E 
 
 36I 
 
 JC-NRLF 
 
 DS7 
 
 1896 
 
 AMERICAN TROOPS, 
 
 DURING 
 
 THE LATE WAR, 
 
 UNDER THE COMMAND OF 
 COLONELS FENTON AND CAMPBELL, 
 
 Giving an account of the crossing of the Lake from 
 Erie to Long Point ; also, the crossing of Niagara 
 by the troops under Gen ls Games, Brown, Scott 
 and Porter. The taking of Fort Erie, the battle of 
 Chippewa, the imprisonment of Col. Bull, Major 
 Galloway, and the author (then a captain) and their 
 treatment ; together with an historical account of the 
 Canadas. 
 
 BY SAMUEL WHITE, 
 
 Of Adams County, Penn. 
 
 Q^aftitnore : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 B. EDES, PRINTER. 
 1830. 
 
HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 AMERICAN TROOPS, 
 
 DURING 
 
 THE LATE WAR, 
 
 UNDER THE COMMAND OF 
 
 COLONELS FENTON AND CAMPBELL, 
 
 Giving an account of the crossing of the Lake from 
 Erie to Long Point ; also, the crossing of Niagara 
 by the troops tinder Gen Is Games, Brown, Scott 
 and Porter. The taking of Fort Erie, the battle of 
 Chippewa, the imprisonment of Col. Bull, Major 
 Galloway, and the author (then a captain) and their 
 treatment ; together with an historical account of the 
 Canadas. 
 
 BY SAMUEL WHITE, 
 
 Of Adams County, Penn. 
 
 QSaffimore : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 B. EDES, PRINTER. 
 
Three Hundred Copies Reprinted for 
 
 GEORGE P. HUMPHREY, 
 
 Rochester, N. Y. 
 
 1896 
 
 No. 
 
 CHARLES MANN, PRINTER, 
 ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In presenting the following pages to the public, 
 the author begs leave to return his warmest thanks 
 to those of his fellow-citizens who have so liberally 
 come forward to aid him in his undertaking. A 
 plain man himself, he has not attempted to em 
 bellish his narrative with high-flown language, nor 
 to impose upon the credulous, a string of fictitious 
 adventures, but has been content with offering them a 
 plain statement of facts, and as such he hopes it will 
 be acceptable to the American reader. 
 
 It may be necessary to observe that in speaking of 
 Englishmen, as the author has been forced to do, 
 rather harshly in many places throughout this volume, 
 he does not mean to insinuate that all of that nation 
 are such as he has described ; he has had the pleas 
 ure of knowing many, who were an honor to their 
 country, and to whose kindness and gentlemanly con 
 duct he feels happy in having an opportunity to tes 
 tify. The contrast, also, which will necessarily be 
 drawn between the conduct of the contending parties, 
 resulting so eminently in favor of our own country 
 men, will not be without its effect; as it will prove 
 to those who at some future day may step forward in 
 defence of their liberties, how much more of real and 
 never fading glory is acquired, by the exercise of 
 mercy and benevolence to the fallen foe, than even 
 
 M187288 
 
by the greatest valor and most distinguished general 
 ship, unaccompanied by these attributes. 
 
 In the compilation of the work, which has been 
 done chiefly from his notes taken at the time, he 
 has been careful to avoid errors ; some, nevertheless, 
 owing to the disadvantages under which they were 
 taken, may have occurred, and for these, should it 
 prove to be so, he would bespeak indulgence. 
 
HISTORY 
 OF THE LATE WAR. 
 
 To repel the inroads of the British on the northern 
 frontier, during the year 1814, the governor of the 
 state of Pennsylvania ordered out the militia to the 
 number of one thousand. About one half of this re 
 quisition was composed of volunteers from Cumber 
 land county, of the eleventh division, and two companies 
 belonging to the same division from Franklin county, 
 and the residue was drawn from the counties of Adams 
 and York. The detachment of the troops to which I 
 belonged, rendezvoused at Gettysburg, on the 28th of 
 February, 1814, and departed from that place on their 
 march to Erie, on the tenth day of March following. 
 On the morning of the following day, major Galloway 
 and myself returned to Gettysburg to hold a court 
 martial for the trial of delinquents, and after several 
 days of arduous exertion, completed our business by 
 the assessment of fines to the amount of upwards of 
 forty-thousand dollars. Hence I returned home, news 
 having reached me that my wife lay dangerously ill of 
 a fever, and remained there for a short time, when up 
 on her being pronounced convalescent, I hastened to 
 join my companions in arms, and reached Erie, on the 
 evening of the same day our troops arrived. We en 
 camped on the margin of the lake, near the fort and 
 
6 
 
 about a mile above the town, where we remained with 
 out any occurrence of note taking place until the four 
 teenth of May. 
 
 About this time it was made known in camp that an 
 expedition to Long Point was projected, and that volun 
 teers to the number of five hundred stepped forward to 
 assist the regular forces amounting to about four hun 
 dred men. The expedition was commanded by Col. 
 Campbell, and all preparations having been completed 
 on the fifteenth, we commenced crossing the lake, and 
 landed on the Canada shore, late on the evening of 
 the sixteenth. A company of dragoons fired on the 
 boats that left the vessel, previous to their reaching the 
 shore, when they put spurs to their horses and imme 
 diately rode off. We halted in a piece of woods near 
 the lake, exposed to the rain which poured upon us all 
 that night and next day, having no shelter except the 
 boughs of the trees, under which we rested. 
 
 Early next morning, we crossed Buffaloe creek in a 
 large canoe, which we were fortunate enough to find 
 there; our troops were formed in single file, showing 
 our whole force in front, with two small field pieces in 
 the centre of the line, drawn by sailors and marines. 
 In that order we inarched for Dover, a very politic and 
 ingenious mode of forming, and one well calculated to 
 impress an enemy unacquainted with the number of 
 our troops, with an idea of our having a very large 
 army in the rear, this appearing only as the advance 
 guard. A little way up the creek was situate a large 
 store house, but it was completely emptied before 
 we reached it, they having had information of our 
 approach, some days before, as will be seen hereaf 
 ter. We continued our march without opposition, 
 passing over a beautiful plain, covered with luxuri 
 ant fields of wheat. When we reached Dover, we 
 
found it deserted by all but a few women, who had 
 white clothes hanging upon broomsticks suing for peace. 
 The only hostile demonstration on our part was, the 
 destruction of some mills employed in manufacturing 
 flour for the army, together with some houses occupi 
 ed as stores, and those belonging to some officers, who, 
 it had been ascertained, had been on the expedition of 
 the burning of Buffaloe and Black Rock some time pre 
 vious. Every possible respect was paid to the wo 
 men and children, and the best part of the furniture 
 in the houses which were destroyed, was even carried 
 out by the troops previous to their being set on fire. 
 From what information we could derive from the women, 
 we were led to believe that they had plenty of time to have 
 prepared for our reception, and might even, had they 
 so chosen, prevented our landing, as they had news 
 of our intended expedition ten days before. It appeared 
 strange how such news should have reached them, as 
 it was not currently known, even in our own camp, 
 three days before we embarked, but the mystery was 
 soon cleared up, when after we had been made prison 
 ers, Major Galloway and I recognized in Chippewa, 
 in company with the British officers, a gentleman 
 whom we had formerly seen at Erie in company with 
 our quartermaster; he must have been a spy. We took 
 one man prisoner, whom we carried with us in our re 
 treat. I sat with him until the last boat was ready to 
 push off to the vessel, and then dismissed him, unhurt, 
 and went on board. Strange as it may appear, it is not 
 the less true, that on the very day after the British came 
 to Dover, they burnt all the houses we had left standing, 
 and even hung the poor old fellow whom we had had in 
 custody. 
 
 On our return, we had tempestuous weather, and 
 were detained on the lake three days, making the con- 
 
8 
 
 tinuance of our^expedition five days in all. Before we 
 had embarked on the expedition, my company had 
 drawn rations for three days, every pound of which 
 had been left on the shore in consequence of the bad 
 ness of its quality, so that the poor fellows had nothing 
 but bread to eat for that time ; on the fourth day I pre 
 vailed upon the master of the vessel to let me have a 
 barrel of biscuit, and one of pork for my company, 
 which having been hoisted on deck, and the heads tak 
 en out, it was really amusing to see how soon they 
 were emptied. In the evening we completed our land 
 ing, and arrived in safety at our camp in Erie. 
 
 Next day we learned that a general order had been 
 given for our march to Buffaloe, and that preparations 
 for that purpose had been commenced by Col. Fenton, 
 when they were checked for some time by the presen 
 tation of a mutinous paper by some of the men select 
 ed for that purpose, which paper had been signed by 
 half, if not more, of the privates in the regiment. This 
 instrument set forth that they had determined not to 
 march from camp, until they had received the amount 
 of pay due them for their services, alleging as their 
 apology, that many of them were much at a loss for shoes 
 and other cloathing. In this situation, undecided as to 
 what course we should pursue, we remained for seve 
 ral days, until at length some of the captains of com 
 panies, attached to the regiment, conceiving that some 
 thing more decisive ought to be attempted to compel 
 the mutinous portion of the regiment to return to their 
 duty, addressed a communication to the Colonel, set 
 ting forth that they held themselves and companies in 
 readiness to march at a minute s warning. After this 
 a new impulse was given to preparations, and the order 
 of march was fixed for the day following. 
 
But the spirit of mutiny was still alive, and secret 
 resolutions were formed amongst the disaffected, to 
 obey no orders until the terms for which they held out 
 were complied with, and on the following day when 
 according to the orders, at the third roll of the drum the 
 tents should have fallen, a number remained standing, 
 and those who were willing to obey orders, had to be 
 detached for the purpose of pulling them down, which 
 however, they were permitted to do, unmolested. 
 
 While the wagons were lading, I had occasion to 
 proceed to the centre of the regiment, having some 
 business to transact with one of the field officers, and 
 upon my return was waited on by Lieutenant Gardner, 
 who informed me that during my absence a private 
 from Capt. Roberts company, had been amongst my 
 men encouraging them to stand firm to their agreement, 
 and oppose the march, and had moreover instructed 
 them that the others had agreed to commence forming 
 a line, which he urged them to imitate. This man 
 was supposed to be their ringleader, and to have been 
 appointed their commander. As the first step towards 
 the suppression of this mutiny, I determined upon his 
 arrest, hoping that prompt and decisive conduct in this 
 instance would not be without its effect, in deterring the 
 others from a continuance in the course which they 
 adopted. Accordingly having ascertained from the 
 Lieutenant that he could recognise him, I forthwith 
 proceeded to the place where Roberts company were 
 stationed, and upon his being pointed out, immediately 
 arrested him, and sent him to the block house, used as 
 a guard house, and under the command of Major Mar- 
 lin, a regular officer. Returning to my company I 
 found that several of my men had already fallen into 
 line, and that others were quickly following their ex 
 ample. To my demand of why they formed or by 
 
10 
 
 whose orders, I was unable to obtain an answer, and 
 ordered them to disperse under pain of immediate ar 
 rest, and await the regular orders, which after some 
 little hesitation, I succeeded in accomplishing. 
 
 The order was now passed to form line, and pre 
 pare to march ; the peaceable portion of the men imme 
 diately fell into rank, leaving a number strolling about, 
 as if undecided what course to pursue. While in the 
 act of walking round, enquiring from each individual 
 his reasons for not obeying orders, and just as I had 
 placed under arrest a couple who were conspicuous as 
 spokesmen, and who had positively and most imperti 
 nently refused to comply, I was called to by one of my 
 men, who bid me take care, as one of those in my rear 
 was loading his gun to shoot me. I instantly wheeled 
 round, sprang upon him, wrested the gun from him, 
 and despatched him also to the guard house. The 
 most determined being now removed, and the others 
 left to their own discretion, aided no doubt, in the de 
 cision by Major Marlin, who, having loaded the gun 
 in the block house with grape and cannister, commencd 
 running them out of the port holes directed towards 
 us ; the line was promptly formed, the order of march 
 given, and the regiment moved off in perfect order. 
 Another circumstance no doubt, contributed largely in 
 restoring order, viz.: when Captain Roberts was inform 
 ed that I had placed one of his men under arrest, he 
 immediately sent to Major Marlin, requesting his libe 
 ration. Major M. applied to me to know the nature 
 of the offence, for which the prisoner had been com 
 mitted. Upon my informing him, that he had been 
 sent there for mutinous conduct, his reply was " I will 
 not release him even at the command of your Colonel, 
 until he has first undergone trial for his offence." 
 
II 
 
 This answer was soon rumored about, and perceiving 
 that the business was assuming rather too serious an 
 appearance, the disaffected were somewhat panic 
 struck, and there is every reason to believe that it af 
 forded another and a strong inducement, for their re 
 turn to duty. 
 
 We pursued our march that day over a road running 
 parallel with the lake, and in some places, immediate 
 ly along the beach for a considerable distance, and 
 found it very fatiguing, owing to the deepness of the 
 sand. The country along the lake shore was gene 
 rally hilly, and seemed to be well supplied with game. 
 We crossed two or three streams of water on our march, 
 the principal of which was Cattaraugus creek, which 
 we were compelled to cross in a boat. On the oppo 
 site side was situated a small village with two or three 
 public houses. Here the soil appeared to be very good, 
 as was the case as far as we could perceive, when 
 ever the road diverged from the margin of the lake. 
 Near the village just mentioned was an Indian settle 
 ment, composed of the tribe called the Cattaraugus In 
 dians. After our encampment for the night, which we 
 did upon the bank of the creek, we were visited by a 
 number of them and their squaws, who appeared very 
 much pleased to see us, more particularly as they un 
 derstood we were going to fight the British. There 
 seemed to be a great scarcity of men in that portion of 
 New-York state, many, I presume, had been killed by the 
 enemy, at the time of the burning of Buffaloe and 
 Black Rock, as they had been called out en masse, pre 
 vious to that transaction. 
 
 In many places along the road, the houses were lit 
 erally crammed with ladies, collected there to see us as 
 we passed through the county, and here I would 
 strongly recommend all who may be in want of hand- 
 
12 
 
 some wives to visit the borders of lake Erie, for I have 
 never seen, before or since, in any part of the county, 
 more beautiful and elegant looking ladies. 
 
 We at length reached Buffaloe without any disaster, 
 except the loss of a few men by desertion, if indeed 
 such an occurrence may justly be so termed, and found 
 there quite a respectable body of regulars, consisting 
 of two brigades. We encamped and remained there 
 drilling our troops until the second of July, when gen 
 eral orders were issued for embarkation at day 
 light of the following morning. So unexpected was 
 this order, and so completely had Gen. Brown conceal 
 ed his intentions, that his officers, not at all suspecting 
 the meditated movement, had actually made prepara 
 tions for the celebration in camp of the Fourth of July, 
 and had engaged his company at dinner. The imme 
 diate consequences, as will be seen, of such good poli 
 cy on the part of the General, was the capture by sur 
 prise of Fort Erie on the third, without bloodshed. To 
 return to our narrative ; the army consisting of two 
 brigades, were landed on the opposite shore without 
 the least opposition. The first brigade under the com 
 mand of Gen. Scott, and the artillery corps command 
 ed by Major Hurdman, landed nearly a mile below 
 whilst Gen. Ripley with the second brigade made the 
 shore about the same distance above. Thus the fort 
 was soon completely invested. A battery of long 
 eighteens was immediately planted in a position which 
 commanded it, and a flag dispatched, demanding a sur 
 render, and granting two hours for that purpose, at the 
 expiration of which time, the garrison consisting of 137 
 men, including officers, marched out and surrendered 
 themselves prisoners of war. Several pieces of ord 
 nance and some military stores were found in the fort. 
 
13 
 
 Having reduced Fort Erie, the General immediate 
 ly proclaimed martial law. His proclamation set forth, 
 that persons demeaning themselves peaceably, and at 
 tending to their private business should meet with no 
 interruption, whilst those found in arms should be treat 
 ed as enemies. Private property, he pledged himself, 
 should be held inviolate, but public property should be 
 seized wherever found, and sold by the commanding 
 General. Plundering was strictly prohibited from 
 the regular army the Major General had no fears, and 
 those honorable men who had pressed forward to the 
 standard of their country, to avenge her wrongs and gain 
 a name in arms, would scorn to be guilty of any act, 
 which might, in even so remote a manner reflect dis 
 grace upon their national character. 
 
 The necessary arrangements for the preservation 
 and garrisoning the Fort Erie, being concluded, Gen. 
 Brown determined to march forward on the following 
 day, and attack the enemy who lay entrenched in his 
 works upon the plains of Chippewa. To this resolution, 
 considered of a desperate and dangerous character, 
 the General was doubtless urged by the necessity which 
 he felt existed, to redeem the reputation which had 
 been lost by the events of former campaigns clangers 
 and remonstrances were therefore entirely disregarded. 
 The ardor and desire for battle was even increased 
 by the knowledge that the glory of the victory would 
 be so much the more brilliant, besides having formed 
 his resolutions and plans, he was determined upon at 
 tempting their execution. 
 
 Before day-break on the morning of the fifth, it was 
 ascertained, that the Colonel to whom orders had been 
 sent by Gen. Porter to supply the troops with three 
 days provisions, had neglected that necessary precau 
 tion ; the consequence was, that a boat had to be des- 
 
14 
 
 patched to Buffaloe with an order for provisions, which 
 however, did not reach us until about two o clock in the 
 day, when we were supplied with a couple of biscuits 
 each, being the first which a majority of us had eaten that 
 day. At four o clock we came in view of the encamp 
 ment of our regular troops, and halted. We had not 
 been many minutes at rest before a requisition was 
 made for volunteers to turn out and drive off the hostile 
 Indians who had been firing on our pickets. Fatigued 
 as we were, having traveled that day about eighteen 
 miles without rations, it is not to be wondered at, that 
 not much alacrity was showed by the men to become 
 of the party. Lieut. Gilleland, Ensign Graff, the sur 
 geon of the volunteers, and myself, laid aside our 
 swords, and borrowing rifles, volunteered as privates ; 
 about three hundred of the volunteers of our own 
 regiment also came forward, and these were strength 
 ened by several hundred Indians, the whole under 
 the command of Gen. Porter, Col. Bull and Major 
 Galloway. I had eaten nothing except one biscuit 
 from the time I had my dinner the day before at Buffa 
 loe, and had even given away the balance of my store, 
 expecting to get a good supper that evening; but I was 
 doomed to be mistaken. 
 
 Orders were issued that every white man who went 
 out under Gen. Porter should leave his hat, and go un 
 covered. The Indians tied up their heads with pieces of 
 white muslin, and it was realty diverting to see them 
 making their preparations for battle, After having tied 
 up their heads, which process must have consumed at 
 least fifty yards of fine muslin, they painted their faces, 
 making red streaks above their eyes and foreheads 
 they then went to old logs and burnt stumps, and spit 
 ting upon their hands rubbed them upon the burnt part, 
 until they were perfectly black, when they drew their 
 
fingers down their cheeks leaving large black streaks- 
 after this preparation they were ready for action or 
 march. We proceeded in single file through a lane 
 to our left, and in the course of half an hour came in 
 contact with the enemy, who were posted in the woods 
 on our right, and completely concealed from our obser 
 vation. Immediately upon our entering a long narrow 
 path, they opened upon us with a pretty brisk fire 
 we faced to the right and pressing forward put them to 
 rout. They continued their flight and we pursued 
 them, keeping up a smart fire, which, from the man 
 ner of the position, did considerable damage, un 
 til they drew us into rather a perilous situation. The 
 whole British army had crossed the bridge at Chippe- 
 wa, and drawn up their forces under cover of a piece 
 of woods, near the Niagara river, and running parallel 
 with the Chippewa creek, directly across the creek, 
 where the British batteries commanded the same po 
 sition. Driving the Indians rapidly through the woods, 
 we at length came in full contact with the British reg 
 ular line, which in conjunction with the batteries, 
 opened a most tremendous fire. From the clouds of 
 dust and heavy firing, General Brown concluded 
 that the entire force of the British was in motion, and 
 gave orders to General Scott to advance with his 
 brigade and Towson s artillery, and meet the enemy on 
 the plain in front of the American camp. In a few 
 minutes Scott was in close action with a far superior 
 force of regulars. Major Jessup commanding the bat- 
 tallion on the left flank, finding himself pressed both in 
 front and rear, and his men falling fast, ordered his bat- 
 tallion to support arms and advance, which bold order 
 in the midst of the enemy s hottest fire, was obeyed 
 with a promptness which did them honour. Having 
 advanced within twenty paces of the enemy s line, 
 
i6 
 
 they were ordered to level and fire, causing such 
 havoc in the enemy s line as forced them to re 
 treat. About this time, also one of our hot shot fell 
 into the enemy s magazine and blew it up this occur 
 rence silenced their artillery the whole British force 
 fell back, and being closely pressed by the Ameri 
 can troops, retreated in confusion to their entrench 
 ment, about a quarter of a mile distant. Gen. Brown 
 immediately ordered the ordinance to be brought up with 
 the intention of forcing the works, but upon more ma 
 ture reflection, and by the advice of his officers, he 
 was induced to order the forces back to camp. In this 
 engagement, which resulted so disastrously to the Brit 
 ish, a considerable portion of the army, though burn 
 ing for the conflict, had not an opportunity of coming 
 into action. The conquerors of the veterans of France, 
 were, in fact, defeated by a detachment from the 
 American army. The only troops engaged on the 
 part of Gen. Brown, were Scott s brigade, and the Penn 
 sylvania volunteers, commanded by Porter the con 
 duct of these men was heroic in the extreme ; wherever 
 they directed their fire, or pointed their bayonets, the 
 boasted " conquerors of the peninsula" fell or fled ; the 
 volunteers, in particular manifested all the coolness 
 and bravery of regular troops. Such was the punish 
 ment they received in this engagement, that, although 
 battle was offered them again on their own terms, they 
 shrunk from its acceptance. 
 
 The loss of the enemy was nearly six hundred kill 
 ed, as was ascertained some time afterwards, although 
 they were never willing to acknowledge it so great; 
 they removed, however, off the field, nearly five hun 
 dred wounded men before their retreat, and the loss in 
 the woods of the Canadian militia, by our scouting 
 party, was upwards of eighty killed. It was not known 
 
17 
 
 how many Indians fell, but their loss must have been 
 very great. When our scouting party returned, there 
 were but twenty men missing, five of that number 
 were prisoners, four whites and one Indian. 
 
 I was nearly on the extreme right of our line, which 
 was very much extended in our progress through the 
 woods, in consequence of broken trees, thickets, &c., 
 and did not immediately hear the order for retreat, 
 consequently, was slow in following the example of 
 several of those in my rear, whom I perceived retreat 
 ing; and it was not until my left had been entirety de 
 serted, and those on my right were rapidly falling away, 
 that I made my way with some others to a field which 
 lay on our right. On coming to the fence, we per 
 ceived the British light horse advancing along the op 
 posite side of the field in full speed; we immediately 
 perceived that our chance of escape in that direction 
 was small, as we would be taken long before we should 
 have crossed. We then shifted our course, keeping 
 under cover of the wood, until we had reached the 
 end of the field, where we fell in with Col. Bull and 
 Major Galloway, who had been more on the left. We 
 were now on the very ground, over which, a short 
 time before, we had driven the Canadians and Indians, 
 and concluded ourselves in perfect safety ; but we had 
 not proceeded more than a few rods, when we sudden 
 ly found ourselves surrounded by Indians who had 
 been lying in ambush unable to surround us all, they 
 had permitted a number of friendly Indians, and seve 
 ral of our volunteers to pass by unmolested, that they 
 might the better secure us. After having disposed of us. 
 a small party of them pursued those whom they had suf 
 fered to pass, several of whom, however, made good 
 their retreat. 
 
IS 
 
 Having disarmed us, the first enquiry was for money. 
 A large Indian came up to me, calling out " money, 
 money." I insisted that I had none. He then seized 
 my coat, which he took off me, another claimed my 
 vest, another my neck-cloth, and so on, until they had 
 stripped me of every article of cloathing, except my 
 shirt and pantaloons. It was fortunate for me my 
 shirt was not ruffled, or they would have taken even 
 that; they took from me a ruffled sham, which I wore 
 over my shirt ; a fellow had placed his hand upon my 
 watch chain, with a view of drawing it from my pock 
 et, but meeting with some little difficulty in conse 
 quence of my pocket being damp from perspiration, he 
 deliberately drew his knife, when not wishing to give 
 the gentleman the trouble of operating, I drew it out 
 and handed it to him. 
 
 At the time these savages were stripping me, others 
 were as busily engaged in dealing out in like manner to 
 Col. Bull and Major Galloway they took the Major s 
 boots, compelling him to walk bare-footed. We pro 
 ceeded on our march, well guarded, and had not gone 
 more than about half a mile, when an Indian in the 
 rear suddenly whooped loudly, raised his rifle, and shot 
 Col. Bull through the body; the ball entered at the left 
 shoulder, and passed out through the right breast. 
 After he had been shot, he raised himself upon his el 
 bow, and reached out his hand to Major Galloway 
 asking him for assistance. At this moment the fellow 
 who had fired came up, sunk his tomahawk in his 
 head, scalped him, and left his body where he fell ; 
 thus perished as gallant, and noble hearted a fellow, as 
 ever drew the sword in defence of his country. I was 
 then unable to account for an act so contrary to all 
 laws of warfare, and expected every moment that we 
 should have shared the fate of our unfortunate friend. 
 
19 
 
 I was afterwards informed by a Canadian gentleman, 
 with whom I had formed an acquaintance while at 
 Ives Creek, that the murder was committed in com 
 pliance with the order of Gen. Rial, who had given 
 the Indians positive instructions not to spare any who 
 wore the uniform of militia officers, he at the same 
 time gave them a minute description of the dress of the 
 militia and regular officers, the latter of whom, should 
 any be captured, they were ordered to bring into camp 
 in safety. Now if Gen. Rial gave such orders, and 
 that he did, I have good reason to believe, how very 
 degrading to a civilized people is such conduct, how 
 barbarous, worse, infinitely worse than the cruelty of 
 the untutored savage ? Startled by the whoop, I had 
 just looked over my shoulder, and was struck motion 
 less, petrified, by the sight ; but my conductors did not 
 allow me much time for contemplation, but hurried me 
 forward at even a more rapid rate. 
 
 That we were not murdered as we expected, was 
 owing to our being dressed in the uniform of the regu 
 lar troops, with which we had provided ourselves be 
 fore our departure from Gettysburg the unfortunate 
 Colonel was dressed in the old uniform of the Penn 
 sylvania militia, and met his disastrous fate in conse 
 quence of a trifling inattention so frail and slender 
 are the threads upon which human life and human 
 prosperity are dependent. Col. Bull was a man of so 
 ber and exemplary habits, and highly esteemed by 
 the soldiery he was a pious man, and his mind had a 
 strong religious cast. Whilst at Erie, the most part of 
 his Sabbaths were spent in the hospitals, in reading > 
 conversing upon, and explaining the scriptures to the 
 sick and disabled but to return to our narrative, the 
 savages who conducted me, were now hurrying me for 
 ward at a trot. Several times during our flight 
 
20 
 
 Major Galloway asked them whether they intended to 
 kill him and Captain White, their answer was, they 
 would not, but it will readily be believed, that after 
 the dreadful sight we had just witnessed, we did not 
 place much confidence in their assertions. Having 
 cleared the woods, we now reached a green field, in 
 running through which, the Indian who held me by 
 the arm, and I, both trying for the furrow,, jostled 
 each other, and he fell, but still holding his grip, was 
 instantly on his feet again. At that moment the hope 
 of liberty flashed strongly over my mind, and had he 
 been the only Indian with me, I would most certainly 
 have dispatched him, or at least made the attempt; 
 but a moment s reflection served to convince me that 
 any effort of that kind would be attended only with in 
 stant death, and under these considerations of the 
 case, I concluded that my safest plan was to desist 
 from so hazardous an exploit. Coining out of the 
 grain field, near Chippewa Creek, we were in sight of 
 the bridge, over which the last of the British army 
 then in view, had just crossed, the American cannon 
 were playing briskly on the rear; the Indians who led 
 me, for we had entirely outrun those who conducted 
 Galloway, became alarmed, dreading that the whole 
 army would have passed, and the bridge be destroy 
 ed, before they should be able to reach it, and ac 
 cordingly turned and ran up the creek for some dis 
 tance, the Indians who left Galloway, now halloed to 
 them, when they wheeled, and came in view of the rear 
 guard of the British army, at the moment they were on 
 the point of crossing the bridge. I was dreadfully fa 
 tigued, and to hurry me on, a fellow was placed 
 behind me, who every minute or so, fixed his hands 
 upon my shoulders, pushing me forward with a violence 
 that well nigh threw me on my face. Faint and ex- 
 
21 
 
 hausted, I still hurried forward, exerting all my nerve, 
 fearing that if I failed or fell, the tomahawk, the sound 
 of which still ran in my ears, would soon give me my 
 quietus ; I had hopes too, that the moment of my de 
 liverance from these wretches was not far distant, as 
 I fully expected to be taken ont of their hands as soon 
 as we should have reached the British army. In this 
 manner we gained the bridge just as the last of the 
 rear guard had got on it, the American round shot still 
 rolling after us; one of them fell within a yard of me 
 as I pressed forward, making the clay fly all over us, 
 and then bounded into the creek ; having completed 
 our crossing, the bridge was cut down. 
 
 What was my astonishment and indignation, when 
 having come in company with those from whom I ex 
 pected relief to find them even worse than the savages, 
 and that instead of respiting us, they encouraged them 
 to run us still further, crying out who have you got 
 there, a damned Yankee? Yes well damn him, run 
 him well, he s not half run yet ; although I then thought 
 it impossible for me to proceed twenty rods further 
 without dropping down dead. Thus situated, my 
 mouth stretched wide open panting for breath, I was 
 compelled to run between one and two miles further, 
 to the Indian encampment, still shoved forward as be 
 fore, whenever I slackened my pace ; my persecutors 
 encouraged and cheered on by the brutal and unfeel 
 ing soldiery, who seemed to look upon the affair as 
 mere amusement. 
 
 We were sent to the rear of the camp, and here, for 
 the first time, I was permitted to sit down ; in fact I was 
 so weakened by previous fatigue, as to be unable to 
 stand without support. Having recruited as much 
 breath as enabled me to speak, I asked for a drink of 
 water; they not understanding the language, I made a 
 
22 
 
 sign for what I wanted, when I was led between two to 
 a pond, where I was permitted to drink those only who 
 have felt the same pressing necessity, can form any idea 
 of the luxury of that draught. They then led me back, 
 and I again resumed my seat on the ground. A few 
 minutes afterwards I was surrounded by thirty or forty 
 of these savages, all armed, they brought down their 
 guns at an order and commenced to talk here I sat for 
 some time perfectly silent, but at length looking up at 
 the fellow who had had me in custody, I asked him if 
 they were going to kill me? He snatched up his rifle 
 and raising it in both hands brought it down with vio 
 lence he checked the fall, however, before it reached 
 my head, and set it down as before, and casting at me 
 a scowl of rage and hatred, resumed his place in the 
 circle, from which the momentary act alluded to had 
 moved him. It may be well presumed that I had no 
 very great anxiety to ask more questions. 
 
 Two or three Canadian officers now came up, one 
 of whom appeared perfectly versed in the language ; af 
 ter some conversation between him and the Indians, 
 they opened the ring and admitted him to me ; he asked 
 a number of questions, where I was from ? whether I 
 was an officer or private? and whether I knew if there 
 were any other officers made prisoners, and if so wheth 
 er I would not like to be with them? I informed him 
 that Major Galloway was a prisoner, in the British 
 camp, and that I should be much pleased to have his 
 company he commenced another talk with the Indians, 
 and in a few minutes they began to disperse ; after the 
 crowd had pretty well cleared away, two of them came 
 to me and taking me by the arms, one at each side, 
 walked me back to the British camp, where we found 
 Major Galloway still sitting on the ground, with his In 
 dian guard beside him. We proceeded together and 
 
23 
 
 were in a few minutes brought into the presence of 
 General Rial, who immediately commenced interro 
 gating us, asking a number of questions, the truth of 
 which I was determined he should not know from me. 
 One of his questions as to what number of troops we 
 had, was addressed to Major Galloway, who seeming 
 to hesitate, I answered for him, saying that we had 
 something like five thousand ; he replied that is not true 
 sir, you know it is not, you have more than double that 
 number. Had I then been acquainted with my privi 
 leges as a prisoner of war, I should not have made him 
 an answer, as it was I excused myself, by telling him 
 that I had computed them at that number from having 
 seen them on parade, and had never heard from any 
 official source, what was the actual number of men in 
 service. He then enquired our grade, and whether 
 we were in the regular service, or in the militia, upon 
 our replying that we belonged to the Pennsylvania 
 volunteers he exclaimed what business had you to 
 cross the frontier? We crossed, sir, in obedience to 
 orders. Who could give such orders, sir, I thought no 
 militiaman or volunteer could be ordered out of the 
 United States? They can, sir, in case of insurrec 
 tion or invasion. Well, sir, have you an insurrection 
 among you ? No, thank heaven, and I hope we never 
 shall, but, sir, we have invasion. How is that, sir ? where ? 
 I replied, have you not Fort Niagara in your posses 
 sion ? Then, sir, said he, why did you not go there? 
 I answered, we were not ordered there. When I com 
 plained that we had been badly treated, having had 
 our clothes stripped off us, that we had been robbed 
 of money to the amount of about one thousand dollars 
 and that all we requested was to have our clothes re 
 turned as we were not accustomed to going naked, he 
 give us to understand that all the Indians got was legi- 
 
2 4 
 
 timate spoil and could not be returned he then called 
 two sergeants, and gave one of them orders to take that 
 fellow, meaning me, and keep him safe till to-morrow 
 morning, when I shall demand him at your hand to 
 the other he gave similar directions concerning Gallo 
 way, and turning upon his heel with a smile, joined 
 his officers who were seated outside of the door on 
 benches round a table covered with glasses. I forgot 
 to state, that when I had informed him of the murder 
 of Col. Bull, and that he had been scalped by the In 
 dians, his reply was I do not believe he has been scalp 
 ed, assigning at the same time as his reason for not so 
 believing, that at that time they gave nothing for scalps. 
 We were now carried off by the sergeants and sepa 
 rated we were compelled to be behind the breast 
 works, on the bare ground, without tent or covering of 
 any kind. I suffered severely from the cold, in conse 
 quence of having been overheated during the day, and 
 then stripped of my cloathing. In the night I took a 
 chill, and shook as if I had had the ague ; I am confi 
 dent I should have perished but for the humanity of 
 the sergeant, who had charge of me, in lending me his 
 old watch coat, and a handkerchief to tie round my 
 head; he also gave me a dram from his canteen he, 
 poor fellow, had been a prisoner amongst the Ameri 
 cans, and candidly acknowledged, that he had been 
 well treated. In the morning he applied for rations 
 for Galloway and myself, and returned without having 
 been able to obtain any this was continued for three 
 days in succession, during which time we sustained 
 life merely through the chanty of our friendly guard. 
 On the first morning after the battle, having heard 
 that a flag of truce was about to be sent to the Ameri 
 can camp, asking the privilege of burying their dead, 
 I enquired whether a letter would be carried for me, 
 
25 
 
 and was told it would, but that it must be sent open. 
 Being kindly furnished by the sergeant with pen 
 and paper, I wrote a note merely stating that we 
 were prisoners, requesting that our clothes, and if 
 possible, a little money might be sent to us, as we were 
 suffering severely from want of them. Fearful that 
 the letter might not be sent, if it contained any thing 
 offensive, I forebore to mention either the death of Col. 
 Bull, or our own treatment. On the return of the 
 flag, I enquired if my letter had been delivered and 
 what answer; the letter had been delivered but they 
 had no answer whatever. I was also informed, that 
 to their request to be allowed to bury the dead, Gen. 
 Brown replied that he was able to bury all the men he 
 could kill. 
 
 On the afternoon of the third day I saw one of the 
 British light horse coming down the Chippewa at full 
 speed ; he kept his horse under whip and spur, until 
 he arrived at the officers quarters, and in a few mi 
 nutes the camp was all bustle. The artillery horses 
 were speedily driven under the whip up the Chip 
 pewa at a round pace ; the baggage wagons were load 
 ing in all quarters, and in a few minutes the artillery 
 opened a brisk fire ; they had not fired many rounds be 
 fore I heard our long eighteens speaking in return. 
 I felt rejoiced at the sound, believing that they must be 
 beaten should a general engagement ensue, and that 
 in the interim I might have a fair chance of escape. 
 However during the cannonade the British army was 
 formed in line and led into the field, Major Galloway, 
 two of our volunteers, one Indian, myself and three or 
 lour Canadians who were in confinement, on suspicion 
 of being friendly to the American cause, were led in 
 to the field under a strong guard and halted to await 
 the fate of the day. The British artillery was soon si 
 
26 
 
 lenced, the captain as I afterwards understood had 
 been killed, several others severely wounded, and one 
 of their cannon dismounted, by having the carnage 
 wheels blown away. They now retired nearly as fast 
 as they advanced, and by this time the baggage wagons 
 being loaded, were moved forward on the road to Fort 
 George, and orders being giving to retreat, they set off 
 at full trot, and some in a gallop, not delaying to pick 
 up the camp kettles, which were dropping along the 
 road, one here, one there, shaken from the wagons by 
 the unusually rapid motion ; the army moved off at quick 
 step, and we were marched in the rear, still surround 
 ed by our guard. In this manner we proceeded until 
 we came to Lundy s Lane, where they were met by a 
 reinforcement from Queenstown heighths ; they called 
 a halt for a few minutes, during which the officers held 
 a council, at the close of which the reinforcement was 
 wheeled round and the retreat continued. When we 
 reached Queenstown heighths we were halted before 
 a house, at which were a number of British officers ; 
 I was then brought in front, and viewed by some of 
 them, who not being able to discover in me an old ac 
 quaintance, I was remanded to my former station. This 
 examination was owing to information having been 
 lodged by a fellow who had seen me the day after I had 
 been made prisoner, that I had belonged to a certain 
 British regiment, the name of which I do not remem 
 ber; that I had deserted and gone over to the United 
 States, and had received my commission as a reward ; 
 he had sworn most blasphemously to the truth of his 
 
 assertions, and concluded with "d n you, I will have 
 
 you hung"; I, however, heard no more of the business; 
 we were then marched forward on the road to Fort 
 George, and after some time diverged to the right and 
 proceeded nearly two miles to a large brick house, 
 
27 
 
 where we were confined up stairs, having one guard 
 at the room door, one at the head of the stairs and one 
 at the outer door ; part of the army also had encamped 
 round the house, around them was stationed a camp 
 guard, and outside of all was stationed a picket guard, 
 all to take care of four American prisoners, and one 
 Indian. The rest of the troops continued their march 
 to Fort George. Had any of us made our escape at 
 that time, it would have been highly injurious to them, 
 as their forces were much weakened by previous loss 
 es. I know that they had two vessels so completely 
 crammed with wounded men, that the other prisoners 
 and myself were obliged to remain on deck the whole 
 time of the passage from Fort George to York, where 
 we were landed. 
 
 The wounded officers were carried to town in blan 
 kets by four men one at each corner. 
 
 And here I should be committing an act of ingratitude, 
 did I not notice the kind manner in which we were 
 treated by a gentleman, named Carr, a doctor, who 
 overtook us on our march from Chippewa to Fort 
 George, and a short distance from the former place. 
 In conversation with me he stated that he had two 
 sons, Captains in the British army, that one of them 
 had been for some time a prisoner amongst the Amer 
 icans, and that he had been well treated, that the other 
 had been taken at the battle of Chippewa, and that 
 this was the first time he had had it in his power to 
 evince his gratitude to any of the American Officers ; 
 he at the same time requested me to receive a twenty 
 dollar bill, and divide it with my companion Major Gal 
 loway ; in our circumstances it was a very acceptable 
 present ; we were still almost naked, and it was even 
 ing of the third day since the battle of Chippewa, and 
 we had not as yet been supplied with rations, and were 
 
28 
 
 obliged to march part of the afternoon nearly eleven 
 miles. He returned in a few minutes afterwards with 
 a five dollar bill, which he told us he had collected 
 from some of the officers, and which he entreated me 
 to divide among the other prisoners, or apply to their 
 use by buying necessaries for them, which was accord 
 ingly done. We were several days at Fort George 
 before the vessels were ready to sail for York. Late 
 in the afternoon of the fourth day after we had been 
 made prisoners, we were furnished with rations we 
 ate our beef as it came out of the pickle, as we could 
 not think of waiting to cook it. 
 
 While we remained there, an officer, who from his 
 dress, appeared to belong to the dragoons, called to 
 see the Major and myself, and in course of conversa 
 tion, asked us if we had any tea or sugar, or any li 
 quors ; he continued to converse sometime in a very 
 agreeable manner, and then took his leave. A short 
 time after he had gone, we had a visit trom his servant, 
 who brought us a paper of tea, some sugar, and a bot 
 tle of rum. All the time we drew rations we were 
 never allowed any liquor, and got none except the one 
 bottle thus made a present of. This treatment was 
 very different from what they, when made prisoners 
 by us, experienced if any part of the rations were 
 scarce, our own men have stinted themselves in order 
 that the prisoners might be supplied this I know to 
 be a fact, as the men belonging: to my own company 
 have gone without their liquor, that prisoners might be 
 better accommodated. The evening after Galloway 
 and I were made prisoners, and were almost perishing 
 with cold and hunger, with the damp ground alone for 
 our bed, and the canopy of heaven for our covering, 
 the British officers made prisoners by our troops, were 
 feasted with the best the camp could afford. The of- 
 
29 
 
 ficers of my own company had killed a fat calf, in or 
 der to have something nice to give them for supper ; 
 as they were strangers, they wished to entertain them 
 well, and would have been happy to have had all the 
 officers in the British army in the same situation, were 
 it only to afford them a more ample field for the exer 
 cise of their generosity but to return. We were 
 marched into York, and halted for about half an hour 
 at a tavern ; here we applied to the landlady, to know if 
 she could provide us change of linen ; we had been then 
 upwards of two weeks without change. She furnished 
 us with two old shirts more than half worn for which, 
 however, we had to pay her the moderate price of eight 
 dollars. 
 
 We were then asked if we would accept of paroles 
 to go to Montreal, stating at the same time that if we 
 did, we should be furnished with money and horses, 
 and if we did not, we would be sent on board a boat 
 under guard. We concluded that it would be better 
 for us to accept the terms offered, than to be dragged 
 under guard through the country; however, we did not 
 profit much by our compliance, for an hour had scarce 
 ly passed, after we had signed the parole, when we 
 were ordered on board a Durham boat, to be sent un 
 der guard to Kingston. The British officers on board, 
 when night came on, went ashore, and always took 
 Galloway and myself with them, we lodged in a house 
 convenient to the vessel ; the others prisoners were suf 
 fered to remain on board, under guard. 
 
 We now found that we had acted unadvisedly in 
 accepting of paroles, as we found several friends here 
 who were anxious to secrete us until the British were 
 gone, and then they promised us a safe landing on the 
 American shore. These friendly and tempting offers, 
 our inconsiderateness in signing paroles, completely 
 
30 
 
 prevented our accepting. Hence we were taken to the 
 mouth of Ives creek, about eighteen miles below 
 York, where we put up for the night. For several 
 days past, I had been very unwell, owing to fatigue 
 and exposure to the damp night air, having lain out a 
 few nights before. I Avas taken with a violent pain in 
 my head, which lasted for nearly two hours, I then ob 
 tained a little rest, lay down in the boat, and fell asleep 
 when the crew went ashore; the officers also went off, 
 leaving me under care of the guard. Having slept for 
 some time, I awoke almost perished, and calling to the 
 guard, who had lit a fire on shore, they threw me a 
 plank, by means of which, I got out dry. Before I had 
 well warmed myself, I was taken intolerably sick, so 
 much so indeed, that I could not stand up they fur 
 nished me with a blanket, and I lay down on the beach 
 by the fire. When I woke in the morning, I was wet 
 to the skin, the blanket having absorbed all the mois 
 ture from the sand. All that day I remained very ill, 
 and upon reaching Mr. Ives , was compelled to go to 
 bed. Next morning, notwithstanding my sickness, I 
 was marched on board, but the wind being dead ahead, 
 and blowing fresh, we could not sail, and consequently 
 returned to the house. On the following day, my fe 
 ver had gained so much as to preclude all possibility of 
 my being removed, in fact, I was completely deranged. 
 In this state they made me sign a parole, and a-n article 
 binding myself to be accountable for John Hughes* 
 should he make his escape this man was a private in 
 my own company and had been made prisoner with me ; 
 they had determined to leave him to wait on me. So 
 unconscious was I, at the time I signed the paper, that I 
 knew nothing of the circumstance, until after my recove 
 ry, when I was informed of the circumstance by Major 
 Galloway. I remained in a very bad state for eight or 
 
3* 
 
 ten days, entirely given up by the medical gentleman 
 who had been appointed by government to attend me ; 
 he had informed the family that they must expect my 
 death, and so firmly were they convinced of it, that 
 they actually prepared a shroud for me, and Mr. Ives 
 was looking out a snug corner in one of his fields, in 
 which to deposit me. 
 
 Matters were in this train, when chance, or my bet 
 ter fortune brought an old Yankee Doctor, as they call 
 ed him, and who was Mr. Ives family physician, on a 
 visit to the house having seen me, and examined the 
 medicine which was administering to me, he pronoun 
 ced my case as desperate, but at the same time expres 
 sed an opinion that something might yet be done for 
 me he accordingly commenced operations by having 
 all the remaining medicines prescribed by my former 
 physician, thrown out, and ordered me a treatment di 
 rectly the reverse ; whether it was owing to this change 
 of practice, or that the crisis of the disease had arrived, 
 I am not sufficiently versed in medicine to pass opinion 
 upon, but by twelve o clock that night, I had changed 
 so much for the better, as to have recovered my rea 
 son, and from that time forward my progress to perfect 
 health was slow indeed, but sure. To the kindness of 
 a gentleman, a doctor, who resided in the neighbour 
 hood, and who, during the first stages of my illness, had 
 called once or twice to see me, and prescribed for me 
 until such time as the government doctor commenced 
 attendance, and to another, also a neighbour, and a 
 namesake, a Mr. White, I take this opportunity of pay 
 ing the tribute of my best and warmest thanks, (the 
 poor man s only guerdon) for their liberality in sup 
 plying me with clothing, acts as grateful to me, as they 
 were honorable to them. When I had recovered suf 
 ficiently well to see company, I had many visitors 
 
32 
 
 from several miles distance, who always came after 
 dark, and returned the same night ; they were very 
 anxious to know what was the intention of the United 
 States in sending troops into Canada, and if they had 
 determined upon taking it if such, they said, was our 
 intention, a powerful party in Canada might be raised 
 to assist in the undertaking, providing the United States 
 government would give assurance of the fact; but that 
 so much had they been deceived by Qen. Hull, that 
 nothing could or would be done until such time as they 
 had something satisfactory to rely upon. There were 
 an immense number of men at that time disaffected 
 with government, and had the United States deemed it 
 expedient, or possessed the means of sending a large 
 army into Canada, with the avowed purpose of freeing 
 them from British dominion, numbers would have 
 flocked to our standard, and they might with reason 
 have trembled for their possessions but to return. 
 
 About this time, a great sensation was caused by 
 the landing, during the night, of a boat, about two 
 miles below, with three or four well armed men on 
 board, who, stationing themselves on the mail road, 
 shot the horse of the mail rider, and carried off the 
 mail, no doubt with a view to obtain news of the army, 
 they also made prisoners, a colonel of militia, and his 
 son, who was also an officer in the militia. They took 
 them with the mail rider, to the beach of the lake, where 
 having stove a parcel of flour lying there, they threw 
 it into the water they then compelled the prisoners 
 to gather wood, and cook their victuals for them ; after 
 which they were paroled, and the depredators went 
 off unmolested. 
 
 The next day I had a visit from Major Rogers, who 
 seemed alarmed for my safety, and said that he had 
 expected some of my friends had been to see me, and 
 
33 
 
 had carried me off. I replied that I believed there 
 was not much danger of my escape, and that I should 
 look well into whose hands I surrendered myself a 
 prisoner again, as I had been one once too often al 
 ready. He said he would not trust me, and that as 
 soon as my health was sufficiently established to allow 
 of my removal, he would have me carried into the 
 country, so as to be at a distance from the lake. 
 
 A few days afterwards he called again, in company 
 with a physician, who having examined me, declared 
 me unfit for removal the visit was continued from 
 time to time, until the doctor at last pronounced me 
 sufficiently strong for removal. During my residence 
 with Mr. Ives, himself and family treated me with the 
 greatest hospitality had I been a relative, they could 
 not have exerted themselves more for my benefit they 
 have my highest esteem, and highly deserved recom 
 pense, which, had I the power, I would gladly make. 
 I was now removed some miles back into the country, 
 where I remained for ten or twelve days, and was then 
 put on board a boat under the care of Lieutenant Nor- 
 ris, a Canadian militia officer, who had orders from 
 Major Rogers to take me to Kingston. Rogers was 
 himself a militia officer, a devoted monarchist, and in 
 consequence of his zeal, was then, though stationed at 
 home under full pay from his government, being kept 
 there to have an eye to the inhabitants, and prevent 
 them from making their escape to the United States. 
 In many places along Lake Ontario, the inhabitants 
 had deserted their homes and farms, and made their 
 way good to the United States ; several were compelled 
 to fly to save their lives, as a single word said against 
 the government, at that time, was sufficient to hang 
 them. Those who were brought prisoners from Fort 
 George to York, at the time we were brought on there, 
 
34 
 
 on suspicion of being friendly to the American cause, 
 were, as I afterwards understood, hanged, and some 
 even without judge, jury, or the common formalities of 
 a trial. 
 
 Arrived at Kingston, I was handed over to the com 
 manding officer of that post, together with a letter of 
 recommendation from Major Rogers. As soon as he 
 had read the letter, he ordered me into close confine 
 ment. This I expected, from having a knowledge of 
 the contents of the letter, given me by an officer under 
 promise- of secrecy ; he at the same time promised me 
 his influence in obtaining my release from confine 
 ment. The letter went on to state, " that I was not a 
 commissioned officer of the United States, but had 
 headed a party of depredators, who had come into Ca 
 nada for the sole purpose of plundering the inhabi 
 tants, and therefore to show me no favors." What 
 could have been Major Rogers inducement to pen 
 such a notoriously manifest falsehood, I cannot divine* 
 unless for the mere gratification of his vile disposition, 
 and the rancorous hatred he bore to every one who 
 professed republican principles; at home he bore the 
 name of a tyrant and was generally despised. 
 
 I will relate a circumstance which will serve more 
 fully to explain his character. While recovering, and 
 before I had been able to leave my room, he came to 
 see me, and after strutting about for a considerable 
 time, gave me to understand that the United States 
 would shortly be compelled to surrender, as the British 
 troops had taken their Capitol, Washington. Mr. Ives 
 fearing the effect such information might have upon 
 me in my then reduced state, endeavored to change 
 the conversation by telling the Major how very bad I 
 had been ; he interrupted him with the remark, " Oh, 
 that makes no difference, Washington being taken by 
 
35 
 
 the British, the United States will of course become 
 subject to them, and he, (meaning myself) may as 
 well die now as at any other time, as that will be his 
 fate at all events. I was irritated, and determined that 
 he should not escape with impunity, I immediately re 
 plied that I did not believe one word of his informa 
 tion ; he retorted somewhat angrily that it was not only 
 taken, but burnt, and added, even were it not, what 
 chance had we to preserve our country, having a sea 
 coast of nearly three thousand miles, without any for 
 tification ; the United States, I replied, have the power 
 to fortify the whole line of coast ; and to his enquiry, in 
 what manner they could do it, I answered with men 
 and bayonets. I had the pleasure to see him depart in 
 no very enviable humor. 
 
 Through the influence of Lieutenant Norris, I was 
 liberated on the evening of the day I arrived at King 
 ston, in which place I remained but a few days, and 
 then not having liberty to view the navy-yard, and in 
 fact, not being suffered to leave the street in which I 
 boarded, I had no opportunity of seeing any of the cu 
 riosities of the place. Between York and Kingston, 
 although a distance of about two hundred miles, I do 
 not recollect having seen one town, either situate on, 
 or in view of the lake. 
 
 I was now put on board a boat and ordered to Mon 
 treal. After we had got some distance below Kingston, 
 perhaps seventy or eighty miles, near the seven Islands, 
 we met a fleet of boats, one hundred and ten in num 
 ber, two of which were gun boats, the rest were laden 
 with military stores, cash to pay the troops, and the 
 timbers of a vessel built in England, even to the last 
 pin, and ready to put together, to enable them to main 
 tain their superiority on lake Ontario. After the fleet 
 had passed, I intimated to the officer who command- 
 
ed the boat I was on board of, that I would be much 
 gratified if he would run his boat on the other side of 
 the St. Lawrence, which he could do with as much fa 
 cility as upon this his reply was, I understand you, sir, 
 but were the other side of the river equally near, you 
 could not make your escape, as upon the first attempt, 
 I would have you shot I bantered him by telling him, 
 that if he would agree to run his boat as near the Amer 
 ican shore as he then was to the British, I would exe 
 cute a bond for five hundred dollars, payable in ten 
 days, in any house in Boston or New York, that he 
 might mention, and he might fire all the guns on board 
 after me, and kill me if he could ; but all would not do, 
 neither bribe nor persuasion could induce him to alter 
 his course. I well knew that the guns had lain in the 
 boat until the powder was so damp that it would have 
 been next to a miracle if one amongst them would go 
 off. It was my fixed determination if I could have got 
 near enough, to have made the shore, to have jumped 
 overboard, and run all risks. Had I been then able to 
 have effected my escape, I would have pressed a horse, 
 and made the best of my way to Sackett s harbor, 
 where I would have given information of the fleet of 
 boats, as the whole of them might have been easily tak 
 en, and would have been a valuable prize. 
 
 On proceeding a little further, we saw a drove of fat 
 bullocks, consisting of one hundred head ; which I learn 
 ed, had been smuggled across, from the state of New- 
 York, at the Seven Islands. The drovers were met 
 that day by the British commissary, who paid them 
 twenty dollars per hundred, for the beef cattle, all in 
 gold. Upon their return down the river, the drovers 
 put up for the night, at the same tavern where I lodged ; 
 and, sometime after supper, I walked into the room 
 where they were seated ; there were but two of them, 
 
37 
 
 and had the gold spread on the table, in the act of di 
 viding it. I that night obtained information of their 
 real names, for they had passed by fictitious ones ; and, 
 also learned the name of the town, in which one of 
 them resided, and made a memorandum of the whole, 
 with a view to their apprehension, if I could make my 
 escape. I had also viewed them so particularly, that I 
 would have been able to recognize them any where ; but 
 fortunately for them, I was detained in imprisonment 
 until after the peace. 
 
 The conditions of my parole having been broken by 
 the enemy, by my imprisonment at Kingston, I, of 
 course, no longer felt myself in honor bound to comply 
 with them ; and had been for some time anxiously wait 
 ing an opportunity of effecting an escape. I had some 
 thoughts of making the attempt that night, on board a 
 large canoe, that lay a little way down the river from 
 where we had landed, and preparatory to my going 
 down to the boat, where my man Hughes, and another 
 young man who belonged to the boat, and who had 
 agreed to start with me if I got any chance of escape, 
 were awaiting me. 1 took an opportunity to enter into 
 conversation with one of the smugglers who was stand 
 ing by the door, and in the course of our talk enquired 
 of him about the pass of the Seven Islands, and whe 
 ther the Indians who inhabited them, were friendly 
 or hostile ; he gave me some little information and after 
 a while turned into the house. I then went down to 
 the boat and had just communicated my views to 
 my friends, when I was called to from the house by 
 Lieutenant Norris ; I immediately went up, after hav 
 ing told my men that I would be back as soon as I 
 could get away, and that we should then put out the 
 night was very dark, and had we once got under weigh, 
 it would have been a difficult matter to re-capture us. 
 
38 
 
 Upon my reaching the house imagine my disappoint 
 ment when handed into a room by the Lieutenant, 
 who locked the door as soon as we had entered, tell 
 ing me that he would keep me company, and pointing 
 to a table upon which lay his sword and pistols, gave 
 me to understand that he would kill me, if I made an 
 attempt to escape ; he afterwards informed me that one 
 of the smugglers had told him to take care of me, as I 
 would leave him to-night, and that I had been asking 
 about the passes of the Seven Islands. He then en 
 treated me not to make any attempt to leave him, for 
 if I made my escape it would ruin him, as Major Ro 
 gers had suspicions about his loyalty, and he believed 
 that I was placed under his care, merely to try his fi 
 delity. He was a clever fellow, and he and his wife 
 had treated me well, and I should have been sorry to 
 have attempted any thing which would have involved 
 him in difficulties. I therefore pledged my word that 
 I would not attempt leaving him, and, for the pre 
 sent gave up my hopes of escape ; he however remained 
 with me until morning, when we re-embarked, and 
 proceeded on our voyage. Nothing occurred worth 
 notice, until we came to what was called the , 
 
 down which, though a distance of nine miles, we pass 
 ed in the short space of fifteen minutes. I saw some 
 Canadians drawing up a boat, which appeared to be a 
 very difficult undertaking they had a long rope at 
 tached to the boat, one end of which was tugged at by 
 twenty or thirty men hence we proceeded to La 
 Chine, a distance of nine miles from Montreal, where 
 having landed, Lieutenant Norris conducted me to a 
 tavern, and left me with instructions to remain there 
 until his return. In the mean time I called for some 
 thing to drink, which I procured without difficulty. I 
 then told the landlord that I would want something to 
 
39 
 
 eat also, but I could not procure a mouthful. Upon 
 the return of the Lieutenant, I reported my bad suc 
 cess, when he applied with no better fortune. We 
 then proceeded together to all the public houses, and a 
 good many of the private ones ; nothing was to be had. 
 It was then nearly dark and raining, and we had had 
 nothing to eat since morning. He then instructed us 
 to proceed on the road to Montreal, until we could 
 procure something, and accordingly John Hughes, 
 two others who belonged to the boat, and myself put 
 forward on the road. After having travelled about 
 a mile, we came to a good looking stone house, and 
 here I repeated my call for supper, and received for 
 answer, as before, that I could not have any; they could 
 not give us what they had not themselves. The 
 rain still continued, and the darkness had considerably 
 increased ; however we dashed through the mud for 
 something like another mile, when we reached ano 
 ther tavern ; here we received the same answer as be 
 fore, and as for lodging, they could not well accom 
 modate us, but we might lie down on the bar-room floor, 
 which was covered with mud; having no alternative we 
 were obliged to accept the offer, and after awhile they 
 procured us some apples and milk, for which they 
 charged us a handsome price ; for our lodgings, how 
 ever, they charged us nothing. We set forward in the 
 morning towards Montreal, and after travelling two or 
 three miles, espied a snug little farm house at some dis 
 tance from the road ; the prospect looked cheering, and 
 we immediately struck off in its direction. The farm 
 er himself, who proved to be a countryman of our own, 
 met us at the door, invited us to walk in, and handed 
 down a decanter of old whiskey, requesting us to help 
 ourselves. When he heard how we had been treated 
 the evening before, and that we had not breakfasted, 
 
40 
 
 but would gladly do so with him, unless he should 
 plead poverty as the rest had done ; he immediately re 
 plied that he would have something prepared for us, 
 and in a few minutes we sat down to as good a break 
 fast as any man could wish for, and with stomachs well 
 prepared for wreaking ample satisfaction, to atone for 
 previous abstemiousness. Having finished breakfast, 
 we called for the bill, but our hospitable entertainer 
 absolutely refused to receive any recompense, saying 
 that he should be visited with worse times than the 
 present, before he would receive payment for so tri 
 fling a service to a fellow countryman. 
 
 Nothing deserving notice came under my observa 
 tion, until we arrived at Montreal, where as we passed 
 along the streets, the citizens crowded their doors and 
 pavements, and pointing to me, cried out, "there goes 
 
 an American officer he s a d d pretty creature, 
 
 isn t he?" I had then been a prisoner nearly three 
 months and was without hat, coat or vest. It was ex 
 ceedingly mortifying to me to be held up in my present 
 situation as a specimen of American officers, after hav 
 ing been by themselves stripped almost to a state of nu 
 dity. I was exceedingly wrath, and had my power been 
 then equal to my will, I would have taken ample ven 
 geance. 
 
 From Kingston to Montreal, along the St. Lawrence, 
 there are nine smart little villages, viz.: Prescott, 
 Youngstown, Edwardsburg, Williamsburg, Osnaburg. 
 Cromwell, Dulac, Cidris, Vaudril and La Chine. Some 
 part of the country appeared to be fertile, and there 
 were several handsome farm houses, whose exterior 
 spoke loudly for the comfort of their inhabitants. 
 
 Montreal is the capital of an island of the same name, 
 formerly called Villa Marie; it is the second place in 
 Canada for strength, buildings and extent, and besides 
 
the advantages of a better climate, for delightfulness of 
 situation, is much preferable to Quebec. It stands on 
 the side of a hill sloping to the south, with many agree 
 able villas upon it, which, with the island of St. Helen, 
 and the river, which is about two miles broad, forms a 
 most charming landscape. The city is not very broad 
 from north to south, but covers a great deal of ground 
 from east to west, and is nearly as populous as Quebec. 
 The streets are regular, forming an oblong square, 
 the houses well built, and the public edifices far ex 
 ceed those of Quebec in beauty and commodiousness ; 
 the residence of the knights hospitalers, is extremely 
 magnificent; there are several gardens within the walls, 
 particularly those of the Governor, the Sisters of the 
 Congregation, the Nunnery Hospital, the Recollects, 
 Jesuits Seminary, &c.; there are also many other gar 
 dens and plantations without the gates. The churches 
 and religious houses are of the greatest neatness and 
 simplicity. The city has seven gates, but its fortifica 
 tions are inconsiderable, being encompassed by a slight 
 wall of masonry, sufficient only to prevent a surprise 
 from the numerous tribes of Indians, with whom they 
 are surrounded, and who used to resort in large bodies, 
 to the annual fair, held here from June to the end of 
 August. On the inside of the town, is a cavalier on 
 an artificial eminence, with a parapet, and six or eight 
 guns, called the citadel. The number of inhabitants, 
 I was informed, amounted to about six thousand. The 
 neighboring shores supply them with a vast variety of 
 game in the different seasons, and the island abounds 
 with soft springs, which form many pleasant rivulets. 
 They drive a considerable trade in furs ; and the place 
 is well calculated for commerce, as vessels of two hun 
 dred tons burthen can come directly up to the city. It 
 stands one hundred and twenty miles south of Que- 
 
42 
 
 bee, and one hundred and ten north of Albany. This 
 island formerly belonged to the French, but was taken 
 by generals Amherst and Murray, on the eighth ot Sep 
 tember, one thousand seven hundred and sixty. By 
 the capitulation, all the French forces were sent to old 
 France, and thus it became subject to the crown of 
 Great-Britain ; it was afterwards confirmed to them by 
 the peace of one thousand seven hundred and sixty- 
 three. 
 
 After I had been in Montreal a few days, I was giv 
 en to understand, that a number of American officers 
 had been paroled home from this place, and made ap 
 plication to the provost major for a parole to go home ; 
 he would apply to the governor, he said, and if I would 
 call at his office in a day or two, he would inform me of 
 the result. After repeated calls on my part, he en 
 quired upon what terms I expected to be paroled. I 
 told him I would agree not to lift arms, until legally 
 exchanged. He then asked me if I would agree not 
 to lift arms during the war ? I replied that it was not 
 fair to ask me to agree to such terms, and that at all 
 events, I could not, nor would not accept of a parole, 
 badly as I liked being a prisoner, upon any such terms. 
 He then informed me that I would not be paroled on 
 any other terms ; and so finished the discussion. 
 
 A short time afterwards, a chance of escape was of 
 fered me by a friend, who promised to procure me a 
 pass, provided I would change my name, and enter 
 with him as a boatman. When I reached the narrows, 
 I could take a canoe and paddle across to the Ameri 
 can shore, as he was going up the river with liquor to 
 the British army. This I declined, not liking the idea 
 of changing my name ; and it was absolutely necessary 
 for any one who attempted to travel in that country 
 then, to have a pass, as to be found without one, sub- 
 
43 
 
 jected the person to instant arrest, and of course I 
 could not apply for one in my own name, consequent 
 ly could not avail myself of the opportunity. 
 
 While killing time one day in a tavern at Montreal, 
 a deserter from the American army came in, who had a 
 great deal to say about the Americans. To the ques 
 tion of why he deserted, he replied that it was entirely 
 in consequence of the bad treatment he received from 
 his officers. We had some warm words, and I caution 
 ed him to be careful, now that winter was coming on, 
 in case he could not get work to support himself, which 
 it was more than probable would prove the case, not to 
 turn his hand to stealing, as a comrade of his had been 
 hanged but a few days before for an offence of the 
 kind ; and it was, I thought, a most excellent plan 
 adopted by the British, to get rid of such rubbish, as no 
 man can place confidence in. It may well be supposed 
 that he did not wait to hear any more. 
 
 About this time a man who resided a few miles from 
 town came and told me that if I would give him one 
 hundred dollars, he would deliver me safe in the United 
 States, in the course of one night. Soon after, a 
 gentleman, a resident of Montreal, told me, that if I 
 would disguise myself by putting on a good suit of 
 clothes, he would give me a seat in his calash, procure 
 a pass for me, and carry me in part of a day to where I 
 might conveniently cross in a canoe. Both these of 
 fers required money, and I postponed answering for a 
 clay or two, hoping that I might be able to raise the 
 money by some exertion. Accordingly I enquired 
 of my landlord, he being an American, whether he 
 could inform me of any means of procuring fifty or one 
 hundred dollars on loan ; he recommended me to a mer 
 cantile house, which he told me, was immensely rich, 
 and American ; the name of the firm was " Ballas and 
 
44 
 
 Gaits," they had made a splendid fortune by smuggling 
 business, carried on between them and some of the 
 merchants of New-York and Boston, who exchanged 
 flour, etc., for dry goods; if I would apply to them, he 
 thought there would be no doubt of my success. In 
 pursuance, therefore, of this advice, I immediately wait 
 ed upon Mr. Gaits, and after stating my situation to him, 
 told him I had been recommended to apply to his 
 house for the loan of from fifty to one hundred dollars, 
 and that I would pay the amount with any per centage 
 he might demand, to any house in New-York or Boston, 
 in ten days after I should have arrived in the United 
 States. He then enquired if I had made my case 
 known to the British officers, and upon my replying 
 that they were well acquainted with all the circum 
 stances of my situation, remarked that if the gentlemen 
 of the place were made acquainted with my wants, the 
 sum would easily be raised. I told him that although 
 reduced by misfortune to the disagreeable necessity of 
 applying to a stranger, and I expected a gentleman, for 
 a loan of money, I was not yet reduced to beggary, 
 and left him. 
 
 About this time Cornet Gillas was brought on, and 
 left at the same house with me ; he was a spirited, 
 and had been a very stout young man, but was now 
 much disabled, by rheumatic pains, which I believe he 
 never got entirely rid of. Having been irritated while 
 at Fort George, by being put into the guard-house, 
 among several refractory soldiers, he had commenced 
 beating them with a leg of a bench, which he had bro 
 ken off, and before the guard alarmed by the cries of 
 " murder" had time to come to their assistance, he had 
 knocked down three or four. For this, he was taken 
 and stretched on a log, sunk level with the ground, 
 where he was tightly fastened down with ropes, and 
 
45 
 
 kept in that position for several days. It was here he 
 had taken the rheumatic pains, under which he was 
 suffering. 
 
 A company of merchants, five in number, from Long 
 Point, and who had come to Montreal to lay in goods, 
 put up at the tavern where I lodged, and sent me an 
 invitation to come to their room after supper, and 
 drink some wine with them. They were very sociable, 
 and made a good many inquiries relative to my impris 
 onment and subsequent treatment. I gratified them 
 in every particular. Next morning, I was speaking to 
 one of their boatman, who was going to get his watch 
 repaired, and I asked him to show it to me, and to my 
 astonishment he drew out my own watch. It had a 
 compass on the face of it, and the needle being loose, 
 I asked him if he could fasten it, and upon his answer 
 ing that he could not, I told him to hand it to me, and 
 I would fasten it for him ; when he was in the act of 
 reaching it to me, I remarked, that I had carried that 
 watch a much longer time than he, and that it was the 
 very one which had been taken from me by the Indians, 
 when I was made prisoner; he immediately drew back 
 his hand, when I told him not to be alarmed, as I had 
 no notion of laying claim to it, as I supposed he came 
 honestly by it. He then handed it to me, when I put 
 in the needle, I showed him the spring which fastened 
 it, and returned it to him, saying, that if I had money 
 I would buy it of him, as it was a favorite watch, and 
 had been the gift of a brother, now dead ; but, that as 
 my means had been taken, as w r ell as my watch, I had 
 no means of gratifying myself, by its recovery. The 
 same evening, however, the merchants again sent for 
 me to their room, and after some conversation, and 
 drinking a few glasses of wine, one of them drew out 
 my watch, and presented it to me, saying, he hoped I 
 
4 6 
 
 would receive it as a mark of their friendship, and that 
 they felt very happy in being able to restore it to me. 
 They had each subscribed five dollars. I feel sorry that 
 I cannot recollect the names of men who acted so very 
 generously. 
 
 Next morning Gillas and I were ordered to repair to 
 the wharf, there to go aboard a vessel bound for Que 
 bec; previous to going on board, I called to bid Mrs. 
 Norris farewell ; she inquired if T had any money to 
 purchase necessaries for the voyage, and upon my 
 replying that I had not, presented me with four dollars, 
 which she insisted upon my taking, regretting, at the 
 same time, the absence of her husband, which disabled 
 her from giving me a much larger sum. We repaired, 
 according to orders, to the wharf, and went aboard of a 
 merchant vessel. I regret very much that the loss of 
 detached parts of my manuscript, has put it out of my 
 power in several instances to mention the names of 
 persons from whom I had received kindnesses; the 
 captain of the vessel which conveyed us to Quebec, is 
 amongst the number of those, whose names it would 
 have afforded me pleasure to record ; he was in every 
 sense of the word, a gentleman. He conducted us to 
 his cabin, and opened for us his library, assuring us if 
 we could find any thing in it to divert ourselves, we 
 were perfectly welcome to its use. When dinner time 
 came he sent for us to dine with him, and continued 
 to entertain us at his own table all the time we were 
 aboard; dinner over, he brought in brandy and wine, 
 requesting us to make choice and help ourselves. In 
 the evening, after supper, we had our wine arid a pack 
 of cards for our amusement, when he would himself 
 take a hand. This, as the saying is, was too good to 
 last long, and in three days we reached Quebec, a 
 large and handsome town, and the capital of Canada. 
 
47 
 
 The first place taken notice of upon landing here, is a 
 square of an irregular figure, with well built houses 
 on each side, on the back of which is a rock ; on the 
 left it is bounded by a small church, and on the right 
 are two rows of handsome, and apparently convenient 
 houses, built parallel to each other. There is another 
 row between the church and the harbor, and another 
 and a large one on the side of the bay. This is a kind 
 of suburb ; between this and the great street is a very 
 steep ascent, with steps for foot passengers. This is 
 what is called the Upper Town ; the city being divided 
 into an Upper and Lower Town. In the upper is sit 
 uated the Bishop s palace, a very elegant and splendid 
 building, and between two large squares is a fort, where 
 the Governor lodges. The Recolects, a sort of Francis 
 can friars, have handsome houses over against it. On 
 the right of the Cathedral, and directly facing it, stands 
 the ci-devant Jesuits college. In a direct line from 
 the fort, and parallel to each other, run two streets 
 which are crossed by a third, and between these and 
 the Governor s house are situate a church and a con 
 vent. The houses are mostly built of stone, and the 
 number of inhabitants amounted, I was informed, to 
 about seven thousand. The fort is also a handsome 
 building. Quebec is situated at the confluence of the 
 rivers St. Lawrence and St. Charles. The river, 
 which from the sea hither, is about four or five leagues 
 broad, narrows all of a sudden to the breadth of a mile. 
 The harbor is safe and commodious, and the water is 
 about five fathoms deep. 
 
 Quebec is not regularly fortified, but it cannot be 
 easily taken, for the harbor is flanked with two bastions, 
 which at high tides are almost level with the water. 
 In the year seventeen hundred and eleven, the Bri 
 tish fitted out a fleet, with a design to conquer Can- 
 
4 8 
 
 ada, which failed, in consequence of the Admiral rash 
 ly following his own opinion, although in direct contra 
 diction to the advice of his pilot, in sailing too close to 
 the " Seven Isles," by which piece of imprudence he 
 lost his largest ships, and upwards of three thousand 
 of his best soldiers. On the eighteenth of October, 
 seventeen hundred and fifty-nine, it was taken however, 
 by the British, under the command of General Wolfe, 
 who fell in the battle, after he had the satisfaction of 
 knowing that his troops were victorious. 
 
 In December, seventeen hundred and seventy-five 
 it was attacked by the Americans, under General 
 Montgomery, who was killed, and his army repulsed. 
 Quebec lies three hundred and twelve miles from the 
 sea coast, and five hundred and ninety northwest of 
 Boston. 
 
 Having arrived here we were paroled to Beaufort, 
 a village at the distance of about three miles, where we 
 were ordered to proceed immediately. We got into 
 a calash or sort of gig, which carried us there in a short 
 time, for which conveyance we were charged two 
 dollars each. Here we fell into company with a num 
 ber of paroled officers, and here I again came into 
 company with my old friends and companions, Major 
 Galloway and Captain Roberts from Cumberland coun 
 ty, the latter of whom had been made prisoner at the 
 battle of Bridgewater, on the twenty-fifth of July eigh 
 teen hundred and fourteen. 
 
 Here also we met with Major Wilson, Major Stau- 
 ton, Col. Churchill, and several other officers from the 
 state of New-York. The hostages who had been kept 
 in Quebec prison for several months, were also at this 
 place under parole. 
 
 The officers whose names I have above mentioned, 
 had been marched to this place over land, under guard, 
 
49 
 
 and had been, during their march, treated by the guard 
 with the utmost contempt. When in their passage 
 along the roads, they came in contact with a mud hole, 
 although there might be plenty of room to pass round, 
 they were compelled to walk through it, at the point of 
 the bayonet. In many places they were almost knee 
 deep in mud. 
 
 During the whole of the war, the treatment receiv 
 ed by the American prisoners, was cruelly mortify 
 ing to them, and deeply degrading to the captors. That 
 of an officer belonging to the New-York militia, who 
 had been wounded and made prisoner, was shameful in 
 the extreme : He had been shot through his shoulder, 
 and had his collar-bone broken, so that he could not 
 raise his arm, and it was put into a sling by some of 
 his companions. He was dragged all the way to Mon 
 treal without having had his wound dressed, and even 
 in his bloody clothes, a distance of at least fifty miles, 
 where it was dressed; but assistance so long neglected 
 came too late, and the unfortunate man died at Beau 
 fort, totally neglected. I never felt more pity for suf 
 fering humanity, than this poor fellow s case excited. 
 Death is at all times a scene of sorrow, even when ac 
 companied by every thing calculated to soothe the mind, 
 and relieve the anxiety of the sufferer ; how much more 
 distressing, therefore, must have been the situation of a 
 man dying far from home, in the midst of his enemies, 
 and under the most mortifying treatment, with his 
 thoughts resting on his family, who would be left to la 
 ment his loss ? 
 
 I will mention another instance of unfeeling treat 
 ment, towards a private soldier ; a musket ball had brok 
 en his leg, and in the absence of all other care or at 
 tendance, his companions had splintered it up as well 
 as they knew how, and it was beginning to heal. On his 
 
50 
 
 way to La Chine, where he was taken by water, he was 
 rudely thrown from the boat by a British soldier, be 
 cause he did not move as fast as those who were well, 
 and his leg was again broken. He was then hauled in 
 a cart, into which he was brutally tumbled, to Montreal, 
 in a state of extreme suffering. 
 
 At Beaufort the officers formed themselves into mess 
 es, and rented a room or two, as the mess was larger 
 or smaller. Major Galloway, Stanton, myself and some 
 others, whose names I do not recollect, belonged to 
 Col. Churchill s mess. The Colonel and Major Gal 
 loway had each a man to wait on them, who cooked for 
 us. We paid three dollars a week for the room, and 
 the privilege of cooking at the kitchen fire ; a cart load 
 of wood cost two dollars, a turkey one dollar, a chicken 
 twenty-five cents, and beef was twenty cents a pound, 
 and by marketing for ourselves, and messing together 
 we fared better and at less cost, than if we were at a 
 boarding house. Capt. Roberts boarded at the only 
 tavern in the place, and from their manner of cooking, 
 which I witnessed one day, I had no desire whatever, 
 to belong to his company. Eels they kept barrelled 
 up as herrings are, and they cook them in a different 
 manner from what I had ever seen before, which is 
 called the French method. The landlady, whom I saw 
 dress them, took a large one out of the barrel, it was 
 just as it had been caught, except that it had been in 
 pickle, and having twisted it around in the form of a 
 ring, tied it in that shape with a piece of thread, when 
 opening the bar-room stove door she hung it on a hook 
 placed inside of the stove, and closing the door left it 
 there. After a while she came back with a plate in her 
 hand, and with a tongs removed the eel, and put it on 
 the plate, when it was conveyed to the table, and the 
 guests commenced carving and helping themselves. 
 
Those who disliked eating the skin, might leave it with 
 the intestines on the plates. 
 
 We had the privilege of walking as far as the bridge 
 over the river Montmorency, near which is a beautiful 
 waterfall, formed by the waters of the Montmorency, 
 pouring over steep rocks, and falling with a tremendous 
 noise, into the St. Lawrence, from a distance of from 
 one to two hundred feet. 
 
 Major Vandewenter, from Philadelphia, one of the 
 hostages, who had been confined in Quebec Jail, \vas 
 at that time permitted by the British to act as Ameri 
 can agent, the former agent having been sent home 
 some time previous. In making out his requisition 
 to pay for cloathing, c., he so managed as to have 
 such an overplus, as enabled him to give each of us two 
 months pay, with which I purchased cloathing. 
 
 The houses here are principally of stone, two stories 
 high, with very steep roofs; they are built in this man 
 ner to facilitate the falling off of the snow, in the win 
 ter, which would otherwise injure the roof, as it lies in 
 that season, to the depth of from six to seven feet. The 
 quality of the land, about Beaufort, appears to be 
 good, principally lime stone ; the farms are narrow, run 
 ning in one direction, to the base of a large mountain, 
 and in the other to the water s edge. The people 
 here are excessively fond of onions, you will hardly 
 find a family, who will not lay up for winter use, from 
 fifty to a hundred bushels. They seem to live very 
 poorly, not being able to buy beef on account of its 
 very high price. 
 
 1 had been here between three and four weeks, when 
 one evening a British officer came in and told us we 
 must make preparations to go on board of a vessel then 
 in harbor and bound for Halifax, on the following even 
 ing. We enquired if it would be necessary for us to 
 
52 
 
 purchase sea stores, and were told that it would be en 
 tirely unnecssary, as we should fare as well as the Ad 
 miral. We accordingly went aboard without making 
 any preparations, and were put in possession of a large 
 cabin. The weather was very cold, and it blew quite 
 a gale. That evening the Captain went ashore, and 
 Captain Hunt, from the state of New York, who had 
 previously managed to engage a Frenchman, to pilot 
 him across the country to the United States, in case he 
 should be able to make his escape, commenced prepa 
 rations ; the better to assisst, the Frenchman had hired 
 himself on board in capacity of a waiter; they got out 
 of the cabin window into the boat which lay astern, but 
 to their mortification, found there were no oars ; these, 
 after considerable manoeuvering we managed to convey 
 from deck into the cabin, one party keeping the guard 
 busy in conversation ; from the cabin they were handed 
 to the boat, and having muffled the oars, and being 
 joined by four others, the painter was cut, and not 
 withstanding there were fifty sail of vessels in the har 
 bor, each one having a lanthorn mounted, and two 
 guards patrolling the deck, they effected their escape, 
 and got safe to land. There still remained on board 
 the vessel, seventeen of our number, so that those who 
 made their escape were not missed until the following 
 morning at nine o clock, when the Captain came 
 aboard and had the roll called. We were told to pre 
 pare to leave the cabin in an hour, and that w r e should 
 in future take up our quarters in the hold ; when we 
 urged that it was rather a hard case to punish us, for 
 the offences of others, our captain told us that he was 
 very well aware that they could not have got away 
 without our assistance. We then stated that it seem 
 ed rather like punishing us for not having availed our 
 selves of the opportunity presented us, as the boat was 
 
S3 
 
 sufficiently large to hold us all the only reply he con 
 descended to make us, was, that he would let us know 
 that we had our eldest " brudder" aboard, and that he 
 would take care of us he was a Scotchman by the 
 name of Snowden. When the hour given us for pre 
 paration had expired, we were marched into the hold, 
 where we were kept for twenty-one days, three days 
 and nights of which we had nothing to eat, and when 
 at length they did furnish us \vith provisions, they were 
 of such a quality as an American dog would not eat, 
 without the necessary stimulus of starvation they con 
 sisted of old sea bread or biscuit, which, for any thing I 
 know, was twenty years old, at all events, it was so 
 completely eaten up by the worms, all that the worms 
 could penetrate, the outside part being only left, and 
 that was so hard that it would require a hammer to 
 break it. Bad as it was we were not furnished with 
 more than one fourth of a common soldier s allowance. 
 This was shovelled up into a sack and with a bone of 
 beef thrown into the hold as if to so many dogs. We 
 cut the meat and broke the bread into small pieces, and 
 boiled all together, making a kind of soup called lob- 
 scouse ; while it was in preparation, we had made each 
 of us a spoon, and this done, it was poured out upon a 
 large wooden dish, and standing round, we played 
 away, until the hollow rattle of our spoons upon the 
 dish reminded us that it was empty. We fared twice 
 a day in this sumptuous manner. The water too 
 which they gave us to drink was most dreadful stuff; no 
 human being could drink it without holding his nose, 
 the stench was so great. In the evening, our waiter 
 had the good fortune to procure us a bucket of water, 
 which was divided amongst us as though it was a lux 
 ury, and indeed to our tasting, it was delicious. 
 
 When we came to a place called "Ship Harbour," 
 
54 
 
 the vessels were obliged to lie to for a couple of days, 
 in consequence of bad weather. We had a very hea 
 vy sea, and the winds were very rough, and previous to 
 our reaching Ship Harbour, had lost one of the vessels 
 belonging to the fleet, which I believe was never heard 
 of. It must have gone down, as a few days afterwards, 
 the bodies of some of the crew were picked up on 
 shore, where they had been cast, and were recognized 
 by the device and number on their buttons. Fortu 
 nately there were no Americans on board of her. Here 
 we were transferred to another vessel, bound to Eng 
 land ; after we had been put on board, we were order 
 ed to go below among the sick and invalids they were 
 then dying fast, and they were every day throwing 
 them overboard ; the place too, was very filthy, and full 
 of vermin. We refused to go down, and remained on 
 deck the whole day, which was bitterly cold, and the 
 wind very high. We then petitioned the Admiral for 
 better quarters, than those assigned to us, and declar 
 ed in the strongest terms that we would otherwise re 
 main on deck until we perished, and we walked the 
 deck from early in the morning until dark, when one 
 of the army officers invited us into their cabin, where 
 they had something prepared for us to eat, which was 
 the first meal we had eaten since we had had our lob- 
 scouse the day previous. 
 
 Next morning we were ordered back on board of the 
 vessel we had left, and taking advantage of the oppor 
 tunity offered us by the sailors, some of whom were go 
 ing ashore, we gave them some money, to purchase for 
 us something to eat. When they returned they brought 
 us a bag of potatoes and some fresh cat-fish, of which 
 we soon cooked a mess, and 1 thought it was the best 
 meal I had ever eaten. After the storm had some 
 what abated we again set sail for Halifax. 
 
55 
 
 The fleet that went down with us, consisted of twen 
 ty sail, two of which were seventy-fours ; after we had 
 been several days in the hold, the stove was hoisted up 
 on deck, and we were compelled to do without fire for 
 the balance of the passage. Orders had been issued 
 that the lights should be extinguished at eight o clock, 
 and that the fire in the stove should be drowned out 
 at nine o clock. In consequence of neglect in this last 
 particular, we suffered this severe privation. The wea 
 ther was extremely cold, and the ropes were all hang 
 ing with ice, besides we could not induce the Captain 
 to sell us any provisions. I offered the cabin boy one 
 dollar for a pint of beef soup, but he refused, saying, 
 that if he gave it, he would get the rope s end he sold 
 us rum, however, at one dollar per bottle, and it will 
 be readily perceived that we paid our devotions pretty 
 regularly to the bottle, when I state that during the 
 passage we paid him for rum alone, upwards of two 
 hundred dollars. We could not have lived without it, 
 and were forced to " keep our spirits up by pouring spir 
 its down." If our Captain were tired of us, before he 
 took away the stove, we now gave him double cause to 
 be so, as we kept up a continual singing, and noise un 
 til ten and eleven o clock, every night, and very often 
 to a much later hour. He at length became afraid of 
 us, and had his guard doubled, by application to some 
 of the other vessels. He afterwards made another ap 
 plication, and recovered his temper, when strengthen 
 ed by a couple of army officers. Alarmed as he was, 
 he w r ould have been much more so, had he known that 
 we had actually agreed to take the vessel as soon as 
 we got out of the St. Lawrence, and had sea-room. 
 Our plan was to be put in operation in the night, but 
 unfortunately for us we got into the ocean early in the 
 day, and by night we were inside of the Halifax coast- 
 
56 
 
 ers. We had two midshipmen and one lieutenant of 
 our navy on board, and had so far succeded as to have 
 made a passage, by which we could at pleasure enter the 
 apartment where the guard slept, and their arms being 
 stacked on the floor, could have seized them when we 
 pleased. Two of the stoutest of us were to go on 
 deck, but two being allowed up at a time, and the stairs 
 of the hatches were to be filled with men, ready to rush 
 up as soon as they should have seized the guard some 
 were to fasten down the hatches on the sailors, and 
 others to take care of the cabin and the officers. We 
 would then have compelled the sailors to work the ves 
 sel into New-York, but when night came on, our lieu 
 tenant discouraged the whole undertaking by inform 
 ing us that we were then inside of the Halifax coasters, 
 and that should we be so fortunate as to escape from 
 the fleet, we would be re-taken by them, and if so, it 
 was as likely as not, we should all be hung to the yard 
 arms, without further comment. Having no particu 
 lar propensity for swinging, we abandoned the project, 
 and landed on the following day at Halifax. 
 
 We were marched up the street, under guard like a 
 parcel of felons, to the office of the Provost Major, 
 where we received paroles to Prescott, a village across 
 the bay from Halifax, and were marched back in the 
 same order to the boat ; cheered as we went along by 
 the expression of sympathy, from the by-standers ah ! 
 poor devils ! exclaimed a poor old Irish woman ; in the 
 fulness of her heart and the roughness of her phraseo 
 logy, she expressed her pity for our desolate situation, 
 and I have no doubt she felt for us from her soul, for 
 her manner indicated sincerity and her eye glistened 
 with a tear. We were put on board with our little 
 store of baggage, and in the morning landed at Pres 
 cott, our place of parole. 
 
57 
 
 About the time, I went on shore I was taken very ill, 
 indeed I had been in a very weak state of health, ever 
 since I had had the fever, and my treatment from that 
 time was not such as to strengthen or improve it. I 
 remained unwell for several days, and wrote to Halifax 
 for medical aid, asking- even as a favor, to go to the 
 hospital, and received neither medical assistance, nor 
 answer of any kind. I took a fancy to a drink of cider, 
 and accordingly went to a tavern, where I got some 
 very good ; it appeared to do me good, and I continued 
 the operation, and recovered, without other medicine. 
 
 Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia, and was found 
 ed in the year seventeen hundred and forty-nine with a 
 view to secure the British settlements from the French 
 and Indians. It was divided into thirty-five squares, 
 each containing sixteen lots of forty by sixty feet. 
 They have one established church, and one meeting 
 house. The city is surrounded by picketings, and 
 guarded by forts on the outside, and has since been ve 
 ry strongly fortified. Along the Chebucto, south of 
 the town, are buildings and fish flakes, for a distance 
 of at least two miles, if not more, and on the north of 
 the river they extend for a mile and upwards. The plan 
 was originally contrived, and afterwards considerably 
 improved by the Earl of Halifax. In March of the 
 year seventeen hundred and forty-nine, was first issued 
 the proclamation for the establishment of this settle 
 ment, and so favorable were the terms offered to set 
 tlers, and so strong the desire of emigration amongst 
 the people, that but two months afterwards, that is to 
 say, in the month of May, persons had offered them 
 selves, to the number of three thousand seven hundred 
 and fifty. They accordingly embarked, and after a 
 prosperous voyage, established themselves in the bay 
 
58 
 
 of Chebucto, where they founded their city, calling it 
 Halifax, in honor of their patron. 
 
 So actively and with such spirit did they enter into 
 operations, that before the end of October three hun 
 dred comfortable wooden, houses were built, and as ma 
 ny more during the winter. The British government, 
 too, evinced great liberality in the manner, in which 
 for six successive years, they granted them large sup 
 plies of money, for instance, in the year seventeen hun 
 dred and forty-nine, they voted them 4o,ooo/ for their 
 expences ; in seventeen hundred and fifty they granted 
 them 757,582 17^ yi 1-4; in seventeen hundred and 
 fifty-one, 753,927 14^ 4^7; in seventeen hundred and 
 fifty-two, a sum of 761,492 19^ ^d 1-4; in seventeen 
 hundred and fifty-three, 794,615 125 4^7; in seventeen 
 hundred and fifty-four, 755,447 2s ; and in seventeen 
 hundred and fifty-five, 749,418 js 8^7. This city has 
 at length attained a degree of splendor, that bids fair 
 to rival the first cities in the United States, for which 
 it has been equally indebted to the late war, to the 
 great increase of population from the influx of exiled 
 loyalists, and to the fostering care of Great-Britain. 
 The harbour is perfectly sheltered from all winds, be 
 ing at the distance of twelve miles from the sea, and 
 is so spacious that one thousand ships may ride in 
 it without the least danger. Upon it are many com 
 modious wharves which have from twelve to eighteen 
 feet of water at all tides ; the streets are regularly laid 
 out, and cross each other at right angles, the whole ris 
 ing gradually upon the side of a hill, whose top is regu 
 larly and very strongly fortified. Many considerable 
 rnerchants reside in this place, and are possessed of 
 shipping to the amount of several thousand tons, em 
 ployed in a flourishing trade with Europe, and the 
 West Indies. There is a small, but excellent careen- 
 
59 
 
 ing yard for ships of the royal navy, that may come in 
 to refit, and take water, fuel, or provisions on board, in 
 their passage to, and from the West Indies. It is well 
 provided with naval stores; and ships of the line are 
 hove down and repaired with the greatest ease and 
 safety. Several batteries of heavy cannon, command 
 the harbour, particularly, those upon George s island, 
 which being very steep and high, and situated in mid 
 channel, is well calculated to annoy vessels, in any direc 
 tion. Above the careening yard, which is at the upper 
 end of the town, there is a large basin, or piece of wa 
 ter, communicating with the harbor below, is nearly 
 twenty miles in circumference, and capable of contain 
 ing the whole navy of England ; it is entirely sheltered 
 from all winds, and has but one narrow entrance, which 
 leads into the harbor. There are many detached set 
 tlements, formed by the loyalists, along the basin ; the 
 lands at a small distance from the water, being general 
 ly supposed to be better than those near Halifax. An 
 elegant building is erected near the town, for the con 
 valescence of the navy ; but the healthiness of the cli 
 mate has, as yet, prevented many persons from be 
 coming patients; scarcely any ships in the world, being 
 so free from complaints of every kind in regard to 
 health, as those that are employed upon this station. 
 There is a good light-house, standing upon a small ele 
 vation, just off the entrance of the harbor, which is 
 visible, either by night or day, from a distance of six or 
 seven leagues. Halifax is seven hundred and eighty- 
 nine miles north-east of New-York. In winter, the cli 
 mate is very severe, and much addicted to fogs but to 
 return to our narrative. 
 
 We remained in this place until after the declara 
 tion of peace, and boarded during the time we remain 
 ed, at the different taverns, at an expence of from five 
 
6o 
 
 to seven dollars a week. Our fare, too, was very poor; 
 breakfast consisted of bread and butter with some 
 roasted herrings, and water, colored with coffee; for 
 dinner they gave us generally a leg of mutton stuffed, 
 and roasted, and plum-pudding sometimes they would 
 regale us with a roasted goose, but on Fridays we re 
 gularly sat down to codfish and potatoes; our suppers 
 were light, consisting of bread slightly marked with 
 butter, and a cup of tea, no doubt, through fear of in 
 juring our digestion. The naval officers were paroled 
 to a small village some miles distant, as they did not 
 like to have them so near the water. 
 
 In some parts of Upper Canada, through which I pass 
 ed, the people did not appear to pay the least respect 
 to the Sabbath day. I have frequently seen women 
 churning butter and baking bread, and men chopping 
 wood, and attending to divers other employments, the 
 same as on week-days. They have a substitute for 
 coffee, of which it has fallen to my lot, more than once 
 to partake, viz.: dry crusts of bread put on the fire and 
 burnt black, then pounded fine, and boiling water be 
 ing poured upon it, it is suffered to rest for a while 
 when it is pronounced fit for use. Provisions of all 
 sorts were very scarce and dear. In the markets of 
 Halifax, beef was upwards of twenty cents a pound, 
 turkey was fifty cents per lb., wheaten meal, though sour, 
 was twenty-four dollars per barrel, and I saw them 
 manufacturing flour in a mill near Halifax, that was so 
 much spoiled, and so firmly cemented together, that 
 they had to dig it out of the barrel with a heavy spade, 
 it was then placed under a sort of pounder, and after it 
 had been pounded and bolted, through a cross-bolt, 
 the lumps were collected, and after having undergone 
 a repitition of the process, the whole was mixed with 
 fresh wheat, and re-bolted, until made fine enough to 
 
6i 
 
 pass through, when it was packed and sent to market. 
 Major Galloway and I paid two dollars, at a tavern in 
 Halifax, ior a couple of glasses of brandy each, and 
 some oysters, which were so bad, we were forced to 
 leave them untouched. 
 
 There were but few men in the village in which we 
 were paroled, some followed, fishing, some the sea, and 
 others the army. The soil of the country around ap 
 peared to be very poor, the country abounded with 
 small lakes ; the timber was principally scrubby white 
 pine, not growing thicker than from six to twelve inch 
 es in circumference. This was the wood used for fir 
 ing by the inhabitants, each of whom cut and hauled as 
 much as he pleased without interruption. The corn 
 stalks which I saw in some gardens, and this was the only 
 place in which I saw any, were no larger than a person s 
 finger. 
 
 About this time the news of the defeat -of the British 
 before New-Orleans, reached HalifaXfand disappoint 
 ment and chagrin were depicted in the countenance- 
 of every individual, with the exception of the Ameris 
 can prisoners, whose joy was almost without bounds. 
 The merchants who had been speculating, and many 
 of them had embarked largely in purchasing the sol 
 diers rights of plunder at New-Orleans, of cotton, su 
 gar, tobacco, &c., were actually thunderstruck. Many 
 of them upon hearing the news, collected all the cash 
 they could lay their hands upon, and disposed of as 
 much merchandise as possible, and cleared out, well 
 knowing that they had not the slightest chance of any 
 thing but absolute poverty, if they remained. Every 
 day while I remained there, I witnessed sales of their 
 goods at auction in the streets. 
 
 When the news of the victory reached us at Pres- 
 cott, the officers assembled at what was called "Jack- 
 
62 
 
 sons Tavern" where Major Galloway, Captain Crown- 
 inshield, myself, and several others boarded, and spent 
 the afternoon in jollity and mirth. " Hail Columbia," 
 I suppose was never sung with more heart-felt grati 
 tude, than we sang it that afternoon ; joining hands, form 
 ing a circle and walking round, we sang with all our 
 force, disregardful entirely of consequences ; but we 
 were permitted to enjoy ourselves without molestation, 
 as there was not a British officer or soldier then resi 
 dent in the village. Captain Crowninshield had been 
 detained in imprisonment for something like a year af 
 ter he had been legally exchanged ; immediately after 
 the news of peace had reached them, Captain Cushet, 
 the provost Major, sent a line to him, with directions 
 to have his baggage put on board of a certain vessel 
 then lying in the harbor, bound for the United States, 
 and then to repair to his office in Halifax ; the Captain 
 did so, and on appearing in the office, the Major asked 
 him if he did not feel rejoiced at the prospect of return 
 ing to his family. Crowninshield replied that he did ; 
 but added at the same time, " without considering my 
 self at all indebted to you, Captain Cushet." Cushet 
 answered, that thanks were not only due to himself but 
 to several others, gentlemen resident in Halifax, who 
 had interested themselves considerably, to procure his 
 liberation to this our friend replied, that these of his 
 friends in Halifax, who had interested themselves for 
 him, he did indeed feel deeply indebted, but to Cap 
 tain Cushet he again asserted he did not conceive him 
 self at all indebted, as he had it in his power to prove 
 without leaving the city, in black and white, that it was 
 through his means alone he had been so long illegally 
 detained in captivity; and he had yet to learn that cru 
 elty and injustice had power to bind the object upon 
 whom they had been practised, to feelings of regard or 
 
63 
 
 consideration for his oppressor. This charge was de 
 nied most positively and as positively and firmly repeat 
 ed, when at length, Cushet completely losing all com 
 mand of his temper, the following dialogue ensued : 
 "You shall not go home even now, sir." "Thank you, 
 sir." " Go on board and remove your baggage, and re 
 turn to your place of parole." " Thank you, sir." "I 
 will send you to Mellville prison, sir." "Thank you, 
 sir." "Begone out of my office, sir." "Thank you, 
 sir." Captain Crowninshield then left the office and 
 related the circumstance at dinner, when he was warm 
 ly greeted by all for his firmness, and they actually car 
 ried him on their shoulders round the room. He then 
 called for wine, to treat his fellow officers of whom there 
 were about a dozen, then in the house ; we devoted our 
 selves to merriment and had a jovial time of it; several 
 other paroled American officers gathered in, and before 
 we had retired to rest ourselves, we had consigned to 
 rest upwards of forty bottles of good wine, thus cele 
 brating our country s glory, and our enemies disgrace, 
 under their very noses. The next morning the Cap 
 tain made it known that he expected a guard to be 
 sent to conduct him to Melville prison ; several of the 
 officers, unknown to him, met together and formed a 
 resolution to attempt his rescue, and if possible prevent 
 his going to jail ; he however came to the knowledge of 
 the matter by some means, and begged of them to de 
 sist from their purpose, as it was impossibe to prevent 
 his going to jail in an enemy s country ; that they would 
 only risk their own lives, without doing him any service ; 
 I saw him plead with them, with tears in his eyes, so over 
 come was he by his feelings, before he could persuade 
 them to give up their project he, however, at length 
 succeeded ; he was so universal a favorite amongst the 
 officers, that I firmly believe, had they after reflection, 
 
64 
 
 found the undertaking feasible, they would never have 
 consented to abandon the enterprise. 
 
 Captain C. was from Salem, in the state of Massachu 
 setts ; he had formerly been the captain of a vessel, which 
 occupation he had followed for nearly twenty years ; 
 and was well acquainted with the merchants of Halifax. 
 For some time previous to the war, he had not gone to 
 sea, and would not have again resumed the service, had 
 he not had two vessels laden with goods, captured and 
 run into British ports, where they were condemned un 
 der pretence of having smuggled goods aboard. One 
 of the vessels thus captured had a cargo of West In 
 dia goods, worth ten thousand dollars. Having still 
 something of his property left, he fitted up a small ves 
 sel with a swivel gun and a good crew, and went out 
 privateering; he had married a young wife about a year 
 before he went to sea. In his first trip he was fortun 
 ate, taking several British vessels ; when they proved 
 to be of small value, the valuable part of the cargo was 
 taken out, and she was scuttled ; her crew would then 
 be paroled and put on shore he made, however, two 
 very valuable prizes, one of which sold for one hundred 
 thousand dollars, which served in part to remunerate 
 him for previous losses. 
 
 Upon his scond trip, having taken and scuttled two 
 or three vessels, the crews of which not having an op 
 portunity of being put ashore, were still on board, he 
 was on the look-out for an old West Indiaman, bound 
 for Halifax, having a valuable cargo, and which was 
 hourly expected, and when within a short distance 
 of the Halifax coast, came in sight of an old seventy- 
 four ; this he mistook for his expected prize, and accord 
 ingly made sail for her, and it being late in the even 
 ing, and a thick fog, he had got alongside before he dis 
 covered his error. Those on board the seventy-four, 
 
65 
 
 with a view of correcting his mistake, shoved out their 
 guns, and gave him a broadside ; by dint of several times 
 shifting his course, he however, made his escape, and 
 ran on until he thought himself safe, when he lay too, 
 fearful that if he proceeded he would get out of the 
 track of the West Indiaman ; unfortunately for him 
 however, his antagonist had shaped her course in the 
 same manner, and was alongside before day-break of 
 the following morning, when before he could get away, 
 she poured into him a broadside, which shot off his 
 main-mast, and otherwise so far disabled him as to pre 
 clude all possibility of escape he consequently struck 
 his flag, and was fired into even after that process. 
 When taken, he had twice as many prisoners, as he 
 had of his own crew they were all taken to Halifax, 
 where they were detained until after the peace. 
 
 According to Captain Crowninshield s expectations, 
 in one or two days after he had returned to his place 
 of parole, Captain Cushet came over to pay us, what 
 we called in derision, our starvation money, more pro 
 perly, subsistence money, being twenty dollars per 
 month, in lieu of rations, which was nothing like suffi 
 cient to support us ; he had a guard with him, and told 
 Crowninshield that he must now set out for Melville 
 prison. In conversation which they held about the 
 matter, and in reply to the question of why he should 
 be sent to prison, the captain was informed that it was 
 not for anything he had said, but solely for the tone in 
 which it had been spoken ; he was then taken off, and 
 carried to Melville, where they kept him for about ten 
 days, when he was set at liberty and sent home to Sa 
 lem. In Melville prison there were confined from 
 twelve to fourteen hundred Americans, who were treat 
 ed with as much barbarity, as though the worst of con 
 victs, some of them being half naked. John Hughes, 
 
66 
 
 one of my men who was confined there, got an oppor 
 tunity of writing to me, stating how much he suffered 
 from want of clothes and tobacco, at the time I receiv 
 ed his letter, I had but two dollars and three shirts 
 which, however, I divided with him, giving him one dol 
 lar, and one shirt and a great coat, which proved to him 
 of considerable service. 
 
 Melville prison is two hundred feet in length, and 
 fifty broad, it is two stories high, the upper one being 
 for officers, and for the infirmary and dispensary, while 
 the lower part is divided into two prisons, one of which 
 was occupied by French, and the other by Americans. 
 The prison yard covers a space of ground of about one 
 acre in extent, the whole island containing little more 
 than five acres ; it is connected on the south side with 
 the main land, by a bridge. In a journal which has 
 fallen into my hands, I find a very minute account 
 of the prison on Melville Island and the treatment of 
 the unfortunate men confined there, which I copy 
 in order to show my readers, that I am not the only 
 one who speaks hastily of our English captives. With the 
 language or sentiments of the writer I have nothing to 
 do, and merely copy it as confirming my own state 
 ment, as to the hardships suffered by the inmates of the 
 prison, and as giving a more minute account of its dis 
 cipline and regulations, than I was enabled to procure 
 from enquiry. The writer of the journal referred to, 
 went from the Port of Salem, as assistant surgeon, on 
 board a privateer, in December of 1812 the title page 
 of the work is lost, and I am consequently unable to 
 give his name. 
 
 " As to the inside of the prison at Melville, if the A- 
 merican reader expects to hear it represented as a place 
 resembling the large prisons for criminals in the United 
 States, such as those at Boston, New York, or Phila- 
 
6 7 
 
 delphia, he will be sadly disappointed. Some of these 
 prisons are as clean, and nearly as comfortable as some 
 of the monasteries and convents on the continent of 
 Europe. Our new prisons in the United States, reflect 
 great honor on the nation, they speak loudly that we 
 are a considerate and humane people; whereas the pri 
 son at Halifax, erected solely for the safe keeping of 
 prisoners of war, resembles a horse stable with stalls 
 or stancheons for separating the cattle from each other. 
 It is to a contrivance of this sort that they attach the 
 cords that support those canvass bags or cradles, call 
 ed hammocks. Four tiers of these hanging nets 
 were made to swing one above the other, between these 
 stalls or stancheons. To those unused to such lofty 
 sleeping berths, they were rather unpleasant situa 
 tions for repose. But use makes every thing easy. 
 
 The first time that I was shut up for the night in this 
 prison, it distressed me too much to close my eyes. 
 Its closeness and smell were, in a degree, disagreeable, 
 but this was trifling to what I experienced afterwards 
 in another place. The general hum and confused noise 
 from almost every hammock, was at first very distress 
 ing. Some would be lamenting their hard fate at being 
 shut up like negro slaves in a guinea ship, or like fo\vls 
 in a hen-coop, for no crime, but for fighting the bat 
 tles of their country. Some were cursing and execra 
 ting their oppressors ; others late at night were relating 
 their adventures to a new prisoner, others lamenting 
 their aberrations from rectitude, and disobedience to 
 parents, and head-strong wilfulness, that drove them to 
 sea contrary to their parents wish ; while others of the 
 younger class were sobbing out their lamentations at 
 the thoughts of what their mothers and sisters suffered, 
 after knowing of their imprisonment. Not unfrequent- 
 ly the whole night was spent in that way, and when about 
 
68 
 
 day-break, the weary prisoner fell into a dose, he was 
 waked from his slumber by the grinding noise of the 
 locks, and the unbarring of the doors, with the cry of 
 "turn out all out," when each man took down his 
 hammock, and lashed it up and slung it on his back, 
 and was ready to answer to the roll call of the turnkey. 
 If any, through natural heaviness, or indisposition, was 
 dilatory, he was sure to feel the bayonet of the soldier, 
 who appeared to us to have a natural antipathy to a sai 
 lor, and from what I observed, I believe that in general 
 little or no love is lost between them. 
 
 This prison is swept out twice a week by the prison 
 ers. The task is performed by the respective messes 
 in turns. When the prison is washed, the prisoners 
 are kept out until it is perfectly dry. This in the wet 
 seasons, and the severity of winter is sometimes very 
 distressing and dangerous to health ; for there is no re 
 tiring place for shelter, it is like a stable where the 
 cattle are either under cover or exposed to the weather, 
 be it ever so inclement. 
 
 When we arrived here in May 1813, there were 
 about nine hundred prisoners, but many had died by the 
 severity of the winter, and the quantity of fuel allowed 
 by the British government was insufficient to convey 
 warmth through the prison. The men were cruelly 
 harassed by the custom of mustering and parading 
 them in the severest cold, and even in snow storms. 
 The agent, Miller, might have alleviated the sufferings 
 of our people, had he been so disposed, without relax 
 ation of duty. But he as well as the turnkey, named 
 Grant, seemed to take delight in tormenting the Ameri 
 cans. This man would often keep the prisoners out 
 for many hours, in the severest weather, when the mer 
 cury was ten and fifteen degrees below O ; under a pre 
 text that the prison had been washed, and was not suf- 
 
6 9 
 
 ficiently dry for their reception, when, in fact every 
 drop of water used, was in a moment, ice. People in 
 the Southern states, and the inhabitants of England 
 and Ireland, can form no adequate idea of the frightful 
 climate of Nova Scotia. The description of the suffer 
 ings of our poor fellows, the past winter, was enough to 
 make one s heart ache, and to rouse our indignation 
 against the agents in this business. 
 
 Our people are sensible to kind treatment, and 
 are ready to acknowledge humane and considerate con 
 duct towards themselves or towards their companions, 
 but they are resentful in proportion as they are grate 
 ful. They speak very general of the conduct of Mil 
 ler, the agent, and Grant, the turnkey, with disgust and 
 resentment. A complaint was made to him of the bad 
 ness of the beef served out to the prisoners, upon which 
 he collected them together, mounted the stair case 
 and began a most passionate harangue, declaring that 
 
 the beef was good enough and a d d deal better than 
 
 they had in their own country ; and if they did not eat it, 
 they should have none. He then went on as follows: 
 
 Hundreds of you, d d scoundrels, have been to me 
 
 begging and pleading, that I would interpose my influ 
 ence that you might be the first to be exchanged, to re 
 turn home to your families, who were starving in your 
 absence, and now you have the impudence to tell me 
 to my face, that the king s beef is not good enough for 
 your dainty stomachs. Why some of that there beef 
 is good enough for me to eat. You are a set of mean 
 rascals, you beg of an enemy the favors which your 
 own government won t grant you. You complain of 
 ill treatment, when you never had better in your lives. 
 Had you been in a French prison and fed on horse 
 beef, you would have some grounds of complaint, but 
 here in his Brittannic majesty s royal prison you have ev- 
 
erything that is right and proper for persons taken 
 fighting against his crown and dignity. There is a 
 surgeon here for you, if you are sick, and physic to 
 take if you are sick, and a hospital to go to into the 
 bargain, and if you die, there are boards enough, (point 
 ing to a pile of lumber in the yard) for to make your 
 coffins, and one hundred and fifty acres of land to bury 
 you in, and if you are not satisfied with all this, you 
 
 may die and be d d ! Having finished this eloquent 
 
 harangue, orator Miller descended from his rostrum, 
 and strutted out of the prison yard, accompanied with 
 hisses from some of the prisoners. 
 
 On a re-examination, however, of the " king s beef," 
 some pieces were found too much tainted for a dog to 
 eat, and the prisoners threw it over the pickets. After 
 this the supply of wholesome meat was such as it ought 
 be, full good enough for Mr. Miller himself to eat, and 
 some of the very best pieces good enough for Mr. 
 Grant, the turnkey. 
 
 In all this business of provision for prisoners of war, 
 one thing ought to be taken into consideration, which 
 may be offered as an extenuation of crime alleged against 
 the British agents for prisoners; and that is, that the 
 American solder and sailor live infinitely better in A- 
 merica, than the same class of people do in Great Bri 
 tain and Ireland. Generally speaking, an American 
 eats three times the quantity of animal food that falls 
 to the share of the same class of people in England, 
 Holland, Germany, Denmark or Sweden. He sleeps 
 more comfortably, and lives in greater plenty of fish, 
 flesh, vegetables, and spirituous liquors. Add to this, 
 his freedom is in a manner unbounded. He speaks his 
 mind to any man. If he thinks he is wronged, he seeks 
 redress with confidence; if he is insulted he resents it, 
 and if you should venture to strike him, he never will 
 
rest quiet under the dishonor; yet you seldom hear of 
 quarrels ending in murder; the dagger and pistol are 
 weapons in a manner unknown ; the fist a la mode de 
 John Bull, is commonly the ultimatum of a Yankee s 
 rage. 
 
 We often hear the British if they are unsuccessful, 
 lamenting the war between England and America ; they 
 call it an unhappy strife between brethren, and they 
 attribute this " unnatural war " to a French influence, 
 and their friends in New England, who are denomina 
 ted tories, use the same language ; they say that all the 
 odium of the war ought to fall on our administration, and 
 their wicked seducers, the French ; and yet you will find 
 that both in England and at Halifax, the French meet 
 with better treatment than their dear brothers the A- 
 mericans. 
 
 We found that there were about two hundred French 
 prisoners in Nova Scotia. Some had been there ever 
 since eighteen hundred and three ; few of them were 
 confined in prison. The chief of them lived in or near 
 the town of Halifax, working for the inhabitants, or 
 teaching dancing or fencing, or their own language. 
 Some were employed as butchers and cooks, others as 
 nurses in the hospital, and they were every where fa 
 vored for their complaisance, obedience, and good hu 
 mor. They had the character of behaving better to 
 wards the British officers and inhabitants than the 
 Americans, and I believe, with reason ; for our men 
 seem to take delight in plaguing, embarrassingand alarm 
 ing those who were set over them. A Frenchman al 
 ways tried to please, while many Americans seemed to 
 take an equal delight in letting their masters know, 
 that they longed to be at liberty to fight them again. 
 I confess I do not wonder, that the submissive, smiling 
 Frenchman made more friends at Halifax, than the or- 
 
72 
 
 dinary run of American seaman, who seemed too often 
 to look and speak, as if they longed to try again the 
 tug of war, with John Bull. 
 
 The daily allowance of the British government to our 
 prisoners, is one pound of bread, one pound of beef, 
 and one gill of peas. Over and above this, we receiv 
 ed from the American agent, a sufficiency of coffee, 
 sugar, potatoes and tobacco. The first may be called 
 the bare necessaries of life, but the latter contribute 
 much to its comfortable enjoyment. Whether the 
 - British government ought not to have found the whole 
 I am not prepared to determine, but certainly before 
 this addition from our own agent, our men complained 
 bitterly. 
 
 We were one day not a little shocked by the arrival of a 
 number of American soldiers who were entrapped arid 
 taken with Col. Boerstler, in Upper Canada. They exhi 
 bited a picture of misery, woe and despair. Their mise 
 rable condition called forth our sympathy and compas 
 sion, and I may add, excited our resentment against the 
 authors of their distress. These unfortunate landsmen 
 had never been used to rough it like sailors, but had 
 lived the easy life of farmers and mechanics. Some 
 of them had never experienced the hardships of a sol 
 dier s life, but were raw, inexperienced militiamen. 
 They were taken at some creek, between Fort George 
 and Little York, by the British and their allies, the In 
 dians, who stripped them of most of their cloathing, and 
 then wore them down by long and harassing marches : 
 first to Montreal and then to Quebec, and soon after 
 crowded them on board transports like negroes, in a 
 guinea ship, when some suffered death, and others 
 merely escaped it. It appears from their account, and 
 from every other account, that the treatment of these 
 poor fellows at their capture and on their march, and 
 
73 
 
 more especially on board the transports from Quebec 
 to Halifax, was barbarous in the extreme, and highly 
 disgraceful to the British name and nation. 
 
 We have asserted uniformly that the prisoners who 
 came from Quebec to Halifax, and Boston, down the 
 St. Lawrence, were treated and provided for in a man 
 ner little above brutes. Colonel Scott, now Major 
 Gen. Scott, came by that route from Quebec to Boston, 
 and it is well-known that he complained, that there was 
 neither accommodations, provisions or anything on 
 board the ship, proper for a gentleman. He spoke of 
 the whole treatment he received, with deep disgust and 
 pointed resentment. If an officer of his rank and ac 
 complishments had so much reason for complaint, we 
 may easily conceive what the private soldier must en 
 dure. 
 
 We paid every attention in our power to these poor 
 fellows, whose emaciated appearance and dejection 
 gave us reason to expect that an end would soon be put 
 to their sufferings by death. They, however, recruited 
 fast, and we were soon convinced that they were redu 
 ced to the condition we saw them in, absolutely for 
 want of food. The account which these soldiers gave 
 of their hardships, was enough to fill with rage and re 
 sentment the heart of a saint. Four men were not al 
 lowed more provisions than what was needful for one. 
 They assured us that if they had not secretly come at 
 some bags of ship bread, unknown to the officers of the 
 transport, they must have perished for want of food. 
 We cannot pass over one anecdote ; some fish were 
 caught by our own people on the passage, in common 
 with the crew, but they were compelled to deliver them 
 all to the captain of the ship, who withheld them from 
 the American prisoners. Some of the prisoners had a 
 little money, and the captain of the transport was mean 
 
74 
 
 enough to take a dollar for a single cod-fish, from men 
 in their situation. This fact has appeared in several 
 Boston papers, with the names of the persons concern 
 ed, and has never been contradicted or doubted. We 
 give this as the common report, and as the Boston 
 news-papers circulated freely through Nova Scotia and 
 Canada, we infer that had the story been void of truth 
 it would have been contradicted. 
 
 About the month of August, Halifax was alarmed, 
 by a report that the prisoners in Mellville jail, had at 
 tempted to break prison with a view of seizing upon 
 the town the report was in some measure correct, as 
 an attempt of the kind had been made, but failed, in 
 consequence of the imprudence of some of the prison 
 ers, who having mined under the wall, crept out in day 
 light to see how it looked from the outside, and being 
 discovered by the guard were fired upon. Whether 
 there was just cause for the extraordinary excitement 
 created by this affair, or any real necessity for the ve 
 ry formidable precautions which were taken, remains a 
 matter of speculation ; be that as it may, however, or 
 ders were issued that all loyal citizens should hold 
 themselves in readiness at a moment s warning, to re 
 pel the attack of about one thousand unarmed prison 
 ers ; a company of artillery with two pieces of cannon 
 were placed upon an eminence south of the prison, 
 cannons were also placed in different directions so as 
 to play upon the prison, and a line of sentries were 
 placed at regular distances, all the way into the town 
 of Halifax, the people had been actually made to be 
 lieve that they had sworn to murder every man, woman 
 and child in the town. 
 
 The weather was at this time very severe ; I have 
 seen many of the American prisoners, with their ears 
 frostbitten, and many of the negroes, who were carried 
 
75 
 
 away from their masters, in the United States, actual 
 ly perished with the cold. The Indians were wrapped 
 up in blankets, feet and legs, and also appeared pretty 
 well preserved with smoke. They came into the town 
 of Halifax about ten or eleven o clock every day, appa 
 rently half frozen, and would mope about the streets 
 from store to store, in search of empty whiskey barrels ; 
 when they found one they would take it to the pump, 
 pour water in it, and after rinsing it well, would drink 
 the water; they were the most wretched and pitiable 
 objects I ever saw. 
 
 We got through the winter as well as we could, and 
 near the last of February, our ears were blessed with 
 the news of peace, and we immediately commenced 
 making preparations for our return home. According 
 to the articles of the treaty of peace, every officer was 
 bound to pay his debts before he could return home, 
 and Colonel Cushet made a loan, for all the volunteer 
 officers who were there. The only place at which he 
 could raise money, was from a merchant tailor, who 
 bound him to take as much cloathing as would amount 
 to the sum wanted in cash, at his own price, paying 
 the whole to a certain house in Boston in ten days, 
 with ten per cent for the use of it. Having procured 
 cash, we settled our affairs, laid in sea stores, and went 
 aboard here again the weather seemed to have con 
 spired against us, and we were, in consequence of con 
 trary winds, detained ten days on board ; at the expira 
 tion of which time we landed at Salem, where we \vere 
 warmly received by an old friend, Capt. Crowninshield, 
 who had landed a few days previous. He was accom 
 panied by several gentlemen of distinction, who were 
 awaiting our landing on the shore. We proceeded 
 with them to a tavern, where we remained until even 
 ing, and then, with a number of the citizens, reuaired 
 
7 6 
 
 by invitation to the house of Captain Crowninshield, 
 where we were entertained in the most hospitable 
 manner. 
 
 Next morning we took the stage for Boston, and ar 
 rived there in time for dinner. We then called upon 
 the paymaster, to have our accounts settled; he told 
 us he had no money, but he would give us due bills, 
 and we could sell them to the brokers, which he did, 
 informing us at the same time where we could get them 
 cashed ; we were compelled, however, to allow a dis 
 count of twenty per cent.; as we had to pay our bor 
 rowed money, we had no other resource some were 
 forced to allow twenty-five per cent. I took some Phi 
 ladelphia paper, and when I went to pay my stage 
 fare, they deducted five per cent more thus, calcula 
 ting the ten per cent which we paid at Halifax for bor 
 rowed money, twenty per cent discount for cash at 
 Boston, and five per cent deducted by the stage pro 
 prietor, made in all, an allowance of thirty five per 
 cent which we were compelled to pay. Having at 
 length settled our affairs, we proceeded homeward, 
 passing through New-York and Philadelphia, in each 
 of which places we remained a couple of days. We 
 were compelled to hire horses at Harrisburg, as the 
 stage went no further, and when we arrived at Carlisle, 
 we were detained by the inhabitants, to partake of a 
 dinner prepared for us at the Carlisle tavern the next 
 day I arrived home in Adams County. 
 
DESCRIPTION 
 
 UPPER CANADA. 
 
 THE province of Upper Canada extends along 
 the northern bank of the river St. Lawrence, the lakes 
 Ontario and Erie, and the water communication from 
 lake Superior, about seven hundred miles, and is five 
 hundred miles wide, according to an imaginary line 
 that divides it from New Britain on the north. The 
 line that divides it from the lower province, begins in 
 lat. 45, at lake Francisco, and takes a due north course 
 to the Outtaways river, then up that river a north west 
 direction to lake Tomiscauting, then due north to the 
 line of New Britain. 
 
 The upper province is divided from the United 
 States by a line commencing some distance above the 
 St. Regis village of Indians, situate about seventy-five 
 miles below Ogdensburgh, and running through the 
 centre of the St. Lawrence, to where lake Ontario be 
 gins, thence through the centre of it to the outlet of 
 lake Erie, then through the centre of the outlet to the 
 beginning of the said lake, then through the middle of 
 it to the head, and so onward, passing through lakes 
 St. Clair, Huron, Superior, and lake of the Woods ; it 
 then takes a south-westerly course to Red Lake, near 
 the headwaters of the river Mississippi. 
 
73 
 
 In the upper province there are no mountains, and 
 but few hills of any considerable height ; the country, 
 however, is not of a clear level, but affords sufficient 
 eminences to render it agreeable to the eye, and con 
 venient for the building of water-works, &c. 
 
 The sudden rise of ground dividing the waters of 
 lake Erie from lake Ontario, towers in some places 
 five hundred feet high, and almost perpendicular; in 
 general, however, the height does not exceed two hun 
 dred feet, and the ascent is very gradual, with natural 
 offsets about five hundred yards wide, upon which are 
 situate plantations, and from which, especially those on 
 the top, are most extensive and beautiful prospects ; 
 the eye rests with admiration on the fertile plains be 
 low, and lake Ontario stands entirely exposed to ob 
 servation. Upon the top of this eminence, the coun 
 try is level, fertile and extremely beautiful ; nearly all 
 the waters on the south side of the slope run into lake 
 Erie, though there are but few that find their way 
 through, affording excellent situations for the erection 
 of mills or other buildings requiring water power. 
 
 The soil of the province of Upper Canada is exceed 
 ingly good in every part, yet it is much the best in the 
 upper part, west south west of the head of the bay Ouan- 
 tie, around the north shore and head of lake Ontario, 
 and the west side of Grand River, in the London Dis 
 trict. The lower part of the province is sand and clay 
 mixed; from the head of the bay Quantie, to the head 
 of lake Ontario, it is altogether a black light, rich 
 mould in most places, seven inches deep, after which 
 it is brown clay. On the Grand River, or Indian Land, 
 and in the London District, the soil is sand, brown 
 loam and clay. 
 
 The timber of the lower part of the province is chiefly 
 hemlock, birch and beech ; that of the middle part, beech, 
 
79 
 
 sugar maple and white pine. On the west of the Grand 
 River, the chief of the timber is white pine, elm, bass, 
 black walnut, and the different oaks, chestnut and the 
 like Indeed in this part of the province, may be found 
 nearly all the varieties of the United States ; also, some 
 of the trees of the Balm of Gilead ; one of a majestic 
 appearance stands upon the main road, about twenty- 
 five miles west of Niagara. In the lower part of the 
 province, there is but little of any kind of wild fruit, 
 but in the middle part there are several sorts, particu 
 larly whortleberries and rice. In the western part there 
 is a great variety of wild fruits, viz.: cranberries, rasp 
 berries, grapes, blackberries, and wild potatoes ; also, 
 strawberries and plumbs of an excellent quality, and a 
 great quantity of the very best crab apples, which are 
 preserved by the inhabitants with the molasses of 
 pumpkins. 
 
 Considerable quantities of wheat are raised in the 
 lower part of the province ; and in the middle part, 
 wheat, rye, oats, peas, flax, hemp and corn. In the 
 western part, the product is wheat, which thrives much 
 better here than in any other part ; rye, oats and corn, 
 also come to great perfection, as likewise buck-wheat. 
 All kinds of roots and vegetables flourish well in any 
 part of the province, but especially in the west. 
 
 All kinds of birds found in the United States are 
 plenty; here is also found a kind of bird, having the 
 same motion and voice as the parakite, so plenty in the 
 state of Kentucky it differs, however, in colour, being 
 grey, and is called by some, the frolic. Wild ducks 
 are very plenty in all the lakes, as are also geese in all 
 the lakes north of the settlements. 
 
 There are seven lakes of considerable size, in the 
 inhabited part of the province, and many parts of the 
 wilderness. Lake Ontario is about two hundred and 
 
So 
 
 thirty miles long, from north-east to south-west, and 
 eighty wide about the middle, being of an oval form ; 
 it is exceeding deep and in most places appears to 
 be without bottom, as there has been great length of 
 cord let down without finding any. The water is very 
 clear and cool at all times of the year, having the ap 
 pearance of a large spring. This lake never freezes, 
 except near the shore, where it is shallow, nor does it 
 freeze even there, except in very severe weather, and 
 then only for a very few weeks. 
 
 The little lake, or Burlington bay, lies to the south 
 west of lake Ontario, and is divided from it by a cause 
 way five miles long, and in many places three hundred 
 yards wide ; the surface of this causeway is completely 
 level, of a light sand, matted over with grass, and 
 beautifully decorated with groves of timber, chiefly 
 oak, of a middle size, but of an endless variety of cu 
 rious forms ; some six feet in circumference at the butt, 
 yet not more than twelve feet high, with extensive 
 limbs, crooking and twining in all directions. A great 
 number of these trees are entirely encircled with 
 grape vines, and produce great quanties of grapes, of 
 an excellent quality ; this lake is about twenty miles in 
 circumference, and generally shallow. 
 
 Near the head of bay Quantie, on the north side is 
 a lake of considerable extent, named Hog lake, as also 
 several others not far distant. About twenty miles 
 west of the head of bay Quantie, and fifteen miles 
 north of the shore of lake Ontario, is situated what is 
 called Rice lake, in consequence of the large quanti 
 ties of rice which grows in it. This lake is from three 
 to nine miles wide, and thirty-six in length, though 
 not very deep. Its course is from east to west ; the 
 west end is not far from lake Simcoe. At the east 
 end there is a fall of eighteen feet perpendicular, in 
 
Si 
 
 the form of a half moon. Below the falls, begins what 
 is called the river Trent, which is tolerably large, and 
 affords many falls fit for water works. It empties into 
 the bay Quantie at the head. This lake communicates 
 with a chain of small lakes, called the Shallow lakes, 
 which also afford rice, and extends near the north end 
 of lake Simcoe. Lake Simcoe lies still west of Rice 
 lake, and is something larger ; it communicates with lake 
 Huron to the south-west, by the river Severn. 
 
 Lake Erie lies thirty miles distant from lake Ontario, 
 and is three hundred miles long, and from twenty to 
 forty miles wide. This lake is elevated about three 
 hundred feet higher than lake Ontario, which* causes 
 the Falls of Niagara. The water, though pure, is not 
 deep, nor is so safe for navigation as lake Ontario. 
 
 The lake St. Clair is situate in a north-westerly 
 course from lake Erie ; still further to the north-west 
 is lake Huron, in lat. 42 ; it is one hundred miles in cir 
 cumference. From lake Huron to the straits of St. 
 Mary, it is seventy miles to lake Superior, which is 
 fifteen hundred miles in circumference, and lies be 
 tween forty-six and fifty degrees N. latitude, and be 
 tween eighty-four and ninety degrees west longitude 
 from London. The island Royal, situate near the mid 
 dle of this lake is one hundred miles long, and forty 
 wide. 
 
 This province also contains many fine streams of wa 
 ter, the principal of which are the following : 
 
 The Ottaways, or, as it is sometimes called, Grand 
 River, is a large stream, rising out of lake Tomiscaut- 
 ing, and running a south-easterly course, and empties 
 itself in the St. Lawrence, above and below Montreal. 
 The spring floods in the river rise in the month of June, 
 or thereabout, and are often very destructive to the 
 young crops. There is agreat variety of fish in this river, 
 
The river Cananocqua is also a considerable stream, 
 and empties into the St. Laurence a few miles below 
 Kingston. 
 
 There is a stream of some note, called Myre s 
 creek, which is said to abound with fish ; the water is 
 remarkably pure and clear; it empties into the bay 
 Quantie about fifty miles north of Kingston. 
 
 The river Trent also empties into the head of bay 
 Quantie from Rice lake, is large, and contains a vari 
 ety of fish ; many hundred barrels of salmon are caught 
 in this stream every fall. 
 
 Duffer s creek is also a fine stream, emptying into 
 lake Ontario, thirtr miles north-east of York. 
 
 The river Rush empties into the lake eighteen miles 
 below York, and is navigable for boats twenty miles up. 
 
 The river Credit, one of the best rivers in Canada 
 for salmon, is tolerably large, and empties into lake 
 Ontario about fifteen miles above York. 
 
 The Sixteen mile creek empties into the lake a few 
 miles further up, is large, and also well stocked with 
 fish ; the Twelve mile creek empties itself about five 
 miles further up, and is a beautiful stream. 
 
 The Chippewa river runs into the Niagara river, three 
 miles above the falls ; what is called the Twenty mile 
 creek, has its rise near the head of the Chippewa, and 
 empties into lake Ontario sixteen miles west of Ni 
 agara. 
 
 The Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Thirty and Forty 
 miles creeks all run into lake Ontario, rushing over the 
 slope affording fine falls. 
 
 The Grand river is a considerably large stream, of 
 exceedingly clear water, rising from lake St. Clie, and 
 is navigable for vessels of a considerable size, for fifty 
 miles from its mouth ; it empties into lake Erie, sixty 
 miles from the east end, and contains many fine fish. 
 
83 
 
 There is also the Thames, a large and beautiful ri 
 ver, rising near the head ot Grand river, and emptying 
 about thirty miles above Sandwich into the head of 
 lake Erie; there are, also, a number of fine streams 
 running into lake Erie, such as Big creek, passing 
 through Houghton and Middleton township, and Ket 
 tle and Otter creeks, in Middlesex county. 
 
 There are not many villages in the province of Up 
 per Canada, of much note, the inhabitants finding their 
 greatest advantage in agriculture, the land being very 
 cheap and fertile. The following are a few of the most 
 notable. 
 
 CORNWALL is situate about one hundred and 
 thirty miles down the river St. Lawrence, and is hand 
 some, but small. 
 
 PRESCOTT is situate seventy miles below, stand 
 ing opposite to Ogdensburg, on the United States 
 side; it is an inconsiderable place, and there is a fort 
 and a garrison. 
 
 BROCK VILLE lies twelve miles higher up the the ri 
 ver, and is handsomely situated, containing about 
 eighty houses. 
 
 KINGSTON stands a few miles below the head of 
 the St. Lawrence, opposite to Wolf island, which is the 
 means of forming a safe and commodious harbour. It 
 contains about one hundred aud fifty houses, a court 
 house, jail, and two houses for public worship. The 
 fort in this place is temporary, and the cannon small. 
 It is a place of considerable commerical business, and 
 is rapidly increasing. 
 
 YORK is situate one hundred and seventy miles 
 south-west of Kingston, on the northern shore of lake 
 Ontario, and is somewhat larger. It is laid out very 
 much in the manner of Philadelphia, the streets inter 
 secting each other at right angles. It is the seat of 
 
8 4 
 
 government, and contains some fine buildings, among 
 which are a court-house, council house, and king s 
 store house. The harbour is safe and beautiful, af 
 fording every convenience to shipping, and is so situ 
 ate, that while the water of the main lake is tossed like 
 the waves of the sea, it remains perfectly smooth and 
 calm. 
 
 NIAGARA is situate on the south side of the lake, 
 almost opposite York, at the point of land formed by 
 the junction of the outlets of lakes Erie and Ontario. 
 It is a beautiful, prospective situation, being surround 
 ed on two sides by water, the lake on the north, and 
 the Niagara river on the east, which affords a fine har 
 bour. There are many squares of ground in this vil 
 lage adorned with almost every species of rare fruit. 
 It is a place of considerable business, and is inhabited 
 by an industrious and intelligent people. 
 
 OUEENSTOWN lies seven miles further up the 
 Niagara. It is a small but handsome village ; the most 
 of the honses are built of stone or brick, and are large 
 and well finished. Here also is done considerable bu 
 siness, and there are some very wealthy residents. 
 
 CHIPPEWA is situate ten miles above Queens- 
 ton, and two above the falls of Niagara, at the mouth of 
 the Chippewa Creek. It contains some handsome 
 buildings. 
 
 FORT ERIE. There is a small village here of con 
 siderable beauty. The inhabitants carry on a consider 
 able traffic from the lake. 
 
 TURKEY POINT is situated about sixty miles 
 south-west of Fort Erie, on the Lake shore, in the dis 
 trict of London, a little north of Long Point. It stands 
 in a beautiful situation, is surrounded by a fertile coun 
 try, and has a handsome court-house and jail. 
 
85 
 
 PORT TALBERT lies sixty-four miles farther to 
 the south-west, on the lake shore ; a town was laid out 
 here in 1807, and bids fair for a considerable place. It 
 has a fine harbor for shipping. 
 
 MALDEN, this fort and village is situate on the 
 south-west end of lake Erie, fourteen miles south of 
 Detroit. It is a pleasant, though not a large place, 
 and the fort is a strong- one. On the twenty-seventh 
 of September, 1813, this fort was burned by the Brit 
 ish, on the approach of Harrison, previous to the bat 
 tle of Moravian Town. 
 
 SANDWICH is situate still farther up the river, 
 opposite Detroit, and is a handsome village of consid 
 erable age, inhabited chiefly by French. 
 
 There are several other villages in the province not 
 immediately situate upon the water, which are of con 
 siderable size and beaut)% but those already named are 
 the principal. 
 
 The province of Upper Canada is divided into eight 
 districts, twenty-four counties, and one hundred and 
 fifty-six townships, generally about twelve miles square, 
 these are subdivided into townships, and each town 
 ship into fourteen concessions, the whole of which 
 make two thousand one hundred and eighty-four. 
 These concessions are divided into twenty-four lots of 
 two hundred acres each, the whole of which amounts 
 to thirty-two thousand, four hundred and sixteen, 
 which number multiplied by two hundred, will produce 
 ten million, four hundred and eighty-three thousand, 
 two hundred, the number of acres surveyed in the pro 
 vince, besides considerable called broken fronts, not 
 yet surveyed, but granted to those who owned land in 
 the rear thereof. Between every concession there are 
 four roods left for the public roads, and also between 
 every fourth lot, which is one quarter of a mile wide. 
 
86 
 
 Amongst the curiosities of the province of Upper 
 Canada, the Falls of Niagara stand conspicuous ; a de 
 scription of them, therefore, cannot fail to be highly 
 interesting : 
 
 " In order to have a proper view of the Falls and the 
 adjacent parts, I will suppose a person to be sailing in 
 a little boat, out of Lake Ontario, up the Niagara riv 
 er, or outlet of Lake Erie. Soon after you leave the 
 Lake, you pass the village of Niagara on the right hand, 
 and Niagara old fort on the United States side. A little 
 farther up you pass Fort George on the right here 
 the water is deep and smooth. You still sail on a due 
 south course, the water being smooth and the banks 
 about sixteen feet high, and in most places perpendic 
 ular for seven miles. Here you come to Oueenston 
 on the right hand, and Lewiston on the left. This 
 place is called the "landing," for here all the lading of 
 vessels destined for the country, each side of Lake 
 Erie and the Michigan territory are taken out, and con 
 veyed up the mountain or slope, nine miles, to the still 
 water, two miles above the Fall. The ascent of this 
 slope, though three hundred feet high, is very easy. 
 The river here is half a mile wide, and a little above 
 there is a whirl of considerable depth, though not dan 
 gerous. After you pass this place three hundred yards, 
 you enter the dismal chime, and instead of the lively 
 prospect of the sailing of ships, with flying colors, 
 fruitful fields, and pleasant landscapes, you are all at 
 once buried in a grave, of at least three hundred feet 
 deep. Although it is open in the top, should you look 
 up, the sight is truly gloomy the banks are perpendic 
 ular, and in some places more than perpendicular, 
 abounding with craggy rocks, hanging over your head 
 in a frightful manner; near the surface, there are to be 
 seen flat rocks, projecting towards each other in a hor- 
 
8 7 
 
 izontal position. You still row on a south direction, 
 with little variation ; the water is considerably rapid, 
 and the banks have nearly the same appearance, until 
 within about a mile of the cataract, where the banks 
 are not quite so high ; but still all is gloomy, as you are 
 buried from the sight of the land of the living, and 
 must be filled with haunted thoughts of five hundred 
 murdered dead,* that in one fatal hour plunged into 
 the mighty grave, in which you now are. 
 
 As you proceed, the water becomes very rapid, and 
 at length the mighty Falls appear in full, tremendous 
 view, and fill the ear with dismal roar. It is eight 
 miles from Oueenston. When you arrive within three 
 hundred yards of the cataract, you must stop. Here 
 the bed of the river widens, and is not sunk more than 
 half of the distance below the surface, as it was at your 
 first entrance of the chime. A view of the horizon is 
 more extensive. In sitting in. your little bark the above 
 distance, with your face to the south, before you flows 
 the main body of water, and plunges over with a tre 
 mendous dash. About sixty yards of the middle of this 
 cataract is much deeper than the rest, in consequence 
 of a chime sunk in the rock. The water has a blueish 
 green appearance. On your left hand comes the oth 
 er part of the river, not so large by a sixth part, and 
 falls over also. 
 
 This river is divided into two separate pitches, each 
 four hundred yards in width. This division is made by 
 a small island, crowding up to the verge of the rock, 
 near the middle. It extends half a mile up the stream, 
 and terminates in a point, where the water divides to 
 the right and left. 
 
 *Down this dreadful chime, a number of American soldiers 
 were driven headlong by the Indians, after they had surrendered 
 themselves prisoners of war to the British, on the thirteenth of 
 October, eighteen hundred and twelve. 
 
88 
 
 The form of the cataract bends inward, or is nearly 
 a semicircle. By the striking force of the falling wa 
 ter upon that below, wind is pressed under, which ris 
 es below in a foaming manner, though not to any heighth 
 or violence. 
 
 The lime stone rock on the United States side over 
 which the water flows, shelves considerably, and leaves 
 a large cavity between the base and falling column of 
 water, and, were it not for the depression of air, a per 
 son might walk some distance in it without being wet. 
 
 The mighty dash of so great a body of water on the 
 bed below, raises a fog or small rain, which mounts up 
 two thousand feet, in which, when the sun shines, may 
 be seen a variety of beautiful rain-bows. This fog 
 spreads to a considerable distance, and proves a fecun 
 dating moisture for the circumjacent woods. and fields, 
 the superior freshness and luxury of which are strik 
 ingly perceptible. This fog can be seen in clear wea 
 ther for forty miles, particularly by persons on the lakes, 
 and often serves as a guide for sailing. 
 
 In the winter this rain falling upon the neighboring 
 trees, congeals in a thousand shapes, forming a roman 
 tic and pleasing appearance. 
 
 About half a mile above the falls, what are called 
 the rapids begin, and descend fifty feet to the cataract. 
 The draft of this rapid is so great, that it often reaches 
 ducks and geese, when they appear to be half a mile 
 out of danger, and when once under the influence of 
 the impetuous current, they cannot get on the wing 
 again. Indians, with their canoes, have been known 
 to be irresistably carried down the rapid, and have dis 
 appeared forever. 
 
 Above the rapid, the river spreads to nearly three 
 miles wide, and is shallow, with several small islands. 
 
 The river now has a south-east course to Grand Is- 
 
8 9 
 
 land, nine miles wide, and then south to lake Erie, 
 where it is only a mile wide. This is twenty miles from 
 the falls by water, from this place you may sail more 
 than a thousand miles, if you wish, without encountering 
 any more falls. 
 
 If my reader pleases, I will invite him back again to 
 view and contemplate a little more, this awful scene. 
 On both sides of the rapids, above the falls, the banks 
 of the river are quite low; and there are many conve 
 nient situations for water works. Several are now 
 erected, yet there is room for more. With a small ex 
 pense a large quantity of water can be brought in use 
 to do great execution. 
 
 The perpendicular pitch of this vast body of water 
 is one hundred and forty-four feet, add to this fifty feet 
 which the water descends, above the falls, and seven 
 ty feet below, and we find that the river descends in eight 
 miles and a half, two hundred and sixty-four feet. 
 Some who have never seen this river suppose it to be 
 much less than it is, and others suppose it to be larger ; 
 indeed it is hard for any one to judge with propriety, 
 that has seen it, as there are but eight miles in the 
 whole length of the river, between the two lakes, 
 where any current can be seen, and that is very rapid. 
 
 For the contemplation of the curious, who may, per 
 haps, never see these falls, I have made the following 
 calculation, from w r hich they may form some tolerable 
 correct idea of the quantity of water that falls over 
 this cataract. 
 
 Say that each of the spaces, over which the water 
 pitches, is four hundred yards wide, or twelve hundred 
 feet ; the most shallow one of these, or that on the Uni 
 ted States side, is three feet deep on the verge of the 
 rock, over which it falls. Now if we multiply its depth 
 three feet, into its width, twelve hundred feet, we have 
 
go 
 
 thirty-six hundred cubic, or solid feet of water, on the 
 verge of the precipice. As there are sixty-two pounds 
 avoirdupoise, in a cubic or solid foot of water, and a 
 little more, which we leave out to avoid fractions, so if 
 we multiply sixty-two, the pounds in a square foot of 
 water, by thirty-six hundred, the number of feet of wa 
 ter on the verge, we have, two hundred and twenty- 
 three thousand, two pounds of water, on the verge of 
 the precipice. But when we consider the laws of grav 
 ity respecting spouting fluids and falling bodies, we 
 shall find the water of this cataract, receives a vast 
 additional weight by the time it comes to the lowest 
 point of fall. In order therefore to find this addition 
 al weight, we must note the following things : " Hea 
 vy bodies near the surface of the earth, fall one foot 
 the first quarter of a second, three feet the second, 
 five the third, and seven feet in the fourth quarter ; that 
 is sixteen feet in the first second. Let go three bullets 
 together, stop the first at one second, and it will have 
 fallen sixteen feet; stop the next at the end of the se 
 cond second, it will have fallen, four times sixteen, or six 
 ty-four feet; stop the last at the end of the third second 
 and the distance it will have fallen will be nine times 
 sixteen or one hundred and forty-four feet, and so on. 
 Now the momentum or force with which a falling body 
 strikes, is equal to its weight multiplied by its velocity," 
 and in order to find which we must multiply the per 
 pendicular space fallen through by sixty-four, and the 
 square root of the product is the velocity required. 
 See Pikes Arithmetic, pages 362 and j. 
 
 From calculation, \ve find that the water of the cat 
 aract is three seconds descending the one hundred and 
 forty-four feet, and that the velocity acquired in that 
 time and distance to be ninety-six, which, if we multi 
 ply into two hundred and twenty-three thousand, the 
 
number of pounds of water on the top of the rock, we 
 find that twenty-one millions four hundred and twenty- 
 seven thousand two hundred is the weight thereof, at 
 the lowest point of fall This is the weight of the wa 
 ter at the smallest part of the cataract, or that on the 
 United States side. The other part of the Falls, as has 
 been noted, is at least six times as large ; that is, six 
 times the quantity of water flows over. Now if we 
 multiply the above sum, 21.427,200 by six, we shall 
 have the enormous sum of 128,563,200 Ibs. of water, 
 which falls on the bed of the river below." 
 
 About two miles above the Falls, there is a spring of 
 water, whose vapour is highly inflammable, and is emit 
 ted, for a time, with a considerable degree of force. If 
 gathered into a narrow compass, it will support combus 
 tion for twenty minutes, and is capable of communicat 
 ing to water, placed in a confined vessel and held over 
 it, the degrees of boiling temperature. 
 
 There is also, at some distance below the Falls, a 
 large hole, called the Devil s Hole ; it is three hundred 
 yards in circumference, and three hundred feet deep, 
 with trees and craggy rocks sticking to the inner sur 
 face. There is supposed to be a considerable depth 
 of water at the bottom. 
 
 What is called the Mountain Lake, may also be termed 
 one of the curiosities of this portion of country ; it is 
 situated in Prince Edward County, on the shore, about 
 thirty miles from Kingston, on the top of a mountain 
 of about two hundred feet in height it is three miles 
 round, and, what is a curious circumstance, is well 
 stocked with fish, although being in no manner con 
 nected with the bay or lake, except by a small stream 
 that flows from it into the bay, by a perpendicular de 
 scent. 
 
 There are also many other curiosities, which the lim- 
 
its of this work will not allow of being noticed. Among 
 these may be counted the Whirlpool, about three miles 
 below the Falls, and four above Queenston ; as also 
 the many falls in Twenty Mile Creek, which, like the 
 Niagara, flows over the same mountain. One of these 
 falls has a perpendicular descent of seventy-seven feet, 
 and the water, after running for some time with great 
 violence, falls over again, presenting to the admirer of 
 nature a most imposing spectacle. 
 
 DESCRIPTION 
 
 OF 
 
 LOWER CANADA. 
 
 THIS province lies on both sides of the river St. 
 Lawrence, between forty-five and fifty-two degrees of 
 north latitude, and sixty-one and eighty degrees west 
 longitude, from Greenwich. It is bounded on the 
 north by New-Britain, on the east by the gulf of the 
 St. Lawrence, on the south east by New-Brunswick, 
 the district of Maine, and New Hampshire : south by 
 Vermont, and seventy-five miles of the state of New- 
 York, viz : from lake Champlain to the St. Regis river, 
 where it empties into the St. Lawrence ; and on the 
 west by Upper Canada. 
 
 Upon the north line it extends to a distance of six 
 hundred and eighty-five miles ; its extent on the south 
 line is nearly nine hundred miles, and measures in 
 the middle about four hundred and fifty miles, run 
 ning narrower to each end, more especially to the 
 north-eastern one. The dividing line between this 
 
93 
 
 and the upper province, takes its commencement from 
 the north side of lake St. Francis; it then pursues 
 nearly a north course, running nearly twenty miles 
 to the Ottawas river, which comes from the north-west, 
 and falls into the St. Lawrence at Montreal, it then 
 ascends that river to longitude eighty west, thence it 
 takes a due north course to Charlton Island, about the 
 middle of the south end of James Bay, where it inter 
 sects the north line in north latitude fifty-two, and west 
 longitude eighty. 
 
 The climate of this province is any thing but pleas 
 ant, during the winter, which lasts six months, com 
 mencing in November and finishing in the latter end 
 of April, there are continual falls of snow, which lie 
 generally to the depth of from four to five feet. The 
 mercury in the thermometer, in this province, has been 
 known to freeze, and in summer time it sometimes rises 
 to ninety-six degrees; when, however the winter breaks 
 up, the growth of vegetation is really surprising. Yet 
 notwithstanding the intense heat of summer, and the 
 rigor of winter, the inhabitants enjoy excellent health, 
 and are vigorous and robust, carrying a strength, quite 
 unusual to more southern climates, even to a very ad 
 vanced age. 
 
 The ice on the rivers and lakes of Lower Canada 
 generally acquires a thickness of two feet, and is ca 
 pable of sustaining almost any weight that on the 
 borders of the St. Lawrence sometimes exceeds six 
 feet. 
 
 As regards variety of soil the province of Lower Ca 
 nada can vie with almost any other; the traveller may 
 be for many days delighted with the prospect of the 
 most luxurious vegetation, and landscapes, improv 
 ed by art and industry, and in a transition which he 
 feels to be almost sudden, finds himself surrounded on 
 
94 
 
 all sides by barrenness and desolation, without one sol 
 itary object upon which the eye may rest with pleasure. 
 On all the low banks of the St. Lawrence, the soil is 
 good, as it is on the low grounds of other large rivers. 
 Some of the vallies not situate on rivers afford excel 
 lent land ; it is generally of a black mould, mixed with 
 a small portion of sand. On the higher grounds the 
 soil is of a more sandy nature and is mixed slightly 
 with blue clay. On the high hills and mountains, it is 
 clay and gravel lime-stone is found in great plenty, in 
 many places of this province, and answers an excellent 
 purpose. 
 
 In the northern part of the province there are many 
 very large and shallow ponds of water, abounding with 
 animals of the fur kind, which in summer time become 
 partly dried up, creating an unwholesome effluvia; these 
 if they were drained would make excellent meadow 
 land, and many of them might be thus converted into 
 good land at a very trifling expense. 
 
 There are two sorts of pine in this province, the 
 white and the red, which are excellent for the East In 
 dies ; four sorts of firs, two sorts of cedar and oak, the 
 white and the red; the male and female maple; three 
 sorts of ash trees, the free, the mongrel and the bastard ; 
 three sorts of walnut trees, the hard, the soft, and the 
 smooth; vast numbers of beech trees and white wood, 
 white and red elms and poplars. The Indians hollow 
 the red elms into canoes, some of which, made out of 
 one piece, will contain twenty persons ; others are made 
 of the bark, the different pieces of which they sew to 
 gether, with the inner rind, and daub over the seams 
 with pitch, or rather bituminous substance resembling 
 pitch, to prevent their leaking. The ribs of these ca 
 noes are made of boughs of trees. In the hollow elms, 
 the bears and wild cats take up their residence from 
 November to April. 
 
95 
 
 In every part of the province there are plenty of ever 
 greens, such as hemlock, cedar, firs, holly and laurel, 
 with others. Many of these evergreens are loaded with 
 an abundance of moss, which has a romantic appear 
 ance, and affords fine shelter for wild beasts and fowl, 
 in the winter season. Here may be found large spots 
 of ground under natural roofs, covered with dry leaves, 
 while the snow is five feet deep on the surrounding 
 parts, a circumstance extremely beneficial to the In 
 dians, and the animals of this cold region. To these 
 places the Indians resort for hunting purposes, and here 
 screened from the wind they lie down upon the dry 
 leaves beside their fire and feel as comfortable as the 
 rich farmer or merchant in his warm house. One who 
 has never been at these places can form no correct idea 
 of the great difference of the weather in these solitary 
 retreats. 
 
 There is also a great variety of wild fruit, particular 
 ly the crab-apple, potatoe, onion and cranberry. 
 
 Near Quebec there has been found an excellent 
 lead mine, and many valuable ones of iron, have also 
 been discovered at different places. Some silver, it is 
 said, has also been found in the mountains. There 
 have also been found some coal mines, the coal from 
 which burns well, and some of alum, copperas and 
 clays, that paint quite well. 
 
 Fifty miles from Quebec on the banks of the " Trots 
 Rivieres," there is an excellent mine of iron ore, it lies 
 horizontal, situate near the surface, and is composed 
 of masses easily detached from each other, perforated, 
 and the holes filled with ochre. It possesses softness 
 and pliability, and for promoting its fusion a grey lime 
 stone, found in its vicinity is used. The hammered 
 iron is soft and tenacious, and has the quality of not be 
 ing subject to rust. 
 
9 6 
 
 The lakes of Lower Canada are numerous, though 
 not large; a considerable number of which have no 
 names; the lirst, however, of any note, is that of Black 
 river, from which the river has its source ; it lies in north 
 latitude fifty-one, and west longitude sixty-six, forty- 
 eight, is of considerable depth, and about one hundred 
 miles in circumference. 
 
 Middle Lake lies about one hundred miles to the 
 west of the former, is small, and is the source of Bus 
 tard river, which empties into the St. Lawrence, and 
 passes through several lakes ; also, a vast number of 
 lakes are to be found in every direction from the lake. 
 
 Lake St. John is situate about one hundred miles 
 north of Quebec, and is about ninety miles in circum 
 ference. This lake is the source of the river Saquenay. 
 Another considerable lake is also found, one hundred 
 miles to the north-west, near the great chain of moun 
 tains: it is the source of Picksuagus river. 
 
 Abbitib Lake is situate in latitude forty-nine, and 
 longitude seventy-nine, and is the source of a large riv 
 er of the same name, which runs into the south end of 
 James Bay. It is one hundred and ninety miles in 
 circumference, tolerably shallow, and abounds with 
 small islands. In the vicinity of this lake are several 
 more of less note. 
 
 Lake Mistissiney is situated north of Quebec about 
 two hundred and fifty miles, and is about three hun 
 dred miles in circuit, though a number of points of land 
 extend into it a good distance from every direction. It 
 is the source of Rupert s River, which passes through 
 some small lakes, on its way to James Bay, a north 
 east course. 
 
 Lake St. Charles is situate north of Quebec, and re 
 ceives and discharges the river St. Charles ; it is about 
 five miles long. 
 
97 
 
 Lake Megantic, lies south of Quebec, about ninety 
 miles, and is the source of the river Chaudiere. 
 
 Lake Calvier is small, and is situated a few miles 
 above Quebec. 
 
 Lake St. Peter" is formed by the expansion of the 
 St. Laurence, to the breadth of twenty miles. It is 
 one hundred and twelve miles from Quebec. 
 
 The lake of the Two Mountains, and the lake of St. 
 Louis, are in the vicinity of Montreal ; the latter is 
 formed by the junction of the Ottawas, with the St. 
 Laurence. The lake of the Two Mountains is an ex 
 pansion of the Ottawas, ten miles above its mouth, 
 and is twenty miles long, and three broad. 
 
 The rivers of Lower Canada are very numerous, 
 and chiefly run into the St. Laurence ; the most of 
 them come from the north, and afford many romantic 
 falls. 
 
 In sailing up the gulf of St. Lawrence, the first riv 
 er of note which is seen, is the Moisic river ; about 
 forty miles further up, we come to Machigabiou river : 
 and in forty more, we come to Black river, already no 
 ted ; this river is three hundred miles long, and quite 
 large, and falls into the St. Lawrence, some distance 
 above the gulf. 
 
 The next in course is Bustard river, about ten miles 
 further up. This is one of the longest rivers of Low 
 er Canada. It falls into the St. Laurence in lat. 48.50, 
 north, after running a course of at least four hundred 
 miles. 
 
 Betsaimites river, appears next in sailing up the St. 
 Laurence. It is large, of considerable length, and 
 passes through several lakes. 
 
 Portnus, is a river of some length, coming from two 
 small lakes. It empties into the St. Laurence, fifty 
 miles above. 
 
9 8 
 
 Pepe Chaisinagau river, succeeds in course, and falls 
 into the St. Laurence, twenty miles above Portnus. 
 
 In sailing up the St. Laurence, several small streams 
 are seen; at length we come to St. James river ; and a 
 little distance above, we come to the river Sagtienay, 
 which rises out of lake St. John, already noted ; which 
 lake is the repository of four considerable rivers, with 
 their numerous branches, viz : those of the Picksuaga- 
 nis, Chissouematon, Sable, and Pcriboaca. In its course, 
 the Saguenay receives the Missiguinipi, and several 
 more of considerable size, after which, it falls into the 
 St. Laurence, one hundred and fifty miles below Que 
 bec, from nearly a west direction. This river is one 
 hundred and fifty miles in length, from the lake ; and 
 sweeps along a prodigious quantity of water. It is in 
 terrupted in its course, by abrupt precipices, over which 
 it dashes its foaming current ; and being bounded by 
 banks of great elevation, is remarkable for the depth 
 and impetuosity of its flood, which is sensibly felt in 
 the St. Laurence, whose water is obliged to yield to 
 its impulse for a distance of several miles. Large ves 
 sels, apparently going their course, have thereby been 
 carried side-long in a different direction. 
 
 This river, is generally, three miles wide, except at 
 its mouth, where it is only one ; at which place, five 
 hundred fathoms of line have been let down, without 
 finding any bottom. Two miles up, it is one hundred 
 and thirty-eight fathoms, and at sixty miles, it is sixty 
 fathoms deep. 
 
 Albany river succeeds next in course, which rises in 
 a small lake, about sixty miles north from the St. Lau 
 rence, and flows through the fertile valley of Mai-bay. 
 This river abounds with salmon and other excellent 
 fish. 
 
99 
 
 Montmorenci is the next considerable river, and falls 
 into the St. Laurence, eight miles below Quebec, over 
 a precipice of two hundred and forty-six feet. 
 
 St. Charles, falls into the same close by Quebec, and 
 is of considerable size. 
 
 On the south side of the gulf and river St. Lau 
 rence, there are a number of streams, which fall into it, 
 and take their rise in New Brunswick, New Hampshire 
 and Vermont. 
 
 The largest is the Chandiere river, rising out of lake 
 M^gantic, and flowing a north course, one hundred and 
 thirty miles, falls into the St. Laurence about eight 
 miles above Quebec. Ships sail some distance up this 
 river. 
 
 The river St. Nicholas, falls in on the same side of 
 the St. Laurence, but a little higher up. Jacques Car- 
 tier, a river of considerable size, falls into the St. Lau 
 rence, about thirty miles above Quebec. The stream 
 of this, like all the rivers in Lower Canada, is fre 
 quently broken into cascades, affording picturesque 
 scenery. 
 
 The St. Ann, and Dog rivers, are streams of some 
 note, and fall into the St. Laurence, from the north. 
 
 Batiscan river, also flows from the north, into the St. 
 Laurence. Three Rivers, otherwise, called St. Maur 
 ice, falls into the St. Laurence, from the north, fifty 
 miles above Quebec, by three mouths. It is three 
 hundred miles long, and much navigated by the Indians, 
 from the vicinity of Hudson bay. The tide of the 
 St. Laurence flows no higher than the mouth of this 
 river. 
 
 St. Reges river, rises in the state of New-York, and 
 falls into the upper end of lake St. Francis, in lat. 45 
 degrees. This is the last river of Lower Canada, which 
 runs into the St. Laurence, from the south. 
 
IOO 
 
 Ottawas river, is one of the largest in Upper Cana 
 da, except the St. Laurence, into which it falls below, 
 and above Montreal, as has been noted. It is at least, 
 one thousand miles long ; one of its branches, the 
 Petite Riviere, rises out of lake Tomis-Cauting, and 
 after meeting together four hundred miles from Mon 
 treal, receives a number of tributary streams on its 
 way, and pitches over a number of precipices. 
 
 All the rivers as yet described, run into the St. Lau 
 rence from fhe south or north; there are several which 
 run into James bay, after running a western or north 
 eastern course viz. 
 
 Slude river and Rupert s river, which has a course of 
 nearly two hundred miles ; and Harraconaw river, which 
 empties into the south end of James bay, and is a 
 beautiful river. 
 
 The river St. Lawrence is one of the greatest, and 
 most beautiful rivers ; from its mouth to Montreal, the 
 head of ship navigation, it is five hundred and forty-five 
 miles : for one thousand more it is passed by very large 
 boats, from here, for two hundred and forty miles, 
 through lake Ontario, the largest vessels in the world 
 may sail. 
 
 The harbors in Lower Canada are numerous, chief 
 ly situate in the St. Laurence ; there are a few on lake 
 Champlain, and two or three on the north-west coast 
 of James Bay. 
 
 Fish, of which there is a great variety, is very plenty. 
 
 There are but two cities in Lower Canada, Quebec 
 and Montreal, (a description of these may be found in 
 the memoirs.) 
 
 Considering the great extent of Lower Canada, its 
 villages are few in number, and small in size, chiefly 
 lying on the banks of the St. Laurence. 
 
101 
 
 The first of any note above Quebec, for there are 
 none below, is Jeunne Lorette ; it lies nine miles north 
 west of Quebec, and contains fifty log houses, inhabit 
 ed by French and some Indians ; there is a decent 
 chapel in this village. 
 
 The village of Trois Rivieres, is situate on the north 
 bank of the St. Laurence, extends three fourths of a 
 mile long, and contains seventy houses and a church. 
 
 Charlebour^ is situate eighty miles east of Lorette, 
 and is something larger. 
 
 The village of William Henry or Sorel is agreeably 
 situate at the confluence of the Sorel or Chambly riv 
 er with the St. Laurence, and contains a Protestant 
 and Roman Catholic house for divine worship. 
 
 Some distance above Sorel, is is situate Vercheres ; it 
 contains about forty houses. 
 
 Sault Saint Louis, is a small village of about one 
 hundred and fifty houses, inhabited chiefly by the Iro- 
 quois or Mohawk Indians. It is about sixteen miles 
 above Montreal, and was originally built for those In 
 dians, who have long been converted to the Christian re 
 ligion. It is chiefly built of stone. The church and 
 dwelling of the missionaries are protected by a stone 
 wall, in which there are loop holes for musquetry. 
 
 Point aux Trembles village is fifty-one miles from 
 Quebec, contains one hundred and twenty houses, a 
 small convent of nuns, and a neat church. 
 
 The village of the Cedars is charmingly situated on 
 the St. Laurence, not far above Montreal ; it contains 
 about fifty houses. 
 
 The Canasadago village of the Iroquois, a Mohawk, 
 and Algonquin tribes of Indians, is situate on a de 
 lightful point of land on the hills, on the east side of 
 the two mountains, in the Ottowas river. Near the 
 extremity of the Point, their church is built, which di- 
 
102 
 
 vides the village into two parts, forming a regular an 
 gle along the water side. It contains about two hun 
 dred houses, and-two thousand five hundred souls. 
 
 The province of Lower Canada is divided into three 
 districts and twenty-one counties, viz : Gaspe, Corn- 
 wallis, Devon, Hertford, Dorchester, Buckinghamshire, 
 Richlieu, Bedford, Surrey, Kent, Huntington, York, 
 Montreal, Effingham, Leinster, Warwick, St. Maurice, 
 Hampshire, Quebec, Northumberland and Orleans. 
 These counties are subdivided into parishes. 
 
 The only natural curiosities worth naming in Lower 
 Canada, are those cascades and water-falls with which 
 the province abounds. 
 
 The Bird Isles, which are situate in the gulf of St. 
 Laurence, consist of two rocks elevated above the wa 
 ter, upwards of one hundred feet, their flattened sum 
 mits, whose circumference docs not exceed three 
 hundred yards, exhibit a resplendent whiteness, produ 
 ced by the quantities of ordure with which they are 
 covered, from immense flocks of birds, which, in sum 
 mer, take possession of the apertures in their perpen 
 dicular cliffs, where they form their nests, and produce 
 their young. When alarmed, they hover above the 
 rocks, and overshadow their tops by their numbers. 
 The abundance of their eggs affords to the inhabitants 
 of the neighboring coast, a material supply of food. 
 
 Ninety miles up the Saguenay river, already noted, 
 there is a fall of water, that deserves notice, chiefly on 
 account of the immense sheet of water, which is per- 
 perpetually broken in its rugged course, and assumes a 
 resplendent whiteness. 
 
 When viewed from below the scene is stupendous and 
 terrific. The incessant and deafening roar of the waters 
 and the violence with which they hasten to their des 
 cent, tend to produce on the mind of the spectator an 
 
103 
 
 impression awfully grand. The picturesque and rude 
 ly wild forms of the lofty banks, exhibit a gloomy con 
 trast to the lively splendors of the cataract. 
 
 Three hundred and thirty miles from the mouth of 
 the St. Laurence is situate Cape Tourment, whose per 
 pendicular altitude is two thousand feet. It exhibits a 
 grand and sublime view, especially to those sailing up 
 the river. 
 
 The cataract of the river Montmorencie, which 
 empties into the St. Laurence, eight miles below 
 Quebec, may be reckoned among the natural curiosi 
 ties of this country. The following description is in 
 the words of Mr. Herriott : 
 
 "After exhibiting a grateful variety throughout its 
 course, the Montmorenci is precipitated in an almost 
 perpendicular direction, over a rock of the height of 
 two hundred and forty-six feet ; falling, when it touches 
 the rock, in white clouds of rolling foam; and under 
 neath, where it is propelled with uninterrupted gravita 
 tion, in numerous flakes, like wool or cotton, which are 
 gradually protracted in their descent, until they are re 
 ceived in the boiling profound abyss below." 
 
 " Viewed from the summit of the cliff, from whence 
 they are thrown, the waters, with every concommitant 
 circumstance, produce an effect equally grand, and 
 wonderfully sublime. .The prodigious depth of their 
 descent, the brightness and volubility of their course, 
 the swiftness of their movement through the air, and 
 the loud and hollow noise emitted from the basin, 
 swelling with incessant agitation, from the weight of 
 the dashing waters, forcibly combine to attract the at 
 tention, and to impress with sentiments of grandeur 
 and elevation, the mind of the spectator. The clouds 
 of vapor arising and assuming the prismatic colors, 
 contribute to enliven the scene. They fly off from the 
 
IO4 
 
 fall, in the form of a revolving sphere, emitting with 
 velocity pointed flakes of spray, which spread in re 
 ceding, until intercepted by neighboring banks, or dis 
 solved in the atmosphere." 
 
 " The breadth of the fall is one hundred feet; the ba 
 sin is bounded by steep cliffs, composed of grey lime 
 slate, lying in inclined strata, which on the east and 
 west sides, are sub-divided into innumerable thin shiv 
 ers, forming with the horizon an angle of forty-five de 
 grees, and containing between them fibrous gypsum, 
 andi pierre a calumet, a soft stone of which the heads of 
 pipes are sometimes formed, mouldering incessantly 
 by exposure to the air, and the action of the weather ; 
 no surface for vegetation remains upon these substan 
 ces." 
 
 Eight miles from Quebec, the river Chaudiere emp 
 ties into the south side of St. Laurence ; and four miles 
 from its mouth, there is a beautiful cataract, which de 
 serves attention. 
 
 The month of May, appears to be the most advan 
 tageous period, at which to contemplate this interes 
 ting scene, the approach to which ought first to be 
 made, from the top of the banks ; as in emerging from 
 the woods, it conducts at once to the summit of the 
 cataract, where the objects which instantaneously be 
 come developed to the eye, strike the mind with sur 
 prise, and produce a powerful impression. 
 
 "The water descends from a height of one hundred 
 and twenty feet, and being separated by rocks, forms 
 three separate cataracts ; the largest of which, is on the 
 western side, and they unite in the basin, beneath their 
 broken and agitated waters. The form of the rock 
 forces a part of the water, into an oblique direction, 
 and advances them beyond the line of the precipice. 
 The cavities worn in the rocks, produce a pleasing va- 
 
105 
 
 riety, and cause the descending waters to revolve with 
 foaming fury, to whose whiteness the gloomy cliffs pre 
 sent a strong opposition of color. The vapor from each 
 division of the falls, quickly mounting through the air, 
 bestows an enlivening beauty on the landscape. 
 
 The wild diversity displayed by the banks of the 
 stream, and the foliage of the overhanging woods, the 
 brilliancy of colors richly contrasted, the rapidity of 
 motion, the refulgent brightness of the cataracts, the 
 deep and solemn sound, which they emit, and the va 
 rious cascades further down the river, unite in render 
 ing this such a pleasing exhibition of natural objects 
 as few scenes can surpass." 
 
 " On descending the side of the river, the landscape 
 becomes considerably altered, and the falls appear to 
 great advantage. Masses of rocks and elevated points 
 of land, covered with trees, together with the smaller 
 cascades on the stream, present a rich assemblage, 
 terminated by the falls. The scenery, in proceeding 
 down the river, is rugged and wild. 
 
 " Viewed in the Winter season, the falls exhibit an 
 appearance more curious than pleasing, being for the 
 greatest part congealed, and the general form of the 
 congealed masses, is that of a concretion of icicles, 
 which resembles a cluster of pillars in Gothic architec 
 ture ; and may not improperly be compared to the pipes 
 of an organ. The spray becomes likewise consolida 
 ted into three masses, or secretions of a cone, exter 
 nally convex, but concave toward the falls. The west 
 side being usually the only place in which the waters 
 flow; the aspect is infinitely inferior to that, displayed 
 in Summer ; and the sound emitted is comparatively 
 faint. The surrounding objects, covered alike with 
 snow, produce one uniform glare. The rocks and the 
 bed of the river, disguised by unshapely white masses 
 
io6 
 
 produce a reflection, which gives, even to the waters of 
 the cataract, an apparent tinge of obscurity." 
 
 In the midst of the low ground, near cape Tourment, 
 a narrow hill, about a mile in length, and flatted on its 
 summit, rises to the height of one hundred feet. Up 
 on the top is erected a large dwelling house, and a 
 chapel ; and thither the ecclesiastics of the seminary of 
 Quebec, to whom the land belongs, retire in the Sum 
 mer. 
 
 There are many other curiosities in this province, 
 which cannot here be described; those most remarkable, 
 however, have already been noted. 
 
 Almost all the inhabitants of Lower Canada, that 
 have come to the years of maturity, are professors of 
 religion the great majority are of the Roman Catho 
 lic persuasion, for whose worship, some years back, 
 there were one hundred and thirty churches, seven 
 convents, one hundred and ninety secular and regular 
 priests, and one bishop. There were also sixteen cler 
 gymen of the church of England, and one bishop, 
 besides some Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and 
 Quakers ; all of whom enjoy freedom of conscience, un 
 molested. 
 
 The Roman Catholic clergy of the province are dis 
 tinguished for their devotion, benevolence, and inoffen 
 sive conduct and humanity. They are regular and 
 rigid in their religious ceremonies. 
 
 In the year 1497, Lower Canada was discovered by 
 John Cabot, a Venetian in the service of the English. 
 
 In 1534, Jacques Cartier, a Frenchman, under 
 commission of Frances I, explored the gulf of St. Law 
 rence, and the next year ascended the river, and win 
 tered at St. Croix, where he erected a wooden cross. 
 
 In 1603, a patent for an exclusive trade was granted 
 to Sieur de Monts, who employed Champlain to make 
 further discoveries in Canada. 
 
107 
 
 In 1608, Champlain sailed up the St. Laurence, as 
 far as a strait, called by the Indians Quebec, which is 
 the mouth of Sorrell river, where, on the third of July, 
 he began to build, and here passed the following Win 
 ter. At this time, the settlement of Canada commen 
 ced. 
 
 In 1628, a company of rich merchants, one hundred 
 and seven in number, was established by patent, for an 
 exclusive trade. 
 
 This company acquired a right of soil, in 1642; but 
 their charter was revoked in 1663. 
 
 In 1629, Quebec was taken by the English, under 
 Sir David Keith ; and surrendered to the French by 
 the treaty of St. Germain. 
 
 In 1690, Sir Win. Phipps, with an armament from 
 Boston, made an unsuccessful attack upon Quebec. 
 
 On September 13, 1759, an English army under Gen. 
 Wolfe, made a successful attack upon Quebec, which 
 surrendered on the iSth. 
 
 In 1760, the whole province of Canada surrendered 
 to Gen. Amherst, and was confirmed to Great-Britain 
 by the treaty of 1763, under whose dominions it has 
 since continued. 
 
RETURN TO the circulation desk of any 
 University of California Library 
 
 or to the 
 
 NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station 
 University of California 
 Richmond, CA 94804-4698 
 
 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 
 
 2-month loans may be renewed by calling 
 (510)642-6753 
 
 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing 
 books to NRLF 
 
 Renewals and recharges may be made 
 4 days prior to due date 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 
 APR 7 2007 
 
 DD20 12M 1-05 
 
U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES 
 
 M187288 
 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY