorel, at the mouth oi' the liichclieu, th(,'ir
rendezvous, remained there, and the town, at times called
by the name William Henry, son of King (icorge third,
long retained .i military tone.
1-
f
262
A Short History of
hieciioih II. — Tlui Frlru(h of Urn Loyalists.
Soino lOjOOO rofiii^oo.s liml in 1 7iS 1-, and tljo few yoar.s
followinf'', found liomos in Westorn (Jiinadn., just as it is
estimated, as already mentioned, tlwit 2(),()()() liad settled
in the provinces l)y Hie sea. Assnniin;^' full resjjonsiljility
for tlie cnro and pi'csent snpport of lier d(;votcd adliensnts,
fjlrent Hi'itain openf>d lier li;ind oliecrrully to assist tliein.
TJio 'IVoiity of I 7 had made no provision for the indem-
iiifi('a,tion of tlie losses of the loyal refn«j^ees. Yet tli(!
Parliiiment at Westminster of 1 7M-} nnnniniously passed
an Act .'ippointin^' commissioners to inqnire into tlio
losses of tlnjse ^^ who hiid suffered . . . in conseqacnoc
of tlieir loyalty to his Majesty and attachment to the
British (lovei'nmcnt/^
The latest time for presentin;^ claims was at first tlio
25th of March, 17Hf, but this was again and again ex-
tended until in 171)0 the matter received final disposition.
The tedious and expensive process, however, discournged
many. 'rh(!rc were )]22o a})plications presented, of wliich
about nine-tenths were recognized, though not to the full
amount of the claims. The sum paid by the firitish
Government to the suffering refugees was a^out
^15, ()()(),()()() — an amount whose mention for ever re-
dounds to tho honour and justice of JJritain. But the
80,()0() homeless refugees, who had no resource, were,
perhaps, a greater charge to the Government. To pre-
vent absolute starvation daily rations were issued to the
loyalists, in some cases for three years after tlicir
flight.
i\)r the several settlements there were, it is said, pro-
vided portable steel mills for grinding their flour. Im-
plements for builvling their houses were su])plicd as
required. A plough and a coww^ere bestowed upon each
family ; spades and hoes were given out liberally, and
axes, but the last were, unfortunately, provided with
such shoi't handles, that they would have broken in a
day the back of a Canadian woodman. And not
only were the new settlers dependent for tlieir moans of
subduing the forest and erecting dwellings, but the very
1 1
a^ .jut
it tlic
wore,
o
the
tlie
ir
pro-
Im-
Icd as
n oncli
and
witli
ill a
|l not
of
aiis
Tin: Canadian I'Koru:.
2G3
very
coarf-o n^armeiits and sliocs worn Ly tliein worn tlic gift
of tlic Govcniiiiont.
Tlio co-op(»ration of tlio many to liolj) tlio niio was a
principle oarly introdiicod, and tho 'Mog^in^* boo ^'' was
0110 ol" tlio earliest customs of the now j)rovince.
Tho " clearin<^- '^ of tlio first spot in tho forest afTordcd
the " lo<4's ^' for the settlor's Ikmiso ; a few panes of ra,nt, or '^riiayendana'j^ea, lias always been bound
up with their history and removal to Canada. In that
very ])art of New York State wh(3nce we have seen caiiio
a. lar<^''(! part of the early settlers of the Kin;^ston and JJay
of Quinte regions, viz. th(! district afiout b'ort Stanwhv,
and under the inllucnce of Sir Wilh'am and afterwards of
Sir John flohnstone, lived many of the Six Nations. To
th(3 iM(jhawks of this region Thavendana«!fea belono'ed.
lie was, however, born in 1712 on the banks of the Ohio,
but was carried back with the hunting* party on which
liis parents were t(^ his ancestral homo at Canojoharie, in
the iMohawk Valley. Soon after, his father tbed. The
name of his foster-father is sail I to have been Xickuy
Bi-ant, hence his well-known name — Jose])h iirant.
^.rhe troublous border wars involved those of tender
years witliiu them, and at the (>arly age of thirteen Jjraiit
A\as present with Sir William flohnstone's troops at tlio
memorable battle of Lake; George in 17")0, at which, it
will be remembered, the French were defeated, and their
leader, J^aron JJieskau, moi'tally wounded. J^rant was
also present at the Niagara, campaig'u four years after-
ward, and greatly distinguished himself.
But the time of trial came when the colonial rebellion
approached, in 177o. The Oneidas, one of the Six
Nations, incliTied toward the colonial side; so did other
Indian tribes. In 1775 Brant visited J^]ngland. He was
there received as a person of some distinction, and ap-
peared on public occasions in full Indian costume. Ho
1 '"
T
ic'kiui
{■iidcr
IJiraiit
lit tlio
|cli, it
their
was
Initer-
iL'llion
Six
lotlier
was
|(1 ap-
Tin: Canadian PEorij:.
2G5
was ndniittcd iiilo tiio prosonco of ''Tlio (jlrcat Kini^-/' as
tlic Indians called Goorgo J 1 1, ilo retiiriKMl to America
about tlio 1st of April. Jfo was now decided to *' tako
u|) tlio liutchet"on tlio sido of tlio Crown, as (Jonerrdy
(iiiy Carlciton find llaldinuuid liad dosii-ed Inin to do
before his visit to I'hi^'laiid. ilo landed at New York,
and secretly pursned his visit to Canada.
Urant now took Jin active part inline war; but was,
for an Jndian warrior, nniforiidy luunane. The poet;
Caiiij)bell, in connection with the story of (jertrnde ol
Wyoming", made a false as])ersion on liis name by calling
liim the " IVIonster l>r;indt.'^ Drant Avas not present at
Jhitler's terrible expedition to the Sascpuduunni, nor did
liis '^'•eneral character justify such an appellation.
Diirin;^ the war the strong* spirit (;f leadt!rship of
Tliayendanagea exhibited itself both as a warrior and
' CWiiicillor. The war over, and the year of the cessation
of iiostilities, 17(^2, having" come, the articles of peace
■W( re found not only to have neglectc.-d makiniif lull ])ro-
vision for tliewdiite loyalists, but even the faithful Indian
allies cf the Six Nations and others wei'o nit provided
'.'f in the treaty ; and as their memorial stat(Ml, " the
ancient counti'\' of th(; Six Nations, the re'sidence of their
ancestors from the time far beyond their earliest tradi-
tions, was included w'ithin the boundary granted to the
Americans.^'
l)Ut Ih'itish otlicers had made strtmg' jjledges to the
Indian allies. Sir Guy Carleton had promised at the
he<4'innin*j^ of the war to restcjro the ]\Iohawks to their
native valley, in 177l> (Jenci'al Jlaldinuind had over his
own signature and seal pledged himself to carry out Sir
Ciuy's promise. At the close of the war the Mohawks
were residing on the American side of the Niagara Jiiver,
alongside their closest allies, the Senecas. The latter,
indeed, urged them to remain beside them on tin; Genescjo
l^ivor. The Mohawks, however, were inLensely Jiritish in
ieeling — to use the words afterwards useil l>y Captain
ih'ant, and which have become historic, they determined
*'to sink or swim ^■' with the Englisii.
Captain Brant journeyed to Quebec to claim the fulfd-
III
' ,
1 i w
■ a- ill
ll
••■?
11
•1.
)
• • # 1
266
A Short History of
mont (if liis promise from Goiicrjil lluldimand. Tlio
IMoliawks desired a tract of hind in tlio Jiay of (j)iiinte.
^riiis tlio GovcM'iior ])roinisod to grant. Onljrant's return
to Niagara 1 lie jNIoliawks were induced to seek adwelliuo-.
place nearer tlio 8cnecas. Heing sent ])ack l)y tlio
council of liis own people, Unint again journeyed to
Quebec. Now ho sought tlie district lying along tho
Grand llivei', or Oiise, with which his name has over
since been assoeiated.
A purchase was made of this region from tho Chippe-
was by the Government, and the Governor promised to
tho Six Nations '' six miles on each side oi; tho river,
from the moutli to its source.'^ lirant ])aid another visit
to Quebec in 17cS4, b'"". ro General llaldimand had cpiit
the country, and seci.-'cd a grant of tlie land desired;
and as tin; document runs, *' which tho ]\loliawks and
others of the Six Nations, who had either lost their
possessio!is in the war, or wished to retire from them to tliu
British, with their posterity, were to enjoy for ever/^ Tho
Grand Itiver settlement was tlius of the same date as
tliat of Kingston and tlio Bay of Quinte.
The Six Nations did not all remove thither; but evi-
dently the Mohawks may bo said to have comi)leteIy
joined tho loyalist province, for they have to this day iii
their possession tho silver connnunion service presented
to their tribe in 1710 ])y Queen Anne, and which they
only saved from falUug into the liands of tho Americans
by burying for a time in the earth. We learn from tho
account of a faithful witness who visited the Six Nations
at their Grand ilivcr home in 1785, that there were 700
old and young in their setttlement. The Mohawk church
was 'built in 178(3, and was the first cliurch erected in
Upper Canada. Tho Indian lleserve on the Grand lliver
now contains several thousands of fairly civilized Indians,
tliough, as we shall afterwards see, the greater part of
the broad territory assigned to tliem was opened up and
transferi'ed to the whites.
A portion of the Six Nations also lives at Tyendinaga,
on the Bay of Quinte. Joseph. Brant continued to live
near the western extremity of Lake Ontario, at Burlington,
Tho
iiiutu.
otui'ii
lliii.i;'-
y tiio
od to
j^ tlio
, over
Ticaiis
111 the
atioivs
iro 700
;lmrch
:ed ill
River
idiaus,
)art of
ip aud
linaga,
live
J)
Ugton,
Tiir: Canadian Peoplk.
267
till Ills death, on the 27th of November, lM07. lie was
buried at tho Mohawk church, near Ib-antb rd, where liis
tomb, since renewed, may still be seen. A Canadian
county and township, as well as tho thriving'' city named,
coiniiiemorate liis ])etter-known name of i^raiit, while tho
township referred to preserves Jiis Indian name as that
of one of Britain^s most faithful allies. A county and
township also keep alivo the name of Governor Haldi-
mand, who proved himself so firm a friend to tho Indian.
If tho New World has provided a ^rave For many an
explorer, soldier, and pioneer, it has also added gj^. q
laurels to many of the adventurous and deserv- Carleton
ing. Probably few have had such opportuni- (I'Ord Dor-
tics for distinction, or by natural disposition and ^ ^^ "^*
heroic deeds have gained such renown on American soil as
Sir (ruy Carleton. lie seems to have had the geriius for
commanding irregular troops in a difficult country, and
also for ruling mixed peoples. He has been called "tho
founder and saviour of Canada /^ nor does it seem easy
to withhold this very high encomium from him. Though
not Governor at the time of the loyalist movement, ho
yet had much to do with its success.
An Irishman, born at 8trabano in 1722, Carleton early
entered the army, and served on the Continent. In
Wolfe's great campaign of 1759, an expedition in which
distinguished generalship was shown, Carleton shone out
conspicuously. He had been given an important com-
mand under Wolfe, though the king was unfavourable to
liim. Wolfe was to Carleton ever a most intimate friend.
Wounded himself at the taking of Quebec, Carleton saw
Wolfe received his mortal wound. Carleton became, for
his valour at Quebec, a brigadier-general.
The war over, and Governor Murray, the first Gover-
nor of Quebec, having continued but a short time.
General Carleton was, in 17G0, appointed Governor.
Governor Carleton dismissed worthless officials, and
undertook the organization of the chaos resulting from
the old French regime aud the war combined. After a
few years' study of the province and its wants the
Governor crossed over to England, and in 1774, in the
, '■ »■■?.*'
268
A SiiOKT History of
faco of such iiifhioiitijil men as Thurlow jind liiirko, siic-
ceciled, as iiKMitioiUMl, in carryiiii^ the '* (^'^lubcc Act'*
throunrli tlio IJritish Parliaitient.
On liis rctiii'n in Oclobur, 1771', lit; was received with
h)n(le.st ])Iau(lils hy the French Ciinadians. The skill
with wliicli t iiis (lovernor eonductcd aH'airs in Canada
durinpc the tryiiijL,'' limes of: the revohitionary war in the
thirteen neiL:"lil)ourin«'* J»ritish ('(thiiiios, has always re-
ceived much notice. With a people but lately subdued
from France, his defence of the conntiy with but two
re Carleton was raised to the peerage as Lord Dor-
chester, and in the same year was asked to accept the
positions of Governor-General of Canada and Commander-
in-Chief of the F^orces in North America. His return was
most opportune.
The loyalists had so increased in number in the western
part of the province that they desired to be set apart in a
province of their own. Immediately on liis arrival as
Governor he had made some attempt at organizing
the western part of the province of Quebec, where
the loyalists had settled. lie had directed the part
afterwards formed into Upper Canada to be divided into
four districts. With that tine sense of recognition even
of national prejudices so characteristic of the man, he
had, 'n compliment to tlie U.E.'s, so many of whom
with
11, iiiul
|( 'Stern
■t iu a
%'il as
lii/iiig
iwlicro
part
Id into
even
Ian, lie
Iwliom
THE Canadian rKOi'i-i:.
269
were of rJi'rnifUi ori^-in, as wo Iimvo soon, called tho
four divisions linnenl)in'^''lj, Mceklcnburii;]!, Nassau, and
Llesse. Ho liad likewise in these; districts ostabHslied
courts, and appointeMl a jndi^c; and shei'itr in ea(;h. With
the same f^eniiis that had i'eeo(riii/(Ml the aspirations of
the French Canadians at the titno of the ])assin^ oC the
Quebec Act seventeen years before. Lord Dorchester saw
the oppcn'tnnity uf fbniiding a stron^^ lOiighsh province.
With the s.'ihk; conrii.,,
t
I
li'
»
in I
id
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270
A Short History of
and he wfis brought up to look upon Canada as tho scene
of his father^s career and death. Ending his education
in Oxford, he entered the o')th liegiment of foot as
ensign, and he was sent to win his first laurels in the
Revolutionary War in America. He was present at tlie
battles of Bunker Ilill and Urandy wine, and was wounded
in the latter.
Soon after, on his recovery, he was appointed in com-
mand of the new provincial corps of " Queen's Rangers,"
a regiment which attained the highest distinction in tho
war, and received, as we have seen, honourable recogni-
tion, and grants of land on tho St. John River in IVew
Brunswick.
The war over, the battle-scarred colonel returned to
England, and, in 1790, entered Parliament for a Cornwall
constituency, and was an enthusiastic supporter of the
Act for the division of the province. No more suitable
person could have been found for organizing the new
province, and so, on the 1st of May, 1792, Colonel Simcoe
sailed for tho New World, as first Lieutenant-Governor
of Upper Canada. He called the first Provincial Parlia-
ment together on the 17th of September, 1792, at
Niagara. We are told by an early traveller that the
capital, though first called Niagara, was next called
Lenox, then Nassau, afterwards Newark, and at last
again Niagara.
The first session of Governor Simcoe^s Parliament
was memorable. It extended for about a month. Its
members have been described as " plain, homespun-clad
farmers and merchaiits from the plough and the store."
This session was remembered for the eight Acts it passed.
These were : Act 1. Introducing English Law. 2.
Establishing trial by jury. 3. Regulating millers^ tolls.
4. For recovery of small debts. 5. For erecting a gaol
and court-house in each district, and for renaming tho
districts. 6. For regulation of weights and measures.
7. For regulating the Court of Common Pleas. 8. To
prevent accidents by fire.
It was Governor Simcoe's good fortune to have much
to do with the names adopted for the various subdivisions
I scone
ciition
)ot as
II the
at the
undcd
1 coin-
igers,"
in the
icop^ni-
u is^ew
ned to
Dniwall
of the
uitablu
ho new
Simcoe
ovoriior
Parlia-
792, at
at the
called
at last
iiament
Ih. Its
lun-clad
I store
[passed
Iw.
IS' tolls.
,a gaol
jug the
lasures.
8. To
much
Ivisious
}}
)
THE Canadian People.
271
and localities of Upper Conada. The lake, county, and
town bearing his name commemorate him, though given
in some cases by others. He had married a Miss Gwillim,
and his "wife's name survives in three townships, East,
AVest, and North (Iwillirnbury.
The Act of subdivision retained the four districts into
which Lord Dorchester had divided the English-speaking^
section of the province, though it changed their names.
Liinenburgh, extending from the River Ottawa to the
Ganauoque River, was changed to Eastern, and was also
known as Johnstown, District. Mecklenburgh, lying
next to the west, and reaching the River Trent, became
Midland District, also called Kingston. The third dis-
trict, extending through a most important section of
country from the limits of the i\[idland District as far as
Long Point Peninsula, on Lake Erie, was made Home, or
more familiarly, Niagara; while the remainder of the
province was known as Western District, or sometimes
'' Detroit."
The names, as in the case of Stormont, Dundas, Glen-
gary, Leeds, Addingtou, Lenox, Prince Edward, Has-
tings, Northumberland, Durham, York, Lincoln, Norfolk,
Sutiblk, Essex, Kent, and Grenville, given to seventeen
counties, were in honour of distinguished fi-iends of
Canada in the British Parliament or of localities in
Britain, but it is questionable whether Lidian names
would not have been more appropriate, such as was
bestowed on but one of tlie two remaining of the nineteen,
Frontenac and Ontario. Who can wonder that Niagara
lias distanced its three Old World competitors in the race,
that Toronto has superseded Little York, or that Ottawa
has been adopted for Bytown ? Who would have re-
gretted if Cataraqui had replaced Kingston, or if London
had been known by some name like Pontiac or Brant, or
the still more sonorous Thayandanagea ?
Li the very year of his appointment Governor Simcoe
issued a proclamation which resulted in a large increase
to the population of Upper Ca lada. Erom his knowledge
of the people in the old British colonies he concluded
that a large number remained behind who shared the
■M
1
i
t
1
1
I
1
.«
li
' IS
272
A Short History of
1792.
samo opinions as the loyalists who had takoii leave of the
now independent States.
Accordingly he at once issued a proclamation stating that
he was prepared to grant free land to all who chose
to come to the new province. The rule of settle-
ment was that the new settler should satisfy the authorities
of his or her ability to cultivate a specified portion of the
soil, and take the oath : " I, A. B., do promise and declare
that I will maintain and defend to the utmost of my
power the authority of the king in his Parliament as the
supreme legislature of this province. '^ The result showed
that there were many willing to throw in their lot with
the new province.
It is estimated that 12^000 was the full number of those
in the province in 1791, but that by the end of the four
years of Governor Simcoe's term of office the population
had risen to 30,000.
Colonel Simcoe was an active and successful adminis-
trator. Reference has been already made to the succes-
sive changes in the capital of the province. The arrival
of numerous settlers and their settlement, the passage of
such practical legislation as we have mentioned, an Act
for the abolition of slavery in 1793, and the general
exploration and development of the province, entirely
occupied the mind of this " people's " Governor. En-
couraged by Governor Simcoe, various bodies of more or
less notable settlers came to Upper Canada. One party
of sixty- four families of German settlers from the State
of New York came over in 1794 under the leadership of
Mr. William Berczy, and settled in the township of
Markham, near Toronto.
These Germans had emigrated from Hamburg to settle
on the Pulteney estates in New York, but had been
induced to seek the new province. Their leader, Berczy,
was a man of cultivation and energy ; he opened out a
road to his settlement on Yonge Street as he had already
done into the interior of New York. He became
involved for the benefit of his colony in erecting the
expensive " German mills " in Markham, and from the
complications thus arising he was only extricated by his
tlio
settle
been
erczy,
out a
ready
ecame
the
the
y his
lo*
It-
THE Canadian PEorLE.
-^n
death in New York in I8I0. ]\Iarkhani lias become ono
of the most thriving portions of Upper Canada.
Captain Samuel Kyerse beorau another loyalist settle-
men in Norfolk County in 17l> L lie was led to Camida
by the proclamation of his old friend and fellow-soldier,
Governor Simcoe. Says his daughter in her grtiphic
account of the coming of her family, *' On my luther's
arrival at Niagara, at that time the seat of Government,
he called on his Excellency (reneral Simcoe, wlio had
just returned from a tour through the province of Canada
West, then one vast wilderness. Ho asked General
Simcoe's advice as to where he shoidd choose his resting-
place. He recommended the county of Norfolk — better
known for many years as Long Point — which had been
recently surveyed.'^
Even from England Avere there those who responded
to the invitation of the Governor. The relatives of the
genial historian of Toronto, Dr. Scadding, old acquaint-
ances of Governor Simcoe in Devonshire in England,
represent an early English immigration to Upper
Canada. These early settlers took up their abode in what
is now the town of Whitby, which was at first known as
Windsor.
The Governor himself examined with greatest minute-
ness the portions of wilderness in Upper Canada. A
manuscript map is preserved of various expeditions
made by him on foot and in canoe. He was accompanied
on many of these journeys by one, as secretary, whom wo
shall notice at a latter stage as identified with the progress
of settlement in the province, L'eutenant, afterwards
Colonel Talbot. Associated with Governor Simcoe verv
intimately also was the Chief Justice, the first in Upper
Canada. His name is commemorated in Osgoode Hall,
the centre of law for the province of Ontario.
One journey of Governor Simcoe '\^ memorable.
Crossing the peninsula from Niagara, and coasting along
the north shore of Lake Erie, the Governor and party
disembarked at the nearest point to the Thames Kiver,
lying to the north in the dense forest. The river
reached, and standing on the spot where London now
^TJ
r. ■ ,'
,^H
274
A Short Histor\- or
M
m
m^
is, tlio Governor drew his sword and said, ^' This will bo
the cliiof niilitiiry depot of the west, and the seat of a
district. From this spot," pointiii*^ with his sword to
the east, *' I will have a lino for a road run as straio'ht
as the crow can lly to the head of the little lake,"
meaning: the station where the town of Dundas now
stands.
This ])lan was afterwards carried out, and the highway
opened is still called the " Governor's lioad." Governor
Simcoe indeed won distinction as a road-builder, and
though the roads begun were far from being like the
military highways of an Agricola or a A^espasian, yet
tliev were important factors in the progress of the
country.
In 1 793 an Act was passed in the Legislature for "laying
out, amending, and keeping in repair the public high-
ways and roads." Yonge Street, named after the
English Secretary of War and a Devonshire friend of
the Governor, was built largely by the assistance of the
Governor's regiment of Queen's Hangers, from Lake
Ontario to Lake Simcoe, having bee.", surveyed by
fc5urvevor Jones, the father of the afterwards well-known
half-blood Canadian, the llev. Peter Jones.
Governor Simcoe indeed planned a groat military
road from one end of the province to the other, to which,
though he never saw it completed, he gave the name
Htill familiar to Canadians, *' Dundas Street." Ko doubt
the luihituo of London society, or even the visitor froi?i
the winding thoroughfares of Boston looked wdtli pity
on these struggling Upper Canadian settlements and
poverty-stricken homes of Upper Canada, in the closing
years of last century, yet in these were laid the happiness
and comfort of the present generation of Canadians.
Social
Life.
Section III. — The Life of the Loyalists.
A visitor who takes the trouble to examine one of
the collections of historic articles in Pilgrim's
Hall in Plymouth, Massachusetts, or in the old
South Church, Boston, will have no difficulty in
=^ •i:*'^:!
THE Canadian PEorLE.
275
■>t\
ill b(.'
of a
i-d to
•aiglit
lake,"
1 uo^Y
vliway
vernoi'
•, and
ko the
u, yet
oi: the
'laying
I high-
er the
lend of
) of the
1 Lake
ed by
i-kiiown
nilitary
^vhich,
name
doubt
lor froi?i
Ith pity
lits and
closing
Ippiness
LS.
,oue of
[1 grimes
[the old
mlty in
ex]ilaiuinn' the social life and customs of the loyalists
and their descendants in Canada. In those collections
will ])0 found the originals of the household utensils,
the chimney and the iirei)lace, the articles of furniture,
the quaint needlework, and the fashion and shape of
garments belonging to the first generation of loyalists in
Canada and preserved by their descendants.
The American of the Atlantic {States now delights in
reproducing the life and customs of the " Old Colony
tlays/^ and certainly the history and circumstances of
the loyalists would incline them to cling more tenaciously
to these than would be the case amono* those whoso
opinions were a reversal of all those preceding. AVhero
the difficulties of the journey had not prevented tho
carrying abroad of the '' ancient timepiece," it was, so
soon as suitable surroundings and a ojuvenient leisure
allowed, again erected in the corner in " its case of
massive oak," and became a reminder of the old home.
Even to the present time as you draw near tho
homestead of an old U.E., one of the first things to
catch the eye is the high wooden beam or lever erected,
having suspended from it '' the old oaken bucket, the
iron-bound bucket, the moss-covered bucket which hangs
on the well." When time and means had come to re-
place the iirst rude log-hut of the loyalist by a dwelling
of greater pretensions, it was to his old homo in New
York or Pennsylvania he looked for the model of his
now erection. Around his homestead ho planted trees
•just as they had grown before his childhood\s eye, and
HI due time he had reproduced the vanished scene
where
" Stands the old-fashioned country seat,"
and where
" Across its antique portico
Tall poi^lar-trees their shadows throw."
Near his dwelling had been planted apple and pear
trees, and before the grey heads of the first generation
of lovalist settlers had been lowered in the dust, the
farmer had cut down the maple, the oak, and the ehn
T 2
•■'ill
.1
,1
v
I,
in
'X
, ■*■■".,
'•i ■ ■ ,
i ■ ■ ..
276
A Short History of
troos, lifid rodncecl to a state of subjugation tlio acres
of his woodland farm, and needed no mure to long for
*' The orchanl, tlio meadow, tlio deep tangled woodland,
And every loved f>i)ot wliich his infancy knew."
Steps wore taken, too, as soon as possible by those in-
telligent pioneers for the education of their children.
The first newspaper in Upper Cjinada was printed in
Ning«ara in 170'J, and was the chief vehicle of olHcial
news throughout the widespread settlements.
Nor were the loyalists — white or Indian — loft en-
tirely without the consolations of religion in their new
homes and amidst their hardships. Though made up of
those holding different creeds, probably the predominant
element among the new settlers was Episcopalian. A
noble clergyman, the Rev. John Stuart, who had been for-
merly a missionary among the Mohawks on the Hudson,
followed the refugees to Canada, and on the 2nd of June,
1784, the friend of the pioneers set out to visit the
loyalist settlements along the St. Lawrence, near Kings-
ton, and to the west of Lake Ontario.
Already that season, as we have seen, bands of refugees
— numbering not less than 3500 — had preceded him
up the St. Lawrence from Montreal. He visited the
Mohawks at. their village on the Grand River, where a
church was being erected, and his reception by his old
parishioners was most heartj^. In August, 1785, Mr.
Stuart took up his abode at Kingston, and with his
family became thoroughly identified with the loyalists.
He has been called " the father of the Upper Canada
Church."
During this early period three other Episcopal minis-
ters were associated with Mr. Stuart in the wide field of
Upper Canada. The Rev. John Bethune, the Presbyterian
chaplain of the 84th Regiment, and who had endured
imprisonment and much suffering on account of his
loyalist opinions, came in 1787 as the second legalized
clergyman in Upper Canada. He had come from North
Carolina and settled at Williamstown, so named from
Sir William Johnstone, near Cornwall. By him the first
acres
or
1
so in-
Idrcn.
:('<1 ill
jlHcial
Et en-
ir new
up of
niuant
m. A
en for-
udscm,
f June,
dt the
Kiugs-
ucfees
him
d the
lere a
lis old
, Mr.
,li his
^alists.
anada
minis-
field of
^terian
dured
of His
'alized
North
from
3 first
o,
Tin: Canadian PEorLE.
V7
Presbyterian Cluirch in Upper Canada was bnilt in
171H). In the «^'raveyard at tliis church arc monuments
erected in 17H5.
]\Iany of the loyah'sts l)eino" GernT^ns and Lutherans
it is not surjuMsiniif that they sliouhl liavo (Tccted tlio
iirst chnrch east of Kingston so early as 1700, and that
a clergyman was obtained by them in that year.
The first rey-nlar minister of the Methodist Church was
a loyalist named Losee, who in 1790 undertook a
mission in the Bay of (^iiinte district. As we shall after-
wards see, it was dilticult for the settlers to maintain
educational and religious institutions among themselves,
but their increasing jirosperity has enabled the Canadian
people in the ])resent generation to support these im-
portant objects with great generosity.
Wo are fortunate in having several ])en pictures of
early Canadian life t;iken for us by eye-witnesses. These
are of nuich value to us.
So early as 1705, one of these tells us that 'Hvingstou
contains a fort and barracks, an English Epis-
cop.alian church, and about 100 houses, the ^^1195
most of which last were built, and are now in-
habited by persons wlio emigrated from the United
►States at the close of the American War. Some few of
the houses are built of stone and brick, but by far the
greater part of them are of wood. The fort is of stono
and consists of a square with four bastions. From
sixty to one hundred men are usually quartered iu the
barracks.
" Kingston is a place of very considerable trade, and it
is consequently increasing most rapidly in size. All the
goods brought up the St. Lawrence for the suppl}' of
the upper country are here deposited in stores, pre-
paratory to their being shipped on board vessels suitable
to the navigatioi .f the lake : and the furs from the
various posts at the nearer lakes are likewise collected
together, in order to be laden on board bateaux, and sent
down the St. Lawrence. The principal merchants resi-
dent at Kingston are partners of old-established houses
at Montreal and Quebec. A stranger, especially if a
%
'^^0^%
■ .11
H
J,'
n
1
2;S
A Sllnur IIlSTCJKV OF
«-i-S
Hritisli subject, is snro to moot witli ji most liospitiiblo
siiid friendly reception from thoui as ho passos throiigU
the pliu'c.
" On tlio borilors of tho bay at Kingston there is
a king's dockyard, and another wliicliis ])rivato property,
^lost of the Ih'itisli vessels of burthen on Lake Ontario
liavo Ijeen built at these yards. J belonging to his
Majesty there were on Lake (Jntario, whcMi wo crossed it,
three vessels ol^ about 200 to'^.s eacli, carrying from eight
to twelve guns, besides several gun-boats ; the hist, how-
ever, were not in commission, but laid up in Niagara
River; and, in couscquenco of tho ratification of tho
treaty of amity pud connnerce between the United States
and his ])rita:inic ]\bijesty, orders were issued shortly
after wo left Kingston for laying up the other vessels of
war, ono alone excepted.
" The r.ommodore of the king's ve:?sols on Lake Oiitario
is a Frjnch Canadian, and so likewise are most of tho
officers und(n* him. Their uniform is blue and white,
with large yellow buttons stamped with the figure of a
beaver, ov:er which is inscribed the word ' Canada.'
'^ The town of .Niagara contains about seventy houses,
a court-house, gaol, and a building intended for
the accommodation oftheleo'islativo bodies. 'Iho
houses, with a few exceptions, are built of wood ;
those next the lake are rather poor, but at the upper end
of the town there are several very excellent dwellings,
inhabited by the principal officers of Government. Most
of tho gentlemen in official stations in Upper Canada are
Englishmen of education, a circumstance which must
render the society of the capital agreeable, let it be fixed
where it will.
" Few places in North America can boast of a more
rapid rise than the little town of Niagara, nearly every
one of its houses having been built within the last five
years. It is still advancing most rapidly in size, owing
to the increase of the back-country trade along the
shores of the upper lakes, which is carried on through
the places, and also owing to the wonderful emigrations
into the neighbourhood of people from the States. So
Niagara
in 1795.
. f
THE Canadian Plotle.
279
siuldcn and so j^vc:\t lias tlie iiiiliix of pooplo into tlio
town of Xia^'ara uiul its vicinity hcoii, that town lots,
horses, pro^'wioiis, juul every necessary <>f lil'o have
risen, within die last throe years, nearly liily per cent,
ill value/' (Weld).
A well-known writer has said: "On Holland's cfreat
manuscrij)t map of the province of (^)uebcc,
inado in 17JH, jind ])reserved in the Crown i79i!!q°'
Lands Department of Ontario, the indentation
in front of tlio inonrli of the nioili>rn I lumber River is
entitled 'Toronto l>ay;' the sheet of water between
the peninsula .'uid the mainland is not named, but the
peninsula itself is marked M*resfpi'isle, Toronto/ and
aa extensive rectangular tract, bounded on the south by
Toronto l^ay, and the waters within the peninsula, is
inscribed ' Toronto/ ''
In Mr. Chewett's Manuscript Journal wo have, nnder
date of Quebec, 22nd of April, 17l>2, the following entry :
" Keceived from Governor Simcoo a plan of points
Henry and Frederick, to have a title-page put to them ;
also a plan of the town and township of Toronto." In
1703 the site of the trading-post known as Toronto had
been occupied by the troops drawn from Niagara and
Queenston. At noon, on the 27th of August, in 171>'3,
the first royal salute had been fired from the garrison
there, and responded to by the shipping in the harbour,
iu commemoration of the chanu'e of name from ^.foronto
to York — a change intended to please the old King
George III. through a compliment offered to his soldier
son Frederick, Duke of York (Scadding).
The year 170(3 was one of ill-omen for the people of
Canada. In that year Lord Dorchester Avhose later term
of office had but endeared him the more to the mixed
community of French and English over whom ho was
called to rule in Lower Canada, retired to Britain. And
iu the same year the friend and compatriot of the
loyalists — Governor Simcoe — was appointed to another
position under the Crown in St. Domingo. No doubt
there were greedy land-seekers who desired his removal,
and the American Government regarded him as only too
4
}
I
'i
. 1«
^•;i?r
■ i
,'■'<
■{■'
280
A Short IIistokv of
Hiiffossfiil nil advocftto of British iiitcrosts, but the people;
ot" Upper Canada were devotedly nttnclied to liini.
When he ciiino to th(^ ]>rovinco it wns ruditt imlhjoH-
t(i(/ii(' muhsy when ho left it in four yejirs it hud nearly
trehled its p(jpulation, had heen mapped out in sulj-
divisions, it.s <,n'eat roads had been built or planned, its
legislature had been organized and had ]mssed numbers
of useful laws, sites of new towns had been laid out, and
the forerunner of powerful Canadian newspapers of to-
day liad already begun in the Upjtev Canada Garirttc, a
small sheet, w"th a cireulation of from iifty to one hundred
and fifty eopii .
It is not to bo wondered at, that Governor Simcoo has
been ealled "the father of constitutional, pure, aiul pro-
gressive government in Up])er Canada/' With his
departure we regard the U.l']. iioyalist period as closed,
for though other loyalists did come in the few years im-
mediately succeeding, they were but the aftermath of the
noble harvest of patriots whose coming gave Canada her
tendencies as a people for all future time.
Hw,
■«.„*:<
people
ncarly
1 sub-
10(1, its
inibcrs
it, uiul
of to-
::rffi', ;i
uiidivd
joo lias
id pro-
ith liis
closed,
fivs iiii-
ii of tlio
{ida bcr
THE Canadian PEorLL.
281
CIIArTKll VI I r.
TIIK KlN(i's COUNTRY — A LAND or DESIKE.
(171)0— 1S17.)
(Hd'eroncos : "Acts of tlic lie'^islaluro of lJ|ipor Canada;"
"Travi'lM ol' Due Jo la Jtociiot'onciuilt liiaiiodurt," : vols., 17'.*!*;
"Tlio Kastoru TowiisliipH," ])y ( . 'I'Ikhikis, iSijii ; " Tho Kasteni
Towusliips," l.y (J. N. Day, l.S(;!i; •' Statistical Account of Upper
Ciuuiila," by It. (Jourlay, :5 vols., 1822; "Life of Colonel Tal1)()t,"
ly K. Krmatincre.. iSoi* ; " History of (\.uiity of rictou," by J)r.
Patterson, 1877; "Murdoch's History of Nova Scotia," 18G7 ;
"Scot in Canada," vol. ii., 1)V A. Kattray, 1882; " T(jronto of
(Jld," by Dr. Scaddin.i;, 187:! ; " History of Nova Scotia," by T. C.
Iliilibnrton, 2 vols., l!^2l» ; " Hii^'lilaii.m
'^:
■'ti
3
Mi
''I,
if
r^i
colonists ()£ very high rank. Driven from France by
the "excesses of the Revolution, these ijinicires, as they
were styled, had lied to England. Accepting the bounty
of the liriti^li Government they had come to U])per
Canada, and were allotted holdings in the year \1\)6 in
the '' Oak Ridges,'' a locality on Governor Simcoe's
projected road ol: Yonge Street.
Most noted among them was Comte de Puisaje, wliom
Lamartine declared to be an ^' orator, diplomatist, and
soldier,'^ and who, we may add, became an author of
some note. With him were Comte de Chains, who had
been a major-general in the royal army of France,
another General de Farcy, and six others of rank.
The romance of '' a lodge in some vast wilderness "
soon passed away, and the locality chosen, thougli
romantic, was nnsuited for agriculture. Most of the
emigres
scenes.
in a short time departed
But one of these families-
St. George — is now known to
for more concrenial
-that of Quetton do
be connected with
Canadian life.
During these years, the influx of immigrants from
New York State took place largely across the Niagarci
River to the regions between Lakes Erie and Ontario,
and even into the London district- The Indian lands on
the Grand River were leased to whites for 999 years, and
the country for a hundred miles was settled by Ameri-
cans. Such names as Sturgis, Ellis, AVestbrook, Fair-
child, Xelles, Culver, Olmstead, and the like, are distinc-
tive of this period.
In Lower Canada, the region known as the Eastern
Townships filled up largely during this period.
General Haldimand had, in introducing the
loyalists into Canada i'\ l"So-4, pursued a
different policy from that we have seen followed by
Governor Sinicoe. Haldimand was unwilling that the
U.E. Loyalists should settle along the frontier of Lower
Canada, lest strife should arise between them and their
American neighbours. He had accordingl}^, as much
as possible, taken the loyalists to Upper Canada, and
left the Lower Canadian border townships unoccupied.
Lower
Canada.
■ ■'■ ■'
auce by
as tliey
5 bounty
3 Upper
\7\)6 ill
Mincoe's
e, whom
tist, find
ntlior of
^vho liiid
Frauce,
k.
Icrness "
tllOUO'll
;t of tlio
:oiig;eiiial
letton do
ted witli
nts from
Niagam
Ontario,
lands on
earS; and
y Amevi-
ok, Fair-
distinc-
Eastern
s period.
ng tlie
rsued a
wed by
Itliat the
)f Lower
nd their
is much
da, and
ccnpied.
THE Canadian Peopi
287
Now when the American influx began, these vacant
lauds were taken up.
The system of settlement followed in the Lower Cana-
dian lands, during these years, was an offshoot of the
modified feudal system, whoso outlines we have traced in
a preceding chapter. The Government transferred a
township to one responsible person, called " tlie leader,"
wliose duty it was to obtain settlers, perform certain
conditions, and thus become a virtual seignior of the
district.
St. Armand, which had been partially occupied by the
loyalists, was now filled up. Dunham was granted to a
company of associates in 1790, many of them from New
Jersey. Sutton was bestowed on individual settlers, and
became an established township in 1802. Brome was
given to an American ^^ leader '^ in 1797. Potton, settled
by Vermonters, New Yorkers, and New Hampshire
families, became a township in 1797; while in the same
year Bolton was begun and settled by the same class of
Americans. Thus the Eastern Townships were occupied
by an industrious and intelligent class of Americans.
Into the provinces along the sea came, along with the
loyalists from the United States, numbers of
negroes. There was, even before their arrival, ^^Q^i^Qg
a considerable body of freed negroes in Nova
Scotia. It was found, however, that the climate of Nova
Scotia was not agreeable to these immigrants. Accord-
ingl}^, in 1792, 1200 of them were taken to Sierra
Leone. There were fifteen vessels cni2fao'ed in this work
of deportation, and the British G-overnment paid some
14,000/. in connection with the removal of the blacks.
It might have been supposed that no more negro im-
migration would have been led to Nova Scotia, but in
] 7% a colony of Maroons, about 500 in number, arrived
from Jamaica. These were negroes whose ancestors, in the
seventeenth century, when the Spaniards took Jamaica,
had fled to the mountains and lived a wih^, free life. Mis-
understandings between them and the British Government
had resulted in war ; the Maroons had been defeated,
and were now brouG^ht to Nova Scotia.
iii
• ti
■ m
('■
;i
iil
1.1
•■•iiii.
Hi!
.It'
.11'
m.
; II!
f
288
A Short History of
They were emjiloyccl iu Halifax upon the fortifications.
Earnest efforts for their Chi-istianization were put forth.
These seemed, for a time, likely to be successful. Tho
climate was, however, unsuitable, as in tho case of tho
other negroes. Governor AVentworth, in tho year 1801),
was compelled to send the INIaroons, iu the wake of thoir
countrymen of a few years before, to Sierra Leone.
Almost all of them accordiu,^dy emigrated thither.
After the time of the loyalists there was but little
tendency on the part of the Americrns to colonize tho
Maritime Provinces. Indeed Governor Simcoe did not
conceal his desire to draw as many as chose to come from
the sea-coast provinces to his new land in the interior.
A considerable re-emigration of the loyalists of New
Brunswick did take place to Upper Canada, during the
years succeeding Governor Simcoe's regime. The in-
coming flood of Americans to Upper Canada and the
Eastern Townships of Lower Canada may be estimated
from the fact which we find stated by a competent
authority that Upper Canada alone had, in 1811, increased
to very near 77^000 in population.
Section II. — From Old World to New,
While Canaf"" 1 owed much during this period to the
American eleuicnt which entered it, there came many
colonists, especially to the Maritime Provinces, from
Great Britain and L'eland. The disturbed state of
Ireland contributed to produce a large emigration.
England also sent many people to the United States,
and a limited number to Canada.
From Scotland, however, much the largest amount
of emigration to Canada flowed. In 1745 the second
Jacobite rebellion had. been suppressed. The British
Government stationed soldiers in the Highlands and
determined, to break up the clan system. A number of
the more determined Jacobites fled abroad. Numbers
of them emigrated, to the American cavalier colonies of
Virginia and. the Carolinas. Some of them found theii^
way to Lower Canada. The return of peace in tho
atioiis.
] forth.
. The
of tho
rl800,
:f their
Leone.
it littlo
izo tho
did not
ne from
orior.
of New
ing the
The in-
and the
stimated
nipetent
ncreased
1 to the
e many
s, from
tate of
gration.
States,
I amount
second
British
ids and
iber of
tumbers
)nies of
id theii^
in tho
Tin: Canadian PEorLE.
289
Ili^'hlauds led to a surplus of population towards tlio end
of last century. Tho conditions of li^e were hard. In
Scotland, as in Ireland, there was commercial stagna-
tion. The peasantry endured much sii tiering. The ne-
cessity for emigration was admitted by all.
The Scottish Loyjilists of the Johnstone settlement
from tho ]Mohawk river — the (Jrants, McLeans,
Murchis )ns, Koses, and McKays, had settled in ^^®°S*"y-
A\'illiamstown, U})per Canada. Thither wero attracted
in 17SC) and succeeding years the Hays and Macdonells
as 'Mater Loyalists, '' as well as iMcGillises from ]\I(»rar,
Scotland, and Clanranald Macdonalds, who having
reached Quebec came by a toilsome foot journey of 2.")()
miles along the St. Lawrence, towii g their families and
baggage in fiat boats. The locality became a famous
Scottish settlement. Families of the McPhcrson clan
from Badroch also settled here, and Cameron High-
landers in 1790 entered upon and named Lochiel.
Among those ■who saw an opening for his countrymen
in Canada was Alexander Macdonell, afterwards Roman
Catholic Bishop of Upper Canada. Born in the Glen-
garry Highlands in 1702, and educated in Spain, it was
his lot to be in 1791 ministering as priest in Lochaber,
Scotland. AVhilo here he had been tho means of re-
movinof 000 evicted Hifyhlanders to obtain work amono'sfc
the manufactories of Glasgow. The evictions still con-
tinued. '^ It was not uncommon/' wrote the benevolent
priest, " to see 200 families evicted to make one
slieep-farm,^^ so that in the Celtic idiom, '^150 or 200
smokes went through one chimney."
When occupation among the manufactories next failed
his people, the priest advised the Highlanders, under
their chief, Macdonell, to offer their services to tho
Government as soldiers. This was done, a regiment
formed, and in 1798 the Glengarry Fcncibles were sent
to Ireland to quell the rebellion there. On their work
being tinished the regiment was disbanded, and tho
priest Macdonell, their chaplain, induced them, in 1804,
to emigrate to Canada. After an Atlantic voyage, in
three ships, of four stormy months, some 800 soldiers
U
\A\
:,fi
ii
290
A Short History of
2':
Nova Scotia.
niul 'M)i) of their kinsfolk from Kintail, Knoidsirt M?id
GU'iifiiirry arrived amoiio* their Scottisli frioinls in Upper
Cnnadii, nnd calUnl tlio ron^ion Cjlcnn-arry. ^J'ho indefati-
gable ])riest became afterwardH tlie bisliop of his people,
for whom ho spent a most laborious and unsellish life.
Ho took, as wo shall afterwards see, a prominent parr
in pnblic affai''s.
Tho llig'hland emi Gyration to Nova Scotia began at even
an earlier dtito than that to Upper Canada. 80
"soon as 1 77o tho Ilf.rtor, an old JJiitch ship, in bad
condition and poorly ef[uipped, took some 200 emigrants,
chielly from lloss-shire, Scotland, and landed them under
nn emigration company^s auspices, where tho town of
Pictou now stands. Disease had carried awav some of
their immber, but tho largo proportion of those, who had
embarked, landed. This was tho iirst shipload of im-
migrants to tho province during this portion of her his-
tory. After the usual difficulties of early settlement the
colony prospered. It has become one of tho most moral
and prosperous communities of tho New World.
In tho year ITrfo a immber of additional families
arrived in Pictou from the old land, and a regiment of
regulars, tho 82ud, commanded by one Colonel Robert-
son, and lying at Halifax, at tho time of the peace in 178o
was disbanded, and many of tho soldiers became settlers.
In the early years of this century the same '' High-
land clearances '' which led to the settlement of Glen-
garry in Upper Canada, brought large numbers of
Celts to Nova Scotia. During tho years from 1801 to
1805, two or three ships a year arrived laden with these
settlers. In one year not less than 1300 souls were
landed in the one county of Pictou.
In 1801 two vessels, the Sarah and the JP-tr/tro?^, came,
bearing 800 persons. Many of these were Eomau
Catholics, and they sought out a separate settlement for
themselves in Antigonisli.
The privations of the shiploads of men, women, and
children who thus ventured to the New World were
often extreme. The vessels used in this service were
old and unseaworthy, were ill-ventilated, and badly pro-
1
TiiE Canadian Peoi'Li:.
291
U])pei-
idot'iiti-
pc'0)ile,
si I lite,
nt parr
at even
la. So
), ill had
igraiit;?,
n under
jown of
some oi:
ivlio had
of im-
her his-
iient the
st moral
families
iinciit of
liobt'rt-
in 178o
settlers.
" Ilio'h-
,f Gieii-
ibers of
11801 to
1th these
Is were
II, came,
Eomau
bent for
len, and
Id were
?e were
lly pro-
visioned. Smallpox frequently carried its ravages among
the poor sufl'erers ; and so many and so serious woro the
grievances of the passengers, that this trafHc carried on
between the OhI World and the New was long known as
the "■ whito slave trade.'' Tlius was Nova Scotia like Upper
Canada, largely peopled b}; a poor but honest people,
who in ji generation became prosperous and contented.
Capo Breton, as we have seen, still preser /'ed a separate
government from Nova Scotia. In 17*.M two
ships had reached Pictou with the first Roman Breton
Catholic Highlanders who had come to Nova
Scotia. They were induced to settle in Antigonish,
Not satisfied with this locality, some of them crossed
over to Cape Breton, and settled near Margarie. Others
followed, and usually coming by Avay of Pictou, they
took among other localities those of Judique and Mabou,
on Capo Breton Island.
In 1802 a ship arrived directly at the Bras d'Or Lakes,
and landed her 209 passengers at Sydney, the capital of
the island. Up to the year 1817 a steady flow of this
immigration came to Cape Breton. The best lands had
all been taken up by 1820, but even till 1828 there were
new parties of immigrants arriving, and those settling
in situations remote from the sea became known as the
" Backlanders.''
It is said that not less than 25,000 Scottish settlers
came to Cape Breton at this time. This population has
much increased in comfort, and where they have done
the least so, it is true as has Keen said by a late writer,
'^Even tho log-hut in the depths of the forest is a palace
compared with some of the turf cabins of Sutherland or
the Hebrides."
Section III. — Worh of Noted Colonizers.
The Halifax settlement in Nova Scotia in 1749 was
the earliest example of an organized system of ncNuttand
colonization to that province. In the year the Phila-
1751, 958 Germans arrived at Halifax, and^elphia
in the year following 1000 more. In 1753, °°^P*^y-
1500 of these removed to Lunenburgh, Nova Scotia.
U 2
t.
■^{
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2(J2
A Short History ok
Since that date CaiiMilii lias owed inucli to individual
coloiiizern and coni))ani('s tor having beL^nin and carried
out sclienies of colonization. No doubt abuses have
often characterized such movenieiits, but the organizers
deserve credit notwithstantling.
At the conclusion of the Seven Years' War manv
persons of inlluenco took up the subject of scniding
colonists to Nova Scotia. Six vessels arrived tVoiii
lioston witli 200 settlers, and tour schooners from Rhode
Island with lOO. New London and IMvniouth sent
280. An enthusiastic Irislnnan, Alex- ider iMcNutt, was
largely instrumental in settling I'ruro, Onslow, and
Londonderry, and brought in ^00 colonists from Ireland.
In company, in 1705, with a number of ])rominent resi-
dents of Phihidelphia, I^IcNutt r(>ceived a grant of 200,00(1
acres in Nova Scotia between Tatamagouche and Pictoii.
No less than 1,000,000 acres were reserved for McNutt
in other parts of Nova, Scotia.
In 1 707 virtually the whole of Prince Ldward Island wiis
granted to proprietors in a single day. Almost the whuli;
of the Nova Scotiau counties of i^ictou and Colchester
was given over to grantees about the same time.
McNutt's grant in IMctou County was called the " Irish
Grant/' and the township of Pictou was first known as
'M)oncgal."
What has generally borne the name of the '' Phila-
delphia (irant " in Pictou, became celebrated. While
McNutt failed to settle the land obtained by him and
was compelled to allow it to revert to the Crown, the
Philadelphia Company succeeded in Ijringing in its ex-
cellent colonists. Among them were families bearing
such well-known Nova Scotian names as Archibald,
Patterson, Troop, Rogers, and Harris.
It was in 17G7 that the little brig the noj^e, since be-
come historic in consequence, bore its precious freight,
the seed of the noted Pictou Colony sent by the Phila-
delphia Company. It sailed from Philadelphia in May and
called at Halifax. On the 10th of June, Pictou Harbour
was reached. Several young men from Truro passing
the mountains, crossed through the woods and built fires
Hvitliiiil
currii'il
!8 huvo
;unizors
r iimny
'd from
1 KllOlll!
til sent
iitt, was
)\v, ami
lieliuul.
rnt ivsi-
•200,01)0
L Pictuu.
McNutt
ilandwns
lio wlioli'
)lcliestor
time.
'■' J risk
now 11 as
^'Phila-
Whilo
urn und
)Wii, the
its ex-
bear ill, 1^'
cliibaUl,
ince be-
freight,
Phila-
[lay and
[arbour
)assing"
[ilt tires
TiiK Canadian Pkoplk.
293
on tlio slinro to attract tlio attention of the vessel.
Fearing" Inditms the vessel stood oil" the shore; a ('h)ser
inspection showed the ])arty on shore to befriends, Tliero
wvi'o six faniili( s on board, among- them being" tlios(5 tif
iJr. Harris, Scjuirc^ I'atterson, Ifogcrs. In l*ietoii gi'ave-
yard stands tiie monnnuMit, ereeteil in 1S()0, of a son
of Rogers, born tljo night befoi'o the landing', and
marked " The lirst descendant of an Knylislimaii born
in Picton."
Alongf with Governor Simcoe in his visits thi-ongh
the wihbrness of Upper CaiDuhi, nsually went
a yonng Irishman, Thomas Talbot, lie was an jaibot
olHcer of the 2'tth IJeginient, and was a^ en-
thusiastic as wjis the Governor himself in the task of
subdividing, naming, and settliiig the various ])arts r broke ont in the colony,
bat a niedical man was in attendance, provided by tho
Karl, {'revisions were for a time served ont bvan auj-ent.
T]u)iiurli tlu'ir desl illation was readied so lato as August,
l)y tlie middle of 8eptend)er all llio colonists had l»eon
settled on their lots. Five thousand ])eoj)le in (Queen's
County, I'l'ince Edward Island — the descendants ut' that
bund of <*^()0 ])il<^rim fathers — an? to-day among the most
prosperous of the inhabitants of the island.
Having seen his colonists ])rovided tor on Princo
Edward, ijord S(dkirk immediately visiteil
Canada and tho United States. Ho seems pre-
viously to have secured a block of land in Upper Canada,
at a point lifteen miles north of tho mouth of the Thames,
in the most westerly county of Upper Canada. This was
named "Baldoon,^' from a portion of his lordship's
estates in Scotland.
In l!S()J3 some twenty families from Prince l^^dward
Island settlement, numl)ering 1 It) souls, proceeded to
Baldoon. Tho locality was swampy, and one-third of tho
colonists perislicd in tho first season from malaria.
During tho war of 1812 the settlement was laid waste
by the Americans. In the townships of Dover and Chat-
ham, near Baldoon, Lord Selkirk also purchased somo
70,UU0 acres of land.
A further tract of laud, forming the township of Moul-
tou, situated at the mouth of the Grand Iliver,
and comprising 30,800 acres, was purchased by niygr^*^
Lord Selkirk for 3^50/. froe^ Mr. William
Jarvis, who had obtained it from the Indians in
1803.
In 1804 Lord Selkirk proposed to Governor Hunter
at York to build a road from the Grand Kiver to his
Baldoon settlement, or if the Government preferred,
from York to Baldoon. It was estimated that the work
would cost 40,000L, tu distance being nearly 300 miles.
The Earl offered to accept in payment wild lauds on each
m\ik
~
iii
itr
hiKm^
296
A Short History of
side of the road to be built. The project was not accept-
able to the Government.
For several years tlie troubled state of Europe pre-
vented the colonizer following up his plans of
Qjjyj^^^Qyj^emif^ration. In 1811 ho obtained a controlling-
interest in the Pludson's Bay Company. Froin
this Company he ynirchased a vast distiict lying on the
l?ed J^ivcr, of 110,000 square miles. This he called
Assiniboia, and in 1811, by way of Hudson liay, des-
patched a party of Highlanders, with a few Irish
colonists from Sligo. The pioneers did not reach their
destination till 1812. During the following years other
bands took up their abode beside them on IJed liiver.
Tlie relation of the new settlers and their patroiito the
Hudson^s Bay Company stirred up the opposition of the
North-West Fur Company of Montreal, which occupied
many posts throughout the region to the north-west of
Lake Superior.
A clever movement, by a Nor'- Wester officer named
Cameron, succeeded in 1815 in inducing about loO souls,
or about three-fourths of the Selkirk Colony, to desert the
Red River, and come by the canoe-route to Lake Superior
and thence along the shores of the lakes to Penetang-
wishene in Upper Canada. The descendants of these
fickle colonists are still living in Gwillimbury, north of
Toronto, and in Aldboro' and adjoining townships in the
London district.
The settlers who refused to join Cameron were rein-
forced by an addition to the Selkirk settlement, in 1815,
nearly making up the number lost. In 1810 the ani-
mosity of the North-West Company, which contained
manv of the French half-breeds, who called themselves
" the new nation,'^ became so great that an attack
was made on Fort Douglas, the centre of the Selkirk
Colony, and Governor Semple, the officer in charge, was
killed.
Lord Selkirk, who had been in Montreal durino' the
winter of 1815-10, was hastening to reinforce his be-
leagured colony, when he heard the sad news. He had
taken 100 men of the disbanded German mercenaries
, accept-
)pe pre-
plans of
itrolliiiu*
. From
■ on the
e called
ay, clos-
w Irish
ch their
rs other
^iver.
)ii to the
n of the
Dccupied
-west of
' named
50 soulS;,
^sert the
uperior
netano^-
: the.!>_
298
A Short History of
•*:.
HOW and then to a sumptuous feast. "When the old
warrior had reached the height of exhilaration, his enter-
tainer succeeded again and again in obtaining his signa-
ture to leases of one after another of choice lots of land.
In 1803 Governor Hunter ordered an iuvestio-ation into
the condition of the Indian lands, and again in 1804. In
180(5 Governor Gore ordered a statement of the moneys
invested in English three per cents, for the Indians to
be laid before the Legislature of Upper Canada, and it
was but little above 5000/. The report given to the
House, by Dr. Strachan and Mr. J. B. Kobinson, long
after IJrant^s death, suggests that but j30or care had been
taken of the interests of the Indians.
Section IV. — Political and Social Life.
During the period before us, the introduction to
Canada of so mixed a population produced the inevitable
result of conflict and heartburning. Kace jealousy, local
dissatisfaction, and the lack of representative govern-
ment gave rise to loud complaints. It does not seem to
have been so much the want of skill on the part of the
Governor and Council in each of the provinces, as fault
with the system of government the produced the dis-
content. There are evident signs in this period of an
expanding political life, and a determination on the part
of the people to gain self-government.
The jjlan of the Imperial Government was to appoint
a Governor- General, with jurisdiction over the six pro-
vinces in existence at the time in British America.
Under this chief officer was, in each province, a Lieutenant-
Governor. In Lower Canada the office of Lieutenant-
Governor was not always tilled, as the Governor-General
lived in Montreal or Quebec, though from 1808 to 1822
the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada was
held as a sinecure by an absentee at a comfortable
salary.
In each province there was a Legislative Assembly
elected by the people, and a Legislative Council appointed
by the Crown. There was also an Executive Council
appointed by the Crown, which was not responsible to
THE Canadian PEorLE.
F
1 the old
his enter-
lis signa-
1 of land,
ation into
LS04. In
le moneys
ndians to
ia, and it
en to the
son, long
had been
[action to
inevitable
>u.sy, local
3 govern -
t seem to
•art of the
■;, as fault
the dis-
.'iod of an
the part
appoint
six pro-
America,
eutenant-
eutenant-
r- General
8 to 1822
nada was
nfortable
Issemblv
ppointed
I Council
isible to
299
'■''■U
the Legislature. The struggle for power between the
j)opular branch of the Legislature and the Legislative
(.'(juncil, led br the Executive, took place in each pro-
vince, though each provincial struggle had peculiarities
of its own.
In Lower Canada after the departure of Lord Dorches-
ter, the idol of the people, in 179(3, the govern-
ment was carried on very successfully by General cauSa
Prescott, though he was at times compelled to
check his Executive Council for selhshness. He was
succeeded by Mr. Milnes, who occupied the position for
live or six years. Governor Milnes was not strong
enough to cope with the heady and self-seeking Execu-
tive, which was stead ilj'' building up a structure of tyranny,
n'liich in the end must be levelled by the people. After
Milnes' departure in 1805 the President of the Council,
Hon. Thomas Dunn, filled the vacancy in the Governor-
ship till a successor was appointed.
From the special features of Lower Canada it was to
have been expected that the political struggle would
be very severe. Lower Canada was largely French
Canadian. Its population was considerable, and its people
had a vigorous social and religious life. It was made up
of a conquered people. It was impossible to tell what
might at any time arise in the complications of Britain
with the United States. The leadiuG: business men of
the province were British merchants living in Montreal
and Quebec. Many of these were associated together in
the vast fur-trade to the interior. The British Governor
most naturally chose his Executive Council from this
class. To make matters more secure, the Governor and
Council appointed a safe majority of the Legislative
Council from among the British residents.
The theory of this system, that the French Canadians
^Yere a conquered people and to be distrusted, was not
quite accurate. The French of Lower Canada had found
their attachment to France rudely severed by the events
of the French Eevolution. Atheistic France could have
few attractions for French Canada, still holding to its
ancient church. Sentiment and interest continued to
•il
I
«■■'
1
f
■
II
4 "^
^nl
^Kdiiiir";-
^
ti
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i
, _ ,
iilii
iH
t
1
■M
■ m
300
A Short History of
:; ..^ ^
■4
M:
make tbo French Canadians loyal to JlritJiin. Ilavinrf
become Britisli, the French Canadians clamoured for tliu
rights of self-government, and the Assembly was cliie.Hy
French Canadian.
The Executive and Legislative Councils were a strong-
willed and united oligarchy, I'he cry of the French
Canadians for self-government was interpreted by it
as disloyalty to Britain. It is thus an oligarchy usually
protects itself. The people thus charged next re-
garded the steps taken by the Governor-General for the
protection of the country as tyrannical. The Governor
and his councils misunderstood the people, and the
people, through the Legislative Assemby, misjudged tiie
authorities.
The Montreal Gazette, which had been established in
1778, was an organ of the Government. In April, 1805,
it contained an account of a banquet given to the Repre-
sentatives of Montreal in the Legislature, in honour of
their opposition to the action of the Assembly in passing
a certain Bill. At the meeting toasts had been proposed
which were regarded as hostile to the French. The
Assembly took notice of the matter. It voted the pro-
ceedings at the banquet to be " a false, scandalous,
and malicious libel . . . tending to lessen the affections of
his Majesty^s subjects towards his Government in this
province.^^
The Assembly in this action evidently made a mistake.
Its order for the arrest of the giver of the toasts at the
banquet and of the editor of the Gazette could not be
justified, though the order was never enforced. The
extreme action of the Assemblv drew forth a criticism
from the Quebec Mercuri/, another Government news-
paper. The Assembly again erred in ordering the editor
of the Mercury to be taken into custody, though he was
soon liberated. Such proceedings as these but widened
the breach between the opponents.
The French Canadians next undertook what was a f\ir
more sensible mode of defence than the exercise of the
prerogative of the Assembly. This was the establishment
of a newspaper, Le CanacUen, to defend their views. The
THE Canadian People.
301
new journal began its career in November, 180<) ; it was
decidedly anti-Hritisli in tone, and regarded the British
residents of Lower Canada as '' ctrantjers et intrus." Le
Cunadien was conducted with ability, became popular,
and gave nmbrage and uneasiness to the Government.
Amidst the din of this race-conflict sounds of war were
heard. As we shall afterwards see, the British doctrine
of the "right of search " produced irritatiou. H.M.S.
Lmpard in 1807 had boarded the Chesapeake, an Ameri-
c;ui frigate, and killed a number of American citizens.
The preparations for war for the time drowned the noise
of provincial turmoil. President Dunn gave orders for
drafting one-fifth of the militia for active service. French
and English vied with each other in being ready for
dtfence. Bishop Plessis issued his mandcmcnt to be
read in all the Koman Catholic churches, supporting the
Government action.
It was at this juncture, in October, 1808, that Lieu-
tenant-General Sir James Craig arrived in Canada as
Governor-General. He was of good Scottish family, had
seen the whole of the Revolutionary War, had served in
the Cape of Good Hope and India, and had gone through
the campaigns of the British forces on the Mediterranean
ill the wars of Xapoleon. He was at the time of his
arrival in Canada in poor health. By the year 1809 the
war-cloud had partly blown over, and Governor Craig
found himself in the midst of political instead of martial
strife.
The Assembly had returned to its querulous mood.
The Governor was easily persuaded that the French
l^opulation and later American immigrants were unsafe
elements in the country.
In order to carry out its ends the Assembly proposed
to exclude the judges, who had been members of
Assembly. In this the action of the Assembly is vindi-
cated by the state of subsequent opinion. A less ex-
-cusable act of the popular branch of the Legislature was
the exclusion from their House of the member for Three
Ivivers — a most worthy gentleman — on the ground of liis
being a Jew.
1
il
M
*^^',WJ
•4; ^:
■!■ Z
i;?i:
If li
^02
A Short History ok
Tlic session had progressed five weeks with no bettor
result than the men ^ures named, when Governor Craiu-,
in Croniwellian humour, went to the House, and informed
the members of his intention to dissolve Parhament.
That tliey wasted in fruitless debates the time and talents
to which the public had an exclusive title, was the reason
given for their dismissal. Dismissed accordingly they
were to their constituents. The elections were held and
the French party returned stronger than before. Lc
Caiiadicu, the exponent of Frencli opinion, waxed violent.
The country was in an uproar. Rumours of secret meet-
ings of a disloyal kind became current, though they seem
to have been without foundation.
On the 17th of aMarch, 1810, the press and material of
of Le Canadien were seized by Government order, the
printer was apprehended, and M. Bedard and two other
members of the Assembly were arrested on a charge of
treasonable practices. For a considerable time Bedard
languished in prison, though strenuous efforts were made
by the Assembly for his release. Governor Craig refused
the application on the ground that the " security, as well
as the dignity of the King's Government required '^ his
imprisonment. On the prorogation of the Assembly the
prison doors were opened to M. Bedard.
Undoubtedly the action of Governor Craig and his
advisers in this matter was tyrannical. During the year
the Governor, at his own request, was recalled. He has
always been regarded as having been an honest, frank,
and philanthropic man. With the training of a soldier,
he had high ideas of prerogative. It is useless, however,
to condemn Governor Craig for this fierce struggle ; it
was begun before his arrival, and both parties were to
be blamed. The French having taken high-handed
measures against the Gazette and Mercury found the
same treatment applied to Lc Canadien and M. Bedard.
" They that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
The birth of political life in Upper Canada was no less
troubled than in Lower Canada. On the de-
Canada parture of Governor Simcoe, in 1 796, the govern-
ment was administered during the vacancy, until
THE Canadian PEorLE.
303
1700, by the Hon. Peter Russoll. Tlio spirit of rapacity
wliicli liad opposed Simcoo tbiind its embodiment in the
new President. He was, according to a very reliable
historian, *' helhm ar/roruDi" — a " land-o*lutton." A list
of lands patented by the Hon. Peter Pusseil, the Acting-
Governor, to the Hon. Peter Russell, the private citizen,
is extant, and is remarkable.
In 1709 arrived the new Lieutenant-Governor, General
Peter Hunter. He remained in office till his death in
1805. Ho administered the government with a firm
hand. The influx of Americans during his term of office
began to create a real anxiety among the loyalists. Not
that the new immigrants committed overt acts, but nn-
ccrtainty was everywhere prevalent. It was in 1804
that this suspicion became embodied in the well-known
'' Sedition Act " of that year. This Act gave the power
to arrest any person who had been less than six months
in the province, who had seditious intent to disturb tho
tranquillity of the province. The Act became a fitting
instrument, in after years, for the destruction of personal
liberty.
Tho death of Governor Hunter was followed by tho
appointment in 180(3 of Mr. Francis Gore, who continued,
with the exception of three years in 1812-14, Lieu-
tenant-Governor till 1818. Governor Gore seems to have
been an estimable and well-meaning man, bnt he was
quite unable to cope with the determined spirits who
during his time laid the foundation of the fabric of Upper
Canadian misrule. In English history freedom had often
to be regained, which had been lost under weak and
amiable kings. So this Governor's administration was
not favourable to liberty. Governor Gore's period of
government had many features in common with that of
his contemporary in Lower Canada, General Craig.
The weak Governor was, on his arrival, surrounded by
the combination of office-holders, land speculators, and
so-called persons of good society in the capital of Little
York. He became their bond-slave. This knot of pro-
fessional politicians and hereditary rulers, as they regarded
themselves^ looked with contempt on the inhabitants of
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A Short IUstorv of
the rural districts, especially ou tlio later American itii-
migrants. 'I'liey saw imminent clanger to the State in
those ^vho failed to see their superior excellence.
Their wrath was first visited on one of the circuit
judges. This was Mr. Justice Thorpe. ]Ie
tJ^^jII^ h'T-d recommended himself by his iust decisions
Thorpe. y 111 1
througliuut the country. il)0 people had much
confidence in the syuipathetic judge. As he went from
court to court the grand juries laid their grievances
before him, and he became tlie exponent of the rights of
the peoj)lo. His popularity was so great that, contrary
to the will of the government, he was elected to the
Legislative Assembly. The Governor and his councils,
as well as the Governtnent newspaper, the Upper Ciuiathi
Gazette, bitterly opposed the judge. In 1807 a new
journal, the Upper CamuVuin Guardian, was begun, to
vindicate the people's cause. Unfortunately for the
popular party, Judge Thorpe was, by tho iniluenco of
Governor Gore, recalled by the British Government.
An enterprising Irishman, Joseph Willcocks, Sherilt
of tho Home District, was a strong though extreme
supporter of Judge Thorpe. The Government was so
incensed against him that he was removed from office.
It was he who became the editor of the Guardian.
His strong utterances brought upon him a prosecution
for libel, but he was acquitted. Having been elected to
the Assembly, he was, for the too free expression of
opinion, committed to prison.
In the year 1809 another act of arbitrary authority
subjected the Governor and Executive Council to severe
criticism. An English gentleman, John Mills Jackson,
who possessed lands by inheritance in Lower Canadii,
and by purchase in Upper Canada, visited the country.
He was much displeased by what he saw. On his return
to England he published a pamphlet on Canada, referring
to the severe treatment of Judge Thorpe and Sherilf
Willcocks, and to the corrupt state of political ati'airs
in Upper Canada.
He stated, moreover, that it had been declared publicly,
on behalf of the Executive, that should any man sign
:ii
Tin: Canadian Pkopli:.
305
any petition or address -vvluitcver he sliould bo soiit to
prison. His information in all cases, except the hist
mentioned, was correct, and })()ssil)ly in tliis cns(^
constrnctively so. He closed his jianiphlet siiyin^*,
"I have no private interest or jjussion to f^rntify: J
call for investigation as a duty to my king and
country.'*
The Upper Canadian Assembly agreed to ]n'esent an
address to the Lieutenant-Governor, expressive of its
"abhorrence and detestation of an infamous and seditious
libel signed ^ John Mills Jackson."*
In the light of the i'reedoin now permitted to owner?!
of newspapers and writers of ]iamphlets, it is surprising
to us that what on the whole was a true, though earnest
presentation of grievances, should liave been so strongly
condemned, and certainly Mr. John ^lills Jackson was
fortunate in being beyond the reach of the angry
leofislators in his Eatybshman's home of libertv.
The struggle of the Nova Scotian Legislature with
the Executive was bkewise severe, thouofh the„
,. i. 1. 1 J. \ 11 NovaScotia.
questions at stake seem to have been less
important than those in the Upper Provinces. The
loyalist Governor^ Parr, of Nova Scotia, died in 1701,
and was succeeded by Sir John Wentworth. Sir John
was a native of New Hampshire, and had been Jb'itish
Commissioner of Woods and Forests in America. Ho had
likewise been Governor of his native province in the
colonial days before the Eevolution.
Sir Jolin was of the courtly class of old-time governors.
There was not only a dignity, but also a knowledge of
affairs, and a facility of administration, in those trained
in the old school of Government officials, largely wanting
in later times. Sir John lived for the people, and yet he
considered them worthy of consideration simply as they
were submissive. Englishmen, or those trained in the
old colonial school, could alone make efficient governors,
to his mind. He was distrustful of public gatherings,
and regarded public discussion as closely bordering on
sedition. He inveighed against " meetings convened
in the country composed of uneducated tradesmen,
X
I
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3o6
A Short History of
V:;
liibonrcrs and fannors, who, from tlio niifuro of tlioir
industry, cannot liiivo any real inturniMtion."
Sir Jolm disliked the popnlnr loader in the Assondjly,
Mr. Cottnani Toni^'o, and exhausted every device to
countorwork his influence. This " tribune of the ]ieo]do,''
thou^'h char^eil with seditious intent, preserved his place
even in the face of the ofHcial o])p()sition. The warlike
rumours of the time, and possibly also tho irritation
caused by Governor Wentworth's distrust of tho people,
led to the appoiutment of General Sir George Prevost in
his stead in ISOH. Sir John Wentworth, after some
opposition in tlio Legislature, was voted a pension of
500/.
Tho preparation for tho expected war occupied tho
minds of the people and Legislature. Governor Provost,
on tlio recall of Sir James Craig, was promoted to tho
Governor-Generalship, and Sir John Coape Sherbrooke
became Governor of Nova Scotia. On the death of
Governor Provost in 18 IG, in Lower Canada, Governor
Sherbrooke became his successor in office there. At tho
end of this ])eriod the population of Nova Scotia had
reached 82,000.
The loyalist province of New Brunswick was under
its first Governor, Col. Thomas Carleton, tho
wick ^^°^"hrother of Lord Dorchester, from the time of its
founding until 1802. Six governors in four
years succeeded Carleton. After this succession of
changes a military officer, General Hunter, held office.
As in the other provinces, so in New Brunswick, a
struggle took place between the Legislative and Execu-
tive Councils and the Assembly.
The subject of dispute was nothing greater than
whether the members of Assembly should receive a pay-
ment of 7,s\ Gd. per dav durinpf the sittinof of the House.
The British Colonial Secretary declared this "derogatory
to the dignity of members, as being wages.''' Froiu
1790 to 171)9 th.ere was a "dead-lock '^ between the two
Houses; but in the end the popular branch gained its
contention. During this period imprisonment for debt
was still in vogue in Canada, but on the prisoner making
■ f f?
TiiK Canadian PEorLE.
307
Social
progress.
ontli tliat ho wms not worth ">/. lio wns rutitloil to ho
(lischiU't^L'd. Slavery was piMMiiittod in Lower Canada
under hcoiico ; hut in Upper Canaihi iu 1 7l>:) further iui-
]iortatiou of skives was forhiddcn, uud gradual ahoUtion
introduced.
To the many visitors to the Bi-itisli provinces during
this period colonial life seemed very unattrac-
tive. I'iio Old World traveller cannot sympa-
thize fully with the difUculties of new settlers.
To him their crude life seems the result of improvidence,
lie has never seen the unbroken forest, ami v/orked out
in his experience the steps ref[uirod to bring it into tho
form of the cultivated iield, or the pasture-land support-
ing Hocks and herds. Ho can assume the role of critic,
can ever act as the kind adviser, and regards the colo-
nist who fails to respond to his suggestion as boorish
and lacking in spirit.
The colonist in turn, knowing the difficulties which
have been encountered, and seeing the injustice of tho
criticisms, has usually received with coldness, if not with
resentment, books of travel written on the colonies.
The British colonies during the period before us,
except in the neighbourhood, perhaps, of Montreal,
Quebec, or Halifax, were just emerging from their primi-
tive condition. The loyalists and British settlers wero
alike poor. From the circumstances of the case tho
loyalists had most intelligence ; but, on the other hand,
the British settler was more accustomed to labour. Tho
beautiful dream of an Arcadia was found by half-pay
officers, French emigres, and needy scions of nobility to
bo a delusion. Would they obtain homes they must
work with their own hands —
" Ho who by the plough would thrive
Himself must either hold or drive."
Yet the pluck and self-denial exhibited by the early
settlers of these provinces prove them to have been true
men. AVhen there is no accumulated capital, or no rich
friends iu England fi'om whom assistance may come,
progress must be slow^
X 2
o8
A Short IIistorv of
Lower Cannda was at tlii^ timo, from its oarllor settle*
nient, in a position of ailvaiitjiyc, tlioun^li its French
Canadinn iiilwil)itaiits liavo never been distin<^'uisliLHl for
enterprise. It was an event marking n new era wlien,
on the Ith of NovcmuIkm*, InOD, the steamer Accnuinufhi^
Hon arrived in (Quebec from Montreal, the ilrst steamship
over seen on the St. lj:iwr(Mico. " No wind or tido eau
stop her " was the admiring comment of the newspaper
of the time.
i\\ liower Canada five newspapers wore issued in iNli).
These were the Gr in Canada,
iho Mcrcurt/, and Lc Cdiiadii)}, nW in Quebec; and the
Gazette and Cuurdut in Montreal. 'J'lio Gii::ette and
GnartUaii were tho news])apers of Up|)er Canada, antl
even during this period tho Co)ist(llationf tho Ueruld^
and others, wc are informed, had "exi)ired of starva-
tion."
Tho country advanced in business and manufactures.
The chief exports were wheat, potash from tho ashes of
the burnt ibi'ests, and furs, 'i'hero were two iron-works
near Three llivors — tlie St. ^laurico Forges. In Itill
tho manufacture of leather, hats, and paper had been
introduced. There were no considerable factories for
cloth-making, l)ut the farmers largely mjinufacturcd
their own clothing, known as *^ homespun.'' Tobacco-
smoking was common, and in 1810, 100,000 pounds of
tobacco were imported, subject to duty, in Upper
Canada. Before 1817 there was not a bank in British
America, but in 1822 one had been established at Kings-
ton, and two in Montreal.
Many of the early settlers having been soldiers, and
no light liquors being obtainable, the consumption of
ardent spirits was large. The liquors used were largely
manufjictui'ed in the country, and were very destructive.
Duelling was not uncommon, and in some circles he was
accounted a hero who had " killed his man." A strange
custom, that of '' charivareeing " newly-married people,
■was common. This was a senseless beating of drums,
blowing of horns, firing of guna, and drunken shouting
about the dwelling of those who were the victims. The
fe!
TiiF. Canadian PEorLE.
309
4tli of .Tnii'^, Ix'iiiuf Kin,!:»' Gcorj^o III.'s Ijirtlulay, was
obsorvi'd as u linliday, and tliis even during,'' the times
of liis snccivssors. it was tlie eustoin to sunnnun the
iiiilitiii for roll-eall nml inspection on that day.
In Lower ('ioeuhi tlie mass of the people wei'O French
]^•man C'atlioHcs, and even nnnil)er.s ol' the
Fraser and iMont<^omery lli^'hiandei's who had *
int(.'rmarried with tin* French, adopted their ancient
I'liitli. Chnrehes at thia period were well supplied to
the ]ieoj)le.
In Nova Scotia the first Bishop of the Chm-ch oF
Eni^dand, ])r. Charles In<^'lis, ari'ived in 1787, and died
uljout the end of this ]K'riod. In the year previous, the
well-known I Jr. McGreu'or, the fathiM* of the J'resby-
terian Church in Nova Scotia, Jirrived from Scotland.
In Upper Canada there were at the end of the period
from six to ten clernfvnien of the Church of Fno'laiid, and
a like nund)er in Lower Canada. There were six J*res-
l)yterian ministers, and })robabIy not less than thirty or
forty itinerant ^lethodist preachers, with a number of
Baptists and others in smaller numbers. These clergy
wandered over the settled parts of the country, were
very devoted, and were of much service in restraining
wrong and laying the foundation of the present religious
condition of Canada.
In Lower Canada, education was from the first an ad-
iinict of the Chnrcli, and hence was not in this „,
•^ . ^ LL c T • ' Education,
provnice so much a matter or discussion as in
the other provices. In Nova Scotia, King\s College,
at Windsor, had been established by Royal Charter
so early as 1802. In 1811 an Act to aid Common
Schools was passed, and another to establish ten county
grammar-schools^ in addition to that already in exist-
ence in Halifax.
In Upper Canada, Governor Simcoe had planned a
higher educational institution. Under his auspices^ tlie
afterwards celebrated Bishop Strachan, was brought ont.
His patron having gone, the Scottish dominie on arriv-
ing in 1799 was disappointed. He, however, began the
Kingston and afterwards the Cornwall Grammar School,
3IO
A Short History of
./■V'
ill which many of ihoso afterwards active iii public
alTairs were educated.
Ill I8O0 arrived in Nova Scotia, Dr. McCulloch, the
educational Nestor of Nova Scotia. In 1807 an Act was
passed granting 100/. a year to each of eight schools
in the diiferent districts of Upper Canada. An Act was
passed also in 181G establishing common schools
throughout the country, and OOOOZ. a year was granted
as assistance in supporting these schools.
In 1818 there was established on the banks of the
Red Eiver, by two Roman Catholic fathers, a school in
which the " humanities " were taught, but there was not
for several years after an English school. Thus were
laid the foundations of the social, religious, and educa-
tional fabric of to-day.
f
■ Ji
s
Section V.—The War of Defenco (1812).
A passionate dislike of the British still remained
among the masses of the American people. The long
War for Independence had burned the events of those
eight years int? the people^s hearts The veterans of
the Revolutiouarv War, some of them as cripples bearing
ineffaceable marks of their valour, still lived throughout
the States, and told the tales of a grandfather to the
second generation of young Americans.
Ten years only after the Peace of Paris (1783), warm
sympathy had arisen in America for the struggling
French Republic. France had sent La Fayette to help
them, now they would return sympathy to her people
in the throes of revolution. A corresponding hatred for
Britain thus became stronger. Washington and the
leading statesmen of the Republic had sought to allay
the hostile feeling against Britain. They saw that the
prosperity of their people depended on the existence of
good feeling toward Britain. What to their minds was
most to be feared in the United States was a reaction
among the people, and the tracing of all business and
social troubles to the severance of the colonies from the
great mother-land. The excesses of the revolutionary
h li
THE Canadian PEorLE.
3fi
party in France alionatcd much sympathy from tliom in
puritan New England, and AVashington succeeded in
making a commercial treaty witli Eugland. But the
'^fatlier of his country '^ retired from pul)lic life in 171*0.
Despite all efforts, the old cleavage-lino between North
and Houtli was beginning to appear in the Republic.
Nothino; but the liercc heat of revolution could have
welded them together. It was marvellous that cavalier
and puritan had cohered so long. The removal now of
the common danger allowed the old jirovincial jealousies
to break forth anew. In 1801, Jefferson, the distin-
guished framer of the Declaration of Independence, was
elected l^resident by the Democratic party, whose strength
lay among the cavaliers. The feeling against Britain was
purposely fanned into a flame.
Britain was at this time engaged in a gigantic war.
She felt her fleet — of 1000 shi]DS on all seas — to be her
strongest resource. She saw her advantage over her
foes in cutting off the supplies of war coming by sea,
and in enforcing the law of lations that no neutral may
assist with supplies either combatant in a war. Accord-
ingly in 180G Britain declared the coast of France and
Holland, from Brest to the Elbe, under a blockade,
and sent Lord Keith with 100 ships to enforce it. In
November, 1800, Napoleon retaliated in his so-called
"Decrees,'* issued from Berlin, forbidding English goods
to be brought upon the continent of Europe.
In 1807 Britain retorted, and by the celebrated
" Orders in Council '' put all countries, under the power
of France, under blockade. In November, 1807, Napo-
leon thundered forth his jNIilan Decrees, declaring the
whole British Islands blockaded. Britain had declared
any French possession blockaded, whether actually
blockaded or not, on the theory that her fleet was in
every sea. Napoleon's blockade of Britain was made,
without his having one ship of the line to carry out his
threat. Looking at this affair from the standpoint of
international law, there can be no doubt that the '' con-
structive blockade '* introduced by both parties was an
absurdity. The check placed on commerce irritated the
■ •: "^
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312
A Short History of
1807.
Aniericnns, and tlionofli both Fiance mid Eno-laiid were
c'f|iiidly bl.'unuble, France plainly was the favoured
cuiiiitry in the United States.
On 'the 22nd of June, 18G7, H.M.S. Lropurd, of
seventy-lbur o-uns. cruisitio- off Viri'-iiiia, made formal
requisition npuu the United States" frigate Chesai'n>a}:e
to deliver up deserters known to be aboard her. The
American commander denied having any deserters, wheu
the Leopard opened fire, killed three men, wounded
eighieeu, and having boarded the disabled ship, took oli'
the culprits. Even according to British doctrine this
was an outrage. The Leopard had no right to use force
in her search. Britain disavowed the act, and offerel
reparation. This conflict increased the national excite-
ment.
Giving way to hostile sentiment. President Jefferson
refused to ratify a treaty of commerce, amity, and navi-
gation concluded by the American Minister at
London with the British ; and on the 27th of
November the President in his message to Congress
freely denounced England for her ^* Orders,^' but said
nothing of Xapoleon^s "^^ Decrees."" Ctngress responded
to the President's bad advice, and ]mssed an embargo
not allowing American ships to leave their own ports,
the plea Ijeing that it was necessary to gather together
for emergencies all American ships. By this, great dis-
tress was caused in New England portSj where the people
depend on the sea.
In 1809, after Jefferson had served as President for
two terms, Madison was elected to that office. He was
said to be less anti-British than his predecessor. The
embargo w^as repealed, but a law of non-intercourse
passed, providing that if England or France withdrew
restrictions on commerce, the United States would also.
The refusal of Britain to change her course was severely
felt in New England, War seemed now to be more
likely than before, and Britain began, to prepare by
sending as governors to the British provinces, military
officers.
■ In 1810 the sky grew darker still, though the strong
THE Canadian PEorLE.
313
and were
favoured
opard, of
le formal
licr. The
ters, wlieii
wounded
p, took oif
clrine this
D use force
and offered
)nal excite-
it Jefferson
yr, and navi-
Miiiister at
blie 27tli o£
,0 Congress
3)
J but said
s responded
[in embargo
own ports,
ler togetber
Is, great dis-
Ve the people
[resident for
\o. He was
lessor. The
-intercourse
te withdrew
would also.
^as severely
to be more
[prepare by
^es, military
the strong
sentiment in the New Enghind States was for peace.
An unfortunate occurrence hastened the conflict. The
rrc-iidtntfUn American frigate of forty-four guns, attacked
a small British vessel, the Little ItiU, of eighteen guns.
Tiie attack seems to have been unprovoked. Tiiirty-two
men were killed or wounded, and the little sloop was
battered to pieces. Negotiations continued during 1811.
In the autumn of this year the Con<_>;ress of the United
♦States met, and determined to increase the army from ten
to thirty-five thousand, and to borrow 11,000,000 dollars.
Early in 1812 national fooling was roused by the dis-
closures of one Captain John Henry, who in 1800 had
gone as a spy to the United States for Governor Craig,
hut who, on not receiving what he claimed from the
British, agreed to sell his correspondence to the Presi-
dent for 50,000 dollars. This is probably one of the
])oorest investments ever made by the United States.
The information was of little value, but its supposed
evidence of a plot was used to inflame the minds of the
people.
. On June 19, 1812, Congress declared war against
Great Britain, though, strange to say, about the same
time England repealed the obnoxious orders. The legis-
latures of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey
protested against the war, but New York, Philadelphia,
and Baltimore were ardently for it. This division of
opinion paralyzed the American forces during the whole
war, and it is significant that no attack was made on
Canada east of Lake Champlain. Of the additional
25,000 troops authorized by Congress not more than
one-fourth were enlisted, and great difficulty was ex-
perienced in inducing the militia to move.
The action of Canada w^as very different. She was on
her defence, and all classes banded together to repel the
invader. Lower Canada numbered some 220,000 people.
Sir George Prevost was now Governor-General, having
been promoted from Nova Scotia. Prevost was very
popular. He conciliated the French Canadians, and
restored to office certain persons removed by his pre-
decessor. The Assembly, though much divided on
■■1
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Hi
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314
A Short History of
geneml politics, very heartily united in passing credits
for 2.jO,()0()/. Prevost found that the French Canadians
preferred being drafted for service, going very willingly
if selected ; the English preferred to volunteer.
Prevost raised four battalions of militia, and authorized
a regiment of Canadian voltigeurs under the valorous
French Canadian, Colonel J3e Salaberry. This brave man,
one of our Canadian noblesse, had seen service in the
British GOth Regiment as captain in different parts of the
world. He now devoted himself to his native province.
In Nova Scotia the loyalty of the people asserted itself.
The Legislature for defence and militia voted 00,000/.
In Upper Canada there was dismay at first, but the
spirit of the U.E. Loyalists led to liberal supplies being
granted. To defend 1700 miles of frontier there were
only in Canada 4550 regulars. Of these about 1450
were in Upper Canada, and there were 1800 active
militia. In Lower Canada there were some 2000 militia.
In Upper Canada, Governor Gore had returned to England
in 1811.
The American plan of attack was along three lines.
General Dearborn, the commander of the '' Army of the
North," was to move from Albany and strike Lake On-
tario on the River St. Lawrence. General Van Reusselaer
commanded the " Army of the Centre " to operate
against the Niagara frontier, while Brigadier-General
William Hull, Governor of the Territory of Michigan, led
the " Army of the West " against the Detroit border.
The defence of Upper Canada was in the hands of Sir
Brock Is^^c Brock, Acting-Governor. His was no easy
task. This heroic man was born in 17G9, in tbe
British island of Guernsey. He had served in the West
Indies, in Holland in 1799, and in Lord Nelson^s attack on
Copenhagen. He had been with his regiment in Canada
since 1802, and had become essentially Canadian in
feeling. His zeal, bravery, singleness of purpose, and
beauty of character made him a favourite with his
followers, something such as Wolfe had been. While
Brock was engaged in July with the business of the
province, General Hull with 2500 men appeared at
-:>•;
;• credits
finadiaiis
^villingly
itliorized
valorous
avc man,
;e in tlio
'ts of tlio
orovince.
L
;ed itself.
GO.OUU/.
but the
ies being
lere were
lOut 1400
)0 active
militia.
England
'66 lines.
py of the
ake On-
eusselaer
operate
General
|igan, led
order.
s of Sir
no easy
9, in the
Ihe West
ttack on
Canada
idian in
se, and
ith his
While
of the
ired at
THE Canadian People.
315
Sandwich in the West. He was kept in chock by
Colonel Proctor with some SoO men and a band of
Indians. An extra session of the Legislature at Yurk
delayed Governor Brock.
Suddenly like a brilliant rocket in the North-AVost
lakes flashed out the Canadian victory at Michili-
mackinac^ the key of the upper lakes. Captain Roberts,
of the North-Wcst Company, and Agent Pothier, of Fort
St. Joseph — French nnd English combined — with thirty-
three regulars and 160 Canadian voyageurs, with fowling-
pieces and old muskets, and two rusty three-pounders,
surprised the iVmerican fort at Mackinaw, and captured
seventy-live meoj and a large quantity of stores and
valuable furs. The capture was most timely. It
attached the Indians to the Canadians, and threatened
Hull's army in the rear. It was a good beginning.
At Detroit General Hull issued a proclamation, most
impudent and insulting. It threatened and cajoled in
turn. This commander imao-iued the Canadians were
being oppressed by the British, and would flock to him
as a liberator. Governor Brock issued a dignified and
reassuring proclamation in reply. Parliament over, he
hastened to Detroit. With a few regulars and 300 militia
he urged his boats along Lake Erie and reached
Amherstburg*.
Here he met Tecumseh, chief of the Shawnees. This
remarkable man was born about 17G8, in the Tecumseh
valley of the Miami, Ohio. Of Shawnee parentage,
his name signifying '' Shooting Star/' he divided with his
brother, Elskwatawa, better known as '' the Prophet,''
enormous influence over his own and other tribes of Indians.
In 1808 Tecumseh and his brother removed to the Tippe-
canoe River. These Indian statesmen sought to band the
Indians together in a great league, specially hostile to
the Americans. Their power was broken in their defeat by
General Harrison in the battle of Tippecanoe, November
7th, 1811. Tecumseh was of lofty and benevolent cha-
racter, and now became a faithful ally of the English.
Hull had suff*ered reverses even before Brock's coming.
In boastful pride he had crossed over to the Hull.
■Ji^'*.
?1iitliri- ;
I
\^mr.
^^^AM
1
■■1
^^^H
•.■
-^16
A Short History of
Canadian side and encamped. Tecnmseli and his band had
intcivepted liis supplies by capturing Van Homo's convoy.
Hull had then retired to Detroit. In the captured train
were Hull's despatches expressing misgivings as to his
ex])e(lition. Hull had 2500 men, Brock 380 regulars
nnd JOO militia, -while Tecumseh had some GOO Indians.
Brock on August 1 5th, with his characteristic pluck,
sunitnoned Hull to surrender. The American general
refused. That night Tecumseh crossed the river with his
warriors and cut off IIuH's southern connections. On the
next day (August IGth) Brock crossed with his force,
having the assistance of a small sloop of war, the ilnecn
CJwrhdte. The Americans first abandoned an outpost,
>;nid soon sent out a flag of truce offering to capitulate.
Michigan Territory, Fort Detroit, a ship of war, thirty-
three cannon, stores, &c., and 2500 troops were sur-
I'endered to General Brock. It w\as an electric shock
for Canada. The general who had threatened a war of
extermination was led through Canada to Montreal with
lamb-like gentleness.
Brock was prevented from following up his victory by
the armistice, arising from a conference between
Britain and the United States. Negotiations,
however, failed. Brock was placed at a disadvantage. The
trusted leader was now at Fort George, in Niagara. The
American army on the Niagara was GOOO strong. On
October 13th, before daybreak, the Americans under Yau
Rensselaer made an attack at Queenston. Two Britishregi-
ments and 200 York Militia held the landing-place ; under
cover of artillery some 1300 men effected a landing. A
deadly fusillade now took place. Brock having heard the
firing from Fort George rode hastily up. The force had been
withdraw^n from the Queenston heights above to defend
the landing. An American captain and a small force
had clambered unseen up the river side of the height,
and now commenced firing on the rear of the defenders.
This force must be dislodged. The regulars charged up
the height.
Brock, who was much exposed, had just uttered the
words, " Push on the brave York Yolunteers ! " when
THE Canadian People.
317
)nn(l liad
5 convoy,
red tvniu
fis to liis
roixulai's
Indians,
ic pluck,
I general
with his
On the
lis force,
he Qjiecn
outpost,
apitulate.
ir, thirty-
were sur-
ric shock
1 a war of
itreal with
i^Qfe.
ira.
Irling.
red the
when
!
'^
ho fell, shot in the breast. Lieut. -Col. John Macdonoll,
his aide, was shot from his horse by the American troops
above him. The Americans now held the heights, be-
hind them the precipice of 100 feet: the Canadians
sullenly prevented their escape.
General Sheaffe, from Fort George, by a flank move-
ment gained the heights to the west about noon. With
him was now a band of the Six Nations Indians. He had
800 men all told. Gradually the semicircle of Sheati'e's
men narrowed in on the entrapped Americans, and 1100
officers and men surrendered. Four hundred had
been shot, bayonetted, or driven over the precipice, to
be impaled on the trees below. Qucenston Heights
was a signal victory, but all its glory was bedimmed by
the death of Sir Isaac Brock and his gallant Canadian
aide, young Macdonell. No memorial represents a
truer sympathy than Brock's monument on Queenston
Heights,
General Smyth, as great a braggart as Hull, now
assumed command of the 4500 troops on the Niagara
frontier. His theory was that the Canadians should
immediately lay down their arms. They obstinately
refused, and repulsed all his landing-parties, and when
December came, the Americans retired into winter
quarters. General Smyth, threatened with '' tar and
feathers '^ by his own men, hurried to the south, and left
the service.
Thus ended the first campaign. Its advantages,
says an American historian, rested altogether with the
British, though the Constitution and Wasj), American
vessels, made naval captures. Throughout the whole
British Empire sympathy was aroused. A society for
the relief of the distress caused by the war, known as
" The Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada,''
was begun. For it were raised upwards of 14,000/.,
and a perusal of its minutes, now very rare, leads to the
belief that it accomplished much good.
The war-spirit had continued to strengthen in the
United States. Many who had opposed the
war now acquiesced, in order to avoid national
If
> 'w
I.
I
■'■ml
1813.
rx
I
♦
• ', 'I
3IS
A Short Historv of
disGfracc. Tho loss of Micln'n^an had especially
arousod Ohio, Keutiicky, and the iioighhourinfr
states. Early in January General Harrison threatened
Colonel Proctor, who held Detroit. Proctor had now
al)out 1000 troops, and 1200 Indians and militia.
General Winchester had advanced from his supports
toward Detroit, when i^roctor fell on him at Frenchtown,
and captured, after a desperate struo-rrle, upwards of 500
men, while the enemy lost some 400 killed and wounded.
Roundhead, tho Huron chief, captured tho American
creneral.
In the eastern campaign a gallant deed was done in
the capture of Ogdensburg, as a reprisal for a nocturnal
raid on Brockville. At Prescotfc thero lay a force of
some 500 militiamen, and tho Glengarry Fen-
Ogdensburg.^.^jg^^ the revival of Chief Macdonell's dis-
banded regiment of the same name to which reference
has been made already. It was their practice to drill upon
the ice opposite Prescott. On the 22nd of February in
two parties, with artillery, they made, by crossing on the
ice, an unexpected dash on Ogdeusburg, and after a
severe fight took it, the garrison having chiefly escaped.
The military stores taken were of value, and four ships
were burnt.
Tho American fleet on Lake Ontario had been in-
creased, and in 1813 controlled the lake.
°^ ' General Sheaffe had succeeded Brock as
Governor as well as commander of the forces. Some
600 troops were in York, the capital. York had about
1000 inhabitants, and was not regarded as of strategic
importance. The Americans, however, set sail from
Sackett's Harbour with sixteen sail and 2500 men to
attack it. The enemy landed to the west of the town,
and General Sheaffe evacuated the works, and retired
down the Kingston Road. The Americans invested the
town, and though skirmishing took place, had an easy
victory. The land force was under General Pike, au
officer well known as having, when a lieutenant, explored
the sources of the Mississippi. Just as the Americans
had well filled the fort, the powder-magazine exploded
THE Canadian Teople.
319
with violence, killing and woundinpf about 2.')0. General
Pike, struck in the breast by a flying" stone, died soon
after. The Americans contrary to the articles of
surrender, shamefully burnt tlie town, and retired from
York on the 2nd of May, 1813. While the squadron
was absent, Sackett^s ILirbour was attacked by a strong
force. The garrison seemed to bo on tlio point of
surrendering the fort, when Sir George Prevost, to the
surprise of all, ordered a retreat.
Little York taken, Commodore Chauncey then crossed
the lake to Fort George at the mouth of the
Niagara River. General Vincent commanded the ,iJewark)^^^
f )rt. Twenty-four of HulFs guns frowned from
its bastions. Its defender had P340 men. The American
army on the Niagara frontier numbered GOOO. Chauncey
had eleven war- vessels and 900 seamen. On the 27th of
May the expected day came. Vincent drew his men out
about a mile from the fort and awaited the attack. He
was overpowered and retired, having lost nearly 450
soldiers.
The Canadian force retired to a strong position,
"Beaver Dams," twelve miles from Niagara on the
heights, having given up Fort Erie and Chippewa and
blown up Fort George. Vincent had now 1600
men, and with these he retired to Burlington
HeightSj near the present city of Hamilton. An
American army of i^!500 men followed General Vincent to
Stouey Creek. On the night of the 8tli of June, C(.)lonel
Harvey of the British force, with upwards of 750 men, fell
stealthily on the sleeping American army, scattered the
troops, killed many, captured the American generals
Chandler and AVinder, and about 100 men, along with
guns and stores. The adventurers then retired to their
camp. The scattered American soldiers reassembled in
the morning and retired in a disorderly manner down
the country to Fort George.
Vincent now followed the retreating army
occupied Beaver Dams. One of his outposts
was held by Lieutenant Fitzgibbon and thirty
men. Smarting wdtli defeat, the American
Stoney
Creek.
and
Beaver
Dams.
llj
i
*■
■■I
I"
■I:
I
(
m
'I
• ill
■ k
320
A Short History of
j^enornl Konc^lit to surprise this station ag a basis for
future attacks, ilo secretly dcspntclietl Colonel lioerstler
with nearly 700 men to capture it. A woundcnl militia-
man, living within the lines at Queenstou, heard by chance
of the expedition. The cripple could not acrpiaint the
Canadian army of the danger, liis wife, Mrs. Mary
Secord, volunteered to go.
At three in the morning she left home, passed with
difficulty the American lines, and for twenty miles hurried
through the forest, afraid to follow a road. Her danger
was now from the British sentry and the Indians. The
Indian chief was very doubtful, but at last took her to
Fitzgibbon. The alarm was given, and that night the
men lay on their arms. Early next morning the
American party came, but an ambuscade had been pre-
pared for them, and after severe fighting, 5i2 men
surrendered into the hands of some 2G0. General
Dearborn soon after retired from the command of the
American army, to be succeeded by General Boyd.
British parties captured Fort Schlosser and Black
Rock on the Niagara River at this time, though at
the latter place with the loss of Colonel Bishopp, the
idol of his men. Colonel Scott, in command of troops on
board Commodore Chauncey's fleet, again scoured Lake
Ontario. Landing at Burlington Heights on the
31st of July, they did nothing more than recon-
noitre the works and depart. Afterwards the second
attack on York was made and the barracks burnt.
After this a trial of strength took place between Sir
James Yeo's fleet, now sent forth from Kingston Harbour,
and Chauncey's squadron. The Americans lost two
vessels in a squall, and two were captured by the British,
but the result between the two fleets was indecisive.
During this summer of 1813 two most disastrous
events befell the Canadians. The first of these was the
. loss of the British fleet on Lake Erie. Hitherto
Lake Erie, g^^^^^^j^ i^^^ controlled this lake. The Americans,
however, continued to build vessels at Presqu'isle, now
Erie City. Commodore Perry had ten ships in harbour,
but they could not pass the bar with their guns aboard.
The Fleet.
i
basis for
IV-torstloi"
(1 militia-
l)y chance
uaiufc the
[rs. Mary
issed with
es hurried
'er daufjfcr
ana. 'Hio
ook her to
night the
rning the
been pre-
, 542 men
i. General
land of the
5oyd.
and Black
though at
ishopp, the
if troops on
ured Lake
Ights on the
,han recon-
,he second
•ks burnt.
itween Sir
Harbour;
lost two
he British;
Icisive.
disastrous
ise was the
Hitherto
mericaus,
.'isle, now
la harbour,
,ns aboard.
TiiF Canadian PKorLE.
321
Captain Barclay, the British commander, know this, and
liiv with his fl(»('t near by. A gali' having scattcM'oil tlio
British fleet, l*erry escaped and loaded his ships with
tlieir guns from liglitcrs outside the harbour. On tlio 1 Oth
of September, l.Sl;], tlio squadrons mot at Tut-in-Bay,
Harcluy with but six ships, and two-thirds the number
of men of his opponent. At first Barclay had the ad-
vantage, Perry's Hag-ship having struck her Hag. Tlio
wind shifted and the fortune of battle changed. Barclay
f'onij'lit with buU-doj;
courage.
In his lleet, "every
citHcer, in fact, commanding vessels and their seconds,
were either killed or wounded so severely as to be unable
to keep the deck." The whole squadron was compeUed
to surrender to Perry, and Barclay was court-martialed,
but was acquitted witli honour.
The disaster on Lake Erie left Proctor at Detroit
defenceless. Winter was comiuo' on, and ho
determined to retreat on Burlington Heights. Jecumseh
He dismantled Maiden, Windsor, and Sandwich,
removed his guns from Detroit, and left that scene of his
former successes on the 2(Sth of September. The heavy
baggage was sent up the Thames in boats, and with his
510 regulars and 21)0 militia, he retired in company
with Tecumseh who led 500 Indians. General Harrison
followed Proctor with 3500 men, 1500 of them the
famous Kentucky mounted riflemen. Proctor's progress
was slow, for the roads were unspeakably bad.
Proctor halted at Moravian Town, and was here over-
taken, 5th of October, by the stronger and more exultant
American force. The British force was advantageously
J^ituated. The Thames was on his left flank ; 300 yards
to the right of the road was a dense cedar swamp.
This Tecumseh's Indians occupied. But there was no
spirit left in the troops ; they surrendered with the most
trifling losses. The Indians alone proved valorous.
Their brave chief Tecumseh fell, and no man knows his
grave. That his body was mutilated by the Americans
is not generally believed. A Canadian poet has lately
•embalmed the name and deeds of Tecumseh in a drama
of much merit. Proctor retired with his staff to Bur-
Y
H-
i M!i
322
A Short Histurv of
Chateau-
guay.
linpton, was court-martialed, coiulcmncMl, and susjicinlcd
tho service.
The third operation of tho American army was iho
most t'()niiid!il)l(», but proved tho least success-
ful. Tho army of tho north was divided inti)
sections, ono to move on Montrejd by way ef
Lake Cham])lain, tho other to pass hy way of Lake
Ontario and the St. fjawrence to tho same point. Tho
force on Lake Champiain numbered somo 7000, with ten
fiehl-pieces. It was tho intention of Cleneral llam])ton,
■who commanded tho expedition, to advance by the
mouth of tho Chateau(,'uay Kiver, and cross to Montreal
Island above Lachinc.
The bravo Do Salabcrry was hurried forward to
attack the American camp on the Chateaufjfuay f^ivcr.
'J'his lie did, and checked the enemy. Colonel Do
vSalalxuTy commanded about 1800 Canadians and 170
Indians, and took up a strong* position with his
small force. On tho 2()th of October Hampton ad-
vanced with "SoOO men to annihihito tho foe. Tho
French Canadians, holding an advance-post, with their
accustomed vivacity fired as tho bugles sounded. Their
position was very pcnlexing to the Americans. De
Salaberry alarmed tho enemy by his ruse dc (juerro of
sounding the advance witli bugles at different points in
tho abattis. Tho Americans su])posed a large tbrce of
Canadians to be advancing. Hampton withdrew his
forces, leaving oOO French Canadians masters of the
field. This armv was thus checked in its advance on
Montreal. Unlading glory covers the name of Chateau-
guay for the French Canadians ; the British Prince
Kegent presented a stand of colours to each regiment
engaged.
Tho army to descend the St. Lawrence from Lake
Ontario consisted of 8000 men under Wilkinson. For
three months the operations were delayed at Sackett^s
Harbour. On the 3rd of November a flotilla of 300
boats, escorted by gunboats, passed by Kingston, and
descended the St. Lawrence. In order to clear the
course for tlie expedition, a force of 1200 men was
TiiK Canadian ri:orLi:.
3^3
iUB\
iC'llt
Ir.l
^t HIKH'OSS-
vidcd intn
by way f f
^ of l^ii^t'
loiut. 'Hi"
0, with ten
I lliiinptoii,
^co by tlic
to Montvc'ul
fonvavA to
io;ui\y Kiver.
Colonel Do
us and ^~]^
^ -Nvitli bi^
ampton ad-
foo. The
, with their
ided. Their
icaiis. Dt^
(I,' (jnerro of
nt points in
rtro tbrce of
ithdrew his
sters of the
advance on
of Chateau-
litish Vvince
ch regiment
from Lake
'inson. i'c'i-'
[at Sackett's
)tina of aoo
bgston, and
no clear the
men was
!• Chryslot'f}
*•' Farm.
lnnd(Ml to ncconipiiny tlio Ixnits along tlie north shore.
The Mritisli inunediatcly sent a force of 800 from Kings-
ton to hang upon the rear of the Aniericiin army and
liiiniss it. Colonel ITarvoy, the hero of Stoney
Creek, accompanied it. On tlu^ lOtli
November the Americjin nrmy turned npon
the I British :idvane(i at Chrysler's Parm, but was com-
pletely vaii([uish(Hl. 'IMiis was considoreil tho most,
scientifically fought battle of the war. Tho fleeing army
overtook its advanced force at Cornwall, and there
lieartl of Do Salaberry having cheeked (ieneral Hamp-
ton. Tho iittack on Montreal was abandoned, and tho
American army crossed tho St. Lawrence and went into
winter cjuarters.
Tho iNFaritimo Provinces wero freo from annoyance
from land attacks, but wero frequently excited with
news from tho sea. Halifax was tho station of tho
British for tho North Atlantic. The Americans were,
considering tho prestige of J5ritain on tho ocean, very
successful in 1H13. The American frigates, Prcslth'tit,
Con(/ress, and ^ssc.v, made many and valuable captures.
The British brig Pelican, however, captured the Ameri-
can ship vb\ry^/,'s^, on the 1 Ith of August, but tho great
event which threw Halifax into transports of joy was tho
result of tho duel between H.M.S. Shiiiiinn and tho
U.S. frigate C/imapcaliC on the 18th of June. Captain
Broke of tho Shannon challenged Lawrence of tho
Clu'sapcake to leave Boston Harbour, and try conclu-
sions on the open sea. The challenge was accepted.
Tho Shannon was manned by a splendidly trained crew.
Though the British " vessel seemed to bo getting tho
worse of the cannonade, yet on coming to close quarters
the British seamen boarded their American antagonist,
and soon brought her a prize to Halifax, where tho cap-
tain and lieutenant were buried. Though tho fortunes
of war varied in 18L3, it was plain to both contestants
that the United States were not able to capture Canada.
A portion of tho western peninsula was in tho hands of
the enemy, but the war of defence had been thus far
remarkably successful.
Y 2
sH
324
A Short History of
\i "■'.
Early this year the American force, on Lake Champ-
Liin, made an advance, 5000 strong, on LacolK^
Mill, near tlic borders of Lower Canada.
Canadian Militia, the Voltigeurs, and a few companies
of reguhirs bravely defended the mill, and also assumed
the defensive, at times even issuing against the foe in
sorties. The American force was obliged to retire
without accomplishing anything. In March, much to
the delight of the British, an embassy of chiefs of the
Ottawas, Ojibways, Shawnees, Delawares, Mohawks,
.-.acs, Foxes, Kickapoos, and Winnebagoes, from the
Upper Lakes, arrived in Montreal, pledged their faith to
Britain, and urged that no peace be made with the " big
knives " till the Indian lauds, taken by fraud by them,
should have been restored. This was encouraging to
Canada, and showed how in the Indian mind the for-
tunes of war were going.
The campaign opened briskly in Upper Canada. Sir
Gordon Drummond and Sir James Yeo sallied forth with
their fleet from Kingston, and early in May captured tLo
fort of Oswego, carried away the stores, and dismantled,
the fort, Tlie British fleet had now supremacy on Lake
Ontario.
The Americans made great efforts to take the Niagara
frontier. Their object in this was to prevent the Am-
herstburg region being occupied by the British. They
likewise planned an attack on Michilimackinac, 'svhich,
from the beginning of the war, had been held by the
British. The Niagara frontier captured, and Michili-
mackinac taken, they would then fall on Kingston. This
threefold project was a very small season's work, com-
pared with what they had proposed at the opening of
the war.
Michilimackinac had not been forgotten by the Cana-
dians. Unable to pass Lake Erie, Colonel McDowall
had in May conducted some ninety men and supplies
from York to Lake Simcoe, thence to Georgian Bay,
and by open boat across Lake Huron to Michilimackinac.
In August 900 Americans attacked this fort, but were
repulsed, and two schooners taken from them.
) Clianip-
n LacolI(»
Canada.
;ompanios
assumed
be foe ill
to retire-
much to
ifs of tlio
Mohawks,
from the
ir faith to
the '' big
by them,
raging to
1 the for-
aada. Sir
forth with
3tured th^
ismantled
on Lake
Niagara
the Am-
|h. They
LC, which,
by the
MichiU-
;on. This
>rk, com-
[ening of
le Caua-
tcDowall
supphes
Ian Bay,
lackinac.
lut were
THE Canadian People.
325
On the Niagara River, Fort Erie soon fell into Ameri-
can hands, though the British held Fort Niagara on the
American side. On the 5th of July General Riall, the
British commander, with 2000 men and a number of
inius, attacked the large army of Americans near Chip-
pewa, but was repulsed and fell back on the road toward
Burlington Heiglits. Reinforced, he advanced a few
miles, and threw 900 of his men to the high ground
near Niagara Falls. This force was attacked by the
Americans. He advanced to Queenston, and sent word
to the detachment to fall back on him there.
On the very day of these occurrences Sir Gordon
Drummond, with reinforcements, had come across the
lake from York. He arrived to meet the retreating
force near Queenston. Countermanding the retreat, with
1800 men he advanced against the enemy, and the fight-
ing was severe till nine o'clock. Riall's division now
joined them, and with 3000 British troops, against 5000
Americans, the severest battle of the war was fought till
eleven at night. The Americans retired with precipita-
tion across the Chippewa, and the next day,
throwing baggage, camp equipage, and pro- xane^*
visions into the rapids, cut the bridge behind
them and retired to Fort Erie. Upwards of 800 men
were killed on each side. Few old men yet remain to tell
their descendants of the hand-to-hand encounter they fought
iu the dark at Lundy's Lane on the 26th of July, 1814.
The British commander invested Fort Erie, but losing
heavily in two severe encounters, fell back to Chippewa.
On the 5th of November the Americans evacuated Fort
Erie and crossed the Niagara River. On Lake Cham-
plani the British squadron, on the 11th of September,
attacked the American fleet, and a land force advanced
against Plattsburg. Disaster overwhelmed the British
ships, and the army was compelled to retire, to be dis-
persed at Isle-aux-Noir, St, John's, Chambly, and
Laprairie. This was a severe blow to our army.
The Nova Scotians saw, during this year, the noble
British squadron which made the Americans in their
unjustifiable war on Canada feel the power of Britain.
•
'SJJB
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fill
In
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I
326
A Short History of
" t.
British ships battered to pieces the fortifications of the
American seaboard. From Maine to Mexico was
blockaded. Fort McHenry before Baltimore was bom-
barded, aud New York, Boston, New London felt the
sea-king's power, which also captured and burnt Wash-
ington, the Federal capital. The British expedition
against New Orleans was repulsed by General Jackson.
On the 24th of December, 1814, the British and Ameri-
can plenipotentiaries signed at Ghent the articles of
peace, which provided for a ^' mutual restitution of con-
quered territories or possessions." The war gave to the
several provinces self-respect and a feeling of confidence
in their future. It taught the Americans that it is hard
to conquer a people, though few, in their own country,
and also that Britain will defend all parts of her empire.
After referring in his general order to the army, to
its having fallen to the lot of the small Canadian army
" to struggle through an arduous and unequal contest,
remote from succour, and deprived of many advantages
experienced in the more cultivated countries of Europe,"
Sir George Prevost says : " At Detroit and at the Eiver
Raisin two entire armies, with their commanding gene-
rals, were captured, and greatly superior armies were
repulsed. The several battles of Queenston, Stoney
Creek, Chateauguay, Chrystler's, La Colle, Lundy's
Lane, near the Falls of Niagara, and the subsequent
operations on that frontier will ever immortalize the
heroes who were on those occasions afforded the oppor-
tunity of distinguishing themselves. The capture of
Michilimackinac, Ogdensburg, Oswego, and Fort Niagara,
by assault, are trophies of the prowess of British arms."
i|s'h[
m
.-«*
THE Canadian TEorLE.
327
CHAPTER IX.
THE REMOTE KINGDOM OF THE FUR-TRADERS.
(References : "Eeport of Committee of Imperial Parliament on
Hudson's Bay Company," London, 1857; "Voyage from Mon-
treal, with Acconnt of the Fnr-trade," by Sir Alexander Mackenzie,
Loudon, 1801 ; " Astoria," by AVashington Irving, London, 1870;
"The Columljia Iliver," by Ross Cox, 2 vols., London, 1832;
"Canadian Trials," by A, Amos, London, 1820; "Unpublished
Letters of Nor'-West Traders among Canadian Archives, Ottawa ;"
"Documents on Boundary Dispute," published by Ontario, 1879 ;
" Hudson's Bay," by Arthur Dobbs, London, 1744 ; '' Six
Years on Hudson's Bay," by Joseph Hobson, London, 1759 ;
"Accounts of Journeys," published by Samuel Ilearne (1795),
Captains Lewis and Clark, London (1815), Lieutenant Z. Pike
(1811), Keating (Major Long), London (1825), Sir John Franklin,
Loudon (1834), Sir George 13ack, London (1836), P. Dease and
T. Simpson, London (1843), Sir John Kichardson, New York
(1852), Dr. John Rae, London (1850), Lord Milton and Dr.
Cheadle, London (1865).)
Section I. — The great Fur-tradinr/ Companies.
Far away from the strife of contending political parties,
and uuvisitedj except on Hudson Bay, with the din of
border wars, sleeps under its coat of snow the vast king-
dom of the fur-traders. Overhead is the dazzling bright-
ness of a northern sky, which at night is covered to the
'ery zenith with dancing auroras. In summer for two,
three, or more months, the streams are unbound, a luxu-
riant vegetation bursts forth, and the summer green is as
intense as the wintry whiteness had been.
Here the fur- trader must remain king. Mink and
beaver, marten and otter, wolves, foxes, and bears are his
subjects, and, as in the case of all autocrats, the subjects
exist for the profit of the ruler, " Pro pelle cutem " is
the motto of the Hudson's Bay Company.
. ■■'(.
I
,: ■ \
^^H
,x ^■■
•v^n
1
■rf ■
1.
\
"1;
it
■Ik
■4,1
K
328
A Short History of
Perhaps one quarter of Nortli America will always
remain the fur- traders' preserve. If a line be drawn from
Moose Factory^ at the foot of Hudson Bay, to Norway
House, at the northern end of Lake Winnipeg, thence to
Fort Resolution on the Great Slave Lake, and westward
to the Stikeen River on the Pacific Ocean, the boundary
of a region will be marked to the north of which is found
the fur-traders' kingdom.
It is true this fur-traders' line has for two centuries
been moving northward. Time was, as we have seen,
when the region of the great lakes from Ontario tO'
Superior and Michigan was the home of the trader. It
was for the fur of this large area that the early governors
of New France and New York plotted and foupfht. So
more recently Rupert's Land was kept by the Hudson'*
Bay Company closed under fur-trading conditions.
By the opening up of this region by the Dominion of
Canada, the fur-line was moved no^'th six to ten degrees.
Perhaps from the physical condition of the country, as
unsuited to agriculture and possessed of a severe climate,
the region north of the line traced above may always remain
undisturbed to the fur-trader. Of this, howevei*, no one
can speak certainly, for the same declaration was made
of New York, then of Canada, ard later still of Rupert's
Land.
More than two centuries ago, a colonial captain,,
Zachariah Gillam, taking with him two French explorers,
Groselliers and Radisson, who had journeye'^ through
New France, departed, under the direction ot English
merchants, to plant a post on Hudson Bay, which as we
have seen had been discovered sixty years before by
Captain Hudson.
It was in 1GG8 that Captain Gillam sailed from Graves--
end in his ship, the Nonsuch. The New England cap-
tain reached the southern extremity of Hudson Bay, and,
where Rupert's factory afterwards stood, built a small
stone erection, which he named Fort St. Charles, and
returned to Britain in 1669.
The merchants interested then obtained the assistance-
of Prince Rupert, the king's cousin, of General Monk,
THE Canadian People.
329
. always
,wn from
Norway
hence to
vestward
Doundary
L is found
centuries
ave seen,
ntario tO'
-ader. It
governors
jo-lit. So
Hudson's
ous.
»minion of
Q degrees.
;ountry, a&
e climate,
ys remain
r, no one
was made
Kupert's
captain,
[explorers,
througb
English,
tich as we
)efore by-
Graves-
[land cap-
[Bay, and,
a small
[rles, and
Lssistan ce-
ll Monk,
whom the kini^ had made Duke of Albemarle, and of the
skilful Lord Ashley, in obtaining from Charles II. a
charter, which they claimed on the ground of their having-
erected Fort St. Charles ; and thus was begun the Com-
pany of Merchant Adventurers trading into Hudson Bay.
The great fur company was incorporated on Hudson's
the 2nd of May, 1G70, under Prince Rupert as Bay Com-
first governor. P^^^y-
Fifteen years afterwards the Hudson's Bay Company-
possessed five forts on Hudson Bay, viz. Albany, Hayes,
Rupert, Nelson, and Severn. Their trade was conducted
entirely on the shores of the bay, the Indians coming
down the rivers from Lake Athabasca and the country of
the Christinaux beyond Lake Winnipeg.
We have sv'in how greatly the fur-trade was disturbed
by the inroads of the bold D'Iberville during the last
quarter of the seventeenth century. Though for a certain
period all their forts were in the hands of the French,
yet from time to time the " Merchant Adventurers "
comforted themselves with a dividend of fifty per cent.
In 1749 the successful trade carried on stirred up the
envy of rival merchants, and in that year the English
Parliament appointed a committee to investigate such
charges as that the Hudson's Bay Company was failing*
to develop trade as fully as might be done. Several
works were at this time written on Hudson Bay, and the
Blue-book of 1749 contains the report of the committee.
While the Company was, in the main, exonerated, yet no
doubt the investigation led to the exploration of the
interior country a few years after.
Perhaps the strongest influence leading the Hudson's
Bay Company to penetrate the interior was the
successful fur-trade of rival merchants. These xraders
were the North -West traders of Montreal. So
early as 1766 the Scottish merchants of Montreal, Curry
and Findlay, followed the route of Yerandrye already
described, and leaving Lake Superior, reached Lake
Winnipeg, and points so far north as English Kiver and
the Saskatchewan. The Hudson's Bay Company began
to find their trade diminishing, just as the French trade
m
■ i
'•■ >!!
330
A Short History of
with tho Iroquois had been cut off at its sources by
Goveruor Doiiguu aud his English traders of New
York.
The fur merchants from Montreal, to prevent rivalry
fimong themselves, for there were no less than six houses
in Montreal engaged in this trade, agreed to unite, and
thus JMessrs. Frobisher, McTavish, McGillivray, Gregory,
McLeod, and others became, in the year 1787, the famous
North-West Company, or, as they were familiarly called,
the '^ Nor'- Westers/' With surprising ability and suc-
cess this company carried its trade, and built forts along
tho route from Montreal up the Ottawa River, on the
upper lakes, through the Eainy River region, and to tho
very Saskatchewan and Athabasca districts. In a few
years after, the company pushed on across the Rocky
Mountains as far as the Columbia River on the Pacific
coast.
The Nor'- Westers became at this time the chief influ-
ence in trade, and in public affairs as well, in French
Canada,. The Executive and Legislative Councils of
Lower Canada were made up of Nor'-Westers or those
under their influence. Even the judges on the bench
must bow before this powerful combination. About the
year 1 788 the company took permanent hold of trade in
the Red River district.
Jealousy, however, entered into the North- West Com-
pany councils after a few years, so that in 1790 a section
broke oS'from the old company, calling them-
Com^aJy. ^^^"^^^ *^® ''New North-West Company," or
better known as the " X Y Company." The
leaders in this new association were the Messrs. Gregory,
and such afterwards well-known traders as Sir Alexander
Mackenzie and the Hon. Edward Ellice. With much
energy the young company built trading-posts alongside
of their two older rivals, especially beside the Nor'-
Wester posts, carried on a vigorous trade, and, sad to
say, during this period the use of spirituous liquors as a
means of trading with the Indians became more common
than ever before.
After a few years the keen rivalry ceased, for in 1804
irces by
of New
t rivalry
X houses
aite, aud
Gregory,
famous
ly called,
aud suc-
rts aloug
r, on tbe
id to the
[u a few
le Rocky
le Pacific
lief iuflu-
Ln French
uncils of
or those
le bench
bout the
trade in
lest Com-
|a section
[cr them-
inj," or
.'' The
[G-regory,
lexander
h much
longside
e Nor'-
, sad to
rs as a
common
Im
1804
THE Canadian PEorLE.
331
the old and new North- West Companies united. Their
union was followed by the best results, for dispensing
with rival posts at many points they were able to occupy
localities hitherto unvisited, and to build more substan-
tial forts.
Early in this century the North-West Company, by
way of Peace River, crossed to the Pacific slope, following
the course of their noted partner. Sir Alexander Mac-
kenzie. Simon Eraser, a pioneer trader, discovered the
river, which bears his name, in 180G, and built on it the
first trading-house in British Columbia, Fort Eraser.
David Thompson, the astronomer and surveyor of the
North-West Company, crossed by the same route, dis-
covered the British Columbian river, named from him,
and chose sites for forts on the Columbia River in
1811.
It was at this time that John Jacob Astor, a leading
merchant of New York, began the company
which bears his name, but which was also company'^
known as the " Pacific Fur Company.^^ In
1810, led by the prosperity of the Montreal traders, Mr.
Astor engaged a number of Scottish and French Canadian
clerks and trappers in Montreal, and sent them by the
ship Tonquin, by way of Cape Horn and up the west
coast of America, to the mouth of the Columbia River to
engage in the fur trade. Here tlieir fort '^ Astoria ^^ was
built. They met many reverses ; their ship was seized
bv the natives, and almost all on board were massacred.
The North-West Company, regarding the Astor Com-
pany as intruders, boldly opposed them, stirred up the
Indians against them, occupied the headwaters of the
various streams, and succeeded so well that in 1813 Mr.
Astor was glad to sell out to these determined traders of
Montreal. Washington Irving has given a vivid sketch
of the sufferings of the Americans in his. " Astoria.'^
We have already hinted that it was self-preserva-
tion which induced the Hudson's Bay Company to
ascend the streams from Hudson Bay to the jy^^ jj g
interior. In 1774 Fort Cumberland was built Company
on the Saskatchewan by the Hudson's Bay awakened.
4
V'JI
"4
ii
332
A Short History of
„M'^
'
h
i 1
1
\
Conflict
of the
Company. With true British perseverance, when once
uudertakon, the movement inland was curried on with
great success.
Before the end of tlio century Fort Edmonton (1795)
had been built almost in view of the Bocky Mountains,
Carlton (1797) not far from the forks of the great Sas-
katchewan, Brandon House (1794) at the junction of the
Souris and Assiniboino, a fort on Lake Winnipeg (1795),
another on the Assiniboine (1796), and it is asserted
that even on the Red River a Hudson's Bay Company
fort was built in 1799.
In the year 1812 a new element entered into tho
operations of the Hudson^s Bay Company. This
was the colonization movement of the Earl
Companies.of Selkirk. Lord Selkirk was tho controlling
spirit of the Hndson's Bay Company, having
bought much of their stock. His great aim was to
build up a colony, but though the colony on the Red
River was to be kept separate from the fur trade, yet
in the eyes of their opponents they were one. Governor
Miles Macdonell of the Colony, anxious for the support
of his colonists, forbade the export of pemican from Red
River by the Nor'-Westers, but promised to pay for
what the colony required. The proclamation to this
effect was issued in 1814. New misunderstandings
constantly arose between the companies. Attacks,
arrests, and reprisals were the commonest events in the
Red River settlement. At length came, as we have
seen in 1816, the skirmish of " Seven Oaks,^' near Fort
Douglas, where the governor, MacdonelFs successor, was
killed.
Lord Selkirk, after visiting Red River in 1817, re-
turned to Canada. Arrests were made on account of
the disturbances which had taken place in the upper
country. At the instance of Lord Selkirk a number of
Nor'- Westers were tried at York, Upper Canada, and
an action was brought against the Earl himself in Sand-
wich, Upper Canada, m 1818, in which, by the influence
of the Nor'-Westers, the verdict, with damages, was
given against his lordship.
THE Canadian PEorLE.
333
en onco
on with
n (1795)
3untains,
reat Sas-
on of the
g (1795),
asserted
Company
into the
any. This
the Earl
ontroUing
Y, having
m was to
L the Red
trade, yet
Governor
e support
from Red
o pay for
11 to this
standings
Attacks,
nts in the
we have
near Fort
essor, was
1817, re-
jccount of
(the upper
iiumber of
t,nada, and
in Sand-
influence
Lges, was
The affairs of the two compnnics were l)ecoming des-
perate. The wliolo Nortli- Western territories were in
confusion, and trade was well-nigh ruined. Lord Sol-
kirk died in hS2() in France; and largely through the
efforts of tlie Hon. Fdward Ellice, a reconciliation between
the hostile conijianies took place, and a union was formed
on the 2(3th of March, 1(S2 1, under the name of the older or
Hudson's Bay Company. The new company, combining
the stability of its English and the energy of its Cana-
dian parentage, was placed under the governorship of a
man of great energy and mark, well known in later
years as Sir George Simpson. Born in Ross-
i shire, young Simpson had early gone to London, siiGeorg)
and become a clerk in a City house. The task Simpson,
was a difficult one, for which the young clerk
was selected in being sent out to harmonize the com-
panies, and his secret instructions were very flexible.
A man of immense determination Simpson soon became
the king of the far-traders. With the self-possession
of an emperor he was l^orne through the wilderness.
He is said to have made the canoe journey from Mon-
treal to the Red River forty times ; and in 1842 cross-
ing the continent, the experienced traveller visited the
Sandwich Islands, the coast of Alaska, passed through
Siberia, and made his way to London, having travelled
round the world. On the introduction of a local
government into the district of Assiniboia, or the Red
Eiver settlement. Governor Simpson became the presi-
dent of the council. For his distinguished management
of the Hudson's Bay Company aflairs, nnd for his ser-
vices to the trade of Canada, Governor Simpson was
knighted, and he died in 1860, a man who would have
been of mark anywhere, but developed greatly by his
well-nigh forty years of responsible service.
Section II. — The Life of the Traders,
There is a strange fascination about the life of the
fiir-trader. Placed in charge of an inland fort, sur-
rounded and ministered to by an inferior race, and the
ifl
' %
.■'"I
L
334
A Short History of
t
loader of a small band of cmployrs, liis decisions must
bo final, and his word taken as law. As a monarcli of
his solitnde ho has i^'-reat responsibility. His supply of
goods must bo obtained. There arc places in tlio Yukon
region where, a short time ago, nine years wore needed
from the time goods left London until news of their
receipt came back to London again. It required wisdom
and foresight to manage a post so remote.
Often also the merchandize is sold to the Indians on
credit, and though the poor savages aro honest, yet such
a system needs watchfulness. The Indians, too, aro
fickle, jealous, and com])laining, and much shrewdness
is required in dealing with them. The food supply is
in many regions a subject of serious tliought. Thero
are places in tho Hudson^s Bay territories where the
trader and his men never see a pound of flour in tho
year. On tho bay thousands of geese aro killed and
salted for winter use, and form the almost exclusive food.
On certain rivers a fish diet is tho chief means of sus-
tenance. In Arctic regions tho reindeer or musk-ox is
the mainstay, and bread and vegetables aro at some
Hudson's Bay Company posts unknown.
Yet it is a joyful sight to tho traveller in the distant
wastes of the North-West to see the fur-trader^s fort,
with the flag floating over it flaunting the well-known
letters H.B.C. Though the forts of the fur-traders vary
greatly, some being of wood, others of stone, there is a
family resemblance in them all.
A well-appointed post contains a considerable enclo-
sure. It may be from fifty to a hundred yards along
each side, and is a square or often an oblong. This space
is contained by a stockade, consisting* of posts some
twelve or fifteen feet high, driven into the earth closely,
side by side, and fastened by an inside breastwork. Tho
posts or pickets are of such wood as the locality may
afford. Oak is preferred if it can be had.
In the middle of one side of the enclosure is the gate,
with over it very often a watch-tower or giierite as
the French call it. The buildings within the stockade
are arranged around the sides, having a free space in
Tin: Canadian riiorLi:
335
tlio ml(l(ll(\ Tlioro is nro(l('tl n lurp^cr buildiiiL;* for tlio
storo or shop. Noru' this, or perh!i])H on tlu^ siilc* oppo-
site the ffJite, is socn tlic rcvsitlonco of tho chiof oflicor or
boiirfipois ns tho Nor'- Westers cnllod liiin.
Several houses, th(i miinhor (lepeufliui^- on tho im])ort-
aneo of tlie tort, are needed for tlie men : those ,.lso fuco
tho open scpiare. Ff of suflicient importance tho fort
may havo a bhicksmith's forge, and in tronl)h)ns times
the smith liavo cliurnfo of tho two or throe rusty four-
pounders that frown from prominent positions upon all
assailants. Kitchens, outhouses, and stables^ completo
tho buildings arranged in order around the open space.
In tho busy season scores of Indians, scpiaws, and
children, may be soon in groups seated on the ground in
tho midst of the fort, their encampment being a group
of tents, bark or skin, outside tho stockade.
On the site of the present city of Winnipeg thei-ohavc
been fivo foi'ts, which may well illustrate the ]irogress,
slow though it may have been, made in tho fur trade.
About 17j3(), Yorandrye's post, Fort IJouge, was
hurriedly built on a wooded point at tho junction of tho
Kcd and Assiniboine Rivers, and on tho south side of tho
latter. It was merely an erection of logs, and was soon
deserted.
In 18{)(), after tho union of the North-Wost and X Y
Companies there was erected on tho north side of the
Assiniboine River at its " forks ^' witli the Red River a
considerable post, Fort Gibraltar. Its stockaded walls
were about 2()0 yards in length on each side. While eight
houses wore arranged around tho square, tho front of the
chief trader's residence extended for sixty-four feet. This
fort was levelled to the ground by Governor Semple in
181G.
In the year 1812 had been begun, about a mile below
Fort Gibraltar, facing on Red River, Fort Douglas, bear-
ing Lord Selkirk's family name. Small at first, it grew
to be a considerable fort. The material of Fort Gibral-
tar, on its destruction, and of a fort at Pembina, was
floated down the river, and used in tho enlargement of
Fort Douglas.
I
I ';'1
■:>.i'
i< n
i
33(^
A Short IIistokv oI"
About tlio year 1822 wns hiiilt, near tlio former site of
Fort Gibrnllui", tlio ori^iunl Fort Garry, ho called from a
prominent diivctoi* of tlio Hudson's JJay C()ni])any. 'i^bc
buildiiiLT of tliis fort was tlio result of tlio liappy union of
tlio Nortb-VVest and Hudson's Hay Coinpauies. It was
a strong*" fort, bad bcavy oak bastions, largo and well-
constructed wooden buildings, but waa replaced in
tbirteen or fourteen years.
Tbe Hudson's J5ay Company found it necessary to
relieve Lord Selkirk's boirs of tbe colony of obligations in
wbicb tliey were involved, and in 1885, tbe year in wbicli
a govTrnniont was establisbed at Red J?iver, tbe later
Fort Garry was built, to tbo west of tbo older fort, on tbo
rising ground. Surrounded by walls of solid masonry
ten or twelve feet bigb, witb its four circular bastions,
witb loop-boles for cannon and firearms, and presenting
on its prairio side its gateway of castellated masonry,
Fort Garry bad a formidable appearance.
Tbe five forts of Winnipeg are now tbings of tbe past,
but tbey are types of tbe advance made in exploration
and trade. York Factory and Prince of Wales or
Cburcbill Fort on Hudson Bay saw similar mutations.
Lower Fort Garry, Cumberland House, Edmonton, Fort
Ellice bave each tlieir tale to tell ; but, being tbe centres
of accessible or fertile regions, tbeir glory as fur-trading
posts lias passed away.
Near tbe moutb of tbe Souris River tbe traveller up
tbe Assiniboinc, into which the Souris flows, may tracu
the outlines of three forts. These represent the three
rival movements of which we have spoken as in existence
at the beginning of this century. Brandon House, the
first of these, was the fort of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany, and the site of every building of it may still be
traced. Less distinct, but still quite visible, are the ruins
of Assiniboino House and Fort a la Souris, the rival
posts of the North-West and X Y Companies.
On Hudson Bay the York Factory of 1812 was the
successor of several forts which had been built in its
neighbourhood. The fort of this date was an enclo-
sure 400 feet long by 300 feet wide, and contained a
I
Tilt; Canadian Plopli:.
5^7
icr site of
,cd tVom u
(uiy. 'l'l»»'
y union ot
s. It was
juul well-
jplacod in
cessary to
igations in
ir in whicli
, tlio later
fort, on tlui
,d masonry
r bastions,
presenting"
l1 masonry,
of tlio past,
exploration
Wales or
mutations.
)nton, Fort
the centres
ur-tradinf,^
L-aveller up
may trace
the three
a existence
[House, tlio
Bay Com-
ly still be
\e the ruins
the rival
was the
luilt in its
an enclo-
Intained a
con'^idorable ''])ikM>f buildings." The njastor^srrsidenco
was, we are told, a h«tuso of two stories in height, biidly
built, heated entirely l)y grates, having ** not an Anu'ri-
rnn <>r Swedish stove*' to I'l.'sist tlu^ severity of the
climate. Near the water's edge was a hiuneli-house or
cfirioe-store, in danger of being eai-ried away by tli(» ice
evi'ry year, tor thi^ site of tlu; tbrb is dcseribed as
"marsliy." Th(»re was no garden at the tbrt, and the
whole was enclosed by a stockade of cedar posts, some
sixteen feet above the ground^ but of little use for
defence.
The most western of the fur-traders' posts was tiiat of
F(»rt Victoria, erectinl so late as ISIO, at the time when
\'ancouver's Islaiul was given over to the ILudson's Bay
Company. It was a square enclosure of 100 yards
length on each side, was i)rotect(>d by cellar pickets,
twi'uty feet high, and had octagonal bastions, on each of
which six-pounder iron guns were mounted on the north-
west and south-west angles. The buildings of the fort
were eight in number, and of considerable magnitude.
Just as now the site of the fur-trader's post at Fort
Orange, Albany ; or Cataracpii, Kingston ; or Bouille,
Toronto is sought for l)y the curious, so Fort Garry, or Fort
William, oi* Brandon House, or Fort Victoria is a memo-
rial of the trade which has retreated from the more
southern fur-trading districts to the banks of the
Churchill, the jNIackenzie, or the Yukon rivers.
And yet, that early fur-trade and its picturesque scenes
should not be forgotten. Sonu'times it was carried on in
the ponderous York boat, of which it was one season's
work to leave Brandon House, and by way of Lake
Winnipeg and the Nelson River reach York Factory, and
return, laden on the way down with furs, and on the way
up with bales of goods; at other times it was by
"\vc.y of Lachine, up the Ottawa by canoes, through Lake
Superior, and thence north-westward. But by whatever
route conducted, it was a powerful agent in preparing
for the opening up and colonization of north-western
Canada.
Washinofton Irving' has described in '^ Astoria," the
z
i
i
i
338
A Short IIistorv of
' i
picturesque and somewhat hilarious life of the fur-trader
in the Nor'wester capital of Montreal. Factors, traders,
and voyageurs revelled in their liberty till the advance
of the season compelled the voyage to be again under-
taken. 'J'hey sang at Ste. Anne as they entered the
Ottawa Eiver " their parting hymn/' prayers were said to
the patron saint of the voyageurs, the priest's blessing
was received, and they hied away to face the rapid,
ih'clinrgc, or portage of their diflieult 7'oute. When Fort
William, on Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, was reached,
th(\v turned over their merchandize to new relays of
men.
A French-Canadian trader, Franchere, who went to
the Pacific coast in the Astor Company and returned
overland, has given a picture of the Fort William of the
Nor'westers in 1814. This fort, named from the Hon.
William McGillivray, was the rendezvous of hundreds of
ti'aders. trappers, and Indians. AVhether judged by the
great gathering from the wilds, the storehouses filled
with valuable furs, the supplies stored away for distribu-
tion to the far-away posts, or from its being the head-
quarters where all the partners met once a year and
decided on the plans and business of the company, the
fort on the Kamiuistiquia should ever be remembered.
The wild traders, who brought the furs to Fort William,
and carried their bales of merchandize to the interior,
looked with contem])t on the patient French-Canadians,
who toiled up the lakes to Fort William, and sneeringly
called them " pork- eaters," still a term of reproach in
the north-west. The traders north and west of Fort
AVilliam rejoiced in the name " runners in the woods,'^
and many of them had Indian blood in their veins.
The French- Canadians and Indians blended well
togethei' in producing a lithe, hardy, and wild-spirited
race. This mixed people became faithful adherents of
the enterprising merchants, the hot-blooded Celts of the
Scottish element in Montreal.
In the Hudson's Bay Company trade from Hudson Bay
to the interior there was far less of the French or High-
land dash, but there was the stead v, toilsome labour of a
THE Canadian PEorLE.
339
faitbful race. For more than a century tlio Hudson's
Bay Company has taken its eiiiployos from the Orkney
Islands. Of Scandinavian orii^in the Orkney labourers
of the fur company could endure any hai'dship, and are
of most peaceable and tractable disposition. Like the
French-Canadians, many of them have intermarried with
the Indian -women. Their descendants are a quiet, ease-
loving people. AYliile the French half-breed may be
compared to a wild mustang, the Orkneynian or English-
speaking half-breed is the patient roadster.
Scattered throughout the whole fur-trader's territory
will be found the half-l)reed of French- Canadian or
Orkney origin. Some beautiful lake, or sheltered bend
in the river, or the vicinity of a trader's post, has
been selected by him as his home, and partly as an agri-
culturist or gardener, but far more of a hunter or
trapper, he rears his dusky race. Sometimes, when the
engage had served his score or two of years for the com-
pany, he retired with his Indian spouse and swarthy
children to float down the streams to the older settle-
ments, to ivhat has been called '' the paradise of Eed
Eiver," and there, building his cabin on land allotted by
the fur company, spend his remaining days.
Whatever may be said of its influence on the white
man, the fur-trade has been a chief means in cement-
ing the alliance between the white and red man. The
half-breeds are a connecting link between the superior
and the inferior race.
For many years it was the inflexible regulation of the
Hudson's Bay Company to allow no half-breed to become
an officer, but the rule could not be maintained, and on
account of the Hudson's Bay Company having always
assisted in the education and Christianization of the
native people, many of them have risen to high places in
the fu^"-^"rade, as well as in other spheres of life.
i
Section HI. — Famous Journeys through the Fur-traders*
Land.
To Yerandrye and his sons, as we have seen, belono-s
z 2 °
.ft
340
A Short History of
Verandrye, the honour of discovering the Cai"iadian norfch-
1731-1749. west. They explored, in the surprisingly short
time of eighteen years, several thousands of miles of
the " watery way," north-west of Lake Superior, named
all the important lakes or rivers of the fertile prairie
section, and built forts at the chief centres of trade.
The first adventurer who successfully explored the
la France, river and lake route between Lake Superior
1738-1742. and Hudson Bay was Joseph La France, ii,
French- Canadian half-breed, born at Michilimackinac
in 1704. He was an unlicensed trader or freebooter.
Having been arrested by the French Govei-nor on
Nipissing liiver, he escaped, fled by Verandrye's route
to Lake Winnipeg, joined the Indians in the interior,
became their captain, and with them, in birch-bark
canoes, floated down the Nelson Eiver, reaching the
English Hudson's Bay Company traders at York Factory^
June 29th, 1742.
It was a notable day when the Hudson's Bay Company
Hearne, determined to leave the sea-coast to which they
1769-1774. had clung for a hundred years, and penetrate
the interior with exploring and trading parties.
This was done under the leadership of Samuel Hearne,
Avho has, on account of his successful journeys, been
called the " Mungo Park of Canada." Leaving Prince
of Wales Fort, at the mouth of Churchill River, after
two previous unsuccessful attempts, in 1771 Hearne
reached the Coppermine River, and having descended it
to its mouth, arrived at the Arctic Sea, and may be
called its discoverer. From defective knowledge of in-
struments he placed the mouth of the Coppermine in
71° N. — three or four degrees of a mistake. It was
Hearne, who, in 1774, conducted the expedition which
built Cumberland House on the Saskatchewan.
Led on by Hearne^s heroic journey for the Hudson's
Mackenzie, Bay Company, Alexander Mackenzie, of the
1789. North-west Company, determined to seek the
Arctic Sea. Pursuing the fur-trade at Fort Cliippe-
wyan, on Lake Athabasca, in 1789, he fitted out four
canoes,
and
manning
them with French- Canadian
iliau north-
singly sbort
of miles of
rior, named
•tile prairie
trade.
:plored tlio
ie Superior
France^ ji,
ilimackinac
freebooter,
overnor on
rye^s route
le interior,
bircli-bark
aching the
L'k Factory^
Tine
Caxadux People.
'iver, aftei*
71 Hearne
3scended it
d may be
sdge of in-
ermine in
3. It was
ion wliich
) Hudson's
ie^ of the
► seek the
t Cliippe-
I out four
-Canadian
fSr,;:'!,.I;f--. ' C°™PanF. The
li}0 in 1804, leavino St L.?P'^"^^ ■^"'^i^ and^ Clark
Missouri, crossed from ,> '' ''^'^''"ded the , '
Hocky Mountains to Cnion^roTtrr^r'- '""^ ^^'"■"''
on the Pacific Coast nS , *'l® Columbia, 1804-806.
-^, reaching thelChoTheMl "^"-'Vthe san.e
/he second exnprlif,-^ Missouri in 1806
-1.0, with a sSfpartvTn^' °f Lieutenant Pike
-cended the Missis^f ,tn^sfr ''^'^^' ''^'^^^y''
.'™o, and explored LaL 1 '' ^°"'^. 'I
fndmns call it, Otter-t.?l ^™^f «' or, as the ^'"e.isos.
Wwaters of ' the Ee^"-, J'^e Jound it to be the
'^« -orth-west CompJ'J, 2= it^ZTS .°!
i'f'
' ■■'fi
•
34^
A Short Histokv of
t-:^
1798. Substantially agreeing with Thompson, the ex-
plorer thus fixed one source of the Mississippi.
The third expedition was that of Major Long, in
1823. The exploring party left Philadelphia in April,
passed overland to Prairie du Chien, on the Mississippi,
ascended thjit river, descended the lied Hiver to Pem-
bina, and there took an observation to ascertain the
Long and 4<9th parallel. On August 8tli an oak post
Keating, was erected on the boundary, on the north side
1823. qP which were the letters G.B., and on the south
U.S. On this memorial the American flag was hoisted.
The party not being able to follow the 49th parallel to
Lake Superior, on account of swamps, descended the Red
E-iver to the Selkirk settlement, and returned by way
of Lake Winnipeg to Lake Superior. Coming down
the lakes and crossing the country. Major Long reached
Philadelphia in October, having accompUshed this re-
markable journey in less than six months.
The fame of Captain, afterwards Sir Jolin, Franklin
Captain -^.^s largely gained by two overland journeys
Franklin ^^^ ^^^^ fur- traders' country. The first of these
1819-1822. was in 1819. Accompanied by explorers,
afterwards so well-known as Richardson and Back,
Captain Franklin went by the ship belonging to the
Hudson's Bay Company to York Factory, and proceeding
by winter journey the party had all reached Fort
Chippewyan by July, 1820. In October the expedition
had erected a winter station, which they called Fort
Enterprise, near the head-waters of the Coppermine
River. By descending the Coppermine the Polar Sea
was reached in July, 1821, and Hearne's mistake was
corrected, the mouth of the Coppermine being settled
as in nearly 67° 48'. The coast-line eastward along the
sea was followed by more than six degrees to Cape
Turnagain. After much suffering, the expedition once
more reached Fort Enterprise, and found its way home
to Britain in 1822.
The second journey of this great explorer was, with
the same leading companions, undertaken in 1825.
Having again reached Fort Chippewyan, the journey
'HiE Caxadiax People.
northward wnc- ^^ i- -.
"t their 0,0 t 0, :; ,r^^'' Ti^ y^" -into,, .pent
Bear Lake TI,;, . ^'"■' * '•inkli,!, 0,1 Gro-,t ^"■"Win-,
F-nlcl- r,e,i , P;"7^, .-xt .livided: Cap;:,- ZZy
theMack-e..ioto°t,; 1°' '^-J ^^''"='', 'l^^^'oi.doa "25 ijjr.
of 1778, b„t failln,, D.%th 1 "'"'"" '^°°k"' % Cudo
party, which vvoMt to Vhn ''"^"""/""'''"'•te'l the ot or
coasted eastward to tL'tu'thof'tf 'r" -^^-"^'--io and
lie ascended. 1^ Sont^ , , '° ^°PPe'''ni'io whici,
ga,uod Port Fra.^din PXrc^'H"^""' P'"'''- ^- 0-
sp«it-, I„ Soptembe,- ISo- „ '^^""'l -inter was
>-eturn,„g,.eaclL,Lo,;;i„r'' *' '"'^='^^^^'"' ^i^eovcC
■oack was sent „, 1 "d» nacl come of him p ^ ■
hv ,i„ -f- overland to seek li,-,„ „ ii ' '^■■'Pta,n
fill v,''"'''"8- the waters from 'T'. ^'^ ^™tie coast
18o3, the Indians and t,-aders trie . 1?^'''''^'^" "'July,
""^king- the attenipt. B 1 tef *° '^''^""'^^ l"'>n from
Heliance, and wintei-ed tW T l^^P^vered, built Fort
bears Ws name, and whi fefel'fp *''^ "-'• -'"^h
J^ews reached him of t, "''^o called Gi-eat Fish Kivpv
-l;aler, and he ,et rnod to V^T f ■ ^^'''-" ^oss by a
One of the most fng-land in 18^5 ^
the wild Northland wnl'^hnf "r"'"T ^l" ^-^^Ploration of
% Company itself u 1830 J"'"" ''^ *''° ^ndson's
™o Hudson's Bhtt fv ' conducted by
Deaseand Thomaf Simp '^^ r)"® '^''^ ^^eter Dease and
Mackenzie Rive,. , "lrnP-on. Desceudmg- the Simpson,
Mowed thf A ct : ioasr"*' "" ^^P^^i'-n "^«^"*''-
■EeturnReef.-reXXt^ET''''"''' P'''?^'^ i^ranklin's
a foot journey thence to pt «''"''' ^"-^ ^^^P^on made
^gam to the i^ionth of thf^r r™^- ^^''^ coming
f oonded, and from ?t tt ^^^^ckenae, that river was
head of Great Bea^ Lal-J T°^'^^?, ^^^ '"^do to Ihe
buJt. -L^l^o, where Fort Coni3deuce was
Having wintered here in tl,. f 1, ■
' '" ^^^ following spring the
UNI
rliM±
344
A Short IIisturv of
ptii'ty descondcd tlir Coppcrmiiio River, and coasting
eastward along- tlio l*olar Sea came to Capo Tiirnagain iu
August, ls;37. lletracing their stops, the expedition
regained Fort Conlidence, and wintered there. In the
next year, KS3H, bravely venturing to the sea-coast again,
and resuming their eastward journey, the explorers
readied now ground, passed Dease's Strait, and discovered
Cape Britannia, Taking two years to return, Simpson
arrived at Foi't Garry, and, disappointed at not receiving-
further instructions, departed for Britain a few days
afterwards. While oi route, he was killed, either by his
half-breed companions or his own hand, in Minnesota, in
1840. He is buried at St. John's, Winnipeg.
No events have so bound England to our northern
land as the search for Sir John Franklin.
Search for Jj^g ]r^gf; voyage, in 1845, was with two ships,
1848-1859 ^^^® Erehus and Terror, and loO men, to seek a
north-west passage. With the many voyages
by sea in search of the lost commander, we have hero
nothing to do. His old companion. Dr. Richardson,
hastened in 1848 by land journey to seek him. Reaching
Fort Chippewyan, the route by Great Bear Lake and
the Coppermine River was followed. With his com-
panion, JJr. Rae, the coast of the Arctic Sea was searched
by Dr. Richardson without finding any traces of the lost
commander.
It was in 1854 that Dr. Rae, leading an expedition
along the coast of Hudson^s Bay, obtained on the west
side of Melville peninsula, plate and the silver decorations
of the lost captain, from the Eskimo. Dr. Rae received a
portion of the reward offered by the British Government.
The painful uncertainty was finally set at rest by an
expedition under Captain McClintock, in 1859, finding,
west of King William^s Land, a packet, stating that Sir
John Franklin had died iu 1847, and leaving no doubt
as to the fate of the party, not one of whom had survived.
Not many years before the Hudson^s Bay territories
Milton and p^'Ssed into the hands of Canada, Viscount
Cheadle, Milton and Dr. Cheadle, descending the
1862, 1863. f{e(j River by canoes to Fort Garry, or-
rf j:£S1!j1l* ^iIL;
THE Canadian People.
545
i
" (fl
1
* M
li'
£l
1
^1
1
coasting
lagiiiii iu
ipeditioii
In the
st again,
3xplorers
Lscovei'od
Simpson
receiving
["ew days
er by bis
lesota, in
northern
Franklin,
wo ships,
to seek a
' voyages
have hero
ichardson,
lleachiug
ake and
his corn-
searched
f the lost
gani/ed an overland expedition, going by Red River
carts over the ])lains to Fort (.'arlton, and wintered
at the post they had built near it, called " Ln J^elle
Prairie." In spring they crossed \)y the Yellow Head
pass through the Rocky Mountains to British Columbia,
and after enduring the greatest hardships, reached the
I'raser River, wliich they descended to New, Westminster,
after which they soon arrived at Victoria, Vancouver's
Island.
By journeys such as those have British courage and
self-denial been made plain to the world, and the features
of the vast interior made known to us.
» ' » I 1
"J
:pedition
the west
Icoratious
leceived a
lernment.
;t by an
finding,
that Sir
10 doubt
urvived.
trritories
Iscount
r the
l-ry, or-
346
A Short History tf
CHAPTER X.
THE MAKING OF CANADA.
(1817— 183G.)
(Kcfereiiccs : *• Imperial Papers on Eraigratiou," London,
1847-48 ; " Correspondence with British Quartermaster's Depart-
ment, Archives, Ottawa ;*' '' British America," by Joseph Bouchette,
3 vols., London, 18o2; "Autobiography of John CJalt," 2 vols.,
London, 18r*)3 ; " Three Years in Canada," 2 vols., by J. IMcTaggart,
London, 18:^9 ; " Hints to Emigrants." by William Bell. Edinburgh,
1824; " Early Settlement of reterborough," by Dr. L'oole, 18G7;
" Gait and its Neighbourhood," by James Young, M.P.)
Section I. — TJie Great Immigration.
Napoleon was now a prisoner in St. Helena. The
defence of Canada had been successful. Britain was afc
peace. Social discontent is more heard in times of peace
than amidst the din of war. Industries which supply
the material of war are stopped, and hardships come to
the unemployed. Disbanded soldiers in large numbers
naturally appeal to the State for support, and are not
disposed to be industrious, even should employment be
found them. The Napoleonic wars had lasted for nearly
twenty years, and while their continuance had blighted
many a home, yet their cessation caused wide-spread
suffering also.
In 1815 the Imperial Government must devise a
remedy, and emigration was that decided on. Lord
Bathurst, Secretary of State, with much zeal undertook
to work out the plan of relief. The Government was
willing to give settlers a choice of land in either Upper
Canada or Quebec. This was far from being a pauper
..fit
THE Canadian People.
347
emif»'ratioii, liowovcr. All who wcro accoptod hj tlio
Govi'rnmeut must bo of ^ood cluiractor, and each head
of a family was required to deposit l(j/. with tho
Governmout, besides two guineas on his wife's account.
To clergymen Jind schoolmasters free grants of land were
promised ; and in the case of considerable colonies,
provision was made for tho support of a church and
schooh
To those who had complied with the conditions tho
Government then gave a free passage in ships to Canada,
assigned lands to each fjimily, provided tools for clearing
and cultivating the soil, and dealt out rations until after
the first harvest had been reaped, ^rhcso were certainly
liberal conditions.
The best known, and perhaps most prosperous of the
different groups of colonists, was that called
the '' ]\Iilitary Settlement. '^ This was formed settlement,
in Upper Canada in 181G, in the townships of
Bathurst, Drummond, Jieckwith, and Goull)nrn, these
names being those of the British officials closely
connected with the movement.
By the close of the year, 230 men and 708 discharged
soldiers had been placed on their holdings, and these, with
women and children, made up a population of 1890 souls.
Largely Scottish, the colonists were from I'erthshire,
Lanark, and adjoining shires, and in consequence '' Perth
Settlement " gradually became the name of the military
colony. Many settlers from Paisley, Scotland, driven
from home by the bad state of trade in the manufactories,
joined the colony. In 1820 no less than 1100 p^ ^ns
from Glasgow and Lanarkshire settled in the townships
of Lanark and Dalhousie. A portion of the colonists were
induced to settle at Grantham, Wickham, and AVendover,
on the St. Francis, in the eastern townships of Lower
Canada. In 1819 there were 292 houses erected in these
townships. In the neighbouring settlement of Drum-
mond ville there were, in the same year, 235 souls.
The whole of these settlements were under military
control, continuing in charge of the British Quarter-
master's Department until 1822.
si?
!•■
34«
A Short Mistorv (^k
McNab
Colony,
Anoilicr sc^ttlenient of tliis period was the IFi^'lilauil
f'oloiiy iit tlie Lac (los C'liats, up the Ottjiwji,
iiiuU'i' the cliief ^IfXiil). Jioro " tho McNuh ''
s()u«^lit to muintiiiii the former i^-lorios of his
chill. \\'\rr]\ on tlie l)()kl mid ahriipt wliore of tho lake
stood tho chieftain's pictiirescpio resiihuice, Kinell Lodge.
Ilo Ih'id vocoivcd tho grant of a wliolo township, and
brought out Ills clansmen at a consi(U'i'al)lo expense to
settle it. When on his visits to little York, tho capital
of tho ' ^'ince, the chieftain wor(» his ''bonnet and
feather. lU and sporran, and besides his bright scarlet
vest wi«ii its silver buttons/^ The chief was always
attended by his piper, .and was really a bright spot amid
tho sombre hues of backwoods life. The efforts to main-
tain a feudal establishment in McNab township ended in
failure, though a visitor in 1828 speaks of the characteristic
lios])itality of "the McNab."
During this period Bytown was laid out, in 182G, in
the township of Nepean. The township was
called from the British official of that uame,
and tho town from tho well-known Colonel By, the royal
engineer who constructed the Rideau Canal. The town
of Hull, on the opposite bank of the Chaudiere Falls, had
been begun in 180G by Philemon Wright, Esq., from
Boston, who brought thither plentiful means and a colony
of his countrymen. Bytown early became a chief seat of
the lumber industry. Its streets, Wellington and
Rideau, were on the line parallel to the rivev. Above
Bytown, on the river, was the large estate of Captain Le
Breton, called Britannia. Through its situation, being
remote from the frontier, Bytown was in later years chosen
as capital of Canada, and its name changed to Ottawa.
During this period a large and dependent Irish
Irish element of the population found its way to
immi gra Canada. A writer of the time attempts an
^^°^' explanation of the movement from Ireland
thus : " The increase of the operative population in
Great Britain and Ireland rapidly outstripped the demand
for their labour ; and the application of new agents iu
manufactories, and the more general use of machinery,
(Jtti»w;i,
s of liis
tho lako
11 [jod^c.
A\'\\), and
:peuso to
10 capital
iinot and
lit scai'k't
,s always
^pot amid
J to iiiain-
I ended in
I'acteristic
THE Canadian Pi:orLi:.
349
p*^"'''^''y "^vriter : — "In iQzo, tatnous for
speculations, schemes, and companies in the
City of London ; when the bowels of tho Mexican moun-
tains received stron**" ])ur^atives in order to i'vve them of
ingots uf gold and silver; when the ])earl-oyster of th(!
Orient seas yawned with surprise at the ap])earancc of
diving-bells; and when golden sands, said to be brought
irom tho shores of Africa, were spread in the courts and
alleys of Lombard Street to allure the unreflecting — tlio
wilderness of Canada was opened before the j)ublic, and,
contrary to all e.\])ectation, received a considerable share
of attention." In 182(> tho Canada Compjiny was
incorporated under an Imperial Act, with a capital of
1,01HI,(MH)/. sterling.
Tho antiquarian wandering along tho eastern part le patronay'c.
A «4'('ntleman, not more distintjfuisliL'd for liis active
ndministi'ation of the atfuirs of the company thnn for his
litL'rary zeal, Ix'camo the Secretary ol" the company, in
J"ne, 182«). Tliis was John Cialt, Escj., a native of
/ ,'rshire, Scotland. lie was a most prolific writer.
His romances, 'Mjaurie Todd," the ''Ayrshire Lcj^atees/'
''The Kntail," and ''The Annals of the i'arish," are
pi'ihaps the best of his abundant elforts. We Jiavo liis
autobiography, a work of interest also in connection with
the Canada Com])any. Mr. Gait was a man of too muck
gL'uiuK to conduct very long the affairs of a large joint-
stock land company. His decisions were often hastiy, his
projects rather visionary, and his humour variable.
Another ofHcer of the company was the eccentric Dr.
J)unlop, who meets us as a character in Professor
Wilson's " Noctes Ambrosiauie." Ho was aj)pointed
])y the company '' warden of the woods and forests."
Dunlop siu'veyed a considerable portion of the company's
tract. He Avas assisted in this by Ca]itain John Brant,
son of old Thayendenagea, and two energetic lieutenants,
Messrs. Sproat and Macdonald.
The vast Huron tract was surveyed into twenty town-
slii])s. These, such as Hullett, McKillop, Logan, EUice,
Easthope (N. and S.), Downie, EuUarton, Tucker Smith,
Biddulph, Usborne, Blanshard, liosanquet, AVilliams,
McGrillivray, Stanley, Goderich, and Colborne, were
named after the directors of the company or prominent
officials of the Government.
The town, now the City of Guclph, was founded by
Gait himself, accompanied by a number of friends, amidst
great hilarity, in the year 1827. It was the centre of
the Halton Block of 42,000 acres. Its plan, which was
somewhat nnique, was then made. Its name was given
by Gait, in honour of the reigning house of England, and
the epithet ^' Royal City," now attaches to Guelph. A
considerable commotion arose over its naming. The
British Board of Directors had decided to name their
'A ; ■'
•■'■\
' ; • "
, > ■"
^11
■i^ m
, .:^M
1
■ . 't . /
352
A Short History of
new burgh after Lord Godericli. The news arrived in
England that the new town had been eallcd Guelpli.
Orders were immediately given to change the name. As
deeds to purchasers had been issued, this could not well
be done, and the secretary's naming remained. The
chief river of the Huron tract is called by the Indians,
Menesetung, but on account of its difficult pronunciation,
Dr. Dunlop called it, from the governor's name, the
Maitland. The eccentric warden, in 1827, laid out a
new town at its mouth, calling it Godericli, and here took
up his abode.
The lands of the Canada Company, being generally of
good quality, were sold to the immigrants who v^ere
arriving from Britain by thousands. Their Huron tract,
being the most remote and in a block, was last to be
settled. In 1835, there were not more than 3000 souls
upon the Huron tract. The possession of so great
quantities of land by non-residents, gave rise to much
complaint throughout Canada. It was said that capi-
talists were able to hold as wild land what was being-
made more valuable by the labour and self-denial of the
actual settler. Political agitation has always set in, in
the new world, as the result of the establishment of large
land-holding companies, and a somewhat bitter senti-
ment remains among the people in Western Canada
against the Canada Company even to-day.
Joseph Brant, as we have already seen, sold the largo
The township of Dumfries to Philip Stedman. From
Dickson the heirs of Stedman, the estate was purchased
Settlement, in 1816, by Hon. William Dickson, a Scottish
gentleman, and a member of the Legislative Council of
Upper Canada, at a price of little more than one dollar
an acre. The better to carry out his plans of settlement,
Dickson chose as his agent a young American, named
Absalom Shade.
Desiring to see the purchased tract of land, Dickson,
accompanied by his manager, came up the Governor's
road from Dundas until the Grand River was reached at
Paris. Turning northward into the forest, the travellers
journeyed and were specially struck witii the beauty and
•rived in
Guelpli,
me. Ah
not well
3cl. The
Indians,
inciatioii,
ame, tlio
id out a
iiere took
aerally of
vlio vera
ron tract,
last to be
;000 souls
so great
to mucli
tliat capi-
^ras being"
Liial of the
set in, in
t of large
ter senti-
Canada
tlie largo
m. From
)urcliased
Scottish
)ouncil of
)ne dollar
jttlement,
iu, named
DicksoB;
rovernor^s
'eaclied at
travellers
Icauty and
THE Canadian People.
353
Witness for a new business centre of the spot where now
stands the town of Gait. From the mill, which was soon
erected, the place took the prosaic name of Shade's Mills,
until after the visit of John Gait, Esq., in 1827 when, in
recognition of that .gentleman's popularity, the place was
named from liiai. Dickson now began to encourage im-
mi.ofration to his estate.
Namerous articles appeared in Scotland in Chamhers,
Journal and the regular press. In 1820 one JohnTelfer,
a retired Nor'wester trader, went to Scotland to induce
immigration, and a large colony was obtained for the Galfc
settlement from Roxburgh and Selkirk shires. In 1825
this movement was still in force, and even in 1831 and
succeeding years the flow to Dumfries continued. In
1831 there was devised a plan of connecting Gait, which
stands on the Grand River, with Lake Erie, by navigation.
Flat-bottomed boats such as are still used in the shallow
streams of the western prairies were constructed. These
were known as " Arks," but their navigation was slow
and difficult.
In the year after the death of Joseph Brant (1807), a
block of 29,000 acres of the land of the six
nations of Indians, on the upper part of the Grand seufemen^.
River, was sold to Colonel Thomas Clarke. Of
this tract the township of Nichol formed a part. In the
year 1833 a portion of the township was purchased by
Messrs. Fergusson and Webster, and the village of Fergus,
named from the former, was begun. Immigration to this
region continued for years after, atd many farmers from
Aberdeen and Mid-Lothian in Scotland, found homes
here.
This part of the country has become very celebrated
for agriculture, so that it has been a^ times called the
'' Lothians of Canada." Such townships as Garafraxa,
Eramosa, and Erin were occupied in a similar manner.
A township, lying to the south of this tract, that of
Wilmot, was settled by Mennonist Germans from Munich
in Bavaria, who were under a German leader, Naff-
zinger.
A most
interesting
colony was that of dis!j."r>ded
X a
354
A Short History of
Tho soldiers 1(mi by lliuii' rotired oiliccrs, who, in
Adelaide 1 8')2, Hottlod a consi(lonil>lo region in tlio
Military JjOiidon disti'ict in Upper Canada. Wliile llio
Settlement. J ^j^yj^j^ljjpy were l^eing reached and roads opened
out, a camp some 400 strong was formed. Officers iind
men were chieily Irish of a highly intelligent class. Tho
officers hjid commuted their half-pay before leaving Britain
into a sum in hand, and. on arriving in Canada received
a, grant of 400 acres each. Junioi- oflIc(!rs received 200
acres each, and tho men 100 acres apiece. Tho town-
ships settled were those of Adelaide, Warwick, Carradoc,
and Plympton, and. roads were cut Ijy tho pensioners
throngh to Egremont. Officers ami men set to work
with vigour. It is related of an old colonel that ho never
could learn to chop, but his sons became famous woodmen.
A unique *' logging-bee ^^ is described as having taken
place in which one ai'tei'wards Chief Justice of Upper
Canada, another in time a county judge, the colonel
aforesaid, and a young man now an e[)iscopal rector, did
their share with axe or handsyjikc, while the actual rector
of the settlement drove the oxen. As might have been
expected, men possessed of the courage and hardihood
thus to how out for themselves homes in the forest, wero
the first to spring to arms when the stand.'ird of rebellion
was raised a few years afterwards, and have many of
them risen to places of infhience in the country.
In the year THi32 a committee was formed in Sussex,
Petworth England, under the direction of the l^^arl of
or Sussex I'lgremont, to conduct a band of English enii-
Colony. grants to Canada. l]ru:\i colonist for the sum
of r>/. was conveyed to his destination in Upper Canada.
During that year three ships, the Lord Malv'dlc^ Evdinf,
and the Eiivent was the breakini>- out of
The Plague Asiatic cholera amonf]^ the immi<^rants seekini,'' a
in 1832- liome in Canada in \H-]1 and lH;i3. On the 8th
1834. of. June the terrible news reached (^uel)ec that
a ship, tlie (Jdirich, from Dublin, had arrived at Grosso
Isle, the qujirantino station, Avith fifty-nine deaths
from cholera, out of l:}^) passengers. Next day came
the infection as if ])orne by the wind, and cases broke
out in Quebec. On the lOth it had reached Montreal,
and so on through the towns and villages of Upper
Canada.
The plague seized Canada with peculiar severity. In
(Quebec city upwards of oOOO persons perished in this
year, and in Montreal a proportionate number. An agita-
tion grew out of this visitation and other causes to con-
nect Montreal with Upper Canada, but the French
Canadians opposed it. In 18-31 a second attack of the
cholera took place of equal virulence with that of two
years before, (Quebec and Montreal suffered greatly, as
well as cities and towns in tlie Upper Province. During
these two terribh; visitations ]iersons of. every age and in
all portions of so(uety fell as victims of the plague.
This period wo have called the ^' making of Canada."
The ^^ have done so because it marks the era in
making of which the various elements in the British Isles
Canada. |;qq]^ possession of the vacant lands in Upper
and Lower Canada, as they had done at an earlier period
in Nova Scotia and l*rince I'jdward Island. It is true
an enormous inunigration, of which we shall speak, took
place afterwards, in the years ])receding iHoO; but these
later immigrants were simply distributed among the
^iiuW
'II IK Canadian Pkople.
357
Rparso sottlcinonts already fonnod. Tlu^ U.E. Loyalists
had ^ivou the force of their ideas to the rising provinces,
but they were relatively few in number. In the period
before us we have a fiHiii'^" up of the waste places, the
]"iso of orjjcanized society, the reaehinLT out after a fuller
])olitical life, and the foundation of a real provincial
existence.
^Section If. — TJic. lumtihj C(»npact and Its Opponents.
The Faniiiy Compact manifestly grew out of the prin-
ciples of the U.Pi. Jjoyalists. It was the union of the
leaders of the loyjilists with others of kindred spirit, to
rule U})per Canada, heedhjss oi; the rights or wishes of
its people. We have admired the patriotic, heroic, and
sentimental side of U.I'j. loyalism ; but plaiidy, as related
to civil government, its political doctrines and practices
were tyrannical.
Its prominent nKunbers belonged to the chiss which in
the American coh)nics, in the ])ersous of (Jovernors Ber-
nard {ind Hutchinson, and many others of high oiHce and
standing, had plotted to destroy the liberties of the
people, and had hastened tlie American revohition. No
Jtoman patrician ever looked with more contempt upon
the Konuin ])lebs as they retired to Mous Jjiniculum,
than did the LT.E. Jjoyjilist upon the American democracy
and the young republic.
That famous representative of the jj^ovei-ning class.
Sir John Wentworth, the al'oretime Colonial (jovernor,
and as we have seen for years (lovernor of Nova Scotia,
detested such a dictum as that '' Government must bo l)y
the people, with tlu; p(M)ple, and for the people/^ as
tliorouglily as he despised Thomas J^aine's tierce attacks
oil the Christian religion ur the doctrine as to witchcraft
held by the early J*uritans. Wentworth, too, was not a
])asaive opponent of such doctrines. lie would meet
lire with fire ; he would adopt measures, as complete to
dispense with the popular will, as those of that older
Wentworth who, in the time of Charles I., formed the
plan with the suggestive name of " Thorough.^
t
■■A\
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i
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))
I ■■'..1
358
A Short History of
Inheriting such viovvs, having fought for their suc-
cess, having made tlio groat sacrifice of leaving homo
and gone into exile to maintain them, living in the
iramediate neighbourhood of their republican opponents,
and fearing lest they should bo outnuml)ered, or lest
their children should imbibe the poison of republicanism,
it is no wonder that the U.E. Jjoyalists desired and
strongly endeavoured to maintain an oligarchy in Upper
Canada. An oligarchy, such as the rule of the Family
Compact, was the natural fruit of the U.I^j. Loyalist
tree.
Nor did the circumstances of the time leave the U.E.
Loyalists without excuse. The great influx of Quakers,
Mennonites, and other non-combatants, was a weakness
in case of hostilities with the United States. The thou-
sands of American settlers, who, with no pronounced
views in favour of British connection, had come in to
enjoy the fertile lands of Canada, might create a senti-
ment in favour of the United States. Time and again, as
in the case of Iluirs proclamation in 1812, the American
Government counted on this sentiment in Canada as one
favourable to them, though it is true they counted with-
out their host.
It had been the custom in Governor Simcoe's time to
carefully examine into the principles of new settlers, and
to send those of unpronounced views into the interior,
and to settle the border with trusty men. About the
year 1800 much alarm was created in the minds of the
loyalists by this large immigration, and we have seen
that in 1804 the ^' Alien " or " Sedition Act " was passed
by the Legislature. It was dread of the popular senti-
ment that led to the severe treatment of Judge Thorpe
and Mr. Wilcocks in 1809. During the war of defence,
especially in the end of 1813, when the American arms
were victorious in the London district, it was found that
while the people w^ere loyal in the main, yet there were
traces among the later American immigrants of favour
for the United States.
On the other hand the war of 1812 — 1815 had brought
the U.E. Loyalists and their immediate friends into
LCir suc-
[ig homo
in tlio
»pouents,
, or lest
licanism,
ircd and
in Uppor
3 Family
Loyalist
tlio U.K.
Quakers,
weakness
Hlo thou-
onounccd
imo in to
3 a senti-
[ again, as
American
[da as one
ited witli-
s time to
tiers, and
interior,
bout the
ds of the
ave seen
as passed
lar senti-
iO Thorpe
' defence,
can arms
und that
ere were
lof favour
brought
inds into
'iiii'; Canadian Picorr.F.
359
closer acquaintance with one another. Cornwall, Kings-
ton, York, and Ningara had formed new attachments.
Concerted action in war opened the way to combined
action in pcjuco. Watchful leaders in the Church saw
the opportuuity of using tho loyalist sentiment to their
advantage. Thus by the years 1818 or 1820 a junto
or cabal had bec.Mi formed definite in its aims, and firmly
combined together, known as the Family Compact, nob
to its best leadtsrs seeming an embodiment of selfishness,
but rather set for patriotic defence, and hallowed with
the name of religion.
IJut while the l>ands of privilege were thus being
drawn closely around the self-appointed rulers, there
arose from the people those who remembered that they
were 15ritons, and tho inheritors of " Magna Cliarta '*
and " Habeas Corpus " rights, and who knew that in
tho end the people must rule. These were of no special
creed or race, even some of U.F. Loyalist parentage
were amongst them, and they included men who for
education and respectability might well compare with
the best of the oligarchy, while they far surpassed them
in political knowledge and soundness of judgment.
It has been often the case that in great movements it
falls to the lot of the extreme and the eccentric to hasten
forward the crisis of events. It was thus in the Puritan
conflict in England, in the American revolt, and in the
I'rench revolution. It was in 1817 that a Scottish
adventurer, Robert Gourlay, came to Canada. Born in
Ceres, in Fifeshire, a gentleman, and possessed of con-
siderable estates, he had met misfortune, having lost his
property in 181"), Ho was a visionary, a plotter, and
somewhat skilled in the ways of demagogism. Euined
in Scotland, Gourlay had gone to Wiltshire in England,
and undertaken the management of an estate. In this
he had failed to satisfy the proprietor, and so determined
to leave Britain, and followed in the wake of the military
colonists, who Jit this time we have seen were coming to
Canada. Gourlay was pleased with the country, and
saw its suitability for settlement. He determined to
establish himself as a land-agent, and no doubt in doing
'. •)
360
A Short History of
so, from his ardent find coiitrovorsifil rifitiirc, would bocorr.o
a trouljlosoino and })0werful opponent of the Family
Compact.
In order, as lie declared, the bettor to prepare liirnHelf
for tlio work of encournging iinniigi'ation, the* Fifeshiro-
exile sent out to every townsliif) in Upper Canada
a list of thirty-one queries asking for information.
The last of these questions became celebrated in coimec-
tion with Jifter events. It was, " What, in your o])inion,
retards the improvement of your townshij) in particular,
or the province.' in general, and what would most contri-
bute to the same ? ''
The Family Compact is not to l>o blamed for having
endeavoured to counterwork the agitator in so far as
they chose legal mcjthods. The questions certainly
occasioned much excitement throughout the province.
In the townships of the Home district the influence of
the Government was sufficient to prevent meetings of tlie
people being convened. iJut generally in the other districts
meetings were held, and the replies to the (pieries showed
much dissatisfaction. Gourlay advised the people to
send commissioners liorae to Britain to represent their
gritn'ances there, and a conventitm was held in York.
'i^he heather was now on fire, and the; Family Compact
determined at any cost to drive Gourlay from the country.
He was prosecuted for libel in 1818 in Kingston, but
the jury acquitted him, and a similar arrest and acquittal
took place in Jirockville. In that year an Act was passed
by the Legislature forbidding the holding of conventions.
But it occurred to the pursuers that the ^'Sedition Act"
of 1804 was suited to their purpose of following Gourlay.
The man had been in the province for two years, and yet
a member of the Assembly named Swjiyze, at the insti-
gation of the Hon. Messrs. IJickson and Claus, took oath
that the Fifeshire exile was a seditious person, and camo
within the provisions of the Act.
The doomed agitator was accordingly arrested and
thrown into prison, where he remained for more than
seven months before trial. In August, 1819, at Niagara,
before Chief Justice Powell, his most exciting trial was
THE Canadian PKoi-i.r:.
361
■witnessed. The prisoner was a pieture of misory ; ho
was emaciated, liis mind was ])lainly ^ivin rccoinuHMidatioii of WiUiaiii
Diirniiior rowcll, tho Chicjf dnsticc, made; Attoriicy-
(icnond at tlio aj^o of twcnty-t^no.
Jn lG.
l^higaged as t(;achor of the parish school in Kettle, Fife-
shire, lie received an offer to go to Canada from tho Hon.
Kichard Cartwright, of Kingston, to found an academy,
^Sifterwai'ds to become a college under the patronage o^"
the Goverjiment of the Province/'
When young Stnichan arrived in Canada in 17././,
(Governor Simcoe, the patron of education had gone, and
the young Scottish teacher was disheartened. A school
on a private basis was, however, soon after begun in
Kingston, which was transferred* to Cornwall in tho
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vwK Canadian People.
371
have discovered that, in the absence of the Chief Justice,
^vllo had gone to Britain, the sitting of the court was
illegal, and ho announced this to the assembled Bar,
refusing at the same time to sit. The relations
between the two lulii^s already mentioned, who both
desired to be leaders of York society, had also become very
unhappy. The (Jovernor and Council decided to remove
Judge Willis. This was done, and Justice Hagerman was
appointed his successor. The contention of J udgo Willis
was shown afterwards to be wrong, and his temper and
mien were far from commendable, but the opposition re-
garded his as a case of persecution, and this also did
nuicli to render the Family Compact unpopular in the
country.
Another unfortunate occurrence soon took place. A
greedy innkeeper at Niagara Falls, named For- >^Yie
syth, in order to prevent visitors to that in- Forsyth
teresting locality fi-om seeing the Falls without ^ffs,ir,
passing through his hostelry, built a high fence along
the front of his property, thus shutting in the Govern-
ment reserve of one chain in width along the river,
and hiding the view of the Falls. Ordered by Sir
Peregrine Maitland, as Commander of the Forces in
1828, to remove the barrier, he refused. A serjeant
and a fatigue party soon after appeared, threw down the
fence, demolished one of Forsyth's houses, which was
built on his own property, and threw the materials over the
bank into the river beneath. Though Forsyth was in the
wrong, yet the employment of military, and the high-
handed procedure aroused strong opposition to the Gover-
nor, and very nearly led to a conflict between the British
soldiers and the colonists such as had been seen in Boston.
Complaint w-as made to the Legislature. The As-
sembly summoned certain Government oflic^'Ms to give
evidence, Avho, instructed by the Governor, eiused to
attend before the Committee of the House. The officials
were arrested by the Assembly and imprisoned for
several days, when the Governor prorogued the House
and liberated the prisoners. Sir Peregrine had been
wrong both as to the destruction of Forsyth's property
B b 2
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372
A Short History of
«
and tlio instructions ^ivcn to the officinl witnesses. Tlu»
other char<;'es ngainst the (h'sj)otic governor were con-
stantly urged. Tlio popuhir excitement was great, so
that tlio storm raised chittly by tho unworthy innkee})er
resulted in tho Governor's recall by tho British Govern-
ment, and his being sent to Nova Scotia.
It was assuredly no bed of roses whicli Governor
Maitland left to his successor. A high officer,
CcJbo°rne ^^^ John Colborne, known in liis later life as
Lord Seaton, was sent to replace Maitland, and
to quiet tlio disturbed province. John Colborno was
born in 1777, in Hants county, England, llo had early
entered tlie army, and liad gained great distinction in tho
French wars, having risen to tho rank of major-general.
Sir John arrived in York in 1828. His predecessor had
left him a troublesome heritage in the Collins case.
This w\as that of a Roman Catholic printer, Francis
Collins, editor of a radical paper, the Canaduin Freeman,
which, from 1825, pursued a constant course of vitupera-
tion against the Family Compact. Its fierce attacks had,
if possible, exceeded those of tho Colonial Advocate.
Several libel suits were brought against Collins, when he
in revenge raised a charge against Solicitor-General
Boulton for having killed in a duel one Ridont. This
ailair had happened many years before. The trial took
place, but Boulton was acquitted. Collins now charged
the Colonial Advocate rioters with their crime, which had
not been tried. They were found guilty, and a slight fine
imposed upon them by Judge Willis. The libel suits
against Collins were allowed to drop.
Collins now became more ferocious than ever in his
The attacks. Beverley Robinson urged a charge
Collins of personal libel of himself as Attorney- General
^ against Collins. The Family Compact judge,
Sherwood, who was accused of being partial, charged
severely against Collins, and the prisoner was found
guilty. Heavy fines and imprisonment were visited on
the libeler, and a sentiment among the people some-
what similar to that in tho Gourlay case, followed the
unfortunate man to prison, while contempt fell on the
'• tl
Tin: Canadian Pkoplic.
Z7l
Attornoy-Genoral. Ic was at tins juncturo tliat 8ir .Lilin
Colboruo arrived at ^^>rk. Tho j)Coj)le, by public sub-
scriptiou, had })aid Collins' fine, and li / petitioned tho
(lovcrnor for his release. The requests uf tho people,
and even Collins' respectful petition to the Governor for
hiinself and his helpless fiunily, fell without eftect on a
man who had beheld the bloody scenes of tho Peninsula
and Waterloo.
The Assembly, in 18:20, took up tho case, and made a
strong' a])])eal to Sir elohu in Collins' behalf, but in vain.
Thoui^'h the final ap])eal of tho Assembly was successful,
the people never for^'avo the hard-hearted governor. lu
1829 the stru«»'i2:le continued between tho ''People's
House " and the Family Compact Executive Council.
Allan McNab, the son of a U.E. Loyalist, and Solicitor-
General Boulton fell under the displeasure of tho
Assembly, on account of their having refused to give
evidence before a committee of the House as to a riot in
Hamilton. Tho Assembly acted with decision. McNab
was committed to prison, and became a favourite of tho
Cabal ; the oc(;asion of Houlton's reprimand by Mr.
Speaker Bidwell is said to have been one of the most
impressive scenes in Canadian Parliamentary life.
About this time began to appear a line of cleavage
between Mackenzie and his radical followers and the more
moderate men of the Bidwell and Baldwin type.
In consequence, in the elections of 1830 the family
Family Compact gained ground, indeed had a Reaction,
majority in the Assembly. In 1831 the '^Ever-
lasting Salary Bill," rendering the judges and Executive
Council independent, as to salary, of the Assembly was
passed. In this year Mackenzie, who had been elected
in the new Parliament for York, notwithstanding the
political slaughter of Baldwin, Kolph, and Matthews,
became an object of special hatred to the majority.
Thrice was the virulent editor of the Colonial Advocate
expelled from tho Assembly, and as often was he re-
elected. William Lyon Mackenzie became the People's
Tribune, and on going to England the British authorities
admitted the injustice of the action of the Assembly, as
fS-
» .'
Ill
374
A Short Hisif):;v or
.
i% ■. ■
i
^/'
^>'$l
■ ♦
shown in n dospatcli of Lord (lodt'ricli in 18:1*^ TIiu
Assembly St ill rt'fustMl to udiiiit t]i(> obnoxious niombcr.
Aj^;iin was ho olcctud ; and followed by a great Ixnly of
Ills constitiK nts, ho dunianded admission to tlu' llous(»,
bnt was still refused. Mackenzio became the most
popular man in Canada, and in iHo (• was eliosen to bo
Mayor of 'J oronto, Jis York, incorporated as a city, was
now called.
Ihit the bnrnincT rpiestion of all tJieso years was ono
connected with relitable Dr. Strachan petitioned
tho House of Lords, and forwarded an '' Ecclesiastical
Chart,^' whose facts were indignantly denied by all tho
other Canadian churches. At this time arose a mau
who wielded a weighty pen, and as the leader of tho
Methodist body took a leading part in this controversy.
This was Egerton Kyersou. IJorn in LS()3, in tho county
of Norfolk, the son of a U.l^]. Loyalist officer of tho New
Jersey iwgiment, who had first gone to Now Brunswick,
and came to the shore of Lake Erie in 1791>, young
Eyerson, at the age of twenty-three, entered the ministry
of the Methodist Church.
It was in the year 1820 that Dr. Strachan preached a
sermon, the third eifort in the same direction as his
ecclesiastical chart. Young Ryerson, at the suggestion
of his brethren, prepared for the press a review extending
to the length of some thirty octavo pages, and signed it
" A Methodist Preacher.'^ This at once made the " boy
preacher " famous. In that year the Assembly passed
resolutions declaring that the funds from the Clergy
Reserves should be used for the support of the '^ Chris-
tian religion generally .... of whatever denomination."
:l
\l
I
■1
m
t
r. ^
376
A Short History of
In this year also the Home Government granted the con-
tention of the Assembly, so far as the Church of Scotland
was concerned, and provision was thereafter jrade for the
payment annually of 7-")()/. to the Church of Scotland, and
also to the Roman Catholic Church, from funds of the
Canada Company. In 1827 the Assembly of Upper
Canada asked that the Clergy Reserves be used for
schools, a provincial seminary, and in aid of the erection
of places of worship for all denominations of Christians.
In each of the three years following, th*". popular agita-
tion resulted in the Assembly making similar requests.
For many years in Canada marriages could not be cele-
brated by the Methodist clergy, as, in addition to the
clergy of the establishments, only " Lutheran and
Calviuist ^' ministers might marry, and then only those
of their own foith. In 1829 Mr. Bidwell succeeded in
carrying a Bill extending this privilege to all. The
power to hold church property and burying-grounds was
also besfowed on this numerous body. Year after year
both sections of the opposition, the more radical led by
Mackenzie, the more moderate by Bidwell, had coalesced
on the Clergy Reserve question.
Ryerson, who had become a political leader of influence,
about the year 1834 became hostile to Mackenzie and
had many followers. One chief cause of this was
a letter of sympathy from Joseph Hume, the great
English radical, to Mackenzie, on the occasion of his
expulsion from the Assembly, in which the English
politic'au iaid such proceedings must " terminate in in-
depe: ... '• . and freedom from the baneful domination of
the moth ' country." The whole letter was published
in leadei. ype in the Colonial Advocate. This alarmed
Ryerson and the more moderate opponents of the Family
Compact, and the Chrldian Guardian, a newspaper
begun by Ryerson in 1829, now fiercely denounced
Mackenzie.
This schism in the opposition gave the Family Compact
an advantage, but notwithstanding, in the General Elec-
tion of 1834, the Compact was de^'aated, and Mr. Bidwell
■^V/.'
THE Canadian People.
377
was chosen Speaker by thirty-oue to twenty-seveu votes
ill the Assembly, tbo iiiinority containing iivo or six
Independents. The Assembly immediately appointed a
'' S|:9cial Committee on Grievances," with Mackenzie as
Chairman, and in April, 18o5, the "Seventh Report of
the Grievance Committ'^e," was brought in, and this is
the storehouse from which, along with Gourlay^s statistical
account, the chief materials for the histoi-y of the period
are drawn.
This famous report called the attention of the Home
Government to the lamentable state of the country, and
led to Sir John Colborne's recall in 18-50, to be followed,
as we shall see, by that paragon of eccentricity and
blundering, Sir Francis Bond Head. Sir John Colborne's
last act was one for which he was never forgiven by the
Canadian people. Taking advantage of the provision in
the Act of 1791, permitting the endowment of rectories
out of Clergy lleserve lands, the departing Governor
determined to erect fifty-seven rectories. But forty-four
of the patents for these were signed, the reason, it is said,
having been that a clerk, engaged in preparing the
documents^, informed Mr. Bidwell, who at once made the
matter known, and the enormous wrong* was not com-
pleted. The time is drawing on apace when the crisis in
provincial affairs must come.
As shown in a previous chapter, the conflict for free
government in Lower Canada was intensified ^ower
by the fact that while the Assembly was chiefly Canadian
French-Canadian, in the Legislative and Execu- Struggle,
tive Councils there was a British majority. The Earl of
Dalhousie, who had 1)een for some years Governor of
Nova Scotia, arrived in Lower Canada in 1820. Belong-
ing to the class of high disciplinarians, though he had
shown himself a friend of education and social progress
in Nova Scotia, he was yet, as has been said, a soldier
rather than a statesman. The Lieutenant-Governor of
Lower Canada^ Mr. Burton, was popular, but the French
Canadians were never reconciled to the stern commander.
Lord Dalhousie was much hampered by the vacillating
Ml
■ w.
^i
mi
378
A Short History of
*■
,?t^
policy of the British ministry, and as ho was a man with
whom there was no fiuesso or intrigue, his position was
often unenviable.
Tlie Lower Canadian Assembly, year after year, passed
resolutions declaring their grievances, the people sent
" monster petitions ;" the French Canadian press, and an
English newspaper published in Montreal, the Vindicator,
constantly excited the populace to discontent. The idol
of the French-Canadians at this time was Mr. Speaker
Papineau, of whom we shall hear more anon.
In the excited state of public feeling, Papineau had
given expression to opinions about the Governor which,
as proceeding from the Speaker of the Assembly, espe-
cially from one who had served as speaker in six parlia-
ments, were considered disrespectful to the Crown. On
the summoning of the new House, in 1827, though it was
known that Lord Dalhousie disapproved of him, Papineau
was, by a large majority, chosen Speaker of the Assembly.
The Governor refused to recognize the agitntor. The
House persisted in its course, when the old soldier pro-
rogued the Assembly. Lord Dalhousio also deprived a
number of the militia officers of their commissions for
insolence. In 1827 petitions, largely signed, were pre-
sented to the King, asking for legislative control of Lower
Canadian affairs. Delegates were sent to lay their re-
quests at the foot of the throne.
In the meantime (1828), Lord Dalhousie was trans-
ferred to the command of the forces in India. In the
same year the Imperial Parliament appointed a Committee
to consider the petitions from Lower Canada, as well
as those from Upper Canada. The report of this
" Canada Committee " is a most able document, and re-
commends concessions which, if they had been adopted,
would probably have prevented the outbreaks in both
provinces. Their recommendation that the " legislative
assemblies and the executive government of Canada be
put on a right footing,^' was the solution of the whole
difficulty. But the remedy was too late in its application.
For several years a chronic case of difficulty tried the
Lower Canadian Legislature. Robert Christie, chairman
THE Canadian PEorLE.
379
I f ;;
of tlie Quebec Quarter Sessions, was, in 1821), tlio object
of the French-Canadian liatred, for liavinL** advised the
dismissal of certain French- Canadian mag-istrates, and
wrongly inliuenced Lord Dalhousie. On liis subsequent
election to the Assembly, as member for Gas}"^', he was
again and again expelled, to be in each case re elect( d.
The Assembly, in the year 1834, spent its time chiefly
iu the consideration of the famous ^^ ninety-two ^^ resolu-
tions, which may be spoken of as their '^ claim of right.""
Another Committee of the Imperial Parliament, in 183 1-,
examined Canadian grievances, but without any material
profit.
New fuel was added to the flame by a statement of
Sir John Colborne to the Upper Canadian Legislature, in
his last message, to the efl*ect that the Lower Canadian
agitation had tilled his mind with deep '^regret, anxiety,
and apprehension,^' and had done injury to the country.
The Lower Canadian Assembly repudiated these state-
ments, and in 1836, Speaker Papineau addressed to Mr.
Bidwell, Speaker of the Upper Canadian Assembly, a
lengthy letter, defending their agitation, and adding
certain remarks which were regarded by some as seditious.
It was unfortunate that Sir John Colborne, a natural
despot, should have been at this juncture appointed to
Lower Canada to command the forces.
The evils of oligarchy were not nnknown in the Mari-
time Provinces. Society there was, however, jfgva Scotia
in a more settled condition on account of the and New
older settlement. The agitations in the upper Brunswick,
provinces began to be felt in the lands by the sea, but
their struggles took place a few years later, when the
rebellions in the upper provinces had done their trouble-
some work.
.«
">
■■ rn
.) *
r > -h' .
380
A Short History of
CHAPTER XI.
m
A
THE REBELLIONS AND THE NEW CONSTITUTION.
(References : The " Rolpli Papers," Canadian Arcliives, Ottawa ;
" Story of the Upper Ccinadian Rebellion," 2 vols., by J. 0. Dent,
Toronto, 1885 ; " Story of my Life," by Egerton Ryerson, Toronto,
1883; "History of Lower Canada," by Robert Christie, vols. iii.
and iv., Quebec, 1850 ; " Seventh Report of Grievance Committee,"
Toronto, 1835 ; " Act to Reunite the Provinces of Upper and Lower
Canada, &c., British Statutes," London, 18-10.)
Section I. — Sedition in Lower Canada.
The agitation among the French-Canadians began to
Lower assume a serious aspect. Loud appeals were
Canadian made for an equality of rights with their British
Rebellion, fellow-subiects. The Assembly, which was
■*'• chiefly French-Canadian, threw off all reserve,
and by all classes sentiments hostile to Britain were
freely uttered from the platform and upon the streets.
The cry was that the Legislative Council should be
elective, and that the Assembly ought to control the
provincial exchequer. The control of the revenue had
been, in 1832, given over to the Assembly by the Britisli
Government to quiet the clamour. Now it was deter-
mined by the Assembly to compel further concessions
by refusing to pay the judges and other executive
officers.
A British Commission was appointed in 1835 to inquire
into the state of Lower Canada, and the possibility that a
report favourable to French-Canadian desires might be
made, led the British people of Montreal, Quebec, and the
English settlements in Lower Canada to organize them-
selves into " Constitutional Associations." The main
:r't^
THE Canadian People.
381
questions of liberty were now obscured. Tlio leaders of
the Frencli-Canadians appealed to their following to
support the cause of their down-trodden race.
On constitutional questions_, such as the executive
council being responsible to the Assembly, many of the
English people of Lower Canada agreed with the French-
Canadians, but it seemed as if the French leaders were
making the matter one of British connection and British
influence rather than of executive reform. In conse-
quence, the appeals of the " Constitutional Associations "
were much more moderate and statesmanlike than the
wild denunciations of the authors of the '^ninety-two
resolutions/' And yet the success of the British party,
in their contention, meant the welding the fetters of an
oligarchy upon the people. It was a perplexing case for
British statesmen.
On the report of the '' Commission '' coming before
the Imperial Parliament, Lord John Russell, in 1837,
moved four resolutions, reciting that the Lower Canadian
Assembly had granted no supplies since 1832, that
upwards of 142,000?. was due to the judges and civil ser-
vants, that the request to have the Legislative Council
made elective be not granted ; but that that branch of
the Legislature be changed, that it might secure a greater
degree of public confidence.
The so-called "patriots" were infuriated, when the
news of this action reached Canada. The Vindicator
declared, " Henceh th, there must be no peace in the
province — no quarter for the plunderers. Agitate !
Agitate ! Agitate ! Destroy the revenue ; denounce
the oppressors. Everything is lawful when the funda-
mental liberties are in danger. The guards die — they
never surrender ! " These were certainly extravagant
expressions. They were the outburst of feeling after
five years of agitation. The leader of the movement was,
as w^e have said. Speaker Papineau.
Louis Joseph Papineau was born in Montreal, 1789,
and was educated in the Seminary at Quebec, p .
At the early age of twenty he was elected for
the Assembly for Kent, now Chambly. In 1812 the
^'\
*
I >
^^m^mm^
382
A Short Historv of
Wolfred
Nelson.
young pari imnontnrian conininnded a militia corps in tlio
war of dofenco. In 1817 lie wj s elected Speaker of the
Assembly, and with one short interval continued so until
the rebellion. Papineau was a brilliant orator, an ener-
getic and useful member of Assembly, a political student,
though somewhat vain and aggressive, and on the whole
lacking in balance of mind.
At this juncture of the Russell resolutions Papineaa
was prepared to go wildly into anything — even independ-
ence or annexation to the United States. Associated
with the rebellious Speaker in the agitation was a man of
very different qualities — this was Dr. Wolfred Nelson.
Wolfred Nelson, born in 1702, in Montreal, belonged
to a respectable English family, and his mother
was a U.E. Loyalist, lulucated in Montreal,
he began the practice of medicine at St. Denis,
St. Hyacinthe county, in 1811. Having served with the
British army in the war of defence as a surgeon, he had
acquired a knowledge of militi.ry tactics. Induced to
enter public affairs, he was, in 1827, able to defeat Attor-
ney-General Stuart for the division of William Henry
(Sorel). Dr. Nelson had accumulated ;i considerable for-
tune, and was the owner of a large property at St. Denis.
He was a man of high scholastic attainments, of calm and
ready judgment, was highly respected, and had a bound-
less influence over the people in the southern counties of
Lower Canada.
Believing that the struggle in Lower Canada was one
for liberty, and that the oligarchy in the lower pro-
vince was as tyrannical and self-seeking as the Family
Compact in Upper Canada, Nelson had allied himself
with Papineau and the French-Canadians.
At a great indignation meeting of 1200 peraons, held
on the 7th of May, 1887, on the Richelieu River, near St.
Denis, at which Dr. Nelson presided, strong resolutions
were adopted against the course taken by Lord John
Russell. The example of the Irish patriot, Daniel O'Con-
nell, was held up for admiration, and it was agreed that
all should rally around one man as their chief — and that
man, Papineau.
TiiK Canadian rEori.E.
;S3
was one
Encominiiis wore passed on Papineau's force of mind,
eloquence, Iiatred of oppression, and love oF country, iind
it was determined, with nmcli enthusiasm, to ^ivo up the
use of imported articles, in order that the revenue might
be crippled. With much zeal the assemblage decided to
raise a fund, to be known as the " Papinean tribute," for
the support of tlieir idol. Similar meetings to that at
St. Denis ■were beiujr held throughout the country, when
Lord Gosf >rd, the Governor-General, becoming alarmed,
issued a proclamation forbidding such gatherings, and sum-
moning those loyal to the country to support his action.
This but increased the agitation. " Anti-coercion meet-
ings,^' as they were now called, were widely held. The
young French- Canadians organized themselves into
societies, known as the " Sons of Liberty," while the
loyal inhabitants, by meeting and petition, threw back tho
rebellious challenges.
Tiie provincial parliament assembled in August.
Numbers of the French members appeared in Quebec,
dressed in homespun {''toffe dii luiys) according to their
resolution. One, M. Rodier, was an object of great
remark. He was dressed in a coat of granite-coloured
home- spun ; trousers and waistcoat of the same material,
striped blue and white, straw hat and beef shoes, with
home-made socks completed his attire. This determined
patriot wore no shirt, having been unable to smuggle or
manufacture one. Other members also thus showed
their desire to '' destroy the revenue.^'
A most important meeting of the agitators took place
at St. Charles, on the Richelieu, on the 23rd of October,
including delegates from the '* six confederated counties."
There were present at the meeting, it is estimated,
♦5000 persons. Dr. Nelson presided, and his outspoken
declaration, the extravagant resolutions adopted, and the
excited speeches delivered, left no longer any doubt as to
the intentions of the agitators. A handsome column,
surmounted with a " cap of liberty,^' was erected at this
cime in honour of Papineau at St. Charles.
The threatening clouds of sf;;?ition now grew so heavy
that the Roman Catholic Bishop, Mgr. Lartigue, a rela-
:i*-
;
!-;.
8 T,' *'f
\ .
384
A Short History of
?!
L
'■'
tivo of j*apincaii, issued an oarnesfc pastoral, imploring'
tlio people to avoid the horrors of a civil war. 'i'ho
agitators continually <^rew bolder, and began to drill at
different points throughout the country. In the mean-
time severnl additional French-Canadians were placed
upon the Legislative and Executive Councils, but the
concession had come too late to abate the excitement.
The " Sons of Liberty " and the " Constitutionahsts '*
met in conflict in the streets of Montreal in November
of this year, and the odds were slightly in favour of the
former. Proclamations forbidding the drilling of the
patriots were issued. Sir John Colborne had now made
his head-quarters in Montreal, and in October all the
British troops in Upper Canada had been brought to his
aid, while the loyalists of Glengarry had tendered their
services to the genoral.
Soon the blow fell. News came that bands of insur-
gents were collecting at St. Charles and St. Denis, and
an expedition under Colonels Wetherall and Gore was
sent against the rebels.
At St. Denis, on the 2ord of November, Dr. Nelson
had fortified a stone distillery, three stories
high, belonging to himself, had cut down the
bridges, and awaited the attack of the approaching
troops, of whose movements he had learned from des-
patches taken on Lieut. Weir, a captured officer. The
attack on the improvised fort was made, but without
success, Dr. Nelson showing himself a skilful tactician.
After several hours' fruitless effort, the troops retired.
By their success the insurgents were encouraged.
At St. Charles was the more important centre of
St Ch ries ^^"^^1^- ^ " General " Brown was the rebel
' leader. The insurgents are said to have had at
this point 1500 men, two 24-pounders, and a well pro-
visioned fort. The attack was made upon the rebel
position by Colonel Wetherall, and after a severe struggle
resulted in the taking of the fort, the defenders losing
150 killed and 300 wounded. Brown escaped to
Vermont.
The arrival at St. Denis of the news from St. Charles,
St. Denis.
Ill
tiil: Can- ad I an Peopli:.
385
r. The
drill at
10 mean-
placed
but the
;ment.
onalists "
November
ar of tbo
g of the
low made
}Y all the
r\\t to lii»
ired their
of insur-
Denis, and
Gore was
Charles,
caused Nelson's followers to vanish like the mist, and
tlie bravo St. Denis leader, seeing all lost, fled towards
the American boundiiry, but was captured in the county
of Shell'ord. Papineau, who vas at St. Denis, is saivl to
have escaped to the United States while the light at
the fortified distillery was still ^oing on. It is of interest
to know that among Nelson's followers at St. Denis was
young George Etienne Cartior — afterwards a prominent
statesman of Canada.
A most tragic occurrence took place at St. Denis.
A dashing young officer, Lieut. Weir, carrying des-
patches for Colonel Wetherall, had lost his way and
fallen into the hands of the rebels at St. Denis. For
safe keeping lie had been placed under the charge of
three French-Canadian guards. His keepers were
removing their prisoner to a distance from the scene
of conflict, when the mettlesome young officer attempted
to escape. Thinking themselves justified by "VVeir's in-
subordination, the guards fell upon their prisoner, shot
him with their pistols, and cut him to pieces with sabres.
Tiiis cruel deed was enacted without the knowledge of
the leader. Dr. Nelson, who deeply regretted the outrage.
In revenge for the barbarities practised on Lieut. VVeir,
the infuriated loyal soldiery burnt Dr. Nelson's extensive
buildings at St. Denis.
The insurgents made unsuccessful demonstrations at
St. Eustache and St. Benoit, in the district north-west of
Montreal, as well as along the international boundary-
line. Though an attack, led by Eobert, the brother of
Dr. Wolf red Nelson, was made at Odelltowu from across
the boundary-line in the following year, which was
easily suppressed by Sir John Colborne, yet the danger
to Canada was over when St. Charles had been taken.
Though troops were during the winter of 1837-8 sent
through the wilderness from New Brunswick to Quebec,
their services were but little required. Thus ended the
appeal to arms — a mad attempt at the best !
Section 11. — The Rebels in Upper Canada.
Great expectations were indulged by the opposition in
c c
*»i"i|^
386
A Short IIistdkv of
m-
The Upper Upper CmikmLi, wIkmi in ])Iiico of tlio iliscrcilited
Canadian (lovt'l'lior (.'(tlhoi'lio, it Was li'Mi'iR-il that a llioro
"Sing. lil)(.'rjil-ii»iiulc'(l Licutciiant-CJovcrnor was ciii his
way to York. 'IMieir supposed " crowniiin-
morry " was Sir FrMiicis Bond Ilciid, a i-etirod jii-niy
oflici'r, and lato ])oor-la\v ^niurdiiin. Tlio now appointco
liJid a taste i'or l)ook-ni:ikin<,^, jind liad written certain,
veiy readable; books ot" travel. His previous experience,
Lowever, did not in any way justify his ap])ointment
as ruler of a province on the vei\L;'e of rebellion. TIk^
reasons for his selection have always lieen a mystery, and
the shortest ex})lanation of it is that it was a Downing
Street bluiuU'r.
Sir Francis l)oasted of havinf^ no political views, and
of having" had no political ex])erience. He was a niMii
whose shallow nature, ilippant letters and despatches, and
speedy subserviency to the Family Conijiact rendered him
in the end an object of detestation in Canadii. Denun-
ciation too severe can scarcely be visited upon a man
who deliberately proceeds to a^rgravato and irritate a
disturbed comnuiuity. The new Governor was surprised,
as ho himself tells us, to sec in lart^e letters on the walls
of Toronto on his arrival, *' Sir Francis Head, a tried
reformer,'^ and before four months had elapsed those
who had made the placards were possessed with still
greater surprise and vexation when they looked back
at what they had done.
The departing Governor, Sir John Colborne, received
tokens of the favour of the adherents of the Family
Compact, on his way down to Montreal from Toronto,
especially in Kingston and Cornwall, the centres of
oligarchic influence. A considerable followino- of the
Glengarry people made up his train as lie entered Lower
Canada, and a strong British escort came from Montreal
to meet him and return with him to the city.
Governor Head, shortly after his arrival, was called on
to fill three vacancies in the Executive Council, one half
of the offices being already held by adherents of the
Family Compact. The Governor, passing over Mr. Bid-
well, for whom he from the first took a strong dislike.
Tin. CaXAIUAX I'KOPLM
1^7
^crlHlitC(l
t U IIUTO
lis (111 lii^
crown in'j,-
■0(1 Jinny
i\pp()inti'o
'U ci'i'tiiin.
;poricnc(.s
point nicMit
ion. 'J'Ik^
stcry, and
, Downing
/lews, anil
ras a nv.m
[\tclics, and
ndevod liim
I. Dennn-
1011 a man
[ ivvitato a
snvpviscd,
n tlio walls
id, a tried
psed tlioso
with still
pked back
|e, received
[he Family
Toronto,
I centres of
iBg of the
bed Lower
Montreal
Is called ou
\\, one half
its of the
Mr. Bid-
icT dislike,
i:
called to tlio council Arcssrs. IJaldwin, Ilolpli, ;uul Dunn.
Soon linding that Chief Justice Kobinson and Dr. Stra-
chan, who were not in tho Executive Council at nil, wcro
tlio virtual advisers of tho (Jovornor, tho now councillors
resented tho intent renco and resigned in three weeks,
time. The new governor was no niori; indcpemleiit than
Sir John Colborne had been, and was less dignified.
Sir Francis conclud(.'d, soon after his arrival, that tlio
oppositionists were not a pnrty of gentlemen, and was in
a short tinu^ engaged in discrediting them before tho
country, utterly forgetful of his ])ositiou. The Assembly
sought to protect itself, and adopted Ji formal deliverance,
charging tho Governor with *^ deviations from truth and
candour/*
A general election was soon to follow, and the opposi-
tion found to their cost that tho provincial electorate had
much changed since the year 18-"U). Since that date tho
population of Upper Canada had nearly d(jubled. Tho
new inhabitants were largely from tho British isles, and
were strongly monarchic in their views. AVliile a section
of tho opposition desired a constitution which would bo
''an exact transcript" of that of Great Dritain, it was
well-known that some of them favoured an approxi-
mation to republican forms. Bidwell and perhaps Mac-
kenzie were among the latter.
Governor Head threw himself heartily into tho struggle
in tho election of 188G, and no doubt honestly Qovemor
believing there was a section of the lato Assem- Head a
bly disloyal to Britain, stirred up the now politician.
British electors, who had not a single principle in com-
mon with tho Family Compact, to look upon Bidwell,
Mackenzie, and their followers as untrue to British
connectioD, pointing as ho did to the disloyal letter from
Papineau, which had been read by Mr. Speaker Bidwell
in the Upper Canada Assembly.
But the Governor, though but "winning his spurs"
as a political manipulator, showed evidence of talent in
not trusting to appeals to sentiment alone. He used the
stronger inducements of self-interest. It was given out
that settlers, who voted wdth tho government, would
c 2
.yUJ
1i
Hi
> i 1
^''1
' - 1
'' ' E
g 1
. L
3^8
A Shout Historv of
m
rof'civo tlio patents for their hinds, for wliicli in some
ciiscs ilicv liiid waited h)nd to grant the requests made. It was in carrying
back Governor Her I's unfavourable answer that Dr.
Rolph showed his duplicity. Though acting as the
Governor's messenger, he took aside cei'tain of the rebel
leaders and secretly encouraged them to attack Toronto.
An advance was made to within a mile of the city,
when a collision took place, and the rebels retired to
Mongomery's. Mackenzie succeeded in a sally on the
western mail in capturing certain important letters.
The delay in attacking Toronto made Kolph's position
very precarious, and so he hastened from Toronto, pro-
fessedly to the western district, but really to seek shelter
in the United States.
1 for Do-
3 country
eral days,
mo of the
;he 4th of
Biit of iu-
stroug.
a loyalist,
■aped from
lu named
of Colonel
lad rashly
! on Yonge
his horse
900. Had
have fallen
)00 people,
:izens took
ely for de-
the west.
ating with
dwell, who
i^ a flag* of
Governor
Governor
|n carrying
that JL)r.
ig as the
t the rebel
k Toronto,
the city,
(retired to
Illy on the
lit letters.
's position
(-onto, pro-
iek shelter
THE Canadian People.
391
The time for .iction was allowed to slip by the afore-
time courageous regulators. Colonel Allan ]\IcNab
jiri'ived in Toronto from Hamilton, with his militin, and
without delav attacked the rebels remainino- at Mont-
gomery's. After a short but severe skirmish, tho
militia were victors; the motley gathering of discontented
farmers fled ; and Mackenzie, on whose head a reward
of 1000/. had been set, after a toilsome and adventurous
journey, escaped to the United States by way of tho
Niaofara frontier.
rp
The Provisional Government was now organized on
Navy Island, in the Niagara Eiver. The patriot flag,
with t\ iu stars and the motto, '^ Liberty and Equality,^'
was hoisted, and ])lanted in the face of Colonel JMcNab,
who held the Canadian shore. A daring action
was performed on December 29th by Captain Drew,
R.N., one of McXab's command. The insurgents had
made use of a vessel, the Caroline, in carrying supplies
from the American shore to Navy Island. The vessel
lay moored for the night under the very guns of Fort
Schlosser, indeed the shadows of the fort enveloped the
Caroline. With seven boats, carrying some sixty men
in all, who were armed with pistols, cutlasses, and pikes,
the captain boarded the ill-fated vessel, captured her,
but not being able, on account of the current, to bring
her to the Canadian side, sent her flaming over the
Niagara Falls. The vessel proved to be an American
bottom, and so Britain was compelled to disavow tho
seizure, but nothing could blot out the bravery of the
deed.
The ardent leader, Dr. Duncombe, succeeded in gather-
ing some oOO men on Burford Plains, intending to pass
by way of Brantford, and seize Hamilton, and thus
advance the rebel cause. Colonel McNab, however,
with 500 men, hastened west, and reached the village of
Scotland, but the insurgent band melted away on his
approach. For some time afterward, an irritation con-
tinued along the Niagara frontier, a number of character-
less scoundrels seeking to keep up strife for the sake
of plunder. The arch-rebel Mackenzie was at length
is If ■ ^' ?l
.tt
392
A Short History of
seized by the law authorities of the State of New York,
and tried at Albany, "for setting on foot a military
enterprise against Upper Canada." He , was fountl
guilty, and sentenced to one and a half years^ imprison-
ment, but "was released in response to numerous petitions
after some ten months had expired. *
The utter want of tact, and even of fair dealing, shown
by Sir Francis Bond Head, resulted in his recall. He
was succeeded by Sir George Arthur, who had in
Hobart Town been accustomed to rule the convict
settlements. He was harshness itself. Lount and
Matthews, two of the rebel leaders, were well regarded
by all classes of the people, notwithstanding their false
movement in the rebellion. Large petitions in their
favour were presented to the Governor, and Lount's
wife made before Sir George a most heart-rending appenl
for her husband, but all was of no avail, and they were
hurried to the gallows, April 12th, 1838. On Juno
28th, an amnesty was granted to all suspected persons,
who had not been actively engaged in the rebellion.
It was not till 1843 that Rolph, Duncombe, Morrison,
Gibson, Gorham, and Montgomery were pardoned, though
the general amnesty was not granted until 1 849. Thus-;
in reality terminated this wretched affair, dishonouring
alike to the enemies of liberty who forced it on, and re-
flecting only disgrace on those who conceived and so
badly executed it.
Section HI. — The New Constitution.
Few things so stir British statesmen as a colonial
The need rebellion. The memory of Lexington and
of Conces- Bunker's Hill at once revives. At certain
sion. epas it seems to have been the only means
of quickening the Downing Street conscience. One of
the rising statesmen of Britain was at once despatched
to Canada, with power as the benevolent young queen's
High Commissioner, for Victoria had but lately
ham.^""^' ascended the throne, June 20th, 1837. This
was the Earl of Durham.
■i:i
THE Canadian People.
393
John Gcoro'o Lambton, born in 1792, in the nortli of
Enghinclj entered the House of Commons in iHlo. He
was a pronounced Liberal in his views, a champion of
popuhir rights, and one of the leaders in carrying the
lieform Bill of 18:32. A political associate of Earl Grey,
the tie was cemented with that great leader by the
niarriapfe of Lord Durham with a daug-hter of that
statesman. He had served as ambassador to St. Peters-
burg, I'roTn 1835-07, and though of advanced political
views was aesthetic in his tastes, and inclined to habits
far from Spartan.
With a large retinue the new Governor-General
arrived at Quebec, May 29th, 1838, amid much splendour.
The constitution of Lower Canada had been suspended
by the Imperial parliament on account of the rebellion.
Lord Durham's first difficulty was in dealing with the
prisoners taken during the rebellion. Sixteen of the
leaders had removed themselves from his jurisdiction by
flight. The amnesty proclaimed only excluded eight
leaders. It was in dealing with the exceptions that Lord
Durham erred. Trusting to his powers as special commis-
sioner, he broke the law by sending the eight prisoners
retained, among whom was Dr. Wolfred Nelson, into exile
to Bermuda. Lord Brougham and his other rivals in
England denounced his action as illegal and unjustifiable.
It was really unfair that Lord Durham, in the midst of
such grave difficulties, should have been so severely
taken to task. The contemptuous title, " Lord High
Seditioner.'^ was hurled at him bv his enemies. The
high-spirited earl was led into anothe? act of unwisdom
by his annoyances, viz. of issuing a proclamation con-
taining criticisms as to the action of the British ministry
in disallowing the exile-ordinance which he had passed.
And yet these blunders were but the spots on the sun
of Lord Durham's glorious achievements for Canada.
It is true Lord Durham was imperious, mettlesome,
and at times obstinate; he was, moreover, sensitive and
irritable, this, no doubt, arising from his delicate state
of health, but no British delegate ever showed such
capacity for dealing with the difficulties of colonial life^
-<, km, ;?
11
IV
.Il»
.;!
394
A Short History of
or for sugoi'cstini^' remedies for improvement, as Lord
iJiirliam. As liiis been pointed out, the period of liis
rule was tlie nliortest ever swerved l)y a Governor-General,
viz. six months, and yet no Governor ever did so much
for Canada.
The enormous mass of information to be found in tlio
_, folio proceeding's of the House of Lords, em-
Eeport. bodying Lord Durham's report and its elabo-
rate appendices, is a wonderful monument of
industry.
Lord Durham did not hesitate to express his opinions
openly. Ho declared, " that the same grievances to a
large extent prevail in all the provinces ; while the
present state of things is allowed to last, the actual in-
habitants of these provinces have no security for person
or jDroperty, no enjoyment of what they possess, no
stimulus to industry."
As to Lower Canada, the report speaks with remark-
able clearness. Lord Durham admired the mild, well-
mannered French-Canadians, but saw the political danger
from their being ^'^an ntterly uneducated and singularly
inert population.^' ^' They remain,'^ said he, "an old
and stationary society in a new and progressive world.''
While clearly pointing out the wrong features of Lower
Canadian oligarchy, he nevertheless declared, ''that in
Lower Canada the real struggle was not one of prin-
ciples, but of race."
Great Britain, he maintained, was largely responsible
for this, for to preserve Canada against the United
States, Britain '^ had cultivated Lower Canadian nation-
ality." The report declares that the natural state of
government in ''all the colonies," those by the sea as
well as those inland, " is that of collision between the
executive and the representative bodies.'"' Such collisions
show a deviation from sound constitutional principles.
Lord Durham declared that " since 1G88 the stability
of Britain had depended on the responsibility of the
government to tlie majority of the legislature."
We cannot pretend to give even a sketch of this re-
markable report. It is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest
THE Canadian People.
395
state docnm^nts in existence. Its grasp of principles
is masterly, and not a feature of the social, religions,
industrial, or political life of the people, in any of the
British American provinces, escaped the keen-eyed
statesman, and his able assistants, chief of Avhom was
Mr. Charles Buller.
The various remedies for the government of the
country are discussed in the report. At first Lord
Durham had favoured a federal constitution, but in the
end ho recommended a legislative nnion. Far-seeing
statesman that he was, he foreshadowed a nnion of all
the provinces, though for the settlement of the pressing
difficulties of Upper and .Lower Canada, he recom-
mended their immediate anion, and the establishment
in them of " responsible government.'^
-AH true Canadians must regret that the founder of
their liberties, for sncli Lord Durham was, slionld have
been received so nngraciously by the British Govern-
ment on his return to England. True, he had in his
vexation over the disallowance of his exile-ordinance,
sailed for Britain without leave, but to have refused
his lordship a salute on landing such as was customary
to returning governors, was surely a high indignity.
The British people, however, on the landing of his
lordship, gave him a right royal welcome.
Lord Durham's report was so important that a Bill
was founded on its recommendations, and introduced
into parliament in 1839, by Lord John Russell. Before
the final passage of this Bill, it was deemed wise that
it should be submitted to the Colonial governing bodies.
To accomplish this end a shrewd diplomatic envoy,'. Mr.
Charles Poulett Thompson, a relative of the famous
Lord Ashburton, was sent to Canada, September loth,
1839.
The Council of Lower Canada accepted the proposed
constitution, though, had the Assembly, which had been
suspended during the rebellion, been in existence, the
result would have been different. Even the Upper
Canadian legislature needed much skilful management
by Mr. Thompson in order to induce it to accept the
-ii
%
96
A Short History of
#
mm
Bill, for tlio Loyalists siiw that tlioy would bo greatly
outnumbered in United Canada. A stron,^ appeal
to their patriotism, however, at length gained their
approval.
The Imperial parliament thea again took up the
matter, and the *' Act to reunite the provinces of Upper
and Lower Canada " became law, July 2:h'd, 18 10. Under
The New this new constitution, there was provision made
Constitu- for a Legislative Council, whose members would
^^°°- be appointed for life by the Governor, while
the Legislative Assembly was to consist of an equal
number of members from Upper and Lower Canada.
Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec were to elect two mem-
bers each, the towns one member, and to the Governor
was given the power of fixing the limits of the con-
stituencies. The English language alone was permitted
in the legislative records, but this provision was changed
in after years. In order to make the constitution stable,
it was provided that no change in the number of
members of the Assembly could be made, unless by a
two-thirds vote.
By the new constitution a fixed civil list, amounting
to 75,000/. annually, was made, over which the xVssembly
had no control, but all other expenditure must be under
its direction. Amounts due the clergy were not subject
to the vote of the Assembly, and ecclesiastical rights
were under the protection of the crown. Taxes on the
people could only be levied for the benefit of the pro-
vince, and witli the assent of the two Houses of parlia-
ment. Provision was made for the full establishment of
courts of law. To the Governor belonged the power of
fixing the place of meeting of the Canadian legislature.
The longing desire of the people was that the new
constitution should provide for the Executive Council
being made responsible to the Assembly, and so to the
people. In the new Act this was not provided for in so
many words, but it was provided that the Governor
should only exercise power according to instructions from
her Majesty. To supplement these important provisions,
upon the Act coming into force by proclamation, on the
THE Canadian People.
397
'^'^ r^
nth of Fi'l)rnary, IHll, a despatch was forwarded 1)\'
Lord Joliii liiisscll to tlio Governor-General that " the
Governor must only oppose the wislies of the Assembly
when the liononr of the crown or tho interests of tho
empire are deeply concerned."
The moderate opponents of the Family Compact were
in transports of delight over the new constitution; tho
rebel party of Upper Cannda reirni-ded it as but a half-
measure, their aforetime compatriots in Jjovver Canada
were much dissatisfied, and sent a petition with 40,000
signatures against the new Act to ]3ritain, while tho
Loyahsts looked suspiciously npon it, regarding it as the
beginning of a Canadian Republic. The J^ritish Ministry,
through Lord Durham's aid, had undoubtedly reached
the hajipy mean ; Mr. Thompson was raised to the
peerage as Lord Sydenham for his successful manage-
ment, and under his wise guidance the new constitution
was launched to go on its perilous way.
.^mi
(V
It. I
398
A Short History of
Si'JB'.:
r
ClIAl'TKR XII.
i
PROORKSS IN TKOVINCIAL Lli;E.
(llcferencea : "Eon^hing it in the "Bush," by Mrs. S. Moodlo,
London, iH-ji; " Tweutv-seveu Yeai's in Canada West" (Strick-
land), London, 18.>1.; "The Staple Trade of Ciinada " (TimLcr),
by a. H. Perry, Ottawa, 18(12; '"The Last Forty Years," by d. ('.
Dent, 2 vols., Toronto, 1881 ; " History of Prince Edward Island,"
by Duncan Campbell, Charlotte Town, 1875; " lleininiscences of
Sir Francis Ilincks," ^Montreal, 1881 ; " Life and Sjieeches of the
Hon. Georu,e Brown," by the Hon. A. Mackenzie, Toronto, 1882 ;
" Canada," by A. LilHe, Toronto, 1855 ; " Canadian Economics by
Britisli Association," Montreal, 1885 ; " History of Nova Scotia,"
by Duncan Campljoll, ]\Ioutreal, 187o ; "Vancouver Island and
British Columbia," by d. D. Pemberton, London, 1850 ; "Van-
couver Island and British Columbia," by M. McFie, London,
18<)o ; "British Columbia," by 11. C. Mayne, London, 1862;
*' Hudson's Bay Company Reports," London, 1857; "Confedera-
tion of Canada," by d. H. Gray, Toronto, 1872.)
Section I. — Growth of Population.
Canada, as we have seen, was from the first Largely
The Half- ^ military colony. Not only were the Cario'-
Pay Oificers' nans, and the Fraser and Montgomery High-
Legion, landers, an important element in Lower Canada,
but disbanded Royalist soldiers, Hessians, Glengarry
Fencibles, De Meurons, and the soldiers of many
British regiments which were reduced from time to time,
filled up large districts in all of the Canadian provinces.
And while the rank and file thus colonized many portions
of British America, there was a large element of the
military officer class, which also threw in its lot with
Canada.
Tho traveller in the Canada of a generation ago con-
Till-: Canadian Pkui'Li:.
399
. S. jMoodlo,
st " (Stvick-
" (Timl)cr),
vs,"byJ.('.
avcl Island,"
niaccnces of
ochos of the
roato, 1
, and tlio
^ovk, pos-
ts got by
host
))
111
I to tliom.
'idinf? ior
red in tlio
I ill. Thoy
(>rs," were
itriots, but
d riflo, the
as well as
ildi'cn were
lieii" homes
.t that sueh
and others
them the
d to be the
•as not siir-
Ishocked by
lit of those
lody of the
American
.id not con-
okes," and
[nt, too, ill
iucomiug
lorrowiug"
Uil. Mrs.
lictions in
Isays Mr<.
jcs, starch,
article in
llities, con-
dtf ul plum
or peach-treo, or exposed nielou-plot was siife from tlieir
(k'piedatioiis. Valuable do^s were poisoned, eattlo
maimed, and even horses shot by these wanton dis-
turbers. Ni<^'lit was nuide liideous by tlieir " raccoon-
hunts," and "husking bees/* and *^ eharivarees." The
religious sugar-maker, who left his caldron of half-boiled
maple-sugar in the forest during Sunday to ^^o toehureh,
found it "sugared olV" and stolen, on Monilay morning,
by these local outlaws.
Yet these bad elements constituted but a small part of
the population. As well declare that because an "artful
doilger" should make a visitor to the east of linndon his
victim that all ijondoners are thieves, or because a largo
portion of the frequenters of the Salt Market in Glasgow
are dissipated that the Scottish people are drunkards, as
that the Canadians at the time of these passing travellers
were the pestilential element they describe.
The Bidwells, Burwells, Shades, and Duneombes rather,
were the representatives of an American element which
has been of the highest service to Canada. For the
vicious and lawless class described, the advance of civi-
lization became too strong. The church and school did
their work among the young, rublic sentiment became
too powerful for the evil-doers to persevere in their van-
dalism, and this immoral American element has well-nigh
disappeared from Canadian society.
The Canada Company, as already stated, were gradually
obtaining settlers tor their lauds in the Huron
tract. The population in 1811 had become 5000, ^^.^q^
and. nine years later had grown to 20,93^. The
company was fiercely attacked for the slow development
of its lands. Its advocates, in the year 1850, in defend-
ing themselves, declared that in twenty-three years the
*' Huron tract '^ had made more progress than Lower
Canada had done in 104 years up to 1721, Avhen its
population did not reach 25,000. The argument, we
must confess, is not very convincing.
Among the first settlers in the Huron tract had been
Colonel Von Egraont, the commander-in-chief, in 1837, of
the rebels who followed Mackenzie. Von Egmont had
D d
lllv
■ ,,■; t!
; i
402
A Short IIistokv or
m
hcon u c'oloMol ill tlio TtnjxM'iiil army, and liiid led a
Hi'l^iMii rcj^'imt'iit at VVaturloo. Soon aftor his sottlo-
nicMit the ofHcors of tlio Cunada Conijiaiiy had boon
invited to visit his prosperous I'arrn ; and Miidanio Von
lOufinont, ill tlie presence of the oHieiul ^''(Mith.Mncui, cut
with a sickle, and bound up herself the tirst sheaf in
wliat is now the i^opulous and fertile Huron district.
The outcry against theCiiuada Coinpany on the part of
tli(» ])eople, in the years succeiulin^ the rebellion,
jyj^'^®®"' induced the (loverntnent to open for settlement
tlio region north and east of the Huron tract.
This had been described as a great* swamp, and the
Canada Company itself liad regarded it as valueless.
Iloads wore opened through the new townships, and the
means of access were found by way of (inelph and the
Gurafraxa road. Two vast counties were laid out in the
new district, Bruce, on the shoro of Lake Huron — a
memorial of Lord Elgin's family name — and Waterloo,
which extended from the township of Wilmot even to the
shores of (Georgian Bay.
]n 1857 the new counties of Waterloo, Wellington,
and Grey wi "o formed, the two former, with the township
of Wellesley in the same region, reminding us of the Iron
Duke. To the Queen's Bush, as this district was called,
in the years 1855 to 18(55, the flow of population was
continuous, both of British immigrants and of residents
from the older counties. This formerly discredited
portion of the country now contains an enormous popu-
lation, the counties of Grey and Bruce alone, in the year
1881, having had upwards of 100,000 people.
From the time of the union of the Canadas and before,
even to the present day, there has been a steady
Counties, settling-up of the " Back Counties." This has
gone on in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Ontario, and, to some extent, in Lower Canada.
The policy of the Government has been at all times
to encourage this. Counties in Upper Canada, back
of Kingston, Peterboro', Toronto, and those in Lower
Canada lying to the rear of Montreal and Ottawa,
have thys been occupied.
■•5
Tin: Canadian rnoru:.
403
IimI a
scttlo-
1 1)0011
no Vou
on, cut
hojit' ill
ct.
part of
ibolUon,
,tloineut
111 tract,
luid the
aluolcss.
ami tlio
and the
it in tlio
Iiirou — a
Vaterloo,
on to tlio
plUngton,
township
the Iron
Vi9, called,
tion was
residents
scredited
us popu-
the year
id before,
a steady
This has
Irunswick,
Canada,
all times
ida, hack
lin Lower
Ottawa,
For o\am])lo, tlio county of Simcoo was Het npnrt in
THI-J}; St. Vincent townsliip was nt first known as Zoro ;
tho townships of Flos, Tiny, and Tay wore so natnod
from tho three lap-don^s of my lady of G )Vornniout
ilonso. A road from IJradford northward, and anothor
to tho west were opened in tho larj^'o county of Simcoo,
and by tho year 1850 tlio population had ^""rown to
25,000. At the same date thoro were upwai'ds of a
quarter of a million of acres of unoccupied crown land
iu Simcoo, Wolling-ton, and Groy.
Fven in tho closing* years of last century tho negro
could boast that whon his foot touched Canadian
soil tho shackles which had been fastened upon jje^^gntg^ *
him by tho laws of tho United States fell h-om
his limbs. In consequence, the 300 negroes who had
come witli tho U.F. Loyalists to tho British ])rovincos
were followed by numbers of their race. To Nova*
Scotia, and to the neighbourhood of Chatham and
Windsor, in tho western district of Upper Canadn, most of
the immigrants ciunc. Li 1848 a tract of 18,000 acres in
Ualeigh, near Lake Erie, was, through tho inthience of
Lord Elgin, sot apart as a refugee settlement under tho
Elgin Association.
The Rev. William King, a Presbyterian clergyman,
who had owned slaves in Louisiana, liberated thom and
came to Canada to begin in this district the " Buxton
Settlement," so named from Thomas Buxton, tho philan-
thropist. Another colony of negroes was formed on the
borders of Kent and Lambton counties, the founder being
the Rev. Josialr Henson, the original of Mrs. Stowe's
character of ^^ Uncle Tom.'^ In 1881 the negro popu-
lation of Canada exceeded 21,000, of whom upwards of
7000 were in Nova Scotia, and above 12,000 in Ontario.
The increasing flood of immigration from Britain
reached 125,000 souls in the five years preceding r^^^ g^
the rebellion of 1837. In the two years of tho Lawrence
rebellion the numbers fell to less than 3000 in immi-
tlio first year, and to some 7000 in the second. S"^*^^^-
The passage of tho Union Act, in 1840, and the prospect
of peace thus given, immedintely restored tho conftdenoL^
D d 2
,1
404
A Short History of
y^m
fiS
^'■'k
in Caiifida as a settlers' home. In ilic ten years from
1840 to 1850, there landed at Quebec, from the Old
World, no less than 350,000 souls, of whom from one-
third to a half took advantage of the Canadian route to
reach the Western States. In the year 1847, which
succeeded the distress by the potato famine in Britain^
upwards of 98,000 iuimigrants landed at Quebec.
In the period from 1850 to 18()7 the date of confedera-
tion, there were upwards of 450,000 persons entered by
the port of Quebec. It was by this vast multitude, an
army of conquerors, coming up the St. Lawrence Valley
to subjugate the forest and the soil, that Huron district,
Bruce, Wellington, Grey, Simcoe, and other *'back
counties " of Ontario were settled, as well as by the sons
and daughters of the pioneers who in previous generations
had endured hardships to make Upper Canada what she
had become.
The forests of New Brunswick sought their share of
the Old World's overflow of population.
3 ®^g^ij.^ Between the years 1834 and 1840 the increase
of population was above 30,000, and in the next
eleven years it was 37,000. During the latter period, in
1844 and three succeeding years, there Ltnded no less
than 34,000 persons in New Brunswick, but about half
of this number sought the United States. In the last of
these years ninety-nine vessels arrived direct from
Ireland with immigrants. These settlers were in a most
destitute condition, and were the victims of the ^' ship
fever,^' which is still remembered by older colonists as
but little less deadly than the cholera.
In that year, of the 17,000 who shipped for New
Brunswick from Britain, 2000 died of this plague, and in
the same year upwards of 5000 died on shipboard, pro-
ceeding up the St. Lawrence to Quebec. Of those sent
from Ireland, many had not enough of clothing to cover
their persons, and Lord Elgin's despatch states that the
fever was brought on board the ships in most cases, and
did not originate on the voyage. Canadian municipalities
passed resolutions, protesting against this immigration,
and the different provinces adopted severe quarantine
^^>mf{ii^^
It- ■•«
THE Canadian People.
40s
liiws, lu Now Brunswick the cliiof localities roceiviii.t^
the new population were liichibucto, Tabisliintac,
8oninouclie, New Baudou, and J3atliurst.
A l)nrning land question was the chief feature of
Princ(^ Kdward Island. As already mentioned, prince
the whole island, except a small Government Edward
reservation, was given out by ballot, in 1707, Island.
to proprietors who had claims on the ground of
military or other ])ublic services. As a condition of
tenure the land must bo settled within ten years. In
1770 there were on the island but 150 families and five
proprietors. The owners were required to pay quit-rents
to the Government, and the proprietary system, so
alien to the spirit of New World settlement, was fixed
upon the unfortunate island. Efforts were made early to
collect these rents, but the influence in England of the
owners, and their ability to combine to resist the
enforcement of the Government's demands, resulted in
their dues being actually reduced, and in their firm con-
solidation, not only as a privileged class, but in what is
its most odious form — an aljsentee oligarchy.
In 1802 the feelings of the people are said to have risen
" in paroxysms of just indignation against the pro-
prietors." Agitation followed agitation. In 1 860, in
the legislature of the island, it was agreed to submit the
questions between proprietors and tenants to a commis-
sion of three persons, one to be named by the legislature,
another by the proprietors, and a third by her Majesty.
The Hon. Joseph Howe was chosen commissioner for the
tenantry. During this same year the estates of the Earl
of Selkirk, consisting of upwards of 62,000 acres, were
purchased by the Prince Edward Island Government at a
little above 2s. an acre. In 1 861 the Land Commissioners,
after holding a Court, taking evidence, and examining
the condition of the island, recommended a recognition
of the claims of the proprietors, not being able to advise
the escheatment of any of the original grants on the
ground of nonperformance of conditions of settlement.
To extinguish the proprietors' claim it was recommended
that the Imperial parliament guarantee a loan of 100,000^.
4o6
A Short History of
>?t^
for tlic purpose. Tlio Commissioners, on giving in tlieir
suggestions, declared tlioir belief that if relief were
obtained for the island, " Prince Edward Island would
yet become the Barbadocs of the St. Lawrence/'
At this date the population of the island was found to
be i:^0,850. The Imperial parliament refused to per-
mit the Act of the Prince Edward Island legislature,
embodying the Commissioners' report, to become law.
Negotiation with the proprietors wns now the only hope
of a settlement. A delegation, in ISCy-j, went to Britain
from Prince Edward Island. It is interesting to know
that one of the chief proprietors was Sir Samuel Cuuard,
of the celebrated steamship line. The matter was not
settled until, by the entrance of Prince Edward Island,
into Confederation in 1873, 800,000 dollars were set
apart by the Dominion for the extinguishment of the
owners' claims, and a Court was constituted in 1875 which
estimated the amounts due, and thus this troublesome
question was removed, after having been a subject of
contention for a whole century.
At Fort Garry, the centre of the Red River, or Selkirk
Settlement, on the 12tli of February, 1835, a
Se^ttlemeat ^""^"^ Government w^as erected and a Court es-
* tablished. Assiniboia was the name of the uewdy-
organized district, and Sir George Simpson became Presi-
dent of the Council, which consisted of fifteen members
selected from the leading men of the Selkirk settlers and
English and French half-breeds making up the settle-
ment. At this date the population had reached about
5000, in 1865 it was estimated at 6500, and, on the erec-
tion of Manitoba as a province by the Dominion in 1870,
the population was found to be about 2000 whites, 5000
English-speaking, and 5000 French half-breeds. Of the
population, which arrived in the country between the
years 1817 and 1821, several hundreds were Lord Sel-
kirk's disbanded De Meuron soldiers, or Swiss immi-
grants, who had come out by way of Hudson Bay.
Almost all of these deserted the country about 1827.
The agitation arising out of the Oregon question, and
the loud boasting of the people of the United States,
resulted in the force of 500 British regulars, chiefly of
THE Canadian People.
407
the Gtli Royals, being sent to Fort Garry in 184G.
Two years after, on the departure of the troops, a
body of seventy pensioners was sent to the country, to
whom were given small holdings in the neiglibourhood ot:
Fort (jarrv. A serious outbreak took place at Forfc
Garry in 1849, arising from the attempt of the Hudson's
Bay Company to enforce their rights of monopoly in the
fur-trade.
Vancouver Island was in 18 19 granted to the Hudson's
Bay Company, and Mr. liichard BlancLard British
beinc^ sent out as: Governor remained for two Columbia
^ r,,, 11' 8.iid Van-
years. J. here were not more than thu'ty settlers couver
on the island, other than Hudson^s Bay Com- Island,
pany employees, when Governor Blanchard, in a dispi-
rited state of mind, left the island. The well-known
officer of the fur company, afterwards 8ir James
Douglas, succeeded to the governorship. The Hudson's
Bay Company was expected to nndertake the colonization
of the island, and provision was made for the establish-
ment of a Legislative Council and Assembly, having
power to levy taxes.
The trading' licence on the Pacific mainland, wdiich had
some years before been given to the Hudson^s Bay Com-
pany, was in 1858 revoked, and the province of British
Columbia. established. In the succeeding year the grant
of Vancouver Island, which had been made ten years
before to the fur-traders, was recalled, and the Pacific
island became a crown colony, with Victoria as its capital,
as New Westminster was the capital of the mainland
colony of British Columbia. By Imperial Act, in 18GG,
Vancouver Island and British Columbia were joined into
one province, under the name of the latter, and remained
a united crown colony until their entrance into Con-
federation in the year 1871.
i
I;! I
;r
\
'.r
'■-'t
Section II. — The Stormy Sea of Politics.
Lord Sydenham was set to work-out the new constitu-
tion which was the result of Lord Durham^s Respon-
report. He was a man of delicate health, great sible Go-
devotion to business, and lived in constant fear ^ernment.
408
A Short Hlstorv of
i wp-:iJr-:i. i I
BB
i
lest liis plans of government should fail. The first elec-
tion after tlio union of the Canadas had resulted in a
most heterogeneous parliament. There were only seven
members of the whole eighty-four who had belonged to
the now discredited Family Compact, but the Radicals
among the Upper Canadians and the rebellious Lower
Canadians wore uncertain quantities in the new House of
Assembly. The Governor chose his Executive Council
from those of different shades of opinion.
Robert Baldwin became the leading figure in Upper
Canadian politics. His moderation but made his tena-
cious hold of the principle of responsible government the
more admirable. Unwilling to enter the Executive
Council with any of the former absolutists, he accepted
office for a time, in order to satisfy the new Governor,
along with Mr., afterwards Chief Justice, Draper, but
soon resigned. On the opening of the House, Draper
was severely pressed as to whether he was an adherent
of the new constitution, and would insist on " respon-
sible government. ^^ Of an acute mind, the leading
executive councillor made fine distinctions, but was sup-
})osed to have accepted the popular principle. The
House, which had been summoned by Lord Sydenham
to meet at Kingston on the 14th of June, 1841, adopted
resolutions declaring for the new principles, but less
explicit than Baldwin desired. The Governor became
much enfeebled in health; his anxieties consumed him ;
by a sad accident he was thrown from his horse while
riding, and his reduced frame succumbed on the 19th of
September, 1841. Lord Sydenham was a capable, fair-
minded, and useful Governor.
The next Governor- General was Sir Charles Bagot,
who only survived a year, dying from a painful disease
in the year 1843.
Earl Stanley, the Colonial Minister, was regarded as
hostile to the new constitution, and it was no surprise
when, in the year of Governor Bagot's death, his successor
was appointed from the reactionary school of politics.
Lord Lord Stanley's protege was Charles Metcalfe.
Metcalfe. Charles Theophilus Metcalfe was born on the
:^
m
il
THE Canadian People.
409
SOtli of January, 1785, at Calcutta. He was the son of
an army officer, who was in the East India Company's
service. Educated at Eton ho had returned to India in
his sixteenth year, had been employed in the East Indies
in important Government offices, and had then come to
Jamaica as Governor of that island. Having ruled over
inferior races. Governor Metcalfe was despotic in his
tendencies, and unsuited for Canada at this juncture.
He jeered at '^ responsible government,^' and declared
his position no better than "an Indian Governor, com-
pelled to rule by means of a Mahommedan Ministry and
a Mahommedan parliament."
Indeed it was the usual rulo of the opponents of liberty
to sneer at popular government. One of the Family
Compact Avits described it as a "trap set by rogues to
catch fools," and Sir Francis Bond Head, who had said
about himself, " I was no more connected with human
politics than the horses that were drawing me," gloried
in the contrary principle, "that the Executive Council is
not responsible to the people." Governor Metcalfe was
defended in his assumptions by Egerton Ryerson, who
seems to have developed into a more adroit politician
than the great clerical statesman Strachan.
The crisis soon came. Robert Baldwin maintained
that the acts of the Governor must be in harmony with
the advice of his Executive Council. The Governor took
opposite ground, and on the 23rd of November, 1843,
made an appointment to office without the advice of his
Council. Popular indignation rose strongly against the
valorous autocrat, who, notwithstanding his intense
suffering from a cancer on his face, was willing to try
conclusions with that hydra-headed opponent of tyrants —
the people. At this studied insult the Ministers resigned,
and it was with great difficulty that the Governor obtained
a new Executive Council.
Amidst much excitement parliament met in 1844 in
Montreal. At the general elections the Canadian Ministry
had been but barely sustained. The British Ministry
looked with approval on the action Governor Metcalfe
had taken, and rewarded the plucky absolutist by raising
1 1
4IO
A Short History of
■I-
P
1
liiiii to the poorago as Baron Metcalfe of Fern IlilL
Finding that he had fallen in the estimation of the people,
Lord ^^letcalfe resigned and retired to England, where
lie died soon after. Of a kind and benevolent disposition,
Lord Metcalfe was not witliont his Canadian admirers,
bnt the attempt to interfere needlessly with a constitn-
tion which had been obtained by the exile of a number of
leading Canadians and the blood of others, stirred up the
strong feeling of the best elements of Canadian society
against this propounder of absolutist theories.
The struggle lor responsible government in Ncav Bruns-
NewBruns-^^^^^^ and Nova Scotia was virtually one with
wick and that in Canada. In a despatch from Lord
Nova Glenelg, the Colonial Secretary in 1838, to
Scotia. ^i^. Q^ii^ Campbell, the Governor of Nova
Scotia, it had been plainly set forth that no judge could
hold office in the Colonial Parliament, and also that the
power must be allowed each Assembl}^ to control the
provincial revenue. The Governor chose to be members
of Ills Executive and Legislative Councils only those
belonging to the oligarchy, which in Nova Scotia as well
as in Upper Canada was known by the name " Family
Compact." The Assembly remonstrated with the Go-
vernor, who stubbornly refused to be advised, and not-
withstanding Lord Glenelg's instructions, pursued his
own course. But the cause of liberty had able advocates
in Nova Scotia. Such names as Uniacke — Young — and
especially Howe, stand out among her defenders.
Joseph Howe, born in Halifax, JDecember, 1804, was the
sonofaU.E. Loyalist. Compelled to seek his
own way in life, he, in 1817, became a printer^s
apprentice, and had in ten years become the publisher of
a vigorous newspaper — the Nova Scotian. In the year
1835 this journal made a fierce attack on the Halifax
magistracy, charging that body with dishonest official
conduct. An accusation of libel was brought against
the outspoken printer. The case was so clearly against
him that no lawyer would undertake his defence. Thrust
into the breach, Howe defended his own cause ; his
address to the jury occupied more than six hours, and
Howe.
,
THE Canadian People.
411
was at once a model of forensic mid pojuilar cloquoiice.
The jury brought m a verdict of ''Not Guilty.''
Ill 188<), Howe was elected to the Assembly. Iii the
Maritime Provinces, it was not till after the ademption of
Lord Durham's report that the battle for IVee iii-overnment
was really fought. New Brunswick had always been
strongly loyalist. Sir John Harvey, the Governor of
New BrunsAvick, had, on the receipt of Lord John
llusselPs despatchof the Ibtli of October, 1839, regarded
it so highly as "a new and improved constitution," that
he proceeded to introduce its principles into the goverr-
ment of his province. Strange to say, the New Bruns-
wick Assembly, by a small majority, refused to accept
the principle, not valuing the freedom oi'fered it.
In Nova Scotia, however, the old soldier named, who
held the reins of power, on the other hand suppressed
the despatch, and made no allusion to its having been
received. In 184(\ in the Nova Scotian Assembly,
Howe introduced four resolutions asserting the doctrine
of responsible government, and declaring want of con-
fidence in the existing Executive Council. The resolutions
were adopted by a vote of thirty to twelve.
Representations were thus made to Sir Colin, but he
declared himself satisfied with his advisers. The ob-
stinacy of the Governor drew forth an address by the
Assembly, calling attention to Lord Russell's despatch.
The Governor informed the Assembly that his interpre-
tation of the despatch differed from theirs. The Assembly
then reluctantly, but firmly, requested the recall of the
Governor, which took place in 1840, and. Viscount Falk-
land came in his stead. Fierce personal contests next
took place between Howe and the new Governor ; but,
through much heat and conflict, the battle of free govern-
ment was won, and even in New Brunswick the popular
cause became triumphant.
The sad rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada left
a heritage of discord in tlie losses which had Rebellion
been occasioned by the outbreak. The under- Losses
taking to meet, on the part of the Govern- ^^^•
ment, the losses of loyalists had originated in this
■
i
If
f
'*!
II
412
A Short Hi story of
party, wlioii it i^
^
*;
Tlio (Jovornor's Ministry liiiJ been defeated several
tiiiK^H in the session of 1847, and at the general election
in the following year suffered a crushitig defeat. The
leadership of the French had been transferred fi'om the
aforetime reb(4 Papineau, who was now in parliament,
again to the Hon. L. 11. liafontaine.
The Lafontaine-Baldwin ministry was formed, and
tlio full development of ministerial responsibility was
now the acknowledged principle. One of the earliest
measures to be introduced was that providing for the
payment of the rebellion losses in Lower Canada. The
loyalist opposition now raised the cry again that the object
of this bill was to compensate those who had actnally
taken part in the rebellion. The Ministry denied having
any such intention. The fury of the opposition knew no
bounds : ^' No pay to rebels " became their watchword ;
and indignation meetings stirred up the passions of the
people.
At this juncture occurred one of the most disgraceful
episodes ever known in Canadian politics. The opposi-
tionists, who had so rung the changes on the cry of
loyalty, actually signed a manifesto declaring their readi-
ness for annexation with the United States. It was the
cry of loyalty that was debased to bring to death the
purest one the world ever saw, but the annexation fiasco
of 18 10 serves to show how meanino-less the continual
harping on the string of loyalty may be. We pass over
the names, some of them since prominent, without men-
tion, of those who signed the disloyal document, for
their act brings a blush to the face of every true
Canadian.
Notwithstanding the most determined opposition, the
'' losses bill " passed by a considerable majonty. The
loj'alist party in Toronto attacked the houses of pro-
minent supporters of the measure. Lord Elgin proceeded
to the house which is now St. Ann's Market, Montreal,
and assented to the objectionable act. His carriage was
beset by ruffians, though protected by cavalry. In the
evening, amidst the wild excitement of the ^' canaille,'^
the parliament-house was sacked ; a rioter seated himself
THE Canadian Pkopi.e.
415
in tlio spcsakor's chair atui crioil out, " I dissolvo this
liouso;" and, to end all, tho huildinj^'.s woro set on firo
and burnL'd to tlic ^Tound, Sii* Allan McNab, tho Speaker,
with dilHculty saving tho maco, and a valuahlo picture ot'
lier Majesty.
Violence was shown also towards tho leading members
of tlio Ministry, and a disgraceful attack was made u])on
liis Excellency on his entering tho city on his ])ublic
duties. There seemed a repetition of the excesses of a
Jacobin mob in Paris, but one is grii^ved to state that
the rioters were Bi'itish. Montreal was punished by tho
immediate removal of the capital to Toronto for two
years, and after that for four years to Quebec, and its
claim to bo made tho capital of Canada was never again
received with favour.
The infamous act of Sir John Colborne, in 183.")^ in
establishing the rectories was one of the most xhe Clergy
irritating of the wrongs which incited the radi- Reserves
cals of that time to rebellion, for it was entirely ^S*^^-
out of harmony with a despatch of Lord Ripon, in 1832,
which had promised that no action would be taken in the
matter. Immediately after the rebellion the question
of the Clergy Reserves rose again. Lord Sydenham was
exceedingly desirous of having this difficulty settled
before the union of the provinces in 1841. His reasons
were convincing. The introduction of a large French
element into the new parliament, which had no interest
in the matter, was a sufficient ground for haste.
Accordingly, in 1839, Lieutenant-Governor Arthur, of
Upper Canada, was successful in having a bill passed
re-vesting the Clergy Reserves in the crown, and trans-
ferring the power of appropriating tlie funds from
their sale ^* to the Imperial Parliament for religious
purposes.'^ The Act was, however, disallowed by the
Imperial authorities. But again, in 1840, tlie Governor-
General sent a message to the Assembly of Upper Canada,
proposing a new measure for settling this vexed question.
This was to devote the proceeds of the clergy lauds, one-
half to the churches of England and Scotland and tho
other half among religious bodies desirous of sharing it.
'r^
4i6
A Shout History of
A3f *
It was at this juiicturo tlint Kgcrton Rycrson fuiU'd to
stand firm to tho principio of secularization lio had boforu
advocated by acccf)tin^ tlii.s proposal. Ho tliiis iiicurrcd
the wi'ath of tho leading popular advocates tliroughout
tho country. This proposition of tho (Jovcnior-CiencM'al
was accepted by tho Assembly, but on beinj^ submitted
to the judges by tho House of Lords was declared illegal.
The Upper Canada Assembly, accordin«^ to the judges,
had ])ovver, by tlie Act, 1701, to vary tho mode of dis-
posing only of lands yet unsold, not of those previously
sold.
But a new bill was passed through tho Lords by tho
Bishop of Kxeter and Lord Scaton, the aforetime Sir John
Colborno of " Rectories " fame, with the consent of Lord
John ilussell, carrying out Lord Sydenham's proposal, at
least so far as tho lands still remaining were concerned.
Thus was what was regarded as an act of spoliation by
nearly all the claimants for tho time being agreed upon.
No doubt tho weak attitude of Ryerson and his friends
was tlio cause of tho disaster. They had been hood-
winked and disappointed.
The revenue accruing from tho reserves proving trifling,
Bishop Strachan, in 1813, began an agitati^^^ for
the amendment of the Act of 1840. Ho was
encouraged to do this by the fact that in that
year the Church of Scotland had been weakened by the
secession of the Free Church. Ryerson was opposed to
the reopening of the r -^^on, knowing that secularization
must result. In 1^ was proposed to divide up the
lands among thf' ^. religious bodies. This caused a
great ferment : aiada. The Bishop madly persisted
in his efforts to obtain a readjustment, and as might have
been foreseen, the Assembly, in 1850, passed an Act ask-
ing the repeal of the Imperial Act of 1 840. Strachan proved
himself far less astute than the other reverend champion.
In 1853 the control of the clergy lands was again
transferred by Imperial Act to the Legislature of Upper
Canada. The Hincks-Lafontaine administration in power
in Canada was thus compelled to meet the question anew.
The French-Canadians were much averse to secularization,
Renewed
agitation.
TIIK Canadi.un PEorLt:.
417
ftjaring a siiiillar turn of ovonts in connoction with tho
.support of tho cler
E e
**lll
^m
^^r^m
41S
A Short History of
>
the country of two aud a half milHoiis of dollars. Hence-
forth the French-Canadian is as free in the possession of
his homestead as the Anglo-Saxon.
The inequalities of representation as arranged after the
Eepresen- -^ct of 1840 were most unfair. The older con-
tation by stituencies were in many cases small in popu-
population. ij^tion, but equal in representation to those with
teeming numbers. It was largely this inequality which
led to the increase by a two-thirds vote of Legislative
Council and Assembly, as required by the Union Act,
from eighty-four members to 130 in the Assembly,
sixty-five being from each province. The cry of the
French- Canadians against the Union Act had been that
while Upper Canada, had 170,000 fewer people she had
equal representation, and now the " whirligig of time "
brought round punishment to Upper Canada, for, in
fifteen years after the Union, Upper Canada had an excess
of population of 250,000. Now the complaint arose from
the Upper Canadians. It was while the veteran Sir
Allan McNab was in power that the demand for a change
arose, in 1855 and succeeding years.
The leader in the crusade was the Hon. George Brown.
Born in Edinburgh in November, 1818, young
Bro\fn Brown was the son of a cultivated and ardent
politician, Peter Brown. His father came to
New York in 1838 and commenced a newspaper there —
the British Chronicle. Attracted to Canada in 1843, old
Peter Brown began a Presbyterian newspaper — TIlg
Banner. In the following year, in March, George Brown
undertook the well-known newspaper the Toronto Glohe,
which has ever since been, with varying excellence, a
powerful advocate of popular rights. Like many others
in Canada Mr. Brown gained notoriety by a libel suit
which was brought against him in 1849. Defeated in
Haldimand in 1851 by William Lyon Mackenzie, Mr.
Brown became a strenuous opponent of the Hincks'
administration. He defeated the Hon. Malcolm Cameron
of that ministry in 1851 in Lambton, and took his seat
in the House.
Through a combination with Allan McNab, Hincks was
THE Canadian People.
419
. Hencc-
jsession of
. after tlie
dicier con-
in popn-
tliose witli
Jity whicli
Legislative
Jnion Act,
Assembly,
cry of the
been tliat
le she had
T of time "
da, for, in
,d an excess
) arose from
veteran Sir
or a change
)rge Brown.
.818, yonng
and ardent
ler came to
Iper there —
U 1843, old
paper— The
prge Brown
\ronto Globe,
icellence, a
jany others
|a libel suit
lefeated in
:enzie, Mr-
le Hincks'
Im Cameron
lok his seat
Hincks was
defeated by Mr. Brown and his small band of ultra, or as
he claimed, true reformers. Mr, Brown was somewhat
chagrined at the union of Sir Allan McNab with a number
of Mr. Hincks' late followers, and turned the weapons of
toiiguo and newspaper against the Coalition Ministry.
The fierce cry of injustice was constantly a feature of
Mr. Brown's advocacy. With a great power of mind, a
fearless disposition, determined grasp of principles, and
great ability as a public speaker, Mr. Brown was, until
the time of his death in 1880 when he fell by the
assassin's bullet, perhaps the most prominent figure in
Upper Canadian politics. Though constitutionally an
oppositionist, and but little acquainted with the rewards
of office, perhaps no man has left so strong an impression
on Upper Canadian institutions as he.
There now came into prominence as a strenuous oppo-
nent of Mr. Brown on the question of represen-
tation one whose bronze statue stands on Sir George
Parliament Hill, Ottawa — tho Canadian states-
man, Cartier. George Etienne Cartier was born in Septem-
ber, 1814, in Vercheres County, Lower Canada. He was
of the family of the brave explorer of St. Malo, who dis-
covered Canada. Educated in Montreal Seminary young
Cartier studied law, and began its practice in Montreal
in 1835. Becoming involved, as we have seen, in the
rebellion of 1837 he fled to the United States, but soon
returned, and did not enter political life till 1848.
He became a member of Sir Allan McNab's coalition
cabinet in 1855. Soon after he distinguished himself by
the codification of the confused civil laws, and laws of
procedure of Lower Canada, and took part in the Seignio-
rial Tenure settlement. In 1858 he formed, in conjunc-
tion with John A. Macdonald, a new cabinet. The
Seigniorial Tenure settlement required a much larger
sum for its completion than had been expected — amount-
ing, as has been said, to several millions of dollars. As
this was taken from the fund of United Canada, and was
purely a Lower Canadian object, Mr. Brown and his
followers denounced it as "robbery.'' This and like
questions quickened the demand for representation by
E e 2
,
•
420
A Short History of
population, and in 1861 the question was urged on the
House.
Cartier, who was a vivacious, astute, and determined
politician, defended Lower Canada. On the charge by
Mr. Brown that the one countv of Bruce with 80,000
people had not one representative, Cartier retorted that
if heads were to oe counted, then, taking in the codfish
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Lower Canada had the
majority. In 1802 representation by population was
a burning question. Though Cartier was defeated on a
Militia Bill, yet the fierce spectre of " rep. by pop.,"
conjured before the French people, made a stable Govern-
ment by either party impossible. Upper Canada by a
double majority demanded her rights. Lower Canada
almost unanimously stood w.. the constitution.
Cartier died in 1873, and though his own claim was
that he was an ^' Englishman speaking French," yet his
dogged perseverance and unflinching *' Here stand I,'^
did a hundred times more to cement the bonds of the
Lower Canadians as an exclusive nationality in Canada
than all the narrowness of Bedard, or the frenzied
appeals of Papineau, for the many years which had pre-
ceded. Representation by population received its recog-
nition in confederation.
Section III. — Keel, Loclc and Rail.
Canadian SnirpiNG.
Her ships make Canada Britain's truest child. On tlie
ocean and on her inland waters Canada's ships were so
numerous that after confederation. Great Britain, the
United States^ and Norway were the only countries in
the world exceeding her in tonnage. It was by steady
industry, with but little capital, that Canada's marine was
built up. In the bays and fiords of Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick, a few skilful workmen placed the stocks,
and built such craft_, staunch and seaworthy, able to
breast the wild waves of the gulf currents or of George's
Reef. The fishing and sailing vessels were built not
THE Canadian People.
421
usually in great ship-yards, but in the mouths of creeks
and inlets, and thus the people of the whole coast, as
ship-builders and sailors, looked upon the sea much as our
Norse ancestors regarded it. On the Bay of Fundy and
in the town of St. John there are great seafaring popu-
lations.
At Quebec wooden vessels were built in large num-
bers in the mouth of the St. Charles. In the upper lakes,
as well, good schooners were constructed to carry on the
trade, and though oak was once brought from England
by a stupid Admiralty order to build vessels on Lake
Ontario, this was repaid by Canada sending home her
timber to build British bottoms. The first steamer, as
already stated, ran on the St. Lawrence in 1809. It was
in the year 1819 that the Savannah, an American ship
of 350 tons burthen, left port, the first steamer to cross
the Atlantic ; she crossed in twenty-four days, but the
trial was a commercial loss, and for twenty years the
venture was not repeated. In 1838 two English steamers
crossed the Atlantic, and in 1840 a Thames-built steamer,
the President, left New York for Europe, but was lost.
But to Nova Scotia, true to her British origin, belongs
the honour of the most successful steamship line on the
Atlantic — the Cunard line.
Samuel Cunard was born in Halifax, in November,
1787, the son of a West India merchant.
Having gained by persevering effort a know- gJ^J^amers.
ledge of shipping, and accumulated a small
capital, Cunard became possessed with the grand idea of
founding a fleet of steamers. With the aid of Robert
Napier, the Glasgow engineer; the Messrs. Burns, of
Glasgow ; and Mclver, of Liverpool, the enterprise was
begun in 1840, and the task undertaken by the Cunard
Company of running a fortnightly line from Liverpool
to Halifax and Boston. With the four vessels — Britannia^
Acadia, Caledonia, and Columbia, each of 1200 tons, the
great undertaking commenced, and for 197,O0OZ. in all
of an annual subsidy, the line was extended to New
York. A magnificent fleet of fifty vessels now represents
the Cunard line. The distinguished founder of it was
422
A Short History of
made a baronet in 1857, and died eighteen years
after.
The Cunard line could hardly be called Canadian,
however. Its founder was a Haligonian and its point
of call was Halifax, but its commerce was chiefly that of
the United States. To make a distinctively Canadian
line was a far more difficult enterprise. Wiseacrts de-
clared that the icebergs of the Newfoundland banks, the
rocks of Belle Isle, Anticosti, and scores of dangerous
reefs rendered it impossible. The man and the occasion,
however, overcame the difficulty.
Hugh Allan was the son of an Ayrshire captain. He
■ w crh ^^^ born in September, 1810. In 1840, in the
AUan!^ firm of Miller & Co., Montreal, he was employed
in shipbuilding. In 1851 he was engaged in
building iron-screw steamships, and the first of the
great Allan fleet, the Canadian, was built in 1853. The
Allan line was begun three years after with that vessel
and the Indian, North American, and Anglo-Saxon.
Disaster threatened the failure of the line. Misfortune
after misfortune occurred. Brave men like Sir George
Simpson, who held stock in the line, began to waver.
Hugh Allan without faltering bought out their stock.
He stood like a lighthouse amidst the waves. The tide
of fortune turned, and the Allan line, with its grand fleet
of vessels, is the boast of every true Canadian.
There are in all fin the registers of the Dominion up-
wards of 7000 Canadian vessels. If the extent of sea-
coast be the measure of a nation's commerce, Canada
claims a high place, as her sea-coast, which requires fog
whistles, bell-bucys, automatic and other buoys, and
beacons, is 3200 miles, and her inland lake coast 2600
miles. Her light stations number upwards of 500. She
employs upwards of 650 lighthouse-keepers, and has six-
teen lightships. From Sable Island to British Columbia
are scattered beneficierit provision of the most scientific
kind for those who venture on the deep waters.
Our Canals.
The enormous water-stretches throughout the inland
mn
THE Canadian People.
423
ieeu years
lg occasion,
parts of Canada have led to tlie improvement of these
channels by artificial means to a very great extent.
While Lord Durham gave the great public works of the
country as a chief element of diflBculty in conducting
honest government through corrupt expenditure, Canada
would to-day have been largely a wilderness but for her
public works.
The famous Lachine rapids stood an obstacle at the
very gate of the St. Lawrence above Montreal.
In 1821 was begun the Lachine Canal, nine ^^ ^^^'
miles long with its six locks, under the chief direction of
the great engineer Telford. It was completed in three
years at a cost of 115,000Z. by a private company, but
with the aid of the Provincial and Imperial (rovernments.
The success of the Lachine Canal imtudiately sug-
gested the extension of the sv^.tem further
*■ . Thfi 'XXTpI
inland. The mighty cataract oi Niagara — j^^^
*' thundering water " — had its name affixed to it
by wondering savages long before La Salle beheld it. Its
height of IGO feet but represented a portion of the fall
between Lakes Erie and Ontario. It was a U.E. Loyalist
who with amazing perseverance succeeded in overcoming
this obstacle by projecting the Welland Canal. William
Hamilton Merritt, born in 1793 in New York State, was
the son of refugee loyalists who had at first fled to New
Brunswick. Sent again to New Brunswick to be edu-
cated young Merritt returned to Niagara in 1809,
and beer me captain by the end of the "war of
defence." He was a man of moderate opinions, and
though he called the rebellion of 1837 a " monkey war,"
yet his sympathies were largely with the people.
He began considering his project in 1818, but did not
succeed in organizing an incorporated company till 1825,
to undertake the great scheme. In 1829 two vessels
passed through the canal, and by way of Welland River
reached Buffalo from Lake Ontario. Several changes
were made upon the course, such as connecting it with
the Grand River, and also of making a direct line to
Lake Erie. A half-million pounds were spent upon it
up to the year 1841, at which date it was assumed by
l\>, !i«1
«<
m
^mi
424
A Short History of
■ *
United Canada. The canal from lake to lake is now
twenty-seven miles in length ; it has cost in all more
than thrice the sum named; it was enlarged after the
union and also since that time, and is one of the grandest
triumphs of Canadian enterprise.
The campaigns of the " war of defence " conducted up
_. the St. Lawrence River, which in part forms the
boundary of the United States, suggested to the
Imperial Government the necessity of a safe communication
between Montreal and Lake Ontario. It was found that to
the foot of Chaudiere Falls on the Ottawa Hi ver and Kings-
ton on Lake Ontario, a distance of 135 miles, streams
ran in two directions from an upland sheet of water,
twenty-eight miles in length called Ilideau Lake. The
fall northward was 283 feet, southward 153.
By a system of dykes, dams, and aqueducts Colonel
John By, and his assistant, a young Scottish engineer,
McTaggart, demonstrated to the British Government the
feasibility of connecting the inland waters with the lower
St. Lawrence. In 1827 work in earnest was begun by
the Imperial Government. The cost of the enterprise
was, as is usual in such cases, much under-estimated.
When the canal had been mainly built in 1832, or
finished in 1834, the cost had reached one and a half
millions of pounds, nearly thrice the original estimate.
As a part of this great project the Imperial Govern-
Q ... ment also undertook works at the Grenville
rapids on the Ottawa River. The upper canal,
that of Carillon, is about one and a half miles long ; the
middle. Chute au Blondeau, a mile ; and the lowest is that
to avoid the Long Sault of the Ottawa, which is twelve
miles below Carillon. Upper Canadians should ever bear
in mind this generous expenditure on the part of the
Imperial Government, a showing very different from that
of the Manchester colonial school.
Canadian commerce, however, found the Ottawa and
Rideau route from Montreal to Upper Canada
too round-about and tedious. Accordingly the
Canadian Government undertook three canals
nearly forty-four miles long on the St. Lawrence — the
St. law
rence.
THE Canadian PEOrLE.
425
Williamsburg', between Prescott and Dickenson's Land-
ings the Cornwall, to avoid the 'VLong Sault " of the
8t. Lawrence; and tlie lieauharnois, to overcome tho
" Coteau,'' '' Cedars/' and " Cascades " rapids. Up to
1852 the cost of the St. Lawrence canals was set at one
and a half millions of dollars.
In computing the cost of all our canals, who shall say
that the iifteen or twenty millions of dollars have not
been well spent in enabling vessels of moderate size to
pass from Britain by way of the St. Lawrence and lakes,
and with the aid of the short canal of Sault Ste. Marie,
completed by the Americans, thus to reach the western
exti-emity of Lake Superior, 1400 miles above Montreal,
in the very heart of the continent.
u
Kailways.
For the vast distances in Canadian territory, and the
opening up of new regions remote from the water-courses,
another agent than the canal must be employed. What
the Roman roads were to the Roman empire, as shown
by their all being computed from the golden milestone
near the Roman forum, railways are to America.
It was* in 1832 in Canada that the first railway com-
pany was incorporated — and that a railway along the
Richelieu River, and from its termini called the St.
Champlain and St. Lawrence railway. In the following
year the Huron and Ontario line was formed, and in the
next again the Great Western of Canada.
But it was in 1840, after the repeal of the Corn Laws
and the relaxation of the restrictions on navigation, that
a great movement towards opening up Canada by rail-
ways took place. It has been usual to trace much of
this to the enlightened policy and suggestive mind of
Lord Elgin. But credit is also due to one whom we
have already met as a political leader — Mr. Hincks.
Francis Hincks belonged to an English family which
had been settled for a generation or two in ^jQgjjg
Ireland. The son of a Unitarian minister in
Cork, he was born in that city in 1807. His father
426
A Short History of
t
became master in the Royal Belfast Academy, and aftor
completing his education there, Francis Hincks entered
trade and went abroad ; and, after visiting Canada, re-
turned with his young wife now to settle in the province
in 1832. At the time of the rebellion Hincks was manager
of " The Bank of the People ;'^ but in 1838 began a news-
paper, the Toronto Examiner y which we find bore the motto
of ''Responsible Government and the Voluntary Principle."
In 1841 the young Irishman was elected member for
Oxford in the first Union Parliament, and by the year
1842 had been appointed Inspector-General. As Hincks
had begun the Toronto Examiner, so he afterwards founded
the Montreal Pilot. It was in 1849 that Hincks had the
distinction of introducing a measure to grant Govern-
ment assistance to railways. In 1850 there was in
operation only some forty miles of railway, and while the
country cried out for development, private enterprise
could not provide it. In 1851 the Northern railway, the
first Upper Canadian line of rail, was begun, and the
Countess of Elgin turned the first sod.
It was in the same year that Mr. Hincks, with great
energy, devoted himself to carry out a plan for '' a main
trunk line of railways throughout the whole length of
Canada.''
If the originator of a grand idea be a greater man
than the hundred men who afterwards work it out,
Francis Hincks deserves special recognition for his broad
policy of railway expansion. He set aside waste lands
for the construction of the Canadian trunk line. In ten
years a marvellous transformation had taken place in
Canada.
The means for this great development was provided by
the Municipal Loan Fund Bill introduced by Mr. Hincks,
by which, though the Canadian municipalities plunged
themselves into a burden of debt of 10,000,000 dollars, the
country was opened for commerce. In ten years after
the passage of the Railway Guarantee Bill of 1840 there
had been added to Canada no less than 2100 additional
miles of railway.
The great promoter of railways, however, passed for a
THE Canadian People.
427
time from the scene of Canadian politics, bciu^ made
Governor of Barbadoes and the Windward Isles in 185f),
and after an absence of thirteen years returned to public
life in Canada, and died so lately as 1885 in the small-
pox scourge in Montreal.
Sir Francis Ilincks was the Coll)ert of later Canadian
affairs. Two noble memorials of this era remain to
Canada : the well-known suspension bridge by which the
Great Western railway crosses the Niagara lliver. This
was opened in 1855, and bridges in a single span the
chasm 800 feet wide. The other great work is the mag-
nificent Victoria bridge, opened in 18G0, crossing the St.
Lawrence at Montreal, with its twenty- four piers extend-
ing nearly two miles in length. Greater, these, than
the ancient world's seven wonders !
ii
r " a main
Section IV. — The Field, the Forest, the Mine, and the
Sea.
God speed the plough ! is our oldest Canadian motto.
In so widespread and diversified a country as Canada
every variety of agriculture exists. Six leading areas,
characterized by special climatic influences, may be found.
The Anticosti shore; the gulf region, including most of
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick ; the Quebec region ;
the lake sections, comprising chiefly Ontario ; the prairies ;
and the Eocky Mountain and British Columbian valleys.
In the whole Dominion upwards of 20,000,000 acres
are under cultivation, while the improved pasture area
is 7,000,000 acres. Mixed farming is probably the most
common.
The farm yielding its products by a steady rotation
of grain, grass, and root crops, with a certain amount of
stock raising, a moderate dairy product, and some
attention to the growth of fruit and vegetables, is cer-
tainly the Canadian ideal. That it is folly to have all
the eggs in one basket is the housewife's dictum usually
accepted by Canadian farmers. Yet different parts
of the country are being found suitable for special
productions.
428
A Short History of
..,iw
*
»■
Nov.i Scotia on its wost coast, and tlio western penin-
sula of Ontario are celebrated for apple growing and
the yield of small fruits; the sea meailows of the Bay
of Fundy supply rich liay-fields ; the eastern townships of
Quebec cultivate horse and cattle-breeding successfully ;
careful husbandry of t\w idyllic type is the hcaii-ideal
of Lower Canadian life; dairy ftxrms of a large size are
springing up in Ontario and Quebec, and a great output
of cheese and butter have resulted ; our western prairies
are becoming the granaries not oidy of Canada but of
America; the foothills of the Rocky Mountains — the
Canadian Piedmout — and the western prairie section have
in ten years become a wonderful "ranching'' coun-
try; and no doubt the Western Saskatchewan plains
will yet be vast sheep-runs, as well as the abode of
herds of cattle and horses.
The enviable pre-eminence of Canada in agriculture
has not been attained without effort. In 1818 appeared
in the Nova Scotian newspapers a most notable series
of letters by '^ Agricola,'' which attracted the attention
of the Governor, Lord Dalhousie, and of all leading Nova
Scotians, and gave an impetus to agriculture.
One of the most beautiful pictures of Canadian life
is the return of the " Autumn Fairs," in which the
products of the earth are brought together in the leading
cities and towns. At these exhibitions prizes fire
awarded, and a desire for excellence in farming is culti-
vated. No feature so well brings out the prosperity and
comfort of the Canadian farmer as a view of the thou-
sands of burly farmers and their wives, the well-dressed
lads and maidens who gather together in holiday attire,
engaged in rendering homage to Ceres, the presiding
divinity in hundreds of local centres from Nova Scotia
to Manitoba.
The lofty pine, that suggests to Virgil its pre-eminence
in the forest, certainly deserves in the eyes of
Canadians a prominent place, as the source of
enormous wealth. Where the farmer cannot penetrate
may still be the fruitful field of the lumberer. About
the beginning of this century a settler from Massachusetts,
Tiir: Canadian Pkoplk.
429
named PhikMuoii \Vri«^]it, boiiglit in ^lontroal a considor-
ablo quantity of forest lands on tlie Ottawa Kivor, on
the streng'tli of certain documents, afterwards found to
have been for^j^ed. The Government of Ijower Canada,
sympathizing with Mr. Wright 'in the severe loss ho had
met, bestowed on the pioneer, on condition of his dc-
velo])ing it, a largo tract on the Ottawa Kiver, north of
the Chaudioro Fails.
Thus bc^gan the lumber trade, which has grown to
such great proportions on the Ottawa ; for it was in
June, 1806, that the first raft of logs went down that
river.
Between the parallels of 43° and 47°. grows largely
the white or Weymouth pine, the PiniiK t^trohus of tho
botanists. Throughout Canada is found also the red or
Norway pine much used in ship-building, and especially
for masts, which with the oak and tamarack afford a
great part of the lumber of the Canadian trade.
Bands of men, hardy and rough, hasten in winter to
the " woods '' in the lumber-man's " timber limits,"
build their ''shanties," live on "pork and beans," and
engage in hewing down the forest monarchs, which give
us our wealth. Each " gang" is divided into *' hewers,"
*' liners," " scorers," and horse and ox teamsters. Tho
logs are drawn to the water-courses, and in spring-time
" driven " (i.e. guided in the stream) singly to the mills,
or joined together in " rafts '' when the larger streams
are reached. These are then sawn into lumber or taken
uncut to Quebec on the St. Lawrence, and sent to
Britain, under the* direction of a public official — tho
" supervisor of cullers " — being shipped and stowed away
in the ocean vessels by men called " stevedores."
The recognition of the lumber-trade 'Was first made
by the Government under Lord Dalhousie placing an
export tax upon it in 1823. In order to overcome the
Chaudiere Falls, " slides,^' by which logs can be safely
taken down stream, were built in 1829 by Mr. Ruggles
Wright. Li succeeding years "timber licences" have
been issued to lumberers by the Provincial Governments,
by which a very considerable public revenue is obtained.
. .:i''..
430
A Short History of
«
On the Ottawa Rivor alono, no less than 25,000 men
are oiigagcd in tlio luni])or trade. Iiar!
Tiiic Canadian People.
439
M
Isbistcr legacy of upwnrds of 80,000 dollars yields jiii
unnujil amount of 4000 dollars, which is distrihuted in
scholarships. Upwards of 100 candidates appeared ht'fore
the university in 1^80.
On the year after the entrance of British Columbia
into confederation (1872) provision was made
for pul)lic education by the passing of an Act columtia
including all the people of the province. The
scattered settlements necessitated somethin"" of the nature
of boarding-schools at central points in the valleys. The
building of school-houses, and the maintenance of schools
could only be accomplished at enormous cost, and though
few schools were opened, a grant of 40,000 dollars was
made out of the liberal Dominion subsidy paid to the Pacific
province. A high school has since been in operation in
Victoria, and another in New Westminster.
The municipal system found as a marked feature in
most of the Canadian provinces, is the basis of
social improvement. Montreal, with its popu- °"g^g ^^°"
lation, half French and half ^higlish, of 150,000,
is the largest Canadian city, while Quebec, the ancient
capital, is Canada^s most hospitable city. Toronto, the
centre of Upper Canadian life, enjoys its 120,000 of a
population, and disputes with Montreal the palm in
commerce, education, literature, and poli'Jcal influence,
while numerous smaller cities and towns of Ontario are
possessed of many social comforts. Halifax and 8t.
John present the features of a cultivated city life along
the sea; Winnipeg, a city of 22,000 people, and but ui'
yesterday, is rapidly obtaining recognition, and possesses
in its chief thoroughfare one of the most beautiful
streets in the Dominion. Victoria keeps the gate of
the Pacific, with its balmy climate, and old-fashioned
society.
In all of these centres of population the telegraph and
telephone make communication easy ; gas and electricity
make night as safe as day ; fire and water provision give
every convenience. Block, McAdam, and stone pave-
ments have obliterated the quagmires of early days;
libraries for the people abound, literary societies and
440
A SlluKT lilSTURV OF
scioiiHfi(^ associations floiirisli. Hospitals, asylums, and
liotncs, suppoi'lcd by local, voluntary, and municipal aid,
Jillovijitc human suff('i'in<4'. Were Loi'd Durham, with
the memory of his former Canadian life, permitted to
revisit Canada, it would be, as compared Avith his previous
experience, like soaring away from the dull earth to the
fabled island of Laputa.
Section VI. — The Federal Union accomplished.
The struggle for freedom in the old thirteen colonies
along the sea had fused them into one in the pursuit of a
common object, and thus their union into the American
Kepublic resulted. The several British provinces had, as
we have seen, l)een compelled to fight the battle of
responsible government, but the British authorities had
been more willing for liberal government than the domi-
mmt parties in the colonies themselves. The remedies
for colonial misgovernment had, in the case of Canada
and the maritime provinces, been suggested by British
statesmen, while in the case of the original thirteen
colonies their constitution had been of their own
devising.
And yet it had been the voice of Howe in Nova Scotin,
Wilmot in New lirunswick, Papineau in Lower Canada,
and Baldwin in Upper Canada, which in each case sounded
the key-note of freedom. The causes which now led to
the drawing together of the provinces into one dominion
were partly provincial and partly imperial. The remark-
able progress of the United States stimulated a desire on
the part of the several provinces to pursue a similar
career.
The presence of this mighty power alongside of the
provinces became somewhat of a menace to the weak
colonies, especially as the republic had an enormous
army but lately engaged in internal strife, but now not
unwilling to ngage in foreign war. The presence of a
large military establishment in a country is a constant
source of danger to weak neighbours. The Trent affair,
at the beginning of the American civil strife, when war
' •I! .
THE Canadian PEorLi:.
441
us, and
pal aid,
n, with
ittod to
)rovious
h to the
id.
colonies
suit of a
merican
s had, as
lattlo of
tics had
ho donii-
remedies
: Canada
f British
thirteen
eir own
a Scotia,
Canada,
sounded
led to
oniinion
remark-
esire on
simihir
of the
le weak
bormous
bow not
ice of a
constant
\it affair,
leii war
seemed imminent hetvveen l^ritain andth(^ United States,
forced the fact of their weakness very strongly on thi'
British colonies.
The desire for union of the provinces would seem to
l\ii,ve first taken root in the maritime pi'ovinces. Lord
Durliani, with his powerful and fornnitive mind, had
indicated a union of all the provinces as a sequence of
the union of the Canadas, and to his statesman's eye the
huilding of a railway from the upper to the lower provinces
was the bond of union. Time and again, as we shall see,
between 1888 and 18()0, negotiations were in progress
between the iidand provinces and those by the sea for
the survey and construction of an intercolonial railway.
Though nothing had as yet been accomplished, the
project had not been forgotten.
It was in the year 1804 that the Legislatures of Nova
Scotia, New l^runswick, and Pi'ince Edward Island
authorized their several Governments to hold a con-
ference at CharlottetowUj Prince Edward Island, to
consider a union of the maritime provinces.
In Canada, as we have seen, the struggle for repre-
sentation by population had brought on a serious crisis.
The Union Act of 1840 had been of great service to the
country : much progress had been made in all directions ;
but a stable government was found impossible, and some
constitutional change was inevitable. The leaders of the
two Canadian parties by a noble act of patriotism agreed
for the time to lay aside the weapons of political warfare
and endeavour to secure a confederation of the British pro-
vinces, as not only the remedy for the Canadian " dead-
lock," but also as conducive to British interests on the
American continent.
The maritime provinces had ignored party divisions in
the Charlottetovvn conference, and eight delegates from
Canada sailed down the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and by
permission of the maritime province representatives
joined the conference. A full and free discussion of the
various interests involved resulted in a determination to
meet again in conference at Quebec, on a day to be
named by the Governor-General.
fillll
,1 ;
442
A Short History ok
On tlio lOtli of October, IHiVt, tlio Quebec confercnco
was b(»<^"iin. This was one of the greatest events of
Csniadiaii In'stoiy. Here wer(» gathered t]u> desccndt'ints
of the French ])ioneers who had for more than a century
ching to British connection, though often teinpted from
their uHegiance, and who laid shown remarkable apti-
tuck^ in adopting Ih'itish representative government;
here were those of U. 10. Loyalist stock from the four
English provinces, but who had '<'opted responsible
government, and done good serv . working it out ;
here were those of lU'itish origin — i om England, Ireland,
and Scotland, and representing all the faiths of those
mother-lands ; and here were those of American descent,
not behind their fellows in declaring their preference for
the forms of Canadian liberty, over the peculiar features
of the llepublic.
They met for friendly conference on the historic
ground of old Quebec, where French Catholic and French
Huguenot, French and American, French and British,
British and American, Canadian and American, had
closed together in deadly conflict in the days of Kertk,
Pliipps, Wolfe, and Montgomery. Now they sat under
the smile of Britain, while ninety years before the other
great formative convention, the Continental Congress of
the English Colonies, had met under the British frown.
On the 28th of October the conference closed its pro-
ceedings. Many had been the knotty points discussed;
on one or two occasions it seemed as if an agreement,
especially on the financial arrangements, was hopeless;
but there was a desire on the part of all the delegates to
make one New Britain on this continent, and they suc-
ceeded in adopting seventy-two resolutions on the sub-
ject. Of how vastly more moment to the country these
than the reckless ninety-eight resolutions formulated in
the same city some thirty years before !
Much joy was manifested throughout the several
provinces, and according to British custom convivial
banquets were held in the various cities. As has been
observed, the English people inaugurate great move-
ments with eating and drinking, and imitate in this the
Tin: Canadian People.
443
fincioiit GcM'inniis doscriln'tl by Tacitus, of ■whom, dis-
eussiii<^ tlu'ir prujirts luidst ciiliiii^' iiiid di-inkiiiL'- wnd
dcc'idiuy" on them Jiiiiidst o-ri'ut sdlciniiity, it was said:
*' '.riiry di'lilxM'iitc' while llu'y caiuiut t'l'iy'ii j they (U'tur-
miiio when thi'y cannot vvv."
Having' rcsunu'd tlicir sitlin<^*s in Montreal, on the olst
of October thi' convention closed, and the (^'on federation
scheme was lannched tor discussion by the various ])ro-
vinces. In Canada there was so o-^'at unanimity tiiat
Tarliament adopti>d the project without g'oin**" back to
the people'; in New Brunswick the Confederation scheme
was on submission to the people defeated, but on another
jippi'al in a year after was by a surprising chanp;o
adopted ; in Nova Scotia tlu' measure was accepted by
the Legislature without consulting their constituents,
and the seeds sown of a most troublesome agitation
subsequently ; while in Pi'ince Edward Island the
proposal was for the time rejected, as also in New-
foundland.
The scheme of Confederation was the subjt'ct of most
favourable discussion in the United States, and especially
in Great Britain ; as pointed out in the conference —
though federal, like tlu' constitution of the United States
— the conception is widely different. In the case of the
thirteen colonies Avhich had thrown oil' alk>giance to
Britain, they came together as sovereign states, and each
state is the repository of power in all cases where the
constitution does not transfer this to the general or
federal -government ; in the Canadian scheme the
Dominion Government is the repository of power, except
where this is transferred to the several provinces. The
Canadian theory is that of a relatively more powerful
central government than that of the United States.
The British Government heartily approved of the
Confederation, and Lord Cardwell wrote a despatch,
which much assisted tlie project in its adoption by the
several provincial legislatures. On the 4th of December,
1866, representatives of Canada, ^^'^ova Scotia, and New
Brunswick met in London, and agreed to cc^rtain changes
in the resolu,tions. On these provisions a Bill was now
444
A Short History ok
foiiudi'tl and iiitroducctl into tlio Imperial Parliament,
and on the 2\h\\ of March, 18()7, hocamc law.
From tlH» linpci'ial standpoint the whole schcmo was
received with niai'kcd favonr. As was said by a Jiritish
journal of the time: "the Confederation scheme of Ca-
nada solves, not for its(»lf alone, but for otluM* colonies,
the pi'ol)lem of how to transmute a jealous tlepcMidenry
into a cordial ally, which, thou^-h retaining mayhap the
<^'olden link of the Ci'own, sliouhl in all respects c^vinco
uii uid)ought and unforced loyalty, an alle<^'iance without
consti'aint, cooperation without coercion, bonds without
bondage — the only iitting guerdon that freemen should
care to seek or be willing to yield."
Undoubtedly the union of the four great provinces of
British America bore a stately aspect. Compared with
the petty struggles, in which all the provinces had been
engagetl, there was a breadth and scope about Con-
federation most imposing.
The new constitution went into effect on the 1st of
July, 1(S(]7, and was marki'd by demonstrations of great
joy in the several provinces ; and this date is annually
observed as " Dominion Day." The provisions of the
'' British North America Act," as the new constitution
is called, are embodied in the Appendix, as being too
important to be treated in a mere sketch. Surely, as
compared with the f<3rmer state of disintegration, every
Canadian should say of the Dominion of Canada : ''£sto
'perpetua.'^
THE Canadian PEorLE.
^45
CHAPTER XIII.
THE CANADIAN I'EOI'LK UNDER CONFKDRFiATION.
(References: ''Canada since the Union of 1841," vol. ii., 1»y J.
C. Dent, Toronto, IHHl ; "International f.aw," ])y W. K. llall
(vide antr) ; '* Intoruational Ivaw," by Theodore I). WooLsey, Now
York, 1879; "Select Committee on Hudson's IJay Company,"
London, 18^7 ; " Report of American Northern Boundary Com-
mission," Washinj^ton, 1878 ; " Heminiscences of the North- Wcwt
liel)enion," by jMajor Houlton, Toronto, 1880 ; "Tlie Intercolonial
Railway," by Sandford Fleming; "Histories of the Various
Churches"; "Reports of Progress of the Canadian Pacific Railway,"
()ttawa,1877; "Re])orts of Geological Survey, 1871-84;" " Dominion
Annual Register, 1880-4," by H. J. Morgan, Toronto; " The Indian
Treaties," by Alexander JVIorris, Toronto, 1880 ; " Imperial
Federation Journal," London, 1880.)
Section I. — The Affairs of State.
With the boomiug of cannon and the beating of drums
tlie new Dominion was ushered in. Lord Mouck The
was sworn in as Governor-General, and his Dominion
advisers were selected from both parties through- o^&amzed.
out the different provinces. The British North America
Act j jined together in one the two parts of old Canada
and the two leading maritime provinces. Titles of Com-
mander of the Bath were bestowed by the Queen's direc-
tion upon several members of the new privy council of
thirteen, and the leader of the Government, John A.
Macdonald, who had already for many years wacdonald
played an important part in Canadian affairs,
was knighted.
John Alexander Macdonald was born in Sutherland-
shire, Scotland, in January, 1815, and came with his
44^
Short IIistokv of
f.'ither to Kint^.sion in 1820. Kdiicatod in tlio Royal
(iraininar School, lu^ studied and Ijogaii tlio practice of
law ill Kiii^.stou, and in LSoO (gained proininoat notice by
liis dofoncc! of ono of the unf'oi'tunale '' liheratoi'S " who
were distiii'l)in»^ tlie ])oi'ders of Uj)per Canada alter tlie
r(!hellion. Yoiiiij^ Miicdonald was, in tlie year IHII,
elected, hh inemlxn* of Assembly for Kin<^st(>n, a.t a most
important juncture. I']ducated in the old Loyalist centre
of Kingston, and now its cliosen i'epresentativ(^, Mac-
donald wa,s, in 1H17, s(,'lected by Dra.per to join the
weakeninf^ cabinet as Receiv(M*-rj!en{;ral.
^i^ie cha,ract(;i'istic of tlie young politician's mind was
that of ii siuguhir fluidity, and a power to overcome
religious, ra,ce, or (!ven ])ai'ty pi-ejudices, so that in his
long cai'ccn* h(^ ha,s Ix'cn found co-op(U'ating with tln^so
who luid been rebels or annex;»,tionists, radicals or
ulti'a-protestants, secessionists or ulti'amontanes. One of
his biographers has said of this nrinciple. JMacdomdd had advocatcMl this heartily, iinJ
yet it wa,s the coalition ministry of which lie was a
member which secularized the Clergy Reserves. In the
a,bolition of the seigniorial tenure Macdonald's action was
somewhat similar.
The (pialities which characterize this practical politician
are a sensitiveness to public opinion, great fertility of
resource, a singular power of ignoi'ing old animosities, a
strong love of Canada, and a sincere attachment for British
connection. He is probably the best living example of
Till': Canadian Pi:oplk.
447
I action wd)i
Conservatism ns opposed to 'IVjryism. 'I'lio Dominion witli
it,s c'onflictin«^ intcu'Cfsts, arising fVom (liHerc^nces oF com-
mci'cial iuid indiistriiil sitn;i,ti(jn, of race, T'cligion, and
prejndico, iilTcji'dcid unbounded iicld lor tlie special
pt the confedei'iited pi'ovinces togcstlicr, or
which pnrty has been truest to the Dominion, arc abso-
hiti'ly profith'ss.
Undoubted!';- the qu(\stion of provincial chu'nis and
pi'ovinciid ri;^'hts as opposed to those ol" the iJominion
jias been the grejitest dan^^er, and yet the advocates of
prcjvincial dcsmamls have on appeal usuidly been
proven in the right. From Nova Scotia have come fi^^^t"*^
from time to time; the greatest complaints. 1'he
absence of a municipal system of the same sort in Nova
Scotia as in the other provinces seems to hjivc miide the
matter of adjusting the financial claims of the province
most difficult.
A rearrangement in favour of Nova Scotia was made
in 18r questions of dispute should be settled by the demands
of political exigency.
British connection has for Canada its responsibilities
as well as its advantages. During the American
Civil War a strong party in England syin- tonXrJa^y
pathized with the Southern Confederacy. The
close commercial relations of Britain with the United
States made it extremely difficult to pursue the straight
line of International neutrality. Cruisers were fitted out
in English ports which preyed on American merchant-
ships.
The most celebrated of these were the ship " No. 290,^'
better known as the Alahama, built in Birkenhead in
18G2, the Florida, and the ShenandoaJi. Though warning
was given to the Jb'itish Government, it could see no
legal ground for the stoppage of the Alahama. The
Confederate cruiser sailed to the Azores, where she was
met by a bark from the Thames with guns and stores,
and by another from the Mersey, with men and the future
commander of the Alahama — Captam Sc^nmes. After
capturing many American vessels, the Alabama was sunk
in a naval duel off Cherbourg by the United States' ship
Kcarsago, in 18G4.
The Fenian movement, of which we shall speak more
fully, created much anxi(;ty in Canada. The large l)ody
of disbanded Irish soldiers at the close of the war were a
real danger in cities of the United States. Paids by these
Fenian desperadoes, from the border cities of the United
States as a base, entailed loss of life and heavy militaiy
oxpenditure on Canadians, and thus arose one grievances
ugainst the United States.
The strained relations of the two neighbouring coun-
tries became more critical on account of the termination
G g
450
A Short History of
of llio Eccipvocity Treaty linviiip;' reopened the qnestlou
of the rijxlits of vVirierican fisheriiieii in Canncliau waters,
while tlie San -luini border dilliculty was a, cause ot"
irritation. For differences of opinion of a, titlie of tlio
importance of all these questions^ l^]uropoan nations liad
delnjT^cd l^]uropc with blood. It was now to be tested
wliether the two great Christian nations of the eartli
would be able to obey the principles of the Gospel of
peace.
At Washington, on the 27th of February, 1871, mo!
The High ^^'^ Joint High Commissioners, five on beli:ill
Coramis- of the United States, men of higli legal stand-
sion. ^j-,g^ f,j^(^| £|yQ Q^ ^i^f, p^^i^ Q^ Great Britain, in-
cluding Sir John Macdonald, the special guardian (.[
Canadijin interests. In less than three months the Treaty
of Washington w^as signed, and within a month after was
approved by the American Congress and British Par-
liament, while the Canadian parliameiit adopted tho
Canadian sections.
The Alabama case was referred to commissioners from
Switzerland, Italy, and Brazil, who met in
decisions^ Geneva. The decision was against Britain, and
the award of $15,500,000 of damages was duly
paid over to the United States. As to Canada\s Feninn
claims against the United States, Britain withdrew the
case, but agreed to guarantee a Canadian loan of a con-
siderable amount for public works in the Dominion. The
San Juan boundary was referred to the Emperor of Ger-
nniny, who gave the award in favour of the United
States.
llelaxation of customs resin et ions by a ''bonding'^
system, the free use of the fisheries, and also of certain
lakes and rivers were secured to each nation, and the
compensation due to Canada for her fisheries was referred
to a joint commission afterwards to sit. The snbstantial
fairness of the Treaty may be seen from the fact that in the
United States, Great Britain, and Canada, alike, loud
complaints were made against some one or other of its
decisions.
The second gent^ral election for the Dominion took
TiiK Canadian PeopM':
451
m
qnostion
iaii wattM's,
1 cause ol
it lie of llio
lations li;»,(i
) be tes1(M\
f the (>HVtll
- (lospol of
f, 1871, mo;
^0 on boli'.i'-
legal staiKi-
: Britain, iu-
priiardinn 'l
[is the Treaty
ntb after was
l^ritisb Pav-
adopted tli"
issi oners from
>;vbo met in
t Britain, aiKl
Inges was duly
lada's Fenian
Avitbdrew the
jan of a con-
tminion. The
jeror of Ger-
tbe United
" bonding '^
llso of certaiu
Ition, and the
was referred
16 substantial
lict that in the
alike, loud
other of its
lommion
toolJ
place in 1872. My it Sir Jolin i\racdonald's
Ministry had been sustiiined. Ik-fore the gcandaf^'^
meeting of parliament a cliarter liad been given
to a company to buikl the Canada Pacific IJailwny — that
company being tlie aninl;>'amation of two rivnls, one led
by 8ir Hugh Allan of Montreal^ the other by Senator
Macpherson of Toronto.
On the assembling of pari in men t, Tvfr. Ilinilin ,;don,
a Quebec representative, rose in his place, and charg;' 1 the
(-Government with having received money from Sir lingh
.'Mian to corrupt the constituencies during the lal(^ elec-
tions. The Government denied the cha,)'ge, and the vote
of want of confidence against them, Avas defejded. The
Government appointed a coniinitteo of investigation
to act during the recess, but the Oaths Bill, giving powers
to this committee, was disallowed by the Imperial
Government. The Government then offered a lloyal
Commission, but Mr. Huntingdon and other witnesses
refused to accept it, as being an infringement on the
rights of parliament.
Now appeared in the public prints correspondence, in
which charges were made that vVmerican money had Ijcen
given to the Canada Pacific Bribery Fund. Parliament
met on the 13th of August 187o, to receive the re-
port of the committee of investigation. The report, on
account of the disallowance of the Oaths Bill, was nf no
value. The ministry sidvised tlie adjournment of the
House, and the opposition clamorously opposed it. The
cries of privilege ! privilege ! on the day of prorogation
might have reminded one of the stormy scenes of the
Parliament of Charles I. A lloyal Commission was now
appointed, but Mr. Huntingdon refused to appear before
it for the reasons already given.
On October the 28rd parliament again assembled ; the
report of the commission was ready ; the jVIinistry appealed
pathetically to its followers ; the opposition moved ii vote
of want of confidence; a tierce debate for a week ensued;
but the current of feeling was so manifestly running
counter to it that the Government resigned before the
vote was taken. Thus passed away the first Dominion
G g 2
452
A Short IIistorv of
Ministry, niul ^fi*. Muckcnzio was ciilled upon to form ji
(jiOV(M'lini(Mlt.
Aloxiiiidcr ^rnckfiizio was l)orii in I'oi'thsliiro, Scot-
„ , land, in Jiinuiiry, 1H22. On account of tho oiirly
Mackenzie. ,,,,.,.,., ,*^ ' ^, \ • i 11
dcjitli ()1 Ins latlicr youni^ M.'icklmizio hocarno, Iik(3
the celobriitod Scottish j^-eolon-jst, Ilufjfh Miller, to wlioiii,
indccfl, Mr. ^Vriickonzio liiis roseinbliiiiccs, ;i stonemason.
Mr. Mjickon/io in IHOI cntoi'od tlio piiriiiimont ot'Cansidii,
as mondjor for tho county of Ijambton, a county, boai-iuL;-
the n;iino of tlie fjimily of tlio ^n'(;at Lord Durham, it
Wiis htlini^" Mr. Miickenzio shouhl represent.
In 1871 ^\v. Aliickenzie beciinio a, member of the 1jOc;i1
Ciibinet for Ontjirio, but soon resigned, to devote himscU'
exclusively to Dominion politics. Mr. Miickenzio bears
an untarnished cli;n'iictor in the eyes of nil Camidiaiis.
For accuracy of informiition, clearness of stjitement, per-
sistency of ])urpose, !ind unsellisii devotion to duty Mr.
Mjickenzie is excelled by no Ciinadisui stutesman.
On tlie fall (.»f the ^Tiicdonald (jovernnient, ^Ir.
Mackenzie, on the 5th ol' November, 1H7'3, undertook the
tiisk of forming* a n(nv Ministry. The current ran
stronL5'ly in his favour, his Cabinet was soon completed,
its mendxM's speedily re-elected, and on the Premier re-
commending' a dissolution, on the j^round that the House
of Commons luid not been freely elected, parliament
went to the country, Mat^kenzio's party swept tho con-
stituencies, and the new House stood nearly three to one
in his favour. For live eventful years the Mackenzie
Government retained power, and the Dominion became
still further consolidated.
Six years had ])assed away from the time of the ratifica-
TheHalifax tion of the IVeaty of Washington, and the cotn-
Fisheries pensatioji for the free use of the Canadian
Award. fisheries had not been taken into considera-
tion. In the year 1877 the Commission was at lengtli
api)ointed. Such serious fault had ])een found by Ca^nada
with the action of liritish Commissioners in treaties in-
volving Canadian interests that Mr. Mackenzie insisted
ihixt the British Commissioner should be a Canadian.
Tho American arbitrator arrived at Halifax, the referee
^p
it'll
TiiK Canadian People.
453
Gait.
\v!is tlio T{('l<;-iiin Minisfccr at Wasliinnrton, M. Delfossc,
wliilo for Cjiniidji stood tho Hon. Mr. (lalt.
Aloxiind(!r 'Pillocli (Jiiilt, boi'ii in Chelsea, London, in
September, \Hl7, was tho son of tlio well-know!i
Secretary of tho Ca.iada Company and author,
Jolin (lalt, to whom we liave already referred. In lH:i5
young" Gait came to Sherbrooke, Ijower Canada, in tho
eni])loyment of tho ]5ritisli America Land Company, a
combination of capitalists operating in the I'/i stern- town-
ships after the manner of tho Canada Com])any in
lj[)per Canada.. Young Gait had become Chief Oonimis-
sioner in Ir Gait lias always been noted for the modera-
tion of his views, has Ixsen in several administrations
lining' important positions, has been commissioner on
sundry difficult cpu^stions, been knighted, and fillfnl tho
position of Ca-na,dia,n resident in ljf)ndon. In lH77Galt
wjis appointed Canadian delegate to tlu^ Halifax. Com-
mission, and niucli wa,s expected from his aj)poiutment.
The case for the Canadiatis was prepared with care, among
others the well-known French-Canadian lawyer, Joseph
Dontre, doing his share.
The amount claimed from the United States was
.*"^1•1<,(S00,()(H) for the twelve years from the date of tho
treaty. I^hiborate arguments, and much oral and written
t(!Htimony at length obtained an award for Canada, of
iS5,5()(),()(K). Great rejoicing took plac(5 through Canada,
the American newspapers made loud outcry, but in the
end the amount was ])aid. The time covered by the
award has now expired, and tho matter is being again
considered by the two governments.
Restrictions on trade are condemned by tho whole
school of modern economists founded by Adam The
Smith. The long struggle over the Corn Laws National
lod to the J5ritish people of all political creeds ° ^*^^'
becoming the advocates of Free Trade. " Jiuy at the
cheapest market, and sell at the dearest,'^ irrespective of
national boundary-lines, national prejudice, or physical
harriers, is the dictum of the political economist. Of up-
Avards of eighty works on political economy in the British
_« — ■
454
A Short IIistorv of
Museum Tiibnuy, not moro iliun two, it is said, iuIvocitL'
a r('.striciiv(! oi* ])rotcctioiiist policy.
The Uiiit(!d States, however, h;is for n, number of yoiu-s
mfiint.'iined a ]ii<^li ])r(jteetivo tai'ill'. 'J'his, it lias Ijecii
ai'gui'd, is necessary to dev(;lo[) the I'csoui'ees of a, new
counli'V. Ilowevei' ])IaJnly it may Ijo demonstrated that
the a(lvanti(ss to increase the tariff, was
called a " doctrinaire.'^ It is pointed out as long ago
as the time of Sal lust, who described the conspiracy
of Catiline, that commercial or industrial distress is the
fitting time for revolution.
Accoi'dingly, in the general election of 1878, certain
administrative blunders of Mr. Mackenzie, the earnest
advocacy of the new national policy, but chiefly the desire
for change arising from business stagnation, resulted in
the transference of a large manufacturing* and industrial
vote to the support of Sir John Macdonald's " National
Policy,'' l)y which Mr. Mackenzie was heavily defeated.
Sir John returned to power, and his ministry was again
in 1882 sustained by a large majority.
Section II. — The ucrjuisltluii of tlie Great North-west.
Canada had thrown longing eyes for many years upon
the iertile portions of the fur-trader's land. The licence
TiiK Canadian Pkoplk.
^n-antod to llio Hudsoirs Ufiy Compjuiy to trade in
Indian toi'ritorics wiis to hiivo oxpircd in 1H50. TIhj
pci'ial ])ai'lianicnt aj)point(Ml a soloct comniittoo to ituji
into tlio allairs of tlio Hudson's 15fiy Company in \>
'Vho rosults of tlio work of that conimittco aro a F
volume of TjOO pa^os, Tho Canadian (lovcrninont, appri
of tho notion of tlio Jiritish I'arliamont l)y tho lmp(
Secretary (d! State, appointed as their Connnissiouci
Britain, Chief Just iei; Draper.
William Jlenry Draper, tho son of n Church of Y
land cler^-yniMii, wns born in London, l^hi^'land,
in ]\Iiirch, LSOl. Arriviim* in Canada in his
Draper
1 - -
li
the
\ m-
uiro
S57.
olio
ized lil
M'iid
r to
lug-
twentieth yen r, ho became aschoolmnster, and afterwards,
having studied law, was admitted to the bar in 182H.
Sir Francis Hond Head selectcul the youn^; lawyer as
one of his Executive Council in IH:J(), who also entered
the Lepfislative y\ssemb]y. A kindly but decided follower
of the Family Compact, Dniper's reiined and gentlemanly
inainier made him far less objectionable to the people
than many of his colleagues, but ho became Lord
Metcalfe^s chief instrument, as premier, in the struggle
against responsible g(jvei'nment. Accepting a judgeship
in l^
\
;v
40^
\\
;\
^
%
V
'^
ll
1
I
I* ;
458
A Short History of
I
f
1
i'
Twelve thousand people, all told, made up the popula-
lation of the new province, to which was given an As-
sembly of twenty-four members — half French and half
English — and the travesty of an Upper House of seven
members. In a few years, however, by the influx of now
settlers, the proportion of members was changed, and the
English-speaking representatives now constitute nearly
five-sixths of the House. In a short time the Legislative
Council was abolished.
The first duty of the Dominion was plainly to open
the country to settlers. Surveyors were sent in swarms
throughout the prairies, and large areas were surveyed
and mapped out.
Companies of British and Enited States engineers,
under Captain Cameron and Mr. Archibald
Survey'^^ Campbell, representing the two nations, met on
the Boundary-line in 1872, and in the two
years succeeding not only fixed the boundary-line at
Pembina, where Major Long had taken his observation,
but surveyed the whole parallel, one of the largest
measured arcs on the earth's surface, from the Lake of
the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, some 850 miles.
The North-west had no sooner been transferred to
Canada than the flow of settlers to it began. Many of
the volunteer troops, on their release, remained in the
country. Parties of Ontario farmers travelled by rail
through the United States to the railway terminus in
Minnesota, and thence by prairie trail for three or four
hundred miles drove their covered emigrant-wagons to
Manitoba. The Dominion Government, which by the
Manitoba Act retains the land, gave it freely to those
settlers who would make homesteads upon it. Each
settler on accepting the conditions, might receive IGO
acres, which was called a " free grant,'' and as muck
more for purchase at a low rate, which was known as a
" pre-emption claim."
Immigration from the old world has been freely invited.
Though by far the largest proportion of settlers has
been from the older provinces of the Dominion, and in
these the Ontario counties of Bruce, Huron, and Lanark
THE Canadian People.
459
take precedence, yet from Euro])e many different ele-
ments have come, and this immigration is but in its
infancy. A large body of Mennonites from Russia
arrived in 1874, numbering some five or six thousand.
They are Germans, who had formerly removed to Russia,
in order to practise their peace principles, which are the
same as those of the Q'lakers, while their religious system
leads to a species of communism. They are well doing
and useful settlers.
In 1875 came to Manitoba a number of Icelanders.
These are an industrious and peaceable people ; they are
Lutherans in religion, and have in Winnipeg a respect-
able newspaper printed in their own language. They
number in the province several thousands of souls, and
are constantly arriving from the old island of the Sagas.
Of the many prominent persons who have visited the
North-west and given forth its praises to the
world, none are better known than the Earl of Dufferin.
Dufferin, the Governor-General of Canada, who
visited the North-west in 1877. This distinguished
nobleman, an Irishman educated at Eton and Oxford,
had been engaged in several Government capacities in
Britain, and had been a special commissioner to Syria.
He had also visited the lonely island of Iceland, and had
written a most pleasant work entitled " Letters from
High Latitudes."
Coming at the age of fifty-one to Canada, he speedily
won the hearts of the people, and threw himself heartily
into the young life of the country. In nothing did he
take a greater interest than the settlement and develop-
ment of the North-west. On the occasion of his progress
through Manitoba, with his amiable countess. Lord
Duflferin visited Lake of the Woods, the Winnipeg
River, Winnipeg Lake, and there his old friends the
Icelanders, the Canadians and Mennonites on the prairies,
and left most pleasant memories, which have led Mani-
tobans to follow his course in Constantinople, St. Peters-
burg, and India, as her Majesty's representative, with
peculijar interest.
This widening of knowledge of the North-west was
1;
\
A
9
■'
*!''
'■
1 .
r
t
i'
->•
.J
M
46o
/
\ Short History of
1 .
1
,■ ^''
followed by the arrival of a contiiipj'ciit of Jewish refugees
from E*olaii(l in the year 1(S82. A iiuinber of crofters,
assisted by benevolent friends in the western lligblands,
have also found their way to the prairie-land, and are
excelh'nt settlers. Hungarian, Swedish, and German
colonies have also taken root.
Efforts have been made to attract a portion of the
large number of French-Canadians, who have gone to the
manufactories of the eastern States in tens of tl.ousands,
from Quebec to the vacant lands of Manitoba, and this
repatriation movement has been rewarded by the settle-
ment of several thousands of these. The immigration
from Ontario, Nova Scotia, and England has been the
largest in Manitoba thus far in her history. Not in-
cluding Indians, we may state that the 12,000 people of
1871 have become tenfold more in Manitoba in 1880,
and the few hundreds in the North-west territories at the
former date have now reached upwards of 20,000.
Section III. — TJie National Highway.
The joining of the several British provinces in North
The Inter- America by a common line of railway has always
colonial been relied on as a means of promoting their
Railway, substantial unity. Lord Durham boldly pro-
claimed the plan in his Report of thus overcoming the
barriers of division which nature had interposed. To the
large-minded Nova Scotian, Joseph Howe, seems to be
due the revival of a scheme of uniting the provinces by
rail. Before 1850 the three provinces of Nova Scotia,
Canada, and New Brunswick agreed to support the
building of the Intercolonial Railway from Halifax to
Quebec or Montreal, and to contribute each 20,0007. a
year towards its maintenance should Britain build it.
This plan failed and then it was proposed to raise
money for its construction by imposing a duty on timber.
A survey of the route was completed, and Howe visited
England to obtain Imperial assistance for the line.
Howe of Nova Scotia and Chandler of New Brunswick
came to Toronto, having secured Lord Grey's promise of
THE Canadian People.
461
support Avliilc in JJritain. They roprosonted the British
Govoriinient as willing to guarantee a loan of 7,000_,000/.
to build the railway from Halifax to Quebec, and also a
line from St. John, New Brunswick, westward, to thi^
state of Maine, to connect with the American system of
railways. The Government of Canada in 1851 agreed to
engage in the enterprise.
Suddenly a shadow fell upon the project. The British
minister denied that he had promised to Howe that
Britain would assist the line connecting with the Ameri-
can railways, and stated that the Imperial guarantee
could only be given " to objects of great importance to
the British li^mpire as a whole/' This cloud led New-
Brunswick at once to repudiate the whole, as it was the
connection with the American system which was of
greatest importance to her.
Another difficulty also was that Nova Scotia desired
the line through New Brunswick, running along the sea-
coast and touching at the gulf ports, usually known as
Major Robinson's line, to be adopted ; while New" Bruns-
wick preferred the route by the valley of the St. John
River northward. Britain favoured the sea-coast line as
being more removed from the American frontier. Though
many difficulties now threatened the scheme, Canada and
New Brunswick having entered on it were not disposed
to give it up.
Nova Scotia, formerly the leader in the movement,
grew unwilling to proceed further. Originally the plan
had been for each of the three provinces to asume one-
third of the cost, but now, on condition of the River St.
John route being chosen. New Brunswick offered to bear
five-twelfths of the expense and to allow Nova Scotia
to pay only one-quarter of the whole.
Canadian delegates visited Nova Scotia in connection
with the scheme in 1852, but that province being unwill-
ing, and a new Ministry having come into power in
England, whose members were unfavourable to the
scheme, the Canadian Prime Minister Hincks gave up
the enterprise, but the circumstances in England being
very propitious, succeeded in floating his great scheme of
i
M'
.^:ir
PIP
'Uf!
462
A Short History of
1. f
1 :^ •.«-• ■
a Grniid Trinik "Rnilwny, to run thi'ongli Upper and
Lower Caiuidii from oiid to end.
The Intercolonial scheme was revived in 1802, and new
negotiations were opened between the provinces inte-
rested and the mother conntry. Tlie difficnlty of moving
troops inland in winter, as shown by the '* Trent '' a-ffaii*,
created new interest. The delejjfates to EnLifland in con-
neetion with the Confederation movement obtained the
promise of an Impei'ial gnarantee for the building of the
Intercolonial liailway, and the amount was fixed in 18(>/
as 3,000,000/., the military or sea-coast line being thai
selected.
In the first Dominion parliament (1807-8), an Act was
passed providing for the construction of the line so lorig
projected. The work was begun in due course, and run-
ning down the banks of the St. Lawrence, crossing the
wildei'ness of the (Jaspe peninsula, following the old
military wagon-road aloiig the Metapedia, down the north
shore of New Brunswick, and forking out to end in St.
John, New Brunswick, on the Bay of Fundy, and in
old Chebucto Bay at Halifax on the Atlantic as its ter-
minus, the iron band uniting the provinces by the sea
with those in the interior, was completed and opened for
traflfic in 1870. The Intercolonial Railway is 840 miles
long, its deep rock cuts are well protected by snow-sheds,
and throughout its entire length it is a credit to the
mechanical skill of Canadian engineering.
Probably no people has ever entered upon so heavy a
The Cana- responsibility in order to build up a nation as
dian Pacific the Canadian people. The building of canals,
Eailway. ,^£ local railwavs, and of an Intercolonial rail-
way^ appealed in each case to the self-interest of the
provinces concerned. It was to develop their trade in
the face of the hostile policy of the United States ; but
the project of a transcontinental railway, a part of it to
pass over many hundreds of miles of rock and mountain,
might well have deterred a more numerous and wealthy
people than the Canadians.
The acquisition of the Hudson's Bay Company terri-
tories in 1870, and the desire to make complete the solid
THE Canadian People.
463
Upper and
>()2, and now
ivinccs inte-
[y of moving
iHMit " affair,
^•land in con-
tbtainc'd tlic
\\dmg of tlie
fixed in 18()7
} being thai
, an Act was
; line so long
rsc, and rnn-
crossing Iho
^'ing the old
own the nortli
to end in St.
undy, and in
ic as its tev-
>s by tlie sea.
d opened for
is 840 miles
y snow-sbeds,
iredit to the
li so heavy a
a nation as
[g of canals,
[•eolonial rail-
[erest of the
leir trade in
States; but
)art of it to
id mountain,
and wealthy
)mpany terri-
llete the soUd
fabric of British- American union l)v the addition of
l^ritish Cokimbia, led to a promise being made by tho
Canadian Government to construct and complete in ten
years the Inter-oceanic liigliway, thus linking together
the several provinces. The subject was for years one of
political difference.
Tho advocates of the speedy construction of a Canadian
Pacific Eaihvay have claimed that '^ patriots ^^ was tho
designation by which they should bo known ; their oppo-
nents constantly hurled at them tho epithet of " mad-
men .^^ That the people of Canada believed in those who
claimed to act from patriotic and broad political motives
is seen by their willingness to take upon themselves tho
burden of debt, so that now the Canadian Pacific Pailway
is an accomplished fact. The explanation of this is that
Confederation introduced a larger life ; the continued
rivalry of the United States awakened in Canadians tho
desire to " hold their own ;" the possession of wide
territorial interests, the sense of their land bordering on
three oceans, and realization of the fact that nearly half
of the continent is their heritage, might well awaken
dreams of national greatness in a people less emotional
than Canadians.
Undoubtedly the Mackenzie Government fell because it
failed to realize the swelling tide of rising Canadian life,
and to satisfy the people's desire for tho unification of
the Dominion. PerhapsCanadamay have gone too fast ;
perhaps the Canadian Pacific Pailway is a larger scheme
than she should have undertaken ; perhaps she should,
in her desire to unite the provinces, have paid more heed
to the pessimistic cry, " so loyal is too costly,'^ but she
was inflamed with the dream of empire, and would brook
no delay in its successful accomplishment.
Mention has been already made of the passage of the
Pacific Railway Bill in the Dominion parliament in 1872,
empowering the Government to bargain with a chartered
company to construct the railway. The ^'Pacific
Scandal " resulting, as we have seen, in the return of
Mr. Mackenzie to power, led to a less vigorous prosecu-
tion of the railway than had been expected.
M
I ^i!if"lW^
464
A Short History of
1 < . *•
The Govornmont songlit to escape the obligation of
building tlio railway to the Pacific Ocean by the year
1881, at which time it had been promised. Mr. Mac-
kenzie proposed to open up .1 mixed rail and water route
from Lake Superior to the prairie region by using the
" water stretches " over which the fur-traders had
formerly journeyed, and likewise for immediate relief to
the North-west to build a branch railway from the main
line along the banks of Red River to connect with the
American railway system. The Government undertook
the construction of the railway as a national work instead
of giving it out to a company, and intended to build it
gradually in sections.
The branch line above mentioned, known as the Pem-
bina branch, was placed under contract in 1874, and,
though it was graded, remained until the year 1878
unused on account of the American line through Minne-
sota not having been completed to meet it. In the fol-
lowing year the railway from Fort William on Lake
Superior to the interior was begun, and the first locomo-
tive engine was landed at the mouth of the Kaministiquia
in 1877, not far from the site of Duluth's old fort, and in
the same year further contracts were awarded between
Lake Superior and the prairie country.
The Mackenzie Government was defeated in 1878,
and on December 3rd of that year the last spike was
driven of the sixty miles of the Pembina branch, thus
connecting the city of Winnipeg with the railway
system of the American continent — the first benefit
realized in the North-west from the Canadian Pacific
Railway.
The Macdonald Government in 1880 determined to
return to their original policy of giving over the railway
to a private company. A " syndicate '' of wealthy Scot-
tish Canadians of Montreal undertook to build the rail-
Way in its uncompleted parts from ocean to ocean.
The new Canadian Pacific Railway was to receive all
the railway and material belonging to the Government,
along with $25,000,000 in money, 25,000,000 acres of
land ; while the company guaranteed to complete the
•■■J-:
THE Canadian PEorLE.
465
work in ten years from date. Great opposition was
manifested in parliament and also in the country to the
Kcheme, doubts were thrown upon the ability and good
intention of the company, but the Government was
sustained. The two most i)rominent men of the Cana-
dian Pacific Railway are Sir George Stephen and his
cousin, Sir Donald Smith.
The former of these was born in Dumfriesshire, Scot-
land, came to Canada early and amassed wealth as a
merchant in Montreal, '^rhe latter is a native of Moray-
shire, entered the Hudson's lUy Company, and was for
years a trader on the coast of Labrador. As an influen-
tial company officer, Mr. Smith was sent to the North-
west, a delegate of the Government during the rebellion
of 18G9-70. He was for several sessions in the Dominion
parliament, was chief commissioner of the Hudson's Bay-
Company, and is noted for his generosity to all public
objects.
The Canadian Pacific Railway Company has been
managed, with surprising ability. In the choice of
executive officers, in the rapid construction of the sup-
posed impassable Lake Superior and Rocky Mountain
sections, in the completion of the line five years before
the contract required, in the management of a most com-
fortable and expeditious railway through portions of the
country hitherto unvisited by the white man, in the
acquisition of branch lines as feeders, as well as in making
combinations tending to bring trade to Canada, the
Pacific Railway Directors have brought honour to the
name Canadian.
The Canadian Pacific Railway Company has already
captured the transport of cattle from the American
ranches of Montana, has entered into competition for the
trade of St. Paul, Minnesota, with the Pacific coast, and
especially San Francisco, is carrying tea and silk consign-
ments from the Pacific to the Atlantic seaboard, is
transporting thousands of European and Canadian im-
migrants to the unoccupied lands of Manitoba and the
North-west territories, and is developing the coal-mines
of the Saskatchewan and Bow rivers, by which a cheaper
H h
«',i.
!'-«
■^^r?T-
466
A Short Historv oi"
I'licl is supplied t]ir()u (Jol. A. Dunn, a gallant and most ])romising
young officer from Toronto, was killed in Abyssinia.
During the Indian Mutiny, wIumi those lu'art-rending
scenes of cruelty were l)eing enacted, Canada, like every
other British colony, felt called upon to offer assistance
to the mother-land. In 18-58 there was raised in Canada,
the lOOth or Prince of Wales' Royal Canadian Regiment,
a British regiment of the line, which marched out of
Canada 1200 strong.
But notwithstiuiding these evidences of military spirit)
there was but little in Canada as a whole, '^riie rising
during Sir Francis Bond Head's term of office showed
that the very rudiments of war had been forgotten by the
Canadian people. A few British regiments remained in
Canada, but the " old musket and pitclifork volunteers "
of Mackenzie and Papineau were a laughing-stock. Tho
war of defence had developed much military spirit in its
time, but for well-nigh half a century after it no occa-
sion for taking up arms, except the Rebellion episode,
had occurred.
In the year 18G1, in which the American Civil War
had broken out, even Canadian air was surcharged with
uncertainty and alarm. In that year two ambassadors,
Messrs. Mason and Slidell, from the Confederate States,
embarked at Havanna, Cuba, on board the British pas-
senger steamer Trent, for St. Thomas, to proceed thence
to England. While passing through the Bahama chan-
nel, the vessel was boarded by the United States frigate
San Jacinto, and the two southern gentlemen were taken
from the vessel, after which she was allowed to proceed.
The Confederate ambassadors, carried to Boston, were
regarded as a great prize.
The Americans for a time maintained them to be con-
traband, and that, as such, a neutral vessel had no right
to carry them. The British Government demanded their
immediate release, and though it was clearthat even belli-
gerents on board a neutral vessel as passengers must be
H h 2
[A
%
!H
I
468
A Short History of
m
w>-
m
protected by tlie sliip's iKMitrallty, yet American orators,
and notably Mr. Secretary St'ward, wi-rc (juite forgetful
of the American clamour as to the *' right of searcli '*
early in the century, and put forth absurd pretensions.
For a time war seemed imminent. The prospect of
attack roused Canadian patriotism. Companies were?
enrolled in every considenible village, tho towns em-
bodied whole regiments, and cities si'veral battahons
each. Militia acts had ])i'en passed in 1855, but they
had been largely a dead letter. A remarkable change
now came over the country. Formerly, on the Qu( i'.h
birthday, May 2 kh, the militia at certain points gathered
together, the rolls were r tiled by rustic *' trainband cap-
tains," and the men were then dismissed for another
year. In other years whole counties had been unable to
find a man who could form a compmy in line, now thi-^
drill-sergeant, obtained from the regulars, was every-
where te.'iching the warlike art.
Additional British regiments were sent out ; tho
wilderness journey between New Brunswick and Quebec
was made by troops in sleighs. The volunteers orga-
nized all over the country, and enlisted for three years,
were termed the Active Militia, which distinguished
them from the Sedentary Militia, consisting of all men
under sixty, unless specially exempt. From this time
forth Canada possessed a well-armed and uniformed
citizen soldiery. The Trent excitement passed away, but
the military spirit continued.
The close of the American war in 1865 set free a largo
body of discharged soldiers. Unwilling to
Fenians, work, many of them, of Irish extraction, and
filled with no good feeling to Britain, organized
an anti-British and anti-Canadian movement, called the
Fenian Brotherhood. Their plan was to capture Canada
as a base of operations against Ireland. Open drilling
in several cities in the United States took place, and the
leaders regarded their prey as so sure that they divided
up among themselves, in anticipation, some of the most
desirable residences in Montreal.
Canadian volunteers were under arms all day on the
17th of March, 1866, expecting a Fenian invasion, but it
THE Canadian Prorr.E.
469
ill! orators,
o t'orgottnl
)f Ht'urch "
'tensions,
prospect of
jinic's were
towns cm-
i battalions
),'), but thov
l))1o cliiiufyc
tho Qut »'?*
its gatlu I'l'd
inband cap-
for ail other
?n unable to
ne, now the
was every-
it out; tho
and Quebec
nteers orga-
three years,
Listinguished
of all men
ni this time
uniformed
d away, but
free a large
fnwilling to
'action, and
[n, organized
it, called the
Iture Canada
jpen drillin
|ace, and the
they divided
I of the most
day on the
Lsion, but it
was not m:\do : in April an insiM-nifirnnt attack was ninde
n
^inon
N
ew
i^
I'uiiswiel
About tHU) men, under Col.
O'Neil, crossed I'l'oni huffalo to Fort Erie on the nijrht
ofMny^Ist. Moving westward this l)ody aiini'(l iit do-
sti'oying the Welliind Canal, when they wi're met by th(»
(Queen's Own Vohmteer Jiegiment of 'J\)ronto, and the
13th battalion of Hamilton Militia, near the village of
Kidgeway. Here, after a conflict of two hours, in which
I'or a time the volunteers drovi' the enemy before them,
the Canadian forces retired to liidgewiiy, nnd thence to
Port Colborne, with a loss of nine killed and thirty
wounded. Col. Peacock, in charge of a body of regulars,
was marching to meet the volunteers, so that O'Neil
was compelled to tlee to Fort Erie, and crossing to the
United States with his men, was arrested, but afterwjinls
liberated. The day after the skirmish the regulars uiul
voltinteers encamped at Fort Erie, and the danger on
the Niagara frontier was past.
A Fenian expedition threatened Proscott, aiming at
reaching the capital at Ottawa, and another band of
marauders crossed the border from St. Albans, Vermont,
but both were easily driven back. The Fenian troubles
roused strong feeling in Canada against the American
authorities, who sought to relieve themselves from the
charge of assisting the Fenians by the paltry excuse that
the Federal Government could not interfere in the indi-
vidual states.
A Fenian attack was led by Col. O'Neil on the Lower
Canadian frontier, in 1870, but it was easily met, and the
United States authorities were moved to arrest the re-
pulsed fugitives.
A foolish movement was again made in 1871 by the
same leader, through Minnesota, against Manitoba.
Through the prompt action of the friendly American
commander at Fort Pembina, the United States troops
followed the Fenians across the border, arrested their
leader, and though he was liberated after a trial at St.
Paul, Minnesota, the expedition ended as a miserable and
laughable failure. These movements of the Fenian So-
ciety, though trifling in effect, yet involved Canada in a
considerable expense from the maintenance of bodies of
\\
If in; i
i\
■ \
'.111
H
470
A Short History of
tlie Active Militia at differciit points alon^jf the frontier.
The training of a useful force of citizen soldiery however
resulted.
The transfer of the Hudson's Bay Company Territories
The Ked ^^' Canada was greatly mismanaged. Before the
River country had been handed over Canadian survey-
Rebellion. |yg r^^^\ working parties had been sent into it to
lay it out, and complete the *' Dawson Road" from Lake
of the Woods to Red River. These parties had expressed
contempt for the natives, who had Indian blood in their
veins, and who were not being considered in the mattei-
of the transfer. The French Metis especially were in a
disturbed state, and were led by a rash and vainglorious
young man, named Louis Riel. He was the son of a fiery
French-Canadian miller, who lived on the small river, the
Seine, which empties into Red River, below Fort Garry.
Louis Riel, the younger, was a French half-breed, and
had been partiall}^ educated for a priest in Montreal.
On the arrival on the boundary-line at Pembina of
William McDougall, who on account of his long agitation
on behalf of the North-west was named as its first
Governor, he found himself opposed by the Metis, who
had risen in rebellion.
Buried in the wilds of Minnesota, 400 miles north of
St. Paul, w^arned against entering the new district for
which he had laboured, McDougall issued his proclama-
tion as Governor, ordering the rebels to lay down their
arms. The procla ..a„.jn was a ^^brutum fulmen," for the
Red River peoph . ^'^- heard of its being valueless, from
the territory not 1 /ing been transferred. The few
Canadians in the v mtry, and the English-speakiug*
natives, were anxious to receive the mi-disant governor,
but Riel, who had seized Fort Garry, and formed a pro-
visional government, refused.
" M. le President Riel,'' as the upstart desired to he
called, arrested a band of Canadians, and imprisoned them
at Fort Garry, treating themin a contemptuousandinhuman
manner. He even went so far as to execute a young
Canadian named Scott, who had been somewi^at unyield-
ing and independent. The news of the shooting of Scott;
Tin. Canadian PEorLE.
471
■ 11
on its arrival in Canada, roused a >vild. feoHnfr, and the:
r>'
cry for vongoanco was loudly hoard. Thousands of
voluntoors offered their services, of wliom some 700 were
accepted as sufficient, and with them 500 reguhars made
up the Red Kiver Expc^ditionary Force, which was com-
manded Ly Colonel Wolseley.
After a long and toilsome journey up Lake Superior,
and by the old fur-trader's route, after passing 500 miles
of rapid, and portage, and lake and stream, the little army
reached Fort (xai-ry on August 24th, 1870, to find the
rebel leader fled, and the rebellion at an end. The skill
of the Canadian voyageur soldiers, witnessed at this time,
led General Wolseley, in 1884, in the British Fxpedi-
tion to Egypt, to send to Canada for an agile force to
work his boats in the toilsome journey up the Nile.
The Canadian Government had. sent by Bishop Tache,
from Ottawa, the pi'omise of an amnesty, but the murder
of Scott having taken place before the delegate could
reach the country to promulgate the pardon, the
authorities maintained that circumstances had changed,
and refused to recognize Kiel as entitled to the amnesty.
Accordingly the besotted leader was induced to leave the
country, and passed five years of exile in the United
States. His " Adjutant-general," Lepine, was afterwards
tried, found guilty, and for a time imprisoned.
The Red River rebellion grew out of a series of
blunders. The Canadian Government should have taken
steps to conciliate the people of Red River, before taking
possession of the country. The Hudson's Bay Company
officials in Fort Garry were singularly inert, the pseudo-
proclamation of Governor McDougall was a great mistake,
and the crowning blunder of Riel, in advocating the case
of his compatriots, was the murder of Scott. The military
enthusiasm awakened, however, throughout Canada was
notable, and numbers of the volunteers of the expedi-
tion remained in Manitoba to be among its truest citizens.
The enormous influx of settlers to the North-west had
The Sas- ^^^ Canada to believe that the French half-
katchewan breed population was powerless. Many of the
Bebellion. Metis had, after the suppression of the Red
,r:
II ■,
■ §
472
A Short History of
1*1%
l''»:^
lliver rc'boUioii, f^ono west to st'ttlo on tlio Saskatchewan.
In tlio remote scttlonionts, no doubtj due attention was not
given to the difficulties siiid grievances of these scattered
settlers hy the Canadian Government. The settlers on
the Saskatchewnn Riven*, in the neighljourhood of Prince
Albert and l^atoche, were ill at ease. The Indian popu-
lation, too, on account of the destruction of the bufFiilo,
and the encroachment of the whites, were in a dissatisfied
state of mind.
The malcontents invited the aforetime exile, Kiel, from
Montana, whither he had gone, to return and lead their
movement. Riel accepted the call of his countrymen,
and posed as the liberator of his race, and even promul-
gated a new religion. Little danger was apprehended
from the wild harangues of the adventurer. Suddenly
Canada was convulsed by the news telegraphed from
within a few miles of the scene, that an attack had been
made on the Mounted Police and Prince Albert Volun-
teers at Duck Lake, on the 26th of March, 1885, and
that the troops had been defeated with loss of life.
The excitement through all Canada was intense. The
insurgents were entrenched at a point 200 miles from the
Canadian Pacific Railway, and there were unmistakable
signs of restlessness among all the Indian tribes, for
messengers to them had been sent in all directions by
Riel, who had formed another provisional government.
The 90th battalion, from Winnipeg, and a volunteer field
battery were despatched to the scene of action, and from
different parts of Canada in a few days some five or
six thousand of the volunteer militia were on their way
to the scene of the rebellion.
The first skirmish took place at Fish Creek on the
Saskatchewan, where the French half-brc^eds held a
strong position among the ravines with their skilfully-
arranged rifle-pits. After loss of life they were com-
pelled to retire. In another portion of the country further
up the Saskatchewan, the Queen^s Own, of Toronto,
attacked an entrenched camp of Cree Indians under Chief
Poundmaker, and inflicted severe loss. The defeated
half-breeds, with a number of Sioux Indians as allies,
/f'S",
1
THE Canadian People.
473
askatcliewan.
iition was not
lese scattered
e settlers on
)ocl of Prince
Indian popu-
f the buffalo,
L a dissatisfied
ile, Kiel, from
,nd lead their
1 countrymen,
even promul-
apprehended
er. Suddenly
graphed from
tack had been
A.lbert Volun-
ch, 1885, and
of life.
intense. The
miles from the
unmistakable
in tribes, for
directions by
government.
rolunteer field
ion, and from
some five or
on their way
>eek on the
reeds held a
leir skilfuUy-
[y were com-
)untry further
of Toronto,
ts under Chief
'he defeated
ms as allies,
after the fight of Fish Creek, fell back to their strong-
hold at Batoche; but here, after several days\skirmishing,
and further loss of life, the position was taken on the
12th of May, 1885, after which the rebel chief was cap-
tured a few miles from the field. Taken to Regina, tried
by civil process, and found guilty, on the lOth of November,
1885, Louis Kiel, on the scaffold, expiated the crime of
leading two rebellions, and the country is again at peace.
The military expedition to the Saskatchewan is the
most considerable that has been undertaken by the Cana-
dian Militia, and the troops came out of their' three
jnonths' campaign with all the steadiness of regulars. It
is hoped that it may be long before the sound of w^ar is
again heard in the land, but should it come Canada has at
her disposal 1000 enlisted regulars, 1000 mounted police,
which are virtually a military force, an active militia of
40,000 men, and a reserve of sedentary militia of 700,000.
Canada now possesses in different parts of her domain
memorials of the military spirit of her people, Canadian
in the monuments raised to her fallen sons, who Military
died fighting for her. On the plains of Abra- Monuments,
ham, Quebec, on the spot where Wolfe fell in 1759, an
older monument stood; but in 1849 a suitable column
was erected, a Eoman sword and helmet lying on the
capital, wdiile on the tablet is inscribed, " Here died
Wolfe victorious."
[In the city of Brantford, on the banks of the Grand
Eiver, in Upper Canada, was unveiled, on 13th October,
1886, a fitting monument to the U.E. lioyalists, more
especially to the brave warrior, Joseph Brant. Thirteen
bronze cannon, given by the Imperial Government, were
cast into this colossal statue of the Mohawk chief. This
monument is a worthy memorial of Indian devotion and
U.E. Loyalist courage.]
On the top of Queenston Heights, from which the brave
leader Sir Isaac Brock, on that sad morning in October,
1812, received his death-wound, but which in the after-
noon became the scene of a Canadian victory, was erected
iu 1824 a monument to Brock and his faithful aide-de-
camp Macdonell. For sixteen years the column stood,
I i ^■
IS "
\K
V: .
474
A Short History of
till blown up by one of tho so-called " patriots/' after tlie
rebellion of 1887. A beautiful monument was completed
in 1850 upon tho same site, consisting of a noble column,
surmounted by a commanding statue of General Brock,
rising in all 185 feet, in memory of the soldier-govcrnoT,
'^revered and lamented by the people whom he governed,
and deplored by tho sovereign to whose service his life
had been devoted."
The promising youths of the Queen's Own, who met so
untimely a death in the Fenian attack at Ridgeway in
180G, are commemorated by a suitable brown stone monu-
ment in the Queen's Park, Toronto, which was set apart
with appropriate ceremonies.
The latest of the achievements of the Canadian Militia
is not without its memorial. The Saskatchewan rebellion,
in the fights of Fish Creek and Batoche, bore most heavily
on the plucky 90th battalion of Winnipeg. On the City
Hall Square, Winnipeg, on the ^8th of September, 1880,
was unveiled with suitable procet dings a stately memorial,
with column supporting a Canadian volunteer, leaning on
his rifle, the whole made from the beautiful limestone of
Eed River Valley, and presented to the city by the free
gifts of her citizens.
Section V. — Literature, Science, and Art.
Canada has yet no great, distinctive, national literature,
She is still in the midst of a colonial life ; her population
is sparse and much divided ; wealth is but beginning to
accumulate ; the struggle for comfortable existence is so
common that few persons of leisure are found either to
cultivate a purely Canadian literature, to engage in its
production, or to afford a field for the support of authors
and publishers.
But the blossom must come before the fruit. The
unity of the Dominion is being felt as year by year passes.
Nova Scotians now know something of Ontario's woods
and fields, and Upper Canadians wander down by the
sea to visit the ruins of Louisbourg, or to gaze with
interest at Grand Pre.
In Canada there is no lack of the material for poetry,
, .-r ',
'^'^
THE Canadian PEorLE.
475
romance, or pictorial roproseiitation. Canada's Indians
afford i^cope for treatmont in their mounds, their customs,
and their legcMids, for it is from our distinctively northern
Indians that Longfellow has found the subject of his
North American epic of Hiawatha.
The early loyalist and settler life affords material for
works as interesting as those of Holmes, and Irving,
and Longfellow. The fur-trader^s life is ;i perfect mine
of wealth, entirely unworked, in which dashing adventure
and most absorbing social and military incidents abound :
the two centuries of the Hudson^s Bay Company rule
afford wide field for historic as well as imaginative treat-
ment, and to us belongs the history of Arctic adventure.
We have seen in late years encroaching on our pre-
serve the American historian Parkman, and though we
rejoice in it as showhig the breadth of the republic of
letters, yet it may teach us that what we want is not the
field and material for the highest literary work, but th(5
eye to see, and the imagination to picture, and the heart
to love our own Canada.
Can the poet desire nobler subjects of song than our
Canadian scenery ? On our grand St. Lawrence the
nfiture-lover may lie and bask in the summer beauty of
:'ts changing hues. Our Saguenay, and Chaudiere, and
Montmorenci, and Niagara may stir the sense of wonder.
Our autumn-tinted forests, golden wheat-fields, and
alternation of rockland and meadow present a picture
distinctively Canadian. The vast prairies suggest the
immensity of the sea, and if the rugged mountains
and bosky dells of Scotland rouse poetic sentiment
within the bosoms of all who look upon them, surely the
colossal grandeur, ever-changing beauty, and delightful
valleys of the Rocky Mountains — the Canadian Alps —
beside which Scottish mountains are dwarfed, may kindle
in Canadian hearts the poetic fire.
And were the field of Canadian subject far more limited
than it is, yet in the social life and domestic incidents
of our people in Montreal, the queen of the St. Law-
rence, Toronto, the blooming mother of a hopeful people,
Quebec, the ancient dame in her quaint environment^
lir-
ir?
I '.I '•■ 'u
II
476
A Siiora' History of
«ind Wiiinipt'^, the vigorous child of the now prairio life,
tlioro is jimyiUi opportiniity for the pen of tho novolisti
iind bi'usli of tho doscriptivo writor.
Tho race of poots in any land is small : poets are like
diamonds, too brilliant to be common. No gi'eat poet
certainly has sprung from Canadian soil. Perhaps first
of those breathing the native air is Charh^s Sangster, tlu;
sweet poet of our Canadian forests. McLachlan has
written some true poems, though they have the aroma of
a foreign hind. It may be that the truest Canadiiiii
poem is one but lately written, and of which we cannot
yet quite make up our minds — Mr. Charles Mair^s
" Tecumseh.'' Its thoroughly Canadian subject, suc-
cessful rhythm, and well-drawn Canadian pictures, even
though combined with the somewhat too philosophicnl
utterances of an Indian maiden, lead us to hope that Mr.
Mair's drama may be the harbinger of a distinctive
Canadian poetry.
To us it seems that the best of our literary men is
one now foi* many years passed away — the late Chief
TT 1-u 4.^ Justice Haliburton of Nova Scotia. Thomas
HallbUrtOn. , ^^^ ^ , -iKr- I TIT
Chandler Haliburton was born at Wnidsor, J^ov^'l
Scotia, in December, 1790. lie was a U.E. Loyalist of
Scottish descent, was educated for law, and in his pro-
fession became noted for his " polished and efFef ive
speaking,^' and " sparkling oratory.''^ He entered the
Nova Scotian parliament, became Chief Justice of
Common Pleas in his native province, and in 1856 re-
signed from the bench, and went to Britain. Differing
from a distinguished Nova Scotian politician — Samuel
G. W. Archibald, who said on being urged to come over
to Britain and enter the Imperial Parliament : " Your
lordship, I am head of one House of Commons, and will
never become the tail of another " — Judge Haliburton
entered the British House of Commons in 1859 as M.P.
for Launceston.
It was in 1829 that Haliburton wrote his history of
Nova Scotia, for which he received the public thanks of
the Assembly. In 1835 appeared in the Nova Scotian his
series of papers, afterwards published under the name of
V
r prairio lifo,
tho novelist
)ets are Hkc^
■) L^i'(>at poi»t
Pi'i'haps first
Siiiijjfster, thu
Laclilau has
tho aroma of
?st Canadian
ch we cannot
arles Mair's
subject, suc-
Dictures, even
philosophicn!
Kope that Mr.
a distinctive
erary men is
he late Chief
tia. Thomas
Vindsor, Nova
Loyalist of
d in his y)ro-
and efFef ive
entered the
Justice of
in 1856 re-
n. DifFerini]j
ian — Samuel
to come over
ent : '' Your
ons, and will
le Haliburton
859 as M.P.
lis history of
plic thanks of
m Scotian his
the name of
e
THE Canadian People.
477
" Sam Slick/' " The Clockrauker." The gist of Hali-
burton's writings has been well expressed as follows :
" Industry and perseverance are eflectively inculcated in
comic story and racy narrative. '^ Haliburton wrote a
st»mi-political critique, '' 'l^he Bubbh\s of Canada/' chiefly
dealing with the French question in Lower Canada, but
it is written from a narrow and unsympathetic standpoint.
The field of Canadian history has been but poorly
treated. The history of ^. X. (ilarneau, written from a
Jjower Canadian standpoint, though atrociously mangled
in its translation from the French, is for high aim and
accurate statemenc undoubtedly the most successful
literary treatment, apart from Parkman's works, which
our history has received.
So-called histories abound, but they are too often only
compilations of previous works, containing the mistakes
and unsystematic treatment of their predecessors. So far
as industry, a desire to consult the original authorities, and
truer conception of the literary and philosophic work of
the historian is concerned, Mr. J. C. Dent, the author of
" Canada since the Union of 1841/' two vols., and tho
" Story of the Canadian Rebellion/' in iwo vols., repre-
sents a true school of historic work, though there is in
this author's work a too great readiness to accept what
favours his theories, and a'want of deliberate and sober
judgment.
The danger threatening the rise of a true school of
Canadian historical criticism is the tendency of writers
to make history one of the Brodwissenschaften of the
Germans — a mere means of gaining a livelihood without
rendering value to unsuspecting book-buyers, and it must
he said that some Canadian publishers have not shown
themselves above being parties to this nefarious tendency.
Some partisan purpose to serve, the " cacoethes scrihendij'
or the unworthy motive of receiving government patron-
age, have induced a somewhat prolific crop of political
biographies, local " histories " — mere uninteresting and
unsympathetic collections of facts, dry and raw manuals
known as '^ school histories," all dishonouring to the
name historian, and producing on the public a nauseating
1 ■: ►•
478
A Short IIistorv of
U
ofFoct on tho mention of tlio name of liistory. Tf tlio
historian bo not free and courageous enough to givo his
opinion, history is valueless.
To Lower Canada belongs tho most distinctive school
of Canadian literature — Canadian in subject — and thouffh
French in language, yet distinguished from the modern
French literature of Paris Ijy its more measured flow,
and as taking its spirit more from the literature of
Louis XlV/s time — purer in tone than recent French
literature. Such names as Frechette, Verreau, Lemoinc,
and Suite stand out m this truly native school of
literature.
From time to time ventures in the form of literary
magazines have been made. It would be unnecessary
cruelty even to mention the names of these untimely and
unproductive enterprises. Literature must be spon-
taneous to be real. Until there be a literature in tho
country^ the literary magazine must die of starvation.
There are indications now that not far in the future
there may rise a true and natural magazine literature,
one of these being the appearance in numerous
British and American magazines of meritorious Canadian
productions.
Even the Spectator, Tatler, and Guardian of the bril-
liant Augustan age of English literature faded and
passed away as the untimely fruit, to be followed by the
magnificent yield of the British magazine literature of
the present day. It is yet to be seen whether enough of
Canadian magazine ventures have paid the penalty of un-
timeliness to secure a successful Canadian literary journal.
Of the seething, surging vortex of Canadian newspaper
literature it can but be said, that while a multitude of
newspapers provide a sufficient reading material to the
four or five millions of Canadians, yet in but few
cases is much attention paid to giving a literary form
or cultivated tone to what is so plentifully supplied.
In science Canada has done far greater things than iu
g . general literature. The necessity of opening up
the resources of our new country has attracted
to the government service and universities men of dis-
THE Canadian People.
479
ri
orv. If tlio
tingnishcd abilities from the mother comitry, and yet it
is wortli}' of notice tliat the most distin*^uishi>d names
in onr scientific hononr-roll nvi^ those of native-born
Canadians, wliile a school of Canadian scientists has
grown up, whoso worlc in botany, mineralogy, geology,
engineering, and surveying compares favourably with
that of any other country, and has received recognition
at the hands of British and American science.
The father of Canadian science may be said to have been
Sir William Logan. Born in Montreal in 1798, tq„»j.
William Ednmnd Loo'aii returnedwith his father
to S :;otlandto an estate purchased near Stirling. Trained
in Edinburgh and London young Logan visited Canada
in 18-9, and returned to Wales to become manager of
a copper-smelting establishment in South Wales. Dr.
Buckland said of him, '^ He is the most skilful <»-eoloffical
surveyor of a coal-field I have ever known.^' In 1841 ho
became head of the Canadian Geological Survey, and
threw himself into field-work at once. Of his life he
writes, " Living the life of a savage, sleeping on the
beach in a blanket-sack with my feet to the fire, seldom
taking my clothes off, eating salt pork and ship's biscuit,
occasionally tormented with mosquitos.^' Logan never
married, and was knighted in 185G. His great principle
of scientific work was " Facts, then theories." Sir
William Logan did great service by his thorough investi-
gation of our primitive rocks, to which the name given
by him, " Laurentian,'' replacing the old term ^^ Funda-
mental gneiss," has now been affixed by all geologists.
After a most active and useful life our greatest scientific
Canadian died in Wales on the 22nd of June, 1875.
The mantle of this noted man of science fell worthily
on a Nova Scotian, now known as Sir William jj
Dawson. Young Dawson was born in Pictou in
October, 1820. Educated under the able Dr. McCuUoch,
Dawson went to Edinburgh University, and on his return
to his native province became, in 1842, the companion of
Sir Charles Lyell in the geological exploration of Nova
Scotian coal-fields. In 1850 he was made Superintendent
of Education of Nova Scotia, and in 1855 became
i!:
liil-
\ .
\\>
1!' \
t;'ii
48o
A Short History of
Wilson.
Principal and Professor of McGill University, Mon-
treal.
Dr. Dawson U a practical investigator, and lias written
numerous important works, umon^'' wliicli '* Acadian
Geology," " Origin of tlio Earbli," and " Fossil Men " arc
most noted. His namo is also associated with the dis-
covery of Eozoon Canadense, the supposed earliest fossil
animal, in 188() Sir William Dawson was chosen to the
high dignity of President of the British Association for
the advancement of science.
Another earnest labourer in the field of Canadian
science is Dr. Wilson, President of University
College, Toronto. Daniel Wilson was born in
Edinburgh in 181(3, and early devoted his life to literary
pursuits. Besides certain works of importance written
in his native country, he has, since joining the pro-
fessoriate of University College, enriched Canadian,
archteology and ethnology by his interesting work
'' Prehistoric Man," while dallying in the lighter field of
literature in such works as "Chatterton" (18(39), and
" Caliban, the Missing Link " (1873). Dr. Wilson has
been a warm friend of education, and is remembered for
his sturdy defence of Toronto University, when its
enemies sought to dismember it.
Most prominent among practical scientists in Canada
stands Sandford Fleming, C.E. Young Fleming
arrived in Canada from Britain in 1845, but
eighteen years of age. In time he followed the profes-
sion of engineering, and became the chief explorer of
the Canadian Pacific Eailway. Mr. Fleming is the Chan-
cellor of Queen's University, Kingston, but has attained
his greatest distinction b}'' pressing upon the several
Governments of Europe and America the importance of
the adoption of a prime meridian of longitude for all
nations, and of a system of universal time. His recom-
mendations have been received with great favour, and
have been in some cases adopted.
Canadian science, especially geology, has gained a pre-
eminence on the American continent. The wider culture,
more accurate work^ and greater reliability of our Cana-
>i c,
THE Canadian PEori.E.
481
sity, M
on-
lias written
" Acadian
I Men " avo
nth the dis-
arlicst fosHil
liosen to the
sociation for
f Canadian
[ University
was born in
Po to literary
anco written
or the pro-
d Canadian,
esting work
rhter fiekl of
' (1800), and
1. Wilson has
einbered for
when its
[s in Canada
ung Fleming
|in 1845, but
the profes-
explorer of
is the Chan-
Ihas attained
the several
[iportance of
itude for all
His recom-
favour, and
[ained a pre-
lider culture,
our Cana-
dian scientific men, Imvo given their invrstigntions into
tlio origin and condition of our continent a decidediy
favourable recognition, far beyond what iniglit have been
expected from so new a country. In virtue of the (Jeo-
logical Survey and Mnsenni having h('ii(h|uurters at
Ottawa, thut has become an important scientitit* centre j
and, while Montreal holds some of its old pre-eminence,
the extent and Completeness of tlu^ School of Science, now
a part of Toronto University, affords opportnnities for
training probably unsurpassed on the continent.
In the depai'tnient of sanitnry seience the ])r()vinco ot"
Ontario has reached an advanced position. A thoroughly
organized Board of Health, with large powers as to
waterworks, sewage, cemeteries, and the sujjpression
of epidemics, takes active supervision throughout the
province.
Towards the close of his term of office the Marquis of
Lome, the Governor-General, signalized his
residence in Canada by the gathering together ^orn^g^^' ^
of a number of Canada's leading men in litera-
ture and science at Ottawa, and constituting them a
society.
The Marquis of Lome, who with his royal wife, the
Princess Louise, came to fill the highest position in the
government of Canada, was born at London in 1845.
Eldest son of the Duke of Argyll, the Marquis of
Lome is of a race distinguished as popular leaders for
centuries in learning, religion, and public affairs. Lord
Lome was educated at Eton, St. Andrews, and Cam-
bridge, and has always shown an inclination to literature.
Married to her Majesty's daughter in 1871, his selection
as Governor-General of Canada was regarded as a mark
of special favour for Canada. His arrival in Canada was
in 1878.
The experiment of the Marquis of Lome in establishing
a learned society under Government patronage was a
perilous one. It was declared that such a society is
contrary to the genius of our unaristocratic institutions ;
that the special countenance of the State makes litera-
ture less spontaneous, and hinders its development. The
I i
rH
482
A Short History of
propliotH declared tlint tlio fiocioty must fail. The French
Acudeniy, with its " forty iininortals," it was sfiid, niiji^ht
suit a p(.'opl(» like the J-'reuch, hr.b Aiififlo-Siixoiis would
brook no such nrhitrary selection, or such embodiment of
cxclusiveness as that ])r()posed.
However, on th(» 2.jth of May, 1882. the "Royal
Society of Canadsi " met and was organized. It was
formed so as to include four sections of twenty members
each; the sections bi'ing French literiituro, FiUglish lite-
rature, physical and chemicid science, and geological and
l)iological science. Though at first nominated by the
(jlovernor-(Jeneral, the society itself elects new members
to till its vacancies. Four sinnual meetings have been
held s.ijce the first, and tlu^ ])roc'eedings of the society,
lor the publication of which Parliament provides means,
form a portly quarto volume annuully.
Two yenrs before the formation of the Royal vSociety
the Mar([uis hiid made his first experiment in
the establishment of culture-guilds in the
organization of the '^ lioyal Canadian Academy of Arts.''
The Princess Louise is a devotee of Art, and it seemed
most fitting that such a ste]i should be taken by the
Governor and the Princess. Unlike literature, art seems
to thrive under official patronage, as shown by the Louvre
and Luxembourg collections in Paris, the Uffizi Gallery
in Florence, and the National Art Gallery in London.
The purposes of the Canadian Academy are most praise-
worthy, being the establishment of a National Gallery in
Ottawa, the holding of art exhilntions in the cities of the
Dominion, and the formation of schools of art and design
throughout the country. Forty Academicians make up
the roll of the society, but " Associates" are chosen. A
few names, such as O'Brien, Forbes, and Schrieber,
stand out among those of our Canadian artists, and we
shall all rejoice if Art, the slowest growing of all the trees
in the intellectual garden, be so cultivated as to awaken
the dormant genius of our people, and diffuse among all
classes a taste high enough to distinguish, as Ruskin has
said, whether the animal in the foreground of the picture
is a pony or a pig. It is gratifying to Canadians to see
Till' Caxadiax People.
483
lil
ho Fi'oncli
nid, mi^ht
011s would
odimt-'iifc of
d. It was
,y moinbors
\\crV\s\i lite-
)lo]i()uld
be heard in such afiiiirs of State.
But it follows also that should Canada claim a sliiiro
in treaty-making, should sho insist on absolute self-
control, and in having- a voice in Britain's foreign policy,
then she nnist .also assume some of the responsibilities,
must be prepared to contribute h(»r shun' of the expenses
of l^ritain's wars, of the maintenance of tho army and
navy, and of the eonsular and diploniutic service. If then
continuance of tho present system of dependence be
impossi})le, what are the possibilities ?
The first of these is Independ(>nce. Canada has as
large a population as had the United States
when they fought for and gained their inde- gj^g^^^
pendence. Should Canada now declare for
Independence, she must be prepared to take her place
among the nations, must immediately face the building
and equipment of a navy to protect her coast-line and
fisheries, must establish a standing army at least as large
as that of the United States, must follow her veiy con-
siderable commerce to every part of the world with a
consular and diplomatic service, must enormously in-
crease her foreign department of government, and,
severed from British connection, pilot her own way
through the treacherous shoals and dajigerous whirlpools
of international complication.
With international relations with the United States
so varied and complicated, Independence would probably
be but the prelude to annexation, a contingency which
the interest, sentiment, and patriotic attitude of the
great mass of Canadians forbids even to be discussed.
While all Canadians of any character or standing oppose
the suggestion made, probably the French Canadians
are the most deter^Jned in opposition to Independence
and its probable result.
They are lead by an astute and able politician, Sir
Hector Langevin. Hector Louis Langevin
was born in Quebec in August, 1826,. received
his education at the Seminary in hiis native city, and
entered the profession of law.
lii
r
!!■
I
13
tail
^
i!
V
iSI
a
*
4^H'' ■
if
l!l
f •;
J f
492
A Short History of
He lias puMislu'd a iiumLcT of troatisos on l(\i>'al niiil
other 8ul)jects. Hi' ciitiTod l^irliainciit in 1857, since
which tinic he has, witli a slight interval, held his seat
and filled impm-tant trusts in the (lovernment. He is a
man of detei'inination and capacity, is a good speaker,
and is the greatest leader of his eountrynien since the
deatli of Sir (Jeorge Cartier, who indeed may be said to
bo Mr. liiingevin's })olitical beau-ideal.
Political defeats give rise at times to hasty and ill-
judged expressions on the part of disappointed partisans
as to the future of Canada. There is indeed a school of
pessimistic writers who belittle the future of Canada,
and conjure up difHculties ; but when these prophets of
evil are dead, Canadian autonomy will no doubt be living
still.
The eyes of Canada, as well as of the British p]mpire,
are turned to what is called " Imperial Federa-
tion." In N(jvember, 1884, a league was
Imperial
Federation.
Blake.
founded in England aiming at the permanent
unity of the Jiritish Empire. The principle of the scheme
is that no rights of local parliaments as regards local
affairs shall be affected ; and that it shall " cond)ine on an
equitable basis the resources of the Empire for the main-
tenance of common interests, and adequately provide for
an organized defence of common rights.'^
One of the first to advocate this scheme is a statesman
no doubt destined to wield an important in-
Huence in Canadian affairs, Hon. Edward lilake.
Dominic Edward Blake, the son of Chancellor Blake of
Upper Canada, was born in the township of Adelaide,
Upper Canada, in October, 1833. Educated in Toronto,
at Upper Canada College and Toronto University, he was
called to the Bar of Upper Canada in 185G. A man of
prodigious working power, most tenacious memory, and
great eloquence, he speedily rose to the top of his
profession, and to secure the services of Edward Blake
was believed by many to be equivalent to winning the
case.
In 1867 Mr. Blake entered the local legislature of
Ontario, and in 1371 became Premier of his native pro-
THE Canadian People.
493
vinco. For a timo nftor 1878 n Tnoml)(M' of tho Mackonzio
^linistry, Mi*. JMjiko is mrv tho k'a(l(;r of lior Majosty's
k)yal Opposition in tko Dominion Honse of Commons,
;nul is a moat important factor in tko public affairs of
Canada.
That some form of Imperial Federation will yet como
is tko belief of many tkougktful Canadians. Tko sckemo
of a united and politically organized Empire cannot but
rouse patriotic feeling in every Britisk kenrt. Tho
thought that a fifth part of the habitable globe is
included in the Hritisk Fmpire skould give lovers of
tkcir country inspiration to work for its greater unity and
consolidation.
Tke Britisk Empire is tkree times larger tkan America,
is composed of sixty-five territories and islands, and
comprises one-sixtk of tke population of tke globe.
" Witkin tko area of tke Britisk Empire, ^mder tke
favoured climatic conditions, are produced all tkat is
needed for tke sustenance of life, for clothing, for the
refined enjoyment of the most profligate luxury — every-
thing used by the world of to-day in peace and war, in
commerce and art, in science and manufacture.''^
No fact has so awakened Britain to the sense of the
greatness of ker colonies as tke gatkering — somewkat
after tke model of tkat great Exkibition of 1851, for
wkick tke Prince Consort did so muck — tke " Colonial
and Indian Exkibition,^^ in London, of tke year 188G.
Here are gatkered togetker tke products of every
clime.
A late writer kas remarked : " As a book like ' Hak-
luyt^s Voyages ' is said to kave widened tke process of
Englisk tkougkt at tke time of its publication (1599), so a
spectacle like tkat wkick tke Colonies and India kave
given to us cannot fail to supply to us fresk knowledge
of the world, and of tke place wkick tke Britisk occupy
in it.
8kall not tke Empire, built up by tke enterprise and
energy of tke Anglo-Saxon race, wkick is tke envy oi
every otker nation, and tke pride of our own, be in its
integrity secured !
I
I I'
t i
I a;
Mil
■I
f'^r' '
494 A Shout IIlstorv of tiik Caxadiax Vkovlk
<( u
Shall not wi.' ilirou^li l,'(k»(1 .'unl ill
Cleavo to oii(> another .still ?
Britain's myriad voices call.
' Sons, 1.0 wcldcil. each and all,
Into one Imperial whole,
One with Hritain. heart and soid !
One life, quo flag, one lloet, one Throne ! ' "
Tkxnysox.
. >i
APPENDIX A.
^^«^^W^^Wvy^> ^^^S^\^^
THE co:n\stitution of Canada.
PROVISIONS OF THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT.
Imperial Act, 30 & 31 Vict.
An Act J'ur flic Union of Canada, Nova Scoiia, and Nrv) Brans-
ni.'icl; a)ul the Government tkereof ; andjhr^na'j^tosca connected
thei'evnth.
WiiEKKAs tho Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and Now
Brunswick have exi)ressed tlioir desire to be federally united into
one Dominion under the Crown of the United Kingdom of (Ireat
Britain and Ireland, with a Constitution similar in principle to that
of the United Kingdom :
And whereas, such a Union would conduce to the welfare of the
Provinces and promote the interests of the British Empire :
And whereas, on the establishment of the Union by authority
of Parliament, it is expedient, not only that the constitution of
the legislative authority in the Dominion be provided for, but
also that the nature of the Executive Government therein bo
declared :
And whereas, it is expedient that provision be made for the
eventual admission into the Union of other parts of British North
America :
Be it therefore enacted, &c.
Sects. I. and II.
I. PllELIMINAEy.
II. Union.
Sects. III. and IV. Power given to proclaim the Provinces
named, "One Dominion under the name of Canada."
Sects. V. VI. and VII. Constituting four Provinces : Ontario,
Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
Sect. VIII. Provides that in the census in 1871 and every tenth
li
!
496
AlTENDIX A.
11
year thereafter the populatiou of the several rroviucea shall be
dlHtiuguiuhc'l.
III. HxEcuTivE Tower.
Sect. IX. " Tlie Executive flovornmont ami aiitliority (»f and
over Canada in hereby declared to coutiiiue and be vewted iu the
tjueen.
Sect. X. rJovcrnor-General to be " on behalf and in the name
of the Qnocii."
Sect. XI. There shall bo a Council, "to aid and advis-e in the
^'overnment of (,'unada " — "the Q^ieen's J'rivy Council;" Oover-
nor-(irrjeral has [)ower to choose and Hunimon Huch, to Bwear
them in, and from time to time to remove them.
Sect. XII. All i)ower8, authorities, and functi(m,s given, shall
'• be vested in and exerciseable by the Governor-General, with
the advice, or with the ajvice and consent of, or iu conjunction
wi'h, the Quecm'.s Privy Council for Canada" . . . subject never-
theless to be abolished or altered l)y the Parliament of Canada.
Sect. XIII. Defines meaninjj; of *' Governor-(j!cneral iu Council."
Sect. XIV. i'ower to her Majesty to authorize Governor-General
to appoint deputies.
Sect. XV. " The command in chief of the land and naval
militia and of all naval and military forces, of and in Canada, is
hereby declared to continue and be rested in the C^ueen."
Sect. XVI. " Until the Queen otherwise directs, die seat of
Government of Canada shall be Ottawa."
IV. LljIslative Power.
Sect. XVII. " There shall be one Parliament for Canada, con-
sisting of the Queen, and Upper House styled the Senate, and
the House of Commons."
Sect. XVIII. Privileges, &c., of the Houses.
Sect. XIX. First session of Parliament provided for.
Sect. XX. " There shall be a session of the Parliament of Canada
once at least in every year," &c.
The Senate*
Sect. XXI. The Senate to consist of seventy-two members,
" who shall be styled Senators."
Sect. XXII. Senate is to consist of three divisions — each with
twenty-four members, viz. (1) Ontario, (2) Quebec (one from each
of twenty-four specified divisions to preserve the English repre-
sentation), (3) Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia and New Bruns-
wick — twelve each).
Sect. XXIII. The qualifications of a Senator are to be — (1) Age
of thirty years ; (2) a subject of her Majesty ; (3 and •*) Quali-
Afm'f.xdix a.
497
1CC3 Hhall be
ority of and
vested in the
in the name
U(\vi>«' nx the
incnir Clover-
ich, to Bwoar
iH given, shall
General, with
u conjunction
subject nevcr-
ofCauada.
ml in Council."
vernor-General
md and naval
d in Cauada, is
aeen."
ts, che seat ot
^v Canada, con-
ic Senate, and
Ifor.
lent of Canada
Itwo mem"bers,
Us — eacli with
lone from each
[Englisb repre-
id Kew Bruns-
|to be— (1) Age
and •*) Qnali*
fication, froolinld of S 1000, real and personal property 1? 1<">00 ; (,'))
llrsidi! ill the I'roviari! whifli he ropresonts ; (♦]) lu C^uebec real
property in diHtri(.'t ho ropresi'UtH.
Sect. XXLV. *' The (Joveruor-General shall, from time to tinuv
in the (.^ueen'.H nauu', by iiiHtrunicnt under tlw Great Seal of
Canada, Humnion r- General in session when
proposed.
Sect. LV. Governor- General, in the Queen's name, may assent
or -withhold assent, or reserve for the signitication of her Majesty's
pleasure.
Sect. LVI. Queen in Council may within two years of the
assent of the Governor-General to any bill disallow the Act.
Sect. LVII. A bill reserved for the signification of the Queen's
pleasure shall have no force unless within two years the Governor-
General announces the Queen's assent to it.
.,-■«■
M
V. PrvOYINCIAL CONSTITUTIO>;S.
w
X*\.>- ■'?■
■■Hi-jA.Y
Sect. LYIII. " For each Province there shall be an officer,
styled the Lieutenant-Governor, appointed by the Governor-
General in Council by instrument under the Great Seal of Canada."
Sect. LIX. Lieutenant-Governor to hold office for five years,
but for cause assigned he may be removed by the Governor-
General.
Sect. LX. Salaries of Lieutenant-Governors are to be fixed and
provided by the Parliament of Canada.
Sect. LXI. Lieutenant-Governors must subscribe oaths of alle-
giance and office similar to those taken by the Governor-General.
Sect. LXII. Provisions relating to Lieutenant-Governors apply
to administrators of provincial affairs.
Sect. LXIIL Authorizes the appointment of Executive officers
for Quebec and Ontario.
Sect. LXIY. Constitution of the Executive authority in Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick remains as before Confederation until
changed by them.
Sect. LXV. Lieutenant-Governors of Ontario and Quebec are
Appendix A.
499
leval) aud no
cuniiil ceusns
e-adjusted as
st census,
aember.
provided the
to exercise the powers ]jelonginpf to them, cither with advice of
Executive Councils or alone, at the time of Union.
Sect. LXVI. Lieutenant-Governor in Council in each Province
means Lieutenant-Governor acting by and with the advice of the
Executive Council thereof.
Sect. LXVII. Administrator may in absence, illness, or other
inability of Lieutenant-Governor be appointed by the Governor-
General in Coancil.
Sect. LXYIII. Until changed by the Executive Government of
the Province, the seats of government for the Province are to be :
Ontario, Toronto ; Quebec, the city of Quebec ; Nova Scotia,
Halifax ; New Brunswick, Frederictou.
•iginate in the
the Hou-;e of
1 session when
ne, may assent
,f her Majesty's
years of the
the Act.
of the Queens
i-s the Governor-
be an oiBcer,
the Goveruor-
leal of Canada. '
for five years,
the Governor-
to be fixed and
De oaths of alle-
3rnor-General.
governors apply
:ecutive officers
[hority in Nova
[ederation until
id Quebec are
Legislative Power.
1. Ontario.
Sect. LXIX. Legislature of Ontario consists of Lieutenant-
Governor and of one House, styled the Legislative Assembly of
Ontario.
Sect. LXX. Legislative Assembly of Ontario composed of eighty-
two members, representing the eighty-two electoral districts named
in the Appendix of the Act.
2. Quebec.
Sect. LXXI. Legislature of Quebec consists of Lieutenant-
Governor and of the Houses, styled Legislative Council of Quebec,
and the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.
Sect. LXXII. Lieutenant-Governor in Queen's name is to ap-
point twenty-four members of Legislative Council of Quebec, one
to represent each of the twenty-four divisions named by this Act.
Sect. LXXIII. Qualification of Legislative Councillors are the
same as those of the Senators for Quebec.
Sect. LXXIV. Place of Legislative Councillor of Quebec shall
become vacant for similar purposes as for Senator.
Sect. LXXV. Lieutenant-Governor in the Queen's name shall
fill up vacancies.
Sect. LXXYL Legislative Council shall hear and determine
any question as to qualification of Councillor, or a vacancy which
may arise.
Sect. LXXVII. Lieutenant-Governor may from time to time
appoint and remove a Legislative Councillor.
Sect. LXXYIII. Ten members are a quorum of ^the Legislative
Council.
Sect. LXXIX. All members of the Legislative Council may vote,
and an equality of votes decides for the negative.
Sect. LXXX. Legislative Assembly of Quebec consists of sixty-
five members ; the constituencies may be redistrbuted, except that
in any change afiecting them, on the second and third readings of
K k 2
500
Appendix A.
.■:i;
tlie bill, a majority must vote for it, from the English constituen-
cies of Pontiac, Ottawa, Ai'gontouil, Huutiagdon, Missisquoi,
Brome, Shefford, 8tausted, Compton, Wolfe and Richmond, Ma-
gantic and the town of Sherbrooke.
Sect. LXXXI. Provides for first meeting of Ontario and Quebec
Legislatures.
»Sect. LXXXII. Lieutenant-Governors of Ontario and Quebec
are to summon tlie Legislatures.
Sect. LXXXIII. No person being a salaried official of Ontario
or Quebec can be a member of the Legislature.
Sect. LXXXIV. The election laws of Ontario and Quebec are
for the meantime continued.
Sect. LXXXV. The Legislative Assemblies in Ontario and
Quebec may not continue for more than four years.
Sect. LXXXVI. There miist be a yearly session of the Legis-
lature in each of these two Provinces.
Sect. LXXXVII. Provisions fas to the Speaker, vacancies, the
quorum, and mode of voting of the House of Commons are extended
to the Legislative Assemblies of these two Provinces.
4. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Sect. LXXXVIII. The constitutions of Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, except as modified by this Act, continue, as also the
House of Assembly in the latter.
5. Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.
Sect. LXXXTX. Provision is made for the first elections in each
of these tlu'ee Provinces.
"4P'
6. The Four Provinces.
Sect. XC. Provisions of this Act relating to appropriation and
tax bills, the recommendation of money votes, the assent to bills,
the disallowance of Acts, and the signification of pleasure on bills
reserved, shall apply to the Provinces, except that the Lieutenant-
Governor be substituted for Governor-General, Governor- General
for the Queen, and as to time of reservation, of one year for two.
!*
YI. Distribution of Legislative Powers.
Powers of the Farliament.
Sect. XCI. The Parliament of Canada may make laws for the
peace, order, and good government of Canada, on all matters, not
•<5oming within the classes of subjects assigned exclusively to the
Provincial Legislatures and for greater certainty, but not to restrict
the generality of the foregoing, in the following subjects : —
ii
I
Appendix A.
501
ections in each
"(1.) The public debt and property.
(2.) The regulation of trade and commerce.
(:>.) The raising of money by any mode or system of taxation.
(k) The borrowing of money on the public credit.
(5.) Postal service.
(6.) The census and statistics.
(7.) The militia, military, and naval service, and defence.
(8.) The fixiug of and providing for the salaries and allow-
ances of civil and other officers of the Government of
Canada.
(0.) Beacons, buoys, lighthouses, and Sable Island.
(10.) Navigation and shipping.
(11.) Quarantine, and the establishment and maintenance of
marine hospitals.
(12 ) Sea-coast and inland fisheri^?s.
(lo.) Ferries between a Province and any British or foreign
country, or between two Provinces.
(14.) Currency and coinage.
(15.) Banking, the incorporation of banks, and the issue of
paper money.
(16.) Savings'-banks.
(17.) Weights and measures.
(18.) Bills of exchange and promissory notes.
(19.) Interest.
(20.) Legal tender.
(21.) Bankruptcy and insolvency.
(22.) Patents of invention and discovery.
(23.) Copyrights.
(24.) Indians, and lands reserved for the Indians.
(25.) Naturalization and aliens.
(26 ) Marriage and divorce.
(27.) The criminal law, except the constitution of courts of
criminal jurisdiction, but inchiding the procedure in
criminal matters.
(28.) The establishment, maintenance, and management of
penitentiaries.
(29.) Such classes of subjects as are excepted in the enume-
ration of the classes of subjects by this Act assigned
exclusively to the Legislatures of the Provinces ;
" And any matter coming within any of the classes of subjects
enumerated in this section shall not be deemed to come within
the class of matters of a local or private nature comprised in
the enumeration of the classes of subjects by this Act assigned
exclusively to the Legislatures of the Provinces."
Exclusive Powers of Provincial LEGisL.vxur'vEs.
Sect. XCII. " In each Province the Legislature may exclusively
make laws in rfhition to matters coming within the classes of
subjects next hereinafter enumerated : —
502
AlTEXDIX A.
i;
^
m^'
M,
i:li-
m:
(1.) The amendment from timo to time, notwithstanding any-
thing in this Act, of the constitution of the Province,
except as regards the office of Lieutenant-Governor;
(2.) Direct taxation within the Province in order to the raising
of a revenue for provincial purposes ;
(3.) The borrowing of money ou the sole credit of the Pro-
vince ;
(1.) The estabhshmcnt and tenure of provincial offices, and the
a])pointment and payment of provincial officers ;
(5.) The management and sale of the public lands belonging
to the Province, and of the timber and wood thereon ;
(G.) The establishment, maintenance, and management of
public reformatory jorisons in and for the Province ;
(7.) The establishment, maintenance, and managemeiit of
hospitals, asylums, charities, and eleemosynary in-
stitutions in and for the Province, other than marine
hosi^itals ;
(8.) Municipal institutions in the Province ;
(9.) Shop, saloon, tavern, auctioneer, and other licences in
order to the raising of a revenue for provincial, local,
or municipal purposes ;
(10.) Local works and undertakings other than such as are of
the following classes : —
(a.) Lines of steam or otlitr ships, railways, canals; tele-
graphs, and other works and undertakings con-
necting the Province with any other or others of
the Provinces, or extending beyond the limits of
the Province ;
(h.) Lines of steamships between the Province and any
British or foreign country ;
(c.) Such works as, although wholly situate within the
Province, are before or after their execution declared
by the Parliament of Canada to be for the general
advantage of Canada, or for the advantage of two
or more of the Provinces ;
(11.) The incorporation of companies with jorovincial objects ;
(12.) The solemnization of marriage in the Province;
(13.) Property and civil rights in the Province;
(14-.) The administration of justice in the Province, including
the constitution, maintenance, and organization of
i:)rovincial courts, both of civil and of criminal juris-
diction, and including procedure in civil matters in
those courts ;
(15.) The imposition of punishment by fine, penalty, or im-
prisonment, for enforcing any law of the Province
made in relation to any matter coming within any of
the classes of subjects enumerated in this section ;
(16.) Generally, all matters of a merely local or private nature
in the Province."
istaiuling any-
t' the Province,
mt-Governor;
r to the raising
lit of the Pro-
offices, and the
il officers ;
xnds belonging
wood thereon ;
lanagemeut of
bhe Province ;
lanagement of
lemosynary in-
3r than marine
ler licences in
I'ovincialj local,
L such as are of
ys, can.al«; tele-
lercakings con-
[er or others of
i the limits of
vince and any
ate within the
ution declared
or the general
vantage of two
ncial objects ;
^ince ;
ince, including
rganization of
criminal juris-
vil matters in
enalty, or im-
the Province
within any of
is section ;
orivate nature
Appendix A.
Education.
503
Sect. XCIIL '' In and for each Province the Lpglslaturo may ex-
clusively malce laws in relation to education, suljject and according
to the following provisions : —
(l.) Nothing in any such law shall pveju licially nffect any
right or privilege with re.s2:>ect t) denominational
schools which any class of persons have by law in
the Province at the Union ;
(2.) All the powers, privileges, and duties at the Union by law
Conferred and imposed in Ujiper Canada on the sepa-
rate schools and school trustees of the (Queen's Roman
Catholic sulijccts shall ho, and the same are hereby
extended to the dissentient schools of the Queen's
Protestant and Roman Catholic sul)jects in Quebec ;
(o.) Where in any Province a system of separate or dissentient
schools exists by law at the Union, or is thereafter
established by the Legislature of the Province, an
appeal shall lie to the Governor-General in Council
from any act or decision of any provincial authority
affi3cting any right or privilege of the Protestant or
Roman Catholic minority of the (Queen's subjects in
relation to education ;
(I.) In case any such provincial law, as from time to time
seems to the Governor-General in Council requisite for
the due execution of the provisions of this section, is
not made, or in case any decision of the Governor-
General in Council in any appeal under this section is
not duly executed by the proper provincial authority
in that behalf, then and in every such case, and as
far only as the circumstances of each case require,
the Parliament of Canada may make remedial laws
for the due execution of the provisions of this section,
and of any decision of the Governor-General in Council
under this section."
Sect. XCIV. The Parliament of Canada may make provision for
the uniformity of the laws relative to property and civil rights in
Ontario,. Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
Sect. XCV. The Parliament of Canada, and Legislatures of each
Province may make concurrent legislation respecting agriculture
and immigration.
VII. JUDICATUKE.
Sect. XCVI. Governor-General appoints the judges of the
superior, district, and county courts in each Province, except those
of the courts of probate in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Sect. XOVII. Until laws in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New
Brunswick are made uniform, judges in each Province shall be
selected from the bar of that Province.
'K-\
. ?i
;:■
:■]
504
Appendix A.
Sect. XCVIII. Judges in Quebec shall be selected from the bar
of that Province.
Sect. XCTX. Judges of the superior courts shall hold office
during good behaviour, but shall bo removable by the Govcrnor-
General on address of the Senate and House of Commons.
Sect. C. Salaries, allowances, and pensions of judges (except
of probate courts) are fixed and provided by the Parliament of
Canada.
Sect. CI. Parliament of Canada is empowered, to establish a
General Court of Appeal for Canada (Supreme Court).
VIII. Revenues, Debts, Assets, Taxation.
Sect. CII, All revenues, not provincial, form one Consolidated
Revenue Fund for the public service of Canada.
Sect. cm. Tlie consolidated revenue bears all charges for its
collection and management.
Sect. CIV. Annual interest of the debts of the Provinces at the
Union form a second charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Sect. C V. The salary of the Governor-General is 10,OOOA sterling,
payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Sect. CVI. The remainder of the Consolidated Revenue Fund
shall be appropriated by the Canadian Parliament to the i.)ublic
service.
Sect. CVII. All stocks, cash, bankers' balances, and securities
for money belonging to Provinces shall be taken by Canada in
reduction of the provincial debts.
Sect. CVIII. Canada now possesses all public works of the
former Provinces, as canals, public harbours, lighthouses, and
piers, and Sable Island, steamboats, dredges, and public vessels ;
rivers and lakes improvements, railways and railway stocks, mort-
gages, and other debts due by railway companies, military roads,
custom-houses, post-offices, and public bnildings (except for Pro-
vincial Legislatures and Governments), ordnance property (trans-
ferred by Imperial Government), armouries, drill-sheds, military
clothing, and munitions of war, and lands set apart for public
purposCiJ.
Sect. CIX. All provincial lands, mines, minerals, and royalties,
remain so.
Sect. ex. All assets connected with a provincial debt belong to
the Province.
Sect. CXI. Canada is liable for all provincial debts and liabilities
at the time of union .
Sect. CXII. Ontario and Quebec are liable to Dominion for any
amount of debt above 62,500,000 dollars, subject to five per cent,
interest.
Sect. CXIII. The assets of Ontario and Quebec conjointly
are : — Upper Canada Building Fund, Lunatic Asylums, Normal!
■\ .1
ArrENDix A.
505
CoDsolidate^l
arges for its
id securities
School, Court Houses in Aylmer, Montreal, and Kamouraska ;
Law Society, Upper Canada ; Montreal Turnpike Trust, Univer-
sity Permanent Fund, Royal Institution, Upjier Canada Con-
solidated Municipal Loan Fund, ditto Lower Canada, Upper
Canada Agricultural Society, Lower Canada Legislative Grant,
Quebec Fire Loan, Temiscouata Advance Account, Quebec Turn-
pike Trust, Education — East, Building and Jury Fund of Lower
Canada, Municipalities Fund, Lower Canada Superior Education
Income Fund.
Sect. CXIV. Nova Scotia is liable to Canada for amount above
7,000,000 dollars, at five per cent, interest.
Sect. CXV. New Brunswick, ditto, ditto, ditto.
Sect. CXVI. In case the public debts of Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick do not reach 7,000,000 dollars each, they are entitled to
interest at five per cent, on the amount short of that sura.
Sect. CXVI[. All public property not disposed of in this Act
remains provincial.
Sect. CXVIII, The Provinces are annually to receive from the
Dominion as follows: — Ontario 80,000 dollars, Quebec 70,000 dollars.
Nova Scotia 60,000 dollars, New Brunswick 50,000 dollars — total
260,000 dollars, and an annual grant of eighty cents per head of
population by census of 1861 (and in Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick by each siibsequent decennial census until 400,000 of a
population is reached in each), and interest owed the Dominion
is subtracted from these annual subsidies.
Sect. CXIX. New Brunswick for ten years after Union is to-
receive 63,000 dollars annually.
Sect. CXX. The Parliament of Canada is to decide how liabilities
of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, assumed by the Dominion,
are to be met.
Sect. CXXI. There shall be no Customs lines between Pro-
vinces.
Sect. CXXII. Customs and Excise duties of each Province
remain as before the Union, until changed by the Parliament of
Canada.
Sect. CXXITI. Ee-adjusts interprovincial importations levied on
articles in country at time of Union.
Sect. CXXIV. Lumber dues of New Brunswick continue as before
the Union.
Sect. CXXV. " No lands or property belonging to Canada, or
any Province, shall be liable to taxation."
Sect. CXXVI. The portions of the duties and revenues, reserved
to each Province, form a consolidated revenue fund for each
Province.
IX. Miscellaneous Provisions.
Sect. CXXVII. As to Legislative Councillors of Provinces
becoming Senators.
r
5o6
Appendix A.
MJl-
I'- ./ T .
I . ■'. ' '/:
1 -^ :P'.
I *.
., ^, .|- : .;, V
,'
^pP^;-/
8ect. CXXVIII. Members of Dominion Parliament or Pro-
vincial Counciln and Atssemblies must take the oath of aU(\i;iance: —
" ], A. B., do swear that I will Ijc faithful and bear true allegiance
to her Majesty (^^lecn Victoria."
Sect. CXXIX. All existing laws, courts, and offices shall remain
in force until repealed by the conii:>etent Dominion or ijrovincial
authority.
Sect. CXXX. All officers in departments transferred to the
Dominion shall continue in office.
Sect. CXXXI. Until Canailiau Parliament otherwise provides,
power to appoint necessary officers belongs to the Governor- (J eneral
in Council.
Sect. CXXXII. The Parliament and Government of Canada
shall have power to perform any treaty obligations of any of the
I'rovinces toward foreign countries.
Sect. CXXXi 11. The English and French languages may be used
in the Canadian Parliament; both languages shall be used in
records and journals of l)otli Houses, and either language may be
used in any court of Canada estal^lished under this Act, or in any
court in Quebec. The Acts of the Parliament of Canada and of
the Legislature of Quebec must be published in Ijotli languages.
Sect. CXXXIV. Until otherwise provided by Legislatures of
Ontario and Quebec, the Lieutenant-Governors of each may appoint
such officers as may be necessary to carry on the Provincial Govern-
ments, and five Executive officers for Ontario and six for Quebec,
and their subordinates.
Sect. CXXXV. The Lieutenant-Governor may appoint officers
to carry out duties belonging to Old Canada, now transferred to
Ontario and Quebec.
Sect. CXXXVI. Great Seals of Ontario and Quebec are the
same as those of Upper and Lower Canada respectively before
their union.
Sect. CXXXVII. Temporary Acts of Canada are extended to
the first sessions of the Legislatures of Ontario and Quebec.
Sect. CXXXVllI. In legal documents Upper Canada is equiva-
lent to Ontario, and Lower Canada to Quebec.
Sect. CXXXIX. Proclamations to be made under the Great Seal
of Old Canada not invalidated by the Union.
Sect. CXL. Lieutenant-Governors of Ontario and Quebec may
make such proclamations.
Sect. CXLL " The penitentiary of the Province of Canada shall,
until the Parliament of Canada otherwise provides, be and continue
the penitentiary of Ontario and Quebec."
Sect. CXLII. Three arbitrators, one chosen by Ontario, another
by Quebec, and a third by the Dominion, shall divide the debts,
properties, and assets of Old Canada between these two Provinces.
Sect. CXLIII. Governor-General in Council has power to give
such books and records of Old Canada as he may see fit to each of
the two Provinces.
Appendix A.
mont or Pro-
.ill('L,Manco: —
rue iillogiauce
3 shall remain
I or provincial
ferred to the
vise provides,
irnor- General
it of Canada
of any of the
s may he used
1 be used in
fuage may be
Lct, or in any
mada and of
languages,
gislatures of
may appoint
icial Clovern-
X for Quebec,
point officers
I'ansferred to
3bec are the
tively before
extended to
;uebec.
ia is equiva-
e Great Seal
Quebec may
anada shall,
md continue
trio, another
ie the debts,
Provinces.
)wer to give
it to each of
507
Sect. OXLIV. Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec may constitnfp
new townships in that Province. c^^'J^^ may constitute
X. Intercoloxial Eailway.
V^f^y^(SnI\\iutn^''"l,'' omi,ower,.J, ou the advice of her
Parifament ami .„ n,r ' =""r»» "^PS preseatecl by the Caua.lia„
of th'e 'Sm'!^.^n^^^• "^5f '\^r'' ^? ^*-^i"«tment of the number of members
enter the UnSn!^^"^^^ IVewfoundland and Prince Edward Ishmd
If
APPENDIX B.-cOxXTEMPoiiAi;
hi
'A
The Governor-General.
Governors of Nova Scotin.
1 Governors of Princo
' Edward l»land.
1
Kings of France.
Gen. Nicholson . . .1714
Gen. Phillips . . . 1717
Col. Laurence Arm-
strong . . . .1724
Capt. Paul Mascarene 17M)
Lord (!()rnwallis . . 1749
Peregrine Thomas
Hopson 1752
Major Lawrence . . 1753
1
1
Francis T.
( Father of
I. otters). . l.iis
Henry 11. . . 1,117
Frimcis II. . i,-),'-,!)
Chiirles IX. . 15611
BOUHBON.S.
Henry IV.
(The Grent) l.'.in
Louis XIII.
(The Jnst) . l«io
Louis XIV.
(Le Grand :
also Dieu
doniu') . , hWi
Louis XV, . {\l\\-
Fbom Conquest, 1759.
Governors of
Upper Canada,
John Graves
SimcDC . . 1792
Peter Russel
(Adm.) . . 179C
Gen. Peter
Hunter , . 1799
Francis Gore 180B
Gen. Brock
(Ad.) . . . 1812
Gen. Shcaffe
(Ad.) . . . 1812
Gen. Murray
(Ad.). . .
Gen. Robin-
son (Ad.) .
Francis Gore l^ilo
Sir Peregrine
Maitland . 181S
SirJohn Col-
borne . . . 1828
Sir Francis
Bond Head 1836
Sir George
Arthur . . 1838
Gen. Murray . . . .1763
Gen. Sir Guv Carleton 1766
Gen. Fred. Haklimand 1778
Lord Dorchester . .1780
Gen. Prescott . . . 1780
Gen. Sir James H.
Craig 1808
Gen. Sir G. Prevost . 1811
Sir Gordon Drum-
mond (Administr.) . 1815
Sir John Coape Sher-
brooke 1816
Dnke of Richmond .1818
Earl of Dalhousie . . 1820
Sir Jas. Kempt (Adm.) 1828
Lord Aylmer .... 1S30
Earl of Gosford . . . 1835
Earl of Durham . . . 1638
Sir John Colborne
(Adm.) 1838
Lord Sydenham . . 1839
Sir Charles Bagot . . 1843
Lord Metcalfe . . . 1843
Earl of Elgin .... 1847
Sir Edmund Head . . 1855
LordMonck .... 1801
Jonathan Belcher. .1700
Col. Wilmot . . . .1703
Lord William Camp-
bell 1700
Cnpt, Walter Pat-
terson .... 1770
*,, f Calbeck ■) 1775-
^^- I De Brisay S 80
Capt. Patterson . 1780
Geo. E. Fanning. 1780
Col. J. F. W. De
Brisay . . .(1805)
C. D. Smith . . 1813
(Brother of Sid-
ney Smith.)
Col. Readv . . . 1824
Col. A. W." Young 1831
Col. Sir J. Harvey 1836
Sir C. A. FitzRoy 1837
Sir 11. V. Huntley 1841
Sir Don. tiampbell 1847
Sir A. Banner-
man 1851
Dominick Daly . 1854
George Dundas . 1859
W. C. F. Robin-
son . . . . 1870-74
Francis Lcggo. . .1773
John Parr . . . .1782
John Wentworth . . 1 792
Sir George Prevost . 1808
Sir John Coape Shcr-
brooke (Adm.) . . 1811
Earl of Dalhouiaie . .1816
Gen. Sir Jiinies Kempt 1820
Sir Peregrine Mait-
land (Adm.) . . .1828
Sir Colin Campbell . 1834
Viscount Falkland . 18i0
SirJohn Harvey (Ad.) 18«5
SirJ. G. LoMarchant 1852
Earl of Mulgrave
(Adm.) 1858
Sir R. G. Macdonnell 1804
Sir Fen wick Williams 1805
Fbom Confeder.^tion, 1867.
Governors of
Ontario.
Lord Lisgar .... 1808
Earl of Dufferin. . .1872
Marquis of Lome . . 1878
Marquis of Lansdowne 1883
Gen. Williams (Adi
Col. Williams .
Gen. Doyle . . .
Joseph Howe .
A. G. Archibald
Do.
M. H. Richey .
13.) 1867
. . 1808
. 1868
. 1873
. . 1873
. 1878
. . 1883
Sir R. Hodgson . 1874
T. H. Haviland . 1879
A. A. Macdonald . 1884
Gen. S listed
(Ad.) . . . 1867
W. P. Howland 1868
John Crawford 1873
D.A. Macdonald 1876
J. B. Robinson 1880
)NTEMPORAin
CAXADIAX GOVKKXOIIS, ,^c.
Kings of Frunre.
Francis
( Father
IiCttcrH).
Honry II. ,
FniiiciH li,
Chiirles IX
I.
of
ir.i5|
IS 17
15611 1
15611 1
BOUBBONS.
Honry IV.
(The GrciU) ir)if)
Luuia Xlll.
(The JoHt) .
LouiH Xl\'.
(Le Grinid :
also Uieu
donni') . .
1010
lili:)
Louis XV. . {JIl
1715-1
Governors ol
Up per Uan adit.
French Govomors
SoviMeijjiirt ol
of Canada.
EoKlHud.
Honry VI r. . .
IH7
Henry VIII. . .
l.")iH»
Kdward VI.; Mary
IGiVJ
Elizabeth . . .
1668
Cliainplain . .
. lOOS
.lainoH I. . . .
lOiK}
()(' Montinak'ny
. 1«W7
Charlos 1. . . .
102.-.
l)'.\illol)ouHt .
. nu7
Cromwell . . .
1011)
Do LaiiHf)!! . .
. 16BI
D'ArKcnson .
. um
D'Avttugour .
. 1000
Charles II. . . .
1000
ROTAt, GOVKRNMKNT.
Du Mesy . .
. 1H03
Do Courcollos.
. 100 1
Do Kroutenac .
. 1072
I»c la Harro .
. 1082
Dc Denouvillo
. 1086
.Tames 11. . . .
1085
I).; i'^rontenac .
. H69
William and Mary
1089
De CallioreH ,
. 1(J!)9
Do Vaudrcuil .
. 1703
Anne
1702
Do Hcauhariiois
. 1720
Geor^^o I. . . .
17U
Do (ialisHoniero
. 1740
Geor^^e II. . . .
1727
De la Jonmiiero
. 1718
Miin|. du Qiiesne 1752
Uo Vttudreuil .
. 1765
Georjfo HI. . . .
1700
Govomors
of
(iovernors ot
Lower Canada.
New Brnnawic
k.
bi
l37
]tl
U7
Ul
loi
l59
hi.
1792
17%
17!Wi|
18(Jti j
ISI2!
1
1812 1
Sir R. S. Milnes . 1799
.Vbsentco Govor-
uor . . 1808-1822
John Graves
SimcDO
rcter Rnssel
(Adm.) . .
Gen. Tetcr
Hunter . .
Francis Goro
Gen. Erock
(Ad.). . .
Gen. Shcaffo
(Ad.). . .
Gen. Murray
(Ad.). .. .
Gen. Robm-
eon (Ad.) .
Francis Goro ISIm J ^j^ -p jj. Burton . 1824
Sir Peregrine
Maitland .
Sir John Col-
borne . . .
Sir Francis
Bond Head
Sir George
Arthur . .
181s
1828
18:3(iil
183SI
Governors of
Ontario.
Gen. Stisted
(Ad.) . . • 1867
W. P. Howland 18bs
John Crawford 1873
D.A.Macdonaldl875
J, B. Robinson 1880
Governors of
Quebec.
^ir N. F. Belleau 1807
i. E. Caron . . 1873
1 Lctellier de St.
Just .... 1870
I Dr. T. Robitaille . 1879
Col. Thomas ('.ar-
leton . . 17H1-
Gen. W. Huntley
(Ad.) ....
Gen. G. S. Smyth
(Ad.) ... 181
Gen. Sir Howard
Douglas (Ad.) .
Gen. Sir Arch.
Campbell (Ad.)
Gen. Sir John
Harvey . . .
Sir Willi, im Cole-
brook ....
Sir E. VV. Head .
J. H. Sutton . .
A. Gordon . . .
Gen. Doyle . . .
1803
1809
7-23 I
1821 I
I
1832
1837
1841
1848
18r)4
1862
1800
Governors of
New Brunswick.
Gen. Doyle (Ad ) 18G7
L. A. Wilmot . . ISOS
S. L. Tilley . .1873
E. B. Chandler . 1878
R. D. Wilmot . .1880
Sir S. L. Tilley . 1885
Governors of Manitoba
(Rod River Settlement).
Gov«. of liritiHh
Columbia ( Vnocouver
lelapd).
Governors of
Red River Settlement.
Capt. Miles Macdonell
Alex. Macdonell
(" Grasshopper Go-
vernor") . . . .
Capt. A. Bulger . .
Robert Pelly . . .
Donald McKenzie . .
Alexander Christie .
Duncan Finlayson
Alexander Christie .
Col. Crofton . .
Major Griffiths .
Major Caldwell .
Judge Johnston
William McTavish
1812
1815
1822
1823
1825
1833
1839
1814
1840
1847
1818
1855
58-09
A. G. Archibald . .1870
Alex. Morris .... ls72
Jos. E. Cauchon . . 1877
J. C. Aikina .... 1882
BnHsh Columbia.
Jas. Douglas . . 1859
Vnncoueer Island.
R. Blanshard . . 1849
James Douglas (jgj^^
Capt. Kennedy . 1801
British Columbia and
I'ancouver Inland.
Seymour . . . 1860
J. W. Trutch . . 1871
A. N. Richards . 1870
C. F. Cornwall . 1881
(i-^
•l'
1>.
/
■■',)
*■■■'
_ ■ i
■
i
it1'
^~
il
:|;iw
CHEONOLOGTCAL ANNALS
or
CANADIAN HISTORY.
B.C.
. im.
4'2d.
A.I).
.3—65
449.
725.
725.
825.
861.
874.
877.
885.
930.
970.
985.
1002.
1005.
1007.
1170.
EAKLY DATES.
Solon, who tol.l of Atlantis. Lorn,
liatu, wlio presorvcs Solon'n ntoiy, Lorn.
^"t^S Sh^:;^^' '''' ^-^'^^--^ ^-- -any Norwegians
Grim CamLan cstaLlishetl at Faroe Isles
is a' Vo?^^ ""^''' -^^'"^^ ^' the Orteys.
;t i^JSlattl^ ^^«^^^-
Ic-olf founds lieykiavik.
Cm-enhuul aiscovcTed Ly Gurn-Ljorn.
IcS7Hr;,^"^ Scandinavia to Iceland.
Iceland is all occu])ied.
Ships nnder Erik leave Iceland for Greenland
Chnstiamty introduced into Iceland
Ihorwald visits Vinland.
iaToi%h3"''V'']^'? "^ Greenland,
jaga ot 1 horfinn Karlsefne.
Madoc, Prince of Wales, sails to the west.
AMERICA DISCOVERED.
I"
im. lojeanelh, the Floreutine. »aintaij t^i^ien sea to Ea»t
0- ■•
.::?
jU. .
?■ ■
512
A.D.
1477.
1480.
1484.
1492.
1492.
1492.
1492.
1494.
1494.
1497.
1497.
1497.
1498.
1499.
1500.
1500.
1502.
1506.
1512.
1512.
1512.
1513.
1510.
1517.
1518.
1519.
1519.
1522.
1524.
1530.
1533.
1534.
1535.
1541.
1542.
1542.
1548.
1549.
1556.
1562.
1577.
1578.
Chronological Annals of
sign
documents for
mainland of
of American
Colombo visits Thule (prol)al)ly Iceland).
Caboto said to have sought iirezil.
Colombo riees from Portugal to Genoa.
(April 17th) Ferdinand and Isabella
Colombo.
(August ord) Colombo's ships leave Palos.
(September 9th) Colombo loses sight of Old "WorlJ.
(October 12th) New World sighted,
lleputed voyage of Caboto.
Jacques Cartier born at Su. Malo.
Amerigo Vespucci sailed for the New World.
Yasco di Gama sailed for Cathay.
Caboto (on first undisputed voyage) disc -> vers
America. (Canada thus being first ^^art
mainland reached.)
Sebastian Caboto takes first colony to America.
Yesj^ucci's second vo}age.
Cabral discovers Brazil.
Gaspard Cortereal finds Labrador.
Miguel Cortereal seeks his lost brother.
Colombo dies at Yalladolid.
Sebastian Caboto enters the service of Spain.
Ponce de Leon discovers Florida.
Amerigo Yespucci dies at Seville.
Balboa ascends Cordilleras, and discovers Pacific Ocean.
Sebastian Caboto returns to England.
Sebastian Caboto makes an expedition to the New World.
Sebastian Caboto enters, second time, the service of
Sixain.
Cortez invades Mexico.
Magalhaens sails to circumnavigate the globe.
Circumnavigating expedition returns.
Yerrazano visits America.
William Hawkins goes to Guinea.
Pizarro conquers Peru.
Jacques Cartier on first expedition explores the Gulf.
Jacques Cartier on second expedition discovers inland
Canada.
Jacques Cartier makes third voyage.
Ferdinand de Soto discovers the Mississippi.
De Eoberval goes to Canada.
Sebastian Caboto returns to England.
De Roberval lost.
Eamusio, an Italian, writes a valuable account of voyages.
Bibault founds French Huguenot colony near Cape Fear,
but all massacred by the Spaniard Menendez.
Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe.
De Gourgues attacks St. Augustin, and revenges Ribault's
colony.
Canadian History.
513
uments for
•Id.
□riainland of
>i American
fie Ocean.
ew "World.
service
of
Gulf. _
Ivers inland
^f voyages.
Cape Fear,
js Ribault's
A.D.
1583. Sir Humphrey Gilbert undertakes to colouizc New-
foundland.
1583. Sir Humphrey Gilbert lost at sea.
COLONIES BEGUN.
1599. Cajitain Chauvin sails to St. Lawrence.
160-. Captain Gosnold builds a fort.
1603. EnglisVi vessels visit the Penobscot.
1603. French expedition up the St. Lawrence.
1604. l)e Monts establishes first settlement in the Dominiou.
1606. De Poutrincourt returns to Acadia.
1606. London Company given its possessions.
1607. Colony to found Jamestown sails, led by Gosnold.
1608. Quebec founded by Champlain.
1609. Champlain before Henry IV. at Fontalnbleau.
1609. Chamjilain proceeds against the Iroquois.
1610. Henry Hndson discovers Hudson River.
1610. Champlain leaves France for Canada.
1610. Lord Delaware goes to Virginia as Governor.
1611. De St. Just becomes Governor of Acadia.
1611. Hudson perishes in Hndson Bay.
1613. Champlain ascends the Ottawa.
1613. St. Sauveur founded.
1611-. St. Croix and Port Royal attacked by Puritans.
1614. Small Dutch fort at New Amsterdam.
1615. Four Recollets reach Canada.
1615. Champlain reaches Georgian Bay and comes to Lake Ontario.
1620. (November '21) Mayjluioer sails. Plymouth Fathers laud at
Plymouth.
1620. New Jersey occuin'ed.
1621. Acadia, as Nova Scotia, given to Sir AVilliam Alexander l.iy
James I.
1621. Manhattan Island bought from the Indians.
1622. Gorges and Mason receive a grant on the Atlantic Coast.
1622. Alexander sends Scottish colony to Nova Scotia.
1623. Fort Nassau erected.
1624. Biencourt (St. Just) leaves Acadian possessions to Charles
St. Etienne (De La Tour).
1624. Stone fort built at Quebec.
1625. Baronets of Nova Scotia created.
1625. Charles St. Etienne marries.
1625. Jesuit Fathers arrive in New France.
1628. Richelieu forms Company of New France (100 Associates).
1628. Salem, Mass., founded by Dorchester Company.
1629. Kertk takes Quebec.
1630. Claude St. Etienne joins English, but his son Charles
refuses.
L 1
I 4
H
i I I
SH
Chronological Annals of
A.l).
1030. Charter of Company of Massacliusetts Bay trausferrc 1 to
New World.
1632. Treaty of St. Germain-cn-Laye.
1032. Charles I. basely transfers Acadia to the French.
1633. Champlain on behalf of the new company sails with the
colonists for Quebec,
1633. English Puritans continue to reach Massachusetts.
1634. Maryland settled by Calvert, heir of Lord Baltimore.
1635. D'Aulnay (Do Charnissay) occupies Pentagoit for De
Kazilly.
1635. Champlain dies on Christmas Day.
1030. De Eazilly dies.
1636. Koger Williams founds Providence in Rhode Island.
1637. Hotel-Dieu erected in Quebec.
1639. Swedish colony settles in Delaware.
1640. Charles St. Etienne (La Tour) goes to Quebec.
1640. Nicolet before this date discovers Sault Ste. Marie.
1641. La Tour summoned to France.
1642. Montreal built by Maisoneuve.
1643. Siege of La Tour's fort (St. John) by D'iiuJnay.
1643. Ehode Island given a charter.
1645. (April 17th) La Tour's fort taken.
1645. Indian wars disturb New Netherlands.
1646. La Tour received with distinction at Quebec.
1646. Stuyvesant captures Swedish settlements.
1646. Father Jogues put to death by Iroquois.
1648. Father Daniel burnt.
f«l«-'
(i:
'. )^ .
It
'T|t|' ' , ,
COLONIAL PROGRESS.
1648. Treaty of Westphalia.
1651. Colbert becomes agent of Mazarin.
1652. Massachusetts claims territory, now Maine and Hampshire.
1653. First "Virginia settlers occupy North Carolina.
1653. First English colonists reach New Hampshire.
1658. Laval consecrated Bishop of Petrasa.
1659. Bishop Laval reaches Canada.
1660. Puritans of New England persecute Quakers.
1660. Des Ormeaux's deathless deed of valour.
1661. Colbert becomes Prime Minister of France.
1662. Hartford settlement incorporated.
1663. Charles II. bestows North Carolina on his favourites.
1663. Royal government begins in Canada.
1663. Emigrants leave Rochelle for Canada.
1664. New Netherland taken by British and called New York.
1665. Emigration of French girls to Canada.
1665. New Haven and Hartford united.
1666. Father Marquette sails for Canada.
ausf erred to
ils with tlio
A.D.
1066.
1667.
1668.
1669.
1069.
1670.
1670.
1670.
1672.
1672.
1673.
1673.
1674.
1674.
1675.
1678.
1678.
1678.
1679.
1679.
1680.
1680.
1680.
1680.
1682.
1682.
1683.
1684.
Canadian History.
1688.
1688.
1689.
1689.
1690.
1690.
1690.
1695.
1696.
1697.
1698.
1699.
1700.
1701.
1701.
CanSi"«7j:^^'rtt Vis? ^i? --try.
Begmnn.g of Charleston """^ ^''t^"'"-
Ht&B:;Vot'.:;t '^t ''- «--
I^a Tour dies ^^i^^"^^ formed.
Marqnotte dies,
I;a Salle builds a fortTilie Til- •
■De Frontenac hnl.l^r ? ^^^V^^nois.
La Salle discovers the mo^th ^f "sylvania.
f enn makes a treaty wTtheli'' Mississippi.
La Salle sails for On f „f i/°"?"'°«-
mterior. ^^-'^ °f Mexico, and is tilled in the
?.^?PLayal retires. ^ *'"'
I^e Frontenac compf. ^* l^achine.
^rand Eur'operi Ce"""' ^^^'^ *^ ^^^ada.
Cprlaer attacked. ''•
D'Iberville canW.; S 'f ^^'^^tenac.
iJe Frontenac dies.
fefltt'utd:r^*«"-'.Louisiana.
Jxreat Indian Treaty *
Detroit founded.
515
1706. D'lbervm:!?-^^^" ^^^^^^^'^
1710 -^^^^-^^^«'
'ins.
Duluth dies.
L ] 2
SiG
Chronological ANxVAls of
Wr
1^
i' =1.
<• If
f ' Sis,
, t
A.D.
1710.
1710.
1710.
1712.
17U3.
1718.
1720.
1720.
1727.
1728.
1729.
1731.
1731.
1732.
1733.
1735.
1736.
1741.
1742.
1744.
1745.
1745.
1746.
1747.
1748.
1749.
1749.
1749.
1750.
1751.
1752.
1753.
1755.
1755.
1755.
1755.
1756.
1756.
1758.
17.58.
1759.
1760.
1761.
1762.
1763.
1763.
Acadia taken by New Englanclers.
Sir Hovcdeu Walker's colossal failure.
Queen Anne presents silver service to Iroriuois of the
Mohawk River.
Tuscaroras rejoin the Iroquois.
Treaty of Utrecht.
New Orleans founded by Bienville.
France heroins to fortify Louisbourg.
Mississippi scheme collapses.
Bishop St. Vallier dies.
Newfoundland becomes a British Province.
Cherokees surrender territory to Britain.
Veraudrye starts to discover the Winnipeg country.
North Carolina Company sells ont.
General Oglethorpe is granted Georgia.
Bavarian colony comes to Georgia.
Ycrandrye discovers site of present city of Winnipeg.
General Oglethorpe with colonists and the Wesleys visits
Georgia.
Boundaries of New Hampshire fixed.
Verandrye's party cross to the Missouri and see the Rockies.
Father Charlevoix visits Canada.
Battle of Fontenoy.
Battle of Culloden.
French fail in attempting to recapture Louisbourg.
Intendant Bigot an'ives in Canada.
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
Halifax is founded by Lord Cornwallis.
Verandrye dies.
Inquiry into Hudson's Bay Company affairs.
French soldiers settle at Detroit.
Lunenburg Germans arrive in Nova Scotia.
Royal Government formed in Georgia.
Fort La Jonquiere built by direction of Legardeur de St.
Pierre.
Transportation of Acadians.
Braddock's ignominious failure.
Acadia attacked by the British.
Battle of Lake George.
Seven Years' War begins.
Montcalm arrives in Canada.
First Legislative Assembly in Nova Scotia.
Louisbourg captured by the British.
Quebec taken by General Wolfe.
Monti-eal taken by General Amherst.
French cease to rule Canada.
Louisiana secretly ceded by France to Spain.
Pontiac's conspiracy.
Treaty of Paris.
Canadian IIistorv.
517
is of tlie
tvy.
upeg. .
cslcys visits
the Rocliics.
urg.
lardeur de St.
A.D.
170;].
17(M.
inn.
17G1.
1765.
17 OB.
1766.
1766.
1760.
176!t.
1770.
1773.
177."..
177i;.
1771.
1774.
1774.
1775.
1775.
1775.
1775.
1776.
1777.
1778.
1778.
1780.
1782.
1783.
1783.
1783.
1784.
1784.
1784.
1784.
1785.
1785.
1785.
1786.
1786.
1787.
1787.
1787.
1787.
1788.
CANADA UNDER THE BRITISH.
Proclamation of George 111. olTers lauds in Canada.
Prince Edward Island surveyed.
British Ministry determines to enforce duties in America.
First Canadian newspaper — Quebec Gazette — published.
Congress of Colonies meets in New York.
First settlers reach New Brunswick.
Stamp Act repealed.
General Carleton appointed Governor of Canada.
Pontiac killed.
Revenue Act passed for British Colonies.
Prince Edward Island is made a separate Colony.
Prince Edward Island, first Legislative Asseml>ly.
Tea thrown overboard iu ]3oston Harbour.
Emigrant ship Hector arrives in Pictou, N.S.
Quebec Act passed.
Bills closing Boston port passed.
Cumberland House built,
Joseph Brant visits England.
Lexington and Bunker Hill collisiong.
Americans attack Canada.
Montgomery and Arnold fail to take Quebec.
(July 4th) Declaration of Independence by United States.
Burgoyne's disaster at Saratoga.
Captain Cook visits west coast of America.
Montreal Gazette established.
Prince Edward Island called New Ireland, but the King
refuses to call it so.
Sir Guy Carleton in command of New York.
Treaty of Paris.
(November 25th) Evacuation of New York by the British.
Loyalists colorize New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton is given a separate government.
New Brunswick is given a separate government.
Loyalists receive lands in Upper Canada.
Kingston settled.
Fredericton chosen as capital of New Brunswick.
General Oglethorpe dies.
Hessians settle in Upper Canada.
Mohawk church built at Brantford.
Dr. McGregor arrives in Nova Scotia.
The North- West Company formed.
Failure of crops in Upper Canada.
The " Scarce year " in Upper Canada.
First Bishop of the Episcopal Church arrives in Nova
Scotia.
Fort Chippewyan founded.
■ i
#l^'lf • ■ '
518 Chronological Annals of
A.D.
1788. Prince William visits American seaboard in Andromeda.
1789. U.E. List made out.
1789. Alexander Maclceu/ie discovers the Mackenzie River.
179L (iovernor Parr of Nova Scotia dies.
179L Constitutional Act passed, and
1791. Upper Canada becomes a separate Province.
1791. Vermont admitted as a State.
1792. Vancouver visits the Pacitic coast.
1792. Governor Simcoe arrives in Upper Canada.
1792. Ilrst parliament of Upper Canada at Newark.
1792. Negroes taken to Sierra Leone.
179Ji. Alexander Mackenzie crosses tlie "Rockies to the Pacific.
1793. Act passed for buildinr^ roads in Upper Canada.
1793. Slavery abolished in Upper Canada.
1793. First newspajoer in Upper Canada.
1794. Treaty of Amity and Commerce (London).
1794. Markham is settled under ]3erczy.
179G. Lord Dorchester (Guy Carleton) and Simcoe leave Canada.
1790. ]\Iaroons in Nova Scotia from Jamaica.
1796. Wa 'lington retires from public life.
1796. X Y Company formed.
1797. Second parliament of Upper Canada meets at York.
1798. Decision as to the source of the St. Croix (Bouchette).
1798. Prince Edward's name given to Prince Edwara Island.
1798. Great colonization of Newfoundland from Ireland.
1799. John Strachan arrives in Canada.
'.: >■;■■
niil%
f '-
^l\
GEOWTII OF CANADA.
1800. Maroons sent by Wentworth to Sierra Leone.
1800. Louisiana ceded by Spain to France.
1801-5. Many Scottish immigrants arrive in Nova Scotia.
1802. Ships with settlers arrive directly at Sidney, Cape Breton.
1802. King's College, Windsor, N.S., established.
1803. Lord Selkirk's colony reaches P.E. Island, and
1803. A portion settle Baldoon, U.C.
1803. Dr. McCulloch arrives in Nova Scotia.
1804. Macdonell's Highlanders arrive in Glengarry.
1804-6. Captains Lewis and Clark cross Kocky Mountains to
Pacific.
1805. Lord Selkirk writes on Emigration.
1806. Britain blockades coast of France.
1806. Napoleon's Berlin Decrees.
1806. Simon Eraser builds first fort in British Columbia.
1807. Chesapeake boa: ^ed by H.M.S. Leopard.
1807. TJpper Canadian Guardian begins.
1807. Aid granted to eight schools in Upper Canada.
1807. Britain makes the celebrated " Orders in Council."
Caxadiax Historv,
519
wiecla.
JQV.
Pacific.
ve Canada.
rork.
jhette).
Island.
ad.
iotia.
tipe Breton.
llonntains to
ibia.
bil."
1815.
1815.
1816.
181(3.
1817.
1818.
1818.
A.T).
1807. Napoleon's Milan Decroci^.
1809. U[)per ('auadian Assenil^ly denounces John Mills Jackb^u.
1809. First steamer on the St. Lawrence.
1810. Talbot settlement l)ojTins to increase.
1810. Bedard and other rrench (Canadian members imprisoned.
1810. Astor Fur Company formed.
1811. Astoria established on tho Columbia River.
IHll. Lord Selkirk's first Red liiver settlers leave Scotland.
1811. Common School Act in Nova Scotia.
181 L Rattle of Tippecanoe.
1812. J^'irst Selkirk settlers arrive at Red River by way of Hud-
son Bay.
1812-15. Canadian War of Defence.
Battle of New Orleans.
Departure of a portion of Selkirk colony to Canada.
Governor Semple killed at Red River.
Act passed cstablishimr common schools in Upper Canada.
Disputed territory in Maine occupied by Britain and United
States conjointly.
Letters of Agricola in Nova Scotia.
Roman Catholic school at Red River.
1820. Cape Breton becomes a part oE Nova Scotia.
1820. ]\Taine admitted as a State.
1821. ^rhe Fur Companies unite in Rupert's Land.
1821. Swiss immigrants come to Red River.
1824-6. Ineffectual efforts to settle boundary on Pacific slope.
The great Miramichi fire.
The Canada Company formed.
Maine boundary referred to King of Netherlands, but
undecided.
Rust-eaten armour of Norseman said to have been found on
Atlantic coast (Longfellow).
1832. First Legislative Assembly in Newfoundland.
1832. Japanese vessel wrecked on Sandwich Islands.
1832, Cholera in Canada.
1833-4. Japanese junk wrecked on coast of British Columbia.
1835. Government of Assiniboia established at Red River.
1837-8. Lord Durham reaches Canada.
1840. The Union Act passed.
1841. The Union of the Canadas.
1842. Ashburton Treaty.
1846. Settlement of Pacific boundary offered by Britain to United
States, but refused.
1847. Lord Elgin comes to Canada.
1857-8. Gold fever in British Columbia.
1858. C ne-hundredth Regiment raised in Canada.
1861. The Trent affair. _
1861. Canada Presbyterian Church formed by Union.
1862. Sioux massacre in Minnesota.
182.J.
1826.
1829.
1831.
>•
h,:'^!lli.'.:Vi
520 CiiKONOLOciiCAL Annals of Canadian History.
A.D.
1864. Charlottctown Confcdoration Conforence.
1SG4. (Octoher lOtli) Quebec Conforence.
1806. British Columbia and Vancouver Island united.
1866. Fenian invasion of (^^anada.
1866. (June 2nd) Rid^cway skirmish.
1867. (July 1st) Dominicm Day.
1867. Confederation accomplished.
1869. Decision to give North- West to Canada.
1869. Red River Rebellion.
1870. Manitoba Act passed.
1870. Red River Rebellion quelled by Colonel Wolseley.
1871. First meeting of Manitoba Legislature.
1871. British Columbia enters the Dominion.
1871. Washington Treaty.
1872. Boundary 49° surveyed and marked,
1872. First Canada Pacific Railway Bill.
1872. Pacific Scandal.
1874. Mennonites settle in Manitoba.
1875. Icelanders come to Manitoba.
1876. Presbyterians of the Dominion of Canada unite.
1877. The Halifax Fisheries Award.
1877. Seventh Indian Treaty of North-West completed.
1878. Lord Dufferin visits Canadian North-West.
1878. " National Policy " carried.
1880. Royal Canadian Society of Arts formed.
1881. Census of the Dominion taken.
1882. Royal Society of Canada holds first meeting.
1884. Methodists of the Dominion unite.
1884. Imperial Federation League formed.
1885. Saskatchewan rebellion.
1885. Louis Riel executed.
1886. (July 4th) First through train on C.P.R. reaches the Pacific
Ocean.
■r -.3fc
i -St:,
INDEX.
s the Pacific
Ahenakis, 80.
Aberorombio, General, 217.
Abraham, phains of, 220.
Acadia, 128, 204,
Acadians transported, 214.
Adelaide, settlement of, ;J54.
Afrricola, letters of, 428.
Alabama, the privateer, 449,
4.50.
Alexander, Sir William, 133,105.
Algonquins, the, 88.
Allan, Sir Hugh, 422.
Alleghans, the, 88.
Alliance, Grand, 202.
America, discovery of, 61.
American Revolt, causes, 232.
— — Revolution begins,
— 4(7.
Amerigo, Vespucci, 68.
Anti-British policy of Jefferson,
312,
Argall, Captain, 133.
Armour, skeleton in, 54.
Arnold besieges Quebec, 243.
Art in Canada, 482.
Ashburton, Lord (Baring), 9
Assiniboia, 24.
Assiniboines, the, 95.
Astor Fur Company, 13, 331.
Atlantis, myth of, 37.
Back, Sir George, 343.
Balboa, 7.
Baldoon settlement, 295.
Baldwin, Eobert, 366.
Baltimore, Lord, 163.
Banking system of Canada, 433-
Barre, Colonel, on Colonization,
236.
Barre, M. de la, 197.
Batoche, capture of, 473.
Beauharnois, Marquis de, 176.
Beausejour, fort of, 213.
Beaver Dams, fight of, 319.
Berczy's German settlers, 272.
Berlin decrees, 30.
Bernard, Governor, 231.
Bidwells, the, 365.
Bieucourt, Joan de, 129.
Bigot, Intendant, 176.
Bjarni Herjulfson, 48.
Blake, Edward, 492.
Bloy, L., on Colombo, 57. :
Border massacre, 207.
Borgne, Emmanuel le, 141.
Boscawen, Admiral, 217.
Boston founded, L56.
Boulton, Henry J., 364.
Boundaries of Canada, 6.
Bourgainville, He, 220.
Braddock's expedition, 213.
Brant, Joseph, 264, 473.
British Columbia, 27, 407, 430.
~~-- gold fever, 27.
~~~; , complaint of,
448.
— North America Act
(app.), 495.
Brock, Sir Isaac, 314.
Brown, George, 418.
Burgoyne, General, expedition
of, 245.
Bytown founded, 348.
522
Index.
\mk:}'
Cahoto, John, 6.1.
, Scbiistiim, G !■.
Cabral, voyiiLfo of, G6.
(^aen, Do, 1 10.
Canada, Diimo of, 2; (li.scovery
of, 70 ; Ijoundavies of, G.
(>oni])any, •\-'>0.
Pacilic llailway, 4G2,
466.
Canadian nationality, o, 490.
Canals, Cauiidian, 428.
(!arif^an Et'^rinient, 174.
Carloton, Sir (!ny (Dorchester),
2G7, 274.
Carolina, North, fonndcd, 151 ;
South, founded, 15o.
Caroline, the, destroyed, 301.
Oartier, Jacques, 7'),
Cathay and ( 'ipant^o, 55.
Cavaliers of Virginia, 149.
Champlain, Samuel de, 142, 181 ;
death of, 1 18.
C;harlotteto\vu, Confederation
Conference, 441.
Charnissay, D'Aulnay de, 137.
Cliateauguay, battle of, 322.
Chesapeake, 312, 323.
Chippewyans, the, 96.
Cholera, plague of, 356.
Chrysler's Farm, battle of, 323.
Churches, Baptist, 487 ; Congre-
gationalist, 487 ; of England,
484; Methodist, 486; Pres-
byterian, 485 ; Eoman Catho-
lic, 487.
Clergy reserves, 231, 374, 415.
Coal Period, 35.
Colbert, 172.
Colborne, Sir John (Seaton),
372.
Collins libel, the, 372.
Colombo Cristoforo, 67.
Colonial Advocate, the, 369.
Colonial and Indian Exhibition,
493.
Columbia Eiver, 13.
Commons, Canadian House of,
5.
Company of New France (100
AsHOciates), 146; privileges
of, 158.
Connecticut founded, 158.
Constitution, the new, of 1810,
:!96.
Consfitution and Waup, \\V7.
Constitutional Act, 22!», 230.
Associations, 380.
^ Club, 231.
Contingent, reckless American,
399,'
Cook, Captain, 27.
Cortereals, the, ^jQ.
Cortez, 71.
Counties, the back, 402.
Crees, the, 90. ^
Cretaceous Period, the, 35.
Creveccuur Fort, 191.
Crown Point expedition, 214.
Crozat, De, 12.
Cumberland House built, 331.
Cunard, Sir Samuel, 421.
steamers, 421.
Dakotas, the, 95.
Dalhousie, Earl of, 377.
D'Argenson, Governor, 178.
Dease and Simpson, "^Mo.
De Courcelles, Governor, 174.
Delaware founded , 166.
Dela wares, the, 89.
De Monts, 128.
Denouville, Marquis de, 175,
197.
Dent, J. C, 477.
Denys, Nicholas, 137.
De Salaberry, 322, 466. •
Devonian Period, 34.
D'Iberville, 202, 206.
Dickson Settlement, the, 352.
Dieskau, Baron, 215.
Dighton Rock inscription, 54.
Discoverers, great Italian, 56.
Discovery of New World, 62.
Dollier and Galinee, Fathers,
188.^
Dominion, Tennyson on, 31.
Dominion organized, the, 445. •
M
Index.
523
privilogos
15H.
V, of 18 10,
.7), :U7.
•i!>, '2:50.
Ltions, 380.
:u.
American,
02.
le, 35.
[on, 21 i..
luilt, 331.
421.
77.
•, 178.
13.
nor, 174.
de, 175,
>6.
the, 352.
>tion, 54.
lian, 56.
)rld, 62.
Fathers,
on, 31.
the, 445. •
Donpran, (Governor, 107.
Doniiaconna, 77.
Drako, 83.
Drajior, Chief Jiistico, 455.
J>nfl('rin, Lord, 459.
Diduth, J 86.
J)uncomLc, Dr., expedition of,
391.
Durham, Lord, 393.
Ebenezf.r settlement, 169,
Education, early in Canada,
309 ; in Maritime Proviiu'es,
434 ; in Qnel)ec, 435 ; in On-
tario, 436 ; in Manitoba, 138 ;
in iJritish Columbia, 139.
Elgin, Lord, 413.
Erie, Lake, fleet on, 320.
Eries, th(s 94.
Erik the Red, 47.
Eskimo, the, 98.
Family Compact, ori'^in of, 357.
— — ■ reaction, 373.
Federal Union , the, 440.
Fenians, the, 469.
Ferguson settlement, the, 35:5.
" Filty-i'our forty, or light," Ik
Fisheries Award, Halifax, 452.
Five Nations, the, 91.
Fleming Sandford, 480.
Forest, the, 428.
Forsyth affair, the, 371.
Forty-ninth parallel, 8, 13.
France, La Nouvelle, 3.
Franklin, Benjamin, on Taxa-
tion, 234.
Franklin, Sir John, 342, 344.
Fredericton, 20.
French Canadian people, 221 ;
guarantees of, 226.
repatriation,
460.
French Eoyalists in Upper
Canada, 286.
Frontenac, Count de, 174, 199.
, Fort, 189.
Fur-traders' forts described,
.1.1 1
Fur-trading (.'ompanios, the,
3.27.
■ unite,
;'.;!3.
Fusang, mytli of, 39.
Galissonikue's vigorous policy,
210.
Gait, John, :'.51.
, town of, )^53.
, Alex. T., irul
(Jama, Vasco di, 65.
George, Fort, taken, 310.
, King, and the Kevolu-
tion, 241 .
', Lake, battle of, 215.
Georgia founded, 168.
Ghent, Peace of, 326.
Gilbert, Sir Huniphrey, 29.
Glacial Period, 36.
Glengarry settlement, 289.
Gore, Governor, 303,
Gosnold, Captain, 149.
Gonrlay, llobort, 3)57, 360.
Governors, Canadian, list of,
508.
Grand River, the, 295.
(Jiass, Caijtain, the U.E., 254.
Cray, Captain, 13.
Greenland, discovery of, 47.
Griffin, the, 191.
Cnielph founded, 351.
IIakluyt, 73, 126.
Ilaldimand, General, 265.
Half pay Officers' Legion, 398.
Haliburton, Judge, 476.
Havanna Cathedral, 62.
Hawkins family, the, 83.
Hendricks, Chief, 215.
Hennepin, Louis, 190.
Henry, Prince of Portugal, 57.
, Captain John, a spy,
313.
High Commissioner, the, 450.
524
INDKX.
fii
V".
^4
1
>a V
ITinnks, Sir Francis, 425.
Hoithelatfii, 7>>.
IIotcl-Dicu, 17:).
How*', Joscpli, 410,
UmlHon, lloiiry, 8:?.
Hay J'.'.
inquiry (17 M>).
:!•">
<-'«<*'•
4^-
(1S57),
OkU
Hundredth Roj;jiment, tho, 4^7.
Huron tract, tho, :»5i2, lOl.
and Ontario lakes dis-
covered, 1 15.
Hnrons, tho, !>2.
Hutchinion, Anne, 102.
IcELAM), discovery of, 1(3.
Iramif^'ration, the ^n'eat, 15 10.
Imperial Federation. 4*.)2.
Independence, Canadian, 401.
Indians, dwelling's of, 90 : dress
of, 10;{; handicraft of, 101.;
pottery of, 104; stone imple-
ments of, 105 ; copper im-
plements of, 105 ; the canoe
of, 100 ; tho snowshoc of,
107; food of, 107; langua^^e
of, 107 ; authors on language
of, 110 ; picture-writing of,
11 1 ; syllabic character of, 11 1;
sports of, 112; gambling of,
114; dances of, 115; social,
political, and religious organi-
zation of, 118; religion of, 121;
traditions of origin of, 12.'^.
of British Columbia,
97.
question, 489,
Innuit, the, 98.
Intercolonial railway, 460.
Irish immigration, 348.
Iroquois, the, 91.
Jackson, John Mills, 305.
Japanese junk, 97»
.Icssiip's ('orps, 2.*»S.
.fosuit explorers, 1H2.
.lolmstone, Sir William, 214.
.{((Imstone's l{,t)yal Cireens, 257.
Juliet, 181'.
Ki:i{TK, 1.^5; Canada invaded
i)V, 147.
"King's Ciils." 22:!.
Kingston in 17'*5, 277.
Kondiarouk, r.'8.
TiAHHAMOK, name of. 08. /
Ijachine massacre, l!»'.>.
La (.'olio Mill, battle of, 324.
La France, journey of, 3iO.
Lahontan,l87.
Tiuke Long, 8.
of the Woods, 11.
Lalenumt and lireb(i3uf, 105.
Langevin, Sir Hector, 191.
Tjansdowne, Marquis of, 483.
La Salle, 188.
La Tour, the Lady, 130.
Lauventide Islaiid, 32.
Laval, Bishop, 177.
Leif Frikson, 50.
Lescarbot, Marc, 131.
Levis, Chevalier dc, 210,
Lewis and Clark, 13, 341.
"Locke Constitution," 1.50, 151.
Logan, Sir William, 479.
Long, Major, and Keating, 342.
Lorne, Marquis of, 481.
Louisbourg captured by New
Englanders, 209.
again, 218.
Louise, the Princess, 482.
Louisiana, 208.
purchase, 12.
Lount, execution of, 392.
Loyalists, coming of, 248 ; as-
sistance to, 250; in Nova
Scotia, 251 ; in New Bruns-
wick, 252; Associated, the,
253 ; Pilgrim Fathers, 255 j
Index.
525
m, 214.^
L'cns, 257.
I iuvaileil
r.8. /
of, ;V24.
)f, 340.
I.
oaf, 105.
r, un.
of, 483.
:;o.
1\Ck
341.
," 150,
151.
479.
atiug,
342.
n.
d by
New
ap:aiii,
218.
482.
2.
392.
, 248
; as-
in
Nova
ew Brans-
iated
, the,
liers,
255 J
routes of, 25<» ; scttlomontM of
Jjako Krli*. 2.V.) ; HcttlcnuMits
of NiuKfi''"' -**' ' scttltnioiits
in Lower ("anatlii, 2<>1 ; de-
Bcriptlon of, 2<>3 ; scarce year
of, 2(13; social life of, 271;
clcrpfy of, 270; re-iiiimij^ratiou
of, 288.
Lumhoriiii,', 429.
Luinly's Jjanc, battle of, 325.
Lynibuvuer, Adam, 'S>\0.
MACDOx.vr.i), Sir John, 41-5.
Macaonell, Hisliop, 289, 3t] 1.
McDongall, Williiim, 457.
McKcn/ie, William Lyon, :)()7.
, Sir Alexander, 310.
Mackenzie, lion. Alexander,
452.
McNab ( ^)lony, :5 48.
, Sir iVilan, 412.
McNutt and Philadelphia Com-
pany, 29] .
Madoc, myth of, 42.
Mn^'alliatuH (^fagellan), 70.
Maine boundary, 10.
Maitland, Sir I'eregrine, 369.
Manitoba, 23 ; birth of, 290.
— — — — claims, 449.
Maroons in Nova Scotia, 287.
Marquette, Father, S4.
Maryland founded, 162.
Maseres, Attorney-General, 227.
Massachusetts, founding of, 155.
Matthews case, the, 370.
ManJlowor, the, 155.
Mennonites, the, 459.
Mesy, M. de, 178.
Metcalfe, Lord, 408.
Michilimackinac taken, 315.
Micmaks, the, 89.
Milan decrees, 311.
Milton and Cheadle, 344.
Mine, the, 430.
Minnesota Sioux massacre, 95.
Miramichi fire, the, 355.
Mississippi, the discovery of
the, 184 ; the mouth of the,
193.
^^onroe doctrine, 14.
Montcalm, 210.
i\lont},foincry and Arnold's ex-
pedition, 2 l'2.
Montmorenci, 2l'.>.
Mont Hoyul nann'd, 1 14.
Montreal, capitulatio \ of, 22'''.
fur-traders to N.VV.,
32! >.
Moodie, Colonel, death of. :'.90.
^foravian Town, battle of, 321.
Mowat, lion. Oliver, 148.
Nan'aimo, 27.
National Policy, 1'5;».
Negro settlements, 403.
Nelson, Wolfre.l, 382.
Netherlands, New, lOt^.
, King of, 9.
New Brunswick, :iO0, 404, 410.
Newfoundland, 2!>.
New Hampshire founded, 159.
New Jersey founded, 107.
New Orleans, battle of, 320.
New York founded, 105.
, Congress of, 237.
Neutrals, the, 9 1.
Niagara expedition, 210.
in 1795, 278.
Norsemen, traditions of, ^t.
North- West 'J'erritories, 25.
Nor'west (.ompany formed, 330.
Nova Scotia, baronets of, 134.
■ , constitution of.
225.
of, 290.
410, 430.
-, early settlements
-, social life of, 305,
OcHAGACir, map of, 194.
Ogdensburg, 318.
Oglethorpe, General, 169.
Ohio, new route to, 211.
Ojibways, 89.
Ontario rights, 448.
♦' Orders in Council," 311.
526
Index.
i .,-.
■^ ■,.■■
v-f:
Oregon question, To.
Ormeaux, C.^aptaiu Dollard des,
196.
Ottawa, 90.
"Pacific Scantlal," 451.
Packenhani, Mr., ambassador,
Paine, Thomas, 241.
Papincau, 1581.
Paris, Treaty of, 7.
Passes of tlio llocky Mountains,
27.
Pennsylvania foundec^, 167.
Pequods, 89.
l»erry, Peter, 866.1
Perth settlement, the, 817.
Peterborough settled, 81-9.
Petworth settlement, the, 854.
Philadelphia, Congress of, 289.
Phipps, Sir AVilliam, 208.
Pictou settled, 290, 292.
Pigeon River route, 11.
Pike, Zebulon, 841.
Pilgrim Fathers, the, 155.
Pizarro, 71.
Pocahontas, 150.
Poetry, field for Canadian, 475.
Pontiac, 200.
Population, Indian, 26, 99.
Quebec, 17.
Nova Scotia, 19.
New Brunswick,
21.
— ■■ Ontario, 23.
Manitoba, 25.
British Columbia,
Newfoundland,
Prince Edward
Island, 29.
Poutrincourt, Baron de, 129.
Prevost compliments Canadians,
326.
Prince Edward Island, 28, 294,
405.
Progress, early social, 307.
Provincial rights, 447.
28.
80.
Provisional government, 1887,
391.
Puritans of New England, 15 1.
, education among, 157.
Quaker settlement, 285.
(Quebec founded, 118; surren-
dered by Chami)lain, 1 17 ;
taken by Wolfe, 220. _ _
Act, 227 ; opposition to,
228; provisions of, 228.
Conicderation Confer-
ence, 474.
Quinte, Bay of, 258.
Railways, Canadian, 425.
Ramusio, 56, 126.
Ray, Dr. John, 844.
Razilly, Captain De, 187.
Reljellion Losses Bill, 411.
Reciprocity Treaty, the, 482.
Recollets, the, 147.
Red River settlement, 406.
rebellion, 470.
Regina, town of, 26.
Religion and morals, 483.
Religious condition of early
Canada, 309.
Representation by population,
418.
Resjionsible government, 407.
Restigouche River, 98.
Rhode Island founded, 160.
Ribault settlement massacre,
158.
Richardson, Sir John, 343.
Rideau Canal, 424.
Riel, Louis, 470, 472.
Roberval, De, 81.
Robinson, Sir J. Beverley, 361.
Rochelle merchants, 189.
Rocky Mountains, Northern,
discovered, 195.
Rolph, Dr., 367.
Rouge, Fort, 124.
Royal Canadian Society of Arts,
482.
Royal Society of Canada, 482.
Ryerson, Egerton, 375.
Index.
527
Sagas, Icelandic, 45.
, conclusions from, 53.
St. Charles, 381.
St. Croix, 7.
St. Denis, 381.
St. Etiennc, ClanJe Jc, 131.
St. Jnst, Baron de, 132.
St. Lawrence immiffrants, the.
403,
St. Lonis Fort, 136.
St. Pierre, Leo-ardour, lf)5, 2 12.
St. Vallier, Bisliop, 180.
San Juan affair, 15.
Saratoga, capitulation of, 245.
Sarcces, the, 07.
Saskatchewan rebellion, 472.
Science, Canadian, 478.
Scott Act, 488.
Sea, the, and fisheries, 431.
Sea-fights of war of 1812-15
323.
Seigniorial tenure agitation,
417.
Selkirk, Earl of, 294, 332.
Semple, Governor, killed, 332.
Seneca's prophecy, 39,
Shipi^ing, Canadian, 420.
Shirley, Governor, 217.
Silurian Period, 33.
Simcoe, John Graves, 269, 280.
, work of organization of,
273.
282.
-, immigration policy of,
-, plan of roads of, 274.
Simpson, Sir George, 333.
Sioux, the, 94.
Six Nations, the, 91, 264.
Skraelings, the, 52.
Smith, Captain John, 149.
, Sir Donald, 465.
Sons of Liberty, 384.
Soto, De, 71.
Spanish Succession, war of.
206.
Stamp Act agitation, 237.
Stephen, Sir George, 465.
Stoney Creek, battle of, 319.
Strachan, Bishop, 362.
Talbot, Colonel Thomas, 293.
Talon, Inteudant, 174.
" Tea party " at Boston, 239.
Tecumseh, 315, ,'J21.
Temperance Act of Canada, 488.
lertiary Age, 36.
Thorfinn, 53.
Thorpe, Judge, 30 1..
Thorwald visits Finland, 52
Tinne, the, 96.
Touty, Henri de, 190.
Toronto in 17!>I, 27!'.
Toscanelli of Florence, 58.
Tonr, Sieur do la, l.'M..
Tracy, Marquis de, 196,
Treaty of Amity and (^mmercc
(of Jay ; of London), 8.
or Convention of London,
ni
12,
compromise as to
Vancouver, 14,
of Ghent, 14,
secret (Franco
and
Spain), 12
• between Russia and Bri
tain, 14,
of St. aermain-cn-
Laye, 148.
Westphalia, 202.
Ryswick, 226.
Utrecht, 207.
Aix-la-Chapelle, 210.
Paris, 226,
Trent affair, the, 461. '
Tupper, Sir Charles, 447.
Tuscaroras, the, 264.
Upper Canada, first parhament
of, 270; first counties of,
271 ; political and social life
of, 303.
Valentine . : Collins, 10.
Vancouver, Captain, 27.
Island, 407.
Verandrye, Sieur de la, 193,
. '1
1 .1
■■•■
u ■ ■
. - t
ml
I't,.
t,
528 Index.
; '■■J
Verrazano, 71.
Vigilance, Committee of, 388.
Vignau, De, Hi.
Vinland, .52.
Virginia founded, 149.
■■ statesmen, 151.
"Walker, Sir Hoveden, failure
of, 207.
War of Defence, 1812-15, 310.
1812-15 declared, 313.
Washington Treaty, 449.
Webster, Daniel, 9.
Weir, Lieut., tragic death of,
385
Welland Canal, 423.
Wentworth, Sir John, 305.
Wesleys visit Georgia, the, 170.
Whitfield visits America, 170.
Willcocks, Joseph, 304.
William Henry, Prince, 253.
AVilliams, Roger, IGl.
Willis, Judge, 370.
Wilson, Daniel, 480.
Winnipeg, Lake and River, dis •
covered, 194.
, 90th battalion, nionn-
ment of, 474.
Winthrop, Governor, 155.
Wolfe, General, 218.
, monument of, 473.
Wolseley, Colonel, expedition
of, 471.
Wyandots the, 92.
X Y Company formed, 330.
York taken, 318.
Y.M.C.A. in Canada, 488.
Zeni, 67.
THE END.
s:E5.xe..^a?.^.
Piiffe 5, line 34
" 23, " 13
" ipf, " 26
" 488, " 7
" 486, " 2)
" 5^> " -81 i
2U to 215.
Eighty-nine to ninety.
S. E. to S. W.
Four to five.
1876 to 1875.
>ogcr, 161.
re, 370.
liol, 480.
iake aud Eiver, dis -
94.
*th battalion, nionn-
74.
rovernor, 155.
ral, 218.
ument of, 473.
/olonel, expedition
he, 92.
ly formed, 830.
318.
Canada, 488.
''^"^^-i,
^
f .m.^
Q.
10
^
^
CIHM/ICMH
Microfiche
Series.
CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.
Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques
1980