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 CANADIAN SCENERY 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 FROM DRAWINGS BY W. H. BARTLETT. 
 
 THE LITERARY DEPARTMENT BY 
 
 N. P. WILLIS, ESQ. 
 
 AUTHOR OF “ PENCILLINGS BY THK WAY, 
 
 “INKLINGS OF ADVENTURE,” ETC. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 GEORGE VIRTUE, 26, IVY LANE. 
 1842. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. 
 
LIST OF THE ENGRAVINGS 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 Portrait of Mr. Bartlett, to face the Vignette — ( Wigwam in the Forest). 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Map 1 
 
 Georgeville 8 
 
 A Forest Scene 10 
 
 Canoe-building at Papper’s Island 11 
 
 View across the Boundary Line, from the 
 
 Sugar Loaf 33 
 
 The Squaw's Grave 36 
 
 Port Hope 38 
 
 The Whirlpool on the Niagara 41 
 
 Aylmer, Upper Canada 44 
 
 Long Sault Rapid, on the St. Lawrence ... 46 
 Quebec, from the opposite shore of the St. 
 
 Lawrence 49 
 
 Montmorency Cove 50 
 
 Monument to Wolfe and Montcalm, Quebec . 51 
 The Plains of Abraham, near Quebec .... 52 
 Les Marches Naturelles, near Quebec ... 57 
 
 Queenston 60 
 
 General Brock’s Monument, above Queenston. 61 
 
 Citadel of Kingston 62 
 
 View from the Citadel of Kingston .... 63 
 
 Cupp’s Ferry, near Georgeville 65 
 
 March on Lake Chaudiere 80 
 
 The Chaudiere, near Bytown 81 
 
 Lake of the Two Mountains 82 
 
 St. John’s, Richlieu River 83 
 
 Fort Chambly 84 | 
 
 Toronto 87 
 
 Fish Market, Toronto 88 
 
 ‘ PAGE 
 
 Navy Island 90 
 
 The Banks of the River Niagara 95 
 
 Quebec %• 
 
 Village of Lorette, near Quebec 102 
 
 Junction of the St. Francis and Magog Rivers, lor* 
 
 IIallowell, Bay of Quinte 104 
 
 Scene in the Bay of Quinte 105 
 
 St. Regis, Indian Village 107 
 
 Burial-Place of the Voyageurs 108 
 
 Scene among the Thousand Isles 110 
 
 Rapids, on the approach to the Village of 
 
 Cedars in 
 
 Prescott, from Ogdensburg Harbour . . . . 1 ; 1 
 Village of Cedars, River St. Lawrence . . . 112 
 
 N elson’s Pillar, Montreal 113 
 
 Montreal, from the St. Lawrence 114 
 
 The St. Lawrence at Montreal 115 
 
 Raft in a Squall on Lake St. Peter 116 
 
 The Three Rivers, River St. Lawrence . . .117 
 
 Bridge near Quebec 118 
 
 The Chaudiere Bridge, near Quebec . . . . Ilf# 
 
 The Chaudiere Fall, near Quebec 120 
 
 Raft on the St. Lawrence, Cape Santk . . .121 
 
 Scene from the Summit of the Fall of Mont- 
 morency 122 
 
 Montmorency Bridge 123 
 
 Prescott Gate, Quebec 124 
 
 View from the Citadel, Quebec 125 
 
 Wolf's Cove 127 
 
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CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 The name of this magnificent link in the colonial chain with which England has 
 encircled the world, is a matter of considerable doubt.* It has been dignified with 
 some research and ingenuity, however, and we can record the result, leaving the 
 choice of solutions to the reader. Hennepin thus unfolds his idea of its origin : — 
 “ Les Espagnols ont fait la premiere decouverte du Canada. Ay ant mis pied a 
 terre, ils n’y trouverent rien de considerable. Cette raison les obligea d’abandonner 
 ce pays, qu’ils appellerent il Capo di Nada , c’est-a-dire le Cap de Rien (or Cape 
 Nothing ), d’ou est venu par corruption le nom de Canada .” 
 
 La Potherie corroborates this statement, with this difference, that he attributes 
 the Spaniards’ idea of the nothingness of the country to its being covered with snow. 
 He says also that the Indians, on the arrival of Jacques Cartier, frequently pro- 
 nounced these words : Aca nada (nothing here), which is a very plausible derivation. 
 The words were taught them probably by the Spaniards, who had visited the Baie 
 des Chaleurs, and pronounced them because they found no gold or silver mines. 
 
 Our own opinion, however, is, that the word Canada is derived from the word 
 Kanata , which, in Iroquois, signifies a collection of huts. By so unpromising an 
 appellation, is known a province containing upwards of 350,000 square miles, which 
 
 * We have to acknowledge our obligations for most valuable information in the following pages, first, to our 
 distinguished friend Col. Cockbum, of the Royal Artillery, long resident in Canada ; next, to Hugh Murray, 
 Esq., F.R.S.E. for extracts from his most admirable work on that country : to the Author of w Backwoods of 
 America;” and to many writers, both old and modern, including Charlevoix, Adair, Colden, La Potherie, Rogers, 
 Champlain, Heriot, McGregor, Raynal, Talbot, Hall, and others. From the inconvenience of making these 
 acknowledgments in every instance, we return our thanks simply in this note, and embody the information 
 simply as it comes, without further mark or comment. 
 
 B 
 
 
2 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 offer to the agriculturist almost measureless fields of pasture and tillage to the 
 manufacturer, an incalculable extension of the home market for the disposal of his 
 wares — to the merchant and mariner, vast marts for profitable traffic in every product 
 with which nature has bounteously enriched the earth — to the capitalist, an almost 
 interminable extent for the profitable investment of funds — and to the industrious, 
 skiful, and intelligent emigrant, a field where every species of mental ingenuity 
 and manual labour may be developed and brought into action with advantage to the 
 whole family of man. 
 
 The first query that occurs to the reader’s mind in taking up any book on Canada, 
 is, What was the real character of the aboriginal inhabitant, and how far and in what 
 manner has he receded before the advancing step of the white man ? Before 
 touching on the history of the civilization of the country, the condition of its savage 
 owners should be well understood. 
 
 In their physical character, the American savage is considered by Blumenbach as 
 forming a particular variety in the human species, differing, though not very widely, 
 from the Mongolian. Believing that the New World was peopled from the Old, 
 and considering that the Mongol race was situated nearest the point where Asia 
 and America come almost into contact, we are inclined to ascribe these variations 
 merely to a change of circumstances. The face is broad and flat, with high cheek 
 bones ; more rounded and arched, however, than in the allied type, without having 
 the visage expanded to the same breadth. The forehead is generally low; the eyes 
 deep, small, and black; the nose rather diminutive, but prominent, with wide 
 nostrils ; and the mouth large, with somewhat thick lips. The stature, which 
 varies remarkably throughout the continent, is, in the quarter of which we treat, 
 generally above the middle size. This property, however, is confined to the men, 
 the females being usually below that standard — a fact which may be confidently 
 ascribed to the oppressive drudgery they are compelled to undergo. The limbs, in 
 both sexes, are well proportioned, and few instances of deformity ever occur. 
 
 The colour of the skin in the American is generally described as red, or 
 copper-coloured; or, according to Mr. Lawrence’s more precise definition, “ it is 
 an obscure orange or rusty-iron colour, not unlike the bark of the cinnamon 
 tree.” Although we believe that climate is the chief cause of the diversities in 
 human colour, yet it is certain that all savages are dark-tinted. This peculiarity 
 may be accounted for by their constant exposure to the inclemency of the 
 seasons, to sun, air, and tempests ; and the same cause, in civilized countries, 
 produces a similar effect on sailors, as well as on those who work constantly in 
 the fields. In the Old World, the intermediate tints between white and black 
 are generally varieties of brown and yellow. The red tint is considered cha- 
 racteristic of the New World. We must, however, observe that the traveller 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 3 
 
 Adair, who lived upwards of thirty years among the Indians, positively asserts 
 that it is produced artificially ; that in the oil, grease, and other unctuous 
 substances with which they keep their skin constantly smeared, there is dissolved 
 the juice of a root which gradually tinges it of this colour. He states that a white 
 man, who spent some years with the natives and adorned himself in their manner, 
 completely acquired it. Charlevoix seems also to lean to the same opinion. Weld, 
 though rather inclined to dissent from it, admits that such a notion was adopted by 
 missionaries and others who had resided long in the country. It is certain that the 
 inhabitants glory in this colour, and regard Europeans who have it not as 
 nondescript beings, not fully entitled to the name of men. It may be noticed also, 
 that this tint is by no means so universal as is commonly supposed. Humboldt 
 declares that the idea of its general prevalence could never have arisen in equinoctial 
 America, or been suggested by the view of the natives in that region ; yet these 
 provinces include by far the larger part of the aboriginal population. The people 
 of Nootka Sound and other districts of the north-western coast are nearly as white 
 as Europeans ; which may be ascribed, we think, to their ample clothing and spacious 
 habitations. Thus the red nations appear limited to the eastern tribes of North 
 America, among whom generally prevails the custom of painting or smearing the 
 skin with that favourite colour. We are not prepared to express a decided opinion 
 on this subject; but it obviously requires a closer investigation than it has yet 
 received. 
 
 The hair is another particular in which the races of mankind remarkably differ. 
 The ruder classes are generally defective, either in the abundance or quality of that 
 graceful appendage ; and the hair of the Americans, like that of their allied type 
 the Mongols, is coarse, black, thin, but strong, and growing to a great length. Like 
 the latter also, by a curious coincidence, most of them remove it from every part of 
 the head with the exception of a tuft on the crown, which they cherish with much 
 care. The circumstance, however, which has excited the greatest attention, is the 
 absence of beard, apparently entire among all the people of the New World. The 
 early travellers viewed it as a natural deficiency ; whence Robertson and other 
 eminent writers have even inferred the existence of something peculiarly feeble in 
 their whole frame. But the assertion, with all the inferences founded upon it, so far 
 as relates to the North American tribes, has been completely refuted by recent 
 observation. The original growth has been found nearly, if not wholly, as ample as 
 that of the Europeans; but the moment it appears, every trace is studiously obliterated. 
 This is effected by the aged females, originally with a species of clam-shell, but now 
 by means of spiral pieces of brass wire supplied by the traders. With these an old 
 squaw will, in a few minutes, reduce the chin to a state of complete smoothness ; and 
 slight applications during the year, clear away such straggling hairs as happen to 
 
4 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 sprout. It is only am.ong old men, who become careless of their appearance, that 
 the beard begins to be perceptible. A late English traveller strongly recommends 
 to his countrymen a practice, which, though scarcely accordant with our ideas of 
 manly dignity, would, at the expense of a few minutes’ pain, save them much daily 
 trouble. The Indians have probably adopted this usage, as it removes an obstacle 
 to the fantastic painting of the face, which they value so highly. A full beard, 
 at all events, when it was first seen on their French visitors, is said to have been 
 viewed with peculiar antipathy, and to have greatly enhanced the pleasure with 
 which they killed these foreigners. 
 
 The comparative physical strength of savage and civilized nations has been a 
 subject of controversy. A general impression has obtained that the former, inured 
 to simple and active habits, acquire a decided superiority ; but experience appears 
 to have proved that this conclusion is ill-founded. On the field of battle, when a 
 struggle takes place between man and man, the savage is usually worsted. In 
 sportive exercises, such as wrestling, he is most frequently thrown, and in leaping 
 comes short of his antagonist. Even in walking or running, if for a short distance, 
 he is left behind ; but in these last movements, he possesses a power of perseverance 
 and continued exertion to which there is scarcely any parallel. An individual has 
 been known to travel nearly eighty miles a day, and arrive at his destination 
 without any symptoms of fatigue. These long journeys, also, are frequently 
 performed without any refreshment, and even having their shoulders loaded with 
 heavy burdens, their power of supporting which is truly wonderful. For about 
 twelve miles, indeed, a strong European will keep a-head of the Indian, but then 
 he begins to flag ; while the other, proceeding with unaltered speed, outstrips him 
 considerably. Even powerful animals cannot equal them in this respect. Many of 
 their civilized adversaries, when overcome in war, and fleeing before them on swift 
 horses, have, after a long chase, been overtaken and scalped. 
 
 Having thus given a view of the persons of the American Aborigines, we may 
 proceed to consider the manner in which they are clothed and ornamented. This 
 last object might have been expected to have been a very secondary one, among 
 tribes whose means of subsistence are so very scanty and precarious ; but so far is 
 this fiom being the case, that there is scarcely any pursuit which occupies so much 
 of their time and regard. They have availed themselves of European intercourse 
 to procure each a small mirror, in which, from time to time, they view their personal 
 decorations, taking care that every thing shall be in the most perfect order. 
 
 Embellishment, however, is not much expended on actual clothing, which is 
 simple, and chiefly arranged with a view to convenience. Instead of shoes they 
 wear what are termed moccasins, consisting of one strip of soft leather wrapped round 
 the foot, and fastened in front and behind. Europeans, walking over hard roads, 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN, 
 
 5 
 
 soon knock these to pieces ; but the Indian, tripping over snow or grass, finds them 
 a light and agreeable chaussure. Upwards, to the middle of the thigh, a piece of 
 leather or cloth, tightly fitted to the limb, serves instead of pantaloons, stockings, 
 and boots ; it is sometimes sewed on so close as never to be taken off. To a string or 
 girdle round the waist are fastened two aprons, one before and the other at the 
 back, each somewhat more than a foot square ; and these are connected by a piece 
 of cloth like a truss, often used also as a capacious pocket. The use of breeches they 
 have always repelled with contempt, as cumbrous and effeminate. As an article of 
 female dress, they would consider them less objectionable ; but that the limbs of a 
 warrior should be thus manacled, appears to them utterly preposterous. They 
 were particularly scandalized at seeing an officer have them fastened over the 
 shoulder by braces, and never after gave him any name but Tied-Breech. 
 
 The garments now enumerated form the whole of their permanent dress. On 
 occasions of ceremony, indeed, or when exposed to cold, they put over it a short 
 shirt, fastened at the neck and wrists, and above it a long loose robe closed or held 
 together in front. For this purpose they now generally prefer an English blanket. 
 All these articles were originally fabricated from the skins of wild animals ; but at 
 present, unless for the moccasins, and sometimes the leggings, European stuffs are 
 preferred. The dress of the female scarcely differs from that of the male, except 
 that the apron reaches down to the knees ; and even this is said to have been 
 adopted since their acquaintance with civilized nations. The early French writers 
 relate an amusing anecdote to prove how little dress was considered as making a 
 distinction between the sexes. The Ursuline Nuns, having educated a Huron girl, 
 presented her, on her marriage to one of her countrymen, with a complete and 
 handsome suit of clothes in the Parisian style. They were much surprised, some 
 days after, to see the husband, who had ungenerously seized on the whole of the 
 bride’s attire and arrayed himself in it, parading back and- forward in front of the 
 convent, and betraying every symptom of the most extravagant exultation. This 
 was further heightened, when he observed the ladies crowding to the window to see 
 him, and a universal smile spread over their countenances. 
 
 These vestments, as already observed, are simple, and adapted only for use. To 
 gratify his passionate love of ornament, the Indian seeks chiefly to load his person 
 with certain glittering appendages. Before the arrival of Europeans, shells and 
 feathers took the lead ; but since that period, these commodities have been nearly 
 supplanted by beads, rings, bracelets, and similar toys, which are inserted profusely 
 into various parts of his apparel, particularly the little apron in front. The chiefs 
 usually wear a breastplate ornamented with them ; and among all classes, it is an 
 object of the greatest ambition to have the largest possible number suspended from 
 the ear. That organ therefore is not bored, but slit to such an extent that a stick 
 
 c 
 
6 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 of wax may be passed through the aperture, which is then loaded with all the 
 baubles that can be mustered ; and if the weight of these gradually draw down the 
 yielding flap till it rest on the shoulder, and the ornaments themselves cover the 
 breast, the Indian has reached the utmost height of his finery. This, however, is 
 a precarious splendour; the ear becomes more and more unfit to support the 
 burden, when at length some accident, the branch of a tree, or even a twitch by 
 a waggish comrade, lays at his feet all his decorations, with the portion of the flesh 
 to which they were attached. Weld saw very few who had preserved this organ 
 through life. The adjustment of the hair, again, is an object of especial study. As 
 already observed, the greater part is generally eradicated, leaving only a tuft, 
 varying in shape and place according to taste and national custom, but usually 
 encircling the crown. This lock is stuck full of feathers, wings of birds, shells, and 
 every kind of fantastic ornament. The women wear theirs long and flowing, and 
 contrive to collect a considerable number of ornaments for it, as well as for their 
 ears and dress. 
 
 But it is upon his skin that the American warrior chiefly lavishes his powers of 
 embellishment. His taste in doing so is very different from ours. cc While the 
 European,” says Creuxius, “ studies to keep his skin clean, and free from every 
 extraneous substance, the Indian’s aim is that his, by the accumulation of oil, 
 grease, and paint, may shine like that of a roasted pig. Soot scraped from the 
 bottoms of kettles, the juices of herbs having a green, yellow, and above all, a 
 vermilion tint, rendered adhesive by combination with oil and grease, are lavishly 
 employed to adorn his person — or, according to our idea, to render it hideous. 
 Black and red, alternating with stripes, are the favourite tints. Some blacken the 
 face, leaving in the middle a red circle, including the upper lip and tip of the nose ; 
 others have a red spot on each ear, or one eye black and the other of a red colour. 
 In war, the black tint is profusely laid on, the others being only employed to heighten 
 its effect, and give to the countenance a terrific expression. M. De Tracy, when 
 Governor of Canada, was told by his Indian allies, that, with his good-humoured 
 face, he would never inspire his enemies with any degree of awe : they besought 
 him to place himself under their brush, when they would soon make him such, that 
 his very aspect would strike terror. The breast, arms, and legs are the seat of more 
 permanent impressions, analogous to the tattooing of the South Sea Islanders. 
 The colours are rather elaborately rubbed in, or fixed by slight incisions with 
 needles and sharp-pointed bones. His guardian spirit, and the animal that forms 
 the symbol of his tribe, are the first objects delineated. After this, every 
 memorable exploit, and particularly the enemies whom he has slain and scalped, are 
 diligently graven on some part of his figure ; so that the body of an aged warrior 
 contains the history of his life. 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 7 
 
 The means of procuring subsistence must always form an important branch of 
 national economy. Writers taking a superficial view of savage life, and seeing how 
 scanty the articles of food are, while the demand is naturally urgent, have assumed 
 that the efforts to attain them must absorb his whole mind, and scarcely leave room 
 for any other thought. But, on the contrary, these are to him very subordinate 
 objects. To perform a round of daily labour, even though insuring the most ample 
 provision for his wants, would be equally contrary to his inclination and supposed 
 dignity. He will not deign to follow any pursuit which does not, at the same time, 
 include enterprise, adventure, and excitement. Hunting, which the higher classes 
 in the civilised parts of the world pursue for mere recreation, is almost the only 
 occupation considered of sufficient importance to engage his attention. It is 
 peculiarly endeared by its resemblance to war, being carried on with the same 
 weapons, and nearly in the same manner. In his native state, the arrow was the 
 favourite and almost exclusive instrument for assailing distant objects; but now the 
 un ha s nearly superseded it. The great hunts are rendered more animating, as well 
 as more effectual, from being carried on in large parties, and even by whole tribes. 
 The men are prepared for these by fasting, dreaming, and other superstitious 
 observances, similar to those which we find employed in the anticipation of 
 war. In such expeditions, too, contrivance and skill, as well as boldness and 
 enterprise, are largely employed. Sometimes a circle is formed, when all the 
 animals surrounded by it are pressed closer and closer till they are collected in the 
 centre, and fall under the accumulated weight of weapons. On other occasions, 
 they are driven to the margin of a lake or river, in which if they attempt to 
 take refuge, canoes are ready to intercept them. Elsewhere a space is enclosed 
 by stakes, only a narrow opening being left, which, by clamour and shouts, the 
 game are compelled to enter, and thereby secured. In autumn and spring, 
 when the ice is newly formed and slight, they are pushed upon it, and their legs 
 breaking through, they are easily caught. In winter, when the snow begins to fall, 
 traps are set, in which planks are so arranged, that the animal, in snatching at the 
 bait, is crushed to death. Originally the deer, both for food and clothing, was the 
 most valuable object of chase; but since the trade with Europeans has given such 
 a prominent importance to furs, the beaver has in some degree supplanted it. In 
 attacking this animal, great care is taken to prevent his escape into the water, on 
 which his habitation always borders ; and with this view, various kinds of nets 
 and springes are employed On some occasions, the Indians place themselves 
 on the dyke which encloses his amphibious village. They then make an 
 opening in it, when the inmates, alarmed by seeing the water flowing out, 
 hasten to this barrier, where they encounter their enemies armed with all the 
 instruments of destruction. At other times, when ice covers the surface of the 
 
8 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 pond, a hole is made, at which the animal comes to respire ; he is then drawn out 
 and secured. 
 
 The bear is a formidable enemy, which must be assailed by the combined force 
 of the hunters, who are ranged in two rows, armed with bows or muskets : one 
 of them advances and wounds him, and on being furiously pursued, he retreats 
 between the files, followed in the same line by the animal, which is then over- 
 whelmed by their united onset. In killing these quadrupeds, the natives seem to 
 feel a sort of kindness and sympathy for their victim. On vanquishing a beaver or 
 a bear, they celebrate its praises in a song; recounting those good qualities which 
 it will never more be able to display, yet consoling themselves with the useful 
 purposes to which its flesh and skin will be applied. 
 
 Of the animals usually tamed and rendered subservient to useful purposes, the 
 Americans have only the dog, that faithful friend to man. Though his services in 
 hunting are valuable, he is treated with no tenderness ; but is left to roam about the 
 dwelling, very sparingly supplied with food and shelter. A missionary who resided in 
 a Huron village, represents his life as having been rendered miserable by these 
 animals. At night they laid themselves on his person, for the benefit of the 
 warmth ; and whenever his scanty meal was set down, their snouts were always 
 first in the dish. Dog’s flesh is eaten, and has even a peculiar sanctity attached to 
 it : on all solemn festivals it is the principal meat, the use of which on such 
 occasions seems to import some high and mysterious meaning. 
 
 But besides the cheering avocations of the chase, other means must be used to 
 ensure the comfort and subsistence of the Indian’s family; all of which, however, are 
 most ungenerously devolved upon the weaker sex. Women, according to Creuxius, 
 serve them as domestics, as tailors, as peasants, and as oxen ; and Long does not 
 conceive that any other purposes of their existence are recognised, except those of 
 bearing children and performing hard work. They till the ground, carry wood and 
 water, build huts, make canoes, and fish ; in which latter processes, however, and 
 in reaping the harvest, their lords deign to give occasional aid. So habituated are 
 they to such occupations, that when one of them saw a party of English soldiers 
 collecting wood, she exclaimed that it was a shame to see men doing women’s work ; 
 and began herself to carry a load. 
 
 Through the services of this enslaved portion of the tribe, these savages are 
 enabled to combine, in a certain degree, the agricultural with the hunting state, 
 without any mixture of the pastoral, usually considered as intermediate. Cul- 
 tivation, however, is limited to small spots in the immediate vicinity of the villages ; 
 and these being usually at the distance of sixteen or seventeen miles from each 
 other, it scarcely makes any impression on the immense extent of forest. 
 
 The women, in the beginning of summer, after having burnt the stubble of the 
 
londori, liihtLUial for the I'ropnclrn'S. "by Geo: Yirljjt 
 
 
V 
 
 
 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 9 
 
 preceding crop, rudely stir the ground with a long crooked piece of wood ; they 
 then throw in grain, which is chiefly the coarse but productive species of maize 
 peculiar to the continent. The nations in the south have a considerable variety of 
 fruits; whereas those of Canada appear to have raised only “ turnsoles, water- 
 melons, and pompions.” Tobacco used to be grown largely ; but that imported by 
 Europeans is now universally preferred, and has become a regular object of trade. 
 The grain, after harvest (which is celebrated by a festival), is lodged in large 
 subterraneous stores lined with bark, where it keeps extremely well. Previous to 
 being placed in these, it is sometimes thrashed ; on other occasions, merely the 
 ears are cut off and thrown in. 
 
 When first discovered by settlers from Europe, the degrees of culture were found 
 to vary in different tribes. The Algonquins, who were the ruling people previous 
 to the arrival of the French, wholly despised it, and branded as plebeian their 
 neighbours by whom it was practised. In general, the northern clans, and those 
 near the mouth of the St. Lawrence, depended almost solely on hunting and fishing ; 
 and when these failed, they were reduced to dreadful extremities, being often 
 obliged to depend on the miserable resource of that species of lichen called tripe 
 de roche . 
 
 The maize, when thrashed, is occasionally toasted on the coals, and sometimes 
 made into a coarse kind of unleavened cake. But the most favourite preparation is 
 that called sagamity , a species of pap formed after it has been roasted, bruised, and 
 separated from the husk. It is insipid by itself, but when thrown into the pot 
 along with the produce of the chase, it enriches the soup or stew, one of the 
 principal dishes at their feasts. They never eat victuals raw, but rather over-boiled ; 
 nor have they yet been brought to endure French ragouts, salt, pepper, or indeed any 
 species of condiment. A chief, admitted to the Governor’s table, seeing the general 
 use of mustard, was led by curiosity to take a spoonful and put it in his mouth. 
 On feeling its violent effects, he made incredible efforts to conceal them, and escape 
 the ridicule of the company ; but severe sneezings, and the tears starting to his 
 eyes, soon betrayed him, and raised a general laugh. He was then shown the 
 manner in which it should be used ; but nothing could ever induce him to allow the 
 “ boiling yellow,” as he termed it, to enter his lips. 
 
 The Indians are capable of extraordinary abstinence from food, in which they 
 can persevere for successive days without complaint or apparent suffering. They 
 even take a pride in long fasts, by which they prepare themselves for any great 
 undertaking. Yet when once set down to a feast, their gluttony is described as 
 enormous, and the capacity of their stomachs almost incredible. They will go 
 from feast to feast, doing honour to each in succession. The chief giving the 
 entertainment does not partake, but with his own hands distributes portions among 
 
 D 
 
10 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 the guests. On solemn occasions, it is the rule that every thing shall be eaten ; nor 
 does this obligation seem to be felt as either burdensome or unpleasant. In their 
 native state, they were not acquainted with any species of intoxicating liquors; their 
 love of ardent spirits being entirely consequent on their intercourse with Europeans. 
 
 The habitations of the Indians receive much less attention than the attire, or at 
 least embellishment of their persons. Our countrymen, by common consent, give 
 to them no better appellation than “ cabins.” The bark of trees is the chief 
 material both for the houses and boats ; they peel it off with considerable skill, 
 sometimes stripping a whole tree in one piece. This coating, spread, not unskilfully, 
 over a framework of poles, and fastened to them by strips of tough rind, forms their 
 dwellings. The shape, according to the owner’s fancy, resembles a tub, a cone, or 
 a cart-shed, the mixture of which gives to the village a confused and chaotic 
 appearance. Light and heat are admitted only by an aperture at the top, through 
 which also the smoke escapes, after filling all the upper part of the mansion. 
 Little inconvenience is felt from this by the natives, who, within doors, never think 
 of any position except sitting or lying ; but to Europeans, who must occasionally 
 stand or walk, the abode is thereby rendered almost intolerable ; and matters 
 become much worse when rain or snow makes it necessary to close the roof. These 
 structures are sometimes upwards of a hundred feet long ; four of them occasionally 
 compose a quadrangle, each open on the inside, and having a common fire in the 
 centre. Formerly, the Iroquois had houses somewhat superior, adorned even with 
 some rude carving; but these were burnt down by the French in successive 
 expeditions, and have never been rebuilt in the same style. The Canadians in this 
 respect seem to be surpassed by the Choktaws, Chickasaws, and other tribes in the 
 south, and even by Sauks in the west, whose mansions Carver describes as 
 constructed of well-hewn planks, neatly jointed, and each capable of containing 
 several families. 
 
 In their expeditions, whether for war or hunting, which often lead them through 
 desolate forests, several miles from home, the Indians have the art of rearing, with 
 great expedition, temporary abodes. On arriving at their evening station, a few 
 poles, meeting at top in form of a cone, are in half an hour covered with bark ; 
 and having spread a few pine branches within, by way of mattrass, they sleep as 
 on beds of down. Like the Esquimaux, they also understand how to convert snow 
 into a material for building ; and find it, in the depth of winter, the warmest and 
 most comfortable. A few twigs, plaited together, secure the roof. Europeans 
 in their Indian campaigns, have, in cases of necessity, used with advantage this 
 species of bivouac. 
 
 The furniture in these native huts is exceedingly simple. The chief articles are 
 two or three pots or kettles for boiling their food, with a few wooden plates or 
 
MASSON A TAPPER'S ISLAND. WIB MAN AUT TER TAPPER’S IN STL KAJPNE J1AI 
 
 | 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 11 
 
 spoons. The former, in the absence of metal, with which the inhabitants were 
 unacquainted, were made of coarse earthenware that resisted the fire, and 
 sometimes of a species of soft stone, which could be excavated with their rude 
 hatchets. Nay, in some cases, their kitchen utensils were of wood, and the water 
 made to boil by throwing in heated stones. Since their acquaintance with 
 Europeans, the superiority of iron vessels has been found so decided, that they are 
 now universally preferred. The great kettle or cauldron, employed only on high 
 festivals associated with religion, war, or hunting, attracts even a kind of veneration, 
 and potent chiefs have assumed its name as a title of honour. 
 
 Canoes, another fabric which the Indians construct very rudely, are yet adapted 
 with considerable skill to their purpose. These are usually framed of the bark of a 
 single tree, strengthened at the centre with ribs of tough wood. The ends are of 
 bark only ; but being curved upwards, are always above water, and thus remain 
 perfectly tight. Our sailors can scarcely believe such nut-shells safe even on the 
 smoothest waters, and see with surprise the natives guiding them amid stormy 
 waves, when their very lightness and buoyancy preserve them from sinking. They 
 have another quality of great advantage in the devious pursuits of the owners; 
 being so extremely light, that they can be easily conveyed on the shoulder from 
 one river or branch of a lake to another. One man, it is said, can carry on his back 
 a canoe in which twelve persons can navigate with safety. 
 
 Having taken this minute survey of the physical condition of the Indians, we 
 shall proceed to an examination of their social condition. The fundamental 
 principle of their polity is, the complete independence of every individual, his right 
 to do whatever he pleases, be it good or bad, nay, even though criminal or 
 destructive. When any one announces an intention which is disagreeable to his 
 neighbours, they dare not attempt to check him by reproach or coercion; these 
 would only rivet his determination more strongly. Their only resource is to soothe 
 him, like a spoiled child, by kind words, and especially by gifts. If, notwithstanding, 
 he proceeds to wound or murder any one, the public look on without concern, 
 though revenge is eagerly sought by the kindred of the injured person. 
 
 Notwithstanding this impunity, which in countries under the bonds of law, 
 would be followed by the most dreadful consequences, it is somewhat mortifying 
 to the pride of European civilization to learn, that there reigns a degree 
 of tranquillity greater than the strictest police can preserve with us. The Indians 
 are divided into a number of little nations or tribes, fiercely hostile to each other 
 but whose members are bound among themselves by the strictest union. The 
 honour and welfare of the clan supply their ruling principle, and are cherished with 
 an ardour not surpassed in the most brilliant eras of Greek or Roman patriotism. 
 
 This national attachment forms a social tie, linking the members to each other, 
 
12 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 and rendering exceedingly rare, not only deeds of violence, but even personal 
 quarrels; and banishing entirely that coarse and abusive language which is so 
 prevalent among the vulgar in more enlightened communities. This feeling, added 
 to the sentiment of dignity and self-command considered suitable to the character of 
 a warrior, renders their deportment exceedingly pleasing. They are completely 
 free from that false shame which is termed mauvaise honte . When seated at table 
 with Europeans of the highest rank, they retain the most thorough self-possession ; 
 and at the same time, by carefully observing the proceedings of the other guests, 
 they avoid all awkwardness in their manners. 
 
 The generosity of the Indian in relieving the necessities of others of the tribe, 
 scarcely knows any bounds, and only stops short of an absolute community of 
 goods. No member of a tribe can be in the least danger of starving, if the rest 
 have wherewithal to supply him. Children rendered orphans by the casualties to 
 which savage life is subject, are immediately taken in charge by the nearest relative, 
 and supplied with every thing needful, as abundantly as if they were his own. 
 Nothing gives them a more unfavourable opinion of the French and English, than 
 to see one portion revelling in abundance while the other suffers the extremity of 
 want ; but when they are told that for want of these accommodations, men are 
 seized by their fellow-creatures and immured in dungeons, such a degree of 
 barbarism appears to them almost incredible. Whole tribes, when obliged by the 
 vicissitudes of war to seek refuge among their neighbours, are received with 
 unbounded hospitality; habitations and lands are assigned to them, and they are 
 treated by their new friends, in every respect, as part of themselves. It may, 
 however, be observed, that as such an accession of numbers augments the military 
 strength of the tribe, there may be a mixture of policy in this cordial reception. 
 
 In consequence of this spirit of order and internal union, the unbounded 
 personal freedom which marks their social condition seldom breaks out into such 
 crimes as would disturb the public peace. Its greatest evil, of which we shall 
 see repeated .instances, is, that individuals, actuated by a spirit of revenge or 
 daring enterprise, think themselves justified in surprising and murdering a hated 
 adversary. From this cause, every treaty between the tribes is rendered precarious ; 
 though, as each is aware of these lawless propensities, room is left for mutual 
 explanation, so that particular outrages may not involve a general war. This 
 circumstance leads us to notice, that the favourable aspect presented by the interior 
 °f these communities can by no means warrant any conclusion as to the superiority 
 of savage life, when compared with civilized man. On the contrary, the most 
 perfect form of government devised by the human being in the state of nature, 
 has never been exempted from those feelings of relentless enmity and continual 
 fear with which bordering nations regard each other. These, as will appear in the 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 13 
 
 sequel, often compel to the most direful crimes ; but, at present, we shall proceed 
 with our survey of their domestic usages. 
 
 Some writers have denied that there exists among the Indians any thing that 
 can properly be termed a matrimonial union. This, however, seems only a prejudice, 
 in consequence of there not being any regular ceremony, as with us. The man, 
 it appears, after having made an arrangement with the parent of his bride, takes 
 her home, and they live in every respect as husband and wife. The mode of 
 courtship among several of the tribes is singular: — the wooer, attended often by 
 several comrades, repairs at midnight to his fair one’s apartment, and there 
 twitches her nose. If she be inclined to listen to his suit, she rises ; otherwise 
 she must depart. Though this visit be so very unseasonable, it is said to be rarely 
 accompanied with any impropriety. The missionaries, however, did not think it 
 right to sanction such freedoms in their converts. 
 
 The preliminary step is in this manner taken with the lady, but the decision 
 still rests with the father, to whom the suitor now applies. Long has given no 
 unpleasing specimen of the address : — “ Father, I love your daughter ; will you 
 give her to me, that the small roots of her heart may entangle with mine, so that 
 the strongest wind that blows may never separate them ?” He offers at the same 
 time a handsome present, the acceptance of which is considered as sealing the 
 union. Considerable discrepancy prevails in the descriptions, and apparently in 
 the practice, as applied to different tribes ; yet, on the whole, great reserve and 
 propriety seem to mark this intercourse. 
 
 The young men of the Five Nations valued themselves highly for their correct 
 conduct toward the other sex. Of numerous female captives who fell into their 
 hands during a long series of wars, though some were possessed of great personal 
 beauty, no one had to complain that her honour was exposed to the slightest 
 danger. The girls themselves are not always quite so exemplary; but their 
 failures are viewed with indulgence, and form no obstacle to marriage. Once 
 united by that tie, however, a strict fidelity is expected, and commonly observed. 
 The husband, generally speaking, is not jealous, except when intoxicated ; but 
 when his suspicions are really excited regarding the conduct of his partner, he is 
 very indignant, beats her, bites off her nose, and dismisses her in disgrace. 
 
 There are occasional instances of a divorce being inflicted without any assigned 
 reason ; but such arbitrary proceeding is by no means frequent. As the wife 
 performs the whole of the labour, and furnishes a great part of the subsistence, she 
 is usually considered too valuable a possession to be rashly parted with. In some 
 cases, the domestic drudges become even an object of dispute and competition. 
 A missionary mentions a woman, who, during the absence of her husband, formed 
 a new connexion. Her first partner having returned, without being agitated by 
 
 E 
 
14 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 any delicate sensibilities, demanded her back. The question was referred to a 
 chief, who could contrive no better scheme than that of placing her at a certain 
 distance from both, and decreeing that he who should first reach her should have 
 her. “ Thus,” says he, “ the wife fell to him who had the best legs.” 
 
 With regard to polygamy, the usual liberty is claimed ; and by the chiefs in the 
 west and the south it is indulged to a considerable extent, but among the tribes 
 on the lakes the practice is rare and limited. When it does occur, the man very 
 commonly marries his wife’s sister, and even her whole family, we may suppose, 
 that the household may be thereby rendered more harmonious. The Indian is 
 said never to betray the slightest tenderness towards his wife or children. If he 
 meets them on his return from a distant expedition, he proceeds, without taking 
 the slightest notice, and seats himself in his cabin as if he had not been a day 
 absent. Yet his exertions for their welfare, and the eagerness with which he 
 avenges their wrongs, testify that this apparent apathy springs only from pride, 
 and a fancied sense of decorum. It is equally displayed with regard to his most 
 urgent wants. Though he may have been without food during several days, and 
 enters a neighbour’s house, nothing can make him stoop to ask for a morsel. 
 
 The rearing (for it cannot be called the education) of children is chiefly arranged 
 so that it may cost the parents the least possible trouble, in addition to the labour 
 of procuring them subsistence. The father is either engrossed by war and hunting, 
 or resigned to total indolence ; while the mother, oppressed by various toils, 
 cannot devote much time to the cares of nurture. The infant, therefore, being 
 fastened with pieces of skin to a board spread with soft moss, is laid on the ground, 
 or suspended to a branch of a tree, where it swings, as in a cradle — an expedient 
 which is so carefully adopted as scarcely ever to be attended with accident. As 
 soon as the creatures are able to crawl on hands and feet, they are allowed to move 
 about every part of the house and vicinity, like a cat or dog. Their favourite resort 
 is the border of the river or lake, to which an Indian village is usually adjacent, 
 and where, in summer, they are seen all day long sporting like fishes. As reason 
 dawns, they enjoy, in the most ample degree, that independence which is held the 
 birthright of the tribe ; for, whatever extravagances they may indulge in, the 
 parents never take any steps to restrain or chastise them. The mother only ven- 
 tures to give her daughter some delicate reproach, or throws water in her face, 
 which is said to produce a powerful effect. The youths, however, without any 
 express instructions, soon imbibe the spirit of their forefathers. Every thing they 
 see, the tales which they hear, inspire them with the ardent desire to become great 
 hunters and warriors. Their first study, their favourite sport, is to bend the bow, 
 to wield the hatchet, and practise all those exercises which are to be their glory 
 in after life. As manhood approaches, they spontaneously assume that serious 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 15 
 
 character, that studied and stately gravity, of which the example has been set 
 by their elders. 
 
 The intellectual character of the American savage presents some striking pecu- 
 liarities. Considering his unfavourable condition, he, of all other human beings, 
 might seem doomed to make the nearest approach to the brute ; while, in point of 
 fact, without any aid from letters or study, many of the higher faculties of his 
 mind are developed in a very remarkable degree. He displays a decided supe- 
 riority over the uninstructed labourer in a civilized community, whose mental 
 energies are benumbed amid the daily round of mechanical occupation. The 
 former spends a great part of his life in arduous enterprises, where much con- 
 trivance is requisite, and whence he must often extricate himself by presence of 
 mind and ingenuity. His senses, particularly those of seeing and smelling, have 
 acquired, by practice, an almost preternatural acuteness. He can trace an animal 
 or a foe by indications which, to a European eye, would be wholly imperceptible ; 
 and ih his wanderings he gathers a minute acquaintance with the geography of the 
 countries which he traverses. He can even draw a rude outline of them, by 
 applying a mixture of charcoal and grease to prepared skins ; and on seeing a 
 regular map, he soon understands its construction, and readily finds out places. 
 His facility in discovering the most direct way to spots situated at the distance of 
 hundreds of miles, and known, perhaps, only by the report of his countrymen, is 
 truly astonishing. It has been ascribed by some to a mysterious and supernatural 
 instinct, but it appears to be achieved by merely observing the different aspect of 
 the trees or shrubs, when exposed to the north or south ; as also the position of 
 the sun, which he can point out, although hidden by clouds. Even where there 
 is a beaten track, if at all circuitous, he strikes directly through the woods, and 
 reaches his destination by the nearest possible line. 
 
 Other faculties of a higher order are developed by the scenes amid which the 
 life of savages is spent. They are divided into a number of little communities, 
 between which are actively carried on all the relations of war, negotiation, treaty, 
 and alliance. As mighty revolutions, observes an eloquent writer, take place 
 in these kingdoms of wood and cities of bark, as in the most powerful civilized 
 states. To increase the influence and extend the possessions of their own tribe — 
 to humble, and, if possible, destroy those hostile to them — are the constant aims of 
 every member of those little commonwealths. For these ends, not only deeds of 
 daring valour are achieved, but schemes are deeply laid, and pursued with the most 
 accurate calculation. There is scarcely a refinement in European diplomacy to 
 which they are strangers. The French once made an attempt to crush the con- 
 federacy of the Five Nations, by attacking each in succession ; but as they were 
 on their march against the first tribe, they were met by the deputies of the other. 
 
16 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 who offered their mediation, intimating, that if it were rejected, they would make 
 common cause with the one threatened. That association, also, showed that they 
 completely understood how to employ the hostility, which prevailed between their 
 enemy and the English, for promoting their own aggrandizement. Embassies, 
 announced by the calumet of peace, are constantly passing from one tribe to another. 
 
 The same political circumstances develope, in an extraordinary degree, the 
 powers of oratory; for nothing of any importance is transacted without a speech. 
 On every emergency a council of the tribe is called, when the aged and wise hold 
 long deliberations for the public weal. The functions of orator among the Five 
 Nations, had even become a separate profession, held in equal or higher honour 
 than that of the warrior ; and each clan appointed the most eloquent of their num- 
 ber to speak for them in the public council. Nay, there was a general orator for 
 the whole confederacy, who could say to the French governor, u Ononthio, lend 
 thine ear — I am the mouth of all the country ; you hear all the Iroquois in hearing 
 my word.” Decanesora, their speaker, at a later period, was greatly admired by 
 the English, and his bust was thought to resemble that of Cicero. In their diplo- 
 matic discourses, each proposition is prefaced by the delivery of a belt of wampum, 
 of which what follows is understood to be the explanation, and which is to be 
 preserved as a record of the conference. The orator does not express his proposals 
 in words only, but gives to every sentence its appropriate action. If he threatens 
 war, he wildly brandishes the tomahawk ; if he solicits alliance, he twines his arms 
 closely with those of the chief whom he addresses ; and if he invites friendly inter- 
 course, he assumes all the attitudes of one who is forming a road in the Indian 
 manner, by cutting down the trees, clearing them away, and carefully removing the 
 leaves and branches. To a French writer, who witnessed the delivery of a solemn 
 embassy, it suggested the idea of a company of actors performing on a stage. So 
 expressive are their gestures, that negotiations have been conducted, and alliances 
 concluded between petty states and communities, who understood nothing of one 
 another’s language. 
 
 The composition of the Indian orators is studied and elaborate. The language 
 of the Iroquois is even held to be susceptible of an Attic elegance, which few can 
 attain so fully as to escape all criticism. It is figurative in the highest degree, 
 every notion being expressed by images addressed to the senses. Thus, to throw 
 up the hatchet, or to put on the great cauldron, is to begin a war ; to throw the 
 hatchet to the sky, is to wage open and terrible war ; to take off the cauldron, or 
 to bury the hatchet, is to make peace ; to plant the tree of peace on the highest 
 mountain of the earth, is to make a general pacification. To throw a prisoner into 
 the cauldron, is to devote him to torture and death ; to take him out, is to pardon 
 and receive him as a member of the community. Ambassadors coming to propose 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 17 
 
 a full and general treaty, say, “ We rend the clouds asunder, and drive away all 
 darkness from the heavens, that the sun of peace may shine with brightness over us 
 all.” On another occasion, referring to their own violent conduct, they said, “We 
 are glad that Assarigoa will bury in the pit what is past ; let the earth be trodden 
 hard over it ; or rather let a strong stream run under the pit to wash away the 
 evil.” They afterwards added, “ We now plant a tree, whose top will reach the 
 sun, and its branches spread far abroad ; and we shall shelter ourselves under it, 
 and live in peace.” To send the collar underground, is to carry on a secret 
 negotiation; but when expressing a desire that there might be no duplicity or 
 concealment between them and the French, they said, that “ they wished to fix the 
 sun in the top of the heaven, immediately above that pole, that it might beat 
 directly down, and leave nothing in obscurity.” In pledging themselves to a firm 
 and steady peace, they declared that they would not only throw down the great war 
 cauldron, and cause all the water to flow out, but would break it in pieces. This 
 disposition to represent every thing by a sensible object extends to matters the 
 most important. One powerful people assumed the appellation of Foxes, while 
 another gloried in that of Cats. Even when the entire nation bore a different 
 appellation, separate fraternities distinguished themselves as the tribe of the Bear, 
 the Tortoise, and the Wolf. They did not disdain a reference even to inanimate 
 things. The Black Cauldron was at one time the chief warrior of the Five 
 Nations ; and Red Shoes was a person of distinction, well known to Long the 
 traveller. When the chiefs concluded treaties with Europeans, their signature 
 consisted in a picture, often tolerably well executed, of the beast or object after 
 which they chose to be named. 
 
 The absence, among these tribes, of any written or even pictorial mode of 
 recording events, was supplied by the memories of their old men, which were so 
 retentive, that a certain writer calls them living books. Their only remembrancer 
 consisted in the wampum belts, of which one was appropriated to each division of a 
 speech or treaty, and had, seemingly, a powerful effect in calling it to recollection. 
 On the close of the transaction, these were deposited as public documents, to be 
 drawn forth on great occasions, when the orators, and even the old women, could 
 repeat verbatim the passage to which each referred. Europeans were thus enabled 
 to collect information concerning the revolutions of different tribes, for several ages 
 preceding their own arrival. 
 
 The earliest visitors of the New World, on seeing among the Indians neither 
 priests, temples, idols, nor sacrifices, represented them as a people wholly destitute 
 of religious opinions. Closer inquiry, however, showed that a belief in the spiritual 
 world, however imperfect, had a commanding influence over almost all their actions. 
 Their creed includes even some lofty and pure conceptions. Under the title of the 
 
 F 
 
18 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 Great Spirit, the Master of Life, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, they distinctly 
 recognise a supreme ruler of the universe, and an arbiter of their destiny. A 
 party of them, when informed by the missionaries of the existence of a being of 
 infinite pow’er, who had created the heavens and the earth, with one consent 
 exclaimed, “Atahocan! Atahocan!” that being the name of their principal deity. 
 According to Long, the Indians among whom he resided ascribe every event, 
 propitious or unfortunate, to the favour or anger of the Master of Life. They 
 address him for their daily subsistence ; they believe him to convey to them 
 presence of mind in battle ; and amid tortures, they thank him for inspiring them 
 with courage. Yet, though this one elevated and just conception is deeply graven 
 on their minds, it is combined with others which show all the imperfection of 
 unassisted reason in attempting to think rightly on this great subject. It may 
 even be observed, that the term, rendered into our language, “ Great Spirit.” does not 
 really convey the idea of an immaterial nature. It imports with them merely some 
 being possessed of lofty and mysterious powers, and in this sense is applied to 
 men, and even to animals. The brute creation, which occupies a prominent place 
 in all their ideas, is often viewed by them as invested, to a great extent, with 
 supernatural powers — an extreme absurdity, which, however, they share with the 
 civilized creeds of Egypt and India. 
 
 When the missionaries, on their first arrival, attempted to form an idea of the 
 Indian mythology, it appeared to them extremely complicated, more especially 
 because those who attempted to explain it had no fixed opinions. Each man 
 differed from his neighbour, and at another time from himself; and when the 
 discrepancies were pointed out, no attempt was made to reconcile them. The 
 southern tribes, who had a [more settled faith, are described by Adair as 
 intoxicated with spiritual pride, and denouncing even their European allies as 
 “ the accursed people.” The native Canadian, on the contrary, is said to have been 
 so little tenacious, that he would at any time renounce all his theological errors for 
 a pipe of tobacco, though, as soon as it was smoked, he immediately relapsed. 
 An idea was found prevalent respecting a certain mystical animal called Meson, 
 or Messessagen, who, when the earth was buiied in water, had drawn it up and 
 restored it. Others spoke of a contest between the hare, the fox, the beaver, and 
 the seal, for the empire of the world. Among the principal nations of Canada, 
 the hare is thought to have attained a decided preeminence, and hence the Great 
 Spirit and the Great Hare are sometimes used as synonymous terms. What should 
 have raised this creature to such distinction seems rather unaccountable, unless it 
 were that its extreme swiftness might appear something supernatural. Among the 
 Ottawas alone the heavenly bodies become an object of veneration : the sun 
 appears to rank as their supreme deity. 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 19 
 
 To dive into the abyss of futurity has always been a favourite object of super- 
 stition. It has been attempted by various means, but the Indian seeks it chiefly 
 through his dreams, which always bear with him a sacred character. Before 
 engaging in any high undertaking, especially in hunting or war, the dreams of the 
 principal chiefs are carefully watched, and studiously examined; and according 
 to the interpretation their conduct is guided. A whole nation has been set in 
 motion by the sleeping fancies of a single man. Sometimes a person imagines in 
 his sleep that he has been presented with an article of value by another, who then 
 cannot, without impropriety, leave the omen unfulfilled. When Sir William 
 Johnson, during the American war, was negotiating an alliance with a friendly 
 tribe, the chief confidentially disclosed, that, during his slumbers, he had been 
 favoured with a vision of Sir William bestowing upon him the rich laced coat 
 which formed his full dress. The fulfilment of this revelation was very inconvenient; 
 yet, on being assured that it positively occurred, the English commander found 
 it advisable to resign his uniform. Soon after, however, he unfolded to the Indian 
 a dream with which he had himself been favoured, and in which the former was 
 seen presenting him with a large tract of fertile land, most commodiously situated. 
 The native ruler admitted that, since the vision had been vouchsafed, it must be 
 realized, yet earnestly proposed to cease this mutual dreaming, which he found 
 had turned much to his own disadvantage. 
 
 The manitou is an object of peculiar veneration; and the fixing upon this 
 guardian power is not only the most important event in the history of a youth, 
 but even constitutes his initiation into active life. As a preliminary, his face is 
 painted black, and he undergoes a severe fast, which is, if possible, prolonged for 
 eight days. This is preparatory to the dream in which he is to behold the idol 
 destined ever after to afford him aid and protection. In this state of excited 
 expectation, and while every nocturnal vision is carefully watched, there seldom 
 fails to occur to his mind something which, as it makes a deep impression, is pro- 
 nounced his manitou. Most commonly it is a trifling and even fantastic article ; 
 the head, beak, or claw of a bird, the hoof of a cow, or even a piece of wood. 
 However, having undergone a thorough perspiration in one of their vapour-baths, 
 he is laid on his back, and a picture of it is drawn upon his breast by needles of 
 fish-bone dipt in vermilion. A good specimen of the original being produced, it 
 is carefully treasured up ; and to it he applies in every emergency, hoping that it 
 will inspire his dreams, and secure to him every kind of good fortune. When, 
 however, notwithstanding every means of propitiating its favour, misfortunes befall 
 him, the manitou is considered as having exposed itself to just and serious reproach. 
 He begins with remonstrances, representing all that has been done for it, the 
 disgrace it incurs by not protecting its votary, and finally, the danger that, in case 
 
20 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 of repeated neglect, it may be discarded for another. Nor is this considered 
 merely as an empty threat ; for if the manitou is judged incorrigible, it is thrown 
 away, and by means of a fresh course of fasting, dreaming, sweating, and painting, 
 another is installed, from whom better success may be hoped. 
 
 The absence of temples, worship, sacrifices, and all the observances to which 
 superstition prompts the untutored mind, is a remarkable circumstance, and, as we 
 have already remarked, led the early visitors to believe that the Indians were 
 strangers to all religious ideas ; yet the missionaries found room to suspect that 
 some of their great feasts, in which every thing presented must be eaten, bore 
 an idolatrous character, and were held in honour of the Great Hare. The Ottawas, 
 whose mythological system seems to have been the most complicated, were wont to 
 keep a regular festival to celebrate the beneficence of the sun ; on which occasion, 
 the luminary was told that this service was in return for the good hunting he had 
 procured for his people, and as an encouragement to persevere in his friendly cares. 
 They were also observed to erect an idol in the middle of their town, and sacrifice 
 to it ; but such ceremonies were by no means general. On first witnessing Chris- 
 tian worship, the only idea suggested by it was that of their asking some temporal 
 good, which was either granted or refused. The missionaries mention two Hurons, 
 who arrived from the woods soon after the congregation had assembled. Standing 
 without, they began to speculate what it was the white men were asking, and then 
 whether they were getting it. As the service continued beyond expectation, it was 
 concluded they were not getting it; and as the devotional duties still proceeded, 
 they admired the perseverance with which this rejected suit was urged. At length, 
 when the vesper hymn began, one of the savages observed to the other — “ Listen 
 to them now in despair, crying with all their might.” 
 
 The grand doctrine of a life beyond the grave, was, among all the tribes of 
 America, most deeply cherished, and most sincerely believed. They had even 
 formed a distinct idea of the region whither they hoped to be transported, and of 
 the new and happier mode of existence, free from those wars, tortures, and cruelties, 
 which throw so dark a shade over their lot upon earth ; yet their conceptions on 
 this subject were by no means either exalted or spiritualized. They expected 
 simply a prolongation of their present life, and enjoyments under more favourable 
 circumstances, and with the same objects, furnishing greater choice and abund- 
 ance. In that brighter land the sun ever shines unclouded, the forests abound 
 with deer, the lakes and rivers with fish — benefits which are farther enhanced in 
 their imagination by a faithful wife and dutiful children. They do not reach it 
 however, till after a journey of several months, and encountering various obstacles 
 — a broad river, a chain of lofty mountains, and the attack of a furious dog. This 
 favoured country lies far in the west, at the remotest boundary of the earth, which 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 21 
 
 is supposed to terminate in a steep precipice, with the ocean rolling beneath. 
 Sometimes, in the too eager pursuit of game, the spirits fall over, and are converted 
 ;into fishes. The local position of their paradise appears connected with certain 
 obscure intimations received from their wandering neighbours of the Mississippi, 
 the Rocky Mountains, and the distant shores of the Pacific. This system of belief 
 labours under a great defect, inasmuch as it scarcely connects felicity in the future 
 world with virtuous conduct in the present. The one is held to be simply a con- 
 tinuation of the other ; and under this impression, the arms, ornaments, and every 
 thing that had contributed to the welfare of the deceased, are interred along with 
 him. This supposed assurance of a future life, so conformable to their gross habits 
 and conceptions, was found by the missionaries a serious obstacle, when they 
 attempted to allure them by the hope of a destiny, purer and higher, indeed, but 
 less accordant with their untutored conceptions. Upon being told that, in the 
 promised world, they would neither hunt, eat, drink, nor marry a wife, many of 
 them declared that, far from endeavouring to reach such an abode, they would 
 consider their arrival there as the greatest calamity. Mention is made of a Huron 
 girl, whom one of the Christian ministers was endeavouring to instruct, and whose 
 first question was, what she would find to eat ? The answer being “ nothing,” 
 she then asked what she would see ? and being informed that she would see the 
 Maker of heaven and earth, she expressed herself much at a loss what she could 
 have to say to him. Many not only reject this destiny for themselves, but were 
 indignant at the efforts made to decoy their children after death into so dreary and 
 comfortless a region. 
 
 Another sentiment, congenial with that now described, is most deeply rooted in 
 the mind of the Indians — this is reverence for the dead ; with which Chateaubriand, 
 though, perhaps, somewhat hastily, considers them more deeply imbued than any 
 other people. During life they are by no means lavish of their expressions of 
 tenderness ; but on the approach of the hour of final separation, it is displayed with 
 extraordinary force. When any member of a family becomes seriously ill, all the 
 resources of magic and medicine are exhausted in order to procure his recovery. 
 When the fatal moment arrives, all the kindred burst into loud lamentations, 
 which continue till some person, possessing the requisite authority, desires them to 
 cease. These expressions of grief, however, are renewed for a considerable time, 
 at sunrise and sunset. After three days the funeral takes place, when all the 
 provisions which the family can procure are expended in a feast, to which the 
 neighbours are generally invited; and, although on all solemn occasions it is 
 required that every thing should be eaten, the relations do not partake. These 
 last cut off their hair, cover their heads, paint their faces of a black colour, and 
 continue long to deny themselves every species of amusement. The deceased is 
 
 G 
 
22 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 then interred with his arms and ornaments, his face painted, and his person attired 
 in the richest robes which they can furnish. It was the opinion of one of the early 
 missionaries, that the chief object of the Uurons, in their traffic with the Fiench,. 
 was to procure materials for honouring their dead ; and as a proof of this, many of 
 them have been seen shivering, half naked, in the cold, w 7 hile their hut contained 
 rich robes to be wrapped round them after their decease. The body is placed in the 
 tomb in an upright posture ; and skins are carefully spread round it, so that no 
 part may touch the earth. This, however, is by no means the final ceremony, 
 being followed by another far more solemn and singular. Every eighth, tenth, or 
 twelfth year, according to the custom of the different nations, is celebrated the 
 festival of the dead ; and, till then, the souls are supposed to hover round their 
 former tenement, and not to depart for their final abode in the west. On this 
 occasion the people march in procession to the places of interment, open the tombs, 
 and, on beholding the mortal remains of their friends, continue sometime fixed in 
 mournful silence. The women then break out into loud cries, and the party begin 
 to collect the bones, removing every remnant of flesh ; the remains are then 
 wrapped in fresh and valuable robes, and conveyed, amid continued lamentation, to 
 the family cabin. A feast is then given, followed during several days by dances, 
 games, and prize combats, to which strangers often repair from a great distance. 
 This mode of celebration certainly accords very ill with the sad occasion ; yet the 
 Greek and Roman obsequies were solemnized in a similar manner — nay, in many 
 parts of Scotland, till very recently, they were accompanied by festival, and often 
 by revelry. The relics are then carried to the council-house of the nation, where 
 they are hung for exhibition along the walls, with fresh presents destined to be 
 interred along with them. Sometimes they are even displayed from village to 
 village. At length, being deposited in a pit, previously dug in the earth, and 
 lined with the richest furs, they are finally entombed. Tears and lamentations are 
 again lavished, and during a few days, food is brought to the place. The bones of 
 their fathers are considered by the Indians the strongest ties to their native soil ; 
 and when calamity forces them to quit it, these mouldering fragments are, if 
 possible, conveyed along with them. 
 
 Under the head of religious rites we may include medicine, which is almost 
 entirely within the domain of superstition. The great warmth of affection which, 
 amid their apparent apathy, the natives cherish for each other, urges them when 
 their friends are seriously ill, to seek with the utmost eagerness for a remedy • an 
 order of men has thus arisen, entirely different from the rest of society, uniting the 
 characters of priests, physicians, sorcerers, and sages. Nor are they quite strangers 
 to some branches of the healing art : in external hurts or wounds, the cause of 
 which is obvious, they apply various simples of considerable power, chiefly drawn 
 
TIIE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 2X 
 
 from tlie vegetable world. Chateaubriand enumerates the ginseng of the Chinese, 
 the sassafras, the three-leaved hedisaron, and a tall shrub called bellis, with decoc- 
 tions from which they cure wounds and ulcers in a surprising manner. With 
 sharp-pointed bones they scarify inflamed or rheumatic parts ; and shells of gourds, 
 filled with combustible matters, serve instead of cupping-glasses. They learned 
 the art of bleeding from the French, but employed it sometimes rashly and fatally, 
 by opening the vein in the forehead. They now understand it better ; but their 
 favourite specific in all internal complaints is the vapour-bath. To procure this, 
 a small hut or shed is framed of bark, or branches of trees, covered with skins, and 
 made completely tight on every side, leaving only a small hole through which the 
 patient is admitted. By throwing red hot stones into a pot of water, it is made to 
 boil, and thus emit a warm steam, which, 'filling the hut, throws the patient into a 
 most profuse perspiration. When he is completely bathed in it, he rushes out, even 
 should it be in the depth of winter, and throws himself into the nearest pond or 
 river ; and this exercise, which we should be apt to think sufficient to produce 
 death, is proved by their example, as well as that of the Russians, to be safe and 
 salutary. As a very large proportion of their maladies arise from cold and obstructed 
 perspiration, this remedy is by no means ill chosen. They attach to it, however, 
 a supernatural influence, calling it the sorcerer’s bath, and employ it not only in 
 the cure of diseases, but in opening their minds whenever they are to hold a council 
 on great affairs, or to engage in any important undertaking. 
 
 All cases of internal malady, or of obscure origin, are ascribed, without hesita- 
 tion, to the secret agency of malignant powers, or spirits. The physician, therefore, 
 must then invest himself with his mystic character, and direct all his efforts against 
 these invisible enemies. His proceedings are various, and prompted, seemingly, 
 by a mixture of delusion and imposture. On his first arrival, he begins to sing 
 and dance round the patient, invoking his god with loud cries. Then, pretending 
 to search out the seat of the enchantment, he feels his body all over, till cries seem 
 to indicate the bewitched spot. He then rushes upon it like a madman, or an 
 enraged dog, tears it with his teeth, and often pretends to show a small bone, or 
 other object, which he has extracted, and in which the evil power had been lodged. 
 His disciples, next day, renew the process, and the whole family join in the 
 chorus ; so that, setting aside the disease, a frame of iron would appear necessary 
 to withstand the remedies. Another contrivance is, to surround the cabin with 
 men of straw, and wooden masks of the most frightful shapes, in hopes of scaring 
 away the mysterious tormentor. Sometimes a painted image is formed, which the 
 doctor pierces with an arrow, pretending that he has thereby vanquished the evil 
 spirit. On other occasions, he professes to discover a mysterious desire, which 
 exists in the patient unknown to himself, for some particular object ; and this, 
 
24 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY 
 
 however distant or difficult of attainment, the poor family strain all their efforts 
 to procure. It is alleged, that when the malady appears hopeless, he fixes upon 
 something completely beyond reach, the want of which is then represented as the 
 cause of death. The deep faith reposed in these preposterous remedies caused to 
 the missionaries much difficulty, even with their most intelligent converts. When 
 a mother found one of her children dangerously ill, her pagan neighbours came 
 round, and assured her that if she would allow it to be blown upon, and danced, 
 and howled round in the genuine Indian manner, there would be no doubt of a 
 speedy recovery. They exhorted her to take it into the woods, where the black- 
 robes, as they called the Christian priests, would not be able to find her. The 
 latter could not fully undeceive their disciples, because in that less enlightened age, 
 they themselves were impressed with the notion that the magicians communicated 
 with, and derived aid from the prince of darkness; all they could do, there- 
 fore, was to exhort them resolutely to sacrifice any benefit that might be derived 
 from so unholy a source. This, however, was a hard duty; and they record 
 with pride the example of a Huron wife, who, though much attached to her 
 husband, and apparently convinced that he could be cured by this impious process, 
 chose rather to lose him. In other respects, the missionaries suffered from the 
 superstitious creed of the natives, who, even when unconverted, believed them to 
 possess supernatural powers, which it was suspected they sometimes employed to 
 introduce the epidemic diseases with which the country was from time to time 
 afflicted. They exclaimed, it was not the demons that made so many die — it was 
 prayer, images, and baptism ; and when a severe pestilential disorder followed the 
 murder of a Frenchman, who fell by their hands, they imagined that the priests 
 were thus avenging the death of their countryman. 
 
 We have still to describe the most prominent object of the Indian’s passions 
 and pursuits — his warfare. It is that which presents him under the darkest aspect, 
 effacing almost all his fine qualities, and assimilating his nature to that of fiends. 
 While the most cordial union reigns between the members of each tribe, they 
 have neighbours whom they regard with the deepest enmity, and for whose exter- 
 mination they continually thirst. The intense excitement which war affords, and 
 the glory which rewards its achievements, probably give the primary impulse ; 
 but after hostilities have begun, the feeling which keeps them alive is revenge. 
 Every Indian who falls into the power of an enemy, and suffers the dreadful fate 
 to which the vanquished are doomed, must have his ghost appeased by a victim 
 from that hostile race. Thus every contest generates another, and a more deeply 
 embittered one. Nor are they strangers to those more refined motives which urge 
 civilized nations to take arms — the extension of their boundaries, an object pursued 
 with ardent zeal, and the power of their tribe, which last they seek to promote 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 25 
 
 by incorporating in its ranks the defeated bands of their antagonists. Personal 
 dislike and the love of distinction often impel individuals to make inroads into a 
 hostile territory, even contrary to the general wish ; but when war is to be waged 
 by the whole nation, more enlarged views, connected with its interest and aggran- 
 dizement, guide the decision. To most savages, however, long-continued peace 
 becomes irksome and unpopular ; and the prudence of the aged can with difficulty 
 restrain the fire of the young, who thirst for adventure. 
 
 As soon as the determination has been formed, the war- chief, to whom the voice 
 of the nation assigns the supremacy, enters on a course of solemn preparation. 
 This consists not, however, in providing arms or supplies for the campaign; for 
 these are comprised in the personal resources of each individual : he devotes 
 himself to observances which are meant to propitiate or learn the will of the 
 Great Spirit, who, when considered as presiding over the destinies of war, is named 
 Areskoui. He begins by marching three times round his winter-house, spreading 
 the great bloody flag, variegated with deep tints of black. As soon as the young 
 warriors see this signal of death, they crowd around, listening to the oration by 
 which he summons them to the field. “ Comrades !” he exclaims, “ the blood 
 of our countrymen is yet unavenged ; their bones lie uncovered ; their spirits cry 
 to us from the tomb. Youths, arise ! anoint your hair, paint your faces, let your 
 songs resound through the forest, and console the dead with the assurance that 
 they shall be avenged. Youths ! follow me, while I march through the war-path 
 to surprise our enemies, to eat their flesh, drink their blood, and tear them limb 
 from limb! We shall return triumphant; or, should we fall, this belt will record 
 our valour ! ” The wampum, that grand symbol of Indian policy, is then thrown on 
 the ground. Many desire to lift it, but this privilege is reserved for some chief 
 of high reputation, judged worthy to fill the post of second in command. The 
 leader now commences his series of mystic observances. He is painted all over 
 black, and enters on a strict fast, never eating, or even sitting down, till after 
 sunset. From time to time he drinks a decoction of consecrated herbs, with a 
 view of giving vivacity to his dreams, which are carefully noted, and submitted to 
 the deliberation of the sages and old men. When a warlike spirit is in the ascen- 
 dant, it is understood that either their tenor or their interpretation betokens success. 
 The powerful influence of the vapour-bath is also employed. After these solemn 
 preliminaries, a copious application of warm water removes the deep black coating, 
 and he is painted afresh in bright and varied colours, among which red pre- 
 dominates. A huge fire is kindled, whereon is placed the great war cauldron, into 
 which every one present throws something ; and if any allies, invited by a belt of 
 wampum and bloody hatchet to devour the flesh and drink the blood of the enemy, 
 have accepted the summons, they send some ingredients to be also cast in. The 
 
 H 
 
26 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 chief then announces the enterprise by singing a war-song, never sounded but on 
 such occasions ; and his example is followed by all the warriors, who join in the 
 military dance, recounting their former exploits, and dilating on those they hope 
 to achieve. They now proceed to arm, suspending the bow and quiver, or more 
 frequently the musket, from the shoulder, the hatchet or tomahawk from the hand, 
 while the scalping-knife is stuck in the girdle. A portion of parched corn, or 
 sagamity, prepared for the purpose, is received from the women, who frequently 
 bear it to a considerable distance. But the most important operation is the 
 collection of the manitous, or guardian spirits, to be placed in a common box, 
 which, like the Hebrew ark, is looked up to as a protecting power. 
 
 The females, during these preparations, have been busily negotiating for a supply 
 of captives, on whom to wreak their vengeance, and appease the shades of their 
 fallen kindred ; sometimes, also, with the more merciful view of supplying their 
 places. Tenderer feelings arise as the moment approaches when the warriors must 
 depart — perhaps to return no more ! and, it may be, to endure the same dreadful 
 fate which they are imprecating on others. The leader having made a short 
 harangue, commences the march, singing his war-song, while the others follow, at 
 intervals sounding the war-whoop. The women accompany them some distance, 
 and when they must separate, they exchange endearing names, and express the 
 most ardent wishes for a triumphant return ; while each party receives and gives 
 some object which has been long worn by the other, as a memorial of this tender 
 parting. 
 
 As long as the warriors continue in their own country, they straggle in small 
 parties for the convenience of hunting, still holding communication by shouts, in 
 which they imitate the cries of certain birds and beasts. When arrived at the 
 frontier, they all unite and hold another great festival, followed by solemn dreaming, 
 the tenor of which is carefully examined. If found inauspicious, room is still left 
 to return ; and those whose courage shrinks, are, on such occasions, supplied with 
 an apology for relinquishing the undertaking ; but such an issue is rare. On enter- 
 ing the hostile territory, deep silence is enjoined; the chase is discontinued; they 
 crawl on all fours ; step on the trunks of fallen trees, or through swamps. Some- 
 times they fasten on their feet the hoof of the buffalo, or the paw of the bear, and 
 run in an irregular track like those animals. Equally earnest and skilful are they 
 in tracing through the woods the haunts of the enemy. The slightest indications 
 such as would wholly escape the notice of a European, enables them to thread their 
 course through the vast depths of the western forests. They boast of being able to 
 discern the impression of steps even on the yielding grass, and of knowing, by in- 
 spection, the nation or tribe by whom it has been made. Various and ingenious 
 artifices are employed to entrap their foe. From the recesses of the wood they 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 27 
 
 send forth the cries of the animals which are most eagerly sought by the rival 
 hunters. Their grand object, however, is to surprise a village, and if possible the 
 principal one belonging to the hated tribe. Thither all their steps tend, as they 
 steal like silent ghosts through the lonely forest. On approaching it, they cast 
 hasty glances from the tops of trees or of hillocks, and then retreat into the 
 thickest covert; but in total disregard of the most disastrous experience, the 
 obvious precaution of placing nightly sentinels has never been adopted. Even 
 when aware of danger, they content themselves with exploring the vicinity two or 
 three miles around, when, if nothing is discovered, they go to sleep without dread. 
 
 This supineness is much fostered by a delusive confidence in the manitous 
 enclosed in the holy ark. If during the day the assailants have reached un- 
 perceived a covert spot in the neighbourhood of the devoted village, they expect 
 the satisfaction of finding its inhabitants buried in the deepest slumber in the 
 course of the ensuing night. They keep close watch till immediately before 
 day-break, when silence and security are usually the most complete ; then, flat on 
 their faces, and carefully suppressing the slightest sound, they creep slowly towards 
 the scene of action. Having reached it undiscovered, the chief by a shrill cry 
 gives the signal, which is instantly followed by a discharge of arrows or musketry ; 
 after which they rush in with the war-club and the tomahawk. The air echoes 
 with the sound of the death-whoop, and of arms. The savage aspect of the 
 combatants ; their faces painted black and red, and some streaming with blood, and 
 their frightful yells, make them appear like demons risen from the world beneath. 
 The victims, too late aroused, spring from their fatal slumber, and foreseeing the 
 dreadful fate which awaits them if taken prisoners, make almost superhuman 
 struggles for deliverance. The contest rages with all the fury of revenge and 
 despair, but it is usually short. The unhappy wretches, surprised and bewildered, 
 can seldom rally or resist ; they seek safety by fleeing into the depths of forests or 
 marshes, whither they are hotly pursued. The main study of the victorious party 
 is to take the fugitives alive, in order to subject them to the horrible punishments 
 which will be presently described. Should this be impracticable, the tomahawk or 
 the hatchet dispatches them on the spot ; and the scalp is then carried off as a 
 trophy. Placing a foot on the neck of his fallen enemy, and twisting a hand in the 
 hair, the warrior draws out a long sharp-pointed knife, specially formed for this 
 operation ; then cutting a circle round the crown of the head, by a few skilful 
 scoops he detaches the hair and skin, lodges the whole in his bag, and returns in 
 triumph. 
 
 At the close of the expedition, the warriors repair to their village, and, even in 
 approaching, announce its result by various signals well understood among their 
 families. According to the most approved custom, the evil tidings are thus 
 
28 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 communicated. A herald advances before the troop, and for every kinsman who 
 has fallen sounds the death-whoop, — a shrill lengthened note ending in an elevated 
 key. An interval is then allowed, during which the burst of grief excited by these 
 tidings may be in some degree exhausted. Then rises the loud and inspiring sound 
 of the war-whoop, which by its successive repetitions expresses the number of 
 captives brought home as the fruits of the victory. The barbarous joy thus kindled 
 banishes for the moment all trace of lamentation. The women and children form 
 two rows, through which the prisoner is led, having his face painted, and crowned 
 with flowers as for a festival. Then begins the darkest of all the scenes by which 
 savage life is deformed. A series of studied and elaborate torture commences, in 
 wdiich ingenuity is tasked to the utmost to inflict the intensest agony that can be 
 endured without actually extinguishing life. The first caress, as the French call it, 
 is to tear the nails from the fingers, the flesh is then pierced to the bone, and fire in 
 various forms applied to the extremities. Blows are also given to the last degree 
 that nature can sustain; and sometimes an amusement is found in tossing, for a 
 long time, the victim like a ball from one to the other. Other contrivances, 
 peculiar to infuriated savages, are sometimes resorted to. One missionary, for 
 example, being made to lie on his back, had his stomach covered with sagamity, on 
 which hungry dogs were set to feed, which tore his flesh with their teeth. The 
 unhappy wretch is occasionally paraded from village to village, kept for weeks in 
 this state of suffering, fed on the coarsest refuse, and allowed only a neglected corner 
 of the cabin to sleep in. At length a grand council is held to decide his fate, or in 
 other words, to determine whether all the furies of vengeance shall be let loose upon 
 him, and his life be taken away amid the most frightful tortures, or whether he 
 shall be saluted as one of themselves, and treated as a brother. The decision is 
 influenced by various considerations. If he be a youth, or new to the field, a 
 lenient course may probably be adopted ; but a veteran warrior, who has been the 
 terror of the nation, and on whose skin is painted a record of triumphs, has to 
 dread a sterner sentence. The women have much influence, according as they 
 either demand revenge for the loss of a husband or brother, or solicit that the 
 captive may supply the vacancy. The Iroquois, though the fiercest of these 
 barbarians, being the deepest politicians, were always anxious to augment their 
 numbers; hence, though they prolonged and heightened the preliminary torture, 
 they usually ended it by adoption. This was carried so far that they are described 
 as having at length become less a single nation than an aggregate of all the sur- 
 rounding tribes. The stranger being received into one of the families as a 
 husband, brother, or son, is treated with the utmost tenderness; and she, who 
 perhaps immediately before exhausted all her ingenuity in tormenting him, now 
 nurses the wounds she has made, and loads him with caresses. He becomes 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 29 
 
 completely one of the clan, and goes with them to war, even against his former 
 countrymen ; and so far is the point of honour carried, that to return into their 
 ranks would be branded as an act of baseness. There are, however, many 
 occasions in which the more inhuman resolution is taken, and a fearful display is 
 then made of the darkest passions that can agitate the human breast. The captive 
 is informed of his fate by being invested with moccassins of black bear-skin, and 
 having placed over his head a flaming torch, the sure indication of his doom. 
 Before the fatal scene begins, however, he is allowed a short interval to sing his 
 death song, which he performs in a triumphant tone. He proclaims the joy with 
 which he goes to the land of souls, where he will meet his brave ancestors who 
 taught him the great lesson to fight and to suffer. He recounts his warlike exploits, 
 particularly those performed against the kindred of his tormentors; and if there 
 was any one of them whom he vanquished and caused to expire amid tortures, 
 he loudly proclaims it. He declares his inextinguishable desire to eat their flesh, 
 and to drink their blood to the last drop. This scene is considered, even when 
 compared with the field of battle, as the great theatre of Indian glory. When 
 two prisoners were about to be tortured by the French at Quebec, a charitable 
 hand privately supplied a weapon with which one of them killed himself ; but the 
 other derided his effeminacy, and proudly prepared himself for his fiery trial. In 
 this direful work the women take the lead, and seem transformed into raging 
 furies. She, to glut whose vengeance the doom has been specially pronounced, 
 invokes the spirit of her husband, her brother, or her son, who has fallen in battle 
 or died amid torture, bidding him come now and be appeased, a feast is prepared 
 for him, a warrior is to be thrown into the great cauldron ; his blood will be poured 
 out; his flesh torn from the bones: let the injured spirit then cease to complain. 
 A game begins between the torturers and the tortured — one to inflict the most 
 intense suffering, the other to bear it with proud insensibility. That there may be 
 some appearance of open contest, he is not chained, but merely tied to a post, 
 and a certain range allowed, within which, while the brand, the hatchet, and 
 every engine of torture are applied, he can do something to repel his assailants, 
 and even attack in his turn. He struggles fiercely in the unequal strife, and 
 while his frame is consuming in agony, still defies his tormentors, and outbraves 
 death itself. Some even deride the feeble efforts of their executioners, boasting 
 how much more effectively they themselves had applied torture to individuals 
 of their tribe. Yet there are instances where the murderers at last triumph ; 
 the sufferer exclaims, “Fire is strong, and too powerful;” he even utters loud 
 shrieks, which are responded to by exulting shouts of savage laughter. Some 
 few have been known by almost incredible efforts to break loose, and by rapid 
 flight effect their escape. The general result, however, is death, after protracted 
 
 , i 
 
30 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 suffering; when the scalp, if still entire, is taken off, and deposited among the 
 military trophies. 
 
 It has been made a question whether the Indian can be justly charged with 
 cannibalism. It is certain that all the terms by which they designate their 
 inhuman mode of putting a prisoner to death bear reference to this horrid practice. 
 The expressions are, — to throw him into the cauldron — to devour him — to eat soup 
 made of his flesh. It has hence been plausibly inferred that this enormity really 
 prevailed in early times, but was changed, we can scarcely say mitigated, into the 
 present system of torture. Yet, as every action is described by them in terms 
 highly figurative, those now quoted may have been used as expressing most fully 
 the complete gratification of their revenge. Of this charge they cannot now be 
 either condemned or wholly acquitted. In the excited fury of their passions, 
 portions of the flesh are often seized, roasted, and eaten, and draughts taken of the 
 blood. To eat an enemy’s heart is considered a peculiar enjoyment. Long 
 mentions a gentleman who came upon a party who were busy broiling a human 
 heart, when he with difficulty prevailed upon them to desist. There is little hesi- 
 tation amongst them, in periods of scarcity, to relieve hunger with the flesh of their 
 captives; and during one war, this fate is said to have befallen many French soldiers 
 who fell into the hands of the Five Nations. Colonel Schuyler told Colden, that 
 having entered the cabin of a chief who had some rich soup before him, he was 
 invited to partake. Being hungry and tired, he readily agreed; till the ladle, being 
 put into the great cauldron, brought up a human hand, the sight of which put an 
 immediate end to his appetite and meal. Although war may be considered as the 
 ordinary state of those tribes, yet, after having for a considerable time experienced 
 its destructive effects, there usually arises a desire for an interval of tranquillity. 
 To procure this, a regular form is observed. The nation which resolves to make 
 the overture, despatches several individuals, usually of some note, as ambassadors, 
 with at least one orator. They bear before them the calumet of peace, which renders 
 their character sacred, and secures them from violence. They carry also a certain 
 number of belts of wampum, with which are respectively connected the several 
 motives and terms of the proposed treaty. The orator having obtained an audience 
 of the chiefs on the other side, expounds the belts, dancing and singing in unison, 
 and by actions expressing the peaceful purpose of his mission. If the opposite 
 party be favourably inclined, they accept the offered symbols, and next day present 
 others of a similar import. He then smokes in the calumet, and the contract 
 is sealed by burying a hatchet ; if there be any allies, one is deposited 
 for each. This agreement is often accompanied with professions, at the moment 
 perhaps sincere, of maintaining the sun always in the heavens, and never again 
 digging up the hatchet; but the turbulence of individuals, and the satiety of long 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 31 
 
 peace, to which the whole nation is subject, usually rekindle hostilities at no 
 distant period. 
 
 Some notice may, finally, be expected of Indian amusements ; the most favourite 
 of which are smoking, music, and dancing. These, however, are viewed in a much 
 higher light than mere pastime ; being ranked among the most serious occupations, 
 and esteemed quite indispensable in the conduct of every important affair. With- 
 out them a council cannot be held, a negotiation carried on, peace or war pro- 
 claimed, nor any public or private contract entered into; for not one of these 
 transactions is accounted valid, till it has been smoked over, and sung and danced 
 to. The calumet is the grand instrument of their policy. No important affair can 
 be taken into consideration without the pipe in their mouths ; and hence, to call an 
 assembly of the chiefs is said to be lighting the council fire. This tube accom- 
 panies and is the guardian of every embassy, and to smoke together is the chief 
 cement of national union. 
 
 Music and dancing, accompanying each other, are equally indispensable to every 
 solemn celebration. Yet the instruments and performance are alike simple and rude; 
 for their song, though often continued for a long period, consists merely in the 
 perpetual reiteration of a few wild melancholy notes. The words are usually of 
 the minstrel’s own composition, and record his exploits in war or hunting, and 
 sometimes the praises of the animals which he has killed in the chase. The song 
 is accompanied by performance on the drum, and on the chichikoue or pipe. The 
 former is merely a hollowed piece of wood covered with skin ; the latter is formed 
 of a thick cane, upwards of two feet in length, with eight or nine holes, and a 
 mouthpiece not unlike that of a common whistle. Those who know how to stop 
 the holes, and bring out a sound, consider themselves performers ; yet they cannot 
 play upon it even those simple airs which they execute with the voice, though they 
 will often continue for hours drawing out wild irregular notes. 
 
 The dances of the Indians, even those at common festivals, are on an extensive 
 scale ; requiring to a complete performance forty or fifty persons, who execute their 
 evolutions by following each other round a great fire kindled in the centre. Their 
 movements, monotonous but violent, consist in stamping furiously on the ground, 
 and often brandishing their arms in a manner compared by an able writer to a baker 
 converting flour into dough. They keep good time ; but the music is so exceed- 
 ingly simple, that this implies little merit. They conclude with a long shout or 
 howl, which echoes frightfully through the woods. The dances in celebration of 
 particular events are of a more varied character, and often form a very expressive 
 pantomime. The war-dance is the most favourite and frequent. In this extraordi- 
 nary performance, a complete image is given of the terrible reality ; the war-whoop 
 is sounded with the most frightful yells, the tomahawk is wildly brandished, and 
 
32 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 the enemy are surprised, seized, and scalped, or carried off for torture. The 
 calumet-dance, which celebrates peace between nations, and the marriage-dance, 
 which represents domestic life, are much more pleasing. Some mention is made of 
 a mystic-dance, carried on by the jugglers or doctors, with strange superstitious 
 ceremonies, and in which a supernatural personage, termed by some the devil, rises 
 and performs ; but it does not seem to have been witnessed by any European, and 
 is said to be now in a great measure disused. 
 
 There are, moreover, games to which the Indians are fondly attached, which, 
 though they be only ranked under the head of amusement, are yet conducted in the 
 same serious manner as their other transactions. Their great parties are said to be 
 collected by supernatural authority, communicated by the jugglers, and they are 
 preceded, like their wars and hunts, by a course of fasting, dreaming, and other 
 means of propitiating fortune. The favourite game is that of the bone, in which 
 small pieces of that substance, resembling dice, and painted of different colours, are 
 thrown in the air, and according to the manner in which they fall the game is de- 
 cided. Only two persons can play : but a numerous party, and sometimes whole 
 villages, embrace one side or the other, and look on with intense interest. At each 
 throw, especially if it be decisive, tremendous shouts are raised ; the players and 
 spectators equally resemble persons possessed ; the air rings with invocations to the 
 bones, and to the manitous. Their eagerness sometimes leads to quarreling and 
 even fighting, which on no other occasion ever disturb the interior of these societies. 
 To such a pitch are they occasionally worked up, that they stake successively all 
 they possess, and even their personal liberty ; but this description must apply only 
 to the more southern nations, as slavery was unknown among the Canadian Indians. 
 
 A temporary interval of wild licence, of emancipation from all the restraints of 
 dignity and decorum, seems to afford an enjoyment highly prized in all rude 
 societies. Corresponding with the saturnalia and bacchanals of antiquity, the 
 Americans have their festival of dreams, which during fifteen days enlivens the 
 inaction of the coldest season. Laying aside all their usual order and gravity, they 
 run about, frightfully disguised, and committing every imaginable extravagance. 
 He who meets another, demands an explanation of his visions, and if not satisfied, 
 imposes some fantastic penalty. He throws upon him cold water, hot ashes, or 
 filth; sometimes rushing into his cabin he breaks and destroys the furniture. 
 Although everything appears wild and unpremeditated, it is alleged that oppor- 
 tunities are often taken to give vent to old and secret resentments. The period 
 having elapsed, a feast is given, order is restored, and the damages done are 
 carefully repaired. 
 
 On the first settlement of Europeans in Canada, that territory was chiefly divided 
 between three great nations,— the Algonquins, the Hurons, and the Iroquois or 
 

'AyA Oe 
 
 VUE EE LA LIGNE DBS FRONT IEEE S , PULSE DE SUGAR.- LOAF 
 
 Tom the Sugar loaf.) 
 
 
 PROS EEC T TIBER DIE GRAM EE VOM Z TICKER HMTIt. 
 
 
T1IE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 S3 
 
 Five Nations. The first held an extensive domain along the northern bank of the 
 St. Lawrence, about a hundred leagues above Trois-Rivieres. Shortly before, they 
 had been the most powerful of all these tribes, and considered even in some degree as 
 masters over this part of America. They are described also as having the mildest 
 aspect, and most polished manners of any. They subsisted entirely by hunting, 
 and looked with proud disdain on their neighbours who consented to bestow on 
 the soil even the smallest cultivation. The Hurons were a numerous people, whose 
 very extensive territory reached from the Algonquin frontier to the borders of the 
 great lake bearing their name. They were also more industrious, and derived an 
 abundant subsistence from the fine territory of Upper Canada. But they were at 
 the same time more effeminate and voluptuous, and had less of the proud indepen- 
 dence of savage life, having chiefs hereditary in the female line, to whom they paid 
 considerable deference. 
 
 The Iroquois, destined to act the most conspicuous part among all the native 
 tribes, occupied a long range of territory on the southern border of the St. Law- 
 rence, from Lake Champlain to the western extremity of Lake Ontario. They 
 were thus beyond the limits of what is now considered Canada ; yet, as all their 
 transactions were completely connected with the interests of that country, we 
 cannot at present avoid considering them as belonging to it. 
 
 This people were divided into five cantons, each of which was considered as an 
 independant nation. They were united, however, by the closest alliance ; are never 
 found waging war with each other, nor did they often fail to combine their forces 
 when attacked by neighbouring tribes. The following are the names given to them 
 by English and French authors. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 Mohawks. 
 
 Oneidas. 
 
 Onondagoes. 
 
 Cayugas. 
 
 Senekas. 
 
 FRENCH. 
 
 Aguiers. 
 
 Onneyouths. 
 
 Onontagues. 
 
 Anniegue. 
 
 Tsonnouthouans. 
 
 We add to these general remarks on the habits and character of the natives of 
 North America, a few anecdotes which were collected by a distinguished soldier in 
 Canada, and which we copy literally from his MS. The first is a legend of the 
 Falls of Shawenagam, river St. Maurice. 
 
 Shortly after the Hurons established themselves in the part of the Lower Province 
 to the No E. of the St. Maurice, that rapid river was fixed as the boundary between 
 this nation and the Algonquins. In one of the many fierce rencontres that took 
 place between these two warlike tribes, the following circumstance occurred, too 
 
 K 
 
34 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 descriptive of the Indian character to pass unnoticed. A party of Hurons had 
 been hunting on the shores of the St. Maurice, and were returning in loaded 
 canoes down the stream, when, on approaching the head of these falls, they sud- 
 denly heard a signal, and on looking up descried a large party of Algonquins half 
 hidden among the thick foliage in the tops of trees. The Hurons had advanced too 
 far to recede ; to pull back against the stream was totally impossible, and to land at 
 the head of the falls was only throwing themselves into the hands of the host of 
 enemies waiting to bear their scalps in triumph to their nation. The mind, like the 
 eye, of an Indian is quick and determined. The chieftain in the leading canoe cast 
 one hurried glance on his enemies, and setting up a yell of defiance, steered his 
 frail bark to the edge of the foaming precipice : in this resolute action he was 
 followed by his people, and the whole party were hurried down the dreadful abyss 
 mingled in one mass of wreck and destruction. Scarcely a vestige of these brave 
 men was washed ashore to gratify the vengeance of the disappointed Algonquins. 
 
 Tete-de-Bules . — The Indians frequenting the Fur Post of Wemontashingur in the 
 St. Maurice, latitude 47° 55' 58" N. are not numerous, and generally speaking are 
 a very inoffensive people, although some actions of a horrid nature, committed by 
 individuals of the tribe, have come to our knowledge. They are ignorant and 
 superstitious, influenced in all their actions by dreams, which they imagine are sent 
 to them for a good purpose by the Great Spirit : under this cloak they oftentimes 
 commit great barbarities. They are likewise much addicted to ardent spirits. 
 
 That cannibalism is occasionally practised to a great extent among the aborigines 
 inhabiting these dreary regions, the many accounts which have reached our ears 
 would lead us to believe ; but as these things are generally exaggerated, we know 
 not what degree of credence they deserve. Among the anecdotes of this nature 
 related* to us, are the following, which, if true, show to what a degraded state of 
 mind these miserable people are reduced. An Indian Montagnier, whose name is 
 Mocontagan, or Crooked Knife, in a drunken fit confessed having in the course of 
 his life killed and eaten several Indians and Metifs, or half-breeds. When sober, 
 he attempted to deny it ; but upon being closely pressed he acknowledged the fact, 
 but said starvation drove him to kill and eat the first man, and that he slew and eat 
 the others from a decided preference of that to any other kind of flesh ; and 
 finished his statement by declaring that he would kill any Metif, and eat him, that 
 he should meet alone. He is much feared by the other Indians, who are inclined 
 to believe him to be an evil spirit. He is described as a powerful man, six feet 
 high, and strong built, and possessing what is termed “ a bad countenance.” Upon 
 one occasion, about six years since, at Wemontashingur, the Algonquins took 
 courage and rose upon him: he fled for protection to Mr. Hyslop, the resident 
 clerk of the Post, who with Mr. Le Blanc, now at Rat River, advised him to leave 
 
THE NATIVE INDIAN. 
 
 35 
 
 the place, as they could not be answerable for his life. This man is still living, 
 much dreaded by the Indians frequenting the St. Maurice. 
 
 Another instance was related to us by Mr. Vassal, belonging to the King’s Post 
 company. One day, during the winter, as he was travelling among the mountains, 
 he saw an Indian stretched on the snow. Vassal approached him, and demanded 
 what was the matter. The Indian replied he was sick, doubtless imagining Vassal 
 would be alarmed by the thoughts of fever, and quit the place without en- 
 tering the cabin: but Vassal, anxious to collect furs, attempted to go in; the 
 Indian pulled him back by the leg; Vassal made another attempt, and succeeded in 
 entering. A fire was burning, and a large kettle was on it, which, to his horror, he 
 found contained a portion of a very young child. The savage acknowledged that it 
 was his grandson, and that hunger had driven him to eat it. This, Vassal says, 
 could not be possible, as there were remains of musk-rats about the place. 
 
 With respect to “bad dreams,” there is a Tete-de-Bule belonging to Wemon- 
 tashingur at present labouring under the delusion. He imagines he shall fail in 
 every undertaking until he has slain some person; and once he actually fired at his 
 brother, but fortunately missed him. He is much feared by the tribe, as they 
 imagine him possessed of an evil spirit, which will not depart until he has spilt 
 blood. 
 
 The Indians navigating the St. Maurice have a notion that in a large cavern at 
 the back of the Upper Caribonif Mountain, are a species of wood demons, and 
 that when encamped near the place, they can distinctly hear the screams of children, 
 but where the children come from in these desolate and unpeopled regions, our in- 
 formant could not tell. The place is certainly very gloomy, but it being our en- 
 camping time, we made ourselves comfortable for the night in spite of the wood 
 demons. Before morning, we ascertained the screams of the children to be the 
 hooting and screeching of the owls and night hawks, so numerous in this part of 
 the country. 
 
 In one of the deep bays of Lake Kempt, we saw three Indian graves, built in 
 the usual long narrow shape adopted by the Indians, and well defended from wild 
 beasts by an outer covering of split wood, bound together with branches. Within 
 this outer mausoleum was one made of birch bark, and under this rested the body, 
 covered over with the fine white sand forming the shores of the Lake. Opposite 
 one of the graves was a cross. From the information we received, it appears that 
 one of these graves belonged to Menesino’s mother, the second contained the body 
 of his wife, and the third that of his infant child. 
 
 We were assured that the mother met with her death from the hands of her 
 daughter, in a quarrel which took place a few years since in one of the sandy bays 
 of Lake Malawin. The wife was slain by Menesino in a fit of jealousy, by striking 
 
36 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 his axe between her shoulders while she was in the act of stooping. How the 
 infant came to its end, we did not hear. This man Menesino also slew another 
 wife, and shot a Canadian who went to take him. For these murders, and others 
 of which he was accused, Menesino was once taken and conveyed handcuffed to within 
 a short distance of Three-Rivers. His guards being excessively fatigued, fell 
 asleep, which Menesino took advantage of, and plunged into the river. In spite of 
 his handcuffs he succeeded in gaining the opposite shore, whence crossing many 
 large lakes, — God knows how, — and travelling a vast extent of forest covered with 
 thick underwood, he regained his own country, and has never since been taken. 
 Indeed, he is such a powerful man, and in the prime of life, that few would like to 
 make the attempt, although we have since heard that a party are in pursuit of him. 
 He is said to possess unbounded influence, occasioned by fear, over the male part 
 of his tribe ; but the female part, as may easily be supposed, have a great repug- 
 nance to living with him. 
 
 M. Le Blanc, when at Wemontashingur, was compelled to stand all night over an 
 Indian woman whom Menesino wanted to carry off with him into the woods. He 
 is described as a good looking man, and, what is unusual among the Indians, not at 
 all addicted to ardent spirits. From all we heard, it would appear that he is con- 
 stantly on his guard, fearful of some stratagem ; living entirely alone, the sole 
 inhabitant of these dreary waters. 
 
 On arriving at the point of the graves in Lake Nemeashingur, we landed to 
 examine them. They were three in number, and similar in construction to those 
 we had seen on Lake Kempt, except that they were more ornamented according to 
 the pagan rites of Indians. Near the principal grave was a pile of wood, a paddle, 
 snow shoes, and a snow shovel, for the use of the departed during his journey to the 
 hunting grounds in the next world. In addition to these articles, on one of the 
 mausoleums was a sword, the emblem of a chieftain. At the foot of this grave was 
 a rude wooden cross. We had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the 
 history of the parties who were buried here, of which the following is a slight 
 sketch : — 
 
 Near the graves are the remains of a log-hut, which had been erected as a tem- 
 porary receiving place for furs, until a sufficient quantity had been collected to 
 send into the Post at Wemontashingur. This hut was in charge of a man named 
 Tefu, a Bois-Brule, who was married to a woman belonging to the tribe inhabiting 
 the lake of the two mountains. One day in the year 1816, while Tefu was absent 
 a brother of Menesino named Kenecabannishcum, accompanied by his wife and 
 mother, went to the hut and demanded of Tefu’s wife some provisions, which she 
 refused. He insisted upon having some, a scuffle ensued, and the villain shot the 
 woman dead upon the spot. They then departed, taking with them a young boy 
 
W. ILBartLett. J C Benflev 
 
 C/P / <J? 
 
 c W////:/ < s/// / 7' . 
 
 (Ottawa. River.) 
 
 TOhfBfLA.il DU SQUAW, JWTUSRE OTTAWA. 
 
 iUK CRUST ElKrR INDIAN. 
 
 UN, AH FLUSS OTTAWA 
 
 Ei-oprietura . bjr 
 
 Uiue .18*1 
 

 
 
 
 
CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 37 
 
 who was living with Tefu. The mother observed, that if the boy met any of the 
 half-breeds who were in the habit of going round to collect furs, he would certainly 
 tell them, in French, of the murder. Kenecabannishcum replied, he would soon 
 settle that, and steered his canoe to the rocky point of an island directly opposite. 
 On his arrival at the point, the ruffian se*zed the child by his legs, and dashed his 
 brains out against the rock. The murderer’s mother returned to the hut and 
 buried the body of the unfortunate infant. This is the woman who afterwards met 
 her death on Lake Malawin from the hands of her daughter-in-law, and lies buried 
 on Lake Kempt. Some time after the murders had been committed, a quarrel 
 ensued between Kenecabannishcum and his wife and mother; in consequence of 
 this, the two women repaired to the cabin of the wife’s father, a chieftain named 
 Meshenawash, and acquainted him with the crimes of her husband : when this 
 reached the murderer’s ears he vowed vengeance against the old chieftain, who 
 consequently was compelled to secrete himself until the day of his death, which 
 took place a short time after, for he was no match for such a powerful man as his 
 son-in-law. The grave with the sword upon it was this chieftain’s. 
 
 In the year 1824, this man came to his end in the following manner. An 
 Algonquin, named Michel, was married to a very handsome woman, whom Kene- 
 cabannishcum endeavoured more than once to carry off by force. In the scuffles 
 which ensued, Michel, who was not possessed with the strength of his opponent, 
 was glad to make his escape, and in one instance, he was obliged to swim across a 
 rapid stream, and dive repeatedly to avoid being shot In the last encounter, which 
 took place in the year above mentioned, each man was armed with an axe, when 
 a fierce conflict ensued. Michel by a lucky blow struck off the nose of his 
 adversary, and the next stroke took off his ear. These wounds so bewildered 
 Kenecabannishcum, that he lost all presence of mind, and before he could recover, 
 Michel struck his axe so deep into his enemy’s skull, that he was under the necessity 
 of placing his foot on the neck of the fallen man to withdraw it. Thus fell this noted 
 character : his body was buried by his brother Menesino on the point near the 
 log-hut, close by his father-in-law and the infant whom he had murdered eight 
 years before in cold blood. The body of Tefu’s wife was never found. Michel 
 was obliged to fly that part of the country, fearful of the vengeance of Menesino, 
 and is now resident at the post on Lac des Sables. 
 
 L 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 THE DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 Having given, from the best authority, the condition and characteristics of the 
 aboriginal tribes of America, we go on briefly to enumerate the prominent events in 
 the first stage of discovery and civilization. Those who read the curious picture 
 we have been enabled to present, in the foregoing pages, of a nation almost, we 
 may say, recently sprung to light, and who now look into the singular events of 
 the first civilized history of the land they possessed, will have materials for a 
 comparison between these and the lovely pictures on the other pages of the work, 
 such as, for force of contrast and interest, is not often presented. 
 
 The Italian adventurers, John, and his sons Sebastian, Louis, and Sanchez Cabot, 
 who received a commission on the 5th of March, 1495, from Henry VII. of England, 
 to discover what Columbus was in search of, a north-west passage to the East Indies 
 or China, (or, as the latter named country was then called, Cathaij ,) claim the 
 honour of having been the first discoverers of Canada. The adventurers sailed in 
 1497 with six ships, and early in June of the same year, discovered Newfoundland; 
 whence continuing a westerly course, they reached the continent of North America 
 which the Cabots coasted (after exploring the gulf of St. Lawrence) as far north as 
 67° 50' N. lat. They returned to England in August, 1497, but although 
 Sebastian subsequently performed three voyages to the New World, no settlement 
 was effected on its shores. 
 
W//r . 
 
 PORT PE L’ ES PE RAN CI- 
 
 DER RAPEN HOP1 
 
 Xcmdj u Published, for the Proprietor:- oj Geo:Virtti'- / ' . lyjr I.ane i®4 i 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 39 
 
 In 1500, Gaspar Cortereal, a Portuguese gentleman, visited the coast, and pursued 
 the track of Sir J ohn Cabot (who was knighted by our sovereign) ; but Cortereal 
 and his brothers accomplished nothing further than the kidnapping of several of 
 the natives, whom they employed and sold as slaves. In 1502 Hugh Elliot and 
 Thomas Ashurst, merchants of Bristol, with two other gentlemen, obtained a 
 patent from Henry VIII. to establish colonies in the countries lately discovered by 
 Cabot: but the result of the permission granted is not known. In 1527 an 
 expedition was fitted out by Henry VIII. by the advice of Robert Thorne, a 
 merchant of Bristol, for the purpose of discovering a north-west passage to the 
 East Indies; one of the ships attempting which was lost. 
 
 Francis I. of France, piqued at the discoveries of Spain and Portugal, and 
 having his ambition roused by the monopolizing pretensions of these two powers 
 to the possessions in the New World, authorized the fitting out of an expedition, the 
 command of which he gave to Verrazzano, a Florentine, who on his second voyage 
 discovered Florida, and thence sailing back along the American coast to the 50° of 
 lat. took formal possession of it for his royal master, and called it La Nouvelle 
 France . On Verrazzano’s return to Europe in 1525, without gold or silver or 
 valuable merchandize, he was at first coldly received, but, it is said, subse- 
 quently sent out with more particular instructions and directions to open a com- 
 munication with the natives ; in endeavouring to fulfil which, he lost his life in a 
 fray with the Indians. This, however, is denied; and it is asserted that the capture 
 of Francis I. at the battle of Pavia in 1525, prevented him from further exploring 
 the coast, and that he returned to his native country and died in obscurity. 
 
 When the government ceased to follow up the result of Verrazzano’s formal 
 acquisition of Canada, the Frenchmen of St. Maloes commenced a successful 
 fishery at Newfoundland, which so early as 1517 had fifty ships, belonging to 
 the English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, employed in the cod-fishery on its 
 banks. Jacques Cartier , a native of St. Maloes, engaged in the Newfoundland 
 fishery, took the lead in exploring at his own risk the northern coasts of the new 
 hemisphere. 
 
 This bold and experienced navigator at last received a commission from his 
 sovereign, Francis I., and left St. Maloes on the 20th of April, 1534, with two 
 vessels of sixty tons each; arrived at Newfoundland on the 10th of May, remained 
 there ten days, and then sailed to the northward, passing through the straits 
 of Bellisle ; changed his course somewhat to the southward, traversed the great 
 gulf of St. Lawrence, (already known to Europeans,) and, in the month of July, 
 arrived in the Bay of Chaleurs , which he so named on account of its heat. On 
 the 24th of July, Cartier was at Gaspe, where he erected a cross, surmounted 
 by a fleur-de-lis, and on the 25th of July sailed for France with two native Indians. 
 
40 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 The enterprising character of his royal master induced him to despatch Cartier 
 in the following year with three larger vessels, and a number of young gentlemen as 
 volunteers. The ships rendezvoused at Newfoundland, and in August sailed up 
 the St. Lawrence, so called from its being discovered on the 10th day of that 
 month, being the festival of the saint of that name. 
 
 Cartier anchored off Quebec, then called Stadaconna, and the abode of an 
 Indian chief called Donnaconna. After leaving his ships secure, he pursued his 
 route in the pinnace and two boats, until, on the third of October, he reached an 
 island in the river, with a lofty mountain, which he named Mont Royal , now called 
 Montreal. After losing many of his followers by scurvy, during his wintering at 
 Stadaconna, which he named St. Croix, Cartier returned to France in 1536, 
 carrying off by force Donnaconna, two other chiefs, and eight natives. The French 
 court, finding there was no gold and silver to be had, paid no further attention to 
 La Nouvelle France , or Canada, until the year 1540, when Cartier, after much 
 exertion, succeeded in getting a royal expedition fitted out under the command of 
 Francis de la Roque, Seigneur de Roberval, who was commissioned by Francis I. 
 as viceroy and lieutenant-general in Canada, Hoclielaga, or Montreal. 
 
 Roberval despatched Cartier to form a settlement, which he did at St. Croix 
 harbour on the 23d of August, 1541, but suddenly left it early in the ensuing 
 year. The viceroy himself arrived in Canada in July, 1542, where he built a fort, 
 and wintered about four leagues above the Isle of Orleans (first called the Isle of 
 Bacchus) ; but for want of any settled plans, in consequence of the scurvy, and the 
 insurrections and deadly hostility of the Indians, owing to Cartier’s having carried 
 off Donnaconna and his attendants (who had all perished in France), little was 
 accomplished.* 
 
 Roberval’s attention was soon after called from Canada, to serve his sovereign in 
 the struggle for power so long waged with Charles V. of Spain ; and Jacques Cartier, 
 ruined in health and fortune, died in France soon after his arrival there. Roberval 
 on the death of Francis I. embarked again for Canada in 1549, with his gallant 
 brother Achille, and a numerous train of enterprising young men ; but having never 
 afterwards been heard of, they are supposed to have perished at sea. 
 
 In 1576, Martin Frobisher was sent out by Queen Elizabeth with three ships on 
 discovery, when Elizabeth’s Foreland, and the Straits which bear his own name, 
 were discovered. Frobisher mistaking mica or talc for gold ore, brought quan- 
 tities of it to England, and was despatched by some merchants with three ships in 
 the following year, to seek for gold, and to explore the coast of Labrador and 
 Greenland, with the view of discovering a north-west passage to India. He returned 
 
 • The narrative of these proceedings must he received with due allowance, as there is considerable discrepancy 
 between the different historians. The statements of Hakluyt are here generally followed. 
 

 

 TOUKBILLON SUR LA RIVLERJC DE NIAGARA 
 
 (an. the Niagara.) 
 
 
 DEM NLA GA 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 41 
 
 without any other success than £00 tons of the supposed gold ere, and an Indian 
 man, woman, and child. 
 
 In 1578 Martin Frobisher again sailed for the American continent with no fewer 
 than fifteen ships in search of gold, to the ruin of many adventurers, who received 
 nothing but mica instead of gold ore; the fact, however, shows the speculative 
 avidity of mercantile adventurers at that period. 
 
 For fifty years France paid no attention to Canada, and the few settlers or their 
 descendants left by Cartier or Rob erval were unheeded and unsuccoured; but in 
 1598 the taste for colonial adventure revived, and Henry IV. appointed the Marquis 
 de la Roche his lieutenant-general in Canada, with power to partition discovered 
 lands into seigniories and fiefs, to be held under feudal tenure, and as a compensa- 
 tion for military services when required. La Roche fitted out but one vessel, and 
 unfortunately reinforced his crew with forty malefactors from the prisons. It is 
 sufficient here to state that Sable Island, a barren sand bank, and a rude part of 
 Acadia (now called Nova Scotia), were first settled on and afterwards abandoned ; 
 and that to private enterprise, rather than to royal decree, the French nation were 
 at last indebted for a permanent and profitable colonisation in Canada. M. Pont- 
 grave, a merchant of St. Malo, who had distinguished himself by making several 
 profitable fur voyages to Tadoussac, at the mouth of the Saguenay river, engaged as 
 an associate M. Chauvin, a naval officer who obtained from Henry IV. in 1600 a 
 commission, granting him an exclusive trade with Canada, and other privileges. 
 Chauvin associated other persons with him in his enterprise, and made two successful 
 trading voyages to Tadoussac, where the Indians gave the most valuable furs in 
 exchange for mere trifles. Chauvin died in 1603, but Commander De Chatte, or De 
 Chaste, governor of Dieppe, founded a company of merchants at Rouen, to carry on 
 the fur trade on an extensive scale; an armament was equipped under Pontgrave, 
 and a distinguished naval officer named Samuel Champlain, who sailed up the St. 
 Lawrence as far as Sault St. Louis in 1603. On the death of Chauvin, which hap- 
 pened in the ensuing year, Pierre Dugast Sieur de Monts, a Calvinist and gentleman 
 of the bedchamber to Henry IV. received a patent conferring on him the exclusive 
 trade and government of the territories situate between 40° and 54° of lat. ; and 
 although of the reformed religion, the Sieur was enjoined to convert the native 
 Indians to the Roman Catholic tenets. De. Monts continued the Company founded 
 by his predecessors, and fitted out an expedition in 1604 of four vessels, two of 
 which w’ere destined for Acadia, then an object of attraction. Suffice it to say, 
 that trading ports were established at several places : the fur trade prosperously 
 
 carried on; the Acadian colonj r neglected; and Quebec made the capital of the 
 future New France, founded by Samuel Champlain on the 3d July, 1608. The 
 various Indian tribes contiguous to the new settlement, namely, the Algonquins, the 
 
41. 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 dreadful. Setting little value on life, they fought with desperation, and gave no 
 quarter ; protected by the natural fastnesses of their country, they chose in security 
 their own time for action, and when they had enclosed their enemies in a defile, or 
 amidst the intricacies of the forest, the war-whoop of the victor and the death- 
 shriek of the vanquished were almost simultaneously heard ; and while the bodies of 
 the slain served for food to the savage, the scalped head of the white man was a 
 trophy of glory, and a booty of no inconsiderable value to its possessor. The 
 Canadians themselves sometimes experienced the remorseless fury of their Indian 
 forces. On the 26th of July, 1688, Le Rat, a chief of the Huron tribe, mortified 
 by the attempt of the French commanders to negotiate a peace with the Iroquois, 
 or Five Nations, without consulting the wishes of their Huron allies, urged his 
 countrymen, and even stimulated the Iroquois, to aid him in an attack on Mont- 
 real. The colonists were taken by surprise, a thousand of them slain, and the 
 houses, crops, and cattle on the island destroyed. Charlevais, in his history of 
 La Nouvelle France , says of the Indians, “ Ils ouvrirent le sein des femmes en- 
 ceintes pour en arracher le fruit qu elles portoient ; ils mirent des enfans tous vivant 
 a la broche, et contraignirent les meres de les tourner pour les faire rotir !” The 
 French, reinforced from Europe, sent a strong force in February, 1690, who mas- 
 sacred the greater part of the unresisting inhabitants of Shenectaday. According 
 to Colden, (p. 78,) the Indians whom the French took prisoners in the battle at 
 Shenectaday, were cut into pieces and boiled to make soups for the Indian allies who 
 accompanied the French ! Such were the desolating effects of European coloni- 
 zation on the continent of America, equalling, in fact, as regards the destruction of 
 human life, the miseries inflicted by the Spaniards on the more peaceful and feeble 
 Indians of the West India islands. 
 
 The massacre of the Indians at Shenectaday by the French had the effect of in- 
 ducing the Iroquois and other nations to become more closely attached to the 
 English, and the French were compelled to act on the defensive, and keep within 
 their own territory. Our countrymen at Albany were at first so much alarmed at 
 the determined hostility of the French, that they prepared to abandon the territory ; 
 but, at this crisis, the New England colonists came to an understanding, and formed 
 a coalition for their mutual defence. Commissioners were sent to New York, and 
 a mission despatched to London, explaining their views, and soliciting aid towards 
 the successful completion of the naval and military expedition which was planned 
 against the French settlements in Canada, in 1690. 
 
 What a signal change had taken place in the views and relative position of the 
 parties, when, but a few years after, those very colonists sent to France, whose 
 dominion in Canada they had been the chief instruments in annihilating, for succour 
 and support in their war of independence against Great Britain ! 
 
AYLMER , RAUT CANADA . 
 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 45 
 
 The plan of attack on Canada by the New England colonists, which they fitted 
 out at an expense of £150,000 (a heavy one to them at this period), was twofold — 
 1st, by land, and inland navigation on the southern frontier of the French ; and 2d , 
 by a fleet, under Sir W. Phipps, with a small army on board, which was sent round 
 by sea from Boston to attack Quebec. The force of the English was undisciplined ; 
 it consisted of colonists who were stimulated by deadly resentment to avenge the 
 murder of their numerous relatives and friends, who had been slain by the French 
 and their Indian allies. Quebec was formally summoned by Sir W. Phipps to 
 surrender, and bravely defended by the Sieur de Frontenac, who compelled his 
 foes to return to Boston with considerable loss in ships and men, owing to the 
 delay and bad management of the commander, who, had he persevered in his efforts, 
 would undoubtedly have starved out the garrison. The attack on Quebec by land 
 had, without waiting for cooperating with the fleet, previously failed ; so that the 
 French were thus enabled to meet and defeat their enemies in detail, a policy which 
 a good general, when assailed by superior numbers, will usually adopt. 
 
 The French, feeling secure in their dominions, pushed forward their out-posts 
 with vigour by means of the fur-traders, and more than ever alarmed the con- 
 tiguous English colonists, who now became daily convinced of the impossibility of 
 both nations remaining as rivals on the same continent; the French seeking 
 dominion by military power and conquest, the English by an extension of the arts 
 of peace, aided by a liberal spirit. The latter, therefore, resolved on using every 
 possible means for the total expulsion of their Gallic neighbours from Canada, who 
 refused the offer made to them to remain pacific while the mother countries were 
 at war. The main object of Frontenac was to take possession of every point cal- 
 culated to extend the dominion of France, to cut off the English from the fur- 
 trade, and, finally, to hem them in between the Highlands of Nova Scotia and the 
 Alleghany mountains. He began by checking the incursions of the Iroquois, whom 
 he weakened so much by destructive warfare, and hemmed so closely in by a 
 judicious distribution of military stations or forts, as to prevent them ever after 
 from making an impression on Canada, such as they had been wont to produce. 
 Frontenac’s next step was the preparation, in 1697, of a large armament to 
 cooperate with a strong force from France, which was destined for the conquest of 
 New York ; but while the brave and active Canadian Governor was preparing to 
 take the field, the news arrived of the treaty of peace between France and England, 
 concluded at Ryswick, 11th of September, 1697, much to the dissatisfaction of 
 Frontenac. 
 
 The renewal of the war between Great Britain and France in May, 1702, soon 
 led to acrimony and hostility in America ; and the cruel persecutions of the Pro- 
 testants in France caused a religious animosity to be superadded to the hatred 
 
 N 
 
46 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 entertained by the New Englanders towards their neighbours, whose numbers had 
 now increased to about 15,000. In 1708 the Marquis de Vandreuil carried his 
 operations into the British frontier settlements, having previously negotiated for 
 the neutrality of the Iroquois, who were flattered by being treated as an independent 
 power ; but the destruction of the village of Haverhill, and the massacre of some of 
 its inhabitants, compelled the Canadians again to assume a defensive position. The 
 New Englanders made every preparation for an attack on Montreal by land ; but 
 the English forces destined for the cooperation by the St. Lawrence river were 
 required for Portugal, and thus the Marquis de Vandreuil had time to make better 
 preparations for defence. The ensuing year (1709) was spent by the English in 
 reducing Acadia, now Nova Scotia ; and when the combined land and sea expedition 
 against Canada took place in 1711, it was so ill-managed, and the British fleet, 
 owing to tempestuous weather and ignorance of the coast, met with so many dis- 
 asters, — losing by shipwreck in one day (the 22d of August) eight transports, 
 884 officers, soldiers, and seamen — that the expedition returned to Boston, and the 
 restoration of peace between France and England by the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, 
 left the former yet a little longer to harass and molest the British colonists along 
 the Canadian frontier. The Marquis de Vandreuil availed himself of the peace to 
 strengthen the fortifications of Quebec and Montreal ; the training of the military, 
 amounting to 5,000 in a population of 25,000, was carefully attended to ; barracks 
 were constructed; and a direct assessment levied on the inhabitants for the support 
 of the troops and the erection of fortifications. During ten years of foreign and 
 internal tranquillity, the trade and property of Canada made rapid progress : in 1723 
 nineteen vessels cleared from Quebec, laden with peltries, lumber, stones, tar, 
 tobacco, flour, pease, pork, &c. ; and six merchant ships and two men-of-war were 
 built in the colony. 
 
 The death of the Marquis de Vandreuil in October, 1725, was deservedly 
 lamented by the Canadians. He was succeeded in 1726 by the Marquis de Beau- 
 harnois, (a natural son of Louis XIV.) whose ambitious administration excited yet 
 more the alarm and jealousy of the English colonists of New York and New 
 England; while the intrigues of the Jesuits with the Indians, contributed not a 
 little to bring about the final struggle for dominion on the American continent, 
 between the two most powerful nations of Europe. The war between Great 
 Britain and France in 1745, led to the reduction in that year of Cape Breton, by a 
 British naval and military force, combined with the provincial troops of the New 
 England colonies ; but the successful battle of Fontenoy roused the martial spirit 
 of the Canadians to attempt the re-conquest of Nova Scotia in 1746 and 1747, in 
 which they failed, and the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 suspended further 
 hostilities. Commissioners were then appointed to settle a boundary line between 
 
IMP IDE HE LONG -S/LOIT, SUR LE S.-IHVRKNT. 
 
 DER mSSEREOLL LONG SdULT AM ST- A ORJW/FLUSS . 
 
 1 oexLoh. Pp h Li shed far the Ptoprietors ,T^>0eoiVirtae, ^S.lvvTHQie, 1840. 
 
 
 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 47 
 
 the British and French territories in North America. The object of the French 
 was to confine the English within the boundary of the Alleghany mountains, and 
 prevent their approach to the Lakes, the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, (where the 
 former were now establishing themselves,) and their tributary streams. The 
 Canadian Government, without any authority from home, and accompanied by a 
 display of military pomp, calculated to impress on the minds of the Indians the 
 idea that France would assert her territorial right to the limits marked, proceeded 
 to survey the projected line of demarcation between the possessions of France and 
 those which the Canadian Governor was pleased, in his liberality , to assign to 
 England : leaden plates, bearing the royal arms of France, were sunk at proper 
 distances, and the whole ceremony was concluded with much formality. Such an 
 imprudent step, it may be imagined, seriously alarmed the Indians, as well as the 
 English, and terminated in their active cooperation for the utter expulsion of the 
 French from North America. 
 
 In pursuance of the line of policy marked out by the French consuls at home 
 and in Canada, the Jesuits were employed to intrigue with the Acadians, or de- 
 scendants of the early French inhabitants, with the view of prevailing on them to 
 quit Nova Scotia, and resort to a military post now established beyond its frontier, 
 on the Canada side, where a new colony was to be formed, in aid of which the 
 royal sanction was granted for an appropriation of 800,000 livres. Cornwallis, the 
 governor of Nova Scotia, soon convinced the French that he was aware of their 
 proceedings ; he caused a fort to be erected opposite the French, near the bay of 
 Fundy, on the side of the river Beauhassin ; and placed it under the command of 
 Major Laurence, and caused to be captured at the mouth of the St. John river, a 
 vessel laden with supplies for the French. While these measures were in progress, 
 the French commenced enforcing their power along the line of demarcation they 
 had marked out ; three individuals, who had licenses to trade from their respective 
 English governors, with the Indians on the Ohio, were seized by the French, and 
 carried prisoners to Montreal, whence, after severe treatment and strict examination, 
 they were at length liberated, with injunctions not to trespass on the French 
 territories . 
 
 The intrigues of the Jesuits with the Iroquois, to detach them from the English, 
 were so far successful, that the Indians permitted the French to erect the Fort La 
 Presentation near their border ; and but for the perseverance and extraordinary 
 influence of Sir William Johnston, the wily character of the Canadians would have 
 gone far to frustrate the confederacy forming between the English and the Indians, 
 for the expulsion of the French ; whose downfal was ultimately occasioned by the 
 corruption that prevailed within the colony, and the scandalous jobs that the very 
 highest authorities not only winked at, but profited by. The arrival of the Marquis 
 
48 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 du Quesne de Menneville, in 17 52, as Governor of Canada, Louisiania, Cape 
 Breton, St. John’s, and their dependencies, gave indications that hostilities might 
 soon be expected in Europe ; and the activity of the marquis was displayed in 
 training and organizing the militia for internal defence : detachments of regulars, 
 militia, and Indians, were despatched to the Ohio ; Fort du Quesne (actually within 
 the Virginian territory) and other posts were erected, with a view of keeping the 
 English within the Apalachian or Alleghany mountains ; and from Ticonderoga, 
 Crown Point, and Fort Niagara, the most ferocious attacks were made on the 
 peaceable English settlers, notwithstanding the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748. 
 The British, though still acting on the defensive, were not idle ; a fort was built in 
 the vicinity of Da Quesne, quaintly termed Necessity, and a garrison was despatched 
 from Virginia, under the command of George Washington, whose name has since 
 become so illustrious, and who then held a Lieutenant-colonel’s commission. 
 Washington, on his march to assume the command of Fort Necessity , was met by a 
 reconnoitring party from Du Quesne fort, under M. de Jumouville, who perempto- 
 rily forbad the English to proceed further. This mandate was answered by a burst 
 of indignation, and a volley of musquetry, which killed Jumouville and several of 
 his men. The French commandant at Du Quesne, Monsieur Contrecceur, quickly 
 commenced offensive hostilities, invested Fort Necessity , and obliged Washington 
 to capitulate. England at that time was preparing for an open war with France, 
 which the ambition of Frederick of Prussia, and the state of Europe soon rendered 
 general. A strong fleet, with troops and warlike munition, was despatched to 
 reinforce Quebec ; an English fleet pursued it, but succeeded in capturing only 
 two frigates, with the engineers and troops on board, on the banks of New- 
 foundland. 
 
 In 1755, the Marquis du Quesne having resigned, he was succeeded, in July, 
 by the last French governor in Canada, the Marquis de Vandreuil de Cavagnal, 
 whose administration was auspiciously opened by the defeat of the brave but rash 
 General Braddock, on the 29th July, 1 7 55, in one of the defiles of the Alleghany 
 mountains. Braddock, accustomed to European, rather than to Indian warfare, 
 neglected every precaution of scouts and advanced posts, and refused to make any 
 preparations against the French and their Indian allies, who, when the enemy 
 had entered a gorge, where retreat was almost impossible, poured from their am- 
 buscades on the devoted British a deadly fire, under which the soldiers of the 
 unfortunate Braddock fell rapidly, without even the satisfaction of seeing or meeting 
 their foes. The death of their leader was the signal that further advance was 
 hopeless; and to the credit of George Washington, the second in command, he 
 succeeded in rescuing the remainder of the British army, who were afterwards 
 joined by 6,000 provincial troops, under General Johnston and Governor Shirley. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 qzrnwic, vir x>_£ l/l cot k onnosBB no s ljjttf 
 
 QUEBEC, irOM GMGEBl' BEK ZTEGENDBN OBBOi OJ-T JSf 
 
 LO, 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT IN CANADA. 
 
 49 
 
 Johnston, with the intention of investing Crown Point, joined General Lyman near 
 Lake George, where they were attacked by 3,000 French, commanded by Baron 
 Dieskau. After a battle of four hours’ duration, the French retreated to Crown 
 Point, with the loss of 1,000 men, and the capture of their leader, who was severely 
 wounded. This success restored the drooping spirits of the British army, and 
 helped to train the provincials (who were brigaded along with the regular troops,) 
 for those contests which they were soon to wage for their independence with the very 
 men by whose side they now fought hand to hand against the French — their subse- 
 quent allies. Little did Washington then contemplate the destiny that awaited him. 
 
 The campaign of 1755 was closed in October, by the British retiring to Albany, 
 after reinforcing the garrison of Oswego, but without any attack on Crown Point. 
 France, fully aware of the importance of Canada, sent out early in the ensuing year 
 a large body of chosen troops, under the command of the gallant and experienced 
 Major-General the Marquis de Montcalm, who soon invested Fort Oswego, and 
 compelled the garrison to surrender. In the next year’s campaign (1757), success 
 still signalized the progress of the French arms ; Fort George was invested and 
 captured ; and the English prisoners, amounting to nearly 2,000 regular troops of 
 His Majesty’s service, were brutally massacred while on their march to Fort 
 Edward, by the Indian allies of the French — the latter asserting, or pretending 
 that they were, through inability or neglect, incapacitated from preventing the 
 perpetration of this horrid slaughter. The feelings with which the news of this 
 monstrous deed was received in England, and throughout British America, may well 
 be conceived ; it helped to hasten the downfal of the French dominion in Canada, 
 the deepest abhorrence being excited against those who permitted or sanctioned 
 such a diabolical act. The elder Pitt (afterwards Earl of Chatham) then at the 
 head of affairs, and in the full blaze of his eloquence, infused a noble spirit into His 
 Majesty’s counsels, and so wielded the resources and energies of the nation, that 
 the effects were speedily felt in America. 
 
 France reinforced her Canadian garrisons ; and England opened the campaign of 
 1759 with a plan of combined operations by sea and land, somewhat, if not mainly, 
 formed on the plan adopted in 1690, and already detailed. The invasion of Canada 
 was to take place at three different points, under three generals of high talent ; that 
 destined for Quebec being considered the chief. The forces for the latter place 
 were under the command of the heroic General Wolfe, and amounted to about 
 8,000 men, chiefly drawn from the army which, under the same commander, had 
 taken Fort Louisberg in Cape Breton, and subdued the whole island in the preceding 
 year. Wolfe’s army was conveyed to the vicinity of Quebec by a fleet of vessels of war 
 and transports, commanded by Admiral Saunders, and was landed in two divisions 
 off the island of Orleans, 27th June, 1759. The Marquis de Montcalm made 
 
 o 
 
60 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 vigorous preparations for defending Quebec; his armed force consisted of about 
 13,000 men, of whom six battalions were regulars, and the remainder well dis- 
 ciplined Canadian militia, with some cavalry and Indians ; and his army was ranged 
 from the river St. Lawrence to the Falls of Montmorenci, with the view of opposing 
 the landing of the British forces. A few ships of war, including fire ships, assisted 
 De Montcalm. The skilful disposition of the French commander was shown in the 
 failure of the British attack on the intrenchments at Montmorenci, where the British 
 lost 182 killed and 450 wounded, including 11 officers killed and 46 wounded. In 
 consequence of this repulse, Wolfe sent despatches to England, stating that he had 
 doubts of being able to reduce Quebec during that campaign. 
 
 Prudence and foresight are the characteristics of a good general, as well as of an 
 able statesman. Wolfe called a council of war — he showed that the fire of his ships 
 of war, which had passed and repassed Quebec, had done little damage to the citadel* 
 though the lower town had been nearly destroyed — that further attacks on the 
 Montmorenci intrenchments were useless: it was therefore proposed, as the only 
 hope of success, to gain the heights of Abraham behind and above the city, com- 
 manding the weakest point of the fortress. The council, composed of the principal 
 naval and military commanders, acceded to this daring proposal ; and their heroic 
 leader, although suffering severely from sickness, commenced his operations on the 
 memorable morning of the 13th of September, 1759, with an address, secrecy and 
 silence, that have perhaps never been equalled ; indeed, so difficult was the ascent 
 of the narrow pass where the troops landed, that the soldiers had to climb the 
 precipice, by the aid of the branches of shrubs and roots of trees growing among 
 the rocks. De Montcalm found all his vigilance unavailing to guard this important 
 pass — he lost his usual prudence and forbearance, and finding his opponent had 
 gained so much by hazarding all, he, with an infatuation for which it is difficult to 
 account, resolved to meet the British in battle array on the plains of Abraham. 
 The French sallied forth from a strong fortress without field artillery — without 
 even waiting for the return of a large force of 2,000 men, detached as a corps of 
 observation under De Bougainville against the British fleet — and with a heat and 
 precipitation as remarkable as were the coolness of the British. The eagle eye of 
 Wolfe saw, that to him retreat was almost impossible ; but, while directing his main 
 attention to the steady advance of his right division, he skilfully covered his flanks, 
 and endeavoured to preserve their communication with the shore* Both armies 
 may be said to have been without artillery, the French having only two guns, and 
 the English a light cannon, which the sailors dragged up the heights with ropes ; 
 the sabre and the bayonet accordingly decided the day, and never was the nervous 
 strength of the British arm better wielded. The agile Scotch Highlanders, with 
 their stout claymores, served the purpose of cavalry, and the steady fire of the 
 
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 M.O.UUMEFTT DJX. JYOZFE ET DE MONTC/U, AC, A QUEBEC 
 
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 WOLFE'S UJSTD FLOUT CALM'S UEMKM/IL ZU QUEBEC. 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 51 
 
 English fusileers compensated in some degree for the want of artillery. The French 
 fought with a desperation heightened by the fanaticism to which their priests had 
 excited them against the English heretics, while the heroism of De Montcalm was 
 as conspicuous as that of his illustrious opponent ; both headed their men — both 
 rushed with eagerness wherever the battle raged most fiercely, and often by their 
 personal prowess and example changed the fortune of the moment; — both were 
 repeatedly wounded, but still fought with an enthusiasm which those only who have 
 mixed in the heady current of battle can conceive ; in fine, both those gallant 
 commanders fell mortally wounded, while advancing on the last deadly charge, at the 
 head of their respective columns. Wolfe, faint with the loss of blood, reeled, and 
 leant against the shoulder of one of his officers — the purple stream of life was 
 ebbing — the eye that but a few moments before beamed bright with glory, waxed 
 dim, and he was sinking to the earth, when the cry of “ They run ! — they run /” 
 arrested his fleeting spirit. “ Who run ?” exclaimed the dying hero. “ The French” 
 returned his supporter. “ Then I die contented /” were the last words of a Briton 
 who expired in the arms of victory. The chivalrous Montcalm also perished — 
 rejoicing in his last moments that he should not live to witness the surrender of 
 Quebec — and both the conquerors and the conquered joined in deploring their 
 national loss. 
 
 The battle may be said to have decided the fate of the French dominion in 
 Canada ; five days after, the citadel of Quebec was surrendered, and occupied by 
 General Murray with a force of 5,000 men, and the British fleet sailed for England. 
 The contemplated junction of the invading British forces took place at Montreal in 
 September 1760; and by the treaty between France and England, in 1763, the 
 former resigned all further pretensions to Canada and Nova Scotia, — thus losing at 
 one blow every acre of her North American dominions. 
 
 The population of Canada, on its conquest by the British, was about 65,000, 
 inhabiting a narrow strip of land on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and chiefly 
 employed in agriculture. No people ever had juster cause of gratitude for the cession 
 of the country to Great Britain than the Canadians. Bigot, the Intendant, or King’s 
 financier, and his creatures, plundered the colonists in every direction; a paper 
 currency, termed card-money, founded on the responsibility of the King of France, 
 for the general support of the civil and military establishments of the colony, and 
 which, from having been faithfully redeemed during a period of thirty years, enjoyed 
 unlimited credit, enabled Bigot to conceal for a long time his waste and peculations; 
 and while the British were capturing Canada by force of arms, the French monarch 
 was destroying the commerce and prospects of his subjects by dishonouring the 
 bills of exchange of the Intendant, to whom he had granted absolute power ; thus 
 involving in ruin not only the holders of 12,000 livres (£500,000 sterling) but also 
 
52 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 those who possessed any paper currency, which at the conquest amounted to 
 £4,000,000 sterling, and the only compensation received for which was four per cent, 
 on the original value. 
 
 Civil and religious liberty was granted to the Canadians; and in the words 
 of the writer of the Political Annals of Canada, “ previous history affords no 
 example of such forbearance and generosity on the part of the conquerors towards 
 the conquered — forming such a new era in civilized warfare, that an admiring 
 world admitted the claim of Great Britain to the glory of conquering a people, 
 less from views of ambition and the security of her other colonies, than from 
 the hope of improving their situation, and endowing them with the privileges of 
 freedom.” 
 
 After the more stirring and scientific discoveries of civilized navigators and adven- 
 turers, it will not be uninteresting to present the simple story of an Indian chief, who 
 crossed the continent without compass or chart, and with no resources but his 
 courage and native talent for expedient; and in this rude way, made discoveries 
 which would thrill the bosom of the most romantic navigator. The story was told 
 by the chief himself (through an interpreter), to the gentleman who reported it, in 
 the following words, to the Historical Society of Quebec:— 
 
 “ I had lost my wife, and all the children whom I had by her,' when I undertook 
 my journey towards the sun-rising. I set out from my village, contrary to the inclina- 
 tion of all my relations, and went first to the Chicasaws, our friends and neighbours. 
 I continued among them several days, to inform myself whether they knew whence 
 we all came, — they, who- were our elders; since from them came the language of 
 the country. As they could not inform me, I proceeded on my journey. I reached 
 the country of the Chasuanous, and afterwards went up the Wabash, or Ohio, almost 
 to its source, which is in the country of the Iroquois, or Five Nations. I left them, 
 however, towards the north ; and during the winter, which in that country is very 
 severe, and very long, I lived in a village of the Abenaquis, where I contracted an 
 acquaintance with a man somewhat older than myself, who promised to conduct me, 
 the following spring, to the Great Water. Accordingly, when the snows were 
 melted, and the weather was settled, we proceeded eastward; and, after several 
 days’ journey, I at length saw the Great Water, which filled me with such joy and 
 admiration that I could not speak. Night drawing on, we took up our lodging on 
 a high bank above the water, which was sorely vexed by the wind, and made so 
 great a noise that I could not sleep. Next day, the ebbing and flowing of the water 
 filled me with great apprehension ; but my companion quieted my fears, by assuring 
 me that the water observed certain bounds, both in advancing and retiring. Having 
 satisfied our curiosity in viewing the Great Water, we turned to the village of the 
 
 O 
 
 Abenaquis, where I continued the following winter; and after the snows were 
 
/ The spot where, Lrerurah Wctfe, f&LL.j 
 
 PLAINES E ' ABRAHAM PRES EE QUEBEC. 
 
 LSIXROIT OJT FRUIT LB GBR BRAT. VHJJJTB . 
 
 DTE EBENE ABRAHAMS BE1 C 
 
 WO JTflR GENERAL WOLfT T.\ 
 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 5S 
 
 melted, my companion and I went and viewed the great fall of the river St. Law- 
 rence, at Niagara, which was distant from the village several days* journey. The 
 view of this great fall at first made my hair stand on end, and my heart almost leap 
 out of its place ; but afterwards, before I left it, I had the courage to walk under it. 
 Next day we took the shortest road to the Ohio ; and my companion and I cutting 
 down a tree on the banks of the river, we formed it into a pettiauger, which served 
 to conduct me down the Ohio and the Mississippi ; after which, with much difficulty, 
 I went up our small river, and at length arrived safe among my relations, who were 
 rejoiced to see me in good health. 
 
 “ This journey, instead of satisfying, only served to excite my curiosity. Our old 
 men, for several years, had told me that the ancient speech informed them that the 
 Red-men of the north came originally much higher and much farther than the 
 source of the river Missouri ; and as I had longed to see, with my own eyes, the 
 land from whence our first fathers came, I took my precautions for my journey 
 westwards. Having provided a small quantity of corn, I proceeded up along the 
 eastern bank of the river Mississippi, till I came to the Ohio. I went up along the 
 bank of this last river, about the fourth part of a day’s journey, that I might be 
 able to cross it without being carried into the Mississippi. There I formed a cayeux , 
 or raft of canes, by the assistance of which I passed over the river; and next 
 day meeting with a herd of buffaloes in the meadows, I killed a fat one, and 
 took from it the fillets, the bunch, and the tongue. Soon after I arrived among 
 the Tamaroos, a village of the nation of the Illinois, where I rested several 
 days, and then proceeded northwards to the mouth of the Missouri, which, 
 after it enters the great river, runs for a considerable time without intermixing 
 its muddy waters with the clear stream of the other. Having crossed the Missis- 
 sippi, I went up the Missouri , along its northern bank ; and after several days 
 journey, I arrived at the nation of the Missouris, where I staid a long time, to 
 learn the language that is spoken beyond them. In going along the Missouri, I 
 passed through meadows a whole day’s journey in length, which were quite covered 
 with buffaloes. 
 
 “ When the cold was past, and the snows were melted, I continued my journey 
 up along the Missouri, till I came to the nation of the West, or the Canzas. After- 
 wards, in consequence of directions from them, I proceeded in the same course near 
 thirty days ; and at length I met with some of the nation of the Otters, who were 
 hunting in that neighbourhood, and were surprised to see me alone. I continued 
 with the hunters two or three days, and then accompanied one of them, and his 
 wife, who was near her time of lying in, to their village, which lay far off, betwixt 
 the north and west. We continued our journey along the Missouri for nine days, 
 and then we marched directly northwards for five days more, through the country 
 
 p 
 
54 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 of the Otters, who received me with as much kindness as if I had been of their own 
 nation. A few days after we came to the Fine River, which runs westward in a 
 direction contrary to that of the Missouri. We proceeded down this river a whole 
 day, and then arrived at the village. A party of the Otters were going to carry a 
 calumet of peace to a nation beyond them, and we embarked in a pettiauger, and 
 went down the river for eighteen days, landing now and then, to supply ourselves 
 with provisions. When I arrived at the nation, who were at peace with the Otters, 
 I staid with them till the cold was past, that I might learn their language, which 
 was common to most of the nations that lived beyond them. 
 
 “ The cold was hardly gone, w T hen I again embarked on the Fine River ; and in 
 my course I met with several nations, with whom I generally staid but one night, 
 till I arrived at the nation that is but one day’s journey from the Great Water 
 on the West. This nation live in the woods, about the distance of a league from 
 the river, from their apprehension of bearded men, who come upon their coasts in 
 floating villages, and carry off their children to make slaves of them. These men 
 were described to be white, with long black beards that came down to their breasts. 
 They were thick and short, had large heads, which were covered with cloth ; — they 
 were always dressed, even in the greatest heats; their clothes fell down to the 
 middle of their legs, which with their feet were covered with red or yellow stuff. 
 Their arms made a great fire and a great noise ; and when they saw themselves out- 
 numbered by Red-men, they retired on board their large pettiauger — their number 
 sometimes amounting to thirty, but never more. 
 
 “ Those strangers came from the sun-setting, in search of a yellow stinking wood, 
 which dyes a fine yellow colour ; but the people of this nation, that they might not 
 be tempted to visit them, had destroyed all those kind of trees. Two other nations 
 in their neighbourhood, however, having no other wood, could not destroy the trees, 
 and were still visited by the strangers; and being greatly incommoded by them, had 
 invited their allies to assist them in making an attack upon them the next time they 
 should return. The following summer I accordingly joined in this expedition ; and 
 after travelling five long days’ journey, we came to the place where the bearded men 
 usually landed, where we waited seventeen days for their arrival. The Red-men, by 
 my advice, placed themselves in ambuscade to surprise the strangers; and accord- 
 ingly, when they landed to cut the wood, we were so successful as to kill eleven of 
 them, the rest immediately escaping on board two large pettiaugers, and flying west- 
 ward upon the Great Water. 
 
 “ U P° n examining those whom we had killed, we found them much smaller than 
 ourselves, and very white : they had a large head, and in the middle of the crown 
 the hair was very long. Their head was wrapped in a great many folds of stuff, and 
 their clothes seemed to he made neither of wool nor silk : they were very soft, and 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 55 
 
 of different colours. Two only, of the eleven who were slain, had fire arms, with 
 powder and ball. I tried their pieces, and found that they were much heavier than 
 ours, and did not kill at so great a distance. 
 
 “ After this expedition I thought of nothing but proceeding on my journey, and 
 with that design I let the Red-men return home, and joined myself to those who 
 inhabited more westward on the coast, with whom I travelled along the shore of the 
 Great Water, which bends directly betwixt the north and the sun-setting. When I 
 arrived at the villages of my fellow-travellers, where I found the days very long, and 
 the nights very short, I was advised by the old men to give over all thoughts of con- 
 tinuing my journey. .They told me that the land extended still a long way in a 
 direction between the north and sun-setting, after which it ran directly west, and at 
 length was cut by the Great Water from north to south. One of them added, that 
 when he was young, he knew a very old man who had seen that distant land before 
 it was eat away by the Great Water, and that when the Great Water was low, 
 many rocks still appeared in those parts. Finding it, therefore, impracticable to 
 proceed much further on account of the severity of the climate, and the want of 
 game, I returned by the same route by which I had set out ; and reducing my whole 
 travels westward to day’s journeys, I compute that they would have employed me 
 thirty-six moons ; but on account of my frequent delays, it was five years before I 
 returned to my relations among the Yazous.” 
 
 The remarkable difference between the Natches, including in that name the 
 nations whom they treat as brethren, and the other people of Louisiana, made me 
 extremely desirous to know whence both of them might originally come. We had 
 not then that full information which we have since received from the voyages and 
 discoveries of M. De Lisle, in the eastern parts of the Russian empire. I therefore 
 applied myself one day to put the keeper of the temple in good humour; and having 
 succeeded in that without much difficulty, I then told him, that from the little 
 resemblance I observed between the Natches and the neighbouring nations, I was 
 inclined to believe that they were not originally from the same country which they 
 then inhabited; and if the ancient speech taught him any thing on that subject, he 
 would do me a great pleasure to inform me of it. At these words he leaned his head 
 on his two hands, with which he covered his eyes ; and having remained in that 
 posture about a quarter of an hour, as if to recollect himself, he answered to the 
 following effect : — 
 
 “ Before we came into this land we lived yonder, under the sun, (pointing with 
 his finger nearly south-west, by which I understood he meant Mexico) ; we lived in 
 a fine country, where the earth is always pleasant ; there our sons had their abode, 
 and our nation maintained itself for a long time against the ancients of the country, 
 who conquered some of our villages in the plains, but never could force us from the 
 
56 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 mountains. Our nation extended itself along the Great Water where this large 
 river loses itself ; hut as our enemies were become very numerous, and very wicked, 
 our Suns sent some of our subjects who live near this river, to examine whether we 
 could retire into the country through which it flowed. The country on the east 
 side of the river being found extremely pleasant, the Great Sun, upon the return of 
 those who had examined it, ordered all his subjects who lived in the plains, and who 
 still defended themselves against the ancients of the country, to remove into this 
 land, here to build a temple, and to preserve the eternal fire. 
 
 . “ A great part of our nation accordingly settled here, where they lived in peace 
 and abundance for several generations ; the Great Sun, and those who had remained 
 with him, never thought of joining us, being tempted to continue where they were 
 by the pleasantness of the country, which was very warm, and by the weakness of 
 their enemies, who had fallen into civil dissensions in consequence of the ambition 
 of one of their chiefs, who wanted to raise himself from a state of equality with the 
 other chiefs of the villages, and to treat all the people of his nation as slaves. 
 During those discords among our enemies, some of them even entered into an 
 alliance with the Great Sun, who still remained in our old country, that he might 
 conveniently assist other brethren who had settled on the banks of the Great Water 
 to the east of the large river, and extended themselves so far on the coast, and 
 among the isles, that the Great Sun did not hear of them sometimes for five or six 
 years together. 
 
 “ It was not till after many generations that the Great Suns came and joined us in 
 this country, when, from the fine climate and the peace we had enjoyed, we had 
 multiplied like the leaves of the trees. Warriors of fire, who made the earth to 
 tremble, had arrived in our old country, and having entered into an alliance with 
 our brethren, conquered our ancient enemies ; but attempting afterwards to make 
 slaves of our sons, they, rather than submit to them, left our brethren, who refused 
 to follow them, and came hither attended only by their slaves.” 
 
 Upon my asking him who those warriors of fire were, he replied, " that they 
 were bearded white men, somewhat of a brownish colour, who carried arms that 
 darted out fire with a great noise, and killed at a distance ; that they had likewise 
 heavy arms which killed a great many men at once, and like thunder made the 
 earth tremble ; and that they came from the sun-rising in floating villages.” 
 
 “ The ancients of the country,” he said, “ were very numerous, and inhabited from 
 the western coast of the Great Water to the northern countries on this side the 
 sun, and very far up on the same coast beyond the sun. They had a great number 
 of large and small villages, which were all built of stone, and in which there were 
 houses large enough to lodge a whole village. Their temples were built with great 
 labour and art, and they made beautiful works of all kinds of materials.” 
 
/ 
 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF CANADA. 
 
 57 
 
 “ But ye yourselves,” said I, “ whence are ye come ?” “ The ancient speech,” he 
 
 replied, “ does not say from what land we came ; all that w*e know is, that our 
 fathers, to come hither, followed the sun, and came with him from the place where 
 he rises ; that they were a long time on their journey, were all on the point of 
 perishing, and were brought into this country without seeking it.” 
 
 Moncacht-ape, after giving me an account of his travels, spent four or five days 
 visiting among the Natches, and then returned to take leave of me, when I made 
 him a present of several wares of no great value, among which was a concave mirror, 
 about two inches and a half diameter, which had cost me about three half-pence. 
 As this magnified the face to four or five times the natural size, he was wonder- 
 fully delighted with it, and would not have exchanged it for the best mirror 
 in France. After expressing his regret at parting with me, he returned highly 
 satisfied to his own nation. 
 
 Moncacht-ape’s account of the junction of America with the eastern parts of 
 Asia, seems confirmed by the following remarkable fact. “ Some years ago the 
 skeletons of two large elephants and two small ones were discovered in a marsh 
 near the Ohio ; and as they were not much consumed, it is supposed that the 
 elephants came from Asia not many years before. If we also consider the form 
 of government, and the manner of living among the northern nations of America, 
 there will appear a great resemblance betwixt them and the Tartars in the north- 
 east part of Asia.” 
 
 Indians who have never seen the ebbing and flowing of the tide are wonderfully 
 struck with this phenomenon. Many of the inhabitants of Quebec must still 
 remember that the great deputation of Indian chiefs, from the interior, and from 
 the Mississippi, which came to Quebec during the administration of Sir George 
 Prevost, and had in their company the sister of Tecamseh, were often to be seen 
 sitting in a row upon a wharf in the Lower Town of Quebec, contemplating in 
 silence, and evidently under the deepest impression of awe, the rising and falling 
 of the waters of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 The white men here described correspond in every particular with the Chinese, 
 who, there is reason to believe, held commercial intercourse with the south of 
 Africa long before Vasco de Gama discovered and doubled the Cape of Good 
 Hope. The Chinese are rather smaller than we are, and have the palest complexion 
 indigenous to Asia. Their muskets are match-locks, and heavier than ours ; their 
 powder is inferior in quality. 
 
 The stinking wood mentioned by the Indian chief is probably fustic, yielding a 
 yellow dye, which is the prevailing colour of the garments of the superior classes 
 in China. 
 
 Q 
 
CHAP. III. 
 
 LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 Having presented the first two phases of the history of Canada — its last period 
 under the rule of the savage, and its first under that of civilized man ; we pass to 
 the next, which brings us to our own time — its rule by the government of 
 England. 
 
 The war commenced by the United States against Britain in 1812, produced 
 a formidable crisis in the history of Canada, especially of the upper province.* It 
 is not proposed to enter into any discussion of the grounds or merits of the hostile 
 resolution adopted by Congress. Doubtless, however, as Britain then stood 
 with her whole disposable force engaged against Napoleon, they calculated with 
 full confidence on obtaining possession of the Canadas, and, indeed, of all British 
 America. Dr. Eustis, secretary at war, said in Congress, “ We can take the Canadas 
 without soldiers ; we have only to send officers into the provinces, and the people 
 disaffected towards their own government will rally round our standard.” Mr. Clay 
 added : “ It is absurd, to suppose we shall not succeed in our enterprise against 
 
 * I extract the chief part of this resumee of Canadian history from the very clever work before mentioned, 
 written for the Edinburgh Cabinet Library, by Hugh Murray, Esq, F.R.S.E. It is on the whole the best work 
 on the subject that I can find, though, as the reader will doubtless see, it is written with a very strong national 
 bias. With the reserve of my own opinion as to his colouring , I take the liberty to make use of the statements 
 of Mr. Murray with little alteration, quite sure that no where else is to be found so able and enlarged a view of 
 the period of history in question. 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 59 
 
 the enemy’s provinces. We have the Canadas as much under our command as Great 
 Britain has the ocean. We must take the continent from them. I wish never 
 to see a peace till we do.” A similar impression prevailed in the colony itself, 
 defended then by only 4,500 troops, of whom not more than 1,450 were in the 
 upper province, though the most exposed, and presenting the most extended 
 frontier. Not a few were inclined, on the first alarm, to pack up and quit the 
 country ; but Sir George Prevost, seconded by the majority of the inhabitants, 
 adopted a more spirited resolution. The militia were called out; Quebec was 
 garrisoned by the citizens ; and the frontier placed in a state of defence. 
 
 The States, though they had plunged into hostilities so eagerly, and with such 
 sanguine anticipations, were, by no means, in a forward state of preparation. Few 
 of the officers who had distinguished themselves in the war of independence, sur- 
 vived the lapse of nearly thirty years. General Hull, however, one of these 
 veterans, was sent with a force of 2,500 men to open the campaign on the western 
 frontier of Upper Canada. On the 5th of July, 1812, he arrived at Detroit ; and 
 on the 12th crossed the river, and took possession of Sandwich, whence he issued a 
 proclamation, inviting the colonists to join him, or at least to remain neutral. He 
 announced that no quarter would be given to a white man fighting by the side of an 
 Indian, though this is said never to have been acted upon. Having no cannon 
 mounted, he did not think it practicable to attack Fort Malden, which covered 
 Amherstburg, where Lieut.-Colonel St. George, with his small force, was posted. 
 Hull, however, pushed forward detachments into the country, which gained some 
 advantages, and induced a few of the inhabitants to join them. But his prospects 
 were soon clouded. Capt. Roberts, with a small detachment, had early reduced the 
 fort of Miehillimakinac, which “ opened upon him the northern hive of Indians.” 
 Almost the whole of that race, indignant at the encroachments of the Americans 
 upon their territory, eagerly espoused the British cause, and poured in from every 
 quarter to support it. Meantime, General Brock, having embarked all the troops 
 that could be spared from the Niagara frontier, arrived on the 12th of August at 
 Amherstburg, where he mustered about 320 regulars, 400 militia, and 600 Indians. 
 Hull, whose force, weakened by sickness and by sending away two detachments, is 
 said not to have exceeded 800 effective men, retreated across the river, withdrawing 
 the cannon prepared for the siege of Amherstburg, and shut himself up in Detroit. 
 General Brock instantly crossed, advanced upon the fort, and prepared for an 
 immediate assault ; but a white flag then appeared from the walls, and a capitula- 
 tion was quickly signed, by which the whole American force, including the detach- 
 ments, were surrendered prisoners of war. The Canadian citizens, who had 
 despondingly anticipated speedy conquest, were not a little surprised to see in less 
 than three months the whole army destined for that object marched in as captives. 
 
60 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 Loud complaints were made by the Americans against the conduct of Hull, who 
 was afterwards tried and condemned to be shot, though spared on account of his age 
 and former services. 
 
 The Americans made great efforts to obtain a more fortunate result on the 
 Niagara frontier. Though the New England States, disapproving of the war, with- 
 held their militia, yet early in September more than 6,000 men w T ere brought to the 
 banks of the river, with the view of crossing it, and penetrating into Canada. They 
 w r ere encouraged by the exploit of two row-boats, which captured the same number 
 of British gun-brigs, with valuable cargoes, as they were passing Fort Erie. The 
 troops are represented as filled with enthusiastic confidence, urging, and almost 
 compelling General Van Rensselaer, their commander, to commence active opera- 
 tions. Accordingly, after one abortive attempt, he succeeded, on the morning of 
 the 13th of October, in pushing across to Queen ston a detachment, which, being 
 well reinforced, gained possession of the heights. General Brock, having come up, 
 resolved to check their progress, but, making his advance with too small a force, he 
 was repulsed and killed, closing his brilliant career by a glorious death. Mean- 
 time, General Sheaffe, having brought up the main force of the British from Fort 
 George, and being joined by a body of Indians, with a detachment from Chippeway, 
 attacked the enemy, and, after a sharp contest of half an hour, compelled the whole, 
 amounting to above 900, to surrender at discretion. 
 
 The Americans made yet another attempt to retrieve this unfortunate campaign. 
 General Smyth, who succeeded Van Rensselaer, had assembled, on the 27th of 
 November, 4,500 men in the vicinity of Black Rock. Early on the following 
 morning two detachments succeeded in crossing, and, after a long confused fight in 
 the dark, drove in with loss the British outposts ; but when day broke, and Lieut.- 
 Colonel Bisshop had collected about 600 regulars and militia, they hastily retired 
 to the other side, leaving a party of thirty to fall into the hands of the English. 
 Another division began to cross, but some rounds of musketry and artillery induced 
 them to return. In the course of the day, after a vain summons to surrender Fort 
 Erie, nearly half the force was embarked, though in the afternoon the postpone- 
 ment of the enterprise was announced. After several days of uncertain councils, it 
 was finally decided that the expedition should be abandoned for the season. 
 
 The severity of the season caused a suspension of operations, scarcely interrupted, 
 unless by an attack on Ogdensburg by Captain M‘Donnell, who, crossing the 
 St. Lawrence on the ice, drove out the garrison, and obtained possession of eleven 
 pieces of cannon, and a considerable quantity of stores. The Americans meantime 
 were making extraordinary exertions to open the new campaign under better 
 auspices. At Sackett s Harbour, on the southern shore of Ontario, a naval arma- 
 ment was equipped, which gave them for some time the control of that fine lake. 
 
J C. Army tags. 
 
YS//SY7/ZY7i 
 
 
 -MONUMENT DIB GBNDDAI. 
 
 BTiOCH , 
 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 61 
 
 A large force had been assembled, and placed under a new commander, General 
 Dearborn. The plan of this campaign was limited to the conquest of Upper 
 Canada; the achievement of which, as that country was defended by only 2,100 
 troops, was considered beyond the reach of chance. On the 25th of April, 1813, 
 the general, with Commodore Chauncey, embarked about 2,000 men, and sailed to 
 York (Toronto), the rising capital of the province. It was then very ill prepared 
 for resistance, scarcely at all fortified, and defended by General Sheafie with only 
 about 600 men. On the morning of the 27th they reached the place, and succeeded 
 in landing, when, after a brave defence, protracted till two o’clock, the English 
 were obliged to abandon the town. The invaders suffered chiefly by the explosion 
 of a mine, which killed or wounded about 260, including among the former General 
 Pike, a young officer of distinguished merit, who had planned and conducted the 
 attack. After burning all the public buildings, they carried off the artillery and 
 naval stores, and by the 1st of May evacuated the place. 
 
 The next enterprise was still more important, being directed against Fort George, 
 near Newark, at the entrance of the Niagara channel, considered the chief military 
 position in the country. Nearly the whole force was employed, a small part only 
 being left to defend Sackett’s Harbour. Brigadier-General Vincent, on the other 
 hand, had only a British detachment of about 1,000 regulars, and 300 militia; and 
 Newark had been exposed to so severe a fire from the American fort on the opposite 
 side, that it was no longer defensible. The enemy, therefore, could be resisted 
 only by opposing his landing, or by beating him afterwards in the field. When 
 Commodore Chauncey, on the 27th of May, disembarked 4,000 men, under Dear- 
 born and Lewis, both these operations were attempted ; but, after a long and severe 
 contest, were rendered unavailing by the superior numbers of the invaders. 
 Vincent was obliged, after calling in the garrisons of Chippeway and Fort Erie, to 
 retreat, first to the Beaver Dams, and then to Burlington Heights, near the western 
 extremity of Lake Ontario. The victors could not intercept his retreat, but they 
 established for the first time a regular lodgement in Canada. 
 
 Meantime, a respectable naval force having been organised at Kingston by Sir 
 James Yeo, Sir George Prevost, the governor, was prevailed upon to employ it in 
 the attack of Sackett’s Harbour, defended only by a small party, while the main 
 body of the enemy was employed against Fort George. He sailed on the 27th of 
 May, with about 750 men, but on approaching showed considerable hesitation, and 
 even gave orders for a return to Kingston, till, encouraged by the success of the 
 Indians in capturing twelve boats with seventy dragoons, he succeeded in effecting a 
 landing on the morning of the 29th. Notwithstanding the difficulties of the 
 ground, he drove the enemy before him, till they took shelter in a log-barrack and 
 stockaded fort : thence they kept up such a destructive fire, that General Prevost, 
 
 R 
 
62 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 considering it impossible to force the position, and panic-struck, it is said, by a false 
 alarm raised by General Brown in his rear, ordered a retreat. Much difference of 
 opinion, however, prevailed among the officers. Major Drummond is reported to 
 have said, “ A few minutes, Sir, and I will put you in possession of the place.” He 
 was ordered to obey; upon which, discontent and a want of confidence in the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief became general, and had a most injurious effect on the subsequent 
 operations. 
 
 Fortune, so favourable to the Americans at the opening of the campaign, did not 
 continue so throughout. Extraordinary exertions w r ere made in the western States, 
 particularly Kentucky. Two corps were formed, and despatched under Generals 
 Winchester and Harrison, to march in different lines through Michigan ; then to 
 unite, and cooperate in recovering Detroit, and invading the adjoining districts. 
 Winchester, suspected of a desire to achieve something before yielding the command 
 to his coadjutor, advanced with about 1,000 men to French Town, within twenty- 
 six miles of Detroit. Colonel Proctor, justly appreciating the importance of attack- 
 ing him before the junction, hastily collected all the force within his reach, 
 amounting to about 500 whites, and 450 Indians. With these, on the 22d of 
 January, 1813, he succeeded in bringing the enemy to action. They made an 
 obstinate resistance, and, being posted in houses and inclosures, caused considerable 
 loss to the assailants ; but they were ultimately overpowered, and nearly all made 
 prisoners. The general himself was among the number, having fallen into the 
 hands of a Wyandot Indian, who stripped off his uniform, adorned his own 
 person with it, and could not without great difficulty be induced to make 
 restitution. 
 
 General Harrison, on receiving intelligence of this disaster, took up a position 
 near the rapids of the Miami, to await reinforcements. Colonel Proctor felt equally 
 the importance of attacking him before their arrival. Having assembled about 
 1,000 regulars and militia, and 1,200 Indians, he embarked them at Amherstburg on 
 the 23d of April, then sailed across Lake Erie, and up the Miami. Many delays, 
 however, occurred, by which the enemy was enabled so to strengthen his position, 
 that the attack made on the 1st of May had very little effect. The Americans were 
 then encouraged to assume the offensive, which they did with large bodies of troops, 
 partly landed from the river, partly sallying from the fort. At first they gained 
 possession of the British batteries, but they were then attacked at different points 
 with such decisive success, that upwards of a thousand were killed or taken, and the 
 rest with difficulty found refuge within the entrenchments. These Proctor found 
 himself still unable to storm ; but he had so weakened the enemy’s force, as to 
 remove all immediate danger of invasion. 
 
 Let us now return to the main theatre of operations on the Niagara frontier, 
 
jVii -Vir* PnKK '■*<! for -Q.? Vnipnerors .>• GervVjruuj,:.'-' 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 Wf/V/ 
 
 -pn.T.K -voja 
 
 are cxxa.j>' 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 63 
 
 where we have seen the British driven before the enemy to Burlington Heights. 
 Dearborn immediately sent forward Generals Chandler and Winder with 4,000 men, 
 to destroy if possible this shattered remnant; a success which would have been 
 followed by the conquest of all the western provinces. On the 5th of June they 
 took post at Stoney Creek, to prepare for operations on the following day. In this 
 critical situation, Lieut.-Colonel Harvey, having carefully reconnoitred the enemy’s 
 position, suggested a night attack, to which General Vincent readily assented. It 
 was made with 700 chosen troops, and being favoured by deep darkness, was com- 
 pletely successful ; the Americans fled in every direction, and the two commanders, 
 with seven officers and 116 men, were made prisoners. The British at day-light with- 
 drew their small force. The enemy’s loss, indeed, had not been great ; yet such was 
 the panic inspired by the events of this night, that before eleven next morning they 
 had abandoned their camp, and commenced a retreat to Forty-mile Creek, eleven 
 miles distant. Here they received a reinforcement, but, being threatened by Sir 
 James Yeo, who had come with a squadron and a small body of troops to support 
 General Vincent, they determined on retreating to Niagara. Nor did their disgrace 
 stop here. Intelligence being received that the English had a small advanced post 
 at Beaver-dam, Lieut.-Colonel Boerstler, with about 700 men, was sent to attack 
 it. That officer, however, being unexpectedly assailed, first by a party of Indians, 
 and soon afterwards by a small body of regulars, conceived himself to be surrounded, 
 and, on being summoned by Lieut. Fitzgibbon, surrendered his whole corps pri- 
 soners of war. The Americans now held nothing on the right bank of the river 
 beyond Fort George. The British even made incursions on the opposite shore ; 
 in one of which Col. Bisshop gained possession of Black Rock, where he destroyed 
 or carried off the arms and stores ; but being unfortunately attacked while re- 
 embarking, by a superior force, his party suffered some loss, and he himself received 
 three wounds which proved mortal. 
 
 The British at this time gained some advantages on Lake Champlain, taking 
 several vessels, and destroying the enemy’s magazines at Plattsburg and Swanton. 
 They were now, however, destined to experience some severe reverses, and that too 
 on the theatre of their most brilliant triumphs. 
 
 The Americans made extraordinary exertions to retrieve their affairs on the 
 western frontier ; volunteers crowded from Kentucky, a territory of fierce and war- 
 like habits ; and by September they had succeeded in augmenting General Harri- 
 son’s army to upwards of 5,000 men. They had formed another fortified station on 
 Sandusky River, which Major-General Proctor, without success, attempted to 
 reduce. A squadron of nine vessels, mounting fifty-six guns, had been equipped by 
 them on Lake Erie, and it was with great difficulty that one at all able to contend 
 with it could be fitted out by the British, under Captain Barclay. An engagement 
 
64 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 took place, which was maintained with the utmost obstinacy, and the American 
 commodore’s ship had even struck her flag ; but fortune afterwards turned, and the 
 conflict ended in the defeat and entire surrender of the English squadron. The 
 event reduced General Proctor to extreme distress, depriving him of access to sup- 
 plies and reinforcements, while his stock of provisions had become quite inadequate 
 for his own troops, and the numerous Indians who had joined his standard. On the 
 arrival, therefore, in the end of September, of General Harrison at Detroit, he did 
 not attempt to maintain his position at Amherstburg, but retreated up the river 
 Thames. The other pursued him closely with 3,500 troops, while Proctor was 
 deserted by most of his Indians, of whom he had now only about 500, with 800 
 whites. At the Moravian town, on the 5th of October, he took up a strong posi- 
 tion, flanked by the river on one side, and a wood on the other, where he hoped 
 to render unavailing the superior numbers of the enemy. Harrison, however, had 
 with him a body of combatants yet unknown in warfare, the Kentucky mounted 
 riflemen, accustomed to ride through the woods, using their weapon with almost 
 preternatural skill. Their very novelty he justly hoped would make a strong 
 impression. Following his instructions, they received the fire of their opponents) 
 then galloped forward, and in a few minutes completely broke the British ranks, 
 spreading among them a general confusion. The severest conflict was with the 
 Indians, who lost their chief, Tecumseh, one of the bravest of the brave, stamped a 
 hero by the hand of nature, and equally distinguished by policy and eloquence. 
 The main object of his life had been to unite his followers in a grand confederacy 
 against American encroachment. In enmity to them he had warmly attached 
 himself to the cause of the British, and aided them in successive victories. He was 
 shot through the head by Col. Johnson, a member of Congress. General Proctor 
 retreated to Ancaster, where he could rally only 200 men, with whom he joined the 
 Niagara army. Harrison, also, having thus recovered Michigan, and conquered the 
 western districts, marched to reinforce his countrymen in that quarter. 
 
 The Americans now formed a plan of operations on a grander scale, directed 
 against Montreal, the success of which would have placed in their hands the whole 
 of Upper Canada. In this enterprise two armies were destined to cooperate ; one, 
 consisting of nearly 6,000 men, under Major-General Hampton, from Lake Champ- 
 lain ; the other, amounting to 8,800, under Major-General Wilkinson, from Grena- 
 dier Island, near Sackett’s Harbour, on Lake Ontario. As the city was defended 
 by a very small proportion of the regular soldiers, who were chiefly employed in the 
 upper province, Hampton hoped, by pushing vigorously forward, to capture the 
 place with little difficulty. But having passed the frontier in the end of October, 
 he found on the banks of the river Chateauguay the advanced corps of 800 British, 
 with 172 Indians, commanded by Lieut.-Colonels De Salaberry and M‘Donnell. 
 

 
 
 
 
rKES VE < 
 
 (near Geargeville) 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 G5 
 
 These officers posted their troops so judiciously amid woods, and so skilfully con- 
 cealed the smallness of their number, that the Americans, though they made several 
 brisk attacks, were always repulsed ; and Hampton, believing himself opposed by a 
 large force, determined to retreat. 
 
 Meantime, the larger expedition, under General Wilkinson, having crossed Lake 
 Ontario, entered the river St. Lawrence. At Williamsburg, two considerable 
 detachments were landed, in order at once to clear the banks and to lighten the 
 boats while descending the rapids. On the 1 1 tli of November, one of these, under 
 Major-General Boyd, encountered Lieut. -Colonel Morrison, with an inferior British 
 force. A very obstinate conflict ensued, in which both parties claimed the victory. 
 The English seemed to have gained the chief honour ; but their success was not so 
 decisive as to prevent the enemy from continuing to descend the river towards 
 Montreal. Near Cornwall, the commander received despatches from General 
 Hampton, intimating that he declined the expected cooperation, and intended to fall 
 back upon Lake Champlain. Wilkinson then conceived it necessary to give up for 
 this season any attempt upon Montreal, especially as he found the population alto- 
 gether hostile to the States, and attached to the British government. He there- 
 fore placed his army in winter quarters, near French-mills, on the Salmon river, 
 where he formed a plan for attacking Prescott and Kingston ; but finding himself 
 much straitened for provisions, was induced to fall upon Plattsburg. 
 
 Meantime, the employment of the main army of the Americans in this abortive 
 expedition, enabled their opponents to resume the offensive on the Niagara frontier. 
 On the first intelligence of the disasters sustained in the west, General Vincent had 
 been ordered to fall back upon Kingston ; but he considered that circumstances now 
 justified him in maintaining his position. The enemy’s force in this quarter was not 
 only reduced, but was under the command, it was said, of an officer of little spirit or 
 enterprise. On the advance of a strong detachment under Colonel Murray, he first 
 fell back upon Fort George, then abandoned that post, previously to which he 
 reduced the adjoining town of New'ark to ashes. Murray was not content with 
 driving him beyond the river ; he crossed it, surprised and stormed Fort Niagara, 
 taking above 400 prisoners, with a large quantity of arms and stores. The English 
 afterwards surprised and plundered the villages of Lewiston, Black Rock, and 
 Buffalo, where they retaliated, not very considerately, the outrages of this officer at 
 Fort George. 
 
 Operations were recommenced early in the spring of 1814. Lieut. -Colonel 
 
 Williams, with 1,500 British, having taken post at La Colle, on the river Richelieu, 
 Wilkinson, who had upwards of 4,000 men at Plattsburg, determined to attack 
 them. On the 30th of March, he completely invested a large mill, which the Bri- 
 tish had converted into a fortress. All his attempts to carry it were, however, 
 
66 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 fruitless. Major Handcock even made two attacks on the artillery posted in a wood, 
 though without success. The American general finally gave up the undertaking, 
 and fell back upon Plattsburg. In the beginning of May the British gained another 
 advantage, carrying, though with some loss, the fort of Oswego, where they captured 
 a considerable quantity of ammunition and stores. 
 
 The main effort of the Americans during this campaign was made on the Niagara 
 frontier, where about 5,000 men were placed under Major-General Brown, an officer 
 who had distinguished himself on several occasions. On the 3d of J uly, he crossed 
 and summoned Fort Erie, which, with its garrison of 170, immediately surrendered. 
 He then marched towards Chippeway, and beat at Street’s Creek the advanced 
 guard of Major-General Riall, which had endeavoured to stop his progress. The 
 English general was then obliged to retreat to Fort George, and thence in the direc- 
 tion of Burlington Heights. Brown hereupon laid siege to the fort, but finding it 
 stronger than he expected, and being disappointed of assistance from Sackett’s Har- 
 bour, he fell back upon Chippeway. General Riall, on his part, having received 
 some reinforcements, advanced ; the armies came close to each other, and on the 
 25th the republicans commenced the attack. The battle of Lundy’s Lane was 
 fought long, obstinately, and with various fortune ; a great part of it amid thick 
 darkness, which caused several strange mistakes. The American general and his 
 second in command were wounded ; and Riall, on the other side, was taken pri- 
 soner. By a singular accident, in the midst of the conflict, Lieut.-General Drum- 
 mond arrived with a reinforcement from York, which restored the battle. Both 
 sides claim a dearly-bought victory ; but the real issue seems clearly indicated by the 
 retreat of the Americans to Fort Erie. On the night of the 14th of August, Drummond 
 made an attack on the place in two divisions ; but his men, in both cases, were 
 repulsed with very severe loss. 
 
 Meantime, another part of Canada became the theatre of important operations. 
 After the successes of the allied powers in Europe, the capture of Paris, and the 
 abdication of Napoleon, Britain was enabled to turn her whole strength against the 
 United States, over whom a full triumph was then anticipated. A strong detachment 
 from the south of France arrived in Canada, and enabled Sir George Prevost to 
 place himself at the head of 11,000 men, with whom he undertook to carry the war 
 into the enemy’s country. He proceeded to the attack of Plattsburg on Lake 
 Champlain, defended only by 1,500 troops, the rest having been sent to the upper 
 province. Macomb, the American commander, on being pressed by this superior 
 force, fell back on his main position, which he strongly fortified. Sir George, on 
 the 11th of September, arrived in front of it; but a flotilla, under Capt. Downie, 
 destined to cooperate with him, was attacked by the enemy, and, under his very eye, 
 completely defeated and captured. Conceiving, after this disaster, that any success 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 67 
 
 in storming the enemy’s position would be fruitless, as to ulterior objects, and a 
 useless sacrifice of men, he immediately withdrew his army. This course was not 
 approved by all ; and the general result, so contrary to expectation, gave rise to 
 much discontent and recrimination. 
 
 The Americans were still strong in Upper Canada. On the 17th, General Brown 
 sallied from Fort Erie, and, though driven back, caused a severe loss to the British, 
 who soon after raised the siege. Being pressed by a large additional force under 
 Izard, General Drummond retreated to the old position at Burlington Heights ; but 
 receiving a reinforcement, consisting of a detachment of the troops newly arrived 
 from Europe, he again advanced. Izard evacuated Fort Erie, and took up winter 
 quarters on the opposite side of the river. During this autumn the republicans 
 gained some advantages on Lake Erie, but were repulsed with considerable loss in 
 an attempt to recover Fort Michillimakinac. 
 
 The war, meantime, in other parts of America was productive of important 
 events. The British obtained possession of Washington, where they destroyed the 
 public edifices and property ; but they were defeated in their attacks upon Balti- 
 more and New Orleans. Thus, while one party felt itself engaged in an unequal 
 contest, the other had not reaped the expected advantages from its superior means. 
 Both became inclined for peace, which was concluded at Ghent on the 24th of 
 December, 1814, upon terms, which, after this long and chequered contest, brought 
 back the two powers to exactly the same position as w r hen they had commenced. 
 
 Sir George Prevost was succeeded in April, 1815, by Sir George Gordon Drum- 
 mond, under whom some discontents began again to appear. These referred chiefly 
 to the conduct of the judges, whom the Assembly viewed with such jealousy, that 
 they had impeached at one time the heads of the court both at Quebec and 
 Montreal. In 1816, Sir John Coape Sherbrooke went out as Governor-General ; 
 and under his administration, at once vigorous and conciliatory, harmony was little 
 interrupted. In 1818, he w T as instructed by Earl Bathurst to accept the offer 
 formerly made, to pay the whole civil list out of the funds of the province ; and he 
 applied, not for a permanent settlement, but merely for the sum necessary to meet 
 the current expenses. This was readily granted ; and, in order to raise it, new taxes 
 were imposed, of which, however, the Assembly reserved to themselves the appro- 
 priation. Sir John, being obliged by severe illness to return to England, was 
 succeeded in 1818 by the Duke of Richmond. This amiable nobleman, though 
 personally popular, introduced an innovation, which led to the long and serious 
 conflict between the Crown and the Assembly. Instead of submitting, like his pre- 
 decessors, a detailed estimate of every object of expenditure, he divided the whole 
 into chapters, each comprehending a head or branch, the entire amount of which was 
 alone specified. The Assembly refused to sanction such a change, and passed a 
 
68 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 vote according to tlie estimate of the former governor, stating each payment in 
 detail. The legislative council, however, withheld their concurrence from this 
 resolution ; and the Duke, expressing his displeasure with the Lower House, had 
 recourse to the irregular measure of drawing upon the receiver-general for the sum 
 which he had demanded. 
 
 In September, 1819, his Grace's life and government were suddenly terminated by 
 an attack of hydrophobia. After short intervals, under the Hon. James Monk and 
 Sir Peregrine Maitland, the Earl of Dalhousie, in 1820, was removed from Nova 
 Scotia to Canada. This nobleman, possessing a high military reputation, and an 
 amiable disposition, had been very popular in his former station ; yet, sharing with 
 his advisers, it is probable, those extreme monarchical ideas which had hitherto pre- 
 vailed in the colonies, he was ill fitted to meet the new crisis that had arisen. 
 Having estimated 22,000£. as the amount necessary for the public service, in addition 
 to the revenues vested in the crown, he solicited this sum as a permanent grant ; 
 hut the Assembly refused to pass more than an annual bill of supply, in which they 
 specified every item. The council again rejected their vote, with the entire concur- 
 rence of the governor, who hesitated not to draw upon the treasurer for even a larger 
 amount than had been asked from the Assembly. 
 
 Earl Bathurst, on receiving notice of these proceedings, did not disapprove of 
 Lord Dalhousie’s conduct, hut strongly recommended economy. He directed also 
 that two estimates should he presented ; one, embracing the government expenses, to 
 be defrayed by funds of which the crown claimed the entire disposal ; the other to 
 be employed on popular objects, in regard to which the members might be left 
 uncontrolled. At the same time it was enjoined, that both of these should he given 
 in full detail. This arrangement was well received, the required sum was voted, 
 and the session terminated amid mutual courtesies. 
 
 In the year 1823, the popular cause was strengthened by the insolvency of 
 the receiver-general, Sir John Caldwell; an inquiry into whose accounts had been 
 vainly demanded by the Assembly, and who proved to be indebted to the public 
 nearly 100,000^. When, in the following year, the governor presented his esti- 
 mates, the representatives assumed a high tone ; disputing the right of the crown 
 to select the objects on which to employ its revenue; condemning the unlawful 
 appropriation of public money; and materially reducing the amount of the sum 
 demanded. These proceedings drew forth a strong expression of displeasure from 
 Lord Dalhousie. 
 
 In 1825, the government, during his lordship’s temporary absence, was adminis- 
 tered by Sir Francis Burton. This officer, anxious to conciliate the Lower House, 
 yielded nearly all the points in dispute. He sanctioned a bill of supply, in which 
 no distinction was made between the government and the popular expenditure ; an 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 69 
 
 annual grant being made, with considerable reductions, so that a virtual control over 
 the whole revenue was thereby conceded to the members. Accordingly, they now 
 openly claimed the right to appropriate all that was raised within the province, 
 denying the privilege hitherto exercised by government — of the uncontrolled disposal 
 of certain branches. These were the produce of duties on imports, imposed by act 
 of parliament in 1774, and yielding annually about 34,000/., with some of smaller 
 amount, arising from the sale of land, timber, and other casual sources. Earl 
 Bathurst strongly disapproved of the concessions made by Burton ; and Lord Dal- 
 housie, having resumed office in 1826, disallowed a bill in which the above claim 
 was incorporated. 
 
 Lord Goderich, who, in 1827, received the seals of the Colonial Office, though he 
 maintained the right of government to dispose of the disputed revenue, yet directed 
 that an offer should be made of resigning it to the Assembly, on their granting an 
 annual civil list of 36,000/. On the meeting of that body, however, M. Papineau 
 was elected speaker — an appointment which, on account of his violent opposition to 
 the measures of administration, Lord Dalhousie refused to sanction. The conse- 
 quence was, that no session of either house was held in the winter of 1827 — 1828. 
 
 Discontent had now risen to an alarming height ; and in the latter year a petition 
 was presented to the king, signed by 87,000 inhabitants, complaining of the conduct 
 of successive governors, particularly of the Earl of Dalhousie, and urging a com- 
 pliance with the demands of the Assembly. Mr. Huskisson, who had become 
 Colonial Minister, moved that this petition should be referred to a committee of the 
 House of Commons. One was accordingly named, composed, in a great degree, of 
 members attached to liberal principles ; who, after a very elaborate investigation, 
 gave in a report, in which they strongly condemned the practice of appropriating 
 large sums, taken from the public revenue, without the sanction of the representa- 
 tives of the people. With regard to the main portion of the disputed income, being 
 that produced by the duties of 1774, its disposal appeared, from the report of his 
 Majesty’s law officers, to be vested in the crown ; yet the committee judged, that 
 the real interests of the province would be best promoted by placing the whole 
 under the control of the Assembly. At the same time, they distinctly expressed 
 their opinion that the governor, the judges, and the executive council, should be 
 made independent of the annual votes of that body. They recommended that a 
 more liberal character should be assigned in a more beneficial manner. Generally 
 admitting that the grievances complained of were more or less well-founded, 
 they advised a thorough and effectual redress. 
 
 This report appears to have given very decided satisfaction in the colony, and the 
 Assembly ordered it to be printed, and 400 copies distributed. In a series of reso- 
 lutions, passed on the 19th of March, 1830, they seem to limit their demands to the 
 
 T 
 
70 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 complete fulfilment of its provisions. Sir James Kempt, wlio was sent out in 1828, 
 had been furnished with instructions to carry the recommendations of the committee 
 into effect with as little delay as possible, and generally to follow a conciliatory 
 system. He appears to have proceeded with zeal and efficiency in the prescribed 
 course. Three new members were added to the legislative council, who are said to 
 have been agreeable to the popular party. The judges, with the exception of the 
 Chief Justice, whose advice on legal questions was considered desirable, were 
 requested, with some earnestness, to resign their places in that body. They 
 declined compliance, but agreed to take no share in its deliberations, and did not 
 afterwards attend its sittings. New members were also added to the executive council, 
 in which seats were even offered to Neilson and Papineau, the leaders of the oppo- 
 sition. The act, transferring to the Assembly the revenue in dispute, could not be 
 obtained immediately, but it was promised on the first meeting of parliament. The 
 Assembly, however, in voting the supplies of 1829, had proceeded on the supposi- 
 tion of having the whole at their disposal, and cut off several thousand pounds from 
 the governor’s estimates ; but as the vote did not appear to involve any absolute 
 recognition of their claim, and as it seemed inexpedient to dispute a point virtually 
 given up, Sir James yielded his assent. This step, though not approved by Sir 
 George Murray, was not, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, positively 
 disallowed. The governor is said to have treated the ruling party in the Assembly 
 with a courtesy of manners to which they had not been accustomed ; and on his 
 departure, in 1830, addresses were presented to him by the most respectable inhabi- 
 tants of Quebec and Montreal, which were signed by Papineau and other popular 
 leaders. 
 
 Lord Aylmer immediately succeeded to the government. His communications 
 with the Assembly were of the most friendly description ; and though circumstances, 
 consequent on the death of George IV., had still prevented the passing of the pro- 
 posed act, it was promised with all practicable speed. Lord Goderich, who now pre- 
 sided in the Colonial Office, directed that the items, which had been again rejected in 
 1830, and amounting now to 7,500/., should not be longer pressed, but a compensa- 
 tion be requested for several individuals who had been thereby deprived of their 
 income. On the 24th of December, his lordship sent two despatches, intimating his 
 intention to bring in a bill, which should empower his Majesty to place the proceeds 
 of the duties in question at the disposal of the Assembly. In return, that body was 
 expected to make a permanent provision for the judges, as well as for the principal 
 officers of government. The demand was fixed, according to a very moderate 
 estimate, at 19,100/., which, by a grant of 5,000/., made in 1795, for the support of 
 the civil government, would be reduced to 14,100/. It was intimated, however, 
 that the casual and territorial revenues, arising from the sale of land, the cutting of 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 71 
 
 timber, and other sources, were still to be considered as belonging to the king. 
 They had amounted in the previous year to 11,231/., but were reduced, by expenses 
 of collection and other deductions, to about 7,500Z. This sum it was proposed to 
 employ chiefly in paying the stipends of the clergy of the established church, 
 hitherto drawn, not very appropriately, out of the army extraordinaries. It was 
 urged, that these funds belonged legally and constitutionally to his Majesty, whose 
 employment of them upon objects, not of mere patronage, but closely connected 
 with the interests of the province, could not be reasonably objected to. 
 
 Lord Aylmer was well aware that this last reservation would be deemed very 
 unsatisfactory ; but he considered it most prudent to lay before the Assembly a full 
 and frank statement of the views of government. That body, after inquiring into 
 the mode of collection and amount of these revenues, passed a resolution, that, 
 “ under no circumstances, and upon no consideration whatever, they would abandon 
 or compromise their claim to control over the whole public revenue.” Particular 
 objection was also intimated to the support of exclusive religious establishments ; 
 doubtless, more strongly felt from the circumstance, that the church to be endowed 
 was different from that of the ruling party. They determined, therefore, for the 
 present, not to grant any permanent supply ; and on the 8th of March, 1831, drew 
 up, on the motion of Mr. Neilson, a pretty long list of grievances, which was pre- 
 sented to the governor. He expressed in return an earnest wish to know if these 
 comprised the whole of their complaints ; giving them to understand that silence 
 would be construed into an admission of their being so. They were accordingly 
 silent ; passed a bill of annual supply ; and showed, on the whole, a more favourable 
 tone and temper. 
 
 His lordship transmitted the list of complaints, with an admission that many of 
 them were well founded ; at the same time eulogising the loyal disposition of the 
 people of Canada. Lord Goderich, in a long reply, dated July 7, 1831, declared 
 that there was scarcely a point which government were not ready to concede ; and 
 expressed his satisfaction at the prospect thus afforded of a termination to this long 
 and harassing contest. This despatch was laid before the house, who, in a series ot 
 resolutions, declared their gratitude for the expressions of his Majesty’s paternal 
 regard— the proofs of a just and liberal policy— and the feelings of kindness and 
 good-will manifested in it. The different points to which it related were referred to 
 separate committees. 
 
 Soon after, a despatch from the Colonial Secretary made known that the act for 
 transferring the funds in dispute had passed the houses of parliament, and received 
 the royal assent. Whether from extreme liberality or total inadvertence, it was so 
 worded as to preclude the imperial treasury from ever exercising any control over 
 them, leaving thus no room for negotiation with the Assembly. Lord Aylmer was 
 
CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 CA 
 
 instructed, however, to demand in return a grant of permanent salaries to the judges, 
 who were also, according to the Assembly’s desire, to be made independent of the 
 crown ; and a similar provision was asked for the governor, and a few of the chief 
 executive officers. This matter being referred to the Assembly, they began, on the 
 20th of January, 1832, with the first particular. On providing that the judges 
 should be independent of the crown, and, with the exception of the Chief Justice, 
 should not sit in the executive or legislative councils, it was determined that perma- 
 nent salaries should be paid to them. But, at the same time, a motion of Mr. 
 Neilson was carried by a large majority, that these should be drawn in the first 
 instance from the casual and territorial revenues, which Lord Goderich had 
 expressly reserved to the crown. Lord Aylmer considered it, therefore, necessary 
 to send home the bill, yet with an advice to accept the terms, as the best there was 
 any likelihood of obtaining. It was rejected, however, on two grounds : first, that 
 it did not render the judges really independent of the Assembly, but left an annual 
 vote still necessary. We cannot help suspecting that there was an unhappy mis- 
 conception. The terms of the bill are, “ that the salaries shall be secured to them 
 in a fixed and permanent manner and “ shall be taken and paid out of the pro- 
 ceeds of the casual and territorial revenue now appropriated by acts of the provincial 
 parliament, for defraying the charges of the administration of justice, and the support 
 of the civil government, and out of any other public revenue of the province which 
 may be or come into the hands of the receiver-general.” It would appear that, 
 according to the plain meaning of language, these terms involved a full warrant for 
 payment. Probably Lord Goderich had legal advice, and some technical terms, 
 usual in British acts, might be wanting ; but a provincial legislature could scarcely 
 be expected to be fully aware of these niceties. The legislative body, the governor, 
 and we doubt not also the Assembly, had considered this as a permanent settle- 
 ment ; the latter, had it been so acted on, probably would not, and certainly could not 
 reasonably have objected. The other ground was the encroachment upon the casual 
 and territorial revenue, which, in this indirect manner, was considered peculiarly 
 offensive, though Lord Goderich had been fully apprised of their determination 
 against any agreement in which this article was not included. 
 
 The next question which came before the Assembly was — the demand of a per- 
 manent provision for the governor, and a certain number of the leading executive 
 officers. After a long debate, however, it was carried by a large majority in the 
 negative. This decision placed the Assembly completely at issue with the crown, 
 and has been represented as a breach of faith on their part. They had not, it is 
 true, come under any formal engagement ; yet the report of the committee of 1828, 
 which decidedly connected this arrangement with the cession of the disputed reve- 
 nues, had always been referred to by them as embracing almost every thing desired ; 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 73 
 
 and to this part of it they had never hinted any objection. On the 6th of December, 
 1830, they had passed resolutions, insisting, indeed, on the control of the entire 
 revenue ; but expressing an intention, were this gained, to grant the permanent 
 provision now demanded. That preliminary claim certainly embraced also the 
 casual and territorial branches still withheld ; yet these were not of great amount, 
 and the present bill, like that relating to the judges, might have been so framed as 
 to be inoperative without these funds being embraced by it. No reason was 
 assigned ; but the view of the Assembly is stated to have been, that the executive, 
 not being dependent on them for a naval and military establishment, would, in case 
 of such a permanent settlement, have been entirely free from that control which they 
 sought to exercise over it. They passed, however, a vote of annual supply, which 
 Lord Goderich, though much dissatisfied with the tenor of their proceedings, 
 thought it expedient to sanction. 
 
 Next year (1833) the Assembly still granted only an annual bill, in which, accord- 
 ing to a requisition of Lord Goderich, they stated the purposes to which each 
 particular sum was to be applied. They added, without its being asked or wished, 
 the individuals to whom it was to be paid ; and appended a number of conditions, 
 chiefly bearing, that such persons should not hold any other situation, and should 
 not be members of the executive or legislative councils. This was considered 
 objectionable, because public officers were thus suddenly deprived of situations 
 which they had long held, without any consideration of their claims to compensa- 
 tion ; also, because those regulations ought not to have been tacked to a money 
 bill, but made the subject of a separate enactment. On these grounds this bill was 
 negatived by the Legislative Council ; and Lord Stanley, who had been placed at the 
 head of the Colonial Office, intimated that, had it reached him, he could not have 
 advised his Majesty to assent to it. In the same session, a measure was introduced 
 for securing independence and permanent provision to the judges, in a form calcu- 
 lated to obviate Lord Goderich’s chief objections ; but on the motion of M. Papi- 
 neau it was rejected, and the speeches of the leaders of the Assembly are said to 
 have implied, that it was no longer considered advisable to exempt these function- 
 aries from their control. 
 
 The breach now continually widened. Lord Stanley, considering the conduct of 
 the Canadians as manifesting a resolution to engross the whole power of the state, 
 directed the funds, not yet made over by parliament, to be employed in the partial 
 payment of the civil officers ; and he is said to have determined to bring in a bill for 
 repealing the act by which the concession had been made. Meantime the Assembly 
 had raised, and placed in the front of their demands, a new article, which almost 
 entirely precluded all hope of accommodation ; namely, the abolition of the present 
 Legislative Council, and the substitution of one elected like themselves by the body of 
 
 u 
 
74 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 the people. Such an arrangement was without example in any British colony ; and 
 the existing state of political feeling in the mother country would have rendered it 
 scarcely possible for ministers to propose it in parliament. It had been first started 
 in March, 1831, when Lord Aylmer had just gone out, with the announced inten- 
 tion of acting upon the report of 1828, and redressing, if possible, every grievance 
 hitherto complained of. There seemed, therefore, room to suspect that the conci- 
 liatory disposition shown, instead of producing final satisfaction, had only prompted 
 to higher demands, through the belief that by perseverance they would finally 
 obtain whatever they chose to ask. Yet, though a resolution of the committee to 
 that effect was approved by the members, it was not expressly included in the 
 list of grievances then presented. But on the 20tli of March, 1833, a petition to 
 the King, signed by M. Papineau, speaker of the House of Assembly, strenuously 
 urged this measure, and the calling of a body of delegates to arrange the conditions. 
 The leading ones proposed were, a qualification in the electors of £10 in the 
 country, and of £20 in towns; a certain income to qualify the councillor, and the 
 duration of his functions for six years. Lord Stanley, in reply, said this was an 
 object to which, deeming it altogether inconsistent with the very existence of 
 monarchical institutions, he could never advise his Majesty to consent; and he 
 particularly objected to the proposed mode of effecting it, by what he termed 
 “ a national convention.” A counter address, however, by the Legislative Council, 
 was censured as intemperate in its language, and appearing to ascribe generally to 
 his Majesty’s subjects, of one origin, views inconsistent with their allegiance. In con- 
 clusion, he alluded to “ the possibility that events might unhappily force upon parlia- 
 ment the exercise of its supreme authority to compose the internal dissensions of the 
 colonies, and which might lead to a modification of the charter of the Canadas.” 
 
 This despatch was submitted to the Assembly, and its entire tenor, particularly 
 the implied threat at the close, excited the highest indignation in that body. They 
 declined this year (1834) to pass any bill of supply whatever, and employed the 
 session in preparing another long list of grievances. They complained that, while 
 those formerly urged were still unredressed, there had been added the partial pay- 
 ment of the civil officers without their consent. They made a preparatory demand 
 of the elective Legislative Council, without which nothing would be accepted as satis- 
 factory. Lord Aylmer’s conduct was reprobated as violent, unconstitutional, and 
 contemptuous, and his recall urgently demanded. The published correspondence 
 assuredly does not bear out this charge. His addresses to the Assembly are parti- 
 cularly courteous ; and he recommends generally to the government at home con- 
 cessions so extensive, that Lord Goderich, himself considered liberal towards the 
 colonies, refused to accede to them. The petition, however, was presented to par- 
 liament, and a committee appointed for its consideration. 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 75 
 
 Meantime, Lord Stanley retired from power, and was succeeded in the colonial 
 department by Mr. Spring Rice. This gentleman renounced the design entertained 
 by his predecessor, of recalling the revenues yielded to the Assembly, and gave 
 intimation, it is said, that he would follow a more conciliatory course. He only 
 asked a little time, till he could make himself master of the subject ; and thus the 
 popular leaders were induced to delay taking any strong measures. They bitterly 
 complained, however, that the administration was carried on as before. Lord 
 Aylmer was continued in the government ; and, though the Canadian funds were not 
 intrenched upon, a sum of £81,000 was advanced from the military chest for pay- 
 ment of the civil servants, by which their responsibility to the Assembly was equally 
 evaded. Before Mr. Rice had matured his plan, he was removed from office by the 
 accession of Sir Robert Peel to power. He stated that he had it completed, and 
 was ready to submit it to the cabinet on the very day when this change occurred ; an 
 assertion which Mr. Roebuck treats with evident scepticism, though seemingly 
 without any adequate ground. 
 
 Sir Robert, on assuming the reins of office, early directed his attention to the 
 disturbed state of Canada. After some deliberation, he determined to send out a 
 commissioner, with power to examine on the spot, and redress without delay, every 
 real grievance which should be proved to exist. Even the casual and territorial 
 revenues were to be surrendered, on condition of the settlement of a civil list for at 
 least seven years. The elective Legislative Council, however, and the entire manage- 
 ment of the public lands could not be conceded. Viscount Canterbury, the late 
 speaker, was first invited to fill this important appointment ; and, on his declining, 
 it was conferred on Earl Amherst. This arrangement, however, w r as nullified by 
 the vote which led to the resignation of Sir Robert, and the return of Lord 
 Melbourne to power. 
 
 The restored ministry followed up, with certain modifications, the plan of their 
 predecessors. A commission was sent out for inquiry only, and without the power 
 of decision, composed of the following individuals : the Earl of Gosford, Sir Charles 
 Edward Grey, and Sir George Gipps. The first, an Irish nobleman, professing 
 principles decidedly liberal, succeeded Lord Aylmer as governor. Lord Glenelg, 
 now the Colonial Secretary, drew up for their guidance a series of instructions, in 
 which he considered the claim to the disposal of the entire revenue somewhat 
 exorbitant, and not warranted by British example ; yet was willing, for the sake of 
 peace, to consent to it on certain conditions. These were — an independent provi- 
 sion for the judges, and salaries for the civil officers, fixed for a certain number of 
 years ; ten being mentioned as particularly suitable. With regard to the uncleared 
 lands, the whole proceeds arising from their sale were to be placed at the disposal of 
 the Assembly ; but government could not consent to part with the management of 
 
76 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 them, or annul the contract made with the Land Company, though they would be 
 ready to guard against all abuses, and even to receive any suggestions on the subject. 
 The existing pensions were also to be retained, but the future power of granting 
 them would be surrendered. In regard to the critical question of the elective 
 legislative council, it was said: “The King is most unwilling to admit as open to 
 debate, the question — whether one of the vital principles of the provincial govern- 
 ment shall undergo alteration ?” The right of petition, however, was fully recog- 
 nized ; and his Majesty would not “ absolutely close the avenue to inquiry,” even 
 where, “ for the present, he saw no reasonable ground of doubt.” 
 
 “ The Earl of Gosford, having arrived in Canada, lost no time in calling a meeting 
 of the legislature, who were convoked on the 27th of October, 1835; and, in his 
 opening speeches, he professed the most conciliatory views, particularly towards the 
 French, or popular party. He avowed the opinion, that “ to be acceptable to the 
 great body of the people, is one of the most essential elements of fitness for public 
 station.” He intimated his readiness to place the whole revenue at the disposal of the 
 Assembly, on the conditions formerly stated. All the other grievances were to be 
 carefully examined and redressed ; and allusion was made to “ still graver matters,” 
 respecting which the commissioners “ were not precluded from entering into an 
 inquiry.” 
 
 The Legislative Council returned an answer, which, in all respects, was extremely 
 moderate. They generally concurred in the sentiments of the speech, deprecated 
 the idea that difference of origin should affect political rights, which ought to be 
 equal to all his Majesty's subjects. But the House of Assembly, while holding con- 
 ciliatory language, advanced much more lofty pretensions. The change in the Legis- 
 lative Council was repeatedly pressed, as absolutely essential to the tranquillity and 
 contentment of the province. The entire control of the public revenue was referred to, 
 not as a boon, but an incontestable and essential right ; and, while they stated their 
 readiness to consider attentively any measure tending to facilitate the exercise of 
 this right, they avoided all mention of conditions to be performed in return. Not- 
 withstanding the high ground thus taken, the intercourse between the popular leaders 
 and the governor was extremely friendly. He admitted them to his table and his 
 intimacy, and treated them on every occasion with much kindness. They were 
 understood to represent the great body of the people, whom he had expressed his 
 desire to conciliate ; and he professed liberal views to those who would understand 
 that term in its widest sense. So decided was the impression produced, that the 
 opposite party loaded him with the bitterest invectives, and even threw out menaces 
 of insurrection ; while the leaders of the Assembly went so far as to intimate, that 
 they would relieve the immediate financial embarrassments by granting the three 
 years’ arrears, and a half year in advance. They attached to the grant somewhat 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 77 
 
 hard conditions, which, however, were not rejected ; and, on the remark being made, 
 that these would ensure its rejection by the Legislative Council, an intimation is said 
 to have been given, that it would be accepted directly by address, without being 
 liable to the veto of that body. 
 
 This good understanding was suddenly interrupted. The governor’s language 
 above cited, in regard to the Elective Council, had been very different from that of 
 his instructions ; not pledging him, indeed, to the measure, yet such as, combined 
 with his other conduct, conveyed to both parties the idea that it was determined 
 upon. This course is defended as the only one by which the supplies, so urgently 
 wanted, could be obtained ; and it was hoped, that, by a continued conciliatory 
 course, the Assembly might, when the real intention of the cabinet could no longer 
 be concealed, be induced to waive their demand. Any degree of duplicity in a 
 government, however, must, when discovered, lower its dignity, irritate the deceived 
 parties, and, at the same time, give them an impression of their strength, which had 
 driven those in authority to such an expedient. Unhappily, all these effects fol- 
 lowed before any of the expected fruits had been reaped. Sir Francis Bond Head 
 had, at the same time, been sent out to Upper Canada ; and, being a very straight- 
 forward person, and seemingly unapprized of Lord Gosford’s intentions, had made 
 public a part of his instructions, including that momentous passage already quoted, 
 relative to the Legislative Council. It was such as, though not wholly precluding 
 discussion on the object, left to the popular leaders scarcely a hope of its attain- 
 ment. Their rage knew no bounds ; they complained, not only of disappointment 
 in their favourite object, but of a deception by which they had been nearly misled. 
 It was now determined not to grant the three years’ arrears, but merely a supply 
 for the current half year, allowing only that short period to comply with their 
 demands. This slender boon, too, was clogged with conditions, which, as had been 
 foreseen, induced the upper house to reject it; so that the session, in all respects 
 very stormy, passed over without any provision whatever being made for the public 
 service. The Legislative Council felt naturally indignant at the violent attempts 
 meditated for its overthrow; and instead of studying to show these to be unmerited, 
 the members vented their resentment by rejecting almost every bill sent up from 
 the Assembly. Among these was the vote, continuing the funds for national educa- 
 tion, which were thus entirely withdrawn. All the political elements were 
 disturbed, and in violent collision with each other. 
 
 The commissioners, in March 1836, viewing this state of things, and seeing no 
 prospect of obtaining money to carry on the government, without immediately 
 yielding to every demand of the lower house, considered it indispensable to obtain it 
 without their consent. This, they thought, would be best accomplished by parlia- 
 ment repealing the act passed on the motion of Lord Goderich, by which funds to 
 
 x 
 
78 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 the amount of £38,000 had been made over to the Assembly. This would, indeed, 
 excite bitter resentment ; but, with the other reserved revenues, it would, at least, 
 enable the government to proceed without any grants from that body. Lord 
 Glenelg was not forward to act on this recommendation. He wrote to the Earl of 
 Gosford, expressing a hope, on grounds which do not very distinctly appear, that 
 the violent resolution complained of had been induced by the partial and imperfect 
 knowledge of the instructions, and that a communication of the whole might lead to 
 more favourable views. He expressed a wish, therefore, that the provincial parlia- 
 ment should be again called, and an opportunity afforded for retracting before 
 recourse was had to extreme measures. The meeting was accordingly held on the 
 22d of September, 1838 ; but the majority soon presented an address to the 
 governor, denying that, according to the apprehension expressed in his speech, they 
 laboured under any kind of misconception ; they saw nothing to make them change 
 their views, or prevent them from insisting on the same demands, particularly that 
 of the Elective Council. They adverted in an indignant manner to certain pretended 
 authorities, as they termed the commission, and maintained that they themselves 
 were the legitimate and authorized organ of all classes of inhabitants ; that they had 
 used their power in such a manner as ought to have secured confidence ; and to 
 them, not to a few strangers, ought to have been committed the fate of the country. 
 They declared it their imperative duty to adhere to the contents of their last 
 address — " and to them do we adhere.” They finally expressed a resolution not 
 only to do nothing more in regard to supply, but to adjourn their deliberations 
 altogether, unless government should commence the great work of justice and 
 reform, particularly in regard to the second branch of the legislature. 
 
 Matters had now reached an extremity, which seemed to render it no longer 
 possible to delay an interposition. The stoppage of the supplies, like the granting 
 of them, was no doubt a right inherent in a representative assembly. Yet it is one, 
 the exercise of which is attended with such formidable evils, that the Commons of 
 England, during more than a century, had merely kept it in the back ground as a 
 last resort, and never brought it into actual operation. The constitutional character 
 of the measure became still more questionable, when employed, not to control the 
 abuses of the executive, but to overthrow a separate and co-ordinate branch of the 
 legislature, deriving its existence from the same source with the Assembly itself. 
 This was a mighty change, amounting to a kind of revolution, and to be effected 
 only with the utmost deliberation. The stopping the whole machine of government, 
 and not allowing even an interval of time to effect it, was a measure of extreme 
 violence. Had the popular leaders listened to the dictates of prudence and modera- 
 tion, they might, availing themselves of the conciliatory disposition shown by the 
 new governor, have obtained all their substantial objects. They would have gained 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 79 
 
 the chief control in the executive, after which the Legislative Council, whom they 
 continually reproached with subserviency to the latter branch, were not likely to 
 persevere in unavailing opposition. 
 
 Ministers now determined no longer to delay measures for counteracting the pro- 
 ceedings of the violent party, and placing the executive government in a state of 
 regular action. Parliament having assembled, and the reports of the commissioners 
 laid on the table, Lord John Russell, on the 6th of March, 1837, moved a series of 
 resolutions, on which acts were to be founded. After a statement of the actual 
 posture of affairs, it was proposed that the sum of <£142, 000 should be taken out of 
 the provincial funds locked up by the Assembly, and applied to the payment of the 
 judges and other civil officers, down to the 10th of April. It was afterwards agreed, 
 not, as the commissioners had recommended, to resume any part of the ceded 
 monies, but, by a strict enonomy, to carry on the government from that date with 
 the casual and territorial revenues, which circumstances had now raised to about 
 £28,000. The elective Legislative Council, and the direct responsibility of the execu- 
 tive one to the Assembly, were both declared inexpedient ; though it was stated as 
 desirable, that considerable improvements should be made in the composition of 
 both. These suggestions gave occasion to very warm debates. The Tories, while 
 they supported the proposals of government, accused them of an imprudent indul- 
 gence and want of energy, which had emboldened the factious party to proceed to 
 extremities. On the other hand, a small but active section of the popular leaders 
 justified all the claims and proceedings of the Canadian Assembly, denounced the 
 resolutions as unconstitutional and tyrannical, and predicted as their result civil war 
 and the loss of the colonies. The motion of Mr. Leader, however, in favour of an 
 Elective Council, was negatived by 318 to 56, and the cabinet measures w r ere carried 
 by overwhelming majorities ; — but the death of William IV. intervened before they 
 could be embodied in acts of parliament. The necessity of a dissolution, and the 
 unwillingness to begin the government of a young and popular Queen by a scheme 
 of coercion, induced ministers to substitute the expedient of advancing the amount 
 by way of loan from the British revenue, in the prospect of being ultimately reim- 
 bursed from the provincial funds. 
 
 As an interval was to elapse between the passing of the resolutions and their 
 being acted on, Lord Gosford was instructed to make a last trial of the Assembly, 
 in hopes that, seeing such a vast majority in parliament against them, they might 
 be induced of themselves to vote the money, and thus save the necessity of any 
 unwonted interference. Already, however, several violent demonstrations had taken 
 place. Meetings were held in the counties of Montreal and Richelieu, in which it 
 was affirmed, that the votes of the Commons had put an end to all hopes of justice ; 
 and that no further attempts should be made to obtain redress from the imperial 
 
80 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 parliament. They considered the government as now Gnly one of force, to be sub- 
 mitted to from necessity during their present weakness ; and in order to reduce as 
 far as possible its power, they declared that all consumption of British manufactures, 
 and of all articles paying taxes, ought to be discontinued ; and, finally, that a general 
 convention should be held, to consider what further measures were advisable. 
 
 Lord Glenelg, in consequence of this state of things in Canada, had resolved to 
 send out two additional regiments ; but afterwards, finding this to be inconvenient, he 
 gave authority to apply to Sir Colin Campbell for such force as could be spared 
 from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. On the 6th of May, the governor replied, 
 that he had not the least expectation of anything serious, though, in case of a disso- 
 lution, he admitted that “ there might be some broken heads.” On the 10th of 
 June, however, upon learning that a system of organization was carrying on under 
 the influence of Papineau, he applied to Sir Colin for a regiment, which arrived early 
 in July. He had already issued a proclamation, warning the people against all 
 attempts to seduce them from their allegiance. Meetings, numerously attended, 
 were held in Montreal and Quebec, condemning the violent conduct of the House 
 of Assembly, declaring attachment to British connexion, and deprecating any breach 
 of the public peace. 
 
 On the 18th of August, Lord Gosford again called the provincial parliament. 
 The resolutions were laid before the Assembly, with the expression of a hope that 
 its proceedings would supersede the necessity of their being acted on. The changes 
 in the constitution of the councils had been unfortunately delayed by difficulties as 
 to certain appointments ; but these improvements were solemnly promised. Warm 
 debates ensued. Mr. Andrew Stuart, one of the members for Quebec, proposed a 
 compliance with the request of government, which was negatived by 63 to 13. An 
 address was then moved by M. Taschereau, a representative of the county of 
 Beance, expressing a willingness to give a trial to the means proposed for amending 
 the Legislative Council, but declining any grant till they were brought into operation. 
 Another address, breathing the most determined hostility, was then moved, and 
 carried by 46 to 31. It denounced the step now taken as an absolute destruction of 
 the representative government in the province, — a total refusal of all the reforms 
 and improvements demanded. If these resolutions were carried into effect, the 
 colony, it was said, would no longer be attached to the mother country by feelings 
 of duty, of affection, and mutual interest, but solely by physical force. In this con- 
 juncture, they could see no motive for the slightest departure from their intention 
 to withhold the supplies ; and they adhered in every respect to their resolutions of 
 30th of September, 1836. Lord Gosford, in reply, gave utterance to his deep regret 
 at measures which he considered a virtual annihilation of the constitution, and 
 immediately prorogued the Assembly. 
 
Kf.H .Bsrtlm . — 1 . "W . Topbsni . 
 
 
 £ . to 
 
 
 
 
 MARCH, SI JR Tj: LAC CJIAUDl FttR 
 
 maticr.jm see aiAiux, 
 
 
 Uaifinu, fsifittahefl for fbe Pcoprtetac&.'by 
 

LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 81 
 
 The popular leaders seem now to have formed the resolution of having recourse to 
 arms. They, as well as their organs in this country, had often asserted, and seem 
 at length to have believed, that only an effort was required to sever the colonies 
 from the mother country. This was a most hasty and inconsiderate conclusion. 
 The example of the American colonies was referred to ; but they were much 
 stronger than the Canadians are now, while the power of Britain, on the other 
 hand, was considerably smaller. Yet it was only after a long and calamitous con- 
 test of eight years, that they established their independence ; and their success 
 would have been doubtful, had they not been aided by a most powerful European 
 confederacy. The aid of the United States was, indeed, held forth ; but the latter 
 had been so little disposed to intermeddle on such occasions, that they remained 
 neutral during the long contest between Spain and her colonies, although her 
 situation gave them little to dread from her resentment. It was therefore very 
 unlikely that they should now engage single-handed in a contest with the whole 
 power of Britain. 
 
 The meetings, in pursuance of these views, were not held on so great a scale, or 
 in the same public and ostentatious manner, as formerly. They were numerous, 
 however, and breathed the most hostile spirit, renouncing all hope of redress from 
 the parent state, and pointing directly to a separation. A central committee was 
 formed at Montreal, whose proceedings were, in a great measure, secret; and 
 preparations were understood to be making for a general convention. It was nearly 
 vain to attempt repressing the most violent demonstrations against the government, 
 since no petty jury could be found to convict ; and in two instances, when the 
 evidence was considered perfectly conclusive, the bills were ignored by the grand 
 jury. The governor, however, learning that numerous individuals, holding her 
 Majesty’s commission, had taken a share in those meetings, caused letters to be 
 written to them demanding an explanation. On receiving none that was satisfactory, 
 he dismissed eighteen magistrates and thirty-five militia officers. Among the latter 
 was Papineau, whose answer was couched in the most defying and contemptuous 
 terms. He, it is observed, had now gone such lengths, as made it impossible for 
 him to recede without losing all his influence — he must either be put down, or 
 allowed to put down the government. In the beginning of October, the new 
 arrangement of the two councils was carried into effect, at least to a great extent ; 
 but it excited little interest, and was rejected by the violent leaders as wholly 
 unsatisfactory. 
 
 The malcontent party became every day bolder. An association was formed, 
 under the title of “ The Sons of Liberty,” who, without committing violence, 
 paraded the streets of Montreal in a hostile and threatening manner. They emitted 
 a proclamation, containing the most violent expressions. “ The wicked designs,” 
 
 Y 
 
82 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 said they, “ of British authorities have severed all ties of sympathy for an unfeeling 
 mother country.” — “ A glorious destiny awaits the young men of these colonies 
 and this was explained to be, “ to disfranchise our beloved country from all human 
 authority, except that of the bold democracy residing within its bosom.” They 
 alluded to “ the struggle for life and liberty, in which the day of glory arrives that 
 will see us emerge from a long dark bondage to the splendour of light and free- 
 dom.” At the same time, in the county of Two Mountains, the people deter- 
 mined not to -obey the magistrates appointed in the room of those displaced; an 
 organization was formed of pacificator justices, to compose differences without 
 recourse to the constituted authorities, and in whose decisions all true patriots were 
 required to acquiesce. Meanwhile, the militia in that district were organized in a 
 new form, under officers of their own selection, including those recently dismissed ; 
 and an active training was carried on. All loyal and neutral residents were, by 
 violent measures, compelled either to join the malcontents or quit the territory, 
 throughout which British authority entirely ceased. 
 
 No long time passed before this course of proceeding was imitated in the more 
 populous portion of the Montreal territory, lying southward of the St. Lawrence. 
 On the 23d of October, a meeting was held of the five counties on the Richelieu and 
 the Yamaska, when a petition was presented from L’Acadie, to be admitted as a 
 sixth. The petitioners used the most intemperate language, declaring themselves 
 prepared to sacrifice every thing most dear to them in this world, to emancipate 
 from a vile slavery the land that gave them birth. They renounced all principles 
 but those of the purest democracy, and desired to place thefhselves under the 
 guidance and behind the buckler of L. J. Papineau. At the meeting of the six 
 counties, the numbers attending were variously estimated from 1,500 to 5,000, of 
 whom a proportion were armed. Their resolutions, without absolutely announcing 
 rebellion, went to place everything in preparation for it. The recent appointments 
 to the two councils were declared wholly unsatisfactory, while the introduction of 
 an armed force into the province was stigmatized as a new and enormous grievance. 
 The magistrates and militia were to be organized after the model of those of the 
 Two Mountains ; and the example of the Sons of Liberty was also recommended, 
 “ that they might be prepared to support each other with promptitude and effect, 
 should circumstances require them to protect and defend their threatened liberties.” 
 A similar address was drawn up on the following day, and circulated through the 
 province. The same course was followed, of compelling, by violence and threats, 
 the officers to resign their situations or leave the country. 
 
 Government could not remain passive while its authority was openly set at 
 nought, and insurrection matured under its very eye. Applications were made to 
 Sir Colin Campbell for two additional regiments, and likewise for what force could be 
 

 
 C 
 
 
 LAC DUS DEUX MONTAGUES. 
 
 DER SEE DER LEVEL BURGE. 
 
 London , Published for the Proprietory Ty Geo.-lfirtne . 26 . Ivy Lane . 1842 . 
 

 W. H. Bartlett 
 
 
 ST. JTLAH 
 
 
 
 0^/r^’. 
 
 st. jama 's 
 
 
 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 83 
 
 spared from the upper province. The zealous offers of the loyal inhabitants to 
 place themselves in arms, which had been long declined from motives of prudence, 
 were now accepted, and volunteer corps were zealously and rapidly organized. The 
 catholic clergy took a decided part in the support of order and peace; and an 
 address was published by the Bishop of Montreal, exhorting his flock against the 
 violent and illegal proceedings now in progress. This, among a religious people, 
 though it did not stop the career of those who had so deeply committed themselves, 
 had probably a powerful effect in arresting the spread of the disorder, and keeping 
 it confined, as it still was, to Montreal district. 
 
 The first blow was struck at the town now mentioned, between the Sons of 
 Liberty, and a loyal association formed in opposition to them. The former were 
 completely worsted, and pursued through the streets ; none were killed, but several 
 severely hurt, particularly Brown, from New York, who had assumed the title of their 
 general. Papineau’s house, which the victors attempted to burn, was saved, but the 
 office of the Vindicator newspaper was destroyed. Exaggerated reports of this 
 affair being spread thoughout the country heightened the general ferment ; and it 
 was announced from various quarters that resistance was daily extending, and 
 assuming a more organized form. 
 
 It was now obvious that, unless some decisive steps were taken, the malcontent 
 cause must continually gain new strength, and the connexion of the colonies with 
 the mother country become seriously endangered. 
 
 The course deemed most effectual, was immediately to arrest the most active 
 leaders. A warrant was accordingly issued at Montreal against twenty-six, of 
 whom seven were members of Assembly, including Papineau and Viger. Nine were 
 apprehended ; but the arch-agitator himself had disappeared, and doubts were even 
 entertained if he were still in the province. This step necessarily led to a crisis, 
 especially as some of the warrants w r ere against persons residing in the heart of the 
 disturbed territory. Two being in the vicinity of St. John, on the Bichelieu, a 
 party of eighteen volunteer militia were despatched thither to apprehend them. An 
 oversight seems to have been committed in sending so small a force, not regular, into 
 the midst of a hostile country. They succeeded, however, in capturing the parties ; 
 and an armed body of thirty, who appeared near Chambly, made no attempt to 
 intercept them. Near Longueuil, however, they found a field on the right of the 
 road occupied by 300 well-armed men, protected by a high fence. From this 
 assemblage a fire was immediately opened upon the detachment, "which, from its 
 position, could not be returned with effect. Several were wounded, the rest 
 retreated, and the two prisoners were rescued by the insurgents. 
 
 The standard of insurrection having been thus openly raised, it became necessary 
 to act with the utmost promptitude. Information was received that Papineau, 
 
84 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 Brown, and Neilson were at the villages of St. Denis and St. Charles, on the 
 Richelieu, which had been occupied by the armed inhabitants ; and accordingly 
 Sir John Colborne, the commander-in-chief, sent strong detachments under Colonels 
 Gore and Wetherall, to attack these places. The former, on the 22d of November, 
 having conveyed his force in a steamer to Sorel, proceeded up the river against 
 St. Denis ; but being obliged to take a circuitous route, through tracks which, 
 from the previous rain, were knee-deep, the troops arrived in a very jaded state. 
 Though the whole country was in arms, no serious resistance was encountered till 
 they reached the village, the entrance to which was defended by a large stone house 
 strongly fortified, from which, as well as from others on each side, a heavy fire was 
 opened. A howitzer was brought up against it, whence round shot was fired, with 
 a view to batter it down, but without effect. Captain Markham, with the advance, 
 had gallantly cleared the way, and taken an adjoining house, but was then severely 
 wounded, and obliged to quit the field. Finding that no impression could be made 
 on the main barrier, that his ammunition was nearly exhausted, and that the troops 
 were overpowered with fatigue, Gore considered a retreat unavoidable. It was 
 effected without serious inconvenience, though it became necessary to leave a cannon 
 on the road, while his loss was six killed, ten wounded, and six missing. No blame 
 seems to have been attached to the colonel, whose means, especially in ammunition, 
 were scarcely adequate ; but this second advantage, gained by the rebel cause at the 
 opening of the contest, was a most unfortunate circumstance, and, unless counter- 
 acted, might have spread disaffection to an alarming extent. 
 
 Meantime, Colonel Wetherall, with his detachment, proceeded by way of 
 Chambly to St. Charles, a point higher up the river. He was delayed in a similar 
 manner by the badness of the roads ; and, on reaching St. Hilaire, found it necessary 
 to procure another company from Chambly, and even to send a messenger to Mon- 
 treal, we presume, for further aid. Having reason, however, to consider his com- 
 munications with that place intercepted, he determined, on the 26th, to advance to 
 the attack. About 1,500 insurgents, under the command of Brown, had posted 
 themselves in the village, and surrounded it with a strong stockade. The English 
 commander, on his arrival, drew up his force at a short distance, in the hope of pro- 
 ducing some defection ; but none taking place, and a heavy fire being opened upon 
 him, he pushed forward to the assault. In about an hour the intrenchment was 
 carried, the fortified houses and palisades were set on fire, the troops were masters 
 of the town, and the rebels fled in every direction. The carnage was great ; the 
 entire loss of the malcontents being about 300. Charges have been made of severe 
 and vindictive proceedings, which we should hope are exaggerated. Another body took 
 up its position in his rear, with the view of cutting off his return to Chambly ; but 
 when he approached them, on the 28th, they broke and dispersed at the first onset. 
 
TORT CHAM FLY. 
 
 HAS TORT 
 
 Lcmflon. TuttLaheo far the Proprietors, by Geo. Vrrtn e , 26. \vy Lane, LS4G. 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 85 
 
 The affair of St. Charles decided the fate of the contest. A general panic spread 
 among the peasantry, and they began to consider themselves betrayed by leaders, 
 who did not show the courage expected of them in the hour of trial. Colonel Gore, 
 strongly reinforced, again advanced upon St. Denis, which he entered without 
 resistance on the 2d of December, Neilson and Brown having quitted it on the pre- 
 ceding evening. He then marched upon St. Hyacinth, but found it also undefended, 
 and made a vain search for Papineau. The chiefs, renouncing their hopes, were 
 already seeking safety in the territory of the United States. Brown reached it with 
 great difficulty — through many perils ; Neilson was taken in a barn, conveyed to 
 Montreal, and thrown into prison. Papineau could not be traced ; nor is there any 
 record of his having compromised his personal safet} 7 in a contest which he had been 
 the main instrument in exciting. 
 
 Attempts, however, were made to support the cause from a quarter which, under 
 certain circumstances, might have proved very formidable. The United States 
 contained many individuals disposed to sympathize deeply with the Canadians, and 
 many restless spirits were inclined to join them, allured by the promise of large lots 
 of confiscated land. Even in the present hopeless circumstances, 200 passed the 
 frontier ; but before Sir John Colborne could send a force against them, a party 
 of the volunteers of Missiqui county, under the command of Capt. Kemp, took 
 arms, and drove them back with some loss. Thus, the whole of the six counties, so 
 lately in open rebellion, were in a fortnight reduced to perfect tranquillity. 
 
 There remained still the districts of Two Mountains and Terrebonne, north of 
 Montreal, where insurrection had been first organized, and still wore its most deter- 
 mined aspect. Sir John Colborne had judiciously postponed operations against this 
 quarter, till, the south being completely tranquillized, he could direct thither his 
 whole force. On the 14th of December, he marched in person, with about 1,300 
 regular and volunteer troops, against the large village of St. Eustache. The 
 disasters of their brethren elsewhere had spread a well-founded alarm ; and the 
 greater number of the men and their leaders, including Girod, the supposed com- 
 mander-in-chief, fled precipitately. About 400 of the most desperate, however, 
 continued to occupy a church and adjoining buildings, which had been carefully 
 fortified ; and here so obstinate a stand was made, that a British detachment was at 
 one point made to recede. But fire having reached the adjacent edifices, soon 
 spread to the church itself, the defenders of which were thereby speedily dislodged ; 
 while the troops, being protected by the houses, did not lose more than one killed 
 and nine wounded. 
 
 Colonel Maitland now marched towards St. Benoit, the chief village of the Grand 
 Brule district, which had been the focus of insurrection ; but on his way he met a 
 deputation, tendering the most humble submission, and he entered the place without 
 
 z 
 
86 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 resistance. Unfortunately, the loyal inhabitants, who had been plundered and 
 driven out of the country, could not be restrained from acts of violence, and a con- 
 siderable portion of the houses were reduced to ashes. Maitland, after occupying 
 St. Scholastique, returned to Montreal, leaving the district in a state of perfect 
 tranquillity. The people, complaining that their chiefs, after instigating them to 
 revolt, had deserted them, seemed determined not to be again seduced into such a 
 course. Several of the leaders were taken ; Girod himself, being surrounded, so 
 that he could not escape, committed suicide. 
 
 Upper Canada, meantime, had become the theatre of important events. For a 
 considerable time, especially since the residence there of M. Gourlay, a party had 
 existed supporting extreme political opinions. These, it is true, were not embit- 
 tered by any feelings arising from difference of race ; but many of the inhabitants 
 had emigrated from the United States, to w T hose institutions they were naturally 
 partial. They gained over a number of the British residents, influenced by the 
 usual motives, and who complained especially of the favouritism shown in the 
 granting of land. These grounds of discontent were carefully investigated by the 
 committee of 1828, and instructions issued by Lord Goderich, which here, as in the 
 lower province, gave general satisfaction. The discontented party, however, pro- 
 ceeded from one step to another, till Mackenzie, Duncombe, and other leaders, 
 scarcely made any secret of their desire to separate from Britain and join the 
 American Union. In 1834, this party, for the first time, obtained a majority in 
 the Assembly ; and though they had hitherto confined themselves to complaints on 
 particular subjects, they now commenced a general opposition to the royal govern- 
 ment ; and at length, as in the other province, came into violent collision with the 
 Legislative Council. They transmitted to the King a long and elaborate list of 
 grievances, complaining that the officers in the colony were too numerous, too 
 highly paid, and the holders removable at the pleasure of the crown ; that support 
 had been unduly given to particular religious establishments ; and that Lord 
 Goderich’s recommendations had been by no means fully acted upon. They also 
 urged, with the same vehemence as in the sister colony, the demand for an elective 
 legislative council. 
 
 This union of the two provinces, pushing with equal zeal the most extreme 
 measures, brought affairs into a somewhat hazardous position. When Lord Gosford 
 and the commissioners were sent to Lower Canada, the ministry placed the upper 
 province under Sir Francis Head, a man of literary talent, and of peculiar firmness, 
 shrewdness, and energy of character. Having arrived early in 1836, as already 
 related, he took the straightforward course of at once publishing the extent and 
 limits of his instructions ; at the same time assuring the people of his most zealous 
 efforts to remove every practical grievance. The Assembly, however, were by no 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 87 
 
 means satisfied ; and another ground of contest soon arose. Sir Francis added to 
 the executive three members, whose appointment was highly satisfactory to the 
 popular party ; hut, as several weeks elapsed without their having been consulted 
 on any subject, they stated in a letter that they considered themselves thus ren- 
 dered responsible for measures in which they were allowed no share, and therefore 
 tendered their resignation. While accepting it with regret, he maintained that he 
 lay under no obligation to consult them on every measure ; but was at perfect 
 liberty to judge of the occasions on which the public interest might require their 
 aid. The House of Assembly immediately took up the affair, and having, agreeably 
 to request, been furnished with a copy of the correspondence, drew up a report, 
 and afterwards a long address to the King, strenuously controverting the governor's 
 doctrine ; and, in the course of it, broadly charging him with “ deviations from 
 truth and candour.” Proceeding in the same hostile spirit, they, for the first time 
 stopped the supplies ; in consequence of which Sir Francis reserved all their money 
 bills for his Majesty’s decision, and rejected the application for payment of their 
 incidental expenses. 
 
 All hopes of accommodation being thus closed, he determined, on the 28th of 
 May, to make an appeal to the people by a new election. It was contested by an 
 extraordinary ardour ; and a war of manifestoes, proclamations, and addresses was 
 forthwith waged between the parties. Perhaps no ruler ever effected more by 
 writing than Sir Francis. The frank, energetic, and popular style in which his 
 addresses were penned, produced an extraordinary effect ; and already the peaceable 
 inhabitants had begun to shrink from the extremes into which the popular leaders 
 were hurrying them. These several causes produced the important result, that, in 
 the new Assembly, a decided majority supported the constitutional side. The 
 demagogues complained to the ministry that this effect had been produced by illegal 
 means — by extraordinary grants of land, and even by violence and bribery. The 
 Assembly, however, after strict inquiry by a committee, declared these allegations 
 to be utterly false, expressing, at the same time, the strongest attachment to the 
 mother country and to the governor. 
 
 During this tranquil and satisfactory state of Upper Canada, insurrection broke 
 out in the lower province ; and Sir Francis being requested to state what force he 
 could spare, his answer was, " All” He considered it not only practicable, but 
 desirable, that every soldier should be removed out of his district, and a full display 
 thus made of its loyal and peaceful condition. He caused the arms to be deposited 
 in the city-hall of Toronto, under charge of the mayor, declining even to place a 
 guard over them to prevent sudden capture. In this state of things, Mackenzie 
 determined to make an attempt upon the capital. Having a number of small 
 detached parties throughout the province, who were ready to obey his mandate, and 
 
88 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 had even been trained to the use of weapons, he ordered them to assemble on the 
 4th of December, on the great road, called Yonge-street, leading to Lake Simcoe. 
 Hurrying by cross-paths through the forest, they mustered at Montgomerie’s 
 Tavern, about four miles from Toronto. Their numbers, at first estimated at 3,000, 
 are not supposed to have exceeded 500. With the view of effecting a surprise, they 
 attacked every one going to the city ; among whom, Col. Moodie, a distinguished 
 officer, was wounded, and died in a few hours. Alderman Powell, however, having 
 shot one of his assailants, escaped, roused the governor, and gave the alarm ; upon 
 which Sir Francis ran to the town-hall, where he found the chief-justice with a 
 musket on his shoulder, surrounded by a band of brave men, who had hastily 
 assembled. The arms being unpacked and placed in their hands, they posted 
 themselves in a defensive attitude at the windows of the building, and of others 
 flanking it. But Mackenzie, presuming that Powell would instantly give notice, 
 did not venture to advance — a pusillanimous resolution, assuredly, since he could 
 never again expect so favourable an opportunity. By morning 300 royalists were 
 mustered ; and in the course of the day Mr. Allan M‘Nab, speaker of the House of 
 Assembly, arrived with sixty from the Gore District, and others from different 
 quarters raised the number to 500. On the 6th, the force was considered sufficient 
 for offensive operations ; but the governor, anxious to avoid the effusion of blood, 
 sent a message to the insurgents, inviting them to lay down their arms. Mackenzie 
 offered to comply, on condition that a national convention should be called, allowing 
 till two o’clock for the answer ; but as no reply could be given to this proposition, 
 arrangements were immediately made for an attack on the following day. 
 
 On the 7th of December, at noon, the whole force marched out. In this civic 
 array, principal commands were held by Col. M‘Nab, the present, and Mr. Justice 
 M‘Lean, the late speaker of the Assembly ; while the clerk of the House officiated 
 as adjutant-general. The rebels had occupied an elevated position in the front of 
 the tavern, where, being in some degree protected by houses, they endeavoured to 
 make a stand ; but the militia advancing to the charge, with the utmost enthusiasm, 
 soon broke the whole corps, which dispersed in every direction, Mackenzie himself 
 escaping with extreme precipitation. They were pursued four miles ; two of the 
 chiefs were taken ; the tavern was burnt to the ground ; and the revolt was so com- 
 pletely quashed, that Sir Francis considered he might safely exercise the attribute 
 of mercy, by dismissing the greater part of the misguided prisoners. 
 
 The militia, meantime, had been marching toward Toronto in vast numbers ; 
 2,600 from the Newcastle district ; and in all upwards of 10,000. Immediate 
 notice was now issued, that they might return to their homes ; and those of the 
 eastern districts were authorized to give their aid to Lower Canada. As it was 
 understood, however, that Duncombe had assembled a corps in the London district, 
 


 MARCHE AH F0I3S0N, TORONTO. 
 
 DNR JFJSCHMARKT ZTT TORONTO L 
 
 LanxLoii. Published. for the Proprietors by Geo ■. Virtue 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 89 
 
 which had been a main seat of faction, Col. M‘Nab was sent thither with a sufficient 
 force , On its approach, the chiefs disappeared, and about 300 of their followers laid 
 down their arms, expressing deep regret, and even a readiness to serve in the 
 royal army. 
 
 The insurrection had thus been entirely put down, and Upper Canada was every- 
 where completely tranquil, when a sudden danger arose, which threatened to 
 become very serious. Mackenzie fled to the town of Buffalo, in which he held 
 crowded meetings, and kindled a considerable enthusiasm in his cause. Besides the 
 prevalent democratic feeling, commercial distress had thrown numbers out of 
 employment, who were ready to engage in any desperate enterprise. Some of a 
 more opulent class furnished resources; while Van Ranssellaer, Sutherland, and 
 other individuals acquainted with military service, presented themselves as leaders of 
 the armament. Thus, a small corps was quickly assembled, which took possession 
 of Navy Island, situated in the Niagara channel, between Grand Island and the 
 British shore, which they fortified with thirteen pieces of cannon. Hence Mackenzie 
 issued a proclamation, in the assumed name of the Provisional Government of 
 Upper Canada. Volunteers were invited from that country, and from the States ; 
 being assured, that out of the ten millions of acres which victory would place at 
 their disposal, each should receive 300 in full property. There was to be no more 
 dependence on Downing-street ; the Assembly, council, governor, and officers were 
 all to be elected by the people. Trade was to be freed from all restraints ; and, in 
 a strain of rhodomontade, it was added, that the largest vessels would be able to ascend 
 to Lake Superior. Recruits continued flocking to this post, till their numbers 
 amounted to about a thousand. Col. M‘Nab soon arrived with double that number of 
 militia ; but he wanted materials for crossing the channel, and forcing the strong 
 position held by the rebels. 
 
 All eyes were now turned to the government of the United States, on which the 
 question of peace or war evidently depended. As soon as the first notice was 
 received, there was displayed the most sincere determination to maintain a strict 
 neutrality. Van Buren, the president, issued tvro successive proclamations, 
 warning the people of the penalties to which they would become liable by engaging 
 in hostilities with a friendly power ; and the debates in congress displayed the most 
 complete unanimity against any measure which might commit the American govern- 
 ment in such a contest. Clay, Davis, Benton, Calhoun, leaders of opposite parties, 
 united with one voice in this sentiment. The last of these declared, that, “ of all 
 calamities- which could befall the civilized world, a war with Great Britain would, at 
 this moment, be the most to be deplored.” There was scarcely time for a legislative 
 enactment; but the president appointed General Scott, a veteran officer of energetic 
 and decisive character, to take the command of the disturbed frontier. 
 
 A A 
 
90 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 Meantime, an event occurred, which, while it weakened the insurgents, excited a 
 strong fermentation among their adherents. A small steamer, named the Caroline, 
 had been purchased, or at least was regularly employed by them, between Fort 
 Schiosser, on the American shore, and Navy Island, conveying to the latter troops 
 and stores. Capt. Drew was instructed by Col. M'Nab to intercept her return. 
 He did not succeed ; but seeing her in the channel, moored to the American shore, 
 determined to attack her. He approached undiscovered to within twenty yards ; 
 and being then asked the countersign, promised to show it when on deck. The 
 Caroline immediately opened a fire, but the British boarded, and in two minutes 
 were masters of her. Those who resisted were killed or made prisoners ; while 
 others, who appeared to be peaceable citizens, were put on shore. The vessel itself, 
 which the strength of the current made it inconvenient to tow across, was set on fire 
 and abandoned, when the stream hurried it rapidly to the brink of the great 
 cataract, down which the flaming mass was precipitated. The wild and picturesque 
 character of this scene acted strongly on the imagination, and the Americans 
 resolutely, though, it would appear, without reason, asserted that unoffending 
 persons had been involved in the massacre, and several even hurried down the 
 awful abyss. 
 
 The loss of the Caroline was soon followed by the arrival of General Scott, who 
 took vigorous and effective measures to prevent any supplies or recruits from 
 reaching Navy Island. Meantime, the force of the assailants was continually 
 augmented ; two companies of regulars, with a train of artillery, had been sent from 
 Lower Canada, and a tremendous cannonade was commenced. The insurgents, 
 seeing their position become every day more desperate, determined to evacuate it — 
 an object which they effected on the 14th of January. Van Ranssellaer and Mac- 
 kenzie were arrested by the American authorities, but admitted to bail. 
 
 Sutherland, with a party of the fugitives, hastened to the extreme west, where, 
 being reinforced by some adventurers in that quarter, they attempted an establish- 
 ment on Bois Blanc, an island in the Detroit channel. A body of troops, however, 
 was soon despatched against them ; and a vessel, containing not only supplies, but 
 several chiefs dignified with high military titles, was captured. Finding it impossible 
 to maintain themselves there, they sought an asylum on Sugar Island, which belongs 
 to the United States. General Scott, meanwhile, was hastening to the place ; but 
 Mason, the local commander, addressed the refugees, and by mere dint of remon- 
 strance prevailed upon them to disperse. Attempts were made at other points to 
 form tumultuary assemblages for invading Canada ; but, under the altered circum- 
 stances, these did not excite any serious alarm. 
 
 Meantime, intelligence of the first insurrectionary movements reached Britain, 
 where it excited the strongest sensation. A few of the popular leaders exulted in 
 

 
 

 
 
CASCADES, 
 
 (below tiueiallt;.) 
 
 NIAGARA 
 
 
(from the Canada side.) 
 
 NATTY ISLAND, VUE DU COTE DU CANADA NAVY ISLAND VON DDR SUITE VON CANADA REE. 
 
 Lamkm , Published far the Proprietors . “by Geo . Virtne 26 Jyjr Lane 18-1 
 

LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 91 
 
 the event itself, and in the anticipation of its triumphant issue ; but the nation, in 
 general, by no means shared this sentiment. The Tories, though they accused 
 government of having, by want of energy, prepared this convulsion, expressed their 
 cordial concurrence in all the means suggested for its suppression. As the house 
 was about to rise for the Christmas holidays, ministers proposed, that, instead of 
 postponing their meeting, as usual, till the beginning of February, they should fix 
 it for the 16th of January, when, according to the course of events, suitable resolu- 
 tions might be adopted. 
 
 Parliament had no sooner reassembled, than information arrived, which left no 
 room to doubt that the rebellion would be suppressed without having assumed any 
 formidable character. The aims of the government were therefore directed towards 
 reorganizing the executive on such a footing as, without suppressing Canadian 
 liberty, might secure future tranquillity. But it was considered indispensable, for 
 the present at least, to suspend the constitution of the lower province. A council 
 was to be named by the Queen, which, with the governor, might exercise the 
 functions now performed by the two legislative bodies ; but their powers were not to 
 last beyond the 1st of November, 1840, nor were any of their enactments, unless 
 continued by the proper authority, to be valid beyond the 1st of November, 1842. 
 
 Sir John Colborne, then acting as provisional governor of Lower Canada, was 
 instructed to carry these measures into immediate execution. The ministry, how- 
 ever, had determined upon a farther step, with a view to the ultimate settlement of 
 the province. The Earl of Durham was solicited and prevailed upon to undertake 
 its government, as well as that of all British America ; and also to turn his attention 
 towards an improved plan for its future management. His lordship’s high reputa- 
 tion as a statesman, and the liberality of his views on political subjects, seemed to 
 afford a security that he would act with vigour, and at the same time with a strict 
 regard to national freedom. He was empowered to form a species of representative 
 council, composed of thirteen members from each province, but to use them merely 
 as advisers, and to call and dismiss them at pleasure. 
 
 On the 29th of May, 1838, his lordship arrived at Quebec, where he was received 
 in the most cordial manner, for all parties seemed to unite in expecting from 
 him a settlement of those dissensions which had so greatly distracted the country. 
 In his subsequent progress to other districts, and to Upper Canada, as far as 
 Niagara, he met similar expressions of confidence and congratulation. He was 
 soon, however, called to decide upon a delicate and difficult question, which 
 Sir John Colborne had thought it expedient to reserve for his determination. 
 Wolfred, Neilson, Bouchette, Yiger, and other individuals of some distinction, 
 were lying in the jail of Montreal, charged with high treason. Some strong 
 punishment was necessary to mark their crime, and deter from its repetition ; yet 
 
92 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 an impartial jury could not be expected for tlieir trial, which besides would have 
 reopened all those party animosities which it was the object of his lordship to 
 appease. Under this view, he adopted the following course : the prisoners, having 
 been induced to make a confession of guilt, were sentenced to be deported to Ber- 
 muda, and to be there kept in strict surveillance. If they should ever return to 
 Canada, without leave from the governor, they were to suffer the penalty of death. 
 The same was awarded to Papineau and others implicated in the late rebellion, 
 but who, after its disastrous issue, had fled the country. 
 
 As soon as this ordinance was known in Britain, it created an unusual excitement 
 in the legislature. Lord Brougham, in the House of Peers, made a motion, 
 declaring it illegal, as condemning to death without trial, and to transportation to a 
 colony which was not within the jurisdiction of the governor-general; but, under 
 the peculiar circumstances of the case, he proposed a grant of indemnity. This 
 vote, though strenuously opposed by Lord Melbourne, was carried in the Upper 
 House by a considerable majority. Ministers then, having received from the law- 
 officers of the crown an unfavourable report, at least as to the last particular, con- 
 sidered it impossible to make any farther resistance. They annulled the ordinance, 
 but at the same time conveyed to Lord Durham expressions of their regret, of 
 their general approbation of his measures, and of the unaltered confidence with 
 which they regarded his administration. 
 
 His lordship, however, was not of a character to brook this interposition. He 
 had, it is true, passed the limits of strict law ; but he maintained that these were 
 scarcely applicable in the critical and convulsed state of the province ; that the 
 sentence was lenient ; and, on the principle of volenti nulla fit injuria , the parties 
 concerned could not be wronged by a decision in which they had cheerfully 
 acquiesced. In short, there being no substantial injustice inflicted. Lord Durham 
 thought he had reason to complain that his scheme was not allowed a fair trial. He 
 had, perhaps, an equal ground of dissatisfaction in reference to the hostile inter- 
 ference of the opposition lords, and more especially because the ministers, his 
 employers, did not resist it to the utmost. Yet it would certainly have been more 
 magnanimous on his part, had he endeavoured, under every discouragement, to have 
 done his best to accomplish his undertaking. He yielded too far to passion and 
 pride, when, even before receiving the official accounts, he publicly announced his 
 intention of throwing up the administration. He did not even follow' the esta- 
 blished course, of requesting her Majesty’s permission to resign, and waiting till he 
 received it. In announcing, too, the disallowance of the ordinance, he commented 
 on the decision with a severity which was considered irregular, and tending to com- 
 promise the royal authority. On the 1st of November his lordship set sail from 
 Quebec, and on the 26th. arrived at Plymouth. 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 93 
 
 Meantime, a fresh storm of rebellion brooded over the province. In the course of 
 the summer, even amid apparent quiet, the burning of a steam-vessel, called the 
 Sir Robert Peel, in the St. Lawrence, and the acquittal of the murderers of Char- 
 traud in the face of the clearest evidence, showed that the spirit of disaffection was 
 still deeply cherished. By the beginning of winter, arrangements had been made 
 for a general rising of the habitans , supported by a numerous body of American 
 citizens, who, under the title of sympathizers , had vehemently espoused their cause. 
 Arms and ammunition had been clandestinely introduced ; and a species of associa- 
 tion, bound by secret oaths and signs, had been formed along the whole frontier. 
 Lord Durham imputes this movement to the proceedings at home, which had shaken 
 the confidence in his authority, and raised the hopes of the disaffected ; but Sir 
 John Colborne considers that those preparations had been actively pursued ever 
 since the preceding June. The government of the United States, though they had 
 no adequate power to prevent the part taken by their subjects, showed a good 
 disposition, by giving the first intimation of what was going on to Mr. Fox, the 
 British ambassador at Washington. The tidings were soon confirmed from other 
 quarters; and Sir John Colborne lost no time in putting the province in a state of 
 defence, and procuring an additional force from Nova Scotia. 
 
 On the night of the 3d of November, a concerted rising took place in all the 
 southern counties of Montreal District; but, owing to some failure of arrangement, 
 the stations along the Richelieu were not found supplied with arms according to 
 appointment, so that most of the inhabitants there dispersed and returned to their 
 homes. The chief seat of insurrection was now farther west, between that river and 
 the St. Lawrence. There three arch-rebels, Dr. Robert Nelson, Cote, and Gagnon, 
 had collected about 4,000 men, and established their head-quarters at Napierville. 
 Their first object was to open a communication with their friends in the States, for 
 which purpose 400 men were detached to the frontier. There a body of British 
 volunteers, as brave as loyal, had stationed themselves, by whom the rebels were 
 attacked, and obliged to retreat with great loss. To retrieve this disaster, Dr. Nel- 
 son, with upwards of 900 men, marched against the loyalists. The latter, only 200 
 strong, took post in Odelltown chapel, on which the enemy commenced a brisk 
 attack ; but, after two hours and a half, were obliged to retreat, with the loss of one 
 hundred killed and wounded. The defenders had an officer and five men killed, and 
 nine wounded. 
 
 Meantime, Major-General Sir James McDonnell, under orders from the governor, 
 with seven regiments of the line, crossed the St. Lawrence, and marched upon 
 Napierville. The rebels, discouraged by former losses, after a vain attempt to unite 
 their forces, dispersed in every direction without firing a shot. They still retained 
 a post at Beauliarnois ; but Col. Carmichael, with a detachment of regulars, and 
 
 B B 
 
94 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 1,000 Glengary militia, drove them out, though with the loss of two men killed and 
 the same number wounded. Mr. Ellice, and a party of friends, who had been made 
 prisoners by them at the outset, were allowed to return to Montreal. On the 11th, 
 a week only after the first movement, McDonnell could announce that the insurrec- 
 tion was completely at an end, without the rebels having been able to open any 
 communication with their supporters beyond the frontier. 
 
 We must now turn to Upper Canada, where, even before the former outbreak, 
 Sir Francis Head had resigned. The immediate cause was the disapprobation 
 expressed by Lord Glenelg for his removing Judge Ridout, on account of his demo- 
 cratical principles, and his refusing to obey an order to raise to the bench Mr. 
 Bidwell, late speaker of the Assembly, and an opposition leader. He at the same 
 time, in no measured terms, condemned the system of conciliation hitherto pursued 
 in the Colonial Office, whose members he even branded as republicans; insisting 
 that a stern uncompromising maintenance of the monarchical principle, and the 
 exclusion from office of all opposed to it, was the only basis on which Canada could 
 be governed. Ministers unwillingly accepted his resignation ; while the loyal 
 inhabitants, among whom he had rendered himself highly popular, expressed on the 
 occasion deep regret and disgust. Col. Sir George Arthur, who had previously held 
 a similar situation in Van Dieman’s Land, was appointed to succeed him. 
 
 The new governor soon found himself involved in difficult circumstances ; for, 
 early in June, bands to the number of 1,000 or 1,200 Americans crossed the 
 Niagara channel, and endeavoured to excite the people to insurrection. They 
 attacked a party of fourteen lancers posted in an inn, and, by setting it on fire, 
 obliged them to surrender. But no sooner did they learn that Sir George had arrived 
 at Niagara, and that the country was rising against them, than they hastily recrossed 
 the frontier, leaving about forty prisoners, among whom were Morrow and Waite, 
 the first and second in command. In the end of June, a smaller party passed the 
 St. Clair, and invaded the Western District; but finding themselves unsupported, 
 and the militia advancing, they returned, after losing a few of their number, who 
 fell into the hands of the pursuers. 
 
 The summer now passed in comparative quietness, though the great movement at 
 the beginning of November continued to be deeply felt along the upper frontier. 
 Almost simultaneously with the rising in Montreal District, a body of about 400 
 sailed from the vicinity of Sackett’s Harbour, and landed at Prescott. On the 13th, 
 Col. Young, with what force he could muster, and aided by Capt. Sandom, with an 
 armed steamer, compelled a large proportion of them to disperse, while the rest took 
 refuge in a windmill and an adjacent house built of stone, whence they could not be 
 dislodged. Eighteen British were here killed and wounded. In the course of the 
 day, Colonel Dundas arrived with four companies from Kingston, but considered 
 
LATER EVENTS IN CANADA. 
 
 95 
 
 the buildings, the walls of which were three or four feet thick, too strong to be 
 reduced without cannon. A few guns and some additional troops being brought up, 
 an attack was commenced on the 16th, when the party within the stone building, 
 after some stand, sought to escape among the brushwood, but were all captured ; 
 upon which those in the mill displayed a white flag, and surrendered at discretion. 
 The whole number of prisoners was 159. The militia, among whom some luke- 
 warmness had been suspected, showed the utmost zeal, and mustered to the 
 extent of 5,000. 
 
 The Niagara frontier was found by the enemy so well guarded, that no attempt 
 was made there. But early in the morning of the 4<th of December, about 650 
 organized at Detroit landed near Sandwich, set fire to a steamer and to the barracks, 
 and killed several individuals in cold blood. Being as cowardly as cruel, they 
 were no sooner attacked by a party of militia, than they fled either to the woods or 
 to the American shore, leaving twenty-six killed and twenty-five prisoners. 
 
 The captives, on the former occasion, had been treated with extraordinary lenity; 
 but this forbearance not having produced its due effect, and being loudly complained 
 of by the inhabitants, it was judged necessary to exercise greater rigour on the 
 present occasion. A considerable number of the ringleaders were accordingly put 
 to death, and the rest condemned to severe or ignominious punishments. 
 
CHAP. IV. 
 
 CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 We have now brought the historical part of our labours to a close, and proceed to 
 what is more interesting to the general reader — the social and moral condition of 
 this interesting people. 
 
 The inhabitants of Canada are divided into three classes, among which no com- 
 plete amalgamation has yet been formed. These are, the original French colonists, 
 commonly called habitans , the British settlers, and the Indian tribes. 
 
 The habitans , at the time of the conquest, formed almost the whole of the Euro- 
 pean population. They had occupied the best lands along the banks of the 
 St. Lawrence, between Quebec and Montreal ; a considerable extent of those upon 
 the Richelieu ; and a small space on the Chaudiere, the Yamaska, the St. Maurice, 
 and other tributaries of the great river, as well as a detached settlement on the fertile 
 shores of the Detroit. These tracts had been granted to persons of distinction and 
 to favourites, usually in large blocks, which, as already stated, they held under the 
 title of seigneurs. But it accorded not with their habits to clear and cultivate for 
 themselves grounds covered with an unbroken forest ; nor would the task be under- 
 taken by farmers on the terms of an ordinary lease. The proprietors were therefore 
 obliged to make them over, in small lots, under the feudal title of fiefs, to hard- 
 working men, who, on receiving this permanent interest, were willing to encounter 
 the toil. The annual payment, or quit-rent, is in general exceedingly small, 
 

 Legato* faKUshed for die froprieturs.'bv' Geo- Vtrtne, 36. Ivv .Lane. 1810 
 
CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 97 
 
 amounting, on some properties, only to 10 s, a-year, with a bushel of wheat and two 
 fowls. The seigneur has, besides, certain feudal claims — a tithe on fish, mill-dues, 
 and, more especially, payments on sale or transference, which in some cases amount 
 to a fifth of the purchase-money. 
 
 The occupants of these fiefs or farms, under the burdens now specified, are 
 virtual proprietors of the soil, which they cultivate with their own hands, aided by 
 their families. They are described as a particularly contented, industrious, and 
 amiable race of people ; and the lots, though much subdivided in the course of 
 succession, are still sufficient to maintain them in simple plenty. They till their 
 land with diligence, though without skill, having scarcely adopted any of the modern 
 improvements. Their study is to produce from the farm every thing they need ; 
 not only the whole of their food, but their candles, soap, and even sugar. From 
 flax of their own raising, too, and the wool of their own sheep, they are enabled to 
 manufacture almost every article of clothing. Their houses, though generally built 
 of wood, and only one story high, are whitewashed, and tolerably commodious. A 
 partition in the middle separates the kitchen from the principal apartment, at one 
 end of which are the bed-rooms. There is a garden, which, though in a somewhat 
 rude and straggling state, and cultivated by the females only, yields a comfortable 
 supply of the more common fruits and vegetables. 
 
 The personal appearance of the habitans is peculiar. They are tall, thin, and, 
 from exposure to the climate, almost as dark as the Indians. They have thin lips, 
 and often aquiline noses, with small, dark, and lively eyes. Many of the 
 girls are pretty oval-faced brunettes, with fine eyes, good teeth, and glossy locks. 
 The dress is nearly after the old fashion of the French peasantry. The men wear 
 the capot , a large grey coat or surtout, covering nearly the whole body, and tied 
 with a girdle of brilliant colours. On the legs they have mocassins, and on the 
 head a straw hat in summer, and a red bonnet in winter. The hair is still tied in a 
 long queue behind. The women wear short jackets or bed-gowns (mantelets), with 
 petticoats distinct, and sometimes of a different colour, and caps instead of bonnets — 
 a mode of dress formerly common in Scotland, and not yet wholly disused. They 
 have long waists, and sometimes the hair tied behind in a large club. At church, 
 or other occasions of full dress, they adopt the English fashion, but display a much 
 greater variety of showy colours. Hair-powder is sometimes w*orn, and beet-root 
 employed as rouge ; but both in their dress and houses they are perfectly clean. 
 
 The habitans are frugal and moderate in their ordinary diet, which mostly consists 
 of different kinds of soup. They have, however, their jours gras , or great feast-days, 
 particularly before and after Lent, when large companies assemble, and the board is 
 spread with every delicacy which their larder can afford. The table groans beneath 
 immense turkey pies, huge joints of beef, mutton, and pork, followed by a profusion 
 
98 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 of fruit puddings. Extraordinary justice is said to be done to these viands, as well 
 as to the rum which follows ; but the younger members of the company are soon 
 roused by the sound of the violin, and the dancing, of which they are passionately 
 fond, engages them till a late hour. Weddings, above all, are celebrated by a 
 mighty concourse of friends and acquaintances. Twenty or thirty of the country 
 carriages bring in parties to witness the ceremony, which is followed by feasts and 
 dances, not unfrequently prolonged for several days. The young people, however, 
 have a somewhat rude method of expressing their opinion of an unequal union, 
 especially if arising from the relative age of the parties. They assemble at night in 
 large bodies, sounding various discordant instruments — horns, drums, bells, kettles, 
 accompanied by loud shouts ; and a contribution to the church, or some charitable 
 purpose, is indispensable to obtain a respite from this jocular persecution. The 
 short summer is necessarily spent in almost unremitting labour ; but when ice and 
 snow have covered the ground the gay season begins, and in their carioles or little 
 chaises, on steel runners, which pass swiftly over the frozen surface, they visit their 
 neighbours, and spend much time in social intercourse. 
 
 The Canadian French, like their forefathers, profess the Roman Catholic religion 
 with much zeal, and in a manner which occasionally approaches superstition. The 
 roads are marked by crosses erected at the side ; their houses are filled with little 
 pictures of the Madonna and child, waxen images of saints, and of the crucifixion ; 
 and there is a profuse expenditure of holy water and candles. They reluctantly 
 establish their dwelling beyond hearing of the church bells, and on Sundays the 
 attendance is crowded. They have, however, those inadequate notions as to the 
 sanctity of that day, which are general in catholic countries. When worship is over 
 the remainder is devoted, without reserve, to amusements. “ Sunday,” it is said, 
 4 ‘ is to them their day of gaiety; there is then an assemblage of friends and rela- 
 tions ; the parish church collects together all whom they know, and with whom they 
 have relations of business or pleasure ; the young and old, men and women, clad in 
 their best garments, riding their best horses, driving in their gayest caliches , meet 
 there for purposes of business, love, and pleasure. The young habitant, decked out 
 in his most splendid finery, makes his court to the maiden, whom he has singled out 
 as the object of his affections ; the maiden, exhibiting in her adornment every colour 
 of the rainbow, there hopes to meet her chevalier ; the bold rider descants upon and 
 gives evidence of the merits of his unrivalled pacer ; and in winter the powers of 
 the various horses are tried in sleigh or cariole racing ; in short, Sunday is the grand 
 fete.” Even the violin and the dance in the evening are not considered unsuitable. 
 Notwithstanding these customs, the religious spirit of the Canadians appears sincere, 
 and is attended with great benefits. Their general conduct is inoffensive and 
 praiseworthy. Crimes of an atrocious description, as murder and violent assaults 
 
CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 99 
 
 upon the person, scarcely ever occur. Property* is perfectly safe, both from the 
 thief and the robber ; the doors of the houses stand open, and all sorts of goods are 
 exposed without any precaution. They scarcely ever engage in those furious 
 personal conflicts which, among the Americans of English descent, are often carried 
 on with such violence ; they know neither duelling, boxing, or gouging. On the 
 contrary, they mutually treat each other with all the ceremonious politeness of the 
 French school. One of the first things taught to a child is to speak decorously, to 
 bow or curtsey to its elders or to strangers. This politeness is not accompanied with 
 any degree of insincerity or servility, above which last they are completely raised by 
 their independent situation. They are said to be generous in relieving those in 
 distress — liberal and courteous to all who have any claim on their hospitality. The 
 custom of parents and children living together, often to the third generation, in the 
 same house, marks a mild and friendly temper. The only form under which hostile 
 passions are vented is that of litigation, to which they are immoderately addicted, 
 being favoured by the comparative cheapness of law. M. Bouchette defends this as 
 securing them from violent and turbulent modes of terminating their differences. 
 
 The habitans are not a stirring, enterprizing, or improving race. They tread in 
 the steps of their forefathers, following the same routine, and with difficulty 
 adopting the most obvious improvements of modern husbandry. Although extensive 
 tracts lie in their immediate neighbourhood unoccupied, they resign them to the 
 English and Americans, and have scarcely at all extended the range of their original 
 settlement. Even their amiable qualities tend to retain them in this stationary 
 condition ; to which we may add their social disposition, their attachment to their 
 kindred, their church, and the rites of their religion. They feel as if in leaving 
 these things they would leave all. Their range of information has hitherto been 
 very limited ; and their priests, it has been alleged, by no means favour the diffusion 
 among them even of the first elements of education; so that the majority of the 
 adults cannot even read or write. But the legislature have lately made great exer- 
 tions to improve them in this respect ; and it is hoped that the rising generation 
 will be more enlightened. 
 
 The society in Upper Canada, with the exception of the small French settlement 
 at Detroit, presents a very different aspect. A great majority of the inhabitants 
 consists of emigrants recently arrived from Ireland, Scotland, and England, who have 
 not yet made much change in their original ideas and habits. Those established at 
 successive periods during the previous half century, are not represented by Mr. 
 Howison, Mr. Talbot, and other writers, under a very favourable light. The tone, 
 especially in the western districts, appears to have been in a great measure given by 
 such Americans as came, not from the civilised portions of the Union, but from the 
 back-wood tracks, breathing rather the spirit of Kentucky than of New England. 
 
100 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 Disbanded soldiers and sailors were not well calculated to improve the breed ; and 
 even the voluntary emigrants were not always composed of the respectable classes, 
 who, under the pressure of the times, have lately embraced this resource. The 
 removal of the ordinary restraints of society, and the absence of religious ordinances 
 and ministration, concurred in giving to them a reckless and unprincipled character. 
 Intoxication, encouraged by the cheapness of spirits, is indulged to a lamentable 
 degree, and is often productive of general ill conduct and ruin. Little regard is 
 paid to the sabbath and other sacred institutions ; and the ear of the stranger is 
 wounded, not only by abusive language, but by swearing to an odious and disgusting 
 degree. Pugilistic contests are carried on with a violence rivalling those of Ken- 
 tucky, and have not always been unaccompanied by the savage practice of gouging. 
 Mr. Talbot, though he admits that he met with many respectable females, charges a 
 large proportion of the sex with a disregard and even insensibility to their first 
 duties. Although a spry lass, as she is termed, is certain of repeated offers, and is 
 sure of being early united in the bonds of matrimony, she may frequently before 
 that event have given birth to one or two children. Our author was in company 
 with a lady, who volunteered to the company the information, that “ her Betty” had 
 been two years old at her marriage. The correcter feelings, on this subject, of 
 females from the old country are contemned as ridiculous. Nay, where so little 
 delicacy prevails, and the children are so valuable a possession, the bringing two or 
 three into the world in this irregular manner, instead of being a bar to marriage, 
 proves, it is said, an additional attraction, by making the young lady a species of 
 heiress. After marriage, she makes an active and industrious wife, but expects from 
 her husband much deference, and even that he should wink at occasional frailties. 
 These faults are described by Mr. Gourlay as rapidly disappearing, though Mr. 
 Talbot, and even Mr. Shirreff, found them still too prevalent ; but the increased 
 means of instruction, and the example of respectable emigrants, will, it may be 
 hoped, gradually effect a thorough reform. 
 
 No people in the world live better than the inhabitants of Upper Canada. The 
 abundance of produce, and the low price at which it can be sold, naturally inclines 
 them to take the full use of it. Three copious meals, often of twelve or fourteen 
 dishes each, are daily served up, called breakfast, dinner, and supper, but consisting 
 generally of the same component parts ; among which are specially enumerated 
 green tea, fried pork, honeycomb, salted salmon, pound-cake, pickled cucumbers, 
 stewed chickens, apple tarts, maple-molasses, pease-pudding, gingerbread, and sour 
 crout. They are not very social in their daily habits, to which, indeed, the almost 
 impassable state of the roads opposes great obstacles ; but they are fond of large 
 parties, and, in a favourable season, five or six families often unite, and, without any 
 notice, drive to visit another at the distance of ten or twelve miles. Such an arrival 
 
CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 101 
 
 would not always be very opportune in an English household ; but, “ in this land of 
 plenty,” the flour-barrel, the pork-tub, and the fowl house, afford at all times 
 materials for meeting such an emergency, and the board is soon spread with a 
 plentiful meal. The dance is an amusement of which they are passionately fond. 
 No inn is considered worthy of the name, unless it be provided with a spacious ball- 
 room, which is called into requisition as often as convenience will permit. Intel- 
 lectual recreations have not hitherto attracted all the attention which they merit. 
 Mr. Talbot, during a residence of five years, never saw above two individuals with 
 books in their hands ; and, in one case, it was a medical treatise consulted for 
 health. The sources of improvement already enumerated, however, have already 
 made a great impression, and will, we doubt not, ere long wipe off this reproach 
 from the Canadian people. 
 
 There remains yet undescribed a small but interesting portion — the remnant of 
 the Indian nations. It has appeared mysterious how tribes, once so powerful, 
 without war or bloodshed should have silently disappeared, and only a handful 
 survive. The occupation of their hunting grounds by European settlers, the intro- 
 duction of destructive diseases, particularly small-pox, and the free use of intoxi- 
 cating liquors, have no doubt materially thinned their numbers. Our researches, 
 however, have led us to suspect that the diminution has not been nearly so great as 
 is supposed ; in other words, that the original numbers were much exaggerated. 
 We have had occasion to observe, that the Iroquois, the most powerful people in 
 America, and occupying a territory extending several hundred miles in every direc- 
 tion, were not estimated by the French to include more than 3,000 warriors. Yet 
 they enjoyed a better climate, and were not so entirely ignorant of cultivation as the 
 tribes northward of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 The Indians, under British protection, are dispersed in small villages and settle- 
 ments in different parts of Upper and Lower Canada. The charge made by Mr. 
 M‘Gregor, that they have not been kindly treated by our government, seems 
 scarcely well founded, for not only do they remain peaceably under her sway, but they 
 have repeatedly taken up arms in her cause against the “ Big Knives,” as they term 
 the Americans. In consideration of their services, and in compensation for the 
 encroachments made on their domain, each individual, on repairing to a fixed 
 station, receives a certain amount of goods as an annual present ; and this grant 
 affords the means of estimating the number residing within the provinces. In 
 Lower Canada, in 1828, it amounted to 2,922, exclusive of about 450 Micmacs, or 
 wandering tribes, from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The number in Upper 
 Canada to whom, about the same time, donations were made, was 12,919 ; making 
 in the two provinces 15,841. The estimate thus obtained, however, is not quite so 
 accurate as could be wished. Several thousands came from beyond the western 
 
 D D 
 
102 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 frontier, a distance in some cases of four or five hundred miles, and even from che 
 territory of the United States ; hut in consequence of the signal services rendered 
 by them during the last war, pledges had been given, which Britain must now fulfil. 
 On the other hand, in the immense forest territory which the hand of cultivation 
 has not yet approached, there are doubtless very considerable numbers who retain 
 their wild independence, and hold no relation whatever with Europeans. We may 
 notice, in particular, the vast tracts to the east and north of Quebec, whence no 
 mention is made of any resort to the stations of distribution. 
 
 The Indians of Lower Canada have been converted to the catholic religion, and 
 their spiritual concerns are superintended by five missionaries, who receive salaries 
 of from 40/. to 70/. per annum. They appear much attached to these instructors, 
 and show a deep sense of their religious duties ; yet they have admitted scarcely 
 any change in their original habits, or made any progress in industry. Their 
 husbandry, as formerly, is on a small scale, of the rudest description, and carried on 
 entirely by women and old men. “ The Indian tribes,” said the late Lord Dalhousie, 
 “ continue to be warlike in their ideas and recollections. Insignificant as are some 
 of the tribes now in Lower Canada, civilized and accustomed to social life, there is 
 not one of them that does not boast of the warlike days of their chiefs and warriors ; 
 even now, the word warrior is assumed by every young man ; he is trained up to it, 
 and has a higher idea of the approbation of his chief, or the consideration of white 
 men in that character of an active hunter or warrior, than he has of any other 
 object or use of his existence.” The missionaries, though they execute their 
 spiritual functions with zeal and diligence, not only take no pains to instruct them 
 in reading or writing, but effectually oppose any efforts for that purpose, at least 
 when made by protestant teachers. We even suspect that they indulge rather than 
 check the warlike spirit of their flocks ; since it appears, that, on the annual religious 
 festival called the grand fete de Dieu , the Indians are in the habit of marching to 
 church in military order, headed by their chiefs, bearing arms, and amid the music 
 of drums and fifes. 
 
 A few miles northward from Quebec is the Huron settlement of Loretto, consist- 
 ing of sixty-seven men, sixty-five women, and forty-seven children. This poor 
 remnant of a race once so powerful, holding only forty acres of land, derive a pre- 
 carious subsistence from hunting, fishing, and some trifling articles made by their 
 females. They recently preferred a claim to the fief of Sillery, a fine tract extend- 
 ing a league along the St. Lawrence, near Quebec, in virtue of a grant made to 
 their ancestors in 1651. The case being brought before the courts, it was argued 
 by the crown lawyers that the grant had been made to the Jesuits in general terms, 
 for the purpose “ of assembling the wandering nations of New France, and instruct- 
 ing them in the Christian religion ;” that, in 1699, these missionaries, representing 
 
TTF. . PRES EXE Q'tTFJiF, 
 
 

CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 103 
 
 that the Indians had quitted the spot on account of the soil being exhausted, 
 requested and obtained a grant of it for themselves ; and that it remained in their 
 possession till the extinction of their order in 1800, when it devolved on the British 
 government. On these grounds the judges decided against the Hurons. We 
 cannot help referring, however, to certain facts in our historical narrative, founded 
 on authorities which we incline to believe were unknown to either party in this con- 
 test. It there appears that the grant immediately followed the destruction of the 
 Huron nation by the Iroquois, when the Jesuits, as the only means of saving the 
 remnant of the tribe, removed to Quebec. The date, and the name of the principal 
 settlement, seem to show, that, however general the terms may have been, the grant 
 was made virtually for the benefit of these unfortunate fugitives, and to the Jesuits 
 only as their trustees. If this be admitted, we know not how far their quitting it 
 at one time for another spot, without any formal relinquishment, could be considered 
 as vacating their title. On the loss of their cause, they sent two deputies to 
 London, who very earnestly solicited an interview with their great father. Sir George 
 Murray evaded this demand, but received them kindly ; and though he could not 
 reopen a legal decision, offered them grants of crown lands in other quarters ; but 
 they replied, that an arrangement which would separate them, and require a 
 complete change in their mode of life, could not be felt by them as any real 
 advantage. 
 
 In the vicinity of Three Rivers are 82 Algonquins, and near St. Francis and 
 Be 9 ancour, on the opposite side, 359 Abenaquis. These tribes inhabit rude 
 villages, composed of very poor bark huts, though somewhat better than the ordinary 
 wigwams. They once possessed a considerable extent of land, the greater part of 
 which has been wrested from them under various pretences by designing individuals ; 
 and to prevent such frauds, it is proposed that no alienation of property by these 
 untaught tribes shall be held valid until it has been sanctioned by government. 
 Farther down the river are three settlements of Iroquois, one at Sault St. Louis and 
 Caughnawaga, amounting to 967 ; another at St. Regis of 348 ; and a third, of 282 , 
 at the Lake of the Two Mountains. This tribe, once powerful, and even intelligent, 
 are now indolent, wretched, and despised by their own countrymen. Those of Sault 
 St. Louis possess some land, though, from mismanagement, it produces little; and.a 
 late claim for an addition, founded on minute boundary questions, was fruitless, 
 though they also sent two deputies to London to enforce it. At the Lake of the 
 Two Mountains are likewise 355 Algonquins and 250 Nipissings. These have no 
 land to cultivate, but by their activity in hunting, and supplying Europeans with 
 furs, they have placed themselves in a more comfortable condition than any other 
 Indians in Lower Canada. They complain much, however, of the extended coloniza- 
 tion on the Ottawa, by which their hunting grounds are greatly narrowed. 
 
104 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 In Upper Canada, along tlie St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario, the Mississaguas 
 are the leading tribe. Those of Kingston and Gananoqui, only 82 in number, are 
 described as worthless and depraved ; but such as dwell on the Bay of Quinte and 
 Bice Lake, amounting respectively to 143 and 317, have been converted to Christi- 
 anity, and are much improved. On the Bay are also 319 Mohawks, many of whom 
 have applied themselves to agriculture, and even adopted in some degree the 
 European dress, though mixed in a grotesque manner with their native attire. On 
 the river Credit, which falls into the western part of Ontario, are ISO of the same 
 nation, who have been greatly civilized by their conversion. Around Lake Simcoe 
 and its vicinity, about 550 Chippeways reside under their chief, Yellow-head. These 
 also have expressed a strong desire for instruction and the knowledge of religion, 
 but have not yet experienced those benefits in an equal degree. The banks of the 
 Grand River, which falls into Lake Erie, to the extent of six miles on each side, 
 were, by a proclamation of General Haldimand, set apart for the Mohawks and Six 
 Nations, who occupy it to the amount of about 2,000. Some part of these lands 
 has been sold with the consent of government, and the proceeds lodged in the 
 British funds, yielding an annual revenue of 1,500/., which is distributed among 
 them in goods. They still hold 260,000 acres of an excellent soil, over which they 
 have spread themselves in small villages, and many of them attempt the simpler 
 modes of farming. Farther west are the Munseys on the Thames, 445 in number, 
 and 309 Hurons, connected with the French settlement on the Detroit, and converts 
 to the Catholic form of worship. 
 
 With the last exception, all the tribes in Upper Canada, till within these few years, 
 remained in their primitive state of rudeness and ignorance. They are now, however, 
 willing converts to the Christian faith, receiving instruction in reading and writing. 
 Their morals are greatly improved ; and, in short, the way is paved for their adopt- 
 ing generally the habits of civilized life. This good work has been almost entirely 
 accomplished by teachers from the United States, belonging to the “ Canada Con- 
 ference Missionary Society,” auxiliary to that of the Methodist Church of New 
 York. The Indians haye always shown themselves desirous to be instructed. In 
 1827, the tribes, when receiving presents at the remote station of Drummond 
 Island, intimated to the agent that there was at Micliillimakinac a school or place 
 where the natives were taught to live as the whites do, “ to mark their thoughts on 
 paper, and to think the news from books (read and write).” It was in their power 
 to send their children thither €t to get sense ;” but not being partial to the Big 
 Knives, and hearing that their great father at York was teaching their brethren to 
 “ cut up the ground, and be beloved of the Great Spirit,” they would rather be 
 instructed by him. In the same year the Chippeways at Gwillimburg, through their 
 chief, Yellow-head, delivered successive strings of wampum, importing that they 
 



 
 
 
 

 
 
 
CONDITION OF TIIE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 105 
 
 wished to be settled together, to pursue agriculture, and “ to worship that God 
 which is known to the whites in the good book.’* 
 
 The work of conversion and civilization was already proceeding, through the 
 exertions of the New York missionaries. Their first success was on the River 
 Credit, in the Home district, where they were greatly aided by Mr. Peter Jones, 
 alias Kakkewaquonaby, the son of a Welsh father by an Indian mother, and 
 thoroughly acquainted with their customs and language. They formed themselves 
 into a village, where Sir Peregrine Maitland built for them twenty houses ; they 
 added fifteen for themselves, with a mill ; and the Methodist Society aided them in 
 erecting a chapel, schoolhouse, and workshop. They now renounced the “ fire- 
 waters” (spirits), the effects of which had been so pernicious ; and, without giving up 
 hunting, combined with it the culture of the ground and the rearing of cattle. 
 According to the report of the Rev. Mr. Magrath, they had, in March 1828, brought 
 thirty -five acres into cultivation, and possessed nine yoke of oxen, twelve cows, and 
 six horses. The adults were taught to get by heart the most essential doctrines of 
 religion ; but for the children of both sexes schools were established, attended by 
 thirty-five boys and thirty-six girls. The Mississaguas, near Belleville, soon 
 followed the example of their brethren ; and, with the aid of the Society, formed a 
 village on Grape Island, in the Bay of Quinte. Finding this position too limited, 
 they applied for more land, and were allowed to select the requisite number of 
 vacant lots in the Midland district. This salutary process was soon afterwards 
 extended to the Mississaguas on the borders of Rice Lake and of Mud Lake, 
 northward of Cobourg. They occupied, by right, the islands on the former ; and, 
 on the petition of their teachers, were allowed besides 1,200 acres of waste land. 
 Improvement was next extended to the Chippeways, near Lake Simcoe. They were 
 entitled to three islands ; but Sir John Colborne thought it more for their benefit 
 that they should be located on its north-western shore, and on the road to Lake 
 Huron. In these objects about 3,000/. w r ere spent, chiefly saved out of the annual 
 presents. Another establishment has been formed at Munseytown, on the river 
 Thames ; and it appears that much has been done among the Six Nations, parti- 
 cularly the Mohawks, on the Grand Biver. In short, there seems no room to doubt 
 that the whole of this savage race will soon be brought within the pale of Christianity 
 and civilization. 
 
 Vehement objections have been taken against the religious body by whom this change 
 has been effected. They are accused of propagating the political creed of their ow r n 
 country, accompanied with sentiments of hostility to the established church. It 
 does not appear, however, that any disloyal or turbulent proceedings have resulted ; 
 and when they are doing so much good, it would certainly be very inexpedient to 
 obstruct their operations, until some efficient substitute shall be found. Sir John 
 
 E E 
 
106 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 Colborne expressly says, “ that the established clergy have not effected any Indian 
 conversions and the worthy bishop of Quebec candidly observes that, whoever 
 were the instruments, the effect must be a source of satisfaction ; and that the hand 
 of God seems to be visible in it. The Society allow 40/. or 50/. a-year to their 
 missionaries, and maintain ten schools, attended by 251 pupils. 
 
 The Indians, as already observed, have certain fixed stations, to which they resort 
 for the purpose of receiving their annual presents. These are, in Lower Canada, 
 Quebec, to which, in 1827, there came 652; St. Francis, 541 ; Caughnawaga, 967 ; 
 Lake of Two Mountains, 887 ; and St. Regis, 348. In Upper Canada, they are, 
 Kingston, 859; York, 781 ; Fort George (Niagara), 1857 ; Amherstburg, 5906; 
 and Drummond Island, 3516. The expense became very large during the war, 
 when their services were so valuable. Between 1813 and 1816, it averaged 150,000/. 
 a-year. Since that time it has been reduced to about 16,000/., which, with 4,400/. 
 for management, raises the Indian department to 20,400/. a-year. This, in Upper 
 Canada, is estimated at 18s. 9 cZ. to each individual, for which slender remuneration 
 some travel 500 miles. References have been made from the Colonial Office, to 
 ascertain whether this sum might not be still further reduced, and paid in money, by 
 which the estimates could be formed with greater precision. To the first point, it 
 has been replied by the governors, that the donation is one to which we are bound 
 by the faith of treaties, made in return for important services ; and its discontinu- 
 ance would excite the deepest indignation, and provoke an hostility which might be 
 attended with disastrous consequences. Probably like all rude nations, the Indians, 
 instead of viewing these gifts as in any degree humiliating, pride themselves upon 
 them as testimonies of respect, perhaps even as a species of tribute. As to the 
 payment in money, it was deprecated in the strongest terms by almost all the chiefs, 
 and those interested in their welfare ; because the immediate consequence would be 
 its conversion into spirits, thereby causing a serious injury instead of a benefit. 
 The principle articles presented to them in 1832, were 35,700 yards of different 
 kinds of cloth, the prime cost varying from Is. lcZ. to 3s. 4 d . ; 4,200 yards of linen ; 
 33,800 yards of cotton and calico, 7 cl. to Is. 7 d . ; 84,500 yards of gartering, of 
 scarlet, green, and fancy colours, jc/. per yard; 20,000 yards of blanketing, Is. 11 d. 
 to 5s. 9 d . ; 9,260 pairs of combs ; 6,700 shoemaker’s awls; 8,740 butcher’s knives ; 
 870 kettles; 18,160 sewing needles; 240 guns, 12s. 9c/. to 30s. ; 16,200 lbs of lead 
 ball; 46,300 lbs. of shot; 20,000 flints; 3,450 lbs. of carrot tobacco, 17/. 10s. 
 per cwt. 
 
 Since the diffusion of civilization, many of the Indians have consented, and even 
 desired, to exchange these presents for houses, implements of agriculture, and other 
 useful objects. A considerable number have even begun to wish for money, which 
 happily they no longer abuse as formerly, but rather find the most convenient 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BA CIS VII, LAC-K INDIAN ' ST. LAURENT DAS INDIAN l SCRE DORA ST. REGIS AM LOREN 2. 
 
 London , Published for the Proprietors , by Geo' Virtue 26 ( Ivy Lane. 1840 
 
CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 107 
 
 instrument in procuring whatever they may happen to want. Asance, a chief, said 
 that at York, “ he found it convenient when hungry to be able to put his hand 
 into his pocket, and find something jingling there for which he could get bread.” 
 It may be observed, that the Indians in Upper Canada are entitled to the annual pay 
 of 5.107/. current (4,426/. sterling), for land ceded by them to government, who give 
 the value in goods. As the crown obtained in exchange nearly 5,000,000 acres of 
 fertile land, we do think that this slender annuity ought not to exhaust the kindness 
 of the British ministry towards this unfortunate race. They receive also 1,267/. 
 sterling for property sold to private individuals, the greater part of which is lodged 
 in the funds. This sum is paid in money to the chiefs. 
 
 The Indians, as formerly observed, retain in general their original fashion of 
 dress ; but instead of composing it entirely of the skins of wild animals, they have 
 adopted, as more commodious, materials of English manufacture. For the outer 
 covering or great coat, a blanket is decidedly preferred ; the shirt beneath is chiefly 
 of calico or printed cotton ; the leggings and pouches of common cloths. The 
 
 gartering, of gaudy colours, serves for binding and ornamental borders. The 
 
 mocassins only, an article so extremely suited to their habits, cannot be composed of 
 any better material than their own deer-skin. When, however, any particular 
 piece of finery strikes their fancy, they eagerly seek to procure it, and combine it, 
 often fantastically, with their old habiliments. The vicinity of Europeans, where 
 it does not induce the destructive habit of intoxication, affords them various 
 means for bettering their condition. A ready sale for venison, wild ducks, and 
 other feathered game, and for the fish which they spear, is found among settlers who 
 have themselves little leisure for angling or the chase. The skins and furs also of 
 the animals caught by them are readily bought by the merchants. The women 
 make baskets, trays, and other utensils, of birch-bark, and sometimes of the inner 
 rind of the bass-wood and white ash, which, when ornamented with porcupine quills, 
 dyed in beautiful colours, form elegant articles of furniture. Their mocassins, 
 similarly adorned, are often purchased by Europeans for winter use. They cannot, 
 however, be depended upon for making or procuring any article to order. They 
 produce and bring their commodities to market when it suits their own convenience ; 
 and they are disposed to drive a pretty hard bargain, especially the females, on whom 
 that task usually devolves. The converted Indians are said to display a simple, 
 fervent, and sincere devotion. They pay a particular regard to the sanctity of the 
 sabbath ; and while singing hymns on the evening of that day, their rich soft voices, 
 rising on the still air, are extremely sweet. This principle of piety, having pro- 
 duced the valuable fruit of inducing them to renounce the ruinous habit of intoxi- 
 cation, has made a most happy change in their condition ; and since the evils 
 incident to the savage have thus been removed, perhaps the admirer of the 
 
108 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 picturesque in human life may not feel impatient for that thorough amalgamation 
 with Europeans, which some of their friends ardently desire. They may be willing 
 that some trace should still survive of the peculiar costume, aspect, and occupations 
 of this remarkable aboriginal race. 
 
 The means of religious instruction in Lower Canada have long existed on a liberal 
 scale. The great majority of the inhabitants, as formerly observed, are French 
 Roman Catholics. They support their clergy by a contribution of a twenty-sixth 
 part of the produce of their lands, which does not, however, as has been sometimes 
 represented, form a compulsory assessment, since Protestant converts may discon- 
 tinue payment. This affords to upwards of 200 mcaires and curts an average income 
 of 300/. per annum, which, in Canada, is very liberal. They are described as 
 respectable in character and attainments, very attentive to their parishioners, and 
 extremely beloved by them. They have been accused as hostile to the diffusion of 
 knowledge, yet no mention is made of any opposition made by them to the late 
 remarkable spread of elementary schools. The bishop, who has under him two 
 coadjutors and four vicars-general, receives from government a stipend of 1,000/. 
 a-year. . There are also monastic establishments, containing upwards of 300 
 monks and nuns. The English church has assigned for its support a seventh of all 
 the lands unoccupied by the habit ans, and formed into townships. This proportion 
 appears large, and has even been complained of as such, yet it has not hitherto pro- 
 duced any great revenue. The clergy of this church are at present forty in number, 
 at the head of whom is the bishop of Quebec, with a stipend of 1,000/. a-year. 
 There are fourteen Presbyterian ministers connected with the church of Scotland, 
 partly paid by government; and also twelve Methodists of the Wesleyan per- 
 suasion . 
 
 Upper Canada, as already hinted, was long miserably destitute of the means of 
 religious instruction. In 1800, according to Mr. Talbot, there were only three 
 clergymen in the country; in 1819 they had increased to ten; and in 1824 were 
 still only sixteen. Since that time effective measures have been taken to supply 
 this great deficiency. There are now forty- three clergymen belonging to the 
 English established church ; and two archdeacons, at Toronto and Kingston, 
 subject to the bishop of Quebec, have each 300/. a-year. The remainder of the 
 clergy received, in 1835, an income of 6,784/. 11s. 8c/., of which 5,484/. 18s. was 
 defrayed iiom the proceeds of the ecclesiastical reserves, which, as in Lower Canada, 
 consist of one-seventh of the uncultivated lands ; the rest was paid out of the crown 
 revenue. The Catholics have twenty-four priests, of whom the bishop, bearing the 
 title of Regiopolis, has 500/. ; the rest receive 1,000/. annually, divided among them, 
 out of the public purse. From the same fund were paid, in 1835, to the ministers 
 of the church of Scotland, 1,586/. ; to those of the Presbyterian synod of Upper 
 
CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS OF CANADA. 
 
 109 
 
 Canada 700/. ; 171/. was granted to the fund for building Catholic churches; 550/. 
 was given for the same purpose to the Scottish church ; and 550/. to the Wesleyan 
 Methodists. From this fund was also allowed 2,344/. 11s. 8d. for missionaries of 
 the Church of England. There are said to be also twenty-eight Methodist and 
 forty or fifty Baptist churches, which appear to be supported by the congregations. 
 
 The means even of the most common education were long extremely deficient in 
 Canada. This want was equally felt in the lower province, where the Catholic 
 clergy, though diligent in their religious ministrations, either opposed or did nothing 
 to forward elementary instruction. They particularly interfered to prevent attend- 
 ance on the schools organized in 1817, by what was termed the Royal Institution, 
 as being chiefly under the management of Church of England clergymen. In 1829, 
 however, the legislature voted for this object 6,439/., which was gradually increased 
 to upwards of 20,000/. In that year the number of scholars was 14,753, of whom 
 only about a third paid fees. In 1835, the number of free scholars had risen to 
 72,498, of those paying to 25,160 ; showing thus a wonderful increase both in the 
 gross number and in the proportion of those who defrayed their own charges. In 
 1836, however, the vote of the House of Assembly for this patriotic purpose was 
 negatived by the Legislative Council, a step which seems not unworthy of the 
 severe animadversions made on it by the popular leaders. The council stated that 
 their motive was to induce the people to contribute more towards the education of 
 their families. This was admitted to be desirable as an ultimate object; but it 
 could not justify the abrupt withdrawal of the means by which nearly 40,000 
 children were educated, without allowing time or even legal authority to substitute 
 any other. 
 
 In Upper Canada, also, the government is making great exertions to remove that 
 cloud of ignorance in which the country was once involved. A college at Toronto 
 is supported on a liberal footing. There are also grammar schools in every district, 
 to the teachers of which 100/. yearly is allowed by the legislature. The scholars 
 attending them amount in all to about 350. The sum of 7,380/. also was granted in 
 1835 for the support of common schools, estimated to amount to several hundreds, 
 and to educate about 20,000 children. In the same year, the legislature voted 180/. 
 and 90/. to the Mechanics’ Institutes at Toronto and Kingston. 
 
 F F 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 Among tlie various books on Canada, there is none which seems to us written with 
 a more friendly, fair, and philanthropic spirit than that of Mr* Hodgson, who was 
 there in 1822. A great part of his large volume is occupied with his rambles in the 
 United States ; but from that which is strictly Canadian, we extract the following 
 interesting letters : — 
 
 “ Soon after I had finished my letter on board the steam-boat, we stopped near the 
 mouth of the Genessee river, to give us the opportunity of seeing Rochester and its 
 vicinity. Stages had been previously sent for, in which we proceeded to Rochester, 
 nine miles distant. On our way we stopped to see the lower falls of the Genessee 
 river, and Carthage bridge. This wooden bridge is now in ruins. When perfect, 
 it must have been extremely beautiful. It was a single arch, whose span was about 
 350 feet wide, and its extreme height above the surface of the river 196 feet. It 
 gave way from the slightness of its materials, immediately after two children had 
 crossed it. A short distance above it are the falls of the Genessee, which appeared 
 to me to bear a strong resemblance to those of the Clyde. At Rochester we found 
 a handsome mill, and every symptom of a thriving town. Instead of f cash store’ 
 being painted over the shops, as in most towns of the United States, to tell the 
 customers that the shopkeepers sell only for cash, while they may almost be induced 
 to sell even a thimble on credit ; here ‘ cash given for wheat,’ ‘ cash given for, 
 

 Jig 
 
 
 /Z ZZ//J/////Z r Z/v. 
 
 VUE PRISE AU MILIEU DES MULE LIES. 
 
 71. ME FART IE DER TATIS END IN SEEN. 
 
 London i Published for the Proprietors, by 1 Geu.Virttu 
 

 
 
 
 
 
RAEIBES, BRES EE CEEJRES . 
 
 DEJf. WASSJSKFALL * BE! CEJ1/LR.S . 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 ^-v/ '■-£ 
 
 VILLA OR, II chums. RIVIERE S.-ZAORENT. 
 
 IAS I (MI CEDARS AM LORKTEZ^VLUS S 
 
 T. nrirlan P nKtishp fl fnr flip Proprietors Ty Geo.A^rine, 26. ly Lane. 1840. 
 
•YT. H.TtorQett. . 
 
 CLONNE BE NELSON, MONTREAL . -NELSONS SAULE ZZT MX 
 
 .London, PtiHtLshecL for the Propnieirirs . ty i>o:Vrrtni2 ?6 . Ivy lane ,12>4Q . 
 

 
 
 
 
IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 Ill 
 
 &c. &c/ was the usual motto. We learnt also, that the town was blessed by the 
 absence of a bank, while in the smallest American town I had been accustomed to 
 find banks the first objects which presented themselves — the Farmer’s Bank, the 
 Merchant’s Bank, the Planter’s Bank, the Mechanic’s Bank, the Franklin Bank, the 
 Patriotic Bank, &c. &c. with their various combinations, had met my eye more or 
 less in every village. We embarked again about two o’clock, and in the morning 
 by day-light found ourselves at Sacket’s Harbour, of which we heard so much during 
 the war. It is a noble natural harbour, and the place where the American ships 
 employed on the lakes were built so rapidly. Many of them are now rotting under 
 wooden covers. There is one half finished, said to be longer than our largest ship 
 of the line, covered with a w r ooden shade, which itself, our conductor told us, cost 
 7,00(W. This immense vessel, so far inland, on the banks of a lake, was a singular 
 sight, and excited some incongruous ideas. 
 
 " We sailed again soon after breakfast, and in the morning (9th) found ourselves 
 at Ogdensburgh, about 260 miles from Niagara, which we had left on the 6th. 
 The preceding afternoon we had entered the St. Lawrence, and I had been much 
 delighted with our sail through that expanse of it which is called the Lake of the 
 Thousand Islands. In reality, there are more than 2,000, of every size and form, 
 and a lovely afternoon exhibited them in all their beauty. As we glided past them, 
 on the smooth surface of the St. Lawrence, I thought I had never beheld a scene 
 which so nearly realized my ideas of enchantment. The banks of the river as we 
 proceeded were rather less wild and interesting than I had expected. 
 
 “ At Ogdensburgh, which is said to belong principally to Mr. Parish, who is 
 endeavouring to settle a tract of land in the vicinity, w T e breakfasted at a large stone 
 tavern, which he has built, and then prepared in high spirits to descend the Rapids. 
 For this purpose we hired a long boat, which would accommodate the whole party, 
 and which, with 25 people on board and their baggage, and 25 barrels of flour for 
 ballast, was said to draw only eight inches of water. We set sail about ten o clock, 
 and in four hours and a few minutes had been carried 48 miles down the stream, in 
 the course of which we had passed the first three rapids, one of which was half a 
 mile, another two, and another about nine miles long. We always discerned them 
 at a great distance, the dashing of the w T hite foam resembling the tossing of the 
 ocean ; and as we approached them our velocity gradually increased, till we were 
 carried by the stream at the rate of 14 « or 15 miles an hour. When we got into the 
 middle of the surges, our velocity, though still great, was checked by the eddies and 
 by waves which frequently struck the bottom of the boat with great force ; and from 
 the appearance of the troubled waters, it seemed difficult for a boat to live. The 
 confidence of the boatmen,, however, checked our apprehensions, and oui ladies 
 behaved extremely well. The most alarming appearance was that ot pointed locks, 
 
CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 112 
 
 which, from the transparency of the water, seemed to rise almost to the surface, and 
 to threaten inevitable destruction. As I stood on the bow, I saw combinations of 
 rocks, towards which we were hurried with impetuosity, and which it seemed impos- 
 sible our boat could pass without striking. In some of the Rapids there were chan- 
 nels, called lost channels, from the accidents which had happened in them, and into 
 which our boatmen had to guard against our being carried. The river varies from 
 three-fourths of a mile to two miles in width ; and although there are no mountains 
 near, (the green mountains of Vermont were often in sight at a distance,) the white 
 pine and cedar gave a picturesque appearance to its banks, and a resemblance to 
 the river views in Norway or Sweden. One of the most singular sensations we 
 experienced, was that of sailing many miles perceptibly down hill. Soon after 
 passing the third rapid, the St. Lawrence expanded into a wide lake — the Lake of 
 St. Francis. There we lost our wind and stream, and were obliged to have recourse 
 to our oars. The evening was now closing in, and a violent thunder-storm brought 
 on a premature darkness ; but the ladies enlivened us by singing the Canadian Boat- 
 
 Song, ‘ Row, brothers, row, &c.’ which transported me to , where I have so 
 
 often heard it. 
 
 “ About ten o’clock, we made towards a light which we saw on the shore, and 
 landed a committee of inquiry, who reported so unfavourably of the miserable cabin 
 from which it issued, that we determined to proceed, tired as the ladies were. Our 
 scouts informed us, that they had found in the cabin four or five Canadians, dancing 
 to a sleeping fiddler, whose music ceased as soon as they awoke him. A mile or 
 two further, we found a better house, where we called the family up, and, with the 
 help of our well-bred and efficient ladies, some gunpowder tea they had with them, 
 some milk that was obtained from a cow that was awakened for the purpose, and the 
 services of my servant, we sat down, a party of twenty, to a tolerably comfortable 
 meal. When the ladies were about to retire, they found there was no door to their 
 chamber, but they supplied the deficiency with a sheet. The gentlemen lay on 
 blankets, in a sort of barrack room ; but I found the fleas so annoying, that I got up 
 and sat at the door of the house. I should have enjoyed the clear night after the 
 storm, and the placid lake, if I had been less tired and sleepy ; but wearied as I was, 
 I was very glad to see the day break. Our gunpowder tea made its appearance again at 
 five o’clock ; after which we embarked, passing the remaining rapids, (the Cedars, 
 the Split Rock, and the Cascades, as they are called,) and the mouth of the Ottawa 
 River ; and, being becalmed in the fine lake, St. Louis, we arrived at night at 
 La Chine, about 150 miles from Ogdensburgh, which we had left the preceding 
 morning. As we approached La Chine, the houses and villages on the banks of the 
 river and lake assumed a much more comfortable appearance ; but of the Canadians 
 in my next letter. 
 
IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 113 
 
 " Some of our party staid all night at La Chine, hut several of my friends and 
 myself proceeded to Montreal in a wretched vehicle, for which I was obliged to apolo- 
 gize to my American companions, by reminding them that it was only a colonial, 
 and that there were parts of our colonial system which none of us attempted to 
 defend. We met some miserable caltches , of which 1 was ashamed even as colonials ; 
 and I was compelled to repress the rising smiles of the party, by suggesting to their 
 recollection, that, after all, we were still in America and not in England. After 
 riding nine miles, almost in the dark, we entered the faubourg of Montreal, and 
 jolted along a narrow street a mile long, which my companions, accustomed to the 
 spacious streets in America, supposed to be an alley, though it is the principal street. 
 At the end of it we stopped at the Mansion-house, a very fine inn ; and here I was 
 not ashamed to welcome my companions to the dominions of his Britannic Majesty. 
 
 “ The Mansion-house is situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence, which its 
 handsome apartments overlook, and which is here almost two and a half miles 
 broad. The windows of our room open upon a fine terrace, from which there is a 
 charming and extensive view of the distant country. In the evening this is a very 
 favourite promenade with the inmates of the house. 
 
 “ I am delighted to sit down once more under the British flag, which is waving 
 over us, for Lord Dalhousie, the governor, is staying in the house ; and I am 
 gratified by the sight of our own red coats, who have mounted guard.” 
 
 “ Montreal , 23d A ugust , 1822. 
 
 “ I have just received your letter of the 19th ult. The uncommon cold of the 
 last winter, and the unusual heat of the present summer, appear, in some degree, to 
 have extended to you. Individually, I am not sorry to have the opportunity of 
 experiencing, in the course of the year I have passed in America, a range of tem- 
 perature beyond even the ordinary limits of the country. The great and sudden 
 changes, however, continue to strike me more than even extremes of cold and heat, 
 so much beyond those we experience in England. After a week of the hottest 
 weather they have had here this summer, (the other morning the thermometer was 
 currently reported, and I believe correctly, to be 98° of Fahrenheit in the shade,) 
 thin clothes of every description have disappeared ; and last night, when I sat down 
 to write to you, I found it too cold to proceed. The oppressive heat of the summer 
 here, and in the United States, is alleviated, in some degree, by the liberal use of 
 ice. We see it in every form, and use it with the utmost profusion, dhe butter 
 regularly comes to table with a fine thick transparent piece of ice upon it ; large 
 pieces are generally floating in the water jugs at dinner, or in your chambers ; and 
 it is often handed round on plates, in small pieces, to be used at dinner. The plan 
 of preserving ice in this country, and the United States, is much more simple than 
 
 G G 
 
114 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 with us, and, I have no doubt, more judicious, as, notwithstanding the superior heat 
 of the climate, it is so much more cheap and plentiful. Almost every farmer has 
 his ice-house. 
 
 “ I have already given you some account of our sail down the Rapids. It was 
 extremely pleasant ; and although we were becalmed for many hours, we descended 
 on the St. Lawrence in less than two days, a distance which the boatmen seldom 
 reascend in less than nine or ten, even with the occasional assistance of locks at the 
 side of the river. I am surprised we hear so little of this noble river. It is com- 
 puted, I do not know with what accuracy, to discharge one-half more water than the 
 Mississippi. Its depth between Ogdensburgli and La Chine (130 miles) seldom 
 varies more than three feet in the course of a year ; while the Mississippi was falling 
 one foot each day when I ascended it. The St. Lawrence is much clearer than the 
 Mississippi, and its current much more rapid ; so rapid, indeed, that the Lake Erie 
 steam-boat, which has been in operation for three years, has not been able to ascend 
 from Black Rock to Lake Erie more than twice without twelve oxen. The banks 
 of the St. Lavvrence do not present the rich and beautiful cultivation which adorns 
 the banks of the Mississippi in Louisiana ; but if they do not exhibit extensive and 
 liiglily-dressed plantations of sugar and cotton, or the magnificent forest trees 
 peculiar to the south and west, the prospect is never blackened by a range of 
 miserable slave-cabins, or gangs of negroes working like cattle in the field. I 
 cannot describe to you the pleasure I derived from contrasting the various scenes 
 through which I am passing with each other, they have so many peculiar features, 
 and all so highly interesting. 
 
 “It is remarkable, that, rising from the same table-land, and so intimately con- 
 nected by intersecting branches, which occasionally flow into each other during periods 
 of inundation, the Mississippi and the St. Lawrence present the most striking contrast 
 in their general features. Many of these are mentioned in the observations I will 
 copy for you from Darby ; but others, not much less interesting, might be added. 
 
 “ ( The Mississippi is turbid, in many parts to muddiness ; the St. Lawrence 
 unusually limpid. One river is composed of almost an unbroken chain of lakes ; 
 the other, in all its vast expanse, has no lakes that strictly deserve the name. 
 Annually the Mississippi overleaps its bed, and overwhelms the adjacent shores to a 
 great extent ; an accidental rise of three feet, in the course of fifty years, is con- 
 sidered an extraordinary swell of the waters of St. Lawrence ; this circumstance has 
 occurred the present season for the first time within the lapse of forty years 
 past. The Mississippi, flowing from north to south, passes through innumerable 
 climes ; whilst its rival, winding from its source, in a south-east direction, to near 
 north latitude 41°, turns gradually north-east, and again flows into its original 
 climate of ice and snow. The Mississippi, before its final discharge into the Gulf of 
 
MONTREAL W D ! f AT I.AUREN1 
 
 (■ /iCm/Eo//’. 
 
 ( from the St . Lawrence.) 
 
 MOM THE A' VUM LOREN > FLOSS DAR .'STJSLKT 
 
 Loudon. L'lihUjdjfcaJ. for ihe Txopruov..- by Goo:"Yirni*? ^6, Ivy X 
 
 

W. E-Bartlett . 
 
 , r'y/. JyJ/tA w/tx, /// r Myi/Mi/. 
 
 LB 3 . LAURENT , A MONTREAL 
 
 DER LORE AT Z FLU S3 ZU MONTREAL. 
 
 London.. Fu'Vilu-.hecl. For the Voprietora .\g Ooo Virtn • 2G,Jvy £u*tt. LG -11 
 
 
 
IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 115 
 
 Mexico, divides into a number of branches, having their separate egress; the 
 St. Lawrence imperceptibly expands to a wide bay, which finally opens into the 
 gulf of the same name. The banks of the Mississippi present a level, scarce rising 
 above the superior surface of that stream ; those of St. Lawrence, by a gentle 
 acclivity, exhibit the opposing sides of an elegant basin. Much of the surface 
 watered by the Mississippi is a region of grass, where few shrubs or trees rise to 
 break the monotony of the face of the earth ; the shores that bound the St. Law- 
 rence, when in a state of nature, are covered with an almost continuous and 
 impervious forest. And, lastly, though rather an accidental than a natural distinc- 
 tion, the Mississippi rolls its mighty volume, swelled by more than a thousand 
 rivers, through one empire ; and is, as I once before observed, the largest stream on 
 this globe, whose entire course lies within one sovereignty. The St. Lawrence is, 
 for more than 1,300 miles, a national limit, and, as such, marked with the sangui- 
 nary points which distinguish the bounds of rival power. 1 
 
 " We arrived here on the 10th, as you would learn from my last letter. On the 
 11th, I was awakened by the matin-bells of the different catholic churches; and 
 while my steam-boat companions went to see the Lions, I set out to deliver my 
 letters of introduction, and soon found that the mornings of the ensuing week would 
 be entirely occupied by commercial engagements, and the evenings with dinner- 
 parties ; for the merchants are very hospitable. On the l£th, I w T as left alone, all 
 the party at the Mansion-house, with whom I was intimate, having proceeded to 
 Quebec. On their return, in a few days, I was a little more at leisure, and accom- 
 panied them to the nunneries. The ‘ Grey Sisters’ admitted us ; but the * Black 
 Sisters’ expressed their regret, in the politest French, that their devotional engage- 
 ments would prevent them from seeing us till the following Thursday. 
 
 " On the 17th, there was a grand levee held here, (in a spacious room in our inn,) 
 as Lord and Lady Dalhousie, with their suite, were paying a short visit to Montreal. 
 I attended, and was duly presented. The Governor and Countess gave great satis- 
 faction ; but I hear many apprehensions expressed, that his lordship will not incur 
 the responsibility which the Duke of Richmond is said never to have hesitated to 
 assume, in acting first and sending for instructions afterwards. It was about this 
 time last year that the Duke left this house, a few days before his melancholy death 
 up the country. I was told, that on the day he had fixed for his return he was 
 brought into the house a corpse ; and on the subsequent day, which had been 
 appointed for his levee, a large concourse of the gentlemen of Montreal attended his 
 coffin to the vessel which carried him away. His loss is deeply regretted. Sir 
 Peregrine Maitland, his son-in-law, the Governor of Upper Canada, and Lady 
 Maitland, are much respected ; and, I understand, are doing much for the promotion 
 of religion in the newly settled districts in their neighbourhood. 
 
116 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 " The bishop of Canada preached at the church I attended on Sunday ; and, as I 
 was returning home, a veteran soldier of General Wolfe’s army was pointed out, in 
 his scarlet uniform. 
 
 “ I have had a few rides into the country in the neighbourhood, which is very 
 beautiful. I have also met most of the principal merchants at dinner during my stay. 
 On these occasions I am always gratified by the allusions I continually hear to home. 
 
 ‘ At home, we do so and so c Mr. ’s carriage is just arrived from home 
 
 ‘ Here are some biscuits from home ; fresh from Threadneedle-street, where I 
 always get them.’ 
 
 (( In the streets, however, there were many peculiarities to remind us that we were 
 not at home. More than three-fourths of the inhabitants are said to be catholics ; 
 and the bells of the cathedral are never at rest. The priests, who are the seigniors 
 of the island, are very rich ; but they are said to be charitable, moral, and by no 
 means luxurious. Our young friends would be amused by the numerous dog-carts, 
 the dogs in gig or tandem harness, in every part of the town, and by the caleclies of 
 the last century, which would serve as a foil for a north of England shandan. A 
 considerable number of Indians are usually walking the streets with mocassins for 
 sale ; and I saw several on the river-side, a mile distant, in wigwams, of which their 
 birch canoe formed a principal part. The town is most agreeably situated, and 
 there is an air of industry and animation in the inhabitants ; and yet, occasionally, 
 the narrow streets and iron window-shutters excite a sensation of gloominess, of 
 which I cannot readily divest myself till I return to our cheerful inn, where the 
 arrival and departure of steam-boats occasion a constant succession of guests. Our 
 party at table, which dwindled to six, rose, two days since, suddenly to sixty, all 
 fugitives, as those who are not on business seldom allot above two days to this part 
 of their tour. As the friends with whom I am most intimate have been detained 
 since their return from Quebec, by the want of a steam-boat, I have been very well 
 off, having access to their three drawing-rooms, with an agreeable female party in 
 each. Our host, although a Londoner, and adopting London hours, accommodates 
 himself by pursuing the American plan of compelling us to eat at a common table ; 
 but the style of the house is admirable, and we can obtain private sitting-rooms. 
 One of those occupied by our party is that which Lord Selkirk usually occupied 
 while here, and often recalls him to my recollection. All I hear, and I have con- 
 versed with many of both parties on the subject, has only served to confirm my 
 previous impressions with respect to the treatment which he received ; in some 
 instances, too, in quarters where it was least excusable, and at the hands of those 
 from whom every British subject was entitled to demand impartiality. In an hour 
 we are going on board the Swiftsure steam-boat for Quebec, and I am glad to find 
 that several of my acquaintances will be of the party.” 
 
"W. R . Bartlett . 
 
 lULDUW DAN'S VISE BOURASQUE SNR BE LAC S. PIERRE 
 
 
 IMS EL OSS '.lt£ STURM BVF LEM ST. JFETEn. 
 
 : V'rtnr >%. Ivy Lane, lf>30. 
 
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 DRE.T FZUSSJE. Z>ER FZtTSS ST. LORENZ 
 
IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 117 
 
 “ Steam-boat, on the St. Lawrence, August 28th, 1820. 
 
 I began this letter at Montreal, on board the Swiftsure steam-boat. This is 
 probably the finest steam-boat which has been built, and I was proud to see her 
 under the British flag ; the Americans readily conceded her superior claims. The 
 style of living and attendance is more like that of a good hotel, at the west end of 
 London, than any thing I have seen on this side of the Atlantic, notwithstanding 
 the handsome style of some of the American hotels, and the comfort of some of the 
 boarding-houses. There is an ice-house on board, and the owner supplies her table 
 with grapes and peaches from his own garden. 
 
 “ I often feel a strange sensation, when gliding down the American rivers, in these 
 floating palaces ; and have sometimes turned away almost ashamed, when bearing 
 down in all this ostentatious luxury on the poor half-naked Indians, in their birch 
 canoes, struggling to reach the shores on which their fathers roamed fearless and 
 independent. 
 
 “ We left Montreal about noon on the 22d, and for sixty miles averaged thirteen 
 miles an hour. The banks of the river, which is from one and a half to three miles 
 broad, though too flat to be romantic, till you approach within thirty miles of 
 Quebec, are interesting, from the white cottages, which seem to form one continued 
 village, and the neat churches, of which two or three are often in sight at once ; the 
 spires are usually covered with tin, and have a very dazzling appearance. 
 
 “ The cottages have originally been placed at equal distances from each other, the 
 farms having been laid off, with a front of a given length to the river ; but the 
 Canadian custom of dividing the farm between the children of the deceased (more 
 congenial with their indolence than striking deeper into the woods) has broken 
 uniformity by repeated and often inconvenient subdivisions. A mass of deep woods 
 usually bounds the farms, at the distance of a few acres from the river. 
 
 “ The navigation on Lake St. Peter is so difficult, that we were obliged to lie at 
 anchor all night. On the 23d, we passed the Three Rivers, a handsome town, on the 
 three mouths of a respectable river ; and at five o’clock in the evening arrived at 
 Quebec, 180 miles from Montreal. As we approached the town we passed close 
 under the plains of Abraham, and the precipitous rocks which our gallant hero 
 scaled ; and after straining our eyes to reach the fortifications, which seem to 
 frown destruction to any hostile force which might have the temerity to approach, 
 we were pleased, on looking round us, to find ourselves in the middle of British 
 shipping. I cannot tell you with what satisfaction I renewed my acquaintance with 
 old Cumberland brigs, which in England I should not condescend to notice. As soon 
 as we landed, an English friend and I procured a caleche, and drove off to the Falls 
 of Montmorenci, nine miles distant, which we reached just at sunset. Our beautiful 
 summer evening closed in upon us before we had seen the Falls from the most 
 
 H H 
 
118 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 favourable situation. The full moon, however, soon rose, and threw her light upon 
 the broken torrent, which precipitates itself from a height of 220 feet, while the 
 dark shadows of the rocks and trees, which overhang the waters below, contributed 
 greatly to heighten the grandeur of the scene. Our conductor was an interesting 
 little peasant girl, nine years of age, whose pretty French was most agreeable. The 
 ride home was delightful, the full moon ‘ walking in brightness,’ and throwing her 
 horizontal rays across the river as she rose. The fortresses of Quebec were con- 
 stantly in sight, and did, indeed, seem impregnable by human force. It would be 
 difficult even to imagine a more commanding site, and I could not help admiring the 
 skill with which the French had chosen their northern post, which they evidently 
 intended to connect with New Orleans, by a series of intermediate forts, which 
 might confine the British within a narrow strip on the Atlantic. Reflections on 
 their system of policy were the more interesting to me, from having so lately visited 
 the southern extremity of their trans-Atlantic dominions, and having in the interval 
 passed through so many of the immense forests which lie between them. We 
 stopped at Malhrot’s, the best inn in Quebec ; but an unwillingness to intrude on the 
 present occupiers of my bed decided me to prefer a chair, in which I sat till after 
 three o’clock, looking on the beautiful moonlight prospect before me. At five 
 o’clock we set out in a caleche on our way to Loretto, an Indian village of the 
 Hurons, nine miles from Quebec. They have a neat catholic church, and speak 
 French ; but, from what I could gather from the chief, they have no land, and sup- 
 port themselves by fishing and hunting. In that case they are not so well off as my 
 friends the Choctaws and Cherokees, or the Caughnawagas, whom we saw nine 
 miles from Montreal, who have a handsome catholic church, and cultivate 
 the land. 
 
 “ In the course of our ride we were often reminded of home by the rich little 
 meadows and thickly settled country on every side. The distant mountains were 
 very fine. We reached our inn at nine o’clock, having accomplished, after six 
 o’clock the preceding night, what usually occupies two days. After breakfast I 
 devoted myself to business ; and, declining an invitation from Judge to accom- 
 
 pany him to the f military mess’ to dinner, I set off to the Falls of the Chaudiere, 
 seven miles distant, intending to drink tea on our return with a gentleman who lives 
 on the way. It was so dark, however, when we reached his house, five or six miles 
 from Quebec, and had begun to rain so heavily, that we thankfully accepted his offer 
 of a bed. The Falls of the Chaudiere were highly interesting, even after Niagara. 
 In the deep seclusion of a thick wood, the river, nearly 250 yards wide, precipitates 
 itself a hundred feet into a rocky channel, which appears to have been rent asunder 
 by some dreadful convulsion of nature, by which the rock has been broken into huge 
 masses, that combine with the surrounding objects to impart an air of most 
 

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 D1E1 BRIT CEE BET QUEBEC. 
 
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IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 119 
 
 magnificent wildness to this extraordinary scene. On our return we had several fine 
 views of Quebec down the river. 
 
 “ The next day we went into town early, and I was again engaged in business till 
 afternoon, when I walked round the fortifications with my old military friend and 
 
 his wife. At five o’clock I went to dine at Judge ’s, where I met several 
 
 gentlemen, and where I staid till it was nearly time to embark in the steam-boat, 
 which was to set sail at midnight for Montreal. 
 
 " I think you will be amused by the following extract from the journal of one of 
 my fellow-travellers, who left me at Montreal to visit Quebec, and on his return 
 found on board the steam-boat one of the Indian chiefs, belonging to the village of 
 Loretto, to which I have alluded. 
 
 " ‘ We have on board one of the Indian chiefs who walked in the procession at 
 Loretto, and his daughter, a genteel young woman. He speaks the English 
 language. He said he knew General Washington, and had dined with him twice; 
 and that the general had made him a present of a very good horse. “ I told General 
 Washington,’ said he, ‘ that your horse ; he tell me to call one of his aids, and he 
 say, Col. Trumbull, write order for Vincent, (that my name,) for that horse ; so I 
 keep him. He very good horse.’ The story of the horse was thus explained. 
 Vincent commanded a body of Indians at the capture of Burgoyne, and was made a 
 prisoner with that general. The horse had been taken by him from the Americans ; 
 and hence he called him not his own, but Washington’s. This information I 
 obtained from others on board. Taking me aside, he said, ‘ I saw you Loretto.’ 
 C. ( I was there, and saw } r ou walking at the head of the procession.’ F. ‘ Yes, 
 I walk.’ G. ‘ What was that the priest carried ?’ F. ‘ What religion you ?’ C. 6 1 
 am a protestant.’ F ‘ Then you very good man ; priest carry image Virgin Mary. 
 This is all nonsense. He tell us poor Indians we must believe, or be condemned, 
 that Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven — soul and body ; you believe that ? 
 C. ( I do not understand it : what is your opinion V V. ‘ I do not believe ; I do not 
 read that in Scripture. Priest tell us poor ignorant Indians that we must worship her, 
 and saints, and images. I do not find that in Scripture neither ; but I read, Thou 
 shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou worship. • Thou shalt 
 make no graven image, nor worship them : that my belief. I think it wicked to 
 worship images ; but God is merciful. Priest tell us ignorant Indians we must 
 have mass ; fetch out purgatory our fathers, dead hundred years ago ; and we pay 
 sometimes one, sometimes two dollars each mass. Brother, you believe there is a 
 purgatory V C. c I have no knowledge of such a place. What is your opinion ?* 
 F * I don’t believe ; and tell you my opinion. I believe if our heart be not purge 
 in this life, it never will purge.’ On my assenting to his doctrine, he asked, ‘ Where 
 do you think is hell V I told him I did not know. Then added he, ‘ I’ll tell you 
 
120 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 where I think it is : it is in the sun.’ I felt some surprise at all this ; and, asking 
 him where he had been educated, he replied at Hampshire. He then asked me to 
 drink a glass of grog ; and on my declining, he bid me good bye, and walked to the 
 forecastle to sip it by himself. On observing a young Indian on board very attentive 
 to the chief’s daughter, I told Vincent I supposed this man was courting her ; on 
 which he replied with much warmth, * No ; him Mohawk.’ 
 
 “ I do not know why he regarded a connexion with the Mohawks as degrading, 
 for they were members of the celebrated confederation of the Six Nations — the 
 Iroquois Confederation. The other members were the Oneidas, the Onondagas, 
 the Cayugas, the Senecas, and the Tuscaroras.” 
 
 It is our wish to assemble pictures of Canada by as many different classes of 
 observers, and during as many different seasons, as is possible. Here are some 
 winter sketches, which are not unentertaining. 
 
 “ Nothing could be more Siberian than the aspect of the Canadian frontier ; a 
 narrow road, choked with snow, led them through a wood, in which patches were 
 occasionally cleared on either side to admit the construction of a few log-huts, 
 round which a brood of ragged children, a starved pig, and a few half-broken rustic 
 implements, formed an accompaniment more suited to an Irish landscape, than to 
 the thriving scenes we had just quitted. The Canadian peasant is still the same 
 unsophisticated animal whom we may suppose to have been imported by Jacques 
 Cartier. The sharp unchangeable lineaments of the French countenance, set off 
 with a blue or red night-cap, over which is drawn the hood of a grey capote, 
 fashioned like a monk’s cowl, a red worsted girdle, hair tied in a greasy leather 
 queue, brown mocassins of undressed hide, and a short pipe in his mouth, give 
 undeniable testimony of the presence of Jean Baptiste. His horse seems to have 
 been equally solicitous to shame neither his progenitors nor his owner, by any mix- 
 ture with a foreign race, but exhibits the same relationship to the horses, as his rider 
 to the subjects of Louis XIII. Now, too, the frequent cross by the road side, 
 thick-studded with all the implements of crucifixional torture, begins to indicate a 
 catholic country : distorted virgins and ghastly saints decorate each inn room, while 
 the light spires of the parish church, covered with plates of tin, glitter across the 
 snowy plain. 
 
 “ At La Prairie we crossed the ice to Montreal, whose isolated mountain forms a 
 conspicuous object at the distance of some leagues. From thence to Quebec, the 
 road follows the course of the St. Lawrence, whose banks present a succession of 
 villages, many of them delightfully situated ; but all form and feature were absorbed 
 in the snowy deluge, which now deepened every league; add to which, the sleigh- 
 track, by frequently running on the bed of the river, placed us below prospect of 
 
(near Quebec) 
 
 CASCADE BE C HA TTDIEUE FILES DE QUEBEC 
 
 HIE ZERFALL1 ^ tU'CCKE BE I QUEBEC 
 

IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 121 
 
 every kind. We found the inns neat, and the people attentive; French politesse 
 began to be contrasted with American bluntness. It is curious to observe that this 
 characteristic of the Americans, which so frequently offends the polished feelings of 
 English travellers, is exactly what was formerly objected by the French to ourselves. 
 The ‘ rudesse * of the English character was long a standing jest with our refined 
 neighbours ; but we have now, it seems, so far shaken off this odious remnant of un- 
 courtly habits, as to regard it with true French horror in our trans-Atlantic cousins. 
 
 “It was Sunday when we arrived at St. Anne’s ; mass was just finished, and above 
 a hundred sleighs were rapidly dispersing themselves up the neighbouring heights, 
 and across the bed of the river, to the adjacent villages. The common country 
 sleigh is a clumsy box-shaped machine, raised at both ends, perhaps not greatly 
 unlike the old heroic car. It holds two persons, with the driver, who stands before 
 them. One horse is commonly sufficient, but two are used in posting, when the 
 leader is attached by cords, tandem-wise, and left to use his own discretion, without 
 the restraint of rein, or impulse of whip. Should, however, the latter stimulus 
 become indispensable, the driver jumps from the sleigh, runs forward, applies his 
 pack-thread lash, and regains his seat without any hazard from extraordinary increase 
 of impetus. The runners of these sleighs are formed of two slips of wood, so low 
 that the shafts collect the snow into a succession of wavy hillocks, properly christened 
 ( cahots,’ for they almost dislocate your limbs five thousand times in a day s 
 journey. An attempt was once made to correct this evil, by prohibiting all low 
 runners , as they are called, from coming within a certain distance of Quebec ; 
 meaning thereby to force the country people into the use of high runners in the 
 American fashion. Jean Baptiste, however, sturdily and effectually resisted this 
 heretical innovation, by halting with his produce without the limits, and thus com- 
 pelling the townspeople to come to him to make their purchases. 
 
 “ The markets, both of Montreal and Quebec, exhibit several hundred market 
 sleighs daily. They differ from the pleasure or travelling sleigh, in having so sides ; 
 that is, they consist merely of a plank bottom, with a kind of railing. Hay and 
 wood seem the staple commodities at this season, both of which are immoderately 
 dear, especially at Quebec; even through the States, the common charge for one 
 horse’s hay for a night was a dollar. Provisions are brought to market frozen, in 
 which state they are preserved during the winter ; cod-fish is brought fiom Boston, 
 a land-carriage of 500 miles, and then sells at a reasonable rate, the American com 
 monly speculating on a cargo of smuggled goods back, to make up his piofit , a 
 kind of trade extremely brisk betwixt the frontier and Montreal. 
 
 “ As we approached Quebec, snow lay to the depth of six feet ; from the heights 
 of Abraham, the eye rested upon what seemed an immense lake of milk ; all 
 irregularities of ground, fences, boundaries, and copse woods, had disappeaied , the 
 
122 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 tops of villages, and scattered farm-houses, with here and there dark lines of pine- 
 wood, and occasionally the mast of some ice-locked schooner, marking the bed of the 
 Charles river, were the only objects peering about it. A range of mountains, 
 sweeping round from west to north, until it meets the St. Lawrence, bounds the 
 horizon ; no herald of spring had yet approached this dreary outpost of civilization ; 
 we had observed a few blue thrushes in the neighbourhood of Albany, but none had 
 yet reached Canada ; two only of the feathered tribe brave the winter of this incle- 
 ment region — the cosmopolite crow, and the snow-bird, a small white bird, reported 
 to feed upon snow, because it is not very clear what else it can find. 
 
 “ It would be acting unfairly to Quebec, to describe it as I found it on my arrival, 
 choked with ice and snow, which one day flooded the streets with a profusion of 
 dirty kennels, and the next cased them with a sheet of glass. Cloth or carpet boots, 
 galashes, with spikes to their heels, iron pointed walking sticks, are the defensive 
 weapons perpetually in employ on these occasions. The direction of the streets too, 
 which are most of them built up a precipice, greatly facilitates any inclination one 
 may entertain for tumbling or neck-breaking. 
 
 “ The Falls of Montmorenci are formed by a little river of that name, near its junc- 
 tion with the St. Lawrence, about five miles north of Quebec. They have a peculiar 
 interest in winter, from the immense cone of ice formed at their foot, which was 
 unimpaired when I visited them, in the second week of April. After winding up a 
 short but steep ascent, the road crosses a wooden bridge, beneath which the Mont- 
 morenci rushes betwixt its dark grey rocks, and precipitates itself in a broken 
 torrent down a w r ooded glen on the right. It is not until you have wound round the 
 edge of this glen, which is done by quitting the road at the bridge-foot, that you 
 obtain a view of the Falls ; nor was their effect lessened by this approach. A partial 
 thaw, succeeded by a frost, had spread a silvery brightness over the waste of snow. 
 Every twig and branch of the surrounding pine-trees, every waving shrub and briar, 
 was encased in crystal, and glittering to the sun-beams like the diamond forest of 
 some northern elf-land. You are now on the edge of a precipice, to which the Fall 
 itself, a perpendicular of 220 feet, seems diminutive ; it is not until you descend, 
 and approach its foot, that the whole majesty of the scene becomes apparent. The 
 breadth of the torrent is about fifty feet ; the waters, from their prodigious descent, 
 seem snowy-white with foam, and enveloped in a light drapery of gauzy mist. The 
 cone appears about a hundred feet in height, mathematically regular in shape, with its 
 base extending nearly all across the stream ; its sides are not so steep, but that 
 ladies have ascended to the top of it ; the interior is hollow. I regret to add that a 
 mill is constructing on this river, which will, by diverting the stream, destroy this 
 imperial sport of nature ; or, at least, reduce it to the degradation of submitting to 
 be played off at the miller’s discretion, like a Versailles fountain. 
 
ms iu t cascohe he MaNTuattEmsi . 
 
 n fcQSl/'r VON’ 7)EAf J-iO(J/2>‘lTSN t'LlNCT UES EALLKS VCBST M.QS'TlftlR&NCt . 
 
 ou. ' Ulij. or *1'< - rtetyn ; 
 



 PON T DK MON P MO It l<iN~CY. 
 
 ZME liRlTCJCE If ON Tlf OHJ£ A 
 
 London. Published. for the Proprietors . ~by Geo Virtue, 36 Ivy l 
 
IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 123 
 
 “ Towards the end of April, the townspeople begin, according to a law of the pro- 
 vince, to break up the ice and snow from before their doors ; and by the first week 
 in May the streets are tolerably clear. The intermediate state, as may he supposed, 
 is a perfect chaos, through which the stumbling pedestrian, like the arch-fiend of old — 
 
 ‘ Pursues his way, 
 
 And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps.'* 
 
 Meanwhile, the landscape begins to exchange its snowy mantle for a russet brown. 
 A few wild-fowl and woodcocks, with some small birds, cautiously make their 
 appearance ; the sheltered bottoms of the pine-woods throw out the earliest flowers ; 
 the St. Lawrence and Charles rivers become gradually disburdened of ice, and 
 enlivened by the gliding sail ; still, however, the foot of spring seems lingering ; the 
 mists, exhaled by the warmth of the sun, frequently encounter the keen north-west, 
 and are again precipitated in heavy snow showers ; snow still blocks up the roads, 
 and fills the dells and ditches, sheltered from the influence of the sun, thus preserv- 
 ing the gloomy aspect of winter through the month of May. 
 
 “ The town, or rather city, of Quebec, is built on the northern extremity of a 
 narrow strip of high land, which follows the course of the St. Lawrence, for several 
 miles, to its confluence with the Charles. The basis of this height is a dark slate 
 rock, of which most of the buildings in the town are constructed. Cape Diamond 
 terminates the promontory, with a bold precipice towards the St. Lawrence, to 
 which it is nearly perpendicular, at the height of 320 feet. It derives its name 
 from the crystals of quartz found in it, which are so abundant, that, after a shower, 
 the ground glitters with them. The lower town is built round the foot of these 
 heights, without the fortifications, which, with the upper town, occupy their crest in 
 bleak pre-eminence : the former, snug and dirty, is the abode of thriving commerce, 
 and of most of the lower classes employed about the navy ; the latter, cold and lofty, 
 is the seat of government, and principal residence of the military ; and claims, in con- 
 sequence, that kind of superiority which some heads have been said to assert over 
 the inglorious belly. To speak the truth, neither has much to boast on the score 
 either of beauty or convenience. 
 
 “ Among the principal buildings, the government-house, or Castle of St. Louis, may 
 take precedence, being a thin blue building, which seems quivering, like a theatrical 
 side-scene, on the verge of the precipice, towards the St. Lawrence ; its front 
 resembles that of a respectable gentleman’s house in England ; the interior contains 
 comfortable family apartments. For occasions of public festivity there is another 
 building, on the opposite side of the court-yard, much resembling a decayed gaol. 
 The furniture is inherited and paid for by each successive governor. The 
 grand entrance to the chateau is flanked on one side by this grim mouldering pile, 
 
124 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 and on the other by the stables, with their appropriate dunghills. There is a small 
 garden on the bank of the river, commanding, as does the chateau itself, an interest- 
 ing view of the opposite shores of the St. Lawrence. These rise boldly precipitous, 
 clothed with pine and cedar groves, and studded with white villages and detached 
 farms ; beyond which the eye reposes on successive chains of wooded mountains, 
 fading blue in the distant horizon ; meanwhile, the river below is spreading broadly 
 towards the north, until it meets and divides round the Isle of Orleans. 
 
 “ In front of the chateau is an open space of ground, with great capabilities of being 
 converted into a handsome square ; but at this season, a formidable barrier of bog- 
 land is all that it presents to the bewildered pedestrian, who endeavours vainly to 
 steer for the castle gate. On one side of it stands the protestant cathedral church, 
 an unfinished building, much more than large enough for the congregation usually 
 assembled in it. In style and arrangement it resembles a London parochial church, 
 and has nothing about it reproachable with earthly beauty. There is a good organ, 
 but mute for want of an organist ; and as there is no choir, the heavy flatness of the 
 service amply secures the English church from all danger of being crowded with the 
 overflowings of its neighbour, the catholic cathedral, in which are still displayed, 
 with no inconsiderable degree of splendour, the enticing ceremonies of the Roman 
 worship. I was present at the service on Easter Sunday ; a train of not less than 
 fifty stoled priests and choristers surrounded the tapered altar ; the bishop officiated 
 in plenis pontiftcalibus, nor lacked the mitre, ‘ precious and auroplirygiate while 
 the pealing organ, incense rolling from silver censers, and kneeling crowds thronging 
 the triple aisles, presented a spectacle on which few are rigid enough, either in 
 belief or unbelief, to look with absolute indifference. A lofty pile of gingerbread 
 cakes, ornamented with tinsel, was carried to the bishop to receive his blessing, and 
 a sprinkling of holy water, after which they were distributed among the people, who 
 received them with most devout eagerness. These cakes I understood to be the 
 pious offering of some devotee, more rich than wise, who certainly adopted a some- 
 what ludicrous expedient — 
 
 ‘ To bribe the rage of ill-requited heaven,’ 
 
 with gingerbread. 
 
 “In catholic countries there are few public buildings, either for use or ornament, 
 but are in some way connected with religion, and most frequently with charity. 
 There are several charitable catholic institutions in Quebec : the principal of these 
 is the Hotel-Dieu, founded in 1637 by the Duchess d’Aiguillon, (sister to 
 Cardinal Richelieu,) for the poor sick. The establishment consists of a superior and 
 thirty-six nuns. The General Hospital is a similar institution, consisting of a 
 superior and forty-three nuns, founded by St. Vallier, bishop of Quebec, in 1693, 
 for “ Poor Sick Mendicants.” It stands about a mile from the town, in a pleasant 
 

 

 
 
 
 

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IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 125 
 
 meadow, watered by the Charles. The style of building is simple, and well suited 
 to the purposes of the establishment, consisting only of “ such plain roofs as piety 
 could raise.” The present superior is a lady of Irish extraction, her age apparently 
 bordering on thirty. In this conventual seclusion, (devoted to what might well seem 
 to the mind of a delicate female the most disgusting duties of humanity) she exhibits 
 that easy elegance, and softened cheerfulness of manner, so often affected and rarely 
 attained by the many votaries who dress their looks and carriage in “ the glass of 
 fashion.” She conducted us, with the greatest politeness, through every part of the 
 building, which, as well as the “ Hotel Dieu,” in point of order, neatness, and 
 arrangement, seems singularly adapted to the comfort and recovery of the unfor- 
 tunate beings to whose reception they are consecrated. Their funds I understood 
 to be small, and managed with strict economy. They receive a small sum annually 
 from government, in addition to the revenue arising from their domain lands. 
 There is no distinction in the admission of catholic or protestant; the hand of 
 charity has spread a couch for each in his infirmities. Both houses have a small 
 pharmacopoeia in charge of a sister instructed in medicine. The several duties of 
 tending the sick by night, cooking, & c. are distributed by rotation. Employment 
 is thus equally secured to all, and the first evil of cankering thought effectually 
 prevented. Good humour and contented cheerfulness seem to be no strangers to 
 these “ veiled votaresses seem ! nay, perhaps are ; for, without ascribing any 
 miraculous effect to the devotion of a cloister, it is no unreasonable supposition, that 
 in an establishment of this kind, the duties and occupations of which prevent seclu- 
 sion s( from stagnating into apathy, or thought from fretting itself into peevishness, 
 a greater degree of tranquillity, (and this is happiness,) may possibly be obtained, 
 than commonly falls to the lot of those who drudge through the ordinary callings, or 
 weary themselves with the common enjoyments of society. Grave men have 
 doubted whether the purposes of these institutions might not be better answered by 
 our common hospital establishments ; and have even indulged themselves in a sneer 
 at the idea of young men being attended in sickness by nuns ! On the question, 
 generally, it may be observed, that few (who have any knowledge of the system of 
 common hospitals) can be at a loss to appreciate the difference betwixt the tender soli- 
 citude with which charity smooths, for conscience’ sake, the bed of suffering, and the 
 heartless grudging attendance which hospital nurses usually inflict upon their 
 victims. If the action of the mind produce a sensible effect on the frame, parti- 
 cularly in sickness, this is no immaterial circumstance in a medical point of view. 
 Even when the hour of human aid is past, it is, perhaps, still something that the last 
 earthly object should be a face of sympathy, and the last duties of humanity be paid 
 with a semblance of affection. For those who dedicate themselves to this ministry, 
 some apology may be urged to such as admit motives as, at least, an extenuating 
 circumstance in the consideration of error. The moral critics, perhaps, who are 
 
 K K 
 
1 26 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 foremost to condemn tlieir practice as superstitious, revolt less from the superstition, 
 than from the self-sacrifice it requires. Let the lash of satire fall mercilessly on 
 mere bigots, wherever they are found : but against the spirit, which, abjuring the 
 pleasures, devotes itself to the most painful duties of life, what argument can be 
 directed which may not be left for its refutation to the prayers and blessings of the 
 poor? The most objectionable part of the institution seems to be the committing of 
 insane persons, of both sexes, to the charge of females : the answer is, that there is 
 no other asylum for them ; the blame therefore attaches to the police of the 
 country ; for it is evident, that women are very inadequate to the charge of such 
 patients as require coercive treatment, particularly men. 
 
 The Ursuline Convent, founded by Madame de la Peltrie, in 1639, for the educa- 
 tion of female children, stands within the city. It has, both in its interior decora- 
 tion, and the dress of its inhabitants, a greater appearance of wealth than the 
 u General Hospital,” and “ H6tel Dieu.” Among the ornaments of the chapel, we 
 were particularly directed to the skull and bones of a missionary, who had been 
 murdered by the savages for attempting their conversion ; it is perhaps doubtful, 
 considering the general indifference of the Indians on matters of religious contro- 
 versy, whether this was the real and sole offence by which he won the crown of 
 martyrdom. These nuns have generally about 200 little girls under their care ; but 
 I was sorry to observe their education bought with their health — not one of them but 
 had a pallid, sickly appearance, arising probably from much confinement, during a 
 long winter, in an atmosphere highly heated with stoves, joined to the salt unwhole- 
 some diet, generally used by the Canadians. 
 
 The Seminary is a collegiate institution, for the gratuitous instruction of the 
 catholic youth of Canada. The number of scholars is commonly about 200. The 
 expenses of professors, teaching, &c. are defrayed by the revenue arising from the 
 seignorial domains belonging to the establishment. The course of studies here 
 qualifies for ordination. There is a small museum, or “ cabinet de physique,” 
 which seems in a growing condition ; it contains, besides natural curiosities, 
 electrical apparatus, telescopes, and other instruments of science. The library is 
 somewhat too theological ; there is a small hall attached to it, in which 1 perceived 
 our Common Prayer Books, Testaments, &c. in company with many divines, as well 
 catholic as protestant, Bayle, and a few travellers and philosophers, but the greater 
 part theologians. The old palace, besides the chambers for the Council, and House 
 of Assembly, contains a good public library ; the nature of the collection may be 
 defined generally as the reverse of that of the seminary library. There is a good 
 assortment of historical works, of a standard quality, and of travels; but no classics, 
 probably because none of the inhabitants affect to read them. A library is also on 
 the eve of being established by the officers of the staff and garrison ; but the society 
 of Quebec is generally on too limited a scale, and too exclusively military or com- 
 
W.ff JJarttat 
 
 S-* SB 
 
IMPRESSIONS OF CANADA ON TRAVELLERS. 
 
 127 
 
 mercial, to foster any considerable spirit of literature or science. An attempt was 
 made, during Sir G. Prevost’s administration, to establish a society on the plan of 
 the Royal Institution, but it fell to the ground for want of a sufficiency of efficient 
 members, eleven being the supposed necessary quantum to begin with ; nor is this 
 seeming scarcity surprising, when we consider that the short Canadian summer is 
 appropriated to business, and that during the tedious winter, the men are never 
 tired of dinners, nor the ladies of dancing. 
 
 There are some peculiar and interesting features in the neighbourhood of 
 Quebec. The lofty banks of the St. Lawrence, from Cape Diamond to Cape 
 Rouge, are composed of clay-slate, generally of a dark colour, sometimes of a dull 
 red, whence the name of “ Cape Rouge.” The bed of the river is of the same 
 crumbling stone ; and being triturated by time and the elements, gives its sands a 
 close resemblance, both in colour and consistency, to smith’s filings. Bare, how- 
 ever, as they are of soil, these perpendicular cliffs are everywhere clothed with a 
 luxuriant verdure of shrubs and trees, whose roots, wreathing themselves round 
 barren rocks, seem to woo from the charity of the heavens the nutriment denied 
 them by a niggard parent. 
 
 About two miles above Quebec, a break in the magnificent line of cliffs forms the 
 little recess, called Wolfe’s Cove ; a steep pathway leads up the heights to the Plains 
 of Abram ; traces of field-works are still visible on the turf, and the stone is 
 pointed out on which the hero expired. The cove is at present appropriated to the 
 reception of lumber, which comes down the river from the States and Upper Pro- 
 vince, in rafts, which frequently cover the surface of half an acre ; when the wind is 
 favourable they spread ten or twelve square sails, at other times they are polled 
 down ; the men who navigate them build small wooden houses on them, and thus, 
 transported with their families, poultry, and frequently cattle, form a complete floating 
 village. A great proportion of the timber is brought from Lake Champlain, and 
 the trade is almost wholly in the hands of the Americans. 
 
 A second crescent-like recess, about a mile from Wolfe’s Cove, conceals the little 
 village of Sillori. Nothing can be more romantic than the seclusion of this charm- 
 ing spot. The river road to it turns round the foot of gigantic cliffs, which seem 
 interposed betwixt it and the world’s turmoil. The heights which encircle it are 
 deeply wooded to their summits, and retire sufficiently from the river to leave a 
 pleasant meadow and hop-ground round the village, consisting of about half-a-dozen 
 neat white houses, one of which is an inn. On the river’s edge stands the ruin of an 
 old religious house, built by French missionaries, for the purpose of preaching to the 
 Huron tribes, who then inhabited this neighbourhood. There is now no trace of 
 these missionaries, or of their labours, except in the little village of Loretto, which 
 contains the only surviving relics of the once powerful Huron nation ; so efficaciously 
 have disease and gunpowder seconded the converting zeal of Europeans. Besides 
 
128 
 
 CANADIAN SCENERY. 
 
 the road which winds under the cliffs, Sillori has two leading to Quebec through the 
 woods. These woods cover the greater part of the country betwixt the St. Foi road 
 and the river, offering all the luxury of shade and sylvan loveliness to the few 
 disposed to accept it. I say the few, for the fashionables of Quebec commonly 
 prefer making a kind of Rotten-row of the Plains of Abram, round which they 
 parade with the periodical uniformity of blind horses in a mill. 
 
 Lake Charles is generally talked of as one of the pleasantest spots round Quebec, 
 and instances have been known of parties of pleasure reaching it. It is about three 
 miles in length, and perhaps one at its greatest breadth. Towards the middle of it, 
 two rocky points shoot out so as to form, properly speaking, two lakes, connected 
 by a narrow channel. A scattered hamlet, taking its name from the lake, is seen 
 with its meadows and tufted orchards, along the right bank of the outward basin. 
 Wooded heights rise on the opposite shore, and surround the whole of the interior 
 lake, descending everywhere to the water’s edge ; the whole forming a scene of 
 lovely loneliness, scarcely intruded on by the canoe of the silent angler. There is 
 more in the whole landscape to feel than to talk about, so that it is little wonderful 
 that an excursion to Lake Charles should be more frequently talked about 
 than made. 
 
 The Huron village of Loretto stands on the left bank of the Charles, about four 
 miles below the lake, (eight from Quebec). The river, immediately on passing the 
 bridge, below the village, rushes down its broken bed of granite, with a descent of 
 about seventy feet, and buries itself in the windings of the deeply-shadowed glen 
 below. A part of the fall is diverted to turn a mill, which seems fearfully suspended 
 above the foaming torrent. The village covers a plot of ground very much in the 
 manner of an English barrack, and altogether the reverse of the straggling Canadian 
 method ; it is, in fact, the method of their ancestors. I found the children amusing 
 themselves with little bows and arrows. The houses had generally an air of poverty 
 and slovenliness ; that, however, of their principal chief, whom I visited, was neat 
 and comfortable. One of their old men gave me a long account of the manner in 
 which the Jesuits had contrived to trick them out of their seignorial rights, and pos- 
 session of the grant of land made them by the king of France, which consisted 
 originally of four leagues by one in breadth, from Sillori north. Two leagues of 
 this, which were taken from them by the French government, upon promise of an 
 equivalent, they give up, he said, as lost; but as the property of the Jesuits is at 
 present in the hands of commissioners appointed by our government, they were in 
 hopes of recovering the remainder, which it never could be proved that their ancestors 
 either gave, sold, lent, or in any way alienated. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 RICHARD CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. 
 

 
 

 
 
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