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BY

CAPTAIN R. a. A. LEVINGE. ^econtr iStfition.

LONDON:

HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.

1847.

Two vols, bound in One, price 10.?. 6^/.

Fredeiick Shoberl, Junior, Printer to His Royal Highness Prince Albert, 51, Rupert Street, Haymarkel, London.

no 13

UH-7

TO

SIR RICHARD SUTTON, BART.,

OF

COTTESMORE, ONE OF England's best sportsmen,

OP

TRANSATLANTIC LIFE

ARE INSCRIBED BY

THE AUTHOR.

053

Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive

in 2008 witii funding from

IVIicrosoft Corporation

littp://www.arcliive.org/details/eclioesfrombackwoOOIeviricli

PREFACE

TO

THE SECOND EDITION.

The favourable notices bestowed on the first edition of this work, coupled with the desire to furnish information, however slight, on the state of the North American Colonies, have induced the Author to offer a Second Edition to the Public. The Government survey of the line for a proposed railway from the At- lantic to Quebec, passing across New Bruns- wick, and the swelling tide of emigration to that favoured colony, have had the effect of bringing it prominently forward, and render- ing every species of information in relation to it of great interest. The Author is anxious

VI PREFACE.

to add his mite to the general stock, and to serve, to the best of his ability, a colony of whose capabilities and resources he has the highest opinion, and of which his recollections are most agreeable.

To the sportsman it may not be amiss to men- tion its having recently been ascertained that the rivers on the northern side of New Bruns- wick, which flow into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, abound with salmon, and offer every facility for fly-fishing, fully equal to that found in Norway. The best season to pursue this sport in New Brunswick is from the middle of July to the middle of September; after which there is a succession of snipe, woodcock, and wild- fowl shooting of every description on the coast, until the setting in of winter compels the birds to migrate to a more southern clime.

The regularity and certainty with which the Cunard steamers now cross the Atlantic would enable the sportsman to reach this region in fifteen days from London. He may fish and

PREFACE. vii

shoot, ascend the mighty St. Lawrence, visit the Lakes, look upon " The Thunder of the Waters,"* close his autumnal tour with a run through the United States, visit the prin- cipal Atlantic cities, and be at '* the meet " at Kirby Gate.

The far West, too, might be reached by a slight extension of time, and although the spirit of Davy Crockett exists there still, that hero would be found to have departed. — He fell gallantly fighting at the storming of the Alamo, in Mexico, and was found dead within the walls, with six enemies whom he had slain lying around him. Innumerable as are the stories arising out of the ** Sayings and Doings" of Davy Crockett, which circulate in the United States, one which relates to his intro- duction into society at Washington would seem worth presenting to the reader.

Davy was invited, with other members of Congress, to dine at the White House with

* The literal meaning of the word Niagara.

Vlll PREFACE.

General Jackson, then President of the United States, and amongst other good things with which he was regaled on that occasion was champagne, to which Crockett was a stranger. He was told that it was northern cider. Davy imbibed it freely. On calling for a fresh sup- ply, he was presented with a plate of olives, a handful of which, supposing them to be pickles, he grasped, and commenced munching ; dis- gusted with the flavour, he began spluttering and spitting them forth, jumped upon his feet, and shouted high over all the din to General Jackson at the other end of the table,

" Gin'ral ! gin'ral ! I like your cider — I like your cider, gin'ral ! — but curse your little pickles !"

The Author trusts that if the Public find in these volumes any "cider" which may be to their fancy, they will, in consideration, excuse the "little pickles."

R. G. A. L.

London, May, 1847.

PEEFACB.

It is much to be regretted, by every one who has at heart the promotion of British prosperity, that the province of New Bruns- wick should be so little known in England ; that a colony containing many millions of acres of excellent land, magnificent rivers, inexhaustible mineral wealth, and most ex- tensive coal-fields, should be passed over as unheeded as if it belonged not to the British empire. Even in Parliament the advantages of emigration to Canada or the United States are frequently expatiated upon in glowing and persuasive terms, but very rarely is any notice taken of New Bruns- wick.

VI PREFACE.

Owing to the diffusion of information, by means of numerous publications respecting our other northern colonies, the stream of emigration has been directed that way ; so that, though some thousands who have left their homes in the Old World in search of new abodes annually find their way to the shores of this our nearest colony, yet few, and those of the most indigent class only, remain. In Canada, moreover, where public works have been of late years carried on, the government and private companies have held out strong inducement to emigrants by as- sisting them to procure lands ; while the great public enterprises continually going on in the United States attract the great majority of the labouring classes, especially Irish, who eventually become settlers.

In none of our colonies does the agricul- tural settler find so many advantages as in

PREFACE. Vii

New Brunswick. In the counties of Glou- cester and Restigouche, the most northern parts of the province, have been grown ex- cellent crops of wheat ; and scarcely an in- stance can be adduced in which the crop of grain of any kind has failed ; whilst, in the pro- duction of potatoes and other nutritious roots, New Brunswick cannot be excelled.

Lord Sydenham, in a letter to Lord John Russell, which accompanied his Report on Emigration to Upper Canada, observes: — " Give me yeomen, with a few hundred pounds each, who will buy cleared farms, not throw themselves into the Bush, and I will ensure them comforts and independence at the end of a couple of years — pigs, pork, flour, potatoes, horses to ride, cows to milk, but you must eat all you produce, for devil a purchaser is to be found : however, the man's wants are supplied and those of his

Vill PREFACE.

family ; he has no rent or taxes to pay, and he ought to be satisfied."

So said Lord Sydenham of Canada ; and all this is true in regard to New Bruns- wick, with this essential and striking difference, that in New Brunswick there is a market, and a man may not only supply his own wants and those of his family, but actually accumulate money from the sale of his surplus produce. And, above all, no- where are the liberties so dear to English- men to be enjoyed in a higher degree than in this province. It is therefore to be hoped that the time is not far distant when a spur shall be given to enterprise ; when the tide of emigration, instead of flowing through this magnificent colony, shall be arrested in its course ; when mining and manufactures shall give employment to thousands of work- men, who, from the lack of such sources in

PREFACE. IX

our own colonies, are forced to seek them in the United States.

In placing before the public these volumes, the author takes leave to premise that, favour- able as may appear to be the picture which he draws of New Brunswick, he has no schemes of speculators or adventurers to second, neither is he biassed by any motive of personal interest ; in one or other of which too many works of this nature have originated. His main object has been to present facts and information derived chiefly from his own observation, particularly of a kind likely to prove useful to persons intending to settle in the country of which he treats.

Subjects of less important interest have not been omitted; and he flatters himself that the sportsman in his own chimney- corner in Old England will be gratified, at least, if not warmed, by his account of the

X PREFACE.

opportunities afforded in New Brunswick for the display of skill and dexterity in exercises in. which it may never be his lot to partici- pate.

Information concerning the haunts of game in North America is often not to be obtained at all, and, if so, often not to be relied on. It frequently happens, therefore, that, after hard fagging, and great perseverance, just as the sportsman is obliged to leave the country, he then, and not till then, disco- vers their favourite resorts. Many hints collected from the Indians, from personal experience in the pursuit of deer and other game, of fish and fishing, and of what is termed wood-craft, are offered to such sports- men whom accident, inclination, or duty may lead to the New World.

If Brother Jonathan should feel rather sore about the sketches of himself and his

PREFACE. XI

hopeful progeny introduced into these yo- lumes, I can assure him in all sincerity that, if I have nothing extenuated, still less have I been prompted by the national anti- pathy too prevalent on his side of the At- lantic to " set down aught in malice."

To the kindness of Mr. Perley I am in- debted for some particulars concerning the remnants of the two Indian tribes still resi- dent in New Brunswick, and for much sta- tistical information: This gentleman is a descendant of that Isaac Perley who first explored the St. John : he is the head of all enterprise in the colony, Government Emi- gration Agent, and last, but not least, Wun- jeet Sagamore, or head Chief of the Micmacs.

R. G. A. L.

London, June, 1846.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

VOL. L

1. The Air Hole

2. Moose nin down

3. Salmon 'Spearing by Torchlight

Frontispiece,

- 160

- 186

VOL. n.

1. Caraboo showing Fight

2, War-dance, "Wisconsin

Frontispiece, - 190

3. "Treemg"aBear

206

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

Preface . . . v

CHAPTER I.

Voyage out. — The Transport Service — Military Life in Country Quarters — Voyage across the Atlantic — Dense Fogs — ^Banks of Newfoundland — Forests of the New World—" The Maid of the Mist"— River St. John . 1

CHAPTER IL

New Brunswick— Hints for Emigrants. — First settle- ment of the Province — Greneral description — Government — Boundary question — ^Rivers — " The Stone Wigwam" — Wooden Bridge — ^Fish — ^Waterfowl — The Bore — Mineral Productions — Whal es — Cod — Mines — Divining Rod — Measures . . . . .12

CHAPTER HI.

New Brunswick — continued. — Towns — Labrador dogs — Horse-dealing — Cobbett — Agent for "Morrison's

XIV CONTENTS.

pills" — A fire — Amusing incident — Climate — Lumber, hard and soft wood — ^Below Nero — Effects of frost — Skating — Sleighing — Coasting — Sleigh Club — Corn-bin extraor- dinary— Perilous situation . . .57

CHAPTER IV. Of the Milicete and Micmac Indians. — Origin of the Indians, a Quere — Fossil remains — Mr. Gesner — Micmacs, or " Salt-water" Indians — ^Boundary between them and the Milicete — Render homage to the Iroquois — Council fire still burns — Their Totems — Language — Papoose — ^Wigwams — Snow-shoes — Patterns — Old John and Cockney . . . . .94

CHAPTER V. l^EW Brunswick. — Of the Birds and Beasts. — Passenger Pigeons — ^Wild and Water fowl — Novel way of gunning — Genus Tetrao — Birch and Spruce Partridge — Humming-birds — Wax-bird — Soiree of Owls — Lucifees— Skunk — Wild Cat — Novel mode of catching Wolves — Musk-rat — ^Porcupine — Hares — Bears and Chimneys — A sound sleeper — The Governor gammoned . .127

CHAPTER VI. New Brunswick. — Of the Deer and Woodcraft. — Moose — Cervus Hibernicus, not Antediluvian — Caraboo — Accidents *' will happen" — ^Virginian Deer — Toggery for the Woods — Snow- Shoes — " Mai a la raquette" prevented — Hints — ^Woodcraft — Lose way — Escape being frozen 159

CONTENTS. XV

CHAPTER VII.

New Beunswick. — Of the Fish and Fishing. — Salmon-spearing — Sturgeon and Molly Greenbaize — Shad — Gaspereaux — ^Bass — Flies — The Curry-Curry, gaudy and large, the best for North American waters — Matty Blake and the " YoUy Buff" — Receipts for dying — ^Mosquito mix- ture . . . . . .184

CHAPTER VIII.

Nova Scotia. — A Fortnight in Bush. — The Start — Annapolis — Micmac Village — Flappers — Trout — Lakes — Rivers — Still Waters — Tracks — Moose — The Death — Potatoes — Indigestion — Turtle — Lampreys — Stone Pipes — Calling the Moose — Emperor of China . . 209

CHAPTER IX.

A Race through the United States. — Star-be- spangled banner — Flying Artillery — Crimping System — Table d'Hotes — Whales and Peas — Mercantile Fowls — Sea Speculations — Sky-blue — Yankee's Shaving — Frigid Bap- tists— Canals — Ontario . . . .231

APPENDIX.

Hints to Emigrants. From Mr. Gesner's Reports on New Brunswick ..... 263

Average Retail Prices of Provisions and Clothing in New Brunswick . . • . . 268

XVI CONTENTS.

Average Wages of Mechanics and others in New- Brunswick ..... 269 Of Immigration to New Brunswick . . 270 Prices of Agricultural Produce, Farming Stock, and implements of Husbandry in New Brunswick . 271 On the present state of New Brunswick in reference to a proposed Line of Kailway . . . 272 On the Trees of New Brunswick . . . 280 On the Forest Trees of New Brunswick. Substance of a Lecture delivered by M. H. Perley, Esq. . . 289

CONTENTS

OF

THE SECOND VOLUME.

CHAPTER X.

A Race through the United States continued. — Have you ever seen Buffalo? — Cranberries out of Sea- son— Antidote against Travelling-Illness — High -pressure in a Stage — Davy Crockett — -Economical dress for Jockeys — Mesmerising Deer — Lynch Law — Captain Harris's Soirde — ^Possums — Red River — Six Feet and a half . 1

CHAPTER XI.

A Race through the United States continued. — Slave chase — Departure for the Ptairies — Advantages of a corduroy road — ^Woodpeckers — How alligators like " chicken-fixens," and how we had to put up with " com- mon doings" — An Indian hanging — 'Possuming — Atcha- falay a — Mississippi — New Orleans — Triumphs — Battle ground — St. Rosa Sound — Independent post — Railway improvenients .... 40

IV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XII.

A Race through the United States continued. — Avoid the Swamp — An extra Passenger — Canvass- backed Ducks — Mint Julep — Spinning-knives — Mammoth Oysters — Military Umbrellas and Cavalry — Fine Arts — Receipt for a fine Head of Hair — The Apollo at a Dis- count ..... 67

CHAPTER XIII. The Atlantic — A Winter's Passage. — Bad Wea- ther— Grood Living — Thunder and Lightning — Lobsters out of their Element — The Duke of York's Friend ; his Life saved at the Coa — Difficulty of Steering the Samuel Walker — Liberality of American Custom Houses — Harassing Journey . . . .87

CHAPTER XIV.

Op the Outbreak in Lower Canada. — Symptoms of rebellion — Sons of Liberty — ^Attacks on St. Dennis and St. Charles — Rebel leaders desert their men — Regiments ordered from New Brunswick — The passage of the Portage of the Madawaska — ^Dresses of the officers — Reception of the 43rd Light Infantry by the Inhabitants of Quebec — Cahots — Breaking-up of the Sea — Montreal 107

CHAPTER XV. Upper Canada — Niagara. — Leave Montreal for Upper Canada — Niagara — The Falls in Winter — Clo- thing—Mammoth Icicles — Grovernor's Feed — The Lady from Troy — Hanging Match — ^Benito Soto . 124

CONTENTS. V

CHAPTER XVI. Upper Canada — Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan. — American " Gunners " — An excursion planned — " Cutting out " of the Caroline — Murder of Captain Usher — Navy Island — Detroit Landlord — Sporting friends — Woodcocks — The St. Clair — Lake Huron — Mackinaw Indians — Manitou — Going to the Infernal Regions — Chicago 151

CHAPTER XVII.

Second Outbreak in Lower Canada, in 1838. — Attack on Beauharnois — Capture of the Henry Brougham — Gallant conduct of the Iroquois at Caughnawaga — The Volunteers at Odelltown — The Windmill affair at Pres- cot ..... 178

CHAPTER XVIII. Prairies of Illinois. — The Prairies a vast flower- garden — Strawberries — The soil alluvial, or wet Prairies — Dry Prairies — Of the Game — Indians— Big Thunder— The Starved Rock — ^Indian Mounds — Prairie Hens — Cure of Ague — Amherstburg — Wild Turkeys — The Gobblers 1 89

CHAPTER XIX.

Upper Canada — Niagara District. — Deer-stalking in the woods — Of the best kind of gun for Upper Canada — The log-hut and process of clearing the land — Water- fowl— Novel kind of card-table — Long Point — Silver and cross foxes — Singular kind of Boa — Starkey's Museum — Racoons — Squirrels — Rifles — Black corps on skates — Long-tailed Ducks — The Bald Eagle— The wind-up 230

ECHOES

FROM

THE BACKWOODS.

CHAPTER I.

VOYAGE OUT.

And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold : And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald.

Coleridge.

The Transport Service — Military Life in Country Quarters — Voyage across the Atlantic — Dense Fogs — Banks of Newfoundland — Forests of the New World — "The Maid of the Mist"— -River St. John.

In June, 1835, the transports destined to convey the left wing of a light infantry regi- ment to our colonies in North America had " made its number" in the Cove of Cork. At

VOL. I. B

2 ECHOES FROM

this time the transport service was a disgrace to the country, and, although so many men-of- war, which might have been employed as troop- ships, were lying idle in our numerous dock- yards, yet the comfort of the soldiers troubled not the heads of those gentlemen " who sit at home at ease.'V It was not sufficient that the poor devils should be "food for powder,t' but that the fishes also should have their chance. A tub of a vessel, without a sailing point in her composition, was hired, and a mass of white paint, in the form of a parallelogram, smeared over her bows, the better to relieve the huge number by which she was designated. Water- tanks, heaps of biscuits, barrels of pork, and but one of rum ; a pennant, an ensign, a skipper, a fat mate, and a superannuated lieutenant of the navy, by way of agent, and a most ina- dequate crew, were put on board, and the transport was reported fit for sea.^

^ In the month of July, 1836, the service companies of the E-oyal, or 1st Regiment, landed at Quebec " after a long

THE BACKWOODS. S

The service companies selected for duty in New Brunswick marched through Cork to the tune of " The girls we left behind us." The solemn vows of eternal constancy of the pre- vious night were echoed and wafted from a

hundred balconies ; but —

>• ^ " O, Nelly Gray ! O, Nelly Gray ! Is this your love so warm ? The love that loves a scarlet coat Should be more uniform !"

We knew that a few hours would bring thither the new regiment, their band playing *' Rory O'More," or " Sich a getting up- stairs," and that the pretty faces of the Cork fair would light up, their best bonnets would be put on, first appearances being every thing.

voyage," says Lord Charles Beauclerk in his sketch of the " Military Operations in Canada," rendered tedious from the crowded state of the ship. " In a transport of eight hundred tons, seven hundred souls were huddled together, — a num- ber greater by far than is allowed even to vessels carrying out emigrants : and, but for the judicious arrangements of the commanding officer, malignant disease must have been the result."

b2

4 ECHOES FROM

Such is military life in country quarters, such is life everywhere ; so —

How happy's the soldier who lives on his pay, And spends half-a-crown out of sixpence ^ a day ! He cares not a marVedi ^ how the world goes, The king finds him money, and quarters, and clothes.

With a row-de-dow, row-de-dow, &c.

The crowd and confusion of embarkation are not to be described : the squeaking of pigs, the quacking of ducks, the crowing of cocks, the din of French horns and kettle-drums, stray friends come to see the last of one, the curses and maledictions of the skipper, who was eventually obliged to be snubbed, and the firing off of soda-water corks, lasted until the old tub got under weigh in the most lubberly manner. Soldiers, as well as every thing else, shake into their places in a won- derfully short time ; one-third of the number are always upon deck, and are called the

1 Sixpence was the daily pay of a British soldier pre- viously to 1792.

2 Maravedi, a small Spanish coin of the value of about a farthing.

THE BACKWOODS. 5

watch — not that they are employed as such, but there is room only for two-thirds below. Sea-sickness was urged by many of the officers as a reason why they were not ** in force ;" but sundry three-cornered billets, delivered to the last weather-beaten and amphibious-look- ing fisher for haddocks, who boarded us when off Cape Clear, and the strict injunctions over- heard as to committing them to the first post- office, induced a suspicion that to the sea could not be imputed all the sickness on board. A breeze sprung up, and, as the Emerald isle receded from view, we turned our backs upon our homes, our hunting, and our loves.

A voyage across the Atlantic, even in the best of weathers, must necessarily be a bore : calms for days ; fogs, as thick as that in which the Cockney found himself enveloped when steering down Father Thames, and who re- quested an old tar to let him know " when they were off the Nore, for that he was veiy anxious to see where the mutiny had taken place."

6 ECHOES FROM

" You are this moment abreast of it," quoth Jack ; " but it is so thick I cannot point out the Mutiny,''

These fogs wet us to the skin as effectually as the heaviest rain, and, to use a sailor's phrase, " you might almost cut them with a knife." Occasionally we signalized vessels, which in return telegraphed that they should be happy to take our letters ; an insult which had no sort of effect in hurrying our sulky skipper. It was no object to him to make a quick passage ; mais, au contraire, the longer he contrived to remain at sea (thanks to the authorities) the more pay he received. What little sail we carried was shortened at night ; and, as the fat mate generally contrived to sleep well through his watch, no advantage was taken of a shift of wind.

After five weeks, we were on the banks of Newfoundland ; got soundings, but no cod ; tried to surprise turtle dozing, which proved to be wide awake ; fired at whales, and got disagreeably near to icebergs. However, at

THE BACKWOODS. 7

the end of six weeks, in spite of calms, fogs, and the sleepy mate, seas of floating kelp- weed and strong tides were met with — certain symptoms of being in or near the Bay of Fundy — and all hands looked anxiously for land. There was a dense fog ; I was on deck in charge of the watch ; one of the men came and reported that he saw a light, and pointed out the direction. I could not see it, but roused the fat mate, who sent men aloft, and exerted himself so far as to climb to the mizen cross-trees. I called the watch — no one could see it. The man was laughed at, but persisted in saying he distinctly saw it ; he could not be drunk, for there was not the wherewithal to get so on board. Next morn- ing's light found us close off Bryar's Island : this man had seen the light upon it, although invisible to sixty others.

Owing to strong tides and the prevalence of fogs, the navigation of the Bay of Fundy is ticklish in the extreme, and we felt our way by the deep sea-lead. AVhen in stays, a

8 ECHOES FROM

large ship, unperceived until then, passed so close under our stern that a biscuit might have been thrown on her deck. She was a transport, having on board the regiment which we were going to relieve : three cheers were hardly given and returned before she was lost to sight. The fog cleared up soon afterwards, and the black masses of the pine forests of the New World opened upon us, stretching away in continued lines, until lost in distant perspective.

The first view of land, after the monoto- nous combination of two elements for six weeks, is exhilarating : the first sight of the primeval forests of the New World was sub- lime ; surely such a view as this would have awakened to the power of nature even that lady's-maid who, when passing the magni- ficent scenery of the Via Mala, asked — from the *' rumble tumble " — " Lor, how do they manage to plant trees in such frightful places as them there?"

On rounding a headland, the view of St.

THE BACKWOODS. 9

John's broke suddenly upon us, and, from the distance, it appeared placed, as it were, in a large gap, hacked out of " the Bush." When abreast of Partridge Island, the anchor was dropped, and the transport swung to her moorings, until leave from the authorities was granted for our disembarkation. Soon after, " the Maid of the Mist " — a most appropriate name for a steamer navigating the Bay of Fundy — came alongside, and carried off a subaltern and twenty-five men to St. Andrew's, where they were to remain on detachment.

We were now within a couple of miles of the town, the largest in the province of New Brunswick. The rocky promontory upon which it stands rises from the water on all sides, and the wooden houses piled up on a series of landings give it the appearance of a fabrica- tion made with cards to amuse children, the summit being crowned with steeples and the spires of many churches ; while the base, fringed with a forest of masts, and huge ves-

B 5

10 ECHOES FROM

sels on the stocks, proclaimed the commercial prosperity of the place, and presented a not unpleasing picture to our land-expecting eyes. All hands began peering through the tele- scopes, in hopes of getting a sight of " what like " were the natives among whom we ex- pected to pass the better part of three years ; and the flutter of a petticoat, or the appear- ance of a straw bonnet, was suflScient attrac- tion to draw all the glasses to that spot. The head-quarters of the regiment had arrived a week earlier, and had been ordered up the river St. John to Fredericton. It was our fate to occupy the town before us. Per- mission having at length arrived, we were disembarked, and marched to a range of bar- racks pleasantly situated on a rocky pro- montory jutting into the harbour, and com- manding the entrance of the river. No sooner had we stowed away our men than a party of us " Subs" rushed down into the town, hardly checking our pace to stare at some squaws

THE BACKWOODS. 11

and their papooses ; nor did we stop until we arrived at a confectioner's, and obtained enormous bowls of the most delicious wood- strawberries and cream. We had just landed from a long sea- voyage; the thermometer stood at 85° in the shade ; in addition to which, the woods, being on fire, made the at- mosphere close and sultry ; while the excite- ment of landing, and the bustle of putting up the men, concurred to render this the most grateful feast I ever remember to have enjoyed, and such a contrast to our ship fare, that the gluttony of the proceeding must be pardoned.

12 ECHOES FROM

CHAPTER II.

NEW BRUNSWICK — HINTS FOR EMIGRANTS. ^Warm and buoyant, in his oily mail,

Gambols on seas of ice th' unwieldy whale ; Wide waving fins round floating islands urge His bulk gigantic through the troubled surge ; With hideous yawn, the flying shoals he seeks. Or clasps with fringe of horn his massy cheeks ; Lifts o'er the tossing wave his nostrils bare, And spouts the wat'ry columns into air : The silvery arches catch the setting beams. And transient rainbows tremble o'er the streams.

Darwin.

First settlement of the Province — Greneral description — Government — ^Boundary question — Rivers — " The Stone Wigwam" — Wooden Bridge — Fish — Waterfowl — The Bore — Mineral Productions — Whal es — Cod — Mines — Divining Rod — Measures.

Those acquainted with the history of America will no doubt remember the expedi- tion for the discovery of heathen countries, fitted out by Henry VIL, the command of

THE BACKWOODS. 13

which was intrusted to Sebastian Cabot, a Venetian adventurer residing in Bristol. In March, 1495, Cabot sailed from Bristol with a small fleet, and, proceeding in a due westerly- course for some weeks, discovered a large island, which his sailors named Newfoundland. Thence, continuing his westerly course, he soon fell in with another island, (now known as Prince Edward's Island) from which he brought off three of the natives, who con- ducted him across to the mainland of North America, on which he first landed in July, 1495, somewhere between Richibucto and Miramichi, on the northern shore of New Brunswick. This was the first landing on the continent of America, for it will be remembered that Columbus did not reach the mainland until 1498.

The English paid little attention to Cabot's discovery, but the French very soon frequented the Gulf of St. Lawrence in great numbers, attracted by the excellence and extent of the fisheries. The first permanent fishing stations

14 ECHOES FROM

were established about 1530, within the Gulf. In 1604, an expedition sailed from France under the Sieur Des Monts, and that expedition discovered the Bay of Fundy, and the principal river of New Brunswick, the St. John, so called from its having been first entered on St. John's Day (24th June) 1604. The party of Des Monts founded Annapolis, and various fishing and trading ports were established in its vicinity. In 1625, a patent was granted by Charles I. to Sir William Alexander, after- wards Earl of Stirling, of nearly the whole of British America, and a large portion of the Northern States of the Union. Sir William made some few settlements, which existed for a short time, while various French adven- turers were possessing themselves of the country, under grants from the crown of France. A constant warfare was kept up between the several settlers and claimants, until the whole country was ceded to France by the treaty of Breda, in 1667.

Nearly the whole of the territory now

THE BACKWOODS. 15

known as New Brunswick was granted by the crown of France in seigneuries, between 1670 and 1688, when hostilities recommenced between England and France, and this part of America was recovered by the English. By the treaty of Ryswick, in 1696, it was again ceded to France. This peace was speedily followed by the war of the Spanish succession in 1702, during which Nova Scotia was re- conquered and permanently annexed to the British crown, but the rest of the country was ceded to France by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The provisions of this treaty were not fairly carried out by the French, w^hich led to renewed hostilities ; and it was not until after the taking of Louisburg and Quebec, that France relinquished all her claims to the territory by the treaty of 1 763.

After the capture of Quebec, the provincial government became anxious to secure the possession of the river St. John, and to pre- vent the French from resuming possession of

16 ECHOES FROM

its fertile banks. New England had also a particular interest in the matter, as the numerous attacks upon its borders by the Indians were generally planned and fitted out by the French on the St. John.

In 1761, the Governor of Massachusetts despatched an exploring party, consisting of twelve men, under the charge of Isaac Perley, and in the pay of that State, for the purpose of ascertaining the position of affairs and the state of the country on the St. John. They proceeded from Boston to Machias by water, and then, shouldering their knapsacks, took a course through the woods, and succeeded in reaching the head waters of the Oromucto, which they descended to the St. John.

They found the country a wide waste, and no obstacles save what might be offered by the Indians to its being occupied and settled ; and with this report they returned to Boston. In 1763, a party of settlers arrived from Massachusetts in four vessels in the harbour

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of St. John. There were about two hundred families, in all about eight hundred souls, under the charge of the same Isaac Perley. They forthwith proceeded up the St. John to Maugerville, about ten miles below Frederic- ton, where they established themselves, and thus made the first British settlement on the St. John. In 1 765 all the country bordering on the St. John was erected into a county called Sunbury, with the province of Nova Scotia.

' In 1783, in consequence of the treaty re- cognizing the independence of the United States, many families, who had throughout the struggle maintained their loyalty, deter- mined to emigrate; and in May, 1783, a large fleet, with a number of these brave spi- rits who had abandoned all to maintain their allegiance, arrived in the harbour of St. John. It was then a wilderness. They landed, cleared away the trees on the site of the pre- sent city, and, being joined by many others

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in the course of the same year, they founded the city of St. John.

On the 16th of August, 1784, a commis- sion was issued erecting New Brunswick into a province, and appointing Thomas Carle- ton, Esq., the first governor ; and on the 9th of January, 1785, the first legislative assembly met in the city of St. John.

The area of New Brunswick is estimated to contain seventeen millions of acres: of these five millions of acres have been granted, two millions are deducted for water and waste, and the remaining ten millions (all fit for settlement and cultivation) remain at the disposal of the government. The population in 1824 was 74,176; in 1834, 119,457; in 1840 it was 156,162, and may now be esti- mated at very little short of 200,000. The government price of wilderness land is now two shillings sterling per acre, for ready money, or two shillings and sixpence, if paid by instalments in one, two, and three years, without interest.

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One side of New Brunswick fronts the Bay of Fundy, the other the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is intersected in every direction by large navigable rivers, offering great natural high- ways into the interior. The banks and valleys of these rivers, and their numerous tributaries, are generally very fertile, with many natural meadows, marshes, and in- tervals, yielding grasses spontaneously and abundantly.

The principal river is the St. John, which empties itself into the Bay of Fundy, at the city of St. John, where there is an open har- bour at all seasons of the year ; the St. John is four hundred miles in length, taking its rise partly in Lower Canada and partly in the United States. Fredericton, the seat of government, is eighty-four miles from the sea, on the west or right bank of the St. John. The river at Fredericton is three quarters of a mile wide, and to that place is navigated by steamers of a large class, which run up and

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down every day and every night — time eight hours.

The Miramichi is a large river, flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence ; the two principal towns on this river are Newcastle and Chatham, a few^ miles from each other, on opposite sides, about twenty miles from the sea. Vessels of the largest class proceed to both these places to load with timber for Great Britain. Bathurst is at the mouth of the Nipisiguit, a large river flowing into the Bay of Chaleur. The country about Bathurst is yet very thinly settled, chiefly by Acadian French and Irish Catholics.

The government of the colony is modelled after that of England, having three branches. The lieutenant-governor is appointed by her Majesty; a legislative council of eighteen members, named by the crown, answer to the peers, and a legislative assembly of thirty-four members, elected by freeholders only, is an imitation of the Commons. A privy council

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of nine assists the governor. The members of it are appointed by the crown from the leading members of the legislative council and assem- bly, and hold offices during pleasure.

At the time of our arrival, and during our sojourn in the country, the disputed terri- tory, or Boundary Question, was the all- absorbing topic. The real object of the Americans was, if possible, to substantiate such a boundary as would effectually cut off our winter communication with Quebec ; and, although they have gained considerably by the final settlement under Lord Ashburton, still it is a consolation to think that they have been defeated in their main object.

As all has now been settled, the less said upon the subject the better ; but it may be remarked that a line of hills divides the head waters of the rivers, which flow eastwardly into the river St. John, from those which flow towards the Penobscot river, in the State of Maine, and, as the rivers are the channels by

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which all the timber, the only produce of the forest, is conveyed, those hills would have therefore been the natural and most useful boundary to both parties — such a boundary as exists between the Penobscot and Milicete tribes of Indians.^

With the exception of the settlements at intervals upon the coasts and along the course of the principal rivers, the great mass of country may still be denominated " Bush," this said Bush containing timber of enormous growth. Birch, beech, and the rock maple, grow upon the best land; and the cunning settler marks well "the hard wood ridge," and bids for it accordingly ; whereas the un-

^ " Every one who has studied American affairs, even in ever so slight a degree, has in all probability been puzzled by this very boundary question. Great disgrace does and must always hang over the American Senate for the suppres- sion of the boundary line, which was agreed to and marked out by the American minister, Benjamin Franklin, acknow- ledging the British claim; the discovery of this important document was made by a IMr. Sparkes, an American histo- rian, who found it in the geological department of the Archives of France." — Buckingham's Colonies.

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initiated emigrant is often deceived by the healthy and flourishing appearance of the pine tribe, and does not discover until too late that soil vrhich has reared such noble timber will but ill repay him for his outlay and trouble. That land which produces a mixed growth of hard and soft wood is generally supposed to be the best, when cleared, for agricultural purposes.

The St. John, the principal river of the province, is named by the Indians " Loosh- took," which is equivalent to Ohio, translated by the French, La Belle Riviere. It runs a very circuitous course, winding in an irregular semicircle, and exceeding four hundred miles in length. In its downward course it touches close upon the Rustigouche, to which river there is a portage. The Grand Falls of the St. John are two hundred and ten miles from its mouth, and they constitute the greatest fall of water east of the Mississipi, with the exception of the Falls of Niagara. After

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pursuing a southerly course, the river turns suddenly to the eastward, and contracts to half its uniform breadth. Quickening its current, it turns again suddenly to the south, and falls over a ledge of slate and limestone, seventy -four feet in perpendicular height, into a circular basin, where the water whirls round in a great eddy with resistless force.

Below the Falls, the river contracts still more, and the water is hurried over a succes- sion of smaller falls, through a deep and rugged channel, with overhanging precipices from fifty to a hundred feet in height, for three quarters of a mile, when it is discharged into a wide basin below. The descent through this rocky channel is forty-five feet, making the total descent one hundred and nineteen feet. The water rushing through the rocky pass, as it is called, presents a scene of terrific wildness, its snowy whiteness contrasting strongly with the dark hue of the overhang- ing rocks and the sombre foliage of the

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spruce which obtains an uncertain hold in the inequalities of the precipices. Fifty miles below these falls the river becomes navigable for steamers, which, at particular seasons, reach Woodstock from St. John. Some sixty miles below Woodstock is Fredericton, the capital of the province ; and the distance thence to St. John, or rather Indian Town, at the outlet of the river, is eighty-four miles.

It is curious that this magnificent river, fed by enormous tributaries and the contribu- tions of countless lakes, after a course of upwards of four hundred miles, and an unin- terrupted navigation by steamers for one hundred and forty miles of that distance, can be entered for about half an hour only in each tide by vessels of any size. The impediment arises from sunken rocks, and a steep shelf between the iron-bound gates of granite on either side, but two hundred yards apart. As soon as the flood tide has risen suffi-

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ciently to attain the level of the sunken rocks, it has to contend with the downward flood from the river. This conquered, the water for the above-mentioned short half- hour remains slack, and it is only at that time that vessels can attempt the descent. There are pilots expressly for this passage. On one occasion, after an excursion up the river in a small yacht, I shot the rapid under the charge of one of that amphibious frater- nity. The ebb had then run off but one hour, and it was anything but agreeable to witness the terrific pace at which the vessel was hurled along through the hissing eddies, now swerving and then shooting off, as if she would be dashed into a thousand pieces against the rocks ; but the practised eye of the pilot, and the quickness with which she answered her helm, took us without accident clear of all danger. The pilot afterwards confessed that we had had a " narrow squeak for it," and that in ten minutes it would have

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been impracticable. To avoid this rapid, the steamers to Fredericton are obliged to lie just above it at Indian Town, a short mile from the town of St. John.

Great inconvenience existed from there being no bridge or other means of crossing the St. John in the immediate neighbourhood of the city; the only communication was by means of a "scow," a sort of large flat* bottomed boat, which crossed between Port- land and Carleton, a small village on the opposite side of the harbour, whence the road to St. Andrews and Fredericton branches off. The passage of this ferry in the winter was anything but agreeable, from the evapo- ration of the water when warmer than the atmosphere, with the thermometer down to a low degree. " The barber" so called is some- times so thick, that once, having embarked my sleigh to make the transit of this ferry, after some twenty minutes occupied in the operation, and after having performed four

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times the distance, owing to the numerous eddies in which we had been whirled about — my horses, sleigh, and furs arrived on the opposite side a complete mass of ice.

To obviate such occurrences, a Yankee conceived the bold scheme of throwing a wooden suspension-bridge across, between this ferry and the rapid above-mentioned at the outlet of the river St. John. From two enormous abutments, most ingeniously put together, he suspended his bridge, the length of which was four hundred and thirty- five feet clear of the buttresses. It had the appearance at a distance of the most beautiful lace-work — when nearly completed, and after several persons had passed over it on foot, one morning, when on parade, we heard a tremendous crash ; in half an hour news arrived that the bridge had given way, and that several men were killed and many dread- fully wounded. With this smash was sunk some £30,000, the greater part of the capital

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subscribed by certain enterprising share- holders. The ruins have since been cleared away, no attempt having been made to re- build it.

Two steam ferry-boats however have been established to cross the harbour, with ex- cellent and convenient landings ; four horses may be driven on board without detaching them from the carriage ; and the distance to Carleton on the opposite side occupies but four minutes. These boats are not only reported to be convenient, but I am told profitable: the little village of Carleton has increased rapidly since their establish- ment in 1839 ; and much of the business of the port is now transacted on that side of the harbour.

The Bay of Chaleur and the river Resti- gouche, which falls into its western extre- mity, separate New Brunswick from Canada. The Bay of Chaleur is eighty -five miles long, varying from fifteen to thirty miles in width,

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and in the whole of its length and breadth there is neither rock, reef, nor shoal. The entrance of the Restigouche is three miles wide, with nine fathoms water — a noble entrance to a noble river. The Restiofouche is two hundred and twenty miles long — its name, which is Indian, signifies " the river which divides like the hand," in allusion to its separation above the tide-way into five prin- cipal streams or branches. Dalhousie, at its entrance, is a very neat town, containing about one hundred and thirty houses, and one thousand inhabitants. The streets are broad and clean. In front of the town there are some excellent wharfs, with large and well sheltered timber-ponds. A crescent-shaped basin and an island form an excellent har- bour, where ships of any size can ride in perfect safety.

The present extensive trade of Restigouche sprung up about 1825, since which time Dalhousie and Campbelltown (twenty miles

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further up) have been built. The Resti- gouche, from Dalhousie to Campbelltown, is in fact a harbour. Opposite to Campbelltown, on the Canadian or Gaspe side of the river, is Mission Point, a Micmac settlement of about 400 souls ; it is on a beautiful meadow backed by lofty mountains, and is commonly called by the Canadians '^ Le Pre du Pretre." The salmon-fishing on the Restigouche is very extensive, and the fish of large size — one establishment at Campbelltown formerly shipped twelve hundred tierces of salmon annually.

The length of the Miramichi, " the happy retreat," is estimated at two hundred and twenty miles. At its entrance into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is nine miles wide, from the north shore at Neguac to Point Escuminac on the south. This point, as its name, which is Indian, implies, is a long sand-spit, with a lighthouse at its extremity, beyond which a sandy shoal extends three

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miles to seaward. The whole north-eastern coast of New Brunswick is low and sandy, and the country generally very flat, in conse- quence of which the tide flows for a great distance up most of the rivers. All the rivers and harbours have at their entrances sand-bars, formed by the action of the water flowing from them, on the one hand, and the heavy sea thrown in by easterly gales in the gulf on the other. There is a bar at the entrance of the Miramichi, but that river is of so large size and pours forth such a volume of water that the bar offers no impe- diment to navigation, there being sufficient depth of water on it at all times for ships of six and seven hundred tons.

Chatham, about twenty miles from the mouth of the river, on the south or right bank, is a busy, bustling, seaport town in the summer season, rather crowded along the water-side, which has excellent wharfs and every convenience for loading ships, the water

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being deep in front of the town. It contains many excellent dwelling-houses, and several large and convenient stone warehouses and stores, with every requisite for carrying on business upon a large scale. Here are extensive steam saw -mills belonging to Messrs. Cunard and Co., by whose enterprise Chatham was formed, and to whom it principally belongs. There are at this place breweries, tanneries, and founderies, built in a substantial manner on a large scale. Douglastown, on the oppo- site side of the river, about two miles above Chatham, is the place of business of Messrs. Gilmour, Rankin, and Co., whose plain but substantial warehouses, extensive wharfs, and well-piled deal-yards, are patterns of neat- ness and regularity, being admirably arranged for carrying on business extensively with the least possible amount of labour.

Newcastle, on the same side of the river as Douglastown, and three miles above it, is the shire town of Northumberland, and contains

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the public buildings of the county. It stands on a very level piece of ground, rising gently and gradually from the water, the court- house and churches being erected on the highest part. The streets of Newcastle are good and clean, the private dwellings plain but neat.

At the " Indian Eeserve," near the Big Hole, on the north-west, is a very curious cave, which has been known to the Indians for ages ; the Micmacs call the place Condean weegan, " the stone wigwam." Its only entrance is from the water, under a lofty overhanging cliif. The floor of the cave is about ten feet above the level of the water ; the height of the uppermost overhanging ledge is seventeen feet above the floor of the cave ; and the width of the entrance seventy feet. At one side of the cave, a clear and very cold spring bubbles up continually, and a natural aperture in the roof permits the smoke to escape freely; the rocks in this

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place are all sandstone of coarse grit, thickly studded with angular pebbles of milky and rose-coloured quartz, and the exceeding abundance of these crystals gives the place the appearance of an artificial grotto. The river rushes swiftly past the entrance, and is full of trout and salmon. The Indians spear many of the latter at this place, and they have hollowed out a basin at the spring, in which they place the salmon; and the coldness of the water keeps them fresh for two or three days.

Near Tabusintac, at Portage Island, there is a large fishing establishment of Mr. David- son's, who has during the last three years been extensively engaged in putting up lob- sters and salmon in tin cases, hermetically sealed, for foreign markets ; and last season there were put up and shipped no fewer than thirteen thousand cases, each containing two pounds of salmon, or the best of three or four lobsters. The proprietor deserves great

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credit for his spirit and enterprise, and the poor French settlers at the Neguac villages feel the benefit of it.

At the end of September the large sea trout rush up from the gulf to the Burnt Church River preparatory to spawning, and from fifty to sixty of these may be taken with the fly on each flood tide, none of less than a pound weight.

Above Newcastle the river divides into two large branches, called the south-west and north-west Miramichi : about seventy miles up the south-west Miramichi stands Borer's Town, founded about twenty-five years since by Thomas Borer, an enterprising American, who carried on the lumber business npon a large scale and built the town. It bears a very striking resemblance to the villages in Yankee land, which spring up in the vicinity of saw-mills, being composed almost wholly of showy wooden buildings, with green Venetian and fanciful verandahs, and abundance of

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ornamental woodwork, not always in the best taste.

About seven miles above Borer's Town there is most excellent fly-fishing for salmon, commencing in July and ending in Septem- ber. The river is frequently full of fish, and the greatest impediment to the salmon-fishing is the immense number of large trout which continually seize the salmon-flies. The trout- fishing is capital, and, in all probability, not to be excelled in any part of the world : it would astonish the fly-fishers of the mother country. Late in the season the river swarms with grilse, affording excellent sport.

At the mouth of the Miramichi, and on the whole north-eastern coast of New Brunswick, there is abundance of wild fowl of every kind. The immense flights of geese, ducks, and other migratory birds, which annually pass over to the northernmost parts of America, to breed during the summer season, remain on the coast for some time, returning to the south in

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the autumn. Those who have read Audubon's magnificent work may form some idea of the countless thousands of birds which constitute " a flock " on these shores ; but any attempt at description by a less gifted pen would be quite useless. Those only who have seen these wonderful collections of waterfowl, and heard their surprising clamour, can form any idea of their extent, and, one might almost say, grandeur — they are indeed wonderful.

The first British vessel which ever entered the Miramichi was the frigate which con- veyed the remains of Wolfe from Quebec to England in 1759 ; that vessel, having encoun- tered a storm in the Gulf, put in to refit, and to obtain a further supply of water. A barge was sent ashore for water, the whole crew of which were barbarously murdered by the Indians, incited, it is said, by some French soldiers stationed at a small fort on the river. Satisfaction, however, was taken on the spot, for the frigate was placed abreast of the

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French fort, which was soon battered to atoms. In going out of the river, the frigate was "brought up" at Burnt Church Point, all the buildings on which were battered dpwn. A chapel, which had cost the French a sum equal to £5,000 sterling, was set on fire and wholly destroyed, whence the point has since borne the name of " Burnt Church." This point is now the property of the Micmac Indians, who have their principal settlement upon it, where they meet annually on the feast of St. Anne, (;^6th July) to arrange all the business of the year. They remain toge- ther about a fortnight, when chiefs are elected or deposed, marriages contracted, children baptized, and the priests who attend instruct the young in the articles of the Roman Catholic faith, to which all the Indians of New Brunswick belong.

The Tobique is one of the largest tribu- taries of the St. John, and flows into that river about twenty miles below the grand

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falls; here is a settlement of the Milicete Indians, who possess several thousand acres of excellent upland : it has been explored by Dr. Gesner. From one of his geolo- gical reports of the province, it appears that the tract of country on the shores of the Tobique, which comprehends several millions of acres, possesses most excellent soil on the uplands, and is better adapted, owing to the advantages offered by the river, to the circum- stances of a respectable class of emigrants and settlers than any district in New Bruns- wick or Nova Scotia. The climate here is milder than it is near the coast, the mercury not rising to more than 90° Fahrenheit in the middle of the day in July. A large area in the district of the little south-west Miramichi, which flows into the Tobique, many miles above the mouth of the Wapshegan, (signi- fying, in the Indian tongue, " a river with a wall at its mouth,") was overrun with fires a few years ago ; and the dreary appearance of

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this part of the country is to be attributed to that conflagration which took place about 1825 ; and the bright green forest is now reduced to a lifeless waste.

It is probable that this conflagration was the same that destroyed the towns and vil- lages of Miramichi in October, 1825. It extended over an area of six thousand square miles, and for at least one hundred miles along the banks of the river: six hundred wretched persons perished in the flames, and a million's worth of property was destroyed. Great praise is due to the humanity shown by the people of England, who subscribed the sum of ^100,000 for the relief of the suf- ferers ; nor was Jonathan, be it said to his credit, backward in contributing to that object.

On leaving St. John, the road to Halifax follows the line of the Kennebeckasis as far as the head-waters of the Petitcodiac, which it crosses near its source ; whence it follows the

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course of that river to " the Bend," some hundred miles from the city of St. John. The scenery of Sussex Vale, through which this road passes, is exceedingly fine and striking ; in many of the bogs and swamps there are extensive deposits of bog iron ore, which might be worked with great advantage, being of good quality, and in the immediate neigh- bourhood of abundance of wood for fuel; and its proximity to the Westmoreland coal field ought to be a further inducement to engage in its manufacture. The bogs also abound in the brown, yellow, and red oxides of iron, which will afford ochres for pigments. The river Petitcodiac is navigable for ves- sels of one hundred tons for thirty-three miles from its mouth, and the tide flows inland some six and thirty; but the most extraordinary feature of the river is "the Bore," Dr. Gesner's account of which is so interesting, that it must be its own apology for its introduction. " At the Bend," writes

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that gentleman, " the stream, having entered from the south, turns suddenly to the west- ward, at the distance of twenty miles from its mouth. At this place the tide flows in and ebbs off in six hours, running at the rate of seven miles per hour. The flood tide is accompanied by a tidal wave called the lore, which at high tides is five, and sometimes six feet high. The rushing of this overwhelming wave produces a noise like that of a number of steamboats in operation, and is one of the most interesting spectacles the country affords. The salmon and shad, urged forward by the sweeping current, to avoid the force of the stream, seek the shallow water near the shores, where they are discovered by their wake, chased by wading sportsmen, and fairly caught.

"At low water, extensive flats are laid bare ; these are composed of fine shingle and quicksands, which, with the hore and rapid tide, have been the cause of several ship-

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wrecks. The danger to vessels arises from venturing too early on the flood and too late on the ebb tide. In the first instance, they overrun the tide, and are stranded in the quicksands; in the second, the tide leaves them before they arrive in deep water. When thus situated, if they resist the fury of the bore^ the water washes the sand away from the leeward side : they roll over before the current, breaking their masts, and, finally, filling with shingle, they are buried in a sandy grave. The bore is much higher and more violent in some parts of the river than in others, a circumstance probably arising from the configuration of the shore and the bottom of the river.

" At the Bend there is a considerable vil- lage. The soil is chiefly of two kinds, the sandy and the clayey. Lime, if judiciously applied, would greatly improve both varie- ties, and the admixture of marsh and mud would increase the fertility of fields where

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the clay is absent. There are large tracts of marsh on each side of the Petitcodiac, of which a portion has been diked, and is under cultivation.

* The northern side of the coal district in this quarter was observed about ten miles from the entrance of the Petitcodiac.

" Coal appears on both sides of the Meram- cook river, the Petitcodiac river, and ten miles north of Shepody. The whole length of the coal field of Westmoreland is upwards of seventy miles; its average breadth, esti- mating the area on each side of the Petitco- diac, is about seventy miles.

" At Slack's Cove and Drake's Cove excel- lent grind-stones are obtained from the nume- rous strata of sand-stone which there abound, and are the best stones for cutting and polishing metals hitherto found in America. The reefs are broken at low water, and masses of rocks are secured to large boats ; at high water they are brought to the shore, where

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they are cut by the workmen with great facility into grinding stones from four to eight feet in diameter, and from six inches to a foot in thickness. These are called * water stones,' and are extensively used in the United States, for grinding down and polish- ing all kinds of cutlery. Other grindstones of less dimensions are made from the rocks situated above the tide ; these are used for common purposes — the price of each stone delivered on the shore is from two to three shillings : they are sold in the United States from six shillings and threepence to nine shillings per stone. The trade is therefore profitable.

" The Shediac coast is famous for its oysters, which are so abundant that the inhabitants make use of their shells for manure. The harbour of Shediac is safe and convenient for vessels of large size ; but it is a curious fact that the numerous beds of oysters along these coasts are constantly lessening the

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depth of the sea, and gradually filling up the bays. Lime prepared from these oyster- shells is reported to have great effect when applied to the light and sandy soil along this line of coast, and to render it very fertile."

In the neighbourhood of Fort Cumberland and the Tantamar Marshes there is excellent snipe-shooting, but the improvements and draining at present in progress will in a few years convert all into the richest land. The country about is very fine, and a brother officer described it as well worth a visit. He drove his horses from Halifax to Windsor, Kentville, Amherst, and back by Truro, and during his trip contrived to bag six hundred and fifty head of snipe and woodcocks.

There are large tracts of peat in every part of New Brunswick wherever there is low ground : this is occasioned by the decay of mosses that are always found to flourish in low lands. This peat is valuable for fuel, but at present it is not necessary to use it

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for such a purpose, owing to the vast quantity of timber : however, by skilful management it maybe converted into excellent manure. In many places there are to be found beds of excellent clay of different colour, which are adapted for making bricks ; and Nature has been bountiful enough to place strata of sand beneath these beds, thereby affording to man an easy way of providing for his comfort in many respects ; for, without the sand, the clay would not answer for burning. In addition to a great supply of mineral ores, and the climate being such as to produce the most luxuriant growth of grain, according to official returns, 3,634,280 acres have been already granted to applicants for land in New Brunswick, and 13,792,272 remain still at the disposal of the Crown. Out of this quantity of land 440,000 acres are cleared, but there are about 12,000,000 acres capable of immediate cultivation. The land in the southern part of the province is not near so

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well adapted to agricultural purposes as in the other parts.

The district of Gaspe is an extensive peninsula, about ninety miles in width from the Bay of Chaleur to the Gulf of St. Law- rence, with a coast line of two hundred and fifty miles from Cape Chat to the Eestigouche. Gaspe Basin, which lies between Cape Gaspe and Whale Head, runs about sixteen miles into the land, and is about five miles broad. This place is considered one of the best and safest harbours in America ; being capable of containing three hundred sail of vessels in perfect security.

The inhabitants of Gaspe Basin are nearly all fishermen, most of whom are exclusively employed about the whale fishery. They fit out every season four or five schooners, of seventy or eighty tons each, manned with ten or twelve men, who are engaged in whaling during all the summer months. The fishery yields about twenty thousand gallons of oil

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annually, which is sent to Quebec for a mar- ket, and gives employment to about two hundred men.

The whales are of the species called " Humpbacks," and yield about three tons of oil each, but some of them have been taken of the length of sixty or seventy feet, yield- inof eio'ht tons of oil. Each schooner has two whale-boats, with the usual outfit of harpoons, lines, and lances. The whales swim fast and are very shy. They appear oif the entrance of Gaspe Basin in the spring, and the whalers follow them during the sum- mer to the Island of Anticosti and the north shore of the St. Lawrence, a wild and deso- late region, frequented by a singular race of Indians, known to the Canadians as ''Les Montagnards," or the Mountaineers. They are supposed to be the last of the Algon- quins.

This settlement in Gaspe Basin was formed in 1764 by Felix O'Hara, Esq., late judge of

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the district of Gaspe, who emigrated from Ireland, and was the first person that settled in Gaspe for agricultural purposes. He was most deservedly and highly esteemed.

The cod-fish caught and cured on the shores of Gaspe are generally of small size, but are much liked in foreign markets, from their being well preserved. This arises from the fish being caught near the shore, and being split and salted while perfectly fresh and firm. The process of cleaning the fish is carried on in a very neat and expedi- tious manner. The boats, as soon as they return from the fishing-bank, run alongside a stage, which is built over the water, on which they are thrown out. The first man who handles the fish cuts the throat with a single stroke of his knife; then he slides it along a sort of table to another, who whips off the head, and drops it, with the entrails, through a hole in the table into the water beneath, retaining only the liver, which is

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thrown into a tierce to make oil. The next man splits the fish, and takes out the bone ; and on the manner in which these operations are performed, in a great degree depends the quality of fish for market.

When split, the fish are carried to a large covered building, where, after being well washed, they are rubbed with salt, and placed in little flat piles on the floor to drain ; after being sufficiently struck with salt, they are carried out to the Shingle Beach to dry, or, where there is no beach, are spread on long narrow wicker frames, or stages set up for the purpose. The labour of spreading and turning the fish is incessant and severe : they require to be frequently turned to prevent their being scorched by the sun or salt-burnt. The person who turns does so in a systematic manner, with his right and left hand alter- nately ; so that not one fish in thousands may be missed.

After the fish are sufficiently cured, they

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are collected and laid in small circles with the tails outwards ; these circles are continu- ally built upon, each row being larger than the one below it, until the pile is about three feet high, when the circles begin to diminish, so as to form a conical roof; this is covered with birch-bark, and stones are laid upon it. The piles are thus rendered impervious to the heaviest rains, and in this position the fish are left to season before being packed for expor- tation. The bait used for cod are herring and the caplin, a peculiar little fish, which when dried, is considered a great luxury for the table. In the latter part of the season, when other bait becomes scarce, clams are used, and the fishermen complain that they frequently have more labour and undergo more fatigue in procuring bait, than in taking the cod afterwards.

The state of the law and the administra- tion of justice in Gaspe have caused much discontent for some time past, and commis-

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sioners were sent from Quebec last year to report the true state of matters.

In Gaspe there are not only lead mines, but also extensive beds of coal, not existing in geological reports, but actually to be found and worked. A company has been lately established in London by royal char- ter, for the purpose of carrying on the fisheries and working the mines of Gaspe.

The agricultural district of Gaspe may be said to commence at New Carlisle. To the westward the land is not only better, but the inhabitants are less devoted to fishing and more to farming. ^

In all countries, however civilized, amongst some of its inhabitants there will be found a strong superstitions belief in divination, prac- tised more or less by some of its votaries. This is the case in New Brunswick, and an absurd belief in the powers of divination prevails to a great extent. A system ori-

^ For further particulars see Appendix.

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ginally to be traced to the Druids, to awe their superstitious followers, called " the mineral or divining rod," has been introduced into the province from the eastern American States, and has found votaries among persons otherwise intelligent. The power of divina- tion is supposed to be contained in two small phials fixed on pieces of whalebone, and borne by the seventh son of a seventh son. This is the person who alone can be success- ful, and is always supposed to be infallible. This rod is used for the purpose of discover- ing concealed money and all kinds of mi- nerals; even in places where they have no real existence, except in the mind of the infatuated. Much the same sort of supersti- tious belief exists in Ireland, where they listen to the supposed dreams of some old hag, who declares that in her sleep she has been informed of the identical spot where in some " rath" is to be found the " crock of gouW so much sought after by the pisantry.

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The measures of length, surface,* and weight, are the same as in England ; the measures of capacity, the same as in England before the introduction of the imperial measure.

The rate of exchange with Britain is fixed by estimating the Spanish dollar at 5s. cur- rency, and 4s. 6d. sterling; but the actual rate of exchange is 24s. currency for the sovereign. To bring sterling to currency, add one fifth ; to bring currency to sterling, deduct one sixth.

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CHAPTER III.

NEW BRUNSWICK. — CONTINUED.

The ice was here, the ice was there,

The ice was all around ; It crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd,

Like noises in a swound !

Coleridge's Ancient Mariner.

Towns — Labrador dogs — Horse-dealing — Cobbett — Agent for " Morrison's pills" — Afire — ^Amusing incident — Climate — Lumber, hard and soft wood — Below Nero — Effects of frost — Skating — Sleighing — Coastmg — Sleigh Club— Corn-bin extraordinary — Perilous situation.

Fredericton, the capital of the province, is built on an extensive plain encircled by a range of high lands in the rear, which rises from the river at the lower extremity of the plain, and closes in to the river above, leaving a level space, nearly four miles long, and a mile wide at the broadest part. The river forms a beautiful curve around this plain;

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and near the centre of the town, at what was formerly called St. Ann's Point, there is a fine view of the river Nashwaak, which falls into the St. John directly opposite. The high grounds which surround Fredericton form a beautiful steeply inclined plane, on which several public and private buildings have been erected. King's College, on the acclivity of this hill, is ] 71 feet long, and 59 feet wide, with projections ; it has a massive cornice with pediment; and the principal material of the building is the dark gray stone found near its site. It consists of a basement with two lofty stories ; contains tweuty rooms for students, with the necessary accommodations for the principal professors, attendants, and servants. The situation of the college is healthy, and commands a fine view of the town and adjacent country. To the east- ward, there is a full view of the river and the surrounding country, as far as the Oromucto.

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A bishop has lately been appointed to New Brunswick, and Fredericton has been con- stituted an episcopal city. The erection of a cathedral, to cost £30,000, has just been commenced. Fredericton is 84 miles from St. John. Steamers perform the distance in eight hours; and, when the river becomes frozen, it forms, for the greatest part of the way, the sleigh-track between the two cities.

When approached by water from St. John, the quiet and rural situation of this compara- tive village is most pleasing. The river, here three quarters of a mile in width, glides smoothly, silently, and unruffled, past the neat wooden range of barracks, with their grassplot and fine old weeping willows, under the broad shade of which, in the cool evening of the Indian summer, the ladies of Fredericton may listen to soft music. On the slope of the range of hills behind the town. King's College, with its roof of iron, shines resplen- dent in the sunshine ; and, on the opposite

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side of the river, the blue smoke from the wigwams of the Indians curls up in wreaths against the dark line of the pine forest, and, reflected in the glassy surface of the river, presents a picture of perfect repose. On the day on which I first approached it, the heat and mirage gave it that appearance only to be seen in the best works of the inimitable Claude.

Government House is placed some three quarters of a mile up the river, on the same side as the town; it is a handsome stone building of three stories, with wings and a semicircular portico, in a pleasant park and near the banks of the river. In few of the colonies are the governors more commodiously or comfortably housed than in New Brunswick; and no expense has been spared of late years in furnishing and perfecting the house and grounds. At this time, the amateurs of the Labrador dog might have been gratified to see sixteen or eighteen of this noble breed

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rush into the water, and contend for the Governor's prize — his walking-stick. They were of the true sort, with fine intelligent countenances ; and when they emerged from the river, the water ran from their silky and jet-black coats as from a tarpauling covering.

Some twelve miles below Fredericton is the town of Oromucto, situated on the mouth of the river of that name, where it joins the St. John. In New Brunswick they have had the good taste in general to preserve the Indian names of the rivers, which invariably express their character. Thus the "Oro- mucto" signifies "the deep rolling river;" the " Washadamoak," which is passed lower down, is the " River of Rapids," and the " Beggaguimmick," a stream above Frederic- ton, is the " Dancing Stream," the " Richi- bucto," the " River of the Burnt Country," &c., &c. It is a thousand pities ever to change such names for such as are compre-

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bended in the vile catalogue from which the Yankees generally contrive to select the most inappropriate.

Opposite to Gagetown, a small village 30 miles below Fredericton, is the Geraseg, or outlet of the Grand Lake ; and lower down is " The Mistake," a long creek, the entrance to which is of equal width with the main stream, and has so much the appearance of being the channel of the river, that few are they who have made the upward trip in either sail or row boat but have, after a long sail or a tough row, discovered the end of the deceit- ful creek, and been obliged to return to the main stream.

The scenery of St. John is decidedly fine : on either side alluvial meadows of the richest soil produce fine hay crops; and, like the valley of the Nile, are regularly " top-dressed" by the periodical floods of the river. Further down is found the entrance to Belleisle Bay, where the winter road from St, John de-

THE BACKWOODS. 63

bouches upon the river, whence it follows its course on the ice to Fredericton. Occasionally a lar^e vessel is seen on the stocks in the

o

numerous lateral creeks or still waters off the main river. From the junction of the Nerepis with the St. John, the latter expands into a fine sheet of water. The bay of Kenebekasis opens on the left — that passed, the channel of the river becomes again confined by bold rocks, fringed with spruce firs : here and there an Indian wigwam peeps from among them, while an occasional birch canoe, silently and cautiously paddled along shore, contrasts its gay cargo of gaudy-coloured workmanship with the dark shadows of the firs, and gives a picturesque finish to the long course of the river St. John, or ** Looshtook."

On the 18th day of May, 1783, the first of a sturdy band of loyalists landed upon the rocky peninsula where now stands the city of St. John. It was then covered with a dense and tangled forest, and the first comers cleared

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away the trees and underwood only sixty-two years since, from a spot of ground now covered with costly buildings, and daily thronged with eager crowds, busily engaged in carry- ing on a thriving, prosperous, and extensive trade. From this small beginning a city has sprung up, which, with its suburbs, now numbers nearly 30,000 inhabitants, and carries on a large business with all parts of the world ; and even before the roots of the trees which were cut down by the loyalists have rotted away, or their toils and privations have ceased to be a subject of conversation, there is to be found every means and appliance of refinement and luxury, and all the sub- stantial comforts of modern days.

The city stands on rugged, rocky, and uneven plots of ground ; but, within a few years, large sums have been expended in levelling and filling up, so that the streets now present excellent thoroughfares, inclined on easy slopes. St. John, being an incorporated city,

THE BACKWOODS. 65

is governed by a mayor, recorder, six alder- men, and six assistants, under the style of " The Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the city of St. John." The mayor, recorder, common clerk, sheriff, and coroner, are ap- pointed by the governor. The aldermen and assistants are chosen annually by the free- men of the city.

The port of St. John is convenient and safe, and sufficiently spacious to accommo- date a great number of vessels. The ebb and flow of the tide is from twenty-four to thirty feet perpendicular ; and one of the most important advantages of the harbour is, that in the most severe winter it is free of ice.

Within the harbour is a valuable fishery : several thousand barrels of gaspereaux are taken annually, with many thousand salmon and shad. The salmon are now sent by the steamers, packed in ice, to Boston, where they fetch high prices ; and this fishery has become exceedingly valuable.

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The imports into St. John consist chiefly of British manufactures and colonial produce ; the exports are lumber, fish, furs, oils, and lime, masts, spars, and other timber.

Ships of a fine class are built here of the spruce and birch of the country : they sail well, look smart and taunt on the water, and, although not in general treated to copper, answer the purpose for which they have been built. From the Bays of Miramichi and Chaleurs, Chinecto and St. Andrew's, besides bays and rivers too numerous to specify, are launched others equally fine. Here, as in Holland, the stranger is often surprised to come suddenly upon a huge vessel, construct- ing in the settler's kitchen-garden, to launch which he has to trust to his own ingenuity, and to Providence for a deluge.

Besides the steamers which ply on the river, between St. John and Fredericton, there is steam communication to Annapolis and Windsor in Nova Scotia, to St. Andrew's and

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Eastport in the State of Maine and the Bay of Passamaquoddy ; and, during the time we were stationed at St. John, a fine boat, the Royal Tar, was built to run to Portland, in the United States. Unluckily, when on her third or fourth trip, she took fire and burnt to the water's edge. On board was a large menagerie of wild beasts, all of which were either burnt or drowned, with the exception of an elephant, which contrived to get clear of the vessel and swim to land; much to the astonishment of some of the Penobscot In- dians, attracted to the shore by the sight of the vessel in flames. The " Sea Serpent " case has puzzled Europeans ; what could have astonished the red men more than to see a huge animal of whose existence they knew nothing swimming lustily to shore? Sir Humphrey Davy's opinion of this supposed monster is decidedly the best which has been adduced : he says — " The Sea Snakes seen by American and Norwegian captains have, I

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think, generally been a company of porpoises, the rising and sinking of which in lines would give somewhat the appearance of the coils of a snake." Such is Sir H. Davy's opinion of the Sea Serpent, and not a bad one either.

The merchants of St. John are most enter- prising, and great fortunes are often made in a very short time — sometimes lost in much less. It is said that to a successful haul of herrings may be traced the rise of the richest man in the province. They will embark in any probable spe- culation— witness the Suspension Bridge over the river St. John ; no sooner proposed by a cunning Yankee, than i'20,000 were instantly forthcoming. A tinge of the Yankee occa- sionally appears amongst innkeepers and that class of men. I once wrote to '* mine host " of a tavern kept in St. John to inquire what price he put upon a neat gray horse, which he possessed, and which I was anxious to buy for a leader in my sleigh. I received the fol- lowing laconic answer : —

THE BACKWOODS. 69

" Mr. Scoales will not take less than £^^15 for his gray horse till he alters his mind."

The streets of St. John are laid out regu- larly, and at right angles. King's Square, at the top of the town, I have seen filled with the militia of the district ; as fine and as loyal a body of men as any in her Majesty's domi- nions. In the late war, the 104th Regiment or New Brunswick Fencibles, were raised here, sent over the Portage to Quebec on snow-shoes, and did good service for the mother country. The original settlers of St. John were, as before stated, loyalists, who left the United States when they obtained their Independence, and raised the few fishing-huts which then stood in " Bush " into the city of St. John. At the same time, many negro families arrived, who are still located in the " back slums."

As to " lions," they must of necessity be few. The house inhabited by Lord Edward Fitz- gerald is still standing — a mere log hut, by

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comparison with the smart houses built by the present generation. Cobbett was stationed here, and married a wife who lived on Fort Howe Hill. He says in some of his writings that he fell in love with her (as he was going to parade) at the door of a small log hut, where she was busily employed in scrubbing the milk-pails. He was sergeant-major in the same regiment with Lord Edward ; and wrote, when stationed here, a clever treatise on the tides and navigation of the Bay of Fundy.

The greatest living curiosity, at the time I was stationed there, was the agent for " Mor- rison's Pills." That compounder of bread and gamboge, and prince of quacks, had most judiciously selected the fattest and most healthy-looking commercial ambassador to puff off his concoctions ; and a peep at the bloated charlatan must have been the strongest recommendation to the efficacy of his me- dicine.

At the time of our arrival, the town of St.

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John was built almost entirely of wood, and had the bad luck to be burnt down, more or less, every four or five years ; and that part which escaped one conflagration was generally included in the next. At this time there existed but one house — with the exception of the banks — built of stone, the inhabitants of

which were known as the Stonehouse P s,

the better to distinguish them from their wooden connexions.

One night after mess, a messenger arrived from the mayor, stating that a fire had broken out in the town. A strong armed piquet was instantly despatched : scarcely had they left the barracks, before a second messenger made his appearance, reporting that fears were en- tertained lest the whole town would be con- sumed. All hands then turned out, and went down at the " double march." It blew a gale of wind. The thermometer stood at 7° below zero, the fire raged, every thing was frozen up, and no water was to be obtained, except

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in the immediate neighbourhood of the wharfs. The scene of confusion was beyond description. Gentlemen, either from over-excitement or in- ebriation, floundered into tar-barrels, took fire, and rushed about requesting to be extin- guished; one had, partly from the above cause, partly from fatigue, sat down in a wheelbarrow on one of the quays ; it was within the influence of a hose, the spray from which, aided by 39° of frost below the freezing point, soon made him part and parcel of the barrow. A friend found him, and no one being at hand, he was wheeled off to be cut out.

To the ladies it appeared the greatest pos- sible fun, throwing beds, wardrobes, and all their finery out of the windows, and trusting to friends to carry them to the banks or other places of safety. On the part of the autho- rities of the town, there was neither order, system, nor regularity observed ; it was every one for himself, and the soldiers for them all.

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In the hope of cutting off the fire, grappling- hooks with long ropes attached to them were thrown over houses, and by the force of a hundred men pulled bodily down. The officers and men worked like horses. But all was to no purpose :

The grappling-hook plucks rafters from the walls, And heaps on heaps the smoky ruin falls. Blown by strong winds, the fiery tempest roars, Bears down new walls, and pours along the floors.

The fire raged unchecked, as ashes and burn- ing shingles were carried by the wind, and fresh houses and streets ignited. Notwith- standing the flames and the exertion of the men, so intense was the cold, that many of them were frost-bitten.

All hopes of extinguishing the fire being abandoned, one of the authorities sent to the commanding-officer, requesting that guards might be despatched to the different roads lead- ing out of the town; for that sleigh-loads of plunder (the bells being taken off the horses to

VOL. I. E

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enable them to get away unheard) were carried off, and boats were employed by sea for the same purpose. I proceeded with the picquet to one of the roads ; the cold was so severe that we were obliged to run up and down to keep the blood in circulation, and had not enjoyed this jog-trot exercise long, when the sergeant reported that an unnaturally fat woman was coming along, and at a very slow pace, considering the state of the atmosphere ; hinting, at the same time, at some comparisons with a lady of Carlton (on the other side of the river), who a few days previously had blessed the province with four little Bluenoses^ at one birth. She was examined, and safely delivered of quantities of plunder, which she had swathed round her body.

Alongside of the South Market Wharf lay a tier of vessels, and, some powder having ex- ploded, the one nearest to the wharf was in

^ All persons born in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are called Bluenoses.

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imminent danger. An inhabitant of the town,

Mr. W , went up to Corporal Harrison,

who, with a party of the regiment, had saved upwards of two hundred casks of spirits on the said wharf — and slapped him on the back — " Corporal," said he, " we are not afraid of a little powder." — " No," replied Harrison — " nor a great deal of fire either."

The heat had by this time become so intense as to set fire to the fore-topsail of the brigan- tine — and a second explosion almost imme- diately took place. All hands then left the vessels to their fate, and all of them must have perished, had it not been for the gallant conduct of the above mentioned Corporal Harrison and private John Burgess, who went aloft, and by means of the signal-hal- liards, with a bucket attached to each end, managed to keep the sails sufficiently wet to stay the progress of the flames and to pre- vent further mischief. The tide then began to make, and a boat with some sailors

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came to their assistance : a rope was made fast to the wharf, and the vessels were hauled clear of the fire and further damage.

Corporal William Harrison and Private John Burgess, for their daring conduct on this occasion, were presented with the freedom of the city of St. John. Quere, would they not have benefited much more by a ten pound note?

Towards daybreak the fire was at its greatest pitch. Numbers of casks, filled with oil and blubber, took fire. The effect was sublime, and the liquid sheet of flame was seen for sixty miles in all directions,^

^ By this fire, which broke out on the 14th of January, 1837, and consumed 115 houses and stores, many of them valuable and full of merchandize, more than one-third of the " busi- ness " part of the city, containing buildings and property to the amount of £250,000, was swept away. In August, 1839, another destructive fire swept off about 200 buildings, likewise in the business part of the city ; and these two great fires have been followed by others of less amount. The erection of wooden buildings is now prohibited by law ; many massive ranges of stone and brick at present oc- cupy the places of the old wooden shanties, and the town wears an altogether different appearance.

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Notwithstanding the changes from extreme heat to intense cold, the climate of New Brunswick is particularly^ healthy. The sum- mers are fine ; fogs occasionally prevail at St. John, and in the immediate neighbour- hood of the Bay of Fundy. The autumn (so expressively termed *' the fall ") is delightful, particularly the two latter months known as " the Indian summer," at which time the early frosts tinge the leaves of the hard wood with the brightest colours imaginable. The effect of this varied foliage, of every shade of yellow, scarlet, and purple, when contrasted with the deep greens of the fir tribe, is striking in the highest degree, and can only be com- pared to a painter's pallet, or a modern picture of " La Jeune France " school. This season is most enjoyable, and the sunsets are glo- rious. About Christmas the snow has fallen, and the frost may be said to have fairly set in. The sun shines bright and clear in the deep blue heavens. Though the thermometer

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may be down to five-and-twenty degrees below zero, there is something particularly exhila- rating in the dry, clear air. The nights are proportionably fine, and the northern lights may be seen in all their glory, often assuming that beautiful rose colour nowhere to be wit- nessed so grand as in the northern latitudes. Then the lumberers repair to the backwoods in search of the pine and spruce fir, which grow to enormous heights, often two hundred feet, perfectly straight and healthy, and so close together as to be self-pruned ; a knife should never be applied to any of the fir tribe (a pernicious practice too often perceptible in English plantations), it only causes the tree to bleed. The axes of the American lum- berers are totally different from those used in the old world. The haft, made of hickory, is curved, and has a knob at the end; in de- livering the stroke, the axe is swung as high as the head, the hands slipping up to the knob. Two backwoodsmen will fell one of these huse

THE BACKWOODS. T9

pines in an incredibly short time. Of course when a tree is thus cut breast high, in addition to perhaps three feet of snow upon which the man may have been standing, there is a waste of timber which, although not thought of in the forests of America, would be a seri- ous consideration in England. When felled and snagged, one end of the tree is placed upon a small sleigh; and dragged out of the bush by oxen. It is then piled along with others upon the frozen rivers, and the mass is carried down by the stream when the ice breaks up ; passing in its progress through lakes, and from river to river, till it reaches the St. John, where the logs are claimed by their different owners, formed into rafts, and finally descend to St. John, whence they are shipped for England.

A propos to timber, it is a curious fact that, in the forests of North America, should the primeval growth be hard wood, oak, beech, birch, hickory, maple, &c., and be cut down en

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masse, pine or firs spring up in their stead, and vice versa: further, should the second growth be allowed sufficient time to attain any size, the same effect will ensue on felling that, and so ad infinitum. The same thing may be observed in the forests of Garniola and Bohemia ; it is the case in all natural forests, and was also remarked by Franklin in the sterile districts inhabited 'by the Esquimaux.

The cold during the winter nights is very severe. The sentinels are frequently obliged to be relieved every half hour, and the officers, so long as they are beardless, may enjoy horizontal refreshment in peace; but when they obtain those manly appendages, yclept whiskers, they find that turning in bed becomes hopeless, and, being " brought up with a round turn," discover that they are frozen to the sheets ; and we were told that families have been awakened by their house becoming roof- less, owing to the intensity of the frost having extracted the nails by which the shingles

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were fastened to the rafters. Provisions are brought into St. John frozen hard, and they will keep perfectly well so long as the frost lasts ; it is ludicrous enough to see pigs, hares, and large cod-fish frozen stiif, and carried by a leg or tail OTcr a man's shoulder like a musket.

One evening a discussion as to the degree of cold led to a bet, and the commanding officer's orderly was sent to ascertain what the thermometer stood at outside the window. The major's servant ingenuously brought the thermometer into the room, and looked at it by the light of the fire; the mercury, thus suddenly astonished, naturally ran up at a tremendous pace. In the conversation which took place between him and the orderly he was overheard exclaiming, " Wait till it stops, Bob ! Now, tell the major it is at forty-five notches above Nero,''

Skating, sleighing, and dancing are the amusements of the opulent ; so anxious were some of the young ladies to make their debiit^

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that at one of the halls a fair creature, whom the morning's le^on had advanced only to the third figure of the quadrilles, stood up to dance with a brother officer ; on arriving at Vete^ she deliberately walked off, and returned to her place, exclaiming, " Now I guess I'll sit down ; I don't know any more," leaving her partner to make his peace with her vis-a-vis. Yachting on the frozen Kenebekasis was but a frigid amusement at the best. The manufacture of an ice-boat is simple enough : over two long skates are placed any construc- tion sufficient to hold the party, and a long pole is lashed across at right angles, which prevents the boat from capsizing. When the wind is high, she flies over the ice at a most terrific rate ; and goes so near the wind, that the least touch of the helm sends her round, when she is instantly off again on the other tack. A favourite amusement is coasting. On moonlight nights, a party repair to the top of some steep frozen descent, and ladies

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and gentlemen in pairs seat themselves upon little sleighs or coasters, and push them off. After a thaw the frost makes the surface of the snow as slippery as glare ice ; the pace is then awful, and the roll in the snow propor- tionate. They are steered in their headlong descent by a slight pressure of the heel ; but the Bluenose ladies, being more au fait at it than we were, sat in front and guided them.

The meeting of the Tandem Club was a very gay affair ; twice in each week, twenty sleighs, painted of the most gaudy colours, and decked out with furs of all kinds, trimmed with fringe of different colours, drove off from the barracks or other rendezvous. The last married lady was selected as chaperon, and there were plenty of fair candidates for the drive. The brass band and merry bells added not a little to the cheerfulness of the scene.

The sleighs used in New Brunswick are of all forms and kinds — from that constructed with a couple of ash-poles (a nick alone dis-

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tinguishing where the runners terminate and the shafts commence) with a few boards placed across to support a barrel, in which the victim sits or stands, to the double or single sleighs on high runners, not forgetting the Madawaska Cariole, the height of luxury and the perfec- tion of locomotion, and in which you recline, covered up to the chin in furs. It is abso- lutely necessary in the construction of a sleigh that the '' runners" should be a good distance apart, and " flare out" sufficiently ; for, should the road be covered with ice and " bogged up" in the centre, the sleigh will slide to one side with great velocity, particu- larly when turning a corner sharp. This is called " slewing,'' and the slightest impedi- ment on the ice will then be sufficient to upset the sleigh. When a " slew" takes place, it is necessary to pull the shaft-horse with it ; a beginner is sure to do exactly the reverse, and is certain to be capsized. Even a high wind is sufficient to blow a sleigh round in an ex-

THE BACKWOODS. 85

posed situation, and upon ** glare ice," when an upset is likely to happen, unless the runners " flare out" well at bottom.

I originally purchased a sleigh with faulty runners ; and had several upsets and smashes, on which occasions the wreck alone of the "conveyance" reached barracks. One day, out sleighing on the Kenebekasis, the ice was glare, and in the most perfect order: there was not the slightest draught, and my horses were trotting along merrily at the rate of twelve miles an hour, when, all at once, a squall of wind caught the sleigh and spun it round; and the runners at the same time encountering some roughness on the surface, the sleigh was upset, and the horses, as is generally the case, instantly set off at full gallop ; for some time I was held in by the apron, and slipped along on my side, keeping a tight hold of the reins. The leader was galloping like a Caraboo, and the shaft-horse giving occasional kicks at the mass of encum-

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brance about his heels. At length the apron gave way, and, still holding on by "the ribbons," I was jerked off in the manner of one of those swings used in gymnastic acade- mies, to be as quickly banged against the splash-board ; and, four or five of these coups coming in quick succession, I was obliged to shorten my hold of the reins, and, the dis- tance between the shaft-horse's heels and my head being in consequence much diminished, I thought with the knight " that discretion was the better part of valour," and — let go.

On getting up and shaking myself, I saw my servant, who had been pitched out of the hind seat, some three quarters of a mile behind, and the distance between him and myself preserved in perspective by sundry cushions, skins, linings, and bits of fringe; and, on turning to look after the sleigh, I had the felicity to see the horses still going " Derby pace,'* and just debouching from the ice, " steering wild" for a gap in a " zigzag"

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fence. Bang they went against the rails, giving the coup de grace to the proceeding, and going well away into the woods with the shafts dangling about their heels. I then built a new sleigh.

The painting and trimming up of the sleigh depend much upon the taste of the pos- sessor ; the general colours are dark bodies, with scarlet runners. I found that a white ground, picked out with bright vermilion, and bear and buffalo skins, with a liberal quantity of deep scarlet curtain fringe, and scarlet cloth, cut into scallops, arranged in studied confusion, the whole furnished with a huge pair of moose-horns in front, looked extremely light and gay on the snow ; and the white, from being relieved by the vermilion, had no dirty appearance when contrasted with the snow.

The horses bred in the province are com- pact little animals, and trot at a tremendous pace, particularly upon glare ice ; so docile

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are they, from being brought up in the house as part of the family, and so attached are the Bluenoses to them, that a man, hearing I pos- sessed a gray horse (a famous trotter) which he had bred, came a long distance to see him. Two years had elapsed since he had sold him ; he might have been " a whisperer ;" but no sooner had he entered the stables, and spoken to him, than the horse reared upon his hind- legs, and showed every symptom of recognition and delight. I drove that horse and another, without the least preparation, from St. John to Fredericton in ten hours ; the ice was in good order; the distance eighty-four miles. An officer of the 52nd made a match against a stage-driver, a noted character in the pro- vince, to perform the same distance. One of the driver's horses dying from over-exertion, the gallant captain was enabled to win his match in six hours and a half !

A propos to the sagacity of the horse — awkward disclosures will out. It happened

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that a friend of mine had embarked largely in farming, and, according to the usual free- masonry of his fraternity, maintained that it was a losing concern — and that all of his trade profess all and every year of their lives, although the crops were fine, that they never paid him. A horse was the means of discover- ing that which a Scotch steward either could not find out, or found it more convenient to wink at. One evening, just as the workmen were going home from their daily labour, one w^as suddenly called to hold the horse of a gentleman, who had just arrived. Pat came forward with a flourish, his hat well on one side, with an illigant cock, poised upon one hair, as poor Power loved to appear in the " Irish Lion," till unluckily the horse, whose olfactory nerves were not to be deceived, gave it a gentle push ; off rolled the castor, and out tumbled a shower of oats. " Murder will out," they say, and now my friend discovered why his land would not pay ; his labourers

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being in the daily habit of carrying off hat- loads of corn.

The drivers of the stages and the inhabi- tants, if halting either for refreshment or for the night, never care to bring their horses cool into the stable, or even to rub them down; but, on the contrary, the perspiration is allowed to freeze upon their coats, which are a mass of hoar-frost by the next morning. They never catch cold, nor are they the worse for it.

It is the custom in this province, and indeed in most of the States, to drive without bearing reins and with snaffle-bits ; and so quiet are the horses in harness, that breeching is but rarely used. The drivers in general put the horses into a full gallop, and charge down hill, either when in a waggon or a sleigh — the impetus carrying them some distance up the opposite slope. It would be ridiculous to see horses borne up, champing their bits and tossing the foam from their proud heads,

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without the corresponding appendage of a fat and jolly-looking coachman, to whose hands the guidance of a perfect London " turn- out" is entrusted ; and the amusing author of " the Bubbles" has remarked that, as we bear up our horses to the utmost extent, the Ger- mans go into the opposite extreme, and take great pains to tie the heads of theirs down ; but it appears to me, that for work, to say nothing of the comfort of the animal, the Bluenose arrangement is preferable.

Towards the spring, when the ice is expected to break up, the horses are driven with long cords (acting as safety reins), fastened round their necks with a running knot. Should the ice give way, the driver immediately hauls upon the rope until he has, 'pro tern,, strangled the animal. The air, thus confined, inflates him ; he floats, and is easily dragged out upon the sound ice, when, the cord being cut, he jumps up, seldom or ever the worse for his immersion.

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Every fresh fall of snow obliterates the beaten sleigh-tracks; and, in order to avoid doubtful ice, or air-holes, it is customary to mark out the different crossings over the frozen bays or rivers, by fixing young fir- trees into the ice at intervals : no one can ima- gine, until caught in a North American snow- storm, what a guide and blessing they are.

Never shall I forget returning to St. John, after a hunting expedition, accompanied by an inhabitant of that place, and being obliged to cross the Grand Bay and part of the Kenebekasis; frozen sheets of water, just above the tide-way ; and over which we had sleighed in perfect safety in the morning. The moon shone clear and bright, and we had crossed one half of the Grand Bay ; when, all at once, we heard strange sounds, like the clang of hundreds of rifles discharged on all sides in the surrounding forests : it was soon evident whence the noise proceeded — from the effect of the noonday's sun, the ice was

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breaking up. It was a route but seldom ventured over, and was not, for that reason, marked out with fir-branches. I was con- fident that, so far, I had kept the right course, and urged on the horses, who snorted and showed evident symptoms of terror. Suddenly the moon became overcast, black clouds began to gather and darken the heavens ; a tremen- dous storm came on, and the snow beat thick and fast in our faces. We came to a crack in the ice at least a yard wide, which extended across the whole bay ; there was no time to be lost in searching for a narrow place, as the cracking of the ice became tremendous; so there was no alternative left but to run the horses at the chasm, which they cleared in gallant style, and, by keeping them in full gallop, in ten minutes we were safe on the main land. Next day boats were to be seen upon the water; the ice having totally dis- appeared.

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CHAPTER IV.

OF THE MILICETE AND MICMAC INDIANS.

Lo ! the poor Indian, whose untutored mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind ; His soul proud Science never taught to stray Far as the solar walk or milky way ; Yet simple Nature to his hope has given Behind the cloud- topped hill an humbler heaven ; Some safer world in depth of woods embraced, Some happier island in the watery waste, "V\Tiere slaves once more their native land behold, No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold. To be, contents his natural desire. He asks no angel's wing, no seraph's fire ; But thinks, admitted to that equal sky. His faithful dog shall bear him company.

Origin of the Indians, a Quere — ^Fossil remains — IVIr. Gesner — ^Micmacs, or " Salt-water" Indians — Boundary be- tween them and the Milicete — Render homage to the Iroquois — Council fire still burns — Their Totems — Language — Papoose — ^AVigwams — Snow-shoes — Patterns — Old John and Cockney.

The colour, appearance, and general habits of the Indians inhabiting North America, have been often ably described; as often

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quite the reverse. And, as the public have lately had the works of Catlin before them, and the Ojibeways as living models, little re- mains to be said. It would be quite absurd in this slight sketch of the Indians inhabiting New Brunswick to recapitulate the many con- flicting opinions, or to enter into the argu- ments pro and con, — how or by what means the continent of America ^ was peopled origi- nally ; whether Behring's Straits ever were or

^ " In America the same difficulties present themselves in relation to the origin and propagation of races as in the old world. The most recent inquiries authorized the distinction of two families inhabiting America; first, a race called Toltuan, belonging originally to Mexico and Peru, which from the shapes of the skulls found in the graves and the accompanying relics, give evidence of greater civilization than belongs to the present natives ; and, secondly, a people which, extending over the greater portion of the vast con- tinent, embraces all the barbarous nations of the new world, excepting the Polar tribes, or Mongolian Americans, which are presumed to be straggling parties from Asia, such as the Esquimaux, Greenlanders, and Fins.

"In the native American, there is no trace of the frizzled locks of the Polynesian, or the woolly texture on the head of the Negro. The hair is long, lank, and black ; the beard is deficient ; the cheek-bones are large and prominent ; the

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were not at any former period dry land, or whether rocks or islands existed in these straits ; or by what means (if it even were so) men were ferried over from Asia to people the continent of America. All this I must leave to the fertile imaginations of such men as will try to convince the world that Green- land once formed a part of North America ; that the Esquimaux understand the language of the natives of that country ; and that the birds and beasts (however much they may have degenerated by the migration) originally came from the old world. I have nothing further to adduce, for my part, than that, unless the ark was affected by the Gulf Stream during the forty days that it continued on

lower jaw broad and ponderous, truncated in front; the teeth vertical and very large ; the nose is decidedly arched, and the nasal cavities of great size. They ought not to be called the copper-coloured race. The colour is brown, or of a cinnamon tint. As in the old world, the colour varies, and the darker shade does not always correspond with the climate or vicinity to the equator." — Sir Charles Bell on ** Anatomy of Expression''

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the face of the waters, and that, as it neared the coast of America, a couple of alligators took that opportunity of swimming ashore, that species of reptile must have suffered dreadfully from cold in their " overland passage" either by way of Greenland or Behring's Straits.^

Apropos of antediluvian theories, Mr. Gesner has discovered the bones of a large fossil elephant, which had been originally mistaken for wood, and sold in the market of St. John as such. These remains are in his possession, and he has obtained such information as may probably lead to the discovery of the skeletons of other gigantic animals which have long since ceased to exist

^ While permitting myself to speak lightly of the con- flicting opinions of those gentlemen, who each arrange creation to suit their particular theories, I am far from meaning to jest on the sublime descriptions of Genesis. I believe that it has been proved by ship-builders that the dimensions of this wonderful ark are the most perfect that could have been thought of. There cannot be a more striking instance of that divine wisdom " which ordereth all things well."

VOL. r. F

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on the earth. Mr. Gesner is descended from the celebrated Conrad Gesner, who first dis- tinguished the genera of plants from a com- parison with their flowers, seed, and fruit. He was employed in making a geological survey of the province, during which time he managed to collect a capital museum of its natural productions, which he sold to the Mechanics' Institute of the city of St. John for ^600.

There are in New Brunsvrick two tribes of Indians, differing most widely from each other in their language, customs, implements, and habits of life ; and this striking difference in almost every particular, between two people inhabiting the same country, and evi- dently sprung from the same common stock, constitutes not the least remarkable point of interest among the many which attach to this singular race.

First in order, not only as the most nume- rous, but as possessing both moral and phy-

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sical superiority over the others, are the Micmacs, a tall and powerful race of men, who frequent the north-eastern shores of the province, bordering on the great Gulf of St. Lawrence ; and who form part of an Indian nation which extends over Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Prince Ed- ward's Island, and Gaspe. The less nume- rous and inferior body are the Milicete, who frequent the St. John and its tributary waters. The Micmacs are strongly attached to the sea-side, near which they are generally found; and, from this circumstance, the Milicete commonly call them " the salt water Indians." Their hunting grounds, over which they range uncontrolled, and of which they are supposed to have the sole possession, embrace the whole north-eastern coast of New Brunswick from Bale Verte to the Bale des Chaleurs, and thence extending back to the head-waters of all the streams on that coast, which flow into the Gulf.

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The hunting country of the Milicete com- prises all the extensive territory watered by the St. John and its numerous tributaries, whether flowing from the eastward or the westward. The boundary between the Mic- mac and Milicete huntinof countries is such a line as will separate the waters flowing east- wardly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from those which flow westwardly into the river St. John. The westward boundary of the Milicete hunting country is a line which will separate the waters flowing eastwardly into the St. John from those which flow westwardly into the Penobscot river, in the State of Maine ; at the sources of the eastern tributaries of the river, the hunting country of the Penobscot tribe commences.

This last mentioned tribe reside within the limits of the United States, yet they speak the Milicete language, and render homage to the chief of the Milicetes in New Brunswick, whom they regard as their head and leader.

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The whole number of Milicetes at present in New Brnnswick is a little short of five hundred ; the number of the Micmacs some- what exceeds one thousand. The village of the Milicetes is situated on the right bank of the St. John, about ten miles above Frede- ricton, and on the same side of the river. In the village there is every kind of habita- tion, from the slight birch-bark wigwam up to the comfortable two-story dwelling-house, owned by an Indian, who, by superior indus- try and intelligence, has attained a situation above his fellows.

The Milicete language is a dialect of the Huron, the language of the Iroquois, of which once powerful confederacy they formed a branch tribe. The council fire of the Iro- quois is yet kept burning at Caughnawaga, an Indian village, on the south side of the St. Lawrence, a few miles above Montreal, where the great chief of the nation resides. A deputation of the chiefs and principal men

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of the Milicetes proceed every third year to Caughnawaga to report the state of affairs, and take part in the grand council of the nation which is there held.

Those acquainted with Indian history will remember that the Iroquois nation was formed by the celebrated confederacy of the Six Nations, who received the designation of Iroquois from the French, but were called Mingoes by the English. They present the only example of intimate union recorded in the history of the Aborigines, and were by far the most powerful body of Indians upon the continent of America. They consisted originally of five nations, namely, the Mo- hawks, the Onondagoes, the Senecas, the Oneidas, and the Cayugas. About 1717, the Tuscaroras joined the confederacy, and formed the sixth nation : since that period, they have been sometimes known as the Five Nations, but more frequently as the Six Nations. These several nations were subdivided into various

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tribes and families, and this subdivision was an important part of Indian policy.

The number of these tribes among the various nations was different and perhaps indefinite; they usually extended, however, from five to six, twelve, or fifteen. Each has a distinct appellation derived from some familiar animal, as the bear tribe, the eagle tribe, or the wolf tribe, and the figure of the animal giving name to the tribe became the totem, or armorial bearing, of every individual belonging to it. When it became neces- sary to identify a person in any of their rude drawings, or in later times, when one of them was required to affix his mark to any instru- ment prepared by the white man, his totem was first made, and then any particular cha- racteristic was added which might apply to him individually. The totem of the Milicete is the beaver, and a member of the tribe who wished to designate himself would first sketch the figure of the beaver, and then place be-

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neath it his own peculiar totem or crest, such as the hawk, or pigeon, the minx, eel, or salmon.

Before the arrival of Europeans in America, the office of giving names was deputed to the wise and aged Indians, who had the best knowledo-e of the ancient names of their forefathers, and were most capable of invent- ing new ones. At that period, such names as " the sloping sky " — " the pleasant flowing stream " — " the sparkling light " — " the roar- ing thunder " — " the leaping panther " — " the cloud that rolls beyond " — " the noon-day sun" — were in common use ; but their present de- signations have been acquired very differently.

The Indians of New Brunswick were first converted to Christianity, and taught the prin- ciples of the Catholic faith to which they religiously adhere, by the Jesuit missionaries, a class of men of whom it must be admitted that, whatever may have been their sins in the old world, they have in the new been known chiefly as the friends, protectors, and civilizers

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of a race, forsaken or trampled upon by nearly all besides. When they baptized their converts, they conferred upon them names selected from the calendar of saints ; and these names, with those borne by the descendants of French officers, or the early French settlers who intermarried with the Indians, now form nearly the whole of the appellations borne by the Milicetes and Micmacs. In making up the enumeration of these people, Mr. Perley found the names of St. Jerome, St. Chrysostom, St*. Boniface, St. Hilaire, St. Geoffrey, St. Augus- tin, St. Antoine, St. Gregoire, St. Remigius, St. Athanase, and St. Denys, occurring very frequently, while among the women he found quite as common Ste. Angelique, Ste. Pelagie, Ste. Genevieve, Ste. Anastasie, Ste. Monica, Ste. Veronica, and the like.

Many families bear the names of those from whom they have descended among the French ; and among the Micmacs, the St. Juliens^ the De Pommevilles, the De Bois, the Des

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DameSy the La Roques^ and the La Bognes, are all very numerous. One tall, handsome, sub-chief, who resides at the Milicete yillage, is the descendant of a French officer of en- gineers, and bears the name of his proge- nitor, Vassal la Conte ; and at the same village, a yerj pretty young squaw, an orphan, bears the romantic name of Cecile le Belmont,

With their names the Indians of the pro- vince acquired much of the dress of the early settlers, who were principally Basques, Bre- tons, and Normans; and the picturesque Basque dress is much in vogue with the Micmac squaws to the present hour.

The language of the Micmacs is a dialect of the Algonquin, of which powerful nation they once formed a large and influential por- tion. The Algonquin nation formerly num- bered twenty-two different tribes — the Mic- macs, Elchemins, Abenakis, Tokokis, Pas- tuckets, Pokanokets, Narragansetts, Regnoils, Mohegans, Lenni-Lenapes, Q^oxmen, (as the Delawares styled themselves), Nanticokes,

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Powhatans, Shawnees, Miamis, Illinois, Chip- pewas, (latterly called Ojibbeway), Ottawas, Menoraonies, Lacs, Foxes, and Kickahoos, which were again subdivided into more than a hundred tribes.

The Lord's Prayer, in the Milicete language, is as follows : —

" Me-tox-sen' a spum-keek ay-e-en sa-ga-mow-ee tel- mox-se'en tel-e-wee-so-teek. Cheep-tooke wee-chey-u-leek spum-keektaun e-too-chee-sauk-too-leek spum-a-kay-e'en. Too-eep-nauk-na-meen kes-e-kees-skah-keel wek-a-yeu- leek el-me-kees-kaak keel-mets-min a-woo-lee. Ma-hate- moo-in ka-te a-le-wa-nay-ool-te'ek el-mas we-chee-a-keel me-koke-may-keel ne-ma-hate-hum-too-moo-in.

In the Micmac language, the Lord's Prayer, as corrected by the Richibucto ladians from the version printed at Quebec in 1817, reads thus : —

"Noorch enen waa-soke a-bin, chip-took, tal-wee-sin me-ga-day-de-mak. Waa-soke tee-lee-daa-nen chip-took igga-nam-win oo-la nee-moo-lek naa-de-la-tay-se-nen. Naa-tel waa-soke ai-keek chip-took ta-lee-ska-doo-lek ma- ga-mi-guek ay-e-mek. Tel-la-moo koo-be-na-gal es-me- a-gul opch nega-atch kees-kook ig-ga-nam-win nee-loo-nen. Ta-lee a-bik-chik-ta-kaa-chik wa-gai-nee-na-met-nik elk- keel nees-kaam a-bik-chik-too-in el-wa-wool-ti-jeck. Mel- kee-nin maach win-chee-gul mook-ta-gaa-lin kees-e-na- waam-kil win-che-gul ko-qui-ak too-ack-too-in.

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It is said that in all the vast extent of Canada and the United States there are but three radical or mother tongues — the Sioux, the Algonquin, and the Huron. The Sioux is rather a hissing than an articulation of sounds. The Huron language has great dig- nity, pathos, and elevation ; and the ancient missionaries did not scruple to compare it with the finest languages known. The Algonquin, however, they say, excels the Huron in smooth- ness and elegance ; and, so far as Mr. Perley was able to judge from the Micmac dialect, it far excels the Huron in power, compre- hensiveness, and lofty imagery. Both lan- guages, it may be remarked, have a dual number, and in other respects resemble the Greek. All the changes of mood, person, tense, and number are formed by change of terminals. Upwards of two thousand terminals are made on one radix in the Micmac language. It is, therefore, difficult to speak it in all its purity with correctness ; yet enough of it

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may be learnt in a few weeks by a person acquainted with the French, English, and Latin, to converse in it sufficiently well for all ordinary purposes.

The females, when young, are often ex- ceedingly handsome ; and that prominency so observable in the cheek-bones of the men is among the women but faintly marked. Their noses are, in general, aquiline, and finely shaped, and their eyes possess a pecu- liar, soft, and languid expression ; the teeth are fine, white, and even; and their mag- nificent long black hair is carefully parted down the centre, and plaited behind in two long tails, through which is generally threaded some bright-coloured ribbon. I have often seen their plaits reach nearly to the ground. Their figures in early life are fine, with hands and feet peculiarly small; but their gait is ungraceful, as they turn in their feet, and shuffle along with a lateral jerk of the whole body at every step.

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Although very handsome women are to be met with among them, they are by no means to be taken as a type of the tribe. They are, in general, plain-looking, and many are frightful. Indeed, all soon lose every trace of good looks, owing to the hardships which they endure, in addition to child-bearing and ex- posure to all sorts of weather, and that too in a climate so variable as theirs.

No where, with the exception of the unfortunate female peasants of Bavaria, have I seen the weaker sex so degraded. The squaws carry the papoose, and often very heavy burdens ; make the greater part of the canoe, and, when completed, have to assist in propelling it; in short, they do all the drudgery : it is, therefore, not to be wondered at that they should become bloated, unwieldy, and prematurely old. I do not recollect to have ever seen a good-looking middle-aged woman among them.

The manners of both sexes are never vulvar.

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because they are always naturally courteous. When they appear in full dress, the squaws wear a conical-shaped cap or head-dress of blue or scarlet cloth, embroidered with white beads, and edged with ribbons ; a long frock, reaching a little below the knees, with scarlet or blue cloth leggings ; in finishing them the seams are not turned in, but, on the contrary, the wider they can contrive to have the surplus cloth on the outside, the more it can be bedizened with ribbons, beads, and wampum. Their mocassins, made from moose leather, are beautifully embroidered with beads. The Milicete tribes use beads instead of the hair of the moose, or porcupine quills are employed for this purpose by most of the tribes in Upper and Lower Canada, and in the far West. The front of their dress is fastened with a number of circular silver buckles, the largest being placed at the top, and so diminishing as they descend ; but they are more orna- mental than useful. These constitute their

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trinkets, which they always carry about upon their persons ; and, as cloth is to them ex- pensive, the men generally appropriate that to their own use ; and the poor squaws are to be most commonly seen in old chintzes and Manchester cottons : and, with a blanket, which serves in the severity of the winter as a cloak by day, and as a bed at night, this completes the toilette and wardrobe of a squaw of the Milicete tribe.

To the adorning of the lords of the crea- tion everything is sacrificed among the Indian tribes without exception. As we say of the feathered tribe, at least, fine feathers are supposed by them to make " fine birds." The male, in the latter case, is always of more gaudy plumage than his mate ; so the Indian shines resplendent in his decorations and paint, and his unfortunate squaw hides " her diminished head." His head-dress, when in gala costume, is fashioned somewhat like that described above as worn by the

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women, but descends much further down the back, and having two pointed horns of the same material, not unlike horses' ears, on the top of the head : these are embroidered with beads ; and the flap which hangs down behind is striped with ribbons of different colours. The coat or hunting-frock does not reach so low as that of the squaw ; it is, in general, blue, with scarlet cuffs and collar, richly worked with beads and scarlet cloth let into all the seams as in a lancer's jacket. A broad crimson ribbon generally gives a very pretty finish to the bottom of the coat, and across the back and shoulders is a mass of embroidery.

I have seen some chiefs of the Penobscot tribe with scarlet coats, almost a mass of beads. This is very magnificent ; but the white beads, in my opinion, show much better on the blue. From an embroidered shoulder- belt or baldrick is hung the powder-horn ; and their knives, tomahawks, and tobacco- pouches or pitchnaugans' skins (entire) upon

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which embroidery is attached, are suspended through their belts of wampum. When the costume of this tribe is well " got up," it is almost magnificent.

Papoose is the name applied either to the infant of the Indian, or the wooden kind of box or portable cradle in which the unfortu- nate child is bound. Before the infant is placed in it, the arms are extended down the sides and swathed round and round with cloth or other bandages, until it becomes like a mummy, in the manner practised by the Roman mothers at the present day. This confinement and distortion of the limbs during infancy are alleged by many to be the cause of the awkwardness of the Indian's gait when grown up. The swathing being completed, the child is placed on its back in the case, and fastened in it with hoops of hickory or ash. On the move, the squaws carry the papoose on their backs ; and, when employed, hang it up on the nearest branch. The

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operation of swathing occupies much time, and the child often remains for long periods thus encased. Nothing but the face appears ; and the situation of a papoose thus suspended is anything but enyiable, and may easily be discovered by a swarm of mosquitoes and black flies, attracted to the exposed part of the unfortunate brat.

When old enough to be released from this cruel imprisonment, they are suffered to run about naked, and to roll themselves in the mud, until they become sufficiently hardened. " The young idea" soon " learns how to shoot," and to perform astonishingly with the bow and arrow — a practice entirely relinquished by the adult portion of the community, since the Birmingham catch-penny pieces, the vilest of guns, have been introduced into America — though with these they contrive to direct a ball at one hundred yards with the precision of one fired from the best rifle turned out of Moore's or Lancaster's shops.

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Every Indian tribe has its peculiar form and pattern for every thing they make and wear — their canoes, wigwams, or snow-shoes ; their embroidery on birch-bark, cloth, or leather ; in moose hair, wampum, or porcupine quills. The Indian instantly knows, by its fashion, to what tribe the slightest ornament or utensil belongs. All the manufactures of the Milicete are more graceful in their forms and propor- tions than those of any other tribe I ever saw in any part of North America ; and many of their patterns, now that fresco painting has come into vogue, would be beautiful for borders to arabesques, or might be copied in worsted work for the modern species of tapestry which occupies so much of the time of ladies at the present day.

Their canoes are made of one entire piece of bark stripped from the canoe birch, (betala papyracea) which attains to the height of seventy feet, and is often three feet in diameter. It is best when obtained in the winter months —

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fire is then applied to make the tree peel — and a " winter bark" canoe is the article of most value among the Indian's effects. It is difficult to find a tree sufficiently clean and free from knots; and the growth of every canoe birch sapling of any promise is jealously watched by the Indian. Who can say that the hatchet has not been dug up, and that the flame of war may not have been kindled in the olden time for so trivial a cause as a roll of birch-bark ?

The gunwales of the canoe are made of fir, and the ribs and flooring of white cedar, (the lightest of all the kinds of American timber), over which the bark is stretched, and the whole thing is sewed together with the fibrous roots of the white spruce, about the size of a quill, which are deprived of the bark, split, and suppled in water. The seams are coated and made water-tight with the gum of the spruce or balsam firs. Their average weight may be one hundred and

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twenty pounds, their length varying from six- teen to twenty-one feet. An Indian thinks little of carrying one of them on his head ; in addition to, perhaps, a hind-quarter of a moose deer, or some such weight, on his back ; and will trudge along at a pace that would soon tire our best mountain sportsmen. Into one of their canoes can be packed enormous loads. I have often seen a family, fifteen or sixteen in number, besides all their goods and chattels, stowed away in a birch canoe, about nine teen feet in length ; and, when loaded in this way to the very water's edge, they will fearlessly hoist an old blanket by way of a lug-sail, and "carry on," when a tremendous sea is running. In order to preserve their canoes during the winter season, they bury them in snow — a practice which fully answers the purpose. Nothing can be more graceful on the water than a Milicete canoe ; at the same time, so frail are they, that it generally costs the uninitiated several

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good duckings, by way of apprenticeship, before he learns the use of the paddle, or even to preserve his equilibrium in them.

The economy of the Indian's hut or wigwam is perfect. A number of poles are fastened^ together near their apex, and the lower ex- tremities extended until the required base is obtained (and they can be likened to nothing seen in England but the piles of hop -poles in Kent after the hop harvest is finished) ; over this skeleton work are extended sheets of birch bark sewed together. A sufficient aperture is left at top to allow the smoke to escape, and to do duty for a chimney. The entrance is cut out of the roll of bark; and an old blanket or piece of cloth is suspended by way of door. This covering of bark and the whole building may be taken down and ren- dered transportable in a few minutes.

When about to make a permanent camp, or to remain for any length of time in one par- ticular spot, great neatness may be observed

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in the interior economy of their wigwams. The floor is covered, for a space extending round the whole circumference, with the ends of the branches of the silver fir, broken short off and placed one over another, slanting towards ths centre. In the midst is the fire, and four laths of fir accurately determine the finish of the divan and the commencement of the kitchen department. In their cuisine they have made but little progress; and a stone trough, or an old frying-pan, is the utmost limit to which their culinary imple- ments extend.

About their wigwams is to be seen the Indian dog — a cross, in which that of the fox evidently predominates — and the sharp-pointed ears, long, slender, black hairs, and bushy tail, denote their origin. The bodies of these dogs are exceedingly long, their legs as re- markably short. They are very small, and so light as to be able to run over the snow when covered with the slightest crust : they

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have, therefore, a great advantage when in pursuit of large game, which in that ease flounders through it. These dogs are very stanch, and, when once put upon the track of a moose or bear, will not leave it until they bring the one to bay, or " tree" the other. In the winter season, they do good service for the Indian, and are harnessed in couples of two, four, and six, to small sledges.

Neither the Micmacs nor the Milicetes dis- figure themselves with paint, or by tattooing : probably the custom has worn out, since their adoption of the Christian religion, and from the length of their intercourse with the European settlers. The Micmac nation, owing to the exertions of Mr. Perley, their adopted chief, have all taken the pledge ; and, in all proba- bility, by the endeavours of that gentleman, the Milicetes will be induced to follow their example : but at the time of our sojourn in the province, many of the Milicetes were to be seen drunk about the streets of St. John.

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It is, nevertheless, a remarkable trait in the Indian character, that, however they may indulge in the vice when in a town, it is a point of honour with them, when engaged to go on an expedition into the woods, not to touch spirits.

I once took an Indian off from St. John in a hurry, to hunt ; and, although I knew that he had been in a state of inebriation for three days previous, and the effects of the debauch had not " died in him," yet when, after a tough chase of four hours and a half, on snow- shoes, I offered him my brandy-flask, he shook his head as he replied, " Me no touch dat in woods, never ;" and he persisted in his resolution in spite of my persuasions.

Notwithstanding the long intercourse they have had with Europeans, and so much as they have been thrown into contact with them, they will not adopt European customs ; and they have an innate aversion to civilized life. Great exertions have often been made on the

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part of different governors to inculcate do- mestic habits, to induce them to cultivate the soil, and to build houses. One of the chiefs, old Louis Bear, if I recollect right, at the particular request of one of their excel- lencies, built a stone house of two stories. When completed, he requested that the governor would come and see what he had done. He had built a house, and had laid out a great deal of money in the construction of it; but, on a close inspection, it was discovered that he had built his wigwam inside.

I have been informed that the Indians of the Micmac tribe, generally taken into the woods by the officers of the Halifax garrison, are an extremely lazy set, very few of them good hunters; and those that are so give themselves great airs. The family of the Glodes, near Annapolis, and the Indians in that village, are excellent hunters, as are also old Saccobe, Joe Lola, Louis Polcis, Louis

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Bear, and John Sabbattis, of the Milicete nation (should they be still living). They are the most trustworthy and faithful in the woods; and this tribute, in the shape of a recommendation to any one about to follow the chase in the neighbourhood of Annapolis, in Nova Scotia, or from St. John or Frederic- ton, in New Brunswick, is paid to their honesty and good-will, by one who had every reason to be satisfied with their exemplary conduct. I never could persuade my faithful pilot of many trips in " the woods," John Sabbattis, to sleep at an inn, when en route for distant hunting grounds ; nor would he eat under the roof of one, but would steal off and re- turn at the appointed hour. The Indian, when hired for an expedition, must be treated kindly ; he is fed and paid commonly at the rate of a dollar a day ; and there is nothing that they will not do for you, provided you treat them with common attention. Much insight into wild life is gained by so doing.

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much woodcraft lost by a contrary proceed- ing; and a good sportsman is in general gifted with sufficient tact to discover this.

Should any one, however, be unsportsman- like enough to bully the Indian in the woods, his high sense of honour will cause him to keep his engagement inviolate ; he will do his duty by his employer so long as their agreement lasts. But such is his indepen- dence of spirit, that he will never again go out with that man ; and no sum of money will induce them so to do. — One anecdote of John.

An admirer of nature, and a would-be sportsman, but whose proficiency in the art had not advanced him beyond or entitled him to other appellation than that of Cockney, heard of the magnificent scenery on the Musquash lakes ; and, being anxious to com- bine a little amusement with sight-seeing, engaged John to take him in his canoe, and fish, en passant the magnificent rapids,

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still waters, and creeks, which connect this fine chain of lakes. All this his faithful cicerone did in Indian fashion. The fellow behaved, however, to John in the woods pretty much as he would have treated a waiter at a coffee-house, and finally d — d John for not cleaning his boots ; while John preserved an inflexible silence. The sports- man, however, was so pleased with the scenery of the lakes, that he wanted to go a second time, and applied to John to accom- pany him ; this the Indian flatly refused to do. Our friend stared, and asked him the reason. John very coolly replied, "Me no walk again with you — me always used to walk woods with gentlemen."

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CHAPTER V.

NEW BRUNSWICK — OF THE BIRDS AND BEASTS.

Where beasts with man divided empire claim, And the brown Indian marks with murd'rous aim,

« « * * 41 4e

Or seeks the den where snow-tracks mark the way, And drags the struggling savage into day.

Goldsmith.

Passenger Pigeons — ^Wild and Water fowl — Novel way of gunning — Genus Tetrao — Birch and Spruce Partridge — Humming-birds — ^Wax-bird — Soiree of Owls — Lucifees — Skunk — Wild Cat — Novel mode of catching Wolves — Musk-rat — ^Porcupine — Hares — Bears and Chimneys — A sound sleeper — The Governor gammoned.

In the months of June and July, the " pas- senger pigeons," described by Wilson as darkening the sun for days, when on their migratory flights, arrive in New Brunswick. Their favourite resorts are the neglected clearances overgrown with wild raspberries and strawberries, which are their favourite

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food; also the great mosses and barrens, covered with cranberries and whortleberries, where they are to be found in great quantities, and from amongst which they rise singly or in pairs, are strong on the pinion, and aiford excellent sport. They have a long wedge- shaped tail ; and, if the ends of it are cut off previously to putting them into a trap, they are so astonished at the moment they attempt to fly, that they go off quite as game as the best blue rocks of " Red House" celebrity.

The woodcock of the New World is much smaller than that of Europe, and, in the plumage, differs materially, inclining more to a fawn colour, particularly on the breast, where the shades of that colour are beautifully delicate. They appear in the spring for a short time, on their migration northward, and on their return are to be found from the middle of August until driven south by the frosts, which set in generally by the end of October. Their haunts are in the alder and

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cedar swamps, along the outskirts of the " Great Bush," and the margins of the clear- ances, particularly where they have been suffered to copse. In Upper Canada and the United States, they are very partial to the Indian corn or maize, when planted in low lands. They are very quick on the wing, and when flushed get up with a shrill whistle. The woodcock of the Western Isles is the same as that of North America ; and I have heard that there they are to be met with in great numbers.

What has been said of the habits of the woodcock applies to those of the American snipe; but the latter is rather larger, flies much more heavily, and, in consequence, is more easily killed than the European snipe. It is to be found in abundance at Musquash, on the St. Andrew's road, on the Water- borough, at Gagetown, Sheffield, in the islands on the St. John river, on the Gemseg, and in the Grand Lake meadows.

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A high-couraged pointer, particularly of the Russian breed, is best adapted to find woodcocks in these woods, when, by fastening a bell round their necks, you can never be at a loss to know when they have come to a point; a practice generally followed on the Continent and in the Pontine Marshes. There woodcock-shooting is managed precisely as in New Brunswick, and the cover is generally so thick, that the only chance is to shoot the birds at first sight. Should any of my readers have pursued this game in the neighbourhood of Tre Ponti, they may have encountered that prince of cacciatori, Scapellata, who kills more woodcocks than any man in Italy ; but he is a most provoking dog to follow, for, amongst other poaching contrivances, he has a habit of imitating the noise made by a cock when flushed so completely as to deceive the sportsman, to cause him perpetually to cock his gun, and as often to curse the unfeathered biped from whom it proceeded.

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The duck tribe are very numerous, includ- ing the wood-duck, harlequin, and blue- winged teal. An Indian will kill from forty to fifty ducks and geese in the day, on the Grand Lake meadows and Musquash marshes : with his watchful habits, his guarded move- ments, and the colour of his canoe, exactly corresponding with that of the sedge and bul- rushes, he is the man of all others to surprise waterfowl.

On one of our visits to the Musquash marshes we saw numbers of the black duck, so called in New Brunswick, but which is more properly "the dusky duck,' V^^^* obscurus,) These birds take the place of the common wild duck and mallard of Europe, and, although I never saw the latter in North America, I believe that they are often to be met with, precisely similar in every respect. The black duck is rather larger, and is of a dark, dusky colour, with wing feathers of a beautiful copper green. The female is

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like the common wild duck, but with a deeper shade of plumage.

We tried every possible way to get shots at them, by waiting for their " pass" to and from their feeding-grounds at early morn, and at the last glimmering of twilight, by creeping upon them through the rushes, by having them driven, and by silently attempting to drop down upon them in a canoe, all to no purpose — not a duck was bagged ! But that they were to be shot was certain, and we were told of a gentleman farmer, or sort of squireen, who, it was said, contrived to kill numbers. He lived in a log-house on the opposite side of the marsh to our quarters. We determined upon paying him a visit, in order, if possible, to obtain the desired infor- mation as to the manner of shooting black ducks.

After some little difficulty, we succeeded in finding his habitation, but the " bird" him- self had flown. We were not doomed, how-

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ever, to wait long in suspense, for the report of his gun at once pointed out his position, on reaching which we found the black duck hunter carefully ensconced in a thick tuft of flaggers, at the edge of a great flooded marsh, evidently the feeding-ground of the waterfowl tribes. Our friend had well chosen his posi- tion ; a couple of black ducks lay by his side ; in his hand he held a book, and across his knees lay one of those antiquated long guns, known as " Queen Anne's pieces." On inter- rogating him as to his method of surprising the ducks, we received for answer, " Why I peruses a novel until the ducks come up near enough, and then I guess I guns 'em." This was conclusive; and, without wishing to "take a leaf out of his book," we left the gentleman farmer to the perusal of " Peter Simple," and to the diversion of waiting for a shot.

The birch partridge, (tetrao umbellus) or ruffed grouse, and the spruce partridge, (tetrao Canadensis )y or dusky grouse, are

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beautiful specimens of the genus Tetrao, and are constantly met with in all parts of the forests. They perch upon trees; and, when suddenly disturbed in the Great Bush, will fly up into the nearest tree, when the whole covey or pack become an easy prey to the American sportsman, who begins by shooting the lowest bird first, and so on; otherwise, should he kill one upon the upper- most branches, its fall would disturb all be- neath, and they would instantly fly off: how- ever, when come upon suddenly, amongst brushwood or in clearances, they will get up and fly, like red grouse.

The birch partridge is often called " the pheasant" by the Americans, and Wilson describes the stateliness with which they move about, with their broad, fan-like tail spread out ; the drumming, as it is usually called, is a singularity of the species. It is performed by the male alone, and is a kind of thumping, or noise, resembling that produced by striking

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two full-blown ox-bladders together, but in- finitely louder ; the strokes at first are slow and distinct, but gradually increase in rapidity, till they run into each other, resembling the rumbling sound of very distant thunder, dying away gradually on the ear. After a few minutes' pause, this is repeated, and in a calm day may be heard nearly half a mile off.

" This drumming is most common in spring, and is the call of the cock to his favourite female. It is produced in the following manner : — the bird, standing on an old pro- strate log, generally in a retired and sheltered situation, lowers his wings, erects his expanded tail, contracts his throat, elevates the two tufts of feathers on the neck, and inflates his whole body, something in the manner of the turkey-cock, strutting and wheeling about with great stateliness. After a few manoeuvres of this kind, he begins to strike with his stiffened wings in short and quick strokes, which be- come more and more rapid until they run into

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one another, as has been already described. This is most common in the morning and evening, though I have heard them drumming at all hours of the day. By means of this signal, the gunner is led to the place of his retreat ; though, to those unacquainted with the sound, there is a great deception in the supposed distance, it generally appearing to be much nearer than it really is."

There is another peculiarity appertaining to this bird, which I have never seen men- tioned by its many describers : it is that of burying itself under the snow. This was first pointed ont to me, when on a hunting expedi- tion, by Sabbattis's desiring me to prepare for a shot. After straining my eyes in all direc- tions, I was not a little surprised to see old John stoop gently down at my feet, and press the snow with his hand, when, with a whirr, whirr, a fine birch partridge burst from the snow, and flew off, shaking a shower from his pinions. When about to ensconce themselves,

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they charge into the snow with all their might, directing their flight so as to be near the surface, the impetus carrying them some way into it, sufficiently far to prevent foxes and lynxes being attracted to the spot; indeed, so small is the orifice in the snow, the particles of which naturally fall over it, that the un- practised eye might pass numbers of these birds thus concealed. The initiated will, how- ever, soon detect a sea-green spot of reflected light in the disturbed snow. Numbers of these birds become an easy prey to the Indian, who, in the early months of their winter hunting, when the snow is so soft that the birds can easily hide in it, however other game may fail, need never go supperless to bed. Lloyd, in his " Northern Field-Sports," men- tions this same peculiarity in the habits of th black cock and capercailzie, during the Scan- dinavian winter.

Among the most pleasing of our summer visitors were the humming-birds (Trochis

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Colubris) of the red-throated species, the only one known so far north. Their plumage is principally green, with a gold and orange- coloured necklace about the throat, which showed resplendent in the sun as they would sport into our rooms, following its beams, or haunt the mignonette-boxes placed on the window-seats. We were driven to shooting them with sand, as the only means of obtaining possession of them ; but the proceeding was devoid of cruelty, as it only stunned the beauties for the moment, and enabled us to secure them alive. They subsist entirely on the juice of flowers, preferring those which are cupped.

The wax, or cedar bird, (Ampalis Ame- ricana) which is also called "Recollect," is one among the many beautiful of the feathered tribe which pass their summers in New Brunswick. Most of the secondary feathers of the wings are tipped with pieces of a bright vermilion substance, resembling

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chips of red sealing-wax; and as this bird chiefly inhabits the cedar swamps, where he makes a surprising chattering, Wilson con- cludes that Nature has armed the feathers in this astonishing manner, to protect the ends of them from the wear which would be caused by its constant fluttering amidst the cedars.^ There are owls of every species, from the great horned, standing nearly three feet high, to the diminutive little barred. Golden ex- patiates in his "History of the Six Nations" on the great superstition of the Indians

^ I quote from old Wilson, having had his admirable work on American Ornithology by me in North America, and I invariably found his remarks faithful and correct. Not so the generality of the numerous writers on this sub- ject, at the present day; many of them compiling from books, and totally disregarding Nature. Witness the dressing which one of the fraternity receives from the intelligent author of "Essays on Natural History.*' No modem writer displays such sound good sense, no one can give such a natural appearance to his preserved birds as Mr. Waterton. How different from the wretched, wooden- looking, stuck-up abortions generally to be seen in most museums !

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with regard to those birds, and the terror they have of them, and mentions how much it displeased them to hear any one mimicking their hooting. No such superstition exists among the Milicetes ; for I well remember my first essay at " camping out" in the woods. The party consisted of two others, with Sab- battis and old Saccobe. We had passed the day in fly-fishing amidst the deep black pools and cascades, into which the rivers connecting the Musquash Lakes are broken. Grand sport had we had that day, and it was with the highest degree of satisfaction that we stretched ourselves upon the aromatic bed of silver firs, prepared by our faithful Indians.

The night set in gloriously, one of those in the Indian summer to be appreciated only in the woods. The clear moon shone through the lofty pines, and was reflected from the silvery lake, between their taper stems. The crackling of the dry pine logs, and the stream of smoke from the willow-bark and tobacco

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in our tomaugans had long sent all the mos- quito tribe to the arms of their particular Morpheus, Every fresh pile of the dry- timber caused a flame which illuminated the spoils of the chase ; here falling upon a large porcupine, suspended from the branch of a tree, a black duck, a heap of gold-coloured char, mottled with blood-red spots ; there, upon our rifles, rods, and implements of de- struction; now, on a pair of ragged nether garments hung up to dry ; then on the copper- coloured and weather-beaten features of the Indians, as they lay stretched upon the bare ground on the opposite side of the fire.

Scarcely had the balmy effects of that delicious, dreamy sort of sleep, known to those who have lived in the woods, fallen upon us, when I was awakened by a holloa from the stentorian lungs of Sabbattis. On shaking myself and looking about, I discovered an immense assemblage of the acknowledged emblems of wisdom gazing at the party w^ith

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owls' eyes. They had been collected by the wonderful powers of mimickry inherent in the Indians, who had assembled this soiree of owls as much for our amusement as for a sort of introduction to camp-life. Saccobe and John now both set to work in earnest, and great fun it was. Their imitations of the difterent hootings were so faithful, that it was scarcely possible to say which was the voice of the bird, which that of the Indian. Every fresh arrival joined in chorus until the birds had the best of it, and fairly beat the Redskins. Up we jumped, en chemise et sans culottes y and, one seizing a rifle, another a brand of the blazing pine, we put them all to flight. Thus ended my first night '' in bush."

The following will be found a good and simple receipt for preserving the skins of birds and animals, and any so prepared will be found to retain their elasticity for any length of time : — white oxide of arsenic, mixed with soft soap, to the consistency of

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paste. Alum, burnt in a wood fire till all the water has bubbled out, and then pulverized, may be rubbed upon the skins of specimens for the same purpose, and may do very well as a makeshift where the former materials can- not be obtained, until the skins can be given to the preserver. But they do not come out as pliable or as well as those prepared with the arsenical soap.

Bears, and lynxes, called lucifees, are the only animals of prey in New Brunswick; vermin are very numerous ; among these is a species of polecat, called a skunk, of which the Indians are in great dread, and which they hold in utter abhorrence. This animal is disgusting beyond description ; in appearance the skunk is very pretty — black, with white, longitudinal stripes. When attacked, it rolls itself up in a ball like the porcupine, bedewing its bushy tail with the most horribly fetid liquor, which is secreted in a small bag near the rectum, and with this

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it liberally besprinkles its assailants. No living thing can stand the odour ; and, should this irresistible weapon of defence touch any part of the dress, it must be immediately burned. Men have been known in New Brunswick to have had an encounter with one of these animals, and to have been obliged to strip off every thing, and return to civi- lized life almost au natureL In passing along a road on a hot day, it is easy to tell if a skunk has crossed it within twenty-four hours ; and horses will make a great piece of work should they get a niff of one. The Indians, nevertheless, contrive to kill them, cut out the bag containing the fetid fluid, and eat them as a " delicacy."

In New Brunswick there are two species of the lynx, the first named by the French Loup Cervier, whence the English corrup- tion, Lucifee ; the other, the wild cat. The Loup Cervier, when full grown, measures four feet from head to tail, the tail four inches.

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It is generally of a light gray, interspersed with minute spots of black : the tips of the ears and tail are jet black, the throat, breast, and belly white. In shape, it is thick and strong, in height about eighteen inches, the fur long, but thick and fine, extending to the feet. It is fierce and powerful, destroys many hares and partridges, and frequently commits depredations among sheep ; has very sharp strong claws, and climbs trees with great facility. It never attacks man, and is generally taken in traps, baited with a piece of mutton or venison. It is very destructive to deer, passing from tree to tree, until it gets directly over its prey, when it pounces from a lofty branch, and rarely fails in fas- tening upon the deer's back, holding on by teeth and talons, until the victim sinks from pain and exhaustion.

The Wild Cat is about one quarter less in size than the Loup Cervier, has shorter hair on the legs, and a longer tail, without the

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black tip. In other respects it resembles the Loup Cervier in nature and habits.

Wolves are not indigenous to the province, but have made their appearance in New Brunswick, following the deer, likewise a stranger, which they have driven before them from the eastern States.

A Mr. Andrews, of St. Andrew's, who carries on an extensive " logging" business, contrived very ingeniously to make great slaughter among a pack of wolves. His saw-mills are on the Lepraux River, about twenty miles from St. John. He was at his camp, about ten miles from the mouth of the river, and about one mile from its shore, in the early part of December, with three of his men. About ten o'clock in the even- ing, the howling of wolves was heard some short distance off, and in a very few minutes, some forty or fifty of them made their ap- pearance, and in a short time the top of the camp was covered with them ; — but, a torch

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of birch-bark having been lighted up, the whole drove scampered off.

Mr. Andrews at once thought of a plan to capture some of his unwelcome visitors. Himself and men went to work the next morning, and made about fifty or sixty stakes, three and a half feet long, ex- ceedingly sharp, and hardened them by putting the ends in the fire: and, having driven them in the ground about the camp, with the sharp end upwards, about three deep, they prepared torches made of white birch-bark, and, early in the evening, secured themselves in their camp. About the same time as on the former evening, a large number of wolves again made their appear- ance, and, as before, took possession of the top of the camp, — about fifty in number — looking down at the inmates through the hole in the top of the camp, left for the smoke to escape. Immediately the torches were lighted up, and the drove of wolves

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scampered off in all directions, leaping from the roof of the camp on the sharp stakes; and in this way fifteen of these ferocious animals were destroyed. The excessive light of the torches through the chimney-hole caused so great a darkness near the ground that it prevented the wolves from seeing the stakes, and they consequently leaped upon them.

The musk-rat is an amphibious animal, and resembles the beaver in its habits. It is about fifteen inches in length, its tail about a foot, and similar to that of a rat. It is less afraid of man than the beaver, and is very frequently found in ponds and creeks in the cultivated parts of the country. In ponds and low marshes it generally builds houses, very similar to those of the beaver; but on the banks of rivers it burrows in the alluvial soil, and brings forth a large litter of young. These the Indians take as soon as they are of sufficient size, in August and

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September, by digging. The skins are not of much value then, but the flesh is excel- lent, and the Milicetes, who are excessively- fond of them, devour immense numbers.

Ill the spring, the musk-rats, or, as they are more generally called, musquash^ are driven from the usual haunts by the floods of melted snow and ice, and are then obliged to roam about for some weeks. They are shot chiefly in the evenings, while swimming and seeking food, and their skins form an article of commerce. The fur is used by hatters, and a large portion of the beaver hats — all those of the second quality — are made of the fur of the musquash, which is substituted for that of the more expensive beaver. The musquash feed chiefly on the roots of the water-lily, and a large species of fresh-water clam, a shell-fish which abounds in all rivers and ponds in New Brunswick.

The mink is of the otter tribe, but smaller, and proverbially black. Its tail is flat and

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hairy. It subsists in the same manner as the otter, but is more destructive of poultry, which it kills by taking off the head and sucking the blood. The fur is very handsome when in full season ; the pitch naugans, or fur purses of the Indians, are made of the skin of the mink.

The porcupine is covered with long brown hair, mixed with stiff, hollow spines, about the size of a small wheat straw. These are of a white colour tipped with black, sharp at the end, and are commonly called quills. It dwells in hollow trees, or in cavities under their roots ; and feeds on nuts, buds, and the cones of the balsam fir {abies bahamifera). Its flesh is palatable and nutritious. The quills are much valued by the Indians, who dye them of various brilliant colours, and use them in ornamenting their mocassins, belts, birch-bark baskets, and boxes.

The Micmac name of the porcupine is ^^ Madawas^'' and hence '^ Madawaska^' or

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" the country of the porcupines^'' the name by which the territory above the grand falls of the St. John is known, and about which so much has been said, in reference to the Ash- burton treaty.

A few beavers are still to be found in the northern or upper part of New Brunswick, although fast yielding to the encroachment of civilization.

There are many racoons in the province, but it is a rather curious fact that none are to be found in the Madawaska country above the great falls.

Hares are very numerous in New Bruns- wick. Rabbits do not exist ; but the hare in these countries is a different animal from the European,^ inasmuch as it " goes to ground "

Lepus Americanus of Linnaeus. Tail short, hind-legs half longer than the body, tips of the ears and tail gray. Inhabits North America, shelters by day under and in the hollows of trees ; does not burrow, breeds twice a year, brings five to seven young. Fur gets longer and more silvery farther north ; eight inches long : hind-legs longer than common hare; flesh good.

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under the roots of trees and into decided burrows, which is not the case with the latter. The ears are long, and become perfectly white during winter. The market at St. John is plentifully supplied with them during the winter months, when they are brought in frozen. Numbers of the spruce partridge likewise come in frozen at the same time.

Wherever the forest has suffered from fire, raspberries spring up in quantities ; these are the favourite food of the bear. In winter bears lie in a torpid state in some hollow tree ; a scathed pine is generally selected, sur- rounded by a thick undergrowth of birch and raspberries, which have succeeded the devas- tation caused by the fire. The greatest care is taken by Bruin to obliterate all traces of his abode ; but, owing to the searching eye of the Indian, certain scratches of the ani- mal's claws on the charred surface of the tree disclose his winter quarters, when an axe soon prostrates the tree, which, bursting in its

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fall, bundles Bruin out, to his great asto- nishment.

The only opportunity I ever had of shoot- ing a bear was when, lying down to rest upon a cranberry barren, a huge she-bear came trotting along with her cub, when, just as I was in the act of firing at her, the Indian knocked up the rifle. They will parry any blow made at them with an axe with the greatest ease, and, when accompanied by their young, the Indians generally give them a wide berth, for, if then wounded, they will rush upon their assailant.

In the chase of the bear, the Indians prefer slugs to a single ball, as the latter, unless it strikes point-blank, will not penetrate the skull, and, if not killed dead (by being shot through the brain or heart), they will often suddenly spring up and show fight. But a very experienced hand will hug a bear, and choke him, by dexterously seizing him by the windpipe.

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A brother officer and myself purchased a couple of bear-cubs, so young that they were obliged to be reared with the greatest care. A Scheidam bottle was filled with milk and the muzzle covered with vellum, from which they contrived to suckle themselves perfectly ; this I mention, having read of the great diffi- culty of rearing very young bears. For six weeks they stuck to their bottle, and were the most innocent and interesting little blue-eyed rascals, very playful, and would lick any one's hands like a calf. But as they increased in stature they took to climbing and malpractices, until they became an absolute nuisance. They would climb up any thing from the big drum to a chimney. One fine day, a review was ordered, and, as most of the officers' servants were in the ranks, they took the precaution to lock their masters' doors. On the parade being dismissed, one of them, who had locked his master's door carefully, was not a little surprised to find a shaving-brush stowed

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away In a boot, a powder-horn in a jug, and tooth-brushes in that piece of furniture which *' the most absent man in the world" put into his bed, placing himself where it usually stands. This was the servant's account, whether true or not ; the chimney was the only way by which they could have entered. Many reports of this sort obliged us to tie up the no longer little Bruins; and, their mischievous practices increasing, they w^ere made over to another regiment when we moved to Upper Canada.

Apropos to the convenience of chimneys to gentlemen of the light-fingered fraternity. A story is told of a regiment quartered in Porto Bello Barracks, (Dublin) which was ordered to muster as strong as possible on the "Fifteen Acres," and, as before stated, all hands were to attend, a trick of the above kind was played by a species of sable bipeds called chimney-sweepers, who got over the barrack wall at some convenient distance

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from the sentinels, and, by beginning at one end, succeeded in sacking and carrying off a quantity of epaulettes, sashes, and roba of that sort generally to be found lying about in officers' quarters.

The thieves who haunt the Dublin barracks are the most inveterate in the world. A flagrant case occurred to an officer whom I relieved on guard at the royal barracks. He had lain down on his bed and fallen asleep, and when he awoke to a sense of his situation, it was not like the hard-goers of the old Irish school, immortalized by Sir Jonah Barrington, to find that his head, after a three nights' debauch, was so firmly fixed in a fresh plaistered wall that it required to be dug out with a pickaxe ; but to discover the loss of both of his epaulets, which had been abstracted by one of a certain class of females haunting the locale, who actually cut them off his shoulders whilst enjoying his ** beauty sleep."

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That my friend was a pretty good sleeper may be inferred from an adventure he had when dining out in the neighbourhood of Durrow. He had gone in a hack-chaise, which, during the time that he was enjoying his claret, was left standing before the hall-door. My friend, who found sundry chasse caflfes, or rather " night-caps'* of " raspberry poteen," excellent, got quietly out of the room, "whilst the horses were putting-to," and tumbled into the '' yellow agony," calling lustily to the boy to drive on. He fell asleep in a moment, and only awoke in the morning to find himself still before the door of his hospitable entertainer, the " putting-to " having existed only in his own imagination. Mais revenons a nos moutons.

The flesh of a young bear is excellent ; and the paws, in particular, are reckoned a greater honne-houclie than the tongue of the reindeer, the hump of the bison, the tail of the beaver, or mouffle of the moose. So delicious is it, that,

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on one occasion, the governor of the province, a gourmand and courtier, on his way to the seat of government, dined at the mess at St. John, and ate plentifully of a haunch of bear, smothered in currant-jelly, made most com- plimentary speeches as to the known reputa- tion of the " comme-il-faut mess," begged to know how they contrived to have such capital mutton, and wound up by declaring he had never eaten better in his life.

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CHAPTER VI.

NEW BRUNSWICK — OF THE DEER, AND WOOD- CRAFT.

turn figere damas,

Cum nix alta jacet, glaciem cum flumina trudunt.

Thus nature, like an ancient free upholster,

Did furnish us with bedstead, bed, and bolster ;

And the kind skies (for which high Heaven be thanked !)

Allowed us a large covering, and a blanket."

Moose — Cervus Hibernicus, not Antediluvian — Caraboo — Accidents " will happen" — ^Virginian Deer — Toggery for the Woods — Snow Shoes — " Mai a la raquette" prevented — Hints — Wood-craft — Lose way — Escape being frozen.

New Brunswick was the favourite resort of the moose, but in the early settlement of the province, they were destroyed in thou- sands, for the sake of their hides and tallow. At present they are rarely to be met with, but are, according to the accounts of the Indians, likely to become numerous again, as

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thej are gradually finding their way back from Canada and Maine, in search of their favourite " moose- wood," so plentiful on the upper St. John.

That the moose deer, or elk, cervus alces^ at present inhabiting the continents of Northern Europe and America, is a totally different ani- mal in its construction from the so-called fossil moose, found in the bogs of Ireland, has long since been ascertained. Of this the want of the brow-antlers in the moose-deer or elk is of itself sufficient proof. Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, writes — "I lament that I am not able to discover the animal which owned the vast horns so often found in the bogs of Ireland, so long and so confidently attributed to the moose." He quotes the size of diffe- rent horns which have been found sometimes " eight feet long, fourteen between tip and tip, furnished with brow-antlers, and weighing three hundred pounds ; the whole skeleton is frequently found with them."

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This deficiency of the brow-antlers alone would at once prove that it is not the same animal : however, I add some very important and curio as facts relative to the " cervus Hiber- nicus,'^ as furnished to me by Mr. Glennon, of Suffolk Street, Dublin, whereby it will be clearly seen that they were not antediluvian, and that they bore in their configuration a great simi- larity to the present fallow-deer — cervus damn.

The moose-deer inhabiting North America is the same species as the elk of Europe — the term moose being no other than the name given to that animal by the Algonquin In- dians, once the most powerful tribe in North America ; " moosu" (the final u is hardly pro- nounced) being their name for the elk. The French Canadians call it the " Original." The horns of the elk or moose-deer at present inhabiting the continents of Northern Europe and America have no brow-antlers, but a mere continuation of the palm snags, and rarely are found to measure above four feet from tip to

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tip, in a straight line, whereas those of the fossil moose, so called, (cenms Hibernicus), have been found to measure nearly ten feet across. Mr. Glennon has at present a set of horns that measure in a straight line from tip to tip nine feet six inches, and by the curve sixteen feet six inches, and in a perpendicular line, from the nose to the nearest spike, six feet three inches.

The reindeer, male and female, have horns, and the brow-antlers are fingered, palmated, standing edgeways, and are a continuation of the great palm.

The stag's or red deer's horns are round and not palmated, and have a continued row of brow-antlers on each horn, or to where it is crowned at top, numbering from one to four.

There is therefore no species of the deer tribe at the present time existing, having brow- antlers and palmated horns, but the fallow- deer. Further, the skull or os frontis of the

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cervus Hibernicus is short by comparison with the great length of the horns, which would give it the exact appearance of the fallow- deer ; whereas the present moose-deer or elk has an unusually large, long, and ugly head.

Mr. Glennon has in his possession a ske- leton of the cervus Hibernicus, which is nine feet six inches long, seven feet six inches from the coffin bone of the hoof to the top of the bony process of the dorsal vertebrae, and seven feet six inches from the hoof-bones of the hind foot to the top of the pelvis bone. When stand- ing with the head and neck reined up, it would have required eighteen feet head -room. From the contour of the skeleton, it has the appear- ance of standing square hip to shoulder, like our common fallow-deer, which he declares to be decidedly the only living type of that stupen- dous and noble animal : and, like the fallow- deer, the female was without horns.

Mr. Glennon has further informed me that, together with Mr, Lesly Oglevy, a gentleman

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of great research, he has travelled through the greater part of the counties of Cork, Kerry, and Waterford, in which there are scarcely any deposits of calcareous tuffa, which consist of pulverized limestone, vegetable and mineral acids, and decomposed vegetable mould ; in these are found the cervus Hi- bernicus, and not in shell marl, as it is vul- garly supposed — '* as it would take," I quote his own words, " more fresh and salt water shells than ever existed from the time of Noah to the present day, to form such beds of calcareous tuffa as those contained in Ire- land, and in which the remains of the fossil deer are discovered." And, after stating that he has discovered that neither the male nor female had a wagging tail, as he can prove by several bones attached to different pelvises, he comes to the most important point of all, and he goes on to give his reasons for believing that the cervus Hibernicus, or fossil moose- deer, so called, is not antediluvian.

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*' I likewise believe that the animal has been slaughtered by man for food long after Noah's time; and, as a proof of the above assertion, I am enabled to discover their re- mains by landmarks and different vegetables, such as the hippuris, or mares-tail, or Ger- man rush, the dwarf willow, and always in the neighbourhood of Danish raths or forts, as they are called. And, further, as another proof of their having been killed by man, I have found in one pit six perfect skeletons of the male, and one head of which I could not find one single bone belonging to the skeleton ; and many of the bones of those composing the six had marks of hatchets or choppers upon them; and buried with them in the same hole I found the bones of oxen, horses, pigs, and birds."

The caraboo (the reindeer of Europe) differs in many respects from the rest of the deer tribe. Both male and female have horns, the antlers are of all shapes, those

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of the buck being larger, and more straggling than the female's. The hoof is large, round, and shaped like an ox*s, and, from the peculiar formation of the feet, which divide nearly up to the first or fetlock joint, the animal is en- abled to gallop over glare ice, clanging his hoofs together with great noise. A New Brunswick lumberer declared to me, that he once drove a caraboo on the Grand Lake, when frozen over (a sheet of w^ater some fifty miles in length), and after an exciting chase on skates, he succeeded in tiring him fairly out, and killing him with his axe.

All other of the deer tribe browse upon leaves, the young shoots of trees, or under cover. The caraboo, on the contrary, love to feed upon the mosses growing on the great barrens or plains, in the spruce fir forests, called caraboo barrens (upon which the large American cranberry grows). In winter, so long as the snow remains soft, they scrape it up with their feet to get at their favourite

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mosses ; but, when it is frozen too hard, they are driven to feed upon the hanging lichens, and on the stunted firs, struggling to vegetate on the spongy soil. They find pickings, too, under the banks and along the edges of the frozen lakes. Further, Nature has endowed these animals with such instinct, that, towards the spring of the year, when the heat of the noon-day's sun has melted the surface of the snow in the woods, no power can drive them into it, where they would sink up to their bodies and be easily overtaken ; but they will remain upon the frozen lakes, round and round which they gallop until they drop dead. The venison is not so good as that of the moose or the common deer.

The deer (cervus Virginianus) were not indigenous in the New Brunswick forests, but have found their way up from the Eastern States, driven it is said by the wolves. They are about the size of the red deer of Europe, are the most graceful of their species, with a long tail, which when alarmed and in the act

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of bounding through the forests, they have the power of turning over their backs : it is an object very perceptible in the woods, from its whiteness, and, when seen in this position by the hunter, he may receive it as a warning that it is the last of the animal that he will see that day. They have been very numerous in the province of late years ; but their old enemies the wolves have found them out and are fast thinning them off: they are seldom to be seen east of the St. John river, never in Nova Scotia.

The months of March and April are the best to hunt the caraboo. After a fresh fall of snow, I used to sleigh as far as Mather's (a tavern so named after its landlord, an old soldier, and a jolly dog), and there, leaving my horses, set off on snow-shoes, accompanied by an Indian, in a south-westerly direction, some ten or twelve miles, to the Bald Moun- tain,^ the neighbourhood of which is the favourite haunt of caraboo.

^ The Bald Mountain, so called from a large cap of white

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The Indians, so eager in the chase, are dis- gusted beyond measure at any failure in killing or at missing a shot on the part of the white man. With ever so ordinary a gun, they contrive to shoot true with a single ball. They have the greatest possible respect for a good shot ; and I had established my reputa- tion among them, as such, by the merest acci- dent. I was in old Saccobe's canoe — his favourite canoe the " Waptook " (wild goose), and was accompanying Mr. Gesner and a large party, who were ascending the Salmon river, at the head of the Grand Lake, upon a geological survey. Six or seven canoes were paddled in line up the beautiful river,

granite on its summit, is the great feature of that part of the country, and well repays the trouble of climbing to the top, by the magnificent view (unlike any thing in Europe) ob- tained over the great forest, interspersed with countless frozen lakes. To the north, the view extends over the line of the Oromuc as far as Fredericton and the St. John's river; to the eastward, over the Bay of Fundy, and the coast of Nova Scotia ; and to the south lies Passamaquoddy Bay, studded with thousands of islands — most especially striking is the stillness which reigns over the whole. VOL. I. I

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when Saccobe pointed out a small bird of the dotterel tribe, perched upon the top of a fantastically-shaped rock of granite, in the midst of the stream, about eighty yards off. I took up my rifle, and knocked the bird over. A simultaneous shout from all the Indians reverberated through the woods, echoing far and near ; and I lay down that night on my " spruce bed," an established " crack shot " amongst the Milicetes ; but I repeat that it was a lucky shot, and the probability is that I should not have succeeded again in twenty times.

: However, my reputation suffered a severe reverse the following winter when in company with Sabbattis. I had followed the trail of nine caraboo for two days. By the state of the frozen tracks, the Indian can tell to a few minutes how far the game is ahead : John at last declared we were close to them. A frozen lake lay below us. We walked a great circle to ascertain whether they had left it. After

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a long fag, and just as we had completed the circle, we debouched upon a narrow point, running into the lake, when we saw them all, following in Indian file, and browsing along the banks. Unperceived, we slipped off our snow- shoes, and raced to the other side of the point ; and, the wind being favourable, lay down in the hopes of their feeding our way. I had a German rifle, one barrel smooth, but both loaded with ball : the deer came so close that I fancied by rolling down a second ball I should have a better chance of killing more than one. Fired — missed — the balls flew too high ; one had slightly rased the skin, but did no further damage; the rifled barrel missed fire, snow having got into the nipple. John was frantic, and, being a Catholic, invoked all the saints in his calendar — a very limited one. The deer, which immediately started off on my firing, were now as suddenly stopped by John's shouting and roaring, and formed up in a half circle in front of us. John thun-

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dered out " Load !" I shook in the powder — the ramrod stuck in the greased rag, and no power could move it, at least, not his ; he tore at it with his teeth, and blasphemed to a fearful average. I put on a cap and fired off ramrod and all ; one went off limping and we in chase ; but the traces and blood in the track became fainter; he was evidently gaining strength, so we gave in, and abandoned the chase.

This is mentioned also as an instance of the great fag and disappointment which fre- quently occurs to the caraboo hunter. It is useless to pursue them, for, when once alarmed, if not wounded, they will gallop right ahead for four and twenty hours : — fresh tracks must be searched for, or the hunter may as well leave that district.

The operation of walking upon snow-shoes is a knack in which those only succeed who have a liking for it. The soldiers of the regi- ment were drilled upon them previously to

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their march over " the Portage " to Quebec, in 1837; and while some picked up the method at once, others floundered about, and only accomplished it with the greatest fatigue. These snow-shoes, upwards of four feet in length, are of an oval shape ; the light bow or framework is made of tough ash, in the manner of a racket ; and a fine network of the sinews of the caraboo is threaded across it. They are attached to the feet by thick thongs made from the skin of the same ani- mal ; these are crossed over the toes ; by which the snow-shoes are dragged or rather jerked forward. There is so much spring in them when well constructed, that, when the snow is in good order, and the walker in good practice, thirty miles a day may be accom- plished with comparative ease. It is neces- sary to wear three or four pair of thick woollen socks under the mocassins to prevent the toes from being lacerated ; — the Indians substitute a piece of flannel doubled, and

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which, perhaps, is preferable. On coming to a descent when on snow-shoes, by sitting down upon them, and holding the heels fast to guide them, one slides down in the manner of a montagne Russe,

The produce of the chase is dragged out of the woods upon thin boards, eight or nine feet in length, called tabaugans, turned up at one end to prevent their hitching in the snow. The venison is packed upon them, and covered over with a blanket. With the exception of going up hill, the labour of hauling them is not great, as they slide over the snow : when descending, they are slid in front, and restrained by the tow-line.

A dress made of white blanket, which from its texture throws off the snow, and from its colour is not observable in the woods, is best suited for winter hunting. The coat should be made as a hunting shirt, or double-breasted. The waist is confined by a broad leather belt, from which hangs a scabbard to hold the

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hunting-knife, and through it is thrust a small axe or tomahawk. To these should be added a tinder-box, a pocket compass, and a pocket pistol, containing a small quantity of brandy for the use of self, to be used medicinally, as the teetotallers have it ; for, as I have said, an Indian, however drunk he will get in the towns, makes it a point of honour never to touch spirits when in the woods : his duty is to carry bis- cuits, salt pork, a kettle, and a frying-pan, rolled up in a blanket, which serves as a cover at night.

A certain degree of tact is required in selecting the spot best adapted for camping for the night, and it is necessary to begin the operation two hours at least before sundown. Firewood, water, and shelter, are indispen- sably necessary. Numbers of white pine are to be found of an enormous growth, which, having died from old age, stand bleached and scathed among the living mass. One of these, when cut down, will, as it falls.

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splinter into a thousand pieces. The largest slabs serve to cover in the back of the camp, and the remainder are piled close to the fire — this burns like tinder. A live tree must like- wise be cut and hewn into lengths for back logs, which, from being green, burn but slowly.

The fire made, the snow is shovelled out with the snow-shoes to the required size, until the frozen earth is quite cleared, over which is then laid a thick covering of the ends of the branches of the silver fir, broken off short by the hand, and layer placed over layer in the manner of a tile roof, slanting towards the fire. Two upright forked sticks are driven into the ground, across which is laid a long pole, and against it, at an angle, the pine planks (when a pine is not to be had, then birch-bark or fir branches are used), and the snow which was shovelled out is packed round the outside to make all air- tight. The camp completed, the snow-shoes

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are stuck upright in the snow, at a sufficiently moderate distance to dry them gradually ; the socks, &c., are hung upon the cross beam overhead, and the venison and tabaugans so placed that wolves or lynxes may not take a fancy to them.

Thus encompassed by a wall of snow some three feet high, and with one's feet towards a roaring fire, it is sufficiently snug ; but to- wards morning, when the fire burns low, although your feet may be enjoying the luxury of an even temperature, your head and shoulders recline in that of some twenty or thirty degrees below the freezing point. When awakened, therefore, at intervals by the in- tensity of the cold, an armful of the dry pine wood comes into play. An Indian hates to be roused to perform this office. He either does not feel the cold, or is too idle to stir, and I always found that they disliked it more than being asked to carry great weights for a whole day, or other severe fag ; in fact, it is

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the only sort of trouble they object to. I therefore always made up the fire myself, particularly as the exertion of shaking them was even greater than the trouble of heaping on the wood.

Any one who has encamped in Indian fashion knows the amusement of barking birch by way of pastime. It peels beautifully, layer after layer — a decided improvement upon the Yankee fashion of " whittling " — and clean plates are not required when it is to be had. The Indians make the greatest use of it. It covers-in their wigwams, is sewed together for that purpose, and, when they move, is rolled up. Their canoes, boxes, and in short all their utensils, are made of it. Birch-bark torches light instantly, burn brilliantly, and emit the most delicious aromatic fragrance.

After a good supper, we lit our pipes, and, the fatigues of the chase being talked over and forgotten, I used to listen to old John's interesting accounts of his hunting expedi-

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tions, his manner of finding game, the power of keeping his course through the woods, his adventures, escapes, and endless tales of the forest.

When in the woods, the Indians never call to each other, as a whistle does not disturb game so much. It is to be recollected, when- ever an halloo is required, that the voice will echo in the opposite direction to the mouth from which the shout proceeds; so, should the person turn round at the same time, the sound will appear to come from all parts of the wood. This, therefore, causes great per- plexity. All kinds of deer will stop short when hallooed at sharply, even when alarmed and galloping ever so fast through the forest ; they imagine themselves to be running into danger, and therefore halt for an instant only ; long enough to glance round ; that is the moment when the Indian fires.

The bark of the white willow, when dried, is a good substitute for tobacco, and when

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mixed with it is very agreeable, and modifies the strong oily taste.

With the Labrador tea (ledum latifolium)^ and a small evergreen leaf, called wintergreen {gaulthceria procumbeus) the Indians make bitter but refreshing beverages. The way they procure sugar is, by tapping the rock or sugar maple when the sap is running up ; the tree bleeds profusely, and the stuff, when boiled, makes excellent sugar. The w^ood is very tough, and from it are made canoe paddles, the jaws of the salmon spears, &c. When in an unhealthy state, enormous excrescences grow from this tree ; from these the beautiful bird's-eye maple is cut for veneering ; it is not, as is generally supposed, a distinct species.

South-westerly winds prevail towards the autumn ; consequently, the young shoots, and, in fact, the whole of the tops of the pines, incline to the north-east. The trees, when blown down at this seaJ^on, also lie in the

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same direction ; and, in thick weather, the Indian mainly depends upon these signs for keeping his course ; but for the same purpose he examines the bark of the hard wood, and discovers by its roughness on what side the tree is exposed to the north-east gales and snow-storms.

To strike a light, iron and stone are indis- pensably necessary ; an excrescence growing upon the black birch makes excellent tinder ; this, ignited, is put into a heap of dried splinters, almost powder, obtained from the interior of the pine ; all is then placed in a piece of birch-bark, and whirled round until the action of the air causes it to blaze.

But how well versed soever in woodcraft, let no one ever go into the woods without an accurate knowledge of the locale of the country, the general course of the rivers, the situation of lakes, and the direction of any roads which may be in the district, for he can never know, in the eagerness of the chase.

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what accident may separate him from his guide or party ; above all, let him never be without an axe, a compass, and the means of making a fire.

Never shall I forget having parted, on one occasion, from my guide, near the Bald Moun- tain, confident in the power of finding my way out, some eight or ten miles to the Nerepis road. We had had a hard day's work ; the effect of the noonday sun upon the snow had been great ; the crust had com- pletely disappeared, and my snow-shoes sunk deep at every step ; I became fagged, could not recollect, or was not satisfied with the appearance of the timber and frozen streams passed ; became more and more confused, dead beat, and fell often. The horror of being frozen to death came upon me ; I was without the means of striking a light or making a fire : I had heard that the only thing to be done in such an emergency was to beat the snow down into a circle, and run

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round it all night — a most consolatory pro- spect for a man dead-beat. Night was coming on fast ; I floundered on and on, when, just as I was about to give in, I stepped into the sleigh-track, which told me I had struck the Nerepis road. The sort of ecstacy in which I slipped off my snow-shoes is indescribable; and so confused had I become, that I ran along the road for nearly half a mile in the opposite direction to Mather's before I found out my mistake.

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CHAPTER VII.

NEW BRUNSWICK — OF THE FISH AND FISHING.

When artful flies the angler would prepare, This task of all deserves his utmost care ; Nor verse nor prose can ever teach him well What masters only know, and practice tell.

Salmon spearing — Sturgeon and Molly Greenbaize —Shad — Gaspereaux — ^Bass — Flies — The Curry- Curry, gaudy and large, the best for North American waters — Matty Blake and the " YoUyBuflT' — Receipts for dying — Mosquito mix- ture.

The rivers of New Brunswick are fre- quented by a great variety of fish, which ascenr] them annually to spawn. The princi- pal of these are the salmon, sturgeon, bass, shad, gaspereau, smelts, and some others of less importance. The rivers also abound with a great variety of fish, which are constantly found in these waters, and never

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descend to the sea. These are the trout, perch, (red and white) eels, cusk, carp, wach, dace, gudgeon, bleak, gizzard-fish, and an infinite variety of others, some of which have not even a name, and are yet undescribed by any professor of natural history.

When the salmon make their appearance in the Nashwak, fleets of canoes, each con- taining a couple of Indians, leave Fredericton to spear them by torch-light. The fish, checked by the falls, are collected in great numbers in the pools below. Nothing can be more exciting than this scene — the canoes hurled about in all directions by the foaming tide, the skill displayed by the Indians in forcing them up the rapids, and fending them off the rocks, or allowing them to plunge head-foremost down stream, when they sud- denly bring them to, and transfix their fish. The eagerness of the chase, the contrast of the flaming torches with the black masses of the woods, and the fine attitudes of the men,

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dashing at the salmon with their long spears, form a wild and most animating pic- ture. The spear, which is most destructive, is very simple in its construction, and does not lacerate or spoil the fish. A spike of iron is fastened between two jaws made of rock maple, into the end of a long light fir pole. When the fish is stuck, the jaws open far enough to allow the spike to pierce and break the vertebrae of the spine, and, closing round the fish at the same time, hold it fast. The sturgeon of the New Brunswick waters are large, frequently eight feet in length, and sometimes twelve. They are a coarse fish, not at all esteemed, are seldom caught or molested, and therefore abound. When run- ning up stream, they leap out of the water to a great height. A good story is told of an old squaw : whilst paddling down the river, one of these fish j umped on board her canoe, with such impetus, that it must have gone clean through the bottom, had not Molly

THE BACKWOODS. 18?

Greenbaize, quick as lightning, seized it by the tail before the head and shoulders of the fish had got well through ; and, its progress thus arrested, it did the duty of a plug, until she contrived to work her canoe ashore.

The trout-fishing is excellent, and nowhere to be surpassed ; except, perhaps, in Labrador. No sooner does the ice break up, than myriads of flies appear upon the water, and the trout come upon them at once. The Indians, not being disciples of Izaak Walton, know no other means of fishing for them than by cutting a hole in the ice, when the fish instantly come to the aperture, and will take almost any kind of bait ; they, however, do not consider them worth the trouble of fishing for, and only resort to the piscatorial art when in actual want, on a hunting expe- dition, or when other game fails. In the Redhead River, some few miles from St. John, are to be caught the most delicious trout : it is a back-water frem the sea, and is

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occasionally affected by it at very high spring tides, a circumstance which, no doubt, has its influence on the flavour of the fish. In the Lough Lomond lakes, also in the chain of lakes beyond the Bald Mountain, having their outlet in the Musquash marshes, and in the rivers connecting these lakes, the fly-fishing is excellent.

The shad, ^' clupea alosa,'' is a valuable fish, and bears so much resemblance in its general conformation to the herring, as to be called by the New England fishermen " the mother of herring." This fish is from three 4o seven pounds weight ; has a sloping head, body tapering towards the tail, teeth small and sharp, dorsal fin nearly in the centre, ab- domen sharp and serrated, tail forked, back a dusky blue.

The gaspereau, " clupea vermalis,^' holds a middle place between the shad and her- ring, having the general characteristics of both and similar habits. Vast quantities

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are pickled aud smoked both for home and foreign consumption. They begin to ascend the rivers in April, and continue ascending until July. They are taken in quantities, with large landing-nets, in the pools below the rapids, in the eddies, and in the cavities of the rocks.

Bass is a Dutch name for a species of perch known as the rock bass, or striped bass, {perca labraa;,) On the sides are parallel lines, like narrow ribbons, eight in number, whence the name of striped bass. Next to mackerel, this is the handsomest of the native fishes of New Brunswick.

Striped bass are sea fish, but principally subsist near the mouths of rivers, which they ascend as high as they can conveniently go. On the approach of winter, instead of striking out into the deep water of the open ocean, the bass finds a residence in ponds, coves, rivers, and quiet arms of the sea, where, un- disturbed and comfortably, it remains till the

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following spring. The bass weighs from three to forty pounds. The largest are taken during the winter, by night-lines, on the Gem- sey, and the deep, still streams called the " thoroughfares," which connect the grand lake with its tributary lakes. Such great de- struction of bass has taken place on the northern rivers of New Brunswick, particu- larly the Richibucto, by cutting holes in the ice, and lifting the fish out with dip-nets in very severe w^eather, when the bass were lying in a torpid state, that special enact- ments have been made to prevent this waste of the finny tribe.

In sharp tide-ways, during the summer, they are readily caught with trolling tackle and a small fish as a bait : with a salmon rod they afford fine sport.

I would fain say something of the flies best suited to the New Brunswick waters ; but on this subject no two fishermen ever agree : it is proverbial that doctors differ, that ladies

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differ, that statesmen differ — but no people so much as fishermen in the momentous affair of the choice of flies. It is well known to those whose experience is worth consulting, that the fly which will kill well in one water would not be looked at by the fish in another; and, moreover, trout are so capricious, that the fly at which they will rise freely for one hour in the day, the next they will not even look at ; or, if they do, it is to rise false and endeavour to drown it by slapping at it with their tails-; and thus it happens that many fish are caught by being " hooked foul,'* as the fishermen term it.

It may be given as a general rule, however, that as the insects of the new world are both larger and brighter than in the old, so the artificial flies should also be large and gaudy: and, if the angler be not artist enough to tie his own flies, and wishes to provide himself with a batch previously to visiting North America, let him select those only which

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would be preferred by the cockney sportsman. All the lists of palmers, or, as old Izaac has it, " the dun-fly, the stone-fly, the red-fly, the moor-fly, the tawny-fly, the shell-fly, the cloudy or blackish-fly, the flag-fly, the vine- fly : there be — of flies, caterpillars, and canker- flies, and bear-flies — and, indeed, too many either for me to name or for you to remem- ber," with their sober relations, the lake-flies, may be left in the shop for the use of the floggers of our hackneyed streams and lakes, whose knowledge of the art has been derived from a careful perusal of Izaac Walton or Sir Humphrey Davy ; or from dear-bought expe- rience, which teaches discrimination between the shades of the " copper," " mulberry," or "purple claret" — the ''pale" or "brown cinnamon," or " sooty olive." Let the Ame- rica bound fisherman then select those most bedizened with gold tinsel, and made of the brightest colours.

There is a saying among fishermen, "a bright

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193

fly on a sunny day," " a dark one for a cloudy day" — but in America both salmon and trout will at all times and in all waters prefer the most brilliant.^

* An angler, of great experience, pointed out the above passage to me, and said that, "although he perfectly agreed with me, and was convinced that all practical fishermen would be of the same opinion, he had remarked a direct contradiction in many of the works on angling." I there- fore took the trouble to look over several ; from which I give, on one side, opinions which bear out my statement, and afterwards those which contradict it.

Pro. Con.

1. It is a general rule by 1. A darker /y, with the all practical fishermen whom wings formed of the feathers I know, that, so far as it can of a starling, or a bald coote, be followed, a dark fly must &c., vAW also be found of be fished upon a cloudy day^ service when the day is ra- a bright one on a sunny day; ther bright, and the water and for this simple reason, clear. — Stephen Oliver s that on dark and gloomy Recollections of Fly-fishing, days dark flies are to be in Westmoreland, 8(C.,^. 110. found on the water, and vice

versa.

2. If the water be full, and 2. Should the clouds dis- somewhat coloured, your flies appear and it become bright, may be of the larger and change your flies for darker darker kind ; if, on the con- ones. — Sir H. Davy. Sal- trary, the water should be monia, p. 112.

low and clear, and the day

VOL. I.

I will mention a circum- K

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For salmon the more gaudy the better — bright orange bodies, and a brilliant blue are always good. These colours imitate the natural dragon-flies of the country. Golden pheasant is sure everywhere.

bright., your fly should be stance which every accom- dressed accordingly. — Hof- plished fly-fisher ought to

land's Anglers^ Manual, p. 205.

know — putting the dark flies on for the bright gleams of the sun, and the gaudy flies when the dark clouds ap- pear.— Ibid. p. 137.

3. The author of the "Hints 3. And note also, that the for Fly-fishers," published in light fly does usually make " The Sporting Review " for most sport in a dark day ; April, 1841, states, after and the darkest and least fly quoting the above, in direct in a bright or clear day. — • contradiction of Younger's Izaac Walton, p. 184.

and of Stodart's views on the same subject, "the two last quotations seem to be con- tradictory of the first, and go to the very opposite ex- treme of Mr. Hofland, and equally wide of the true principled— S.R., v., 270.

4. Small %A^- coloured 4. The sun proves cZoMffy.* flies are for clear waters then must you set forth and clear atmospheres; large, either your ground bait dark ' coloured flies when tackles, or of the Jn^A^es/ of

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For the large sea trout of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, when fishing in tide-ways or at the mouths of harbours, the flies must be very large and gaudy, and should be tied with natural scarlet feathers, (no scarlet dye is so bright when wet,) obtained from the tail- feathers of the gray parrot, or those of the scarlet tanager (tanagra rubra), I do not, however, mean to recommend that the fisher- man should go about visiting with a pair of pincers in his pocket, in order to harass old ladies by his cruelty in extracting the

vice versa. — Besfs Art of your flies. If the sun proves Anglings p. 140. bright and clear, then must

you put on the darkest of your flies, thus must you to work with your flies, light for darkness, and dark for lightness. — Thomas Baker's Art of Angling, 1^.140.

N.B. The best rule is to fish the flies upon the water, and for which Nature will furnish the examples to be imi- tated : by a close examination it will be found that, on dark and cloudy days, dark flies are to be found on the water, and vice versa. He who fishes by rule and not after Nature is no fly-fisher.

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said feathers from their pet birds ; but when fairly obtained they are good. Should he have the opportunity of getting those of the ^'curry curry," or South American Curlew, he will obtain a still more brilliant colour than that of either the scarlet tanager or those fea- thers contained in Poll's tail. No natural scarlet can rival it, except perhaps the top- knot of the ivory-billed woodpecker, the feathers of which are admirably adapted to match as hackles. The flies should be ribbed with a liberal quantity of large round gold thread, until they become entirely scarlet and gold, and so long as a particle of the feather or tinsel remains on the hook they will con- tinue to kill.

For trout fishing, for the above stated rea- son, viz., the size of the insects, " river flies," so termed in England, are absolutely useless ; the fish in New Brunswick will not look at them. Good-sized " lake flies," and those only of the brightest colours, will have any chance.

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The difficulty of obtaining any information about the mystery of dyeing is very great ; it is not to be expected that the shopkeeper, whose existence in many cases depends on his skill in the art, will disclose the secret whereby a particular process of making a certain colour may be known, and by these means get into the hands of his rival in trade. And if perchance a person, by dint of bribery, flatters himself that he has obtained the secret, in all probability there is some item in the receipt omitted, which gives it a pecu- liar shade different from the original — the least difference being fatal to the fly. One story, apropos to this nicety of shade.

There lives in an humble cottage on the shore of Clonave, a character well known to most of the floggers of the Westmeath lakes ; and few there are of them, when fishing Lough Dereverragh, who have not paid a visit to Matty Blake, to obtain, with the silver hook, that addition to their basket, which may make up

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the deficiency of their own skill, or prevent a laugh at going home empty — and on a day when the inmates of the more aristocratic boats take drift after drift, and change over from shore to shore, Matty's " cot " may be seen taking short " falls" under Clonave or Derragh ; and the boatmen of the former, who have not been able to shout " cookoo," have repeatedly called attention, exclaiming, " Matty's in a fish." The interior economy of his cot is delightful. It is flat-bottomed, as are all of this sort of craft ; and that it was watertight no one could gainsay, from the fact of sundry pieces of turf floating about in the bottom ; at one end, under some grass and flaggers are generally from eight to ten fish, nearly as broad as they are long, and in weight varying from three to eight pounds ; at the other a thick piece of the root of a flagger is lying on one of the natural knees of oak (which serve to keep the fabric together), into which piece of flagger are

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stuck the different flies, and various shades of the green drake, which Matty has from time to time tried upon his casting-line.^

Matty Blake's forte, however, lies in his success in dyeing a particular shade of colour called the *' sooty olive,'' and for his skill in fixing the yellow dye, so necessary in match- ing the natural colour of the '^ green drake." Whether he has any midnight dealings with the banshees, who are said to hold their revels under the hawthorn bushes of Kiltoom, is not known, or in the ruined vaults of Mor- timer's Castle, where

" Fairies, by moonlight, oft are seen, Tripping round the smooth sward green ; Her beams reflected from the wave, Afford the light their revels crave."

^ The lake fishermen may take " a wrinkle" from this ; for, instead of being obliged to return your flies wet into the box or book, or to stick them into your hatband — from the latter of which you can only extract them by means of a knife or pair of scissors, and having when re- quired from either of the former, some half dozen scattered about by the winds, you will find it much more convenient, to say nothing of the tax on your patience, when the fish

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Some there are, however, who affirm that it is from a particular kind of peat, other- wise turf, that he extracts his celebrated " sooty ;" and that in the well smoke-dried thatch of Matty's cabin on Clonave lies the whole secret. Be that as it may, there is no such colour to be found elsewhere — and Matty keeps his secret inviolate. But to my story. It so happened that a friend of mine, who had often paid a visit to Matty's ** cabin," for the purpose of buying flies, was fishing on Lough Dereverragh, and, in spite of his smart rod and well-appointed boat, could not raise a fish or a " coohoo'' ; ^ and observing that from the humble cot they were constantly thrusting out a landing-net, and as constantly securing a fine fish, our friend went alongside,

are " mad up" and dashing at " the drake," to be able to extract the fly you wish to put upon your casting-hne in an instant from the pulpy substance of the flaggers.

^ " Cookoo" is the shout of emulation given by the boatmen on the Westmeath waters, to announce that " the fish" is in the "landing-net."

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and asked " on what shade of the drake they were killing?" "On the yolly buff, plaise your honour/' was the reply. My friend tried all the shades of yellow buff he possessed, not forgetting " the monkey ;" and, although the fish were " mad up," and dashing at the drakes, as they freed themselves from their cases, and struggled forth on their flight over the water; and although the trout were swallowing them in dozens, as their wings got entangled in the streaks of froth, still he could not " stir" a fish ; and finally went in for luncheon at a rude pier made of huge stones on the shore of Clonave.

After indulging in pigeon- pies, raayonaise of chicken, cold punch and " a weed," Matty's cot came alongside, in one end of which was reared his rod, and upon the casting-line, as an upper dropper, hung the identical " yolly buff," which had done so much execution in the morning. Matty extended himself on the green turf, for which his locale is famed, and

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waited an expected change in the weather — the fish having suddenly " gone down." My friend entered into conversation, and began an examination of Matty's " foot link," and contrived to detach from it the " yolly buff;" he then jumped into his boat, and desired his men to " give way," at the same time chucking half a crown to Matty, as he called out that he was " sold," and that now it was his turn, Matty very quietly replied, " Yer honour's welcome to it ; they're off the ' yolly buff' for this sason ; and after those bloody white clouds pass over, about half past three, they'll ' be mad up ' on the pale shade of the'rfzVifj/buff.'"

The Indians have the means of staining porcupine's quills, moosehair, or wood for baskets of very brilliant colours, but these they keep strictly secret. Mr. Perley, of New Brunswick, tried, but in vain, to learn their processes ; and, as he did not succeed, it is un- likely they will ever be discovered. The preparations are considered sacred, and the

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slioflitest information has never been known to be given on the subject. A few receipts are given below, which, after much pains and many experiments, have been found to turn out in general clear, bright, and true; and those most appropriate for the North Ameri- can waters, such as the ambers, different shades of blue, green, scarlet, blood-red, and gold, are marked with an asterisk. The more sober colours, such as the cinnamons, browns, and olives, instead of being entirely omitted, are left on the chance of their being useful to the home-bound fisherman. And by steeping the fur or feathers intended to be dyed in a solution of alum, previously to putting them into the colouring liquid, they will be sufficiently /c«'e6/, and will not fade.

One word as to the best material for making body or dubbing. First of all, not only as the most brilliant and clear when held up to light, is the fur of the white seal ; but in the water, which is of much the most importance, it is

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the most lively and transparent of any kind of fur. Next comes pig's down; and last and worst, mohair, which becomes so sodden and dead in the water as never to be used, except in the case of not being able to obtain either of the former.

N.B. Should you, after dyeing any colour, find that it does not please you, or that it has faded, do not cast away the stuff; for, by simply boiling the dyed hair in alum water, it is a singular fact, that the mordant which holds the dye has the peculiar property of obliterating it ; and thus much useless waste, often of a precious material, is avoided.

DYEmO COLOURS FOR ARTIFICIAL FLIES.

All furs, hackles, feathers, &c., previously to being put into any dyeing liquor, must be prepared in alum water (except such dyeing liquor as may have vitriol in it).

Black. — Two ounces of logwood; half an ounce of shumach, boiled a sufficient time in half a pint of water ; wet the stuff, put it in and boil it well ; take it up and cool it ; return it, and boil it again ; take it up again and cool it ; then add one ounce of copperas ; boil it again sufficiently.

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Olive. — Two ounces of fustic; half an ounce of logwood ; boil well ; put in the stuff after wetting ; boil all well ; take it up to cool ; add one ounce of copperas ; return it, and boil it sufficiently.

Brown. — 1. Three ounces of redwood; two ounces of fustic ; boil it well : let it cool ; put in the stuff after wetting; boil it well; take it up, and cool it; put in one ounce of copperas; return the stuff, and take your colour.

2. Two ounces and a half of logwood ; five ounces and two drams of fustic ; half an ounce of shumach ; three ounces of copperas ; half an ounce of alum ; three ounces of redwood.

*Deep Blue. — 1. Indigo, dissolved in warm water, with a mixture of vitriol.

2. Fourpenny worth of arsenic, dissolved by boiling a quart of water for one hour ; dip the feathers or furs, and the oftener repeated the deeper the dye.

3. Add a little logwood and copperas for a brown. N.B. Let this liquor cool before it is used.

*Green. — Threepennyworth of Spanish indigo (pul- verized) ; two ounces of oil of vitriol ; mix together ; put a small proportion of this mixture into warm water, boiling hot for a light blue; a greater quantity for a middle-coloured blue ; and a still greater quantity for a deep-coloured blue. Turmeric, added in small quantity, will produce a shade of green.

♦Blood Ked is made, first, by steeping in madder: second by steeping in Brazilwood. Should the colour be thought too high, dilute with urine.

♦Yellow may be dyed in the following manner : with turmeric, or the bark of the crab-apple tree.

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Sooty Olrtj. — 1. One pennyworth of fustic, two ounces of turmeric ; boil the fustic, and steep the hackles therein when milk-warm.

2. Boil the turmeric and steep the hackles therein (pigs' fur may be boiled in this). This dye will produce the following shades, viz : — brown olive, sooty olive, yellow and gold.

N.B. The hackles to make sooty olive must be a natural black, and the hackles to make a brown must be a natural red.

*Orange. — Oranetto for an orange colour. Steep the hackles when boiling hot.

*GoLD Colour. — 1 . First dip in fustic, boiling hot, wash in cold water, then dip in turmeric boiling hot. The na- tural black hackles with this dye will make a sooty olive, the red a brown one.

2. To dye red and black hackles a beautiful amber. Steep them in one pennyworth of fustic and one penny- worth of the best indigo.

3. Take a small teacupful of ground or powdered fustic, let it boil gently in more than half a pint of pure water, dissolving one pennyworth of Spanish indigo, and pour it into the fustic ; let all boil together slowly ; put into this red, black, or any hackles, and after ten minutes all will be dyed.

The red hackles will become a beautiful amber, the black a colour bordering on amber, the gray a trans- parency very beautiful. Hares' ear may be dyed in the same manner.

*To dye crimson hackles. — Having prepared the hackles first in alum water, that they may hold the dye, boil them in madder till they have absorbed a considerable quantity of the dyeing matter ; then wash them thoroughly, and

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boil them in a separate vessel with cochineal, (an earthen vessel is better than a saucepan) and when you have dyed the hackles well in this, add a very small quantity of copperas to clear the shade. This shade can be darkened ad libitum by the addition of more copperas till you have as many as you fancy.

*Yellow. — Dyers' weed or rocket, so called, will afford a beautiful yellow. This plant is very common, and is to be found in meadows, pastures, walls, and barren uncultivated places.^

Magnificent as is the fly-fishing in New Brunswick, it is not without its desagrernens. Clouds of countless insects beset the face, hands, or any exposed parts of the piscator. Persons there are, it is true, who are not annoyed by mosquitoes, which here abound. But against the attacks of a small species of black gnat or sand-fly, even the tough skin of the Indian is not proof. These fasten on the forehead and behind the ears, and cut like a knife: to keep them off is impossible. By anointing themselves with the fat of pork or bear's grease, the Indians contrive to keep themselves free from their venom. But the white man suffers dreadfully.

^ Reseda Luteola. (Irish buigh mor.)

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Camphorated olive oil, with a few drops of oil of almonds, or any other bitter oil added, is recommended. No one should go into the woods in the fly season without a small pot of this mixture ; for, should his patience be exhausted by the repeated applications neces- sary during the time he may be intent on beguiling the finny tribe, when he lays him- self down to rest at night, it will tend much to allay the pain and inflammation caused by the sting of insects, and he will be sure to thank his stars that he possesses such a luxury.

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CHAPTER VIII.

NOVA SCOTIA — A FORTNIGHT IN BUSH.

I really do think there is no luxury equal to that of lying before a good fire on a good spruce bed, after a good supper and a hard moose, chase in a fine clear frosty moon- light starry night.

Lord E. Fitzgerald.

While round, in brutal jest, were thrown The half-gnawed rib and marrow-bone.

Marmion.

The Start — Annapolis — Micmac Village — Flappers — Trout — Lakes — Rivers — Still Waters — Tracks — Moose — The Death — Potatoes — Indigestion — Turtle — Lampreys — Stone Pipes — Calling the Moose — Emperor of China.

Rifles, guns, fishing-rods, blankets, axes, tomahawks, salt pork, biscuits, and a couple of birch-canoes, the whole under the charge of Francis Glode, a Micmac Indian, were put on board the steamer for Annapolis ; and, all

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the preparations for a fortnight's sojourn " in bush" being completed, Captain E — and myself started from St. John's, in the month of August, to hunt the moose in Nova Scotia. On nearing the coast, the land loomed in the most extraordinary manner, and masses of trees of a gigantic growth hung suspended, as it were, in the heavens. The Wicklow mountains may at times be seen to loom in the same way long after losing sight of the Irish coast ; or, as poor Power would have said, " afte;- you had seen it clane out of sight."

The bay of Annapolis is landlocked on either side by the iron-bound coast of Nova Scotia, and the entrance to it through straits wooded to the water's edge is most striking ; the canoes of the Micmac Indians, hunting the porpoise, which covered the water at the time, added not a little to the picturesque effect. Suddenly the bay opened, and, after an hour's steaming, the *' Maid of the Mist " landed us at Annapolis, where we were joined

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by the chief of the tribe, Charles Glode, (our guide's brother,) and another Indian, supposed to be the most accomplished moose-hunter in the province ; he spoke no language but that of his nation, was a fine athletic fellow, and lived entirely by the produce of the chase.

The result of a consultation was, that we were to strike the head- waters of a river about ten miles south of Annapolis, and follow it through a chain of lakes until it finally emptied itself into the Atlantic below Hali fax. The hunting ground once settled, the Indians shouldered the provisions, and, placing the canoes on their heads, went off at a long trot, and we, who had only our rifles to carry, found quite enough to do to keep pace with them.

An Indian path led to a Micmac village of some twelve or fourteen lodges, where they halted for their hunting-knives, toma- hawks, and other necessary apparatus for the

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chase ; and we smoked the pipe with their squaws.

Happy mortal ! he who knows Pleasure which a pipe bestows. Curling eddies climb the room, Wafting round a mild perfume.

On leaving the village, we struck directly into the woods, following in Indian file. On reaching the first lake, it was found necessary to stanch the canoes before launching, an operation easily performed by applying lighted torches of bark to the gum and resin with which the seams are covered ; when melted sufficiently, the Indian wetted his thumb, (in the manner most convenient to himself,) and plastered the resin anew over the seams. That finished, we paddled across a lake, crossed a portage, and halted for the night on the shores of the second lake ; and, whilst the Indians were making the camp, a stream close by, full of trout, came most apropos for supper. Trout thus fresh caught and fried

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with salt pork are excellent, and any one who has hunted in the woods of North America can also appreciate a kettle of boiling hot tea ; so refreshing after fatigue, and doubly so on the first day, when fresh from a town life, and before condition has given full play to the muscles.

In the middle of the night we were awakened by the most mournful and painful shrieks, as though a woman was suffering torture, and screaming for assistance. It was the cry of " the Loon," or " Great Nor- thern Diver." They make these noises when alarmed by the sight of bears. One of the Indians snatched up a rifle and disappeared ; he returned towards morning, but without having got a shot. The Indians can imitate the cry of the loon, and, by concealing themselves in the brushwood on the edges of the lakes, and waving their hats, will call them within shot, but they dive so instantaneously, that the click of a copper cap, or a flash in the

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pan, is sufficient to give them warning, and they are under water before the shot can reach them. But by suddenly jumping up with a great noise, you may alarm the bird, when his first impulse will be to open his wings for flight — his second to dive ; then is the moment to catch him. But, unless you are very close to him, he will carry off a large charge of shot.

The following morning, several lakes and portages were crossed in a thick fog. On its suddenly clearing off, we found ourselves in a beautiful lake covered with islands or rather huge rocks of granite and porphyry, of all manner of fantastic shapes and forms; and in the midst of several broods of flappers (young wood ducks ^). The Indians were instantly all excitement ; off they set in chase, straining every nerve, the canoes flying through the water at a most astonishing rate. The flappers dived whenever closed upon, • ^ Dendronessa sponsa.

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until, after two hours of paddling and ma- noeuvring, some six or eight were caught. No bad things for supper, when hunger does duty for Cayenne pepper and Harvey sauce.

The broad outlet from this lake being broken up into a succession of rapids, the skill of the Indians was put to the test, and the canoes often made tremendous lurches, plunging head-foremost into whirlpools ; but the Indians, ever on the alert, fended off and preserved their equilibrium apparently with- out effort.

An Indian never does an awkward thing — when hunting, he never steps upon dry twigs, or any thing likely to alarm the ears of the most watchful animal — he moves without noise — he looks before him, behind him, and from right to left, at every step — he observes the patches of moss, any peculiarity or marked feature, the trees and their branches, which he invariably recognises, should he cross them again. In his canoe he is equally

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on the look-out ; along the shore, or in, or under the water, nothing escapes his notice ; his paddle propels his canoe without noise or splash ; his carriage, his manners, and his movements, are all grace, all ease, because they are natural.

This river was full of large trout, and the merry salmo huko of Sir Humphrey Davy, which, when hooked, jump to the height of four or five feet out of the water. There was also a large species of char, averaging from one to three pounds, as broad and thick as they were long, their bellies of a deep gold colour, covered with blood-red spots — excel- lent to eat, playing very strong, and affording undeniable sport to the angler. So eager would they rise, that five or six would race at the flies at the same time, and would con- tinue to do so, when wings, body, hackles and all were completely stripped off the hooks ; I caught a fine fish of three pounds weight, attracted by the " ghost of a fly,'' a

THE BACKWOODS. 2 1 7

mere bit of tinsel, the only remnant of what had been a mulberry claret, and had done execution in Ireland, when the drake " was upon" Lough Dereverragh ; in fact, they would rise at any thing moving through the water. The rivers teemed with fish ; and, as we could catch any number, we made a few casts into each eddy where the largest fish lay, and which invariably rose first. It was impossi- ble to fish from the banks, they were so overshadowed by the forest ; we were, there- fore, obliged to cast the flies from our canoes, and it required no little skill to kill three large trout which were constantly upon one's casting-line at the same time, and that when sitting in a birch-canoe in a rapid river.

Occasionally we could land upon a rock, or large stone, ^nd fish the pools from thence, but it was a slippery operation at best, and could not always be effected. But the fish- ing was excellent, and flies had never been cast in these streams before. As every

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thing in the New World is on the mammoth scale, so are the insects — the large flies used upon the Westmeath lakes are the correct size and exactly the thing, both in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. But the wear and tear of tackle is great. I had, luckily, materials for making them. The tying amused the Indians not a little, and to them the whole operation of fly-fishing was a source of great curiosity and delight.

The ends of the moose-wood bitten off*, the brushwood broken and trampled down, the water-lilies pulled up and in part eaten, and the numbers of fresh tracks, were certain signs of moose being in the immediate neigh- bourhood ; it was, therefore, deemed imprudent to light fires or make a camp. The canoes, turned over, afforded sufiicient covering for our heads, but the night was cold and we were obliged to forego our kettle of tea, most sensibly felt as the greatest privation after a hard day's fag. We started at daylight next

THE BACKWOODS. ^19

morning, but in a fog, paddling carefully along the " still waters."

These " still waters," so called by the In- dians, are boggy creeks of the great lakes and rivers, and where the water is stagnant : be- tween them and the forests on either side is a luxuriant growth of bog myrtle, dog-wood, moose-wood, Labrador-tea, and wild roses, the resort of bittern ^ and the water-fowl tribe. Through these it is the moose's great delight to wade and suck the water-lilies ; it was in the hopes of thus surprising them when entangled in the brushwood and up to their bellies in the water, that we had made so early a start, and had preserved such pro- found silence. But the wind was unfavour- able, and we had the mortification to find that

^ The American bittern is much smaUer than the Eu- ropean species, and its note is totally unlike the loud boom- ing cry of the latter. It is a night bird, and its sight is most acute during the evening twilight. When disturbed, it rises with a heavy and awkward flight, uttering the cry, ''kwa! kwaP'

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we had only disturbed them — but even this was attended with no small excitement. Soon after hunting the " still waters," we entered a great lake, the largest of the chain, called by the Indians the Lake of the Nightingales ; and made straight for a sand-bank in the midst of it, with the intention of lighting a fire, having a kettle of hot tea and a good break- fast after the fasting and cold of the previous night. This shoal had been selected as the least likely place to alarm the moose — but upon landing, there was not wherewithal to make a fire, and two of the Indians were de- spatched in search of wood and birch bark.

After they had been gone for some time, and the sun had nearly dispelled the fog, we were suddenly put on the qui vive by shouts reverberating through the woods, when pre- sently we saw a great splashing in the lake, and above it, looming in the haze, a dark mass towering into the clouds — it might be a water-spout ; our Indian thought the shouts

THE BACKWOODS. 221

proceeded from a gang of lumberers ; when, in a moment, I found myself seized by the herculean chief of the Micmacs, and literally chucked into the canoe. My companion and the rifles were treated in the same manner ; and, before we had breathing time to recover the surprise, we were going "Derby pace" down the lake, and the Indian, straining every nerve, paddled with such force that the canoe was nearly buried in her own way.

For some time the hallooing and yelling con- tinued, until at last the mystery was cleared up, and we discovered a huge moose in the water ; driven into it by the other Indians, who had shouted to attract our attention. Both canoes now bore down upon him at right angles. Two men in a canoe can always propel it faster than a moose can swim, but both canoes were a long way off — we had but one man in ours, and a stern chase is always a long one, so say the nautical world ; however, we arrived at a point of the main land just as the animal

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had landed. A few seconds and we should have lost him: we arrived in the nick of time, however, and he dashed off at full speed. I fired. The ball passed through his heart; he made a tremendous bound straight up into the air, and fell upon his back, dead. It was a noble animal, seventeen hands high. A second moose had been seen on the island whence they had driven the one already bagged, and, my companion being anxious to shoot it, we went off in pursuit, and after a similar chase he succeeded.

The Lake of the Nightingales being evi- dently the resort of moose ; the inlets and outlets full of fish ; the beauty of the spot to which the chase had accidentally led us, and the Indians being ravenous to devour the meat, all led us to determine to make it head- quarters. A camp was accordingly con- structed in orthodox Indian fashion, and long poles were placed across to dry the venison upon. Sabbattis proceeded with great glee

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to skin and cut up the moose, and, before a fire could be lit, commenced devouring the raw flesh, without bread or salt, and, when cooked, they all ate of it until they literally could not stir. Like pike, they will gorge themselves, and then sleep or rest until hunger again drives them forth in search of food.

The moofle, a lump of fat about the nose of the moose, is esteemed a great delicacy by epicures. This we reserved for ourselves, together with the bones, from which, by roasting in the fire, we obtained the most delicious marrow, excellent when eaten with dried biscuits. The meat is the best of all wild venison, and the tongues are as good as those of the reindeer. These were hung up to dry, and reserved for our friends in the old world.

As the Indians had over-eaten themselves to such a degree that their locomotive powers were any thing but dubious, we gave their

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digestion four-and-twenty hours to recover, and occupied ourselves in fishing and recon- noitring the forest, where, for the first time, we saw the potato in its natural state, grow- ing in stringy bunches about the roots of the spruce firs ; but they were bitter and unpa- latable, generally about the size of a filbert, and not exceeding that of a walnut. Some of the pines were enormous; at least two hundred feet high; perfectly straight, and would square three. The total absence of the white cedar (so common in every swamp in New Brunswick) surprised me : and it is worthy of remark that, although the boundary between the two provinces is not a natural but merely an imaginary one, yet, that line once crossed into Nova Scotia, the cedar ceases to be found.^ Neither are the deer, so common in New Brunswick, to be met with in the other province, to the Indians of which

^ The Bluenoses declare that branches of this cedar placed amongst clothes or furs will keep off moths.

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they are wholly unknown ; and, on one occa- sion, when I had taken Francis out hunting with me in New Brunswick, he ran after one for the best part of the day on snow-shoes, and came back remarkably sulky at not having got a sight of it.

Th6 Milicete Indians declare that these deer will not cross the St. John's river.

The stomachs of the Indians having had a liberal four-and -twenty hours' rest, my com- panion repaired to the " still waters," where he got nine shots at moose in the one day ; and I, accompanied by John, carrying a quarter of a moose on his back, went half a day's journey to a settlement, where, as he expected, we exchanged the meat for salt sufficient to preserve the skin for stuffing. We got, likewise, a mess of potatoes, much prized by them medicinally after a moose de- bauch, as on this occasion. ^

The Indians did not wish us to kill more moose, nor would it have been sportsmanlike

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SO to do, as we could make no use of the meat; but it was often tantalizing when, suddenly descending a rapid, they would swing the canoes round, hold them fast with their poles, and point to a huge moose, who would take himself off at a long trot. On one occa- sion, however, the temptation was too great, and a ball from my rifle passed through the ear of one. So quick-sighted are the Indians, that all three at the same moment exclaimed, " It has fTone throuo^h his ear."

These Indians carve pipes out of a porous kind of stone (soap-stone) found in the beds of torrents, and called by them pipe-stones ; it is soft, works well, and resembles the green lava of Vesuvius. During the intervals be- tween repletion and the chase, Sabbattis made one, which I still possess ; it is exqui- sitely finished. On the front of the bowl, in alto-relievo, is a deer's head and horns; on the reverse and either side, Indians' head, the character of which, and the accompanying

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ornaments, are decidedly Egyptian. I was much struck on finding the same ornaments, frieze, and even the same character of heads, in one of the tombs lately discovered in the Necropolis of the Tarquinii, near Cornetto.

The outlet of the lake was full of lampreys in their migration from the sea, lying in coils upon beds of sand whichi they throw up them- selves; and they were so thick that, upon lowering a stick with some hooks attached to it, and jerking it up suddenly, three or four were pulled out at a time. In the shoal parts of the lake, we speared terrepins, a large kind of fresh-water turtle, of a beautiful sea-green colour, weighing from six to eight pounds, and full of eggs, much esteemed by the In- dians, which were not bad roasted.

The Indians having despatched three or four dozen of lampreys, though without the bad effect which is said to have followed a like excess on the part of one of our early kings, and imitating ourselves the resignation

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of the guardsman, who made up his mind, before he embarked for Egypt, that he could rough it upon a beefsteak and a bottle of claret, we contrived to do the like on an ex- cellent supper of venison, grouse, turtles' eggs, and a dish of fish ; and, having lit our pipes, and stretched our feet towards a roaring fire, we might truly say with Goldsmith,

Oh, luxury ! thou curse by Heaven's decree, How Ul-exchanged are things like these for thee !

John gave the following description of the manner of " calling the moose,'' which takes place about the end of September or beginning of October, when the frosts have set in. As fires cannot be lit, nor tobacco smoked, this species of hunting is attended with great privation and hardship. Then is the rutting season ; the antlers of the male have attained their full growth ; and he is in truth a noble animal. When the moon is at its full, the Indians proceed with the greatest caution to the still waters, and take up a position in their

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canoes amongst the adjaceirt brushwood. They are provided with a piece of birch- bark, rolled up into the shape of a speaking-trumpet, by blowing through which they imitate exactly the lowing made by the female when in ex- pectation of a partner.

John described it as glorious, when perfect stillness reigned over the forest, to hear the bulls, sometimes three or four together, first at a long distance, and by degrees nearer and nearer, rushing on, bellowing and roaring, knocking each other over, trampling down the brushwood, and dashing through the streams, until they come so close to the hunter, that they have no time to discover the deception, before a ball from the unerring aim of an Indian's rifle stretches them life- less.^

^ From Father Repas' account of bis residence at the court of Pekin, we find that the Emperor of China amused himself by "calling" deer much in the manner practised by the Indians in Nova Scotia ; he says, p. 79,

" The Emperor took part in another species of sport un-

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known in Europe. He set out by night with all the great company above mentioned, and, when within two miles of the spot selected for the sport, he left the army and ascended the top of the hill with six or seven hunters clothed in stag- skins from head to foot. Here one of the hunters put on a kind of mask, resembling a stag's head with horns, and con- cealed himself among the bushes, in such a manner that at first sight he might be taken for a stag, while the emperor and the others crouched down close by, all being armed with good guns, to the end of which were fixed small pieces of stag's horn. The stags are followed by several does, which they will not allow any other stag to approach. Early in the morning, they instinctively raise a cry of chal- lenge ; the other stags arrive, and a fight ensues, which con- tinues until one is slain, when the victor takes possession of his rival's herd of does. One of the hunters now blows an instrument which both in shape and sound very much re- sembles those with which our herdsmen call the swine, and which closely imitates the belling of the stag. At this sound the stags hasten to the hill, and seeking their supposed rival, they come within gun-shot and meet with their death."

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CHAPTER IX.

A RACE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES.

" Sir, our pills ! ! !" — A Yankee naval officer introduces the assistant surgeon.

Star-bespangled banner — Flying Artillery — Crimping System — Table d'Hotes — Whales and Peas — Mercantile Fowls — Sea Speculations — Sky-blue — Yankee's Shav- ing— Frigid Baptists — C anals — Ontario.

The novelty of a New Brunswick life having a little worn off, three of us started, about the end of August, for a race through the northern States, as far as the Falls of Niagara. The steamer to which we consigned ourselves passed through the Bay of Passama- quoddy, the waters of which, studded with a thousand islands of all shapes and sizes, are beyond description beautiful. Eastport, a frontier town of the State of Maine, was our

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first landing-place. Over the fort floated the star-bespangled banner, at least half an acre of bunting — ** The stars to illumine our friends, the stripes to punish our enemies."

This fort was garrisoned by a company of horse artillery. It was composed entirely of deserters from our regiments quartered from time to time in New Brunswick. These regi- ments being infantry, the men had, of course, never learned to ride, and rarely to exercise great guns. Nevertheless, they did duty as flying artillery in the United States. They wore fancy-coloured waistcoats under sky- blue jackets, trowsers of the same colour, with broad yellow stripes down them ; their boots turned up at the toes, like skates, the trowsers only reaching half way down their legs. The whole was crowned by a frightful leather cap, with a huge brass letter to denote their com- pany ; but it is only fair to remark that their barracks were as clean as an unlimited allow- ance of whitewash could make them.

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We recognised a rascal who had deserted from St. John's not long before. He was walking about, dragging a nine-pound shot fastened to his leg (by which we concluded that he had already got into a scrape), smoking a cigar, and looking as if he did not care a d — n for General Jackson or any one else. We heard, soon after we left Eastport, that, this company having been ordered to Florida, to quell an insurrection of the Seminole Indians, the majority of them deserted on their march to Boston. They were, however, retaken, and sent on. Upon my return to New Brunswick, I saw a letter from the last of the survivors to his brother, recommending him and his comrades on no account to desert their colours for the American service, he being the only one who had escaped the toma- hawk of the Indians, or the deadly pestilence of the swamps.

The difficulty, however, of preventing de- sertion was, in spite of all warnings, very

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great in New Brunswick. Yankee agents followed the men, enticed them into crimping houses, and plied them with drink, and, when sufficiently intoxicated, they were put on board fast-sailing schooners, which got under weigh whilst they lay in a state of uncon- sciousness. On coming to themselves, many might have returned, had they not been plied with more rum, and dreaded the consequences of their first transgression. There was but one instance of a man's returning in the two years we remained in New Brunswick.

The officers of the United States' army, whom we met at Eastport, from having seen much of Indian life, were very agreeable ; and the commandant, in particular, who had served in the Far West, was a most gentlemanlike man. His daughter, a young lady of fourteen, understood Latin and Greek, and w^as looking forward to her return to school at Boston to learn Hebrew, and finish her education.

The steamers to Portland had blown up, or

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been burnt, so we were obliged to go round in a schooner, on board of which there were the most dreadful set I ever recollect to have encountered. One man got up at table to let another pass down, who immediately dropped into the vacant place. The civil man remon- strated— in vain ; the answer he received was, " Well, I guess you shouldn't have got up then — ^Hell — I shall keep it now." After dinner, the majority sang psalms, until dis- persed by a drunken slumberer singing " Yankee Doodle," and " Hail, Columbia."

It was midnight when we landed at Port- land. After going the round of the hotels, which were full, we discovered a large recep- tion room, filled with " shake-downs," in one of which we found a fellow-passenger already ensconced. He had turned in with all his clothes on, as he had done during the three nights on board the schooner, what the Yankees term " all standing," viz., in boots, great coat, &c. He had besides heaped the

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clothes from all the other beds on his own, though the room was hot to suffocation ; of these, however, we soon dispossessed him, and betook ourselves to horizontal refreshment in the best manner we could.

We were much struck with Portland, which is a very neat town : double rows of trees on each side of the streets ; the houses clinker- built, and painted in bright colours, divided from the street and each other by gardens and parterres. From the top of the Obser- vatory, there is a grand view, commanding the town, harbour, and its islands, and Mount Washington, a bold hill, in shape resembling Soracte, bounding the horizon to the north- east.

The ladies were well dressed, well chaussed, and well coiffed a la chinoise, with a well- gummed creve-cosur in front of the ear, do- mestically termed by them a " spit curl."

For the first time we here dined at a regular American table d'hote. The consumption of

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food was fearful ; some left the table in seven minutes and a half; from that to fourteen the room was cleared, and we were left alone. Boiled green Indian corn, plaistered over with butter, seemed the favourite dish, and most excellent it was. They held it at both ends, gnawing it round, ridge after ridge, like a man playing pandean pipes. Some, in their hurry, transfixed whole fowls and dragged them bodily on to their plates. One man, addressinsj me in mercantile phraseology, said, " Stranger, I guess I'll trouble you for the balance of that fowl," meaning what remained of it on the dish.

On another occasion, a brother officer, travelling with his wife, was dining at Boston, on the first day green peas made their ap- pearance. He saw the dish making its rounds, and one man between himself, his wife, and the peas ; he therefore made sure of getting some for her ; but no — the brute having swept the whole contents of the dish into his plate, gave

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the dish an exulting shove, and, turning round, exclaimed, " I guess I'm a whale at peas, by G — ."^ It is painful to witness the unlady- like practice of arranging peas along the blade of a knife and eating them off by rows, at once dispelling the charm of a young and pretty face ; nor was the substitution of forks for toothpicks a redeeming trait.

^ However, it is but justice to the Americans to state that no later than at the close of the seventeenth century, we find a royal " whale at peas." A King of England (a Dutchman, it is true,) of whom the Duchess of Marl- borough, in her apology for her conduct, observes : — " I give an instance of his vulgar behaviour at his own table, when the Princess of Wales* dined with him. It was in the beginning of his reign, when she was with child of the Duke of Gloucester. There happened to be a plate of peas, the first that had been seen that year. The King, without oflPering ■the Princess the least share of them, ate them every one himself. Whether he offered any to the Queen I cannot say ; but he might do so safely enough, for he knew she durst not touch them. The Princess confessed, when she came home, she had so much mind to the peas, that she was afraid to look at them, and yet could hardly keep her eyes off them."

* His sister-in-law, the Princess of Denmark, afterwards Queen Anne.

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From Portland we embarked on board a magnificent steamer for Boston. There were upwards of four hundred persons on board, half of them ladies. The gentlemen's cabin was one hundred and eighty feet long. The doors of the ladies' cabin were left open, in consequence of the excessive heat. There were many unprovided with berths, and they lay about in beautiful confusion, most of them in great dishabille.

These steamers have much the appearance of floating bazaars, every sort of amusement going on, from eating, drinking, and gambling, to swapping and speculating, even to the taking advantage of the miseries of their fellow-passengers : it being a common prac- tice, when the steamers are crowded and a rough passage expected, for individuals to take a number of berths on the chance of seasick bidders; — three, four, or even ^lnq times the original price being then given.

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" The Tremont House," the crack hotel of Boston and of the United States, was full, but we were well put up in the *' American," a new house. We had now got fairly into American hours — breakfast from seven to eight, dinner from one to two, and tea six to seven. Tea and coffee made the only dis- tinction of the first and last, for meat was equally served at all.

The bedsteads in the hotel fell to pieces on touching a spring, an ingenious invention in a town where fires so constantly occur. There were no fewer than four on the night of our arrival; but they are wonderfully soon got under, the fire-engine department being well organized.

" But fires are getting fainter,

Incendiarism's flat. For there's a clever painter

Will put a stop to that. Though form'd of wood, he's shown

Each house will 'scape all right ; — He'll paint them so like stone,

They will not catch alight !"

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We lionized in due order the park, called the Common, full of magnificent old elms, of which the Bostonians take great care. We hired excellent hacks, and visited Mount Auburn, the cemetery of the aristocracy of Boston — Spurzheim is buried here — and returned through Cambridge, the largest college in the States, and by Bunker's Hill, where they have erected a monument to com- memorate the battle which we won. Lafayette laid the foundation-stone. The ladies here are not so pretty as those of Portland, and the men are generally tall, but wretchedly ill- made, and, from the habit of stooping over their desks, become round-shouldered, have a slovenly gait, and the unmanly habit of shaving off their whiskers gives them a sky-blue or leaden appearance.

No independent Yankee ever thinks of shaving himself. They study the comfort of that operation much, and the chair in which they sit has a board or platform for the head

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to rest upon, which is raised or depressed by a screw to the desired height ; when adjusted, the artist, generally a Negro, seizes the pa- tient's nose between his forefinger and thumb, and shaves him slick. He then powders the face as a finale. We tried the process, and found it rather comfortable. At Eastport a woman operated. A New Englander travels so much, that a wardrobe would be in the way : he therefore gets everything *'all stand- ing," a complete suit, and when worn out he buys another ; rarely has he a change of any- thing, with the exception of fronts, one of which, tied on after shaving, does duty for, and has all the appearance of, a clean shirt ; but like Topffer's Monsieur Vieuxbois, "il change de linge bien rarement." His kit, therefore, not being extensive, packs easily into a small valise, and is conveniently car- ried in one hand ; brushes, combs, tooth- brushes, and round-towels being generally to be found suspended from the walls in most of the hotels and steamboats.

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However, on this point nations differ mate- rially ; a Russian does not consider it dirty to eat tallow candles or swallow train-oil. A Jew condemns pork as unclean. A French woman will not wash her face for fear of spoiling her complexion. An Irish landlady has been known to describe her lodger as *' The claanest jewel of a man in the world, for, sure he wouldn't dirty a towel in a week ;" and the Spanish lady, the chere amie of an officer at Gibraltar, whose teeth were suffering in appearance from the use of cigarettes, was presented by him with a tooth-brush. When he called the next day, he found her busily employed cleaning her trinkets with it. The horror of one of Napoleon's generals was so great on discovering that the object of his affections, an Italian of high birth, never used a certain description of bath, that on his return to Paris, he caused a beautiful diminu- tive one of Sevres China, mounted with silver legs, to be manufactured for her, and sent the

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bijou with a well cacheted billet to la bella principessa, who, delighted with so novel a cadeau, but mistaking its use, asked a large circle of friends to dinner, and had a salad served up in it.

In the New England States, the ladies are for the most part extremely serious, and camp- meetings are more fashionable than theatres.

The 1st of June, 1813, was a day of no ordinary excitement at Boston. The rival frigates, the Shannon and the Chesapeake, were expected to come to an engagement on that very day. Everything was done that ingenuity could devise on the part of the American, Captain Lawrence, to bring his ship to the scratch in "tip-top" fighting trim. The crew were picked, four hundred and forty in number (exceeding that of his opponent by one hundred) ; further, he had the advan- tage in the weight of metal and the number of guns.

But so certain did the good folks of Boston

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make of victory, that we were told they actually prepared a magnificent fete for their expected victorious countrymen, and the stairs were left uncovered which led to the banquet- ting-room, in order that the guests should trample upon the prostrate British colours, taken from the gallant Broke. For once, however, Jonathan *' reckoned without his host." It must have been a brilliant sight — happening, as it did, in sight of all Boston — the known reputation of the commanders, and their anxiety to meet in fair fight. In fifteen minutes the affair was decided ; but I quote a part of the despatch of the gallant victor ; it is as concise and graphic as the feat was gallantly performed.

" Shannon, Halifax, June 6, 1813. " Sir,

** I have the honour to inform you that, being close in with Boston lighthouse, in his Majesty's ship, under my command, on

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the 1st inst., I had the pleasure of seeing that the United States' frigate, Chesapeake, (whom we had long been watching) was coming out of the harbour to engage the Shannon ; I took a position between Cape Clear and Cape Cod, and then hove-to for him to join us. The enemy came down in a very handsome manner, having three American ensigns flying ; when, closing with us, he sent down his royal yards. I kept the Shannon's up, expecting the breeze would die away. At half-past five, p.m., the enemy hauled up within hail of us on the starboard side, and the battle began, both ships steering full under the topsails ; after exchanging between two and three broadsides, the enemy's ship fell on board of us, her mizen channels locking in with our fore-rigging. I went forward to ascertain her position, and, observing that the enemy were flinching from their guns, I gave orders to prepare for boarding. Our gallant band appointed to that service immediately rushed in, under

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their respective officers, upon the enemy's decks, driving everything before them with irresistible fury. The enemy made a despe- rate but disorderly resistance.

" The firing continued at all the gangways and between the tops, but, in two minutes' time, the enemy were driven, sword in hand, from every post. The American flag was hauled down, and the proud old British Union floated triumphant over it. In another minute they ceased firing from below, and called for quarter. The whole of this service was achieved in fifteen minutes from the com- mencement of the action. I have to lament the loss of many of my gallant shipmates, but they fell exulting in their conquest."

After giving a detailed but concise account of the gallant conduct of his respective officers and men, and but slightly hinting at a very severe wound received from a cutlass at the on- set, when leading a party to attack some of the enemy, who had rallied on the forecastle, Captain Broke goes on to say : —

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" The loss of the enemy was about seventy killed, and one hundred wounded. Among the former were four lieutenants, a lieutenant ^ marines, the master, and many other officers. Captain Lawrence is since dead of his wounds.

" The enemy came into action with a com- plement of 440 men. The Shannon, having picked up some recaptured seamen, had 330.

" The Chesapeake is a fine frigate, and mounts forty-nine guns, eighteens, on her main deck; thirty-twos on her quarter-deck, and forecastle. Both ships came out of action in the most beautiful order, their rigging appearing as perfect as if they had only been exchanging a salute.

" I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) " P. B. V. Broke.^

" To Captain the Hon. J. Bladen Capel, &c. Halifax.''

* Rear- Admiral Sir P. B. V. Broke, Bart., died Januarys, 1841.

THE BACKWOODS. 249

We quitted Boston, without regret, by the railroad for Worcester, which mode of tra- velling is designated by the Yankees *' Hell in Harness." Owing to its serpentine con- struction, we progressed but slowly. The railway not being finished, we took the ** stage " at Worcester. The stages in all parts of the United States are conducted on the same principle — abominable, cooped-up contrivances, holding nine inside, three on each seat, the centre one having a wide lea- ther strap to support the backs of those who have the bad luck to be the last on the list. There are no outside places, and therefore there is no hope of any relief from the horrors of a hot day and a full coach.

The "drivers," whom it would be treason to call coachmen^ change, with their teams, every fourteen or sixteen miles, are kind to their horses, and drive with "the reins in both hands," as they say in " Ould Ireland," " and the whip in the other." They are little,

M 5

250 ECHOES FROM

round-shouldered rascals, sitting on the box with their chins almost resting on their knees, and arms extended to full length, clean their own horses, and drive them entirely in snaffle- bits, giving them great quantities of water, three or four times during the stage : upon occasion, the coach is driven bodily into ponds, rivers, or lakes. In America, as on the Continent, carriages are always passed on the right hand. England is the only country where the reverse is practised, and her chil- dren in the New World have adopted the Continental practice in contradistinction, I suppose, to the habits of the mother-coun- try; but,

The laws of the road are a paradox quite, For when you are traveUing along, If you keep to the left you'll be sure to be rights If you keep to the right you'll be wrong.

Nations differ as to the treatment of horses on a journey ; a Yankee will give them as much water as they can drink to induce them

THE BACKWOODS. 251

to '* go ahead ;" in England it is considered to have a contrary effect ; the Italian vettu- rino employs a head-dress of bells ; and Pat is not without his own contrivance, a bundle of hay, tied to the end of the pole, causing a constant exertion to reach what is attained only at the end of the journey. But the ingenious inhabitant of the " Emerald Isle" has many other such inventions. He will open and slam- to the doors of a 'posUchay^ to flatter the animals into a belief that the carriage has been lightened of its load.

Apropos to such Hibernian devices, I recol- lect being obliged to plead as an excuse to a fair lady in Carlow for being late at her dinner, the fact that the driver of our car, having left us in the middle of the road, in a downpour of rain, to light his " dudeen," a loose, half-starved horse, grazing in an adjoining ditch, had taken a fancy to the hay of which our traces and collars were made, and eaten so much of it, that we

252 ECHOES FROM

were detained till the harness was renewed. But the good old days when the post- chaises were thatched, one door nailed up, no steps to the other, and the ostler made his appearance with " a fork to raise the windies with, plase your honour," have vanished before the enlightened " tay-drink- ing" disciples of Father Matthew.

The country we passed through to North- ampton was but partially cleared, the tide of emigration having set to the west, the lands being there more fertile, requiring less labour and clearing, and to be had for less money.

We passed the Connecticut river by a covered wooden bridge, eleven hundred feet long, and arrived at Northampton, the beau ideal of a country village, with its white cottages and green jalousies ; magnificent and gigantic elms, single or in groups, part of the primeval forest, judiciously spared, added to its beauties. This is the fatherland of the Temperance system, which is carried to so

THE BACKWOODS. ^25S

disagreeable an extent that we were able to get only sour eider at the inns, and often not even that. A meeting in support of these doctrines was going on in the evening ; an immense assemblage, chiefly of women, were edified by a man holding forth, till he worked himself into a perfect frenzy ; we left him arguing strenuously that any person who sold spirituous liquors was a murderer in the sight of the Lord.

At our next halt, Pittsfield, we hired hacks, and visited a village of Shaking Quakers : they wear much the same kind of garb as their brethren in the Old World ; but we could not see them shake, as they do that only when the spirit moves them. A com- municative old gentleman of the persuasion told us the world had formed erroneous opi- nions of their women living in common — for, on the contrary, they separated man and wife.^

^ This sect originated with a woman of the name of Anne Lee, of Manchester, who, having with her associates,

254 ECHOES FROM

In this country of sectarians, the ceremony of making a Baptist, and the ordeal they go through, must be one of the least agreeable,

committed various offences against decorum, was glad to take refuge in America. This woman, with her vulgar and fanatical horde, under the name of shakers or believers^ established themselves at a town named Union, not far from Cincinnati. Mr. Tell Harris, in a series of letters published in London, thus describes these bedlamites : " The bell for worship put an end to the discussion ; the men, dis- encumbering themselves of their coats and neckcloths, formed into squares six deep ; and, a pair of folding doors being thrown back, discovered the women drawn up in the like manner, each party having four on their right, who in the sequel appeared to be the regulators of their motions : two men then addressed the assembly on the manner in which the Divine Being had been pleased to communicate with some of his creatures, and that he still manifests him- self to them by inspiration ; quoting the example of David and others, as proofs that dancing, singing, and clapping of hands, are acceptable offerings of praise to him. A few verses, the burden of which was ' dancing or agitation of the frame, a sign of devotion,' were next sung, accompanied with slight motions of the feet, increasing and exalting the voice as they proceeded. The hymn being ended, a short prayer was offered, that their hearts and lips might be moved in praise ; a general movement now of the feet took place, accompanied with clapping of hands, twirling on their heels, leaping, shouting, screaming, while the regula- tors on the flanks sung with some little variation, ' lo diddle ! ho diddle! lo diddle ho!' ceasing at intervals, to recover

THE BACKWOODS. 255

particularly during the winter months : a hole is cut through the ice ; the candidate for baptism is lowered through, and up comes at once a Baptist and an icicle. Yet, notwith- standing what is before them, there are many who present themselves for immersion, or, as the knight's bard has it,

To dive like wild-fowl for salvation, And fish to catch regeneration.

From Albany a railway took us to Saratoga, the Baden-Baden of the New World. The season was over, so we saw nothing of the amusements of the place. We met with a

from the violent exertions ; some, however, unable to resist the violence of their feelings, continued to start sud- denly, screaming and leaping in such a manner, that a stranger could not suppose them any other than unfortu- nates who had eluded the vigilance of their keepers. At the expiration of an hour, their worship ceased, perhaps from mere exhaustion ; the men put on their coats, the women such of their caps and handkerchiefs as had been displaced in a twinkling, the folding doors separated them again, and each, by opposite doors, retired to their own apartments. I then left them, convinced and thankful that, to be a believer indeed, it is not necessary to be a Shaker."

^56 ECHOES FROM

gambler, who, finding that we were not be pigeoned, altered his tack, and turned out a most amusing dog. He was full of anecdotes of the South, and it actually ended in our determining to give up, for the present, our journey through Canada down the St. Lawrence, that we might proceed thither im- mediately after visiting Niagara.

We took the boat on the Erie canal from Schenectady to Utica, up the beautiful valley of the Mohawk — the canal running all the way parallel to the course of the river. This conveyance, always a bore, was made doubly so by the number of bridges we were obliged to pass under — so low that the man at the helm was obliged to sing out " Low Bridge," as we approached them, to the great terror of sundry fat gentlemen, who, not always looking ahead in time to get off the deck, were obliged to prostrate themselves on their backs ; and the dismay in their faces evidently showed them to be calculating whether their large corpora-

THE BACKWOODS. 257

tions would pass under unscathed. Narrow as this kind of boat must of necessity be, it was surprising how many beds they contrived to make up : a long range of trays, three deep, were let down from the cabin ceiling, on which the beds were placed, connected with cords somewhat in the manner of cottage book-shelves; it was, therefore, desirable to choose the highest berth, as the cords were not over-strong ; and, should the upper berth be occupied by any one at all approaching to Daniel Lambert's calibre, the chances were that he would carry it away, and swamp the unfortunate occupant of the primo piano.

The manner of steering these boats by night is ingenious; two white goose-quills are fastened upright on either extremity of the deck, next the bow ; a light from below is reflected upon the feathers, which appear to the man at the helm like two flames of fire. We were not sorry to find ourselves at Utica, and set off next day to see Trenton Falls,

258 ECHOES FROM

which are fine in their way — a succession of dark amber-coloured Falls, like the dark waters of the Caernarvonshire rivers. From Utica we had again to follow the Erie canal as far as Syracuse ; whence, skirting a long lake, we descended the Oswego river, as far as the town of that name, situated at its outlet in Lake Ontario. Here we embarked in a steamer on its dark blue waters, and by sun-down had run the land out of sight. The following morning we landed at Toronto, the capital of Upper Canada, which looked dirty and uninteresting.

From Toronto the Transit steamer crossed daily to Fort George, at the mouth of the Niagara ; in her we took our passage, and were duly unshipped at the fort, where a " stage " waited to convey passengers to the Falls. The drive along the banks of the Niagara river to Queenston is most lovely. On the left flows the sea-green Niagara, its banks covered with black walnut, hiccory.

THE BACKWOODS. 259

acacia, and butternut trees, and on our right stretched away fertile fields of Indian corn, and orchards crowded with apple and peach trees, the latter in such quantities, that the pigs are fed on the fruit. This beautiful scenery continues to Queenston, half-way from the town of Niagara to the Falls, where we had to climb a hill, on the summit of which is erected a well-executed column to Sir Isaac Brock, who drove the Americans over the river in 1812. The view from this monu- ment is one of the finest I ever looked upon. Beneath, the river, green as a vein of mala- chite, flows through the above described rich country, until it meets Ontario, which is bounded in the far horizon by blue outlines of hills some sixty miles distant.

Evidently the Falls commenced at this point, breaking their way up to their present site, seven miles further, where they have had a check, and where, in all probability, they will ever remain; for, so long as the river

260 ECHOES FROM

was confined to a narrow space, they conti- nually receded. At present, the mass of water is broken into two Falls, checked for ever by the extended width of the current. Small fragments may wear away and break off, as did a small piece of the Table Rock a few years ago, and some such event was the probable origin of the famous hoax in the Buffalo paper, stating the cataract to have entirely disappeared ; but, for ages to come, the Falls of Niagara must bear the same character, and be confined to their present locale. A few inches they may recede, which can only add to their sublimity.

One of the party, who was all anxiety and excitement, had extended himself at full length upon the top or rather roof of *' the stage" — outside places, as before stated, exist not in the contrivances of the New World which do duty for coaches — and had taken up this position, fancying that he should get first view of the Falls. Indeed, all one's

THE BACKWOODS. 261

"auricular" nerves were on the stretch to catch the slightest murmurs of the mighty cataracts, and the veriest zephyr was enough to draw forth an ejaculation. We were now close to them, and, passing through an oak forest, the branches from which frequently swept the roof of the stage, suddenly our friend exclaimed — " Listen ! — there they are ! — don't you hear them ?" As he uttered the last word, we heard a distinct murmur, a decided rippling noise, followed by an execration ; and it was instantly apparent whence the noise had proceeded — a bouo-h of a huo-e oak had hitched in the nether end of our friend's best Stulz '' cut- away " coat, and had divided it completely up the back to the very shoulders — this of course caused a hearty laugh, in which he most good-humouredly joined. The torn habili- ment was skewered together in the best manner that we could contrive ; and soon afterwards we began to hear distinctly the

262 THE BACKWOODS.

roar of waters, and another half hour brought us to the Falls of Niagara.

No one can, either by description of pen or pencil, give the smallest idea of these Falls. It is as impossible as the endeavour of the artist to portray the Alps of Switzerland, the Jungfrau, or Mont Blanc. The best de- scription I ever met with of Niagara, was a Yankee remark scribbled in Mr. Starkey's book of visitors who pass to Termination Kock,

" AN ALMIGHTY FALL OF WATER."

" Enormous forests stretch their shadows wide, And rich savannas skirt the mountain's side ; There bounds the moose, and shaggy bisons graze ; Scar'd by the wolf, the hardy reindeer brays ; The clambering squirrel trembles from on high. Fixed by the rattlesnake's rapacious eye ; Unnumbered pigeons fill the darkened air. Glut the tired hawk, the loaded branches tear; Fair swans majestic on the waters glide. The mason-beaver checks the flowing tide ; Gigantic rivers shake the thund'ring shore ; Dread Niagara's foaming cataracts roar ; In light canoe, the painted Indian rows. Or hunts the floundering elk through melting snows, Wields his huge tomahawk in deadly fray, And rends with shouts the reeking scalp away, Or smokes the fragrant calumet of peace, And, bound in wampum leagues, bids savage discord cease.

Anon.

APPENDIX.

No. I.

HINTS TO EMIGRANTS.

From Mr. Gesners Reports on New Brunswick,

The province contains about 16,5000,000 acres ; of this 12,000,000 acres are capable of immediate cultivation, and 1,000,000 may be reclaimed in a more advanced state of agriculture. I have esti- mated that, including the great marshes of West- moreland, only 440,000 acres are cleared.^ By obtaining a credit of the government for Mtj acres of land, any person, with a family, having a capital of c^l2 currency (<^9 125. sterling), can maintain such family until the first crop is produced ; and, with sobriety and industry, in six years he can pay for the land with the interest on the first pur-

^ From official returns, 3,634,280 acres have been granted, and 13,792,272 remain at the disposal of the Crown.

264 NEW BRUNSWICK.

chase, and purchase fifty acres more on credit. The above may be performed in less time than six years ; but I have taken this period as a medium estimate.

The lands along the southern coast of the pro- vince are in general much less fit for cultivation than those of the interior and northern shores. The settlers are also exposed to the dense fogs of the coast, but which seldom reach more than twenty miles from the seaboard. The soil, from being derived from granite and other hard rock, is more scanty along the southern coast ; and it is frequently too strong to be extensively cultivated. There are, nevertheless, many small tracts of good upland, and some fine intervals along the rivers and smaller streams.

Twenty miles from the southern seaboard, the lands improve, and the whole northern side of the province may be said to be capable of being tilled to advantage. The quality of the soil, however, differs in different districts ; and there are many extensive tracts of waste land of a superior quality. The several counties have been classed in regard to the lands they contain fit for immediate settlement, in the following order : —

St. John. There is but a very limited quantity of good ungranted land in this county. The lands

HINTS TO EMIGRANTS. 265

eastward of Quaco, and those recently laid out between Quaco and Hammond river, are in general broken and stony, and the gravelly nature of the soil is seldom discovered until the land is cleared of its timber ; there are but few intervales ^ in this county.

King's County, There is a large area of superior land for settlement southward of Sussex vale, and at the head of the mill stream.

Westmorland. In the county of Westmorland there still remain some fine ungranted tracts ; they are chiefly situated at the heads of PoUet and Coverdale rivers, and Turtle Creek, and also at the sources of the Washademoak. The soil in general is a sandy loam, and it is easily worked. There are some intervales still ungranted.

QueerCs. In Queen''s county there are a number of tracts of excellent ungranted land. There is a large tract between the Nerepis Road and Gagetown, including the Victoria settlement ; also, south- ward of the Nerepis Eoad, upon both sides of the Washademoak river, above Long''s Creek, and between Salmon river and New Canaan settlement. Some of these soils are a deep red loam. Lime- stone was found to be abundant on both sides of the

^ Alluvial flats adjacent to the rivers, which are annually overflowed, and yield abundant hay-crops.

VOL. I. N

266 NEW BRUNSWICK.

St. John: it will be seen at the farm of Mr. Merritt, and at the south entrance of the Washademoak.

Charlotte. The best ungranted lands in this county were seen in the direction . of the Maga- guadavie river : and there are intervales along the principal streams. The northern part of this county abounds in granite rocks. The lands in the Tryon settlement are in general rocky, and a part of the soil is meagre.

Sunbury. Almost all the ungranted land in this county is of a good quality, and probably not more than one half of its surface is disposed of. There are some good intervales.

York. The best ungranted lands in this county are situated on the south-east side of the Nashwaak, and near the main south-west Miramichi and Taxas river.

Carleton. Almost all the lands in this county are of a superior quality. Between the St. John and the main south-west Miramichi, there is an immense tract of fertile soil, with belts of intervale along the streams. Very extensive settlements might be opened in this quarter. Farther west- ward there is a mountainous ridge ; even here there are some superior lands, and the scenery is truly Alpine. The Tobique river passes through a fine

HINTS TO EMIGRANTS. 267

country for agriculture, where gypsum and lime- stone are abundant. The river is skirted with excellent intervales. These lands are not granted, and offer every advantage for settlement. Near the banks of the St. John, the Grand Falls, and at Grand River, the land is good, and limestone is plentifully scattered over the county.

Kent, There are some good soils in this county ; many of them are, however, light and sandy.

Northumberland. The good land in this county is too extensive to require any particular descrip- tion, and there is much intervale alongr the streams. Gloucester. The above remark will apply to the north-eastern part of Gloucester. There are, nevertheless, some low and swampy grounds in this quarter.

Restigouche. The lands near the mouth of the Restigouche are mountainous and broken. South- ward of Dalhousie and Campbelltown there is a large tract of superior land ; upon a part of this tract the Colebrooke settlement is situated. There are good lands upon the upper part of the river. The interior of Gloucester and Restigouche counties have not been explored.

n2

268

PRICE OF PROVISIONS AND CLOTHING.

No. II.

RETURN showing the Average Retail Price of Provisions and Clothing in the Colony of New Brunswick, in the quarter ended 31st Dec, 1845.

ARTICLES.

Salt beef

Fresh ditto

Mutton

Lamb

Veal

Fresh pork

Salt ditto

Fowls

Bacon

Salt butter

Fresh ditto

Fresh milk

Cheese

Eggs

Potatoes

Bread, best wheaten . . .

Ditto, seconds

Best wheat flour

Second quality ditto . . .

Oatmeal

Coals

Candles

Firewood, cord of 128 cubic ft.

Common soap

Tea

Coffee (green)

Rice

Sugar, brown

Ditto, loaf

Salt

Pepper

Salt fish, dry, the cheapest .

Ditto, green

Beer

Porter, London

Men's stout shoes . . . .

Women's ditto

Snow over-shoes . . . . Men's shirts, cotton . . .

Flannel

Cloth for coats

Cotton for gowns . . . .

Fustian

Velveteen ... . . .

Quantity.

per lb.

per pair per lb.

per quart

per lb.

per dozen

per bushel

41b. loaf

61b. loaf

barrel 196 lbs.

i>

per cwt.

per chaldron

per lb.

per lb.

per bushel

per lb. per quintal the barrel per gallon per bottle per pair

each per yard

Average Prices in Sterling.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1

0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 15 10 9 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0

1

0

10

16

1

0

6

5

10

3

1

7

0

1

2

M. H. PERLEY, Government Emigration Agent.

WAGES OF MECHANICS. No. III.

269

RETURN showing the Average Wages of Mechanics and others in the Colony of New Brunswick, for the 3 Months ended 31st Dec, 1845.

					Highest & Lowest
	Average Wages	Average Wages	Average Wages	Rates per Diem
	per Diem	per Diem	per Annum	without Board or
Trade or Calling.	without Board	with Board	with Board	Lodging,
	and	and	and		(in Sterling.)
	Lodging, in Sterling.	Lodging, in Sterling.	Lodging, in Sterling.
Highest.	Lowest
Bread and biscuit	s.d. s.d.	s. d. s. d.	£ s.	d.
baiters . . .	.	.	20 0	0
Butchers . . .	4 6	2 6	32 0	0
Brickmai<ers . .	3 0 to 5 0	2 0 to 3 6
Bricklayers . .	5 0 to 6 6	3 0 to 5 0
Blacksmiths . .	5 0	3 0	30 0	0
Curriers . . .	5 0	3 0	33 0	0
Carpenters and
joiners . . .	5 6	3 6	35 0	0
Cabinetmakers .	5 6	3 9	35 0	0
Coopers . . .	4 9	3 0	30 0	0
Carters ....	4 6	3 0	24 0	0
Cooks (women) .	.	.	10 0	0
Combraakers . S Dairyworaen . .	No employ- meat.
	. . .	7 10	0
Dressmakers and
milliners . . .	2 3	1 3	10 0	0
Farm labourers .	3 0	1 3	18 0	0
Gardeners . . .	4 6	3 0	25 0	0
Grooms ....		. .	18 0	0
Millwrights . .	6 0	4 0	40 0	0
Millers ....	5 6	4 0	32 0	0
Painters . . .	5 6	3 6
Plasterers . . .	5 t>	4 0
Plumbers and r glaziers . . *■	Very little
employment.
Quarrymen . .	a 0	1 3	18 0	0
Ropemakers . .	.		35 0	0
Sailmakers . .	.	5*6 ' '	32 10	0
Sawyers . . ,	4 0 to 6 0	2 6 to 4 6	.32 10	0
Shepherds , .|	No employ- ment.
Shipwrights and
boatbuilders	3 9 to 5 0	2 0 to 4 0	30 0	0
Shoemakers . .	3 6 to 4 0	2 6 to 3 0	26 0	0
Slaters & shinglers	5 0	3 6
Stonemasons . .	4 0 to 5 6	3 0 to 4 0	32 10	0
Tailors ....	. . .	. . .	30 0	0
Tanners . .	.	.	35 0	0
Wheelwrights	.	. .	35 0	0
Whitesmiths . [	4 6	3 0	28 0	0

M. H. PERLEY— G. E. A.

270 IMMIGRATION TO NEW BRUNSWICK.

			«o «o «o o
		t	^i wg cog tog ^ cc =r o ^ 5? c^ g^		>
	Q o	CM	Q-^ CO^ ^"^ g"^ ! O; rf Q. CD a. S Q.	2. p
	•		>
	3 3		• D . 5* . 5' ^ d' . C^ . on? . op . oq		3 C3
	O	to ^ S 2,	No. of Ve«gel8 Arrived.
w			No. of deaths
	3	CO	1 1 CO 1	on board or in
S-	3			Quarantine.	so
o		1 1 1	No. of births
	tA3	1 1 CO 1	on board or In
S	1 o			Quarantine.	2.
1	to	to CO o 1	2
33	S	t-" to *. 1 1^ to 00	?	>	s
)_■					Q SO
00	IN3	to CO l-i 1	•ri
	r'"	to	•JJ to -3	»		>•
	C_|	cn	C« H- 1—	?		H
	o 3-					o
				O
	S	if^	1— CO 1	2	*^E	:^
		CM	o to 1		V- £
	z	OJ	O^ CM -^	re	^2S	?
	td					:2
	Ci	I-' *>■ 1	►«1
	S s	*->	o o 1 00 to ►-	re		SO	^
		to 00 1	2	3-	O
		o en	»-• O tf^ 1	?	I!		1— 1
			•n	•
		)-•	^ 00 1	s	o.	»— ( o
		o	f-" 00 CO 1		!
						w
		lO	to	2		^
		to to	to rfi- CJi 1		G-
		Oi	— u, to	?	3
					^	5*
		to	to	►«	5"	OQ
		to	en CJi 1	3		r^
		o	*^ H- CJ, 1	P		ry
		00	to H^ Ol	?		CD
					^
			CJi	1?	Cti
		)-<	to ^ 1	p
		w	C?i en ►- 1	£•	►^
		CO	CO c:^ i;^	."2,	3
			G ^ >
			dults rom 1 nder To		1 CO
		05	4 to] yr 1 year tals .	V3 i
ns		Cjo				•o	3
50		CO	to	to ^ ^ (M O CO 00		1
!-•		o CO	en	en Oi *>.	<r	2
					s	2
w	to	;?
			to o 00	^-^ o» en o ^ to to " en	5		en

PRICES OF FARM STOCK.

271

No. V.

RETURN, showing the prices of Agricultural Produce, Farming Stock, and implements of Husbandry in the colony of New Brunswick, on the 31st December, 1845.

ArUcles.	Quantity.	sterling Dollars at 48. 2d. each.	Remarks.
		£	8.	d.
Wheat . . .	per bushel	0	5	9
Barley , .		do.	0	3	9	"
Rye . .		do.	0	3	9	Large quantities of
Oats		do.	0	2	6	'each imported from abroad.
Maize		do.	0	5	6
Buckwheat		do.	0	3	9
Beans		do.	0	0	0	Not cultivated for sale.
Peas . .		do.	0	6	3
Potatoes		do.	0	3	0
Hay ... .	per ton	3	0	0	Potatoes are exces-
Good Cart Horse	about	15	0	0	sively bad and dear, owing to the failure of
Useful riding ditto	„	20	0	0	the crop.
Yoke of Oxen .	it	18	0	0
Sheep, per score	>t	9	0	0
Good Milch Cow	i»	5	0	0
Breeding Sow .	,,	1	15	0
Pigs, each . .	M	0	4	6
A cartofthede-1		■
scription used >	about	7	10	0
by farmers J
A Waggon ditto	,,	10	0	0
A Plough . .	,,	2	10	6
Harrow . . .	,,	1	10	0
Country Plough	,,	2	0	0
Sledge for winter	"	3	10	0

Government Emigration OflBce, St. John, New Brunswick,

M. H. PERLEY. 3l8t December, 1845.

272 NEW BRUNSWICK.

No. VL

REFLEXIONS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF NEW BRUNSWICK IN REFERENCE TO A PROPOSED LINE OF RAILWAY.

Government Emigration Office, St. John, N. B., Nov. 10, 1845. Sir, Since forwarding my last quarterly return, I have received various documents addressed to me officially, by persons in England, relative to the formation of a railway from Halifax to Quebec, through this province, and proposing the colo- nization and settlement of the line of country traversed, in connection therewith. As the pro- posal expressly refers to immigration on a large scale, I have felt it my duty to bring the subject under His Excellency''s consideration, and at the same time respectfully to offer some remarks upon the matter as connected with the business of this office.

It may be considered as a settled principle in England, that, whether for facilitating commerce, or improving land, railways are the best instru- ments that can be used. If such be the case in

PROPOSED LINE OF RAILWAY. 273

England, abounding as it does in wealth, in a high state of cultivation, with the best and most nu- merous means of inter-communication, and teeming with population, what would be the effect of rail- ways in a young country like New Brunswick, yet poor and struggling into existence, with but few and imperfect roads, and a population which barely reaches one soul to every hundred acres of its extent 2

If the difficulties attendant upon the settlement of a new country be taken into consideration, there can be no doubt that much has been effected in New Brunswick within the brief period which has elapsed since its first settlement by British sub- jects. Yet all that has been done is comparatively trifling, when considered with reference to the extent of country yet ungranted and uncultivated, and the abundant resources it possesses. As a field for the pursuits of agriculture, the prosecution of commercial enterprise, and the formation of flourishing settlements, this colony offers powerful inducements. It is blessed with a rich and pro- ductive soil ; it abounds with trees of the greatest utility and value, and is watered by innumerable rivers and streams. It rejoices in skies that are bright and cheerful, and a climate salubrious in the extreme, congenial to the growth, not only of the

N 5

274 NEW BRUNSWICK.

necessaries, but many of the luxuries of life. Above all, it has the happiness to enjoy institutions and forms of government, modelled upon their proto- types in the mother-country, which secure British laws, and British freedom to all its inhabitants.

With these numerous advantages, it may be asked, why New Brunswick has not made greater strides in the progress of improvement, and why its population is yet so scanty. The reply is, that the want of roads and efficient means of communi- cation keep the great body of the country yet in a state of unbroken wilderness, isolates it from the neighbouring colony of Canada, deprives it of com- mercial avenues, and renders the progress of settle- ment and improvement so very slow, in comparison with what might reasonably be expected from the bounties which nature has lavished upon it.

In considering this subject, it is important to state the extent of wilderness in New Brunswick and the progress of its population, as to which, I beg to submit the following statistics.

The area of this province is estimated in round numbers at seventeen millions of acres — of these five millions are said to be granted — two millions are deducted for water and waste, and the remaining ten millions, all fit for settlement and cultivation, are yet in a state of wilderness, ungranted, and at

PROPOSED LINE OF RAILWAY.

275

the disposal of the government. The ungranted

lands are thus distributed : —

In Restigouche and Gloucester counties . 1,828,000 acres.

„ Northumberland . . . 2,216,000 „

„ Kent 552,400 „

„ Westmorland .... 532,000

„ Saint John 126,000

„ Charlotte 480,000

„ King's 244,000

„ Queen's 470,000 „

„ Sunbury 413,000 „

„ York 1,280,000 „

„ Carleton 2,080,000 „

Total . . . 10,221,000 acres.

With regard to population, the increase stands thus : —

In 1783 (province established,)

1803 1824 1834 1840

12,000 souls.

27,000 „

74,176 „

119,457 „

156,162 „

Prior to the year 1818, partial emigration from the United Kingdom had occasionally taken place to this colony ; but after that period it began to flow in a regular and steady stream. From 1824 to 1884, the emigrants to New Brunswick amounted to 48,000 ; yet the increase of population between those periods was only 45,000. From 1834 to

276 NEW BRUNSWICK.

1840, the increase of population was 36,000 — a number far short of the immigrants who arrived in the province during the same period. It is clear, therefore, that New Brunswick is not greatly in- debted to immigration for the increase of its popu- lation during the last twenty years, which may be principally attributed to the natural multiplication of its inhabitants.

The immigration of the present season has some- what exceeded six thousand souls — about one half of whom have departed for the United States, attracted by the greater demand for labour there, and by the cheapness and rapidity of travelling, by steamers and railways, which enable immigrants to reach the western country, where fertile lands can be procured on easy terms, and where every facility exists for transmitting farming produce to the Atlantic sea-ports and a ready market. It cannot but be matter of regret, that so many of Her Majesty's subjects, who cross the Atlantic and arrive annually in this colony, cannot be settled on vacant crown lands, but should pass through this fine province, and become, more through necessity than choice, the subjects of a foreign government.

I have repeatedly had the honour to state, in my reports on immigration, that the remedy for this

PROPOSED LINE OF RAILWAY. 277

untoward state of things would be the commence- ment of some great public or private work in New Brunswick, tending to open up the interior of the country — and none would seem to be better adapted for the desired end than the establishment of the proposed line of railway through the heart of the province.

It will not escape His Excellency's observation, that, of the ungranted lands in the colony, there is not more than one-tenth west of the river St. John, and that the remaining: nine-tenths are to the east- ward of that river. The formation of a line of railway through this vast tract of wilderness would afford abundant employment for a long period to an immense number of emigrant labourers, who would thus become acquainted with the work of the country, and be trained up to the necessary dex- terity and skill essential to the success of settlers in the forest. By means of cross roads and branches, assisted by the infinity of lakes, rivers, and streams, every part of the province would be rendered readily accessible, and the farmer in the remotest district would possess the means of reach- ing market with ease and certainty. No objection would exist, as at present, against taking up land in the interior of the country, where the soil is excellent, on account of its solitude, the difficulty

278 NEW BRUNSWICK.

of reaching it, or the almost impossibility of bring- ing its products to a market.

The numberless advantages which would be afforded by a railway through New Brunswick, connecting it with the neighbouring colonies of Canada and Nova Scotia, would for many years render it capable of absorbing annually thousands and tens of thousands of immigrants from the United Kingdom, who would find a happy home in a British colony, where they could maintain their allegiance to their sovereign, and by prudence and industry attain to comfort and independence as freeholders and lords of the soil. Every acces- sion of population, whether composed of indigent or wealthy individuals, provided it consists of able-bodied men, would be highly desirable in a country where land is abundant and inhabitants comparatively few.

It does not fall within the line of my duty to animadvert upon the effects which the proposed line of railway would have upon the mercantile interests of New Brunswick, by facilitating commercial inter- course, and opening up new sources of trade, by developing the mineral wealth and great natural resources of the country. But I may, however, be permitted, in conclusion, to observe, that a railway to unite the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick,

TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 279

and Npva Scotia, into one common bond of union, by drawing together their remotest extremities, uniting their energies, and consolidating their strength, cannot be viewed otherwise than as a great national object. The slow progress of settle- ment and tardy increase of population would thereby be accelerated "with railroad speed,"" and greater progress in those respects would be made in ten years under the influence of railways, than under the present order of things will probably take place during the next century. The advantages offered to these colonies by railway communication are so varied, so numerous, and so overwhelming, as scarcely to be within the grasp of the most compre- hensive mind, but would inevitably lead to results alike glorious to British North America, and the great empire of which it forms a favoured portion. I have the honour to be, M. H. Perley, Government Emigration Agent. Alfred Reade, Esq., Private Secretary, &c., Fredericton.

280 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

No. VII.

NOTES ON THE TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

Gray Oak — Quercus Borealis, or Quercm Am- bigua.

Red Oak — Quercus Rubra. — Neither of much value from their small size.

Butternut — Juglans Cathartica^ attains a large size and bears abundance of large nuts of good flavour ; wood much used at present by cabinet- makers.

White Maple — Acer Eriocarpum, — Very pretty white wood, not unlike sycamore. When spotted, it is called Bird's-eye Maple.

Hed-flowering Maple — Acer Bubrum.

Sugar Maple — Acer Saccharinum. — Maple sugar is made from this tree.

Moose Wood — Acer Striatum. — The name of moose-wood was given to this species of maple by the first settlers, from observing that the moose, an animal now becommfj scarce in this resfion, sub- sisted during the latter part of the winter and beginning of spring on its young twigs. The moose-wood bears a very large flower, which when beginning to unfold is rose-coloured, but afterwards

TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 281

pure white. This tree is found most vigorous in mixed forests, when the woods are composed of the sugar maple, the beech, white birch, yellow birch, and hemlock spruce. In these forests it constitutes a great part of the under growth.

Mountain Maple — Acer Montanum, called low maple in New Brunswick.

Dog Wood — Cornus Florida, — Among the eight species of dog-wood which have been observed in North America, this species alone is entitled by its size to be classed with the forest trees. It is most interesting from the beauty of its flowers.

Canoe Birch — Betula Papyracea, — The canoe birch attains its largest size, which is about seventy feet in height and three feet in diameter, on the declivity of hills and in the bottom of fertile valleys ; its branches are slender, flexible, and covered with a shining brown bark, dotted with white. The heart or perfect wood of this tree, when first laid open, is of a reddish hue, and the sap is perfectly white. The wood has a fine glossy grain, and con- siderable strength. Tables and other furniture are frequently made of it, and stained in imitation of mahogany. On trees not exceeding eight inches in diameter, the bark is of a brilliant white, and is almost indestructible by time.

The bark of the birch is applied to a great variety

282 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

of uses. It forms the wigwam of the Indian, and many, if not all, his utensils in the forest. The settlers place large sheets of it immediately be- neath the shingles of the roof, to form a more impenetrable cover for their houses. Baskets, boxes, and portfolios are made of it : the latter are frequently embroidered with silk or moose hair, dyed in a great variety of most brilliant colours.

But of the many uses to which it is applied, none is more important than the construction of canoes, and for this purpose it cannot be replaced by the bark of any other tree. To procure a proper piece for a canoe, the largest and smoothest trunk is selected. When the tree is felled, a longitudinal incision is made along the tree for twenty or twenty- five feet ; two circular incisions are made at each end ; the bark is loosened a little with the knife or a wedge, and almost immediately springs from the tree.

To form the canoe, the seams are stitched with the fibrous roots of the white spruce about the size of a quill, which are deprived of the bark, split, and suppled in water. The seams are coated with the gum of the spruce or balsam fir.

White Birch — Betula Populifolia. — The trunk of this species is clothed in a bark of as pure a white

TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. 283

as that of the canoe birch, but its epidermis, when separated from the cellular intei^ument, is incapable of being divided into thin sheets, which constitutes an essential difference.

YellowBirch—jS^^z^^Z^^^^a.— Chiefly used for fuel.

Black Birch — Betula Lenta^ or Betula Nigra. —

This tree forms the birch timber, of which large

quantities are annually exported : it is also much

used in ship-building.

Common Alder — Alnus Serrulata.

Wild Cherry-tree — Cerasus Virginiana.

Red Cherry-tree — Cerasus Borealis. — Both these bear abundance of fruit, of a pleasant flavour but slightly acrid. The fruit makes capital cherry bounce.

Balm of Gilead, or Balsam Poplar — Populus Balsamifera.

American Aspen, or Common Poplar — Populus Tremuloides.

White Beech — Fagus Syhestris. — Red Beech — Fagus Ferruginea. — Very common ; the white beech is valuable for ship-building, particularly for floor timber and bottom planks.

Hornbeam — Carpinus Virginiana. — Not very common ; wood very hard and heavy. Hornbeam is valuable for every purpose to which its small size permits it to be applied.

284 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

Iron Wood — Carpinus Ostrya.

White Ash — Fraxinm Americana,

Black Ash — Fraxinus Sambucifolia. — The black ash is comparatively of little value to the white ash, of which great use is made in North America for almost every purpose. Coachmakers use it for shafts, frames of carriages, bodies, sleighs, and sleds. It is useful for chairs, water-pails, butter-boxes, sieves, spinning-wheels, hay -rakes, and numberless other purposes.

White Elm — TJlmus Americana,

Red Elm — Ulmus Rubra.

Bass Wood, or American Lime — Tilia Ame- ricana.

Red Pine — Pinus Rubra ; in Canada Pin Rouge^ and by the settlers Norway Pine. — Large quantities exported.

Gray Pine — Pinus Rupestris. — Not common ; of little value.

White Pine — Pinus Sirobus. — This is the great timber pine of commerce, generally called by tim- bermen, " the pumpkin pine," from its softness and whiteness. The largest trees grow in the bottoms of soft, friable, and fertile valleys, on the banks of rivers composed of deep cool, black sand, and in swamps filled with the white cedar, and covered with a thick and constantly humid carpet of spagnum. This

TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. 285

ancient and majestic inhabitant of the North Ame- rican forests is still the loftiest and most valuable of their productions, and its summit is seen at an immense distance aspiring towards heaven, far above the heads of the surrounding trees.

American Silver Fir, or Balm of Gilead Fir — Abies Balsamifera. — From this tree the well-known Canadian Balsam is obtained. This substance is naturally deposited in vesicles on the trunk and limbs, and is collected by bursting these tumours and receiving their contents in a bottle.

White Cedar — Gupressis Thyoides. — The foliage is evergreen : the wood is light, soft, fine-grained, and easily wrought. When perfectly seasoned, and exposed for some time to the light, it is of a rosy hue ; it has a strong aromatic odour, which it preserves as long as it is guarded from humidity. The perfect wood resists the succession of dryness and moisture longer than that of any other species, and for this quality it is much valued. It is now much used for fishing-boats, and all the boats used by the whalers are built of it.

American Larch — Laryx Americana. — The In- dian name is Hackmatack. The early Dutch settlers named it Tamarack — the French Canadians call it Epinette Rouge. In the northern parts of New Brunswick, where it is extensively used in

286 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

ship-building, it is called Juniper. The wood of the American Larch is superior to any species of pine or spruce, and unites all the properties which distinguish the European species, being exceedingly strong and singularly durable. Turpentine is never extracted from it in America, as is done from the native species in Europe. The American Larch is a magnificent tree, with a straight, slender trunk, eighty or one hundred feet in length and two or three feet in diameter. Its numerous branches, except near the summit, are horizontal or declining. The bark is smooth and polished on the trunk and longer limbs, and rugged on the smaller branches. Black (double) Spruce — Abies Nigra. — In Ca- nada, this spruce is called Epinette Noire^ and Epinette a la Mere. The knees of vessels are gene- rally formed of black spruce, and immense quan- tities are annually sawn in New Brunswick into deals (or planks three inches thick) for exportation. From the young branches is made the salutary drink known as " spruce beer." The twigs are boiled in water, a certain quantity of molasses or maple sugar is added, with a little yest, and the mixture is left to ferment. The " essence of spruce"' is obtained by evaporating to the consistence of an extract. Spruce beer is an effectual preventive of scurvy. The fishermen of Newfoundland and the

TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 287

Gulf of St. Lawrence drink large quantities of the spruce beer, mixed with rum, which drink they call " callibogus." It is considered an admirable corrective of their diet of very fat pork, (clear sheer) and keeps the men in good health. If the beer is made with white sugar and the rum be old, the drink is excellent.

White (single) Spruce — Abies Alba. — In Ca- nada Epinette blanche. — Much inferior to the fore- going.

Hemlock Spruce — Abies Canadensis. — The hem- lock spruce is always larger and taller than the black spruce. It attains the height of seventy or eighty feet, with a circumference of six to nine feet, and uniform for two-thirds of its length. Moist grounds appear not to be in general the most fa- vourable to its growth. In size it falls far short of the white pine, or pinus strobm, which is the giant of American forests. Hemlock bark is ex- tensively used for tanning in New Brunswick ; no other bark is used for that purpose.

American Arbor Vitse, or White Cedar — Thuya Occidentalis. — This is the most multiplied of the resinous trees, after the black and hemlock spnices. A cool soil is indispensable to its growth. It is seldom seen on the uplands among the beeches and birches, but is found on the rocky edges of the in-

&

288 TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

numerable rivulets and small lakes scattered over this country. It frequently occupies in great part, or exclusively, swamps from fifty to one hundred acres in extent, some of which are accessible only in the winter when frozen.

The branches of the white cedar will keep off moths when placed amongst clothes or furs. Boxes of red cedar (cedar of Lebanon) will do the same, as also sandalwood. It is the powerful odour which has the effect upon the moths, and which they cannot bear. A more curious fact is that rats will not gnaw the wood of the hemlock- spruce, and therefore in New Brunswick it is used for corn-bins, ceiling cook-cellars, &c. The wood is said to be very bitter and poisonous : at all events, rats will not touch it — a hemlock plank often stops their depredations.

There is no native Willow in New Brunswick which can rank as a tree ; and I have some doubts whether the Alder should be classed as such.

The foregoing list comprises all the forest trees yet known or noticed in New Brunswick. Future research may discover others, but they cannot exist in any quantity or to any extent.

TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK. 289

No. VIII.

ON THE FOREST TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

SUBSTANCE OP A LECTURE DELIVERED BY M. H. PERLEY, ESQ., AT THE mechanics' INSTITUTE.

In introducing the subject, the lecturer said that, in order to elucidate it clearly, it would be neces- sary to take a brief glance at the geographical posi- tion of New Brunswick, and notice some of its principal features. A large map of the province was exhibited, and the lecturer said, that the area of the province, in round numbers, was seventeen millions of acres : that of these seventeen millions, ^ve millions were granted, and two millions were deducted for water and waste, leaving ten millions ungranted and all fit for settlement at the disposal of the Crown. Of the five millions granted, only 500,000 acres were officially reported as being cleared and cultivated ; and, deducting this quantity, with a liberal allowance for water and waste, it would be seen that New Brunswick contained no less than fourteen millions of acres, covered with a dense fotest.

The southern part of the province (St. Andrew^s)

was stated as being in lat. 45° north, and Dalhousie,

the northern extreme, in lat. 48°. The trees which

covered the country were described as those which

VOL. I. o

290 TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK.

flourish in greatest perfection between the pa* rallels of 43° and 46° north, and might be divided into two great classes. The first class comprises the resinous trees, such as the pines and spruces, which cover the low grounds and bottoms of the valleys ; these are called " Soft wood lands." The second class consists of the deciduous or leafy trees, such as the maple, birch, and beech ; these grow on level ground or gentle declivities, and form what are called " Hard wood lands."

Between the 43rd and 46th parallels, these two great classes are found in nearly equal proportions ; but, proceeding from the 46th degree northward, the leafy trees become more rare, and the resinous trees more abundant. Below the 43rd degree, on the other hand, proceeding to the south, the resi- nous trees are found less common, and the others soon lose their predominance in the forest, by be- coming mingled with the numerous species of oaks and walnuts.

The lecturer stated, that in North America, be- yond the parallel of 48°, all trees become dwarfish and but few varieties are found ; that beyond 49°, only dwarfish shrubs exist up to 50° north, beyond which there are only mosses and barrens, across that extensive tract of country stretching from Canada to the Arctic Ocean.

TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 291

It was clear from the lecturer's statements, that this province, situated between the parallels of 45^ and 48°, occupies a favourable position on the con- tinent of North America for furnishing a variety of large and valuable forest trees. Of these, the lec- turer said he had prepared a list, which he now for the first time submitted to the public — he was not aware that any similar list had been heretofore prepared, and he offered this as the result of the information he had derived from the works of the best naturalists, and of his own observations during some years among the forests, in different parts of the province. It was not offered as a perfect and complete list ; but he trusted that, so far as it went, it would be found correct.

The lecturer then entered into a detailed descrip- tion of several species mentioned in the list, and exhibited some very fine specimens of native wood, particularly butternut, of good size and excellent quality, from the valley of the St. John, and larch and poplar of fine quality and large size, from Mi- ramichi.

Subjoined is a correct copy of the list of forest trees exhibited at the lecture : —

Oak — Two species. Gray Oak . . . Quercus Borealis.

Red Oak . . . Quercus Rubra.

o2

292

TREES OP NEW BRUNSWICK.

Butternut

White Maple Red-flowering Maple Sugar (Rock) Maple Moose Wood Mountain (Low) Maple

Bog Wood

Canoe Birch White Birch Yellow Birch Black Birch

Common Alder

Walnut — One species.

. Juglans Cathartica. Maple — ^Five species.

. Acer Eriocarpum, Acer Rubrum. Acer Saccharinumi Acer Striatum. Acer Montanum. Comus — One species.

. Comus Florida.

Birch — ^Four species.

. Betula Papyracea. . Betula Populifolia. . Betula lutea. . Betula lenta.

Alder — One species.

. Alnus Serrulata.

Cherry — Two species. Wild Cherry Tree . . Cerasus Virginiana. Red Cherry Tree . . Cerasus Borealis.

Poplar — Two species. Balsam Poplar (Balm of Gilead) Populus Balsamifera. American Aspen . . Populus Tremuloides.

Beech — Two species. White Beech . . . Fagus Sylvestris. Red Beech . . . Fagus Ferruginea.

Carpinus — Two species. American Hornbeam . Carpinus Americana.

Iron Wood . . . Carpinus Ostrt/a,

TREES OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 293

Ash — Two species. White Ash . . . Fraxinus Americana. Black Ash . . . Fraxinus Sambucifolia,

Willow — Three species. Black Willow . . Salix nigra,

Champlain Willow . . Salix lagustrina. Shining Willow . . Salix lucida.

Elm — Two species. White Elm . . . Ulmus Americana. Red Elm . . . Ulmus Rubra..

American Lime — One species. Bass Wood . . . Tilia Americana.

Pine — Three species. Red (Norway) Pine . . Pinus Rubra. Gray Pine . . . Pinus Rupestris.

White Pine . . . Pinus Strobus.

Spruce — Four species. Black, or Double Spruce Abies Nigra.

White, or Single Spruce . Abies Alba. Hemlock Spruce . . Abies Canadensis. American Silver Fir . Abies Balsamifera.

Cypress — One species. White Cedar . . . Cupressis Thyoides.

Larch — One species. American Larch (Hackmatack)Z/ana? Americana.

Juniper — One species. Arbor Vitas (Red Cedar) . Thuya Occidentalis.

END OF VOL. I.

Frederick Shoberl, Junior, Printer to His Royal Highness Prince Albert, 51, Bupert Street, Haymarket, London.

ECHOES

FROM

THE BACKWOODS.

CHAPTER X.

A RACE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES CONTINUED.

" I have seen a fellow reckoned a great adept in gouging., who constantly kept the nails of both his thumbs and second fingers very long and pointed — nay, to prevent their breaking and splitting in the execution of his diabolical intentions, he hardened them every evening in a candle." — Travels by an Officer.

Have you ever seen Buffalo ? — Cranberries out of Season — Antidote against Travelling-Illness — High -pressure in a Stage — Davy Crockett — Economical dress "for Jockeys — Mesmerising Deer — Lynch Law — Captain Plarris's Soiree — Possums — Red River — Six Feet and a half.

Tell a Yankee that London is a large place, he will say, " Stranger, I guess you've never seen Buffalo?"

VOL. II. B

2 ECHOES FROM

This said Buffalo is the capital of the West, through which the great stream of emigration passes ; it was burnt by us during the late war, but rose quickly from its ashes, and is appropriately termed by the Americans " a great business place." Dollars were in every one's mouth, whether they were in their pockets or not. It is the emporium whence start the numerous magnificent steamers which navigate lakes Erie, Huron, and Mi- chigan, in one of which we embarked, to cross the first of these lakes to Cleveland, in the state of Ohio, the boat touching at Erie, Ash- tabula, and other towns en route. The pas- sengers were, for the most part, of the lowest erder, emigrating to the far West. The boat was crowded ; and, though there was a second price, before we had left Buffalo three hours, all distinction was at an end.

We had not been out long before it came on to blow right ahead. The whole of the company, with the exception of ourselves and

THE BACKWOODS. S

perhaps half-a-dozen others, were remarkably unwell, and it was evident, from certain nu- merous red deposits on the deck, that cran- berries were in season, and very plentiful in the Buffalo market. It was the third day, owing to a contrary wind, before we could make Cleveland, and during the whole of that time they did not wash or clean the decks ; and, of all detestable conveyances, a steamer with a republican sea-sick company is most to be eschewed, they having no respect for themselves or their neighbours, distributing their favours over themselves [and each other indiscriminately. One man begged me to ask my friend, who was smoking, to lend him his cigar ; he said that he would not keep it long; he merely wanted a few puffs, as he felt very squeamish ; and that if I " could borrow it for him, it might prevent his being sick." I had lent my eau-de-Cologne bottle to a young lady who was dreadfully ill ; her brother, on returning it in the morning, begged to remu-

B 2

4 ECHOES FROM

nerate me for as much of it as had been used!

There were a number of Kentucky men on board ; they were dressed in blanket coats of green, crimson, and all colours. They were perched up on one of the paddle-boxes, eat- ing cabbage swimming in vinegar, lumps of which they were thrusting down their capa- cious throats with their bowie-knives, as- sisted by an occasional shove from their huge fore-fingers, cursing and swearing between each mouthful. They had a number of tum- blers of gin-sling, cocktail, &c., before them, the effects of which were soon apparent in a general row ; till the conductor of the boat was obliged to interfere. We were rejoiced to land in Ohio, and get clear of such accu- mulated horrors.

Forty miles, the distance between Lake Erie and Wellsville, where we struck the Ohio, we accomplished in twenty-nine hours, passing by Pittsfield, the Birmingham of the

THE BACKWOODS. 5

United States. The road was vile : we were often obliged to turn out all hands, and sup- port the top of the stage, by holding rails against it to prevent its capsizing. At last it fairly broke down ; upon which the driver pulled a couple of long stakes out of the fence, and placed them across the axle-tree, to support the body of the coach. This he did so systematically, that it was evidently an every-day occurrence. To our dismay, a woman got in at Rome (one of the numerous towns of that name consisting of about four houses), who stated, by way of introduction, that " she was troubled with wind upon her stomach, and that riding in a coach always made her sea-sick." She was hardly seated, when she commenced roaring like a high-

>^ressure steam-engine, until she was relieved

9 by being exceedingly ill, and we^ by the

driver's quietly assisting her out, and leaving

~ her to her fate by the road-side.

When we reached Wellsville, we found the

6 ECHOES FROM

river low, and a most diminutive steamer took us down, until deeper water enabled us to change into a larger boat, which changes were repeated several times, till we arrived at Cincinnati.

The Ohio commences at Pittsburgh, where it is formed by a junction of the Alleghany and Monongahela. The literal meaning of the Indian word "Ohio" signifies "The Beautiful River," or " the River which I love ; " hence the French " La belle Riviere'' At Pittsburgh it is six hundred yards wide, at Cincinnati a little more, and below the Cum- berland its average breadth is one thousand yards ; and it has a course of nine hundred and forty-nine miles to its confluence with the Mississippi. It is bounded in its whole course by bluffs, sometimes towering sub- limely from the shores of the river, and sometimes receding tw^o or three miles. The scenery on the Ohio fully entitles it to the French appellation, and the effect was at this

THE BACKWOODS. T

time greatly heightened by the autumnal change in the foliage; the tints of the sumachs, maples, and papaws, were most brilliant ; and, this being our first autumn in America, we knew not sufficiently how to admire them. A man told me, that a white willow transplanted became weeping; he " guessed " we had nothing like that in the old country. He then proceeded to " guess " that we came from the North, as we were " almighty healthy-looking."

We passed a natural curiosity called " the Cave in the Rock," supposed by the Indians to be the habitation of the Great Spirit. Mr. Harris, a tourist, gives the following descrip- tion. " For three or four miles before you come to this place, you are presented with a scene truly romantic. On the Illinois side of the river are large ponderous rocks piled one upon another, of different shapes and sizes. Some appear to have gone through the hands of the most skilful artist ; some represent the

8 ECHOES FROM

ruins of ancient edifices, thrown promiscu- ously in and out of the river, as if Nature intended to show us with what ease she could handle those mountains of solid rock. In some places, you see purling streams winding their course down their rugged front, while in others the rocks project so far, that they seem almost disposed to leave their doubtful situations. After a short relief from this scene, you come to a second, which is some- thing similar to the first ; and here, with strict scrutiny, you can discover the cave. Before its mouth stands a delightful grove of cypress-trees, arranged immediately on the hank of the river. They have a fine appear- ance, and add much to the cheerfulness of the place."

The mouth of the cave is but a few feet above the level of the river ; it is formed by a semicircular arch of about eighty feet at its base, twenty- five in height ; from the entrance to the extremity is one hundred and

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eighty feet : it has a regular and gradual asceut. This cave was the place of resort and security to Mason, a notorious robber, and his gang, who were accustomed to plun- der and murder the crews of boats, while descending the Ohio.

About ten miles below the mouth of the Tennessee River we passed Fort Massac, for- merly a military post of importance. The French erected a fort here in the early settle- ment of the country, and when in possession of the western country. The Indians, then at war with them, devised a curious stratagem to take it. A number of them appeared in the day-time on the opposite side of the river, each covered with a bear's skin, and walked on all-fours. Supposing them to be bears, a party of the French crossed the river in pur- suit of them. The remainder of the troops left their quarters to see the sport. In the mean time, a large body of warriors, who were concealed in the woods hard by, came silently

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behind the fort, entered it without opposition, and Tery few of the French escaped the massacre. They afterwards built another fort on the same ground, and called it Fort Massac, in memory of this disastrous event.

We found the people of Cincinnati com- plaining that they had had a " dreadfully dull season." This, which we imagined might re- late to a paucity of amusements, or even a Avant of briskness in trade, we found to relate solely to hogs. " No quantity had been killed ;" they hoped the following season would be better, and contrasted it gloomily with the last, " when the streets had run rivers of blood." Mrs. Trollope's Bazaar they call Trollope's Folly, and seem to hold her in especial detestation.

The steamers on the Ohio and Mississippi have all high-pressure engines. The reason given is, that the water of the Mississippi is so muddy, that the deposit in the boiler would choke them up ; certainly the escape valve

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vomits forth a stream of mud mixed with the steam. The largest vessels are well fitted up; some have three tiers of decks, one above the other: they are all constructed with large overhanging guards, which give great deck- room. Accidents are frequent, from all the passengers rushing to one side at the landing- places ; and the boilers, often to the number of ten or twelve, being placed horizontally, the water rushes from one to another, and they collapse, on which occasions som^ ten or twenty persons are generally either burned or scalded to death. The furnaces are open at the front, and the great draught made by moving so rapidly through the air causes them to burn brilliantly ; when racing with other boats, the crew will burn tar-barrels. As for gambling and drinking, it exceeded all belief, and the consumption of gin-sling and mint- juleps was enormous.

Races were going on at Louisville, the capital of Kentucky. The Kentuckians,

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with Davy Crockett at their head, are a sporting race, and are in general fine-looking fellows, good shots, and, par e<rcelle7ice, the roughest of all the inhabitants of the United States.

Every thing here is Davy Crockett. He was member of Congress. His voice was so rough it could not be described — it was obliged to be drawn as a picture. He took hailstones for " Life Pills" when he was unwell — he picked his teeth with a pitch-fork — combed his hair with a rake — fanned him- self with a hurricane, wore a cast-iron shirt, and drank nothing but chreosote and aqua- fortis. Almanacs bear his name, and he snored so loud that he was obliged to sleep at a house in the next street for fear of waking himself. He had a farm, which was so rocky, that, when they planted the corn, they were obliged to shoot the grains into the crevices of the rocks with muskets ; and, on another part of his property, the stones were so thick

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that the ducks couldn't get their bills between them to pick up the grasshoppers : in short, he was a devil of a fellow. He could whip his weight in wild cats — drink the Mississippi dry — shoot six cord of bear in one day — and, as his countrymen say of themselves, he could jump higher, dive deeper, and come up dryer than any one else. Then he could slide down the slippery end of a rainbow, and was half- horse, half- alligator, and a bit of a snapping turtle. Even his domestic animals were the most cunning in the world, and he possessed a cat which, having lost her kittens, was so "cute" that she was observed moaning for several days at the door of a sausage-maker.

I whip my weight in wild cats,

I eat an alligator, And tear up more ground

Dan kivers fifty load of tater,

I sit upon a hornets' nest,

I dance upon my head, I tie a viper round my neck,

And den I goes to bed.

On awaking, the morning after our arrival

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at Louisville, a great noise attracted us to the window ; half the street had disappeared; numbers of oxen were carrying off the houses bodily; some fifteen or twenty being har- nessed to a house, the passage of which was facilitated by rollers placed at intervals.

Like the Virginians, the Kentuckians are extensive breeders of horses, and take great trouble, sparing no expense, to improve the breed. The race-course was enclosed with railings, so that the horses could not bolt, but were obliged to run round in a circle as at Astley's. The jockeys who bestrode them were most diminntive negro boys. The eco- nomy of their dress was delightful: white drawers tied round their bare legs a little below the knee, leaving the little black legs naked ; at a short distance, it had the appear- ance of boots and breeches. As the horses ran away from the start, it was a fair runaway match, and the boy who rode the winner came in well upon the horse's neck ; the ears

THE BACKWOODS. 18

of the horse alone, to all appearance, pre- venting the boy's being dragged over its head. The Kentuekians are capital rifle shots, and will usually hit a squirrel in the eye at sixty yards; the barrels of their rifles are very long, and the bore remarkably small, but so heavy as to prevent any recoil. They shoot deer at night, taking vrith them a pan of charcoal, which they carry through the woods; this, they say, does not alarm the deer, but, on the contrary, has the effect of fascinating the animal, the eyes of which appear to the hunter like two balls of fire : a good marksman (his sight being assisted by a line of chalk, drawn down the barrel of the rifle, as a guide at night) shoots him exactly between the eyes.

We followed the Ohio to its junction with the Mississippi : having built many castles in the air as to the meeting of these two mighty rivers, we were (as is usually the case) ex- tremely disappointed. We glided quite im-

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perceptibly into the Father of the Waters^ whose lazy muddy flood is lost for nearly two miles in the stronger and beautiful green stream of the Ohio, which drives the Missis- sippi quite to one side. Here we passed many large steamers, on their voyage up to St. Louis on the Missouri — as the course of this latter is much longer than the Mississippi before their junction, it should have been the prevailing name, and as far as the entrance of the Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico. How- ever, custom will have her way ; the continent is called America, and not Columbia, and so the Mississippi will ever be the name of this mightiest of rivers, though the Missouri, which is muddy from its source in the Rocky Mountains, discolours both rivers till they are lost together in the same gulf.

One hundred and fifty years after the Mis- sissippi was discovered by La Salle, Mr. Schoolcraft first reached its source in a little * The Indian name for the Mississippi.

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lake, Itasca, on a high table-land 1500 feet above the Gulf of Mexico, and 3160 miles from its mouth by the windings of its channel. Its source is in about forty-seven degrees, and its mouth in twenty-nine degrees north latitude : it consequently traverses eighteen degrees of latitude. It commences in many branches, that rise, for the most part, in wild lakes ; but it traverses no great distance before it becomes a broad stream. Three hundred miles from its source, it precipitates its waters down the " Falls of St. Anthony ;" thence it glides alternately through beautiful meadows and deep forests, swelled in its advance with the tribute of a hundred streams. In its progress, it receives a tributary, which of itself has a course of more than a thousand leagues: thence it rolls its accumulated, turbid, and sweeping mass of waters through continuous forests, broken only here and there by the axe, in lonely grandeur to the sea.

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The Falls of St. Anthony, instead of being fifty feet high, as described by the extrava- gant early French writers, are, says our guide-book, but sixteen or seventeen feet of perpendicular descent; and the surrounding scenery is described as most striking and romantic. A thrilling story is told of a young Dacotah, or Sioux squaw, who, goaded by jealousy of her husband, who had taken another wife, placed her young children in a canoe, and, chanting the remembrances of love and broken vows, precipitated herself and her infants down the Falls. Indians are always romancers, if not poets. Their traditions say, that these ill-fated beings so perished that no trace of them was seen; but they suppose that the mother's spirit still wanders near the spot, and that she is seen on sunny mornings, carrying her babes in the accus- tomed manner, bound to her bosom, and still mourning the inconstancy of her husband.

Eight hundred and forty-three miles from

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the Falls, the waters of the Mississippi are augmented by the immense stream of the Missouri from the West. The latter has the longer course, brings down a greater bulk of water, and gives its own character to the united current ; yet it loses its name in the inferior stream. Above their junction, the Mississippi is a clear, placid stream, one mile and a half in width ; below, it is turbid, and becomes narrower, deeper, and more rapid.

Between the Missouri and the sea, a distance of 1220 miles, it receives its principal tribu- taries— the Ohio from the East, and the Arkan- sas and Red Rivers from the West ; and imme- diately below the mouth of the latter, gives off, in times of flood, a portion of its superfluous water, by the outlet of the Atchafalaya. It is on this lower part of its course, where it should, properly speaking, bear the name of the Missouri, that it often tears away the islands and projecting points, and, at the

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season of high water, plunges great masses of the banks, with all their trees, into its current. In many places it deposits immense heaps of drift-wood upon its mud-bars, which become as dangerous to the navigator as shoals and rocks at sea.

Below the Atchafalaya, it discharges a portion of its waters by the Lafourche and Iberville ; but the great bulk flows on in the main channel, which here has a south-easterly course ; and, passing through the flat tract of New Orleans, reaches the sea at the end of a long projecting tongue of mud, deposited by the current. Near the Gulf of Mexico, it divides into several channels, here called passes, with bars at their mouths, of from twelve to sixteen feet of water. The water is white and turbid, and colours that of the Gulf for the distance of several leagues.

The Mississippi is obstructed hj planters , sawyers, and wooden islands, which are fre- quently the cause of injury, and even destruc-

THE BACKWOODS. 21

tion, to the boats which navigate it. Planters are large bodies of trees firmly fixed by the roots in the bottom of the river, in a per- pendicular manner, and appearing no more than about one foot above the surface of the water, when at its medium height. So firmly are they rooted, that the largest boats running against them will not move them ; but, on the contrary, they materially injure the boats. Sawyers are likewise large bodies of trees, fixed less perpendicularly in the water, and of rather less size, yielding to the pressure of the current, disappearing and appearing at intervals, and having a motion similar to the saw of a saw-mill, from which they derive their name. These obstructions have been partially removed by a government snag-boat, and a great portion of the trees that form them have been cut away from its banks. Wooden islands are places where, by some cause or other, large quantities of drift-wood have been stopped and matted together in different parts of the river.

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Craft of all sorts are found on these waters. There are the rude, shapeless masses, that denote the infancy of navigation, and the powerful and magnificent steamboats which mark its perfection; together with all the intermediate forms between these extremes. The most inartificial of all water-craft is the ark, or Kentucky flat, a huge frame of square timbers, with a roof: it is in the shape of a parallelogram, and lies upon the water like a log ; it hardly feels the oar, and trusts for motion mainly to the current. These arks are often filled with the goods and families of emigrants, and carry even their carriages and domestic animals; they are also used for shops for various goods which are sold at the different towns in their downward course. Some are fitted up as workshops for artificers, others contain museums of wax-work figures, and other raree-shows or travelling libraries.

The first steamboat on these waters was built at Pittsburg, in 1811, and, according to our book, up to the year 1838, above eight hundred

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had been built ; and there were at that time upwards of three hundred on the Mississippi and its tributaries. There are also keel-boats and barges, which are light and well-built ; skiffs that will carry from two to five tons ; " dug-outs," or pirogues, made of hollowed logs, and other vessels, for which language has no name and the sea no parallel.

And now commenced that tiresome voyage so often described : — snags, sawyers, running aground ; — then all the contrivances for getting afloat again. We were soon weary of it. For days the scenery was unvaried. The country on either side a dead flat, covered with masses of gigantic forest, excepting where the growth of white poplar of different heights, one above another, indicated, like a flight of steps, the constant shifting of the river, and the formation of its deposits. It is this perpetual change which renders the navigation so difficult and uncertain, and the pilots unable to guard against running aground.

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The Rhine, from Strasburg to Carlsruhe, and the Danube, from Molk to Vienna, are affected in the same way, and have much the appearance of the Mississippi. As we ad* vanced towards the south, the vegetation daily changed. Where swamps existed in the opening of the forests, the trees were covered with long pendent mosses, which are dried and used to stuff mattresses. On exa- mination, a long hair is found in each fibre. Peccan trees, bearing delicious nuts, many kinds of bay, evergreen oaks, cypress, lauris- tinus, magnolia grandi flora, palma christi, &c. &c., took the place of forest trees.

Once a day we stopped " to wood," in which operation the deck-passengers were expected to assist. The squalid appearance of the wretched squatters who make the pro- vision of wood has often been described. In one place we came to a set of people strangely out of character with the surrounding scene, — a set of actors rehearsing in a cane brake,

THE BACKWOODS. 25

hard by the water's edge. They had em- barked at Pittsville on the Ohio, and were acting their way down to New Orleans. Luckily, there were but few passengers on board, who, after having asked every ques- tion they could think of, left us in peace for their cards and dram-drinking. I was writing a letter in the cabin, when the steward of the boat came behind me, and began reading over my shoulder ; I suspected what he was about, and having somewhere heard or read (in Joe Miller, perhaps) of a like case, I wrote, " I cannot add more, for a carroty-headed rascal is looking over my shoulder." He took the hint, and, filling one cheek with tobacco, went off whistling

My daddy loved his backer pipe,

My mother lov'd her poodle, Till I appeared a cherry ripe,

Dear little Yankee Doodle.

Ri tol lol, &c.

The only instance of any thing approaching to a hill, was at Natchez and Randolph, both

VOL. II. c

26 ECHOES FROM

situated upon bluffs of land, and these were not of any considerable height. The former had been the head-quarters of a notorious set of gamblers and scoundrels. It was a com- mon practice to put lights in the windows, and to begin music and dancing when the steamers came alongside. The passengers, attracted by the sounds, went on shore to see the fun. The captain of the steamer, being a party to the thing, rang the bell of the steamer as a signal for departure ; the pas- sengers rushed down to the boat, and fell over ropes stretched across their path to trip them up, when they were set upon and robbed. At Randolph we found the captain of a steamer on his trial for conniving at the escape of a slave. The court was held in a sort of bar for selling liquors ; the judge was in his shirt-sleeves, covered with the flue of cotton, the picking of which he had evidently just left, and the accused was balancing him- self on the hind-legs of his chair, with his feet

THE BACKWOODS. 27

elevated against the wall, and smoking a cigar. The departure of the boat obliged us to leave the prisoner, uncertain of his fate, whether to justice or Lynch law we never learned ; most probably the latter, which is performed by covering the unfortunate indi- vidual with tar, and then rolling him in cotton. He is put across a rail and carried about ; hence the expression frequent in these parts, "I guess he'll ride a rail." Bad as all this is, we must recollect that, in a society composed of a set of ruffians, the very out- casts of the world, who have been driven first from Europe, and then from all the more civi- lized quarters of America, to these far distant parts beyond the pale of civilization and laws, it is well that even a code of this sort should exist.

Lynch law exists, though on a milder scale, on this side of the Atlantic. 1\\ 1833, whilst the Coercion Act was in force for the county of Kilkenny, military officers were made magis-

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trates in the disturbed districts, in one of which was included the town of Ballyraggett. A cur-dog, one of a numerous breed inhabit- ing that place, excited the irritability of a gallant officer invested with the power of pre- serving the peace, by ** ill-using or otherwise maltreating " his favourite spaniel. The cur was discovered next morning so heavily logged that he was regularly anchored to the ground. His master, on seeing his dog in durance vile, enlisted, in his cur's behalf, a numerous gang of the Ballyraggett y«zV, who, watching their opportunity, sallied forth en masse on the unfortunate captain and his subaltern whilst they were on a fishing excursion, and, by main force, quickly denuded them of every stitch of clothing, leaving them to hide their nakedness in the wavy bullrushes until night favoured their escape.

Some good stories we heard illustrative of high life in Kentucky. A man who had feasted his eyes upon a fair lady's graceful

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form, and followed her through the mazy dance, at last ejaculated, with great emphasis, " By Jams ! that gal's worth spoons, so I guess ril dance with her." On the conclusion of the set, the gentleman's self-introduction ran as follows ; — " Miss, will you dance with mef' On the young lady's declining, he exclaimed, " Well, you're not so handsome but what you might ; and if you have got a friend or a brother in the room, I'll whip him,

by !" And at another ball— which had

gone on with great spirit up to a certain time of the night — and fair partners and mint- juleps had had their effect upon the disciples of Davy Crockett —

The pipers loud and louder blew, The dancers quick and quicker flew —

the host suddenly rushed in amongst the dancers, exclaiming, " Gentlemen, the ball is broke — Captain Harris has kissed my wife." Of course a general commotion took place — and soft speeches were foregone for hurried

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draughts of cocktail, slings, &c., as a general search took place for muffs, boas, and tippets, and all thought of taking themselves off, Avhen the injured husband as suddenly made his reappearance, and, taking up a position in the midst of the room, called out, " Gentle- men, the ball may go on again — Captain Harris has behaved like a gentleman ; he has

given me ample satisfaction, by ! — he

has given me five dollars."

We were told of a man being seen writhing on the ground as if he was in convulsions, the while thrusting his thumbs furiously into the sand — -on being asked what he was about, he replied, " he was practising gouging."

They all carry knives, generally Arkansas toothpicks. The blades, being longer than the handles, allow only three parts to be shut ; over the point a scabbard is carried, which, when in expectation of a row, they take off, and begin picking their teeth with the point, preparatory to opening the full length of the

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blade, which is only resorted to should the row become a general one.

The following is a specimen of their mode of proceeding upon entering a steamer, parti- cularly should it be crowded, and the chance of getting a berth doubtful. They take out their knife and place it on one, exclaiming, " Hell ! that is ray berth ;" as much as to say, they are ready to fight for it — but, should any one happen to have a pistol, and allow the possessor of the knife to see the superior weapon, he will immediately give in, pocket his knife, and withdraw his claim, as he con- siders the other the better armed, and, in con- sequence, the better man. The old saying, that "might is right," is fully exemplified on the Mississippi, and this is the excuse for Lynch law.

We landed at an island below the mouth of the Red River, to await the arrival of a boat coming up from New Orleans. The only accommodation was a log hut, put together

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like the mountain chalets of Switzerland ; and, when inside, the entrance of the light between the round logs produced just the eifect of being in a cage. We accompanied our host to hunt for our supper, or rather for opos- sums, the only food forthcoming, excepting squirrels and some coarse cakes of Indian corn. The night was very bright, and the chase most successful. We found them by means of dogs ; when discovered, they imme- diately sham dead. 'Possuming is become an idiom ; a term signifying any one who is humbugging or deceiving. Their habits have often been described, but I do not know that I have ever met with any mention of one peculiarity belonging to them. If surprised in a tree, they will suspend themselves straight down by the tail, which they wind round a branch, thus making themselves appear as part of the tree; sometimes they take the appearance of the mosses of the tree ; in short, their power of adapting themselves to the

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situation they are found in is most extraordi- nary. When roasted, they are not unlike a sucking pig — not bad either. Thousands of parroquets were screaming through the woods : " Psittacus Carolinensis," the only one of the parrot tribe inhabiting North America.

We had to keep watch by turns through the night, expecting the boat every moment : at last, we heard her puffing and roaring — fancy- ing she must be abreast of us, we were imme- diately bustling off; when the people in the hut told us we need not hurry, for she could not be up for three hours — and so it turned out : the night being calm, the noise of the broken -winded, high-pressure steam-engine might be heard distinctly for ten miles. So winding is the course of the river, that, although she could not be more than that distance off in a straight line, she was, in fact, nearly thirty miles distant ; often a nick in the bank, followed by a flood, will make a

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new channel, changing the old circuitous line, and thereby saving ten or twenty miles.

At daylight, we found ourselves in the Red River; a sullen, sluggish, red ochre-coloured stream. Floods from the Rocky Mountains had caused it to overflow its banks for some- where about one hundred miles, as we ascended ; which gave us the appearance of steering right through the forest — the effect was grand and novel ; the stream was rapid, and the great red flood rushed through the trees which extended as far as the eye could reach. On every log or uncovered bank lay numbers of alligators : we fired with our rifles at many of them, and, although close to them, the ball had no effect, except in the instance of a very small one which a Yankee killed. They seldom prove the attacking party, but such instances have occurred : it is said that the best mode of escape is for the attacked to get to a tree, and run constantly round it. The alligators cannot turn quickly ; all their

THE BACKWOODS. 35

Strength, when on land, is in the tail, with which they sweep their prey into their mouths ; from their extreme length they can move only in an angular direction, and find it impossible to turn quickly enough to catch a man describing a small circle round a tree. Quantities of the beautiful egret, or lesser egret, together with rose-coloured spoonbills, also appeared on the banks. The junction of the Red and Black rivers was rather curious, for they literally were of the colours their names indicated ; black and red eddies forced their way through each other alternately, retaining their colours unchanged. The Red River is the highway to Texas, but the navi- gation is stopped some sixty miles above its union with the Mississippi by an enormous raft of cedar, which, having drifted down the river for centuries, lies in masses of huge trees, one over another, and extends for many miles ; the timber thus soaked is very valuable. They are desirous to remove it, and

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skilful engineers have been consulted as to the best manner of doing so. Our navigation was not easy on account of the flood, and the pilot ran us into the forest, where, some of the ma- chinery breaking, we were obliged to halt twenty-four hours to repair it.

When making my toilet next morning, I found a man at work with my comb, which I had laid down for a moment ; I asked him why he made use of it, as he had one of his own which I had seen him use. " I wanted to try it," said he, "for I guess it looked almighty handsome." His own was a pocket arrangement, consisting of a looking-glass, comb, and brush, multum in parvo, the whole contained in a case about the size of a large plum.

The Americans have been greatly censured, and justly, for the abominable practice of spitting, but it is to be encountered to quite as great an extent in the steamers down the Danube and in most parts of Austria and on

THE BACKWOODS. 87

the Rhine ; and, indeed, though a Frenchman has a certain civility of manner, any one who has ever travelled with the Commis Voi/ageur of La Jeune France to be met with in pub- lic conveyances, will bear witness to a sort of sneering rudeness under the cloak of polite- ness, more difficult to bear with, than any thing I ever witnessed in America. Both nations are suspected of jealousy of England. It is probable that this bad spirit among the Americans is mainly to be attributed to the number of travellers who have held them up to ridicule : they complain, and with some justice, that the Englishman, thrown in the public boat and carriage among an order of persons with which he is accustomed to asso- ciate at home, has mistaken too frequently the manners of a class for that of the nation.^ That good manners do exist in America,

^ What Miss Edgeworth justly calls " the common error of travellers, the deducing general conclusions from a few particular cases, or arguing from exceptions as if they were rules."

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there can be no doubt, but they are rather to be met with in the retirement of private life than in the bustling scenes of commercial activity. When thrown into collision with manners which are extraordinary and even disgusting, there is nothing for it but to take all with good-humour: with that determination we had started, and we found amusement instead of annoyance in every strange associate — and the extraordinary ^' lengths " to which they will proceed the following anecdote will prove.

I had heard that a brother officer of mine, than whom no one was fonder of a joke, and whose dimensions were some nine and a half inches above the "average height of man," had actually been measured by a Yankee. I wrote to him to inquire the truth, and received the following, which I give verbatim : —

" The story you want is as follows : — Scene, Lockport. I was standing, as most English- men do, with my back to the stove, one cruel cold morning in October. I observed a

THE BACKWOODS. 39

Yankee eyeing me from head to foot, which he continued to do for some minutes, without having come, as I could see, to any satisfac- tory conclusion. At length he got up from his seat, pulled a two-foot rule out of his pocket, and proceeded to measure me. When he had done, he looked me in the face.

" * I guess, mister, you're just six feet five and a half?'

" I kept my temper, but remarked he was a d — d cool fellow.

'' ' And pray, Mr. Britisher, what is the meaning of cool ?'

'* I was done, and burst out laughing."

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CHAPTER XL

A RACE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES CONTINUED.

Old Mammy Dinah, what you got for supper ? Cold fish and clams, and a little yoUy butter.

Negro Song — Air, '■^Jim Crow"

Slave chase — Departure for the Prairies — Advantages of a corduroy road — ^Woodpeckers — How alligators like " chicken-fixens," and how we had to put up with " com- mon doings" — An Indian hanging — Tossuming — Atchafa- laya — Mississippi — New Orleans — Triumphs — Battle ground — St. Rosa Sound — Independent post — Rail way im- provements.

It was Sunday when we reached Alexan- dria; all the shops were open. An attempt had been made to establish a church, but the inhabitants broke the windows and drove the clergyman out of the place. In the evening, a number of men turned out to chase an un- fortunate slave, who was suspected of having stolen a horse : they fired several shots at

THE BACKWOODS. 41

him, and at last he was knocked down by a blow from the butt-end of a rifle ; we saw him dragged off, probably to endure some greater cruelty. The inhabitants of Alexandria are chiefly gamblers or cunning speculators, a nest of incarnate devils, who live by cheating the latest comers, and, whenever possible, each other.

The ruffians who composed the invading army to Texas were at this time passing up the Red River. Sundry hints were given to us, that the reality of our being British offi- cers travelling for amusement was questioned, and that we were suspected of being spies. In consequence, we abandoned a hunting ex- pedition already planned, took the hint, and prepared to cross the prairies of Louisiana towards New Orleans. Two wretched horses and a mule made their appearance for the journey ; as for saddles, they were fac-similes of those upon which Hogarth has represented Sir Hudibras, or that which the brazen statue

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of his majesty George III. bestrides at the end of Pall Mall ; and the whole turn-out, although not suited to a cover side in high Leicestershire, was well adapted to cross the prairies of Louisiana, so intersected with cor- duroy roads and swamps that the county Longford horses, said to be web-footed, might be introduced with great advantage. Once under weigh, however, they proceeded very well, with the exception of the mule, which kicked incessantly from the time of starting, until we reached the first corduroy road, when the logs, turning round at every step, obliged him to place his fore-feet so carefully, that he was effectually prevented from elevating his hinder ones ; and his rider, taking advantage of such an opportunity, gave him so sound a drubbing that he condescended to forget his tricks, and turned out a most useful animal during the rest of the journey.

The first day's route lay through " the Bush." Large plantations of cotton were

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ofi'owino: amone: dead and blanched timbers, killed by the process of " girdling," i. e, cut- ting a deep notch round the tree, of sufficient depth to check the upward flow of the sap, when the consequent destruction of the foliage sufficiently secures the admission of light and air to the cotton, which flourishes amidst these gigantic skeletons, that remain standing until destroyed by fire, storm, or age. Amidst these trees, the hammering of the "ivory-billed" and " pilliated woodpecker," the most noble of their tribe, was incessant, and their splendid scarlet and carmine crests gleamed in the sunshine.

Wilson, writing of the former, says : " His manners have a dignity in them superior to the common herd of woodpeckers. Trees, shrubberies, orchards, rails, fence-posts, and old prostrate logs, are alike interesting to those in their humble and indefatigable search for prey ; but the royal hunter now before us scorns the humility of such situations, and

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seeks the most towering trees of the forests, seeming particularly attached to those pro- digious cypress swamps, whose crowded giant sons stretch their bare and blasted or moss- hung arms midway to the skies. In these almost inaccessible recesses, amid ruinous piles of impending timber, his trumpet-like note and loud strokes resound through the savage wilds, of which he seems the sole lord and inhabitant. Wherever he frequents, he leaves numerous monuments of his industry behind him ; we there see enormous pine- trees, with cart-loads of bark lying around their roots, and the chips of the trunk itself in such quantities as to suggest the idea that half a dozen axe-men had been at work for the whole morning. The body of the tree is also disfigured with such numerous and so large excavations, that one can hardly believe the whole to be the work of the wood- pecker."

Wilson, however, takes the proper view of

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this most active and energetic bird, and shows that he is a preserver, and not a destroyer. "The sound and healthy tree is the least object of his attention. The diseased, in- fested with insects, and hastening to putre- faction, are his favourites ; there, the deadly crawling enemy have formed a lodgment be- tween the bark and tender wood, to drink up the vital part of the tree. It is the ravages of these vermin which the intelligent pro- prietor of the forest deplores, as the sole per- petrators of the destruction of his timber. Would it be believed that the larvae of an insect, or fly, no larger than a grain of rice, should silently and in one season destroy some thousand acres of pine-trees, many of them from two to three feet in diameter, and a hundred and fifty in height ?"

We halted for the night at a wretched shanty, on one of the great Bayous. The people had the ague, and their w^hole con- versation was about the quantity of hogs

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flesh that they (the American settlers) gave their negroes — to the disparagement of those fed by the French part of the population, who were not either so fat, or so sleek, in con- sequence of not being treated with correspond- ing luxury. They apologized for giving us a bad supper, as an alligator had that morning carried otf the last of their pigs : we were, therefore, obliged to content ourselves with '' common doings," instead of " chicken fixens" — ^the southern mode of expressing the difference between an en famille manner of feeding and the preparation for a guest.

There was but one bed in the house, and upon it we all three stretched ourselves to enjoy as much sleep as is to be obtained where fleas and vermin swarm. Unluckily, for the one who took up his berth in the middle, his legs were encased in a pair of Tartan trousers, a perfect flea-trap, and a fine cover for the whole of the biting tribe. But we had no cause to exult in their choice, for

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the unfortunate's maledictions and scratching lasted until daylight reminded us that it was time to get under weigh.

Americans have no objections to sleeping in the plural number — a habit so repugnant to an Englishman's ideas ;^ and, unless a very sharp look-out is kept, and the door locked, the waiters will, to a certainty, show a bed- fellow to your room, should the house be full — a proceeding not to be submitted to ; and Jonathan, dreadfully disgusted, goes off, swearing at the " Britisher's" pride. Even in our own provinces the same annoyance occurs. Once, when driving my sleigh on a journey through one of them, I had halted for the night, and fearing, from the number of people and the scarcity of beds, that some attempt might be made upon mine, I took the pre- caution to have my bed made on the floor

^ Ever since the days of Tony Lumpkin, who discovered to the world and his companions that the only spare bed at the " Pigeons" was " taken up by three lodgers already."

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with my buffalo-skins. It had not long been completed, however, before I heard a fellow con- templating the snugness of its appearance, and with the greatest sang froid thus solilo- quizing : " I guess I'll turn in with that chap ; that bed looks almighty comfortable." I soon undeceived him in his pleasant anticipa- tion, on which he called out to a friend in an adjoining closet, " Well, then, I guess I'll turn in to you ; we've often slept together before." They both held high situations in the province.

During the greater part of the following day, our road lay through forests of mag- nolias in full flower, with an underbrush of roses. The perfume was overpowering, but was occasionally relieved by passing over sandy hillocks, covered with pitch-pine, emitting an aromatic fragrance in agreeable contrast with the sickliness of the magnolia. More than once a red deer started across our path, followed by a Cherokee Indian, upon

THE BACKWOODS. 49

the hunting-grounds of which tribe we then were. We stopped to talk to one, a mag- nificent fellow, dressed in a hunting-shirt, embroidered with porcupine quills and scarlet leggings. He was one of the last of his tribe, which had been driven gradually before pro- gressing civilization from one hunting-ground to another, till he and a few others were the sole remnant of what had once been a mighty- nation.

The following account of " an Indian hang- ing" appeared in a newspaper : — " The first Indian that was capitally executed by the Cherokees, under Cherokee laws and by a Cherokee sheriff, was a man named Nat, who was hanged several years ago about five miles from Van Buren, Arkansas, for the murder of another Indian, who was called Musquito. The sheriff had caused a gallows to be erected a short distance from the Court Lodge ; but when the culprit was brought to it, he being a very tall man, it was found to be too short

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for his accommodation, and some other place had to be sought for the execution.

"The whole band of Indians, with the sheriff and Nat in the midst of them, then betook themselves to the banks of the Ar- kansas, in search of a proper tree from which to suspend the prisoner; and, after a little time, a tall cotton wood was found, with a projecting branch far up the trunk, that in the opinion of all was suitable for the purpose. Nat, now that all things were ready, ex- pressed a wish to bathe in the river once more, which he was permitted to do, care- fully watched by the rifles from the shore. He went into the water, frolicked about for some time, swam to and fro with great apparent pleasure — then came to the shore, donned his blanket, and stood ready for the last act of the drama. The sheriff now told him to climb the tree, which he commenced doing, the officer of the law toiling up after him with the fatal cord. Nat reached the

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projecting limb of the tree, and was desired by the sheriff to work himself as far out upon it from the trunk as he could, which was done ; when the sheriff adjusted the noose around his neck, and tied the other end of the rope around the limb. All these pre- parations were conducted with the utmost coolness, and the most perfect good under- standing existed between the sheriff and the Indian. When all the arrangements were completed, the sheriff told Nat that he would slide down the tree to the ground, and make a signal when he, the prisoner, must jump off the limb, to which Nat cheerfully assented. The sheriff reached the ground, and, looking up to the limb upon which sat the poor vic- tim, he shouted, 'Now, Nat, you red devil, jump !' And jump Nat did ; and, after a few struggles, hung a mass of lifeless clay, to the infinite wonderment of his red brethren, who had never before been regaled with the sight of an execution of that kind."

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By degrees, the glades opened into vistas ; and at last we debouched completely on to the prairies, which stretched away to the Gulf of Mexico. The view of them was most striking. The mid-day sun shone upon the grass, agitated by the wind, which gave it the appearance of a vast ocean, bounded only by the horizon. A track along the prairie, made by the herds of oxen driven to the New Orleans market, was the only indication of a road ; other tracks, crossing at intervals, per- plexed and rendered us often uncertain of our path. The shepherds, who are mounted, carry long sticks, retain traces of Spanish blood, and are a picturesque addition to the scene. They are like the pastores, who drive cattle over the Campagna di Roma.

At Opelusas we gave up our brutes to a sort of postmaster, and, in a cariole, made an expedition to the Bayou Teche, in search of a steamer to New Orleans. We found one with all her machinery out of order, and that

THE BACKWOODS. 5.3

line being abandoned in consequence, we were oblig-ed to go on to Fayetteville in the cariole across the prairies, but along a more beaten track than hitherto passed over. When driving rapidly down a dry water- course, we came suddenly upon an opossum, and surprised him before he had time to get out of our vray ; he instantly shammed dead, and, although he was chucked into the cariole sans ceremonie, neither the jerk, the motion of the vehicle (which, when passing over cor- duroy is indescribable), nor any hints or per- suasions we could add, induced him to show any symptoms of life. After dusk, the naviga- tion of the prairies became difficult, and various will-o'-the-wisps acted as perplexing beacons. The next day, owing to the stupidity of our guide, and after crossing prairies, thick woods, not to mention rivers and lakes, we were too late for the only steamer descend- ing the Bayou Atchafalaya ; as this boat con- veyed cattle to the New Orleans market once a

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week, we had no remedy but to put up at a log hut on the Bayou, where, after much bargaining and persuasion, we at last suc- ceeded in inducing a negro to take us down in his canoe. The rest of the evening was employed in making paddles. At night, a terrific thunder-storm came on, and, owing to the construction of the hut — each large log crossing at the corners — the spaces between were as great as the logs themselves ; so that we had a most airy domicile. The lightning was the most vivid I ever saw, and, when lying in bed, we saw for many seconds, quite dis- tinctly, every object in the hut.

By means of the negro and our own exer- tions, we reached the landing-place — a distance of sixty miles. The Atchafalaya resembled the Red River, and is, in fact, an overflow from it. Alligators, and alligator gars — a disgusting-looking fish, with a head in form between that of a pike and an alligator, and having a body ten or twelve feet long — were

THE BACKWOODS. 55.

in vast numbers. Their horrid, nauseous, slimy-looking heads and backs were percep- tible above the water, but slowly disappeared on our approach. The flood from the Red River was so strong that, for the greater part of the way, all trace of the legitimate course of the stream was obliterated, and the wall of trees on either side, festooned by creepers of the most brilliant hues, alone marked the ori- ginal river through which we paddled, greatly excited by the tropical nature of the scene.

At length we came

Where the great river, amid shoals and banks And islands, growth of its own gathering spoils, Through many a branching channel, wide and full, Rushed to the main

By night, we had reached the landing-place, and got excellent coffee at a French settle- ment below Baton Rouge, and about one hundred miles above New Orleans. We waited for a steamer to descend the Missis- sippi ; there was plenty of opportunities for billiard-players, every second house containing

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a table. A mammoth steamer, towards even- ing, came groaning and puffing down the river, so loaded with bales of cotton to the water's edge, that nothing but her chimneys could be discerned ; she looked at a distance like a monster snail. The number of bales they carry is almost incredible, and the pas- sages to the cabins are left like steps in the packing of the bales. The clearances on both sides became more extensive and occurred oftener. Sugar plantations appeared on either side, and the live oak, the timber of which is so heavy that it sinks in the water. The American men-of-war are built with it, and so sensible are they of its value that they make large plantations of it. As we arrived at New Orleans, we saw several steamers filled with adventurers, who were going up the Red River to join the expedition against Texas. Like the Rhine in Holland, the Mississippi is dammed up, above the level of the city, upon which we looked down from our steamer.

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It is, perhaps, the most demoralised place in the world ; there are whole streets of houses of more than doubtful reputation, alternating with hells and billiard-rooms. They are open to the street, a crimson curtain being the only separation from it: nymphs lie upon sofas much in the undress in which Canova has represented Pauline Borghese. The Qua- droon women are exceedingly beautiful, with well-formed hands and feet, and exquisite figures. The French print of *' Esmeralda giving water to Quasimodo " affords a better idea of a beautiful Quadroon than any thing I know.

The eating at the best hotels, and the ve- nison in particular, (with which they eat pre- served cranberries) is excellent. At the table-d'hote, on the ringing of a small bell, a crowd of negroes rush in and sweep every thing off the table, and on a repetition of it a second course appears quite as quickly as the first disappeared. It was September when

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we were there, and the heat was tremendous. The yellow fever raged ; we took advice, and went every evening before sun-down by the railway to sleep at an hotel on Lake Pont Chartrain. Our evening's amusement was generally strolling into the negro balls. The pictures of Black Life in Philadelphia admi- rably portray the scenes we saw. " Bruder Brutus's" lub, whose heart is made to " tump about " by " the elligum Venus in the trousers," — such trousers, too — sorts of fringy arrangements like pillow-cases fastened on below their knees, and called " Pantinetts ;" further, " Philip Augustus " requests that his card may be left for " Miss Dinah " who is " particular engaged in washing de dishes," and the production of hlack when flesh-coloured stockings are demanded by a sable fair, are no exaggerations. They are in general Ro- man Catholics, and offer their devotions to a black Virgin Mary. The Madonna de Loretto, by the way, is black.

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We visited the site of the battle of New Orleans ; the tree (an ilex) is still standing near which Pakenham was killed, and part of the ditch dug by the Americans remains un- disturbed. The ramparts, during the action, were made with bales of cotton, materials perfectly bullet-proof ; from behind these the Kentucky riflemen four-deep took deliberate aim — the best shots firing, the remainder loading and passing up the rifles. Almost every shot told. The English failed in gain- ing the day for two reasons. First, instead of rushing at once upon the enemy, who were not in any force, and marching directly into New Orleans, they delayed and allowed them time to form in the above manner, giving time also for a number of Kentucky riflemen to assemble for their support. Secondly, instead of attacking with regiments fresh from the Peninsula, inexperienced troops led the at- tack. The 85th succeeded on the right bank of the river in gallant style. An officer of a

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light division regiment was so enraged at being only an idle spectator of the engage- ment, that he ran at the ditch sword in hand, jumped over it, and amidst a shower of balls cut a Yankee down and returned unscathed to his comrades.

The society of New Orleans is composed of two rival factions, the French, and the Ameri- can. They expected what they termed a " bloody season." The ball-room is the arena chosen for catching their enemies, when with " an Arkansas toothpick" or a " bowie knife " they pay off old scores.

It was night when we embarked in a steamer to cross Lake Pont Chartrain, and by the next morning passed through the Rigoletts, a set of lagunes in which the land is gradually growing up from the bottom, and pushing out annually into the Gulf of Mexico. The whole of the Delta of the Mississippi, an im- mense tract of fifty or sixty miles, has evi- dently been so formed. We passed an Ameri-

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can fort before entering Lake Borgne, built on the mud in a " prairie" of bulrushes, extending in all directions as far as the eye could reach ; a dreadful quarter to be doomed to, the abode of countless alligators, and loathsome reptiles of all sorts, to say nothing of the myriads of mosquitoes, which literally dark- ened the air : they were, together with cock- roaches, on board our steamer, in hundreds, and swarmed in the berths. The only chance of obtaining anything like quiet was by means of a cigar, which for the time drove them oif. It was through this amphibious country that our troops passed in boats to attack New Orleans. A sea breeze next morning drove off the mosquitoes; for many hours the paddles of the boat stirred up the mud and left a dis- coloured wake behind her. We passed Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Dolphin, and countless zoolo- gically named islands, and entered Mobile Harbour, protected by a magnificent fort. The inhabitants of Mobile are hospitable and

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much to be liked. " The Southerns" enjoy themselves, and like to see their friends do SO: they keep hounds and follow field- sports ; report adds that they will ask you a long price for a slave, though of this we had no opportunity of judging ; but, though we were unprovided with letters of introduction or of credit, one of the banking-houses dis- counted a bill ; and altogether much kind- ness was received.

From Mobile we embarked for Red Bluff, travelling thence by stage, through the night, to Pensacola, which we reached by noon next day. Once more in a steamer up Santa Rosa Sound, a long inlet of the sea, divided from the Gulf of Mexico by banks of sand as white as the driven snow — it had the oddest effect under the burning sun, for it was difficult to divest one's self of the idea of its actually being snow:

Thence we were conveyed up a creek, in a boat, to a log hut, where we found the stage ready to take us across Georgia and part of

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Florida ; a dreadful journey, night and day, to Augusta, in South Carolina. The road, called there a natural one, ^. 6., when the track becomes impracticable, we were driven round trees, and through the bush, amongst enormous pitch-pines, magnolias, bays, lau- rels, and all the evergreen tribe. The fare to be obtained at most of the halting-places was wretched; we seldom got *^ chicken lixens," and the " common doings" were opossums and squirrels, with " hog and hominey" — Anglice, bacon and ham, with a very good sort of cake made of Indian corn, looking like ground rice. We constantly saw pigs and turkeys devouring snakes, which swarmed in great varieties.

On the Ocmulgee river, the stage stopped at a limestone spring of excellent water. I stayed behind the rest of the party, in order to make some little ablutions, and, when just divested of some of my habiliments, I heard a noise like the grind-

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ing of a coffee-mill, and, looking back, was startled by the sight of a huge rattlesnake. The brute was just getting up his steam for a spring, and I had only time to make a pre- cipitate retreat, which I did in double-quick time, without stopping to think of my appear- ance, to the great amusement of my fellow- passengers, before whom I arrived in con- siderable dishabille.

Early one morning, coming to a post-office, the driver hailed the postmaster. We heard the fellow muttering in bed, without giving any signs of rising. The driver lost his pa- tience, cursed and swore, threw the letter- bag back into the boot, and drove off. This being the only mail on the road, and passing but once a week, the unfortunate inhabitants would be nearly a fortnight without their letters. So much for independence ! We passed the Appallatachola, Ocmulgee, and other fine rivers ; the tropical foliage hanging in festoons, feathered down to their margins,

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till met by an upright fringe of canes, spring- ing from a golden line of sand, and the whole blended by the sunlight of the Indian sum- mer, and reflected in the water in a soft and hazy mass, inexpressibly beautiful.

After six days and nights we arrived in Au- gusta, where it was a considerable relief to find a railway, however slow — one hundred and twenty miles were accomplished in twenty hours. There was only one track, and, as the trains from Charleston were the favoured ones, we had either to wait at the stations until they passed, or put back to the last to allow them to pass. In parts this line passes through exten- sive cypress swamps ; the difficulty of taking it through them was overcome, we were told, by the engineers cutting the live trees off to a level and laying the rails over them. Being dark, we were not able to see whether we were gulled ; but, if so, it was not a bad idea.

My chief recollections of Charleston are confined to an auction of slaves which we

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witnessed. A batch of unfortunate wretches (a family) were put up to auction in the market-place, and their points facetiously descanted upon by the auctioneer, exactly in the style of Tattersall's : they were finally " knocked down" separately to the highest bidder.

High in the air exposed, the slave is hung, To all the birds of heaven, their living food ! He groans not, though awaked by that fierce sun ; New torturers live to drink their parent blood ; He groans not, though the gorging vulture tears The quivering fibre. Hither look, O ye Who tore this man from peace and liberty! Look hither, ye who weigh with politic care The gain against the guilt ! Beyond the grave There is another world ! . . . . bear ye in mind. Ere your decree proclaims to all mankind The gain is worth the guilt, that there the slave, Before the Eternal, " thunder-tongued shall plead Against the deep damnation of your deed!"

SOUTHEY.

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CHAPTER XII.

A RACE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES CONTINUED.

" Our commodore, sir, of ' the Peacock,' the ship that whipt your ' Hornet,' talked so much about a mare he had, that he actually bought a saddle and bridle for her, though he never had a horse in his life." — Table- d'Hdte Conversa- tion.

Another Young One. — Anew journal has been started at New York, called Young America. We believe the prin- ciples it advocates are — universal repudiation, mint-juleps, no taxes, and a tarnation thrashing to all the world. — Punch,

Avoid the Swamp — An extra Passenger — Canvass- backed Ducks — Mint Julep — Spinning-knives — Mammoth Oysters — Military Umbrellas and Cavalry — Fine Arts — Receipt for a fine Head of Hair — The Apollo at a Dis- count.

We were recommended to go by land from Charleston to New York. The inducements were, a drive through the " Dismal Swamp " and a visit to the great naval arsenal at Nor-

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folk ; but the former did not sound inviting, and, as for the latter, we were somewhat over- intimately acquainted with dockyards in ge- neral, having mounted many guards over them in the old country. We therefore determined to give them both a wide berth and embark direct for New York in the old " David Brown" steamboat. So high was she out of the water and so top-heavy, that, although it was a dead calm, and the swell a mere nothing, she rolled, to all appearance, as if she would capsize. No sooner did she get under weigh than it came on to blow great guns right ahead ; but the harder it blew the steadier she became.

We were three days and three nights in reaching New York ; half of the voyage was over when an unfortunate little black slave was discovered ; having got on board without observation, he had hid himself a day and a night behind the boiler, but was forced from his place of refuge by hunger and the intense heat. The captain hailed a steamer returning

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to Charleston, and put him on board, in spite of all his tears and entreaties. We tried hard to persuade the captain to favour his escape, but without success ; he said it was as much as his situation was worth to do so. The poor little wretch was therefore dragged off, to be returned to a probably cruel master.

New York has been for ever described, so has the Astor House, famous for its magnitude, table -d'hote, and canvass-backed ducks.

Amongst the first questions asked by one's friends on returning to England from an American trip, are, " Have you eaten canvass- backed ducks ? What are they like ?" " Have you tasted mint-julep? How is it made?"

The canvass-backed duck is a variety of the pochard,^ or dun bird. The flavour of the meat is to be attributed to the kind of food they find in the mud of the Potomac, for, like all the waterfowl tribe, their taste depends entirely on their feeding.

^ Fuligula Valisneria.

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Mint-julep is thus concocted : —

Fresh raw mint.

Equal quantities of brandy and rum.

Sugar, with rough ice planed quite thin.

The tumbler filled up with water to the top.

It is poured backward and forward into another tumbler till the whole is churned up.

Yet, in spite of such concoctions, the total absence of malt liquor, or of any light wine, is a great nuisance ; whisky and peach-brandy are placed upon the table, and are not charged for ; wine is very dear everywhere ; sixteen dollars a bottle have been paid for Madeira. The greatest part of the champagne is Ame- rican cider, sent to France to be stamped and re-imported, " to gull their folks on the prin- ciple of wooden nutmegs." At the table- d'hote it is ever " Broadway," " Buffalo," " dollars," and " dollars " again. The great amusement after dinner was spinning knives. The old hands knew the respective merits of each knife to a turn, and made their bets ac-

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cordinglj. It was not always the pace " what kills ;" a drop of wax or part of a raisin stuck upon the blade made them slow and sure.

We admired, as every one must, the pretty faces and figures of the New York ladies. In no part of the world are more delicately formed features to be met with than one en- counters in many parts of America. And their hair, which was tied in the simple Grecian knot (the fashion of the day), added not a little to the contour of their heads. In particular districts, however, they are exceed- ingly fond of the gum of the spruce-fir. And, as their fair proportions are rocked to and fro in their " rocking chairs," they chew the cud of " sweet and bitter fancies," giving to their pretty mouths a sort of rotatory motion — but why not ? — ^it is the Land of Liberty ! and their husbands incessantly masticate to- bacco. The height of independence is that in which the young bride finds herself in a " Boarding House." She then gets rid of

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the responsibility of keeping house, and of the chance of her " help's" borrowing her best bonnet, and the drudgery of making puddings — in many cases with her own hands. The Americans especially excel in that art. A Yankee will swear by his puddings, quite as much as he will by his thunder and lightning, which he says " whips that of all other coun- tries to immortal smash."

" For pumpkin pies,^ and 'possum fat,

In us dere's no mistaking, oh ! And den I tink we beat de world

In boiling and beefsteaking, oh !"

^ How to make Pumpkin Pies. — The pumpkin is peeled and cut in slices, then stewed for two hours over a slow fire. To two pounds of the stewed pumpkin add two quarts of milk, one pint of cream, and six eggs, with sugar and spices to the taste. This preparation is baked in puflP paste without a top crust.

Let me add one other receipt,

For Buckwheat Cakes. — Buckwheat meal two pounds, warm water three pints, salt, and a little yest. The mix- ture is made over-night: the cakes are placed on a hot griddle in the morning, and baked very quick, then served up " hot and hot " for breakfast, eaten with fresh butter and maple honey. In the event of not being able to pro- cure maple honey, treacle will be found a good substitute.

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The oysters are monstrous in New York, as large as a saucer, and not to be taken in at a coup by all mouths.

At the theatres, they are now, thanks to Mrs. Trollope, extremely well behaved ; for, if a man attempts to take oif his coat, or to sit upon the edge of the boxes, turning his back to the audience, there is an immediate cry of " Trollope, Trollope, turn him out." That lady has likewise taught them to brush their hats.

But, oh ! ye gods and little fishes, What's New York without militias ?

When Mathews visited the United States, he found their national guard better armed against wet weather than any European troops ; but since his time they have become dreadfully soldier-like, and real firelocks and bayonets have been substituted for umbrellas. It is a goodly sight to see a muster on Inde- pendence day. Hundreds of companies, each in a different uniform, of every colour in the

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rainbow ; all kinds of shakos, helmets, and caps ; every sort of plumes, feathers and tufts, of all hues and all sizes, meet the eye, flou- rishing in every direction, ingenuity having been stretched to the utmost to invent such an heterogeneous mass of disfigurement. Strange to say, a pump was once sufficient to embarrass this mighty armament ; for years it had outmanoeuvred their best generals (whose knowledge of military tactics was somewhat limited), for when the head of the column arrived at that part of the street where it was situated, it wavered and hesitated; company after company was thrown into dis- order, until they were all completely routed. The ladies laughed, their lovers blushed, when one day, to the great joy of the military of New York, a new mayor ordered the old pump to be pulled down — blown up would have been a less ignoble fate for such an antagonist — and they now march past in all their glory, to

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the tune of ''Hail Columbia, happy land!" like heroes dreading nought.

Pat, who enjoyed the rank of full private in the " Slashers," seeing a French division marching three deep — French and most foreign troops still manoeuvre in that way — held up his hands and exclaimed, " Very well, the front rank — middling well, the rare rank — Oh ! holy Moses, the cintre !"

The infantry was pretty well, but what would the " Slasher " have said had he seen the Yankee dragoons ? All description must fall short. I saw a regiment at Utica. They were dressed in orange, with primrose facings in the front, as well as on their cuffs and col- lars. They wore a sort of contrivance on their heads like a watering-pot, from which sprang a cloud of ostrich feathers of divers colours ; round their waist was buckled a broad buff belt, unpolluted by pipe-clay, and therefore another shade of yellow was added to the dress: through this was stuck the

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sabre, a weapon having a large hilt, not un- like the cutlass used on board ship.

With basket-hilt that would hold broth, And serve for fight and dinner both.

Their overalls, which came but half-way down the leg, were of a sky-blue colour, and exceedingly long straps only prevented their boots from falling off; the boots themselves were perfectly indescribable. Blacking had never astonished them, and the rusty spurs were a happy medium between those worn by the Mamelukes and a common kitchen skewer. They rode or rather balanced themselves on their horses like a fork, the tip of the toe only reaching the stirrup. When the animal was put in motion, they were obliged to row with their legs. I have no doubt they are the bravest of the brave, but they would make a much better appearance, fight equally well, and ride infinitely better, if they would take up their stirrups at least six holes.

We visited West Point, the Sandhurst of

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the United States, differing from our esta- blishment in this, that all officers are obliged to go through their military education there before they can get appointed to their regi- ments.

One of the boats on the so-much bepraised Hudson, the " Rochester," went through the water at an astonishing pace, not less than fif- teen miles an hour ; and, during the time she ran "opposition," burnt tar-barrels. The landing and picking up, or rather chucking in, of the passengers, was performed in a moment ; the small boat, getting a swing from the impetus with which the steamer was going through the water, was spun to the shore; when the passengers were bundled in, the word *' go-ahead " was given, and the boat wound up and hauled alongside by a rope attached to the engine.

Although there are berths for above two hundred on board the night-boats, so nu- merous are the passengers that beds are made

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up on a series of trays three deep, swung from the ceiling, and arranged in rows ; by which means above five hundred free and en- lightened citizens of the United States were enabled to snore and grunt ensemble in the arms of Morpheus, and their boots, ranged in like manner, were cleaned and replaced with- out confusion.

What a temptation for those lovers of frolic in the old country, who, by the scratch of a slate-pencil, alter the whole of '* Boots's " calculation for his morning's reveille ! when No. 6 finds himself called to go by a coach at 1^\Q o'clock instead of No. 4, a commercial ambassador, who, by the strict injunctions given over-night, implied the necessity of de- parting by the said early coach, and who, to his great mortification, finds that the coach has not only started an hour before, but that his boots (a new pair,) have, thanks to these lovers of fun, been replaced by others any thing but new, and at least an inch too short.

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But the descendants of Tom King have never emigrated to the New World, and the race of bagmen in America sleep in peace and wake to find tlieir own boots. Apropos to this much persecuted race, I remember, when billeted in " The Castle," at Newcastle, a brother officer and myself, to whom in those days fun came not amiss, being attracted to an adjacent room by sundry odd noises, and, upon exploring, we discovered one of the comniis vioyageiir fraternity extended upon the bed in No. 10, in rather an oblivious state, owing to the strength of the "Castle" brandy. He loudly vociferated the pleasure he had in seeing company, soon declared we were the best fellows he had seen, and ordered sundry bottles of Champagne, the effect. of which upon his good-nature was strong enough to cause him to produce from under his pillow a gig-seat full of cigars, which, being samples, were excellent, and we continued to be " such good fellows" as long as the cigars lasted,

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when, without much persuasion, we induced the T. G. to partake of a cool bottle of claret in our quarters. On the way to his own room, he either saw double, or mistook No. 20 for 10, which No. 20 contained our captain, a man of iron, who sallied forth armed with the poker; he drove the inebriated ambassador back to our rooms. The effect of the fright was more instantaneous than any emetic — a window was opened, his head pushed through it, and the window being shut on him, he was left regularly guillotined, to awake to a sense of the loss of his sample cigars, with a bad headache into the bargain, probably to con- sider himself as unfortunate as a well-known member of the Kildare Street Club in Dublin, who, when he was condoled with for his bad luck at whist, replied that " he considered himself the most unfortunate man in the world, for that he had that morning ridden three times round the Circular Road, and found the wind always in his face, and that

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he was convinced, if he had been a hatter by trade, men would have been born without heads''

But to return to the steamboat. Although we had taken berths, the perfume proceeding from so many somniferous citizens being any thing but agreeable, and much more like wet blankets than eau-de-Cologne, we rolled our- selves in our coats, pitched upon a soft plank, and betook ourselves to rest on the deck, until an upward rush and the ringing of a large bell awakened us to the necessity of landing again at New York.

There was at the time an exhibition of pic- tures open. I was struck with some battle- pieces, masterly sketches by Colonel Trum- bull— scenes in the War of Independence. There is decided talent among many of the American artists. Mr. Power, whose noble embodying of Eve is well known at Florence, has attained to wonderful eminence with the chisel ; his Fisher Boy is also a capo d'opera,

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The Eve is a beautiful woman, but it is to be regretted that there is not more of the Greek and less of the Contadina in her composition ; Mr. Power is a man of high talent, and his clear hazel eye indicates much genius. The generality of his countrymen, on the other hand, never shake off the Yankee, and, on entering their studios, it is easy to detect a certain self-content, a certain expression which says, " I know a trick or two," and a wish to impress upon you that they are geniuses of the first water. Even those below mediocrity invariably tell you that ^\thet/ are self-taught," that " they have discovered a new method, and it is all very well to talk about Titian, Giorgione, or Rubens — thei/ have made such and such effects by some self-acquired process." I was once copying in a palace at Rome, in company with an American, who daily en- deavoured to impress me with his manner of dead-colouring — that is, preparing his pic- ture— a copy of Murillo's Virgin and child.

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One morning he called me to his easel, say- ing, " Now, I guess, I'm going to give the faiish to mi/ picture." His palette was pre- pared with sundry transparent greens. He had worked himself into a fever, which he termed "getting his steam up." He took, literally, a handful of one of the tints, and, dashing it against his copy, rubbed it well in with the palm of his hand. This he con- tinued repeating, rushing backward and for- ward to see the eftect, until, at last, the perspiration streamed from every pore ; wiping his hands in his hair between each heat, until his picture was finished, and his hair a fine green : with all this, or rather, in spite of it, he made a good copy.

I saw him two years afterwards in Florence, with a remarkably luxuriant head of hair, no doubt the effect of maguilp — a balsam as wonderful as Willis's '* Myrific," or '* thine incomparable oil. Macassar." His opinion of his self-taught genius had increased with his hair ; and he told a Roman artist, the night

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before his departure from the Eternal City, that he was going to paint a picture " all the world would talk of."

I have often been amused with the remarks of Americans on the wonders of art in the galleries of Italy. That same year, I followed a party through the Vatican, one of whom exclaimed, on being shown the Apollo, " Oh ! that's it, is it ? Well, I guess they do dig up an almighty lot of these things about here, to be sure."

Steam, by sea and land, conveyed us from New York to Boston in sixteen hours. Soon after getting under weigh, we shot the terrific tide race of '' Hell Gate," in the fastest steamer in the world. The actual width of the channel is but eighty yards. The navi- gation of Hell Gate is most difficult. " The Pot" and the "Devil's Frying Pan"— the Scylla and Chary bdis of the new world — lie on either side.

The lobsters of North America are at least three times the size of those caught in our

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seas, and, although they abound on the New England coast, they never were found in this sound until a vessel freighted with them was wrecked in the Devil's Frying Pan, when the fish escaped and multiplied exceedingly, until again driven away by the cannonading at Long Island, in the War of Independence ; or, as the Yankee would say, they all went to pot. In a train from Providence to Boston sat two Yankees. A phrenological discussion commenced by one requesting to be allowed to feel the other's cranium, to which he po- litely consented, until, after having undergone the examination, he was much astonished by his vis-a-vis exclaiming, " Sir, I guess I'm a phrenologist ; I charge one dollar."

There's a man cheats a cock of his crowing, And he does it so shrill and so prime,

That the sun was observed to be glowing Full two hours before its right time.

Now I think I've described Yankee wonders, And my statement I never will change ;

You no doubt will think them all blunders, But you'll own they are " tarnation strange."

Oh ! yes, &c.

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In due time we reached St. John, and found all hands busily engaged in rigging out sleighs, and preparing for the winter.

Having obtained twelve months' leave of absence, I did not wish to leave the con- tinent without visiting Lower Canada, little imagining at the time that in a few months, thanks to Mr. Papineau, I should rejoin in that country. It was with regret that I took leave of my friends in New Brunswick, and a free and independent forest life in the healthiest climate on the face of the orlobe.

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CHAPTER XIII.

THE ATLANTIC — A WINTER'S PASSAGE.

Son. " Lord, father, if mother only knew where we were." Father. " Hold your tongue, you young scoundrel ; if

we only knew ourselves." — Off' Long Island, a Father and

Son cast away at Sea.

" One night it blew a hurricane.

The sea was mountains rolling. When Barney Bunting turned his quid. And said to Billy Bowline —

" A strong northwester's blowing, Bill,

Hark, don't you hear it roar, now?

Poor creatures ! how I pities all

Unhappy folks on shore, now." ♦ * * *

" Whilst you and I Bill, on the deck, Are comfortably lying. My eyes ! what tiles and chimney-pots About their heads are flying !"

Bad Weather — Good Living — Thunder and Lightning — Lobsters out of their Element— The Duke of York's Friend ; his Life saved at the Coa — Difficulty of Steering the Samuel Walker — Liberality of American Custom Houses — Harassing Journey.

In consequence of the outbreak in Canada all officers on leave of absence were ordered

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to join their regiments in the North American colonies. In three or four days I accordingly found myself at Liverpool, and on board a magnificent liner of nine hundred tons, bound for New York. With the exception of one American, twelve or fourteen officers were the only passengers; no one attempting to cross the x\tlantic in the winter months — a bore of the first magnitude, and not to be under- taken, unless, as in our case, " in duty bound." The St. Andrew went boldly on her course for four or five days, and the studding sails " low and aloft" were filled by a perfect sailing breeze right aft, but certain signs familiar to the nautical world soon convinced us of the truth of the old saying, that

Mackerel skies and mares' tails Make lofty ships carry low sails.

It blew an uninterrupted hurricane for thirty-three days, during most of which time we were '* lying-to," without a stitch of can- vass set ; a bit of tarpaulin threaded through the mizen-rigging sufficed to steer her by;

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but the St. Andrew was a noble vessel, and her captain a fine fellow, and the sailor's dread — a lee-shore — was not thought of in the midst of the Atlantic, where drifting a few hundred miles more or less to leeward is nothing, the only danger being lest the wind should suddenly lull, when, unless she can *'make sail," the vessel loses steerage-way, and falls off into the trough of the sea, where a huge wave will sometimes run up the side, and, balancing itself, as it were, in the air, curl over, and, breaking its great crest, fall upon the deck, and shake the ship to her very kelson. A few such, following in quick suc- cession, must swamp her.

We passed a Frenchman in great distress. She had been " pooped " when scudding, and a sea had carried away the whole of her stern, over the wreck of which they were nailing canvass ; but the sea ran so high that we dared not go near her. What made it the more distressing was to learn from the signals she

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made that the whole of one watch had been washed overboard.

During the continuance of the gale, par- tial lulls were succeeded by the most tremen- dous hail-squalls, the wind suddenly, and generally four or five times in the twenty-four hours, shifting round to the diametrically opposite point of the compass; and our nightly course was frequently illuminated by what are called "Jack o' Lanterns," haloes of light like balls of fire, round the top of the masts and on the extremities of the yard- arms. The effect of the angry monsters of waves, beat down for the time by the vio- lence of the hail to a comparative smooth- ness, lighted up by these meteors and by vivid flashes of lightning, was awfully sublime. On one occasion, a sea struck the vessel a little abaft the bows, clearing away the boats, bulwarks, hurricane-house and all, flush with the deck, and knocking over the men at the wheel.

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The captain told me he had once had his caboose, cook, and dinner, all carried over- board, and that the return sea had brought them back : such was his story — I did not see it.

I cannot tell how the truth may be, I tell the tale as 'twas told to me.

He also said that, when in the same ship, she had been struck by lightning, which entered the pantry, and, running along a line of tea-cups, hanging on hooks, broke all the handles, so that the whole line of cups fell si- multaneously, to the astonishment of the stew- ard; passing on, it ran down one of the tables laid for dinner, breaking the decanters and glasses — (so much for glass being a non-con- ductor)— and finally passed out of one of the after port-holes, doing no mischief to any thing else.^

^ Another of our skipper's stories was the finding a ves- sel yawing about in a most fearful way, steering wild. He at first determined to give her a wide berth, but afterwards thought he would inquire the longitude. He therefore

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American skippers place the greatest possible reliance on the barometer, and observe it con- stantly ; one day, I was going up the companion-ladder with ours — it was a dead calm at the time — en passant he glanced at the glass, rushed by me, turned up all hands to shorten sail, but before they could furl half of them, there came on a violent squall, which increased to a gale before half an hour.

The living on board these packets is per- fect ; and though the passage was much longer than is usually calculated upon, and there were a greater number of passengers, still we had every thing equally good to the end of the voyage. Champagne, burgundy, porter, soda, selzer-water, sardines in oil; and, what is the greatest luxury of all at sea, the old cow did her duty to the end of the journey.

hailed her, " What ship is that ?" " The Samuel Walker." "Where are you from?" "From Bo sting down east." " Who commands her ?" " Why, / undertuk her^ but I swear she is too much for me."

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We could not enjoy these good things in peace — the dead-lights were generally in — a leg of mutton would occasionally take a short cut into the nearest cabin, and so hard did it blow, and so much was the old vessel out of the perpendicular, that many of the pas- sengers were afraid to leave their berths for days, taking what rest they could get by placing their feet in a '^slantingdicular'' posi- tion against the top of their berths, to steady themselves during the time they contrived to stow away a certain quantity of nautical food called lobscouse, an excellent conglomeration of the fag-ends of ham and smashed potatoes, capable of being conveniently conveyed to the mouth with a spoon.

It happened one evening that the conversa- tion turned upon the best thing to be done in case of a man's falling overboard. Nearly all the party had witnessed such accidents ; each had seen a different remedy tried : life-buoys were descanted upon, and every

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sort of patent anti-drowning contrivance discussed — but, as usual, no two agreed. It was like Mr. Merriman's wonderful " amphi- berous sea cow," which could not live on the land, and died in the water, " measured twenty feet from head to tail, and only seven- teen from tail to head ; and, further, had two hundred and forty-four spots upon the body, no two alike but every one diiferent." On one point, however, they all did agree, which was, how rarely a man is ever saved. The captain gave it as his opinion that the only chance in such a case, if by day, was, for some person immediately to run up the nearest shrouds, and never to take his eye off the man ; for, long before a large ship can be brought to the wind, or a boat lowered — especially if it is blowing fresh — an incredibly large space is left between the victim and the vessel.

With the captain's words ringing in our ears, we betook ourselves to our several berths ;

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and curious enough it was that, when in the act of extending my legs next morning to an angle of nearly 45 degrees, in order to get a hitch and a purchase against the side of my cabin, to steady myself before beginning the operation of shaving, and just as I had incited some of Mr. Smith's best " Naples soap " to a lather, and dipped my razor into a sort of tin contrivance filled with parboiled bilge-water, I heard a row on deck, men runninor aft. I rushed up, and found that the helm was *' hard a-lee," all the sails flapping, a heavy sea running, the captain in the mizen-top, and "a man overboard." I ran up the shrouds to join the captain, who, after great difficulty, pointed out to me a black point occasionally visible upon the side of a huge wave. This object was in a quite opposite direction from that in which a landsman would have looked for it, and it would have puzzled even a sea- man to indicate where had been the wake of the vessel, or, rather, the course she had been

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on. After half an hour or forty minutes of great anxiety on the part of all of us, the man was got on board a boat, which had been lowered and despatched after him.

According to his account, he had been washing in the fore-chains, under the bowsprit, and was clad merely in a pair of light duck trousers ; his being thus unincumbered was in his favour. On coming to the top of the water, and looking about him, he soon discovered, by the alteration in the course of the vessel, that he was missed, and being an excellent swimmer (which was proved by his having deserted from an American ship of war by swimming three miles ashore by night), he only maintained an upright position, and, from the buoyancy of the water and the great size of tke seas, he was able to do so with little or no exertion. He was a fine muscular fellow — I never saw such a chest — tattooed all over. He ran up the side of the vessel, turned a summersault upon the deck, and disappeared

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to his berth. A glass of grog was adminis- tered, and he was none the worse.

On the subject of buovs, and the few lives that are saved by their means, I recollect, when coming home in a line-of-battle ship from Gibraltar, sitting at supper, or rather tea, one fine but dark night ; there was but little sea, the ship was slipping through the water at the rate of ten knots, under a crowd of canvass, when we were startled by the lieutenant of the watch rushing into the srun- room : " A man overboard !" he exclaimed, as, without arresting his progress, he made straight for the stern windows, below which were sus- pended the life-buoys; attached to each of them were a couple of strings, with the notice, " Fire" — " Let go," over either. Unfortu- nately, the old adage proved in this instance too true — " the more haste, the worse speed" — for, instead of pulling that string which would have fired the amphibious conveyance, and letting it fall, he seized the rope of "Let go."

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The life-buoy fell unlit. In this case, how- ever, the lieutenant's mistake signified not; for the two poor fellows missing were supposed to have struck against the catheads in their fall, owing to the bellying out of the sail, and in all probability they were killed before their bodies reached the water. The ship was put about, however; boats were lowered ; a search was made ; even the life-buoy was not found ; and after an hour or so the ship resumed her course.

But to return to the St. Andrew : there was an old light-division hero on board, a well- known person. He had distinguished himself on many occasions, but nowhere so much as at the battle of Coa, where he was left on the field of battle badly wounded. It was a moon- light night, and a party of females came to rifle the dead, and, as it often happens, they charitably attended to show their tender mercies to any wounded man they might find, by putting him out of his misery. When they

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came to C , whom they found lying on

his face, they commenced despoiling him ; a lucky thought struck him, he would hold his breath and sham dead. He did so, until his body became so inflated that he could hold out no longer; when, in the act of turning him over, a terrific groan was heard. The whole party scampered off panic-struck, leaving him in peaceful possession of the field, and alive to tell the tale ; and, with many others, he enlivened us during this cruel winter's run.

Moreover, he was the identical Captain C ►

who called upon the Duke, then commander- in-chief, to ask his royal highness to give him his promotion, winding up his request by saying, '' that he hoped he would, as his royal highness was the only friend he had in the army." '' And not a bad one either. Captain

C ," was the Duke's good-natured reply,

and C found himself in the next Gazette.

At length we encountered a short and pitching sea, caused by the wind's being in an

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adverse direction to the Gulf Stream, and, a bucket being lowered and hauled up full of hot water, the skipper was confirmed in his idea that we had entered that great flood of hot water, which, having its rise in the Gulf of Mexico, affects the Atlantic as far north as Newfoundland. From thence a fair wind filled the sails of the St. Andrew, until the siorht of the hio^h lands of " Neversink" obliged the old ship to alter her course, when the wind headed us ; and, being anxious to land, we were glad to get into a pilot-boat, a regular " clipper," and " beat up" almost in the wind's eye, among masses of floating ice in " The Narrows," to New York, where we arrived after a passage of sixty-five days, the second best amongst sixteen other liners which had left Europe at the same time.

Thanks to the liberality of the United States' government, the custom-house officers had orders to pass free all officers' baggage who were proceeding to Canada, and we

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landed accordingly without that cursed ordeal, a custom-house examination ; and the disagreeables of such a voyage as we had experienced were at once forgotten in the luxuries of a warm bath at the Astor House. The system of examination at custom- houses, either when landing in a foreign country or in passing a frontier, usually tends much to annoy the traveller. No nation is so liberal as the United States on this subject — none so detestably troublesome as our own. From the Rhine it is possible to enter Hol- land without having one's baggage over- hauled, also to pass into Austria, though they may be rather more strict. In Bavaria, a gulden has the same effect as a few pauls in Tuscany ; and a scudo, carefully adminis- tered to a laced pontifical Doganiere, will elicit an ** Ecco, ecco, signor, la sua lascia passare." I once witnessed an unfortunate brave Beige, who, when landing at the Tower Stairs, gave his word that he had nothing to

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declare ; but, unfortunately, in attempting to pass down the vessel's side, he brushed aofainst one of the custom-house tide-waiters. Slight as was the contact, it was sufficient to cause the shilling-seeking understrapper to instiofate a strict search, and what followed beats all description. Two men proceeded to pass their hands down his sleeves and pan- taloons in a manner a small boy is taught to groom a hunter's fore-legs. Lo ! at every stroke a shower of cigars came forth, until, like a milked cow, his sleeves and nether gar- ments would yield no more. They then asked if he had 7iow any thing to declare. Unluckily, his answer in the negative did not sufficiently convince them that his Her- culean calves, ill according with his now meagre figure, were to obtain free entrance into her British majesty's dominions, and his boots were pulled off amidst a fresh shower of cigars, sacres, and shouts of laughter. On the return of the Army of Occupation

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from France, all kinds of smuggling were considered fair play. An officer, who had filled the firelocks of his company with lace, was much annoyed at a custom-house officer requesting that he would give the word to *' examine arms."

But, although it may be necessary to pre- vent such infringement on the laws requiring duties to be paid on certain foreign luxuries, it cannot be necessary to molest officers landing from service in our colonies, as has happened to myself on arriving at Liverpool, where the incivility of the Jacks-in- office surpasses any thing it has ever been my luck to encounter in any part of the world, and one in particular, who possessed but one leg, legitimately his own (the other being of wood) is especially to be avoided. It was with the greatest difficulty, and this occurred another time when I landed at Portsmouth, also from America, that I got off without paying duty for my own sketches ; and a couple of birch-

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canoes, the skins and horns of moose-deer, and specimens of birds, though all prepared by myself, were charged with duty ;^ further-

^ The Wanderer of Cayman celebrity, in his Essays on Natural History, complains of the same annoyance : "After devoting many years in trying to improve," says he, " the very defective process universally followed in preparing specimens for museums," he reached Liverpool with a very large collection, and quotes a letter received from the authorities at the Treasury, illustrative of the illiberality of the existing laws of the Customs : —

"Treasury Chambers, May 18th. " Gentlemen,

" The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Trea- sury, having had under their consideration your report of the 10th, on the application of Mr. Charles Waterton, for the delivery, duty free, of some birds, quadrupeds, reptiles, and insects, collected by him in Guiana, and recently im- ported from Demerara, I have it in command to acquaint you that my lords have informed Mr. Waterton that, if he will specify the articles which he intends to give to public institutions, my lords will not object to their being delivered duty free ; but that, with regard to the specimens intended for his own or any private collection, they can only be delivered on payment of the ad valorem duty of 20 per cent. ; and I am to desire you will give the necessary di- rections to your officers at Liverpool, in conformity thereto.

" I am, &c.. Signed " J. R. Lushington." "Commissioner of Customs."

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more, after being detained for twenty-four hours in Liverpool to have our baggage over- hauled, I was requested to take an oath, that a London-made gun I had taken out with me was really made by Lancaster ; and I was made (not in the Jeremy Diddler line cer- tainly) to pay two-and-sixpence to her majesty's customs for taking the said oath; This having happened in 'S9, it is to be hoped that some improvement has been made since that time.

From New York a steamer conveyed us to Sing Sing, the locale of the famous prisons ; above it the Hudson was frozen ; we were, therefore, obliged to commit ourselves to the regular stage. Posting exists not in the United States, but they put on extra stages, i, e, coaches to accommodate passengers, therefore there is no danger of being left ; but the " extras" had been so much worked, owing to the number of officers at this time passing up to Canada, that the horses were

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completely knocked up, and the roads were in an abominably amphibious state, as is always the case in the early spring. The mud, which was frozen at top, would some- times bear the wheels, but oftener they broke through ; and the misery of travelling day and night in such weather, when thirty miles in the twenty-four hours was considered a good day's work, rendered our journey de- testable. The road followed the left bank of the North river, and the shores of the Lake Champlain. As we approached the frontier, we found every village inn filled with " pa- triots," *' sympathisers," or, in plain English, " Rebels," who took the opportunity afforded by being in the United States to insult us in every possible way ; and it was therefore, all things considered, with no slight satisfaction that we reached the first British outpost. That evening I came up with my regiment, which formed part of the army on the Riche- lie.u.

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CHAPTER XIV.

OF THE OUTBREAK IN LOWER CANADA.

" Bray, asses, bray for the pride of the levellers ;

Stretch your long jaws to the Tricolor's praise ;

Oh for a chief of Parisian revellers

'Mong us the standard in earnest to raise !

Oh for a hangman bold.

Worthy our flag to hold,

Onward to lead us 'gainst order and law !

Loud would Clan Donkey then

Ring from its deepest den,

Glory and freedom for ever ! Ee — aw !

Ee — aw ! Plunder and pillage for ever ! Ee — aw !"

Symptoms of rebellion — Sons of Liberty — Attacks on St. Dennis and St. Charles — Rebel leaders desert their men — Regiments ordered from New Brunswick — The passage of the Portage of the Madawaska — Dresses of the officers— Reception of the 43rd Light Infantry by the Inha- bitants of Quebec — Cahots — Breaking-up of the Sea — Montreal.

The first symptoms of the Rebellion of 1837 showed themselves at Montreal, where it was

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immediately quashed. At St. Dennis and St. Charles, on the river Richelieu, the rebels made their first stand. At the latter place, Papineau and his self-styled " Sons of Liberty" formed a confederation, planted the tree and raised the cap of liberty. To drive them from these fortified strongholds, tvro brigades were despatched from Montreal. The roads were in a wretched state for the transport of the troops : the mud, being frozen at top, but not sufficiently hard to bear the weight of the men, they broke through the crust and sunk deep at every step. The attack upon St. Dennis, under the com- mand of the Honourable Colonel Gore, mis- carried, the troops being led to the attack when worn-out, jaded, and dead-beat, after marching the whole of the night of the 22nd of November, over the vilest of Canadian roads, through which they had floundered knee-deep in mud; nor was it until ten o'clock in the morning of the 23rd that they

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reached St. Dennis, where they found the rebels occupying the village in great force.

The attack was led by Captain Markham, with the light company of the 32nd, and under a heavy fire from some fortified houses. The eno^a^jement lasted until near three o'clock in the afternoon, at which time Captain Markham, assisted by Lieutenant Inglis and a small party, in attempting to carry a build- ing, was severely wounded, and brought to the ground ; and, although Lieutenant Inglis kept up a fire, he was on the point of being made prisoner, when Sergeant Alcock, of his com- pany, rushed forward and bore him away, the rebels all the time keeping up a murderous fire, from which Captain Markham received another wound whilst in the brave sergeant's arms.

The brigade being then threatened on all sides by the insurgents, who had received numerous reinforcements and seized a bridge in the rear, the largest field-piece being fixed immoveably by the frost in a deep rut, from

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which it could not be brought to bear, and the ammunition nearly all expended, Captain Markham's party was obliged to retire. Colonel Gore commenced a retrograde move- ment, leaving many prisoners and the howitzer in the hands of the rebels.

The brigade under Colonel Wetherel was completely successful. They left Montreal on the 1 8th of November, and had to contend with the same wretched roads and worse weather. He effected the passage of the Richelieu in an incessant downpour of rain, which froze as it fell, and was illuminated, for two hours, by the blue lights of the rebels. On arriving before St. Charles, Colonel We- therel summoned the rebels to surrender. This was answered by a cheer of contempt. The gallant Colonel deployed his men, and instantly commenced an attack. The breast- works were stormed and carried. Most of the rebels ran, with the exception of about fifty, who knelt down and reversed their

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arms, thereby intimating that they surren- dered themselves as prisoners. No sooner, however, did the troops advance to take them than the traitors opened a fire, by which a sergeant was killed and many men wounded. This act of treachery so exasperated the troops that the officers could not restrain their fury, and a general massacre ensued ; and many were drowned in attempting to escape the enraged soldiery. The estimated loss of the rebels was about 300, killed and wounded. On the first appearance of the troops be- fore St. Charles, the cowardly rebel leaders deserted, under pretence of procuring rein- forcements ; while Papineau and O'Callaghan, who had

" Fled like crows when they smell powder,"

preferred viewing the engagement from the opposite side of the river ; but the de- fenders of the village, some 1,500 in num- ber, fought with a spirit worthy of a better leader and a better cause. A hundred stand

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of arms, a couple of French six-pounders (committed to the safe keeping of Richelieu) were taken; and among the trophies, the rebel-standard, upon the pole of which was a wooden tablet, bearing the inscription " A Papiiieau, par ses concitoyens reconnaissansJ'

On the arrival of the victorious brigade, under Wetherel, at Montreal, Sir John Col- borne sent reinforcements to Colonel Gore, with instructions that he should follow up the • advantages already gained, and reduce the disaffected country on the Richelieu. At St. Dennis, the howitzers and wounded men were retaken, and the strongholds of the rebels reduced to ashes.

Upon the first intimation of the chance of rebellion in Lower Canada, Sir John Colborne did everything that a skilful commander could devise to be prepared to meet it ; and, being cut off from all chances of succour from home, (the winter having set in) he instantly com- municated with the governors of New Bruns-

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wick and Nova Scotia, in the event of re- quiring reinforcements ; which reinforcements could only reach him by traversing the woods between those colonies and Quebec. In an- ticipation, therefore, of their services being required, engineers were despatched with parties of Indians to prepare camps or houses of refuge along the line of their intended route. There were at that time three regi- ments in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick ; the 34th and 85th at Halifax, and the 43rd Light Infantry, divided into wings, in gar- rison at St. John and Fredericton.

When affairs assumed a serious character in Lower Canada, and the line about to be taken by the disaffected became sufficiently evident, a despatch was sent to Frederic- ton, ordering the 43rd Light Infantry to pass " the Portage'' of the Madawaska to Quebec ; this they accomplished in thirteen days. Their arrival at Quebec was hailed as next to a miracle, and their exploits in per-

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forming such a inarch in the depth of a North American winter were the theme of universal admiration at the time.

They were subsequently followed by the 85th and 34th. The baggage of the regi- ments, as well as all the women and children, were left behind until the following summer ; and it must be remarked of the inhabitants of New Brunswick, that they deserve the greatest credit for their loyalty and generous conduct ; for, besides their public exertions to assist in every way the transport of the troops, the inhabitants of St. John entered into a subscription for the support of the women and children of the 43rd and 34th, who must have suffered severely had it not been for this most timely and charitable relief.

On the 12th of December, the first com- pany of the 43 rd Light Infantry left Frede- ricton in fifteen sleighs ; and they were sub- sequently followed daily by the other five. A jolJy Sub writes to his friend in the old

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country : " It certainly was a curious sight altogether. Our costumes — self, par ex- ample, wore four pair of socks, (f. e. when I started) then mocassins, over which I had large worsted sort of long boots, P trowsers, thick P P coat, over that a coat made of seal-skin, rather outre, but very warm and comfortable ; then a buffalo-skin muff*, fur cap, ear-covers, and lots of gloves, mits, boas, &c., oceans of baccy, and a short In- dian pipe ; to this we added a buffalo skin, to keep our legs warm, and we were each served out with a couple of blankets." Our friend, after describing the above " weather- proof" garments, adds, *' My dog 'Bob' travelled with me, and helped to keep me warm." The officers all had snow-shoes, and twelve or fifteen pair were served out (each man ought to have had a pair) for the men of every company. They had extra socks, mocassins, ear-covers, throat-warmers, extra flannels, and a pair of blankets.

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Rations of pork, biscuits, and rum were served out, and the regiment received field allowance.

The officers were allowed a sleigh for them- selves and baggage, and a camp-kettle. Each sleigh, drawn by two horses, held eight men, and a camp-kettle was issued to each com- pany. So far as Madawaska, the men were put up in private houses, and the officers at the inns or taverns. On the St. Lawrence they were almost universally put up in the convents, and received much hospitality from the jolly Padres, who were merry good fellows,

"Round fat oily men of God as ever sang a psalm, Or closed a penitential fee devoutly in their palm."

On coming to the Arestook river the ice had not '* made" sufficiently, and they had to cross in small canoes. This was a tedious operation ; but, by lashing two canoes toge- ther, and placing the sleds singly or in pairs across them, it was effected after much delay.

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Some few accidents happened, but the con- trivance was excellent, and is well worthy of imitation in the passage of a river ; for by means of it immense loads are made capable of transportation, and it is absolutely impos- sible to upset them.

After leaving the Madawaska, the troops reached the first camp on the left bank of the river of that name. " We were all heartily tired," says our Sub; "but, notwithstanding the snow-storm and cold, we were compelled to remain in the open air all night, it being impos- sible to stay any time in the camp, as they, and this one in particular, was dreadfully full of smoke. They were constructed with logs, about thirty feet in length by eighteen wide, open at the top and at the doors ; and, with three per- son^ only in them, were awfully cold. We had blazing fires, but, when our feet were burn- ing, (which they constantly were) our heads were freezing ; the tea froze a foot from the lire, and the thermometer inside the camp

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was at 29" below zero ; the men were much better off and more comfortable : thev were * stowed ' closer, but on the line of march they constantly had their feet, ears, or fingers frozen, and when we got in at night, we had the agreeable task of rubbing them with snow to restore circulation. The cooking went on outside, where a sentry always was. Well ! at last we turned out our buffalo- skins, ate our pork and biscuits, drank our tea and hot rum or brandy and water, and fell asleep, from which we usually awoke from the cold, and got up well bestiffened to renew our fires. Camping in the woods in winter in the Indian fashion is perfect ' feather-bed ' work in comparison to this, as in the former one is generally warm, but never suffocated, as in the latter. Worse camps than ours, and worse adapted to the purpose, could not possibly be made. We always had to wait some time for the provision-sleigh's arrival, and it was late at night generally before our

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and the men's dinners, frugal as they were, could be cooked ; in addition to which, visit- ing the sentries at night, looking after and doctoring the men, were anything but recruit- ing. But, independently of leaving New Brunswick, I liked it very much, and enjoyed the fun excessively."

On entering the Madawaska district, a part of Lower Canada, the troops were hospitably received by the inhabitants, and the officers in many instances were invited to private houses, and experienced much attention. I mention this, as it has been asserted that the inhabitants were disaffected. But their con- duct towards the officers and the men of the three regiments, who passed through their country at a time when the population in their immediate neighbourhood were in open rebellion, gives the strongest contradiction to that report. Had they been otherwise than peaceably inclined, a few trees, felled across the route taken by the troops, might

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have seriously impeded their progress, and they could have done infinite mischief — with comparatively little danger to themselves. I have adverted to this point, in the hopes of removing any erroneous impressions produced by slanderous reflections ofi the loyalty of these people.

On arriving at St. Andre, on the St. Law- rence, the leading company halted for the arrival of the second ; and so on from thence to Point Levi, opposite to Quebec : they pro- ceeded two companies at a time, having one hundred " Carioles " to each grand division. On reaching Point Levi, they were cheered tremendously, and the whole town of Quebec turned out to witness the passage of the St. Lawrence, which they accomplished in log canoes. The river was covered with hnore masses of floating ice, on which, as it was propelled downwards by the stream, the men landed, hauled the canoe to the other side of the ice, re-embarked^ and so on, until they

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reached the opposite shore. They were re- ceived by the Queen's Volunteers in their rough blanket coats, bands playing, and the whole population cheering vociferously. They were almost carried up to the Jesuits' Bar- racks, and were looked upon as having per- formed a miracle ; and during their stay (for nine days) they were regularly feted.

Our Sub goes on to inform his friends that

the governor, Lord G , was very kind to

them, and, that he " dined with him three or four times ; but that one night, on his return to his quarters, and when going most carefully down a very steep hill close to the Jesuit Barracks, he slipped down : his companion W tried to save him, and for that pur- pose laid hold of the tail of his only red (uniform) coat, which unluckily gave way and disappeared in the snow, where he sup- posed that it would remain until the snow was gone — when that might be he could not tell — but he never found it again." The

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following day, he received another invitation to dinner at Government House, but sent an excuse to the effect that " he was tail-less ;"

Lord G , however, sent his aide-de-camp

to say that it did not signify — and he dined in one of his aide-de-camp's coats — "so much, " says he, " for the kind-hearted gover- nor and my mishap !"

After six days sleighing from Quebec, the regiment reached Chambly on the Richelieu, having performed a march of upwards of six hundred and twenty miles in the depth of a North American winter, the thermometer averaging from 10° to 20° below zero, and for many days of their route passing through trackless forests, using the frozen streams for their highway.

One of the first things which struck me, on my arrival in Lower Canada in the winter, was the bad exchange I had made from New Brunswick as a quarter; and I may safely add, that it is far inferior in every respect.

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The sleighing is vile — that greatest of all possible resources cannot be enjoyed in com- fort in Canada. This only source of pastime in the long months of the North American winter in New Brunswick was perfect — " high runners " and a smooth, beaten track forming together the beau ideal "of locomotion." In Lower Canada, on the contrary, it is the most detestable on account of the ** Cahots^' ^ which are formed by the peculiar construction of their " Carioles." These are made with excessively low runners : the shafts are fas- tened on to the body of the Cariole, having a board in front with a slant of 45"*. As the vehicle is dragged through the fresh snow, this snow is checked by the board in front, and accumulates until the heap is so great that the sleigh gives a kick and gets rid of the incumbrance ; and so on at regular intervals, forming heaps of snow along the road like the waves of the sea.

^ From Cahoter.

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Other sleighs follow, and fresh falls of snow soon cause the " Cahots" to be scraped into mounds of three or four feet in height, so that the motion caused in passing over them can literally be compared only to the pitching of a boat in a storm. One writer has well named them *' Les ondes glacees ! " Nothing can be conceived more disagreeable. The fault lies entirely with the peasantry, who are so bigoted to old habits and customs, that, disdaining all innovations, they will have their "low runners" and their "Cahots."

During the remainder of the winter, the troops were employed in chasing the rebels, who invariably fled before them ; and, on the frost breaking up, we moved to La Prairie, which is on the opposite side of the St. Law- rence to Montreal, in time to witness the breaking up of the ice, an event watched with great interest by the Canadians. Cannons are fired to assist its dispersion ; should a jam take place, it piles up iu masses, and causes

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tremendous destruction. A comparatively small piece, checked in its downward career, is liable to stop this frozen flood for miles, which then soon collects, block upon block, until it overwhelms whole villages, and leaves every thing within its reach an utter wreck. So variable is the climate in these regions, that no sooner was the river clear of ice than vegetation commenced ; and a fortnight suf- ficed to change the iron face of winter to vernal spring. And it was an agreeable sight, as the setting sun would throw long shadows over the mighty flood, so lately an absolute sea of ice, to behold the town of Montreal, with its tin roofs and spires, backed by the purple Mount Royal, reflected in the broad St. Lawrence.

In passing from La Prairie to Montreal, the steamer descends the Rapids at such a terrific rate, that it requires six men to steer her ; an iron tiller is obliged to be employed, as she would not answer her helm quick enough

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if steered by a wheel. Our baggage having arrived from New Brunswick, we were obliged to throw aside our fur caps, blanket coats, and rags, to find but a bad exchange for our free life on the Richelieu in the pipe-clay and garrison duty of Montreal.

Then the parade, or guard, or smart review, The flowing banner, martial music's strain ;

The General deck'd in scarlet's brightest hue. With prancing staff, and beauty in his train.

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CHAPTER XV.

TJPPER CANADA — NIAGARA.

. . . . Look back ! Lo ! where it comes like an eternity, As if to sweep down all things in its track, Charming the eye with dread, a matchless cataract.

Horribly beautiful ! but on the verge

From side to side, beneath the glittering morn,

An Iris sits amidst the infernal surge.

Like Hope upon a death -bed, and unworn

Its steady eyes, while all around is torn

By the distracted waters, bear serene

Its brilliant hues with all their beams unshorn :

Resembling, 'mid the torture of the scene,

Love watching Madness with unalterable mien.

Childe Harold.

Leave Montreal for Upper Canada — Niagara — The Falls in Winter — Clothing — Mammoth Icicles — Governor's Feed — The Lady from Troy — Hanging Match — Benito Soto.

At six o'clock in the morning, at least two miles out of the town of Montreal, and in the midst of as much fuss as is generally displayed

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on an ill-managed garrison field-day, we re- ceived an order to march in two hours for Upper Canada, to prevent the self-styled " patriots" from crossing the Niagara. We had neither breakfast nor baggage, and were consequently without incumbrance. As the clock struck eight, the right wing moved off, and by nine were packed in boats on the canal cut to avoid the Rapids of Lachine — between the Lake St. Francis and Montreal — when we were transferred to steam-boats, and ascended the Ottawa, landed and crossed a portage of some twelve miles, to overcome the Rapids of the St. Lawrence, which roared on our left during our midnight march. Towards morning, wet through and beat, we were again sent on board steamers, and by noon the following day were landed, jaded, fagged, and without food, at Cornwall, when a halt showed sufficiently the absurdity of our hurried march, which had been performed in strict conformity with the command received, viz..

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" light marching order," no food having been supplied by the quartermaster-general's de- partment, so there was no exertion required on the part of the men to carry it; who, poor devils, indulged at night with what they good-humouredly termed a soldier's supper, viz., "some wind and a pipe of tobacco;" and, when it is taken into consideration that they found the tobacco themselves, it is easy to ascertain the exact amount of the con- sideration of the quartermaster-general's de- partment.

From Cornwall we again marched to avoid the Rapids, among which was to be discerned the terrific " Long Sault," one of the grandest scenes on this magnificent river, at the mo- ment a fleet of bateaux were shooting the Rapid. Any description of the sea-green river, the broken and foaming tide, the skill of the voyageurs when entangled in such a Rapid, or of the scene itself, is beyond my powers. The ever-varying scenery of the Thousand

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Islands was passed, and we were put up in the fort overlooking the town and harbour of Kingston, at the outlet of Lake Ontario, and at the head of the navigation of the St. Lawrence ; whence, after a couple of days' rest, we were ordered on board a large steamer, where we found the governor of the province and a field- battery, and immediately got under weigh for the Niagara.

The next evening we were under canvass on the plateau in front of the village of Niagara. Nothing could be more lovely than the accidental locale of our encampment ; on the right flowed the river, sea-green till it mixed its water with those of the deep-blue Ontario, which, calm as molten silver, lay before us. A glorious sunset contrasted the golden-tinted green of the hickory with our gay encampment. An invitation to a dinner and a dance soon arrived ; the band played soft music, while cool claret and the bright eyes of the Niagara fair obliterated all re-

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membrance of the delicate attentions of her majesty's quartermaster-generaPs department in North America.

At sunrise we again embarked for the heights of Queen's-town, half the distance to the Falls (our destination), where disembark- ing we found the march to Druramondville awfully fagging. The sun was burning ; the thermometer stood at 96""; the glazed patent leather tops of the men's shakos concentrated the rays of the mid-day sun, and many poor fellows fell as if they had been shot. It is extraordinary that of all the host of corre- spondents in the United Service Journal, who sign themselves " Tuft," " Helmet," " Chako," &c., one old fogy only proposes a head-dress more hideous and inconvenient than that thought of by his predecessor.

A long streak or column of spray soon became visible above the lofty forest, and a low murmur announced the Falls of Niagara. These signs of our approach to the mighty

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cataract had an instantaneous effect on the spirits of our men, who forgot all their suffer- ings, and passed on their way cheerfully. In a quarter of an hour the divisions wheeled into line, and marched straight down upon the table-land above the Falls. The thick- ness of the foliage at first intercepted our view of them, but no sooner had the arms been piled and the order given to " fall out," than the men broke en masse, and rushed to the edge of the precipice.

Nothing could be more beautiful than the coup d'ceil presented by our encampment. The situation was perfect. The tents of the men were pitched with scrupulous exactness, in regular order, upon a green plateau, elevated some 130 feet above the level of the " Falls." A snow-white column of companies extended along the whole length of the field, while, to the rear, the tents of the non-commissioned officers, band, and married soldiers were scattered upon ground slightly elevated, and

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backed by groves of dark-green foliage. In the centre of the plateau stood one solitary magnificent butternut tree, the branches of which lifted a canopy of leaves high over the sward. Under this the band played every evening, to the amusement of countless visit- ers, who came for the double purpose of visiting our encampment and beholding the grandest of all stupendous sights.

On the edge of the precipice which over- hung the Falls, clothed with a magnificent foliage of hickory and pine, in quiet nooks and corners, the officers' tents were nestled, peeping up here and there from the aforesaid fringe of forest, which formed the limit of the turf. The many-coloured stripes of their canvass, coming out against the dark wood, made an unrivalled foreground to the scene. My tent was perched upon a small isolated green spot scarcely larger than the circum- ference of the tent itself — upon a sort of step, a little lower than the plateau above.

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From it I looked, through a labyrinth of acacia and hickory, upon the cataract itself, as it poured its overflowing emerald flood into the abyss beneath. But the influence of the spray often had its effect upon our " tent- lines," and it required no little attention to keep our canvass standing. It is a certain sign of there being an old soldier in a tent, when (on the elements threatening a down- pour) a man is seen to debouch from the cover of his tent to slack off the ropes, a dodge which the young soldier will never learn until taught by experience. Unless it be done, the rain tightens the ropes so much that the pegs are dragged out of the ground, and the occupants are awakened by finding the canvass about their ears.

Probably most visiters to the " eternal city" will remember the obelisk in front of Michael Angelo's wonderful Basilica, and with the Egyptian monument will associate the story of the English sailor, who, on a

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demur arising in getting it up, called out before the assembled multitude, " Wet the ropes," a hint immediately complied with, and the mass of porphyry was raised without further dif- ficulty on the back of the four tortoises, its destined pedestal.

But, as every thing in this life must have its dark side, ups and downs, and reverses, so our beautiful encampment, which in the morning appeared swan-like and resplendent in the sunshine, whilst flitting rainbows danced amidst the evanescent spray, was one night visited by one of those sudden whirlwinds which descend here, accompanied by sheets of rain and hail ; it rushed down upon the devoted encampment like an avalanche, tore up the tent-pegs, prostrated some tents, while it took others up bodily, and turned them inside out like an umbrella. The trenches round the camp were soon filled and flooded, and the unfortunate soldiers were seen crawl- ing about dripping wet, like a nest of rats suddenly inundated.

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I have before said that to attempt a delinea- tion of Niagara either with pen or pencil is equally hopeless. Being in camp and can- tonments there for a year, we had ample opportunities of observing the Falls during every change of atmosphere and weather, and we were never tired of watching the sublime variations that these occasioned.

Sometimes the spray would rise in a clear column, until lost in the deep blue of the heavens. Again, the whole heavens them- selves would appear as if they were part and parcel of this mighty column, connected, as by a water-spout, with the very centre of the cataract. This appearance was usually the forerunner of a storm ; then the waters would roar like thunder ; and, when the angry storm broke above them, the peals reverberated above, below, and through the forest. It is at such times that the column of spray may be seen at Toronto, across Lake Ontario, and from sixty to eighty miles in all directions.

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But to see this glorious scene in its fullest magnificence, it must be visited towards the end of winter, when the spray, carried by the winds, has crystallized rocks, trees, and every thing within its reach ; when

The spreading oak, the heech and tow'ring pine, Glaz'd over, in the freezing aether shine ;

and when huge icicles, like church-steeples reversed, frozen columns, and obelisks of the height of a hundred and fifty feet, enclose the water, pouring over the centre, green as a vast emerald.

It was the duty of the orderly-officer to visit every night a guard placed at the ferry below the Falls, at a short distance from them. A narrow path led down to where this guard was stationed, and it was anything but agreeable, on a dark night, to find one's way down a frozen, slippery path, beset with monster icicles, which, hanging overhead, threatened destruction at every step ; most

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of them only awaiting a partial thaw to be disengaged and come thundering down, dash- ing themselves, and all within reach, to pieces.

When upon these guards, several sentinels were fired at. Little urchins, from the other side of the river, would shy an axe into a tree, and, making a rest of it, take a deliberate shot at them.

Soon after we were established at the Falls, the governor-general made his appearance, with an enormous staff. Steamers and nu- merous hotels were retained for extravagant sums ; and a major of the United States was desired by his excellency to invite a number of the free and enlightened citizens of the United States to witness a grand review in honour of his person, and to partake of a magnificent dinner afterwards. It so hap- pened that the major had originally been a tailor by trade. The consequent result from such a " high-way and by-way" collection as

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were bidden to the feast can be more easily conceived than described.

Officers were invited, but only to fill up the intervals between a given number of guests ; and, by way of completely frustrating the har- mony of the evening, an equal number of loyal Canadians were invited to meet a set of men, who, to say the least, were " sympa- thizers" with the rebellious proceedings of the past year.

A young officer of our regiment, who had just joined from England, sat next to me ; on his right sat a genuine Yankee. The boy was bashful and silent; Jonathan quite the reverse. The young ensign had no wish to enter into conversation, but his neighbour had ; so he began, " Well, I guess you are

a private now ?" Poor B did not know

what to say, and appealed to me. I answered, " Take no notice of him." Soon after, the down-easter dropped his pocket-handkerchief. B had been educated in France, and.

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without thinking, from an impulse of civility, unluckily picked it up, and presented it to the Yankee, whose answer was, ** Well, now I guess you do take me for a woman, don't you?"

After dinner, the governor proposed the health of the " Queen of England." So far, so good. He then proposed that of the *' President of the United States," which sounded all fair ; but unfortunately the Cana- dians present, whose hearths had been invaded, and whose brothers and friends had been mur- dered, if not by any of those at table, at least at their instigation, turned restive, and a scene of much confusion ensued.

One man near me was pulled back into his chair by his wife — ^who tugged at his coat- tails until she contrived to get him down — he all the time during the operation loudly voci- ferating, " he'd be d — d if he drank such a toast !"

After dinner, the governor and his suite

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passed over to the other side in full uniform, feathers flying and swords glittering, whilst a numerous train followed, much to the amusement of the Yankees, men and boys, who came down in crowds, and got up into the trees to see '* Durham."

We had a hundred volunteers sent us: fortunately most of them soon disappeared, as they were no particular acquisition. Some tried to swim across the river, and perished in the attempt ; their bodies being found below the Falls. One or two reached the other side, where we heard of them — received and f4ted.

Apropos to desertion. — A soldier at Gib- raltar once took it into his head to commit that crime, and succeeded so far as to clear the British lines, and gain those occupied by the Spanish outposts : no sooner, however, had he been taken to the guard-room, than some qualm of conscience struck him — he repented his rash step, and determined to re-

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trace it, and, as it generally happens that a determined man succeeds in any undertaking, so ingenuity at once came to his assistance. He would persuade the Spanish soldiers on guard to show him how they performed their manual and platoon exercise, having first bribed them to do so by volunteering to go through his own : the ruse succeeded admi- rably, and no sooner did they come to " ram down cartridge," and he heard that peculiar ring of the ramrods at the bottom of their barrels, which told him that they were not charged, than he at once '* bolted," and, long before they could go through the process of biting, priming, shaking out, and ramming a cartridge down, to say nothing of the cock- ing of the piece and that of the eye of the marksman, he had regained his own lines. N.B. — In consequence he was not brought to a court-martial.

The colonel who commanded on the frontier discovered that there were " crimps" on the

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Other side. They were well dressed and dis- guised, and came over to tamper with the men. The day after Lord Durham's review, a number of visiters came over from the opposite shore; among them one of these crimps, who, unfortunately for himself, pitched on the colonel's orderly, a Peninsula veteran, who allowed him to go on, and afterwards pointed him out to his colonel, as he was turning in to the great table-d'hote at which we all dined, together with the visiters who daily came to see the lions. After dinner, the colonel got up — he was a magnificent fellow, a noble figure, the hero of a hundred fights. He began with a little soft sawder ; the Yankees were all attention : " He regretted that there should be a set of persons on the other side, who tried to induce his men to desert their colours, and forfeit their honour and allegiance to the Queen of England. There is such a man here present" — here he beckoned to his orderly to step forward, on

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which a man, covered with rings and chains, was observed to turn deadly pale — " who, by his appearance, ought to be above such a rascally action." Upon a " Yes, sir, that's he," from the orderly, the colonel, with Her- culean strength, took hold of the fellow by the collar, and, lifting him completely off his seat, gave him a kick in that part where the smallest particle of honour, be there any, is supposed to be seated, and handed him over to a file of the guard, to see him safe to the other side of the water.

The curiosity of the various visiters to the camp was beyond belief ; especially that of the fair sex ; more particularly were they excited and astonished at the sight of our kits, from which we had been separated for many months ; and which, having now just arrived, were all spread out for the benefit of the broiling sun before each officer's tent. The heterogeneous mixture of scarlet hunting- coats, top boots, leather breeches, &c., to

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say nothing of sundry dozens of shirts, was perfectly unaccountable to American eyes, to whom two or three such articles constitute an enormous wardrobe. They pulled every- thing about in the most absurd manner, coming into our tents, and asking questions right and left, until they obtained the desired information. One young lady, more bold than the rest, asked point-blank to see all my worldly possessions. Her request was so frankly and so prettily made, that it alone would have been sufficiently irresistible, even had it not been backed by a remarkably hand- some face and graceful form. She was a perfect child of Nature ; she said, without any conventional forms, every thing that came uppermost. " She hoped I would show her round the Falls;" I did so. Before parting she gave me her hand, saying, *^ I am much obliged ;" then added, " You'll not object, will you, to lend me a knife?" This seemed rather awkward, but I immediately complied.

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She then proceeded to cut out a heart on the bark of a tree, and within it she carved her name, " Anne." " Now, you'll put yours underneath, won't you ? And then I guess I'll wish you good morning, and, if ever you pass by Albany, come and see my old ones : I live on Mount Olympus, near Troy."

The next episode in our camp life was the condemnation of a notorious rebel to receive the last penalty of the law, and we were ordered to send a detachment to Niagara on duty r numbers of women attended, dressed in their Sunday's best. It is an old and a true remark that women invariably flock to an execution ; and in this case many had come from long distances, and were certainly in the proportion of ten to one man. Jack Ketch did his duty well, and the unfortunate wretch was launched into eternity with becoming brevity. The sympathizing newspapers at Lewiston appeared the following day in mourn- ing, considering him a martyr to the patriot

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cause; and one man was overheard to say that, " If he was President of the United States, before he'd suffer a free and enlightened American citizen to be butchered in that cold- blooded manner, he'd go to the World's End and jump into Never !"

The last execution I had witnessed was in the year 1830, when the inebriety of the man who acted as hangman caused him to bungle frightfully. It was a case which occasioned great excitement at the time. Benito Soto, a notorious pirate chief, captain of a brig of war, " II Defensor Pedro," (which he and his companions had captured in Corunna) was discovered by the police at Gibraltar, and thrown into prison ; his brig having been driven on shore in a gale of wind off Cadiz. Those of his crew who escaped drowning were taken, tried, and hung by the Spaniards, with the exception of Soto him- self, who contrived to make his escape, shaved off his beard and moustaches, and concealed

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himself in an obscure lodging, where he was apprehended. It was supposed that with his vessel he had captured upwards of thirty ships of different nations.

Appearances were against him ; still it was doubtful whether there was sufficient evidence for a conviction. It was, however, strongly suspected that he was the man who commanded the piratical attempt to scuttle the Morning Star, a homeward-bound vessel, with invalid troops and their wives on board. After having committed every atrocity on the women, the piratical crew gagged the men, bored augur-holes in the ship's bottom, battened down the hatches, and left her to sink. The vessel was eventually saved by means of one of the women, who, having concealed herself and been overlooked, unfastened the hatches.

At great expense, two witnesses had been brought over from England ; and I shall never forget the sensation which was created when

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the principal witness, the steward of the Morning Star, entered the court, and, con- fronting the prisoner, who stood with his arras folded on the dock, called his God to witness that he was, indeed, the very man he had seen on the deck of the Defensor Pedro, directing the horrors above described. This testimony hung him. The only other witness, a black boy, could not, from his being a heathen, be admitted to take his oath, but he fully corroborated the steward's evidence. On sentence being passed, Benito called for a cigar, and walked quietly out of the court. At sunrise, a gallows was erected over a cart at low watermark, outside the land-port guard. The troops stood under arms ; a ladder with three steps was placed against the cart ; up this the prisoner walked (his arms tied behind him) with the coolest composure, and, having made his confession to a priest, the hangman adjusted a cord round his neck, which proved too short — in a word.

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he was drunk, as I before said. Benito muttered between his teeth, stretched out his neck, arranged himself the position of the knot, and swung himself off! —

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CHAPTER XVI.

UPPER CANADA — LAKES ERIE — HURON — MICHIGAN.

So we sailed on, By shores now cover'd with impervious woods, Now stretching wide and low, a reedy waste, And now through vales where earth profusely pour'd Her treasures, gather'd from the first of days. Sometimes a savage tribe would welcome us. By wonder from their lethargy of life Awaken'd ; then again we voyaged on, Through tracts all desolate, for days and days. League after league, one green and fertile mead. That fed a thousand herbs.

SOUTHET.

American " Gunners " — An excursion planned — " Cut- ting-out " of the Caroline — Murder of Captain Usher — Navy Island — Detroit Landlord — Sporting friends — Woodcocks — The St. Clair — Lake Huron — Mackinaw In- dians— Manitou — Going to the Infernal Regions — Chicago.

Being out woodcock-shooting near the Falls, I met an American, who was the only

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one I had ever fallen in with who was able to give any information about " shooting." In general, they never think it worth while to throw away powder and shot upon small game ; Jonathan will take a raking shot at a whole bevy of quail, should they be sitting on a rail, or fire into a mass of passenger- pigeons, but they never shoot flying, and, as Lord Byron has it,

Who shoot not flying rarely touch a gun.

This difficulty of gaining information with regard to the haunts of game, &c., is most annoying to a new-comer ; and be he ever so good a sportsman, with the most accurate knowledge of the haunts of game in his own country, yet, as the majority of the game in America are birds of passage, and therefore only to be found in particular seasons and places, it frequently happens that he does not discover their retreats until he is just obliged to leave the country.

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In the hope of being useful to some who may feel the want of a guide, as I did, I mention the following particulars, which are the result of my own experience. Quail fol- low cultivation, as do all the gallinaceous tribe, and they are to be found wherever that has extended. The woodcock, at parti- cular seasons, is also to be found in cultivated spots ; but, as they remain only for a short time on their passage, in the spring and au- tumn, unless you know exactly where to look for them, it is often a great loss of time, and entails a hard fag. Having always in New Brunswick found them in the alder and cedar swamps on the outskirts of the woods, I had not thoufjht of lookino^ for them else- where in Canada ; but my sporting friend told me that they were to be found in great numbers at this season (the end of August and beginning of September) in the Indian corn, which affords them shelter from the midday sun, and in which, when planted in

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low land, they find at once thick cover and room underneath for boring, which makes it particularly suited to them. He further told me that, in the neighbourhood of Detroit, on the St. Clair river, which connects Lakes Huron and Erie, he has had excellent sport, shooting the prairie hens or pinnated grouse ; and that he was sure, if I would go as far as Chicago, a town situated on the south-west shore of Lake Michigan, on the border of those great prairies extending from the lake across to the Mississippi, the sport would well repay the trouble. I mentioned what I had heard to my companion of many former excursions, who, delighted with the thoughts of it, agreed at once to make the experiment, and we soon settled to obtain a month's leave, and give the prairie a trial : the dis- tance was some three thousand miles there and back — nothing in this " go-ahead" country.

Accordingly, we embarked at Chippeway,

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in a small steamer, the Red Jacket, to ascend the Niagara river to Buffalo, in which course we passed Schlosser, the scene of the " cut- ting-out" of the Caroline.

It is curious how the public were gulled by prints of the Caroline going over the Falls in a mass of flames ; every one who has seen these stupendous Rapids, into v^hich the great body of water rushing from Lake Erie is broken up, and which alone, did the Falls not exist, would be one of the grandest sights in the world, must be aware that nothing, let it be ever so strongly built, could resist the impetuosity of this foaming flood. After the war, a huge gun-brig was launched into the stream, to see the effect of its going over ; it was dashed into a thousand pieces the moment it entered these Rapids, and never was seen to go over at all : a piece or two of timber picked up in the whirlpool some three miles below the Fall was the only vestige ever found of her. So it was with

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the Caroline. She was moored with iron chains to the jetty at Schlosser : the party under the command of Captain Drew rowed across, on a dark night, in boats, just above where the Rapids commence — a most daring attempt, inasmuch as the least deviation in their course would have involved them in the stream. They arrived safe at Schlosser.

The party consisted of five boats manned by forty-five men. The boats assembled off" a point of land, and dropped down upon the stream as quietly as possible. They actually approached within twenty yards of her, be- fore the sentry on the gangway hailed them. Not receiving a satisfactory answer, he fired upon them — Captain Drew, with Lieutenant Cormack and party, immediately boarded the steamer. They encountered some twenty or thirty armed men on her decks, who fought bravely, but were compelled to give up their vessel. Six of the enemy were killed, and Lieu^ tenant Cormack and Captain Warne received

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some severe wounds in the encounter. The gallant little party then commenced towing the Caroline to their own shore ; but, half- way across, their strength failing and the current hurrying them forward to the Rapids above the Falls, Captain Drew set fire to the prize and cast her off.

The self-styled patriots who were on the wharf took alarm and opened a fire upon them, in the teeth of which they cut the iron moorings, set fire to the vessel, and let her go. They got back in safety ; and the Caro- line, burnt to the water's edge, was com- pletely finished in the Rapids. No one was on board, though the contrary was generally believed in England. I was told these particulars by Captain Usher, a fine fellow, who acted a conspicuous part in the affair. Such a spirit of revenge did these patriots harbour against him, that, when we were at Niagara, two ruffians knocked at the door of his house, and, as he came out with a light.

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they shot him dead through a pane of glass at the side of it.

We next passed Navy Island, which M*Ken- zie made his head-quarters, after the failure of his attack on Toronto ; where his treachery would in all probability have succeeded, had he not been met by the loyal inha- bitants of that place within a mile of the city, and completely routed. A military force was immediately despatched from Mont- real. M'Kenzie escaped with considerable difficulty to Buffalo, where he succeeded in creating a feeling in behalf of the disaffected Canadians. Many of the citizens at once undertook to supply men, arms, and all ne- cessaries to invade the proyince of Upper Canada; and M'Kenzie, no vv in command of several hundred of these borderers and sym- pathizers, with an American named Van Ran- seller, took possession of Navy Island, which is situated only four miles above the Falls of Niagara, and midway between the shores of

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Canada and the United States. The river runs past the island at the rate of some five miles an hour ; and this position, naturally so strong, was rendered more defensible by felling the trees around the island, from the shore, for several yards inland.

From this stronghold they kept up a con- stant fire upon the line of road leading from Lake Erie to the Falls, which, without doing much mischief, caused great annoyance. Their means of communication with the American side were maintained by the steamer Caroline, which daily conveyed men, arms, and provisions to M*Kenzie*s party. Colonel M'Nab, who commanded at Chip- pewa, was therefore determined to drive the marauders from the island ; and, as a pre- liminary measure, he ordered Captain Drew, of the Royal Navy, " to burn, sink, or destroy the Caroline." How that was effected I have already described ; M^Kenzie and his party became in consequence the besieged in

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a fortress of their own construction ; and the fires, which from necessity they were obliged to keep up, served as a mark for our artillery, until the island was made too hot for them, and they were eventually ferried over to the United States by their sympa- thizing brethren.

Navy Island has become in consequence "classic ground;" and walking-sticks, sup- posed to have been cut upon the island, are as eagerly bought by the visitors to the Falls of Niagara, as bullets and bits of iron are sought after by tourists on the plains of Waterloo ; but, as the demand for the latter has far outrun the legitimate possibility of a supply, they are manufactured expressly. So the walking-sticks from Navy Island have been chiefly cut at the back of Mr. Starkey's shanty, at the Falls ! — only four miles off, to be sure.

At Buffalo we embarked with our dogs for Detroit, on Lake Erie. After a fine passage,

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we landed and put up at the American Hotel, to the landlord of which my sporting acquaintance had given us a letter. They are generally the most important personages in the towns of the United States, and we found him most civil and obliging. He sent us up the river with a party of his friends, whom he called hunters, but who appeared to be a loose set of rascals, who did not know what to do with themselves, and an exact personification of the phrase — *' ready for any thing, from pitch and toss to man- slaughter." A large boat was freighted with this society and their dogs — a horrible collec- tion of curs: with a large supply of pro- visions, champagne, gin, and brandy, with all which we could well have dispensed ; but, as it was civilly intended, we were obliged to put up with it, determining to shake them off on the first opportunity.

We rowed and sailed up the St. Clair for a considerable distance, to a large island which

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they said was famous for woodcocks, and supplied the Detroit market. We, however, beat the whole of the island without finding birds. Our men, who had started as if bent on no end of execution, with lighted cigars in their mouths, their guns at full cock, and their curs yelping and barking in a manner to disturb all the game from Detroit to Buffalo, soon gave in ; and we found them on our return busy with the luncheon, and " pretty well on," as they called it — otherwise, intoxi- cated. They let out, under this influence, that they had been in the expedition to Point Pelee, where Captain Browne, of the 32nd, so gallantly routed the rebels, although greatly superior in numbers and protected by huge hummocks of ice. Our friends seemed, in- deed, bad enough for any thing ; they were a vile set ; however, there was no backing- out, and all we could do was to get them to land us on the right bank of the river, near some large clearings. Here they took to the

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brandy again, and we to beating Indian corn, where we immediately found woodcocks.

The evening was by this time closing in, but, between those found in the maize and in some patches of cover, we killed a great number. We lay down on a hard floor in a shanty, and, after picking out the softest plank, slept soundly until daybreak, when we went off again in search of woodcocks, and found them, as on the preceding evening, in the maize; as it had not arrived at its full growth, and was about breast-high, we walked through it, flushing great numbers. Three or four were constantly on the wing at the same time, enabling us to kill right and left repeatedly. Quail w^ere also very nu- merous. Having shot away all our ammuni- tion and that of our inebriated friends, who had not stirred from the shanty, we returned to them ; they had never seen so many birds killed before; and, having finished all the brandy, were quite willing to return to Detroit.

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After excellent cock and snipe shooting in the vicinity of Windsor, in Canada, and on the opposite side of the river, we took berths for Chicago. Some of the best boats will perform the passage thence in three days, but we got into one which had seen her best days, and was very slow. After a few hours' steaming up the St. Clair, we entered the lake of that name. The navigation of this lake is extremely dangerous, being so very shallow. Thousands of acres of bulrushes collect the mud, and the bottom of the lake grows upwards in an extraordinary manner. The only channel was so serpentine and shal- low that the steamer could go only at half speed, for the greater part of the day : the paddle-wheels stirred up the mud, and the boat, with all the precautions used, often stuck fast. The river being rapid from the upper end of St. Clair to Lake Huron, and evening coming on, the vessel was moored to a tree and made snug for the night.

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In the morning, just before entering Lake Huron, we passed Fort Gratiot and its light- house on the American side. The shores of the lake are low and uninteresting, and a sort of dull, melancholy look hangs over it, very dif- ferent from the gay, lively, sea-green Erie. We followed the western coast for two days, stopping once for five hours in a bay, a natural harbour, the only one in this long line of shore. We put back to it in a gale, after having left it for some hours on our course towards Mackinaw ; as the old tub of a steamer, not being seaworthy, could not be trusted in such weather.

The tediousness of the voyage was much relieved by our good fortune in making the acquaintance of a Count B., a very agreeable man, on a botanical expedition, with a view of publishing : some numbers of his book, which he showed me on a later visit to New York, were well got up. Having nothing better to do, we set to work, under his direction, to col-

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lect plants wherever we landed ; a habit which we afterwards continued on the prairies.

Next evening, we reached the beautiful island of Mackinaw. An American fort, half-way up its rocky side, is a conspicuous feature in this island. I was delighted, after returning home, with Miss Martineau's beau- tiful mention of this island — "It is known to me as the tenderest little piece of beauty I have yet seen on God's earth." ^

By particular good luck, we found collected here four tribes of wild Indians, assembled to receive the presents annually distributed by the United States' government. They consisted of the Ottawas, Chippewas, Semi- noles, and Maiomes. The whole of the beach was covered with their wigwams, and the bay (it being night when we arrived) was brilliantly illuminated with their birch-bark torches : the effect was extremely striking.

As we remained on the island that night and part of the next day, we had time to see

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them well. Either the United States' agents had given them brandy and other spirits, or the traders in furs had done so, for the ma- jority were quite drunk : poor wretches ! It was with a mingled feeling of disgust and pity that we saw several very finely-formed men, sitting round a large can, containing at least as much raw spirits as a stable-bucket would hold, and drinking till reason deserted them ; when, no doubt, their peltry, the hard-earned produce of the winter's trapping, was ob- tained from them either for the very tub of spirits we saw them engaged with, or, at any rate, for a very inferior value. The agents of the American government deal most unfairly by the poor Indians, whom by degrees they are driving beyond the Mississippi, and whom they will, without doubt, eventually extermi- nate. Not so the British government, who do all they can to atone to the remnant left for the loss of their own legitimate soil ; and, had the events of the rebellion in Canada

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involved the two countries in war, the whole of the Indians, to a man, w^ould have fought for England. Runners from the different tribes carried the wampum, a large string of beads, to which one is added by each tribe, of a red colour, if a declaration of war be intended. It is said to be so large that it requires two Indians to carry it.^

The expedition from Amherstburg to recover the island of Point Pelee from a detachment of insurgents, and the gallant conduct of Captain Browne on that occasion, adverted to in a preceding page, are well deserving of a brief notice, before I resume the thread of my narrative.

Towards the end of February, a large party of sympathizers took forcible posses- sion of the British island of Point Pelee, on Lake Erie, forty miles distant from Amherst- burg, and twenty from the main land. The

^ For a description of the wampum see the end of this chapter.

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rebels made the few inhabitants prisoners, and put the island in a state of defence. Colonel Maitland despatched Captain Glasgow of the artillery from Amherstburg, to ex- amine the state of the ice, as to its fitness for the transport of troops and guns, and, the report being favourable, the Colonel determined to attack them. His force was composed of four companies of the 32nd (his own regiment), one of the 83rd, a troop of yeomanry cavalry, in all about two hundred and fifty men, with two six-pounders. They sleighed along the shores of the lake to Col- chester, where they were joined by many volunteers, and they all started at two a.m. in order to arrive at the island before day- light, and thus save the troops from unne- cessary exposure to the weather. The morn- ing was clear at first, but a fog came on, and all traces of a road were gradually lost. The bearing of Point Pelee being well known, the track could not be recovered by means of

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the compass, which would have led the party over soft snow — a messenger was therefore despatched for lights.

The troops were now enabled to advance, but at so slow a rate that the original plan failed, and the enemy ascertained their strength and mode of operations. Captains Browne and Eveleigh, with two companies of the 32nd, and some yeomanry cavalry, were ordered to the southern end of the island, to intercept any attempt at escape from that quarter. Colonel Maitland advanced, with the remainder of the force and the guns, towards the north-east, to drive the woods. The marauders, as was expected, fled before the skirmishers, and retreated upon Captain Browne's detachment, who had drawn up his men in close order on the ice, out of musket range of the woods. Perceiving that the enemy advanced in line, and that they were well armed and organized, he extended his files, and, when they approached, opened his

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fire. This was returned, and was kept up on both sides for some time.

The detachment was, however, borne down by superiority of numbers, the insurgents being about five hundred strong. Two Ser- jeants and about twenty men lay stretched upon the ice; and there was no apparent chance of the enemy giving in. Captain Browne gave the order, " Prepare to charge." The men closed in at once, and with a cheer dashed at them. The enemy stood so long that the troops began to think that bayonets would be crossed ; but, after firing another volley, by which seven or eight more of our men fell, they turned and fled in confusion to the bush. Eleven of the enemy were killed, among whom were their colonel-major, and two captains, besides several wounded. Cap- tain Browne then fell back upon his former position, in expectation of a second attack ; but the enemy had already commenced a retreat across the ice, in attempting which

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many perished. After a fruitless skirmish through the woods, Colonel Maitland made his appearance at the southern extremity of the island, and there learnt the gallant con- duct of the detachment under Captain Browne. He was afterwards most justly promoted.

Colonel Maitland then scoured the woods, and, having satisfied himself of complete success, returned to Amherstburg. When we take into consideration the strength of the enemy, securely posted behind hummocks of ice, five hundred strong, and well armed, with American muskets, obtained by breaking open the United States' arsenals, and that by their first volley nearly one third of Captain Browne's party were stretched — that the remnant became the attacking party, and actually charged and routed the scoundrels, we must admit that their conduct was beyond all praise. Colonel Maitland's de- spatch was most emphatically concluded by

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the following words, — "The duties the sol- diers had to perform from the time they left Amherstburg until their return were indeed arduous — travelling as they did forty miles in an excessively cold night, twenty of which was across the lake, accomplishing the object in view, namely, the liberation of the loyal people detained on the island, gaining pos- session of the place, restoring it to the proprietors, defeating with considerable loss the enemy, and returning to barracks in forty hours."

THE WAMPUM.

" The wampum is formed of the inside of the clam-shell, a large sea-shell bearing some similitude to that of a scallop, which is found on the coasts of New England and Virginia. The shell is sent in its original rough state to England, and there cut into small pieces, ex- actly similar in shape and size to the modern

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glags bugles worn by ladies, which little bits of shell constitute wampum. There are two sorts of wampum, the white and the purple ; the latter is most esteemed by the Indians, who think a pound weight of it equally valuable with a pound of silver. The wam- pum is strung upon bits of leather, and the belt is composed of ten, twelve, or more strings, according to the importance of the occasion on which it is made ; sometimes also the wampum is sewed in different patterns on broad belts of leather.

" The usa of wampum appears to be very general among the Indian nations, but how it became so is a question that would require discussion, for it is well known that they are a people obstinately attached to old cus- toms, and who would not therefore be apt to adopt, on the grand and most solemn occa- sion, the use of an article which they had never seen until brought to them by strangers. At the same time, it seems wholly impossible

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that they should ever have been able to make wampum from the clam-shell for themselves. They fashion the bowls of tobacco-pipes, indeed, from stone, in a very curious manner, and with astonishing accuracy, considering that they use no other instrument than an ordinary knife ; but then the stone which they commonly carve thus is of a very soft kind. The clam-shell, on the other hand, is ex- tremely hard, and, to bore and cut it into such small pieces as are necessary to form wampum, very fine tools would be wanting. Probably they made use of the clam-shell, and endeavoured to reduce it to as small bits as they could with their rude instruments before we came among them ; but, on finding that we could cut it so much more neatly than they could, laid aside the wampum before in use for that of our manufacture. Mr. Carver tells us, that he found 'sea- shells very generally worn by the Indians, who resided in the most interior parts of the

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continent, who never could have visited a sea-shore themselves, and could only have procured them at the expense of much trouble from other nations.'

'' Whenever a conference, or a talk, as they term it, is about to be held with any neigh- bouring tribe, or whenever any treaty or national compact is about to be made, one of these belts, differing in some respect from every other that has been made before, is immediately constructed. Each person in the assembly holds it in his hand while he delivers his speech, and, when he has ended, presents it to the next person who rises, by which ceremony each individual is reminded that it behoves him to be cautious in his dis- course, as all he says will be faithfully recorded by the belt. The talk being over, the belt is deposited in the hands of the prin- cipal chief.

"On the ratification of a treaty, very broad splendid belts are reciprocally given by the

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contracting parties, and deposited among the other belts belonging to the nation. At stated intervals they are all produced to the nation, and the occasions upon which they were made are mentioned. If they relate to a talk, one of the chiefs repeats the substance of what was said over them ; if to a treaty, the terras of it are recapitulated. Certain of the squaws, also, are entrusted with the belts, and it is their business to relate the history of each one of them to the younger branches of the tribe; this they do with great accuracy, and thus it is that the re- membrance of every important transaction is kept up."

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CHAPTER XVII.

SECOND OUTBREAK IN LOWER CANADA, IN 1838.

Hurrah, hurrah ! for the flag of St. George,

The ancient Briton's delight On land, when it led through the battle's gorge,

Emblem of Albion's might.

Or when unfurl'd on the billowy world

It constantly proved to be, With its cross of red, ev'ry foeman's dread.

And lord of the deep deep sea.

The Old Sailoh.

Attack on Beauhamois — Capture of the Henry Brougham — Gallant conduct of the Iroquois at Caugh- nawaga — The Volunteers at Odelltown — The Windmill affair at Prescot.

During the summer, a petty border warfare bad been carried on : excepting this, Canada had remained tranquil. No sooner, however, had November set in, than rebellion began to show itself. At La Tortue, two farmers

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were murdered in cold blood. The seigno- rial house at Beauharnois was attacked, and Mr. Ellis, his wife, and her sister. Miss Bal- four, were made prisoners. The steam-boat Henry Brougham, with the mail and pas- sengers, was seized; and on the Richelieu the rebels had risen in great numbers. The insurgents were congregated in the greatest force in the villages of Napierville and Chateaugay, while at L'Acadie also an in- surrection was attempted, but the rebels were dispersed by Colonel Taylor — and the agi- tator, his son, and six others were taken, whilst assembled for revolutionary purposes at the house of one of the disaffected, named Gagon, near Pointe a la Mule.

On Sunday, the 4th of November, a large force of rebels marched upon Caughnawaga, a settlement of Indians of the Iroquois tribe, intending to obtain their fire-arms from them by force or artifice. They reached the village during the time of divine service ; and, whilst

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all the Indians, who are Christians, were in church, they took up a position in the adja- cent woods. But their movement engaged the attention of a young Indian. Unobserved by the rebels, the youthful Iroquois, with an elastic but noiseless step, bent his course to the church, and, through the officiating minis- ter, communicated the alarming intelligence to the whole congregation. In an instant, the flag-staff in the centre of the village was surrounded by the Indians, when the chief hastily reconnoitred and at once formed his plan.

To commence hostilities with a force double his number, and strengthened by a very advantageous position, would have been rash in the extreme ; with that sagacity, therefore, inherent in the Indian race, the chief despatched five of his young men, osten- sibly to inquire of the Canadians their inten- tions in coming thus armed, and in numbers ; but in reality to draw them from the advan-

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tage of their covert into the more open space afforded by the village. " We come," was the taunting answer, ** to borrow the arms of the Five Nations" — the Iroquois were one of the Five Nations — *' and if the Indians refuse the loan, we must fight for them." The de- putation replied, " We are but children ; come to the village, and speak to our chief:" to which request the insurgents readily as- sented ; and, as they entered on one side, the Indians quitted the place on the other. The war-hoop then resounded through the woods, and at once made evident to the Canadians their helpless condition, and to the chief the completion of his orders. Seizing the fore- most rebel, he wrested from him his musket, when the rest, panic-struck at being thus assailed, surrendered themselves without a struggle, and were conveyed prisoners to Montreal.

The troops were immediately assembled at Montreal — and Sir John Colborne, who, since

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the departure of Lord Durham, had become governor, did everything possible to confine the rebellion within narrow bounds, and to limit its duration to a very short period. A steamer was despatched for the Grenadier Guards from Sorel ; and brigades, under Generals Sir James Macdonnell and Clitheroe, scoured the country in every direction. Lieu- tenant-Colonel Cathcart, in command at Chambly, did the like in his vicinity.

On the 7th, the volunteers at Odelltown, under the command of Colonel Taylor, at- tacked a party of rebels at Lacole; killing nine, and taking seven prisoners, together with one cannon. On the 9th, the insur- gents mustered one thousand strong, under the personal command of Dr. Nelson, and attacked Colonel Taylor's advanced guard — obliging him to concentrate his little force of two hundred men upon Odelltown church, where a determined fire was kept up on both sides. After an obstinate conflict of two

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honr8 and a half, the insurgents retreated, leaving fifty dead, but carrying off their wounded . Of the volunteers. Captain M' Allis- ter and four men were killed, and Lieutenant Odell and nine men slightly wounded.

On the 10th, a large force under Sir John Colborne entered the town of Napierville, but the rebels, gaining information of the move- ment, took alarm and fled. The same day, Major Carmichael, in conjunction with Lieu- tenant-Colonel Philpotts, with a detachment of sappers and miners, one hundred and thirty of the 71st, and about one thousand of the Glengary men, landed at Hungary Bay, entered Beauhamois, and rescued the prisoners.

In the preceding year, a sympathy in behalf of the disaffected Canadians existed along the borders, and they concentrated their whole force upon the Prescot frontier ; and at midnight, November 11th, two schoo- ners, having on board between four and five hundred armed men, appeared off Ogdensburg,

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directly in front of the town of Prescot, on the opposite side of the river St. Lawrence — here about one mile wide. Suspicions of a hostile intention on the part of the borderers had long been entertained, although the place of desti- nation remained altogether in doubt : and, as a precautionary measure, a guard of ob- servation was stationed ashore, while the naval force, under Captain Sandon, R.N., cruised between Kingston and Prescot. Consequently, the movements of the sympathizers did not pass unheeded. The Experiment steamer, Lieutenant Fowle, R.N., mounting three guns, was on the look-out ; and on shore a call to arms was sounded, and a general muster of all who could procure fire-arms or other implements wherewith to repel the brigands. This force comprised a company of the Glengary volun- teers, enlisted in the Queen's service, the militia of Johnston district, only a few days arrived, with some few of the townsmen, in all not more than three hundred men ; and for these

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there were but few arms, and a small quantity of powder.

At an early hour on the morning of the 12th, one of the schooners endeavoured to effect a landing at a wharf, but, being hailed by Colonel Young, hauled off. News soon after arrived, that the steamer, " the United States," had been seized by three hundred of the rebels, and she soon after took up a threatening position in mid-channel. The commander of the Experiment, however, was on the alert, and, although with a crew of only twenty men, kept her at bay. Soon after, the United States and one of the schooners dropped down the stream, about a mile and a half, opposite to a windmill, and began landing their men. The United States then returned for a second trip, but was roughly handled by the Experiment, and obliged to put into Ogdensburg to refit. The insur- gents already landed immediately commenced throwing up breastworks, and strengthening their position as much as possible ; and, the

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only available troops being so few, it was deemed imprudent to attack them. But one hundred and fifty volunteers, under Colonel Gowan, arriving with some spare arms and ammunition, and a couple of armed steam- boats, commanded by Captain Sandon, it was determined to attack them on the 13th. Lieutenant-Colonel Young was reinforced by thirty-five men of the 83rd, with the marines from the steam-boats, some forty men in all — he then marched upon them in two divisions, while Captain Sandon fired upon them from the water, with the intention of attracting their tliree field-pieces.

The left column of attack was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Frazer of the militia; that on the right by Lieutenant-Colonel Young. The enemy was strongly posted behind stone walls on rising ground, but the intrepidity of the troops overcame all ob- stacles, and in an hour they were driven into the windmill and stone houses adjacent. The fire of the rascals was very destructive ; and

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Lieutenant Johnston, of the 83rd, who was gallantly storming a house at the head of a few of his men, fell mortally wounded. Lieutenant Parkes, of the marines, was shot through the arm in trying to rescue him. An officer of militia was killed, and two others wounded ; and the loss altogether on our part was forty-five, while that of the enemy was very great. Two of their leaders were killed, and thirty-two made prisoners.

Colonel Young, finding the position of the rebels so strong, and the fire from the armed steam-boats and musketry making little or no impression, determined to await the arrival of heavier metal, to batter down the wind- mill. Captain Sandon was despatched to Kingstown for the requisite forces and supplies.

On November 15th, the Honourable Colonel Dundas arrived from that place, with four companies of his regiment, the 83rd, a couple of eighteen-pounders, and a howitzer, and immediately commenced a cannonade ; whilst,

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from the river, Captain Sandon brought two gun-boats, carrying two eigh teen-pounders each, to bear. These did little execution; but, after an hour's battering from Colonel Dundas's guns, the brigands tried to effect an escape, but he immediately ordered an ad- vance. Little resistance was made by those occupying the windmill ; but a sharp fire was kept up from the adjoining stone buildings, until a white flag made its appearance on the windmill, and the insurgents surrendered unconditionally. Eighty-six prisoners, six- teen of whom were wounded, were taken, to- gether with a Pole, calling himself General Van Sault, a large quantity of arms, kegs of powder, and three pieces of ordnance.

With the exception of an attack on the frontier at Sandwich, where Colonel Prince, by great promptitude, and with the assistance of some Indians, put a stop to it, this was the last effort at invasion ; and the rebellion was quashed.

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CHAPTER XVIII.

PRAIRIES OF ILLINOIS.

■On the top

Of yon magnolia, the loud turkey's voice Is heralding the dawn ; from tree to tree Extend the wakening watch-notes far and wide, Till the whole woodlands echo with the cry.

SOUTHEY.

The Prairies a vast flower-garden — Strawberries — The soil alluvial, or wet Prairies — Dry Prairies — Of the Game — Indians — Big Thunder — The Starved Rock — In- dian Mounds — Prairie Hens — Cure of Ague — Amherst- burg— WUd Turkeys— The Gobblers.

But to return to Mackinaw — many of the war-canoes of the Indians at this place, con- structed of birch-bark, were capable of hold- ing thirty men. All the Indians, male and female, were painted and tattooed in every conceivable shape and form. One woman, calling herself the wife of a chief of the Meomis, who was rather the worse for rum,

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sold me her garters — a beautiful pair, em- broidered in red and white wampum, worked in the pattern of her tribe. Her forehead was painted with vermilion, and on each cheek was a patch of the same colour, relieved with a white ring, and beyond that a sky- blue one, resembling the targets at our archery meetings. She had a ring through her nose ; a musk-red skin hung over the top of her head ; her hair was carefully divided, and abundantly greased with fish-oil ; a pro- fusion of scarlet feathers of the taniger were fastened into the back of it. Three long ones projected right and left towards the front, from which depended blue ones, tipped with scarlet. Her toilet was completed by some forty or fifty silver bells in her ears, w^hich tinkled at every step which she took. Her chemise was made of deer-skin, embroi- dered with porcupine quills, and dyed moose hair, fastened by a series of silver plates, circular, and diminishing in size from the

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top. She also wore large armlets of silver ; and the garters were placed below the knee, as ornaments merely, for no garment reached further, while a blanket, thrown over her, completed her costume.

The men wore blankets of all hues, part of the presents received at different times. They were also tattooed in all ways. Some were perfectly naked, with large tufts of fea- thers in their heads ; others had the skin of a fox or badger made into a cap, and the tail left hanging down behind. Outside most of the wigwams were tame bears, and the small Indian dog, the most faithful of all the race. The best watch-dog was left in charge of such huts as the owners had deserted.

After a minute inspection of their spears, bows and arrows, canoes, and dresses, all most interesting to any one curious in the habits of these most extraordinary people, and in the distinctions of their different tribes, we ex- amined a sort of museum collected by some

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of the fur-traders, containing specimens of their arms, spears, and weapons, also articles of bark, embroidered by the squaws. These latter, however, are much inferior to those made by the Micmac and Milicete tribes of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The island of Mackinaw is important, as it commands Lakes Huron and Michigan, with the outlet of Lake Superior. The American government have, therefore, built a strong fort upon it, overlooking, as I said before, its bay or harbour. The clearness of the water here is very striking: stones may be dis- tinctly seen on the bottom at the depth of forty feet. In all these lakes are taken deli- cious white fish, superior in flavour to any salmon : when first taken out of the water, they shine and glisten like silver, and average from twenty to thirty pounds.

After leaving Mackinaw, a tremendous gale

ycame on at night. There was no harbour

within reach, and I was awakened by the

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captain rushing into the cabin, calling out, " Look out for yourselves, for we are all going to hell!" The first impulse was to rush upon deck; a fearful sea was running, and the steamer, which had become unmanageable, was drifting to leeward at a most unpleasant rate. The night was pitch-dark ; it was blowing a hurricane, and the boat rolled in an awful manner. Fortunately, at daybreak the gale moderated, and we were enabled to put her before the wind just in time, for, had she continued to drift for another hour, she must have struck on one of the Manitou Is- lands. Most assuredly, had an Indian been on board, he would have attributed the favour- able change in the weather to the "Manitou," or Great Spirit ; these islands being by them held sacred, and supposed to be the abode of departed spirits.

It now fell a dead calm. In the course of the day we passed a landmark on the Illinois coast, called the Sleeping Bear, a mountain

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resembling exactly the shape of that animal, whose shaggy coat is admirably represented by a stunted growth of fir, and which, situ- ated above a lofty and long line of light yellow sand, looks, when seen from the lake, like a huge effigy of Bruin on a giallo antico pedestal. At length, and in spite of the predic- tion of the captain, who, ever since the storm, had been consoling himself with an unlimited allowance of gin -sling, we arrived safe at Chicago, which is situated upon the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, upon the skirts of those great prairies extending to the Missis- sippi, and connected by the great fresh water seas of the North with all the different trad- ing ports on them. It is built on level ground, but sufficiently elevated above the highest floods to prevent overflow. The great stream of emigration has set that way, the natural meadows presenting all the advantages of the most favoured parts of the valley of the Mis- sissippi.

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The "Rambler in the West," who writes in the year 1837, gives the following flourishing account. "Chicago is, without doubt, the greatest wonder in this wonderful country. Four years ago, the savage Indian there built his wigwam — the noble stag there saw un- dismayed his own image reflected from the polished mirror of the glassy lake — the adventurous settler then cultivated a small portion of those fertile prairies, and was living far, far away from the comforts of ci- vilization. Four years have rolled by, and how changed that scene ! That Indian is now driven far west of the Mississippi ; he has left his native hills, his hunting-grounds, the grave of his father, and is now building his home in the far West, again to be driven away by the mighty tide of emigration. That gallant stag no longer bounds secure over those mighty plains, but startles at the rustling of every leaf, or the sighing of every wind, fearing the rifles of the numerous Nim-»

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rods who now pursue the chase. That adventurous settler is now surrounded by luxury and refinement ; a city with a popula- tion of over six thousand souls has now arisen ; its spires glitter in the morning sun, its wharfs are crowded by the vessels of trade, its streets are alive with the busy hum of commerce.

'* The wand of the magician, or the spell of a talisman, never effected changes like these ; nay, even Aladdin's lamp, in all its glory, never performed greater wonders. But the growth of the town, extraordinary as it is, bears no comparison with that of its com- merce. In 1833, there were but four arrivals, or about seven thousand tons. In 1836, there were four hundred and fifty-six arrivals, or about sixty thousand tons."

Chicago eclipses Buffalo in the same degree as, in the Yankee's estimation, Buffalo does London ; for, in 1832, according to our guide- book, it contained five small stores and two

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hundred and fifty inhabitants, and, in the year 1837, the population numbered eight thou- sand, with one hundred and twenty stores, besides a number of groceries : further, it supported fifty lawyers, and — thanks to the intermittent fever and ague — upwards of thirty physicians.

But it cannot be said that Nature has left them unprovided with remedies for other complaints, for, not to mention smaller manu- factories, at Edwardsville alone there are annually manufactured from thirty to forty thousand gallons of castor oil from the palma christi, which is indigenous to the soil of Illinois.

At Chicago we hired a waggon and a pair of horses, and started for the prairies, which we entered at once on leaving the town. Our guide-book contained an account of them with regard to emigration, and I have extracted from it some notes, which may not be unac- ceptable. The characteristic peculiarity of

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these prairies is the absence of timber; in other respects, they present all the varieties of soil and surface found elsewhere. Some are of inexhaustible fertility, others hopelessly sterile; some spread out in vast boundless plains, others undulating or rolling; while others are covered with a rich growth of grass, forming natural meadows. Hence the French term prairie.

The prairies begin, on a comparatively small scale, in the basin of Lake Erie, and form the bulk of the land about Lake Michigan, the upper Wabash, and the Illinois ; but, on the west of the Mississippi, the whole tract may be described as prairie, intersected by patches of woodland, chiefly confined to the valleys of the rivers. The traveller may w^ander over these wide prairies for days without encoun- tering an elevation worthy to be called a hill. One vast plain spreads with little intermission from the shores of Lake Michigan to the Mississippi.

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Every prairie is an immense flower-garden : in the early stages of spring, a generation of flowers arise, whose prevalent tint is that of peach blossom. The next is a deep red; then succeeds the yellow ; and, to the latest period of autumn, the prairies exhibit a bril- liant golden hue ; while, in the strawberry season, thousands of acres are reddened with the finest species of this delicious fruit.

The soil is generally of the finest quality ; a compound of alluvial deposits and of hard and compact layers of earth, like those at the bottom of a long stagnant mill-pool. From whatever cause the prairies at first originated, they are certainly perpetuated by the autumn fires which have annually swept over them from an era long anterior to the earliest records of history. Along the streams, and in other places where vegetation does not suffer from the drought of the latter part of summer and early autumn, it of course is longer in be- coming sear and combustible than in the

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plains which are drier, and the fire does not encroach much — consequently, the forests pre- vail there, and probably increase gradually in some places upon the prairies. As soon as they are ploughed, and the grass is kept under, young timber begins to sprout. Where the soil is either too poor, or too wet to pro- duce a heavy annual growth of grass sufficient to make a strong fire, there is no prairie.

The Indians and hunters annually set fire to the prairies, in order to dislodge the game. The fire spreads with tremendous rapidity, and presents a grand spectacle. The flames rush through the long grass with a noise like thunder; dense clouds of smoke arise, and the sky itself appears almost on fire, par- ticularly during the night. Nothing can be more melancholy than the aspect of a burnt prairie : one black uniform surface ; a vast plain of charcoal. During a fire, travellers crossing the prairie can only escape by burning the grass around them, and taking

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shelter in the burnt part, where it must ex- pire for want of fuel.

Some parts of these prairies are healthy, some wet, and others dry or undulating. The first have springs of water, and are covered with bushes of hazel, furze, and small sassafras shrubs, mixed with grape-vines, beautifully decorated with the brightest her- baceous plants. Early in March the forests are in bloom, and the bright Judas tree {cerus Canadensis^) the lonicera flava, and yellow jasmine, enliven and perfume the landscape. The bushes are overtopped with the common hop.

The alluvial or wet prairies are generally on the margins of the great watercourses. Their soil is black, friable, and of exhaustless fertility. From May till October, the prairies are covered with tall grass and flowers.

The dry or undulating prairies are almost destitute of springs and of all vegetation, with the exception of a crop of grass. There

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are numerous ponds in this region, some formed from the surface water, some from rain and the melting of the snows in spring. In these are found great quantities of fishes common in the streams. After the waters subside, they are frequently taken away by cart-loads ; those which are left when the water has eva- porated attract thousands of buzzards,^ which prey upon them.

When the tough sward is once formed, timber will not easily take root ; but, when that is destroyed by the plough, it is soon converted into forest land. There are large tracts of country in the older settlements, which

' This bird lives on filth and putrid flesh, and is so useful in clearing away offensive substances that it is protected by law in the southern cities. They are foul birds, and exceedingly voracious, and sometimes gorge themselves with food in such a manner as to be unable to fly. They breed in solitary swamps, making their nests in decayed trunks of trees and excavated stumps ; and, it is said that, if a person takes one of the young ones in his hands, it immediately vomits forth such abominable matter as soon to drive the intruder away. The old birds, when caught, drive off their enemy in a similar way.

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the farmers formerly mowed for hay, now covered with a forest of timber of rapid growth. A kind of country called barrens, or oak openings, prevails to some extent in the Illinois. This term is used in the West to designate a species of land of the character of forest and prairie. The surface is gene- rally dry, and covered with oaks, sometimes interspersed with pine, hickory, or other forest trees, of stunted growth. They rise from a grassy turf, seldom encumbered by brushwood, occasionally broken by jungles of rich and gaudy flowering plants of the dwarf sumachs. Among these oak openings are some of the most glorious landscapes of the West ; and the scenery is, for miles to- gether, like that of a fine park, diversified by hill and dale, trees grouped and single, or arranged in long avenues, as though by human hands, with strips of open meadow between them. Sometimes the openings are inter- spersed by numerous clear lakes. When the

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fires are stopped, these barrens produce timber at a most extraordinary rate ; first, hazel and young shrubs, until finally a thicket of young timber covers the surface.

The buffalo has entirely left these plains, and is only found at the head-waters of the Mississippi, and of those vast streams west of the Missouri. They once roamed at large over the Illinois, and in considerable num- bers, as the well-beaten buffalo paths still indicate. They usually take a direction from the prairies in the interior of the State to the margins of the great rivers, showing the course of their migrations, as they changed their pastures periodically from the low marshy alluvial to the dry upland plains. Their paths are narrow, and remarkably direct, showing that they travelled in single file through the woods, and pursued the most direct course to their places of destination.

Deer are very numerous, and increase with the population. They suffer most from the

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wolves, which hunt in packs, and seldom give up the chase until the deer is taken. It is asserted by the Illinois hunters that, during the season, when the pastures are green, this animal rises from his lair precisely at the rising of the moon, whether by day or night. The hunter keeps this in mind, as he rides slowly through the thickets with his rifle. On seeing a deer, he slides gently from his horse ; and, while the deer is observing the latter, he creeps upon him, keeping the largest trees between himself and the object of his pursuit, until he gets near enough to fire. Another mode is by watching at the *' salt licks" at night, where the deer remain lick- ing the earth for hours. The hunter secretes himself in the thick top of a tree, or in a screen erected for the purpose. This manner is only followed in the cloudless nights of the summer or early autumn, when the moon shines brilliantly. Such places are generally bare of timber ; and, as the animal is about

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to emerge from the shade into the clear moon- light, he stops, looks cautiously around him, and snufFs the air; again advances a few paces, again stops and smells the ground. The hunter sits motionless and almost breath- less until the animal comes into a favourable light and within shot. A few deer only can be thus killed in one night ; and so timorous are they, that they are soon driven from any haunts where they are liable to be thus disturbed.

The elk or wapiti has disappeared. The bear is seldom met with ; he inhabits the more wooded parts, and delights particularly in the cane-brakes, where he feeds in winter on the tender shoots of the young cane. The meat is said to be excellent in consequence, and is esteemed a great delicacy.

There are two kinds of wolves, the black or common wolf, and the prairie wolf. The former are large, fierce, and hunt in packs, and seldom attack man, unless when asleep or wounded. Their common prey are the

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deer, which they hunt regularly. The smell of burning assafoetida is said to have a re- markable effect upon this animal. If a fire be made in the woods and a small quantity of this drug thrown into it, any wolves that are in the neighbourhood immediately assemble round it, howling in a mournful manner. And such is the remarkable fascination which it exercises, that they will suffer themselves to be shot rather than leave the spot.

The prairie wolf is a smaller species, be- tween the wolf and the fox. In colour, it resembles the latter. It is found exclusively on the open plains. It preys upon poultry, rabbits, which are very abundant on the prairies, young pigs, calves, &;c. The most friendly relations subsist between it and the black wolf. Nothing is more common than to see a large black wolf, hunting in company with several prairie wolves.

Bees are found in every large patch of forest. When the frost has killed vegetation, they are hunted for their honey and wax.

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The ponds, lakes, and rivers, during the migratory season of waterfowl, are covered with swans, pelicans, cranes, geese, brants, and ducks of all tribes and varieties. But the game of the most interest, and that of which we came in search, are the prairie hens, or prairie fowl — but of them more anon.

By different treaties, the Indians have ceded the whole of their territorial claims on the Illinois to the government of the United States. It appears that the Illinois, Delaware, Shawanee, Pottawatomie, Eel River, Weea, Kickapoo, and Piankasaw tribes, had each their hunting grounds on these prairies. Many Indian remains are met with. At the Saline Creek, large fragments of earthenware are constantly found, both on and under the ground. They have on them the impression of basket or wicker work ; and it appears, from a variety of circumstances, that the Indians were acquainted with the manner of making salt ; they valued it highly, and called the creek the great salt spring.

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Near the town of Belvidere is a mound, the base of which covers nearly an acre of ground. It is elevated seventy feet above the bottom lands of Rock River, and on the top is the sepulchre of Big Thunder. He died about 1831 or 1832, in the Sauk war. He was placed in a sitting posture on a flag mat, wrapped in blankets, his scalping-knife by his side, to cut the plugs of tobacco that are oftered to him. Over the body is constructed a covering of wood and earth, with an open- ing in front, where Big Thunder may be seen with his tobacco lying before him. The Indians still visit the place, to replenish his stores of whisky, tobacco, &c.

Thou sittest amongst us on thy mat ; The bear-skin from thy shoulder hangs ; Thy feet are sandall'd ready for the way. Those are the unfatiguable feet That traversed the forest track ; Those are the lips that late Thunder'd the yell of war ; And that is the strong right arm, Which never was lifted in vain.

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On the right bank of the Illinois River is a perpendicular rock, near the foot of the Rapids, called the Starved Rock. It is washed by the current at its base, and rises to one hundred and fifty feet above the level of the river, from which its perpendicular sides are inaccessible ; but it is connected with a chain of heights, that extend up the stream, by a narrow ledge, the only ascent to which is by a winding and precipitous path. The diameter at top is not more than one hundred feet, and it is covered with a growth of young trees,

A band of Illinois Indians once sought refuge here from the fury of the Pottawato- , mies, with whom they were at war. They entrenched themselves, repulsed all the assaults of the besiegers, and would have remained masters of the high tower, but for the im- possibility of obtaining supplies of water. Provisions they had secured — ^but their only means of procuring water was by letting down

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vessels with bark ropes to the river, which ropes their enemies, stationed in canoes below, cut as fast as they were let down. The con- sequence was, the extirpation of the whole band — and their bones were whitening on the summit of the mountain for many a year after. An entrenchment corresponding to the edge of the precipice is distinctly visible ; and frag- ments of antique pottery and other curious re- mains of the vanquished race are spread about.

The northern part of Illinois was the scene of many atrocities and much human slaughter, during the war of 1832 and 1833, between the Sac and Fox Indians and the United States. The Indians were conducted by the celebrated chief Black Hawk and the Prophet, who, after their capture, ceded the country east of the Mississippi to the United States.

A line of mounds, more ancient than even the wild and fabulous traditions of the Indians, are said to be scattered along the right bank of the Rock River and the Wisconsin territory.

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The New Englander is now settled upon these plains. The last of the Indian race left in 1836 ; their gardens are overgrown with tall rank weeds, and their war cry is heard only beyond the Mississippi.

At the public-house, or shanty, where we put up for the night, after a drive of eight or ten miles, we found all the inmates in bed, covered up with blankets, and every thing which could add to warmth heaped upon them. The driver informed us that this was the bad day of their fever, but that the fit would soon be over, and that then they would set about our accommodation for the night. We did not particularly like stopping in a house where every soul was under the influence of remit- tent fever, but our Jehu comforted us with the assurance that more or less of it prevailed in every house on the prairies at this season of the yp^r ; so we took out our dogs and guns, and, on crossing through a patch of peas in the garden at the back of the house,

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one of the dogs came to a point. It proved to be a pack of prairie-hens ;^ we shot eight brace in the garden : magnificent birds they were, as large as our black game ; a bright band of orange citron colour encircles the eye. They are very game upon the wing, and, in the general colour of their plumage, resemble much the gray hen, with the exception of having a bag of orange-coloured skin on either side of the neck, over which hang long straight feathers. In the drumming season, like the birch partridge, they inflate these bags to a great size, at which time the feathers stand out at right angles. Of these, however, the female is deficient, as well as of the naked skin. Wilson calls them the pinnated grouse. In the pairing season, like the birch par- tridge and the turkey, the male bird inflates himself, and makes a peculiar sound, which

^ Tetrao Cupido ; so called from two tufts of pointed feathers on either side the neck, resembling the wings of a little Cupid.

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may be heard for several miles. Wilson describes it as a sort of ventriloquism. " It does not strike the ear of a bystander with much force, but impresses him with the idea, though produced within a few rods of him, of a voice a mile or two distant. This note is highly characteristic — it is termed ' tooting^' from its resemblance to the blowing of a conch or horn from a remote quarter."

They contain more blood, taking into con- sideration their size, than any bird of the tribe — this was remarked by a brother officer who followed our steps over these prairies in the month of October ; but who, instead of finding the birds to lie well, as we did, in the early part of September, found them very wild and to carry away very heavy shot, even No. 3; whereas, at our visit, we contrived to bag quantities when using No. 5, and even No. 7 shot. He further informed me, that he never saw birds which his pointers apparently took so little notice of, even when wounded.

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But, as we found it to be quite the reverse in the month of September, and as he is one of the best and most observing sportsmen that I know, it follows that, if these prairies be visited for the sake of shooting the pinnated grouse, it should not be later than the middle of September.

We found also woodcock and quail in the long grass, and numbers of the beautiful wood-duck and blue- winged teal in all the pools and rivers near ; so that, bj the time they had recovered at the inn, we had had a capital day's sport, and a brace of grouse were soou ready for supper. Like all the grouse tribe, they have dark and light-coloured meat, but are rather dry, and not to be compared in flavour to the red game. Next day, we continued our course over the prairies, steer- ing, as it were, now for a clump of trees, now for some rise on the horizon — across the roll- ing prairies without road or track — through the most luxuriant grassy herbage as deep as

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the wheels of the waggon, stopping occa- sionally by the way to shoot grouse, ducks, or quail. Our eventual object was to reach the Fox River, along the line of which we heard that the prairie-hens abounded, in con- sequence of the cultivation along its banks ; and by night we arrived, and put up at one among a few huts on the banks of the river. The heat was overpowering ; and, during three days that we stayed there, we could shoot only in the mornings and evenings. The country was much dried up, but we found game in great quantities round the house, so that we had as much shooting as we could manage both of grouse and quail.

But, before reaching Fox River, I dis- covered that I was in for the ague, or rather that it was well in me. I swallowed quanti- ties of quinine, by virtue of which I was generally enabled to shoot, after the attack went off, in the evening, and always on the intermediate dav. We next moved our

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quarters, some eight miles down the river, and put up at a log-hut. Here an old woman gave me a decoction of a plant which she called thorough-wort^ and which, I think, is a species of eupatorium. The leaves of it grew opposite to each other, and, though it alleviated the fits, my recollection of it is that the remedy was almost as bad as the dis- ease, it having been by far the most bitter and nauseous beverage I ever imbibed. In one week we had nearly finished all our am- munition, and began to think of returning.

Just before our departure, we saw in the neighbourhood one of those curious salt-licks, to which for ages countless herds of buffaloes, deer, elks, and other animals appear to have annually resorted. Bones are found to a great depth deposited under the soil, layer upon layer, and among them bones of the mammoth and mastodon ; and geologists say that the vast masses found liare are to be ac- counted for by the herds which had come

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down to the licks being pursued by wolves and panthers, and, panic-stricken, trampling each other to death. These places bear the name of the Mammoth Licks. It is utterly im- possible to keep animals from salt-licks ; and farmers who have enclosed fields near them, finding their hedges repeatedly broken, at length usually compromise the matter by making a road to them.

Wild turkeys and wapiti are to be found on these prairies, but the chance of getting at them appeared so uncertain, that we returned to Chicago without making the attempt. Rattlesnakes are very numerous ; and it is a curious fact that the Almighty has provided the antidote for their poison, in the rattle- snake plantain — an orchis-looking plant, the leaves of which taper up to a sharp point : the Indians chew it to a pulp, and bind it over the wound. This, they say, is the only remedy that will extract the venom. The snakes gain a rattle with every year of their

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age : when about to make a spring, they erect them. I killed one near the Falls, on the snow, with an axe ; it had fourteen rattles, and was as thick as a man's arm ; it had been caught by the frost, before it had provided a winter habitation. They would increase to a fearful extent, were it not for the fires on the prairies, by which great numbers are destroyed.

We made a prosperous voyage back to Detroit, and crossed over to the Canada side of the river, where we had capital woodcock and snipe-shooting. Thence we rowed down to Fort Maiden, garrisoned by one of our regiments. Along the Lake Erie shore, we met with plenty of quail. As we were in- formed that wild turkeys were numerous in the neighbourhood, we determined, before leaving the country, to " have a shy at them."

Franklin observes that " the turkey would have been a much fitter emblem of the United States than the white-headed eagle — a lazy,

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cowardly, tyrannical bird, living on the honest labours of others, and more suited to repre- sent an imperial despotic government than the Republic of America."

The male bird of the wild turkey, or gobbler, is a noble bird, and his plumage is resplendent with the brightest gold-tinged bronze, vary- ing, as he changes position, to blue, violet, and green. Each feather is terminated with a deep black band, and has also a bronze or copper-coloured lustre. I found the feathers from the tail to make excellent wings for *' hare's ears," and " deep purple" artificial flies to be quite as good as the mallard's coat, and infinitely better than those of the domestic bird used for the same purpose.

The wild turkey-cock has a long pendent tuft of hair on its breast. This, as well as the carnucles about the head and neck, comes to perfection and arrive at the greatest size and length in the third year. Audubon says, that from fifteen to eighteen pounds may

THE BACKWOODS. 221

be taken as a fair average of their weight, but that he once saw a gobbler in the Louis- ville market, which weighed thirty-six pounds, and the tuft of hair on the breast measured upwards of a foot. Bonaparte confirms this account, but remarks that birds of thirty pounds are not rare.

The wild turkey, however he may be sur- prised when feeding in patches of maize or buckwheat in the clearance, is the most dif- ficult bird possible to find in the woods, as they run with great swiftness, and are most watchful. They are bad flyers, and, for that reason, go up to the tops of the highest trees before they will attempt the passage of rivers of no great width ; and even then, the weakest birds are often sacrificed in the attempt. The lumberers on the Mississippi, Ohio, and other broad streams, are so well aware of their pro- ceedings, that, when they hear the row, the strutting, the gobbling, and all the other devices practised by the oldest birds to instil

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courage into the funking part of the com- munity, they take up a position in the neigh- bourhood, and, so soon as the turkeys make up their mind, and have screwed their courage up for a start, they contrive to bag great quantities which have fallen into the water. After mounting the highest trees they can find, they stretch out their necks once or twice, as if to take breath ; and, at a given signal, all start together for the nearest point on the opposite side, descending constantly until they reach it.

In the love-making season, there is no end to the strutting and puffing of the male, for the purpose of winning the admiration of his mate ; and his splendid tail is then spread in the form of a fan — a habit pursued on the same occasion both by the ruffed and pin- nated species of grouse. After the season of incubation, the males cease to gobble, and are easily killed ; but at this time they are of no value; being meagre and covered with

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vermin. In the breeding season, however, they are often decoyed within shot, by blow- ing through the large bone of the turkey's wing, cut off at one end, and which, if skil- fully performed, produces exactly the plaintive sound of the female. When this practice is followed, the hunter proceeds cautiously and alone, and places himself under " a roost." As the light appears, he may find himself directly under a flock of turkeys ; but, if not, he must wait until he hears the gobble. Then, says a Yankee writer, in *' The Spirit of the Times," ^ the first sound from the old gobblers the hunter answers by the plaintive note of the female, and the male bird is ready to search out a mistress with becoming gallantry. " Pup, pup," lisps the hunter ; " Gobble, gobble," utters the proud bird ; and here the interest of the hunt commences. Then is to be seen the alluring on of the gobbler, his struttings and prancings, and a thousand gal-

^ The " BeU's Life" of the New World, published in New York.

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lant airs, for his lady-love. Anon his sus- picions get the better of his love ; and the coward is plainly visible in his suddenly con- tracted body and air of ready flight. The hunter warily plies his music, and the bird comes on, until the sure rifle finds the beauti- ful bird in its range. This, however, requires to be practised with skill, for the cautious- ness of the wild turkey is wonderful, sur- passing that of the deer or any other game whatever : and nothino^ but stratao^em and the most intimate knowledge of its habits will command success.

" We once knew an Indian," says the above- quoted writer, " who gained a living by bringing game into a town in the West, who always boasted exceedingly if he could add a wild turkey to his common load of deer ; and, as the demand for birds was greater than he could supply, he was taunted by the disap- pointed epicures of the village for want of skill in hunting. To this charge he would

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always reply with great indignation, saying that the quality of venison which he brought to market was sufficient proof of his being a good hunter. * Look here,' he would angrily say ; * I see deer on the prairie ; deer look up and say, May be Indian, may be stump — and deer eats on ; come little nearer, deer look up again, and say. May be Indian, may be stump ; and first thing deer knows, he dead. I see wild turkey great way off; creep up very slowly; turkey look up and say, first time he see me, Dat damn Indian any how ; and off he goes ; no catch turkey, he cunning too much' "

The writer, proceeding with his description of this splendid bird, says, "The English- man, Frenchman, or any other European, vaunt about the Thames, the Seine, and the like, and thereby grow very conceited and satisfied ; but knock under when you mention the wild turkey, and willingly admit that

America is a great country : indeed, Franklin

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knew all this; and, with a wisdom that eclipsed himself, wished to have this bird of birds introduced upon our national emblem, instead of the eagle. The idea was enough to have immortalized him, if he had not been a philosopher, or a modern Ajax, defying the lightning." This is all very fine ; but, had they thus exalted the gobbler, what would have become of the French comparison — " Bete comme un dindon !"

We made a party, and left Amherstburg in search of turkeys ; and, after a drive of a couple of hours, arrived at some small " clear- ances," amidst a great tract of forest, and close to an immense marsh overgrown with a sort of jungle of long grass, stunted alder, willow, and shumac, said to be a very favourite place of these princes of the gallinaceous tribe — the manner of shooting them being the same as that pursued by our sportsmen, when waiting for the water-fowl tribe at a spring at night-fall. The party took up their stations in the vicinity of

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a patch of buckwheat, which is the favourite food of these birds, whose acute sense of hearing is so strong, that, as a matter of pre- caution, we placed our guns on full cock ; for so shy are they, that a click of a London- made lock would be sufficient to give the alarm and disperse any number of them, who, in all probability, would not return to the same locale for many nights.

We had not long been in our places before the noise of the gobbler was heard, and con- tinued at intervals ; this naturally put all on the qui vive, and in readiness for action. Suddenly I observed one of the party, whose station was opposite to mine, advance slowly and cautiously along the zig-zag fence which served as a protection for the crop of buck- wheat from the promiscuous intruders in the forest. The twilight was fast fading away, and it was with difficulty that I could follow the movements of my friend. After twenty minutes or so, in which time he had managed

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to progress as many yards, he abruptly stopped, and, raising his gun to his shoulder, took de- liberate aim. Just as I expected to hear the report of his fowling-piece, I was startled by the sudden explosion of a tremendous oath, followed by a volley of curses and maledic- tions ; but, to make a long story short, in- stead of the expected gobblers, who should make his appearance but our wretched sable guide, who, having stationed himself in the immediate neighbourhood of the clearances, for the purpose of attracting the turkeys, had, owing to his most faithful imitation of the afore- said gobble within range of our weapons, well nigh fallen a victim to the sporting ardour of my friend. This unfortunate nigger now stood alternately trembling and grinning, between the uncertainty of life and death, and within ten yards of the muzzle of a double gun, loaded with swan-shot. After trying in every pos- sible way to get shots at wild turkeys, we ended by giving it up in disgust ; which was

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not a little increased by hearing that, soon after we departed, our guide, the nigger, had killed five in the very same patches of maize.

We left our hospitable friends of the 34th to the pursuit of the turkeys, and to the building up of the fort : the only occupation to be found in this the most westerly of our garrisons.

On returning to the Falls, we found the men and officers stowed away in two of the great hotels, and in sundry shanties and sheds in Drummondville ; and the company to which I belonged put up in a large building in Lundy's Lane — classic ground, on which the battle was fought, in 1812.

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CHAPTER XIX.

UPPER CANADA — NIAGARA DISTRICT.

^' All this and much more have I seen since my departure from England; but I doubt if any transmarine spectacle gave me half so much pleasure as did the sight of the jolly, red, weather-beaten face of the first humhoat woman who came alongside our gallant frigate at Spithead !"

Mundy's India.

Deer-stalking in the woods — Of the best kind of gun for Upper Canada — The log-hut and process of clearing the land — Water-fowl — Novel kind of card-table — Long Point — Silver and cross foxes — Singular kind of Boa — Starky's Museum — Racoon — Squirrels — Rifles — Black corps on skates — Long-tailed Ducks — The Bald Eagle — The wind-up.

Deer-stalking in the woods in winter re- quires the quickest eye, and must be eon- ducted with the greatest possible caution. In all the parts of the forests which the deer inhabit are to be found cedar or alder swamps ; these are lower than the surround- ing ground, on which the timber grows larger,

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stronger, and it follows, as a matter of course, wider apart; whereas, in the swamps, the stems of the cedar and alder (especially the former, which is evergreen) are much closer, growing quite in a thicket. The thickets are selected by the deer as their sheltering places during the day ; in them they find their feed- ing, and secure, in the thickness of the place, they have a great advantage over the hunter, who has to approach them through the more open forest, and rather on an inclined plane. The odds are, therefore, much against him, even should he be stealing up wind, and have the elements in his favour in the shape of a gale of wind, which sets any shaken or rheu- matic trees groaning and wheezing.

Nature has, moreover, given this watchful animal her assistance by changing its coat at this season of the year into a dun colour — most difficult to distinguish among the sur- rounding grays, the prevailing colour of the woods in their winter dress. Even the very

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birds are against man, and the beautiful blue jay (Corviis Cristatus) in particular, which are very numerous, give instant warning by their screaming and chattering — an alarm which the deer soon learn, and become fully sensible of its import. On more occasions than one, I have found that the beautiful blue rascal has prevented my surprising deer in their lair.

In deer-stalking, in the woods of Upper Canada, I would recommend the hunter to learn well the locale of the country in the immediate neighbourhood of his quarters, to find out whereabouts exactly are situated these swamps, as well as what are called " hurricanes," also the favourite resort of deer. These hurricanes are insulated spots in the great bush, where a whirlwind has descended and matted together masses of huge trees, torn up or broken down by the force of a tor- nado, and many of them thrown across one another in the most impenetrable con-

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fusion. He should then proceed most cau- tiously to some spot to leeward of these places, and, having taken up his position under the wind, and selected a comparatively open place, send some one round to come upon the swamps or hurricane in the opposite direction, when the deer will immediately be alarmed, and the chances of getting a shot are much more in his favour than by going straight an end through the forest.

There is also another manner, which is to find out, along the outskirts of the forest, if the " clearances" have been made in such a way as to have left large patches of the woods standing out in the form of promontories, by walking round which it is easy to ascertain by the tracks whether deer have entered, and, of course, whether they have left. Should one of these portions of the bush contain deer, the sportsman can have them driven by the same means, or with a cur dog — for all dogs in Upper Canada are constantly so em-

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ployed — whilst the hunter takes up his posi- tion to command "the pass." He is then almost sure of a shot ; and, as before stated in another part of this work, on his hallooing sharply, the deer will stop short for an in- stant, when, if he be expert enough, he may get a standing shot ; but for this a great deal of nicety is required, and the hunter must be careful so to time his shout that the animal may halt in an open space ; for it has happened to me that, by not so managing it, a deer has been " brought up" exactly in the very thickest spot, with two huge butts of trees between him and my sight. Of course, there was no use in moving — there was not time. I therefore laid my rifle, fancying that I should catch him as he crossed my barrel at the first bound — a calculation impossible to make to a certainty, and in this case the luck was against me ; for, instead of dashing forward, the animal jumped some six feet in height to clear a prostrate log, which no eye.

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taking all things into consideration, could scan in the semi-momentary halt made by this deer.

The same plan can be pursued, where points of the forest form promontories into the frozen lakes : and, by going from one of these places to another, the hunter will, in all pro- bability, kill deer, if they are but in mode- rate plenty in the vicinity.

One word as to the best sort of gun for Upper Canada. On the whole, then, as there is not the facility of carrying about several kinds of guns, a smooth-bored " double-gun," which will throw ball true at sixty yards (and most guns will) is the best weapon for deer- shooting, as most of the shots got in the woods in tipper Canada are within that dis- tance. It is, therefore, available for small game. There is a prejudice against firing ball from a smooth-bored gun, as it is supposed to injure it for shot. No sort of damage is done by having the balls cast in a mould one size smaller than the guage of the barrel ; and,

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by placing them in the ends of the fingers of kid gloves, cut off long enough to cover the ball, they will fly quite true, and will not injure the gun in the slightest degree ; and, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, a ball will fly nearly as true at sixty yards, as one fired from the best rifle turned out of Moore's or Lancaster's shops. It is to be remembered, however, that only two-thirds of the charge of powder used when shooting with shot is required when the same gun is to be loaded with ball.

Deer are very plentiful about the sources of the Welland, some three or four miles from Dumville, on the Grand River ; and we fre- quently put up at a log hut in that vicinity, for the sake of hunting and of obtaining the services of the proprietor, who was an adept in the art. He and his family had but just bought some fifty acres of the forest, and built their house ; and the process of clearing the land was in full progress during our visit. It would have astonished an inhabitant of the

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old world not a little to see a door open every evening at sun-down, and a pair of oxen yoked to a huge piece of magnificent oak timber, which would square between three and four feet, and drag it bodily into the middle of the habitation ; when, detaching it from the chains, our host and his brother rolled the log into the back of the grate with hand-spikes (the said grate comprising the whole length of one end of the hut), where it would burn for four-and-twenty hours, when the same operation would again be repeated. Our host had no means of getting any sale for his timber, and therefore the sooner it was got rid of (by fire) the sooner his land would be cleared.

He was most anxious to show us all the sport he could, and tried every means to bring the deer within shot. He placed rock-salt in an open place in the bush, and felled a green pine, stating, that to lick the one or browse upon the other, it was certain the deer would find their way to the spot so soon as

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the night set in. Watching for them, how- ever, in the moonlight nights, with a deep snow upon the ground, was but a frigid amusement; and, although we got several shots, we soon gave it up for the day-stalking. On one occasion, when out near this hut by myself, I suddenly saw a whole flock of wolves, trotting along in Indian file. I had but just time to get behind a tree ; and it was with feelings of no little satisfaction that I saw them all (twelve or fifteen) pass by, with- out being aware of my proximity to them ; for, although armed with a loaded rifle and an axe, they would have availed little had the voracious brutes taken it into their heads to attack me.

On either side of the Grand River, close to Dumville, there are large marshes where the snipe-shooting is good, and wild fowl also are very plentiful, particularly "the wood- duck" and " the black duck." I have had the latter disturbed along the river, and the former from among the flooded swamps in the

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forest by a negro, who offers himself as a sort of cicerone to any sportsman that may visit Dumville ; and, when standing on the banks of an outlet of the Grand River which forms the feeder to the Welland canal, I have killed great numbers on " the pass."

A ludicrous adventure happened to a bro- ther officer and two friends, when duck- shooting, at Long Point, on Lake Erie. The point is detached from the main land about eight miles, and then, a succession of sand- bars, forming islands which run twenty miles into the lake, with marshes on the one side, chiefly beds of wild rice and high reeds, the resort of countless water-fowl. They had to make a camp, and took a man and punt each, a tent and a cook ; the flight-shooting, when the wind set in from the lake for half an hour or more, was magnificent. Stationed in their punts among the reeds, near a rice- bed, they each fired as fast as they could load, bringing in generally from fifty to sixty

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large black ducks of an evening; besides what they killed punting about during the day, wild geese, &c.

Scarcely had they been settled, as well as the space would admit of in their camp, when the sheriff of an adjoining county joined the party: he was also very fond of duck- shooting, but, from the circumstance of his pulling a pack of cards out of his pocket im- mediately after they had disposed of their dinner, grog, and kettle of hot tea, it might be argued that the duck-shooting was not the sole inducement of his visit. They were three in number, and he would make a fourth ; thus, there was no occasion for that useful adjunct on an emergency of this sort yclept "Dummy." Our friends were excessively tired, and had no sort of wish to play whist ; moreover, their camp, being much like that in which the writer of that best of all novels placed his hero, Peter Simple, in Jbe neighbourhood of Flushing, when a wolf took

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a fancy to divide the narrow apartment with him, was so small that they could not sit upright. However, the new-comer was very pressing, and at last they complied ; and, as they could not sit up, it was voted that the corporation of the stoutest of them should do duty as a table. A clean towel was spread over upon the living mass, and the game com- menced. This practice was continued for several nights, until the sheriff was regularly " cleaned out," and sent home, being obliged to borrow money to take him back, and leaving in debt besides.

During the ten days they staid there, they killed hundreds of ducks, black and gray — teal, widgeon, and wild geese. It is the best place in Canada for wild-fowl shooting, the next being Ballidoon, near Lake St. Clair.

The marshes on either side of the Chip- peway Creek are full of snipes in the months of September and October; and, from the Falls, in a direct line along the left of the

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road to Queenston, and in the cedars in the vicinity of this village, woodcocks are to be found in the same months in considerable quantities, and in the Indian corn in the low country below Queenston heights, also on the line of road from Chippeway village towards Port Colborne, where the Welland canal has its outlet in Lake Erie. Quail (the Vir- ginian quail — Tetrao Virginianus) are very numerous all over this part of Upper Canada ; they are in size between that of our quail and the partridge — are found in bevies of from eighteen to twenty -five — are very game, and, next to woodcocks, are decidedly the best shooting in Upper Canada.

Navy Island is full of deer, and lies very conveniently for autumnal stalking.

I have been told that, in the immediate neighbourhood of Toronto, the cock-shooting is excellent, and extends up the shore of Lake Ontario as far as a creek called the Credit.

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It is curious that, in the whole of these dis- tricts, we could hear of no fly-fishing.

When at Mackinaw, I purchased a beau- tiful skin of the black or silver fox, which is very rare. There is a species, however, which appears to be a cross between that and the common fox, and is called the cross fox, which is very beautiful, although not to be compared to the former. They are constantly shot near the Falls of Niagara ; and I have also a specimen of this latter, which was shot in a tree by the landlord of the great hotel, a good rifle shot, as the many scalps of the eagle and the antlers of deer hung round his chamber attest. The skins of these foxes were worn by our ofiicers as boas, and added not a little to the general effect of blanket coats, with their deep blue borders, scarlet wings, seams, &c., and other means and appliances of winter costumes. Silver buttons were substituted for the eyes, by which means the head of the animal, when

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passed round the neck, becomes fastened under the chin, and the beautiful black brush hangs down in front.

There is a capital museum of all the na- tural curiosities of the district, kept by Mr. Starkey at the Falls. Most visitors become acquainted with him; as his house is the depository of the sort of oil-skin, sentry-box kind of garment in which their bodies are enveloped, before passing behind the " great falling sheet of water," and a certificate signed by that individual is presented to each visitor who has passed that ordeal. A rope has been fastened along the rock by this enterprising fellow, and ladies are enabled to proceed to the distance of eighty or one hun- dred feet between the falling flood and the rock ; walking along a ledge of the latter, and " holding on " by the line, with no further desagrement than that of a cold shower-bath, and the deafening roar of the cataract, and with the comfortable conviction that it is

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impossible to fall off the ledge of rock into the abyss below, as the counter-cur- rent of wind is strong enough of itself to prevent even suicidal attempts of the sort. Many living rattlesnakes are kept at the museum, some of them of a great age — they are found in quantities about the Falls.

The woods are full of racoons, which, like the bear, take up their abode for the winter in some hollow tree. The former select the finest and most healthy-looking oaks, which the crafty woodsman would guess, from sun- dry heaps of dust accumulated at the bottom (the work of the woodpecker,) to have inci- pient decay of the trunk, or at least that it had begun in some of the forks. The racoons select these trees, as the roughness of the bark prevents the scratches of their nails from being traced. The weather, however, affects the racoon, and a sudden thaw obliges him to descend for food, when his tracks at the bottom of a tree tell a tale, which no in-

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genuity on his part can efface, although I have been told that they try to effect it by brushing the snow over them with their tails, before they again ascend. Although the hunters cannot entirely depend on these signs, it is astonishing with what sang froid they will proceed to cut down the largest trees on the chance of finding the racoons. Each tree contains generally three or four, and they will frequently sleep undisturbed during the operation of felling, until the tree comes to the ground with a crash, which splits it into ribbons. The racoons, though so un- ceremoniously roused from a torpid state, are instantly all alive, and rush up the nearest " saplings," where they become a mark for the rifle ; an expert marksman never hits either the racoon or black squirrel anywhere but in the eye. This is not merely to show his skill as a shot, but it is invariably practised for the sake of not injuring the skin. Some superior riflemen will brag that they can hit

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the bark in a particular way, so close to the squirrel as to stun him, when he falls off the tree, and, before he has recovered from the effect of the blow, they pick him up — or as the Yankee song has it,

Then a rifleman there's such a shot,

The birds, when they see him a-loading,

Come down, and fall dead on the spot, They can't bear the noise of exploding.

Racoons are said to be very injurious to fields of maize and all kinds of fruits, to be very fond of strong liquors so as to get ex- cessively drunk, and often to become the prey of snakes. Those which inhabit places iiear the sea-shore live much on shell-fish, particularly oysters. They will watch the opening of the shell, dexterously introduce their paw, and tear out the contents. Some- times the oyster suddenly closes, catching the thief and detaining him, until drowned by the return of the tide. They likewise feed on crabs, both land and sea. It has all the cunning of the fox. Lawson says, " that it

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will stand on the side of a swamp and hang its tail over the water ; the crabs will lay hold, mistaking it for a bait, which as the racoon feels, he pulls it with a sudden jerk, and makes a prey of the cheated crabs."

'^ The racoon is tamed with great ease, so as to follow its master along the streets like a dog, but never can be broken of its habit of stealing or killing poultry. It is so fond of sugar or any sweet things, as to do infinite mischief in a house if care is not taken. It has many of the actions of a monkey, such as feeding itself with its fore-feet, sitting up to eat, being always in motion, very inquisitive, and examining every thing it sees with its paws. Though it is not fond of water, it dips into it all sorts of dry food which are given to it, and will wash its face like a cat. It is sought after on account of the fur ; some people eat it, and it is very good meat. The fur makes the best hats next to that of the beaver."

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Nowhere in the United States is the manu- facture of the rifle attended to with greater care than in Buffalo. The barrel being very- thick, and the bore (fifty to sixty to the pound) being proportionably small, the weight of metal prevents the slightest recoil, and the ball flies to its point-blank range ; about one hundred yards is the outside, but they cannot be depended upon for more than sixty. Ger- mans are chiefly employed in the manufacture of the rifle. I paid but £6 currency for an excellent one. It would hit a dollar to a certainty at sixty yards.

Squirrels of many kinds abounded about Niagara woods — the flying squirrel, the large gray squirrel, the masked squirrel, and the black without end. The gray are the most beautiful of all the species. Some writers affirm that the black make regular migrations on the approach of severe weather, that they cross rivers on branches, waiting for a fair wind to embark, spreading their tails in the

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manner of a sail, and that thus they are wafted to the other side. Certain it is that they swim well, and will beat a dog in the water. Besides the pursuit of these animals, the track of a wild turkey would occasionally put the hunter on the qui vive, but they usually led him only into a swamp, which baiSled all their pursuit.

During the winter, the skating on the Chippewa Creek was excellent, and added not a little to our amusement. Large parties con- tested games of hockey on the ice, some forty or fifty being ranged on each side. A ludicrous scene, too, was afforded by the in- struction of a black corps in skating : from the peculiar formation of a negro's foot, and the length of his heel, they were constantly falling forward ; it was impossible to keep them on their skates, and down they came by whole sections. They might have done admirably on snow-shoes, but it was lament- able to witness the dreadful " headers " they suffered from the skates.

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A tandem sleigh-club, of some twenty or thirty sleighs, met alternately twice in each week, at Niagara town or the Falls. A lun- cheon, and a ball in the evening, concluded the gaieties of the day.

Thousands of long-tailed ducks pass at sundown from Lake Ontario, which never freezes, up the line of the Niagara River. We used to turn out in numbers to wait for them. On a cold, clear night, they might be heard making a tremendous noise, until divi- sion after division passed over our heads, and volley after volley brought them down in crowds. Many came out for the express pur- pose of firing a random shot, and rushing in to pick up the spoil. However, like all other ducks, they soon became very wary, and could be killed only on the pass, when a strong wind against them kept them low ; nothing, however, confounds the water-fowl tribe like a thick fog ; it is then that they become an easy prey to the fowler. The long-tailed

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duck is but indifferent eating ; their flesh is fishy and strong. They were a little im- proved by bleeding, for which, indeed, all wild fowl are the better. These flocks passed beyond Lake Erie in the evening, as that lake was frozen over, but I never knew to what river ; at daybreak they returned to Ontario, where they remained during the day.

The Falls of Niagara are the great resort of the bald eagle, {aquila ceucocephalus^) and the osprey, [aquila haliata,) or fish-hawk. The former is the national emblem, and the noblest of the tribe found in North America. They afford excellent sport to the rifleman, and the scalp of a bald eagle takes rank far above the head and antlers of the finest stag. They breed in the old trees overhanging the Falls, and are often to be seen sailing majes- tically above them. I subjoin Wilson's gra- phical and eloquent account of this prince of quarries.

" This distinguished bird, as he is the most

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beautiful of his tribe in this part of the world, and the adopted emblem of our coun- try, is entitled to particular notice. The celebrated cataract of Niagara is a noted place of resort for the bald eagle, as well on account of the fish procured there as for the numerous carcases of squirrels, deer, bears, and various other animals, that, in their attempt to cross the river above the Falls, have been dragged into the current and pre- cipitated down that tremendous gulf, where among the rocks that bound the rapids below they furnish a rich repast for the vulture, the raven, and the bald eagle. Formed by na- ture for braving the severest cold, feeding equally on the produce of the sea and of the land, possessing powers of flight capable of outstripping even the tempests themselves, unawed by anything but man, and, from the etherial heights to which it soars, looking abroad at one glance on an immeasurable ex- tent of forests, fields, lakes, and ocean, deep

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below him ; he appears indifferent to the little localities or change of seasons, as in a few minutes he can pass from summer to winter, from the higher to the lower regions of the atmosphere, the abode of eternal cold, and from thence descend at will to the torrid or the arctic regions of the earth. He is, there- fore, found at all seasons in the countries he inhabits, but prefers such places as have been mentioned above, from the great par- tiality he has for fish. In procuring these, he displays, in a very singular manner, the genius and energy of his character, which is fierce, daring, contemplative, and tyrannical : attributes not exerted but on particular occa- sions, but, when put forth, overpowering all opposition. Elevated on the high dead limb of some gigantic tree, that commands a wide view of the neighbouring shore and ocean, he seems calmly to contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes that pursue their busy avocations below ; the snow-white gulls

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slowly winnowing the air, the busy tringae coursing along the sands, trains of ducks streaming over the surface, silent and watch- ful cranes, intent and wading, clamorous crows, and all the winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid ma- gazine of nature. High over all these hovers one whose action instantly arrests his whole attention : by his wide curvature of wings and sudden suspension in the air he knows him to be the fish-hawk ; settling over some devoted victim of the deep, his eye kindles at the sight, and, balancing himself with half-open wings on the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making the surges foam around ! " At this moment the eager looks of the eagle are all ardour, and, levelling his neck for flight, he sees the fish-hawk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and mounting in the

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air with screams of exultation. This is the signal for our hero, who, launching in the air, instantly gives chase, and soon gains on the fish-hawk ; each exerts his utmost above the other, displaying in these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The unencumbered eagle rapidly advances, and is just on the point of reaching his opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of de- spair and honest execration, the latter drops his fish ; and the eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, de- scends like a whirlwind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods." The appetite of the bald eagle, though habituated to long fastings, is of the most voracious and often the most indelicate kind. Fish, when he can obtain them, are preferred to all other fare. Young lambs and pigs are dainty morsels, and made free with on all favourable occasions. Ducks, geese, gulls, and

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