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 HOCHELAGA; 
 
 OS, 
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 VOL. L
 
 ^ ..• 
 
 <i?J f,
 
 HOCHELAGA; 
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 ELIOT WARBURTON, ESQ., 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 ■THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS," "REGINALD HASTINGS," 
 &C. &C. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 iFourtft ©trtttott, Bfbt.gietr, 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 COLBURN AND CO., PUPLISHERS, 
 
 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STRE?:T. 
 
 185h
 
 f 
 
 /009 
 
 v.; 
 
 TO 
 
 THE COUNTESS DE GREY, 
 
 THIS THIRD EDITION 
 
 OF HOCHELAGA 
 
 IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR.
 
 PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 Civilization in its progress has ever followed 
 the direction of light ; it arose far Eastward ; 
 gradually it shone over Greece, then Rome ; it 
 culminates over Western Europe ; and, even now, 
 its morning light is upon America, while the world 
 it first enlightened is sinking into darkness. 
 
 There seems to have been always an instinct 
 in the minds of imaginative men, that far 
 away in the West there existed a great con- 
 tinent ; a New World, ready to receive the 
 overflow of the burden of humanity that pressed 
 upon the Old. " Atlantis " long ago expressed 
 a consciousness of such a want, and a belief that it 
 would be supplied. Strange to say, this prophetic
 
 VIU EDITORS PREFACE. 
 
 feeling was responded to by the inhabitants of those 
 unknown regions : among the wild and stern Mic- 
 Macs of the North, and the refined and gentle 
 Yncas of the South, a presentiment of their coming 
 fate was felt. They believed that a powerful race 
 of men were to come " from the rising sun," to 
 conquer their nations and possess their lands. 
 
 The theories of old Greece and Roman Spain 
 became legends; legends became tradition; tradition 
 became faith, and Columbus assumed his mission: 
 in him the old " Westering" instinct amounted to 
 an inspiration ; he burst his way through the 
 Known to the Unknown ; he revealed to us a world 
 rich in all that we required, a world abounding in 
 capabilities, deficient only in mankind. 
 
 Then the necessity of the Old World found 
 relief; Europe rushed forth to colonize — each 
 nation according to its character — leaving for ever 
 the stamp of that character impressed upon its 
 colony. Spaniards, led to the New World by 
 the lust of gold, soon sacrificed their America 
 to' slavery. Englishmen led thither by the
 
 EDITORS PREFACE. IX 
 
 love of liberty, consecrated their new soil to 
 Freedom. England in the new world was 
 England still ; striving, earnest, honest, and suc- 
 cessful. A mistake in policy changed Englishmen 
 into Yankees, but British blood, and, for the most 
 part, British principles, remained. 
 
 These we bequeathed to our revolted colony : 
 retiring Northward, we were content to rest 
 our Western Empire on the banks of the St. 
 Lawrence, in the modern Canada, — the ancient 
 
 HOCHELAGA. 
 
 It is not only where our banners wave, where 
 our laws protect, where our national faith assures, 
 that we are to look for " England in the New 
 World." In the minds of our brethren of the 
 United States, in their institutions, in their actions, 
 in their motives — there — everywhere that our 
 language is spoken^ — we can trace our own. 
 
 And such is the object of this work : its Author 
 speaks of Canada with almost affection — of the 
 United States with cordiality — but his chief interest 
 throughout, is the relation that these countries bear
 
 X EDITORS PREFACE. 
 
 to his own ; the influence that the latter exercises 
 upon them. 
 
 Let not the reader suppose, however, that these 
 volumes contain mere political essays ; the Author 
 has rightly judged that the picture of a people is 
 best given by sketches of daily life, of the humour, 
 the poetry, and the passions that characterize them. 
 
 It is not the province of an Editor to criticize, 
 as it is not his privilege to praise, but he may be 
 generously excused for saying a few words in 
 behalf of an adopted work, that has had none of 
 the advantages of paternal care. 
 
 The Author is far away, in the lands of which 
 these volumes treat ; but every page will tell that 
 his heart is still at home. The name of England, 
 her prosperity, and above all, her character for honour 
 and righteous dealing, are dear to the lonely traveller 
 as his own. Here, in the calm shelter of our 
 English homes, this lover-like feeling may seem 
 dormant ; there is nothing to strike the fire from 
 the flint : but, in other lands, among the jealous 
 strictures of rival nations, the feeling is ever pre-
 
 EDITOR S PREFACE. XI 
 
 dominant : let the Author be forgiven if he has 
 indulged it too far. His nationality has at 
 least never betrayed him into an ungenerous remark 
 upon Americans ; he acknowledges their virtues, 
 he rejoices in their prosperity, he confesses their 
 power ; but he fearlessly laughs at their foibles, 
 and denounces their crimes. 
 
 One word more, and the Editor leaves Hoche- 
 laga to be judged on its own merits. This work — 
 whatever else it may be — is work : it contains no 
 hastily-written, crude impressions, but the deeply- 
 tested convictions of an earnestly-inquiring mind. 
 The first few chapters may not seem to prove this ; 
 but in books, as in conversations, our national 
 habit of reserve seems to exercise its influence : 
 on first introduction to the reader, a light and 
 general tone will often be found in English writings, 
 that only deepens into earnestness and confidence 
 as the work advances : we create, or hope to 
 create, sympathies, and on these we lean more 
 confidently as we trust that they increase. 
 
 The Editor would fain be permitted one word of
 
 XU EDITORS PREFACE. 
 
 apology for the office he has undertaken. He is 
 far from presuming on the kind reception he has 
 himself gratefully experienced from the public, by 
 supposing that his name would be a recommenda- 
 tion to these volumes. But it seemed essen- 
 tial that an anonymous work, so full of asser- 
 tions and statements, should have some name, 
 however humble, to be responsible for their tone 
 and truth. That responsibility the Editor under- 
 took for his friend with confidence, even before he 
 had perused his pages ; he now maintains it with 
 pride. 
 
 E. W.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE VOYAGE .... 1 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND THE ST. LAWRENCE . 18 38 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 QUEBEC HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CANADA . 39 — 80 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 QUEBEC— AUTUMN . . . 81 114 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 QUEBEC WINTER .... 115 — 132
 
 XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MOOSE-HUNTING .... 133 I59 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 THE CONVENT THE MADHOUSE . . 160 177 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 ^iRE ..... 178—197 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MONTREAL .... 198—210 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 KINGSTON LAKE ONTARIO . , 211 224 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 TORONTO NIAGARA . . , . 225 245 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY OF CANADA RESOURCES 
 
 TRADE .... 246—267
 
 CONTENTS. XV 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 RELIGIOX EDUCATION THE PRESS . 267 293 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MANNERS— POLITICS DEFENCES . . 294 320
 
 HOCHELAGA; 
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 THE VOYAGE. 
 
 About the middle of July 1844, I found 
 myself suddenly obliged to embark from Chatham, 
 for Canada, on board an uncomfortable ship, 
 a very unwilling passenger. In a middle-aged 
 man, of quiet bachelor habits, such a voyage to a 
 strange country, at a few hours' notice, was a most 
 disagreeable necessity. I soon, however, made up 
 my mind and my packages, and, before the after- 
 noon was much advanced, started from London. 
 
 It was dark when I arrived at Chatham, and 
 went on board ; there was a whistling wind and a 
 drizzling rain ; the decks between the heaps of 
 luggage and merchandize, were wet, dirty, and 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 slippery ; and reflected dismally the light of the 
 consumptive-looking lamps, earned about by the 
 condemned spirits of this floating purgatory. There 
 was evidently a great number of passengers on 
 board, of all sorts and conditions of men and 
 women. Perched on a pile of baggage, were a 
 number of soldiers, going out with their wives, 
 hard-favoured, and poorly and insufficiently clad, 
 to join their regiments in Canada : despite, 
 hovf-ever, the coarse and travel-worn dress and 
 rude appearance of the poor women, I saw in 
 them during the voyage many traits of good and 
 tender feeling ; the most anxious care of their 
 little ones, whom they were rearing so fondly to 
 their doom of poverty and toil ; their kindness 
 to each other, and the sharing of their scanty 
 covering and scantier meals : the wretched can 
 feel for the wretched, the poor are rich in the heart 
 to give. 
 
 My cabin had lately been repaired, and looked 
 very miserable ; the seams of the deck were filled 
 with new pitch, which stuck pertinaciously to my 
 boots. The den had evidently just been washed, 
 and was still damp enough to charm a hydro- 
 pathist ; the port-hole window was open to air it. 
 Threats, bribes, and entreaties, in course of time
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 3 
 
 procured me the necessary portions of my luggage ; 
 soon after, half undressed, and wholly wretched, I 
 crept into my berth : here, being too wise to remain 
 awake under such very unpleasant circumstances, 
 I adopted the alternative in a very few minutes. 
 
 The crowing of an early-rising cock awoke me 
 next morning. From that time there was no 
 hope of sleep ; it seemed the signal to let Bedlam 
 loose : every conceivable description of clatter fol- 
 lowed ; scouring decks, lugging boxes, rattling 
 chains, sailors swearing, and soldiers quarreUing. 
 
 It was scarcely dawn when I looked out of my 
 little window ; through the grey twilight the 
 shadowy forms of steeples and houses by degrees 
 became distinct and solid. The sun, not to take 
 us by surprise with his pleasant visit, reddened up 
 the gilt weathercock of the church spire, then 
 reflected himself back cheerfully from the win- 
 dows, and, at length, with lavish hand, spread 
 bright young morning over the country around. 
 In a little time, a soft breeze carried away the early 
 mist in the direction we had to travel. 
 
 The main cabin was in the same damp uncom- 
 fortable state as our sleeping apartments ; in the 
 corners, boxes and baskets containing our sea stock 
 were heaped up in such height and breadth as 
 
 B 2
 
 4 hochelaga; or, 
 
 to make the strait between them and the table 
 so narrow that there was barely room for me to 
 squeeze my portly person through. An irregular 
 sort of breakfast was on the table ; round it were 
 seated the greater number of the cabin passen- 
 gers ; all, evidently, between the mouthfuls of toast 
 and butter, examining each other with great at- 
 tention, and setting down in their minds the result 
 of their scrutiny, in prejudices for and against their 
 neighbom's. 
 
 There was a tall, thin, good-looking clergyman, 
 who, having been ordained in England, was going 
 to enter on his duties in Canada ; and a very shrewd- 
 faced Irish attorney, for Newfoundland, where we 
 were to touch on the way : this part of the cargo 
 was, however, neutralised by an honest, open- 
 hearted merchant and his good-humoured wife, 
 from the same country, and with the same desti- 
 nation. Two gentlemen for Quebec ; for Montreal, 
 a Jew, whose face was like the reflection of a 
 handsome countenance in a convex mirror ; a 
 thoughtful-looking, well-bred captain; a rattling, 
 mischievous youth, his lieutenant ; a quiet, hand- 
 some young ensign ; and a Scotch doctor, belonging 
 to the detachment of soldiers ; these, with a middle- 
 aged widow and her only child, a sickly boy of ten
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 5 
 
 or twelve years of age, both in deepest mourning, 
 formed the remainder of the party. The story of this 
 family was a sad one. The lady was a Canadian 
 who had married a civil officer in her own country : 
 after some years, he was unfortunately promoted to 
 a valuable appointment in China ; set out imme- 
 diately for the place of his new employment, and, 
 on his arrival, wrote for his wife and child. They 
 sailed, full of hope and happiness, thinking nothing 
 of their voyage half round the world, for the sake 
 of the fond and anxious one who awaited them 
 at its end. Nearly six months passed before their 
 arrival. The march of the deadly pestilence was 
 not so slow : they found but a new-made grave 
 where they had expected a happy home ; so the 
 widow and orphan turned w^earily to seek again 
 the land of their birth, thousands of miles away. 
 
 This pale boy was all in all to her. Hers was 
 a love of faith and hope ; she never doubted that 
 in fulness of time he would grow to be great 
 and good, and pay her back the debt of tender- 
 ness and care. She was the only person who did 
 not see that the shadow of death was upon him. 
 
 I speedily became acquainted with every body on 
 board. Perhaps it was owing to my sleek and 
 comfortable appearance that they concluded I was
 
 6 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 the fittest person to undertake the caterer's depart- 
 ment for the cabin ; it turaed out that I had 
 one quahfication for the duty in which all the rest 
 were deficient — that of being weak enough to 
 undertake it. Every one knows the weight of 
 obloquy that falls upon the man in office, when 
 there is no fat on the sirloin, or the legs of the 
 fowl have the flavour and consistency of guitar 
 strings. It is impossible to divest people of the 
 idea that, by some inexplicable ingenuity, and for 
 some inscrutable object of his own, he has pur- 
 posely caused these imperfections. 
 
 My prime minister was a black cook ; my king- 
 dom, animal and vegetable ; my subjects three or 
 four gaunt sheep in the launch, and, under the 
 forecastle, a couple of pigs, whose appearance and 
 habits of living justified our Israelitish friend's 
 anxiety that there should be more solidity than 
 usual in the side dishes when a chine of pork was 
 at the head of the table. 
 
 On the poop were several rows of coops, a sort 
 of charitable institution for superannuated geese and 
 ducks ; and, in the list of sea stock furnished by 
 the eminent outfitter at the west-end, was the item, 
 six dozen chickens. These w^ere represented by a 
 grave assemblage of patriarchal cocks and venerable
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 7 
 
 hens ; among the former I speedily recognized, by 
 his voice, the bird whose morning note, like 
 fire to a train, had set going the din so fatal to my 
 slumbers. I promptly ordered his execution ; he, 
 however, amply revenged himself on those who 
 tried to eat him the next day. 
 
 While I was thus entering on my official duties, 
 the crew were not neglectful of their part of the 
 business. The sails were shaken out, the anchor 
 weighed, and the voyage commenced by running 
 foul of a merchant ship moored a little ahead of 
 us. On this occasion I made a philological obser- 
 vation, which subsequent experience has only 
 tended to strengthen — that the language used by 
 sailors, under difficulties, is more remarkable for 
 terseness and vigour than for elegance or pro- 
 priety. 
 
 With a fair and gentle breeze we floated lazily 
 down the river ; our principal objects of interest 
 being the splendid ships of war, now lying 
 dismasted and harmless, but ready, when the 
 Lords of the Admiralty play their Frankenstein 
 and breathe on them the breath of life, for any 
 mission of destruction. 
 
 We pass Sheerness, roU in the Downs, enter the 
 Channel, think and say every thing that people
 
 8 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 usually think and say on leaving England, and go 
 to bed. 
 
 The description of one day in the voyage suits 
 for all. At seven o'clock breakfast opened the pro- 
 ceedings; at eight, a very small trumpeter sounded 
 for the soldiers' parade : a couple of hours' vigorous 
 walking on the deck preceded luncheon ; then, as 
 twelve approached, we aU assembled on the poop, 
 while the master took his observations ; then, great 
 coats and cloaks turned the coops into sofas, and 
 reading and sunshine kept us quiet till thi-ee, when 
 dinner — the hour of my trial, and the dehght of 
 grumblers — interrupted our literary pursuits. We 
 established a community of books ; and, before the 
 voyage was half over, Robinson Crusoe and Paul 
 and Virginia were as much thumbed as if they had 
 been fashionable novels in a circulating library. 
 
 The next re-union was of a select few on the 
 forecastle, with cigars and pipes ; a chat with the 
 sailors, and a sharp look out for porpoise, whale, or 
 strange ship, or any other monster of the deep. 
 In the latter character, our friend, the noisy lieu- 
 tenant, used always to appear at this period of 
 the day. He had a strong nautical inclination, and 
 indulged it by arraying himself in a suit of sailor's 
 garments, which would have been invaluable to
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 9 
 
 Mr. T. P. Cooke : a red flannel shirt, trousers 
 and jacket of blue pilot cloth, an oilskin hat, 
 with a clay pipe stuck in the band : nor was a 
 clasp knife tied round his waist with a lanyard, 
 forgotten, to complete his costume. Some of the 
 others played at shuffleboard, fenced, wrestled, 
 or exercised themselves laboriously on gymnastic 
 poles. 
 
 It is soon time for tea, the widow doing the 
 honours ; after that, the hot water and lemons, with 
 little bright glass bottles, and a snappish argument 
 between the Irish attorney and the Montreal Jew ; a 
 quiet talk with the clergyman and the captain, a 
 rubber of whist, a chess-board, and words of cour- 
 tesy and kindness to the widow. 
 
 Sometimes, when the evening was very fine, we 
 went on deck, and listened to wonderful narratives 
 of the soldiers and sailors, and quaint ditties with 
 overgrown choruses. One of the topmen had a 
 splendid voice ; he was the beau ideal of an Eng- 
 lish seaman — active, good-tempered, handsome, 
 and full of fun — a favourite with aU. 
 
 There was among the passengers a family of 
 three brothers and a sister, from the north of Ire- 
 land, about to settle in Canada ; they were hardy, 
 serious, respectable people, having some little capi- 
 
 B 3
 
 10 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 tal in money and goods, and their own strong 
 arms and honest hearts, to depend upon ; the class 
 of people of all others the most useful in a colony. 
 They, too, used to sing for us at times ; they knew 
 but one kind of music, and that best suited to 
 their powerful, but harsh and untrained voices. 
 Many a cunning stage arrangement might have 
 failed to give the deep effect which lay in their 
 solemn, stern, Presbyterian hymns. 
 
 Later in the evening there came another pipe, 
 seasoned with discussion on what passed for events 
 in the day, a little moralizing, and always a rigid 
 examination of the conduct of that constant offen- 
 der, the weather ; and then we slept. 
 
 One night, when we were off the coast of 
 Ireland, the wind freshened up, and the clouds 
 thickened ominously. The next morning dawned 
 upon a gale of wind ; the sea had risen a good 
 deal, and the ship rolled sufficiently to account for 
 a very small party at breakfast. The storm was 
 against us, blowing with increasing violence that 
 day and night, and the next day. Nearly all the 
 passengers were sick, and the sailors were doing 
 their work in a quiet, steady way, that shewed they 
 were in earnest. 
 
 At about five in the afternoon, the clouds seemed
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 1 1 
 
 to have been all blown up together into one dense 
 mass of dark and threatening gloom, and, as if for 
 miles round the wind had focussed to one spot, it 
 burst upon the ship. The masts bent slowly down 
 as she rose upon the wave, and the spray 
 foamed up among the spars. They must shorten 
 sail ; it seems madness to ascend the straining 
 ropes, but no one hesitates ; there is a moment's 
 lull in the trough of the sea : some of the sailors 
 are up abeady ; our favoui'ite, the topman, is first, 
 busy with the reef of the maintopsail. The ship 
 rises on the swell, and the storm roars again 
 through the shrouds : the sheets snap hke thread ; 
 light as a cloud the canvass flies to leeward ; a man 
 is entangled in its ropes, borne away upon the wind ; 
 the mist closes over him — he is seen no more. 
 
 The tempest soon afterwards subsided, without 
 further mischief. When the weather cleared, we found 
 ourselves close to the headland we had seen two 
 days before ; we had been travelling backwards and 
 forwards, ten miles an hour, ever since. At the 
 climax of the gale the noise had been so great, 
 that many of those in their berths below thought 
 we were assuredly lost. This conviction had very 
 different effects upon different individuals: some 
 pulled the bed-clothes over their heads, and lay in
 
 . 1 2 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 shivering inactivity ; others were so dreadfully ill, 
 that death itself scarcely appeared a change for the 
 worse. Not so our nautically-inclined lieutenant ; 
 he could no longer remain in doubt ; so, deter- 
 mined to know the worst, he emerged from the 
 hatchway in full pirate costume, as he had lain 
 down at the beginning of the storm. Sprawling 
 on the deck, he looked out upon the sea : just at 
 this moment a gigantic green wave, with a crest of 
 foam, stood right over the ship ; with a shout of terror, 
 and an expression of face in which fright had over- 
 come starvation and sea-sickness, he rushed across 
 the deck, grasping at the stanchion under the poop 
 as the first support he could lay hold of, and twining 
 his arms and legs round it with a force no persuasions 
 could relax ; there he remained for two hours, a 
 figure of fun never to be forgotten. The ship was 
 soon put to rights, not having sustained any serious 
 injury, and we went our way. 
 
 A whale was always an object of sufficient inter- 
 est to collect us upon deck, and unmask a battery 
 of telescopes. Our nearest view of one was under 
 circumstances as advantageous to us as disagreeable 
 to himself. The ship was going through the water 
 about four knots an hour when the monster over- 
 took us : as we were travelling in the same direction,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 1 3 
 
 there was ample opportunity for observing the state 
 of his affairs. He was attacked by three threshers, 
 (formidable-looking fellows, about eight feet long,) 
 and had evidently much the worst of it, though he 
 flourished his tail tremendously, flogging his track 
 into a bloody foam. His enemies were most sys- 
 tematic in their attack ; each in his turn threw 
 himself out of the water, and fell with full weight 
 on the whale's head ; thus, while it was above the 
 surface, keeping up a continual hammering thereon. 
 It is said, but I am not pledged to the fact, that a 
 sword-fish is always in league with these pursuers, 
 poking the whale underneath with his sword, when 
 sinking to avoid his allies ; so that the poor victim 
 is much in the situation of a member of the Church 
 of England of the present day — as he swims in the 
 sea of controversy, a blow from the Evangelical 
 pulpit strikes him down, and a thrust from the 
 " Tracts for the Times" drives him up again ; the 
 only difference is, that amongst his assailants there 
 is no bond of unity. 
 
 It is said that, in a chase of this kind, the quarry 
 never escapes : the fish in question were far too 
 busy to attend to us ; they soon left us behind, and 
 may, for aU I know, be worrying each other still 
 with true polemic pertinacity.
 
 14 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 That night was unusually mild and clear ; and 
 the young clergyman and I remained on deck long 
 after the others had gone below ; our talk was 
 grave, but cheerful. There is something in the 
 view of the material heavens at such a time, which 
 always elevates the tone of feeling, and speaks to 
 the heart of its highest hopes, sending you to rest 
 with holy, happy thoughts : so it was with us. A 
 few minutes before we parted, the bright full moon 
 passed from behind a cloud, and straightway, from 
 us to the far-off horizon, spread a track of pure 
 and tremulous light over the calm sea. " This is 
 not for us alone," said my companion ; " every 
 waking wanderer over the great deep sees this path 
 of glory too. So for each earnest heart upraised 
 to heaven, a light from God himself beams upon 
 the narrow way across the waste of life." 
 
 The wind seemed to blow for ever from the 
 west : the only variety in our voyage was from one 
 tack to the other. But we had a good ship, she 
 was well handled, and her master never threw 
 away a chance ; so, in spite of all difficulties, we 
 found ourselves within a short distance of land 
 twenty-four days after sailing. It is almost unne- 
 cessary to add that there was a fog, and that so 
 thick that we could scarcely see the bowsprit.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 15 
 
 An observation had, however, been taken at mid- 
 day, and, having great confidence in the knowledge 
 of our exact position, wc kept boldly on, till we 
 distinctly heard breakers in front of us ; by the 
 time sail was shortened, we coiJd hear this sound 
 on either side. We were evidently in an indentation 
 of the coast, quite near enough to the rocks to be 
 unpleasant. Guns were fired for a pilot, and to give 
 notice of our approach, and a report from the shore 
 returned a ready answer. At the same time the 
 fog began to rise, first showing the long line of 
 surf on three sides of us, then the abrupt and 
 mgged cliffs. At length, the great curtain folded 
 itself up for another occasion, and the scene upon 
 the stage was, Newfoundland. 
 
 The mind must be either above or below the 
 usual motive influences of humanity, which does 
 not feel a deep and stirring interest in the first 
 view of the New World : though it be but a dim, 
 faint shadow of what Plato's informant, or Prince 
 Madoc, or Columbus, experienced, when the sight 
 of these vast lands, and simple, yet mysterious 
 people, rewarded their almost superhuman venture. 
 "The splendour and the havoc of the East" are said 
 to fill the mind of the beholder with sad and solemn 
 meditation on the glories and wonders of countries.
 
 16 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 whose degradation of to-day seems but the deeper 
 from the relics of their former greatness : the 
 cities and temples, of an extent and magnificence 
 ever since unrivalled, crumbled into shapeless 
 ruin, leaving scarce a trace of what they were ; 
 the sunny hills and pleasant valleys, exube- 
 rant with luxurious plenty, withered into de- 
 serts; the land where the wise men dwelt, and 
 mighty captains governed, ruled over by craven, 
 sensual slaves ; the birthplace of an Eternal Hope, 
 now but the grave of a departed glory. Over 
 this page in the great chronicle of the world, is 
 written the memory of the Past. 
 
 Then comes our Europe, with its very large 
 towns, excellent gas-lamps, highly-efficient police, 
 comfortable churches, wdth good stoves and ven- 
 tilation ; with its express trains, and well-regulated 
 post-office, improved steam-boats, electric telegraphs, 
 and electric agriculture, liberal education, and 
 respectable governments. In all these we feel, and 
 hear, and see, the reality of the Present. 
 
 Now, we turn to the West. Over its boundless 
 tracts of rich and virgin soil is spreading a branch 
 of the most vigorous among the European families, 
 bearing with them every means and appliance 
 which the accumulated ingenuity of ages can
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 17 
 
 supply, and working them with quenchless energy. 
 Steamers thrust themselves up unknown rivers ; 
 and lo ! with the rapidity of a scenic change, the 
 primeval forest yields to the bustling settlement. 
 
 In the tangled wilderness, where they can scarcely 
 struggle through, the surveyors trace out the 
 lines of cities, which, to-morrow, are to play the part 
 of the Babylon of yesterday, and the London of 
 to-day. They grow great, rich, and intelligent, 
 not with the slow and steady step of older nations, 
 but with a hurried stride ; sometimes, perhaps, 
 wandering a little from the straight path, but, guided 
 by their destiny, still hastening on. 
 
 Imagination runs mad in picturing what they 
 have yet to be. In their unacted history we read, 
 plain as the hand-writing at Belshazzar's feast, the 
 promise of the Future.
 
 hochelaga; or, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND THE ST. LAWRENCE. 
 
 So excellent was the land-fall we had made, 
 that, when the fog cleared away, we found the 
 bowsprit of the vessel pointing du'ectly into the 
 harbour of St. John's. The entrance is about two 
 hundred and fifty yards wide, and very difficult of 
 access in bad weather, or with unfavourable winds : it 
 is walled in by rugged cliffs and barren-looking 
 hills. The defences are respectable, but not 
 formidable, works : — one of them faces you as you 
 approach, with watchful cannon pointing up the 
 harbour. There is no bar or shoal, but some 
 dangerous rocks embarrass the entrance ; wdthin, 
 there is safe and commodious anchorage for any 
 amount of shipping. 
 
 In trying to describe St. John's, there is some 
 difficulty in applying to it an adjective sufficiently
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 19 
 
 distinctive and appropriate. We find other cities 
 coupled with epithets, which at once give their 
 predominant characteristic : — London the richest, 
 Paris the gayest, St. Petersburg the coldest. In 
 one respect the chief town of Newfoundland has, 
 I believe, no rival : we may, therefore, call it the 
 ' fishiest ' of modern capitds. Round a great part 
 of the harbour are sheds, acres in extent, roofed 
 with cod split in half, laid on like slates, dning in 
 the sun, or rather the air, for there is not much of 
 the former to depend upon. Tliose ships, bearing 
 nearly every flag in the world, are laden v^ith cod , 
 those stout weatherly boats crowding up to the 
 wharves, have just now returned from fishing for 
 cod ; those few scant fields of cultivation, with lean 
 crops coaxed out of the barren soil, are manured 
 with cod ; those trim, snug-looking wooden houses, 
 their handsome furniture, the piano, and the 
 musical skill of the young lady who plays it, the 
 satin gown of the mother, the gold chain of the 
 father, are aU paid for in cod ; the breezes from the 
 shore, soft and warm on this bright August day, 
 are rich, not with the odours of a thousand flowers, 
 but of a thousand cod. Earth, sea, and air, are alike 
 pervaded with this wonderful fish. There is only 
 one place which appears to be kept sacred from its
 
 20 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 intrusion, and, strange to say, that is the dinner 
 table; an obsen^ation made on its absence from that 
 apparently appropriate position, excited as much 
 astonishment, as if I had made a remark to a 
 Northumberland squire that he had not a head- 
 dish of Newcastle coals. 
 
 The town is irregular and dirty, built chiefly of 
 wood ; the dampness of the climate rendering stone 
 unsuitable. The heavy rains plough the streets 
 into water courses. Thousands of lean dogs stalk 
 about, quarrelling with each other for the offal 
 of fish, which lies plentifully scattered in all 
 directions : this is their recreation ; their business 
 is to draw go-carts. There are also great numbers 
 of cats, which, on account of the hostile relations 
 existing between them and their canine neighbours, 
 generally reside on the tops of the houses. A 
 large fish-oil factory in the centre of the town, fills 
 it with most obnoxious odours. 
 
 There are many neat and comfortable houses in 
 the vicinity, where the air, though a little foggy, is 
 fresh and healthful. There are two Church of 
 England churches, one Wesleyan, and one Roman 
 Catholic chapel. A large Roman Catholic cathedral 
 is also being built. The Churches of England and 
 of Rome have each Bishops of Newfoundland.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 21 
 
 The population of the island is one hundred 
 thousand ; one half are Roman Catholics, princi- 
 pally of Irish descent, or emigrants; the remainder 
 of English race, and various creeds. 
 
 The trade of St. John's is ver}^ considerable ; 
 they export fish and oil, and receive in return 
 nearly aU the luxuries and necessaries of life ; the 
 annual exports and imports average more than a 
 mUlion and a half pounds sterling each in value, 
 and are rapidly increasing. They get direct from 
 Portugal, in exchange for their dried fish, port 
 wine ; with due deference to our English wine 
 merchants the best I have ever met. 
 
 The seal fisheries employ, in the North Seas, 
 numbers of active and experienced sailors fi*om this 
 port ; their life is one of almost incredible hardship 
 and danger, and subjects them to great alternations 
 of abundance and distress. 
 
 Snow usually falls in the beginning of December, 
 and continues to the end of April ; but there are 
 frequent thaws in the mean time. Through the 
 winter there is a constant succession of storms, 
 the lakes and many of the bays and rivers are 
 frozen over, and all internal communication is by 
 sleighs. 
 
 The colony is under the authority of a governor,
 
 22 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 who is assisted by a Legislative and Executive 
 council of nine members. There is also a House 
 of Representatives, elected by almost universal 
 suffrage, consisting of fifteen delegates, not always 
 selected for very high qualities. Indeed, some 
 people are illiberal enough to imagine that the 
 affairs of the country would not materially suffer 
 if honourable members for such important consti- 
 tuencies as those of Quiddy Viddy Cove or Starva- 
 tion Creek, were to direct their attention to 
 cod-fishing instead of legislation. 
 
 The most thriving settlements besides the 
 capital, are Carbonear, Harbour Grace, and Petit 
 Harbour, all towns on the sea coast. 
 
 If St. John's be the fishiest, it is also one of the 
 friendliest places in the world ; no cold, formal, 
 letter-of-introduction dinners, but hearty, cordial, 
 and agreeable hospitality. The society is, of course, 
 very limited in extent, consisting of the clergy, the 
 civil and military officers, and the principal mer- 
 chants. Some of the latter have attained to 
 considerable affluence, and are men whose kind- 
 ness, intelligence, and practical views, render them 
 agreeable and instructive associates. Among the 
 vounger members of their families, accomplish- 
 ments and the graces of life receive due attention,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 23 
 
 not a few of them have had European education. 
 The re-unions of St. John's possess so much charm, 
 that many officers of the army and navy who have 
 participated in them, have also carried away hving 
 vouchers for their attractions. 
 
 We could scarce have left Newfoundland without 
 having seen a specimen of the codfishing. One 
 of our acquaintances kindly offered to drive us 
 for the purpose to Portugal Cove, a distance of 
 ten miles. The captain, the ensign, and myself, 
 with our friend driving, formed the party. The 
 conveyance was a light, spider-hke, double-seated 
 carriage, drawn by a wiry, strong, brown horse; 
 he had a splendid shoulder and arm, a ewe neck, 
 a cunning back look, like a hare, and an uneasy 
 tail ; just the sort of animal which instantly sug- 
 gests running reins and kicking straps. He started 
 at a fair trotting pace ; but our driver, by twisting 
 the reins round each hand, and by setting his feet 
 against the dash-board, shewed that he expected 
 work. All went on very smoothly, however, 
 till we got within a couple of miles of our journey's 
 end, when, unfortunately, the conversation turned 
 upon American trotters. 
 
 " This horse is one," said our friend, " he can do 
 the mile in two minutes and fifty seconds."
 
 24 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 " Indeed," said I. Now, " Indeed," must have 
 been pronounced in some very expressive manner, 
 and conveyed the extraordinary delusion that I wished 
 to see it done, for our friend instantly made some 
 sort of freemason sign, and away went the diabolical 
 brute, up and down hiU, in a sort of shambling, 
 shuffling pace, at a rate which nearly took the 
 breath out of my body. As soon as I could speak, 
 I begged to assure his owner that I had not the 
 least doubt of his powers, and implored of him to 
 puU up. By the time I was informed that it was 
 quite impossible, the animal stopped of his own 
 accord at the inn at Portugal Cove. 
 
 This establishment is a small wooden building,, 
 prettily situated on the banks of a turbulent little 
 stream, which gets up a waterfall in view of the 
 windows. It is a favourite spot for passing the 
 first part of the honeymoon ; and is, perhaps, 
 judiciously chosen, for there is nothing whatever of 
 luxury, convenience, or amusement, to divert the 
 thoughts of the happy couple from each other. 
 
 A straggling village of log houses lies along the 
 shore, with a boat pier of the same material ; a 
 fleet of fishing-boats lay moored to it. We embarked 
 in one, a rough, clumsy concern ; and, \Adth a wild 
 unshaven fellow to guide us, put to sea. The bay
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 25 
 
 is about the size of that of Tenby ; a large, flat 
 island, with steep sides, protects the opening, 
 looking as if it had been snapped off the main- 
 land, and floated out to where it now stands ; 
 like all the rest of the sea-board, it is covered 
 with scrubby, stunted forest. At the eastern end 
 of the island is a very curious rock, standing 
 about two hundred yards clear of it, and of 
 about the same height, looking, in the distance, like 
 one of the round towers of Ireland. Our boatman, 
 speaking in a Cork brogue, slightly overlaid with 
 a Yankee twang, said that, " No one, barring the 
 birds, had ever got to the top of it." The Captain 
 gravely observed that, " unless the inducements to 
 get there were very much increased, probably none 
 ever would." 
 
 We soon arrived at our fishery, and cast our 
 lines of strong cord, with a heavy leaden sink, and 
 three or four hooks baited with slices of fish. In 
 a minute or two there was a chorus of " I've got 
 him ;" and, as we pulled, the prizes plunged, dived, 
 and twisted, filling the dark green water with pale, 
 distorted ghosts of sea monsters, which, as they 
 neared the surface and became exhausted, con- 
 densed into the sober realities of resigned and 
 unresisting codfish. Our myrmidon immediately 
 
 VOL. I. c
 
 26 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 put an end to their sufferings, by striking them 
 on the head with a short bludgeon he called " the 
 priest." He then cut off a piece of the tail of one 
 of them, to furnish fresh bait. By thus encouraging 
 their cannibal propensities, we soon caught so 
 many that we were heartily tired of the sport. 
 To give us an idea of the innumerable multitudes 
 of fish, the boatman cast a line, with a heavy 
 weight at the end and half a dozen hooks attached, 
 full length into the water, till it had nearly 
 reached the bottom, and then jerked it along, pull- 
 ing it towards him ; it seldom came up without a 
 victim writhing on one of the barbs. Fully con- 
 tented with this specimen of the truly national 
 sport of Newfoundland, I reluctantly trusted myself 
 to the mercy of the high trotting horse again, and 
 he soon whirled us home. 
 
 The road was not without beauty, but of a sad 
 and desolate character, which the few miserable 
 patches of cultivation and the wretched log huts 
 by the road side, did not tend to enliven. Windsor 
 Lake, or, "Twenty-mile pond," as the people prefer 
 calling it, is a large, picturesque sheet of water, 
 with some pretty, lonely-looking islands ; but its 
 shores are shapeless hills, and its forests stunted 
 brushwood.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 27 
 
 From the top of the last eminence before des- 
 cending to St. John's, the view is very striking. 
 The finely-situated town spread along the shore, 
 the massive government-house in the foreground, 
 relieved by cheerful ornamental villas round it, the 
 roadstead filled with shipping and small boats, the 
 bold, barren coast beyond, softening down, to the 
 right, into green fields and gardens ; while opposite, 
 on the left, grim-looking Signal hill, with the 
 union jack floating over the fog on the top, pro- 
 tects the entrance of the harbour. And far away, 
 filling up the background of the picture, with its 
 hard, dark line against the summer's sky, lies calm, 
 deep, and treacherous — the great Atlantic. 
 
 In the spring of the year 1497, a small squadron 
 of ships sailed from Bristol, in search of a passage 
 to India by the north-west. Two men of Venetian 
 origin, John Cabot and his son Sebastian, a youth 
 of twenty years of age, undertook their guidance. 
 After a toilsome voyage of many weeks, they 
 entered a region of vast banks, fogs, and mists, 
 but continued on with unshaken hardihood. About 
 three o'clock on the morning of the 24 th of June, 
 they reached a land hitherto unnoted in any map 
 or record ; sterile, and uncultivated, abounding in 
 great white bears and elks. The discoverers called 
 
 c 2
 
 28 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 this country by a name signifying * rich in fish,' 
 from the numbers which swarmed in the rivers 
 and along the sea coast. The inhabitants were 
 wild and unfriendly, clothed with the skins of 
 beasts, and painted with a reddish clay. 
 
 The Cabots returned to England that year, and 
 it does not appear that any further notice was 
 taken of this country, which the English called 
 Newfoundland, till 1534; when the brave Jacques 
 Cartier, with only sixty men, sailed from St. Male 
 in two small vessels, under the French flag, and 
 nearly circumnavigated the island. He found it to 
 be a great triangle, of irregular shape, and about 
 nine hundred miles round, with deep indentures 
 and numerous harbours, but with a soil everywhere 
 unfruitful. 
 
 Two Englishmen, named Elliott and Thorn, 
 traded there for some years under the protection 
 of Henry VIII., obtaining rich furs from the 
 natives. At length these unhappy men, with a 
 body of their dependents, made a settlement, and 
 determined to remain there the winter. They 
 knew not what they had to meet ; their provisions 
 failed, none of them survived, and tradition says 
 they ate each other. 
 
 The most remarkable among the adventurers
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 29 
 
 who visited these bleak shores, for many years 
 afterwards, was Sir Humphry Gilbert. He took 
 possession in the name of Queen Elizabeth, but 
 was lost on his return to England : his good 
 brave words in the storm, however, are left us still, 
 "Courage, friends! we are as near Heaven here 
 as on the land." 
 
 From the beginning of the seventeenth century 
 the French had a settlement at Placentia, on 
 the south coast. In the year 1622, George 
 Calvert landed from England, having with him 
 seeds, grain, and cattle. His settlers were 
 successful, and some of their descendants 
 founded, in a commodious harbour, the capital, 
 St. John's. 
 
 At the treaty of Utrecht, Louis XIV. of France 
 gave up his claim to the island, which probably he 
 did not care much about, as his subjects retained 
 the right of fishing. It has ever since remained 
 an English colony, and is at present garrisoned by 
 a detachment of artiUery and three companies of 
 infantry. The barren soil and ungenial chmate defy 
 the skill and industry of the husbandman : wheat 
 does not grow, the scanty crops of barley and oats 
 rarely ripen ; from sheltered places near the towns 
 a moderate supply of potatoes and garden vegeta-
 
 30 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 bles, is forced from the unwilling earth. There 
 are a few cattle, the grasses being plentiful and nu- 
 tritious. All else, for the use of man, comes from 
 over sea. During; the six months summer, some 
 of the lakes and bays are rich in short-lived 
 beauty. Few have penetrated into the interior, for 
 any distance ; the hills, as you advance, rise into 
 mountains, the shrubs into trees : there is an 
 idea that the centre of the island is a great valley, 
 filled with numerous lakes and impassable mo- 
 rasses ; none of the rivers are navigable far up 
 the country, and there seems but little to tempt 
 the explorer. 
 
 The natives met with in the first discovery were 
 Esquimaux ; fierce men of stalwart frame and in- 
 tractable disposition, their complexion was a dark 
 red, they were bold hunters and fishers, and of 
 great courage in battle. From the first, they and the 
 white men were deadly foes. The Mic-Mac Indians 
 of Nova Scotia, and these red men, carried on a 
 war of extermination against each other for cen- 
 turies ; each landing, with destructive swoop, on 
 the other's coasts, scalping the men and carrying 
 the women into slavery. The Esquimaux warriors 
 were more frequently \dctorious, till, in an evil 
 hour, they provoked the wrath of the pale-faces :
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 31 
 
 the rifle and the bayonet soon broke their spirit ; 
 abandoning the coasts and the hunting-grounds 
 of their fathers, they fled into the dreary forests of 
 the interior ; sometimes, in the long winter nights, 
 they crept out from their wild fastnesses, and visited 
 some lonely hamlet with a terrible vengeance. The 
 settlers, in return, hunted them down hke wolves, 
 and, in the course of years, their life of misery re- 
 duced their numbers, and weakened their frames 
 so much, that they never ventured to appear; it 
 was known that some few stiU lingered, but they 
 were almost forgotten. 
 
 The winter of 1830 was unusually severe in 
 this country, and prolonged beyond those of former 
 years. Towards its close, a settler was hewing 
 down trees at some distance from one of the re- 
 mote villages, when two gaunt figures crept out 
 from the neighbouring ' bush :' with sad cries and 
 imploring gestures, they tried to express their 
 prayer for help ; the white man, terrified by their 
 uncouth and haggard looks, seized his gun, which 
 lay at hand, and shot the foremost ; the other 
 tossed his lean arms wildly into the air — the 
 woods rang with his despairing shrieks as he 
 rushed away. Since then, none of the fallen race 
 have been seen. The emaciated frame of the
 
 32 HOCHELAGA ; OH, 
 
 dead man shewed how du-e had been their neces- 
 sity. There is no doubt that the last of the Red- 
 men perished in that bitter winter. 
 
 The blue Peter summoned us on board j the wind 
 had suddenly become favourable, leaving but little 
 time for farewells ; but ours were not the less 
 warm and grateful for their being hurriedly spoken. 
 Hats and handkerchiefs waved from the shore — 
 an answering cheer from the ships — and we are on 
 our way again. 
 
 For the first day we kept within sight of land ; 
 the character of the coast was everywhere the 
 same — bluff headlands, deep bays, and monotonous 
 hills covered with dwarf firs. On the fourth 
 morning we passed close under the Bird islands ; 
 strange, hermit rocks, not more than a few acres 
 in extent, without a shred of vegetation, standing 
 alone in the unfathomable waters, far out of 
 sight of land. Millions of white sea fowl circle 
 round them, screaming overhead, or diving and 
 splashing in the water below. 
 
 One day more and we skirt the dangerous, 
 desolate shores of Anticosti, rich in wrecks, 
 accursed in human suffering. This hideous wilder- 
 ness has been the grave of hundreds ; by the 
 slowest and ghastliest of deaths they died— starva-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 33 
 
 tion. Washed ashore from maimed and sinking 
 ships — saved to destruction — they drag their chilled 
 and battered limbs up the rough rocks ; for a 
 moment, warm with hope, they look around, with 
 eager, straining eyes, for aid and shelter — and there 
 are none; the failing sight darkens on liill and 
 forest, forest and hill, and black despair. Hours 
 and days waste out the lamp of life, until at length 
 the withered skeletons have only strength to die. 
 These terrible and frequent disasters have at length 
 caused steps to be taken to prevent their recurrence ; 
 there are now stations on the island, with stores 
 of clothing and provisions, which have already 
 preserved many lives. At Sable island, off Nova 
 Scotia, the same system is adopted ; here are 
 also a considerable number of wild horses on the 
 sandy hills, dwindled descendants of some ship- 
 wrecked ancestors : — in cases of emergency these 
 stock the larder. 
 
 It was quite a relief when we found ourselves 
 clear of this dismal neighbourhood, as with fair 
 wind and crowding sails we entered the waters of 
 the St. Lawrence. From the Point of Gaspe to 
 the Labrador coast, is one hundred and twenty 
 miles ; and, through this ample channel, half the 
 fresh water of the world iias its outlet to the sea, 
 
 c 3
 
 34 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 spreading back its blue winding path for nmore 
 than two thousand miles, through still reach, 
 foaming rapid, ocean, lake, and mighty cataract, 
 to the trackless desert of the west. 
 
 We are near the left bank ; there is no trace of 
 man's hand ; such as God made it, there it is. From 
 the pebbly shore to the craggy mountain top — 
 east and west — countless miles away to the frozen 
 north, where everlasting winter chains the sap of 
 life — one dark forest, lone and silent fi'om all 
 past time. 
 
 For two days more there was nothing to attract 
 the attention but the shoals of white porpoises : we 
 were welcomed by several ; they rolled and frolicked 
 round the ship, rushing along very fast, stopping 
 to look at us, passing and repassing for half an 
 hour at a time, then going off to pay their compli- 
 ments to some other strangers. The pilot came 
 quietly on board during the night, and seemed as 
 much at home the next day as if he had been one 
 of the crew. 
 
 By degrees the great river narrowed to 
 twenty miles, and we could see the shore on both 
 sides, w^ith the row of white specks of houses all 
 along the water's edge, which at length seemed to 
 close into a continuous street. Every here and 
 there was a church, with clusters of dwellings
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 35 
 
 round it, and little silver streams, wandering 
 through narrow strips of clearing, behind them. 
 We got very near the shore once ; there was 
 but little wind ; we fancied it bore us the smell 
 of new-mown hay, and the widow thought she 
 heard church bells; but the ripple of the water, 
 gentle as it was, treated the tender voice too 
 roughly, and it could not reach us. Several ships 
 were in sight ; some travelling our road, wayworn 
 and weary; others standing boldly out to meet 
 the waves and storms we had just passed through. 
 Rows of little many-coloured flags ran up to their 
 mizen peaks, fluttered out what they had to 
 say, and came down again when they had got 
 their answer. 
 
 The nights were very cold ; but, had they been 
 far more so, we must have lingered on deck to 
 see the Northern Lights. They had it all to 
 themselves, not a cloud to stop their mnning wild 
 over the sky. Starting from behind the moun- 
 tains, they raced up through the blue fields of 
 heaven, and vanished : again they reappeared, 
 where we least expected them ; spreading over all 
 space one moment, shrinking into a quivering streak 
 the next, quicker than the tardy eye could trace. 
 There is a dark shade for many miles, below
 
 36 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 where the Saguenay pours its gloomy flood into the 
 pure waters of the St. LawTence. Two degrees 
 to the westward lies a cii'cular sheet of water called 
 Lake St. John, forty miles wide, fed by numerous 
 small rivers. Here is the birth-place of the great 
 tributary ; its separate existence ends at Tadousac. 
 Its course lies from west to east, half-way through 
 a rich country, with a comparatively mild climate, 
 where only a few wandering Indians hunt and fish, 
 exchanging their furs with English traders at Chi- 
 coutimi : here this rude commerce has grouped 
 together a number of houses, round a church built 
 by the Jesuits two centuries ago. Great Bay is 
 twelve miles lower down ; thence to the river's 
 mouth the cliffs rise straight out of the water, 
 sometimes to fifteen hundred feet in height, in some 
 places two or three miles apart. There is a great 
 depth between, far gi^eater than that of the St. 
 Lawrence at the confluence, and large ships can go 
 up so far. About three thousand white people are 
 scattered about these districts ; they have saw- 
 mills, and ply their laborious industry in the bush, 
 telling the tall pine-trees. 
 
 Off the entrance to the gloomy Saguenay, lies 
 Red Island. The shore is rocky and perilous ; as 
 v^e passed, the morning sun shone brightly upon it
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 37 
 
 and the still waters ; but when the November mists 
 hang round, and the north-east wind sweeps up 
 the river, many a brave ship ends her voyage there. 
 To the south-east is seen a gentler sister — the 
 Green Isle. 
 
 It would be wearisome to tell of all the woody 
 solitudes that deck the bosom of the St. Lawrence 
 or of the white, cheerful settlements along its banks, 
 some of them growing up to towns as we advance ; 
 their back-ground swelling into mountains. It is 
 a scene of wonderful beauty, often heightened by 
 one of the strangest, loveliest freaks of lavish 
 nature. The mirage lifts up little rocky tufted 
 islands, into the air, and ships, with their taper 
 masts turned downwards, glide past them ; the 
 tops of high and distant hiUs sink down to the 
 water's edge, and long streets of trim, demure- 
 looking houses, rest their foundations in the sky. 
 
 We are now at Grosse Isle ;* the pilot points out 
 the quarantine station, the church, the hospital, 
 and, in the distance, the fair and fertile island of 
 
 * The conversion of this island into a quarantine station, 
 and the excellent arrangements made there for receivin"- 
 and refreshing the emigrants, are among the many henefits 
 conferred on Canada by Lord Aylmer during his adminis- 
 tration there.
 
 38 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 Orleans. Bold Cape Tourment is at length past ; 
 it has wearied our sight for two days, like a long 
 straight road. It grows very dark, and the even- 
 ing air is keen ; we must go below. 
 
 About midnight I awoke. There was the splash, 
 and heavy ratthng sound of the falling anchor ; 
 the ship swung slowly round with the tide, and 
 was still ; w^e had reached Quebec. 
 
 I looked out of the window of my cabin ; we lay 
 in deep shade, under a high headland which shut 
 out half the sky. There were still a few scattered 
 lights, far and wide over the steep shore, and among 
 the numerous shipping around us. 
 
 Oui' voyage was rather a tedious one ; without 
 doubt YOU think so too.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 39 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 QUEBEC HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CANADA. 
 
 Take mountain and plain, sinuous river and 
 broad tranquil waters, stately ship and tiny boat, 
 gentle hill and shady valley, bold headland and rich 
 fruitful fields, frowning battlement and cheerful 
 villa, glittering dome and rural spire, flowery gar- 
 den and sombre forest — group them all into the 
 choicest picture of ideal beauty your fancy can 
 create, arch it over with a cloudless sky, light it up 
 with a radiant sun, and, lest the sheen should be 
 too dazzling, hang a veil of lightest haze over all, to 
 soften the lines and perfect the repose — ^you will 
 then have seen Quebec on this September morning. 
 
 The river St, Charles, winding through low, rich 
 grounds, empties itself into a wide basin, closed in, 
 to the north-east, by the island of Orleans. In the 
 angle it makes with the St. Lawrence is a lofty 
 promontory ; there stands the city, walled and bas-
 
 4 HOCHELAGA ; OR 
 
 tioned round. On an undulating slope, rising gra- 
 dually from the margin of the smaller stream to 
 the foot of the battlements, lie the suburbs of St. 
 Roch and St. Valier; St. John's spreads up the 
 shoulder of the height, along the land face of the 
 defences ; St. Louis is the continuation ; thence, to 
 the river St. Lawrence, is open ground. On the 
 highest point of the promontory, and the most 
 advanced into the stream, is Cape Diamond, the 
 strongest citadel in the New World. On the 
 river side, a hundred yards of perpendicular rock 
 forbid the foot of man ; another is fenced off 
 from the town by a massive fortification and broad 
 glacis ; the third side of the grim triangle looks out 
 upon the plains of Abraham, in a line of armed 
 ramparts. 
 
 The lower town is built upon a narrow strip of 
 land, saved from the water, under the lofty cliffs of 
 the promontory, stretching from the suburb of 
 St. Roch to where the citadel overhangs. Busy 
 wharves, with numerous ships alongside, extend 
 all round the town and for three miles up the 
 great river. 
 
 From Quebec to the opposite shore is but three 
 quarters of a mile, but the basin just below is five 
 times as wide, and large and deep enough to hold
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 41 
 
 the English Navy. Through the strait the tides 
 flow with great rapidity, rising and falling twenty 
 feet, as the flood or ebb of the sea dams up or 
 draws away the waters of the stream. There are 
 many and dangerous currents ; very few ever rise 
 again who sink for a moment in their treacherous 
 embrace ; even strong swimmers have gone down 
 like lead. 
 
 The pretty village of Point Levy, with its 
 churches and neat dwellings, ornaments the oppo- 
 site side of the river ; it, too, has a share of wharves, 
 rafts, and shipping. Quaint ferry-boats, with 
 paddle-wheels worked by four fat horses puUing 
 and puffing round on the deck, cross every few 
 minutes. Dirty, impudent-looking little steamers 
 run out from hidden nooks in the shore, lay hold of 
 huge ships twenty times as big as themselves, and 
 walk away with them as an ant carries a grain of 
 wheat. 
 
 When people came on board, they told us the 
 English news ; they had got two or three posts 
 since we left. There was the stafl^ oflicer to give 
 the soldiers their orders, the emigrant agent, some 
 people of business come to look after their consign- 
 ments, and a few to greet their friends, our fellow- 
 travellers. No one coming to meet me, I went
 
 42 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 ashore on my own account ; landed at the busthng, 
 dirty market-place, climbed up into a caleche — a 
 very queer-looking affair on two high wheels, with 
 a shaft-frame like a gig, the body swinging on 
 broad leather straps, fastened on to rude springs 
 before and behind — the driver perched himself on 
 the narrow seat where the dashboard should have 
 been, shouted, Marche I marche ! and the stout 
 little horse started at a rapid pace. 
 
 The way was up a narrow winding street, twist- 
 ing up the steep end of the promontory, with short 
 cuts for foot passengers from bend to bend; we 
 enter the fortified town through Prescott Gate, turn 
 sharply to the left, and I am set down at a large 
 hotel, having in front an open space, called the 
 Place d'Armes. 
 
 Now, while we rest after the long and weary 
 voyage, lend me patience while I tell the old tale 
 of how, and by whom, this fair city came to be 
 built ; and why the flag of dear Old England floats 
 upon its citadel. 
 
 The first European who ever visited these lands 
 was Jacques Cartier. In the month of May, 1535, 
 the year after his circumnavigation of Newfound- 
 land, he again sailed from St. Malo with three 
 small ships. He and his followers were blessed
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 43 
 
 by the bishop in the cathedral, received the holy 
 sacrament, and bade farewell to their friends, as if 
 for ever. The little squadron was for a long time 
 dispersed, but met again with great joy on the 
 26th of July. Having visited Newfoundland, they 
 kept it to the north, and sailed into a large gulf, 
 full of islands ; they passed on the north side of 
 Anticosti, and, sometimes landing by the way, came 
 at length to the mouth of the Saguenay. By 
 means of two Indians, taken in the former voyage, 
 at the Bay of Chaleur, they conversed with the 
 inhabitants, and overcame their terror. These 
 simple people then received them with songs of joy, 
 and dances, giving them freely of all the provisions 
 they had. The adventurers soon gathered that 
 there was a town some days' sail higher up; this, 
 and the river, and the countries round about, the 
 natives called Hochelaga ; thither they bent their 
 way. The kind-hearted Indians tried, by entreaties 
 and innocent stratagems, to detain their dangerous 
 guests. 
 
 Dui'ing the voyage up the stream they passed 
 shores of great beauty ; the climate was genial, the 
 weather warmer than that of France, and everywhere 
 they met with unsuspicious friendship. They found 
 Hochelaga a fortified town among rich corn-lields,
 
 44 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 on an island under the shade of a mountain which 
 they called Mont Royal ; time has changed it to 
 Montreal. The old name, like the old people, is 
 weU-nigh forgotten. The inhabitants had stores of 
 corn and fish laid up with great care, also tobacco, 
 which Europeans saw here for the first time. The na- 
 tives were courteous and friendly in their manners, 
 some of them of noble beauty ; they bowed to a 
 Great Spirit, and knew of a future state. Their 
 king wore a crown, which he transferred to Jacques 
 C artier ; but, when they brought their sick and in- 
 firm, trusting to his supernatural power to heal, the 
 Christian soldier only blessed them with the cross, 
 and prayed that Heaven might give them health. 
 
 The adventurers returned to France next year, 
 carrying off one of the kings with them, to the 
 great grief of his subjects ; he became contented 
 with his lot, but soon after died. This was the first 
 wrong the doomed race suffered from the white 
 men. Four years afterwards, the Sieur de Roberval, 
 graced with many high-sounding titles, and aided 
 by Jacques Cartier, landed at the mouth of the 
 St. Charles River ; the inhabitants, mindful of 
 former injury, met the strangers with war instead 
 of peace. Seven miles from Quebec is Cap 
 Rouge ; there, three hundred years ago, the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 45 
 
 French built their first stronghold, to guard them- 
 selves from just vengeance ; they named it Charles- 
 bourg Royal. Their leader, tortured by the 
 dissensions of his followers, soon led them back 
 to France; in 1549, he, with his brave brother, 
 sailed to seek the visionary Cathay, and were 
 heard of no more. 
 
 At the end of the sixteenth century, when the 
 gloom of this failure had passed away, Chauvin and 
 Pontgrave opened a fur trade at Tadousac, without 
 much success. Next followed the Calvinist De 
 Monts, with a little fleet of four sail ; his enormous 
 privileges and the religious dissensions of his fol- 
 lowers caused his min. His successor, the worthy 
 Champlain, founded the city of Quebec, in 1608, 
 and cultivated the rich valley of the St. Charles ; 
 with some of his followers he penetrated to the 
 great lakes of the west, and returned in safety 
 from among their fierce and savage nations. To 
 this vast territory of Canada,* he gave the name 
 of New France. For many years the settlers met 
 with great difficulties from the climate and the 
 Indians, but adventurers poured in from the old 
 world, and wars and fire-water thinned their foes. 
 
 * A well-travelled friend has mentioned to the Editor 
 that this name is derived from the Spanish Canada — a defile 
 between two steep defiles.
 
 46 HOCHELAGA ; OK, 
 
 Some powerful tribes sought their alliance, serving 
 them to the end with faith and courage. Montreal, 
 Niagara, and other towns were founded, and Quebec 
 was strengthened into the Gibraltar of the West. 
 
 The quarrels of the mother countries involved 
 these colonists in constant difficulties with their 
 English neighbours of the south, and their Indian 
 allies added unheard-of horrors to their wars. 
 After many alternate successes, a British army of 
 great force, under the command of General 
 Amherst, invaded Canada in 1759. Ticonderoga 
 fell into his power, and Niagara was won by the 
 di\asion of General Johnson, after a gallant battle. 
 These triumphs were of but little moment, for all 
 knew that on Quebec the fate of Canada depended, 
 and the failure of General Hill, half a century before, 
 had given a lesson of the difficulties of the attack. 
 A large fleet, however, commanded by Admiral 
 Saunders, carrying an army of seven thousand men, 
 reached the Island of Orleans in the end of June. 
 
 For a few years, and for a great purpose, 
 England was given one of those men whose names 
 light up the page of history : he was humble, and 
 gentle as a child, graceful in person and manners ; 
 raised by transcendant merit in early manhood, 
 he had done high service at Minden and Louisbourg: 
 the purpose was accomplished, and the gift resumed
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 47 
 
 at Quebec, when he was about thirty-two years old. 
 This was Wolfe ; to him the expedition was 
 entrusted. 
 
 He took possession of the Island of Orleans, and 
 occupied Point Levy with a detachment. His pros- 
 pects were not encouraging : the great stronghold 
 frowned down on him from an almost inaccessible 
 position, bristling with guns, defended by a superior 
 force, a portion of a gallant army, and inhabited 
 by a hostile population. Above the city, steep 
 banks rendered landing almost impossible ; below, 
 the country, for eight miles, was embarrassed by 
 two rivers, many redoubts, and the watchful Indians. 
 A part of the fleet lay above the town, the 
 remainder in the North Channel, between the 
 Island of Orleans and Montmorenci ; each ebb-tide 
 floated down fire-ships, but the sailors towed them 
 ashore, and they proved harmless. 
 
 The plan which first suggested itself was, to 
 attack by the side of Montmorenci, but this the 
 brave Montcalm was prepared to meet. On the 31st 
 of July, a division of grenadiers landed below the 
 falls ; some of the boats grounded on a shoal, and 
 caused great confusion, so that arrangements, excel- 
 lent in themselves, were in their result, disastrous. 
 The grenadiers, with an indiscreet ardour, advanced, 
 unformed and unsupported, against the entrench-
 
 48 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 ments ; a steady and valiant defence drove them 
 back : a storm threatening, and the loss being 
 already heavy, the General re-embarked the troops 
 with quiet regularity. The soldiers drooped under 
 their reverse, but there was always one cheerful 
 face — that of their leader; nevertheless, inward 
 care and labour wasted his weak frame : he wrote 
 to England sadly and despondingly, for the future 
 was very dark; but he acted on an inspiration. 
 His Generals were brave men, and suggested very 
 daring plans ; he seized the boldest counsel, risked 
 the great venture, and won. 
 
 On the night of the 12th of September, the 
 fleet approached the shore below the town, as if to 
 force a landing. The troops embarked at one in 
 the morning, and ascended the river for three 
 leagues, when they got into boats, and floated 
 noiselessly down the stream, passing the sentries 
 unobserved. Where they landed, a steep, narrow 
 path wound up the side of the cliff forming the 
 river's bank ; it was defended bravely against them, 
 but in vain. When the sun rose, the army stood 
 upon the plains of Abraham. 
 
 Montcalm found he was worsted as a General, 
 but it was still left to him to fight as a soldier : his 
 order of battle was promptly and skilfully made —
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 49 
 
 the regular troops were his left, resting on the 
 bank above the river ; the gallant Canadian Seig- 
 neurs with their Provincials supported by two regi- 
 ments, formed his right : beyond these, menacing 
 the English left, were clouds of French and Indian 
 skirmishers. 
 
 General Townshend met these with four regi- 
 ments ; the Louisbourg Grenadiers formed the front 
 of battle, to the right, resting on the cliff ; and there 
 also was Wolfe, exhorting them to be steady, and 
 to reserve their discharge. The French attacked ; 
 at forty paces they staggered under the fire, 
 but repaid it well ; at length they slowly gave 
 ground. As they fell back, the bayonet and 
 claymore of the Highlanders broke their ranks, 
 and drove them with great carnage into the 
 town. 
 
 At the first, Wolfe had been wounded in the wrist, 
 another shot struck him in the body ; but he dis- 
 sembled his suffering, for his duty was not yet 
 done. Again a ball passed through his breast, 
 and he sank. When they raised him from the 
 ground, he tried with his faint hand to clear the 
 death-mist from his eyes ; he could not see how the 
 battle V7ent, but the voice which fell upon his 
 dying ear told him he was immortal. 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 There is a small monument on the place of his 
 death, with the date, and this inscription : — *' Here 
 died Wolfe, victorious." He was too precious to be 
 left, even on the field of his glory. England, 
 jealous of his ashes, laid them with his father's, 
 near the town where he was born. The chivalrous 
 Montcalm was also slain. In a lofty situation on 
 Cape Diamond a pillar is erected " to the memory 
 of two illustrious men, Wolfe and Montcalm."* 
 
 Five days after the battle, Quebec surrendered, on 
 such terms as generous victors give to gallant foes. 
 The news of these events reached home but forty- 
 eight hours later than the first discouraging 
 despatch, and spread universal joy for the great 
 triumph, and sorrow for its price. Throughout all 
 broad England were illuminations and songs of 
 triumph, except in one country village ; for there 
 Wolfe's widowed mother mourned her only child. 
 
 * This monument was erected by Lord Aylmer, (late 
 Governor- General of Canada,) at his own expense. The 
 inscription was furnished by him also, as well as the 
 following chivalrous tribute to our gallant enemy : " Hon- 
 neur a Montcalm ! Le Destin, en lui derobant la victoire, 
 I'a recompense par une mort glorieuse." This last in- 
 scription is to be seen on a tablet in the chapel of the 
 Convent of the Ursulines, at Quebec ; the tablet, hkewise, 
 being Lord Aylmer's gift.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 51 
 
 This is the stoiy of Quebec nearly a hundred 
 years ago, and the reason why that flag of dear old 
 England floats above its citadel. 
 
 Shortly after the cession of Canada by France, 
 in 1763, English law was, by royal proclamation, 
 established in the colony. In 1774, the French 
 civil law was restored, with some slight reserve as 
 to titles of land. The English criminal code was 
 retained, and religious Hberty and the rights of the 
 clergy were guaranteed, subject to the supremacy 
 of the crown. 
 
 These concessions caused most of the English 
 settlers to remove, in sullen discontent, further to 
 the west, where they were free from the hated 
 French seignorial rights. There they founded 
 Upper Canada. In 1791, legislatures were granted 
 to each province, the Lower Chamber elective, the 
 Upper appointed by the royal authority, and 
 thus the latter became exclusively British. These 
 two bodies were at once arrayed against each other, 
 and it must be confessed that there were many 
 just grounds of complaint, and abuses which the 
 elective house always vigorously attacked. 
 
 In the year 1828, the people of the Lower 
 Province presented an address, signed by 87,000 
 persons, complaining of the partial distribution 
 
 D 2
 
 52 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 of patronage, the illegal application of the public 
 money, and of some Acts (regulating trade and te- 
 nures) of the Imperial Parliament : at the same time 
 10,000 of the British inhabitants of the province 
 petitioned to be freed from the mischievous pres- 
 sure of the French civil law. In 1831, great 
 concessions were made to the French party ; the 
 composition of the legislative council was altered 
 in their favour ; the control of all funds pro- 
 ceeding from duties in the colony was yielded to 
 the House of Assembly, and power was given 
 ' them to alter the laws of the tenure of property. 
 
 England, having granted so much in a generous 
 spirit of conciliation, was unfortunately met by 
 exorbitant demands of further concessions ; such 
 as to make the Upper House elective, the executive 
 council directly responsible to the people, and to 
 amend the agreements made by the government 
 with the Canada Land Company. These were at 
 once refused, and the assembly stopped the supplies. 
 
 While aifairs were thus at a dead lock, violent 
 demagogues, generally men of some education 
 and very little responsibility, tried, by every means 
 in their power, to excite the minds of the simple 
 French Canadians to resist these supposed wrongs. 
 They were unfortunately but too successful, and in
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 53 
 
 some districts the people rose in revolt. There 
 were not wanting men in the English House of 
 Commons, who rejoiced in the insurrection, and 
 expressed ardent wishes for its success. 
 
 The government determined at once to strike 
 at the root of the evil, by an effort to seize the 
 l(;aders of the sedition, who were supposed to be 
 assembled at St. Denis and St. Charles, on the 
 Richelieu river, which flows into the St. Lawrence 
 from the south. 
 
 On the night of November 22, 1837, a detach- 
 ment from Sorel, of about four hundred and fifty 
 men, marched upon St. Denis, and arrived at 
 its destination at ten in the morning. The 
 night had been one of extraordinary severity, the 
 roads were ploughed up by the heavy rains, and 
 the fatigue of a twelve hours' march, under such 
 difficulties, had exhausted and harassed the troops. 
 
 The insurgents, to the number of fifteen hundred, 
 were posted behind a barricade, in a fortified house 
 and some buildings on the flank. Their leader 
 was Wolfred Nelson, who had at least the merit 
 of being a brave rebel, and who at present represents 
 the Richelieu district in the provincial parliament, 
 having experienced the clemency of the imperial 
 government.
 
 54 hochelaga; or, 
 
 A sharp fire opened upon the troops when they 
 appeared, and the efforts against the entrenched 
 position failed, the resistance being very deter- 
 mined. The ammunition of the assailants was 
 soon exhausted, and they were obliged to yield the 
 victory ; the roads had become impassable, a gun 
 was abandoned in the retreat, and sixteen men 
 were kiUed and wounded. 
 
 This first and last gleam of sunshine on rebelHon, 
 was darkened by as ruthless and cow^ardly an 
 assassination as ever stained a cause. An officer of 
 the 32nd regiment, Lieutenant Weir, had been sent 
 with despatches to this detachment ; on his way, 
 he fell into the hands of the rebels at St. Denis. 
 They sent him, as a prisoner, to St. Charles, under 
 the charge of Francois Jalbert, formerly a Captain 
 of mihtia, and other men. The former, I believe, 
 is still ahve to bear the curse of his foul crime. 
 
 They tied their victim's hands behind his back 
 with cords, placed him in a cart, and went on their 
 journey. The roads were so bad that the horse 
 soon stopped ; Jalbert told their prisoner to get 
 out of the conveyance and walk ; as he could not 
 move his hands, and his limbs were chilled and 
 stiff, he had some difficulty in reaching the ground, 
 and then leaned against the cart to support himself,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 55 
 
 at the same time remonstrating, and insisting on 
 having his arms unbound. Jalbert, irritated at 
 this, rushed at him from behind, and stabbed him 
 in the back with a sword. He fell, and the weapon 
 remained firmly fixed, from the strength of the 
 blow. The murderer, holding the hilt still in his 
 l^and, stamped with his heavy heel on the prostrate 
 body, till he had dragged out the blade : writhing 
 with pain, tied down, and helpless, the poor young 
 man crept under the cart wheels for protection ; but 
 the human tigers, one with the sword, another 
 with an axe, struck at him as he lay, mangling 
 him at every blow. 
 
 There was no hope of escape ; but, by a sort of 
 instinct, he struggled up and made an effort to 
 limp away ; pursued, he turned and tried feebly 
 with his foot to parry the assassin's sword. The 
 other was behind him, and swung the heavy axe 
 down on his bare head ; he felt the coming blow, 
 bent to avoid it, and threw up his bound hands 
 to avert the faU : the blunt steel tore oif his fingers 
 and beat in his skull. The murderers then threw 
 the body into the Richelieu river, and covered it with 
 stones; some brother officers, guided by the villagers, 
 found it there, but could scarcely recognize, in the 
 battered corpse, the gay and gallant young officer 
 they had so lately seen. Who can be surprised
 
 56 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 that some of the exasperated soldiery took a fierce 
 revenge ? 
 
 On the same night the troops marched on St. 
 Denis, Lieutenant-Colonel Wetherall left Chambly, 
 with five hundred men and two guns, for St. Charles. 
 The intention was that these two attacks should 
 have been simultaneous, but the bridges were* 
 destroyed, the weather was very severe, and the 
 roads were difficult, so that the detachment did 
 not arrive till noon of the 25th. The rebels 
 were numerous, strongly posted in field works, 
 and animated by the news of the success at 
 St. Denis. The gallant Colonel Wetherall, as 
 soon as he had formed his troops, led them to 
 the assault. After a sturdy defence the position was 
 carried, and the village burnt. The insurgents 
 suffered a heavy loss : the troops had twenty-one 
 killed and wounded. 
 
 This disaster was fatal to the hopes of the rebels 
 dn the Richelieu ; and, soon after, they all dispersed. 
 A man named Brown had been their leader ; 
 he shewed himself a dastard through the brief 
 struggle ; and, at the first symptom of reverse, 
 deserted his deluded followers, and fled to the 
 United States. All the leaders, except Nelson, 
 added disgraceful cowardice to their treason. He 
 was taken, having stood by his people to the last.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 57 
 
 -There is a rich and beautiful district, called " The 
 County of the Two Mountains," thirty miles up 
 the Ottawa river, west of Montreal. The highest 
 of the hills from which it derives its name is called 
 Calvary, held sacred by the Canadians and the 
 remnants of two great Indian nations, the Mohawks 
 and Algonquins, living at its base. A large lake 
 lies in its shade, terminated by the rapids of St. 
 Anne ; here, in the old time, the voyageurs used 
 to bid farewell to the haunts of men, in the church 
 of their tutelary saint, and receive the blessing on 
 their journeys. We have all heard their beautiful 
 boat-song in our English homes ; its tones are very 
 sweet on their own bright waters. Moore's words 
 are of this spot, in the line — 
 
 "We'll sing at St. Anne's our parting hymn." 
 
 At the time of our story, this lovely country was 
 deformed by the evil passions of men ; it was the 
 centre of the revolt, the scene of its worst excesses. 
 A numerous body of the disaffected had assem- 
 bled here, led by a man named Girod, a clever 
 demagogue, who had received a good education, 
 but was devoid of courage or principle. 
 
 On the morning of the 13th of December, Sir 
 John Colborne, the commander of the forces in 
 
 D 3
 
 58 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 Canada, with about thirteen hundred men, advanced 
 from Montreal towards this district, along the left 
 bank of the Ottawa. On the opposite side was 
 the fortified village of St. Eustache ; on the 14th 
 the army crossed the river and invested it. The 
 greater number of the insurgents, terrified at the 
 approach of danger, fled in the night : among these 
 was Girod; he was overtaken, and put the seal 
 upon his shame by suicide. A brave, misguided 
 enthusiast, named Chenier, with about four hundred 
 men, threw themselves into the church and the 
 adjoining buildings, and defended themselves with 
 courage and constancy ; but their cover was beaten 
 down, and finally fired, by the artillery ; their leader 
 and many of their number were slain, the remainder 
 taken or dispersed. 
 
 The next day the troops advanced on St. Benoit, 
 where had been the stronghold of the insurrec- 
 tion ; a vigorous resistance was expected, but the 
 leaders who were so bold in speech dared not act 
 out their treason ; a deputation from the inhabitants 
 came to beg for mercy ; they said that those who 
 had incited them to rise had deserted them in their 
 time of trial. Their submission was accepted, and 
 they were allowed to depart to their homes. 
 
 On the 16th, Sir John Colborne returned to 
 Montreal, leaving a detachment to reduce the rest
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 59 
 
 of the district ; there was no further resistance. 
 Many loyalists had fled from St, Eustache and the 
 Riviere du Chene, during the brief power of the 
 insurgents, suffering much insult and hardship. 
 When the wheel turned, these injuries were re- 
 venged in the blackened hearths of the defeated ; 
 though the soldiery exerted themselves to the ut- 
 most to save the ^^llages, and partially succeeded. 
 The three principal newspapers employed in 
 spreading the disaffection, vanished at the tirst 
 outbreak, as did also the great leader of their 
 party in the house of assembly : he, in after times, 
 expressed the strongest disapprobation of these 
 scenes of \'iolence and danger ; and, while they were 
 being enacted, gave a proof of his disHke to them 
 quite convincing to his followers, by keeping his 
 own person out of their reach. Many of his 
 admu-ers, no doubt, when flying from the law 
 or mounting the scaffold, regretted very much that 
 they had not imitated his later proceedings as 
 imphcitly as they had acted on the plain tendencies 
 of liis principles. The next time he was heard of, 
 he was safely settled in the State of New York. 
 Perhaps, if the insurrection had terminated success- 
 fully, he might at length have overcome his horror 
 of the bloodshed which purchased it. His ardent 
 patriotism might have urged him to sacrifice his
 
 60 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 own feelings to the public good, and " La Nation 
 Canadienne " might have had the benefit of the 
 future services of its peaceful hero. 
 
 The troubles in Canada caused great excitement 
 among a certain class of men in the United States : 
 some, with a sincere love for freedom, and very 
 many others with a still sincerer love for plunder, 
 were moved to assist their Canadian neighbours, 
 whom they called " The Patriots." These sympa- 
 thizers assembled in large bodies, principally 
 threatening the upper province. They thought it 
 an excellent opportunity for playing the game in 
 which their countrymen have succeeded in Texas ; 
 their opponents being English, instead of Mexican, 
 spoiled the parallel. " The sympathizers," — what 
 soft and kindly ideas the name they assumed 
 suggests ! Tearful eyes and cambric handkerchiefs, 
 good-Samaritan acts of tenderness and charity, 
 soothing words of consolation. Not so to them — 
 their sympathy was given in the midnight assassins' 
 bloody knife, in the torch of the merciless incendiary, 
 in the ransacking hand of the rapacious robber. 
 
 Upper Canada was not without its hero : a man 
 named William Lyon Mackenzie, the editor of a 
 repubhcan newspaper at Toronto, laid aside the 
 pen and seized the sword ; he assembled about five 
 or six hundred men at a place called Montgomerie's
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 61 
 
 Tavern, four miles from the town, on the evening 
 of the 4 th of December, with the intention of 
 entering in the night. As soon as this decided 
 step was taken, they arrested every one on the 
 roads, to prevent intelligence being carried to the 
 Governor, Sir Francis Head. 
 
 Colonel Moodie, a worthy veteran, and three of 
 his friends, were unfortunately seen riding towards 
 Toronto ; he was fired at from the Tavern ; fell, 
 wounded in two places, and in a few hours was 
 dead. The leader then harangued his followers, 
 telling them that as blood had been shed there was 
 now no retreat, and persuading them to advance. 
 The authorities were perfectly aware of the ap- 
 proaching danger ; but, confident in the loyalty of 
 the great majority of the inhabitants, Sir Francis 
 Head had sent all the troops to the low'er province 
 at the first news of the outbreak there. The insur- 
 gents, styling themselves a provincial convention, 
 published proclamations, calling on the people to 
 rise and free themselves ; in terms of blasphemous 
 hypocrisy using the name of God to urge them to 
 break God's law. 
 
 Some loyal volunteers manned the city hall, and 
 orders were given to the militia to assemble imme- 
 diately. During the night, nothing occurred but
 
 62 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 a slight skirmish, in which the insurgents were 
 worsted. The next day the governor had mustered 
 sufficient strength to attack, but first made an 
 effort to bring the deluded people to reason with- 
 out the loss of life. In the mean time his 
 opponent had seized the mail, and imprisoned 
 several inoffensive individuals. A number of 
 horses w^ere also pressed for his service, and a 
 neighbour's house was burned. Flushed with these 
 achievements, the attempts of the peace-makers 
 were useless. 
 
 On the 7th of December, Colonel Mc Nab, 
 with a party of militia, marched from Toronto and 
 attacked the tavern; the defenders, who were 
 armed with rifles, made a short resistance and 
 fled; their leaders, as the governor quaintly de- 
 scribes it, " in a state of the greatest agitation ran 
 away." A good many prisoners were taken, but 
 immediately afterwards contemptuously dismissed. 
 
 The news of this rebellious movement had at 
 once roused the indignation of the masses of the 
 population ; from ten to twelve thousand men 
 immediately crowded to Toronto, to give their 
 services to the law. The day after its termination 
 a public notice informed them that there was no 
 occasion for their services in that place, and the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 63 
 
 forces of the Eastern districts were allowed to turn 
 towards Lower Canada. 
 
 In the mean time, the ex-editor had escaped in 
 disguise to Buffalo, in the United States, where, by 
 the story of his wrongs, and by promises, he succeed- 
 ed in collecting a force of sympathizing Americans, 
 who plundered the state arsenals of cannon, arms, 
 and ammunition, and took possession of Navy 
 Island, a little above the Falls of Niagara, on the 
 1 3th of December. 
 
 Supplied with stores and provisions from Buifalo, 
 they threw up works, and threatened the opposite 
 shore. Very few Canadians joined them. Pro- 
 clamations from the Provisional Government were 
 published from this place, offering a hundred 
 dollars, and three hundred acres of land, in their 
 future conquests, to every volunteer. Five hundred 
 pounds were offered for the apprehension of the 
 English Governor, the rebels stating that all the 
 wealth and resources of the country would speedily 
 be at their disposal. * 
 
 They opened a fire of artillery upon the houses 
 of the peaceable inhabitants of the Canada shore, 
 but without doing much injury : a body of 
 miUtia watched their movements defensively. On 
 the 28th of December, the steamer Caroline,
 
 64 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 employed in conveying arms and supplies to Navy 
 Island, was boarded by some loyalists, led by 
 Lieutenant Drew, an officer of the Royal Navy ; 
 she lay moored to Fort Schlosser, on the American 
 shore, but, after a bloody struggle, was carried, set 
 on fire, and suffered to drift over the great falls ! 
 It was an aw^ful sight; the blazing mass, floating 
 slowly at first, but each moment increasing its 
 pace, at length whirled rapidly along — the red 
 glare lighting up all around — the gloomy forest, the 
 broad waters, and the dark wintry night, as the 
 ship rushed past tq her terrible grave. 
 
 Exaggerated versions of this attack caused great 
 excitement in America, but the undoubted piratical 
 occupation of the vessel convinced all weU-thinking 
 people of its necessity, and the United States 
 government did not agitate the question of the 
 invasion of territory. 
 
 Soon afterwards, a sufficient force was collected to 
 dislodge these invaders from Navy Island A short 
 cannonade from the north bank of the river, caused 
 them to evacuate their position on the night of the 
 14th of January, 1838. When they landed on the 
 shore of the United States, their leader was arrested 
 and held to bail, and their arms taken possession 
 of by the authorities. Other attempts were made by
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 65 
 
 sympathizers, on Kingston and Amherstburgh, but 
 were at once defeated by the militia. Another party 
 having assembled at Point Pelee Island, in Lake Erie, 
 the artillery and troops marched twenty miles over 
 the ice to attack them, taking up a position which 
 obliged them either to fio-ht or surrender. There 
 was a sharp resistance, many of the soldiers were 
 shot down in their close ranks, from behind the 
 wooded coverts ; after some time they extended 
 their files, to avoid the concentrated fire, and 
 charged with the bayonet ; the island was then 
 carried, and most of the defenders captured or 
 slain. 
 
 In all these forays, excepting the first outbreak 
 at Toronto, nearly all the marauders were citizens 
 of the United States, and their conduct throughout 
 was unredeemed by a single act of humanit}^, 
 generosity, or courage. The Washington govern- 
 ment, with good faith, tried to restrain these 
 outrages, but its feeble executive was unequal to 
 the task. Every night, houses were sacked and 
 burned on the Canadian side. Amongst other 
 depredations, a pillar raised to the memory of the 
 brave Sir Isaac Brock, slain at the head of an 
 English force in the last American war, was blown 
 up with gunpowder, and much injured, by a man
 
 66 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 of the name of Lett, who was afterwards im- 
 prisoned for robbery in the United States. 
 
 On the 30th of May following, a party of 
 sympathizers plundered and burned a Canadian 
 steamer, the Sir Robert Peel, while lying at Wells 
 Island, belonging to the United States, in the river 
 St. Lawrence. The leader was a man named 
 Johnson, of great cunning and skill ; he managed 
 to carry on his system of piracy and destruction 
 for a considerable time, without interruption. For 
 twenty-five miles below Kingston, the " Thousand 
 Islands" adorn the river; they are nearly two 
 thousand in number, rocky, wooded, without inha- 
 bitants, and varying in size from ten miles long to 
 mere rocky tufts. In this watery labyrinth, where 
 the thick forests overshadow the river, these 
 marauders lurked ; they were provided with boats 
 of wonderful swiftness, their expeditions were 
 secret and sudden, and pursuit was vain. 
 
 In the month of September, several French- 
 Canadians were tried by the usual forms of law, for 
 the murder of a volunteer named Chartrand, which 
 had been perpetrated with cold-blooded atrocity. 
 The jury were exclusively countrymen of the 
 accused, all others had been objected to in the 
 challenge. The crime was scarcely denied, and
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 67 
 
 was proved by the clearest evidence to every one 
 but those with whom it lay to decide ; they gave 
 the verdict, " not guilty," and were in consequence 
 entertained at public dinners and applauded for 
 their patriotism, by the disaifected party. The 
 common trial by jury was thus found to be quite 
 unsuited to the emergency, and the disposal of the 
 prisoners became a source of great embarrassment 
 to the government. 
 
 On the arrival of the high-minded, but injudi- 
 cious Earl of Durham, (who had been sent out as 
 plenipotentiary at the time of these difficulties,) 
 the question was solved by a general gaol deliver}', 
 with some very few exceptions of those whose 
 crimes were pre-eminently heinous. A proclamation 
 was also issued, allowing those who had fled out of 
 the country to return unmolested to their homes. 
 
 Lord Durham's mission produced a statement 
 of the condition of the country, and the sources of 
 its difficulties. The spirit of the document is as 
 follows : — " The root of the evil in Lower Canada 
 is in the difference of races, arraying the people in 
 endui'ing and bitter hostility against each other. 
 The distinction in language, education, and religion, 
 is not softened down by social intercourse, they 
 seldom meet in society, each have their own banks
 
 68 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 and hotels. They inherit in an exaggerated degree 
 the pecuUarities of their origin, and the English 
 take but little pains to conceal their contempt and 
 intolerance for the customs and manners of their 
 neighbours. Every political difference may be 
 traced to the same source — the contest of the 
 races. 
 
 " A peculiarity in the formation of French-Cana- 
 dian society, is also a fruitful cause of mischief; 
 from the means afforded by public foundations for 
 attaining the higher branches of education, the 
 professions are greatly overstocked. Tv^o or three 
 hundred young men, nearly all of humble birth, 
 are annually turned out from the public schools ; 
 averse to sinking back to the lowly occupations of 
 their parents, a few become priests, the remainder 
 lawyers and surgeons. With these every village 
 swarms. Thus the best-educated people are 
 generally connected by ties of blood, and intimacy, 
 with the most ignorant habitans. In social inter- 
 course the abler mind gains an influence over the 
 mass, and thus the demagogue here becomes more 
 powerful than in any other country. 
 
 " The general inclination to jobbing, results in a 
 perfect scramble in the House of Assembly for 
 each to get as much as he can for his constituents
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 69 
 
 and himself; this is carried to such an extent, that 
 a great proportion of the schoolmasters appointed 
 could neither read nor write. The judicial system 
 appears to have been feeble and imperfect : except 
 in the large towns, there was no public officer to 
 whom any order could be directed." 
 
 In the middle of October the state of Canada 
 again became gloomy ; numbers of the French 
 population bound themselves, by secret oaths and 
 signs, into a dangerous organization ; the terrified 
 loyalists crowded into the towns, or fled the 
 country ; the thirst of blood and rapine was re- 
 awakened on the American frontier, and the militia 
 of Enghsh origin, dissatisfied with the pardon of 
 the rebels who had inflicted such injuries on them 
 and been arrested by their prowess, shewed much 
 disinclination again to come forward in so un- 
 promising a cause. 
 
 A portion of the French inhabitants were again in 
 arms on the 3rd of November ; their plan being to 
 rise in Montreal, and destroy the troops while they 
 were at church and unarmed. By this time the go- 
 vernment had devolved upon the gallant Sir John 
 Colborne, whose wise precautions and admirable 
 arrangements defeated their intentions. 
 
 At Beauharnois the rebels attacked the house of
 
 70 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 Mr. Ellice, lately secretary to the governor, and 
 carried him off; treating the ladies, however, with 
 consideration and courtesy. On the same day a 
 body of armed men concealed themselves near the 
 Indian village of Caughnawauga : this news arrived 
 while the warriors of the tribe were at church ; 
 they sallied out with the arms they could collect at 
 the moment, and fell upon the rebels. These, sur- 
 prised, scarcely resisted, and were tied with their 
 own sashes and garters by the victors, who carried 
 them in boats to Montreal gaol. The Indian chief 
 told the general that, if necessary, he would bring 
 him the scalp of every habitan in the neighbour- 
 hood in twenty-four hours. 
 
 These Indians are the remnant of the once 
 powerful and ferocious tribes of the Six Nations ; 
 they are now domesticated, and cultivate the land. 
 The chiefs are humane men, and enforce strict 
 order ; none of their prisoners were injured. 
 
 About four thousand insurgents collected at 
 Napierville, under the command of Doctor Robert 
 Nelson and two others, who had all been included 
 in the late amnesty. Some troops were marched 
 on this point, but they found that the greater 
 number of the insurgents had disappeared, and 
 were beyond pursuit. Some of them had been
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 71 
 
 detached to open a communication with the United 
 States : these were met by a party of loyal volun- 
 teers, who bravely defeated them, drove them across 
 the frontier, took several prisoners, a field piece, 
 and three hundred stand of arms. The victors 
 then threw themselves into the church at Odell 
 Town, awaited the approach of Dr. Nelson and the 
 rebels who had fled from Napierville, and repulsed 
 them with the loss of more than a hundred men. 
 
 Mr. EUice, and several other loyalist prisoners, 
 were carried by the rebels to Chateauguay, and well 
 treated ; finally they were released, and the road 
 pointed out to them by which to reach La Prairie. 
 In this rising there was but little violence, and no 
 cruelty, in the conduct of the Canadians. Dr. 
 Robert Nelson's address to the people declared for in- 
 dependence, a republican government, the confisca- 
 tion of the crown and church lands and the 
 possessions of the Canada Company, the abolition 
 of seignorial rights, and of imprisonment for 
 debt. 
 
 In Upper Canada, five hundred American sym- 
 pathizers landed at Prescott, on the St. Lawrence, 
 with several pieces of cannon, on the evening of 
 the 12th. Soon after, a party of English troops 
 and militia attacked them, driving them into two
 
 72 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 strong houses and a stone windmill, where they 
 defended themselves with great tenacity. They 
 finally suiTendered, however, and were carried pri- 
 soners to Kingston, to be tried by court-martial. 
 
 Another body landed near Sandwich, in the 
 western part of Upper Canada : they burned the 
 Thames steam-boat, the barracks, and two militia- 
 men within ; shot some inoffensive people, and 
 murdered Dr. Hume, a military surgeon. He 
 had mistaken them for some of the pro\dncial mili- 
 tia, and fallen into their hands unarmed ; his body 
 was thrown aside, hacked and mangled by axes 
 and knives. Colonel Prince, on hearing of these 
 atrocities, assembled a few militia-men, when the 
 dastard assassins, making but little resistance, fled : 
 their exasperated pursuers overtook, and slew 
 many of them. 
 
 A public meeting was held at New York, for the 
 purpose of promoting the invasion of Canada ; Dr. 
 Wolfred Nelson and many other refugees attending it. 
 At the same time, the inhabitants of Ogdensburgh, 
 an American town nearly opposite to Prescott, as- 
 sembled ; and, through the commanding officer of 
 the United States' army in that district, begged 
 that consideration might be shewn for the mis- 
 guided men who, under false representations, had
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 73 
 
 been beguiled into the invasion of a friendly 
 country. 
 
 Six of the Prescott brigands, and three of the 
 assassins of Dr. Hume, were executed. The leader 
 of the former was the first tried, and hanged ; his 
 name was Von Schultz, a Pole by birth, and 
 merely a military adventurer. He had fought with 
 skill and courage, and died bravely and without 
 complaint, except of the false representations which 
 had caused his ruin, by inducing him to join the 
 'godless cause. Doing all that lay in his power to 
 repair his error, he left his httle property, about 
 eight hundred pounds, half to the Roman Cathohc 
 College at Kingston, and the remainder to the 
 widows and oi-phans of the English soldiers and 
 militia who had fallen in the combat where he was 
 taken. 
 
 Several people were also executed in consequence 
 of the attack on Toronto. The most remarkable 
 of these was a man named Lount, a native of the 
 United States, but settled in Canada ; he had been 
 a blacksmith, and had acquired considerable pro- 
 perty, and influence among his neighbours. He 
 became a member of the Provincial Parliament, 
 where he formed intimacies with the most dangerous 
 of the political agitators, and his more ardent 
 
 VOL, T. E
 
 74 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 nature soon led him to outstrip them all in the 
 violence of sedition. 
 
 His trial excited very great interest : doubt there 
 was none, and the solemn sentence was pronounced. 
 His daughter, a girl of no common attractions, had 
 forced her way through the crowd, close to the 
 judges' bench. With fixed eye, and bloodless 
 cheeks, she heard the fatal words which blighted 
 earthly hope ; for a time they were but an empty 
 voice, no meaning reached her stunned senses. 
 Slowly, and with an increasing distinctness, the 
 terrible reality stamped itself upon her soul. She 
 was carried to her home, thence to her long 
 home. 
 
 Her father prayed earnestly, and acknowledged 
 the justice of his punishment when on the scaffold. 
 In the last moment, he wondered that his child had 
 not come to bid him farewell ; when he complained, 
 he did not know that they were to meet so soon. 
 
 Veiy great leniency was shown by the English 
 Government; fifty or sixty persons were transported; 
 but almost aU the political offenders have since been 
 pardoned. Occasionally there were instances of 
 great apparent harshness. Where such numbers 
 were implicated, over such an extent of country, at 
 a great distance from the fountain head, with several
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 75 
 
 changes of Governors, such cases could not be 
 altogether avoided ; unfortunately, those really most 
 guilty were not always the men made to expiate 
 their offences. The loyal Canadians, who had suffered 
 much during the insurrection, were discontented and 
 indignant at this tendency to clemency ; particularly 
 with regard to the sympathizers, whom they looked 
 upon as assassins and robbers. 
 
 Thus ended the Canadian rebellion ; the handi- 
 work of a few political knaves and desperate adven- 
 turers, acting on the passions and ignorance of a 
 portion of a vii'tuous and peaceful people. What- 
 ever may have been their WTongs, real or imaginary, 
 such an attempt at redress was but a murdeious 
 folly. Without arms, money, or combination — 
 with chiefs only conspicuous by cowardice and 
 incapacity — with but sufficient spirit to pro- 
 secute their first success by an atrocious 
 assassination — unsupported, discountenanced by 
 the mass of the intelligent and wealthy, even of 
 their own race — opposed by the more warlike and 
 energetic inhabitants of the Upper Province — they 
 threw themselves madly into the field against the 
 greatest of earthly powers ; their only allies, the 
 robber refuse of a neighbouring population. 
 
 E 2
 
 76 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 As a political movement, it was an egregious 
 error ; as a military effort, it was below contempt : 
 not that one would wish for a moment to depreciate 
 the merits of the brave and judicious leaders, and 
 the gallant troops, through whose instrumentality 
 it was suppressed ; nor to speak with less pride 
 and pleasure of those loyal men, who, from the 
 Chief Justice of a pro\ance to the hardy woodsman — 
 from the descendant of the earliest settler to the 
 emigrant but just landed from his English home 
 or Irish country village — had all, with ready heart 
 and hand, fought for the crown and laws of our 
 matchless country. 
 
 The republican journals of France took up the 
 cause of the rebels with fiery zeal. Undeterred 
 by profound ignorance of the circumstances of the 
 case, they spoke of " their brethren in blood and 
 principle, the six hundred thousand oppressed 
 French in Canada, who had risen en masse against 
 British tyranny, the motive and soul of which is 
 inveterate hatred of all that is French." 
 
 On the 7th of September, the Governor of 
 Canada, Mr. Poulett Thompson, afterwards Lord 
 Sydenham, commimicated to the Parliament of the 
 Upper Province a proposition from the English 
 Government to unite the provinces : both to be
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. / 7 
 
 represented equally in the new Legislature ; 
 to agree to a sufficient civil list ; and the charge of 
 the principal part of the debt of Upper Canada 
 to fall on the United Province. This was agreed 
 to, both in the Legislative Council and the House 
 of Assembly. 
 
 In the month of March following, after the 
 union, a general election took place, which was 
 favourable to the Government in its results. Lord 
 Sydenham addressed the House, in a sound and 
 conciliatory speech, which was well received, though 
 in the ensuing debate the difficult question of 
 " Responsible Government" was much dwelt upon. 
 He did not live to see the effects of his measures. 
 In September he had a fall from his horse, and 
 soon after died in great torture ; continuing, how- 
 ever, to fulfil his duties with unflinching fortitude 
 to the end. His last wish was, that his grave 
 might be on the banks of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 Sir Charles Bagot was the next Governor. He, 
 to a certain extent, succeeded in the fusion of par- 
 ties, admitting some representatives of each section 
 into his ministry. He was shortly compelled, b}' 
 ill health, to take measures for his return to Eng- 
 land, but, in the month of May, 1843, expired at 
 Kingston, Canada.
 
 78 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 In January, 1 843, Sir Charles Metcalfe, now Lord 
 Metcalfe, had succeeded him. This distinguished 
 officer was, for many years, in the service of the 
 East India Company. In 1839 he was appointed 
 Governor of Jamaica, where he had very great dif- 
 ficulties to contend with, but overcame them all; 
 gaining the admiration, love, and respect of the 
 inhabitants, and the fullest approbation of the 
 authorities at home. On the 28th of September, 
 Sir Charles Metcalfe opened the third session of 
 the United Legislature, in a speech expressing the 
 greatest anxiety for improvements in the colony, 
 and for a more efficient system of emigration. He 
 announced the act of the Imperial Government, 
 admitting Canada com to England at a nominal 
 duty, and recommended various local arrangements 
 for consideration. An animated debate took place 
 on the subject of the future seat of government, 
 which was at length fixed at Montreal. 
 
 Not long afterwards, the ministry insisted on a 
 pledge that they should be consulted on all ap- 
 pointments by the Governor; this was at once 
 denied, as limiting the prerogative of the Crown, 
 and implying a w^ant of confidence. The Ministry, 
 with one exception, then resigned office ; and were
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 79 
 
 supported in this step by a majority of the House 
 of Assembly, who voted an address to the Gover- 
 nor, expressing their regret at what had occurred ; 
 but, at the same time, disclaiming any wish to 
 exact a stipulation from the head of the Govern- 
 ment. The session was then abruptly brought to 
 a conclusion, and the authorities at home expressed 
 full approbation of the acts of the provincial Go- 
 vernor. In the autumn of 1844, the House of 
 Assembly was dissolved on these questions. The 
 result of the general election was the return of a 
 good working majority in support of the worthy 
 Governor and the views of the English Govern- 
 ment. During the anxious time of his collision 
 with the late ministry, the general election, and the 
 meeting of the Parliament, Sir Charles Metcalfe 
 laboured under intense bodily suffering, but with 
 gallant constancy still continued in the discharge 
 of his office. His successful zeal and wisdom were 
 rewarded by a peerage, which, while conferring 
 honour upon him, reflects it also not a Httle on the 
 order to which he now belongs. Unfortunately for 
 Canada, continued ill health rendered his further 
 stay in the country impossible ; in the end of 
 the year 1845 he returned to England, ^^^th the
 
 80 hochelaga; or, 
 
 respect and personal regard of all those over whom 
 he had ruled.* 
 
 Lord Cathcart, Commander of the Forces 
 in North America, has been appointed his suc- 
 cessor. It will only be necessary for him to be 
 equally efficient in his civil, as he has been in 
 his military rule, to gain the respect and esteem 
 of aU. 
 
 * Lord Metcalfe was received in England with the 
 considerations his high character deserved, but the hand 
 of death was upon him, and he knew it. In his reply to 
 one of the addresses that welcomed his return, he wrote : 
 " The grave stands open to receive me." In another 
 month, it had closed over him.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 81 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Q U E B E C AU T U M N. 
 
 Business, and making arrangements for my 
 sojourn for the winter, occupied a short time after 
 my arrival. At our first leisure, the captain and I 
 started for a day of sight-seeing within the limits 
 of the town, despite the almost tropical heat of the 
 weather. 
 
 Without entering into particulars about the 
 public buildings, I may say, that the impression on 
 our minds was, that they were exceedingly ugly. 
 They are dispersed aU over the town, as if ashamed 
 of being seen in each other's company. There are 
 five gates of the city, in the fortifications ; from 
 each of these, streets run towards the centre of the 
 town, playing at cross purposes in a most ingenious 
 manner, forming bends and angles in every con- 
 ceivable variety of inconvenience. The streets are 
 
 E 3
 
 82 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 all narrow ; the shops not generally showy, though 
 much improved of late ; the houses irregular. St. 
 John's Street is the principal thoroughfare; it 
 is paved with large blocks of wood. 
 
 There are several pleasant walks; one all round the 
 ramparts ; a platform, with a magnificent view, over- 
 looking the river, and an esplanade to the land side. 
 Wherever you can get your head high enough to look 
 over the walls, you see around you a country of 
 almost unequalled beauty. The portion of the city 
 within the defences is called the Upper Town, and 
 contains the dwellings of the wealthier people, and 
 the shops frequented by them. The great majority of 
 this class are of English origin. The private houses 
 are built more with a view to comfort and conve- 
 nience than external beauty, and few of them are of 
 any pretension. The Lower Town consists princi- 
 pally of banks, merchants' offices, stores, and timber 
 yards, with an amazing number of small hotels 
 and inns. 
 
 The suburbs are nearly all built of wood, but 
 have churches, hospitals, and convents of more 
 lasting material. The great mass of the people in 
 these districts are French-Canadians. The total 
 population of the city is little short of forty thousand, 
 being an increase of fifteen thousand in fifteen years.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 83 
 
 There are large Church of England and Roman 
 Catholic cathedrals, and four churches of each of 
 these persuasions ; also two Presbyterian and two 
 Wesleyan. There is a tolerable museum, and two 
 good public libraries. The hotels are nothing to 
 boast of; they are conducted on the American 
 system, like boarding-houses : the sleeping-rooms 
 are bare and uncomfortable ; the furniture of mine 
 consisted chiefly of my portmanteau. 
 
 Besides those of the citadel, there are three bar- 
 racks, and guards and sentries in all directions. 
 After nightfall you are met at eveiy part of the 
 ramparts with " Who goes there ?" which, however, 
 you answer or not, as you feel disposed. The town 
 is not lighted, with the exception of a few dim oil 
 lamps in St. John's Street, for which reason, per- 
 haps it is, that the city police seem to prefer that 
 beat; and, as they are gregariously disposed, you 
 may always calculate on finding a sufficient number 
 of them there to apprehend the man who has 
 knocked you down in some dark and distant part 
 of the town, if you can only persuade him to wait 
 till you fetch them. 
 
 Most of the streets have wooden trottoirs, very 
 pleasant to the feet ; those of St. John's are crowded 
 like a fair for two or three hours in the afternoon,
 
 84 hochelaga; or, 
 
 with people shopping, and showing themselves. 
 Womankind of all ranks dress here very much as 
 in England. The habitans, or French farmers, 
 usually wear a coarse, grey, home-made, cloth suit, 
 with coloured sashes tied round their waists, and 
 often red and blue caps of thick worsted-work. 
 
 You are never asked for alms ; there is, appa- 
 rently, no poverty ; man is dear, and bread cheap. 
 No one who is able and willing to work need want, 
 and the convents and charitable institutions are 
 very active in their benevolence to the sick and 
 infirm. In everything in this quaint old town 
 there is a curious mixture of English and French. 
 You see over a corner house, " Cul de Sac Street ;" 
 on a sign-board, " Ignace Bougainville, chemist 
 and diTiggist." In the shops, with English money, 
 you pay a Frenchman for English goods ; the 
 piano at the evening party of Mrs.What's-her-name, 
 makes Dutch concert with the music of Madame 
 Chose's soiree, in the next house. Sad to say, the 
 two races do not blend : they are like oil and 
 water ; the English the oil, being the richer, and 
 at the top. The upper classes sometimes inter- 
 marry with those of different origin ; the lower very 
 rarely. 
 
 The greater energy of the Anglo-Saxon race, tells
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 85 
 
 in everything. They are gradually getting posses- 
 sion of the largest shops in the town, and the best 
 farms in the country ; nearly aU the trade is in 
 their hands ; their numbers, assisted by immigra- 
 tion, increase more rapidly. The distinguishing 
 characteristic of the Englishman is discontent ; of 
 the French, content ; the former always struggling 
 to gain the class above him, the latter often sub- 
 siding into that below. The time is not very 
 remote when, by the constant action of these laws, 
 the masses of the weaker family will be but the hewers 
 of wood and drawers of water for the strono-er. 
 
 O 
 
 These French-Canadians have many virtues 
 beside this fatal one of content ; they are honest, 
 sober, hardy, kind to each other, courteous in their 
 manners, and religious to superstition. They served 
 with loyalty and valour in the last American war ; 
 the most brilliant achievement of the time was by 
 a body of their militia at Chateauguay, numbering 
 only three hundred men, under the gallant de Sa- 
 laberry. General Hampton, with nearly twenty 
 times their force, and a strong artillery, attacked 
 them soon after he crossed the frontier, in his 
 invasion of Lower Canada. He was repeatedly, 
 and finally, repulsed ; the defensive position was so 
 well chosen and handled, that the assailants became
 
 86 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 confused in the woods, and fired upon each other. 
 In the end, leaving a good many prisoners in the 
 hands of the victors as memorials of their visit, 
 they hastily evacuated the country. 
 
 Efforts are now being made to extend education 
 in Lower Canada; but there is great objection to 
 it among the habitans, and indifference on the 
 subject among their superiors. The people are 
 wonderfully simple and credulous : a few years 
 ago, at a country town, an exhibition of the iden- 
 tical serpent which tempted Eve, raised no small 
 contribution towards building a church ; thus rather 
 turning the tables on the mischievous reptile. 
 
 Many of their expressions savour strongly of 
 the maritime pursuits of their ancestors, the 
 early settlers ; such as " embarquer " used as 
 "to get into a conveyance;" "Jbaliser" a road, is 
 to mark its direction through the snow with the 
 tops of fir trees ; while the pronunciation, even of 
 the educated, is peculiar, as, for example, " bon 
 swere " for " bon soir." A party of Canadian ladies 
 were the other day admiring a painting in one of the 
 churches ; a traveller from the United States, who 
 was going about sight-seeing, was looking at it at 
 the same time, and intruded himself somewhat 
 abruptly on their conversation : after a few prelimin-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 87 
 
 ary remarks, he observed " That the Canadians 
 do not speak the pure language, like the French." 
 " Alas, no," retorted one of the ladies, " we speak 
 it much as the Americans do English." 
 
 Since Canada became a portion of the English 
 empire, many of the laws relating to property have 
 been found harassing and unsuitable, and have 
 been changed by the representatives of the people. 
 The action of those on bankruptcy is different from 
 that in England : by settlements on another person, 
 the property is secured from the effects of a failure, 
 and this sometimes falls very injuriously and unjustly 
 on the creditor. When a merchant starts in busi- 
 ness he can settle ten thousand pounds on his wife, 
 though at the time he may not possess half the 
 money ; a year after, he fails, when his debts and 
 credits may be very large. The settlement on his 
 wife stands as the first claim, which probably the 
 credits can meet, but no assets remain for the 
 real debts ; — so that the advantages of the failure 
 are like Sir Boyle Roche's reciprocity — all on one 
 side. In spite of the occasional occurrence of 
 instances of this sort, the mercantile community of 
 Quebec, as a body, hold a deservedly high position. 
 
 There was a great panic a few years ago, when 
 the alteration in the duties on Baltic timber took
 
 88 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 place, but time has shewn that the trade of the 
 St. Lawrence, in that most important branch, is 
 not in the least injured by it ; indeed, on the con- 
 trary, that it has since largely increased : as fast as 
 the trees can be cut down and shipped, our won- 
 derful little Island buys them all up. They now 
 send us large quantities of flour and corn, and will 
 soon be able to send us more, as the free-trade 
 to England gives them the encouragement of 
 very high prices : a relaxation in our corn laws 
 would, of course, deprive them of their trade as 
 they at present enjoy it — in monopoly. 
 
 The article they are most in want of in Canada, 
 at present, is man — even the pauper ; when they 
 get that raw material, they soon manufacture it 
 into " comfortable goods " As our production of this 
 commodity is so rapidly increasing, we should take 
 pains to supply their markets better. Poor wander- 
 ers ! W' e would not speak hghtly of their mournful lot 
 — they find the struggle for theii' coarse food, too 
 fierce at home : farewell friends — farewell the land 
 they still love, though it only gave them the cruel 
 gift of life ! Trust me, the emigrant ship and the 
 Canadian forest are not beds of roses. But once 
 settled, with patient industry, they can always, in 
 the end, work out prosperity.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 89 
 
 The citadel is the object of greatest interest in 
 Quebec. The approach is up a steep hill forming 
 the glacis. Threatened by guns in aU directions, 
 you must pass by a winding road through a 
 detached fortification, and arrive at the gate leading 
 into the body of the place. The front is a high 
 rev^tement of cut stone, with several embrasures for 
 cannon, and numerous loopholes for musketry 
 from the bomb-proof barracks within. There are 
 certain ineffectual forms of jealousy as to admission 
 kept up ; my companion's uniform procured us 
 immediate entrance. To the unprofessional eye 
 this place appears impregnable, and is, no doubt, 
 of great strength, in spite of one or two weak 
 points, which the captain pointed out to me in 
 confidence. It may, however, be considered per- 
 fectly safe fi-om any besieging force likely to be 
 brought against it from the American continent, 
 for many years to come. 
 
 On the last day of the year 1 775, the American 
 general Montgomery was slain, and most of his 
 followers shared his fate or were taken, in an 
 attack on this stronghold : it was defended by 
 General Carleton, the loyal inhabitants, and the 
 crews of some English merchant ships ; with about 
 one hundred regular troops and invalids.
 
 90 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 In the year 1838, Theller, Dodge, and three 
 other State prisoners, from the Canadian rebeUion, 
 made their escape on a snowy night from this 
 citadel, while in charge of a battalion of the guards : 
 to the infinite chagrin of the officers, the two first 
 got clear away from the town, the others were 
 retaken, one with his leg broken by a fall from the 
 walls. 
 
 A short time after this day's expedition, I was 
 highly pleased at finding on my table an invitation 
 to a military ball, which was to take place at the 
 barracks : this offered the wished-for opportunity 
 of judging if the living beauties of Quebec were as 
 worthy of admiration as the inanimate. From 
 those of the former whom I had already seen walk- 
 ing about, I was inclined to decide very favourably ; 
 but there is no such place for forming an opinion 
 on these matters as a ball-room. 
 
 Having discovered that ten o'clock was the 
 proper hour to go, I presented myself punctually 
 at that time at the door of the barracks, and, with 
 a crowd of other guests, walked up stairs. The 
 rooms were ornamented with flags, and stars of 
 swords, bayonets and ramrods, arranged about the 
 walls in a very martial manner ; but the passages 
 had an air of rural simplicity, being carpeted with
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 91 
 
 green baize and overhung with boughs of trees : little 
 side rooms also were turned into bowers, sofas sup- 
 plying the places of rustic seats, and wax lights of 
 sunshine. Though the passages did not appear to 
 lead anywhere in particular, they seemed to be very 
 much frequented by some of the couples, after the 
 dances ; and the bowers were never unoccupied. 
 
 At one end of the ball-room was the regimental 
 band, whence the lungs of some dozen or so of 
 strong-built soldiers, assisted by the noisiest pos- 
 sible musical contrivances, thundered forth the 
 quadrnies and waltzes. It was a very gay sight : 
 about eighty dancers were going through a qua- 
 drille as I entered the room ; the greater number of 
 the gentlemen were in their handsome uniforms of 
 red, blue, and green ; good looking, with the light 
 hair, fresh complexion, and free and honest bear- 
 ing of Englishmen ; some were mere boys, having 
 just joined from school, with very new coats and very 
 stiff collars and manners. Then there were the 
 Canadian gentlemen, with their white neckcloths 
 and black clothes, generally smaller and darker 
 than their English fellow-subjects, and much more 
 at home in the dance. 
 
 On a range of sofas at one end of the room 
 sat the mammas and chaperons, attended by the
 
 92 HOCHETAGA ; OR, 
 
 elderly gentlemen ; here also were the young ladies 
 who were not dancing, but they were very few. 
 I obtained a place in this group of lookers-on, and 
 found myself seated next an elderly young lady of 
 rather an angular cast of mind and body ; as she 
 did not dance much, she had ample opportunity 
 to give me the names and " historiettes " of the 
 company. She was one of those whose tastes 
 had taken a literary turn, and she had read nearly 
 all Byron's poems, with Shakspeare from beginning 
 to end. On the strength of this, she lamented to 
 me the intellectual inferiority of many of her fair 
 fellow-citizens ; telling me in confidence that they 
 did not read much, that, before their education was 
 finished, they began receiving visitors and going 
 into society. She wondered how sensible men 
 could find pleasure in the conversation of silly 
 girls, who talk of nothing but their amusements. 
 Ill-natured thing ! As she spoke, a quadrille broke 
 up, and the dancers passed us by, two and two, on 
 their way to the favourite passage and the bowers. 
 The gentlemen seemed to find great pleasure in 
 the coQversation, whatever it was about ; and no 
 wonder, with such bright black eyes to help 
 it out. 
 
 The young ladies w^ere nearly aU clad in white
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 93 
 
 muslin, very simply, but very tastefully ; I do not 
 think I ever before saw so many so becomingly 
 dressed, in proportion to their number ; the fashions 
 were much the same as in England, perhaps a little 
 older in date. 
 
 They were generally very attractive, but it would 
 have been difficult to single out any one with 
 much higher claims to beauty than her com- 
 panions. Most of them had dark eyes and hair, 
 and complexions tinted with the burning summer 
 sun ; their figures were light and graceful, their 
 manners peculiarly winning. There is one thing 
 in which the Canadian ladies certainly excel, that 
 is, dancing ; I never saw one dance badly, and 
 some of them are the best waltzers and polkistes 
 I have ever seen in a ball-room. 
 
 I see my friend the Captain coming ; on his right 
 arm rests a httle white glove with a little hand in 
 it ; and a pair of large, merry blue eyes, shaded by 
 long fair ringlets, are looking up into his grave 
 face. He is so busy talking and listening, that he 
 does not see me. Happy Captain, I wish I were 
 young again ! " What a pretty girl that is with 
 the fair ringlets," said I to my sour friend. " Some 
 people think so," answered she ; "for my part, I 
 think that silly smile is very tiresome."
 
 94 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 There is a waltz ! nearly every one joins. At 
 what a pace they go ! It makes me giddy to look 
 at them. The brass instruments in that terrible 
 band scream louder than ever. The room is filled 
 with flying clouds of white muslin — with scarlet 
 and gold flashing through. Surely they must be 
 growing tired now ; some of the young gentlemen 
 with the stiff collars are becoming nearly as red 
 in the face as in the coat. Some breathless couples 
 vanish among the bystanders ; others sink ex- 
 hausted on the seats round the room. Now, there 
 is a clearer stage, and we can distinguish the 
 dancers better. There go the Captain and she of 
 the fair ringlets ! Her tiny feet spin round so fast 
 that they can hardly be seen ; she seems not a 
 feather weight upon them. There is a limit to 
 the power of human beings. That storm of ^vind 
 instruments cannot last much longer. Hush ! 
 there is a calm. The whirlpool instantly subsides, 
 and the stream glides away to the rural passage. 
 
 I was soon walked off from this gay scene to 
 make a fourth at a rubber of whist, whence I was 
 released to escort one of the chaperons to supper. 
 While I was performing the necessary duties of 
 attendance, the lady told me that there was to be 
 a pic-nic on the morrow to the Chaudiere: —
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 95 
 
 " Beautiful waterfall, large party, steamer sails 
 from the wharf at eleven o'clock, happy to see you 
 there." (At this moment, in came the Captain and 
 fair ringlets) : — " Dear child, don't dance too much 
 to-night — hot rooms — pic-nic in the morning. My 
 daughter, Sir." 
 
 I am very glad she is going, I will certainly go, 
 too, thought I. Whatever the Chaudi^re may be, 
 it will look the better for having those bright blue 
 eyes sparkhng beside it. 
 
 About two o'clock the ball-room began to 
 empty ; gentlemen with their pea jackets on saun- 
 tered about the foot of the staircase ; every now and 
 then, two or three figures, with extraordinaiy head- 
 dresses and long cloaks, would emerge from the 
 ladies' waiting-room, take the arms of the pea 
 jackets, and walk away with them. There is the 
 Captain, I know his walk. Who is that leaning on 
 his arm ? The face is quite covered up in the 
 snug bonnet, but as they pass out under the lamp 
 into the street to join their party, I can see that 
 two or three long fair ringlets have strayed out over 
 the cape of the cloak. 
 
 At eleven o'clock the next day I joined the 
 party, of some five and-twenty people, on the wharf; 
 soon after, we were taken up by a quaint little steamer,
 
 96 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 and going merrily with the tide up the great river. 
 About sev^en miles from the town we landed on 
 the south bank. A crowd of country carts were 
 waiting for us; we mounted, two in each, and 
 placed some plethoric-looking baskets in an extra 
 one. These conveyances were very simple : unen- 
 cumbered with springs, or any other unnecessary 
 luxury, the seat, slung with ropes across the centre, 
 held the passengers ; the driver, a little Canadian 
 boy, sat on the shaft, to guide the stout little 
 pony. 
 
 It was a beautiful September day; afresh breeze 
 blew from the river, rustling cheerfully among the 
 varied leaves of the trees by the road side, and 
 chasing the light clouds rapidly over our heads, 
 while the landscape lay in alternate light and 
 shade. The road was a very rough one ; every 
 here and there crossing little streams by bridges 
 made of loose planks or logs of timber, over which 
 the active little ponies trotted without a false step. 
 The country was rich, but carelessly cultivated for 
 two miles, and then we entered the bush ; we 
 continued through it about the same distance, 
 when we arrived at the halting place. 
 
 The younger people of the expedition had 
 managed to get the fastest ponies, and were far
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 97 
 
 ahead of us ; the lady who had asked me was my 
 travelling companion, and our united weight kept 
 us last in the race. We found them all waiting 
 patiently for our arrival, and the partnerships 
 seemed much the same as at the ball the night 
 before. It was the custom of the country : lucky 
 Captain that it should be so ! 
 
 All now, old and young, scrambled down a steep 
 and narrow path through the wood, making its 
 echoes ring again with noise and laughter. iVt 
 length the party, with a few exceptions, re-assem- 
 bled at the foot of the Chaudiere Falls. 
 
 The height of these is little more than a hundred 
 feet, and at this time of the year there is but little 
 water in^he river ; but it is a singularly beautiful 
 scene : the rocks overhang and project, so that the 
 misty stream plunges turbulently about among 
 them, falling in a zig-zag course, half shrouded in 
 spray, to the cauldron below, which is shut in by 
 steep cliffs and banks. The waters foam and 
 whirl about in an extraordinary manner near the 
 fall, but grow still and dark again as they approach 
 the gorge between the hills, when they pass 
 through to the level country. By this gap opens 
 a distant view of the fields and forests of the rich 
 banks of the St. Lawrence. Overhead, and 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 98 hochelaga; or, 
 
 wherever the grim rocks offer a resting-place, firs, 
 pines, and cedars cluster down to the very edge of 
 the stream, as w^ell as on the little rugged islands 
 between the divisions of the shallow river above 
 the falls ; while bright green mosses and lichen, 
 with creepers hanging over the rough sides of the 
 cliffs in fantastic drapery, complete the picture. 
 
 When we had for some time gazed on the fair 
 scene, we and the mosquitoes began to dine : the 
 plethoric baskets yielded up their stores ; a white 
 deal box produced a dozen of bottles with long 
 necks and leaded corks, which were cooled under 
 a shady rock in the waters of the Chaudiere. 
 There was a great deal of innocent mirth, and the 
 fun usually arising from such things as scarcity of 
 drinking glasses and of knives and forks ; a sen^ant 
 tumbling while coming down the steep path, and 
 breaking half the plates ; and a lean dog darting off 
 with a fine fowl ; accidents which are to be expected 
 in pic-nics in all parts of the world. After dinner, 
 groups wandered about in all directions ; the falls 
 were examined in every possible point of view. These 
 discursive rambles were far too difficult for the 
 chaperons to undertake, so they, wisely, did not 
 attempt it, and quietly rested sheltered under the 
 shade of the rocks, till the long shadows of the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 99 
 
 pine trees on the deep pool told them it was time 
 to muster their charge and return. It was some 
 time before they were collected, and settled in the 
 carts as before. 
 
 We recrossed the St. Lawrence in row-boats, 
 walked to a friend's house in a beautiful little nook 
 under a high headland, where ever}^ thing was 
 prepared for the party — tea, lights, fiddlers, and an 
 empty room. No one appeared at all tired ; those 
 who had walked the farthest in the woods danced 
 the longest, and it was some time after midnight 
 when we were rattling along the moonlit road to 
 Quebec. 
 
 Such was a day's amusement in Canada; and 
 I do not envy the man who could not be infected 
 with the good-humour and innocent mirth of such 
 kind and friendly companions, nor moved by the 
 beauty of such scenery. 
 
 The ladies of Canada possess, in a great degree, 
 that charm for which those of Ireland are so justly 
 famed — the great trustingness and simplicity of 
 manner, joined with an irreproachable purity. The 
 custom of the country allows them much greater 
 freedom than their English sisters ; they drive, 
 ride, or wall<: with their partner of the night before, 
 with no chaperon or guard but their own never- 
 
 F 2
 
 100 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 failing self-respect and innocence. They certainly 
 are not so deeply read generally as some of our 
 fair dames ; they enter very young into life, and 
 live constantly in society afterwards, so that they 
 have not much time for literary pursuits ; there is 
 also difficulty in obtaining books, and the in- 
 structors necessary for any very extensive acquire- 
 ments. But they possess an indescribable charm 
 of manner, rendering them, perhaps, quite as 
 attractive as if their studies had been more pro- 
 found. 
 
 In this climate of extreme heat and cold, they 
 very early arrive at their full beauty ; 'but it is less 
 lasting than in our moist and temperate islands ; 
 when thirty summers' suns and winters' frosts 
 have fallen upon the cheek, the soft, smooth fresh- 
 ness of youth is no longer there. 
 
 The officers of the army show themselves very 
 sensible to the attractions of the daughters of 
 Canada ; great numbers marry in this country ; no 
 less than four of one regiment have been made 
 happy at Quebec within a year of the present time. 
 The fair conquerors thus exercise a gentle retaliation 
 on the descendants of those who overcame their 
 forefathers. Nearly aU the English merchants also 
 have married in this country ; and, from what
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 101 
 
 I perceive, those who still remain bachelors are 
 very likely soon to follow their examples. 
 
 From the limited numbers of the society, few of 
 these little flirtations escape the vigilant eye of the 
 public, and as fair an allowance of gossip goes on 
 at Quebec as at any place of its size in the British 
 dominions ; but it is seldom or never mischievous 
 or ill-meant, and, while observing with wonder- 
 ful penetration all the little partialities, it treats 
 them with the leniency their innocence de- 
 serves. 
 
 Lake Beauport, fifteen miles from Quebec, is 
 spoken of as a scene of considerable beauty ; the 
 angling is sufficiently good to off^er a further 
 inducement for a visit, and to a stranger, its being 
 actually in the bush makes it irresistible. One 
 fine September morning, the Captain, the young 
 Ensign, and I, started for its shores : the latter, in 
 virtue of his youth, riding a high trotting horse, 
 while we were driven by a little weazened Canadian , 
 in a caleche. The first five or six miles of the 
 way was an excellent turnpike road, then gradually 
 growing narrower, and the ruts wider. There 
 were neat rows of houses on either side, with here 
 and there a church, and wooden crosses erected in 
 conspicuous places, hung round, by the simple and
 
 102 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 religious Canadians, with rags, bands of straw, and 
 other humble offerings. After some distance the 
 farms became more scattered, and the intervening 
 masses of bush more frequent, and of greater size. 
 For the last few miles there was merely a track 
 through the forest, where the trees had been cut 
 down, leaving a space wide enough to drive 
 through. We at length reached a large clearing; 
 beyond it lay the lake, surrounded by undulating 
 hills of rather a poor outline, clothed with the 
 forest down to the water's edge, and, indeed, 
 beyond it, for the quiet waves crept in among the 
 bared and blackened roots of the lower trees, 
 reflecting the distorted limbs upon their bosom . 
 
 It is almost impossible to convey an idea of the 
 gorgeous colours adorning the foliage of a Cana- 
 dian autumn. The sombre pine, the glossy beech, 
 the russet oak, the graceful ash, the lofty elm, each 
 of their different hue ; but, far beyond aU in beauty, 
 the maple brightens up the dark mass with its 
 broad leaf of richest crimson. For three weeks it 
 remains in this lovely stage of decay ; after the 
 hectic flush, it dies and falls. This tree is the 
 emblem of the nationality of Canada ; as is the rose 
 of England, the shamrock of Ireland, and the 
 thistle of Scotland.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 103 
 
 The Ensign had galloped on to the farm-house 
 where we were to stop ; we found him resting on a 
 rude sofa, complaining of a slight indisposition, and 
 determined to remain indoors, as the heat of the 
 sun was very great, and he felt weak and fatigued. 
 We unwillingly left him behind, embarked in a 
 crazy little boat, and pulled to a promising-looking 
 bay, with a pebbly beach, on the opposite shore. 
 
 The gentle morning breeze had ceased, the mid- 
 day sun blazed fiercely down on the smooth dead 
 water, not a leaf stirred in the many-coloured 
 woods ; there was no bird or buzzing insect in the 
 air, no living thing upon the land, and, what was 
 worst of all, there were no trout in the lake ; at 
 least, we could not catch any, though we tempted 
 them with all the daintiest morsels that our fly- 
 hooks could supply. Our arms ached from casting 
 the lines, our eyes, from the dazzling glare of the 
 reflected light oflP the waters, and our ears, from 
 the deep silence. So we put by our rods, skirting 
 lazily along under the shade of the taU trees, till 
 we were opposite our landing-place, and then 
 struck boldly across the lake, and reached the 
 farm-house. 
 
 Our companion was not better ; he felt chiU 
 and weak. We wrapped him up as well as we
 
 104 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 could, placed him in the caleche, and returned to 
 Quebec. 
 
 The next morning he was worse, feverish, and 
 his spirits much depressed ; he ceased to talk, 
 poor boy ! of the sleigh he was to have in the 
 winter, the moose-hunting, and the gaieties he and 
 his companions looked forward to with so much 
 pleasure — his conversation was of home. 
 
 That night he was bled; the day after, he was no 
 better, his ideas wandered a little, and his head 
 was shaved ; the fever was very high, but no one 
 was alarmed about him, he was so strong and 
 robust. I went again in the evening to see him, 
 but he did not quite know me. It was necessary 
 to keep him quiet ; as he seemed inclined to sleep, 
 we left him alone. In the next room five or six 
 of his brother officers were assembled round the 
 open window ; I joined them, and we sat talking 
 for some time on various subjects, the conversation 
 gradually taking a more serious tone as the night 
 advanced. 
 
 Near midnight we were startled by the door 
 suddenly opening ; the sick man came in, and 
 walked close up to us. He had just risen from 
 his bed; his eyes were wild and wandering, his 
 flushed face and bare head gave him a frightful
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 105 
 
 appearance. " I am very ill," he said, " none 
 of you think so, but I know I am dying." 
 As we carried him back to his room every vein 
 throbbed, the fever raged through him. All 
 the medical advice the town afforded was sum- 
 moned, and he was watched with anxious care all 
 night. They fancied he slept towards morning : 
 he seemed much better ; it was said the crisis had 
 passed ; he was weak, but quite tranquil. They 
 thought he was out of danger, and his li'iends left 
 him for a Httle space, some to rest, others to 
 pursue the amusements of the day. 
 
 At three o'clock that afternoon, a military band 
 was playing a lively overture on the esplanade 
 close by ; well-filled carriages were ranged on the 
 road outside ; two or three riding parties of ladies 
 and gentlemen cantered about ; gay groups wan- 
 dered to and fro on the fresh green turf; merry, 
 laughing faces looked out of the windows of the 
 houses on the animated scene ; the metal roofs and 
 spires glittered in the bright, warm sunshine. 
 
 At three o'clock that afternoon, on a small, iron- 
 framed bed, in a dark, bare, baiTack-room, thou- 
 sands of miles away from his kindred, with a 
 hospital nurse by his pillow, the young Ensign died. 
 
 F 3
 
 106 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 All the rides and drives about Quebec are very 
 beautiful : of the six or seven different roads, it is 
 hard to say which is the best to choose, as we 
 found one evening when arranging a large riding- 
 party for the following day; but at length we fixed 
 on that to Lake Calvaire. At two o'clock on a 
 fresh afternoon in October, some five or six ladies 
 and as many attendant squires assembled on the 
 esplanade, variously mounted, from the English 
 thorough-bred to the Canadian pony ; we passed 
 out by St. Louis Gate at a merry trot, a slight 
 shower having laid the dust and softened the air ; 
 we crossed the bleak plains of Abraham, now a 
 race-course, and continued for four or five miles- 
 through w^oods and small parks, with neat and 
 comfortable country houses ; scarcely checking bit 
 till we reached the top of the steep hiU at Cap 
 Rouge, where the road winds down the front of 
 the bold headland to the low country beyond, on 
 the banks of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 As we descended, the glimpses of the great river, 
 caught every now and then through the close and 
 still brilhant foliage of the woods, were enchanting. 
 Several large ships, with all sail set, were running 
 down before the wind ; on the bank beyond, stood 
 the picturesque cottages and shores of the hamlet of
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 107 
 
 St. Nicholas ; the rustic bridge over the Chau- 
 diere River filled up the back ground of the land- 
 scape. 
 
 The younger people of the party paid but little 
 attention to this scene, but a great deal to each 
 other. When at the bottom of the hill, away 
 they went again as fast as before ; and, the road 
 here becoming narrow, no more than two could ride 
 abreast ; as the pace began to teU, the cavalcade 
 was soon half a mile in length. 
 
 Our way lay through country hamlets, winding 
 up and down small hills, and crossing over rickety 
 wooden bridges. Here and there above the little 
 streams, stood a quaint old mill which in former 
 times the Seigneur was bound to build for the use of 
 the hahitans on his estate. The people appeared 
 very simple and ignorant ; the farms wretchedly 
 managed ; the cattle poor ; and the instruments of 
 husbandry the same as the rude forefathers of the 
 hamlet used a hundred years ago. 
 
 In every village there is a well, furnished with 
 very primitive means for drawing water : a post is 
 fixed in the ground close by, and on its top a 
 cross bar moves on a pivot ; from the light end of 
 this bar hangs the bucket, by a long rod, the other 
 end being heavy enough to outweigh and raise the
 
 108 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 bucket when filled with water by forcing it down 
 into the well with the long rod. 
 
 The dress of the habitans, in the country parts, 
 is very homely ; they always wear the red or blue 
 worsted cap ; their complexion is nearly as dark as 
 that of the Indians, but they are a smaller and less 
 active race. As we passed along, they turned out 
 in crowds to stare stupidly at the unusual sight ; 
 the lazy cattle moved farther away from the road ; 
 fierce little dogs ran from the cottages, and, secure 
 behind the high wooden fences, barked at us 
 furiously ; trotting back contentedly when they 
 saw us clear, as if they had done their duty. 
 
 Our way soon became only a path through the 
 " bush ;" we could see but a few yards before and 
 behind : above, the sky ; on either side the wall of 
 firs, pines, and cedars, with some few flowers and 
 creepers which had outlived their companions of 
 the summer. The sound of our horses' feet on the 
 hard turf rang thi'ough the glades, disturbing 
 nothing but the echoes. There is no place more 
 still and lonely than the American forest. 
 
 The woods were cleared away where we 
 opened on Lake Calvaire — a narrow sheet of water 
 about a mile and a half long, with populous 
 and cultivated shores ; every here and there, a
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 109 
 
 spur of the dark forest which the axe has still spared 
 stretches down to the water's edge, through some 
 rough ravine, with little streams winding through 
 its shades. Some neat cottages, with well stored 
 farm-yards, stand on the sloping hills. Herds of 
 cattle grazed quietly on the rich grass by the 
 margin of the lake, or stood in the shallow waters, 
 cooling their limbs under the bright sun. 
 
 A couple of little canoes, with two women in 
 one, and a man in the other, lay on the calm lake 
 under the shadow of a rocky knoU covered with 
 firs and cedars, the occupants leisurely employed in 
 setting fishing lines. They were at the far side from 
 us, and soft and faint over the smooth surface of 
 the water, came their song, — " La Claire Fontaine," 
 the national air of the Canadian French. 
 
 AU our party puUed up for a brief space to enjoy 
 this beautiful scene in silence ; but soon again the 
 reins were slackened, and on, on, over the grass 
 green lane by the edge of the lake, winding round the 
 little bays and promontories, over the rude bridges, 
 on, on they dashed, full of glee, laughing and 
 chattering, some far ahead of the others, till they 
 had doubled the end of the lake, and came canter- 
 ing along towards home on the opposite shore. 
 When we had encircled the lake, we plunged again
 
 110 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 into the forest. I stopped for a minute to take 
 another look at the lovely picture : beautiful lights 
 and shades lay on the soft landscape ; and now, 
 scarcely audible in the distance, the song of "La 
 Claire Fontaine," came still from the little canoes. 
 The gentle scene fixed itself on my mind, and 
 remains stored up in the treasury of pleasant 
 memories. But I must not loiter; my horse's 
 head is turned away, and we do our utmost 
 to overtake the party. 
 
 During the few closing wTeks of the autumn I 
 joined several excursions to other places in the 
 neighbourhood of Quebec, all well worthy of the 
 visit at any time ; but, with kind and agreeable 
 companions, beautiful weather, and the brilliant 
 colours of the " fall " on the woods, they were seen 
 to the greatest advantage. One of these excur- 
 sions was to Lake Charles, away among the moun- 
 tains fifteen miles from the town, and the largest 
 and most pictui'esque lake in the neighbourhood. 
 There is a hamlet of log houses on the banks, with a 
 small farm ; aU around is " bush." It was very calm 
 when we embarked upon this lake ; we paddled to 
 the far end, and up a little river through the woods. 
 The waters were very clear and deep: we could 
 see the hard sand and coloured pebbles, many feet
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 1 1 1 
 
 beneath, and the black, gnarled roots of the trees 
 projecting from the banks. Our conveyance was 
 prepared by fastening together two canoes cut out 
 of solid trees, placed side by side, by planks laid 
 over the gunwales ; these little boats, when single, 
 are very dangerous with unpractised passengers, 
 but are impossible to upset when thus united. 
 
 When we were returning, the breeze freshened ; 
 the w'aves splashed up between the two canoes, 
 soon nearly fiUing them with water, and thoroughly 
 wetting us. To lighten them, half the party landed, 
 and walked back to the farm-house through the 
 bush. It is difficult to form an idea of the fatigue 
 of this walking in summer ; for two or three feet in 
 depth the ground is covered with a network of 
 broken branches and underwood, and, ever}^ few 
 yards, the huge length of some fallen patriarch of 
 the forest, so much decayed that it crumbles under 
 foot, and overgrown with fungus and creepers, in 
 some parts almost mixed up with the rich mould and 
 luxuriant vegetation of the ground. It took us an 
 hour to ffet throu2:li a mile of this, and manv shreds 
 of the ladies' dresses were left hanging on the 
 bushes. 
 
 We dined at a little inn at the Indian village of 
 Lorette ; on our return saw the pretty falls ; the
 
 112 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 young savages shooting with bows and arrows ; the 
 squaws working their embroidery ; and the hunters' 
 trophies of the chace. The indefatigable young 
 people managed to find two fiddlers, and danced 
 till twelve o'clock, whilst an awful storm of light- 
 ning and rain kept us imprisoned. After midnight 
 the sky cleared, and a bright moon lighted us home 
 over the streaming roads. 
 
 There is pretty good shooting in the autumn, 
 about the neighbourhood of Quebec : snipe, wood- 
 cocks, partridge, and hares ; but it is usually neces- 
 sary to go a long distance for the purpose, and 
 success is at all times uncertain. In some low 
 swampy grounds north-east of the town, twenty 
 miles oif, at Chateau Richer, snipe are occasionally 
 found in great abundance. 
 
 The numerous lakes and rivers round about 
 afford very good trout-fishing, but the fish are 
 generally small. Salmon are plentiful in the Jac- 
 ques Cartier River, twenty-five miles to the west- 
 ward, and in wonderful abundance at the Jacquenay. 
 The mosquitoes are a great drawback to the sport 
 in this country — indeed, almost a prohibition : in 
 June and July they torment dreadfully in country 
 quarters, but never venture to invade the towns. 
 There are few other noxious insects or animals of
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 113 
 
 any kind within the bounds of Canadian m-iliza- 
 tion. The Loupcervier is sometimes dangerous 
 when suffering from hunger ; but is never seen 
 except in the more distant settlements, where this 
 animal and the wolves sometimes devour a stray 
 sheep. The black bear is occasionally met with in 
 the neighbourhood. A young gentleman from 
 Quebec, fishing in the Jacques Cartier, saw one the 
 other day ; he was so terrified that he ran away, 
 and did not consider himself safe till within the 
 town walls ; while the bear, quite as much alarmed, 
 ran off in the other direction. 
 
 The moose deer is sometimes dangerous in 
 summer ; not unfrequently they have been known 
 to attack men, when their haunts have been in- 
 truded upon. An officer of engineers, engaged in 
 drawing a boundary line some distance south of 
 Quebec, told me that a large moose attacked one 
 of his workmen who was cutting down trees on the 
 line. The man ran for shelter to where two trees 
 stood together, leaving him just room to pass 
 between ; the moose charged at him fiercely, strik- 
 ing its long powerful antlers against the trees, as 
 he jumped back ; he wounded the assailant slightly 
 with his axe, but this only made the animal more 
 furious. Racing round to the other side, the moose
 
 114 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 charged at him again, and so on for two hours, till 
 the woodman, exhausted by flitigue, was nearly ready 
 to yield up his life ; but the moose too, was ex- 
 hausted. The brute, however, collected all his re- 
 maining energies for a desperate rush at his foe : 
 the woodman had barely strength to step aside 
 yet this once, when, to his inexpressible joy, 
 he saw the moose, from the force of the 
 blow, fastened by the antlers to the tree : seiz- 
 ing the moment, he sprang from his place of 
 safety, and, with a blow of his axe, ham-strung his 
 enemy; the huge animal feU helpless on the 
 ground, another gash of the weapon laid open his 
 throat, and he was dead. The conqueror, wrought 
 up to a pitch of savage fury by the protracted 
 combat, threw himself on the carcase, fastened his 
 lips to the wound, and drank the spouting blood. 
 He feU into such a state of nervousness after this 
 affair, that it became necessary to send him to a 
 hospital, where he lay for many months in a pitiable 
 state.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 115 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Q U E B E C W INTER. 
 
 The first few days of the snow falling are very 
 amusing to a stranger ; the extraordinary costumes 
 — the novelty of the sleighs, of every variety of shape 
 and pattern, many of them being also very handsome, 
 ornamented with rich furs, and drawn by fine 
 horses with showy harness, set oif by high hoops, 
 with silver bells on the saddles, and rosettes of ribbon 
 or glass and streamers of coloured horse-hair on 
 the bridles ; while the gay chirping of the bells, 
 and the nice crisp sound of the runners of the 
 sleigh, through the new snow, have a very cheerful 
 eff'ect. 
 
 Ladies' dress does not undergo in winter so great 
 a transformation as that of men ; all wear mufi^s and 
 boas, certainly, but the bonnets and pelisses are 
 much like those worn in England. Men always 
 wear fur caps, often with large flaps down over
 
 1 1 6 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 their cheeks, enormous pea-jackets or blanket-coats, 
 fiir gauntlets, and jack-boots with india-rubber 
 shoes over them, or moccasins of moose-skin, or 
 thick cloth boots, with high leggings. In the very 
 cold weather, they often wear coats of buffalo, or 
 other skins, and move about like some great wild 
 animal, with nothing to be seen of the human form 
 but a blue nose and a pair of red eyes. 
 
 Although the temperature is usually kept very 
 high within doors, by means of stove heat, people 
 never seem to suffer by sudden transition to the 
 extreme cold of the open air. I have often seen 
 young ladies, when the thermometer was below zero, 
 leave a hot room, where they had but just ceased 
 waltzing, and walk quietly home, with very little 
 additional clothing ; the great dryness of the air 
 preserves them from danger. In the very low 
 temperatures, a razor may be exposed aU night 
 to the air without contracting a stain of rust. 
 Colds are much less frequent in winter than in 
 summer. 
 
 The winter markets at Quebec are very curious ; 
 everything is frozen. Large pigs, with the peculiarly 
 bare appearance which that animal presents when 
 singed, stand in their natural position on their rigid 
 limbs, or upright in corners, kiUed, perhaps, months
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 1 1 7 
 
 before. Frozen masses of beef, sheep, deer, fowls, cod, 
 haddock, and eels, long and stiff, like walking sticks, 
 abound in the stalls. The farmers have a great 
 advantage in this country, in being able to fatten 
 their stock during the abundance of the summer ; 
 and, by killing them at the first cold weather, keep- 
 ing them frozen, to be disposed of at their pleasure 
 during the winter. Milk is kept in the same man- 
 ner, and sold by the pound, looking like lumps of 
 white ice. 
 
 The habitans always travel over the ice of the 
 rivers in preference to the usual roads, as it is, of 
 course, level, and they avoid turnpikes or bridge tolls 
 in entering the town. They sometimes venture 
 on before the ice is sufficiently strong, and after it 
 has become unsafe, when it breaks, and they and 
 their horses are precipitated into the water; the 
 sleigh floats, the horse struggles and plunges, but 
 can never regain the firm ice by his own efforts. 
 The only plan, in this emergency, is to draw the 
 reins tightly round his neck, till he is nearly 
 choked, when he floats quietly on the surface ; he 
 can then easily be dragged to a place of surer 
 footing, and allowed to breathe again. The poor 
 animals have great sagacity in judging of the fit- 
 ness of the ice to bear them : they wiU trot fear-
 
 118 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 lessly through a pool of water on its surface, out in 
 the centre of the river, during a partial thaw, 
 knowing that underneath it there is solid hearing ; 
 but, in spring, they sometimes shew great reluctance 
 to venture upon ice apparently strong, which their 
 instinct tells them is brittle and unsafe. 
 
 In the general break up of the winter, in March, 
 the snow roads become very disagreeable, and even 
 dangerous ; the hard crust formed over deep drifts 
 by the tracks of sleighs and the severe frost, 
 becomes weakened by the thaw and hoUowed 
 underneath, so that the horse's feet often break 
 through, and the animal sinks up to his shoulder, 
 and probably falls, while the crust may still be 
 strong enough to injure him. Sleighs continue to 
 be used ; but, where the snow was not originally 
 deep, the ground becomes bare in many places, and 
 the runners grate over it with a most unpleasant 
 sound and with great weight of draught. 
 
 During the winter, large quantities of ice and 
 snow accumulate on the roofs of the houses : in 
 the thaw this falls off, with a rushing sound and 
 gi'cat violence, sometimes causing very serious da- 
 mage ; indeed, no year passes without loss of life or 
 limb from it. Close by the walls is the safest place 
 to walk at this time, as the avalanche shoots out
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 119 
 
 from the sloping roof by the force of the fall. 
 There are regulations to oblige householders to 
 keep away these accumulations, but this wholesome 
 law is not sufficiently enforced. 
 
 I had seen the Falls of Montmorenci in the 
 summer, and admired them very much, but was 
 glad to seize an opportunity, which afforded itself 
 in the shape of a party of some twenty people, of 
 visiting them in winter also. We assembled at the 
 house of one of the ladies, at twelve o'clock. There 
 was a very gay muster of carioles ; some tandems, 
 with showy robes and ornamental harness ; hand- 
 some family conveyances ; snug little sleighs, very 
 low and narrow, for two people ; and a neat turn-out 
 with a pail' of light-actioned horses abreast, and a 
 smart little tiger standing on a step behind. 
 
 My lot lay in one of the family conveyances, 
 with a worthy elderly gentleman, who gave me a 
 minute account of the state of municipal politics, 
 and other interesting matters. We jogged leisurely 
 along with a sedate old horse, and were passed by 
 all the party before we reached our journey's end, 
 nine miles from the town. They looked very happy 
 and comfortable as they went by us, particularly 
 the Captain, in his long low sleigh with the high- 
 actioned horses ; for, by his side, muffled up in the
 
 120 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 warm, snug robes, sat a lady, with whom he was so 
 busily talking that he nearly upset us. 
 
 It was one of those days peculiar to these 
 climates, bright as midsummer, but very cold ; the 
 air pure and exhilarating, like laughing gas ; every- 
 thing seemed fiill of glee ; the horses bounded with 
 pleasm'e, as they bore their light burthens over the 
 clean, hard snow. But I wander from my friends 
 in the long low sleigh. Half-a-dozen bright reflec- 
 tions of the sun were dancing in the little lady's 
 merry blue eyes ; her soft fresh cheek was flushed 
 with the rapid motion through the keen air; her 
 little chin sunk in a boa of rich dark fur, the 
 smiling red lips and white teeth just showing above 
 it ; her arms were cosUy lodged in a muff", resting 
 on the bear-skin robe of the sleigh ; and a small 
 bonnet of pui-ple velvet sat coquettishly on her head, 
 only half hiding the long fair ringlets which clus- 
 tered beneath it. 
 
 We went by the river road, as it is called, over 
 the ice ; the northern side of the St. Lawrence, and 
 the channel between the island of Orleans and the 
 left bank, being always frozen over in winter. By 
 this bridge, the traffic from the fertile island and the 
 Montmorenci district finds its way to Quebec. The 
 ice is of great thickness and strength ; shells, from
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 121 
 
 mortars of the largest size, have been thrown on it 
 from a thousand yards' distance, and produced 
 scarcely any impression. Sometimes, the snow which 
 has fallen on the ice, thaws, leaving large pools of 
 water ; this surface freezes again, and becomes the 
 road for travelling. Such had been the case the 
 day we were there; but a thaw had afterwards 
 weakened the upper surface : our respectable old 
 horse broke through, and floundered in the stream. 
 Not understanding the state of the case, I made 
 up my mind that we were going through to the 
 river, and jumped out of the sleigh into the water ; 
 when the old horse and I, to our agreeable surprise, 
 found the under ice interfering between us and the 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 About an hour's drive took us to the Falls of 
 Montmorenci : they are in the centre of a large 
 semi-circular bay, hemmed in by lofty cliffs ; the 
 waters descend over a perpendicular rock two hun- 
 dred and fifty feet high, in an unbroken stream, 
 into a shiillow basin below. At this time of the 
 year the bay is frozen over and covered with deep 
 snow ; the cliffs on all parts, but especially near the 
 cataract, were hung over and adorned with magni- 
 ficent giant icicles, sparkling in the sunshine, and 
 reflecting aU the prismatic colours. 
 
 VOL. L G
 
 122 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 The waters foam and dash over as in summer ; 
 but on every rock where there was a resting-place 
 half concealed by the spray, were huge lumps of ice 
 in fantastic shapes, or soft fleecy folds of untainted 
 snow. Near the foot of the fall a small rock stands 
 in the river ; the spray collects and freezes on this 
 in winter, accumulating daily, tUl it frequently 
 reaches the height of eighty or a hundred feet in 
 a cone of solid ice ; on one side is the foaming 
 basin of the fall ; on the other, the hard-frozen 
 bay stretches out to the river. 
 
 One of the great amusements for visitors is, to 
 climb up to the top of this cone, and slide down 
 again on a tobogin. They descend at an asto- 
 nishing pace, keeping their course by steering with 
 light touches of their hands ; the unskilful get 
 ridiculous tumbles in attempting this feat : num- 
 bers of little Canadian boys are always in attend- 
 ance, and generally accompany the stranger in his 
 descent. A short distance to the right is another 
 heap of ice, on a smaller scale, called the ladies' 
 cone. The fair sliders seat themselves on the front 
 of the tobogin, with their feet resting against 
 the turned-up part of it : the gentlemen who guide 
 them sit behind, and away they go, like lightning, 
 not unfrequently upsetting, and rolling down to the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 123 
 
 bottom. The little boys in attendance carry the 
 tobogin up again, the ladies and their cavaliers 
 ascend, and continue the amusement sometimes for 
 hours together. 
 
 The party were in high glee, determined to enjoy 
 themselves ; they tobogined, slid, and trudged 
 about merrily in the deep dry snow. The servants 
 spread out the buffalo robes, carpet fashion, on the 
 snow, and an'anged the plates of sandwiches, with 
 glasses, and bottles, on one of the carioles, for a side- 
 board. When the young people had had enough of 
 their amusements, they re-assembled, seated them- 
 selves on the buffalo robes, and the champagne 
 and sandwiches went round. 
 
 Though the thermometer was below zero, we did 
 not feel the slightest unpleasant effect of cold ; 
 there was no wind, and we were very warmly clad; 
 I have often felt more chiUy in an English drawing- 
 room. It is true that the ladies carried their 
 sandwich or their glass of v^dne to their pretty lips 
 in long fur gauntlets, through half-a-dozen folds of 
 a boa, but their eyes sparkled the brighter, and 
 their laugh sounded the merrier, in the cold brisk 
 air, though their dresses sparkled with icicles, and 
 the little fur boots were white with snow. There 
 was a great deal of noise and merriment, with some 
 
 G 2
 
 124 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 singing, and much uneasiness on the part of the 
 elders lest we should be too late for a large dinner- 
 party to which we were engaged for that evening ; 
 so we broke up our lively encampment, and drove 
 home. 
 
 Over the snowy plain of the river, the bold 
 headland of Quebec stood out magnificently. The 
 metal spires and domes of the town shone in the 
 red light of the setting sun ; the sharp, distinct 
 lines of the fortifications on the summit, with the 
 flag of dear Old England over all ; and, through 
 her wide dominion, that flag waves over no lovelier 
 land. 
 
 The hour of dinner, and the arrangements of 
 the table, are the same as in England. Some of 
 the official people and the wealthy merchants, enter- 
 tain very handsomely ; the cuisine and wines are 
 good, and the markets supply a fair extent of luxu- 
 ries. Formal dinners are seldom graced by the 
 presence of the younger ladies ; they generally 
 defer their appearance tiU tea-time, in the drawing- 
 room; where, joined by a few of the dancing 
 gentlemen and some young officers, they get up a 
 quadrille or a waltz ; music is not much cultivated, 
 except as an assistant to the dancing. The French 
 Canadians are ver}^ fond of cards; round games
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 125 
 
 are often introduced at their evening parties, and 
 some even of the younger ladies can play a 
 capital rubber of whist. Small plays, as in Eng- 
 land, are also frequently introduced, to vary the 
 amusements. 
 
 The young people often form large parties for 
 snow-shoeing excursions ; they walk eight or ten 
 miles without fatigue, and the awkwardness and 
 tumbles of those not accustomed to the exercise 
 are a constant source of mirth. A man's snow 
 shoe is about a yard long, by a little more than a 
 foot wide in the centre ; to the front, rather of an 
 oval shape, behind, narrowing to a point. The frame 
 is a thin piece of ash, bent into this shape, and 
 strung with light strips of moose-skin, in the man- 
 ner of a racquet or battledoor, but of so close a net, 
 that when pressed upon the softest snow it sinks 
 but little into the surface. The foot is covered 
 with a shpper or moccasin of moose leather, attached 
 by the point to the snow shoe with straps of the 
 same material, leaving the heel free to rise or fall 
 with the motion of walking. The exercise is 
 fatiguing to those who are not accustomed to it, 
 but the elastic spring of the snow shoe hfts you 
 along at a more rapid pace than the usual one of 
 walking. The ladies' snow shoes are made much
 
 126 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 lighter and smaller than those for men, and usually 
 gaily ornamented with tassels of coloured worsted. 
 Their moccasins are made to fit very smartly, and 
 are decked with elaborate embroidery of stained 
 moose-hair and beads, the handy-work of the 
 Indian squaws. 
 
 The party takes a straight line across country, 
 up and down hiU, through bush and brake, step- 
 ping, without effort, over the tops of taU fences 
 scarcely seen above the deep drifts. Many of the 
 ladies walk with great ease and more grace than 
 would be thought possible with such appendages, 
 their light weight scarcely making an impression 
 on the smooth surface of the snow ; they shde gal- 
 lantly down the steep hiUs, and run nimbly up 
 them again, often faster than their unpractised 
 cavaliers can foUow them. 
 
 Some years ago, three Enghsh ladies, with their 
 husbands, officers of the garrison, walked off into 
 the " bush" on snow shoes, made a caban in the 
 snow, encamped, passed two nights in complete 
 Indian style, and were highly delighted with their 
 excursion. A worthy, matter-of-fact old gentleman, 
 who lived near the place where they encamped, 
 was greatly distressed afterwards to hear of the 
 hardships they had gone through, and hastened to
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD 127 
 
 tell them that, had he known that they were 
 there, he could have given them all beds in his 
 house. 
 
 When the ice * takes' on the St. Lawrence, oppo- 
 site to Quebec, forming a bridge across, there is 
 always a grand jubilee; thousands of people are 
 seen sleighing, sliding, and skating about in all 
 directions. This bridge forms about once in five 
 years, generally two years in succession, not neces- 
 sarily in the severest winters, but if at low or high 
 tide the weather be very calm and the frost 
 intense for that brief period, it takes across in 
 glare ice, and usually remains solid till the begin- 
 ning of May. Ice-boats come into play on these 
 occasions : the boats are fixed on a triangular frame, 
 with runners, like those of skates, at each corner ; 
 they are propelled by sails, sometimes at the rate of 
 twenty miles an hour ; they can sail very close on 
 a wind, and tack with great facility ; a pole, with 
 a spike at the end, being made to act as a rudder. 
 
 The canoe-men employed during the winter at 
 the ferry, use their utmost endeavours to break up 
 the ice when there is an appearance of its forming 
 a bridge, as by it they are deprived of their occupa- 
 tion. In common winters, the river is fuU of huge 
 fields of floating ice in the main channel, carried
 
 128 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 rapidly backwards and forwards with the ebb and 
 flow of the tide ; sometimes these are hundreds of 
 acres in extent, and strong enough to support a 
 city, crashing against each other, as they move, 
 with a roar like thunder. Crossing the river at 
 this time appears very perilous, but is rarely 
 or never attended with danger ; the passenger, 
 wrapped up in buffalo robes, lies down in one end 
 of a long canoe, formed of a solid piece of 
 timber, worked with broad paddles by five or six 
 men ; they push boldly out into the stream, 
 twisting and turning through the labyrinth of ice 
 tiU they reach a piece too large to circumnavigate ; 
 they run against this, jump out on it, and start 
 along, hauling the canoe after them over the float- 
 ing bridge ; when it is passed, the canoe is launched 
 again, and so on till they reach the opposite shore. 
 They are occasionally carried a long distance up 
 or down the river with the tide, when the ice-fields 
 are very numerous, and are two or three hours in 
 crossing. 
 
 From the great dryness of the climate, very little 
 inconvenience is felt from any degree of cold when 
 unaccompanied with wind ; but this — which, how- 
 ever, very rarely happens, is almost intolerable. 
 One Sunday during this winter, when the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 129 
 
 thermometer was at thirty degrees below zero, 
 and a high wind blowing at the same time, the 
 effect, in many respects, was not unlike that 
 of intense heat ; the sky was very red about the 
 setting sun, and deep blue elsewhere ; the earth and 
 river were covered with a thin haze, and the tin 
 roofs and spires, and the new snow, shone with 
 almost unnatural brightness : dogs went mad from 
 the cold and want of water, metal exposed to the 
 air blistered the hand as if it had come out of a 
 fire : no one went out of doors but from necessity, 
 and those who did, hurried along with their fur- 
 gloved hands over their faces, as if to guard against 
 an atmosphere infected with the plague ; for, as the 
 icy wind touched the skin it scorched it like a blaze. 
 But such a day as this occurs only once in many 
 years. Within a mile of Quebec I have known 
 the thermometer down to thirty-eight degrees 
 below zero, but there was no motion in the 
 air, and the effect was quickening and exhilar- 
 ating. 
 
 A small fire, which consumed a couple of 
 houses, took place on one of these extremely cold 
 nights ; the struggle between the two powers was 
 very curious, the flames raged with fury in the still 
 
 G 3
 
 1 30 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 air, but did not melt the bard thick snow on the 
 roof of the house, till it fell into the burning ruins. 
 The water froze in the engines ; some hot water 
 was then obtained to set them going again, and, as 
 the stream hissed off the fiery rafters, the particles 
 fell frozen into the flames below ; there was snow 
 three feet deep outside the walls, while within, 
 everything was burning. 
 
 For about three weeks after Christmas, immense 
 numbers of little fish, about four inches in length, 
 called ' tommycods,' come up the St. Lawrence 
 and St. Charles ; for the purpose of catching these, 
 long, narrow holes are cut in the ice, with com- 
 fortable wooden houses, well warmed by stoves, 
 erected over them. Many merry parties are 
 formed, to spend the evening fishing in these 
 places ; benches are arranged on either side of the 
 hole, with planks to keep the feet off the ice ; a 
 dozen or so of ladies and gentlemen occupy these 
 seats, each with a short Hne, hook, and bait, lowered 
 through the aperture below into the dark river. 
 The poor little tommycods, attracted by the lights 
 and air, assemble in myriads underneath, pounce 
 eagerly on the bait, announce their presence by a 
 very faint tug, and are transferred immediately to
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 131 
 
 the fashionable assembly above. Two or three 
 Canadian boys attend to convey them from the 
 hook to the basket, and to arrange invitations for 
 more of them by putting on bait. As the fishing 
 proceeds, sandwiches and hot negiis are handed 
 about, and songs and chat assist to pass the time 
 away. Presently, plates of the dainty httle fish, 
 fried as soon as caught, are passed round as the 
 reward of the piscatorial labours. The young 
 people of the party vary the amusement by walk- 
 ing about in the bright moonlight, sliding over 
 the patches of glare ice, and visiting other 
 friends in neighbouring cabans ; for, while the 
 tommycod season lasts, there is quite a village 
 of these little fishing- houses on the river St. 
 Charles. 
 
 On New- Year's day, it is the custom for gentlemen 
 to visit every one of their acquaintances, whether 
 slightly or intimately known. It is very common 
 too for strangers, at that time, to call with some 
 friend, who introduces them ; and many people who 
 have been on cool terms during the year, meet on 
 this occasion and become reconciled. The ladies 
 of the house sit in state to receive the calls, 
 and do the honours of the cake and hqueurs on 
 the side table; the visits are, of course, very
 
 132 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 short, — merely a shake of the hand, and com- 
 pliments of the season, for some people have to 
 pay, perhaps, a hundred in the day ; but it is a 
 friendly custom, and not unproductive of good 
 feeling and kindness.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 133 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MOOS E-H U N T I N G. 
 
 At the end of February, the Captain and I started 
 on a moose-hunting expedition. We had arranged 
 that four Indians should meet us at St. Anne's, 
 about sixty miles from Quebec, to the north-west, 
 on the extreme verge of the inhabited districts. 
 Jacques, the chief of the hunters, was to join us at 
 Lorette, and guide us in our route. 
 
 We travelled in a low cariole, drawn by a couple 
 of stout horses, tandem : a smaller sleigh with one 
 horse and containing our guns and camp stores, 
 followed us. Wrapped up in our blanket-coats and 
 buffalo skins, we felt but little inconvenience from the 
 wind, which came sweeping up the road, bearing 
 clouds of sleet and drift. Day dawned as we 
 passed out through the silent suburb of St. Valier ; 
 the streets looked lonely and desolate, no one was
 
 134 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 yet stirring, and the snow during the night had 
 obliterated all traces of the day before. As far as 
 Lorette we had a broad, weU-hardened track, but 
 occasionally much encumbered with drifts ; an hour 
 carried us there, and Jacques was in waiting to 
 receive us. He immediately asked for something to 
 drink, which we unwisely granted, for he soon grew 
 very troublesome and loquacious, taking his place 
 rather unsteadily in the luggage sleigh: whenever we 
 stopped he demanded more liquor, but was refused ; 
 he begged that some of his wages for the expedi- 
 tion might be advanced; he assured us that he 
 was a man of honour, and insinuated that we were 
 by no means of a convivial temperament. In a 
 short time he managed, in spite of us, to become 
 intoxicated to such a degree that we threatened 
 to leave him behind ; but he had just sense enough 
 left to lie down in the sleigh and sleep the greater 
 part of the journey. Once these wretched creatures 
 taste " firewater," they have no restraint over them- 
 selves, and would give anything they possess, or 
 risk their lives, for more. 
 
 The country we passed through for some 
 distance on either side of the road was cleared, but 
 beyond that lay everywhere " the bush." We crossed 
 many streams half frozen over, where the waters
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 135 
 
 rushed along through narrow channels in the ice, 
 and tumbled over large transparent blocks accumu- 
 lated at the bends. The white snow over the 
 undulating ground, and the black hnes of the hills 
 and forests, gave the effect of an etching to the 
 beautiful scene. In summer, when decked in 
 nature's varied colouring, this is a lovely land. 
 
 The snow began to fall heavily and fast, and 
 the roads became narrow and deep ; every here 
 and there we met sleighs laden with wood or corn, 
 driven by habitans : when there is not room on 
 the track to pass, they pull their horses to the very 
 edge on theu' side ; the sleigh sinks down into the 
 soft snow, which is five feet deep ; by hanging on 
 with all their might, they keep it from upsetting ; 
 then our driver forces his horses past — the sleighs 
 come in contact — ours, the lighter of the two, is 
 pushed oif the track ; the horses slip into the soft 
 snow, plunge out again, and, with loud 'sacres' and 
 ' marche doncs' from the driver, and struggling 
 and balancing on our part, we pass by. Sometimes, 
 however, the collision ends by both conveyances 
 and their contents being upset and plunged into 
 the snow, where we, wrapped up in our robes, and 
 convulsed with laughter, remain quite as inactive 
 as the sacks of corn in the opposing sleigh.
 
 136 hochelaga; or, 
 
 About nightfall we arrived at a miserable 
 hamlet, some ten miles from our journey's end, 
 and stopped at the George Inn (a log hut) for 
 some little time, to rest our tired horses. This 
 establishment contained only a bar and a sleeping- 
 room for the family. The proprietor was a 
 Londoner, and spoke as if he had known better 
 days. He told us that he was living comfortably, 
 and was quite contented ; that he had not been 
 beyond the township for years, but occasionally got 
 a Quebec paper, which gave him news of the great 
 world. As he shewed us from the window, the 
 clearing of a few hundred acres, with some dozen 
 wretched log houses upon it, the rapid progress of 
 his adopted residence seemed to be a great source of 
 pride to him. " For," said he, " when I came to this 
 place thirteen years ago, it was quite in its infancy." 
 
 Darkness added very much to the difficulties of 
 the journey ; but we were on an excursion for 
 amusement, and wisely made even our troubles 
 minister to the purpose. We descended by a 
 narrow winding road, to the ice bridge over the 
 river St. Anne ; on one side was a high cliff covered 
 with bare firs and huge icicles, and whose top we 
 could not see ; below was much the same, where we 
 could not see the bottom. When we were on the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 137 
 
 steepest part, the wheeler found the weight pressing 
 on him from behind, inconvenient, so he sat down 
 and proceeded in a slide. The leader, alarmed at 
 this novelty, plunged forward into the darkness, 
 and disappeared over the cliff at one side of a huge 
 pine tree, while we, the sleigh, and the wheeler, 
 twisted up into an apparently inextricable mass of 
 confusion, remained on the other ; the traces and 
 reins stiU connecting us with the invisible leader, 
 as we judged by violent jerks at the cariole, simul- 
 taneously with the crashing of branches in front. 
 This time we laughed less, and did more, than on 
 the other occasions. As soon as we crept from 
 under the capsized vehicle, we tried to fish out the 
 leiider from the darkness into which he had fallen. 
 Both the drivers, and Jacques, who by this time had 
 slept himself sober, came to our assistance, and, 
 after a good deal of hauling and whipping, and the 
 use of some very strong language by the Canadian 
 drivers, we succeeded in getting the animal on the 
 solid road again. He had fallen across the strong 
 branches of a pine tree, and for several minutes 
 remained in this perilous situation, partly supported 
 by the traces, and kicking furiously all the time ; 
 he was too much exhausted by this to be put to 
 again, so we drove him on in front, and had to
 
 138 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 help him out of snow-drifts half-a-dozen times in 
 the course of the remainder of our journey. 
 
 At length the other horses also gave in ; it was 
 as dark as pitch, and we had already travelled so 
 far that we began to have a vague idea we had lost 
 our way, in which our guide, the half-sobered 
 Indian, seemed to participate. He, however, set to 
 hallooing lustily ; and, to our great joy we saw, in 
 about a minute afterwards, a light in a house 
 only a few yards oif, which Jacques announced to 
 be the place of our destination for the night. 
 
 Very cold and tired, I impatiently got out of 
 the sleigh, and made a rush towards the beacon, 
 but at the first step went up to my neck in the 
 snow ; the weary leader, thinking I had found the 
 right road, plunged in after me — to my great terror 
 — and in this predicament we both remained till the 
 Indians from the house came with lights, and 
 hauled us out. 
 
 Monsieur Boivin was the proprietor of the house 
 where we were to pass the night. Its appearance 
 was not favourable, and we found it did not 
 improve on acquaintance. There was only one 
 room, about thirty feet square, with two beds 
 in the far corner, and in the middle a stove 
 which kept it at oven heat. Our party
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 139 
 
 consisted of the lady of the house, and three 
 daughters, four men of the family, the five Indians, 
 half-a-dozen dogs, and ourselves. While the men 
 poisoned the confined air each with a pipe of filthy 
 tohacco, the women cooked some hrown unsightly 
 mixture in an earthern pan on the stove, from 
 whence arose stifling fumes of garlic. While a 
 number of men such as these were smoking, the 
 floor was naturally not in a state very tempting to 
 lie down upon, but, having got some tea and 
 biscuits out of our stores, we discovered two small 
 islands in the sea of abominable expectorations ; 
 on these we spread our buff"alo robes, and settled 
 ourselves for the night. 
 
 The dogs judiciously followed our example ; 
 and, finding the soft fur a very pleasant bed, lay 
 down along with us. We kicked and drove them 
 off as long as we were able, but it was of no use, they 
 were back again the next minute. Their perseve- 
 rance prevailed, and a huge wolf-like brute and I, 
 made a night of it. 
 
 When the men were snoring on the filthy floor, 
 and the lights put out, the ladies, under cover of 
 the darkness, took possession of the beds. I had 
 for my pillow the foot of the house clock, which, 
 unfortunately for mo, had been lately repaired, and
 
 140 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 ticked with the rudest health. This at my ears, 
 the dreadful smells, and the baking heat of the 
 stove, kept me pretty well awake all night, and I 
 fear I disturbed my wolf-Hke bed-fellow very much 
 by my uneasiness. I believe, however, I had a sort 
 of dream of the room being filled with house- 
 clocks smoking and spitting, and a huge Indian 
 ticking at my head. As for the Captain, he slept 
 in a most soldierlike manner. 
 
 At earliest dawn the house was all astir ; the 
 ladies re-appeared on the stage, the Indians were 
 packing our camp kettles and provisions on their 
 tobogins, and we were eating our breakfast. I may 
 as weU observe that the tobogin is a light sleigh, 
 made of plank scarcely thicker than the bark of a 
 tree, and bent up in front like a prow ; this, with a 
 moderate burthen, is dragged by the Indians over 
 the snow by a rope to the shoulder, with but little 
 effort. 
 
 These tasks were soon accomplished ; and, accom- 
 panied by the five horrible Indians and the pack of 
 miserable dogs, we started. These Indians are a 
 remnant of the Huron tribe, settled at Lorette, 
 where they have a church, houses, and farms. They 
 live, during the winter, by hunting, and such excur- 
 sions as our own, for which they charge exorbi-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 141 
 
 tantly ; in the summer they labour a little in their 
 fields, make snow shoes and moccasins, and em- 
 broider with beads. They are not of pure blood : 
 I believe there is only one of the tribe who is not 
 partly of French-Canadian extraction. It is a 
 sadly degenerate race, cringing, covetous, drunken, 
 dissipated, gluttonous, and filthy. They are even 
 losing their skill in the chace, the only advantage 
 they possess. But little darker than the Canadians 
 in complexion, their hair is much coarser, and they 
 have a savage and sensual expression peculiar to 
 themselves. Their dress is the blanket coat and 
 coloured sash, blanket leggings, moccasins of moose- 
 skin, and a red or blue woollen cap. They take 
 no other clothing with them into the bush in the 
 coldest weather. With their snow-shoes loosely 
 tied on, and their tobogin dragged from over the 
 shoulder, they can get over a long journey without 
 fatigue. 
 
 Our blankets, buffalo robes, and other necessaries, 
 made up rather a heavy burthen ; they were left 
 with three of the Indians, to be drawn leisurely 
 after us, while we, with the others, went ahead in 
 our snow shoes. We were very lightly clad for the 
 journey ; the exercise keeps the traveller quite warm 
 enough in any weather.
 
 142 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 It was a glorious morning ! The sun shone out 
 brightly as in midsummer, but clear and cold. 
 Over the open space of the little settlement where 
 we had passed the night, the new white snow lay 
 like silver sand, glittering radiantly ; from the wind 
 of the day before, it was in tiny waves, like the sea 
 shore when the rippling waters of the ebb-tide 
 have left it dry. The morning was perfectly still, 
 the snow of yesterday lay thick and heavy on the 
 firs and pines, unstirred by the slightest motion of 
 the wind, and there was not a cloud in the sky. 
 Though one of the extremely cold days, there was 
 nothing painful in the sensation ; ' the air was thin 
 and pure as on a mountain top : everything was 
 bright and cheerful : the fresh snow, crisped by 
 the severe frost, supported the snow shoe on its 
 very surface, while we felt light and vigorous, and 
 capable of unusual exertion. 
 
 There was no track, but the Indians steered for 
 a huge old pine tree at the end of the clearing, on 
 the verge of the forest ; here aU signs of human 
 industry ended. We stopped for a few minutes 
 under its branches to look behind us on the abodes 
 of men. " Now, we are in the ' bush,' " said 
 our guide. 
 
 From thence to the North Pole, lay the desert.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 143 
 
 We strode on for several hours under the pine 
 trees, on level ground, at length stopping to breathe 
 at the foot of a hUl. The Indians trampled down 
 the snow for a resting-place, made a seat of sapins 
 — the tops of fir trees, and brought us deliciously 
 cold and pure water from a stream close by ; we 
 heard its murmur distinctly in the silence of the 
 woods, but could not see the little brook for some 
 time ; it was bridged over with ice and snow five 
 feet deep, and only here and there, where there was 
 a miniature cascade, was there an opening. 
 
 At noon we started again : three more hours of 
 walking over an undulating country brought us to 
 a small river, near which we determined to pass the 
 night. Latterly our progress had been very 
 fatiguing, the underwood was thick and rose over 
 the five feet of snow ; being unpractised, we tripped 
 occasionally over the branches and tumbled ; — the 
 struggle up again was no easy matter. 
 
 In making a caban for the night, the Indians took 
 off their snow shoes and used them to shovel out 
 in the snow a chamber, about twenty feet in length 
 by twelve in width ; throwing the contents up so 
 as to build a wall round it. They next cut some 
 young fir trees and arranged them leaning against 
 each other as rafters, to form a roof; cross branches
 
 144 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 were laid over these, and a celling of birch bark, 
 which is here like broad pieces of leather, com- 
 pleted this portion. An opening on one side was left 
 for a door, and the centre of the roof, uncovered, 
 was the chimney ; two large fresh logs were laid 
 across the middle of the caban, on which was 
 lighted a pile of dry wood. The arrangement of 
 the inside was a line of pillows, formed of snow, at 
 both ends of the hut ; our feet were to be close to 
 the fire, half the party lying on either side of it. 
 Sapins made up a soft couch on the cold floor, and 
 buffalo robes were our bed-clothes. 
 
 When these luxurious arrangements were finished, 
 we went to the river, carrying an axe, fishing lines, 
 and bait ; cleared a part of the ice with our snow 
 shoes, and with the axe cut a hole in it, about a 
 foot square, down to the water. The admission of 
 the fresh air evidently gave the unfortunate trout 
 an appetite, for, as fast as the line was put down, one 
 of them pounced on the bait and found his way 
 to our basket, where he was immediately frozen to 
 death ; when he re-appeared, to be cooked, he was 
 as hard as if he had been salted and packed for 
 six months. We soon got tired of this diversion, 
 and returned to our lodging. 
 
 The Indians had cut firewood for the night, and
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 145 
 
 were busy piling it at the door ; a large kettle, 
 hung from the rafters by a rope made of green bran- 
 ches, and filled with a savoury mess of pork, peas, 
 and biscuit, was boihng over the fire ; a smaller 
 one sang merrily by its side, with a fragrant brew 
 of tea. The caban was warm, and, with the robes 
 spread out, looked very comfortable : loops of birch- 
 bark in the clefts of two sticks stuck in the snow 
 served as candlesticks ; our valuables, including 
 the brandy bottle, were placed in a leathern bag at 
 the head of our sofa, and carefully locked up. 
 
 We ate a few of the trout, and tasted the 
 Indian's mess, but our main dependence was on 
 one of the cases of preserved meats, of which we 
 had laid in a stock for the expedition. We had 
 boUed it carefully in water according to the direc- 
 tions, and one of the Indians opened it with an 
 axe ; we were ravenously hungry, each armed with 
 a plate for the attack, but, to our great disappoint- 
 ment, such odours issued from it that even the 
 Indians threw it away in disgust. We richly 
 deserved this, for attempting such luxury in the 
 " bush." 
 
 The Indians all knelt in prayer for some time, 
 before going to sleep; each producing his rosary, 
 and repeating his devotions in a low, monotonous 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 voice. The unfortunate dogs, to make them more 
 savage against the moose, had not been allowed to 
 eat anything ; nor to come near the fire, perhaps 
 to make them hotter in the chase ; they all kept 
 prowhng about outside in the snow, occasionally 
 putting their heads into the caban for a moment, 
 with a longing look. When, during the Indians' 
 devotions, they found so long a silence, they began 
 stealthily to creep in, one by one, and seat them- 
 selves round the fire. One, unluckily, touched the 
 heel of the apparently most devout among the 
 Indians, who turned round, highly enraged, to eject 
 the inti-uder ; he had a short pipe in his teeth, 
 while he showered a volley of French oaths at the 
 dog, and kicked him out ; when this was accom- 
 plished he took a long pull at his pipe, and resumed 
 his devotions. 
 
 About midnight I awoke, fancying that some 
 strong hand was grasping my shoulders : — it was 
 the cold. The fire blazed away brightly, so close 
 to our feet that it singed our robes and blankets ; 
 but, at our heads, diluted spirits froze into a solid 
 mass. We were very warmly clothed, and packed 
 up for the night, but I never knew what cold was 
 till then. 
 
 As I lay awake, I stared up at the sky through
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 147 
 
 the open roof; the moon seemed larger and her 
 light purer, than I had ever before seen ; her pale 
 solemn face looked down on the frozen earth, 
 through the profound stiUness of the night, like a 
 presence. The bright stars stood out boldly in the 
 sky, throwing back their lustre into the infinite 
 space beyond, where man's feeble vision is lost in 
 boundless depths. Overhead, the bare branches of 
 the forest trees wove their delicate tracery against 
 the blue vault, softening but not impeding the view 
 of its glorious illumination. It is impossible to 
 describe the magnificence of these winter nights 
 in Canada. 
 
 The cold was, indeed, intense ; my hand, exposed 
 for a moment in wrapping the buffalo robe closer 
 round me, was seized as in a vice, and chilled in a 
 moment. I wrapped a blanket round my head, 
 and my breath froze on it into a solid lump of ice. 
 The flame of the fire burnt blue in the frosty air ; 
 and, though it was still very powerful, the snow not 
 a foot away from it was crisp and hard. 
 
 Soon after daybreak we were on our way again. 
 This day's journey was through a rugged and 
 mountainous country ; in many places the way was 
 so steep that we had to drag ourselves up the sharp 
 hills, by the branches and underwood. When we 
 
 H 2
 
 148 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 came to a descent, we sat down on the snow shoes, 
 holding them together behind, and skating along 
 with great velocity, often meeting some obstruction 
 in the way and rolling over and over to the bottom ; 
 there we lay buried in the snow, till, with ludi- 
 crous difficulty, we struggled out again. 
 
 About once in an hour we stopped by some 
 turbulent little stream, scarcely seen in the snow, 
 to drink and rest for a brief space. The Indians 
 took it in turn to go in front and " make track," 
 this being the most fatiguing pro\ince ; they 
 all steered with unerring accuracy, apparently by 
 an instinct : through the sameness of the forest, 
 they only, can trace the difficult route. 
 
 After about eighteen miles' journey, we struck 
 on another frozen river ; the guide turned down 
 its bed about a hundred yards to the west, then 
 threw his burthen aside and told us we were at the 
 place for stopping that night, and within two miles 
 of the " Ravage," or moose-yard, of which we were 
 in search. 
 
 These animals sometimes remain in the same 
 ravage for weeks together, till they have com- 
 pletely bared the trees of bark and yoimg branches, 
 and then they only move away far enough to obtain 
 a fresh supply ; from this lazy life they become,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 149 
 
 at this time of the year, very fat. Our caban was 
 formed, and the evening passed much as the pre- 
 ceding one, but that the cold was not so severe. 
 Having worn off the novelty of the situation, we 
 composed ourselves quietly to read for some time, 
 and after that, slept very soundly. 
 
 The morning was close and lowering, and the 
 snow began to fall thickly when we started for the 
 ravage with four of the Indians and all the dogs ; 
 the fresh-falling snow on our snow shoes made the 
 walking very heavy ; it was also shaken down upon 
 us from the branches above, when we happened to 
 touch them, and, soon melting, wetted us. The 
 temperature being unusually high that day, in a 
 short time the locks of our guns were the only 
 things dry about us. The excitement, however, 
 kept us warm, for we saw occasionally the deep 
 track of the moose in the snow, and the marks of 
 their teeth on the bark and branches of the trees. 
 These symptoms became more apparent as we 
 approached the bottom of a high, steep hiU ; the 
 dogs were sent on ahead, and in a few minutes all 
 gave tongue furiously, in every variety of currish 
 yelp. By this time the snow had ceased falling, 
 and we were able to see some distance in front. 
 
 We pressed on rapidly over the brow of the
 
 150 hochelaga; or, 
 
 hill, in the direction of the dogs, and came upon 
 the fresh track of several moose. In my eagerness 
 to get forward, I stumbled repeatedly, tripped by 
 the abominable snow shoes, and had great difficulty 
 in keeping up with the Indians, who, though also 
 violently excited, went on quite at their ease. The 
 dogs were at a stand still, and, as we emerged from 
 a thick part of the wood, we saw them surround- 
 ing three large moose, barking viciously, but not 
 daring to approach within reach of their hoofs or 
 antlers. When the deer saw us, they bolted away, 
 plunging heavily through the deep snow, slowly 
 and with great difficulty; at every step sinking to 
 the shoulder, the curs still at their heels as near 
 as they could venture. They all broke in dif- 
 ferent directions ; the captain pursued one, I 
 another, and one of the Indians the third : at first 
 they beat us in speed ; for a few hundred yards 
 mine kept stoutly on, but his track became wider 
 and more irregular, and large drops of blood on the 
 pure fresh snow shewed that the poor animal was 
 wounded by the hard icy crust of the old fall. 
 We were pressing down hill through very thick 
 " bush " and could not see him, but his panting, 
 and crashing through the underwood, were plainly 
 heard. In several places the snow was deeply
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 1 5 1 
 
 ploughed up, where he had fallen from exhaustion 
 but again struggled gallantly out, and made another 
 effort for life. 
 
 On, on, the branches smash and rattle, but, just 
 ahead of us, the panting is louder and closer, the 
 track red with blood ; the hungry dogs howl and 
 yell almost under our feet. On, on, through the 
 deep snow, among the rugged rocks and the tall 
 pines we hasten, breathless and eager. Swinging 
 ro\md a close thicket, we open in a swampy valley 
 with a few patriarchal trees rising from it, bare of 
 branches to a hundred feet in height ; in the 
 centre stands the moose, facing us ; his failing limbs 
 refuse to carry him any farther through the choking 
 drifts : the dogs press upon him : wherever his 
 proud head turns, they fly away yelling with 
 terror, but with grinning teeth and hungry eyes 
 rush at him from behind. 
 
 He was a noble brute, standing at least seven feet 
 high ; his large, dark eye was fixed, I fancied almost 
 imploringly, upon me, as I approached. He made 
 no further effort to escape, or resist : I fired, and 
 the ball struck him in the chest. The wound 
 roused him ; infuriated by the pain, he raised his 
 huge bulk out of the snow, and plunged towards 
 me. Had I tried to run awav, the snow shoes
 
 152 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 would have tripped me up, to a certainty, so I 
 thought it wiser to stand still; his strength was 
 plainly failing, and I knew he could not reach me. 
 I fired the second barrel, he stopped, and staggered, 
 stretched out his neck, the blood gushed in a 
 stream from his mouth, his tongue protruded, then 
 slowly, as if lying down to rest, he fell over into the 
 snow. The dogs would not yet touch him; nor would 
 even the Indians ; they said that this was the most 
 dangerous time — he might struggle yet ; so we 
 watched cautiously till the large dark eye grew dim 
 and glazed, and the sinewy limbs were stiffened out 
 in death ; then we approached and stood over our 
 fallen foe. 
 
 When the excitement which had touched the 
 savage chord of love of destruction, to be found in 
 every nature, was over, I felt ashamed, guilty, 
 self-condemned, like a murderer : the snow defiled 
 with the red stain ; the meek eye, a few moments 
 before bright with healthy life, now a mere filmy 
 ball ; the vile dogs, that had not dared to touch 
 him while alive, licked up the stream of blood, 
 and fastened on his heels. I was thoroughly 
 disgusted with myself, and with the tame and 
 cruel sport. 
 The Indians knocked down a decayed tree, rubbed
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 153 
 
 up some of the dry bark in their hands, applied a 
 match to it, and in a few minutes made a splendid 
 fire close by the dead moose ; a small space was 
 trampled down, the sapins laid as usual, for a seat, 
 from whence I inspected the skinning and cutting up 
 of the carcase ; a part of the proceeding which occu- 
 pied nearly two hours. The hide" and the most 
 valuable parts were packed on the tobogins, and 
 the remnant of the noble brute was left for the 
 wolves : we then returned to the caban. 
 
 The Indians were very anxious that I should go 
 in pursuit of the third moose, which I positively de- 
 clined, partly because I was very tired, and partly be- 
 cause I would have gone twice the distance to avoid 
 such another murder. The Captain arrived in about 
 an hour ; he had also killed his moose, but after a 
 much longer chace. The kidney and marrow were 
 cooked for supper, and the remainder, except what 
 the dogs got, was buried in the snow ; the craven 
 brutes ate and fought till they could no longer 
 growl, and then laid down torpidly outside to sleep. 
 
 That night there was a thaw; our snow roof 
 melted, and the water continued dropping on us till 
 we were thoroughly wet and uncomfortable. In the 
 place where we were encamped there were a great 
 number of birch and pine trees; at this time of 
 
 H 3
 
 154 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 the year the former are covered with loose bark, 
 hanging in shreds over trunk and branches : this 
 is highly inflammable, burning with a bright red 
 flame, and a smell like camphor ; the Indians, 
 by rolling it up tightly, make torches, which give a 
 strong and lasting light. We determined on an 
 illumination with these materials, to celebrate the 
 events of the day ; and, when the night fell, dark 
 as pitch, we seized torches, made the Indians do 
 the same, and started off in different directions 
 through the wood, firing all the birch trees at the 
 stem, as we passed. I do not think I ever saw a 
 more splendid sight than our labours produced ; 
 fifty or sixty large trees, in a circle of a quarter of 
 a mile, each with a blaze of red light running up 
 from the trunk to the loftiest branches, twisting 
 through the gloomy tops of the fir trees, and fall- 
 ing off in flakes, spinning round in the air, and 
 lighting up the white snow beneath the dark 
 arches of the forest, and the darker sky above. 
 We wandered away stiU fm-ther and fui'ther, till the 
 voices of the Indians, stiU spreading our glorious 
 illumination, sounded faint in the distance. The 
 fires immediately about the caban had burned out, 
 and were succeeded by a darkness more profound 
 than before, and we had no small difficulty, and
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 155 
 
 some anxiety, before we again reached it. In this 
 lonely desert we destroyed, without remorse, dozens 
 of magnificent trees, each of which would have been 
 the pride of an English park. We were two days' 
 journey from the haunts of men ; for years, perhaps, 
 no human foot will tread these wilds again ; — for 
 ages none seek them as a residence. 
 
 The Indians ate enormously, indeed, till they 
 were stupified, and then smoked, prayed, and slept. 
 That grinning villain, Jacques, intrigued zealously 
 to get hold of the brandy bottle, but we were too 
 wise for him, so the wretch sucked a couple more 
 marrow bones, and became toi'pid : as the leader of 
 the hunters, he honoured us with his company at 
 our side of the caban, the Captain and I taking it 
 in turn to sleep next him. There was a little wind 
 during the night, and the smoke of the green wood 
 which we were burning, became almost intoler- 
 able; it caused our eyes to smart severely, and there 
 was no escape from it, for it blew about in volumes 
 till morning, and was far more disagreeable than 
 the cold of the first encampment. The moose- 
 meat had transported the Indians to the land of 
 dreams, and rendered them indifferent to that or 
 any other annoyance. 
 
 Jacques was very anxious that we should proceed
 
 156 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 in search of more moose the following day ; but 
 we had had quite enough of the sport and of his 
 company, and determined to return. The baggage 
 was re-packed, the spoil dug up and put on tobo- 
 gins, and we " made track" for Quebec. 
 
 About half way on our first day's journey, the 
 dogs, now somewhat recovered from the effects of 
 the last night's repletion, rushed up a hiU near us, 
 barking in rather a plethoric tone ; there was a 
 rattling of branches, and the next moment some 
 half-dozen Cariboo, or rein-deer, went by us at a 
 gallop, about a hundred yards ahead. Shots from 
 both our double barrels rang through the woods, 
 and so did the crashing of the underwood, as the 
 uninjured herd vanished in the bush. It was use- 
 less to think of pursuing them, for their light feet 
 sank but little in the surface of the snow, hardened 
 by frost after the thaw of the night before, and 
 they went by us like the wind. This adventure 
 shortened the road, and we put up at the same 
 caban where we had slept the first night, lodgings 
 being still vacant; but we had some work in shovel- 
 ling out the snow which had since fallen. Two or 
 three chattering birds Uke magpies, called by the 
 Indians "moose-birds," perched on the trees over us, 
 and made frequent forays on the tobogin where
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 157 
 
 the meat lay, but the dogs very properly drove 
 them away. We fired at them repeatedly, but 
 they hopped up as the bullet chopped off the 
 branch on which they were perched, and lighted 
 on another, screaming and chattering worse than 
 ever. 
 
 The next morning we made a very early start, 
 reached Monsieur Boivin's before noon, and got 
 into our sleigh as soon as possible. The mouffle 
 of the moose, which we earned with us, is esteemed 
 a great luxury in Canada, and very justly so ; it is 
 the upper lip or nose of the animal, which grows 
 to a great size, and is almost as rich as turtle ; 
 many think that the soup made from it has a higher 
 flavour. The legs and feet were sent to the squaws 
 to be ornamented with stained hair and beadwork, 
 and preserved as trophies of the achievements of 
 the pale warriors ; the rest of the animal is the 
 perquisite of the Indians. 
 
 The roads were much better on our return, but 
 we were astounded when we saw by daylight the 
 place by the precipice, where we had been upset a 
 few nights before. It was dark long before we reached 
 Quebec. Our driver took the wrong road of two, 
 which parted in a fork, separated by a high, stiff
 
 158 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 wooden fence, with the top but just visible over the 
 snow ; before we had gone far we fortunately met a 
 hahitan, who told us of our mistake. The road was 
 too narrow to tiu-n. Our driver first cried like a child, 
 then suddenly taking courage, sacred furiously, and, 
 seizing the leader by the head, turned him into the 
 deep snow, towards the right road : a few seconds of 
 plunging, kicking, and shouting — a crash of the 
 fence — and we were all landed on the other road ; 
 the sleigh on its side, the horses on their backs, 
 and the driver on his head. The confusion 
 was soon corrected, and by ten at night we 
 passed under the battlements, into the gates of 
 Quebec. 
 
 It would be vain to attempt describing the hap- 
 piness conferred by soap and water, razors and 
 brushes, and a clean bed in a moderate tempera- 
 ture, after six days' deprivation of their good offices. 
 The conclusion which we arrived at with regard to 
 this expedition was, that the greatest pleasure deriv- 
 able therefrom, consisted in having it over. The next 
 time I renew my acquaintance with moose, the 
 Zoological Gardens shall be my " ravage,^' an 
 omnibus bear me instead of snow shoes, and the 
 United Service Club shall be my caban. The winter
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 159 
 
 life in the " bush" is well worth seeing, as a new ex- 
 perience ; but as to the sport of moose-hunting — a 
 day with " The Cheshire" is as superior to it, 
 as were the Uncas and Chingachgook of the Ame- 
 rican novelist, to the drunken and degenerate 
 savages of Lorette.
 
 160 hochelaga; or. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE CONVENT THE MADHOUSE. 
 
 During a winter visit to one of the Canadian 
 towns, an opportunity offered of my seeing the 
 ceremony of the taking the black veil, by two 
 novices in a neighbouring convent. I was awakened 
 long before daylight, and, in due time, tramping 
 through the deep snow on my way to the place. 
 There had been a gale during the night, the low 
 wooden houses by the road side were nearly covered 
 to the roofs in the heavy drifts ; at the corner of 
 each street gusts of wind whirled round showers of 
 sharp, keen poudre, each morsel of which w^ounded 
 the face like the sting of a venomous fly, and 
 chilled the very blood. The clouds were close and 
 murky, and the dreariest hour of the twenty-four, 
 that just before the dawn, w^as made even more 
 dismal by the cold glare of the new-fallen snow.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 161 
 
 A large, white, irregular stracture, stood on an 
 open space in a remote part of the suburbs, sur- 
 rounded by a high waU, with massive gates. Over 
 the entrance were two dim lamps, their sickly 
 flames hardly struggling against the wind for the 
 little life and light they possessed ; they, however, 
 guided me, and, passing thi'ough a wicket door, I 
 mounted the steps of the chapel, which lay within, 
 to the right hand. On the altar seven tall tapers 
 were burning, and round it many others cast a 
 brilliant light. The end of the building where it 
 stood was railed in, the other parts were in compa- 
 rative darkness. Near the door ten or twelve 
 spectators were standing ; some of them were rela- 
 tions of the postulants, but they appeared not to 
 be much interested in, or moved by, the ceremony. 
 
 On the right side of the chancel was a return 
 nearly as large as the body of the chapel, separated 
 from it by a grating of diagonal bars of wood, like 
 the lattice-work of cottage windows. This return 
 was appropriated to the devotions of the nuns, w^ho 
 were of a very austere order ; they were never allow- 
 ed beyond the walls, or to see or hear the people of 
 the outer world, save through these bars. I got 
 a place on the steps of the pulpit, nearly opposite
 
 162 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 to the grating, and awaited patiently the solemn 
 scene. 
 
 When the hazy beam of the sun mingled itself 
 with the light of the flaming tapers, the Bishop, in 
 a robe stiff with gold, and covered with the insignia 
 of his holy office, entered the chancel by the private 
 door ; two boys preceded him, swinging censers of 
 burning incense, and chanting in a low, monotonous 
 voice. Six priests followed in bis train, their heads 
 meekly bowed, their arms folded on their chests, 
 and each in turn prostrating himself before the 
 cross. High mass was then performed with all its 
 imposing ceremony — distant, unseen choirs joining, 
 from the interior of the convent. As the sound 
 of the bell which announces the elevation of the 
 host ceases, the folding doors within the grating of 
 the return are thrown open, and the postulants 
 enter with a measured step. They are clothed 
 from head to foot in white, and chaplets of white 
 roses are ^^Teathed in their hair. Sixty nuns, two 
 and two, follow in solemn procession, covered with 
 black robes; each bears a lighted taper, and an 
 open book of prayer in her hands. As they enter, 
 they chant the hymn to the Virgin, and range 
 themselves along the walls, thirty of a side; their
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 163 
 
 voices swelling like a moaning vnnd, and echoing 
 sadly from the vaulted roof. 
 
 The two postulants advance up the centre of the 
 return, near to the grating, bow to the host, and 
 are exhorted by the Bishop ; while he speaks they 
 sink on their knees, and remain stiU. Four sisters 
 carry in the veil, a pall of crape and velvet. 
 While they bear it round, each nun bends to the 
 ground as it passes ; it is then placed near the 
 postulants, and the priests perform a service like 
 that of the burial of the dead. The thirty dark 
 statues on either side give the responses in a fixed 
 key, of intensely mournful intonation, unlike the 
 voice of living woman. I almost fancy those 
 sombre figures are but some piece of cunningly 
 contrived machinery. But, under each black shroud, 
 there throbs a human heart. School them as you 
 may — crush every tender yearning the young bosom 
 feels — break the elastic spirit — chase love, and hope, 
 and happiness from the sacred temple of the mind, 
 and haunt its deserted halls with superstition's 
 ghosts — bury them in the convent's gloomy walls, 
 where the dull round of life scarce rises above som- 
 nambulism — still, still under each black shroud 
 win throb the human heart. 
 
 The postulants receive the sacrament, then, one
 
 164 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 rises, advances close to the grating, and kneels 
 down before a small open lattice ; she throws aside 
 her veil ; and, looking calmly at the Host which the 
 Bishop holds before her eyes, repeats the vows 
 after his dictation, in a quiet, indifferent tone. 
 Hers is a pale, sickly, vacant countenance ; no 
 experience of joy or sorrow has traced it with lines 
 of thought. Of weak intellect, bred up from 
 infancy within these walls, hers seems no change, 
 no sacrifice ; it is only like putting chains upon a 
 corpse. Two of the dark sisters stand behind her ; 
 as the last vow is spoken the white veil is lifted 
 from her head, and the black shroud thrown over 
 her. 
 
 The second now comes forward : she is on her 
 knees, her face uncovered. How white it is ! 
 white as the new-fallen snow outside. She is 
 young, has seen perhaps, some one-and-twenty 
 years, but they have treated her very roughly : 
 where the seeds of woe were sown, the harvest of 
 despair is plentiful — stamped on every feature. 
 And the voice — I never can forget that voice — 
 there was no faltering ; it was high and clear as 
 the sound of a silver bell ; but oh, how desolate, 
 as it spoke the farewell to the world ! It is over — the 
 symbol of her sacrifice covers her ; she sinks down ;
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 165 
 
 there seems but a heap of dark drapery on the 
 ground, but it quivers convulsively. 
 
 The pealing organ, and the chorus of cold sad 
 voices, drown the sobs, but under the black shroud 
 there throbs the human heart, as if that heart 
 would break. 
 
 After the Te Deum has been sung, the Bishop 
 delivers an address, in an earnest and eloquent 
 manner, summing up the duties the veil imposes, 
 and praying for Heaven's holiest blessing on this 
 day's offering. The two devoted ones rise, walk slowly 
 to the first nun, make a lowly obeisance, then kiss 
 her forehead, and so on with all in succession; each, 
 as she receives the new comer's greeting, saying : — 
 " Welcome, sister." 
 
 Then, by the same door by which they had en- 
 tered, they go out two and two, the youngest last, 
 and we see them no more. 
 
 Farewell, sister ! 
 
 I have since been told the supposed cause of the 
 last of these tw^o novices taking the veil: though it 
 is but a common-place story, it is not without 
 interest to me, who saw her face that day. If you 
 care to know it, it is as follows. Her father was a 
 merchant of English descent. Her mother, a 
 French-Canadian, had died many years previously, 
 leaving her and two younger daughters, who were
 
 166 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 brought up in the Roman CathoHc religion. She 
 devoted aU her time and interest to give her little 
 sisters whatever of accomplishments and education 
 she had herself been able to attain. Her face was 
 very pleasing, though not beavitiful; her figure 
 light and graceful ; and she possessed that winning 
 charm of manner with which her mother's race is 
 so richly gifted. 
 
 Her father w^as occupied all day long with his 
 business ; when he returned home of an evening, it 
 was only to sleep in an old arm-chair by the fire- 
 side. She had no companions, and was too much 
 busied with her teaching, and household affairs, to 
 mix much in the gaieties of the adjoining town, 
 but she was always sought for ; besides her good, 
 kind heart, winning ways, and cheerful spirit, an 
 aunt of her father's had left her a little fortune, 
 and she was looked on quite as an heiress in the 
 neighbourhood. The young gentlemen always tried 
 to appear to their greatest advantage in her pre- 
 sence, and to make themselves as agreeable as pos- 
 sible. She was, perhaps, the least degree spoilt 
 by this, and sometimes tossed her little head, and 
 shook her long black ringlets quite haughtily ; but 
 every one that knew her, high and low, liked her 
 in spite of that, and she deserved it.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 167 
 
 About four years ago, at a small party given by 
 one of her friends, she met, among other guests, 
 the officers of the Infantry regiment quartered in 
 the neighbourhood. AU were acquaintances except 
 one, who had only a few days before arrived from 
 England. He did not seem inclined to enter into 
 the gaieties of the evening, and did not dance tiU 
 near the close, when he got introduced to her. As 
 soon as the set was over, he sat talking with her 
 for a little time, and then took his leave of the 
 party. She was flattered at being the only person 
 whose acquaintance the new-comer had sought, 
 and struck by the peculiarity of his manner and 
 conversation. A day or two afterwards he called 
 at her house ; she was at home, and alone. A 
 couple of hours passed quickly away, and, when 
 they bid good evening, she was surprised to find it 
 was so late. After that day the acquaintance pro- 
 gressed rapidly. 
 
 He was about six or seven-and-twenty years of 
 age, the only son of a northern squire, of conside- 
 rable estate, but utterly ruined fortunes. His 
 father had, however, always managed to conceal 
 the state of affairs from him till a few months 
 previously, when an accidental circumstance caused 
 it to reach his ears. Without his father's knowledge,
 
 168 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 he at once exchanged from the regiment of Hussars 
 in which he then was, to an Infantry corps, met 
 the most pressing claims with the few thousand 
 pounds this sacrifice placed at his disposal, and went 
 home for a few days to take leave of his parents be- 
 fore joining his new regiment in Canada. At first 
 they were inconsolable at the idea of parting with 
 him, even for this short time ; for all their love, and 
 pride, and hope, were centered in their son, and he, 
 in return, was devotedly attached to them. Soon, 
 however, they were persuaded of the wdsdom of 
 what he had done ; and, deeply gratified by this 
 proof of his affection, with many an earnest 
 blessing they bade him farewell. 
 
 Of an ancient and honoured family, he bore the 
 stamp of gentle birth on every limb and feature. 
 His mind was strong, clear, and higlily cultivated ; 
 his polished manner only sufficiently cold and 
 reserved to make its relaxation the more pleasing. 
 In early life he had joined in the wild pursuits, and 
 even faults, which indulgent custom tolerates in the 
 favoured classes ; but stiU, through all, retained an 
 almost feminine refinement and sensibility, and a 
 generous unselfishness, sad to say, so seldom 
 united with the hard but useful knowledge of the 
 world. Though rather of a silent habit, whenever
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 169 
 
 he spoke, his conversation was always interesting, 
 often brilliant. Such was her new acquaintance. 
 
 Poor child, in her short life she had never seen 
 any one like him before : she was proud and happy 
 that he noticed her ; he, so much older than her- 
 self, so stately and thoughtful, and he spoke so 
 beautifully. She was rather afraid of him at first, 
 but that soon wore away ; she fancied that she was 
 growing wiser and more like him ; she knew she 
 was growing nearer, nearer ; fear brightened into 
 admiration, admiration warmed into love. Without 
 a mother, or grown-up sister, or intimate friend to 
 tell this to, she kept it all to herself, and it grew 
 a stronger and greater tyrant every day, and she a 
 more submissive slave. He now called at the 
 house very often, and whenever there was a country 
 driving party, he was her companion ; in the ball- 
 room, or riding, or walking, they were constantly 
 together : it was the custom of the country — no 
 one thought it strange. 
 
 So passed away the winter : in summer the 
 regiment was to return to England, but he had 
 become much attached to the simple Canadian 
 girl. Her confidence in him, her undisguised 
 preference, joined with a purity that could not be 
 mistaken, won upon him irresistibly. He saw that 
 
 VOL. L I
 
 170 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 her mind was being strengthened and developed 
 under his influence ; — that she did her utmost to 
 improve herself and enrich the gift of a heart 
 already freely, whoUy given : he felt that he was 
 essential to her happiness : he fancied she was so 
 to his. They had no secrets from each other : 
 he told her his prospects were ruined ; that his 
 father's very aff^ection for him, he feared, would 
 make him more inexorable in withholding sanction 
 from a step that might impede his worldly 
 advancement : that the difference of their religion 
 would add greatly to the difficulty. His father's 
 will had ever been his law : before it came to the 
 old man's time to " go hence and be no more 
 seen," it was his fondest wish in hfe to be blessed 
 with a father's blessing, and to hear that he had 
 never caused him a moment's anxiety or regret. 
 
 Then they sat down and consulted together, and 
 he \wote to his parents, earnestly praying them to 
 consent to his wishes for this union, appealing to 
 their love for him, and using every argument and 
 persuasion, to place it in the most favourable light. 
 He doubted, and trembled for the reply. She 
 doubted not. Poor child ! She knew that in 
 the narrow circle about her, she and her little 
 fortune would be welcomed into any household ;
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 171 
 
 beyond that, she knew nothing of the world, its 
 pride, its luxuries, its necessities : it was almost a 
 pleasure to her to hear that he was poor, for she 
 fancied her pittance would set him at ease. In 
 short she would not doubt, and waited for the 
 answer to the letter, merely as the confirmation of 
 her happiness. 
 
 Weeks have passed away ; the time of the de- 
 parture of the regiment is close at hand, but the 
 Enghsh post will be in to-morrow. The delay has 
 been a time of eager anxiety to him : of joyful anti- 
 cipation for her. They agree to open the answer 
 together. The post arrives. A heap of letters 
 are laid on his table. He snatches up one, for 
 he knows the handwriting well ; it is a little 
 imperfect, for the writer is an old man, but hard, 
 firm, determined. He hastens to her house : they 
 do not speak, but go out into the garden, and stop 
 at the end of the walk on the little terrace. 
 
 The view over the broad rich valley is beautiful 
 to-day : the young summer has painted earth in 
 all her choicest colouring, but they do not observe 
 it, they are looking on the letter ; he pale, almost 
 trembling : she flushed with happy hope ; — her tiny 
 fingers break the seal. The summer evening of 
 her land has but httle twilight : the sun, Uke a 
 
 I 2
 
 172 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 globe of fire, seems to drop from out the sky 
 behind the earth, and leaves a sudden darkness. 
 
 So, as she read, set the sun of hope, but the 
 night that fell upon her soul had never a morning. 
 
 .AL. ^ ^L. M. ^ 
 
 tP" ^ "TV- ■TV" "TP 
 
 The Lunatic Asylum for Lower Canada has 
 been lately established at Beaufort, five miles from 
 Quebec. Three eminent medical men of this city 
 have undertaken it, under charter from the provin- 
 ("ial government, which makes an annual allowance 
 for the support of the public patients. At present 
 there are eiffhtv-two under their care. The estab- 
 lishment consists of a large house, occupied by 
 the able superintendent and his family, where, 
 as a reward for good conduct, some of the convales- 
 cents are occasionally admitted. Behind this is a 
 range of buildings forming two sides of a square, 
 the remaining enclosure of the space being made 
 with high palings. These structures stand in a 
 commanding situation, with a beautiful view of 
 Quebec, and the broad basin of the river. A farm 
 of a hundred and sixty acres is attached to them. 
 
 The system of this excellent institution is 
 founded on kindness. No force or coercion of any 
 kind is employed ; the patients are allowed to mix 
 freely, work, or pursue whatever may be the bent
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 173 
 
 of their Inclinations. They dine together, at a 
 well-supplied table. On one side of the dining haU 
 are the apartments of the female patients, on the 
 other those of the males. They each consist of a 
 large, well-ventilated room, scrupulously clean, with 
 a number of sleeping wards off it ; over head is also 
 a large sleeping apartment. 
 
 In the morning-room of the female patients 
 were about thirty women, as neatly clad as their 
 dreadful affliction would allow of; many of them 
 of every variety of hideously distorted frame and 
 face. Some sat sewing quietly, with nothing 
 uncommon in their appearance — at least as long as 
 their eyes were fixed upon their work. Others 
 crouched in corners, covering their haggard faces 
 with their long bony fingers. Others moped about, 
 grinning vacantly, and muttering unformed words ; 
 the unnatural shake of the head, the hollow 
 receding forehead, the high cheek bones, and 
 diminutive lower jaw, betokening hopeless idiotcy. 
 Others again, hurried eagerly about all day long, 
 seeking in every corner, with restless, anxious eyes, 
 for some supposed lost treasure. 
 
 One tall, handsome girl, about twenty years of 
 age, sat by the window, looking fixedly on the 
 ground, noticing nothing which passed around her.
 
 174 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 She was very neatly dressed, and looked so quiet, 
 that at first I thought she was one of the nurses. 
 When I spoke to her she answered me in rather a 
 sullen tone, but with perfect composure ; she did 
 not even move her large black eyes as she spoke, 
 but I could see that they were dull, like beads. I 
 could not learn the histories of many of these 
 patients ; they had been sent here from various 
 parts of the country, without any description, and 
 in some cases not even named. This girl's 
 madness was desponding ; she was occasionally 
 very dangerous when apparently convalescent, and 
 had several times tried to destroy herself. 
 
 One idiot woman stood all the time with her 
 face turned to the wall, in a corner. She was not 
 dumb, but did not know how to speak. It is not 
 known to what country she belonged, her name, 
 or whence she came. She was found a long time 
 ago wandering wild in the woods, part of her feet 
 bitten off by the frost. She shuns human beings 
 with terror ; her inclination seems always to escape, 
 and wander away again. 
 
 A jabbering maniac became violent while we 
 were there, beating her bald head, grinding her 
 long black teeth, and chuckling with a horrible, 
 hyena laugh. Her small, sunken eyes burned like
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 175 
 
 coals. One of the nurses took her by the arm 
 and carried her down stairs, to be placed by 
 herself; this is the greatest punishment inflicted. 
 She instantly became subdued, cried, and begged 
 to be allowed ,to remain above. 
 
 I asked a sad-looking old woman, who sat 
 rocking herself to and fro on a chair, how long she 
 had been in this place ? She told me she had 
 forgotten, years and years ago. The stronger 
 patients are often very kind to the crippled and 
 weak, carrying them about for hours in the sun- 
 shine ; but the mad seem to have a great hatred 
 and contempt for the idiots, and would often beat 
 them, were they allowed. 
 
 Most of the men were out of doors at work, or 
 picking oakum in the sheds. A fine-looking 
 young fellow held my horse, sitting for more than 
 an hour in the conveyance. He was considered 
 one of the most trustworthy, having sense enough 
 to know that he was mad ; but for the awful stare 
 of his eyes, I should not have noticed any pecu- 
 liarity in his appearance or manner. While I was 
 preparing to leave, about a dozen other male 
 patients returned from their labour, accompanied 
 by a keeper. As they passed, one of them was 
 pointed out for my observation : a quiet, mild-
 
 176 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 looking man, about fifty years of age. Respectably 
 connected, and formerly prosperous in the world, 
 he had become insane, had now for many years 
 been in confinement, and was remarkable for 
 gentleness and obedience. Some time ago, at an 
 asylum at Montreal, while employed with another 
 patient in cutting up wood, he seized an oppor- 
 tunity when his companion was stooping, and 
 struck off the man's head with an axe ; after- 
 wards he quietly resumed his work. Neither at 
 that time, nor ever since, has he been in the least 
 violent ; the deed seemed to cause him neither 
 joy nor sorrow. He was quite unconscious that 
 he had done any thing unusual. 
 
 In summer, many of the patients are employed 
 on the farm, or as builders and carpenters : an ice- 
 house for their use lias just been finished by one of 
 them. Some of the convalescents are allowed 
 occasionally to visit their friends, and always return 
 punctually at the time appointed. With very few 
 exceptions, music appears to cause them great plea- 
 sure, soothing, rather than exciting them. They 
 often dance, and are very fond of the amusement. 
 In the spring, when the navigation opens, they 
 crowd round the windows, and gaze with delight 
 at the ships sailing up the magnificent river.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 177 
 
 particularly those patients who have come from the 
 old country ; they seem to have a vague idea that 
 these stately ships are brought here to bear them 
 home. 
 
 Some of them talk a great deal to each other, 
 but seldom get, or seem to expect, answers to what 
 they say. It pleases them much to speak to 
 visitors, and they then make an effort to tell what 
 may be asked of them, but will not take this pains 
 with their fellow-patients. It is not worth while ; 
 they know that they are mad.
 
 1 78 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FIRE. 
 
 The 28th of May, 1845, will long be remem- 
 bered at Quebec. The day was scorching hot, 
 with a high wind, and clouds of dust rushing along 
 the roads, in exposed places spinning round and 
 round in little whirlA\inds, almost choking those 
 who were caught in their vortex. 
 
 But this is the busy time of the year ; the 
 streets and shops are crowded, the river covered 
 with floating rafts of timber. Every hour, ships of 
 the spring fleet round Point Levy, and make their 
 numbers, in coloured flags, to their joyfiil owners. 
 Masons and carpenters are hard at work, building 
 on the vacant spaces of the streets, or repairing 
 the ruins from small winter conflagrations. Over 
 the rich vaUey of the St. Charles the husbandmen 
 ply the spade and plough, and on the plains of
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 179 
 
 Abraham a regiment of soldiers are skirmishing in 
 loose and picturesque array. Every thing around 
 betokens life and activity. Sudden and harsh 
 among these pleasant scenes, the bells of the 
 churches of St. Roch ring out the well known 
 alarm of fire. It was a quarter of an hour before 
 noon when the first peal sounded. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, from among the thick clouds 
 of dust arose a thin column of white smoke, at the 
 far end of the suburb of St. Valliere, under the 
 steep cliff. At first but little attention was excited, 
 it was so common an occun-ence, and only a few 
 firemen hastened to the spot. They found that a 
 large tannery had taken fire. The fire had spread 
 to some extent, and there was great difficulty in 
 procuring water. Sparks, and now and then a 
 flame, began to shoot up into the smoke, already 
 thick and much increased. The locality is unfor- 
 tunate, for aU the buildings round are of wood ; 
 the population, too, chiefly of simple and unener 
 getic French-Canadians, is very dense. 
 
 The sparks are borne away on the wind — but 
 for this wind aU would yet be well — and they rest on 
 the dry shingle roofs ; however, numbers of people 
 are at hand, perched on the tops of the houses, to 
 protect them. For about an hour the progress is
 
 180 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 but small ; a stout Englishman is seated on the 
 building next to the tannery, and, though the wind 
 blows the stifling smoke and the sparks into his 
 face, he boldly keeps to his work, to save his Httle 
 property. He spreads wet blankets upon the 
 shingles, changing them in a minute or two when 
 dry and scorched ; and, wherever the fire rests for 
 a space, he is ready with a vessel of water. 
 
 But while this stmggle is going on, a shout 
 from the opposite side of the street proclaims that 
 the fire has reached across, and the thickening 
 smoke from above, shews that the houses on the 
 cliff have also caught. At the same time, the 
 blazing ruins of the tannery fall in with a heavy 
 crash ; smoke and flame burst out through the 
 windows of the next house, and soon after, tlii'ough 
 the roof itself The poor fellow who had kept it 
 down so long, still struggles hard against it, and it 
 is not till the ladder which he had ascended takes 
 fire that, maimed and blackened, he comes down, 
 and stands staring in despair at the progress of his 
 ruin. 
 
 But this is no time to dwell on individual 
 misery, for the flames increase rapidly, the wind 
 still driving them fiercely on : sometimes they 
 spread along the shingle roofs, at others work
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 181 
 
 their way through the under stories of half a 
 dozen houses unperceived, till, suddenly meeting 
 with more combustible matter, they burst out 
 above and at the windows. As the flames gain 
 ground, they suck the wind down the narrow 
 streets in whirling eddies. Every here and there 
 the burning frame- work of a house tumbles in, 
 and a shower of fiery morsels rises in the air, then 
 sweeps along with the intolerable dust and smoke, 
 spreading the destruction stiQ further. 
 
 A large district is now in a blaze ; there is no 
 water ; fire-engines are useless ; and besides, the 
 case is past their aid. A number of soldiers with 
 ropes and axes come rushing down the hill : they 
 set stoutly to their work, and hack and tear down 
 the houses nearest to the flames, thus making a 
 gap in hope of stopping the communication. But 
 the fire is hfted up by the wind, and leaps on into 
 other streets, and fastens fiercely on its prey. Far 
 away to leeward, the red plague bursts up through 
 the wooden roofs and the planked roads; over- 
 head, under foot, on every side, it seems to close 
 round the soldiers. They fall back from place to 
 place, black with smoke and dust, but stUl stiiig- 
 gling, almost against hope. 
 
 The inhabitants become frantic with terror ;
 
 182 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 some rush into the flames on one side, in flying 
 from them on the other ; many madly carry about 
 articles of furniture already on fire, spreading the 
 mischief in places before untouched ; others sit 
 down in the helplessness of despair, and weep like 
 children. The sick and infirm are carried ofl" from 
 the far distant parts of the town ; carts and caleches 
 filled with fugitives, and the few precious things 
 they have been able to snatch away, dash along the 
 streets in all directions, forcing their w^ay through 
 the crowds. Sometimes, in the dense smoke 
 and dust they drive against one another, break, 
 upset ; and the wretched people they convey 
 have to leave all behind them, and hasten away. 
 Even strong men, who lingered too long, trying to 
 save their little household goods, are suffocated by 
 the smoke, and overtaken by the flames. 
 
 The government fuel-yard is a large space sur- 
 rounded with wooden palings, where the suburb of 
 St. Roch narrows between the river St. Charles 
 and the walls of the upper town ; it is enclosed in 
 three parts of a square of buildings, a long street 
 running under the walls at the farther side from 
 the river, and parallel to it. At this place the 
 troops make a great effort to stop the conflagration; 
 they hew down the wooden palings, destroy several
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 183 
 
 houses at the end of the row under the walls, and 
 the fire-engines pump away gallantly. This is 
 about three o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 Suddenly a hurricane arises ; the blazing shingles 
 are lifted into the air; planks and rafters, edged 
 with fire, whirl over the ground, and the flames 
 race along the street with terrible rapidity. AU 
 run for their lives ; the fire-engines are with diffi- 
 culty dragged away ; some indeed are abandoned 
 in the flight. Almost the only outlet now fi-om 
 the suburb is the gate through the walls into the 
 upper town. As the crowd crushes through, the 
 flames close over every thing behind them. 
 
 In the mean time, from the showers of sparks 
 and the intense heat, the ArtUlery Barrack has taken 
 fire in several parts of the shingle roofs and wooden 
 palings. Although separated by a long glacis and 
 high bastions from the burning district, the grass 
 on the ramparts burns up like straw. There is 
 plenty of assistance ; the roofs are drenched with 
 water, but still the fire gains ground. A heavy 
 shower of rain comes seasonably to aid ; the bar- 
 racks are saved, and with them the upper town. 
 
 The fire, however, rages more furiously than 
 ever, outside the walls ; spreading thence to the 
 water, along the whole northern face, below the
 
 184 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 batteries and the magazine. This rumour runs 
 through the crowd in a moment, and fills them 
 with dismay. There are two hundred tons of powder 
 in that magazine — should the fire reach it, not one 
 stone upon another, not a liv^ing soul, wUl remain 
 as a record of Quebec. The fire is close under the 
 walls below the magazine — the smoke and flames 
 rise above them, and whirl round and round with 
 the eddying wind. The bright tin roof flashes 
 back the lurid light on the soldiers who are toiling 
 about it, piling up wet clay at the doors and win- 
 dows, tearing down the wooden houses near, 
 puUing up the platforms of the batteries and the 
 planks of the coping, and throwing them over the 
 walls into the fire below. The crisis passes, the 
 magazine is safe. 
 
 Now, for nearly a mUe in length, and from the 
 battlements to the river, is one mass of flame ; the 
 heat and suffocating smell are almost intolerable ; 
 the dense black smoke covers everything to leeward, 
 pressing down the clouds upon the hiUs many 
 miles away, and drenching them with unexpected 
 rain. Vessels cut their cables, and drift, half on 
 fire, down the river ; the streams and weUs in the 
 suburbs are baked up dry ; churches, hospitals, 
 ship-yards — each is but a red wave in the fiery sea.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 185 
 
 Though it is past eight o'clock in the evening, 
 there is more Hght than at noon day ; but it is a 
 grim illumination, showing the broad St. Lawrence 
 like a stream of blood, and flushing the dark and 
 lowering clouds above with an angry glow. 
 
 The lower town has taken fire ! Here are the 
 banks, the storehouses, the merchants' offices — all 
 the most valuable property in the city. One more 
 eifort is made to save it. The flames have now 
 reached the narrow neck between the ramparts 
 and the water, and here there is a hope of stopping 
 their progress. The General of the troops is on 
 the spot ; he orders a house to be blown up. 
 Powder has been kept ready at hand, and a 
 charge is tried ; the building is torn to pieces 
 by the explosion, but still the flames stalk 
 on. Directions are given to try again, with a 
 heavier charge. Now, four stout artillerymen carry 
 a large barrel of gunpowder down to the place ; it 
 is covered with wet blankets, and the top secured 
 with clay, for the sparks fall thickly round ; then 
 the bugles sound the retreat ; the staring crowds 
 and busy soldiers ftdl back from the neighbouring 
 streets; none are near the spot but the gunners 
 and their officers ; they place the charge in a niche 
 on the lower story of a strong stone house, about
 
 186 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 the centre of the narrow neck of land ; the fire 
 has already reached the building, and through the 
 upper windows, smashing the glass, breaks out 
 clear and strong. The sergeant lights a short fusee 
 in the barrel of gunpowder. The door of the house 
 is burning, but the gunners escape through the 
 window, and run over the blazing beams and torn- 
 up streets, for shelter. For a few seconds aU eyes 
 are strained upon this spot, and the noises of the 
 crowd sink to silence. Then the earth shudders, 
 and, with a dull, booming sound, up, up into the 
 black sky shoots a spout of fire, and from above 
 descends a shower of fiery beams, huge stones, and 
 fi^agments of the torn roof : — a moment more, and 
 aU sink into a dark gap of smoking ruins. The 
 plague is stayed ; the greater fire has eaten up the 
 less ; for a few minutes the very wind seems 
 conquered by the shock. 
 
 But in St. Roch's the fire raged still, as long as 
 it found food to devour, and a slight change of 
 wind during the night threatened the suburb of 
 St. Valliere, which had hitherto escaped with but 
 little damage. The flames had not quite burned 
 out tiU noon the following day. In the govern- 
 ment fuel-yard there was an immense heap of 
 coal, which burned for several weeks, and aff'orded
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 187 
 
 warmth to some of the shivering unfortunates who 
 had neither home nor roof. 
 
 The next was a dismal day in Quebec ; crowds 
 of people wandering about for shelter, some with 
 bundles on their backs, containing the little they 
 had saved ; others, lying under the walls on beds, 
 with half-burnt blankets wetted with the heavy 
 rains, their few household goods strewed round 
 them ; others, inquiring eagerly for some lost 
 mother, wife, or child, whom they were to see no 
 more. Others, severely burned or injured by 
 falling beams, seeking for aid and advice ; and 
 waggons heavily laden, drawn by weary horses, 
 driven hither and thither to find some place of 
 rest. 
 
 I met one wretched old man, his hand badly 
 burnt and hastily bound up, returning despairingly 
 and exhausted into the town. His cow — aU he 
 possessed in the world — had strayed away in the 
 confusion of the night before. After having sought 
 her in vain all day long through the country round, 
 he sat down on the ruins of his little shed and 
 wept bitterly. He was an Irish emigrant, lately 
 arrived, and had neither wife nor child : they had 
 died at home long since, and here he had no 
 friend ; the lone old man was too weak to work,
 
 188 hochelaga; or, 
 
 and had laid out the small sum remaining after 
 his voyage in buying the animal now lost, which 
 had since been his support. 
 
 But the wealthy and uninjured were not idle; 
 a public meeting was called and six thousand 
 pounds subscribed on the spot ; large stores and 
 public buildings were thrown open for the house- 
 less; a quantity of clothing and blankets were 
 given them ; food was supplied by the com- 
 missariat ; the medical men, with active bene- 
 volence, tended the wounded ; the civil and military 
 officers and the poor soldiers gave all they could, in 
 proportion to their means ; private charity was 
 unbounded, whole families of wanderers were 
 received into the houses of the rich, while the poor 
 shared their shelter, as far as it went, ^\dth their now 
 stiU poorer fellow-citizens. The insurance offices 
 met their engagements, though reduced to the 
 verge of ruin. From the country round, and distant 
 parts of Canada, assistance came freely in : one 
 little rural parish sent a few shillings — aU the 
 money they had — together with cart-loads of fire- 
 wood, corn, and home-made cloth, their only wealth. 
 
 It was a woful thing to see the wretched suf- 
 ferer straying through the smoking ruins to find 
 the black spot where his happy home had sheltered
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 189 
 
 him a few hours before ; hoping that there, perhaps, 
 he might again meet with some loved one, separated 
 from him in the confusion of that dreadful day. 
 With hoiTor he sees among the still smouldering 
 ashes a blackened trunk, with scarcely enough of 
 shape left to shew that once it bore God's image. 
 
 The air was hot and stifling ; a thick cloud of 
 smoke hung like a shroud over the ruins ; from 
 among them rose a heavy, chamel smell, impossible 
 to describe. Many half-consumed human bodies 
 still lay about, and the carcasses of great numbers 
 of horses and cattle. 
 
 A deep depression fell upon the people of 
 Quebec : superstitious fears took possession of 
 them ; they fancied they saw sights and prodigies, 
 and that this calamity was a judgment for some 
 great unknown crime. The Roman Catholic 
 priesthood did not try to abate these terrors. 
 Vague prophetic rumours, whose origin none could 
 trace, went about, that the remainder of the city 
 would soon be destroyed ; and, at length, the same 
 day of the following month was said to be the 
 day of doom. The dismal aspect of the place, 
 the universal despondency, and the extent of the 
 loss and suffering, affected many, even of the 
 strongest-minded.
 
 190 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 On the 28 th of June, a great part of the 
 population remained in trembling expectation of 
 the fulfilment of these predictions. The day 
 was warm and stiU, the night came on close and 
 sombre. Nine o'clock passes without an alarm, 
 ten also ; people begin to take courage, but a slight 
 breeze springs up, and the dust creeps along the 
 silent streets. It is eleven. — There is no sound 
 but that of the wind, which now whistles past the 
 corners of the houses and among the chimneys, 
 blowing from the north-east — the opposite direction 
 to that whence it came on the 28th of May. Half- 
 past eleven. — ^The greater part of the inhabitants 
 are sleeping in peace; even the most timid think 
 the danger is now past. It is close on midnight ; 
 some of them go to their windows to take a last 
 look before retiring to rest. 
 
 On the north-west part of the Upper Town 
 stands the church of St. Patrick ; the spire is very 
 high, covered with bright tin ; on the top is a large 
 ball, surmounted by a cross, both of glittering metal. 
 The night is very dark, and these are invisible in 
 the gloom. 
 
 A few minutes before midnight, a slight red 
 flickering light is seen, high in the air ; for a second 
 or two it plays about in uncertain forms, then
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 191 
 
 shines out distinctly through the darkness, a fiery 
 cross up against the black sky. The ball, the 
 spire are soon seen : whence is that lurid light 
 reflected ? A small flame creeps up the side of a 
 wooden house outside the walls, in the suburb of 
 St. John, just where the last fire ended. — The city 
 
 is ON FIRE ! 
 
 As the clock strikes twelve, from every tower 
 and steeple in Quebec the bells ring out their pant- 
 ing peal of alarm. With the suddenness of an 
 explosion, the bright broad flame bursts out simul- 
 taneously through three or four roofs, and the 
 wind, now risen to a storm, bears it away on its 
 mission of destruction. In a few minutes the 
 streets are crowded, thousands rush out of the city 
 gates, to stare at the devastation which no human 
 power can avert. Fire ! — Fire ! — Fire ! shouted by 
 crowds wild with teiTor — the quick, jerking church 
 beUs, the rattling of the engines over the streets — 
 soon waken to this night of desolation the people 
 of Quebec. 
 
 The gallant soldiers are again at work, vigorously, 
 but in vain. The now furious gale sweeps over 
 everything to leeward with its fiery breath, bearing 
 with it the black pall of smoke, followed by a 
 stream of flame. The terrified inhabitants make
 
 192 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 no attempt to stop the destruction : they seize 
 their sick and feeble, and the few things of value 
 they can carry, and hasten up to the glacis of the 
 citadel, and the su1)urbs of St. Louis, But, in the 
 mean time, the houses are so close and the streets 
 so narrow, that the fire spreads up the hill, even 
 across the wind ; here at least it may be stopped. 
 
 The artillerymen are ready with their powder- 
 barrels ; one is placed in a large wooden house at 
 the corner of a street ; by blowing it up, a gap 
 may be made, to cut off the communication. 
 The retreat is sounded, and the people cleared 
 away as well as the confusion will admit ; the 
 flames rapidly approach the building ; some straw 
 on the floor has taken fire. The gunners steadily 
 trample it out round the powder barrel. Then a 
 strange delay arises — they can get no fire to light 
 the fuse ! For half a mile square, the blaze spreads 
 before them, and they can get no fire ! They can- 
 not approach the flame and live ; the wind whirls 
 the smoke and sparks densely on its skirts, and the 
 heat is insufferable. One gunner throws his great 
 coat over his head and iiishes through the smoke, 
 thrusting the portfire which he bears in his hand 
 at the fire, to light it ; but he fails, and staggers 
 back half suffocated, his coat and hair singed and
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 193 
 
 scorched. In the mean time the house is in a 
 blaze ; the officer and his men stand still by their 
 dangerous charge, waiting with steady discipline till 
 their duty is done. At length an eddy of wind 
 carries some burning shingles to their feet, the 
 sergeant seizes one, the fusee is lighted, and now 
 they run for their lives up the deserted street. 
 Through the roar of the wind and flames comes 
 the crash of the bursting walls, and the roof is 
 blown to pieces in the air. 
 
 At this point the fire is conquered, but further 
 down it spreads widely. More powder is brought, 
 more houses blown up, some uselessly, for at the 
 same time falling sparks have fired buildings far 
 behind them. At length, by tw^elve successive 
 explosions, a line of gaps is made at some distance 
 fi'om the fire : by this the communication with the 
 suburb of St. Louis is cut oif. In firing one of the 
 charges, a man who had been repeatedly warned to 
 stand clear, was killed from neglecting the caution. 
 Every now and then through the night, the loud 
 roar of these explosions rose above all the clamour. 
 At eight o'clock in the morning the fire was got 
 under, but not till it had exhausted itself to leeward, 
 having consumed everything that it encountered. 
 The sunrise that day had a strange and dismal 
 VOL. I. K
 
 194 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 effect ; the light over the distant hills appeared 
 pale and livid, scarcely seen indeed in the blaze 
 from the ruins of Quebec. 
 
 Soon after day-break, a heavy rain began to fall, 
 drenching the groups of unfortunates who were 
 lying on the glacis and in the fields near the town, 
 shelterless and exhausted. Many of these had 
 been burnt out the month before, and had since 
 been living in the sheds and outhouses of the 
 suburb of St. John, till the fire of last night de- 
 prived them of even that resource. A few had 
 still on the gay dresses they had worn in some 
 social circle when the alarm began, now wet and 
 torn, — tender women who perhaps had never 
 known what hardship was before ; men accustomed 
 to ease and comfort : the sun which set on their 
 prosperity rose upon their ruin. 
 
 Then was the open hand of charity held out : 
 every remaining house became a hospital ; clothes, 
 food, and shelter, seemed almost common property. 
 Once again, those who had least suffered came 
 forward with a generosity only limited by the 
 power to give. Provisions and clothes were again 
 distributed by the authorities ; two hundred tents 
 were pitched ; one of the barracks and several 
 other public buildings were thrown open. Some
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 195 
 
 of the insurance companies proved still able to 
 meet their liabilities, others paid all they had and 
 broke. The city of Montreal, with ready liberality, 
 subscribed thirteen thousand pounds ; other places 
 in the British provinces also gave their aid. But 
 the great hope of the sufferers was in that land 
 where the tale of distress is never told in vain, and 
 they were not disappointed — England did not 
 forget her afflicted children in the New World; 
 with splendid liberality she answered their appeal. 
 By the desire of the Queen, a collection was made 
 in every parish church throughout the land. Private 
 sui)scriptions were raised in various places ; the 
 imperial parliament voted a sum for the same 
 object ; large quantities of blankets and clothing 
 were immediately sent out — altogether, in money 
 upwards of one hundred thousand pounds, and at 
 least thii'ty thousand pounds' worth of goods. 
 
 There were naturally very strong suspicions that 
 this second fire had been the work of an incendiary. 
 As it occurred in the night on whicli it was fore- 
 told, and commenced in one of the very last houses 
 that escaped the first time, to windward of the ex- 
 tensive and inflammable suburb of St. John, there 
 was every appearance of design. Inquiry was 
 diligently made, and all suspicious strangers were 
 
 K 2
 
 196 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 examined, but at length it transpired that it had 
 originated in the carelessness of a stupid maid- 
 servant, who cast some ashes on a pit where a 
 little straw and shavings of wood had been lately 
 thrown ; fire enough remained in the ashes to 
 ignite these. As they were under the wall of a 
 wooden house, the flames had taken such hold 
 before the alarm was given, that it was impossible 
 to get them under : the stupid cause of the calamity 
 was fast asleep, and the last person in the house to 
 know the danger. 
 
 A committee was immediately formed of the 
 most influential people of the city, representing the 
 different religious persuasions of the sufferers. 
 Through the clergy, relief in money, food, and 
 clothes was distributed ; and, with a view to the 
 proper disposal of the remainder of the great sums 
 raised by subscription, by the Church of England, 
 and elsewhere, the gentlemen of this committee 
 with untiring zeal sought out and obtained the 
 fullest information as to the extent and proportions 
 of the losses. It w^as found that in these fires sixteen 
 thousand people were burned out, nearly all of them 
 belonging to the poorer classes; five hundred and sixty 
 thousand pounds worth of property was destroyed ; 
 and twenty-seven charred and mutilated corpses
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 197 
 
 were found among the ruins : it is supposed, how- 
 ever, that many more lives were lost, for of strangers, 
 or where a whole family was burnt, there was no 
 record ; and in many places the strength of the 
 flames would have destroyed all trace of the human 
 form. 
 
 Quebec soon took courage : before the end 
 of the summer a considerable number of houses 
 were rebuilt, much better than those destroyed, and 
 the streets were widened and improved ; hundreds 
 of temporary wooden sheds have also been erected, 
 but by law they must be removed within eighteen 
 months. There is no doubt that the great cala- 
 mity, with its large amount of present suffering, 
 will be an ultimate advantage to this beautiful city.
 
 198 hochelaga; or. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 Farewell, Quebec! The midsummer sun pours 
 down its flood of golden light upon these scenes of 
 beauty. As it falls on earth and water, a soft 
 spray of luminous mist rises over the wide lands- 
 cape. Above, the clear pure air dances and quivers 
 in the glorious warmth ; the graceful lines of distant 
 hills seem to undulate with a gently tremulous 
 motion. The broad river is charmed to rest, not 
 even a dimple on its placid surface ; no breath of 
 air stirs through the dark forests, the silken leaves 
 hang motionless. 
 
 The grateful fields, freed from their wintry 
 chains, are clothed with rich crops, already blushing 
 into ripeness. Man fills the calm air with sounds 
 of prosperous activity ; axes and hammers echo 
 from the dockyards, ropes creak in the blocks as
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 199 
 
 bales of merchandize are lifted to the crowded 
 wharves. The buzz of many voices rises from the 
 busy markets; wheels rattle, and hurrying hoofs 
 ring on the pavement ; the town is a great hive of 
 thriving industry ; the hundreds of ships alongside, 
 the bees which bear the honey of many a distant 
 land to fill its stores. 
 
 This is the day — this is the year, to see Quebec; 
 a day of unsurpassed beauty — a year of matchless 
 prosperity. May the day of beauty have no even- 
 ing, the year of prosperity never a winter ! This 
 midsummer's noon is not warmer than the hearts 
 of her people — not more genial than their kindness. 
 Farewell, Quebec. The lone stranger, who came 
 scarcely a year ago, leaves many a valued friend 
 behind, carries with him many a grateful memory. 
 And, when again by his English fireside, his 
 thoughts wiU often wander back to happy hours 
 passed among the snows of distant Canada. 
 
 I have arranged to go by the Montreal steamer 
 at five o'clock in the afternoon. The day soon 
 passes away in parting visits ; they seem very 
 hurried. There is not half time to hear or say all 
 the kind things, or to dwell long enough on the 
 hearty pressure of the hand, when you know that 
 in the probability of the future, those voices will
 
 200 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 never sound in your ear again, and that you are to 
 feel the friendly grasp no more. It was very good 
 of those people to come down to see me start, but 
 I had been much better pleased had they staid 
 away. The bell rings, they hasten off the deck on 
 to the wharf; again a hurried " good bye ;" the 
 paddle wheels make a few strokes backwards to 
 gain an opening, then turn ahead, bite deep into 
 the w^ater, and we glide rapidly on. As we pass 
 the wharf, those friends wave their hands, I do so 
 too ; we are quite close, but somehow my eyes are 
 a little dim, I can scarcely distinguish them as they 
 run along the end of the quay, keeping pace with 
 us up to the very edge. Our hands wave once 
 again for the last time — I cannot see a bit now. 
 When my sight cleared we were out in the middle 
 of the broad stream, the people on the shore but 
 tiny specks in the distance. 
 
 In describing one American river steam-boat you 
 describe all. The greater part of the engines is 
 above the level of the water ; two large arms labour 
 up and down over each side of the upper deck, 
 while a funnel from near each paddle-box puffs out 
 the smoke. They are not fitted with masts for 
 inland na\agation ; the sleeping and eating saloon 
 is in the bodv of the boat ; the ladies' cabin, the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 201 
 
 state-room, with the bar, ticket office, &c., are in 
 a sort of upper story erected on the deck, their 
 roof being the promenade. These vessels are 
 beautifully built, and go through the water with 
 great rapidity ; fifteen and sixteen miles an hour 
 is not uncommon ; they are also comfortable and 
 very well managed, and those between Quebec and 
 Montreal are not surpassed by any in America. 
 
 We pass Wolfe's Cove, rich in undying memo- 
 ries ; beyond it, green slopes, gentle woodlands, and 
 neat country-houses, each recalling to recollection 
 some pleasant ride or drive, or social evening ; on 
 the left, the Chaudiere river, dwindled into a tiny 
 stream under the summer's sun, its rustic bridge, 
 and rocky, pine-fringed banks ; on the right. Cap 
 Rouge, the end of the bold table-land on which 
 stands the great citadel of the west. Beyond it, 
 stretches out for many miles a rich flat tract, varied 
 by field and forest ; and ever and anon the church 
 and village, and in the far distance the bold range 
 of hills which shelters these fair valleys from the 
 ice-blast of the north. 
 
 For one hundred miles up the great river, the 
 scene is the same, monotonous if you will, but 
 monotonous in beauty ; the shores all along thickly 
 dotted with the white cottages of the simple habi 
 
 K 3
 
 202 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 tans. A short distance above Cape Rouge, we 
 met a large raft of white pine, one of the strange 
 sights of the St. Lawrence. It was about three 
 acres of timber, bound together by clamps of wood 
 into a solid stage ; on this were erected five or six 
 wooden houses, the dwellings of the raftsmen. The 
 wind was in their favour, and they had raised in 
 front a great number of broad thin boards, with 
 the flat sides turned to the breeze, so as to form 
 an immense sail. These floating islands are guided 
 by long oars ; they drop down with the stream till 
 they meet the tide, then anchor when it turns, till 
 the ebb again comes to their aid. They have tra- 
 velled from many hundred miles in the interior; 
 by the banks of the far distant branches of the 
 Ottaw^a those pines were felled : in the depth of 
 winter the remote forests ring with the w^oodman's 
 axe ; the trees are lopped of their branches, squared, 
 and dragged by horses over the deep snow to the 
 rivers, where, upon the ice, the rafts are formed. 
 When the thaw" in the spring opens up the moun- 
 tain streams, the stout lumberers collect the remains 
 of their winter stock, with their well-worn imple- 
 ments, and on these rafts boldly trust themselves to 
 the swollen w'aters. They often encounter much 
 danger and hardship ; not unfrequently the huge
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD, 203 
 
 mass goes aground, and the fast sinking stream 
 leaves the fruit of their winter's labours stranded 
 and useless on the shingly beach. 
 
 As the evening dropped upon us, the clouds 
 thickened into a close arch of ominous darkness, 
 while a narrow rim of light all round the horizon, 
 threw all above and below into a deeper gloom. 
 Soon, a twinkle of distant lightning, and a faint 
 rolling sound, ushered in the storm ; then the black 
 mass above split into a thousand fragments, each 
 with a fiery edge; the next moment the dazzled 
 sight was lost in darkness, and the awful thunder 
 crashed upon the ear, reverberating again and again. 
 Then jagged hues of flame dived through the dense 
 clouds, lighting them for a moment with terrible 
 brilliance, and leaving them gloomier than before. 
 We saw the forked lightning strike a large wooden 
 building stored with hay and straw on the bank 
 somewhat a-head of us : immediately afterwards a 
 broad sheet of flame sprung up through the roof 
 and, before we had passed, orJy a heap of burning 
 embers was left. In a short time the tortured 
 clouds melted into floods of rain. 
 
 We pass St. Croix, St. Anne's, Three Rivers, 
 Port St. Francis, and enter Lake St. Potcr. These 
 towns improve but little : their population is nearly
 
 204 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 all of the French race ; the houses are poor, the neigh- 
 bouring farms hut rudely tilled. The Canadian 
 does not labour to advance himself, but to support 
 life ; where he is born there he loves to live, and 
 hopes to lay his bones. His children divide the 
 land, and each must have part bordering the road 
 or river, so you see many farms half-a-mile in 
 length but only a few yards wide. Here in autumn 
 they reap their scanty crops ; in winter dance and 
 make merry round their stoves. With the same 
 sort of dress that the first settlers wore, they crowed, 
 each Sunday and saint's day, to the parish church, 
 Few can read or write, or know anything of the 
 world beyond their Canada ; each generation is as 
 simple and backward as the preceding. 
 
 But, with their gentle, courteous manners, their 
 few wants, their blind, trusting, superstitious faith, 
 their lovely country, their sweet old songs, sung by 
 their fathers centuries ago, on the banks of the 
 sunny Loire, — I doubt if the earth contains a 
 happier people than the innocent habitans of 
 Canada. 
 
 Lake St. Peter is but an expansion of the river ; 
 the waters are shallow and the shores flat and 
 monotonous ; after twenty-five miles it contracts 
 again and f.ows between several wooded islands.
 
 ENGLAND TN THE NEW WORLD. 205 
 
 We leave Sorcl, at the mouth of the Richelieu 
 river, to the left : this town is made, by English 
 hands, more prosperous than its neighbours. On 
 the same side, thirty miles higher up, is Varennes, 
 a place of much beauty : a hundred years ago 
 people crowded to its mineral springs ; now, it is 
 but a lonely spot. A fine old church, with two 
 lofty spires, stands in the centre of the village ; in 
 the back-ground, far away to the south-east, is the 
 holy mountain of Rouville ; on its summit, the 
 Pilgrim's Cross is seen for many a mile. 
 
 Above Montreal, the Ottawa joins the St. Law- 
 rence ; both streams seem bewildered among the 
 numerous and beautiful islands, and, hurrying past 
 in strong rapids, only find full rest in the broad 
 deep river, fifteen miles below. 
 
 At eight o'clock in the morning we were beside 
 the wharf at Montreal : it is of great extent — 
 reaching nearly a mile up the river, and very solid, 
 built of handsome cut stone. It is broad and 
 convenient for purposes of commerce ; vessels of 
 five hundred tons can discharge their cargoes there. 
 Immediately above the town, the rapids of Lachine 
 forbid further navigation. The city extends along 
 the river nearly two miles, the depth being about one 
 half the length. The public buildings arc calculated
 
 206 hochelaga; or, 
 
 for what the place is to be, — at present being, 
 perhaps, too large and numerous in proportion, 
 though fifty thousand inhabitants dwell around 
 them. The neighbouring quarries furnish abundant 
 materials for the architect, and the new shops and 
 streets are very showy. The French Cathedral is 
 the largest building in the New World : its propor- 
 tions are faulty, but it is nevertheless a grand mass 
 of masonry : ten thousand people can kneel at 
 the same time in prayer within its walls. The 
 town is w^ell lighted, kept very clean, and is full of 
 bustle, life, and activity, — handsome equipages, gay 
 dresses, and military uniforms. Many rows of 
 good houses, of cut stone, are springing up in the 
 suburbs, and there is a look of solidity about 
 everything, pleasing to the English eye. Some of 
 the best parts of the town are still deformed by a 
 few old and mean buildings, but, as the leases 
 fall in and improvements continue, they will soon 
 disappear. 
 
 Montreal is built on the south shore of an 
 island thirty miles long, and about one third of 
 that breadth. All this district is very fertile ; the 
 revenues belong to the seminary of the St. Sulpi- 
 cians, one of the orders of the Church of Rome, 
 and are very ample. The Mont Royal alone varies
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 207 
 
 the level surface of this island. The Parliament- 
 House, the seat of government, the military head- 
 quarters, and the public offices of Canada, are in 
 this city ; the trade is very considerable ; within 
 the last few years it has rapidly increased, and is 
 increasing still. The export of corn to England 
 opens a mine of wealth, while in return the wharves 
 are crowded with our manufactures and the luxu- 
 ries of other countries. The people are fully 
 employed, and live in plenty; but there are occa- 
 sionally disturbances among them, occasioned by 
 the collisions of the English, Irish, and French 
 races. The elections are carried on with much 
 excitement and bitterness of feeling, but usually 
 end in the success of the conservative principle. 
 Society also is much divided ; there is but little of 
 that generally social feeling which characterizes 
 Quebec. The entertainments have more display, 
 but are far less agreeable than those of the sister 
 city, and among the different coteries of the 
 inhabitants there is not apparently much cor- 
 diality. 
 
 In England, Montreal would be considered a 
 very handsome town, and in bustle and activity far 
 surpasses any one of its size there ; the wharves, 
 hotels, shops, baths, are also much finer ; it pos-
 
 208 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 sesses quite a metropolitan appearance, and no 
 doubt it will, ere long, be the capital of a great 
 country. Few towns in the world have progressed 
 so rapidly in size, beauty, convenience, and popula- 
 tion, within the last few years, and at this present 
 time its commerce is in a most prosperous condi- 
 tion. You see in it all the energy and enterprize 
 of an American city, with the solidity of an Eng- 
 lish one. The removal hither of the seat of 
 government from Quebec and Kingston, has, of 
 course, given it a considerable impulse of prospe- 
 rity at their expense ; but it is still more indebted 
 to its excellent commercial position, and the energy 
 of its inhabitants. 
 
 Now, from the bustle, prosperity, and conten- 
 tions of Montreal, let us bear back our thoughts 
 for a moment over the bridge of history to the 
 time — but yesterday in the world's chronology — 
 when the kings of the ancient people welcomed the 
 Pale-faces to the shores of hochelaga. That day 
 was their Hastings. They were smitten with 
 deadlier weapons than Norman bow or lance — 
 the plague of the white man's crimes ; their inno- 
 cence was barer than the Saxon soldier's breast, 
 their wounds far deeper, more hopeless of a 
 cure. They were not subjugated nor driven
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 209 
 
 out, but they withered up before the strangers. 
 Beneath the grounds where they hunted, their 
 bones lie ; their land is their wide cemetery ; 
 scarcely a mound, or stone, or a trace even of 
 tradition, now points out the spot where any of 
 their millions sleep. 
 
 Gentle, feeble, simple, — they were yet too proud 
 to mingle with a race whose superiority they felt ; 
 they refused its civilization, but alas ! copied its 
 vices ; in these, at least, they felt themselves its 
 equal. As the snow in spring, they melted away 
 — stained, tainted, trampled down. 
 
 My fancy is busy with the past. I have swept 
 away those crowded whar\'es and lofty spires ; on 
 their sites the rich corn-fields wave again ; the 
 shady forest spreads over the distant slopes, the 
 birch bark roofs of the wigwams peep through the 
 tall trees upon the mountain side, the light canoe 
 skims over the broad river ; the wise Sachems of 
 the tribes meet us on the shore with generous wel- 
 come ; the graceful Indian maiden bends beneath 
 her fragrant burthen of fruits and flowers, to be 
 laid at our feet. 
 
 A cabman seizes me by each arm, " Tetu's or 
 Rasco's, Sir? take you up, luggage and all, for a
 
 210 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 shilling." In a moment my graceful Indian maiden 
 was changed into an Irish porter, and the burthen 
 of fruits and flowers to my well-worn portmanteaus, 
 which were presently laid at my feet in the bar- 
 room at Rasco's Hotel.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 2 1 1 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 KINGSTON. LAKE ONTARIO. 
 
 On this occasion my visit to Montreal was a 
 very short one, but I have several times been there, 
 both in winter and summer. There is but little 
 in the neighbouring country to tempt you to ex- 
 plore ; the ride round the mountain, indeed, gives 
 some views of much beauty ; particularly where you 
 see the Ottawa pouring through its many channels 
 into the northern branch of the St. Lawrence. 
 Generally the country is flat, and has but little 
 character ; there are several islands about ; that of 
 St. Helen's is the most picturesque in the group, 
 but unsightly baiTacks and rough field-works de- 
 form its gentle slopes. 
 
 A clumsy stage-coach carried me to Lachine, 
 nine miles from Montreal : there it was put on 
 board a steamer, borne through Lake St. Louis,
 
 212 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 and released again at the cascades, to carry us on 
 sixteen miles further to Coteau du Lac. In a short 
 time the great works, to hear large steam-hoats past 
 all the rapids, will be complete : the Lachine, Beau- 
 harnois, St. Lawrence, and Welland canals will be 
 the connecting links of this immense chain of com- 
 munication ; from the gulph of St. Lawrence to the 
 furthest of the great lakes — one broad highway. 
 We pass over Lake St. Francis, and through the 
 St. Lawrence canal ; opposite to its entrance is the 
 Indian village of St. Regis, close to which is the 
 boundary line between Canada and the United 
 States, where the forty-fifth parallel of latitude 
 strikes the great river. 
 
 The most remarkable of the rapids, whose inter- 
 ruption the industry of man is busied to avoid, is 
 called the Cedars. The stream is here pent into 
 several narrow channels among wooded islands, 
 and tumbles fiercely along over its rocky bed. 
 Steamers and other boats constantly venture down 
 this perilous passage, but not unfrequently pay 
 dearly for their temerity. At present they can 
 only return up to the great lakes by the Ottawa 
 river and the Rideau canal, from which they emerge 
 at Kingston, on Lake Ontario ; but the works 
 are going on rapidly, and by them this great round
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 213 
 
 will be saved. In the year 1759, when General 
 Amherst entered Canada, his advanced guard, of 
 about three hundred men, was embarked above the 
 Cedars ; the intention was to float down and take 
 up a position on the opposite side of the river. 
 Perhaps it was that those dangerous channels were 
 then but little known, or that the pilot played 
 them false — none remained to accuse; the next 
 day the lifeless bodies of the British soldiers, clothed 
 in the well-known red, floating past the town of 
 Montreal, gave the first notice of invasion. 
 
 There were many Americans in the steamer ; at 
 this time of the year great numbers, particularly 
 from the sultry south, crowd all the conveyances in 
 Canada and the northern States, in search of the 
 health which their own climate denies them. 
 Amongst them was a taciturn, sallow, austere- 
 looking, middle-aged man, whose place at dinner, 
 luncheon, and breakfast, happened to be next to 
 me ; he stared at me a good deal, but spoke never 
 a word. Except when at meals, he sat in a parti- 
 cular part of the vessel, smoking without intermis- 
 sion, protected from the sun by the enormously 
 broad brim of a white beaver hat. At Ogdensburgh, 
 the first place on the American side where the 
 steam-boat touches, we all went ashore for a few
 
 214 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 seconds, to stretch our limbs ; my silent friend 
 heard me say that I had never before been in the 
 States ; when he saw me fairly landed, he for a 
 moment removed the cigar from his mouth and 
 observed, " I reckon, stranger, you have it to say 
 now that you have been in a free country." We 
 afterwards discovered that he was a planter from 
 Alabama, and that, to the pleasures of his tour, he 
 united the business of inquiring for runaway slaves. 
 From Ogdensburgh, there is a daily American 
 line of steamers up through the St. Lawrence and 
 Lake Ontario to Lewiston, near Niagara. The 
 inhabitants on both sides of the frontier are superior 
 to any confined and illiberal feeling of nationality 
 as to their preference for either this or the Canadian 
 line ; in comfort, speed, safety, both are on a level 
 — and a very good level too ; therefore, as either side 
 abates a few pence in the fare, the human tide flows 
 certainly to it. In most of the American steamers, 
 here and elsewhere, the fare includes the expenses 
 of the table for the passengers ; a bell or gong 
 summons them to the diff'erent meals. The table 
 is usually covered with an infinity of very small 
 dishes, containing a great variety of curious animal 
 and vegetable matter, in such proportions that 
 a plate may bear the contents of two or three
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 215 
 
 dishes being emptied into it at once, with impunity. 
 The principal characteristic of the cookery is 
 grease. 
 
 It is quite unnecessary for me to add anything 
 to the very numerous and far from flattering 
 descriptions which have been given of the modes 
 of eating these viands, as practised by many of our 
 travelling brethren of the United States : their 
 habits are different from ours ; to us they are 
 disagreeable ; but there is no use in dwelling on the 
 subject. The people you meet in public convey- 
 ances in America are of every class ; perhaps your 
 neighbour on either hand, whose extraordinary 
 performances have excited your astonishment or 
 disgust, may be a man who but two or three years 
 before was a swineherd in Tipperary, or yesterday 
 a woodsman in Kentucky ; and probably he has 
 not found his new school of refinement sufficiently 
 active in example and instruction to cure him 
 immediately of his little eccentricities of manner. I 
 must say that I have seen nearly as many dis- 
 agreeable peculiarities at ordinaries on the continent 
 of Europe, and indeed in Paris itself, as those of my 
 American fellow-travellers. A Frenchman perhaps 
 excels in the power of enjoying a dinner, and 
 in appreciation of the merits of the cuisine — a
 
 216 hochelaga; or, 
 
 German in the quantity he can consume — an 
 Englishman in his manner of eating it — and an 
 American, certainly, is unrivalled in the railroad 
 rapidity with which he goes through the work. 
 There seems a general determination in America 
 to alter and improve upon English customs : the 
 right side of the road is always kept in driving, 
 which can only be adopted for the sake of being 
 diflferent from the mother country, as it is so much 
 more difficult for the coachman to judge of the 
 distance he can afford in passing : perhaps it is 
 on the same principle that they reverse, as much 
 as possible, the uses of the knife and fork. 
 
 Within a mile of the thriving town of Prescott 
 is Windmill Point, on the Canadian side, the scene 
 of the sharp combat which ended in the surrender of 
 the unfortunate von Schultz : it is a bare, bleak place, 
 not enlivened by its associations with piracy and 
 scaffolds. On both banks of the river there are 
 many towns and villages, most of them prosperous, 
 all increasing. The general appearance of advance- 
 ment and cultivation is superior on the American 
 side ; within the last three years, however, the steady 
 progress of the northern bank begins to bear better 
 the comparison with the rather hectic prosperity of 
 the southern. Now, we are among the mazes of
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 217 
 
 the " Thousand Islands, and pass so close to some of 
 them that we can pull the leaves from the graceful 
 bending boughs of the trees, as the merciless wheels 
 of the steamer dash to atoms their beautiful re- 
 flexions in the mirror of the calm blue water. 
 The eye does not weary to see, but the hand 
 aches, in ever writing the one word — beauty ; 
 wherever you steer over this great river — beauty, 
 beauty still. 
 
 The impression is not pleasant on landing at 
 Kingston : it is an uncomfortable-looking place, 
 and the public buildings are out of proportion to 
 the size of the town; some of the streets are 
 drearily wide, and rank grass grows on their sides. 
 The inhabitants are about twelve thousand ; their 
 numbers stiU increase, but since the removal of the 
 seat of government from the place, it has a deserted 
 look ; it is however of some importance in trade, 
 being the port of the Rideau canal, which, with the 
 Ottawa, opens up so much of the back country, 
 and is a means of communication with Montreal. 
 In case of war, this line would be of great value, as 
 for along distance, only one bank of the St. Lawrence 
 is in our possession. The now useless govern- 
 ment-house is about a mile from the town, on the 
 shore of the lake : the town hall and market are 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 very handsome, as is the custom-house. Peniten- 
 tiary, jail, court-house, and bank, are all large but 
 rather unsightly buildings. Mineral springs of 
 great strength have lately been discovered, one a 
 hundred and fifty feet from the surface ; a large 
 bath-house is built beside them. Kingston pos- 
 sesses thirty or forty steamers ; during the summer 
 they buzz about with wonderful activity. Fort 
 Henry, on a hiU to the eastern side of the entrance 
 of the Rideau canal, is a strong place, but rather 
 too far from the town for efficient defence ; it 
 throws, however, its protection effectually over a 
 dockyard of some importance, which lies beneath 
 it. A detachment of artillery and two regiments 
 garrison the fort and town. 
 
 The society of Kingston received a fatal blow in 
 the removal of the seat of government ; it also 
 wants the mixture of French-Canadian grace and 
 liveliness which gives such a charm to that of the 
 Lower Province. From the constant intercourse 
 with the United States, the tone of manners of all 
 classes savoui's not a little of these neighbours, and 
 a slight nasal twang, and a " guess" or two, are by 
 no means uncommon. Many retired officers of the 
 army and navy have settled here and live in great 
 comfort. The necessaries of life are very cheap,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 219 
 
 and the shooting and fishing in the neighbourhood 
 offer many inducements. For those who love 
 yachting, the great Ontario opens out like an ocean 
 from their doors, with islands sufficiently numerous 
 to supply a variety of excursions every day for 
 years. 
 
 I do not like these great lakes ; the waters are 
 blue, pure, and clear, but they look dead. There 
 was a great calm when I was there, and there are no 
 tides ; the stillness was oppressive ; the leaves of 
 the trees in some parts of the beach dipped in the 
 water below, motionless as the air above. The 
 shores on this side are low and flat ; the eye 
 wearied as it followed the long, even lines in the 
 far perspective, mingling with those of the surface 
 of the lake ; on the other side the broad expanse 
 lay like polished lead, backed by the cloudless sky. 
 During the last American war, in 1813, the whole 
 of the English squadron of this lake was taken or 
 destroyed by the Americans under Commodore 
 Chauncey. The balance of successes on the inland 
 waters at that time was decidedly in their favour ; 
 they had the great advantages of being near their 
 resources, and having plenty of their best seamen 
 disposable, from the Atlantic coast being sealed to 
 
 L 2
 
 220 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 their commerce and adventure ; at the same time, 
 the attention of England was too much occupied 
 with her enormous efforts and magnificent success 
 in Europe to pay much attention to the compara- 
 tively unimportant struggle in the West. 
 
 At the same time, I freely and willingly give to 
 the Americans, my humble tribute of praise for the 
 skill and gallantry of their officers and sailors ; of 
 these any countr)^ might be proud, as for many 
 high-minded and chivalrous acts, worthy of a great 
 and free people. In the noble and admirable 
 quality of military \drtue, they have in their short 
 history proved themselves not inferior to any nation 
 in the world. None should be more ready to 
 acknowledge their merit than Englishmen, from 
 whose race they have sprung, and who have so 
 often found them to be by sea and land " worthy 
 of their steel." 
 
 May it seem fit to the Great Ruler of all counsels, 
 that our future rivalry may only be in works of 
 peace, in the increase of the happiness of our 
 people! Even now, while a degree of mutual 
 irritation and distrust exists, I earnestly breathe a 
 wish, express a hope, ay — announce a faith — that 
 thebright day which philanthropists have dreamed of.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 221 
 
 poets seen in the visions of fancy, and the inspired 
 page of prophecy foretold, is not far distant ; when 
 the spread of enlightenment, civilization, and above 
 all of Christianity, among the nations of the 
 earth, will do away for ever with the stern and 
 terrible necessity of the sword ; when the dazzling 
 light which fame now throws upon the names of 
 those who direct victorious armies, may be looked 
 upon but as a false meteor, their records known 
 only as a memory of a by-gone and mistaken 
 glory. 
 
 This Lake Ontario is five hundred miles round ; 
 the length measures three times the breadth, and 
 its surface is two hundred and thirty-one feet above 
 the level of the Atlantic. Throughout the whole 
 extent the largest ships may sail ; in many parts a 
 line of a hundred fathoms has not reached the 
 bottom : owing to this great depth it never freezes, 
 except where the water is shallow along the shores. 
 A great, and every year increasing trade, is carried 
 on over its surface in steam and sailing vessels 
 worthy of the ocean. The English possess now a 
 marked superiority in the number of their ship- 
 ping ; their steam-boats are twice as numerous as 
 those of their southern neighbours, their shore is 
 also more populous, more solidly thriving, and
 
 222 HOCHELAGA; OR 
 
 better cultivated ; ten years ago the reverse was 
 the case. 
 
 Numerous streams pour in their tribute, both 
 from the north and the south : these and the 
 waters of the lake abound in fish of excellent and 
 varied flavour ; the salmon and bass are the most 
 highly prized, and are taken in great quantities. 
 The fantastic mirage plays its freaks here, too : in 
 the summer weather, when you are among the 
 islands or near the shore, its illusions are as 
 beautiful as strange. On the Canadian side, to 
 the west of Kingstown, is a most singular arm 
 of the lake, called the Bay of Quinte : for eighty 
 miles it intrudes its zigzag course through the 
 land, nearly returning again to the main waters. 
 In many places it is but a mile broad, but 
 everywhere deep and safe. On its shores the 
 forests are rapidly giving way to thriving settle- 
 ments, some of them in situations of very great 
 beauty. 
 
 By far the greater number of emigrants from 
 the British islands settle in these lake districts, 
 but the twenty or thirty thousand a year who 
 arrive are at once absorbed, and make but little 
 apparent difference in the extent occupied; the 
 insatiable wilderness stiU cries for more. The
 
 ENGLAND TN THE NEW WORLD. 223 
 
 rate of wages for labour is very high — as is also 
 the profit of the farmer. The English markets 
 are open to any quantity of produce ; the 
 forges of Sheffield and the looms of Manchester 
 supply payment, while twenty thousand of the 
 best seamen in the world practise their calling 
 and earn their living in bearing these interchanged 
 goods over the Atlantic. 
 
 Alas ! for the five months of the year in 
 which nature has fixed her irrevocable decree 
 against this happy intercourse ! Woe to 
 those ships which venture to ti-ust too long 
 to the treacherous mildness of the autumn ! 
 In 1845, all the vessels but one that were 
 detained to the 28th of November — thirteen in 
 number — went aground in one stormy night of 
 bitter frost, between Quebec and the gulph of 
 St. Lawrence. They remained jammed in among 
 the ice, most of them cmshed into wrecks, while 
 the crews of several perished in awful tortures, in 
 a vain effort to escape. Some of the survivors 
 lost their limbs, from being frost-bitten, others 
 are cast on the lonely islands, and for many a day 
 their fate must remain unknown. Let those 
 hope for them who can : — huge masses of ice float 
 rapidly round their frozen prison with each chang-
 
 224 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 ing tide, sometimes dashing against each other 
 with a roar like thunder. These grim sentinels 
 guard their wretched prisoners from all chance of 
 human aid, till the warmth of summer, like 
 a good angel, chases them away, and releases 
 those iron men who may have survived the bitter 
 trial.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 225 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 TORONTO NIAGARA. 
 
 About midday we entered the harbour of To- 
 ronto : a natural mole of sand, some miles in 
 extent, embraces its waters, and guards them from 
 the turbulence of the great lake ; this singular 
 peninsula has some verdure, a few trees, and 
 several houses, but is of a desolate and dreary 
 character. The main land is quite different ; there, 
 rich fields, neat villas, shrubberies, and plantations, 
 carry your thoughts at once to meny England. 
 As you approach the town, this impression becomes 
 stronger ; when landed, it is complete. The streets, 
 the shops, the people, are Enghsh, their accent and 
 manners, and, best of all, their hearts, are Enghsh too. 
 This place is the nucleus of all that is loyal and true 
 in Upper Canada ; and, as the men of Londonderry 
 look back with honest pride upon their fathers' 
 gallant defence against a despot, so may those of 
 Toronto rejoice in their successful resistance to the 
 still darker tyranny of an unbridled rabble.
 
 226 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 The city is admirably situated, and very prospe- 
 rous; it was not incorporated till 1834, yet it now 
 contains more than twenty thousand inhabitants, 
 their number having doubled itself in ten years. 
 No town on the American continent has advanced 
 more rapidly, and, perhaps, none so solidly. The 
 houses are well built and lasting, the public build- 
 ings convenient, but not overgrown ; commercial 
 character and credit are high. Its prosperity is 
 not the mushroom growth of staring, tottering, 
 wooden cities, run up by designing swindlers, of 
 foreign gold, but the result of honest industry and 
 healthy progress. The back country is very rich 
 and valuable as an agricultural district, while the 
 produce finds a ready sale for the English market. 
 The enterprizing inhabitants are planning various 
 railroads from the neighbouring tovsTis, whose pros- 
 perity keeps pace, and is identified with, their own. 
 They do not hold out mendacious promises or 
 enormous and impossible interest to the capitahst 
 — but the people of Canada do not repudiate. 
 
 In 1793, Governor Simcoe caused this harbour 
 to be surveyed, and founded the town, then called 
 Little York : two Indian families were at that time 
 in quiet possession, and myriads of wild fowl crowded 
 the waters of the bay. In 1813, the Americans 
 burned it ; after the peace it was rebuilt, and the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 227 
 
 name, with good taste, changed to the old Indian 
 word — Toronto — the place of meeting, or of council. 
 In distant times, the tribes from the shores of the 
 lake assembled there to make peace or war. A 
 fort, of tolerable strength, but much out of repair, 
 now protects the entrance of the harbour ; there is 
 but a small proportion of military force, but there 
 are plenty of loyal citizens to man it, — men who 
 have already done their duty, and are ready to do it 
 again, should occasion arise to call forth their 
 services. 
 
 The great improvements in Toronto have been 
 within the last few years : the streets are well paved 
 and hghted with gas, and extensive water-works 
 supply every part of the town. Here is the college 
 of Upper Canada, a weU-situated building, posses- 
 sing extensive grounds, and bearing a high cha- 
 racter for its system of instruction and discipline. 
 The rules of this institution, and the disburse- 
 ments of its considerable state endowments, are 
 a constant subject of political discussion. The 
 office of the Canada Land Company is also in 
 this town. This body is still looked upon 
 with great jealousy and dislike by a considerable 
 party in the province, perhaps not altogether 
 without reason. Many lands, no doubt, remain 
 unoccupied in consequence of this monopoly : even
 
 228 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 as far away as the banks of the Saguenay, people 
 labour under, and complain bitterly of its pressure, 
 and that fertUe district is still only tilled by a few 
 chance squatters, who, without any title, have taken 
 up their residence upon it. 
 
 Toronto may boast of a tone of society above 
 that of most provincial towns, either here or in 
 Europe. Among the people of official rank, there 
 are several who, by their acquirements, talent, and 
 refinement, would be ornaments anywhere. In 
 Canada, and in England, also, they are too well 
 known to need any commendation ; their example 
 and influence are proved most useful, by the enlight- 
 enment and good manners of the residents. The 
 standard of character, the domestic arrangements 
 and habits of the people, are formed strictly on the 
 model of the mother country ; they look to her 
 with reverence and affection ; well may she be 
 proud of their loyalty, and encourage their love. 
 
 There is an indescribable pleasure in finding four 
 thousand miles away from our own dear land, a 
 place like this, its healthy and vigorous child, — with 
 every feature of its parent marked upon its face, 
 every family trait developed in its character. We 
 greet it as the hope of " England in the New 
 World." 
 
 May the day of severance be far distant ! But, per-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 229 
 
 haps, in the long future, when grown to sturdy and 
 independent manhood, it may become expedient that 
 there should be a separate household for the old 
 and the young, and that with a hearty blessing and 
 a friendly farewell they should part — let them then 
 part — but in love. I am con\'inced that this fair 
 Canada may grow great enough to be a balance of 
 power on the American continent, undisturbed by 
 rabble license, uncursed by the withering crime of 
 slavery, undishonoured by repudiation, unstained 
 by a parent's blood. 
 
 Just now, I was on the point of entering into a 
 minute description of King Street and Parliament 
 House, government offices and jail, baths and 
 hotels, when it luckily flashed across my mind that, 
 as I was not writing a guide-book, I had better let 
 them alone. Having spared you that, pray excuse 
 me for mentioning that labourers get five shillings 
 a day, and the good things of this life for about 
 half the prices of the English markets. Many of 
 the roads in the neighbourhood are made of 
 planks ; the levels are very judiciously managed, 
 and the draught on them is but little heavier than 
 on a railroad ; you are spared the noise and rattling 
 of the somewhat clumsy vehicles. Numerous 
 steam-boats enliven the wharves, plying in all direc- 
 tions during the seasons of navigation. Like most
 
 230 hochelaga; or, 
 
 of those in Canada and America, they are very 
 good ; one of them, the " Chief Justice Robinson," 
 is quite a model of neatness and comfort ; the deck 
 is carpeted, furnished with sofas and arm-chairs, 
 the sides hung round with paintings and orna- 
 mented with well-occupied stands of gay flowers ; 
 while she is as safe and speedy as the smokiest and 
 dirtiest of her sisterhood. 
 
 In this steamer I crossed the lake, and went 
 seven miles up the Niagara river, to Queenstown, 
 thence to the falls, eight miles, by a railway of very 
 primitive construction : it despises levels, has settled 
 down into deep ruts, and is unconfined by fences on 
 either side. We were perched on a quaint old coach, 
 our locomotives three meek horses, and it certainly 
 was not an express train. Our lateral movements 
 on the rough track, rivalled those forward in 
 quantity, and much exceeded them in rapidity. 
 
 During the late war, this district was the scene of 
 several very bloody and gallant actions between the 
 English and Americans ; they seem to have been 
 highly satisfactory to both parties, for each claims 
 the victory. They have contended for the laurels 
 during the last thirty years with the same pertina- 
 city with which they disputed the battle-ground, 
 and with the same doubtful result. One thing, 
 however, is certain — that the Americans faUed in
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 231 
 
 making any serious permanent impression on any 
 part of the country. Perhaps the mutual injury 
 was about equal, their loss of Buffalo being balanced 
 by that of Little York on the side of the English ; 
 each had to mourn over the graves of many worthy 
 and brave soldiers. Sir Isaac Brock was the most 
 remarkable of these ; he commanded the British 
 force at the battle of Queenstown, where he fell : 
 the Canadian Parliament erected a pillar to his 
 memory on the scene of his victory, which, as 
 I have before mentioned, was blown up by one of 
 the Sympathizers, at the time of their invasion of 
 Canada. 
 
 Queenstown is but a poor place : being on the 
 frontier, it has frequently suffered in the struggles 
 between the two countries ; the inhabitants are 
 now about five hundred in number. At the 
 entrance of the Niagara river, or, as it should be 
 called, the continuation of the St. Lawrence, is Fort 
 Niagara, now a place of considerable strength and 
 importance. I there saw, for the first time, the flag 
 of the Stars and Stripes, and the soldiers in their 
 grey uniforms. On the English side, Fort Massas- 
 sagua guards the river ; behind it is the town of 
 Niagara, with its docks and foundry, four churches, 
 and two thousand people. At the western end of 
 Lake Ontario, is Burlington Bay, containing the
 
 232 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 towns of Dundas and Hamilton ; both of them are 
 rapidly growing — the latter has five thousand 
 inhabitants, and much commercial enterprise. The 
 waters of the Niagara river are of a peculiarly 
 beautiful colour, the blue is as clear and soft as 
 that of a summer's sky. Up to Queenstown the 
 banks are low, and the country around flat ; thence 
 to the falls the flood lies between high, abrupt cliiTs. 
 On the Canada side, rich tracts of park-like scenery 
 extend for many miles inland ; a great portion is 
 cleared, but there still remain many of the magnificent 
 old forest trees, which once sheltered the people of 
 the departed race. The surface of the country rises 
 in steppes of good table-land, from but little above 
 the level of the lake, to the undulating grounds 
 which spread about the falls, nearly three hundred 
 feet higher. 
 
 We stopped several times on the way from our 
 landing at Queenstown ; the noise of the falls was 
 not perceptible until within two miles — while our 
 clumsy rail-carriage was in motion, its rattle had a 
 complete monopoly of our anxious ears. The 
 night was very calm, but, as we were rather below 
 on our approach, the noise seemed lost among the 
 tall trees that siu-rounded the road. We arrived 
 at the hotel, which was on the Canada side, but 
 kept by an American, according to American
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 233 
 
 customs. Fortunately, it was dark; I was very 
 glad not to have had the first view dimmed by 
 twilight. A great many people were staying in 
 the house, principally Americans ; they walked 
 about under the verandahs, and danced, tiU twelve 
 at night. The musician was a very gaily-dressed 
 negro, who did good service on his violin, the 
 instructions to the dancers being added in a vocal 
 accompaniment : he entered so completely into the 
 spirit of his office, that he sometimes pirouetted 
 about, to assist precept by example. This valuable 
 man also fulfilled the functions of barber and head 
 waiter to the hotel. 
 
 By painting and by description, Niagara had been 
 familiar to me for years, as no doubt it has been 
 to every one else : so much has been said and 
 written on the subject, that any attempt to throw 
 new light upon it is hopeless. I, therefore, mean, 
 with simple egotism, to give the impressions it 
 made upon myself. 
 
 The sight was precisely what I expected — the 
 sensations it caused, totally different. I did not 
 start with an exclamation of awe, neither did I 
 only look upon it as " an everlasting fine ' water- 
 privilege.'" I thought it a magnificent cataract, far 
 grander than anything 1 had before seen, and more 
 beautiful. I sat down on the turf near Table
 
 234 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 Rock, whence there is the best \dew, with some- 
 thing approaching to disappointment on my mind, 
 that, after all, it should be only a " magnificent 
 cataract." But as I looked and listened, the eye 
 and ear, as it were, matured into the power of fit 
 perception ; then, admiration and astonishment, and, 
 at last almost confusion, came upon me ; sight and 
 sound seemed to have joined their strength 
 and merged into a vague impression — vague, but 
 of mighty force. A passing stranger addressed 
 some question to me, which aroused me; I 
 found that, unconscious of the lapse of time, I 
 had been for hours staring at the great wonder. 
 
 I got up reluctantly, and proceeded to the 
 nuisance of sight-seeing, but looked back every 
 now and then as though fearing that I should lose 
 the rest of the grand spectacle ; for I could not 
 but fancy that it was some strange and transient 
 phenomenon, or a display got up by some enormous 
 effort for the moment. When night came, it 
 seemed reckless w^aste to keep it going stiU, while 
 its glorious beauty was hidden from mortal view. 
 
 It was not tni increasing distance freed me from 
 its influence, and when thought returned, that I 
 knew it had been going on yesterday, last year, 
 for a century, for tens of centuries — back to that 
 deep abyss of the past, on which sceptic science
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 235 
 
 — presumptuous though feeble — has dared to shed 
 a dim and sinister light, of only sufficient strength 
 to shew, that the depths must remain for ever — 
 inscrutable as profound. 
 
 Now, the neighbourhood of this great wonder is 
 overrun with every species of abominable fungus — 
 the growth of rank bad taste : with equal luxuriance 
 on the English and American sides, Chinese 
 pagoda, menagerie, camera obscura, museum, 
 watch-tower, wooden monument, tea-gardens, 
 * old curiosity shop.' A boy handed me a slip of 
 paper, on which were printed some stanzas of 
 astounding magnificence, signed "Almira," much 
 in the favourite style of the poet laureate to 
 " Moses and Son." I cannot refrain from giving 
 a short quotation : 
 
 " Would ye fain steal a glance o'er life's dark sea, 
 
 And gaze though trembling on eternity ? 
 
 WotJd ye look out, look down, where God hath set 
 
 His mighty signet ? Come — come higher yet. 
 
 To the Pagoda's utmost height ascend. 
 
 And see earth, air, and sky in one alembic blend !" 
 
 " The Pagoda is now open to visitors and perfectly secure. 
 * * * Admittance 25 cents. * * * 1st April, 1845." 
 
 One of the disagreeable necessities of the tourist 
 is to go under the falls to Termination Rock.
 
 236 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 Arrayed in a well-worn suit of oU-cloth, with hard 
 dirty shoes, and no stockings, I was weak enough 
 to submit to it. The left hand grasped firmly by 
 a negro guide, I shuffled sideways along a narrow 
 shingly path cut out of the side of the cliff, the 
 main sheet of water falling far clear of me ; the 
 dense cloud of spray soon soaks into every pore, and 
 obscures the sight, while the tremendous noise 
 makes hearing equally impossible. Every now and 
 then, I trod upon an eel, and he would twist his 
 limber, slimy body, over my bare instep, perhaps 
 into the shoe, where there was ample room, and 
 escape through one of its holes. I then des- 
 cended some rough, steep steps, went a little fur- 
 ther and stood triumphant, but very cold, upon 
 Termination Rock ; next I groped for a stone to 
 carry back with me to the upper world, that it may 
 descend to my admiring posterity — if I be ever 
 blessed with any — as a memorial of the wisdom and 
 courage of their ancestor. 
 
 There is not the least danger in this particularly 
 nasty and disagreeable performance; ladies fre- 
 quently go through it ; their dress for the purpose 
 is of the same material, but rather more volumi- 
 nous than ours. With all due deference to the 
 fair adventurers, I do not think it an exploit at all 
 suited to their sex ; there is notliing whatever to
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 237 
 
 reward the trouble and nuisance of the visit, and 
 little to boast of in having accomplished it. 
 
 I now went up the bank of the river above the 
 falls, to see the rapids ; they are very fine> but not 
 so striking as the Cedars. Next I was rowed in a 
 boat as near as possible to the foot of the falls, got 
 rather wet, then crossed to the American side, climbed 
 the vile Pagoda, went to Iris Island — in short, 
 looked at Niagara from above, peered under, stared 
 up, glanced sideways ; and, at Termination Rock, I 
 had actually examined the back of it. This is all 
 worse than useless, as weU might you do the same 
 with Raphael's " Transfiguration ;" as there is but 
 one perfect view for a painting, there is but one for 
 Niagara. See it from Table Rock, gaze thence 
 upon it for hours — days if you like — and then go 
 home. As for the Rapids, Cave of the Winds, 
 Burning Springs, &c., &c., you might as well enter 
 into an examination of the gilt figures on the pic- 
 ture frame, as waste your time upon them. 
 
 About three miles below, is the Whirlpool, a 
 large, deep sweep, hollowed out of the cliff in a 
 bend of the river. Sometimes there is a horrible 
 interest connected with this place; the bodies of 
 people who have been lost over the falls have 
 floated round and round this dismal hole for days 
 together ; carried on the surface by the whirling
 
 238 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 eddies back to the main stream ; or sucked down, 
 to emerge again in a few minutes and continue 
 their ghastly journey. The rocks around are abrupt, 
 the water unapproachable by boats ; so they must 
 remain tUl decomposed, or by some chance swell 
 of the waters they vary their course a little, and 
 get far enough into the main stream to be borne 
 away by its force. 
 
 About once in ten years, generally in January 
 or the beginning of February, the ice ' takes' all 
 across at the foot of the falls, making a complete 
 bridge fi'om one shore to the other. A great 
 frozen mass, of irregular shape, is formed on the 
 edge next to the cataract, from masses of ice being 
 forced under the surface and raising it up, and 
 from the accumulation of frozen spray ; when this 
 breaks up in the spring, the concussion of the 
 several fragments, driven together by the force 
 of the w^aters, rivals the noise of the falls 
 themselves. In a mild winter, the ice of Lake 
 Erie sometimes breaks up, large pieces float over 
 the falls, they are smashed to atoms, and rise to 
 the surface in immense quantities of a substance 
 like wetted snow ; a severe night's frost binds this 
 into a solid mass, and forms a large portion of the 
 bridge. 
 
 The rise and fall of the great body of the water
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 239 
 
 are very slight at any season ; but, as you watch the 
 plunging stream, it seems to tumble down some- 
 times in gushes, as if an additional influence came 
 into play every now and then. About the centre 
 of the Horseshoe, or Canadian Fall, there is a clear 
 unbroken spout of water twenty feet in depth 
 before its leap ; for seventy feet below, it continues 
 deep, pure blue, thence to its gulf it is shrouded 
 in a soft spray which waves like a plume in the 
 wind, at times tinted with all the prismatic colours 
 the sun can bestow : when the weather is very 
 calm, this beautiftJ mist rises to a great height into 
 the air, becoming finer by degrees, till no longer per- 
 ceptible. The falls on the American side of Iris 
 island are a hundred and sixty-four feet high : the 
 Canadian or Horseshoe, a hundred and fifty-eight ; 
 but the latter are about twice the breadth, and dis- 
 charge four times the body of water. 
 
 A learned English professor, who has lately 
 published a most valuable work on the Geolog}' of 
 America, states it to be his conviction, that the 
 falls recede about one foot in the year ; that probably 
 they remained stationary for many ages at the whirl- 
 pool, when a fresh start of some fifteen thousand 
 years at the present rate of travelhng, brought them 
 to where they now are. Within forty years, since 
 they have been more closely observed, there has been
 
 240 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 a considerable change in their shape ; indeed slight 
 variations constantly occur. It is also the opinion of 
 the author I have quoted that they have diminished 
 considerably in height, probably a hundred feet, but 
 that there is no reason to suppose them to have 
 been formerly in one unbroken fall, as they now are. 
 
 The first mention made of these falls was by 
 Father Hennepin, a French missionary, in 1675. 
 I will give a part of his quaint and exaggerated 
 description : " Betwixt the Lake Ontario and the 
 Lake Erie, there is a vast and prodigious cadence 
 of water, which falls down after a surprising and 
 extraordinary manner, insomuch that the universe 
 does not afford its parallel. This wonderful down- 
 fall is about six hundred feet high, and composed 
 of two great cross streams and two falls of water, 
 with an island sloping across the middle of it. The 
 waters which fall from this horrible precipice; do 
 foam and boU after the most hideous manner 
 imaginable, making an outrageous noise more 
 terrible than that of thunder; for when the wind 
 h\&NS out of the south this dismal roaring may be 
 heard more than fifteen leagues off; the Niagara 
 river at the foot of the falls is more than a quarter 
 of a league broad." 
 
 There is already a sad list of fearful accidents at 
 this place, though for so short a time frequented by
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 241 
 
 civilized man ; the last few years have been fertile 
 in them ; perhaps the most homble of all was one 
 which happened in May, 1843. A Canadian of 
 the village of Chippewa was engaged in dragging 
 sand from the river three miles above the faUs ; 
 seated in his cart, he backed the horses into the 
 water, ignorant of the depth ; it sank, but a box 
 on which he sat, floated, and was soon driven by a 
 high wind off from the land into the strong but 
 smooth current ; he, being unable to swim, clung 
 to the box. A boat was on the shore, but by the 
 mismanagement of the bystanders it was let loose 
 into the stream, and floated past the unhappy man, 
 empty and useless. There w^as no other for two 
 miles lower down ; beyond that, aid was impossible. 
 The people on the beach, instead of hastening to 
 get a boat ready in time below, ran along the shore 
 talking to him of help, which their stupidity 
 rendered of no avail ; he knew that he was 
 doomed — " I'm lost ! I'm lost !" sounded fainter 
 and fainter as the distance widened. This dreadful 
 protraction lasted nearly an hour, the stream being 
 very slow : at first, he scarcely appears to move, 
 but the strength increases, the waters become more 
 troubled, he spins about in the eddies, stiU clinging 
 with the energy of dcspaii' to his support. He 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 passes close by an island, so close that the box 
 touches and stops for one moment — but the next, 
 it twists slowly round and is sucked into the current 
 again. The last hope was that a boat might be 
 ready on the shore at Chippewa ; it was vain, there 
 were none there but frail canoes all high up on the 
 beach ; by the time one of them was launched, the 
 l^oldest boatman dared not embark. 
 
 For, but just above the falls, they saw the 
 devoted victim, whirled round and round in the 
 foaming waves, with frantic gestures appeahng for 
 aid ; his frightful screams pierced still through the 
 dull roar of the torrent — " I'm lost ! I'm lost !" 
 
 He is now in the smooth flood of blue unbroken 
 water, twenty feet in depth, the centre of the 
 Canadian fall. Yet another moment, he has loosed 
 his hold ; his hands are clasped as if in prayer ; 
 his voice is silent. Smoothly, but quick as an 
 arrow's flight, he glides over and is seen no more, 
 nor any trace of him from that time. 
 
 On Iris island is found one of the very few 
 burying-grounds which are known to have belonged 
 to the departed race ; a considerable number of 
 skeletons have been dug up there, all placed in a 
 standing or sitting posture. When this place, of 
 such difficult and perilous access, was chosen by the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 243 
 
 simple Indians, it must have been from a strong 
 wish that the precious ashes should remain undis- 
 turbed. None can now ever know how long 
 they have slept the sleep which even the roar of 
 Niagara cannot awaken. 
 
 There was one splendid moonhght night during 
 my stay. At eleven o'clock I went off to Table 
 Rock, took up the favourite position, looked and 
 wondered. There were no boring guides or chat- 
 tering visitors to mar the effect : the light was not 
 sufficiently strong to reveal the fungi of the place ; 
 I was opposite to the Great Fall, saw it and nothing 
 else ; unless occasionally, when my eyes followed 
 the soft faint spray, " the everlasting incense of 
 the waters," which rose up against the deep blue 
 sky, undisturbed by the slightest breath of wind. 
 Through its delicate gauze the bright stars twinkled 
 with undimmed lustre, while the full moon shining 
 down, tinted it with the tender shades of the lunar 
 rainbow. 
 
 But, unsoftened by this fair colouring, unsoothed 
 by the gentle silence of the autumn night, the 
 great torrent roared, plunged, and dashed over its 
 leap, in stillest calm as in wildest tempest, the 
 same ever. The fresh springs of life and feeling 
 must be thoroughly dried up in the heart of the 
 
 M 2
 
 244 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 man who does not know a new sensation when he 
 looks upon Niagara. 
 
 I found, by looking at my watch, that in appa- 
 rently a very short time it had got very late ; the 
 spray and the damp grass had wetted me ; the 
 night air chilled me, " foolish old man that I am:" 
 so, coughing, and drawing my woollen comforter 
 tighter round my throat, I turned towards the 
 hotel, stopping many a time to look back. But 
 little space for sleep was left me before the morning 
 sun warmed into life the noise and bustle of the 
 house. — My journey recommenced that day.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD 245 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY OF CANADA RESOURCES TRADE. 
 
 Canada extends from Gaspe, in the gulph of 
 St. Lawrence, in the east, to Sandwich, at the end 
 of Lake Erie, in the west, a distance, as the crow 
 flies, of about eleven hundred miles. Throughout 
 this whole length, the shores are washed, to the 
 west by Lake Huron, to the south-east by Lakes 
 Erie and Ontario, and by the St. Lawrence, as the 
 boundary, to the forty-fifth parallel of latitude ; 
 thence the great river flows through the centre of 
 the province to the sea. From the Indian village 
 of St. Regis, where this parallel meets the St. 
 Lawrence, it is the boundary for three degrees 
 eastward, to Hereford ; thence, the division between 
 Canada and the United States is an irregular line 
 in a north-easterly direction, partly regulated by the 
 summits of a range of heights, and partly merely 
 arbitrary, to about forty-seven and a half degrees 
 north latitude, and within thirty miles of the St.
 
 246 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 Lawrence ; from this point it turns in a very curved 
 form till it meets the boundary line of New Bruns- 
 wick, from which province Canada is separated, at 
 the eastern extremity, by the Bay of Chaleurs and 
 the river Ristigouchi. 
 
 To the north, no boundaries have been traced 
 between Canada and the Hudson's Bay territory, 
 nor are any ever likely to be. 
 
 Many magnificent rivers flow into the St. Law- 
 rence ill its course : the principal are the Saguenay 
 and the Ottawa from the north, and the Richelieu 
 from the south. As yet, but a small portion of this 
 great country is even partially peopled ; the inha- 
 bitants are merely crowded along the banks of the 
 great river, its tributaries, and the lakes. East of 
 Montreal lies the widest part of the occupied lands, 
 but nowhere do they reach the breadth of more 
 than a hundred miles. Extensive though may be 
 this splendid province of Canada, it is yet very 
 different indeed from w^hat it originally was. In 
 the fourteenth year of the reign of George the 
 Third, the boundaries of the province of Quebec — 
 as it Vv^as then called, were defined by an act of the 
 Imperial Parliament. By that act it included a great 
 extent of what is now New England, and the whole 
 of the country between the State of Pennsylvania, 
 the River Ohio and the Mississippi, north to the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 247 
 
 Hudson's Bay territory, where now a great portion 
 of the rich and flourishing Western States add their 
 strength to the neighbouring repubhc. By gradual 
 encroachments on one hand and concessions on the 
 other, by the misconstruction of treaties and divi- 
 sions of boundaries, have these vast and valuable 
 tracts of country been separated from the British 
 empire. 
 
 Throughout all the extent of Canada, from east 
 to west, nature and art have bestowed extraordinary 
 facilities of navigation. The shores of the waters 
 and a large portion of the interior are fertile, in 
 some places to an uncommon degree. All the land 
 was originally covered with a magnificent forest, 
 but, acre by acre, a considerable extent of this has 
 been cleared away, and replaced by towns, villages, 
 and corn-fields. There are no very high mountains, 
 but it can boast of the largest lakes in the w'orld, 
 and of Niagara. The country seems deficient in 
 coal and not very plentifully supplied with mine- 
 rals ; but in its agricultural capabilities it is not 
 inferior to any part of the old or new Continent. 
 
 From the north-eastern point, chilled by the 
 winds of the Atlantic, to the south-western, five 
 degrees lower and approaching the centre of the 
 Continent, there is considerable variety of cHmate. 
 However, in all parts the winters are very severe,
 
 248 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 and the heat of summer hut little inferior to that 
 of the tropics. Nearly everything that grows in 
 England flourishes here also, and the country pos- 
 sesses various productions which nature has denied 
 to us. The climate has in a slight degree changed 
 since the tolerahly extended cultivation, but to this 
 day Quebec must rank among the coldest and 
 hottest places in the civilized world. In spring 
 and autumn the variations of the temperature are 
 great and sudden ; at noon you will fain hide from 
 the heat of the sun, and at midnight the earth is 
 bound up in frost 
 
 To people naturally healthy the climate will be 
 found healthy too, but to the rheumatic, consump- 
 tive, and feeble, it is a severe trial. It is remarked 
 that a great number of children die in infancy in 
 this country, particularly among the French-Cana- 
 dian population ; the weak in years seem injuriously 
 affected, as well as the weak in constitution. 
 
 With the exception of a very few bitterly cold 
 days in winter, that season is far from being dis- 
 agreeable ; the pure, dry, frosty air has at times a 
 most exhilarating effect, and the blue unclouded 
 sky above relieves the eye from the almost painful 
 monotony of the snowy earth. The long duration 
 of this sleep of nature is, however, very wearisome ; 
 after the third or fourth month the lonirino: for
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 249 
 
 green fields and leafy woods, becomes intense and 
 harassing, and the frozen pleasures of the winter 
 have lost all their novelty and zest. While the 
 snow is melting away in spring, the weather is 
 usually beautiful and very warm ; but the roads 
 and fields are in an indescribably disagreeable state, 
 and travelling is almost impossible. But, when 
 the young summer fairly sets in, nothing can be 
 more charming than the climate — bright and warm 
 during the day, with the air still pure and clear as 
 ever ; and the transition fi'om bare brown fields 
 and woods to verdure and rich green foliage is so 
 rapid, that you can almost fancy you see its pro- 
 gress ; while, at night, light frosts refresh the 
 atmosphere, and brace the nerves relaxed by the 
 delicious warmth of the day. 
 
 To this succeed July and August, almost terrible 
 in their intense heat ; the roads and rocks at mid- 
 day so hot as to be painful to the touch, and the 
 strength of the direct rays of the sun even greater 
 than in the tropics ; but the night always brings a 
 re-invigorating coolness, and the breezes of the 
 morning are as fresh and tempered as in our own 
 favoured land. The autumn — or the " Fall," as 
 they love to call it here — rivals the spring in its 
 healthy and moderate warmth, and far excels it in 
 the beauty of the colouring which it bestows. 
 
 M 3
 
 250 hochelaga; or, 
 
 The population returns of Canada are not by 
 any means accurate, the number of emigrants each 
 year, with the uncertainty of their remaining in the 
 province, adds to the difficulty of arriving at a cor- 
 rect estimate. I believe, from the information 
 I have been able to obtain from the best sources, 
 that about fourteen hundred thousand is the 
 number of British subjects in this country ; seven 
 hundred and fifty thousand in the Lower and six 
 hundred and fifty thousand in the Upper Province. 
 Of these, five hundred' and fifty thousand are of 
 French descent, the remainder of the Anglo-Celtic 
 race, with about six thousand Indians. The popu- 
 lation has hitherto doubled itself in about every 
 twenty-five years. 
 
 The annual average number of emigrants for 
 the last fifteen years, has been tw^enty-five thousand, 
 but it is supposed that a large portion of these have 
 unadvisedly passed on to the United States ; some 
 have since returned to Canada, others soon went to 
 rest in the pestilential western marshes, while 
 others have been successful. But in Canada, with 
 common regularity and industry, all are successful : 
 the healthy climate spares them their vigour for 
 labour ; land is cheaper, and hardly less fertile : 
 there are no taxes ; the value of agricultural pro- 
 duce is greater in their markets than on the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 251 
 
 banks of the Mississippi ; and there is no Lynch 
 Law. 
 
 The late Lord Dm-ham, in his celebrated Report, 
 delighted to extol the prosperity of our Republican 
 neighbours, in contrast to the state of our fellow- 
 subjects. A Select Committee of the Upper Ca- 
 nada House of Assembly drew up a counter-report 
 to this, in which they indignantly, and with reason, 
 deny the sweeping statements of the High Com- 
 missioner. I extract the following from the Com- 
 mittee's Report. 
 
 " Having first described the surpassing prosperity 
 of the United States, for the purpose of contrasting 
 it with the poverty and inferiority of these colonies. 
 His Lordship proceeds to state : — ' On the side of 
 both the Canadas, and also of New Brunswick and 
 Nova Scotia, a widely-scattered population, poor, 
 and apparently unenterprising, though hardy and 
 industrious, separated from each other by tracts of 
 intervening forest, without towns and markets, 
 almost without roads, living in mean houses, 
 derivino; little more than a rude subsistence from 
 iU-cultivated land, and seemingly incapable of im- 
 proving their condition, present the most instruc- 
 tive contrast to their enterprising and thriving 
 neighbours on the American side.' Let the farmers 
 of all political parties, residing in the districts front-
 
 252 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 ing on the St. Lawrence, the owners of the exten- 
 sive, beautiful, and well-cultivated lands on the 
 Bay of Quinte, in the district of Newcastle, the 
 Home, Gore, Niagara, London, and western dis- 
 tricts, read this degrading account, and ask them- 
 selves whether they would feel perfectly safe in 
 submitting their future political fate, and that 
 of their children, to the dogmas of a man who 
 has so grossly mis-stated their character and condi- 
 tion." 
 
 To the emigrant from the British Islands, there 
 is, perhaps, no place in the world offering a better 
 settlement than the eastern townships of Lower 
 Canada. There, in his log hut, with his wife and 
 children round him to cheer his labour, he may 
 speedily cut out his independence from the magni- 
 ficent forests, and possess the fertile land : in less 
 than twelve months of patient toil, enough is cleared 
 for the production of sufficient potatoes and corn 
 to place him beyond the reach of want, and set him 
 in the road to competence. Tlie first year is the 
 difficulty, — often a disheartening and almost into- 
 lerable struggle. 
 
 In Upper Canada, also, the prospects of the 
 settler are not less encouraging. The Canada Com- 
 pany published, a few years ago, a statement of the 
 condition of the people at the settlement of Gode-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 253 
 
 rich; the first commencement was in 1829 ; in 
 1840 six thousand people had established them- 
 selves there, and made improvements in the lands 
 and acquired live stock, to the amount of £24 2,287 ; 
 nearly half of this was in the possession of families 
 who had originally nothing, or, at most, some few 
 of them had ten pounds to start with ; the 
 remainder was accumulated by people who had 
 been slightly better off in the world. Most of the 
 first settlers have already paid out also the full 
 extent of their purchase money, and are now free- 
 holders of the land. 
 
 With a sufficient capital and extent of land 
 under cultivation to make it worth while to devote 
 his time to it, a man who understood it would at 
 once be able to live in comfort, and make money 
 on a farm. The French-Canadian gentleman, 
 however, thinks it beneath his dignity, and trusts 
 every thing to a subaltern : and the Englishman 
 generally expends so much of his capital in the 
 purchase of the land and stock, that, for years 
 afterwards, he is crippled in the means of working 
 his resources. 
 
 Horses and other cattle, though hardy and 
 valuable in their way, are far inferior to the English 
 breed, and not improved by a recent admixture 
 with American blood. In Lower Canada the
 
 254 hochelaga; or, 
 
 maintenance of live stock during the long winters 
 is very expensive, and the animals are usually 
 miserably poor and thin; in short, but just 
 kept from starving, tiU food becomes plentiful, in 
 the spring. 
 
 The importance of the trade of the St. Lawrence 
 to England is not to be estimated solely by the 
 value of the goods exchanged, though, even in 
 that point of view, it is very considerable ; 
 the productions of Canada sent to the British 
 islands require, from their nature, an immense 
 bulk of shipping, and thus give employ to a 
 great number of the very best sailors. The 
 inhabitants of this province consume a greater 
 proportion of English goods than any people in 
 the world, excepting those of Australia. The 
 Canadian purchases nearly four times as much of 
 the produce of British industry as the citizen of 
 the United States ; in return, he has hitherto 
 obtained highly remunerating prices in our markets 
 for everything he can send us, and in any quantity. 
 
 The tariff of the United States of course acts 
 against the colonies, as well as against England ; 
 but it is obvious that with the very inefficient pre- 
 ventive force they possess, it must be a dead letter 
 along twelve hundred miles of a frontier, a large 
 part of which is forest or navigable water. A great
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 255 
 
 deal of contraband trade with the northern parts 
 of America is carried on through Canada, but not 
 to such an extent as might be expected from its 
 being greatly profitable, and with very slight risk 
 of loss. It would seem that here the smuggler 
 created for the "irrepressible energies of com- 
 merce" an outlet almost made necessary by the 
 absurd and mischievous tariff. Demoralizing as 
 such a trade must be, it seems almost inevitable. 
 People and capital alone are wanted in this country ; 
 the springs of wealth are endless. 
 
 I have mentioned elsewhere that a great panic 
 was caused in the Canada timber trade, by the 
 diminution of protection for colonial produce: for the 
 hrst year from this alarm, there was a falling oflf 
 m the quantity exported and also in its price ; 
 the next, however, rallied considerably, and 
 the export and price, now* are one third more 
 than when this first step towards free trade was 
 taken. t On the other hand, it is a very singular 
 
 * The winter of 1845—1846. 
 
 t It is but just to give here the following statement on 
 this subject by a gentleman of the highest intelligence, and 
 great mercantile experience, particularly in the Timber 
 Trade, whose impression is different from that which I 
 have attempted to convey, and which (if I may be 
 pardoned the presumption) I still retain. He favoured
 
 256 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 and almost unaccountable fact, tliat the quantity of 
 corn and flour sent to England since Canada has 
 obtained nearly a monopoly in that market, is con- 
 siderably less than it was in times when there 
 was no peculiar enactment in its favour. 
 
 At this moment, opinion in Canada is very much 
 divided on the subject of the probable loss of their 
 
 me with it after having read the first edition of this 
 work. 
 
 " The consumption of Foreign Timber increased during 
 the first three years after the reduction of duties 300 per 
 cent, that of Colonial only 33 per cent. The prices of foreign 
 Timber in the British Markets were scarcely at all reduced 
 by the change for the first year, while, at the same time, 
 the value of colonial declined materially. In consequence, 
 nearly the whole amount of the reduction of duties went 
 into the pockets of Foreign Merchants, instead of, as before, 
 contributing to the British Revenue. It is contended that 
 reduction of duties merely, cannot be expected to increase 
 consumption, unless followed by lower prices. The increased 
 consumption must, therefore, in a great measure be attri- 
 buted to the enormously increased demand for the con- 
 struction of Railways — the opening of the China Trade, 
 and the consequent improvement in almost every element 
 of our national prosperity. After the year 1847, we shall 
 only have what is miscalled a Protective Duty on our 
 Timber, of 15s. a load, for the difference of freight in favor 
 of the Baltic a\'erages about 20s. per load, thus giving 
 Foreigners a pecuniary advantage over the Colonists, of 
 5s. per load."
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 257 
 
 exclusive advantages in the English corn-market. 
 The agi'icultural portion of the community are 
 generally very much alarmed, fearing a great fall in 
 prices at home, and a consequent depreciation in 
 the value of their produce ; they talk of ruin — waste, 
 untilled lands, and all sorts of dreary things. 
 Again, some of the timber-merchants, in breatUess 
 terror, cry out that the relaxation of duties on 
 foreign timber must at once drive them to bank- 
 iTiptcy, altogether forgetting their increased pros- 
 perity since the late change. A considerable body 
 of the mercantile men hail this announcement of 
 free trade with pleasure — for instance, the Board of 
 Trade at Montreal, and triumphantly quote the 
 facts which the last few years have given, as 
 conclusive in its favour. 
 
 The present is, beyond all doubt, the time of 
 Canada's greatest prosperity : from the highest 
 to the lowest — merchant, farmer, tradesman, 
 labourer — their hands are fuU of business, their 
 profits and wages ample ; there is scarcely a shadow 
 for the discontented to make gloom of The country 
 has only now begun to arrive at that degree of 
 maturity, when trade takes its great start. We 
 should recollect that English Canada is more than 
 a century younger than the trading districts of the 
 United States ; it is unfair to compare their pro-
 
 258 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 gress in commerce hitherto, for, till very recently, 
 the conditions of this country were such as to 
 render the former merely anxious for, and busied 
 in the support of life, the primitive pursuits of hus- 
 bandry being the only occupation of the people. 
 As numbers increased and towns enlarged, wealth 
 and intelligence were brought to bear, and the last 
 five, ten, fifteen years, show a change in these pro- 
 vinces almost incredible. 
 
 Within the longest of those periods, the popula- 
 tion of Quebec and Montreal, the two principal 
 trading towns, has nearly doubled ; numbers of 
 people have risen from very humble circumstances 
 to affluence ; handsome shops, with plate-glass 
 windows, adorned with costly goods, replace the 
 small and obscure stores ; the roads, bridges, and 
 canals, ships, and steamers, have improved and 
 multiplied in a most extraordinaiy manner. This 
 is but the commencement ; the impulse is only 
 now fairly at work ; a few years hence, the pro- 
 gress will be far greater ; the feeble time of infancy 
 is past, the first difficulties over, and this vigorous 
 people start, confident in their resources and 
 energy, every sail filled with the favouring breezes 
 of prosperity. 
 
 There is at present an immense prize to be con- 
 tended for between Canada and the United States
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 259 
 
 — the carrying trade for the produce of the West. 
 On one side, the St. Lawrence and its splendid 
 artificial communication, on the other, the Erie 
 Canal and the Hudson River, offer their channels 
 for its use. To the first, nature has given a decided 
 advantage ; the screw-propelled steam-boats, laden 
 on the far shores of Lake Superior, can pass, with 
 but slight delay from locks, to Montreal or Quebec, 
 or indeed to Eui'ope ; while, through the narrow 
 passage of the Erie Canal, the frequent locks and 
 the trans-shipment of the cargo must ever be a 
 great embarrassment. By a bold and judicious 
 reduction of the tolls on the Canadian waters, they 
 will become the chief — as they always were the 
 natural — outlet for this trade ; and its passage will 
 speedily enrich their shores. Some short-sighted 
 people urge that these tolls cannot be reduced, 
 since they hardly pay as it is ; but it is obvious that, 
 as long as this route is made the more costly of 
 the two, the commerce will flow through the other 
 channel. The system, therefore, should be to reduce 
 the Canadian Canal expenses to an extent that 
 would secure its being the cheaper line ; then the 
 vast quantity of traffic would remunerate at almost 
 any price. The advantages of the St. Lawrence 
 over the Erie Canal are amply sufficient to coimtcr- 
 balance the superior position of New York to
 
 260 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 Quebec or Montreal, as a sea-port ; although an 
 exaggerated and fallacious idea of the perils of the 
 river navigation of the latter adds much to the 
 expense of insurance and freight. But the main 
 reason why the expenses of shipment from Canada 
 are greater than those from New York, is that, 
 from the bulky nature of the exports (such as 
 timber, from Quebec,) and the small space occupied 
 by the imported goods, a very great proportion of 
 the shipping comes to the St. Lawrence in ballast ; 
 and the cost of both the outward and homeward 
 voyages must be charged on the home freight; 
 whereas, at New York, the bulks of exports and 
 imports are much alike, and the expenses are, 
 therefore, divided between going and coming. 
 
 Each year enhances, to a certain extent, the 
 difficulty of the supply of timber ; by the banks of 
 the streams and rivers within a moderate distance 
 in all directions, the finer trees have already been 
 cleared off, and the ' lumberers' are now obhged to 
 drag the fruits of their labour for a long way 
 through the bush, or else to ascend hundreds of 
 miles to the yet unspoiled forests of the interior. 
 But though the difficulties increase, the demand 
 and the number of people employed increases too, 
 and there is no danger of any failure in the supply 
 for ages.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 261 
 
 Three times the former quantity of timber 
 reaches England from the Baltic since the reduction 
 of the duties : this, which the Canadians at first 
 imagined would be their ruin, has, on the contrary, 
 much increased the demand for their produce. In 
 house and ship-building, Baltic and American 
 timber are both required, for different parts of the 
 structure ; and, since the former has been so consi- 
 derably cheapened, these operations have increased 
 so as to call for a far greater quantity of the latter 
 than was formerly used ; while the advantages to 
 the builder and tenant in England are evident from 
 the great diminution of the cost, 
 
 Canada is totally free from direct taxation, ex- 
 cept of course for municipal purposes. The revenue 
 for the year 1845 was £430,000 sterhng; four- 
 fifths of this is derived from customs, the remainder 
 from excise licenses, proceeds of public works, and 
 territorial and casual sources. A duty of five per 
 cent, is levied on English goods entering the pro- 
 vince, and from ten to fifteen per cent, on foreign ; 
 on these latter also, generally, an imperial 
 duty is imposed. About £115,000 sterling of this 
 income is devoted to the payment of the interest 
 of the debt guaranteed by the British Government, 
 contracted for the purpose of making the great
 
 262 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 works by which the internal communications have 
 been improved. 
 
 Canada defrays all the expenses of her own civil 
 government and judicial establishment. The naval 
 and military forces, and the cost of works for the 
 defence of the country, are paid from the imperial 
 coffers ; from these sources and the private expen- 
 diture of the individuals employed, a sum of more 
 than half a million sterling is annually poured into 
 the colony. The flowing in of a continual stream 
 of money to this amount, is of course a very im- 
 portant element of prosperity. Not only are the 
 inhabitants protected without any cost, but this 
 large sum helps to keep the balance of trade in 
 their favour, and is circulated to enrich them. 
 
 From the great number of opportunities of pro- 
 fitable investment, and from capital not being as 
 yet much accumulated, it commands a far higher 
 rate of interest on the best security than can be 
 obtained in England. The legal rate is six per 
 cent., and this can be obtained with undoubted 
 safety. 
 
 Manufactures on a small scale have been tried 
 and are stiU in progress in several parts of Canada : 
 they are fairly remunerative ; but surely, in a young 
 and thinly-populated country, with such immense
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 263 
 
 unemployed agricultural resources, such application 
 of labour is an economical mistake. Last year, 
 England would have purchased any quantity of 
 corn from this country at a high price, but a com- 
 paratively small supply was produced ; 1 have 
 no doubt that it would advantage the colony 
 infinitely were every tailor and shoemaker at the 
 jjlough, and the necessary articles of their labour 
 supplied from England. Last year, in Lower 
 Canada, there were returned more than three 
 thousand manufactories ; two-thirds of these were 
 mills for grain and other purposes, the re- 
 mainder potasheries, tanneries, breweries, iron- 
 works, paper-works, and others, Canada has every 
 natural capability for becoming what, without 
 doubt, she will soon be, a great agricultural and 
 commercial country ; but any attempt to encourage 
 manufactures there, tUl in a far maturer stage of 
 advance, appears vain and preposterous. 
 
 The post-office of Canada has not had any share 
 in the great improvements recently introduced into 
 that department in England ; the old, exorbitant 
 rates of charge are still retained, to the immense 
 inconvenience of mercantile and social affairs, and, 
 I really believe, to the great injury also of the 
 revenue, for the system of sending letters by private
 
 264 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 hand is carried on almost openly, and very exten- 
 sively. A letter from a distant part of Upper 
 Canada to Quebec costs twice as much as it docs 
 to London, the rates from England being uniform 
 to all parts of this country ; newspapers also, pass- 
 ing through the post-office in the colony, are each 
 charged a halfpenny. The transmission and deli- 
 very of mails are far from being happily arranged, 
 and are often attended with uncertainty and delay. 
 A vigorous effort is, I understand, now^ making in 
 the Provincial Parliament to remedy these very 
 vexatious and harassing inconveniences. 
 
 It must be acknowledged that hitherto there 
 have not been quite so much energy and speculative 
 adventure in Canada as in the United States. New 
 and untried channels of trade are examined for a 
 long time before anything is embarked in them ; 
 efforts are rarely made to open fresh markets, or to 
 try the chance of exporting unusual cargoes. Some- 
 thing of the habitans' indolent spirit seems to have 
 been infused into the trade of the country : their 
 maxim is to do the same as their ancestors did. In 
 Upper Canada, beef and pork are very much cheaper 
 than at New York, but the Liverpool market receives 
 abundance from the latter and next to none from 
 the former. The shores of Lake Superior are in-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 263 
 
 exhaustibly rich in copper ore, but, till quite lately, 
 not the weight of a penny of it found its way to 
 Canada. 
 
 I confidently hope, however, that brighter days 
 are to come ; the progress of the last few j^ears 
 has done wonders, and aroused the spirit of adven- 
 ture ; Montreal is beginning to display much spe- 
 culative activity, and I do not despair of Quebec 
 being even lighted with gas, and supplied with 
 water otherwise than by cart and barrel, before any 
 very great length of time has elapsed. 
 
 The fact is that the French population are a 
 dead weight on the activity of this lower portion 
 of the magnificent valley of the St. Lawrence, 
 and whatever has been done in commercial adven- 
 ture, is due to the comparatively very small num- 
 ber of the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic races. In 
 matters of general improvement, docks, bridges, 
 &c., they have often to encounter even the opposi- 
 tion of their inert fellow-subjects. 
 
 The closing of the ports of the River St. 
 Lawrence by ice for four or five months in the 
 year is, of course, a great drawback from their 
 mercantile advantages, but not so very great as 
 may appear at first sight. During this time the 
 channels of internal transport of goods are also 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 266 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 frozen up, but the produce of the lumberers' 
 winter labours is released in the spring ; the rich 
 crops of Upper Canada can be readily shipped in 
 the autumn ; while the vessels which leave Eng- 
 land early in the year carry out what is required 
 for summer use, and those charged with the fruits 
 of the harvest come back laden with goods for 
 the ensuing winter. 
 
 To shew the rapid increase of the trade of this 
 colony, I shall give the number of vessels which 
 arrived at and cleared from the different sea-ports 
 of the St. Lawrence during certain years. 
 
 Year. Entered. Cleared out. 
 
 1825 . . 796 . . 883 vessels, averaging 350 tons. 
 
 1830 . . 964 . . 1050 
 
 1835 . . 1297 . . 1307 
 
 1840 . . 1439 . . 1522 
 
 1845 . . 1762 . . 1747 
 
 In the last year upwards of twenty-three thou- 
 sand seamen were employed, and thus kept in train- 
 ing in one of the best naval schools in the world.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 26! 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 RELIGION EDUCATION — THE PRESS. 
 
 Among the subjects of general observation 
 which suggest themselves in considering the state 
 of any Christian country, the first is that of its 
 religion. The influences which it exercises, even 
 in a temporal point of view, are so important, that, 
 though one were to acknowledge no higher interest 
 than the political state and material prosperity, it 
 forces itself upon the attention. 
 
 Thirty years after the cession by France, Canada 
 was formed into a Diocese of the Church of Eng- 
 land ; in 1839 this was divided into two Sees — the 
 eastern, or the Diocese of Quebec, containing the 
 whole of Lower Canada, is given to the care of the 
 Bishop of Montreal ; the western, being all Upper 
 Canada, to that of the Bishop of Toronto. These 
 districts are of enormous size, each extending about 
 
 n 2
 
 268 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 six hundred miles in length, and the incomes 
 attached to them are far from sufficient for the 
 expenses which such a charge and rank entail. 
 
 In Canada East, or the diocese of Quebec, there 
 are seventy-five clergymen of the Church of Eng- 
 land ; in that of Toronto, or Canada West, a hun- 
 dred and ten. The incomes of many of these 
 gentlemen are very small; some have not more 
 than a hundred pounds a year, and but few are 
 allowed a glebe-house or other residence. But, 
 though their means are so slender, their duties are 
 most severe and harassing : to convey an idea of 
 their nature, I will give a short extract fi^om the 
 Bishop of Montreal's Visitation Journal for the year 
 1843, printed for the " Society for the Propagation 
 of the Gospel." 
 
 " Duties of the clerg}-man of the ' Mission' 
 of Mascouche — New Glasgow. Sunday morn- 
 ing, service throughout the year at Mas- 
 couche, except on the sacrament days at New- 
 Glasgow. Paisley and Kilkenny, four times a 
 year each, (as also at Mascouche ;) Sunday after- 
 noon, service at Terrebonne, six miles from Mas- 
 couche, and New Glasgow, twelve miles ; when at 
 the latter, their way is continued to Kilkenny, twelve 
 miles further, on Sunday night, in order to hold 
 service there (fortnightly) on Monday ; two miles
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 269 
 
 from the house to the Church, and eleven after 
 service to sleep at Paisley, in preparation for service 
 there on Tuesday, and so back to Mascouche. 
 Occasional visits from hence to the Nord, forty 
 miles off. A great portion of the road in summer 
 is of the worst description. Parochial visiting 
 cannot be systematic in such a vast extent of scat- 
 tered charge." 
 
 In the thirty-first year of the reign of George 
 the Third, one seventh of all the waste lands was 
 set apart for, as it was worded, the " Protestant 
 Church;" and the Scottish Church and others 
 have claimed a share, and receive it. A late Act of 
 ParUament provides for the sale of these " Clergy 
 Resei-ves" and the distribution of the funds ; the 
 Church of England is endeavouring to obtain the 
 grant of its portion of the lands, for the sale at 
 the present time would involve so great a sacrifice 
 as to reduce their already very insufficient portion 
 to a mere nothing. A committee of the Provincial 
 Parhament has reported favourably on this, but as 
 yet the question remains undecided. 
 
 Hitherto the " Society for the Propagation of 
 the Gospel" has been the chief support of the 
 Church of England in Canada, as well as in the 
 other colonies. The annual income of this society
 
 270 HOCHELAGA; OB, 
 
 has risen since 1837, from twelve thousand, to 
 forty-seven thousand pounds ; but this increase, 
 large though it be, is quite insufficient to keep 
 pace with the constant new demands for aid. One 
 hundred and fifty missionaries have been added 
 during the last seven years, and on account of these 
 great expenses, the funds of the Society are far 
 from being in a flourishing state. 
 
 In the year 1843, more than fifteen thousand 
 pounds were given by this most valuable body to 
 Canada alone. A Church Society was also esta- 
 blished in Upper Canada, in 1841; the next year 
 its income was eighteen hundred pounds, and now 
 it is little short of three thousand. Last year, 
 notwithstanding the fires, Quebec gave three hun- 
 dred and seventy pounds to a similar society. 
 
 As I stated elsewhere, the census has always 
 been taken under great disadvantages, owing to the 
 scattered dwellings of the population, and to a 
 stupid idea among the lower classes of French- 
 Canadians, that it was made with a view of taxa- 
 tion. It is also impossible to arrive correctly at the 
 number of the members of each different sect, as 
 the people employed are supposed, in their estimates, 
 to have magnified their own at the expense of 
 others. I have before me the attainable statistics,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 271 
 
 such as they are, but they are so confused and 
 contradictory, that one can only hope for an 
 approximation to the reality. I believe that the 
 proportion which the members of the Church of 
 England bear to the population of Canada is under 
 one sixth of the whole ; or about two hundi'ed and 
 twenty thousand souls. 
 
 For the ministry of these people, spread over 
 twelve hundred miles of country, there are only one 
 hundred and sixty-six clergymen. It is impossible 
 not to view with anxiety and care such a state of 
 things in this province ; it must be acknowledged 
 with pain, that the Colonial Office has paid but very 
 little attention to this most vital interest of its 
 government. In Lower Canada especially, the 
 provision made by the old French Laws for the 
 Romish Church, stands out in broad and reproach- 
 ful contrast to our neglect. In a few instances, 
 indeed, salaries from the government are enjoyed 
 by ecclesiastics, but they are limited to the lives of 
 the present incumbents ; at their deaths this Church 
 of England — Church of the Empire, will be with- 
 out any peculiar support from the State, and only 
 oome in for a paltry share, with the sects of various 
 denominations. To the minister at present en- 
 trusted with Colonial affairs, we may look with
 
 272 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 hope and confidence that, as far as he may have 
 the power, it will be exerted to remedy the deficien- 
 cies of the past. 
 
 In the various political troubles which have 
 arisen at different times in England and in her 
 colonies, there was one quality in which the mem- 
 bers of the Church were always conspicuous — that 
 of loyalty. Wherever they are found, they are, as 
 it were, a garrison against sedition and rebellion ; 
 every holy spire that rises among the dark pine 
 woods of Canada, stands over a strong-hold for the 
 British Crown ; and every minister who labours in 
 his remote and ill-rewarded calling, is a faithful 
 and zealous subject. The feehngs and interests of 
 loyalty are vitally interwoven with the system of 
 the Church. 
 
 But the state of the Church of England in 
 Canada is not without its bright side of happy 
 promise ; there are people still alive and now not 
 very old, who were confirmed at Quebec by the 
 Bishop of Nova Scotia ; the first, and at that time 
 the only Colonial Bishop of the Established Church 
 throughout the empire; at the end of the eighteenth 
 century there were only six clergymen in all Canada. 
 Within the last few years, especially under the 
 auspices of the present able and excellent Bishops,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 273 
 
 the prospects of the Church have much improved ; 
 the labours of the missionaries have been ceaseless, 
 and they are rewarded with success in their sacred 
 calling, though not by their own worldly advance- 
 ment. Their lives are hard, toilsome, and full of 
 privation; often they live with their families in 
 bare and humble dwellings, unable from their po- 
 verty to keep up the outward appearances that con- 
 duce to worldly consideration, and deprived of the 
 comforts and enjoyments to which their place and 
 education entitle them. Wherever one of these 
 worthy men is estaljlished, he is a centre, and acts 
 as a stimulus for improvement, as far as his narrow 
 means allow. The Church, in the influence of its 
 fixed and steadfast principles, is a happy barrier 
 against the wild and turbulent enthusiasm of dis- 
 sent ; in many instances, various sectarians have 
 joined its fold, to save themselves from their own 
 extravagances. 
 
 The fantastic and mischievous absurdities of 
 Millerism, have been widely spread in some portions 
 of Canada; its apostles are chiefly men of little 
 education or character, ])ut many of their followers 
 appear sincere and ardent behevers. I shall again 
 quote from the Bishop of Montreal's Visitation 
 journal. " In the meetings of the Millerites, persons 
 
 N 3
 
 274 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 acted upon by the vehement proclamation of close 
 approaching judgment, enforced by the expedients 
 usual in such cases for goading the human mind, 
 fall into what are technically called the struggles, 
 and roU on the floor of the meeting-house, striking 
 out their limbs with an excess of violence; all 
 which is understood to be an act of devotion with 
 regard to some unconverted individual, who is 
 immediately sent for, if not present, that he may 
 witness the process designed for his benefit. 
 Females are thus prompted to exhibit themselves, 
 and I was credibly informed that, at Hatley, two 
 young gii'ls were thus in the struggles ; the objects 
 of their intercessions being two troopers quartered 
 in the village. Revolting as such scenes may 
 appear, yet, when mixed up with the aw^ful realities 
 of future judgment, they take a prodigious eifect 
 in the wilder and more sequestered part of a country, 
 upon a large portion of the popular mind." 
 
 Fully one half of the population of Canada 
 belong to the Church of Rome. The greater part 
 of these are French- Canadians, the remainder Irish, 
 or their descendants. For Lower Canada there 
 are an Archbishop, one Bishop, two Bishop- 
 Coadjutors, one hundred and seventy-five Churches, 
 twenty Convents, and ten Colleges, or Seminaries. 
 In Upper Canada there are two Bishops, and one
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 275 
 
 Bishop-Coadjutor, and about seventy Churches. 
 The Roman Catholic Church is very richly endowed 
 in this country ; the Island of Montreal, and many 
 Seigneuries of great value, belong to it ; one, St. 
 Paul's Bay, contains a rich deposit of iron ore, also 
 v^y pure rock iron : this district is not less than 
 eighteen miles in extent, and, doubtless, will be a 
 source of great wealth in future years ; it contains, 
 besides, valuable springs, strongly impregnated 
 with sulphur and arsenic. 
 
 Very large funds are also derived from those 
 who enter the convents : the rich are esteemed 
 worthy brides of the Church, but the poorer sisters 
 perform the menial offices. The twenty-sixth part 
 of the grain grown by the Roman Catholics is 
 always given, by law, to their Church : lately, this 
 portion of other produce has also been demanded 
 with success, though the claim could not be 
 enforced in a Court of Justice. When a parishioner 
 changes his faith, this tithe need be no longer paid. 
 The sums levied for Church services, masses for 
 the living and the dead, baptisms and burials, 
 are also very considerable. Not long since, a case 
 occurred of the death of a Roman Catholic whose 
 sons had been brought up in the faith of their 
 Protestant mother : anxious to pay every mark of
 
 276 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 respect to their father's memory, they applied to 
 the Priesthood for the usual prayers and ceremo- 
 nies for a person of his condition, and the charge 
 for the various services amounted to one hundred 
 and twenty pounds. 
 
 With but few exceptions, the Roman Catholic 
 Clergy are very respectable in their education 
 and conduct : loyal to the British Crown in the 
 rebellion, they generally opposed the movement as 
 much as lay in their power ; and, although even 
 their gi'eat influence was unable altogether to 
 control the misguided people, they kept other dis- 
 affected portions of the country in peace. They 
 look with extreme dislike and apprehension on' any 
 thing tending to bring them under the laws and 
 institutions of the United States ; the position 
 of their Irish brethren at Philadelphia and else- 
 where, is a lesson not thrown away upon them. 
 Besides, they are well aware that their immense 
 possessions would speedily undergo some new 
 American process, for which an appropriate and 
 peculiar name would, no doubt, soon be furnished ; 
 as have been the words " Repudiation," " Annex- 
 ation," to other characteristic operations of this 
 original people. 
 
 The French- Canadian Roman Catholic Priest- 
 hood are naturally very hostile to the increase and
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 277 
 
 progress of the English Protestant population, as, 
 added to their national and religious prejudices 
 against them, any farms falling into their hands 
 are freed from the tithe to the Church. In the 
 neighboui'hood of the towns, and, indeed, in all the 
 good situations, this process is going on with, for 
 them, a most alarming rapidity. The rebellion in 
 Lower Canada was, in a measure, against these 
 settlers, and not against British rule ; the jealousy 
 of the French-Canadian inhabitants had then 
 arrived at its height, and broke out in that feeble 
 and petulant sedition. The Priesthood are by no 
 means free from blame for encouraging this enmity 
 of race, but they may be fairly acquitted of dis- 
 loyalty to the government. 
 
 Among the Roman Catholics in this country, all 
 the lower classes, and the females of the upper, are 
 very devout and attentive to their religious duties ; 
 but among the well-educated men there is diffused 
 not a little of the scoffing spirit of Young France. 
 It must, however, be allowed, that the people of all 
 ranks stand very high in the scale of morality : 
 indeed, it has now become almost a matter of his- 
 tory when the gentlemen of the law last reaped 
 aught from domestic misfortunes brought on l)y 
 the neglect of its principles.
 
 278 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 The remnant of the Indians who dwell within 
 the bounds of Canada, profess the faith of Rome ; 
 and few are more attentive to the external obser- 
 vance of its duties than they. The squaws 
 are gifted with very sweet voices, and the singing 
 in their rude village churches is sometimes charming. 
 
 Among the various sects of Protestant Dis- 
 senters, the most numerous and important are the 
 Scottish Church, and the Free Church of Scotland, 
 numbering, together, in the United Province, nearly 
 one hundred and fifty thousand members. They 
 are determined in their distinction from the 
 Church of England, but generally by no means 
 bitter in their hostility to it. I find from the Visi- 
 tation Journal of the excellent Bishop of Montreal, 
 already quoted, that he was offered hospitality on 
 his tour by some of their ministers. This body of 
 Clergy is supported by their share of the Clergy 
 Reserves, and the voluntary contributions of their 
 congregations. 
 
 I shall not enter into any further notice of the 
 varied, and, unfortunately, numerous, shades of 
 opinions and sects, which pride, ignorance, fana- 
 ticism, and discontent, have spread among this 
 portion of the Anglo-Saxon race. With regard to 
 the sectarians of Canada, I regret to say that
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 279 
 
 nearly all are united in treating the Church of Eng- 
 land as a common enemy ; though here it is so 
 innocent of the rich temporalities, which at home 
 are said to give virulence to their attacks. 
 
 Before I leave the subject of religion in Canada, 
 I would wish to observe, with sincere pleasure, on 
 the visitation of the Bishop of Montreal, during the 
 summer of 1844, to the Red River settlement. A 
 most interesting account of this was pubhshed in 
 London last year, from which I take the following 
 statements 
 
 The Bishop of Montreal left Quebec in the 
 middle of May, and performed his journey of two 
 thousand mUes, in about six weeks. From a little 
 bevond Montreal, the whole of the distance was 
 travelled in open canoes, up through the rapid 
 waters of the Ottawa, and by wild lakes and 
 winding rivers into Lake Huron, thence along the 
 northern shore, and by the Manitoulin Islands, 
 once sacred to the Great Spirit of the ancient 
 people, through the little settlement at Saut Sainte 
 Marie into the deep and dreary Lake Superior ; 
 thence up the Rainy River, over falls of wonderful 
 height and beauty, through lab}Tinths of woody 
 islands, and almost unknown lakes, tQl at length 
 the journey's end was reached.
 
 280 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 They encamped usually at night, but sometimes, 
 when it was fair, the precious breeze was taken 
 advantage of, even through the darkness ; large 
 fires were lighted by the tent where they rested, 
 but it was very cold at times ; and, during the day, 
 the bright sun, and the mosquitoes and other 
 venomous insects, were hard to bear. 
 
 Numbers of wild but friendly Indians were met, 
 of fine frame and stature, but very low in the scale 
 of human progress ; they were willing to assist at 
 the " Portages" and would labour all day long for 
 a very trifle, particularly the squaws. Early on a 
 Sabbath morning the Bishop reached the settle- 
 ment, when he saw the same people in their 
 Christian state. " Thus on the morning of the 
 Lord's our blessed day, we saw them gathering 
 already round their pastor, who was before his 
 door ; their children collecting in the same manner, 
 with their books in theii' hands, all decently clothed 
 from head to foot ; a repose and steadiness in theii* 
 deportment ; at least the seeming indications of a 
 high and controlling influence on their character 
 and hearts ; their humble dwelling, with the 
 commencement of farms, and cattle grazing in the 
 meadow ; the neat, modest parsonage or mission- 
 house, with its garden attached to it; and the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD, 281 
 
 simple but decent church, with the school-house as 
 its appendage, forming the leading objects in the 
 picture, and carrying on the face of them the 
 promise of a blessing." 
 
 The congregation that day consisted of two 
 hundred and fifty Indians, dressed partly in the 
 European manner. The morning service is per- 
 formed in English, but the lessons were translated 
 into the Indian tongue by the interpreter, as was 
 also the Bishop's sermon. About two thirds of the 
 congregation are said to understand a simple 
 address in English, and soon, probably, no other 
 language will be required. 
 
 The Bishop considers these Indians to be a 
 thinking and intelligent people. The man acting 
 as sexton had been a noted sorcerer or " Medecine" 
 of the tribe. The stay of the Visitation at the Red 
 River Settlement was limited to about three weeks, 
 by the necessity of starting in time to finish the 
 arduous journey before the setting in of the winter. 
 The number of persons confirmed was eight hun- 
 dred and forty-six, and would have been con- 
 siderably greater, but that a large portion of the 
 people were at that time of the year hunting on the 
 Prairies, or busied with distant traffic to Hudson's 
 Bay. There were also two ordinations for the
 
 282 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 ministry. There are four Church of England 
 churches in the settlement, two of stone and two 
 of wood, also several well-attended schools, one, a 
 private boarding-school of a superior order. 
 
 Besides the numerous and respectable officers of 
 the Hudson's Bay Company, there are scattered 
 about the settlement several worthy retired factors 
 or traders, some married to European, others to 
 Indian wives ; and, among some of the residents, 
 there is far from a deficiency in comforts and 
 habits of refinement. The whole population of the 
 Red River Settlement is upwards of five thousand : 
 rather more than half of these are Roman Catholics, 
 the remainder belong to the Church of England. 
 Three-fourths of the inhabitants are natives or half- 
 breeds, the rest, Canadians and people from the 
 British islands, with a few foreigners. They possess 
 in plenty, barns, stables, mills, horses, sheep, pigs, 
 and black cattle ; the soil is wonderfully fruitful and 
 easy of cidtivation, but all produce is consumed on 
 the spot ; there is no market for its sale. Notes 
 printed on coloured paper are issued by the Com- 
 pany for circulation in the colony. 
 
 The climate at the Red River much resembles 
 that of Quebec, but is rather more severe in winter. 
 Acts of violence by the Indians against any of the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 283 
 
 people of the Hudson's Bay Company are scarcely 
 known ; the general treatment which they receive 
 at the forts is such as to secure their attachment 
 and respect, and they draw largely on the charity 
 of the Europeans in times of want. The many 
 thousand Indians scattered over these vast regions 
 afford a wide field for the efforts of Christian men, 
 but, sad to say, the means are at present lamentably 
 insufficient. East of the Rocky Mountains, there 
 are six clergymen of the Church of England ; west, 
 not one. The Red River Settlement is a happy 
 example of the invaluable advantage, temporal and 
 spiritual, which even this very limited ministry has 
 afforded to the people. 
 
 Mr. Leith, a resident factor of the company, left 
 some time ago a sum of ten thousand pounds, for 
 the Propagation of the Gospel in this district, but it 
 has, unfortunately, remained in litigation ever since. 
 The Roman Catholic Church has two bishops and 
 a very extensive mission in this western country, 
 but the Church of the empire is humble and 
 poor. In the year 1820, Mr, West, a missionary, 
 first preached the pure gospel on the banks of the 
 Red River. 
 
 At the time of the English conquest, there were 
 in Canada several richly-endowed estabUshments
 
 284 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 for the purposes of education. The seminaries of 
 Quebec and Montreal were appropriated more par- 
 ticularly to the instruction of ecclesiastics, and the 
 order of the Jesuits was entrusted with the general 
 teaching of the people. These rich endowments 
 are since continued to the same objects, with the 
 exception of the estates of the Jesuits, which have 
 been assumed by the crown. The grants to the 
 seminary of Quebec are of great value, consisting 
 of more than a thousand square miles of land, and 
 some choice property in the city ; those of Montreal 
 are worth ten thousand pounds a year, at a low 
 estimate. The estates of the order of the Jesuits 
 were also great ; a part of them have been disposed 
 of by the crown, but the more valuable portion 
 still remains, and produces a handsome income. 
 
 Several amply-endowed nunneries afford instruc- 
 tion to the female children in the towns and villages 
 of this province. 
 
 After the confiscation of the estates of the 
 Jesuits, up to the end of the last century, the 
 means of education appear to have been very 
 limited, insomuch that only a dozen or twenty 
 people in a whole parish knew how to read : 
 classics and the sciences were indeed taught at 
 Montreal and Quebec, either gratuitously or at a
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 285 
 
 nominal charge, but these benefits reached to very 
 few. The Enghsh were allowed to avail themselves 
 of this instruction ; they were received without any 
 distinction or partiality, and exempted from attend- 
 ing the religious duties. 
 
 In 1818, schools were generally established in 
 Lower Canada, under a settled system, supported 
 by a grant from the Provincial Legislature ; but in 
 1832 this grant was reduced, and the year after, 
 discontinued altogether. A separate plan had been 
 commenced in 1829, gi^^ng a school to every 
 parish, under the care of trustees elected by the 
 landholders, who were allowed to hold and manage 
 the school property, and receive benefactions. Half 
 the expense of building the house for instruction 
 was borne by the province, and a yeai*ly sum of 
 twenty pounds during three years, to the school- 
 master, was also given, with some further allowance 
 for the children of the poor, in proportion to their 
 number ; those who were able, paid two shilhngs a 
 month for their education. At this time there were 
 thirteen hundred and forty-four elementary schools 
 in Lower Canada, besides a certain number of girls' 
 schools, each attached to a Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 In 1836, two normal schools were established 
 by the Legislature, and considerable grants of
 
 286 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 money were made, for the purpose of training 
 teachers for the country districts. Altogether, the 
 appropriations at that period for the general pur- 
 poses of education, averaged above twenty-four 
 thousand pounds a year. At the present time, 
 there are twenty seminaries or colleges in Lower 
 Canada, under the management of the Roman 
 CathoHc church exclusively, but there are only 
 two Protestant colleges. One is the M'GiU 
 College at Montreal, the founder of which 
 devised, in 1811, a valuable property in lands and 
 buildings, and ten thousand pounds in money, 
 for the object. This institution has the power 
 of conferring degrees. The other, the Lennox- 
 ville College, promises well, but is merely in its 
 infancy. In Upper Canada, two hundred and 
 twenty-six thousand acres of land are appropriated 
 to King's College at Toronto, and sixty- six thou- 
 sand to Upper Canada CoEege. The Legislature 
 also grants two thousand four hundred pounds 
 annually for district and common schools, and 
 about two hundred and thirty thousand acres of 
 land are held for the purposes of general education. 
 Three colleges in Upper Canada have the 
 power of conferring degrees. The expense of a 
 boarder in the proprietary school at Toronto is
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 287 
 
 thirty pounds a year — in the college, thirty-three. 
 From the Roman Catholic seminary colleges in the 
 Lower Province, a student who has passed through 
 certain classes has a right to be admitted to the 
 Bar after four, instead of five years' study. 
 
 A few years ago, the abuses and mismanage- 
 ment of the public schools were very gVeat, but at 
 present they are working under a much improved 
 system. It may be said that throughout the whole 
 of Canada there are fair opportunities of elementary 
 education for every one, except in the very remote and 
 thinly-settled districts. In the Upper Province these 
 privileges are appreciated to a greater extent than 
 in the Lower ; the hahitans are scarcely persuaded 
 of the necessity of being instructed ; their better 
 classes are rather indiiferent on the subject ; and 
 some people go so far as to assert that the Roman 
 Catholic priesthood in the rural districts are averse 
 to the spread of enlightenment : they certainly 
 need not feel alarm at the rapidity of its progress. 
 
 As mentioned in the portion of Lord Durham's 
 report to which I referred in another part of this 
 volume, the possession of rather a superioi' educa- 
 tion by a certain number of young men, perhaps 
 very humbly born, is not attended with happy or 
 useful results. We find these people too proud or
 
 288 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 too idle to follow the lowly and toilsome occupations 
 of their fathers ; they are not sufficiently gifted to 
 attain success in their iU-chosen professions ; and, 
 driven by want, disappointment, and discontent, 
 into the ranks of sedition, they are willing to per- 
 suade themselves and others that they are debarred 
 from getting on by political causes, or indeed by any 
 cause, except that of their own incapacity ; they 
 dream of independence, la nation Canadienne, free- 
 dom from foreign rule, and all sorts of absurdities. 
 In this bright and imaginative future, each young 
 village surgeon or attorney fancies he is to play a 
 conspicuous part, and by such inflated ideas he 
 tries to move the sluggish minds and sympathies 
 of his ignorant relations. The most successful of 
 these ambitious embryo Robespierres and Dantons 
 rises perhaps to be the editor of some obscure 
 newspaper, the organ of their innocuous and con- 
 temptible sedition ; or the representative of some 
 " habitans" district, when the stipend attached to 
 his seat in the provincial parliament saves him 
 from penury and want. 
 
 But these seminaries of education in Lower 
 Canada produce also some very worthy exceptions 
 to the class of which I have just now spoken ; 
 and there is a considerable proportion of French-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 289 
 
 Canadian gentlemen, whose character and acquire- 
 ments entitle them to all respect and consideration. 
 
 The merchants of British birth or descent are 
 naturally educated in very much the same way as 
 their brethren at home, in a sound, practical, useful 
 manner; any degree of classical proficiency is of 
 course rare, but not altogether without instances ; 
 some are good linguists, aU are generally well 
 informed. They acquire at an early age the man- 
 ners of men of the world, as their business brings 
 them in contact with a number of people of 
 various countries and of all classes. During the 
 long winters, when all are bent solely upon amuse- 
 ment, they have also an opportunity of cultivating 
 the habits and tastes of good society. Both the 
 ladies and gentlemen in the large towns of 
 Canada excel in manner ; from theii' earliest 
 youth they mix in the gaieties and amusements 
 of their native place, and this acquirement is 
 attained perhaps rather at a sacrifice of others, 
 more solid, but less graceful and attractive. 
 
 The young lady who might be sadly puzzled 
 over a passage of Dante or Ariosto, and not very 
 clear as to whether SchiUer was a poet or a 
 fiddler, would most probably do the honoui-s of a 
 
 VOL. I. O
 
 290 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 house with all the perfection and self-possession 
 of a finished matron. But let it not be supposed 
 for a moment that I make anything like a charge 
 of ignorance against these fair Canadians, who 
 are really among the most attractive of Eve's 
 daughters — quite the contrary, they are all well- 
 educated, to the extent which general society 
 requires of them ; beyond that, they have no object 
 to gain, and any one of them who aspired, would 
 be placed in an almost unenviable isolation. 
 Great numbers of the young ladies, Protestant 
 as well as Roman Catholic, are educated at the 
 convents; the remainder generally, at day-schools 
 in the principal towns. Home education is very 
 rare, from the difficulty and expense of procuring 
 suitable governesses. This time of tuition usually 
 ends at sixteen years of age, soon after which period 
 they enter the world, and their career of conquest 
 commences. 
 
 At Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, and elsewhere, 
 there are good private classical and high schools, 
 which atford fair opportunities of education for 
 young gentlemen, at a very moderate expense ; 
 happUy therefore, it is less the custom now than it 
 was formerly, to send them for instruction to the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 291 
 
 United States, where they were not likely to 
 imbibe strong feelings of affection and respect 
 for the mother country and the British Crown. 
 
 The lower classes of British birth and descent are, 
 as a body, inferior in education to their neigh- 
 bours in New England, but superior to the people 
 of the southern and western States. One-fourth 
 of their present number emigrated from the United 
 Kingdom as adults, and were of a class which the 
 spread of intelligence, now, I trust, rapidly progress- 
 ing at home, had not at that time reached. Many 
 of the British Canadians, too, were born in settle- 
 ments then remote and thinly populated, though 
 now perhaps thriving and crowded ; and their early 
 life was a constant toil and struggle for subsistence, 
 leaving little leisure for education. The rising gener- 
 ation starts under brighter auspices. 
 
 The press in Canada is generally superior in 
 respectability, if not in talent, to that of the United 
 States. It cannot indeed be pronounced free from 
 personalities, or from the wide license of party war- 
 fare, for I regret to say that of these some very 
 discreditable instances have occurred ; but they 
 are exceptions, the general rule is lionesty and 
 propriety. Quebec and Montreal have each eight 
 or ten newspapers; about half of them, and not 
 
 o 2
 
 292 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 the better half, are in the French language ; Kings- 
 ton has five, and Toronto seven ; and all the 
 towns of any importance in Upper Canada have at 
 least one each. Nearly every shade of political 
 opinion is advocated in these publications, but since 
 the rebellion none of them openly profess repub- 
 lican views, or encourage a more intimate union 
 with the United States : during the present diffi- 
 culties with that people, even the extreme radical 
 prints have put forward many articles, warning the 
 Americans that they are not to expect sympathy 
 or co-operation fi'om any party in Canada — that 
 whatever disputes may be earned on about Provin- 
 cial affairs among themselves, they do not desire 
 any foreign interference. William Lyon Macken- 
 zie, the former leader of the Toronto sedition, has 
 since published a book on the subject of that and 
 subsequent events, from which it appears that his 
 American sympathies have undergone wonderful 
 diminution, 
 
 Canada has as yet contributed very little or 
 nothing to general literature, but the youth of the 
 country and the abundant necessary occupations 
 of the people, readily account for this deficiency. 
 Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto, can boast of very 
 respectable Hbraries, scientific and literary institu-
 
 ENGLAND TN THE NEW WORLD. 293 
 
 tions, and debating societies; the latter perhaps 
 more important as affording an innocent and amusing 
 pursuit, than from any great present practical 
 utility. There is also a French-Canadian Scientific 
 and Literary Institution at Quebec, lately founded, 
 and promising well for the future. 
 
 I say it with pleasure, that, within the last few 
 years, the tone of the press, the prospects of litera- 
 ture, the means of instruction, and the desire of 
 applying them, have received a great and salutarj^ 
 impulse of improvement throughout this magnifi- 
 cent province.
 
 294 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MANNERS — POLITICS — DEFENCES. 
 
 In Upper Canada, the better class of people 
 have generally the same manners and customs as 
 those who are engaged in similar pursuits and 
 occupations in England. So large a proportion 
 are retired officers of the army and navy, govern- 
 ment officials, and men brought up in the old 
 country, who have settled and become landholders, 
 that they give the tone to the remainder, and 
 between them and their republican neighbours 
 there is generally a marked difference in dress and 
 manner. Among the lower classes, this distinction 
 is by no means so evident ; unfortunately, no 
 small number of those dwelling on the borders 
 readily adopt the ideas and manners of the Ameri- 
 cans ; indeed, many of them are refugees from the 
 States. Those in the interior, however, retain in
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 295 
 
 a great degree, the characteristics of the country 
 whence they or their fathers have emigrated. 
 
 With the exception of the Richelieu district, the 
 peasantry of Lower Canada, hoth of Enghsh and 
 French origin, are more pleasing, civil, and attrac- 
 tive in their demeanour, than those of the Upper 
 Province. The people of St. John's, and other 
 places, from the Richeheu River west to the St. 
 Lawrence, are singularly unprepossessing ; they 
 have all the grossness and insolence of the worst 
 class of the Americans, without their energy and 
 spirit ; besides, they are generally very much dis- 
 affected to the British Crown. They are a mixed 
 race of British, French, and Americans, and this 
 union is by no means happy in its results. To 
 the traveller coming into Canada from the United 
 States by that route, these people appear in most 
 unfavourable contrast with their neighbours ; their 
 farms badly cultivated, their houses poor and dirty, 
 and the race of men mean-looking and discon- 
 tented. 
 
 While at St. John's, I made many efforts to 
 find out the causes of their stagnation and ill 
 feeling, but it was vain. They acknowledged that 
 they had no taxes, that land was cheap, that 
 Montreal was an excellent market for their pro-
 
 296 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 duce, that no laws pressed upon them pecuharly or 
 vexatiously. One man, indeed, said that, not being 
 able to elect their Governor was a very great 
 grievance, and, on that account, they could not con- 
 sider themselves a free people. I suggested to 
 him that this grievance, great as it was, need not 
 have prevented him from mending his fence, 
 through which, while we were speaking, half-a- 
 dozen cattle had entered his field, and were per- 
 forming Polkas on his young wheat. The fact is, 
 that these turbulent mixed breeds are an indolent 
 and worthless set of people, willing to attribute 
 their unprosperous condition to English laws, 
 rather than to their own demerits. 
 
 At one time the misuse of ardent spirits, with 
 all its melancholy and disastrous consequences, 
 w^as very general in Upper Canada ; it cannot be 
 said that the evil is cured, but it is, certainly, much 
 mitigated, and the consumption, proportionately 
 to the population, has been diminishing for some 
 years past. At one time, settlements were given to 
 a number of disbanded soldiers, with a small com- 
 muted allowance for their pensions ; this scheme 
 proved eminently unsuccessful : when so many of 
 these veterans were in the same neighbourhood, 
 their old idle, and, in some cases, dissipated habits,
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 297 
 
 were not likely to be at once abandoned, and the 
 dram-shop became the only prosperous place ; 
 their farms w:re carelessly and unskilfully cleared 
 and tilled, their little capital soon wasted ; and, in 
 a very short time, the great majority of them had 
 sold out their land for next to nothing, and were 
 wandering about as beggars, thoroughly demo- 
 rahzed and discontented. 
 
 Old soldiers have generally been found to make 
 very indifferent settlers, particularly when congre- 
 gated ; but there are many pleasing exceptions, of 
 worthy, loyal, and prosperous men. 
 
 The manner of servants to their masters, and 
 of the lower classes generally to their superiors, is 
 much the same as in England ; tradespeople, too, 
 hold a like relative position. Your bootmaker does 
 not consider that it adds to his importance or real 
 independence to sit down in your room with his 
 hat on, and whistle and spit while he takes your 
 measure, as his republican brother in the United 
 States would probably do. I once made a small pur- 
 chase from a man in a shop at Baltimore, who was 
 smoking a cigar, chewing tobacco, and eating a 
 peach at the same time : with so many pleasing 
 and interesting occupations, he, of course, had not 
 much leisure to spare for civilities to his customer. 
 
 o 3
 
 298 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 With the exception of a few of the lowest class, 
 the Canadians are quite free from those very dis- 
 agreeable habits which are so unpleasantly general 
 among the Americans. Chewing tobacco is not 
 the fashion, and they reserve their saliva for other 
 purposes than those of a projectile nature. Their 
 manners, customs, and dress, are those of England, 
 not of America ; and in this there is a bond of 
 union and sympathy, of which all astute politicians 
 acknowledge the strength and value. 
 
 We may divide the political opinions of the 
 people of Canada, as now represented in their 
 Provincial Parliament, into four principal sections : 
 first, the Upper Canada Conservatives, who had 
 been formerly altogether dominant in their own 
 province, and went by the name of the Family 
 Compact. Secondly, the Upper Canada Reformers, 
 under the old system virtually excluded from office. 
 Thirdly, the French-Canadians, the principals in 
 the late troubles, strongly opposed to the union, 
 which has weakened their power. Fourthly, the 
 Lower-Canadian English, now become more influ- 
 ential in the United Parliament. It would be 
 difficult to point out any one of these parties free 
 from the love of place and patronage, or from a 
 factious spirit ; the anxiety for government employ-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 299 
 
 ments is very great, and considerable sacrifices of 
 prejudice are sometimes made to obtain or keep 
 them. The struggle for place is even keener than 
 at home, and, in proportion to the smallness of the 
 object, and of the field in which it is to be won, 
 there is less of dignity in the pursuit. 
 
 The Legislature consists of two houses, the 
 Legislative Council, and the Legislative Assembly. 
 The members of the first are appointed for life by 
 the Crown, but have themselves the power of 
 resigning ; they are chosen from among those of 
 the inhabitants of the country the most conspicuous 
 for character, intelligence, and wealth, and are now 
 by no means limited to any particular party. They 
 are thirty-four in number at present, eighteen being 
 resident in Upper, and fourteen in Lower Canada ; 
 ten members constitute a house, for the despatch of 
 business ; their functions in the state correspond 
 very nearly with those of the House of Lords in 
 England, but the Bishops are not included among 
 the members. 
 
 The Legislative Assembly consists of eighty- 
 four members, half from each province ; they are 
 elected by the people. A freehold of forty shillings 
 yearly value, or the payment of ten pounds rent 
 annually, is the qualification for voters, which, in
 
 300 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 point of fact, amounts almost to universal suffrage, 
 one out of six of the whole population having the 
 power of voting : generally, however, but a small 
 portion exercise this privilege, and the registration 
 is said to be very loose and imperfect. The Legis- 
 lative Assembly is chosen for four years, but is at 
 any time liable to be dissolved by the Governor's 
 authority. The members receive fifteen shillings a 
 day indemnity for their time devoted to the public 
 service, and a shilling a mile for travelling expenses: 
 a qualification of landed property to the value of 
 five hundred pounds is necessary to enable them 
 to obtain a seat in the House. 
 
 The Executive Council, or ministry, consists of 
 seven officials, who perform all the duties of 
 administration, under the Governor. It is the aim 
 of a powerful party in the province to make this 
 body practically responsible to the House of As- 
 sembly, as is the ministry in England to the 
 House of Commons ; and to give them the 
 whole patronage and control of their separate 
 departments. In the present House of Assembly, 
 the government, or conservative party, numbers 
 about forty members; the French-Canadian, twenty- 
 seven, the Upper Canada Reformers, eight; the 
 rest are doubtful. The opposition is composed of
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 301 
 
 the second and third of these sections, with occa- 
 sionally some of the doubtful ; but, to say ti*uth, 
 there is now but little ground for division, except 
 whether this or that party shall receive the emolu- 
 ments of office : there is no great question on 
 which they come into collision ; that of Responsible 
 Government is at rest as long as the present 
 ministers have, as now, an efficient majority in 
 the House of Assembly. 
 
 In the debates which have taken place during 
 this present Session, a highly loyal and satisfactory 
 spirit has appeared among all parties, in reference 
 to our difficult relations with the United States. 
 The leader of the Upper Canada Reformers ex- 
 pressed himself to the effect that, " The Americans 
 win be altogether mistaken if they suppose that 
 political differences in Canada arise from any sym- 
 pathy with them or their institutions ; we have our 
 quarrels, but we are perfectly well able to settle 
 them among ourselves, and will not suffer their in- 
 terference." One of the most influential French- 
 Canadians, in speaking of a bill introduced for re- 
 organizing the militia, said, " My countrymen 
 would be the first to rush to the frontier and joy- 
 fully oppose their breasts to the foe ; and the last 
 shot fired on this continent in the defence of the
 
 302 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 British Crown, will be by the hand of a French- 
 Canadian : we are by habit, feeling, and religion, 
 monarchists and conservatives." This Militia Bill 
 has been judiciously referred to a committee com- 
 posed of men of various race and opinions, who 
 will popularize its provisions without impairing its 
 efficiency. All parties appear sincerely anxious to 
 make this important force as effective as possible, 
 and at the same time naturally desire a fair share 
 of its patronage. 
 
 Perhaps the political state of Canada was never 
 so satisfactory as at present : the opposition is 
 utterly at a loss for any monster grievance to stir 
 men's minds ; the masses are contented, and now 
 wise enough to know how injurious their former 
 dissensions were. In the Parliament, elected by 
 nearly universal suffrage, the tone is decidedly con- 
 servative, and it is almost unanimous in expres- 
 sions of loyalty to the Crown, and regard for 
 British connection. The debates are generally 
 carried on with great propriety, and there are 
 several very good speakers and valuable men of 
 business. 
 
 There is no doubt that great good to Canada 
 has been the ultimate effect of the rebellion, though 
 productive at the time of so much suffering and
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 303 
 
 loss of life ; the discontented and turbulent found 
 out their weakness, the well disposed their strength. 
 Sir Francis Head's daring policy of trusting alto- 
 gether to the loyalty of the people, and sending 
 away the soldiery, was most happy in its conse- 
 quences. It is evident to all, that since then a 
 better and more confident spirit animates the men 
 of Upper Canada ; indeed, subsequently to Macken- 
 zie's discomfiture at Toronto, very few British sub- 
 jects joined the invading sympathizers. 
 
 In Lower Canada the numbers implicated in the 
 troubles proved to be very small, compared to the 
 masses of the population. The attention of the 
 Home Government has been, since these events, 
 much more actively engaged with this country ; 
 many real grievances have been removed, great 
 sums advanced for public works, the Union effected; 
 and, though some still complain, it is acknowledged 
 by all parties that there is a great improvement in 
 the mode of distributing the provincial patronage. 
 This last always has been — and always will be, a 
 very tender point in Canada, and it is, certainly, 
 but right that all offices in the colony, those of the 
 Governor and his personal staff, of course, excepted, 
 should be exclusively filled by the inhabitants of
 
 304 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 the Province, and with as fair a proportion as 
 circumstances may admit of with regard to race. 
 
 It would also be highly politic to strengthen the 
 tie of affection between the mother country and the 
 colony, by more frequently bestowing naval and 
 military appointments among the people of the 
 latter who may be properly qualified for them, as 
 also the titles and honorary marks of royal favour, 
 suitable to the merits and services which might be 
 brought under notice. Ttie gallant De Salaberry 
 was surely worthy of such reward, and he by no 
 means stood alone. There could also be found 
 men, who from their civil services, fortunes, and 
 social position, have claim amply sufficient to 
 justify the bestowal of the junior grades of heredi- 
 tary rank. At this present time, there is not a 
 Peer resident in this country, and but two Ba- 
 ronets. 
 
 With regard to the people, I believe there are 
 none in the world so lightly taxed, or more free, to 
 the fullest extent of rational liberty ; the legislation 
 with regard to the titles of land is peculiarly 
 favourable to them ; when they settle as tenants 
 on an estate they can at any time oblige the land- 
 lord to sell them their holding, if they can produce 
 the pui'chase-money, and this, with common in-
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 305 
 
 dustry and prudence, they may very soon accumu- 
 late from the produce of their farms. 
 
 Among the Americans, in discussing the sub- 
 ject of a war with England, it is very usual to hear 
 it asserted that, with twenty or thirty thousand 
 militia, Canada could be overrun in a few weeks ; 
 and this ignorant beUef causes many to long for 
 the opportunity of this easy but glorious conquest. 
 They should be informed that any hopes founded 
 on the state of things in the last war will prove 
 fallacious. In 1812, Upper Canada was a thinly- 
 peopled country and a wilderness, occupied by 
 a rude race of poor and ignorant labourers, who 
 furnished but indifferent materiel for soldiers, and 
 were without a class qualified to act as officers. 
 Since then, numerous immigrants of a far better 
 class have joined the original inhabitants, including 
 a very large proportion of retired officers of 
 the army and navy, who have received grants of 
 land from the government. Within the last twenty 
 years, several entire Scottish clans, under their 
 chiefs — MacNabs, Glengarrys, and others, worthy 
 of their warlike ancestors, have migrated hither. 
 Hardy and faithful men from the stern hills 
 of Ulster, and fiery but kind-hearted peasants 
 from the South of Ireland, with sturdy, honest 
 yeomen from Yorkshire and Cumberland, have
 
 306 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 fixed their homes In the Canadian forests: these 
 immigrants, without losing their love and re- 
 verence for the Crown and Laws of their native 
 country, have become attached to their adopted 
 land, where their stake is now fixed ; and they are 
 ready to defend their properties and their Govern- 
 ment against any foreign invasion or domestic 
 treason. 
 
 When the w^ar of 1812 commenced, there were 
 in the whole of Canada only four regiments of 
 regular infantry, and four companies of artUlery, 
 numbering altogether less than two thousand four 
 hundred men. But history tells us how disastrous 
 were the results to the invaders, even when opposed 
 to so feeble a force ; the surrender of General Hull 
 with his whole army and the territory of Michigan 
 — the defeat at Chrystler's farm — the rout and 
 slaughter at Queenstown,with the capture of half the 
 assailants. But, in those days, the same false ideas 
 of the facility of the conquest of Canada were held 
 by the great mass of the Americans, as those 
 which delude them at the present day. However, 
 the necessity of great sacrifices and severe suffering 
 soon brought on a more just and sober view of the 
 question, as no doubt would be the case again. 
 
 The British Government, determined to preserve 
 this colony in the event of a war, has been for the
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 307 
 
 last quarter of a century at a gi-eat expense in im- 
 proving its defences and military communications. 
 Quebec has been placed, as far as human skill is 
 capable, beyond the chances of x\merican war. 
 Works of strength and importance have been 
 erected on the island near Montreal, and others are 
 now in preparation; from the improvement of 
 roads, and steam-boats, a large force could be col- 
 lected to defend them at a very short notice. 
 Kingston is secure in its martello towers and pre- 
 sent fortifications against anything but the syste- 
 matic attack of a large regular army, supported by 
 an overpowering naval force. Toronto would prove 
 defensible against militia, and a serious obstacle 
 even to trained troops. Along the frontier of 
 Lower Canada are several works which would also 
 embarrass the advance of an invading army. 
 
 There are at present in Canada seven companies 
 of ai'tillery, eleven regiments of infantry, three 
 troops of excellent provincial cavalry, and, on the 
 frontier, a negro company of a hundred men ; be- 
 tween seven and eight thousand effective men in 
 all — nearly as large a force in regular troops as the 
 whole army of the United States. The nominal 
 strength of the Canadian militia is about one hun- 
 dred and forty thousand men, being the whole of
 
 308 HOCHELAGA ; OR, 
 
 the population capable of bearing arms ; one-fourth 
 of these might be made active and effectual, with- 
 out putting a stop to the various industrial pursuits 
 of the country ; numbers of the retired officers 
 would be able and willing to command them ; 
 several thousand non-commissioned officers — arms, 
 ammunition, clothing, and pay, can be readily sup- 
 plied from England ; and the arsenals of Canada 
 are already sufficiently supplied with artillery of all 
 kinds, carriages, and equipment, for the commence- 
 ment of a war. From these few statements as to 
 the position of the country, even unaided by troops 
 from England, it may be seen that the present 
 popular notion prevailing in the United States, of 
 an easy Canadian conquest, is undoubtedly a blind 
 and fallacious one. 
 
 In the late w^ar, the strength of the British 
 power was employed in the Peninsula, the East and 
 West Indies, Africa, and Sardinia. Her navy had 
 to blockade nearly all the principal ports and rivers 
 of Europe, she was compelled to keep fleets in the 
 Mediterranean and Baltic seas, in the Pacific Ocean, 
 and off" the coast of India : at no period of her 
 history had she such limited means to spare for a 
 struggle on the American Continent. 
 
 At the present moment, her position is exactly
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 309 
 
 the reverse of what it then was : she is in close and 
 intimate relations of friendship with the European 
 powers, and sympathized with hy all in her stand 
 against the grasping policy of her repuhlican 
 oifspring. The almost miraculous victories of 
 Ferozeshah and Sobraon, have rivalled the glories 
 of Macedon, and given peace to her Indian Empire, 
 with an incalculable increase of moral power over 
 two hundred millions of its inhabitants. Forty 
 thousand splendid troops, and a magnificent artillery, 
 are ready at a day's notice in the British islands ; 
 the troops burning with military ardour, and flushed 
 with the triumphs of their brethren in the East ; 
 while an organized militia and ten thousand effec- 
 tive pensioners, are prepared to take their place in 
 the towns and garrisons at home. 
 
 A dozen line-of-battle ships can leave her ports 
 in a few hours, and more than one hundred armed 
 steamers bear her flag ; the greater number of 
 these could reach the Western Lakes, and at once 
 establish her superiority thereon. The excitement of 
 war, and the splendid prospects of prize-money, 
 would speedily attract into the naval service as 
 many as could be required, of the two hundred 
 thousand merchant seamen registered as belonging 
 to her marine.
 
 310 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 A distinguished American general officer, of 
 great experience in the wars of this continent, 
 lately stated it as his opinion, that any attempt to 
 invade Canada with less than a hundred thousand 
 men would prove a failure ; one half of these, at 
 least, to be regular troops, accompanied by a large 
 park of artillery, and backed by the command of 
 the Lakes. This estimate may appear large to his 
 countrymen, but I am convinced it is even insuffi- 
 cient. If a war be once fairly commenced, the 
 Americans will be under the necessity of employing 
 an enormous military force ; the number of men 
 necessary for the defence of the whole Atlantic 
 coast wiU far exceed that required for the invasion 
 of Canada ; as New York, Boston, and the 
 southern seaports would all be threatened by British 
 fleets. 
 
 In such case, no calculation could be founded on 
 the number of men to be obtained from these 
 maritime States, for all would be required at 
 home ; therefore the force to cross the St. Law- 
 rence must be raised exclusively from the Western 
 Country, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Canada, 
 then, if invaded at all, will give abundant employ- 
 ment to these levies ; the Atlantic States will be hard 
 pressed to defend their coasts ; while the terrors
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 311 
 
 of insurrection, and the inv^asion of black troops 
 from the West Indies, will paralyse the south. 
 This war with England, so ignorantly and flippantly 
 talked of, will be no gentle tourney ; aU other pur- 
 suits and occupations of the people must yield to 
 it ; the conscription must allow no exception or 
 relaxation ; commerce and the merchant navy 
 must be sacrificed ; an enormous debt and weight 
 of taxation incurred ; with the imminent risk of 
 national bankruptcy, and the dissolution of the 
 Union. 
 
 Mexico burns for revenge ; at the first favourable 
 moment, her wUd and reckless population wiU 
 swarm into the south-western States : backed by 
 England, with British officers, ammunition, and 
 money, the coast protected by her fleets, the council 
 directed by her wisdom — even this lost and ruined 
 republic would prove a dangerous foe. There is 
 yet another race who hate these grasping citizens 
 of the United States with an undying hatred ; 
 feeble and unmanageable in any combined action 
 as they are, and incapable of making permanent 
 impression — those, nevertheless, who have intruded 
 on the territory of these wild men, who ai*e thinly- 
 scattered along a frontier of civilization of thou-
 
 312 HOCHELAGA; OR, 
 
 sands of miles, know how to dread the horrors of 
 an Indian war. 
 
 I have attempted to shew that England's means 
 of defending Canada are amply sufficient for any 
 emergency ; but the desire to exercise these means 
 would probably last only so long as her protection 
 was sought for by the people of the country, 
 and the connecting tie mutually advantageous. 
 It would be neither policy nor interest to retain 
 forcible possession of a discontented, mutinous, and 
 unprofitable province. But a wise and generous 
 government will prevent the possible occurrence of 
 such a state of things ; judicious arrangement 
 of commercial intercourse will secure some of the 
 strongest feelings of the human mind in favour of 
 the connection, and a liberal and enlightened policy, 
 creating a spirit of attachment to, and confidence 
 in British rule, will enlist also the noblest and 
 warmest sympathies in the cause. 
 
 I shall speak more fully in another place of 
 the proposed railroad from Halifax to Quebec, 
 and its surely beneficial effects to these provinces. 
 When it is accomplished, with its extension to 
 Toronto, and even Sandwich, on one side, and the 
 extremity of the Golden Ai-m of Cape Breton on
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 313 
 
 the other — grand and gigantic as the scheme may 
 appear, it is one by no means improbable or even 
 remote — I should rejoice to see all the British 
 North American possessions, Newfoundland in- 
 cluded, united under a central colonial Govern- 
 ment, and represented in a common legislature ; 
 each, however, still retaining its own assemblies for 
 local and particular purposes. 
 
 It would have the effect of nationalizing " Eng- 
 land in the New World," as distinct fi-om 
 America. Plans for mutual advantage and assist- 
 ance between the provinces could be more readily 
 and efficiently carried out ; the separate and French 
 feeling of a considerable portion of the people would 
 be weakened, if not in their own hearts, at least in 
 its evil influences on the country ; the loyalty of 
 Nova Scotia and New Brunswici^:, the energy and 
 activity of Upper Canada, would act on each other 
 with reciprocal improvement ; then, additional con- 
 fidence and self-respect would be felt by the 
 inhabitants of what would have become a powerful 
 and important State ; and the secondary condition 
 of scattered colonies would merge into the dignity 
 of a united nation. 
 
 With more than two millions of people, a vast 
 territory, admirable intercommunication, varied 
 
 VOL. L p
 
 314 hochelaga; or, 
 
 and inexhaustible resources, and the military 
 support and protection of the mother country, this 
 British America would not jield in importance to 
 the gigantic but unwieldy and disjointed Republic 
 itself. The principles of government in these united 
 provinces should be, as much as possible — centraliza- 
 tion, in order to break or smooth down the 
 differences of origin and local feeling ; a perfectly 
 fi-ee Legislative Assembly, with a vigorous and ju- 
 dicious Executive ; patronage fairly distributed and 
 scrupulously confined to the people of the country, 
 a liberal but not extravagant distribution of 
 honours for civil and other services and merits, 
 the perfect independence of the judicial bench, and 
 the Legislative Council beyond the popular control, 
 but at the same time as little as possible under the 
 influence of the prerogative. 
 
 It would be difficult to decide whether Montreal 
 or Quebec is better fitted for the future metropolis 
 of such a country. Montreal stands in a richer 
 district, has better and more. general communica- 
 tions, a much more convenient river frontage, and, 
 from the level nature of its site, allows of greater 
 regularity in building, and an unlimited extension ; 
 it is also one-fifth more populous and undeniably 
 the handsomer and more thriving city of the two.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 315 
 
 The objections are, that it is not central, and what 
 is much more important — that it is unpleasantly 
 near the frontier of the United States, and, from the 
 constant and easy communication with them, more 
 liable to the influences of their ideas and example ; 
 besides, in case of collision between the two coun- 
 tries, it is the first point of attack that presents 
 itself, and, as a military position, is difficult of 
 defence. The occupation of the Capital by a hostile 
 force, is at all times a " heavy blow and great 
 discouragement'' to a people. 
 
 Quebec would be nearer the centre of the great 
 line of railroad and water communication ; its 
 intercourse is much more intimate with England 
 than with the United States ; and it is safe from 
 even the apprehension of being overrun by an 
 enemy's army ; on the plains of Abraham, beyond 
 the suburbs of St. Roch, and on the northern bank 
 of the river St. Charles, is ample space for any re- 
 quisite extension : a tract of sand, dry at low water, 
 stretching into the basin of the river St. Lawrence, 
 might very easily be reclaimed to continue the 
 Lower Town for a considerable extent as a river 
 frontage, which would at the same time improve 
 and deepen the channel of the St. Charles. Altoge- 
 
 p 2
 
 316 hochelaga; or, 
 
 ther, from the political and military advantages of 
 the position, Quebec appears preferable. 
 
 Many wise and worthy people may suspect a 
 danger in thus strengthening into a nation these 
 detached colonies, and quote with uneasiness the 
 case of the States of America when they met in 
 Congress at Philadelphia. But their case was, in 
 reality, widely different, they had been suffering for 
 years under certain wrongs and injuries inflicted by 
 a despotic and feeble government; the rare and 
 difficult communication between them and England 
 weakened the ties of interest and identity, and 
 increased their chances of success in opposition ; 
 the profligate administration of patronage, the 
 careless and contemptuous system of colonial ma- 
 nagement, stirred up a resistance among them 
 which there were neither energy nor resources to 
 overcome. But now, each day brings England and 
 her North- American children into closer and more 
 famihar relation. English prices raise or depress 
 their markets; the population of England sup- 
 plies vigorous reinforcements to that of these 
 provinces ; her victories spread rejoicing and honest 
 pride among her western people ; — her difficulties 
 fling their shadows even over the sunny banks of 
 the St. Lawrence.
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 317 
 
 There are two great tendencies constantly at 
 work in these colonies — one to make them British, 
 the other, American. Ten years ago the current 
 favoured the latter, now, it runs strongly for the 
 former; we should foster it, train it, honour it; 
 not by unnatural and unhealthy enactments in 
 favour of some pet portion of their commerce, not 
 by lavish expenditure on works of little importance 
 and enormous difficulty — but we should foster it in 
 justice — train it in justice — honour it in justice — 
 " do to them as we would be done by." 
 
 The tendency towards America, is a rank and 
 noisome weed ; it grows up in coarse luxuriance 
 among the profligate and discontented, through 
 the mongrel population of the Richelieu and the 
 borders of the eastern townships. In the villages 
 of the Niagara district, where neglected advantages 
 and dissolute morals have brought on premature 
 decay — there it flourishes, there is its strength : 
 among such will it find sympathy. 
 
 But among the worthy, the educated, and the 
 prosperous, lies the strength of the tendency to 
 England. The more respectable of the ministers 
 of religion, whatever its form or creed ; the wealthy 
 and intelligent merchants, the influential country 
 gentlemen ; these form a strong connecting link.
 
 318 HOCHELAGA. 
 
 But, most of all, the honest emigrant draws close 
 the bond between the fatherland and his adopted 
 soU ; he, perhaps, has already half won the prize of 
 competence in this new country, but still keeps 
 treasured in the warmest place in his heart, the 
 memory of his early home — of the blessed village 
 church hallowed for centuries by the prayers of the 
 good and faithful of his people, and of that holy 
 spot beside its walls where the grass grows green 
 over his father's grave. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 LO V DON: 
 
 Printed by Sthulze & Co., 13, Polaiul Street.
 
 SIXTH EDITION, REVISED AND CORRECTED. 
 
 Now ready, in 2 vols., small 8vo., v^ith numerous illustrations, price 21s. bound, 
 
 THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 ROMANCE AND REALITIES OF EASTERN TRAVEL. 
 
 BY ELIOT WARBURTON, ESQ. 
 
 CRITICAL OPINIONS ON THIS WORK. 
 
 From the SPECTATOR. 
 
 Nothing but tlie already overdone topics prevented Mr. Warburton's 
 Eastern sketches from rivalling Eothen in variety: in the mixtiu-e of story 
 with anecdote, information, and expression, it perhaps surpasses it. Innu- 
 merable passages of force, vivacity, or humom- are to be found in the vo- 
 lumes. 
 
 From the MORNING POST. 
 
 This deUghtful work is, from first to last, a splenrlid panorama nf 
 Eastern Scener}', in the full blaze of its magnificence. The crowning merit 
 of the book is, that it is evidently the production of a gentleman and a man 
 of the world, who has lived in the best society, and been an attentive ob- 
 server of the scenes and characters which have passed before him during his 
 restless and joyous existence. To a keen sense of the ludicrous, he joins a 
 power of sketching and grouping which are happily demonstrated. 
 
 From the GLOBE. 
 
 Mr. Warburton has fulfilled the promise of his title-page. The " ReaUties" 
 of " Eastern Travel" are described with a vividness which invests them with 
 deep and abiding interest ; while the " Romantic" adventures which the 
 enteq)rising tourist met with in liis course are narrated with a spirit which 
 shows how much he enjoyed these reliefs from the ennui of everj'-day life. 
 
 From the ATHEN.S:UM. 
 
 The Author has been careful to coml)ine with his own obser^•ation such 
 information as he could glean from otlier sources ; and his volumes contain 
 a compilation of much that is useful, with original remarks of his own on 
 Oriental life and manners. He possesses poetic feeling, which associates 
 easily with scenery and manners. 
 
 From the QUARTERLY REVIEW^. 
 
 This is an account of a tour in the Levant, including Egypt, Palestine, 
 Syria, Constantinople, and Greece. The book is remarkable for the colouring 
 power, and the play of fancy with which its descriptions are enlivciu'd. The 
 writing is of a kind that indicates abilities likely to command success in the 
 higher departments of literature. Almost everj' i>age teems with good feeling ; 
 and although that " cathoUc heartedncss," for which the Author takes credit, 
 ])ennits him to view Mahometan doctrines and usages with a little too much 
 (rf indifferentisin, yet, arriving in Palestine, he at once gives in bis acUierence 
 to the "religion of the place" wilh all the zeal of a i)ious Christian. The 
 book, independently of its value as an original narrative, comprises much 
 useful and interesting infonuation.
 
 THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS. 
 
 CRITICAL OPINIONS CONTINUED. 
 
 From the BRITANNIA. 
 
 Mr. Warburton sees with the strong clear vision with which Heaven has 
 endowed him, but with this there are always blended recollections of the 
 past, and something — though dashed in unconsciously — of poetic feehng. 
 He brings to his work of observation an accomplished mind, and well- 
 trained and healthful faculties. We are proud to claim him as a countrj-- 
 nian, and are content that his book shall go all the world over, that other 
 countries may derive a just impression of our national character. 
 From the EXAMINER. 
 
 Mr. Warburton's book is very lively, and is most agi'eeably written. 
 From the LITERARY GAZETTE. 
 
 A lively description of impressions made upon a cultivated mind, during a 
 rapid journey over countries that never cease to interest. The writer 
 carried with him the intelligence and manners of a gentleman — the tirst a 
 key to the acquisition of knowledge, and the last a means of obtaining access 
 to the best sources of information. 
 
 From the COURT JOURNAL. 
 
 We know no volumes furnishing purer entertainment, or better calculated 
 to raise up vast ideas of past glories, and the present aspects of the people 
 and lands of the most attractive region of the world. 
 
 From the W^EEKLY CHRONICLE. 
 
 Of recent books of Eastern Travel, Mr. Warbiu-ton's is by far the best. 
 He writes like a poet and an artist, and there is a general feehng of 
 bonhomie in eveiy thing he says, that makes his work truly delightfid. 
 From the CHESTER COURANT. 
 
 This is one of the most interesting and admirable publications of the day. 
 The accomplished tourist presents us with grajjhic and life-like descriptions 
 of the scenes and jjcrsonages he has witnessed. His narrative is written in 
 the most elegant and graphic style, and his reflections evince not only taste 
 and genius, but well-informed judgment. 
 
 From the UNITED SERVICE MAGAZINE. 
 
 We could not recommend a better book as a travelling companion than 
 Mr. Warburton's. It is by far the most picturesque production of its class 
 that we have for a long time seen. Admirably written as is the work, and 
 eminently graphic as are its descriptions, it possesses a yet more exalted 
 merit in the biblical aiul philosophical illustrations of the writer. 
 
 From the DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE. 
 
 Mr. Warburton possesses rapidity and brilhancy of thought, and felicity of 
 imagery. But he has qualities even rarer yet — a manliness of thought and 
 expression, a firm adherence to whatever is high-souled and honourable, 
 without one particle of clap-trap sentiment. Let his theme be a great one, 
 and for it alone has he ears and eyes ; and the higher and more poetic the 
 subject, the more elegant and spirit-stirring are his descriptions. 
 From AINSW^ORTH'S MAGAZINE. 
 
 There is a fine poetical imagination, tempered by a well trained intelligence. 
 Thought, feehng, and passion, manifest themselves in every page. 
 
 HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER, 
 
 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.
 
 INTERESTING NEW WORKS 
 
 PUBLISHED BT 
 
 COLBURN Aro CO., 
 
 13, GEEAT MAELBOEOUGH STEEET. 
 
 NEW EDITION OF THE LIVES OF THE QUEENS. 
 
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 pages), price 125. each, elegantly hound, 
 
 LIVES 
 
 , OF THE 
 
 QUEENS OF ENGLAND. 
 
 BY AGNES STRICKLAND. 
 A New, Revised, and Cheaper Edition, 
 
 EMBELLISHED WITH POETEAITS OF EA^EY QUEEN. 
 
 BEAUTIFULLY ENGRAVED FROM THE MOST AUTHEXTIC SOURCES. 
 
 In announcing' the new, revised, and greatly augmented Edition of 
 this important and interesting work, which has been considered unique 
 in biographical hterature, the pubHshers beg to direct attention to the 
 following extract from the preface : — " A revised edition of the ' Lives 
 of the Queens of England,' embodying the important collections which 
 have been brought to light since the appearance of earlier impressions, 
 Is now offered to the world, embellished with Portraits of every Queen, 
 from authentic and properly verified sources. The series, commencing 
 with the consort of William the Conqueror, occupies that most inte- 
 resting and important period of our national chronology, from the death 
 of the last monarch of the Anglo-Saxon line, Edward the Confessor, to 
 the demise of the last sovereign of the royal house of Stuart, Queen 
 Anne, and comprises therein thirty queens who have worn the crown- 
 matrimonial, and four tl e regal diadem of this realm. We have related
 
 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICAI'IONS. 
 
 the parentage of every queen, described her education, traced the influ- 
 ence of family connexions and national habits on her conduct, both 
 public and private, and given a concise outline of the domestic, as well 
 as the general history of her times, and its effects on her character, 
 and we have done so with singleness of heart, unbiassed by selfish 
 interests or narrow views. Such as they were in life we have endea- 
 voured to portray them, both in good and ill, without regard to any 
 other considerations than the development of the /ac^5. Their sayings, 
 their doings, their manners, their costume, will be found faithfully 
 chronicled in this work, which also includes the most interesting of 
 their letters. The hope that the ' Lives of the Queens of England ' 
 might be regarded as a national work, honourable to the female 
 character, and generally useful to society, has encouraged us to the 
 completion of the task." 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 " Tliese volumes have the fascinatiou of romance united to the integi-ity of histoiy. 
 The work is written by a hidy of considerable learning, indefatigable industry, and careful 
 judgment. All these quahfications for a biogi-apher and an historian she has brought to 
 bear upon the subject of her volumes, and from them has resulted a narrative uiteresting 
 to all, and more particularly interesting to that portion of the conupunity to whom the 
 more refined researches of litei-ature aflbrd pleasui-e and instruction. The whole work 
 should be read, and no doubt -vrill be read, by all who are anxious for information It is a 
 lucid arrangement of facts, derived fi-om authentic sources, exhibiting a combination of 
 industry, learning, judgment, and impartiahty, not often met with in biographers of 
 crowned heads." — Times. 
 
 " A remarkable and truly great historical work. In this series of biogi'aphies, in which 
 the severe ti-uth of histoiy takes ahnost the wildness of romance, it is the singular merit 
 of Miss Strickland that her research has enabled her to tlu-ow new Mght ou many doubtful 
 passages, to biing forth fresh facts, and to render every portion of our annals which she 
 has described an interesting and valuable study. She has given a most valuable contribu- 
 tion to the history of England, and we have no hesitation in aiSrmmg that no one can be 
 said to possess an accurate knowledge of the history of the country who has not studied 
 her ' Lives of the Queens of England.'" — Moruing Eerald. 
 
 " A most valuable and entertauiing work. There is certamly no lady of our day who 
 has devoted her pen to so beneficial a purpose as Miss Strickland. Nor is there any other 
 whose works possess a deeper or more enduring interest. Miss Strickland is to our mind 
 the tu"st literary lady of the age." — Morning Chronicle. 
 
 " We must pronounce Miss Strickland beyond aU comparison the most entertaining 
 historian in the Enghsh language. She is certamly a woman of powerful and active mind, 
 as well as of scrupulous justice and honesty of pui'pose." — Morning Post. 
 
 " Mss Strickland has made a very judicious use of many authentic JIS. authorities not 
 previously collected, -and the result is a most interesting addition to our biographical 
 library." — Quarterly Review. 
 
 " A valuable contribution to historical knowledge. It contains a mass of every kind of 
 historical matter of interest, which industry and research could collect. We have derived 
 much entertamment and instraction from the work." — A tJwncmim.
 
 HISTORY AND BIOGKAPHY. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF HORACE WALPOLE 
 
 MD HIS COSTEMPOKARIES, 
 
 INCLUDING NUJIEROUS ORIGINAL LETTERS, CHIEFLY FROM STRAVi-BERRY HILL. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 ELIOT WARBURTON, ESQ. 
 
 AUTHOR OF '*THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS," ETC. 
 2 vols. 8vo, with Portraits, 28s. bound. 
 
 Perhaps no name of modern times is productive of so many pleasant 
 associations as that of " Horace Walpole," and certainly no name was ever 
 more intimately connected with so many different subjects of importance 
 in connexion with Literature, Art, Fasliion, and Politics. The position of 
 various members of his family connecting Horace Walpole Viith the Cabi- 
 net, the Court, and the Legislature — his own intercourse with those cha- 
 racters who became remarkable for brilliant social and intellectual quali- 
 ties— and his reputation as a Wit, a Scholar, and a Virtuoso, cannot fail, it is 
 hoped, to render his Memoirs equally amusing and instructive, 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 '■' The biography before us is in all respects eminently satisfactory." — Morning 
 Chronicle. 
 
 " Those Memoirs offer a good subject, well treated, and indeed a necessary 
 addition to the library of every English gentleman. The ' Memoirs of Horace 
 Walpole and Jiis Contemporaries' nearly comiiletes the chain of mixed personal, 
 political, and literary history, commencing with ' Evelyn' and ' Pejiys,' carried 
 forward by ' Swift's Journal and Correspondence,' and ending almost in our 
 own day yni\\ the histories of Mr. IMacaulay and Lord Mahon. Besides its 
 historical value, which is very considerable, it cannot be estimated too highly 
 as a book of mere amusement." — Standard. » 
 
 " Two more interesting or entertaining volumes than these ' Memoirs of 
 Horace Walpole' may be searched for for a long time before they will be found. 
 The writer has Avoven into his narrative a rich fund of contemporary anecdote 
 and illustration. Most of the nobles, wits, and literati of the period are judi- 
 ciously introduced." — Morning Post. 
 
 " Horace Walpole was the most remarkable man of his time ; and posterity 
 will do him the justice, now that his career is fully elaborated, to place him 
 in the niche which belongs to him, as one whose influence in the affairs of his 
 country has been far beyond the average of other men." — Messenger. 
 
 " This life of Horace Walpole is a very valuable and interesting addition to 
 the historical library. We should be glad to see every part of our later history 
 illustrated with equal clearness and impartiality." — Weekly Chronicle. 
 
 " Few works of the present day contain more matter fitted for entertainment 
 and instruction." — Morning Herald.
 
 COLBUEN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
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 FOR 1852. 
 
 NEW EDITION, REVISED AND CORRECTED THROUGHOUT 
 FROM THE PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS OF 
 THE NOBILITY, &c. 
 
 With the ARMS (1500 in number) accurately engraved, and incorporated with the Text. 
 Now ready, in ] vol. (comprising as much matter as twenty ordinary volumes), 38s. boi^nd. 
 
 The following is a List of the Principal Contents of this Standard Work: — 
 
 I. A full and interesting histoiy of each 
 order of the English Nobility, showing its 
 origin, rise, titles, immunities, privileges, &c. 
 
 II. A complete Memoir of the Queen and 
 Royal Family, forming a brief genealogical 
 History of the Sovereign of this country, and 
 deducing the descent of the Plantagenets, 
 Tudors, Stuarts, and Guelphs, through their 
 various ramifications. To this section is 
 appended a list of those Peers who inherit 
 the distinguished honour of Quartering the 
 Royal Arms of Plantagenet. 
 
 III. An Authentic table of Precedence. 
 
 IV. A perfect History of All the 
 Peers and Baronets, with the fullest 
 details of their ancestors and descendants, 
 and particulars respecting every collateral 
 member of each family, and all intermar- 
 riages, &c. 
 
 V. The Spiritual Lords. 
 
 VI. Foreign Noblemen, subjects by birth 
 of the British Crown. 
 
 VII. Peerages claimed. 
 
 VIII. Surnames of Peers and Peeresses, 
 with Heirs Apparent and Presumptive. 
 
 IX. Courtesy titles of Eldest Sons. 
 
 X. Peerages of the Three Kingdoms in 
 order of Precedence. 
 
 XI. Baronets in order of Precedence. 
 
 XII. Privy Councillors of England and 
 Ireland. 
 
 XIII. Daughters of Peers married to 
 Commoners. 
 
 XIV. All the Orders of Knight- 
 hood, with every Knight and all the Knights 
 Bachelors. 
 
 XV. Mottoes translated, with poetical 
 illustrations. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 " The most complete, the most convenient, and the cheapest work of the kind ever given 
 to the public." — Su?i. 
 
 " I'he best genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage, and the 
 first authority on all questions affecting the aristocracy." — Globe. 
 
 " For the amazing quantity of personal and family history, admirable aiTangement of 
 details, and accuracy of information, this genealogical and heraldic dictionary is without a 
 rival. It is now the standard and acknowledged book of reference upon all questions 
 touching pedigree, and direct or collateral afSnity with the titled aristocracy. The lineage 
 of each distinguished house is deduced through all the various ramifications. Every 
 collateral branch, however remotely connected, is introduced; and the alliances are so 
 carefully inserted, as to show, in all instances, the connexion which so intimately exists 
 between the titled and untitled aristocracy. We have also much most entertauiing 
 historical matter, and many very curious and interesting family traditions. The work is, 
 in fact, a complete cyclopasdia of the whole titled classes of the empire, supplying all the 
 information that can possibly be desired on the subject." — Morning Post.
 
 A COMPANION TO THE PEERAGE. 
 
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 ^ CErtnealogical dictionary 
 
 OF THE WHOLE OF THE UNTITLED ARISTOCRACY OF 
 
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 Comprising Particulars of 100,000 Individuals connected with them. 
 
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 volumes, price only 21. 2s., elegantly bound. 
 
 The Landed Gentry of England are so closely connected with the stirring records of its 
 eventful history, that some acquamtance with them is a matter of necessity with the legis- 
 lator, the lawyer, the historical student, the speculator in politics, and the curious in topo- 
 graphical and antiquarian lore ; and even the very spirit of ordinary curiosity will prompt 
 to a desire to trace the origin and progress of those families whose influence pervades the 
 towns and villages of our land. This work furnishes such a mass of authentic information 
 in regard to all the principal families in the kingdom as has never before been attempted to 
 be brought together. It relates to the untitled families of rank, as the " Peerage and 
 Baronetage " does to the titled, and forms, in fact, a peerage of the untitled aristocracy. 
 It embraces the whole of the landed interest, and is indispensable to the library of every 
 gentleman. The great cost attending the production of this National Work, the first of its 
 kind, induces the publisher to hope that the heads of aU families recorded in its pages will 
 supply themselves with copies. 
 
 " A work of this kind is of a national value. Its utility is not merely temporarj', but it 
 will exist and be acknowledged as long as the families whose names and genealogies are 
 recorded in it continue to form an integral portion of the English constitution. As a cor- 
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 this gi-eat work as perfect a dictionary of their genealogical history, family connexions, and 
 heraldic rights, as the peerage and baronetage. It will be an endurmg and trustworthy 
 record." — Morning Post. 
 
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 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEAV PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 GERMANY; 
 
 ITS COURTS AND PEOPLE. 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF " MILDRED VERNON." 
 Second and Cheaper Edition. 2 vols. 8vo, 21s. bound. 
 
 This work comprises a complete picture of the various courts and 
 people of the Continent, as they appear amidst the wreck of the recent 
 revolutions. The author possessed, through her influential connexions, 
 peculiar facilities for acquiring exclusive information on the topics treated 
 of. She succeeded in penetrating into provinces and localities rarely 
 visited by tourists, and still glowmg with the embers of civil war, and fol- 
 lowed the army of Prussia in Germany, of Russia in Hungary, and of 
 Eadetzky in Italy. Her pages teem with the sayings and doings of almost 
 all the illustrious characters, male and female, whom the events of the 
 last two years have brought into European celebrity, combined with 
 graphic views of th'e insurrectionary struggles, sketches of the various 
 aspects of society, and incidents of personal adventure. To give an idea 
 of the scope and variety of the contents of the work, it need only be men- 
 tioned that among the countries visited «7ill be found Prussia, Austria, 
 Hungary, Bavaria, Saxony, Servia, Styria, the Tyrol, Hanover, Bruns- 
 wick, Italy, &c. To enumerate all the distinguished personages with 
 whom the writer had intercourse, and of whom anecdotes are related, 
 would be impossible ; but they include such names as the Emperors of 
 Austria and Russia, the Kings of Prussia, Hanover, Bavaria, and Wur- 
 temberg, the Count de Chambord (Henry V.), the Queens of Bavaria anil 
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 and people of Germany are passed in vivid review before us. The ac- 
 count of the Austrians, Magyars, and Croats, will be found especially inte- 
 resting, lu many of its lighter passages the work may bear a comparison 
 with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Letters." — Morning Chronicle.
 
 HISTOKY AND BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 NOW COJklPLETE, IN FIVE VOLUMES, POST OCTAVO, 
 
 WITH rOKTKAITS, &C., H^V2vDS03IELY BOXJND, PKICE 35s., 
 
 PEPYS' DIARY 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE, 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE OP THE EEIG^"S OF CHARLES XL AND JAMES II. 
 
 EDITED BY LORD BRAYBROOKE. 
 
 This Edition contains all the passages restored from the original 
 MANUSCRIPT, and all the Additional Notes. 
 
 CRITICAL OPINIONS. 
 
 EDIKBURGH REVIEW. 
 
 "We uuhesitatint'l.v characterise tliis journal as the most remarkable production of 
 its kind which has ever been given to the world. Pcpys paints the Court, the IMo- 
 narchs, and the times, in more vivid colours than any ouo else. His Diary makes us 
 comprehend the groat historical events of the age, and the people who bore a part in 
 them, and gives us more clear glimpses into the true Eaghsh life of the times than all 
 the other memorials of them that have come down to our own." 
 
 ATHEX^UM. 
 
 " The test book of its kind in the EngUsh language. The new matter is extremely 
 curious, and occasionally far more characteristic and entertaining than the old. The 
 writer is seen in a clearer light, and the reader is taken into his inmost soul. ' Pepys' 
 Diary' is the ablest picture of the age in which the writer lived, and a work of standard 
 importance in English literature." 
 
 QUARTERLY RE^^EW. 
 "'Pepys' Diary' throws a distinct and vivid light over the picture of England and 
 its government during the period succeeding the Restoration. If, quitting the broad 
 path of history, we look for minute information concerning ancient manners and customs, 
 the progress of arts and sciences, and the various branches of antiquity, we have never 
 seen a mine so rich as these volumes. The variety of Pepys' tastes and pursuits led 
 him into almost every department of life. He was a man of business, a man of informa- 
 tion, a man of whim, and, to a certain degree, a man of pleasure. He was a statesman, 
 a bel-esprit, a virtuoso, and a connoisseur. His curiosity made him an unwearied, as 
 well as an universal, learner, and whatever he saw found its way into his tables."
 
 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE LIFE AND REIGN OF CHARLES L 
 
 By I. DISRAELI. 
 
 A NEW EDITION. REVISED BY THE AUTHOR, AND EDITED 
 BY HIS SON, B. DISRAELI, M.P. 
 
 2 vols., 8vo, uniform -with the " Curiosities of Literature," 28s. bound. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 " By far the most important work on the important age of Charles I. that 
 modern times have produced." — Quarterly Review. 
 
 " Mr. Disraeli has conceived that the republication of his father's ' Commen- 
 taries on the Life and Reign of Charles I.' is peculiarly well timed at the present 
 moment ; and he indicates the well-known chapters on the Genius of the Papacy, 
 and the critical relations of Protestant sovereigns with Roman Catholic sub- 
 jects, as reflecting, mirror-Uke, ' the events, thoughts, passions, and perplexities 
 of the present agitated epoch.' In particular, he observes, that the stories of 
 conversions to the Romish faith, then rife, seem like narratives of the present 
 hour, and that the reader is almost tempted to substitute the names of his 
 personal acquaintances for those of the courtiers of Charles. No apology was 
 needed for reintroducing to the world so instructive and original a work as that 
 of Isaac Disraeli." — Times. 
 
 " At the end of 250 years, Rome and England are engaged in a controversy 
 having the same object as that in which they were committed at the commence- 
 ment of the seventeenth century ; and no where will the reader find the cir- 
 cumstances of that controversy, its aims, the passions which it evoked, the in- 
 struments which it employed, and its results, better described than in this ex- 
 cellent book." — Standard. 
 
 "The position attained by the late Mr. Disraeli's admirable and learned com- 
 mentaries on the great events of the Revolution, and the times that led to it, 
 would at any period liave warranted its republication. To those, however, to 
 whom the bearing of its remarks, and the effect of the author's researches are 
 known on the religious question of that day, their apt and effective bearing on 
 the most vital topic of our present religio-political existence, will give the reap- 
 pearance of the work an additional value." — Britannia. 
 
 " The history of Charles I. required a Tacitus, and, in our opinion, this work 
 ought to have that standard character." — Gentleman's Magazine.
 
 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 LIYES OF THE PRINCESSES OF ENGLAND. 
 
 By MRS EVERETT GREEN, 
 
 EDITOR OF THE " LETTERS OF ROYAL AND ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES." 
 3 vols., post 8vo, vdih Illustrations, 10s. 6d. each, bound. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 "A most agreeable book, forming a meet companion for the work of Miss Strickland, to 
 which, indeed, it is an indispensable addition. The authoress, already favourably known 
 to the learned world by her excellent collection of ' Letters of Royal and Illustrious Ladies, 
 has executed her task with great skill and fidelity. Every page displays careful research 
 and accuracy. There is a graceful combination of sound, historical erudition, with an air 
 of romance and adventure that is highly pleasing, and renders the work at once an agreeable 
 companion of the boudoir, and a valuable addition to the historical library. Mrs. Green 
 has entered upon an untrodden path, and gives to her biographies an air of freshness and 
 novelty very alluring. The first two volumes (including the Lives of twenty-five Princesses) 
 carry us from the daughters of the Conqueror to the family of Edward I. — a highly inte- 
 resting period, replete with curious illustrations of the genius and manners of the Jliddle 
 Ages. Such works, from the truthfulness of their spirit, furnish a more lively picture of 
 the times than even the graphic, though delusive, pencil of Scott and James." — Britannia. 
 
 " The vast utihty of the task undertaken by the gifted author of this interesting book 
 can only be equalled by the skill, ingenuity, and research displayed in its accomplishment. 
 The field Mrs. Green has selected is an untrodden one. Mrs. Green, on giving to the world 
 a work which will enable us to arrive at a correct idea of the private histories and personal 
 characters of the royal ladies of England, has done suflicient to entitle her to the respect 
 and gratitude of the country. The labour of her task was exceedingly great, involving 
 researches, not only into English records and chronicles, but into those of almost every 
 civilised country in Europe. The style of Mrs. Green is admirable. She has a fine per- 
 ception of character and manners, a penetrating spirit of obser^'ation, and singular exactness 
 of judgment. The memoirs are richly fraught with the spii-it of romantic adventure,"— . 
 Morning Post. 
 
 " This work is a worthy companion to Miss Strickland's admu-able ' Queens of 
 England.' In oae respect the subject-matter of these volumes is more interesting, because 
 it is more diversified than that of the ' Queens of England.' That celebrated work, althcugh 
 its heroines were, for the most part, foreign Princesses, related almost entirely to the his- 
 tory of this countiy. The Pruicesses of England, on thecontrary, are themselves English, 
 but their lives are nearly all connected with foreign nations. Their biographies, conse- 
 quently, afford us a glimpse of the manners and customs of the chief European 
 kingdoms, a circumstance which not only gives to the work the charm of variety, but 
 which is likely to render it peculiarly useful to the general reader, as it links together by 
 association the contemporaneous history of various nations. The histories are related 
 with an earnest simplicity and copious esplicitness. The reader is informed without 
 being wearied, and alternately enlivened by some spirited description, or touched by 
 some pathetic or tender episode. AVe cordially commend Mrs. Everett Green's production 
 to general attention ; it is (necessarily) as useful as histoiy, and fully as entertaining as 
 romance." — Sun.
 
 10 COLBUKN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 MADAME PULSZKY'S MEMOIRS. 
 
 Comprising Full and Interesting Details of 
 
 THE LATE EVENTS IN HUNGARY. 
 
 With an Historical Introduction by FR^iNCIS PULSZKY, Late Under- 
 Secretary of State to Ferdinand, Enjperor of Austria and 
 King of Hungary. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, 21s. bound. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 " Tlic nationality of the people, their martial prowess, and present unhappy fate, have 
 invested Hungary with the interest of a second Poland, and Western Europe must 
 be naturally desirous to learn something of their civil and social life. These volumes are 
 the joint production of M. and Madame Pulszky. While the latter records her impres- 
 sions and recollections of Hungarian life, we have to thank M. Pulszky for a very able 
 summary of the history of Hungaiy, from the days of Arpad to the reigia of Ferdinand 
 the First, and the reform movement— a history which abounds in interesting incidents 
 and useful lessons for the statesman and the philosophic historian. Madame Pulszky's 
 narrative of her wanderings and dangers is agreeably diversified with sketches and anec- 
 dotes from Jlagyar life, as well as with ancient legends from Hungarian history and 
 modern passages in the late war of independence. It cannot fail to excite an interest in 
 all classes of readers — in those who open a book only for amusement, as well as in those 
 who look for something more cnd\xrms."—i:dinbiirofi Review. 
 
 " We need hardly inform our readers that the authoress of this work is the accomplished 
 wife of the gentleman who was originally accredited to the English cabinet by the 
 provisional government of Hungary. The private interest attaching to. the recital of 
 events whicli have become so famous woiUd insure a wide popularity for Madame Pulszky's 
 book. But we should very much under-estimate its value if we so limited our praise. 
 The memoirs, indeed, contain sketches of social life which are worthy of a place by the 
 side of Madame de Stael de Launay and Madame Campan. But they are also rich 
 in political and topographical information of the first character. Madame PiUszky was 
 in the habit of direct intercourse \vith the foremost and most distinguished of the 
 Hungarian generals and statesmen, and has given a complete summary of the political 
 events in Hungary, from the arrival of the Hungarian deputation in 1848, to the treason 
 of General Gorgey on the 13th of August, 1849. M. Pidszky has also prefixed a valuable 
 introduction, which gives the most complete history of Hungary that has ever issued from 
 the English press."— Globe. 
 
 " With all the charms of romance, these volumes possess the graver interest of his- 
 tory. Full of personal anecdotes, historical reminiscences, and legendary associations ; 
 teeming with interesting adventures, rich in social illustration and topographical 
 description, the memoirs present to all classes of readers an attraction quite indepen- 
 dent of the recent important events, of which they give so clear and connected a narra- 
 tive."— J'/oJ'Miwfir Post. 
 
 " In this most interesting book we have revealed in the characteristic memoirs of an 
 eye-witness the whole story of Himgary and its revolution. The intrigues of Latour 
 with Jellachich, the treachery of the court, the part taken by Kossuth and other 
 eminent characters, the Hungarian deputation to the Emperor, and the final breach 
 between Hungary and Austria, are told as forcibly as simply."— D«f?7j/ News. 
 
 " It is impossible that the great Hungarian struggle for freedom can ever find a histo- 
 rian more honest in point of narrative, more sincere in conviction, or more anxious to 
 do full justice to the truth than Madame Pulszky."— Observer.
 
 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. H 
 
 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE 
 
 OF 
 
 JOHN EVELYN, F.R.S., 
 
 Author of " S^lva," &c. 
 
 A NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED, WITH 
 NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL NOTES. 
 
 trXirOEM WITH THE XEVC EDITION OF PEFYS' DIAEY. 
 In 4 vols., post 8vo, price 10s. 6d. each, with Illustrations. 
 
 N.B. — The First Two Volumes, comprising " The Diary," are now ready. 
 
 The Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn has long been regarded as an 
 invaluable record of opinions and events, as well as the most interesting expo- 
 sition we possess of the manners, taste, learning, and religion of this country, 
 during the latter lialf of the seventeenth century. TIk? Diary comprises obser- 
 vations on the politics, literature, and science of his age, during his travels in 
 France and Italy ; his residence in England towards the latter part of the 
 Protectorate, and his connexion with the Courts of Charles 11. and the two 
 subsequent reigns, intersx)ersed with a vast number of original anecdotes of the 
 most celebrated persons of that period. To the Diary is subjoined the Cor- 
 respondence of EveljTi with many of his distinguished contemporaries; also 
 Original Letters from Sir Edward Nicholas, private secretary to King Charles I., 
 during some important periods of that reign, with the King's answers; and 
 numerous letters from Sir Edward Hyde (Lord Clarendon) to Sir EdAvard 
 Nicholas, and to Sir Richard Brown, Ambassador to France, during the exile 
 of the British Court. 
 
 A New Edition of this interesting work having been long demanded, the 
 greatest i)ain3 have been taken to render it as complete as possible, by a careful 
 re-examination of the original Manuscript, and by illustrating it with such 
 annotations as will make the reader more conversant with the numerous sub- 
 jects referred to by the Diarist. 
 
 "It has been justly observed that as long as Virtue and Science hold their 
 abode in this island, the memory of Evelyn will be held in the utmost venera- 
 tion. Indeed, no change of fasliion, no alteration of taste, no revolution of 
 science, have impaired, or can impair, his celebrity. The youth who looks 
 forward to an inlicritance which he is under no temptation to increase, will do 
 well to bear the example of EvcIjti in his mind, as ct)ntaining nothing but what 
 is imitable, and nothing but what is_ good. AH persons, indeed, may find in 
 liis character something for imitation, but for an English gentleman he is the 
 perfect model " — Quarterly Review.
 
 12 
 
 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 BURKE'S DICTIONARY OF THE 
 EXTINCT, DORMANT, & ABEYANT PEERAGES 
 
 OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND. 
 
 Beautifully printed, in 1 vol. 8vo, containing 800 double-column pages, 21s. bound. 
 
 This work, formed on a plan precisely similar to that of Mr. Burke's popular Dictionary 
 of the present Peerage and Baronetage, comprises those peerages which have been sus- 
 pended or extinguished since the Conquest, particularising the members of each family in 
 each generation, and bringing the lineage, iu all possible cases, through either collaterals or 
 females, down to existing houses. It connects, in many instances, the new with the old 
 nobility, and it will in all cases show the cause which has influenced the revival of an 
 extinct dignity in a new creation. It should be particularly noticed, that this new work 
 appertains nearly as much to extant as to extinct persons of distinction; for though 
 dignities pass away, it rarely occurs that whole families do. 
 
 C O N T 
 
 1. Peerages of England extinct by failure of 
 
 issue, attainder, &c., alphabetically, ac- 
 cording to Surnames. 
 
 2. Baronies by Writ — England — in abey- 
 
 ance, and still vested probably in exist- 
 ing heirs. 
 
 3. Extinct and Abeyant Peerages of Eng- 
 
 land, according to titles. 
 
 4. Charters of Freedom — Magna Charta — 
 
 Charter of Forests. 
 
 5. Roll of Battel Abbey. 
 
 E N T S. 
 
 6. Peerages of Ireland, extinct by failure of 
 
 issue, attainder, &c., alphabetically, 
 according to Surnames. 
 
 7. Baronies by Writ — Ireland — in abey- 
 
 ance. 
 
 8. Peerages of Ireland, extmct and abey- 
 
 ant, alphabetically, according to Titles. 
 
 9. Peerages of Scotland, extinct by failure 
 
 of issue, attainder, &c., alphabetically, 
 according to Surnames. 
 10. Extinct Peerages of Scotland, alpha- 
 betically, according to Titles. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF SCIPIO DE RICCI, 
 
 LATE BISHOP OF PISTOIA AND PRATO ; 
 
 REFORMER OF CATHOLICISM IN TUSCANY. 
 
 Cheaper Edition, 2 vols. 8vo, 12s. bound. 
 
 The leading feature of this important work is its application to the great question now 
 at issue between our Protestant and Catholic fellow-subjects. It contains a complete 
 expose of the Eomish Church Establishment during the eighteenth century, and of the 
 abuses of the Jesuits throughout the greater part of Europe. Alany particulars of the 
 most thrilling kind are brought to light. 
 
 MADAME CAMPAN'S MEMOIRS 
 
 OF THE COURT OF MARIE ANTOINETTE. 
 
 Cheaper Edition, 2 vols. 8vo, with Portraits, price only 12s. — The same in French. 
 _ "We have seldom perused so entertaining a work. It is as a mirror of the most splen- 
 did Court in Europe, at a time when the monarchy had not been shorn of any of its beams, 
 that it is particularly wortby of attention." — Chronicle.
 
 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 13 
 
 ANECDOTES OF THE ARISTOCMCY, 
 
 AND 
 
 EPISODES IN ANCESTRAL STORY. 
 
 By J. BERNARD BURKE, Esq., 
 
 Author of " The History of the Landed Gentry," " The Peerage and Baronetage," &c. 
 
 Second and Cheaper Edition, 2 vols., post 8vo, 21s. bound. 
 
 The memoirs of our great families are replete with details of the most 
 striking and romantic interest, throwing light on the occurrences of public 
 as well as domestic life, and elucidating the causes of many important 
 national events. How little of the personal history of the Ai-istocracy is 
 generally known, and yet how full of amusement is the subject! Almost 
 every eminent family has some event connected with its rise or great- 
 ness, some curious tradition interwoven with its annals, or some calamity 
 casting a gloom over the brilliancy of its achievements, which cannot fail 
 to attract the attention of that sphere of society to which this work more 
 particularly refers, and must equally interest the general reader, with 
 whom, in this country, the records of the higher classes have always pos- 
 sessed a peculiar attraction. The anecdotes of the Ai'istocracy here re- 
 corded go far to show that there are more marvels in real life than in the 
 creations of fiction. Let the reader seek romance in whatever book, and 
 at whatever period he may, yet nought will he find to surpass the unex- 
 aggerated redity here unfolded. 
 
 " Mr. Burke has here given us the most curious incidents, the most stiiTing tales, and 
 the most remarkable circumstances connected with the histories, pubhc and private, of our 
 noble houses and aristocratic famihes, and has put them into a sliape which will preserve 
 them in the hbrary, and render them the favourite study of those who are interested in 
 the romance of real life. These stories, with all the reahty of estabhshed fact, read with 
 as much spirit as the tales of Boccacio, and are as full of strange matter for reflection and 
 amazement." — Britannia. 
 
 " We cannot estimate too highly the interest of Mr. Burke's entertaining and instructive 
 work. For the curious nature of the details, the extraordinary anecdotes related, the 
 strange scenes described, it would be difficult to find a parallel for it. It will be read by 
 every one." — Sunday Times. 
 
 ROMANTIC RECORDS OF DISTINGUISHED 
 FAMILIES. 
 
 Being the Second Series of " Anecdotes of the Aristocracy." 
 
 By J. B. BURKE, Esq. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, 21s. bound. 
 
 " From the copious materials afforded by the history of the English Aristocracy, Jlr. 
 Burke has made another and a most happy selection, adding a second wing to his interest- 
 ing picture-galleiy. Some of the most striking incidents on record in the annals of higli 
 and noble families are here presented to view."— yc//?j Bull.
 
 HISTORIC SCENES. 
 
 By AGNES STRICKLAND. 
 
 Author of " Lives of the Queens of England," &c. 1 vol., post 8vo, elegantly 
 bound, with Portrait of the Author, 10s. 6d. 
 
 " This attractive volume is replete with interest. Like Miss Strickland's former works? 
 it will be fomid, we doubt not, in the hands of youthful branches of a family, as well as 
 in those of their parents, to all and each of whom it cannot fail to be alike amusing and 
 instructive." — Britannia. 
 
 " This delightful book will speedily become a reigning favourite. These deeply in- 
 teresting compositions abound in delicate and refined sentiment, glowing flights of 
 imagination and the utmost poetic beauty "—WeeJcly Chronicle. 
 
 LETTERS or ROYAL AND ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES 
 OF GREAT BRITAIN, 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Now first published from the Originals, with Introductory Notices. 
 
 By MARY ANN EVERETT GREEN, 
 
 Author of " Lives of the Princesses of England." 
 
 Cheaper Edition, 3 vols., with Facsimile Autographs, &c., I5s. bound. 
 
 GENERAL PEPE'S NARRATIVE 
 
 0? THE WAR IN ITALY, 
 
 FROM 1847 to 1850; INCLUDING THE SIEGE OF VENICE. 
 
 Now first published from the original Italian Manuscript. 
 2 vols., post Svo, 21s. bound. 
 
 " The grand features of the recent Italian movement in favour of a national existence 
 have had no other sucli authentic portraiture as these volumes convey. The State 
 documents and letters which the work contains make it indispensable to the historian 
 of these times. The whole panorama of the Revolution is here gone over— the reform 
 movement beginning at Rome— the agitation caused thereby in Florence and Naples, 
 thence spreading to Sicily, Piedmont, and Austrian Italy— the threats and hostile atti- 
 tude of the Court of Vienna— the spirited revolt of the Sicilians— the increased tyranny of 
 German generals in Lombardy— the crash of the Parisian Revolution— the rise of the 
 populaceof Milan against Raderzky, the declaration of Charles Albert, and advance ofthc 
 Sardinian troops— the battle of Goito— the exultation of feeling in Rome and Florence— 
 the flight of the Grand Duke of Tuscany— the revolution in Naples— the treachery of 
 Pope and King— the dreadful massacre in Naples— the cUsasters of Charles Albert— the 
 V.ombardmeut of Brescia- the glorious defence of Venice — the flight of the Pope from 
 Rome— the arrival of Mazzini--the proclamation of the Republic from the Capitol— 
 the invasion of the Roman States by the armies of Spain, Austria, France, and Naples— 
 the fall of Venire and of Rome— and the whole chain of events down to the PontilFs 
 return." — Athenaum . 
 
 "Wo predict that posterity will accept General Pepe as the historian of the great 
 ItaUan movement of the r.ia'eteenth century. His work is worthy of all commenda- 
 tion."— /Stewdard.
 
 HISTOKY AND BIOGRAJ^HY. 15 
 
 THE 
 
 KEY. E. MILMAFS LIFE OF TASSO. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, 21s. bound. 
 
 "Mr. Milman's book has considerable merit. He has evidently, in his interesting 
 biography of Tasso, undertaken a labour Of love. His diligence has been great, his ma- 
 terials are copious and w^-arr»nged, and his sketches of the poet's contemporaries form 
 agreeable episodes in the narrative of Tasso's works and woes." — Edinhurgh Rtviev:. 
 
 " The present work, from the touching interest of its subject, is likely to be extensively 
 read." — A thenmum. 
 
 " ilr. Slilman's biography is a very good one. The work will find a place in every 
 library." — Britannia. 
 
 " A most valuable addition to our literary treasures — fraught with deep and thrilling 
 interest." — Morning Post. 
 
 " Mr. Milman's Memoir of Tasso is a work of considerable interest; entering fully into 
 the particulars of the great poet's life, and giving a general review of his works." — Johi 
 Bull. 
 
 MEMOIRS AND CORRESPONDENCE OF 
 
 SIR ROBERT MURRAY KEITH, K.B., 
 
 Minister Pknipotentiary at the Courts of Dresden, Copenhagen, and Vienna, 
 from 1769 to 1793; idth Biogi-aphical Memoirs of 
 
 QUEEN CAROLINE MATILDA, SISTER OF GEORGE IIL 
 
 EDITED BY IMRS. GILLESPIE SJ^IYTH. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, with Portraits, 21s. bound. 
 
 Sii- Eobert Llurray Keith, it will be recollected, was one of the ablest diplomatists of 
 the last centuiy, and held the post of Ambassador at the Court of Copenhagen, when 
 Caroline ilatilda, Queen of Denmark, the luifortunate sister of George III., was involved in 
 the conspiracy of Strucnsee, and was only saved from the severest punishment her vindic- 
 tive enemy the Queen-Mother could inilict, by the spuited intei^position of the British 
 Ambassador. Sir Eobert Keith also for a long period represented his Sovereign at the 
 Courts of Dresden and Vienna ; and his papers, edited by a member of his family, throw 
 considerable light on the diplomatic histoiy of the reign of George III., besides conveying 
 many curious particulars of the great men and events of the period. Among the variety of 
 interesting documents comprised in these volumes, will be found — Letters from Frederick, 
 King of PiTissia ; Caroline JIatilda, Queen of Denmark ; Pi-inces Ferdinand of Brunswick, 
 Kaunitz, and Czartorisld ; the Dukes of Cumberland, York, Queensbury, Montagu, and 
 Newcastle ; Lords Stormont, St. Asaph, Hcathficld, Hardwickc, Darlington, Auckland, 
 Apsley, Bairington, Stair ; Counts Bentinck and Rosenberg ; Baron Trenck ; Field-ilar- 
 shals Conway and Keith; Sirs Walter Scott, Joseph Yorke, Nathaniel Wraxall, John 
 Sebright ; Dr. Eobertson, Mr. Pitt, Howard, Mrs. Piozzi, Mrs. Montagu, &c., &c. 
 
 " A large portion of this important and highly interesting work consists of letters, that 
 we venture to say will bear a conijjarison for sterling wil, lively luiinour, entertaining gossip, 
 
 Eiquant personal anecdotes, and brilliant pictures of social life^ in its highest phases, both at 
 ome and abroad, with those of Horace Walpolc himself." — Court JouitmI.
 
 16 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 CAPTAIN CRAWFOED'S EEMINISCENCES 
 
 OF ADMIRALS SIR E. OWEN, SIR B. HALLOWELL CAREW, 
 AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED COMMANDERS. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, with Portraits, 21s. bound. 
 
 " A work which cannot fail of heing popular in every portion of our sea-girt isle, and of 
 being read with delight by all who feel interested in the right hand of our country — its 
 Navy." — Plymouth Herald. 
 
 REYELATIONS OF PEINCE TALLEYRAND. 
 
 By M. COLMACHE, 
 
 THE PKINCE's PKIVATE SECRETARY. 
 
 Second Edition, 1 volume, post 8vo, with Portrait, 10s. 6d. bound. 
 
 " A more interesting work has not issued from the press for many years. It is in truth 
 a complete Boswell sketch of the greatest diplomatist of the age." — Sunday Times. 
 
 Now ready, Volume XI., price 7s., of 
 
 M. A. THIERS' HISTORY OF FRANCE, 
 
 FROM THE PERIOD OF THE CONSULATE IN 1800, 
 TO THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. 
 
 A SEQUEL TO HIS HISTORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 
 
 Having filled at difterent times the high offices of I\Iinister of the Interior, of Finance, 
 of Foreign Affairs, and President of the Council, M. Thiers has enjoyed facihties beyond 
 the reach of every other biogi-apher of Napoleon for procuring, from exclusive and 
 authentic sources, the choicest materials for his present work. As guardian to the 
 archives of the state, he had access to diplomatic papers and other documents of the 
 highest importance, lutherto kno\\ai only to a privileged few, and the pubhcation of which 
 cannot foil to produce a great sensation. From private som-ces, M. Thiei's, it appears, has 
 also derived much valuable information. Many mteresting memoirs, diaries, and letters, 
 all hitherto unpublished, and most of them destined for pohtical reasons to remain so, 
 have been placed at his disposal ; while all the leading characters of the empire, who were 
 alive when the author undertook the present history, have supplied him with a mass of 
 incidents and anecdotes which have never before appeared in print, and the accuracy and 
 value of which may be inferred from the fact of these parties having been themselves eye- 
 witnesses of, or actors in, the great events of the period. 
 
 *,* To prevent disappointment, the public are requested to be pirticular in giving their 
 orders for " Colbukn's Authorised Translation."
 
 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 17 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS; 
 
 FROM THE CONVENTION PARLIAMENT OF 1688-9, TO THE PASSING OF 
 THE REFORM BILL IN 1832. 
 
 By WM. CHARLES TOWNSEND, ESQ., M.A., 
 
 Recorder of Macclesfield. 2 vols. Svo, 12s. boiind. 
 
 " We have here a collection of biographical notices of all the Speakers who have presided 
 during the hundred and forty-four years above defined, and of several Members of Parlia- 
 ment the most distinguished in that period. Much useful and curious information is scat- 
 tered throughout the volumes." — Quarterly Revieiu. 
 
 DIARY MD MEMOIRS OF SOPHIA DOROTHEA, 
 
 CONSORT OF GEORGE I. 
 
 Now first pubhshcd from tlie Originals. 
 Cheaper Edition, 2 vols., Svo, with Portrait, 12s' bound. 
 
 " A work abounding in the romance of real life." — Messenger. 
 
 " A book of marveUous revelations, establishing beyond all doubt the perfect innocence 
 of the beautiful, highly-gifted, and inhumanly-treated Sophia Dorothea." — Naval and 
 Military Gazette. 
 
 LETTERS OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. 
 
 Illustrative of Her Personal History. 
 
 Edited, with an Historical Introduction and Notes, 
 
 By AGNES STRICKLAND. 
 
 Cheaper Edition, with numerous Additions, uniform wth Miss Strickland's " Lives of the 
 Queens of England." 2 vols., post 8vo, with Portrait, &c., 12s. bound. 
 " The best collection of authentic memorials relative to the Queen of Scots that has 
 ever appeared." — Morning Chronicle. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF MADEMOISELLE DE MONTPENSIER. 
 
 Written by HERSELF. 3 vols., post Svo, with Portrait. 
 
 " One of the most delightful and deeply-interesting works we have read for a long 
 time." — Weekly Chronicle. 
 
 LADY BLESSmOTON'S JOURNAL 
 
 OF HER CONVERSATIONS WITH LORD BYRON. 
 
 Cheaper Edition, in Svo, embelUshed with Portraits of Lady Blessington and Lord Byron, 
 price only 7s. bound. 
 " The best thing that has been written on Lord Byron." — Spectator. 
 " Universally acknowledged to be delightful." — Athenaum.
 
 18 COLBUKN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 MRRATIYE OF A TWO YEARS' 
 
 RESIDENCE AT NINEVEH; 
 
 AND 
 
 TRAVELS IN MESOPOTAMIA, ASSYRIA, and SYRIA, 
 
 WITH KEJIAKKS ON THE CHALDEANS, NESTOEIANS, YEZIDEES, &C. 
 
 By the Kev. J. P. PLETCHER. Two vols., post 8vo, 21s. bound. 
 
 These Travels embrace not only Nineveh and its antiquities, but various new 
 and interesting particulars respecting the Yezidees, the Nestorians, and Orien- 
 tal Clu-istians, as Avell as notices of the country between Mosul and Aleppo, 
 which has been explored by few European travellers. The intimate relations 
 with the natives of the country entered into by Mr. Fletcher, who resided some 
 years at Mosul, during his inquiries into the condition of the Oriental Churches, 
 have furnished him with a vast fund of anecdote and illustration. The work 
 also comprises disquisitions on the ancient cities of Mesopotamia, and on the 
 successive empires established between the Tigris and Euphrates, with remarks 
 on the hypothesis advocated by Major Rawlinson as regards the early Assyrian 
 kings. 
 
 OPINIONS OP THE PRESS. 
 
 " A work of s:reat merit— the remarks of a higWy iutelligent and acute observer. 
 The work is not "less acccjitable as a book of travel than it is valuable as an auxiliary 
 to the archicology of the Holy Scriptures."— (Stowrfarrf. 
 
 " At a time when the startling discoveries of Mr. Layard have called public attention 
 to the cradle of Aisiatic civilisation, the notes of a two years' residence on the mighty 
 plain of Nineveh, and of excursions into the remotest parts of AssjTia, from the pen 
 of another traveller, cannot fail to excite more than ordinary interest. Mr. Fletcher, 
 well versed in the questions connected with the gcogi-aphy of Scripture, and with the liis- 
 tory and position of the different Churches of the East, made his observations on the 
 countries which ho visited, not as an ordinary traveller who picks up his knowledge 
 casually, here and there, but as an experienced student, who knows beforehand upon what 
 points lie is to dir£:?t his inquiries. His volumes form an instructive and agreeable pen- 
 dant to Mr. Lay? rd's more exclusively antiquarian researches. The reader will meet 
 mth much valuabl 3 information which lie would look for in vain elsewhere."— t/b/j» Bull. 
 
 " A book which lets lis more into the secret of the habits and ideas of the natives 
 of Eastern Asia, more esijecially of the Christian population, than any work we covdd 
 point out. Mr. Fletcher brings fresh and valuable information from that new centre of 
 antiquarian research. He had the rare good fortune to be present at the first disco- 
 veries of M. Botta ; and he is not without claims to be ranked as a discoverer himself. 
 But his disposition and his opportunities make him a better describer of the living than 
 of the dead. The circle of his inquiries was by no means confined to Nineveh, but ex- 
 tended to the whole Christian i)opulation of Asiatic Turkey, of whose habits, ideas, 
 observances, and general condition he gives a minute, interesting, and, we are convinced, 
 authentic accomit. The condition of the Eastern Churches is exciting much curiosity at 
 present, and his detailed description of them will be most interesting to the religious 
 world. Our extracts will sufficiently show what varied, interesting, and useful matter 
 these volumes contain"— Baihi Netrs. 
 
 " Two volumes abounding in lively and graphic sketches of scenes visited and of charac- 
 ters encountered." — Athena-iim. 
 
 " There is a great deal of original hypothesis and nuich gratifying information in 
 these volumes. Mr. Fletcher is an acute observer, and a well-read historian. His work 
 desei-vcs to be popular, and cannot fail to increase our knowledge of the countries of which 
 it treats." — Evangelical 3la(jazine.
 
 VOYAGES AND TEAVELS. 19 
 
 DIARY OF A LADY'S TRAVELS 
 
 IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, 21s. bound. 
 
 " Tlicse exceedingly interesting volumes contain :i very lively and grapliic narrative of 
 the author's experience amongst the curiously mixed population of Barbary, with many 
 important facts, and much useful intelligence." — WeeUy Chronicle. 
 
 " These volumes of a very cle^ser and observant lady are full of entertaining matter, 
 amusing anecdotes, and life-like sketches of the places visited." — Morning Herald. 
 
 NARRATIVE OF 
 AN OYERLMD JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD. 
 
 By SIR GEORGE SIMPSON, 
 
 Govemor-in- Chief of the Hudson's Bay Company's Territories in North America. 
 2 vols., 8vo, with Map, &c., 31s. Gd. bound. 
 
 " A more valuable or instnictive work, or one more full of perilous adventure and 
 heroic enterprise, we have never met with." — John Bull. 
 
 " It deserves to be a standard work in all libraries, and it will become so." — Messewjer. 
 
 MR. ROSS' YACHT YOYAGE 
 TO DENMARK, NORWAY, AND SWEDEN, 
 
 IN LORD RODNEY'S CUTTER " THE IRIS." 
 
 Second Edition, 1 vol., Gs. bound. 
 " There is not a sporting man in the country who could peruse these volumes without 
 deriving a considerable amount of pleasure and profit from their pages. No one should 
 think of visiting Norway, Denmark, or Sweden, without consulting them." — Era. 
 
 FIYE YEARS IN KAFFIRLAND: 
 
 WITH SICETCHES OF THE LATE WAR IN THAT COUNTRY, 
 By Mrs. HARRIET WARD (Wife of Captain Ward, 91st. Regt.) 
 
 Second Edition, 2 vols., post 8vo, with Portraits, &c., 21s. bound. 
 
 THE W A N D E R E R I N I T A L Y, 
 
 SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, AND SPAIN. 
 By T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE, Esq. 1 vol., 6s. bound. 
 
 Principal Contents.— Venice— Rome— Florence— Zurich— Lucerne— Bcrnc— Inter- 
 lakcu—Certaldo— Aries— Beziors— Toulouse— Pau—Orthc'z — St. Sebastian —Azpcitia— 
 Saragossa— Jaca— Panticosa — Bayonnc, kc. 
 
 " A dehghtful table-book for seaside or fireside — for any place where there are cul- 
 tivated tastes. The volume is a gallery of pleasant pictures' far more than a guide-book." 
 — Athenceum.
 
 20 COLBUllN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 LORD LINDSAY'S LETTERS ON THE HOLY LAND. 
 
 FouKTH Edition, Eev-ised and Corrected, 1 vol., post 8vo, 6s. bound. 
 " Lord Lindsay has felt and recorded what he saw with the wisdom of a philosopher, and 
 the faith «f an enlightened Christian." — Quarterly Review, 
 
 THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 ROMANCE AND REALITIES OF EASTERN TRAVEL. 
 
 By ELIOT WARBURTON, Esq. 
 Eighth and Cheaper Edition, 1 vol., with numerous Illustrations, 10s. 6d. bound. 
 
 " Independently of its value as an original narrative, and its useful and interesting in- 
 formation, this work is remarkable for the coloui-ing power and play of fancy with which 
 its descriptions are enhvened. Among its greatest and most lasting charms is its reverent 
 and serious spirit." — Quartei-ly Review. 
 
 " We could not recommend a better book as a travelling companion." — United Service 
 Magazine. 
 
 HOCHELAGA; 
 
 OR, 
 
 ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 Edited by ELIOT WARBURTON, Esq., 
 
 Author of " The Crescent and the Cross." 
 
 Fourth and Cheaper Edition, 2 vols., post 8vo, with Illustrations, 10s. 6d. bound. 
 
 " We recommend ' Hochelaga ' most heartily, in case any of our readers may as yet be 
 unacquainted vrith it." — Quartei-ly Review. 
 
 " This work has already reached a third edition. We shall be surprised if it do not go 
 through many. It possesses almost every quahfication of a good book — grace, vaiiety, and 
 vigour of style — a concentrated power of description, which has all the effect of elaborate 
 painting — information carefully collected and judiciously communicated — sound and en- 
 larged views of important questions — a hearty and generous love of country — and the 
 whole pervaded by a refined but sometimes caustic humour, which imparts a constant 
 attraction to its pages. We can cordially recommend it to our readers, as well for the 
 amusement of its lighter portions, the vivid brilliancy of its descriptions, and the soUd 
 infoi-mation it contams respectmg Canada, and the position generally of England m the 
 new world." — John Bull.
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 21 
 
 LIGHTS A^D SHADES OF MILITAIIY LIFE. 
 
 Edited by Lieut.-Gen. Sir CHAKLES NAPIER, G.C.B., Commander-in- 
 Chief in India, &c. 1 vol., 8vo, 10s. 6d. bound. 
 
 "A narrative of stirring interest, which should be in the hands of every officer in her 
 Majesty's ser\"ice." — Globe. 
 
 " One of the most interesting and, as regards General Napier's share of it, one of the 
 most original productions of the day."— Indian Netcs. 
 
 SIR JAMES ALEXANDER'S ACADIE; 
 
 OR, SEVEN YEARS' EXPLORATION IN CANADA, &c. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, with numerous Illustrations, 12s. bound. 
 
 " Replete with valuable information on Canada for the English settler, the English 
 soldier, and the English Government ; with various charms of adventure and description 
 for the desultory reader." — Morning Chronicle- 
 
 " No other writer on Canada can compare with the gallant author of tlfc present volumes 
 in the variety and interest of liis narrative." — Jolm Bull. 
 
 STORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR. 
 
 A COJIPAXION VOLUME TO MR. GLEIG'S 
 "STORY OF THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO." 
 
 With six Portraits and Map, 5s. bound. 
 " Every page of this work is fraught with undying interest. We needed such a book as 
 tliis ; one that could give to the rising generation of soldiers a clear notion of the events 
 which led to tlie expulsion of the French from the Peninsular." — United Service Gazette. 
 
 LADY LISTER KAYE'S BRITISH HOMES 
 
 AND FOREIGN WANDERINGS. 
 
 2 vols., post 8vo, 10s. bound. 
 
 " Unrivalled as these volumes are, considered as portfolios of aristocratic sketches, they 
 are not less interesting on account of the romantic history with which the sketches are 
 interwoven." — John Bull- 
 
 THE NEMESIS IN CHINA; 
 
 COMPRISIXG A COMPLETE 
 
 HISTORY OF THE WAR IN THAT COUNTRY; 
 
 With a Porticnlar Account of the Colomj of Hong Kong. 
 
 From Notes of Captain W. H. HALL, R.N., and Personal Observations 
 
 by W. D. BERNARD, Esq., A.M., Oxon. 
 
 Cheaper Editiox, with a new Introduction, 1 vol., with Maps and Plates, 6s. bound. 
 
 " Capt. Hall's narrative of tlie sen-ices of the Nemesis is full of interest, and will, we 
 
 are sure, be valuable hereafter, as affording most cmious materials for the history of steam 
 
 navigation." — Qiuirterhj Revieu: 
 
 " A work which TN-illtake its place beside that of Captain Cook." — Weekly Chronicle.
 
 22 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE YEAR-BOOK OF THE COUNTRY; 
 
 OR, THE FIELD, THE FOREST, AND THE FIRESIDE. 
 Br WILLIAM HOWITT, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "the BOOK OF THE SEASONS," &C. SECOND AND CHEAPER 
 EDITION. 1 VOLUME, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, 6S. BOUND. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 " Tho world is always happy to hear from Mr. Hewitt concerning ' the seasons and their 
 signs'— the garden, the woodland, and their ever-changing shows of beauty— and the 
 characters and humours which animate and chequer rural life. He treats of these topics 
 \vith that affluence of poetical imagination and experience wliich there is no counterfeiting 
 —with that thorough love which, coming from the heart of the writer, goes direct to the 
 heart of the reader. The present volume is as fresh in spirit and as rich in matter as if 
 it were the first of its family. The illustrations by Mr. Foster are excellent. The book 
 is at once welcome to read and goodly to see. It is richly, poetically, picturesquely 
 various. We cannot doubt of its having a welcome as wide as its range of contents, and 
 as cordial as the love of man and of nature, which every line of it hreiitlies."—Atheneeum. 
 
 "To all lovers of country life we recommend this excellent vohune, as abounding 
 in thoughts and suggestions eminently calcidated to enlarge the sphere of their enjoy- 
 ment as well as their usefulness ; and to all lovers of the town we recommend it as likely 
 to reform their tastes, and awaken them to pure delights which they have not yet tasted. 
 Tho work is a complete country companion for the whole year— in the field, in the forest, 
 and at the fireside. It is divided into twelve sections, each of which relates to a par- 
 ticular month of the year, and not only describes all the natural features of the season, 
 l3ut the habits of life and customs appropriate to each." — 3Iornino Post. 
 
 "A highly amusing book, supplying, from rural anecdote, description, and observa- 
 tion, something appropriate to each season. The illustrations are very beautiful."— <StoB- 
 dard. 
 
 " A perfect transcript of rural life in all its phases. In every respect a most attractive 
 book. Mr. Howitt paints nature as it is, and gives descriptions of its endless charms 
 with an elegance of manner that wins its way with readers of every class."— J/essewf/er. 
 
 " This very attractive and delightful work is evidently one written con amove. 
 Mr. Hewitt's productions have always displayed an intense, and, so to speak, elegant 
 and cultivated love of Old England's rural beauties ; and the present book mil form an 
 admirable companion to his ' Book of the Seasons.' In the present instance there is an 
 abundant and interestingly applied variety of matter illustrative of human pleasures and 
 pursuits in the country. A coiuitry life, indeed, is here seen in all its points of view 
 —in the field, the forest, and by the fireside. It is curious to observe the variety of sub- 
 j ccts treated of, either in prose or poetry, in these right pleasant and entertaining pages. 
 The natural characteristics, peculiar customs, and usual avocations incident to each 
 month in the year are described in a striking manner. Anecdotes, sketches of charac- 
 ter, &c., are introduced with considerable skill and effect, adding much to the interest- 
 ing nature of tho book. The 'Autumnal Excursions' form some of the most attrac- 
 tive parts of the volume ; and the legends scattered throughout are told with peculiar 
 spirit and effect. Indeed, the work is altogether a charming one; and the illustrations, 
 admirably engraved on wood, from exceedingly clever and pretty designs, by Mr. Birket 
 Foster, are quite worthy of the pages in which they appear."— Jforaiwfl'Jtircrtocr.
 
 inSCELLANEOUS. 23 
 
 MR. DISRAELI'S COJJINGSBY 
 
 Cheap Stakdabd Edition, with a Neav Preface. 
 
 In 1 vol., with Portrait, 6s. bound. 
 
 "We are glad to see that the finest work of Disraeli has been sent out in the same shape 
 as those of Dickeii<5, Bulwer, and other of our best novelists, at such a price as to place 
 them within the reach of the most moderate means. ' Coningsby' has passed from the popu- 
 larity of a season to an enduring reputation as a standard^^work. It is a valuable contri- 
 bution to popular literature." — Weekbj Chronicle. 
 
 ZOOLOGICAL RECREATIONS. 
 
 By W. J. BRODERIP, Esq.,F.Il.S. 
 Cheaper Edition, 1 vol., post 8vo, 6s. bound. 
 
 " We beheve we do not exaggerate in sayhig that, since the pubUcation of White's 
 * Natui'al Histoiy of Selborue,' and of the ' Introduction to Entomolog}-,' by Kirby and 
 Spence, no work in om- language is better calculated than the ' Zoological Recreations' to 
 fulfil the avowed aim of its author — to fiu-nish a hand-book which may cherish or awaken 
 a love for natural history." — Quarterly Review. 
 
 TALES OF HUNGARY. 
 
 BY FRiiNCIS and THERESA PULSZKY. Cheaper Edition. 
 3 vols., 15s. bound. 
 
 "The authors of the present charmmg tales have not only produced these most inte- 
 restmg volumes, but have opened a region of fiction which will be eagerly explored by many 
 readers." — Messenr/er. 
 
 THE DREAMER AND THE WORKER. 
 
 By R. H. HORNE, Esq., 
 Author of " Orion," &c. Cheaper Edition. 2 vols., post 8vo., 10s. bound. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF A GREEK LADY, 
 
 THE ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF THE LATE QUEEN CAROLINE. 
 
 Writtex by Herself. 2 vols., post 8vo, 12s. bound. 
 
 '* The chief interest of this more than ordinarily interesting book lies in the notices it 
 furnishes of the unfortunate Queen CaroHne. From the close of 1814 till her Royal 
 Ilighness's return to England the author was never absent from her for a single day. AH 
 is ingenuously and artlessly told, and the plain truth finds its way at once to the reader's 
 judgment and feelings." — Court Journal.
 
 24 
 
 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 POPULAR NEW NOVELS AND ROMANCES. 
 
 BEAUTY AND INTELLECT; 
 
 OR, SECOND LOVE, 
 By Mrs. TROLLOPE. 3 vols. 
 
 TIME, THE AVEKGER. 
 
 By the Author of " Emilia Wyndham." 
 3 vols. 
 
 MEHKLAUD. 
 
 By the Author of " Margaret Maitland." 
 3 vols. 
 
 LOVE AND AMBITION. 
 
 By the Author of " Rockingham." 3 vols. 
 
 MADAM DOERINGTON 
 
 OF THE DENE. 
 By WILLIAM HO WITT. 3 vols. 
 
 NATHALIE. 
 
 By JULIA KAVANAGH, Author of 
 " Woman in France." 3 vols. 
 
 LIGHT AND DARKNESS. 
 
 By Mrs. CROWE, Author of " The Night- 
 Side of Nature," &c. 3 vols. 
 
 THE WILMINGTONS. 
 
 By the Author of "Emilia Wyndham," 
 " Mordaunt Hall," &c. 3 vols. 
 
 ANNE DYSART; 
 
 OR, THE SCOTCH MINISTER'S 
 DAUGHTER. 3 vols. 
 
 REGINALD HASTINGS. 
 
 By ELIOT WARBURTON, Esq. Third 
 and Cheaper Edition. 10s. 6d. bound. 
 
 The OLD WORLD and the NEW. 
 
 By Mrs. TROLLOPE. 3 vols. 
 
 THE DAUGHTER OF NIGHT. 
 
 By S. W. FULLOM, Esq. 3 vols. 
 
 CLAUDE. 
 
 By MISS MOLESWORTH. 2 vols. 
 
 PETTICOAT GOVERNMENT. 
 
 By Mrs. TROLLOPE, 3 vols. 
 
 PRIDE AND IRRESOLUTION. 
 
 A Second Series of 
 
 " THE DISCIPLINE OF LIFE." 
 
 By LADY EMILY PONSONBY. 3 vols. 
 
 PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF 
 
 Mrs. MARGARET MAITLAND 
 
 OF SUNNYSIDE. Written by Herself. 
 1 vol. 
 
 OUR COUNTY. 
 
 By JOHN ]\IILLS, Esq., Author of the 
 " Old English Gentleman," &c. 3 vols. 
 
 FRESTON TOWER, 
 
 OR, THE EARLY DAYS OF CARDINAL 
 WOLSEY. 
 
 By the Rev. R. COBBOLD. 3 vols. 
 
 THE PETREL. 
 
 A TALE OF THE SEA. 
 Bv a Naval Officer. 3 vols.
 
 000 887 588 2
 
 lilt