A tour through North America

Excursions around Montreal— Township of Hinchinbrooke—River Chateauguay—Kinds of Houses—Bushmen and Farmers—Squatters—Price of Land—Flag Staffs—Huntingdon—Isle Bourdeaux—Face of the Country around Montreal—Farming of old Settlers—French Canadians—Laprairie—Wheat Fly—Cheap Purchase—Chambly—Cheap Education—Mistake Roads—Horse Ferry-boat—Starving Out—Mountain—Race Course—State of Agriculture around Montreal—Montreal.

In the town of Montreal and its neighbourhood reside several old friends, by whom we were kindly welcomed, and in whose company we experienced so much pleasure, that I shall ever look back on the time spent amongst them with delight. The town was soon explored, and became the centre of several excursions to the adjoining country.

On the second day after our arrival we set out for the Township of Hinchinbrooke, travelling by stage to Lachine; from thence by steam across the St Lawrence into the river Chateauguay to the head of its navigation, twelve miles from its mouth, where we got a stage to the village of Huntingdon. We dined at a hotel kept by Mrs Love, and walked up the banks of the river to the residence of Mr ——, whom we met by the way. Next forenoon was spent in walking over the farm, and after dinner we visited Mr ——, who arrived in the country a year ago, and who was erecting a good stone house. Early next morning, Mr —— and I walked over the country, crossing the river Hinchinbrooke, passing up Oak or Mud creek, and down Trout river to the village of Huntingdon. Here we met, by appointment, a party of friends, and examined a farm which Mr —— had bought a few days before. Next day we travelled by stages and steam-boat to Montreal.

During this excursion I experienced much pleasure at finding my friends and former neighbours possessing so many more old country comforts than the backwood settlers in Upper Canada, and all enjoying good health and spirits. This is quite an East Lothian colony; four farmers who have settled here dined with us, and there are blacksmiths, tailors, &c. &c. without number in the village. The township of Hinchinbrooke is a thriving settlement, and in point of climate perhaps the best in Lower Canada.

The river Chateauguay is of small size, its banks have long been settled by French Canadians, and for twenty miles above its navigable point is almost a continued village, the mode of French settlement being to place houses on each side of a road or street, with narrow parallel portions of land attached to each, extending a mile or two back. The farms are generally free of wood, and the banks of the river, consequently, without beauty. Towards Huntingdon there are few French settlers, and above the village the banks are wooded, and some good farms are seen. Here the Chateauguay is joined by the Hinchinbrooke, Trout river, and Oak creek, the banks of all of which are settled, and abound with good situations.

The soil on the banks of the river occupied by the French is strong clay, bearing alternately wheat and thistle pastures, with occasionally a few oats, big peas, and potatoes. The houses are generally brick, and a few are of stone. Boys were seen playing at cricket.

For several miles below Huntingdon the soil is very inferior, but improves in the neighbourhood of the village. On the small streams above the village the soil embraces every description of clay, loam, and sand. This tract has been recently settled, chiefly by British emigrants, and when the forest is subdued, likely to become valuable. Corn crops do not occupy much extent of ground at present. Grass was in many situations excellent, red and white clover abounding without having been sown. In two instances I saw wheat crops which had been sown in autumn, and neither were good; if such a crop succeeds any where in Lower Canada, it must be in this district. The houses consist of wood, and are log, block, or frame, according to the wealth or taste of the owner. A log-house consists of rough logs or unbarked trees, piled above each other, dove-tailed at the corners of the walls, and the intervals betwixt the logs filled up with clay or other materials. A block-house is composed of logs squared so as to class on each other. A frame-house is sawn boards, nailed on a frame, with lath and plaster inside, and corresponds with the wood barracks in Britain. There is another description of frame-house in Upper Canada, which has slender lath on the outside, simply rough-cast with lime and gravel, like stone houses in Britain, with common lath and plaster inside. Houses have pitched roofs, covered with thin pieces of wood, called shingles, resembling and answering the purposes of slate. A shanty differs from a log-house only in wanting a pitch roof, and having bark or hollow trees in place of shingles.

During this excursion, the cause of bushmen or pioneers moving from first settlements to more remote parts of the forest, became obvious. The destruction of forest, and management of cleared land, are evidently different departments, the latter requiring more capital, and a higher degree of knowledge than pioneers generally possess; and in Canadian farming, the wood-chopper and husbandmen stand to each other in relation of mason and joiner in British house-building, the one forming a rude outline, which the other polishes, and may be instanced as illustrative of the advantages of a division of labour. In several instances I saw families of first settlers possessing a considerable extent of excellent cleared land, without the knowledge or means of rendering it productive, and they certainly would benefit themselves by disposing of their properties, and adopting another mode of life. Living almost in idleness, they cultivated, in the most negligent manner, only so much wheat and potatoes as was judged sufficient for home consumption, relying on the hay crop for procuring what necessaries they did not themselves produce, and appeared so encrusted with sloth, that they were likely only to fire a gun with the view of obtaining food, and to cut down a tree for the purpose of cooking it.

Amongst the numerous calls I made, was one on Trout river, at the house of a Yankee squatter, who was from home. Mrs C—— was also a Yankee, a good-looking buxom dame, with two or three young children, and a help of small size. She spurned the idea of assisting her husband to cut down his wheat crop, but said she would join him in eating it—never worked in the fields herself, and her girls should not; men must work for her girls, she did not think females were made for working. In all probability she was the daughter of a wood-chopper.

Lands in the district of Hinchinbrooke are held by English tenure, and sell moderately. A friend bought 200 acres last year, with a log and frame-house, for L.270 currency. This year another bought 300 acres, with 90 cleared, for L.327 currency. The inhabitants did not appear so much addicted to ardent spirits as those of some parts in Upper Canada.

In passing up the Chateauguay, many flag-staffs or poles were observed, which owe their origin to an old law, requiring captains of militia so to distinguish their residences. My friend Mr ——, residing near the frontier line, was appointed captain of militia some years ago, and erected a pole in front of his house. In the States similar poles are used for hotel sign-posts. The Yankees not being aware of this old custom, used to call at my friend’s and ask for brandy, &c. He was much annoyed by such visitors, and while deliberating one day on the mode of restraining them, a spruce fellow walked into his parlour, and asked to be shaved. The pole was instantly stretched on the ground.

The village of Huntingdon consists of 30 or 40 wood houses, with grist and saw mills; paper, and hat manufactory, and a post office. There is a school, and a church was soon to be erected.

On 2d August, Mr —— and I, in his gig, friend D——, with a driver and hired calash, left Montreal, passing down the banks of the river, by Long Point to Isle Bourdeaux, situated at the confluence of the St Lawrence with the north channel of the Ottawa, which forms the Island of Montreal. Isle Bourdeaux was understood to be for sale, and is one of the most celebrated spots for situation and soil in the Lower Province. Here a place was pointed out from which clay had been dug, and burned for manure some years ago, and which failed, as in other parts of the world.

After dinner, we crossed by the ferry to the opposite side of the Ottawa, passing up the banks of the stream by Terre Bonne, and reached St Therese in the morning. Early next day, we examined a property for sale, and after breakfast proceeded in a northern direction twelve or fourteen miles, and returned to St Therese. Here we changed our horses for those brought with us the day before; and after crossing a branch of the Ottawa by Porteous’ Bridge to the Isle of Jesus, and over a second branch of that river to the Island of Montreal, we reached our destination by six in the evening, having encountered several thunder-storms in the course of the journey.

The face of the country on the banks of the Ottawa, in the neighbourhood of Terre Bonne, St Therese, and from thence by St Rose and St Martin’s, to Montreal, is truly beautiful, and the softness of the scenery is in many places heightened by the small wooded islets, encompassed by the smooth gliding branches of the Ottawa. The scenery increases in interest on approaching the mountain over which the road passes by a kind of glen, clothed with fruit and other trees. From the brow of the hill passing to the south, the majestic St Lawrence, flowing in broad expanse down Lachine rapids, bursts on the view, and the declivity of the mountain, adorned with villas, and the city of Montreal lying at the foot, with shining tin-roofed houses, giving it the appearance of a distant camp, form a scene seldom equalled in America or any other part of the world. The general aspect of the country from St Therese to Montreal, closely resembles that of some of the finest parts of England.

The soil from Montreal to St Therese, a distance of nearly forty miles, by the banks of the St Lawrence and Ottawa, is strong clay, and I do not recollect of having travelled over the like extent of continuous good wheat soil in any part of the world; but the management which it was under is wretched in the extreme, although the crops in many parts were good. Pasture and spring sown wheat succeed each other, year after year, almost unaided by manures, with one ploughing previous to wheat sowing. Clover seeds are never sown, yet cow grass and white clover everywhere abound, and often attain the utmost luxuriance. Heaps of manure were seen dissolving into earth on the way sides. Manure is, occasionally, deposited thickly in heaps on pastures in the early part of summer, where it remains to be spread by the cattle and pigs. When manure is applied to the potato crop, which is very limited in extent, it is spread on the surface after the crop is above ground. Cattle and sheep are small, lean, miserable looking creatures, and their pastures as bare as possible. Fully one-third of the sheep are black coloured, the wool of which is useful in forming the grey cloth which almost the whole French population wear, and saves the expense and trouble of dyeing. Neither sheep nor cattle resemble any of the breeds I am acquainted with, and in all probability both are descended from those of France. The horses are small, and coarse-looking—mere ponies, though said to be active and hardy. The fences are invariably post and rail. Wild oats were particularly numerous in all crops.

The French Canadians, of the ordinary classes, almost invariably live in block-houses, with large windows, and seem ill constructed, externally and internally, for economizing heat, which the nature of the climate, and scarcity of fuel, render so desirable. They have a clean appearance, being often white-washed with lime, and the window-boards and roofs are occasionally painted of different colours, and seldom harmonize with the house. A tree or shrub is never found in their gardens, and an orchard, except in the neighbourhood of the mountain, is almost unknown.

The wealthier French Canadians are ambitious of having stone-houses, which are very awkward erections, and so ill built, that my friend D—— said the work looked as if it had been done by ploughmen between yokings.

The inhabitants are rather under-sized, broad-shouldered, and athletic-looking men, with swarthy complexions. They generally bowed to us in passing, and the boys invariably did so. The little creatures had a most grotesque appearance, decked in very broad-brimmed straw hats, and a flowing shirt being their only covering.

Contemplating a tour into what are called the Eastern Townships, and which have since become the scene of operations of a new land company, I was obligingly furnished with instructions and letters by Mr R. A——, who had passed through them a few weeks before, and on whose attentions I had not the slightest claim. We arranged to leave Montreal by the mail stage, on the afternoon of the 5th; but receiving a call from Mr ——, whom I had met with in Scotland, and who once farmed in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, it was agreed that we should accompany him to his residence on the opposite side of the St Lawrence, and be driven in his waggon a considerable part of our route, next morning. Accordingly, we crossed to Laprairie in a steamer, at ten A.M., and proceeded on the road to St Philip’s three or four miles, till we reached Mr ——’s residence.

Laprairie is a small mean-looking village, inhabited almost entirely by French Canadians, and deriving its chief importance from being the entrance and depôt of farm produce from the States to Montreal, and from its inhabitants enjoying the privilege of an extensive grazing common, which was part of the Jesuits’ confiscated property.

This part of the country differs from any we had yet visited inhabited by French Canadians, having many single trees interspersed over the surface, and a few on creek banks. The soil is invariably clay of the strongest texture, in bad condition, and stands much in want of draining.

In this neighbourhood I observed wheat ears exhibiting ravages of wheat-fly, and on examination found many capsules filled with shrivelled grains, or altogether empty. The maggots having left the ears and descended to the earth, I was unable to determine whether this insect is identical with the wheat-fly of Britain; but the collapsed state of the chaff presented the same appearance as the crop in East-Lothian when injured by fly, while spider-webs on the ears contained fragments of flies resembling ichneumons. I was told the French inhabitants around St Philip held meetings and processions a few days previous, for staying the plague of worms in wheat ears, and I have no doubt they were delighted with the apparent success of their measures; knowledge of the habits of the insect would, however, have taught them the futility of their attempts at so late a period of the season. The same insect caused extensive injury in 1825.

After dinner, we walked with Mr ——, to call on his neighbour ——, who once farmed in my native district, and whom we found engaged in hay-making. He had lately bought a farm, subject to an annuity on the lives of an old French Canadian and his wife. He was in good spirits, and had lost none of the rotundity of form carried from Scotland.

Feeling a desire to examine a bull-frog, a reptile which abounds in a pond in front of Mr ——’s house, I found them large, of a dirty green colour, with a remarkably large mouth, and in formation similar to the frog of Britain.

Mr ——’s farm is not of great extent, and, considering the excellency of his dwelling-house, was a cheap purchase. In an enclosure in front of the house, grew some hickory-trees, the nuts of which are held in esteem by the population. The first year of his purchase, these trees bore a great crop, while there was a failure of this nut generally; and he told me the value of his nuts actually amounted to the interest of the whole price of the estate.

Next morning, Mr ——, Miss ——, my friend and I, set out at five o’clock, in a four-wheeled waggon, drawn by a strong little Canadian horse, and arrived at Chambly in the midst of a thunderstorm and rain, which detained us during the day, by rendering the roads impassable. The soil in this part of the country is clay, of the most adhesive texture, and the roads being without stone, the clay became so waxy after the rain, as to remind me of bird-lime. Our horse would have had difficulty in pulling the empty waggon along the road, and I found walking on foot a very slow and arduous mode of proceeding.

The rain having abated, we walked out, after dinner, to view the village of Chambly, which is situated on the river Richlieu, in a fine bay or basin, three miles wide, and at the head of the navigation. At present there is a canal forming, to connect the waters of Lake Champlain with Chambly basin, and which is expected to be completed in course of next year. The village contains several churches and mills, and is celebrated for seminaries of education. Here young ladies are taught the French and English languages grammatically, arithmetic, writing, and drawing, for $5 a-month, or about 21s. sterling, finding themselves with books, bed-clothes, and washing. Gentlemen are educated for L.20 a-year, including all branches of education, board, and washing. Some excellent stone barracks are in the village, which is reckoned an important post in approaching Quebec from the States. They were unoccupied, and in good order. The river above the village forms a continued rapid for a mile or two, and affords ample power for propelling machinery.

The state of the weather and roads induced me to abandon the plan of visiting the Eastern Townships, and we agreed to pass down the banks of the Richlieu to Sorrel. We obtained a cart, in which a seat was placed for my friend D—— and me; and we set out, driven by a boy who was said to know the road well, followed by Mr —— and Miss —— in the waggon we all four occupied the previous day. A more wretched equipment than the one furnished us seldom appeared. A ragged boy drove a small lean Canadian mare, which hopped on three legs; and the ill fitting wheels of our crazy cart besmeared us with mud, and creaked so loud, that we could scarcely hear each other speak, while almost every passenger cracked a joke on our musical vehicle. After jogging on for more than an hour, it was discovered we were on the road leading to Montreal, instead of that to Sorrel. A council was held—we determined to continue the route, and Mr —— and Miss —— returned. We soon reached Longueil, and crossed the St Lawrence in an awkward-looking ferry-boat, propelled by horses. This horse-power differed from that we had seen used in the States for similar purposes, by the horses walking round a circle instead of remaining stationary. The machinery of the boat was fitted up for twenty-two, although only fourteen horses were attached, and the poor animals were unmercifully goaded by two ruffian drivers. On landing on the opposite side of the river, we walked to Montreal in time for dinner.

The soil, from Lapraire to Chambly, and around the village, is strong clay, varying considerably in quality, and uniformly ill managed. Parts of the canal channel, forming near Chambly, showed no change of soil at the depth of ten feet. The soil also from Chambly to Longueil was clay, and part of the country was flooded by the rain of the previous day. The whole surface bore evidence of want of draining, and how essential knowledge is to improved agriculture. In many instances, soil of the best quality did not yield more than two seeds of wheat, while the crops were intermingled with truly luxuriant indigenous tares, thistles, and white clover. I had often heard of the French Canadians clinging to their farms until starved from them—that is, till the soil did not yield them food to subsist on, and I had here evidence of the process and result of such an agricultural system. The ravages of the wheat-fly were everywhere evident.

The appearance of the population, houses, and gardens, resembled that of Terre Bonne, excepting that the floors of many dwelling-houses were raised two or three feet above the ground, the result, doubtless, of the wetness of their situation.

After dining at Montreal, we visited the nursery grounds of Mr C——, which were by far the cleanest and most productive of any we saw in America, on our way to the mountain. The mountain is about 700 feet high, situated at a short distance from the town, and one of its chief ornaments. From its summit is seen an immense extent of diversified country, together with the waters of the St Lawrence and Ottawa flowing in their various channels—those of the latter, by dividing, form the islands of Montreal and Jesus. The mountain is altogether destitute of public walks or carriage drives, although admirably adapted for both, being covered with trees, and affording some truly interesting views, which change at every step.

Next morning, in company with our kind and attentive friend, ——, Mr D—— and I rode in a gig round the country lying to the north and west of the mountain, calling on different individuals, and examining several farms for sale. During our drive, we visited the race-course at St Pierre, where we saw three horses belonging to Mr —— get a gallop. One was particularly small, and none of them seemed to possess racing merit. On leaving the race-course, we drove to Lachine rapids, and returned by the river side to Montreal, much gratified with our excursion.

A young thriving hedge of English thorn was observed at a village on the north side of the mountain. Bushvetch, vicia caraca, and yellow clover, were growing plentifully, and I also met with the latter at Chambly. Mildew was seen on wheat where the crop was strong, and the ravages of the fly generally traced, though they did not exist to the same extent as on the south side of the St Lawrence.

The soil of the island of Montreal, about seventy miles in circumference, is variable, including gravel, clay, sand, and peat; the two former preponderating, and a great part of all requires draining. Limestone is abundant, and on one farm I found marl, which we tested with vinegar. The land is held by French tenure, and divided, in the French manner, into long narrow portions of from 70 to 220 acres. The agriculture cannot be said to have been reduced to system, if we except the alternation of wheat and thistle pasture, already noticed. A better state of things is, however, about to dawn—several British farmers having commenced operations near the town of Montreal, and are draining, liming, and manuring freehold as well as leasehold properties. At present, the most lucrative department of farming is raising vegetables for the market, and from the cheapness of manure, the limited extent of free dry soil, the skill requisite for producing market stuffs, and the prospect of increasing population, this description of husbandry is likely to continue profitable for a great length of time. Manure during part of the year is obtained without price, and it rarely exceeds sixpence a cart-load. Vegetables are extravagantly dear at all times. My friend, Mr ——, while I was with him, sold a considerable extent of potatoes at L.35 per acre.

Hay fetches a high price at Montreal, more especially that of timothy grass for horses. Clover hay is only bought for the use of cows. Two Scotch farmers, in the neighbourhood of Montreal, sow from two to three lbs. of red clover seed to an acre; and I doubt if it is economical to do so when hay is grown for sale, as clover is more than one penny a-stone cheaper than timothy hay. A milch-cow can be grazed during the season for $1, and near Montreal, for $2, or 8s. 6d. sterling for a season.

The price of land on the island is from L.10 to L.20 per acre, according to quality, situation, and buildings. Labour is moderate, in the American sense of the word. Mr D—— had let the cutting of his barley crop, which was good, and the work well executed (to both of which I testify) to French Canadians, at 7s. 6d. sterling per acre, without food, or any etcetera. Mr ——, near Laprairie, paid a stout active East Lothian ploughman by the year, L.15 Halifax money, 6½ Lothian bolls of oatmeal, 3 bolls potatoes, 2 bushels peas, and a month’s meat in harvest, a cow’s keep, a house and garden, with 10 cords of firewood. A second servant got the same wages in kind, with L.12 in money. Mr ——, also, near Laprairie, paid his servant $8 per month, and his second, $7—both found, or L.20 sterling a-year, with bed and board.

The city of Montreal is situated on an island of the same name, on the north bank of the St Lawrence, and at the head of the ship navigation of the river. The houses consist chiefly of stone, and are disposed in narrow streets. The principal building is the Catholic church, a capacious building, not quite finished on the original plan for want of funds, and said to be capable of holding nearly 10,000 souls. The population amounts to about 30,000 souls, and the trade is most extensive. While Upper Canada, and the western part of the Lower Province, continue to prosper, limits cannot be set to the increase of Montreal, which is at present the most important place of trade in the British American possessions. Should manufactures ever flourish in Lower Canada, Lachine rapids could supply Montreal with an unlimited water-power.

Journey from Montreal to Hamilton—Separation of Friends—Rideau Canal—Emigrants passing up the St Lawrence—Massena—Waddington—Ogdensburgh—Lake of the Thousand Isles—Andrew Dinwoodie, a Farmer from Dumfries-shire—Live-stock from England—Innkeeper of Kingston—Great Britain Steamer—Emigrant Passengers—John By Steamer.

Having long made up my mind to visit the western parts of Upper Canada, and the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri, it was necessary to separate from my companion, in whose company I had spent so many happy hours, and to whose disinterested friendship I owe more than it will ever be in my power to repay. It was arranged that he should take my trunk and portmanteau to New York, to wait my arrival there, having experienced the inconvenience of attempting to take luggage through a thinly-peopled district. I reserved a plain suit of clothes, which had already become shabby. Packing two shirts of cotton, and one of flannel, five collars, five pair of cotton stockings, and a dressing-case, into a small leathern cloak-bag which my friend had used for buckling behind his saddle in Scotland, I left Montreal on the 18th of August; having arranged to be at certain places on fixed days, so as to reach New York in the first week of November. My friend left Montreal some hours before me, on a visit to New Glasgow, and, after seeing Quebec, travelled by Lake Champlain to New York, and reached England on the 17th September.

I was anxious to pass along the line of the Rideau canal, so much praised by engineers, and sneered at by utilitarians, and which nine-tenths of those best capable of judging of its merits condemn as a lavish misapplication of national expenditure; but the irregularity of the conveyances by this route, and my limited time, induced me to ascend the St Lawrence; and, by way of varying the scene, I took the American line of conveyances—travelling by stage to Lachine, and from thence to Cascades by steam, from Cascades to Coteau du Lac by stage, and again by steam to Cornwall, which we reached by 2 A.M. of the 11th.

The waters of the dark-coloured Ottawa, and limpid St Lawrence, formed a striking contrast on the way to Cascades, situated on the former. The banks of the St Lawrence were observed in some places to consist of clay twenty feet deep, without any admixture—some excellent soil was seen above Cascades—the wheat crop from Montreal upwards was perfectly ripe, and barley in some instances carried.

At Coteau du Lac our steamer took seven batteaux, or open boats, in tow, in one of which I counted 110 emigrants, of all ages, who were doomed to pass the night on board. Men, women, and children were huddled together as close as captives in a slave-trader, exposed to the sun’s rays by day, and river damp by night, without protection. It was impossible to look upon such a group of human beings without emotion. The day had been so intensely hot, that the stoutest amongst them looked fatigued, while the females seemed ready to expire with exhaustion. Conversation was carried on in whispers, and a heaviness of heart seemed to pervade the whole assemblage. Never shall I forget the countenance of a young mother, ever anxiously looking at twin infants slumbering on her knee, and covering them from the vapour rising from the river, and which strongly depicted the feelings of maternal affection and pious resignation. Night soon veiled the picture, and, I fear, brought no relief to the anxious mother. The navigation up the St Lawrence in batteaux is accomplished by propelling them with poles, and is necessarily tedious. The accommodation is so wretched and irksome, that the emigrants’ privations of transport may be said only to commence at Montreal, where they perhaps expected them to end, and when their spirits are ill fitted to bear up against them. Steam conveyance of late must have shortened their sufferings.

On reaching Cornwall I immediately proceeded on board the American steam-boat Dalhousie, which conveyed us across to Hoogdensburgh by six A. M. From thence we were conveyed to Ogdensburgh by land, passing through the villages of Massena and Waddington. We breakfasted at Massena springs, the waters of which possess medicinal qualities, and are pleasantly situated on a branch of the Racket.

The thriving village of Waddington is on the St Lawrence, and opposite to which, on an island in the river, is situated the handsome residence of Governor Ogden.

The country in this part of the state of New York is of indifferent soil, and very partially cleared; the farm-houses are of the meanest description, and there is no appearance of wealth or comfort amongst the rural population. In many instances farmers were engaged in securing their hay crops on the Sabbath, and much wheat was standing in a state of over-ripeness. The previous state of the weather may, in some measure, explain both proceedings.

We arrived at Ogdensburgh shortly after nightfall, at an excellent hotel, which seemed filled with people. Tea, or, in common parlance of the country, supper, was soon provided for the stage-passengers, who did ample justice to the viands. On learning a steam-boat was to sail next morning at daybreak for Kingston, I retired to a double bedroom, in company with Mr M——, a north country Scotsman, who had just arrived in the country, and was travelling to York. The landlord of the hotel showed us personally to our bedroom, and also conducted us to the quay in the morning.

Ogdensburgh is situated at the confluence of the Oswegatchie river with the St Lawrence, and is the lower termination of American navigation on Lake Ontario. It has many appearances of prosperity, and contains a population of nearly two thousand souls.

At five in the morning the United States steam-boat left Ogdensburgh, calling at Morristown on the American side of the lake, and on the British one at Brockville and Kingston, where I remained for the evening. Darkness prevented me seeing the Lake of the Thousand Isles, on my way down to Montreal, and I was not fortunate in passing up during day. The Lake of the Thousand Isles takes its name from the number of islands which it contains, and is about forty miles in length; forming the termination of Lake Ontario, and commencement of the river St Lawrence. The islands are generally small rocks, a few feet above water, covered with stunted trees, standing as close together as curling-stones on a rink of ice in Scotland, and completely excluding a sight of the mainland. The weather was unfavourable, a drizzling rain having set in, which perhaps affected my feelings, and increased the sombreness of the scenery, which at all times possesses little interest from the want of life. So much is this felt, that a gentleman of my acquaintance, passing up the Lake of the Thousand Isles a few weeks before, was sitting by a traveller engaged with his note-book, when a crow came in sight. He interrupted the writer, and begged he would notice the crow, as it was the only moving thing he had seen during three hours’ sail.

On board of the United States I had a long conversation with a fellow-passenger, Andrew Dinwuddie, from Dumfries-shire, in Scotland, and I hope he will pardon me mentioning his name. Andrew was an excellent specimen of his cautious countrymen, and showed credentials highly honourable to his honesty and integrity. He had come to America in spring, accompanied by two brothers, who had purchased land near Prescott, paying L.300 for 200 acres, seventy of them being cleared. Andrew was unmarried, and determined to look about him before sitting down for life. After assisting his brothers to plant their potatoes, he worked with an English farmer in the neighbourhood of Ogdensburgh for a month, and was now on his way to Geneva and Canandaigua in the state of New York, at which places he intended to work for some time. Andrew seemed to have belonged to what is called in Scotland the class of small farmers, and was much pleased with the change of country he had made; having assisted at the Englishman’s hay and wheat harvest, for which he got $8 a-month, working moderately, and messing with his employer on the best of fare. He had found no difficulty in mowing during the warm weather;—and greatly preferred American butcher-meat three times a-day, to the oatmeal porridge, barley bread, and sour milk of Scotland.

While at Kingston, ten short-horned cattle, nineteen Southdown sheep, and a lot of swine, came to the yard of the Kingston hotel, at which I lodged, on their way to the county of Dumfries, Upper Canada, direct from England. They were objects of interest to many of the inhabitants, and were seemingly in excellent health and condition.

I left Kingston about dusk for York, in the St George steam-boat; one of the shafts broke when opposite the Bay of Quinte, and we returned to Kingston about noon next day. Another vessel was immediately expected to carry us on our voyage; and, in the meantime, the captain refused the passengers dinner; and four of us went on shore to dine, in order to be in readiness. We called at the Commercial Hotel, esteemed the first house of entertainment in Upper Canada; and, on an application at the bar, were told a joint could not be prepared for us until four o’clock. Having stated it was possible to dine without a joint, and we soon expected a steam-boat to take us to York, a mutton-chop was promised in half-an-hour. We had not, however, retired to the parlour five minutes, when a spruce waiter entered, and told us Mr Macdonald would not give dinner. I could not help contrasting this treatment with what we experienced at Ogdensburgh; and if Mr Macdonald’s behaviour passes for British manners and hospitality, they have not improved by transportation to Canada.

The Great Britain, one of the largest vessels on Lake Ontario, was laid alongside of the St George, and all hands employed in transferring the cargo of the one to the other. A passage was made from the upper decks of both vessels, along which the passengers passed to and fro; and as they came crowding up stairs for hours together with their luggage, reminded me of bees entering a hive laden with pollen; it was eleven o’clock before the bustle was over, and the vessel under weigh. I observed a quantity of gunpowder conveyed from the St George to the Great Britain in the most careless manner, and locked in the captain’s room. The owner of the Great Britain, Mr ——, was on board at the time, and must have sanctioned the transport of this dangerous commodity.

The night-scene on board the Great Britain formed a counterpart to that of the batteau on the St Lawrence, almost every inch of surface being crowded with reposing individuals; the lower decks and passages were crowded to excess, and a great part of the upper deck, which is uncovered, was also occupied. The aged and infirm sought shelter below; the boys clustered round the chimney stalks for heat, while the more hardy stretched themselves on the upper deck without almost any covering, surrounded by forms, or under lee of large packages. Near the stern of the vessel a young woman, perhaps with a view of avoiding danger, placed three infants on her outspread mantle, with their innocent faces towards heaven; and as they gradually sunk to rest, the motion of their slumbering eyelids seemed mimicry of the twinkling stars in the firmament.

The Great Britain reached York about six P.M., previous to which the passengers were mustered on the upper deck, and paid their passage-fares on going below. Many of the emigrant deck-passengers had not, or affected not to have, money; and I saw two middle-aged respectable-looking females place part of their wardrobe in pawn for their fares, and luggage had been credited from conveyance to conveyance all the way from Montreal, with the fares of its owners. Steam-boat proprietors do not lose much in this way, as the friends of emigrants generally relieve the pawned effects.

The meeting of emigrants and their friends at York was an interesting sight. In particular, a group of Scotch Highlanders, consisting of old women and half-a-dozen of innocent-looking girls, incapable of speaking the English language, appeared in ecstasy at joining their friends on the pier, who seemed to have arrived in the country some time before. They laughed, embraced, and saluted each other on the cheek, which is rarely witnessed in America.

To accommodate a gentleman, I lodged in the Steam-boat Hotel at York, which I found an indifferent establishment in the sleeping department. I could not have remained a second night, or gone to bed the first one, had light enabled me to see the actual state of things.

A friend having agreed to accompany me in a tour through the western part of Upper Canada, and who was waiting my arrival, we left York together, in the John By steamer, for Hamilton, where we arrived at eleven o’clock. The John By had been constructed to ply on the Rideau canal, with paddle wheels in the stern—the worst sailing and ill-constructed boat in Canada. The engine was high pressure; and if a vessel was to be built for roasting passengers, the John By might have furnished useful hints. She was soon afterwards wrecked.

We could not gain admittance into any of the hotels at Hamilton, except one, on account of the lateness of the hour. The beds were all occupied before our arrival; but the bar-keeper said he would place one on the floor, where Mr C—— and I were soon stretched side by side, and soon afterwards some individuals, similarly situated, were admitted to share our bed. On awakening next morning I missed Mr C—— from my side, who was lying in a distant corner of the room; and he afterwards told me, that disliking the company which joined us, he slipped from bed so soon as he could do so unnoticed.

Journey on the Banks of the Grand River—Corduroy Roads—River-side Vegetation—Cradling—Settler from Edinburgh—Reserve of the Six Nations—Nellis Settlement—Indian Notices—Settler from Perthshire—First Settlers— Gentle Children—Agricultural Notices—Great Heat—Drinking Water—Raising Bee—Brantford—Oak Openings—Paris—Galt—Guelph—Waggoner at Table—Face of the Country—Dutch Hotel.

We rose very early next morning, and rode in a hired waggon to a friend’s near Albion mills, where we breakfasted, and set out for the Grand River, accompanied by a third person, to whom I had written to hold himself in readiness for the excursion. The road was tolerably good, until within four or five miles of the river, which then consists of almost one unbroken line of corduroy, on reaching which we returned the waggon, and walked the remainder of the journey. A corduroy road, or, in the language of the country, crossway, is formed of the trunks of trees, laid close to each other, so that animals and carriages may pass without touching the ground. It is formed wherever the soil is wet, and may be considered log pavement. We came in contact with the river at Brant’s tavern, where a wooden building was erecting of some pretensions, and continued our walk down the left bank, where Mr W—— resides, about two miles below the tavern.

The soil from Hamilton to the Grand River is chiefly clay, of good quality, and well settled, with exception of the Indian reserve on the banks of the river. From Brant’s tavern to Mr W——’s, the road is beautiful, the banks of the river being fringed with plum, cherry, apple-trees, and hawthorn, encircled with the wild vine, the foliage of which was particularly rich. I have often remarked the luxuriance and beauty of river-side vegetation, and more especially in America, which, no doubt, is in a great measure owing to the copious supply of moisture afforded the plants by evaporation, and which is the more abundant on moderate-sized rivers in a country like America, where the temperature of day and night varies considerably.

The greater part of the crops had been carried, and those of wheat remaining in the field appeared particularly shabby, compared with those of Britain, being thin on the ground and short in the sheaf. I examined a cradler at work in an oatfield, who was making good work, cutting low, and laying down the ears with regularity. The implement is brought round with a full and awkward-looking sweep, nine or ten feet wide, and jerked so as to throw off the stalks, the whole of which are collected in the cradle. By this mode of operating, the cradler supports the weight of the crop collected in the sweep on his arms, and receives no relief from any part of the cut crop, or implement resting on the ground, as in the case of mowing grass with the common scythe of Britain: a heavy crop of grain must, therefore, be particularly fatiguing to the cradler.

We found Mr W—— at home, who had been expecting us for a day or two, in consequence of having been written to. He had been known to us all when in Edinburgh, which he left in the previous month of March, and had only been a few weeks in his present situation in the Nellis Settlement on the Grand River. He had purchased six or seven hundred acres, about seventy of which were cleared, and there was a good house, in the Canadian sense of the word, on the property. For some time after the purchase, he resided with the former proprietor, who only left the house a few days before our arrival. His household establishment consisted of a newly-imported Scotch ploughman; and as our host had not himself been accustomed to house-keeping at any period of his life, the house may have justly been termed Bachelor Hall. The evening was spent in walking over the property, and admiring the beauty of the situation. Next morning Mr W—— explained the peculiarity of his circumstances with regard to household matters, which were temporary, and excited in all of us mirth instead of regret. The breakfast table was laid out with the only animal substance in the house, a large bone of mutton, the fragment of a joint which had been prepared for us three days before, and now produced to show we would have fared better had we kept our appointment. I had made up my mind to try if there was flesh on the bone, which could not be ascertained without using a knife, but unfortunately a large dog scampered off with the relick before our eyes. Mr W—— at this time was in the kitchen, infusing tea, and, when informed of the catastrophe, promised to reward with a swing in a rope the poor dog, which had no master, and had taken up its quarters with him a day or two before. A consultation was held about obtaining a substitute for the bone, when two of us went in quest of hen-eggs, a nest of which was found in the barn, containing a great supply. On searching for the means of cooking them, we could only find a boiler with a hole in the side, which seemed to serve for general use. Into this vessel part of the eggs were put, but it was impracticable to make the water boil, as it would have escaped through the hole. On removing them, they were found sufficiently done, and formed an excellent repast in connexion with the best wheaten bread I ever met with, and which had been baked by the lady of the former proprietor.

I have noticed these particulars in Mr W——’s household, from being amongst the first real Backwood scenes we had met with, and which his kindness and good-humour would have rendered agreeable under any circumstances. He had been accustomed to move in the best society in Edinburgh, and the facility with which he accommodated himself to his altered situation, was deserving of praise. It has been said, the circumstances of his household were temporary; and I have since learned he soon afterwards married a young lady, whom I saw on the banks of the Grand River, and trust he now enjoys that degree of happiness he so well merits, and which I sincerely wish him.

In the forenoon of the day after our arrival, Mr W—— drove my two friends, C—— and S——, down the banks of the river, I riding on horseback, in company with Mr W. N——. The banks form what is called the Reserve of the Six Nations, which extends from the mouth of the river on Lake Erie to Brantford, a distance of about fifty miles, and embraces three miles on each side of the river. The Indians granted part of their lands, upwards of fifty years ago, to individuals chiefly of Dutch extraction, who then settled on them, and whose descendants are still resident. The land so granted is called the Nellis Settlement, and is one of the most beautiful spots in Upper Canada. The poor Indians of the Six Nations, like every one of the many tribes in America which have come in contact with white men, have greatly decreased in numbers, and have recently sold to the British Government fourteen miles in length of their Reserve from the mouth of the river, and which has been surveyed, and was brought into the market a few weeks after my visit there. To see this district was the object of our excursion, but which the state of the roads and want of time prevented our accomplishing. We retraced our steps, after passing about half a mile into the newly ceded territory.

A number of well-dressed Indians of both sexes were passing up and down the banks of the river on horseback, with good saddles and bridles. In one instance, an Indian and his wife, or squaw, as they are called in the language of the country, were riding together, she after the manner of Englishwomen, with a child sitting behind, and the husband had a child before him.

In going down the river, we called on an Indian of reputed wealth, named Fish Carrier. He is a stout middle-aged man, with a wife and family. His log-house had an appearance of comfort, having two large well-glazed windows in front, a door with veranda to the back, and a stone chimney stack. The family seemed to have finished a repast shortly before our arrival,—a good table being covered with plates, knives, and forks, recently used. There were two four-posted beds in the room, five or six chairs, a cat, and several dogs. There were horses, cows, and pigs in the woods. Fish Carrier could imperfectly understand, but was unable to speak the English language, and Mr W. N—— being similarly situated with the Indian one, the conversation of the parties was short and unsatisfactory.

Some distance below Fish Carrier’s is the Council-house of the tribes, a long narrow wooden building, with an upper and lower range of benches round both sides, on which the senators recline during counsel. It is kept by two old women, who cook on days of meeting. At the time of our visit they were in the act of churning, and I sipped a little of the buttermilk. The butter was particularly white in colour. I also partook of bread made from Indian corn meal, mixed with a few unhusked French beans, which looked like raisins in a cake. The bread was soft and damp, and seemed to have been prepared by boiling. To me it was unpalatable, although some of my friends did not dislike it. The roof was hung with ears of Indian corn, considered public property, which are contributed by individuals in years of abundance, and reserved for times of scarcity. The Council-house is also used for dancing, and contained a number of ornaments worn on such occasions, consisting of strings of bones for fixing on different parts of the body, and prized for the clattering they make when in motion.

On our return, a young Indian, of fifteen or sixteen years of age, shot a small bird with an arrow from a common bow, and on being requested to try and strike the bird when dead, he placed it on the trunk of a tree, and missed it twice. Five small boys were shooting birds with a blow-gun, and amused me by their manner of stealing up to the object of their attack. The blow-gun is a long narrow wooden tube, with a small arrow, on the end of which is a quantity of thistle down neatly dressed, and which fills the tube, so as to give effect to the arrow, which is discharged from the gun by the breath of the sportsman. It is little better than a child’s toy.

Having a desire to see the lands which Government had obtained from the Indians, Mr C—— and I set out next day at seven A.M., furnished with horses, through the kindness of friends, to visit Mr B——. We had not, however, gone far when his horse became so lame that he returned, and I proceeded alone, down the banks of the river, which I lost sight of, and after a long ride came to a settled part of the country, where I found myself on the road to Cranberry, and four miles from the river. On learning the direction of the river, I entered the woods with a tired horse, which I led in my hand, and after a tedious walk, gained the river two miles below where the object of my search resided, and which I reached at two P.M. After resting the horse some time, I returned up the river, and in two hours got over a distance which in the early part of the day occupied seven hours. Many adventures are related throughout Canada of people having lost themselves in the woods; and there is so much danger in a bush excursion, that people unaccustomed to follow tracks in the wilderness, ought never to incur the hazard. A stubbornness of disposition led me to make an attempt to regain the river without a compass. Guiding my course by the sun, my success was complete, but had clouds arisen to obscure it, my situation would have been unpleasant.

On introducing myself to Mr B——, he said he had heard of my arrival in the country, and welcomed me kindly. He had only been settled a few days, and was engaged in improving his house, with the assistance of an Indian, who understood cabinet-making. The Indian was preparing a duck for dinner, of which I partook, sitting on a chest, and having another for a table. The duck might be a canvassback, but I made no enquiry on the subject, and it was without feathers, by which alone I could have determined the species. No food could be more grateful to my palate, and I rejoiced at so opportune an arrival. Mr B——, with the understanding of Government, purchased the Indian improvements, that is, paid them for the house and cleared land; and was to pay afterwards the ordinary price of land to Government. He was said to have farmed in Perthshire, Scotland, and resided some time in the state of New York before coming to Canada. Mentioning to him that I had been told of his leaving the States in disgust with the people, he assured me such was not the case, as he felt ashamed of having left his acquaintance there, who had shown him the utmost kindness, and whom he respected and loved.

On my return to the Nellis Settlement, I passed one or two habitations of white men on the river side, and seldom enjoyed a more agreeable ride. The sun was low in the horizon, and gilded every object with a rich and soothing hue, so different from the fierce rays of summer noonday, that an admirer of nature seldom loses an opportunity of viewing its loveliness. A romantic fancy may suppose this tint of the setting sun an affectionate evening adieu to nature; and such are its effects on vegetation, that I have seen the Scottish farmer stalk forth, and gaze on the beauty of his crops, although perhaps insensible of the cause of his pleasure. The unruffled waters, beneath a cloudless sky, reflected objects on the surrounding banks; while Indian cots, situated on the most prominent points of the terrace, occasionally met the eye. When contemplating a landscape, where several small islands seemed reposing on the surface of the river, and on which grew luxuriant Indian corn, overtopped with magnificent sunflowers in full blossom, gentle ripples issuing from beneath a bush on the bank of an island, led me to expect waterfowl, but a squaw, standing erect, came gracefully paddling a canoe filled with children, who had been cultivating the sunflower. Swan never guided her brood with more majesty and care than this female did her offspring.

I met some Indians, and a plain-looking white woman, with fair hair, dressed in Indian attire, and carrying a child of Indian hue. She was said to be a native of Ireland, and a solitary instance of a white female living with the Indians.

My friends were at a loss to conjecture the cause of my absence, as I engaged to dine at Mr N——’s, where I joined them a little after seven o’clock. Next day we dined with Mr W. N——. These invitations came opportunely after the loss of the mutton bone; and I have no doubt were the means of saving the lives of several of Mr W——’s fowls. It was gratifying to see the old settlers so attentive to Mr W—— on this emergency, and I was glad of the opportunity of witnessing the manners and customs of the descendants of the first inhabitants of this part of the country. Mr N—— is pretty well advanced in life, a shrewd and well-informed person, and has let his farm in shares to an Englishman. Mr W. N—— is a very active middle-aged person, with a wife and family, and cultivates his farm personally. He lives in a small frame-house, with plain furniture, and every thing we saw was plain and neat. Mrs W. N—— was also a native of Canada, cousin to her husband; had four or five children; and was, I believe, without a female servant or help. The children were thus the third generation which had been reared in comparative seclusion on the banks of the Grand River. The softness of manner, ease, and good-humour of the children, appeared equal to families in the better ranks of life in my native country, and I was anxious to ascertain if this gentleness of manner was real. With this view I romped, fondled, and teased, within and without doors, the small boys, without ruffling their tempers; and trust my little friends Hamilton and Nielson will in age display matured fruits of their sweet and early blossoms. Manner, like the disposition of children, is, to a certain extent, the gift of nature; but the example of parents deeply affects families, more especially when shut out from society. This family unquestionably owed much to the good sense and conduct of both parents, and ought to go far in satisfying people in Britain that their children will not necessarily become savages by being removed to the woods of Canada, if they themselves lead proper lives, which they ought to do for their children’s sake, if not for their own.

I have already mentioned a dam across the Grand River at Dunville for supplying water to the Welland Canal, and which throws back the water in the channel of the river for nearly twenty miles, until it reaches the Nellis Settlement. The beauty of the river has been injured below this point by the stagnant water having covered the low lands, destroyed the trees, and imparted a marshy and gloomy character to the banks. In the Nellis Settlement, the river possesses much of its original character, and is truly fine, gliding around some fertile and beautiful islands, while the rich flat lands on the banks extend a considerable distance back, and terminate in an undulating surface. The low land on the banks of the river is what is termed bottom, or interval land, in some parts of America, and is a fine rich loamy soil. The undulating ground is clay of good quality, and has not been cleared to any extent. The low lands are altogether cleared, though adorned with single and wide-spreading trees; and it is here most of the settlers reside. If the Grand River is rendered navigable to Brantford by means of locks, as is talked of, the charms of the Nellis Settlement, one of the most beautiful spots in the province, will be destroyed by the submersion of the islands and flats. The soil of the Indian Reserve, including what was sold to government, as seen by me on the east side of the Grand River, is chiefly clay of medium quality, with very little vegetable mould on the surface. In a distance of nearly twenty miles, I observed only one or two streamlets joining the river, which does not augur favourably of the lands abounding in water, unless the springs flow in a westerly direction towards the Welland or Chippaway River. The prevailing wood is oak.

The agriculture on the Grand River embraces the cultivation of wheat, oats, clover, and Indian corn, by the white population, the Indians confining their attention chiefly to Indian corn, and occasionally a little wheat. The female Indians bestow considerable attention on the cultivation of Indian corn, which is planted on the best of land by the river side, and infinitely surpasses any thing I saw belonging to the white population. In many cases the crop was eight feet high, and almost always has intermingled with it a few plants of the sunflower, still more luxuriant than the corn, the large yellow flowers of which bending towards the sun, impart a high degree of richness and beauty to the crop.

At eight A.M. on the 21st August, the party at Mr W——’s broke up, Captain A—— on horseback for Blenheim, S—— and the mutton-bone stealer for Hamilton, and C—— and I on foot for Brantford. The morning was fine, and the road being through the Indian Reserve on the banks of the river, we enjoyed our walk for some time. But towards noon the powerful rays of a vertical sun shone on us, while the banks and trees excluded every breath of air, and we suffered considerably from heat. My friend on two occasions petitioned for a few minutes’ rest, when we reclined under a tree to cool, almost naked. We reached Brantford to dinner, a distance of twenty-four miles, and learned the thermometer stood at ninety-four degrees in the shade. In the evening we walked around Brantford, having quite recovered the fatigue and broiling we underwent in the early part of the day.

People frequently speak of the danger of drinking cold water in Canada, and recommend a mixture of spirits as a safeguard, a convenient doctrine for such as delight in stimulants. Having at every period of my life indulged in the use of cold water when thirsty and taking exercise, I saw no reason for a change of system while in America, which Mr C—— also followed. In walking through the Indian Reserve, we became thirsty, and being unable to discover water, we approached the dwelling of an Indian, in the hope of obtaining a supply. A well-dressed interesting young squaw was sitting under a wooden shade, with a deer-skin, the embers of a fire, and cooking apparatus before her, apart from the house, to avoid heating it. I asked for a drink, and on observing that she did not comprehend the import of my words, motioned the action of drinking, when she instantly glided into the house, and brought a snow-white bowl, which she presented with water. We made a second application at an Indian habitation, but our eloquence and gestures were unavailing, as the inmates did not seem to wish to afford us relief. My friend now contrasted the soft black eye and benevolent countenance of the squaw who supplied water, with the dirty sordid looking creatures who denied it; and while we were engaged in debating whether the different appearances of the individuals really existed, or arose from our associations connected with them, we suddenly beheld an interesting and extensive view at a bend of the river, lying 200 feet below; and in the foreground, at a few yards distance, a limpid fount bubbling forth from the hollow trunk of a tree, at which we quenched our thirst.

In passing from Nellis Settlement to Brantford, two Indian school-houses were observed, and we intended calling on their religious instructor, Mr N——, who was from home. The Indian houses were similar to those on the river below, with glazed windows, verandas for excluding the rays of the sun, and a ladder on the roof for reaching the chimney-top. We several times pulled excellent apples, and passed one tree of remarkable size, loaded with fruit, surrounded by a fence, and its branches supported by props.

The soil on the banks of the river was generally clay, though in some places sand, and there was a tract of five or six miles of excellent loam. The wood was chiefly oak, with here and there a few pines, which on the west side seemed to prevail to the water’s edge. There is little agriculture on this part of the Reserve of any kind. At the Indian’s dwelling, where we obtained the drink of water, there was a good crop of wheat, well stacked, a waggon for carrying home the crop, and a good barn. This day I commenced a collection of seeds, by selecting six species of wheat, three white chaffed varieties having red-skinned grain, and three red chaffed varieties having very white grain.

While at Brantford, we observed a raising bee, that is, raising the frame of a house by a collection of people. The frame had been constructed, and the parts fitted beforehand, and the company had only to put them together. The process was expeditiously effected, the largest timbers being hoisted to their places by long sharp-pointed poles. The power of brute-force was displayed; yet three men, with the aid of mechanical power, might have accomplished the labour of thirty.

Brantford owes its name to the celebrated Mohawk Indian chief, Brant, and is situated on a high bank on the east side of the Grand River. It is a growing place, containing six hundred souls. There is a new bridge erecting over the river, forming the great thoroughfare to the London and Western districts; and it is said to be in contemplation to render the river navigable to this point. On the opposite side of the river, there is an extensive rich-looking flat country, a part of which is occupied by Europeans on lease from the Indians.

Having experienced the inconvenience of walking in warm weather, we debated whether to pursue the remainder of our journey on horseback or in a waggon, and determined on the latter, which was engaged at $3 per day, the driver finding himself and horses.

Next morning Mr W——, Captain A——, my friend, and I, left Brantford early in the morning, on our way to Galt, and stopped to breakfast with a Mr C——, a successful farmer, residing within seven miles of Brantford. The farm consists of what is called oak openings or plains; and, on examination, I found the soil consisting partly of clay and partly of sand. The crops had been pretty good, especially a field of oats. The straw of wheat in the barn showed no traces of mildew, and the grain was equal to any I had met with in America, a sample of which I preserved. Oak openings or plains consist of stunted oak-trees, thinly scattered over the surface, so that the plough may frequently enter without further obstruction than what arises from the roots of bushes. It is quite certain that fire passes over the plains every year or two, and destroys all tender vegetation. The effects of fire, I have no doubt, also prevents the growth of the trees, which are sometimes pretty thick, and in other places several acres are found without any. Oak openings are free of vegetable mould, or even live vegetation of any value; the soil is commonly light sand, and a superficial observer is apt to think nature hath pronounced the curse of sterility on such spots. But part of Mr C——’s soil convinced me the thinness of the trees, and thriftless vegetation is not an effect of the nature of the soil, which is often much under-rated. Oak openings may be cultivated by girdling the trees, and ploughing with six oxen, and fallowing the ground two years.

Mr C—— speaks in high terms of his oak openings, only a small part of which, in my opinion, merited praise. He estimates the expense of raising the first wheat crop on such soil, including the price of land, and two years’ fallow, at $20 per acre, and the return of the first crop at twenty bushels. The price of wheat, last year’s crop, 1832, was $¾. Gypsum, or plaster of Paris, he invariably applies to clover. Labourers are always to be had at from $10 to $13 a-month in summer. Winter lasts six months. I was pleased with my visit to Mr C——, and on parting expressed myself so to him.

After breakfast we proceeded by way of Paris, so called from its quarries of gypsum, or plaster of Paris, situated on the Grand River, eight miles from Brantford, and one below the Forks, at which there is mills. We soon afterwards reached Galt, also situated on the Grand River, over which there is a bridge. It contains a church, grist, saw, and pail mill; and several buildings are of stone. My friend had a letter of introduction, which he had brought from Edinburgh, to a gentleman in Galt, whom we understood to be in the habit of receiving the bearers of such letters coolly. In order to guard against apparent disappointment, we delayed calling with the letter till after dinner, and gave instructions for the horses to be put to the waggon before we left the inn. Our reception was, however, all we could have wished, being asked to take wine, and tea, both of which we declined. In conversation, we learned he had left his own residence to avoid company, and building-lots in the village were not sold, for creating opposition to Mr——’s store. The prospect from Galt is pine forest of stunted growth, with a few straggling cedars on the margin of the river. We left Galt in the afternoon, and reached Guelph at eight P.M. Next day we rode into the township of Eramosa, and returned to Guelph in time for dinner, and reached Galt in the evening.

Guelph is finely situated on the river Speed, a branch of the Grand River, and is well supplied with water from springs as well as the river, which drives mills, and over which there are two bridges. There are about fifty houses in the village, only one of which is of stone. There is a market house of wood, roughly finished, and without a stall or a frequenter of any kind. Three considerable sized churches of different sects, Catholic, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian, are being erected. Three weeks previous to our arrival, a range of six or seven wood houses had been burnt down, the brick chimneys of which were standing.

This village could boast of ruins, if not of antiquities. The bridges over the Speed at Guelph, and the corduroy, were decayed, and in a shameful state of neglect, alike marking the worthless nature of the wood and insufficient road-way management of the district.

The inn at Guelph is a good establishment for the country, and greatly superior to that at Galt. Our waggoner breakfasted and dined at the public table, in company with two gentlemanly-looking persons, lately from England, without any explanation from the landlord. The waggoner was a Lower Canadian, of French descent, and strongly resembling in size and feature the common description of Scotch peasantry. He spoke the English language in a broken imperfect manner, and was an unassuming obliging person. This was the second time drivers had appeared at table since reaching the American shore, and I did not experience inconvenience of any kind on either occasion from their presence, both having conducted themselves with the utmost propriety. A meal in the United States and Canada is simply a feeding, and not in any degree a conversational meeting; and ability to pay is therefore considered the standard of admission to public tables. Britain and America are similarly situated in this respect, but in Britain the facilities of getting private tables, and various degrees of entertainment, completely separate travellers into different grades. Viewing meals as social meetings, texture of coat or profession ought not to gain or deny an individual admission to table; and wherever the inhabitants of a country have not been brutalized, true politeness at a public table never fails to check vulgarity and impudence, as well as to impart pleasure.

The surface from Brantford to Galt, by way of Paris, is undulating, chiefly oak openings, consisting of dwarfish decaying oak-trees, with a good deal of underwood, and scarcely a plant of grass or clover interspersed. In some places a good deal of pine is seen, but every description of tree, including larch, is small and stunted looking.

From Galt to Guelph, and in the neighbourhood of the latter, the soil is light, composed of sand or gravel, bearing inferior crops, and, judging from the way sides, calculated to produce excellent pasturage. The wood is small sized; and the district abounding with limpid streams. Annual thistles were growing in vast numbers, and where cleared land had been neglected, were occupying the entire surface. The clearing of land was going on to a considerable extent.

The wheat was much mildewed, and some fields we examined nearly destroyed by it. Sleighs, mere arms of trees, were passing along the roads, drawn by two oxen, on which were small bags, seemingly going to the grist-mill, and under guidance of a stout man, who could have carried the bags on his shoulders. Such a misapplication of ox labour arose, I fear, from laziness.

A considerable part of the country between Guelph and Galt is settled by Dutchmen, many of whom have cleared farms of considerable size, with good houses and barns. There is a respectable hotel within a few miles of Galt, at which we intended to stop for the night. On entering the bar-room, in which were ten or twelve people, the landlord was scolding his wife in high Dutch; and as he continued deaf to our enquiries, we left the house.