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MINNESOTA

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THE FAE WEST

BY

LAURENCE OLIPHANT, ESQ.

LA.TE CIVIL, SECRETARY AND SUPERINTENDENT-GENERAL 0\> INDIJ^N AFFAIRS IN CANADA

Author of " Thn Russian Shores of the Black Sea," Sec

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WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS

EDINBURGH AND LONDON

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j 1899.

OEIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN BLACKWOOD S MAGAZINE.

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TO

THE EAEL OF ELGIN AND KINCAEDINE, K.T.

TO WHOSE ADMINISTRATIVE TALENT IS DUE THE PRESENT PROSPERITY OF CANADA,

AND BY

WHOSE ABLE DIPLOMACY THE COMMERCIAL RELATIONS OF

GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE

BEEN PLACED UPON A BASIS ALIKE

HONOURABLE AND ADVANTAGEOUS

TO BOTH NATIONS,

THIS BOOK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED

By

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

At a time wlien the greatest Powers of Europe have combined to resist barbarian aggression, and public interest is concentrated upon the East, the rapid advance of civilisation in the West possesses claims upon our notice which are in danger of being overlooked. I have therefore ventured to direct attention to the revolution which is now being effected in the physical and moral condition of a great country, and which is likely to be attended with results scarcely less important to the interests of humanity, than those that are expected to follow from the war in which we are now engaged — where the ploughshare, and not the sword, is used as the

/ precursor of civilisation.

i In the course of the narrative of an expedition

Vlll PREFACE.

which I made last year through a portion of North America hitherto but little visited by travellers, I have accordingly endeavoured to give some account of the present condition and prospects of the country, and to convey some idea of those resources whose rapid development will before long exercise a mate- rial influence upon the wealth and importance of the United States. For the very brief and imperfect manner in which I have done this, I have only to plead the more pressing interests which have since attracted me to another part of the world, and which have so occupied my time as to compel me to bring these observations to a close before I was enabled to devote to the subject that careful con- sideration which it deserved.

Constantinople, August 1855.

CONTENTS.

PAET L — CANADA.

CHAPTER I.

ACROSS THE FRONTIER — RECIPROCITY.

PAGE

Go-ahead notions — Portland — Trade of Portland: its various attractions — Railway through the White Mountains — Across the border — The Recipro- city Treaty : its benefit to Canada : its genei-al effects — Railway through Lower Canada — Arrive at Quebec, ..... 1-12

CHAPTER II.

CANADIAN POLITICS.

The Commons of Canada — Political parties — Loyalty of sentiment general — Lord Elgin's policy — The two last questions — The ministerial crisis — Constitutional government, ...... 13-20

CHAPTER III.

CANADIAN SOCIETY,

The gay season — The attractions of Quebec — The philosophy of pic-nics : the way to go to them — The use of a companion — Sleighing by moon- light— Traboggining — Winter traject of the St Lawrence : its duration, 21-30

CHAPTER IV.

CANADIAN STATISTICS.

The Grand Trunk Railway — The Victoria Bridge — BellevUle : Bay of Quints — The Lake of the Mountain — Belleville : Trenton : Coburg — Growing prosperity of Upper Canada — Great attractions presented by Canada to the emigrant — Upper and Lower Canada contrasted, . 31-40

CHAPTER V.

" CANADIAN BACKWOODS.

From Toronto to Lake Simcoe — The Northern Railroad — Grasspoint — Orillia: Polling-day — A Canadian "Vet." at the poll — Political apathy of constituents — A vixen of a hostess — Indian village of Rama — Social condition of the Indians, . . . . . .41-49

CONTENTS. CHAPTER VT.

A BABK-CANOE VOYAGE DOWN THE SEVERN.

PAGE

Scenery about Lake Simcoe — A first experiment at shooting the rapids — Camping for the night — Dressed for dinner — A poetical efiusion — Disen- chantment : John Storm — An Indian warrior's story — The Falls of the Severn — A dismal nig-ht — Unsuccessful trolling — Stm-geon Bay — Loafers — A difl5culty — A well-timed sj^ring — Penetanqiiishene — Collingwood — Sydenham, ........ 50-67

CHAPTER VII.

A RIDE TO THE INDIAN VILLAGE OF SAUGEEN.

From Sydenham to Saugeen — A logging "bee" — A brilliant sunset — Scotch entertainers — Saugeen — Rivalry of towns — A grand council of Indians — Indian trail — A short cut — Lost in the wood — Feeling for the " blaze" — Sydenham again — Land-hunters — Inventing names for cities, 68-80

CHAPTER VIII.

THE ANNUAL DISTRIBUTION OP INDIAN PRESENTS AT MANITOULIN

— GEORGIAN BAT.

Physical aspect of Indians — A ^Drocess of civilisation — Petit Coui-ant — Interestmg Sabbath service — Chebonaning — La Cloche — The Bruce cop- per mines — Indian settlement on Garden River — Yankee pre-eminence — The Chippewa}' House, ....... 81-90

PAET II. — LAKE SUPEEIOR

CHAPTER IX.

THE SAULT STE, MARIE.

A delusion dispelled — A group of Americans — The ^o-litest man at the Soo — A characteristic view — A pixblic dinner — Fort Brady — A family of half- breeds — Shooting the Sault rapids — A valuable life — The Hudson's Bay Compan/s fort — Departure from the Sault — Near "busting up" — The Sault canal: probable traffic along it — The "Sam Ward" — Lake Superior, ........ 91-107

CHAPTER X.

THE PICTURED ROCKS — FATHER MARQUETTE,

The Pictured Rocks— The Chapel— Le Grand Portail— The Grand Sable— Marquette — The iron region — Explorations of Father Marquette — His discovery of the Mississippi — His devotional exercises— His death, 108-118

CONTENTS. xi

CHAPTER XL

THE MINERAL REGION OE LAKE SUPERIOR.

PA Q E

Northern peninsula of Michigan — Keewenaw Point — Copper Harbour — The Cliff Mines — Traces of former excavations— Father Rene Mesnard — The Minnesota Mine — Process of " stamping/' .... 119-127

CHAPTER XII.

ONTONAGON — THE "SAM WARD."

A speculative colonel — The art of whittling — Ontonagon — Far West fixings — Le Vin ; le Jeu ; les Belles — A "Superior" cotillon — Onv vis-a-vis — La Pointe — A war party of Chippeways — Fond du Lac — Land in Minne- sota— An Indian wigwam, ...... 128-142

CHAPTER XIII.

THE CITY OF SUPERIOR — LAND SPECULATION.

An invisible city — Fu-st settlers — A Far West greeting — Fii-st sensations— A cool inhabitant — Superior quarters — The Far West as a field for invest- ment— Land speculation — Eligibility of Superior : its future prospects — Bright visions, ....... 143-155

CHAPTER XIV.

WISCONSIN — BED AND BOARD IN THE FAR WEST.

Wisconsin as a field for emigration : its capabilities — An imaginaiy city — The table d'h6te— A "prospecting" judge — Novelty of our night's qviar- ters — Routes from Superior to St Paul — Preparations for the joumej' — A multitude of covmsellors — Yankee promptitude, . . 156-166

PART II I. — MINNESOTA.

CHAPTER XV.

CAMPING OUT ON THE ST LOUIS. Fond du Lac — An Indian tomahawked — A striking view — Immense bm-dens borne by Indians — Culinaiy operations — The "knife portage" — Our sei*- vants instructed, and a good understanding established : their boat- chants — A feast on "tender bar" — Dexterity of voyageurs : their charac- ter and temperament, ...... 167-179

CHAPTER XVI.

THE SAVANNAHS. A sacred rock — The Great Savannah — A wild man of the lakes — Trying circumstances — Effect of sleeping on poisonous ivy — An awakening screech — The North-west Trail — The Savannah Lake— Piairie River — A cheering anticipation, ...... 180-190

Xli CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XVII.

SANDY LAKE.

PAGB

Soothing influences— A Chippeway village— Novel style of paddling— War between the Chippeways and Sionx — Treaty of Traverse des Sioux — Numbers and condition of Chippeways — Yoyageui-s relate our proceed- ings : they dispute our arrangements — Island camp at Sand}- Lake — Home thoughts : the 12th of August — Source of the Mississippi : expe- ditions for its discovery — Two classes of lakes, . . . 191-204

CHAPTER XVIII.

EARLY TRADERS — COUREURS DES BOIS — CHIPPEWAYS.

Michael Ako, and Picard du Gay — Le Sueui-. — The North-west Company — The American Fur Company — The Mississippi itself : characteristics of its banks — Indian pictogi'aphs — Indian mode of catching fish — A highly- favom-ed country, ....... 205-213

CHAPTER XIX.

THE HEAD WATERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI — SHOOTING THE LITTLE FALLS IN A BARK CANOE.

Crow Wing — Luxmious fare — Safe pay — Indian traders' profits — The chief of the Chij^peways — An imj)ressive scene — Fort Ripley — Abstinence ad- vantageous to travellers — A deserter's histoiy — The Painted Rock — Shooting the Little Falls — Art of shooting rapids — The ''Chenei" — A softer couch than usual, ...... 214-227

CHAPTER XX.

WINNEBAGOES — INDIAN AFFAIRS — THE SAUK RAPIDS.

Winnebagoe rites — Winnebagoe characteristics — Diminution of their num- bers— Deportation system retards the progress of Indian civilisation — ; System i^m-sued in Canada — The Osakis or Sac River — The village of Sauk — Shooting the Sauk rapids — A predicament — The Elk River — \ Signs of civilisation — Our last portage — Our past and our prospective r voyage, 228-242 \

CHAPTER XXI.

THE FALLS OF ST ANTHONY.

Town of St Anthony : its rapid growth — Magnificent scenery surrounding the Falls of the Mississippi — Fort SneUing — The capital of Minnesota — Highly esteemed citizens — Low water, .... 243-251

CONTENTS. xiii

CHAPTER XXII.

8T PAUL — LOCOMOTIVE DOINS IN MINNESOTA. page

Origin of the town of St Paul — Progress and prosperity of St Paul — Capa- bilities of Minnesota — Indian trade at St Paul — Scenery around St Paul — Valley of the St Peter's River — Projected railways : St Paul and New Orleans scheme : St Paul and Superior railway — A new channel of com- merce— The North Pacific scheme — Rapidity of railway extension in the United States, ....... 252-265

CHAPTER XXIII.

MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND POLITICAL OPINIONS OF THE ST PAUL PUBLIC.

Our canoe, &c., sold by auction — Sabbath observance — Post-prandial enjoy- ments — The Minnesota constitution — Probable origin of whittling — Feeling in favour of slavery : its extension unjustifiable — Annexation : Canada and Cuba — Public opinion in reference to the present European war — American liberty of speech — Sympathisers with the Western Powers — Slavery : the Cuba question — A Babel of languages — Pembina and Red River settlers, ...... 266-282

CHAPTER XXIV.

STEAMBOAT LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI— THE BLUFFS.

The "Pig's Eye" shallow— The settlement of Wild Land— Lake St Croix — Lake Pejoiu' — The story of Winona — Buiying-places of Indians — Scenery below Lake Pepin — Prairie La Crosse — Minnesota vei'sns the World, 283-292

CHAPTER XXV.

ACROSS THE PRAIRIES— CHICAGO — NIAGARA.

An imperturbable pursei- — Village of Winona — Town of Dubuque : its progress and i^rosperity — Ox waggons : " making tracks" — An interest- ing family: " Crowded out : " No elbow-room — A iim upon thcprau'ies — An interesting traveller — Warren — Chicago — The oldest inhabitants of Chicago — Once more upon British ground — Listening to the Falls of Niagara, ......... 293-306

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Falls of St Anthony, — Frontispiece. Arms of Minnesota,

KABE5HQUU^r, BONAQUUM, AND BaBEHWUM,

Chebonaning, A Papoose, .

Fond du Lac,

The Portage,

Our Bark Canoe,

Sandy Lake,

Little Falls of Mississippi,

Camping out on the Mississippi,

WiNNEBAGOE LODGES

St Anthony,

Fort Snelling,

St Paul,

Steamer Snagged,

Map of the North-west Province of America, including Minnesota.

PAGE

vi 67

%Q 90 168 179 IPC 202 224 227 242 244 251 284 292

MINNESOTA AND THE EAE WEST.

PART I.-CANADA.

CHAPTER I.

ACROSS THE FRONTIEE — liECIPROClTY.

The impressions of a traveller visiting the United States of America for the first time are so totally unlike those which he has experienced in the course of his rambles in the Old World, that he at once perceives that, in order to the due appreciation of the country he is about to explore, an entire revolution must be effected in those habits of thought and observation in which he has hitherto indulged. He finds that, instead of moralising over magnificence in a process of decay, he must here watch resources in a process of development — he must substitute the pleasures of anticipation for those of retrospection — must be more familiar with pecuniary speculations than with historical associations — delight himself rather in statistics than in poetry — visit docks instead of ruins — converse of dollars, and not antique

A

2 GO-AHEAD NOTIONS.

coins — prefer printed calico to oil-paintings, and admire tlie model of a steam-engine more than the statue of a Venus. He looks on scenery with an eye for the practical, as well as the picturesque ; when gazing on a lovely valley or extensive plain, he dis- cerns at a glance the best line for a railway ; and never sees a waterfall without remembering that it is a mill-site.

But if it is necessary for a stranger to become im- bued with go-ahead notions, in order to travel pro- fitably in America, a corresponding frame of mind is only to be expected from those who read the results of his experience and observation ; it is indeed always some consolation to him to feel that, however imperfectly he lays these before the public, the rapid progress of the country aflfords him the advantage of giving new facts and new figures, which may form premises for new inferences, and sources of interest- ing speculation.

It is perhaps fortunate that the change to the "smart" mode of thinking, to which I have alluded, is not made so suddenly as it might be ; since, by watching the more gradual advancement of the Eastern States, we may be in some degree prepared for the almost incredible increase in wealth and population of those farther west — and be better able to appreciate a mushroom city on the Mississippi after visiting a seaport on the Atlantic.

It is only natural that Americans should imagine that foreigners visiting their country should be as

PORTLAND. S

interested in its development as they are themselves. I had not been an hour in Portland, the principal commercial city in the State of Maine, and perhaps one of the best specimens upon the coast of a go- ahead seaport, before I observed a paragraph in one of the three newspapers daily published there, to the effect that " the fleet of magnificent ships now lying in our bay or at our wharves, is the most attractive object to a stranger which our city affords." As a stranger, then, with a taste for shipping, I may be permitted to observe that there were forty ships built at Portland last year, registering 22,873 tons, or more than one-third of the total amount registered in the whole Union during the same period. Its exports consist at present chiefly of lumber, ice, fish, &c. ; but the future mercantile prosperity of Portland depends not on the produce of the State in which it is situated, but upon the transit trade which must pass through it, now that it is connected with Canada and the Far West by railways, and with Liverpool by steamers. It is situated upon a narrow but hilly promontory about three miles long, which juts into a deep and capacious bay studded with green islets ; — these, while they are a most charming feature of the scenery, form an admirable breakwater, and are so numerous as entirely to shut out a view of the sea from the town. From the highest point of the pro- montory, however, a most enchanting prospect is obtained. On the one side a richly-diversified coun- try, watered by fine rivers, and where coimtless lakes

4 TRADE OF PORTLAND.

glisten amid dark pine-woods, extends to the base of the White Mountains, which rise to a height of six thousand feet and form a noble background ; on the other lies the bay set with its green gems, and with the broad Atlantic beyond.

This trade has assumed a most important character since permission to pass goods in bond through to Canada has been granted. Some idea of its increased extent during the last five years, at Boston, may be formed from the followino; figures, which show its value, in 1850, to have amounted to £27,240, and in 1855, to £1,326,055. If, as is anticipated, the prox- imity of Portland to Canada, and the excellence of its harbour, which never freezes, attracts the larger share of this traffic, it is evident that in this respect alone it will prove a formidable rival to Boston, from Avhich it is distant about a hundred miles. In addi- tion to the Canadian trade, it is quite possible that the rapidly developing provinces of Wisconsin, Illi- nois, Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota, may choose it as the outlet for their products ; but it is impos- sible now to form any estimate of the probable value of these.

A considerable coasting trade is also developing itself between Portland and St John^s, New Bruns- wick, and powerful steam-vessels now run four times a-week between these ports.

But while Portland offers so many advantages in a commercial point of view to the merchant, it is by no means devoid of attractions to the tourist. The

ITS VARIOUS ATTRACTIONS. 5

town is remarkably clean and well laid out ; there are avenues of trees in most of the streets : these are composed of handsome and comfortable houses, which, if the place continues to increase as it has hitherto done, will soon cover the entire peninsula. Portland has nearly doubled its population within the last fifteen years, and now contains about twenty- five thousand inhabitants.

After "the stranger" has followed the advice of the newspaper, and been to inspect the shipping, and the instincts of his own nature by going to look at the view, there still remains an inducement for him to linger a while in the city ; and this, if he is a man of taste, would be the most powerful — for Portland is celebrated for the beauty of the fairer portion of its inhabitants. If, however, Quebec be his destination, it may be consolatory to him to know that the ship- ping there is just as numerous, the views just as enchanting, and fascinations of another sort just as irresistible ; and the traveller must be a novice indeed if he has not discovered that, in order really to enjoy his vocation, he must depend more upon the variety and intensity of the sensations in which he indulges than upon the length of their duration.

It takes about fourteen hours to get to Quebec by the railway, which has just been opened; and during this time, if our " stranger" takes advantage of the liberty which is allowed him, by the peculiar con- struction of American cars, of walking about in them, until he comes across an intelligent Yankee, he will

6 RAILWAY THROUGH THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.

be able to discuss with liim the merits of the line, and pick up some information about the country through which it passes. At first it runs through a well-populated district, past fields of Indian corn, oats, potatoes, hay, &c. ; then it follows the course of the Androscoggin into the White Mountains, wind- ing up romantic glens, along the shores of secluded lakes, through dense pendulous forests, as though a mountain six thousand feet were not the slightest obstacle to a locomotive in search of the picturesque, and which consequently disdains to bury itself in a tunnel. Of course the traveller does not at first fully appreciate the beauties of mountain scenery which he traverses like lightning, and sees through a dirty pane of glass ; but in America he learns to be as smart at this as a,t other thino-s, and before he leaves the country he can enjoy a landscape which he ghdes past at the rate of thirty miles an hour, as easily as digest a dinner which he eats in seven minutes and a half.

The woods consist chiefly of pine, oak, beech, and birch, and it is evident that the vast forest opened up by means of this railway must prove a source of great wealth to the inhabitants ; while the line itself must benefit extensively, by aftbrding so ready a mode of conveyance to the sea, of timber from the interior.

Indeed these results are no longer matter of specu- lation. Already the magic influence of steam com- munication has made itself felt. The population

ACROSS THE BORDER. 7

inhabiting a hundred and fifty miles of the country through which this railway now passes, did not, in July 1853, exceed three hundred persons. It has increased tenfold within eighteen months, and it is now upwards of three thousand. These are chiefly settlers of an active and energetic class, engaged almost exclusively in the lumber trade. No less than twenty-eight saw-mills have sprung up, and many more are in process of erection, — the reciprocity treaty lately concluded by Lord Elgin having ope- rated as a powerful inducement to timber specula- tors to commence operations upon such advantageous terms, and under circumstances which cannot fail to secure a handsome return upon their capital and labours.

As we are in the act of crossing the border which divides the two most progressive countries in the world, it may not be uninteresting to notice the effect, in a commercial and political point of view, of a treaty w^hich permits of a free interchange of the raw produce of each. Some notion may be formed of the magnitude of the trade between Canada and the United States, and of the importance of the reciprocity clauses of the treaty as bearing upon that trade, from the following figures, extracted from Lord Elgin's Eeport upon the subject, and from which it appears that, of a grand total of exports of Canadian produce and manufacture, amounting in 1853 to £4,890,678, 14s. 3d., the exports to the United States are given at £2,205,706, 17s. 4d.

8 THE RECIPROCITY TREATY.

The staple products of the colonies, and those which will no doubt enter the American markets most largely under this treaty, are mainly wheat, coal, fish, and timber. For some of these, as of coal and fish — of which the home supply is very limited indeed — there is a constant demand in the States ; the removal of high duties on their importation will, therefore, obviously be a great benefit to the Canadian exporter ; and although, on the other hand, the amount of wheat raised in the States exceeds the internal consumption, still it has been found that the free admission of colonial wheat into the American market is the greatest possible boon to the Canadian farmer. The price of Canadian wheat has always been lower than that of American ; and although the diff'erence has not invariably been so great as to enable the producer to send it to the American mar- ket when burdened with a duty, still, even prior to the treaty, it has often happened that it was more profitable for the Canadian farmer to sell his wheat in the New York market than to export it in bond to Enoiand.

Besides these articles, there can be no doubt that one effect of the treaty will be to introduce into the American market many colonial products which under the previous tariff" were not regarded as pro- fitable articles of commerce. In return for the advan- tages which the colonists have thus gained, they con- cede to the United States the unrestricted rioiit of fishing in British waters. Although this concession

ITS BENEFIT TO CANADA. 9

has been miicli coveted by the United States, there is no doubt that the vahie and importance of the fish- eries, to a legal participation of which Americans are now admitted, has been considerably over-estimated, while there is every reason to hope that the intro- duction of American enterprise into our fisheries will be attended with benefit rather than loss to the colonists themselves, and that the operation of the treaty will be far more advantageous to these pro- vinces than the retention of their old monopoly.

While the reciprocal treaty has thus removed any further cause for apprehension of disputes arising between ourselves and the United States, it confers, at the same time, great and lasting benefits upon the colonies, and, by uniting their interests with those of so powerful a neighbour, will render still more remote the possibility of a rupture between the two nations. In addition to this, the river St Lawrence, and the canals pertaining thereto, have been opened up to vessels of the United States, and it is needless to go into any argument to show that such a conces- sion must be advantageous to both countries. In- deed, the best proof of the favour with which this treaty has been regarded by those whose interests it most materially concerned, lies in the fact that it passed through the Congress of the United States, and through the colonial legislatures of Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward^s Island, and Newfoundland, with a total of only twenty-one dissentient votes. In the Eeport of the late Gover-

10 ITS GENERAL EFFECTS.

nor -general of Canada, to which I have ah^eady alluded, Lord Elgin thus sums up his opinion of the effects of the treaty : " On the whole, I am inclined to think that, while a certain change in the import and export trade of Canada is likely to take place under the operation of the reciprocity treaty, the admission of the natural products of the province into the same markets as those of the United States, and on similar terms, will very sensibly affect the value of property within the colony, and tend to attract to it capital and emigrants of a superior class. A powerful effect in the same direction will no doubt be produced by the completion of the great lines of railway now in course of execution, which will render distant markets more accessible, and cause the province to become tlie channel of a great transit trade, while they stimulate the pro- ductive capabilities of the districts through wliich they pass. Similar results may be expected to follow in the adjoining colonies, when, under the operation of these combined causes, all commercial reasons for inferiority in the value of land on the British side of the boundary line disappear. There is, therefore, every reason to hope that, if the great powers now wielded by the local legislatures be exercised w4th judgment, the prosperity of these provinces, which has been so noticeable of late, will continue to advance with even accelerated speed for years to come, subject, of course, to such occasional fluctua- tions as affect the commercial world generally."

RAILWAY THROUGH LOWER CANADA. 11

Of the railway lines here adverted to, the one upon which we were now travelling seems to be the most important ; and it is highly probable that, as it offers greater facilities for the conveyance of Cana- dian produce generally to Boston, than do those which connect Montreal with that city vid Lake Champlain (since it is not exposed to the incon- veniences arising from opposing interests), a large portion of this increasing trade will be diverted along it ; while the completion of the Victoria Bridge over the St Lawrence at Montreal will enable the produce of the North-western States to reach the sea by a route which is infinitely the shortest, and which will only involve one transhipment. The journey from Montreal to Boston will be made this summer in fourteen hours. The distance from Portland to the Canadian frontier is about a hundred and fifty miles. This portion of the line has been leased by the Grand Trunk Eailway Company of Canada.

At Eichmond, fifty-four miles on the Canadian side of the frontier, the line divides — one branch going to Montreal, the other to Quebec. The charac- ter of the country, after leaving the White Moun- tains, until we approach the banks of the St Law- rence, is somewhat monotonous ; it is one boundless forest. Sometimes an acre or two of stumps marks the industry of some enterprising settler ; but stiff uninteresting pine-trees are everywhere, either form- ing interminable avenues or log cabins.

But if the process of passing from the United

12 ARRIVE AT QUEBEC.

States into Canada be somewhat dreary, it only enables the traveller to appreciate more highly the scenery amid which the present seat of the govern- ment of that province is placed. As, however, its merits have received justice at the hands of innu- merable travellers, I shall present Quebec rather under its political and social than its picturesque aspect, and describe the manner in which the sur- rounding scenery should be enjoyed, instead of the character of the scenery itself.

CHAPTER II.

CANADIAN POLITICS.

The aversion with which the British public regards all questions of colonial policy, no doubt arises, in a great measure, from the extraordinary ignorance which prevails among the educated classes of this country of what may be termed political geography generally, and which extends even to those parts of the world in which their own interests are more directly at stake. It is a pity that this should be so, for the indifference of the public, not unnaturally, sometimes extends to those charged with the administration of colonial affairs, while it is an inevitable consequence of our system that colonial ministers should be infinitely more engrossed with those political combinations at home which affect their tenure of office, than with those political combinations abroad which affect the allegiance of the colonies to the mother country. Now and then the public become suddenly interested in some one department, discover abuses, and raise a cry of administrative reform ; but they are too ill in-

14 THE COMMONS OF CANADA.

formed generally to be competent to form an opinion of what needs reform, and what does not, in colonies ; at all events, it is well known that the ignorance and aj^athy of people in England may be presumed U23on to any extent ^dtli the most perfect impunity by those who manage their affairs. Under these cir- cumstances, it would be quite unjustifiable in me to inflict upon an unfortunate Englishman, desiring only to be amused, a history of Canadian politics even for the last ten years ; I shall therefore confine myself to describing, in as few words as possible, the present state of parties in that colony.

Her Majesty's faithful Commons of Canada are com- posed of a hundred and thirty members ; the upper and lower pro^dnces are equally represented. The French and English languages are used indiscrimi- nately in debate, the majority of the Lower Canadian members being French. The present Speaker is a Frenchman. The ministry are composed, as nearly as may be, of Upper and Lower Canadians in equal pro- portions. Sir Allan M'Nab, a name celebrated in the history of Canada, is the premier, — he is the leader of the old Conservative party of Upper Canada ; his col- league, Colonel Tache, is the leader of the French re- form party of Lower Canada : from which it is evident that it is a coalition ministry. In addition to the re- formers and moderate conservatives, a large propor- tion of the ultra-reformers of Upper Canada support the ministr}\

It would be somew^hat tedious to describe the various

POLITICAL PARTIES. 15

shades of political opinion represented in the Assembly, or to discuss the merits of the different " tickets," upon which members have " run" at divers periods, and which, to a stranger, are sometimes a little in- comprehensible. I looked with some curiosity upon a gentleman of whom I had read in the newspapers during the last general election, that he had " swal- lowed the whole Clear Grit platform, and a plank or two over." Mr Hincks, the late premier, is perhaps the most remarkable man in the house : with a strong will, capacious lungs, and a mode of expression more pointed than polished, he possesses great qualifications for influencing a somewhat democratic assembly, and giving due effect to his undoubted talents, while their value is considerably enhanced by a large personal following. But here everybody aspires to lead a party, however insignificant : and there are all sorts of " ites " and " ists." It is wonderful to hear how many members indulge themselves in the belief that they have tails, which are found w^anting on the day of trial. There is no mistake, however, about that flour- ished by the member for Montreal ; it is indeed the only one worthy of notice, rather on account of its colour than its dimensions : it is called the Rouge party, and is composed of enthusiastic young French- men of that species of ardent temperament which, in young ladies at the same period of life, manifests itself in a desire to enter nunneries, but which, with the other sex, takes an opposite development, and finds expression in socialist opinions and black beards.

16 LOYALTY OF SENTIMENT GENERAL.

They are the representatives here of that class which was called into existence upon the continent of Europe by the tyranny of despots, whose yoke in 1848 they so nearly succeeded in breaking, and their principles are manifestly utterly inapplicable and nonsensical in a country enjoying the freest form of government extant. There is always some respect due to views, however extreme, which are entertained at great per- sonal risk ; but here ultra opinions may be ventilated vdih impunity : and if they are combined with the rationalism of Germany and the flippant scepticism of France, the mixture of small beer and vm ordin- aire thus produced is certainly not an agreeable compound.

With this unimportant exception, however, the sen- timents of the Canadian House of Assembly are those of the great mass of the community, both in the Upper and Lower province, and are thoroughly loyal. In- deed, no better proof of this can be found than in the vote of £20,000 recently subscribed to the Patriotic Fund, to be applied in equal proportions to the relief of the sufferers in the allied armies.

Mr W. Lyon ]\Iackenzie, of rebel notoriety, with- out a vestige of a tail, sits opposite his quondam enemy, Sir A. M'Kab, perfectly reconciled to his lot and the mother country ; and, both unAvilling and unable to disturb the existing; order of thino's, he pla}^fully alludes to those foibles of his youth, which so nearly cost him his head ; and exercises the powers of endurance he still enjoys by making inter-

LORD ELGIN S POLICY. 17

minable midnight orations of the most innocuous description.

The Upper House, or Legislative Council, consists of about forty members, appointed by the Queen for life, upon the advice of the colonial government. Their functions are intended to be entirely those of the House of Lords in our own constitution.

It would be impossible, without entering at too great length into the subject, to do full justice to Lord Elgin's administration of Canadian affairs dur- ing his eight years' tenure of the office of Governor- general. I have, however, appended to this volume an extract from his lordship's report, which sets forth clearly the principles upon which the govern- ment of the colony was conducted. From this it will appear that the distinguishing feature of Lord Elgin's policy was a faithful development of the principles of constitutional government. His rigid adherence to these created some exasperation, during the earlier period of his administration, with that section of the political community who had previously enjoyed a monopoly of office. The beneficial efi'ects of the measures which have been passed by the Colo- nial Legislature, and the extraordinary progress of the country, have, however, amply justified this policy in the eyes of those interested in Canada, or ac- quainted with her afiairs.

Towards the close of his lordship's administra- tion, the questions of greatest importance with which he had to deal, were the Seigniorial Tenure

B

18 THE TWO LAST QUESTIONS.

of Lower Canada, which was an inheritance from the old French regime, and the Clergy Reserves, chiefly in Upper Canada, which had their origm in a well-meant attempt to create a Church Establishment at the time when this province fxrst became a colony of Great Britain.

These questions were still unsettled, when circum- stances arose which, in the judgment of Lord Elgin, rendered it imperative upon him to dissolve the local Parliament.

The effect of this proceeding, and of the general election consequent upon it, was to show more conclusively than ever that, so far as the Clergy Reserves were concerned, the conviction was uni- versal among the people of Upper Canada, that in a country so divided in religious opinion, any attempt to maintain the semblance of a connec- tion between Church and State was totally imprac- ticable, while the people of Lower Canada declared themselves opposed to any j)erpetuation of the in- con veniencies of the Seigniorial Tenure.

It would be as unprofitable to the English reader to attempt to discuss the secret motives which actu- ate the different political sections of the Canadian House of Parliament on the occasion of a Ministerial crisis, or to describe the various intrigues which accompany the formation of a new Cabinet there, as it would be to try to enlighten a Canadian upon the same matters at a similar juncture in our own country.

THE MINISTEPJAL CRISIS. 10

The standard of political morality is certainly not lower in the colony than in the mother country, and it is much to be reo;retted that the latter does not set a brighter example to a young country just arriving at maturity, and exercising for the first time the pri^ vileges of free institutions.

The result, then, of certain Ministerial changes which followed upon the re-assembling of Parlia- ment, was to bring in Sir Allan M'Nab at the head of a Coalition government, comprising some of the Upper Canada Liberals, and those members of the French party who had been in power with the late government.

The administration thus formed has, under the wise guidance of Lord Elgin, settled both these ques- tions in a manner which has given very general satis- faction ; and it must have been a source of some gra- tification to the late Governor-general, that he has thus been enabled, before leaving the colony, both to dispose of the only difficult questions v/hich agitated it, and also to bring into office, at a most critical junc- ture, the very men who have l)een at former periods his most violent opponents, and thus to give, before leaving the colony, a signal proof of the impartiality of his administration. The fact that he acted with a Conservative government for upwards of a year after his first assumption of the office of Governor-general — that the Liberal party then came into office, and held it for upwards of six years — and that he again called the Conservative leaders to his councils, has in itself

20 CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT.

fiu'iiisbecl an admirable lesson to the Canadians in the practical working of constitutional government, and will doubtless tend to abate, in the case of future Governors, the propensity in the colonists to con- centrate all the virulence of faction upon their Governors.

CHAPTER III.

CANADIAN SOCIETY.

We are so much accustomed in England to associate the idea of an active pushing Anglo-Saxon popula- tion with the North American continent, that it is somewhat startling to find oaeself transported in a few hours from the broad regular streets of a New England city, into the narrow lanes of an old-fash- ioned French town, composed of lofty steep-roofed houses, and to exchange for the precise and somewhat formal manners of the Pilgrim Fathers tlie grace and vivacity of our Gallic neighbours.

A large proportion of the inhabitants of Quebec, of course, are English ; but the blending of the two races, which has resulted from this mixed population, has only served to bring out more strongly the favourable points in each, and to create a society of a most agreeable description. The lower town is chiefly devoted to business and the lumber trade, the upper to pleasure and politics. Both sections are remark- ably well adapted to their different j)urposes. In the

22 THE GAY SEASOy.

lower, tlie river near the wharves is deep, and during summer the broad bosom of the St Lawrence affords accommodation to a forest of masts and a desert of rafts. In the upper, people live so close together that the most distant party is round the corner ; and it does not take ten minutes to hunt up a recusant member of the House of Commons, on the occasion of a near division. During the gay season, between these pursuits, the excitement may be very well sus- tained. A Canadian M.P. may turn out the govern- ment in the morning, to go to their constituents, and his tandem in the afternoon, to go to a pic-nic. Nor need he ever be at a loss for evening entertainment with which to relieve the tedium of a late sittino;. But the house itself is a fashionable resort. The galleries of the present Legislative Assembly Chamber hold more than the body ; on the nights of interest- ing debates they are generally filled with the fair sex. Thus an opportunity is afforded of moving the house and the oralleries at the same time — an achievement in which younger members much delio'ht.

The period of four years during which Quebec, upon the system of an itinerating legislature, has been the seat of government, is just about to expire ; and the next parliament will, it is said, meet in Toronto.

From this change Quebec must suffer, in a social point of view, to some extent. The permanent resi- dence there of the Governor-general has always

THE ATTP.ACTIONS OF QUEBEC. 23

insured to the inhabitants a certain amount of gaiety ; and they have ever shown themselves ready to follow a lead so much in accordance with their own inclina- tions. It is, however, to be observed that, from the comparatively remote position of Quebec, and its hitherto great difficulty of access, society there has been thrown very much upon its own resources, and is consequently very independent on the score of amusement. As it is, moreover, composed of families which have been long resident in the place, there is an absence of that restraint and conventionality which is necessary in towns more exposed to the in- roads of new-comers. And certainly there are in Quebec the strongest possible temptations to be sociable. In addition to the facilities of intercourse afforded by the intimate relations in which people live, and which render evening parties more particu- larly agreeable, there are all sorts of romantic spots in the immediate neighbourhood, only waiting to be visited under romantic circumstances ; and nothing can be more delightful than the reunion of the senti- mental and the picturesque which these expeditions involve.

It is, indeed, vulgarly supposed that, in order to appreciate nature in a correct and orthodox way, one ought to be alone with it, perched on some dizzy cliff, like Napoleon at St Helena, wrapt in meditation and a military cloak. But as for enjoying the works of creation at a pic-nic, the idea is scouted as preposterous and Cockney, particularly by those

24 THE PHILOSOPHY OF PIC-NICS.

who have never seen really fine scenery at all. For my own part, I have been as much overwhelmed with the wonders of Niagara, sitting on the grass at the edge of the Falls with a large and merry party, eating tm.^key and drinking champagne, as impressed with the majesty of the highest mountain in the world, as viewed from the summit of a snow-clad peak in the Himalayas, and with a ragged peasant, with whom communication was impossible, for my only com- panion. If the scenery be of the highest order, it will assert its influence under any circumstances ; and those who require solitude in order to render them sensible of the emotions it is calculated to in- spire, cannot really possess a keen susceptibility. If the scenery be second-rate, a great deal depends, no doubt, upon the temper of one's mind as affected by external circumstances. A thorough good-humour is an essential requisite to the enjoyment of a pretty view ; and I pity those, therefore, who think that a fine day, a well-stored hamper, and pleasant company, spoil it. The Quebec world would not intrude upon their solitude.

Let him, then, that is not influenced by any such prejudices, adopt, in the true spirit of a traveller, the custom of the country he is in, and he must have been fortunate if, in the course of his wander- ings, he ever met with one to which it was more easy at once to conform, than to the method of going to pic-nics in Quebec. If it be summer or

THE WAY TO GO TO THEM. 25

autumn, he must provide himself with a light waggon, the seat of which will accommodate two persons com- fortably, and is placed upon a body shaped like an oblong tea-tray, which in its turn is supported by four very high wheels, so constructed as to insure an upset to those who are not experienced in the art of turning a vehicle the front wheels of which will not pass under the body. Under these circumstances, it is only prudent for the stranger to have somebody with him to give advice in cases of emergency, and he is, therefore, doubtless out of compassion for his ignorance, provided with a fair companion capable of giving the necessary instruction, as well as of directing his attention to objects of interest on the way. It will be his own fault, of course, if he profits so much by his lessons as ever to be able to drive to a pic-nic by himself, and has not to the last day some point of view still to be made acquainted with.

Thus provided, his will form one of a train of wag- gons containing couples similarly engaged ; and in their company he will drive through a charming country, past long straggling villages composed of neat white cottages, and boasting substantial churches, with tin- covered spires, and containing a population of simple French hahitans, whose whole appearance and costume will transport him in imagination to a rural district in that country from which their ancestors sprung ; for the descendants of the Norman emigres have

26 THE USE OF A COMPANION.

retained tlieir primitive manners and feelings to an extent which in this unnaturally progressive country- is refreshing; to the strano-er to behold, however un- profitable it may be to themselves. They look happy and contented enough, however, as they gaze on the corteg-e of wao;2:ons which follows the banks of the mighty St Lawrence until it reaches the lofty falls of Montmorency or the Chandiere ; or, turning into the interior, through the Indian village of Lorette, and over its romantic bridge, winds up glens and through variegated maple- woods, until the contents are safely deposited upon the grassy shores of Lake St Charles.

But a winter pic-nic is a far more interesting proceeding than a summer one. If it is difficult to turn a waggon, it is infinitely more so to turn a sleigh, and there is therefore proportionately greater need of the same sort of assistance. There are some no^dces, indeed, so ambitious as to begin at once with a tandem ; but this is a sio'n of the g;reatest

^ O CD

inexperience, as, perched upon a high tandem-box, it is impossible to reap benefit from advice, when all you can see of the person who gives it is the top of her bonnet, and all you can hear of her voice is a gentle murmuring stifled under a mountain of furs. Such imprudence will probably meet with the conse- quences it deserves ; but a low single-horse sleigh is a safe and delightful conveyance. And I have been assured that to return from a j)ic-nic in one of

SLEIGHING BY MOONLIGHT. 27

these upon a clear frosty night, protected from the sharp still air by soft luxurious furs, with a moon so mischievous and brilliant, and innumerable stars, " pinnacled dim in the intense inane," to light up the sparkling snow ; to glide over the glassy roads, waking up the sleeping echoes with harmonious sleigh- bells ; to accompany their music with still softer tones to one wdio can sympathise in the emotions evoked by such gentle influences, is to experience, in a novel and irresistible form, sensations which are always delightful.

But the act of going to or coming from a pic-nic does not constitute its only enjoyment. There is a great deal to be done in the interval. Eomantic people tramp off through the snow to see how their favourite summer -haunts look, clothed in the icy garb of winter ; unromantic people fly down preci- pices in traboggins ; hungry people adjourn to the house of a habitant, where they find a large scru- pulously clean room, with a warm stove, and a table covered w^ith the luxuries they have brought with them. Finally, everybody dances quadrilles to the tunes of Canadian boat-songs, played with great fervour by the village fiddler.

For the benefit of the uninitiated, I must endea- vour to explain the accomplishment of traboggining, which can scarcely be acquired in less than two pic- nics. It is simply the descent of a Montague Cana- dienne instead of a Montague Eusse. A traboggin

28 TRABOGGINING.

is an Indian traineau of birch bark, turned up at the end, and in its proj)er capacity pulled over the snow by a squaw, loaded with her husband's chattels, while he walks in front. With us civilised easterns the order of things is reversed : the lady, instead of pull- ing the traboggin (which is quite flat and level with the snow), sits upon it ; the gentleman gets as much of his l^iody as he can upon the space that remains behind her, which is not above two feet square. He then tucks one leg under him, and leaves the other trailing upon the snow behind, to act as a rudder. This arrangement takes place on the brow of a steep hill, and is no sooner completed than the gentleman puts the whole in motion by a vigorous kick from his disengaged leg, which sends the tra- boggin on its downward course with rapidly increas- ing velocity, until it is either upset by bad steering, or buries itself and its occuj^ants in a drift, or speeds far over the smooth surface of the snow after it has reached the valley.

But there are other Canadian winter experiences, which, if they are less amusing, are at least quite as exciting as traboggining. The most novel of these is perhaps the mode adopted for crossing the St Lawrence at this season of the year.

The last time I ever had occasion to cross the St Lawrence, the thermometer stood at 26° below zero. A dense fog shrouded the river, which, as we stood upon the bank, became condensed, and fell in a thick shower of hoar-frost. We got into the canoe upon

WINTER THAJECT OF THE ST LAWRENCE. 29

the wharf, stretched ourselves at the bottom thereof, were muffled up to the eyes in furs, and as our friends crowded round the long narrow receptacle, and I looked up at their melancholy countenances, I felt excessively as if I was already in my coffin, and was only waiting to be let down. Presently we are let down with a vengeance ; there is a rush down the steep bank, followed by a grating over the rough ice, then a plunge into the river, and we are so wrapt in fog that we can see nothing a yard from the canoe. The boatmen are fine muscular men, in shaggy beards and coats, who sing the old songs of the Canadian voyageurs, except when they are too much occupied in groping their way through the mist. At last it partially clears, and we find our- selves surrounded by floes of ice. Huge masses are jammed and squeezed up into fantastic shapes, to a height of ten or fifteen feet. We edge our way through the narrow lanes of water between the ice- fields, following a devious course, sometimes break- ing through a thin crust of ice, until our onward progress is altogether arrested ; then the voyageurs jump out, and pull the canoe upon the ice, — while we remain resigned at the bottom of the boat, — and rattle us over the jagged surface of the floe until we reach open water, when we are again launched, and at last, to our great gratification, find ourselves pulled up under the steep bank at Point Levi.

If the tide be running down, it often happens that

30 ITS DURATION.

canoes are carried many miles below Quebec, and the unfortunate passengers not unfrequently spend the whole night struggling amid floating ice. Under favourable circumstances the traject does not take above half an hour.

[^

CHAPTER IV.

CANADIAN STATISTICS.

In the close of 1849, a document, signed by several intelligent merchants, appeared, advocating the an- nexation of Canada to the United States, in which the following paragraph occurred : " AVliile the ad- joining States are covered with a network of thriving railways, Canada possesses but three lines, which to- gether scarcely exceed fifty miles in length, and the stock in two of which is held at a depreciation of from sixty to eighty per cent — a fatal symptom of the torpor overspreading the land."

The province is now intersected in all directions by about 800 miles of railways already completed, upon which upwards of ten millions sterling have been expended.

The railway which connects Montreal with Quebec is part of the Grand Trunk, destined before long to be the great central highway of Canada. It is to be ultimately extended to Halifax, and at an early date to Trois Pistoles, a town 150 miles below Quebec. A

32 THE GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY.

great portion of the traffic wliicli has hitherto been carried to Montreal by the river, will now find con- veyance by this line. But it is beyond that city that its influence will be chiefly felt. The journey into Upper Canada by steamboat is tedious in the extreme. The beauty of the Lake of the Thousand Islands, and the occasionally picturesque scenery upon the banks of the St Lawrence, scarcely compensate for the delays at the canals, except to a stranger ; and even he would do well so to arrange his tour as to descend the river, and thereby not only avoid this inconvenience, but substitute for it the excitement of shooting the rapids in a steamer, when he will experience, upon a large scale, sensations with A\'hich he is familiar, if he has ever threaded the western rivers in a bark canoe.

By the present mode of conveyance, it takes, under the most favourable circumstances, twenty-one hours to reach the town of Brock ville from Montreal. When the railway is completed, the time occupied in this journey will not exceed four hours and a half Branch lines are proposed, which will connect the most im- jDortant places on the St Lawrence with the district now l^eing rapidly developed upon the Ottawa. In- deed, a line is already open between Bytown, or, as it is in future to be called, the city of Ottawa, and Prescott.

But the most wonderful work now in process of construction, upon the Grand Trunk Eailway, is the Victoria Bridge at Montreal.

THE VICTORIA BRIDGE. 33

I shall borrow the description of it given by Mr Eoss, the chief engineer of the Grand Trunk Eailway. " It will consist/^ says that gentleman, " of a wronght- iron box 20 feet deep, 16 feet wide, and about 7000 feet in length; su23ported at intervals of about 260 feet by towers of stone, and open at both ends to ad- mit of trains passing through it, and made of suffi- cient strength to carry six times the heaviest load hitherto known to travel on railways in this or any other country."

I was in attendance when the late Governor-gene- ral of Canada, Lord Elgin, laid the foundation-stone of the second pier in this wonderful series. It was a ceremony which derived its interest no less from the magnitude of the undertaking, of which it was almost the commencemeut, than from the singular circum- stances under which it took place. Upon the stony bed of the mighty St Lawrence, 16 feet below the surface of the river, a large group of persons stood dry-shod, protected from the rushing torrent, which swept round them, by the massive sides of a gigantic coffer-dam, to the joists and beams of which clung workmen and spectators, waving their hats, and voci- ferously celebrating an occasion fraught with such imjDortant consequences. The design of this unri- valled structure is the production of Mr Eobert Stephenson, whose shrewd perceptions at once recog- nised the incalculable advantages to be derived from such a work, and whose scientific mind devised the means for its execution. It is only necessary for a

0

34 BELLEVILLE BAY OF QUINTE.

moment to consider the extent of those commercial relations which are at present maintained between Canada and the United States, and which mnst in- crease tenfold nnder the benign influence of recipro- city, and to remember that this line mnst be the highway from the North-Avestern States of America to the seaboard of that continent, to enable us to per- ceive how vast must be the traffic across a bridge at which several of the most important railways in Canada meet. Fears were entertained that the Victoria Bridge would be unable to sustain the weight of the ice in spring, but the experience acquired during this winter sets that question com- pletely at rest.

Instead of takino; the steamer from Eano-ston direct to Toronto, the tomist would do well to spend a day in visiting Belleville. Nothing can exceed the beauty of the singularly-formed Bay of Quint e. For eighty miles he 'follows the windino-s of this magnificent sheet of water, at every turn disclosing some new charm : now past well-cultivated shores swelling gently back from the water s edge, where settlers, long since attracted by the beauty of the situation, the fertility of the soil, and the convenience of water- carriage, have planted themselves, and where comfort- able farms, well-stocked orchards, and Ava^dng fields of grain, attest the existence of a large and tlniving population, and add to the attractions of nature the agreeable accompaniments of civilised life ; now a deep bay rmis far into the interior, and the numerous

THE LAKE OF THE MOUNTAIN. 35

white sails with which it is dotted are certain indica- tions that at its head there is a prosperous town ; while occasionally lofty wooded banks rise abruptly, and give a bolder character to the scenery.

I ascended one of these, to visit a singular tarn about two hundred feet above the level of the bay, called the Lake of the Mountain. It has no known outlet, and is only separated from the brow of the hill upon which it is situated by a ridge a few yards across. From this narrow ledge a singular view is obtained. Upon the one hand, and on a level with the spectator, the little lake lies embosomed in wood ; upon the other, he looks down upon a labyrinth of devious channels, forming part of the eccentric Bay of Quinte, and in- tersecting in every direction a richly-diversified coun- try, sometimes gleaming behind maple woods bright with autumnal tints, sometimes encircling extensive clearings. Certainly Prince Edward^s county, on which this lovely spot is situated, is highly endowed by nature ; and the U. E. Loyalists, who have made it their home, have displayed unexceptional taste. Upon the opposite shore is situated a thriving settle- ment of Mohawk Indians. The neat church stands amid green fields, and the cottages are surrounded by plots of cultivation, showing that the habits of this tribe are more industrious and enterprising than those which characterise " red men" generally.

The town of Belleville is pleasantly situated at the mouth of the Moira, near the head of the bay, and

36 BELLEVILLE — TRENTON COBURG.

owes its prosperity in a great measure to the lumber trade. It has increased very rapidly within the last few years, and now contains a pojDulation of nearly eight thousand inhabitants. Its rival, Trenton, is also becoming an important place. Great quantities of timber are floated down the Moira and Trent, and con- veyed to Oswego and the American towns upon the south shore of Lake Ontario. A canal is proj ected across the narrow isthmus which divides the Bay of Quinte from the Bay of Presqu'ile on Lake Ontario. Its for- mation would involve but a trifling expense, being only two miles in leno-th, while an immense savin o; of dis- tance would be efiected in water communication be- tween the towns on the Bay of Quinte and those on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

A good road, traversed daily by a stage, connects Belleville with the town of Coburg, the country on both sides beino; well cultivated. The clearing's, however, do not extend to any very great distance into the interior, where the land is said to be of very fine quality ; and to this district, doubtless, now that nearly all the land in the more western counties of Upper Canada has been taken up, the tide of emigration will soon be turned. The price of land has already risen thirty per cei] t in the town- ships along this road ; and when the Grand Trunk Eailway is opened next year, a more rapid develop- ment of their resources must speedily follow.

Coburg is the most important port on the north shore of Lake Ontario, before arriving at Toronto ;

GROWING PROSPERITY OF UPPER CANADA. 37

and a railway is now completed from it to Peter- borough, a town thirty miles inland, situated, how- ever, upon a river which is navigable for steamers, and down which countless lumber-rafts are annually floated. A railway has been chartered to connect Peterborough with Gloucester Bay on Lake Huron, a distance of ninety miles through an uncleared country. It is impossible to say what the effect will be of the facilities for exploration which these lines will afford. Nothing can demonstrate more certainly the growing prosperity of the province than the fact that the inhabitants are improving and extendino; with the utmost vi^^our their means of in- ternal communication, and that in many instances the railroad surveyor is the first man who blazes a tree in forests hitherto almost unexplored.

The voyage from Coburg to Toronto occupies between eight and nine hours. The country between these places is thickly inhabited, while the popula- tion of Toronto itself has increased with wonderful rapidity within the last few years. In 1830 it scarcely contained 3000 inhabitants : the population now exceeds 45,000. The progress which Toronto has made during this short period, is only significant of the advancement of the province of which it is the capital. The population of Upper Canada has increased within the last six years from 800,000 to 1,400,000 ; and it is not too much to predict, that within ten years the whole of that vast tract of country lying west of a line drawn due north from

38 GEEAT ATTRACTIONS PRESENTED

Toronto to Lake Huron will be cleared. I travelled, diuing my residence in Canada, over a great part of this district, and everywhere found the most striking evidences of the advance of civilisation. A glance at the statistical tables will confirm this. In 1847 there were only 62,881 acres of crown land sold in Canada; in the year 1853 the returns amount to 256,059 acres. The imports of the former year scarcely attain £3,000,000 ; they now amount to upwards of £7,000,000. The exports have also in like manner been more than doubled. The revenue of the province in 1848 was given at about £300,000 ; and in 1854 it was upwards of £1,200,000 sterling, or more than fourfold its former amount. Were any- thing more than ordinary observation necessary, such results as these cannot fail to establish the fact of its extraordinary progress in wealth and material prosperity.

It would indeed be difficult to point to any country which offers greater attractions to the in- tending emigrant than does Canada at the present moment. With a vast extent of territory, clothed with magnificent forest, and watered by noble rivers, possessing a fertile soil, contiguous to one of the largest markets in the world, which is ever increas- ing, and to which it has a free and unrestricted access, the capitalist here finds a profitable field for investment ; while the prospects of the labourino' classes are still brighter, if we may believe the report of Mr Hawke, the chief emigration agent at

BY CANADA TO THE EMIGRANT. 39

Toronto, from whicli tlie following paragraph is an extract : " Blessed witli so good a soil and climate as Upper Canada possesses, and favoured by Provi- dence with a long and miinterrupted succession of good harvests, there is no country where the labour- ing man can find more constant employment and remunerative wages, in proportion to the expense of living." It is an interesting fact, that, of the emigrants who arrive in Canada, not more than one- half make it their permanent abode : the remainder pass on to the tempting provinces in the north-west. It has been calculated that, during the last twelve years, about £500,000 have been expended by these transitory emigrants. There is still, however, plenty of land available for settlement in Canada. There are now about 160 acres to each individual, and it will require twenty-five years, assisted by an annual immigration of 25,000 persons, to settle the province in the proportion of twenty persons to a square mile, or thirty-two acres to each individual. To those, however, who are about to emigrate, either to Canada or the north-west states of America, I would re- commend the admirable tracts of Mr Vere Foster, who has condensed in a penny publication all the information requisite for the intending emigrant."'' The two principal sources of employment for un- skilled labourers are upon railways, or in the lumber trade.

-^- Work and Wages. By Vere Foster. W. & F. G. Cash, Bishops- gate-without.

40 UPPEE AND LOWER CANADA CONTRASTED.

But in adclition to the inlierent resources of the country, it must derive great benefit, and be mate- rially assisted in its progress, by the proximity of the North-western States of America, whose vast mineral, as well as agricultural productions, are likely before long to render them eminently powerfid and wealthy ; and they will then exert an influence which cannot I3ut contribute to the prosperity of a neigh- bouring province. It is scarcely necessary here to contrast the condition of Upper and Lower Canada, or to enter upon the various reasons which render the former section of the province the most eligible field for emio^ration. The traveller seems in a few hours to have passed from an old country into a new one, from a comparatively stagnant into a rapidly progressive state of things ; and there is as great a diff'erence between a town in Normandy and one in Yorkshire, as between Quebec and Toronto. As during my stay in Canada the seat of Government was in the former city, I never resided long enough in Toronto to be able to judge whether the social habits of the two places presented as striking a dis- similarity, but the life of its bustling, active poj^ula- tion seemed rather that of business than of pleasure. I can answer, at all events, for the excellence of the shops, as I was chiefly occupied, during one of my visits here, in making preparations for a tour to some of the more distant Indian stations, and in laying in a stock of comforts which were not likely to be obtained in the Far West.

CHAPTEK V.

CANADIAN BACKWOODS.

There are few sensations in the experience of a tra- veller more enjoyable than that of preparing for his jonrney. There is so mncli of anticipation in it, so many speculations as to what is likely to be wanted, such a delightful uncertainty attending every pur- chase, such delicate discrimination required in choos- ing the most available articles, and packing them in the smallest possible compass, that one feels com- mitted, by the very importance and deliberation of one's proceedings, to carry out, in defiance of every obstacle, a tour which has involved a certain amount of trouble and expense, so that the ignominy may not be incurred of possessing an unused outfit, which should ever after remain the record of a failure.

It is the feeling that every additional article pro- cured is, as it were, an earnest of adventure in the wild life to which it is adapted, which produces pleasure ; and it almost seems as if the first step on the journey had already been made wdien the pre- parations for it are completed. As my Indian duties,

42 FEOM TOEONTO TO LAKE SIMCOE.

at any rate, involved a visit to Lake Superior, I con- templated proceeding, if possible, still further west, in company with my friend Lord Bury, the prospect of whose companionship served as a strong induce- ment for a more extended tour. It was about the middle of July, last year, that we left Toronto by the northern railroad, on our way to the North- West.

I have seldom seen a more smiling, prosperous-look- ing district than that through which we passed on our way to Lake Simcoe. Substantial farm-houses, with neat, well-built offices, were planted in the midst of orchards and gardens, and afforded presumptive e^T-dence that their thriving occupants had reaped many rich harvests from the acres of waving corn- fields through which we sped, and upon which not even a stump was left to remind the railway tra- veller how short a time had elapsed since the solitary Indian was the only wayfarer through the silent and almost impenetrable forests that then clothed the country. Now, there is little to dis- tinguish it from many parts of England. Snake fences are certainly not so agreeable a feature in a landscape as hedgerows, and there is an unfinished look about the cultivation, and a want of economy of land, which would probably scandalise an English agriculturist. However, although land has become very valuable in most of the counties of Uj^per Canada, it is not yet so precious as to call for an increase of the same ingenuity for rendering it elastic

THE NORTHERN RAILROAD GRASSPOINT. 43

which is practised in our own country. Canadian farms seldom exceed three hundred acres in extent.

The Northern Eailroad has been recently finished as far as CoUingwood, a harbour upon the south shore of Georgian Bay, sixty-six miles from Toronto, and which it is expected will become a considerable port. The prospects of the railway depend to a great extent upon the success of a scheme for the formation of a town at this point, as the through traffic from the northern lakes, now that the canal at the Sault Ste. Marie, and which connects Lake Superior with Lake Huron, is completed, is estimated at £80,000. This, in addition to the local traffic, will make a total of £136,000, and, if we are to believe a late report upon the subject, give a dividend of 14 per cent. The present earnings are said to be £15 per mile a-week ; and this larger amount, if we remember that it is the -great outlet for the fertile counties of York, Simcoe, and Grey, is quite possible. While, therefore, it is an important line in opening up a very largely producing district, it can scarcely, under any circumstances, fail to be a profitable one to the shareholders. The average railroad fare in Canada, for first-class pas- sengers, is about two cents per mile, where the dis- tance is over one hundred and fifty miles ; for shorter distances, it is about three cents per mile.

In two hours and a half we reached Grasspoint, a village upon the shores of Lake Simcoe, where a small steamer was waiting to convey us to Orillia. The lake is studded with islands, and its shores are prettily

44? ORILLIA POLLING-DAY.

wooded and well settled, thougli the scenery is no- where strikino\ A cliannel, so narrow that it is spanned by a bridge, connects Lake Simcoe with Lake Cou chichi no-. Passino; throno;h it, we wind amono; wooded islands until we reach the beautifully situated settlement of OrilHa, containing a church and a number of neat white houses and stores, altogether a perfect specimen of a backwood village in rather an advanced stao;e.

We found the little place in a state of considerable excitement. The general election was going on throughout the country, and we happened to arrive at Orillia upon polling-day. Anxious to see how the suffrages of backwoodsmen are taken, I visited the polling-booth — a mere log cabin — and there saw two gentlemen, leaning listlessly back upon their tilted chairs, behind a rickety table, picking their teeth, and listening to the process of cross-examination, to which a voter was being subjected. To judge by his appear- ance, his qualifications were certainly doubtful. He was utterly unhke the sturdy yeomen who surrounded him, and some of whom were making jocose com- ments upon the somewhat evasive nature of his replies ; while others were applauding the dexterity with which he met the questions of his examiner, and the tone of lofty contempt with which he treated his insinuations. He was dressed in a remarkably seedy black tail-coat, buttoned tightly over the chest, with trousers of the same colour, and of even greater antiquit}^ tucked into a pair of dilapidated Wellington

A CANADIAN " VET." AT THE POLL. 45

boots. He had a red bandana bandkerchief tied loosely round his neck, and a dirty shirt-collar fell negligently over it, exposing a short thick throat. His eyes were small, and full of mischief; his nose short — the part that was turned up was scarlet. He twitched a straw spitefully between his thin lips, and gave his hat a more knowing cock when about to make an ironical observation at the expense of the candidate, who was sitting opposite to him, and dis- puting his qualifications. He looked like a cross between a needy curate and an unsuccessful blackleg. His sausage- like arms and thighs were clerical, but he had sporting extremities ; and I was still specu- lating upon his probable calling in life, when he pro- claimed himself a veterinary surgeon. Those who know the genus will admit that a Canadian " Vet." is scarcely to be outwitted even by a member of that peculiar breed, said to be the sharpest in the creation, " an American Jew of Scotch extraction ; " and, therefore, it was not to be wondered at that this free and independent elector triumphantly recorded his vote, having utterly routed his accusers : and being thus satisfied myself as to his respectability, I retired with him and his clear-grit companions, to celebrate his success at the bar of the villao;e tavern.

On our way we discussed the chances of the rival candidates, and I was siu^prised at the want of interest manifested by my companions in the progress of the elections ; they seemed to be actuated in their votes rather by feelings of personal regard than by any

46 POLITICAL APATHY OF CONSTITUENTS.

political principle, because, as they averred, there was no snch thing in existence. They did not believe in "tickets;" laid it down as a general rule that no man went into Parliament who had not some private interest to serve ; and therefore supported him, not for the sake of certain views, but because they wished success to a popular man in the line of life he had chosen, and were not so unreasonable as to expect consistency when it stood in his way. It is not c difficult to account for this apathy among Canadian constituents. The material prosperity of the country is too great to be checked by any policy pursued by Government, and thriving settlers in the backwoods are perfectly indifferent as to the proceedings of the legislative bodies, and excessively bored by general elections. AVhen, however, they do occur, in the exercise of their privilege and good-nature tliey vote for their friends, not having more respect for their principles than these gentlemen ordinarily have them- selves. The day, however, is not far distant, when a crowded population will render greater circumspec- tion necessary.

It was only natural that, holding such liberal political sentiments, all parties should fraternise very cordially in the gin and tobacco atmosphere which pervaded the bar-room of the little inn, and we joined the group in self-defence, for their con- viviality towards evening rendered sleep an im- possibility. Those influences, however, which are powerful to excite in the first instance, not unfre-

A VIXEN OF A HOSTESS. 47

quently in the end produce a sedative effect ; and after they had developed themselves here by the ordinary amount of maudlin embraces, or quarrel- some encounters, people were sinking insensibly to slumber under and upon tables, or in convenient corners, when there was an alarm given that our hostess had been seized with cholera, that being at this period a prevailing epidemic throughout the country. It would be uncharitable to say that, upon hearing this news, a gleam of satisfaction lighted up those countenances that were not previously rendered entirely unexpressive by whisky ; but certainly I never again wish to be placed at the tender mercies of a more incarnate vixen than this dame had proved herself to be. We had all in turn suffered from her villanous temper ; and it was now suggested that it had turned sour on her stomach, and thus produced the disease under which she laboured. Such, in fact, proved to be the case. Having tormented her custo- mers in various ways during the day, she now finished by pretending an attack of cholera in the kitchen; a fact which I no sooner discovered than I slipped into the only unoccupied bed in the house, the very one in which she was accustomed to repose her own weary limbs, as a judgment upon her for refusing me accom- modation when I first demanded it. Bury shared the landing of the stairs with a puppy of a sleepless disposition, and which he was obliged periodically to kick to the bottom for taking unwarrantable liberties with his feet.

48 IXDIAX VILLAGE OF EAMA.

I crossed over from Orillia to liold a council at the Indian villa o-e of Eama. It ^^as about five miles distant, and is composed of neat wooden houses and a church, and contains a population of Chippeway Indians. The tribe here owns a considerable block of land, a comparatively small portion of which, however, is cultivated, as the pri- vate sources of revenue of which the tribe is pos- sessed enable the members to indulge their indolent propensities : and, utterly devoid of entei'prise, they are content to live upon their annuities,, or to add to them only in cases where their more limited amount renders indi\ddual exertion for this purpose neces- sary. The Eed Indians in Canada derive the prin- cipal portion of their revenue from the sale of those lands which thev own as reserves. These thev are very reluctant to part with ; and although they are valueless now for the purpose of the chase, they still love to wander through those forests which, in days of vore. formed the huntino'-o rounds of their fore- fathers, and to paddle in their bark canoes along the well-settled margin of lakes formerly visited by them in the exercise of their right of savage proprietorship. Now, however, as this part of the country becomes more thickly populated, the aborigines will be com- pelled to cede to the insatiable settler acre after acre, until, congregated in villages, and dependent for support upon their pecuniary means alone, they will gradually lose their savage tastes and roving propen- sities, and, in spite of their natural indolence, may, it

SOCIAL CONDITIO' UF THE INDIAN'S. 49

is to be hoped, by being subjected to a proper educa- tional system, and a judicious superintendence on the part of the Government, become qualified to assume the functions and responsibilities of ciTilised members of society. In the mean time, so lono; as thev remain in a semi-civilised condition, a orradual decrease must continue ; and as their entire number throughout the province does not exceed 15,000, they will form but a fraction of the entire community.

^e en2:aD:ed two bark canoes and some Indians at Eama, for the purpose of descending the river Severn, to Sturgeon Bay, a settlement upon the south shore of Lake Hiu'on ; thence we hoped to pursue our voyage in a more civilised manner to Owen Sound, where I wished to ^isit the Indian viUao-e of Xawash. and then to j^roceed, amid the wooded islands of Georgian Bay, to Lake Superior.

D

CHAPTER VI.

A BAEK- CANOE VOYAGE DOWN THE SEVERN.

The Severn is a fine river, which flows through a district in Upper Canada entirely uncleared as yet. It foils, after a course of fifty or sixty miles, into Georgian Bay, connecting Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe with that arm of Lake Huron. On account, however, of its numerous falls and rapids, it is only navigable for bark canoes ; and, except upon expedi- tions, such as ours, it is rarely traversed even by them. In our eyes, its solitary character and the romantic scenery on its banks were its principal attractions. Havinof reduced our luo-o-aoe to the smallest possible dimensions, and put our fishing- tackle into good order, it only remained for us to make ourselves comfortable by spreading a quantity of plucked fern and juniper branches at the bottom of our canoes. Bury and I reclined sumptuously in one, with about as much accommodation as a ship's hammock would afi'ord to two moderately stout individuals. However, as we were less likely to upset by being so closely jammed together that we

SCENERY ABOUT LAKE SIMCOE. 51

could scarcely move, we became reconciled to our position between Bonaquum ("Thunderbolt"), who knelt at the bows and paddled, and his brother Kabeshquum (" Triumphant "), who steered. The other canoe contained Captain Anderson, an assist- ant-superintendent of Indians, whose experience in such expeditions, and knowledge of the Indian character and language, were most valuable — and Babehwum (" Snow-storm "), whose son, as an exem- plification of the effect of civilisation over the ele- ments, called himself simply John Storm. As the wind was fair, we rigged our blankets upon sticks cu.t for the purpose ; and, with all sail set, we glided rapidly on, sometimes threading our way through narrow channels, past low wooded islands, until in about two hours we found ourselves upon the green waters of the Severn.

Lake Simcoe is the highest of the Canadian lakes, having an elevation of seven hundred feet above the level of the sea. The scenery at the point of debouchure was very beautiful. Masses of richly variegated foliage clothed the banks, and bent over until the river rippled among the leaves. Often dark shadows reached across it, or were chequered by sunbeams glancing through the branches upon the clear and singularly light-coloured water. As we proceeded, we exchanged for the calm surface of the lake, and the islands which seemed to rest on its bosom, rock and rapid, until at last the torrent became too tumultuous for our frail canoes. Mean-

52 A FIRST EXPERIMENT AT

time we had not been engaged only in enjoying the beauties of nature, we had adopted the usual mode of trolling in this part of the world with copper spoons, which, twisting rapidly through the water, formed a bright and attractive bait ; so that, upon arriving at the first portage, we congratulated our- selves upon the prospect of lunching off half-a-dozen black bass, weighing from two to five pounds each.

While the Indians were engaged, under the able superintendence of Captain Anderson, in culinary operations. Bury and I appropriated one of the empty canoes, and explored a deep bend in the river, in which we discovered a tempting rapid, and we took advantage of its seclusion to make the experi- ment of shootino- the canoe down the foamino; waters: the excitement which in all cases attends this pro- ceeding being materially enhanced by the circum- stance that we were novices in the art, and, having been expressly warned of its difiiculty, felt our honour involved in the success of the enterprise.

There are few occasions where coolness and pre- sence of mind are more necessary than in steering a canoe amid hidden rocks, while it is whirled towards them with inconceivable velocity by the impetuous current. There is no hope left of regain- ing the bank, no possibility of turning the canoe, no alternative remaining but to keep her head straight at it and trust to Providence, a strong arm, and a steady eye, to float you at last safely upon the calm waters beyond. We placed ourselves, one at

SHOOTING THE RAPIDS. 53

the bows and the other at the stern ; and as the canoe rocked violently about, and the white waves dashed into her, we found it so difficult to maintain our equilibrium that it was impossible to keep our attention fixed upon the important duty of steering; and, indeed, as we were hurried and tossed along, the disagreeable conviction soon forced itself upon us, that we exercised very little influence over our own fate. However, it seemed inclined to favour us upon this occasion, in spite of our having so rashly tempted it ; and we were just beginning to breathe again when we struck upon a projecting ledge of rock, with a crash that nearly jerked us out of the canoe. Swinging round stern foremost, she dropped into the deep water, and began to fill rapidly through a gaping rent in her bows. Fortunately we were close to the bank, and a few vigorous strokes of the paddle brought us to shore without further damage to ourselves than being wet through ; and, leaving our shattered bark high and dry, we returned with doleful and penitent countenances to our Indians to inform them of the results of our rashness, and to grumble over the delay it was likely to occasion. However, it was some satisfaction to hear that the rapid was one which the Indians them- selves never attempted ; and if any further consolation was needed, we found it in some excellent fried bass. When we had dried our clothes and chosen a grassy sward, under the shade of a wide-spreading beech, upon which we could luxuriously recline, and,

54 CAMPING FOR THE NIGHT.

inhaling fragrant tobacco, gaze listlessly upon tlie lovely scene, we sank into tlie full enjoyment of that sensation which those who have lived much in the East are more thoroughly able to appreciate, and which is so well expressed there by the single word " Kief."

Meantime the Indians were actively employed patching up the canoe with strijDS of birch bark, which they ripped for that purpose off the trees, sewing them firmly across the rent, and then gum- ming all tight in a most scientific and waterproof manner. When the process was finished, they car- ried the empty canoes across the rocky portage — fortunately a short one of about three hundred yards — while we followed with the luggage and comestibles.

The sun was sinking behind the tojDs of the highest trees when we were again afloat, and, as evening closed in, the efi'ects were often very beauti- ful. Our good-humour was, moreover, thoroughly restored by great success with our copper spoons ; and it was with some regret that, after making about ten miles more, we found it was time to think of camping for the night.

There is always plenty of employment for every- body on these occasions. Some make the fire and collect wood ; others clear away the underwood, and spread fern and leafy branches to serve as a bed ; others cut tent-poles, and the rest bring up the con- tents of the canoes. Bury and I used to consider it

DRESSED FOE DINNER. 55

a duty to plunge into the river morning and even- ing, besides indulging in an occasional swim through- out the day, when a hot sun and a clear deep pool formed an irresistible combination.

In less than an hour the bath is over, and we are dressed for dinner in the flannel costume in which we pass the night. The various components of that meal are hissino; and bubblins^, and manifestino; other signs of impatience to be taken off the fire ; the tent is pitched in the levellest place, which is abundantly strewed with leaves ; and all that we possess with us is scattered about in grotesque confusion. Wet clothes are hung on branches above the fire to dry ; and with our legs tucked under us, and our plates in our laps, we look complacently round, and consider ourselves the most enviable of mortals.

The Indians had drawn up the canoes and tilted them on their sides, and, spreading a tarpaulin over all, they managed thus to hut themselves very com- fortably. Dinner finished, we became excessively social over large tin pannikins full of strong green tea. The Captain and Bonaquum were evidently the wits of the party, and I have no doubt made excel- lent puns in Chippeway, as their conversation created great merriment, in which, of course, we both joined, upon the principle recognised in civilised society, of seeming to enjoy a joke whether you take it or not. Meantime I amused myself sketching the group. Bury became sentimental under the influence of the potent beverage he was imbibing, and lapsed gra-

56 A POETICAL EFFUSION.

dually into a dreamy semi-conscious state, from which, to the astonishment of everybody, he suddenly awoke, and expressed his sentiments upon the proceedings of the day in the following glowing stanza : —

Now the light bark o'er pool and rapid shoots,

Now glances where the angry waters boil,

'Neath tall old trees, whose giant gnarled roots

Eat deep into the soft alhi"\dal soil.

Now over rocky portage paths we toil,

Our freight in some still lake to launch again ;

And as we go, the sombre forest aisle

Re-echoes back a plaintive Indian strain —

Some wild old legend of this lovely land.

Ere yet 'twas wrested from the red man's hand.

The only part of this effusion which was altogether a poetical license was about the wild old legend, which we had certainly not been favoured with. However, it suggested the idea ; and Kabeshquum, who was reputed the musical genius of the party, was forth- with called upon for " a plaintive Indian strain." After a little modest coyness, and having secured a second from Bonaquum, and a chorus from the rest of the party, he lifted up his clear sweet voice, and, with a comical accent, he informed the amazed company that he was about

" To hang his harp on a willow tree, And off to the wars again."

It would have been impossible for Kabeshquum to have P'iven a more sudden and violent shock to one^s

DISENCHANTMENT — JOHN STORM. 57

whole sentimental system, than when he expressed his regret in the words of that tender ditty — •

" That lie had not loved with a boyish love."

The whole effect was exquisitely ludicrous, and, at the same time, highly significant of the change which had passed over the land and its original inhabitants since it " had been wrested from the red man's hand."

It was indeed enough to look at our companions, to be disenchanted of all those associations which in moments of romantic credulity we had attached to Red Indians, from the novels of Washington Irving or Cooper. It was difficult to recognise an "Uncas" in the mild besotted features and homely Saxon cos- tume of John Storm, who, having been very weU educated, and having lived in the immediate neigh- bourhood of a large town, spoke English perfectly, and embellished it with sundry genuine Yankee expres- sions, which he delivered with a strong nasal twang. He wore an old shooting-coat, a red flannel shirt, canvass trousers, and a straw hat. He had a light copper complexion ; a flat, ugly face, and powerful limbs. He was extremely talkative, and utterly destitute of that grace and dignity which, as a war- rior of the " Bear Band," it was to be expected that he should possess. As is the custom with Indian warriors, however, he narrated his deeds of valour in fight ; which, out of respect for the ashes of his great ancestor, Nainegeshkung, I shall retail in the hyper-

58 AN IXDIAN WAPtPaOE's STOEY.

bolical language which would have been used by that celebrated chief himself, side by side with the actual expressions of his descendant, so that the white men may perceive the effect of ci^dlisation upon the young men of his once powerful tribe : —

An Indian Warrior's Story as it An Indian Warrior's Story as

OUGHT to have BEEN TOLD. HE TOLD IT.

The Chippeway met the Mohawk Me and Bonaquiim was a-loafing

in the lodge of the Palefaces, and the about the bar of a tavern to Kingston

yonng warrior Bonaquum, standing one day, when in comes one of them

proudly erect with conscious dignity, Mohawk critturs, and we got to

pointed to the sky and said, " Many liquoring up one another, and come

suns have passed, and many warriors pretty friendly (pointing to his grog

have lived and died, since my fathers with his short pipe). Bonaquum

led theii' people to the battle. Then said to the Mohawk if he minded of

the red men brightened their toma- the old fights of oiir forefathers, and

hawks, and shaipened their scalping took to scaling him about it, and said

knives against each other ; but the in those days we could fight consider-

hearts of the Mohawks were like able some, and was allers more than

water ; their men were squaws, and a match for them varmin ; and he

their women owls ; and now, though stood up for it that we was the most

the Palefaces are thicker than swal- g-wine a-head roudy set of chaps yet ;

lows in siimmei', the race of the Chip- and one way and another got to rilin

peway tipholds the earth : it is the of him so smart, that he squared up,

grandfather of nations." The Mo- and asked Bonaquum if he was a

hawk uttered an expressive ugh. man, and he said yes ; so he told him

" The Chippeway is a dog. His to come on, and began to rip and

tongue is loud in the viUage, but in snort so tremenjiis, that Bonaquum

battle it is still. His enemy knows thought, tarnation ! and said he didn't

the shape of his back, but not the believe in fighting, and wasn't a-g\sine

colour of his eyes. The Mohawk to. But I looked pretty ugly, and

will show that he has spoken the said I would give him a tmni with

truth ; let the Chippeway prove that fists if he would come on, and we

he lies." And the wan-ior flung hLs went at it regular rough and tvunble,

arm wildly over his head, as his you never seen the like. He gin me

bosom heaved and his eyes flashed the first Hck; it made me feel sorter

fire. But the Chippeway remained mad, and after that we got peggin

unmoved. Silently puffing forth a away face to face and no dodgin, and

cloud of fragrant kinuick-kinnick, he I s'pose I didn't jest pile on the agony

cast a contemptuous and withering about his ears and smeller ; the wav

AN INDIAN WAREIOR's STORY. 59

glance at the Mohawk. " The Chip- I pitched it into him was a caution

peway is a trader. He lives with the to mules, I tell ye. At last I

Palefaces. He drinks fire-water, and takes him fair between the eyes, and

enjoys his squaws. He wears no blinded him amost ; and afore he

longer the scalp-lock of the savage, knew where he was, I punches him

Let the sanguinary Mohawk sharpen in the wind, and that settles him, and

his tomahawk for barbarians, and we went home pretty spry, I guess.

retire to the prairies of the bu.ffalo." The boys took the change out of

Then the son of Babehwvim, whom Bonaquum, though ; he was afraid to

the Palefaces called John Storm, show his nose in the village for a

stepped loftily forward, and, lifting week and more.

his voice to a pitch of terrific energy,

exclaimed — " A warrior of the band

of the Bear cannot listen longer to

the yelp of a Mohawk hound. The

blood of the bear has been in many

chiefs, and what shall be said to the

old men of the tribe if we bear this ?

The women will point their fingers

at us. There is a dark spot on the

names of the Chippeways, and it

must be hid in blood." His voice

was no longer audible in the burst of

rage ; and rushing furiously upon the

Mohawk, he hurled him to the

ground, which was deluged in

blood. There was rejoicing that

night in the lodge of Babehwum, and

his squaws sang songs of triumph ;

but as for the caitiff Bonaquum, his

name is never mentioned by the

young men — it is already forgotten.

We were up before daylight on the following morning, and, after a good fish breakfast, were again on our way. I had scarcely thrown in my trolling- line when it was nearly jerked out of my hand by a most unexpected and violent tug. A bark canoe is not the most convenient place from which to play a large fish ; and in my inexperienced eagerness I hauled away pretty steadily, bringing to the surface

CO THE FALLS OF THE SEVERN.

with some difficulty a fine maskelonge, weighing at least twenty-five pounds. He came splashing and plunging up to the side of the canoe, and I had lifted him out of the water when the hook gave way, and I lost as fine a fish as I ever had at the end of a line. However, I was consoled soon after by taking some fine pickerel, weighing from five to eight pounds each ; and before luncheon hooked another maske- longe, when Bury, profiting by experience, was ready with his gafi"-hook, and jerked him most scientifically into the canoe, much to the delight of the Indians. Though not nearly so large as the first, he was a respectable fish, weighing about eighteen pounds.

The scenery in the place was bold and rocky, the banks often lofty and preciiDitous, and the current always strong, with an occasional rapid. We lunched at a portage, which we were obliged to make in order to avoid the falls of the Severn, which are about twenty-five feet in height, and surrounded by fine scenery. There are rapids above and below the falls, so that the difi'erence of level between the upper and lower banks of the portage is not less than fifty feet.

While the produce of our morning's industry were impaled upon sticks in various attitudes, or being otherwise scientifically treated in methods known to the Indians, I amused myself fishing for bass with a light trout-rod and a bait, having in vain thrown a fly in many tempting pools. I found pork most efficacious, if it was not very sportsmanlike, and in half an hour I had caught between thirty and forty

A DISMAL NIGHT. 61

pounds of bass, some of tliem so large as to give me some trouble with sucli light tackle.

In the afternoon we landed on a rocky island famous for rattlesnakes, by way of varying the ex- citement. Though we beat about the bushes for some time, we were destined not to be gratified by hearing the warning rattle ; and having killed five other snakes of various descriptions, we glided quietly on our way, without further incident beyond killing two more fine maskelonge and getting a shot at a wild duck. I was much disappointed with the great scarcity of all kinds of game upon the banks of the river, which, from their solitary character and the excellent cover they aff'ord, in any other country would have been abundant.

A thick mist, followed by a steady rain, induced us to think of camping early, and under the most dismal cii'cumstances. The musquitoes literally hived upon us ; and being wet through at any rate, we took to the river in despair, and sat up to our noses in water, thus exposing as little of our persons as possible to their depredations. Two or three large fires drew them off" from the camp to some extent ; and by eating our dinners in the midst of the smoke, we gained a little peace at the expense of a tempo- rary loss of eyesight. To add to our miseries, the rain was incessant, and the ground, upon which we were obliged to stretch our already damp limbs, soaking. Even tobacco failed to reconcile one alto- gether to one's lot. The Indians cowered wretchedly

62 UNSUCCESSFUL TROLLING.

under the miserable shelter of the canoe, and we lay upon our backs and watched the rain trickle through the canvass of our tent, and tried in vain not to lie in the puddles it formed. However, a considerable training to discomfort has rendered my powers of sleep proof against ever}i:hing but absolute pain, and I was soon unconscious of existence ; — more fortu- nate than my companion, who had remained awake to his miseries almost until morning, and then was disturbed by finding that an enormous toad had taken up a permanent lodgment upon his forehead.

I was not tempted by la douce chaleur de mon lit to linger in it a moment longer than was necessary next morning, and daylight found us stimulating the circulation by vigorous strokes of the paddle as we rapidly pursued our voyage. We preferred break- fasting at a fashionable hour, instead of making that meal before starting, as upon the previous morning. We were somewhat disappointed in our sport. The tus; of the maskelono-e did not send its excitino- thrill through one's veins. We caught quantities of vora- cious pike instead, which we threw back into the river, contentino- ourselves vith occasional bass and pickerel. Even these we were obliged to leave at the portages, taking over only sufiicient for our next meal, and trusting to our good luck to catch enough for all succeedino- ones.

We passed some more falls, and through scenery of much the same character as on the preceding day. To judge from the appearance of the timber.

STURGEON BAY. LOAFERS. 63

the land did not seem to be of a fine quality. On account, however, of the magnificent water-power which the river affords, and the quantity of pine upon its banks, there is every probability that mills will be erected before long at every eligible site. There is a very thriving one already built near the mouth ; and the construction of a railway to Penetanquishene, a town upon Georgian Bay, will help to open up this almost luiexplored tract of country. The wood sawn at these mills is at pre- sent chiefly sent to places upon the American shore of Lake Huron. The towns, which are rapidly springing up both on the Canadian and American sides of this lake, are increasing the demand for lumber to a great extent.

It is about six miles from the mouth of the Severn to Sturgeon Bay, a wretched place, consisting of a cabin, dignified with the name of an inn, which was kept by a slovenly Irish couple, who allowed us a few square feet of room in which to place our effects, with a considerable risk of their beino' stolen unless we mounted guard over them alternately. A number of those rough " loafers " who prowl about the outskirts of civilisation, for the purpose of preying upon mexpe- rienced settlers, fiUed the bar, and were anything but agreeable companions. Fortunately we had not long- to wait before we were enabled to place our luggage in safety on board the steamboat, and then taxed our invention to discover some mode of amusing our- selves until the stages should arrive from Orillia,

64 A DIFFICULTY.

which place, while it is sixty miles distant by the route we had traversed, may be reached in twenty by a cross country road. The steamer only touches here for the sake of passengers arriving by this road, as the country in the immediate neighbourhood wears a most desolate aspect, and is entirely uncleared.

The shores are low and marshy, the water shallow and muddy, so that, in order to get a comfortable bath, Bury and I took the canoe some distance from shore, and jumped out of her ; but then, to our dis- may, arose a difficulty which, from our inexperience of this sort of craft, we had never calculated upon. It is a very easy matter to jump out of a birch bark canoe, but it is a very different thing getting into her again. The slightest pressure from T\'ithout tilts her right over ; and, apart from the inconvenience which such a catastroj)he must have entailed of depriving us of om- clothes, we were so far from shore that the prospect of a voyage thither in an undressed condi- tion, astride upon the bottom of a canoe, was any- thing but agreeable. In vain did we endeavour, one after the other, to shp nimbly in, first over the bows, then at the side, then at the stern ; we only suc- ceeded in lettino; enouo-h water over the side to wet our clothes at the bottom, and we were beoinnino; to swim round and round in desj)air, when we thought that a united effort might possibly be successful. Swimming to opposite sides of the canoe, we each carefully seized it at the same moment, and bringing first an arm, then a leg over, made the final spring.

A WELL-TIMED SPRING. 65

Alas ! it was not simultaneous, and we fell sprawling back, just in time to save the canoe from upsetting altogether. It was evident, in order to get the other leg m, the utmost precision in our movements was requisite, and it was therefore arranged that I should give the time — one, tivo, three; accordingly, having arrived without difficulty at the same stage of affairs as before, we brought our chins over the gunwale, and I had got as far as tivo, when the intensely grave and anxious exjDression of my companion's countenance appearing above his naked leg and arm, the absurdity of his whole attitude, and the consciousness that my own corresponded exactly to it, presented to my ima- gination a tableau so exquisitely ludicrous, that, instead of uttering three, I rolled off the canoe in such a fit of laughter, that I was almost incapacitated from ever trjdng to get into it again, from the quantity of water I swallowed. By this time we had both be- come so exhausted, that it was no laughing matter, and I never felt more disposed to be serious in my life than when, once more in similar graceful attitude, I gave the word three. It was followed by a well- timed spring ; and although the canoe was half full of water, we put on our dripping clothes with the greatest possible satisfaction.

Towards evening the stages arrived with a large and nondescript cargo of passengers — emigrants from Europe, speculators from the States, tourists from all parts of the world, rough backwoodsmen, and myste- rious characters, journeying towards the limits of

E

66 PENETANQUISHENE.

civilisatiuii, fur reasons best known to themselves. All joined in the scramble for the l^erths which lined the saloon of the steamer. Onr early appearance had obtained for ns the first choice ; and having paid onr late host his charo'c — or rather havins; charg-ed ourselves a sum which seemed reasonable, as he was too drunk to be able to make a demand — we turned in. To a person who has never made a voyage upon the American lakes in the steamboats which traverse them, the first efiect is very singular. The whole pas- senger accommodation is upon deck. Sometimes there are cabins opening off the saloons : but in the boat we were in, the berths were screened off simply by curtains suspended to bars, which projected a little beyond the berth, so that there was just room enotigh allowed for the process of dressing. Few persons, however, thought it necessary to make use of these, and the great ma- jority of toilets, therefore, took place in the saloon.

Morning fotmd us entering a large bay, with undti- latino;, well-wooded shores. At the further end lay the prettily situated town of Penetanquishene, which, being interpreted into English, means " moving sand." It is now chiefly inhabited by pensioners, French Canadians, and half-breeds. The fort, about three miles distant, was formerly garrisoned, as its position is such as to cause it to be considered the key to Upper Canada. There is no countrv in the neioiibourhood to render it a place of any mercantile importance ; and althouoh one of the oldest settlements in this part of Canada, other towns upon the same coast are destined soon to surpass it both in wealth and popu-

OOLLINGWOOD. — SYDENHAM.

67

lation. We did not stay long at Penetanquishene ; tliougli I sliould have been glad to linger awliile amid the lovely scenery which surrounds the town. Threading our way through narrow channels, we passed Christian Island, now uninhabited, but so called, because two hundred years ago the first mis- sionaries established themselves there. Then crossing the extensive bay of Nottawasaga, at the head of which is situated the newly-formed town of Colling wood, we reached Owen Sound in the afternoon — a deep in- let, the natural advantages of which have given birth to Sydenham, a thriving place, containing 1500 in- habitants, and adjoining the Indian village of Na wash.

Kabeshquum, Bonaquurn, and BabPb-wum,

CHAl'TEH VIT.

A RIDE TO THE INDIAN VILLAGE OF SAUGEEN.

The peninsula at the base of wliicli Nawash is situ- ated, belonged to the tribe resident there jointly with those Indians settled at the mouth of the Sau- geen river, upon the western shore of Lake Huron. A few months later in the year I had occasion to visit Nawash a second time, when I was sent to make a treaty ^\ith the Indians for the surrender to the Crown of this peninsula. As I was then ol)liged to cross thronp;h the woods to the Saugeen river, I may take this opportunity of describing the journey, as it was through a country likely before long to attract considerable attention, as affording the most profitable field for emigration in Upper Canada. Even then nothing could exceed the avidity with which the land in the immediate neighbourhood was being taken up by settlers. In crossing over the narrow peninsula which divides Georgian Bay from Lake Huron, I on every side met with evidences of an enterprising and rapidly augmenting population.

FROM SYDENHAM TO SAUGEEN. 69

It was interesting to pass throiigli this district in the very first stage of its development. Tlie road had quite recently been opened. It was nothing more than a trace through the wood, of regulation width. Many of the fallen trees still lay rotting in the mud ; or, in the form of huge charred logs, blocked up the way. Not a stump had been eradicated. There they stood, obstinate and firm, with spreading roots impeding the passage of the wayfarer, as if indignant at the sacrilege which had laid so many forest giants low, and determined in consequence to cause as much inconvenience to the public as possible. The road from Balaklava to the camp was a joke compared with that which connects Sydenham with Saugeen. It was with the greatest difficulty that we managed on horseback to pick our way through the mud and stumps ; and every now and then we came upon a waggon hopelessly imbedded, which a team of bullocks were struggling in vain to extricate, and around which strong sturdy backwoodsmen, with flannel shirts, and boots reaching up to their thighs, were congregated, imploring, imprecating, belaboring, and pushing by turns. A Avoman and some children were tramping it through the mud ahead, and a few more children were thrown carelessly on the top of the chattels in the waggon, looking helpless, and strad- dling like puppies in a hay -loft.

The road is very straight, as there are no hills of any consequence. Sometimes there are long

ii ^-n^^ ">">

70 A LOGGING '■' BEE

cypress swamps, and over tliem felled trees are placed, maldng a corduroy causeway, most danger- ous to tlie horses' legs. However, it is a com- fort to get a swamp that is so bad as to require artificial means to keep one from disappearing alto- gether, and slippery logs are an agreeable change from deep mud ; and occasionally, but very rarely, a bit of snake-fencing indicates a settler, and a little log cabin is seen, surrounded by an acre of stumps and a few square yards of potatoes — the popu- lation of the clearino; beins; half-a-dozen chickens, a dog, a man, and a cow. They all look drooping and melancholy, and watch the waggon toiling through the mud, in a dejected, compassionate way, as if they thought that the proprietor was taking a great deal of trouble to discoA^er a spot in which to be thoroughly miserable for the rest of his life.

Occasionally the scene is more cheerful. There is a loo'o;ino; bee, and the neighbours have come to assist a new settler to roll up the fallen trees into heaps and burn them. Oxen and men are noisily and busily engaged, and huge fires make a jovial crackling, as though they rejoiced to do their share of the work of civilisation. Gradually these sounds die upon the ear; the forest is more silent than ever. As we pass between rows of tall, stately trees, it is difficult to believe that in a few years the eye will range over smiling fields of wa\dng corn, and the locomotive will dart over ground where we are now so wearily picking our steps.

A BEILLIANT SUNSET. 7]

It was towards evening that I found myself gloom- ily making invidious contrasts between my present progress and tliat of future travellers, when, reaching the brow of a hill, I was reproved for indulging in such a discontented frame of mind, and such utilita- rian ideas, by one of the most brilliant sunsets I ever beheld, and the full effect of which I never could have appreciated in a railway. The sky was like burnished copper. The sinking sun seemed to illumine the long vista before us. It cast its fiery light upon the already glowing leaves of the maple ; made the stumpy, muddy road look bright and cheerful ; pol- ished up the old waggon and its occupants ; and the avenue itself looked so endless, and led so straight into the blaze, that these seemed jolting away to the celestial regions by a route known only to themselves. When that delusion was dispelled, and the night grew so dark as to render onward progress impossible, they pulled up by the wayside, and, lighting a fire under the trees, grouped picturesquely round it, and made their evening meal, preparatory to a common couch inside the waggon. We pushed on. In spite of the promising sunset, the sky became overcast. Large drops of rain began to fall. I could not see my horse's head, and trusted to his instinct entirely to find, or rather make, his way. There was no danger of losing it, for it was impossible to go in any direction but the right, and difficult enough to do that.

At last we gave it up, and were preparing to follow

72 SCOTCH ENTERTAINERS.

the example of our friends in the waggon, when the bark of a dog invited us to persevere a little longer, and w^e rapped, with feelings of gratitude, at the door of a log cabin, which was opened by a hearty-looking young fellow, whose pretty wife sat rocking a cradle near the fire, and whose cantankerous dog snarled at the unusual ^usitors. However, an old traveller makes himself at home anvwhere, and never allows an ene- my to remain one long. These rules are easy to follow in the backwoods, how difficult soever may be their application in more civilised life ; and we all sat down to tea round a table of our host's own manufacture, in an easy social way, and listened to the pelting rain as if there had never been a possibility of our being exposed to it during the whole night. When our kind entertainers found that I had but recently come from Scotland, and actually knew their former laird, their hospitality knew no bounds. Buttered toast immediately suggested itself to the fertile imagination of the good lady, as a worthy delicacy to so distin- guished a personage. Her husband was positively cruel to the child if it dared to cry ; the dog was sum- marily ejected, much to his astonishment ; the cow was equally taken aback at being called upon for an unexpected supply of milk ; all sorts of hidden dain- ties were produced from a large chest, which princi- pally contained wearing ap23arel, — in fact, nothing was omitted to do us honour ; and so confidential and comfortable did we become over our pipes, that it was late when we thought of going to bed. There was a

SAUGEEN. 73

little difficulty here, as the log-hut consisted of only one room, and boasted only one bed. It was useless our insisting upon being allowed to stretch ourselves upon the floor, — neither the gudeman nor the gude- wife would hear of a gentleman that knew their laird sleeping on the floor, and they in the bed. Fortunately, there was a sort of half loft filled with potatoes, &c., and approached by a ladder, and up this the worthy couple clambered, hauling up baby, cradle, and all, in spite of our remonstrances ; though, perhaps, as the baby was of very tender years, or rather months, we were undertaking a responsibility for which we were scarcely qualified, in begging that it might be left below.

We were on horseback again soon after daylight, and, in spite of the remonstrances of our kind hosts, bade adieu to them during a pitiless storm, which drenched us through long before we arrived at the remote settlement of Saugeen, which was for the pre- sent our destination. The town only contains a few hundred inhabitants, and is quite in its infancy. Situated at the mouth of a river of the same name, it derives its advantage of position from the harbour which is thus aff'orded upon a coast where harbours of any sort are scarce. Its value in this respect is materially reduced, from the difficulty of running into the river, and the shallowness of the water over the bar. It is, however, susceptible of improvement, and the rapid increase of population in the neighbourhood will insure this.

74 EIVALPvY OF TOWNS.

There is scarcely an acre of government laiicl left throngliout tlie counties of Grey and Bruce, in whicli the towns of Sydenham and Saugeen are situated ; and we found the bars at the road-side taverns filled with squatters or speculators, inveighing loudly against the alleged dishonesty of the government land-agents, organised into gangs, bound upon the charitable mission of forcibly ejecting peaceable un- protected settlers, and appropriating their premises. All sorts of "chiselling" goes forward upon these occa- sions ; and there is plenty of scope for it, according to the present system pursued by government. The most satisfactory way to all parties is to allow them to buy their land by auction, and not to acquire it by establishing pre-emptive claims to it by previous squatting.

Considerable rivalry exists between the towns of Saugeen, Sydenham, and Collingwood, since the pro- sperity of each is in some degree contingent upon its becoming the principal emporium of the traffic to and from Lake Superior and the North-west. A railway is already finished from Toronto to Colling- wood ; but the soil of the adjoining country is not nearly equal to that of the neighbourhood of the other towns, while it is questionable whether, in spite of the efforts that are being made, the harbour will ever be a very safe one. The passage down Georgian Bay is long and intricate, and frozen up at an earlier period of the year than Lake Huron itself. Sydenham is also exposed to this disadvantage, but its harbour is

A GRxlND COUNCIL OF INDIANS. 75

good and the country fertile. Saugeen is perhaps more favourably situated than either of the two, as the passage thither from the Sault Ste. Marie is the longest open, and most direct ; and a railway from thence to Toronto will pass through 150 miles of the finest land in Upper Canada. The town stands upon a promontory of considerable elevation, formed by the river and the lake. The American shore opposite is of course not visible. The Indian village is two miles up the river, and a number of their wigwams were pitched upon the opposite bank. I crossed over to them in a bark canoe, but there was nothing tempting in the aspect either of the interiors or their occupants. When the chiefs and young men of the different tribes had assembled at the village, a grand council was held in the church, to consider the proposals of government, which involved an immense consumption of tobacco, smoked in solid pipes of red clay, with long ornamented stems. The palaver was protracted until the small hours of the morning, and resulted in an interesting exhibition of artistic skill on the part of the chiefs, each one of Avhom affixed to the treaty his totem, or the representation of the animal which dis- tinguished his family or clan. The use of the totem is more particularly confined to the Chippeways. Although the members of a band bearing the same totem often number some hundreds, they are not allowed to intermarry. These distinctions are, how- ever, gradually becoming obsolete among the more civilised Indians in C^anada.

76 IXDIAN TRAIL. A SHORT CUT.

The effect of this treaty was to open up to settle- ment, almost tlie whole of the Saugeen peninsula, comprising about 500,000 acres of land, of such a cjuality as to insure the speedy occupation of the whole tract. The annuities which the Indians them- selves will derive from the sale of these lands will amount to a very considerable sum.

We determined to return to Sydenham by the Indian trail ; and, turning our backs one fine morning upon the rough backwood tavern at Avhich we had been lodging, we swam our horses across the river, and dived into the woods. Our party was a large one, consisting of five whites, and six or seven In- dians. These latter picked their way over fallen trees and through cypress swamps, with such rapidity, that it was often difficult to keep up with them upon horseback. At last we got tired of following the de- vious course of the trail, and one of our party pro- posed a short cut, of which he avowed himself cognis- ant. In a moment of credulity we allowed ourselves to be persuaded to take his advice, and parted from our Indian guides.

As the forest was clear of underwood, we had no difficulty in making our way without a path, follow- ing simply the notches — or blaze, as it is called — which backwoodsmen make upon the trees to guide them through these trackless forests. It required a sharp eye to detect these scars in the bark, often so nearly healed over as to be scarcely discernible ; and we were often thrown out and oblio'ed to hark back

LOST IN THE WOOD. 77

some hundreds of yards to the last blaze, and make a fresh start. The difficulty of finding our way was always increased at the cypress swamps, which in- volved detours of great extent ; and upon these occa- sions the blaze always ceased, and required to be picked up again when we got into our direction upon the other side. There was only one river to cross ; and on searching for a ford, our party got separated. Three of us waded the river at a shallow place higher up, and lost the blaze on the other side. We then pursued oiu^ way by instinct, breaking twigs as we went along, to enable us, if necessary, to retrace our steps, and keeping as far as possible, apart, so as to insure, to some extent at least, a straight course. To add to our miseries, it began to rain heavily.

We had been for some hours wandering discon- solately through the wood, and I was beginning to wish myself back again upon the Indian trail, when we unexpectedly came u]3on two rough-look- ing characters, with hatchets in their hands, prowling about through the wood, and blazing the trees as they went along. We found, upon speaking to them, that all the government land having been taken up, they were coming to squat surrepti- tiously upon Indian territory, trusting to the remote situation in which they intended to commence operations to save them from discovery, and deter- mined to defend their own against all comers, should it be necessary. We told them that, by waiting for

78 FEELING FOK THE " BLAZE."

a few nioiitlis, they would have an opportunity of pureliasing the huul instead of a[)propriating it ille- gally, and thus avoid the liabilities to whieh, by their present conduct, they were exposing themselves. In return for our information they offered us the only shelter they possessed themselves, which was nothing more than a slantino' screen made of branches, and protected from the weather by its snug situation under the bank of a small river. Gettino; as far back as the limited space allowed, we rested our Aveary limbs upon dry leaves and bushes — refreshed our sinkino; interiors with hot o-reen-tea and biscuits — dried our damp clothes, and warmed our damj) bodies by the lire — unsaddled our steeds, and otherwise availed ourselves of every accommodation for man or beast which the place afforded. The lateness of the hour, however, did not admit of any very length- ened stay with our good-natured entertainers. They directed us to follow the blaze until we reached the trail, and we started again with some lu^pes of reach- ing our journey's end.

Nol)ody who has had much experience of Ixick- woods ever thinks of hallooino; until he is out of them : and as the nio'ht drew on, there did not seem anv immediate prospect of our having thus to exert our lungs. It soon got so dark that we were obliged to feel for the blaze, and there is a hopelessness attending this operation which induces one very soon to give it up. AVe were just beginning to feel anxiously in our pockets for matches in antici})ation of camping it out. when one

SYDENHAM AGAIN.— LAND-HUNTEllS. 79

of our })arty joyfully announced that lie had struck the trail, and we soon after came upon all the Indians resting themselves at a log bridge. It was now pitch dark. For hours we plodded on. After this, our horses were so done up that we were obliged to lead them. Sometimes the mud and water reached to our waists, and w^e narrowly escaped being bogged. It was with intense delight that, at about ten o'clock at night, we saw the lights of Sydenham, having scarcely tasted anything since the morning. We were thoroughly exhausted by our day's work. For a week past I had undergone considerable fatigue ; and it was but a melancholy satisfaction to find that I stood it better than my horse ; — the poor beast could scarcely stagger into his stable, and died there from his exertions a day or two afterwards.

A great proportion of the population of Syden- ham seemed comj^osed of land-hunters. Parties were continually exploring the neighbourhood ; some re- turning after an unsuccessful search ; some, having hit upon a location, and made a beginning, came into town for supplies, leaving it again immediately for their shanties in the woods, fearing lest they should find them appropriated on their return if they re- mained too lono; absent : others there were who had long since passed through this stage of squatting, and, secure in their possession of a well-stocked thriving farm, or prosperous saw-mills, had come to spend their hard-gotten earnings sociably, by lounging for a week at tavern-bars, where they discoursed upon

80 INVENTING NAMES FOE CITIES.

their prospects, congratulated one another upon towns which were springing up upon their respective farm- lots, and searched old novels, or taxed their powers of invention, for " neat and appropriate " names to bestow" upon these embryo cities.

CHAP TEE VIII.

THE ANNUAL DISTEIBUTION OF INDIAN PRESENTS AT MANITOULIN — GEORGIAN BAY.

Steaming out of Owen Sound, we found ourselves once more in Georgian Bay, and the following day entered a deep harbour, at the further end of which was situated the Indian village of Manitowaning. All the islands in Georgian Bay, which Captain Bay- field, who surveyed them, numbers at twenty-seven hundred, belong to the Indians. Of these the most important is Manitoulin, which is more than one hundred miles in length, and is said to be the largest fresh-water island in the world. It contains a population of about two thousand inhabitants; the principal settlement in it is Manitowaning. At the period of our visit, it was also the resort of some thousands of Indians from all parts of Canada, and even some from the Hudson^s Bay territory, who flock hither to receive the supply of presents annually granted to them by Government. An admirable opportunity was thus afforded of seeing these people

F

82 PHYSICAL ASPECT OF INDIANS.

in a somewhat more unsophisticated condition than was our friend John Storm and his companions. In their wildest and most savage, and tlierefore, in some respects, in their most interesting state, however, those who visit the island are for the most part miserable, poverty-stricken creatures, wretchedly clad in rags and skins ; as they crawl in and out of their birch -bark wigwams, looking as lean and mangy as the curs that shared with them their grilled fish-heads, which seemed to form the staple of their food.

Both men and women had that peculiar besotted look, which is an invariable characteristic of the Mongolian type of countenance. I put my head into some of their dwellings, but was nearly choked with smoke and stench. Sometimes these wigwams are very close together, the intermediate space being filled up ^nth stinking fish, snarling curs, and papooses — Anglice infants — lashed to flat boards, and strewn about j^i'omiscuously with the other rubbish. The poor little wretches looked contented enough. Probably the first lesson they learn in life is, that there is not the least use in squalling, and they thus early put a restraint upon their natural instincts, which may account for the taciturnity of the race. However that may be, as they were prop- ped up in a slanting position against a canoe, or any- thing else that was convenient, and rolled their almost invisible eyes, they looked very much as if they were in training for mummies.

A PROCESS OF CIVILISATION. 83

Some of the tribes tliat visit Manitowaning have, however, very good tents, and are comparatively well off, while the Indian residents at that station itself have been long subject to a civilising process. There are only a few acres of the island under cultivation. The schools are well attended, and the Church of England and Eoman Catholic missionaries are active and energetic in their respective stations. The origi- nal intention of Sir Francis Head in collecting a number of Indians upon Manitoulin, was to carry out the view that he had formed with respect to the best mode of civilising them. It was thought that this isolation, combined with proper treatment, would produce beneficial results, inasmuch as they would thus be removed from the evil influences which the white population has always exerted upon them, while they would have the advantage of education. The experiment has, however, not proved successful. The Indians, always apathetic, find themselves here without that stimulus to exertion which the prox- imity of an enterprising white population must create to a greater or less extent ; and, completely shut out from the world, they acquire few new ideas, and vegetate, if not in a state of positive barbarism, at least of negative civilisation.

The great proportion, however, of those Indians who come annually to Manitoulin live entirely by hunting or fishing, and receive, in the shape of j^re- sents, blankets and other luxuries, which we are accustomed to think necessaries in civilised life.

84; PETIT COURANT.

Government lias recently determined upon discon- tinuing these yearly distributions ; and it is possible that, having for so long felt the comfort of possessing them, some of the Indians may be stimulated into habits of industry by the desire to purchase them for themselves. There can be little doubt that one great cause of the rapid diminution of the race is to be found in their present mode of life, as compared to that Avhich they led formerly. While they retain their old love for the chase, those who are well enough off indulge in all the comforts of civilised life. For a great part of the year they live in warm, comfortable houses — take little exercise, and are well clothed. During the hunting season, they lead the life and follow the habits of their fore- fathers ; and having been enervated by ease and idleness, the hardships and exposure they are thus obhged to undergo, give rise to pulmonary and other complaints.

We touched at a spot called Petit Courant, on the same island, where it is divided from some other islands by a narrow channel. Here there is a small village inhabited by Indians, who gain their livelihood by supplying the steamers with wood. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, and we landed with the missionary to attend a service which he held in one of their log -houses. The congregation consisted almost entirely of women, as the men were engaged loading the steamer. Some of these were nice-looking, but none really pretty. They nearly all had babies,

INTERESTING SABBATH SERVICE. 85

wliose incessant squalling spoiled the effect of tlieir singing. The squaws almost invariably possess clear, melodious voices, and sing with great feeling. Indeed their demeanour throughout was most devout, and I have seldom been present at a more touching service than I witnessed in that log-hut. It was perched upon a bank at least one hundred feet above the level of the lake, and I sat near the little window, which commanded an extensive and lovely prospect. The view was bounded by a range of blue hills, up- wards of a thousand feet high, running along the shore of the mainland. The intervening channel was studded with numerous islands, some thickly wooded ; in others the scenery was park-like, and green meadows stretched to the water's edge. Some- times clumps of trees tufted a long narrow promon- tory, or lined the shores of a deep bay, where the blue smoke curling above them, and the row of up- turned canoes, are evidence that they conceal the conical bark wigwam of the Indian, on his way, per- haps, from some still more distant lake, to claim his share at the issue of presents ; probably a wild untutored savage, who had never heard the sounds to which I was even then listening, wdio would wonder at the kneelino; attitudes and earnest countenances of these few women of his own nation, and to whom the singularly musical words of his own language, so interesting to them, would be strange and un- meaning.

On the following morning we coasted along the

86 CHEBONANI]S^G. — LA CLOCHE.

shore of the mainland, and reached the Indian village of Chebonaning, composed of wigwams, and contain- ing about four hundred inhabitants. It is situated upon a narrow channel, about a mile long, and scarcely two hundred yards in width, which di^udes a group of rocky and picturesque islands from the mainland, here rising to a height of about twelve hundred feet above the lake. As we entered this channel, with the Indian village in the foreground, the effect was very striking ; and as we steamed away from it, it became a matter of much curiosity to me how we were ever to find our way out of these intricate waters.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of the whole voyage is among the islands of La Cloche ; but the views are so varied and ever-chanoins;, as we wind our way among them, that any attempt to describe them would be alike tedious and unsuccessful.

If people in England had any idea of the lovely scenery and delightful climate of the American lakes, they would not confine their yachting to European waters. There are two thousand miles of lake navi- gation, affording fishing, and scenery unsurpassed by any in the world ; while the numerous settlements on the shores would serve as pleasant resting-places, from which excursions might be made into the interior in bark-canoes, or shooting expeditions organised. Now that the canal at the Sault Ste. Marie is finished, which connects Lake Superior with Lakes Michigan

v^^ ^^,-.

t

I

THE BRUCE COPPER-MINES. 87

and Huron, there is nothing to prevent a yacht, not drawing more than eight and a half feet of water, saiHng from Liverpool to Fond du Lac, the last two thousand miles from the mouth of the St Lawrence being entirely inland navigation. Lake Huron is so abundantly studded with islands that one might cruise in it for months and always find fresh points of interest, and sail through new channels, each more beautiful than the last ; while the immense advan- tage of always being able to land in rough weather, is one which yachtsmen are for the most part not slow to avail themselves of.

The Bruce copper-mines are situated upon the northern shore of Lake Huron, about fiftv miles from the Sault Ste. Marie. They were begun about six years ago, and the population, which consists entirely of miners, now amounts to about three hundred. We descended one of the shafts, which was about sixteen fathoms deep. The vein which was then being worked was rich, and the ore of good quality. The quartz is hauled up by horse-power ; it is then broken, and submitted to the jiggers to be crushed. When it is reduced to sand and washed, it is packed in casks and sent to England to be smelted. Since this method was adopted, the mines have been worked more profitably than when the smelting took place on the spot. The shares are now at par, and are likely to rise.

Opposite to the Bruce mines is the large island

88 INDIAN SETTLEMENT ON GARDEN RIVER.

of St Joseph, It contains about 90,000 acres, and is timbered with maple and beech. It has been recently surveyed, and is the only island now open for settlers. The land is good, and is available at a very low rate per acre. On the north-east there is a good harbour, where the town of Hilton is to be situated. The islands after this beoin to chano-e their character, and, from being low and woody, become rocky and barren.

We steamed a little way up Garden river to a thriving Indian settlement, prettily situated at a little distance from a range of well-wooded hiUs, in which the stream takes its rise. It is only navigable for a few miles, and beyond this is celebrated for its trout-fishing, which I was strongly tempted to ex- perimentalise upon, more particularly when I -pev- ceived, from the mountainous character of the country, that its merits would be enhanced by fine scenery. However, we were too anxious to go still farther west to linger on our journey, and after holding a council and paying a visit to a celebrated Indian chief, who occupied a neat house in the village, we pursued our interesting voyage, in the course of which, for four hundred miles, we had been threading our way between islands, in a manner more agreeable, perhaps, to the pas- sengers than to the captain, who, in s]3ite of a long experience, was obliged to use the utmost caution amid such intricate navigation. Indeed, the strono;est

YANKEE PEE-EMINENCE. 89

objection to the position of the ports of CollingwoocI and Sydenham arises from the difficulty of approach- ing them from Lake Superior, a difficulty which is considerably increased by the absence of light-houses at the entrances of the various channels. The Ameri- cans are far before us in this respect. As we ap- proached the Sault, we at once perceived, from the numerous light-houses on the more prominent points, that we were in Yankee waters. The sun was shinino; brightly upon the broad bosom of the Ste. Marie, as, with spy-glass in hand, I looked anxiously upon the emporium of commerce in these regions. The American town presents quite an imposing aspect. Substantial -lookino; houses line the water s edo'e : and as the site upon which the city is built is almost perfectly level, it has the appearance of indefinite extent. There were flags flying to point out hotels, and upon the only rising ground in the neighbourhood the stars and stripes were floating also to denote Yankee supremacy, for it was crowned by a neat white-washed stockaded fort. Upon our side there was little to boast of. One of the Hudsons Bay Company forts stands vis-d-vis to the opposition establishments, and a large hotel and some straggling houses near it are the habitations of Her Majesty's subjects in these remote regions. They looked so cheerless that we determined to sacrifice our patriotism to our comfort ; and though the steamer landed us on British ground, in half an hour afterwards we had

90

THE CHIPPEWAY HOUSE.

crossed the river, and were craving admission at the door of the Chippeway House, a rambling wooden hotel, in which we hoped to find accommodation until an opportunity offered of enabling us to pur- sue our voyage to the western extremity of Lake Superior.

A Fapcr.se.

PART II.— LAKE SUPERIOR.

CHAPTER IX.

THE SAULT STE. MARIE.

One of the most certain indications that a country is in an early stage of development, is to be found in the importance which attaches in the eyes of the inhabitants to those localities in which a few of them have congregated together, and which, contain- ing a population that would be deemed unworthy of notice elsewhere, here form the nuclei of future towns, and furnish, to a greater or less extent, sup- plies for present wants. The traveller whose wan- derings have hitherto been confined to more civilised regions, will not improbably experience a feeling of disappointment, when, after an arduous journey, he reaches at last the goal upon which all his hopes have been set for many weeks past — which has formed the staple topic of conversation — and which he has invested with charms whose absence have

92 A DELUSION DISPELLED.

only served to render his imagination more particu- larly susceptible to their merits ; for it is certain that, if hope deferred makes the heart sick, it also has a strong tendency to enhance the value of the thing hoped for. It requires a heart not easily turned, to travel in the remoter provinces of Ame- rica ; and an imagination not prone to indulge too freely in the pleasures of anticipation.

For some weeks past my destination had been the Sault Ste. Marie. When I left Quebec I determined to visit this " dim Ultima Thule." For the last few days we had been passengers on board a steamer full of people, all bound for the Sault Ste. Marie ; and, as is always the case under such circumstances, everybody was discussing the probable hour of arrival at the desired haven. Those who had never been there were speculating uj^on its appearance, and those who had were describing it to them. In some form or other the Sault Ste. Marie was always on the tapis ; and when I first saw it looking bright and gay as we steamed by it, I thought that for once I was not to be doomed to disappointment. Landing, however, at a little rickety wooden pier, passing between two high wooden houses, the whole extent of the city suddenly burst upon my view, composed, as it is, of a single street.

If it was painful that the delusion in which I had indulged should be thus rudely dispelled, it was at least consolatory to know that there was no chance of losing one's way. An hotel stared

A GEOUP OF AMERICANS. 93

US in the face, and, transporting thither our effects, we were soon comfortably installed in a little double-bedded room, and entered upon a course of ablutions involving a consumption of water to an extent that rather astonished the household ; then, making a judicious selection from our scanty ward- robe of those articles which were most likely to create an impression, we sallied forth and joined a group of very tall Americans, who were chewing, smoking, and tilting themselves in their chairs upon the verandah, and to whom we immediately became objects of great interest. The costumes and manners of these gentlemen were not at all in accordance with the rough and uncouth aspect of the town in which they seemed to have taken up their abode. They might have been lounging at the Bar of the St Nicholas in Broadway, instead of the Chippeway House at the Sault Ste. Marie. Some of them wore evening coats and patent-leather boots ; others were dressed in velveteen shooting-coats, with their trou- sers tucked inside neat Wellington boots, after the manner of American sportsmen. There was not a particle of backwoodishness about them. When we approached, one gentleman, in a black velvet shoot- ing-coat, with a gun, was descanting to another gentleman in a black velvet shooting-coat, with a fishing-road, upon his success in wood-pigeon shoot- ing ; while the latter produced a basket containing three very small trout as the result of his day's sjDort. Their companions were making approving comments.

94 THE PO-LITEST MAK AT THE SOO.

and we were delighted to join sucli a sociable-looking party, where it was so little to be expected. Our appearance diverted the current of conversation.

" Strangers, gentlemen, I guess — and Britishers at that," said the individual with the gun, politely spitting away from us over his friend's shoulder. " Shall be delighted to render you any service in my power during your stay in this city."

We thanked him for his kindness, and asked him what there was to be done here '?

" Well, there's considerable pigeons, if you've a mind to go gunning ; and there air days when you may catch trout in the river, out of a bark canoe : it's quite a pleasurable /o-cality is the Soo (Sault) — that's a fact."

Indeed we found it full of Americans from all parts of the Northern States, who make summer excursions to Lake Superior, and who patronise the Sault largely as a sort of watering-place, with the advantage of sport in the shape of pigeons and trout in the neighbourhood. As, however, our new friend was only a visitor himself, he offered to introduce us to a resident as being more likely to be of service to us ; and having told him our names in reply to his interrogatory, he turned sharply round to a friend, who, with the assistance of his foot j)laced against the wall, was dexterously poising himself upon one leg of his chair, and gracefully pointing towards him said, " Allow me to make you acquainted with Mr , accounted the ^90-litest man at the Soo."

A CHARACTERISTIC VIEW. 95

The gentleman thus designated, stretched out his hand without ever losing his balance, and was in the act, I have no doubt, of giving us a cordial welcome, when the words which were upon his lips were sud- denly checked by the contents of his mouth appear- ing at the same place ; a catastrophe which upset his equilibrium, and seriously imperilled his neck. Mean- while, if the group on the verandah of the Chippeway House was eminently characteristic, the view from the same spot was no less so. Most of the houses were wooden, with their gables to the street. There was a large dry-goods store nearly opposite, then a newspaper-oflS.ce, then the metropolitan saloon, next to that Hopkins' saloon, then a bowhng saloon, and the Paris store ; in fact, to judge from the great number of houses of entertainment in proportion to those of any other character, the town seemed to be nothing more or less than a large tavern with a shop at the back.

The shops Avere all stores, and you could get almost anything, from a bag of potatoes to a yard of lace, at any one of them. As we made a good many pur- chases here in anticipation of our western journey, we had plenty of experience of them before we left. The bowling saloons we used also to frequent, but not till after dinner ; and the sudden rush which our companions are making into the hotel reminds us that, if we wish to get the advantage of that meal, we have not a moment to lose. As it is, all the centre tables are taken — the ladies, and the gentle-

96 A PUBLIC DI^'NEK.

men with ladies, having the privilege of private entry before the IjgII rings. By a little jobbing and back- stairs influence with mine host, it is quite possible for a single man to Ije allowed this privilege. How- ever, we were novices as yet in the art of dining in the backwoods, and with some difficulty secured seats at a taljle which was perfectly destitute of food ; nor did it seem likely that we should get any, for every- body else was too btisily engaged even to talk, while any attempt at conversation wotild have been drowned in the clatter of knives and forks. The whole popti- lation of the Sault only amounts to abotit 1200, and at least 150 of them were dining that day at the Chippeway House : and to judge from the scarcity of the food and its want of varietv, the resources of the town were being drained to an extent which was likely soon to exhaust them altogether. It was with the greatest difficulty that we made a meal : but we were reconciled to its scantiness when we remembered that it had been swallowed with a rapidity which might have rendered any increase in quantity pro- ductive of serious results.

Mr Chambers has recently recorded it as his expe- rience, that tlie Americans are somewhat mahgned in the reputation they have acquired for the despatch of their meals ; but he had only to visit the Western Provinces to become undeceived on this point. In the more highly civilised cities of the East, the public dinner is of just the proj^er dtiration, and a vast improvement upon the interminable tahh cVhote of

FORT BKADY. 1)7

the continent of Europe ; while the banquets at private houses often even exceed in length these latter repasts. But the ceremony of dining upon the outskirts of civilisation is a very different affair ; and upon one occasion at St Paid, the capital of the Min- nesota territory, I found it so difficult to keep pace with my neighbours that I determined to time them ; and recorded, as the result of my observations, that from the moment when the first rush into the dining- room took place, to the moment the first man left it, was exactly seven minutes and a half. In ten minutes I remained the solitary spectator of a melancholy array of empty dishes, the contents of which had been sufficient, in that short period, to satisfy nearly a hundred voracious denizens of the Far West.

We were obliged to remain a few days at tlie Sault until the arrival of the steamer " Sam Ward" from a tour of the lake, as we intended to proceed in her to Fond du Lac, the extreme western point of Lake Su]3erior. Although so small a place, there was too much novelty about the Sault to admit of anything like ennui. Moreover we were indebted to Captain Clarke, commanding the detachment of the U. S. army stationed at Fort Brady ,^ for attentions which helped us to pass our time pleasantly. The fort overlooks the river. It is composed of a neat white stockade, in the form of a square, round three sides of which are built the barracks and officers' quarters. The town is situated immediately beneath the fort : indeed, the houses are built on land belonging to the

G

98- A FAMILY OF HALF-BP.EEDS.

United States Government, wliicli allows the popula- tion, hj settling upon it, to acquire a prescriptive right to the ground.

One day we took a bark canoe for the purpose of shooting the rapids, and also in the hope of producing, for the benefit of our American friends, a basket containing a few more trout than those which had been exhibited as a sample of a good day^s fishing. Crossing to the English side, we reached a voyageur's cottage at the foot of the rapids, just in time to escape a heavy thunder-shower, and spent a pleasant half-hour over our pipes with him, his Indian mfe, and half-breed family, who were engaged in making miniature bark canoes, and embroidering moose-skin for the American market. He was proud of being an English subject, but at the same time congratu- lated himself upon his proximity to the Yankees, as affording better sources of profit to him in every way than Canadians.

We were more than an hour forcing our canoe up the rapids, which are nearly a mile in length ; and it was only by dint of great exertion, and taking advan- tage of every backwater, that we managed to creep along the banks of the little islands with which the river is dotted. It was my first experience of the sort, and unless I had actually witnessed it, I cer- tainly should not have considered feasible the ascent, in a boat, of a torrent which was so rapid that it would have been impossible for a man to stem it on foot. Indeed, nothing but the most dexterous punt-

SHOOTING THE SAULT RAPIDS. 99

ing on the part of our experienced boatmen would have enabled us to succeed.

Y/^hen we reached the head of the rapid we tried a few casts, and caught two or three diminutive trout, with which the boatmen were so delighted, and complimented us so highly on our skill, that, judging by its unsatisfactory results, we determined that, as it was more exciting to shoot the rapids of the Sault Ste. Marie than to fish them, we would no longer delay that novel pastime. Accordingly, seating our- selves steadily at the bottom of our frail bark, we allowed it to be sucked into the foaming waters, a voyageur at each end of the canoe, with quick eye and strong arm, prepared to steer us safely upon a voyage which certainly, to the uninitiated, did not seem altogether devoid of peril. The surface of the river, over an extent of at least a mile square, presents at this point one unbroken sheet of foam. The waves are so high that they dash into the canoe, which would inevitably be upset if, by bad steering, it were allowed (in nautical language) to get into the trough of the sea. We were just beginning to acquire a fearful velocity, when, as if to harmonise with the tumult of waters amid which we were being so wildly tossed, vivid flashes of lightning burst forth from the black clouds, followed by loud peals of thunder, and rendered the descent of these rapids, which is always exciting, grand, and almost appalling. In about four minutes we were in smooth water again, having in that period accomplished a distance which it had

1 ^Qnno

100 A VALUABLE LIFE.

taken us an hour to traverse on our upward course.

It requires great coolness and experience to steer a canoe down these rapids ; and a short time before our arrival, two Americans had ventured to descend them without boatmen, and were consequently upset. As the story was reported to us, one of them owed his salvation to a singular coincidence. As the accident took place immediately opposite the town, many of the inhabitants were attracted to the bank of the river to watch the struo-oies of the unfortunate men, thinking any attempt at a rescue would be hopeless. Suddenly, however, a person appeared rushing towards the group, frantic with excitement. " Save the man with the red hair ! " he vehemently shouted ; and the exertions which were made in consequence of his earnest appeals proved successful, and the red-haired individual, in an exhausted con- dition, was safely landed. " He owes me eighteen dollars," said his rescuer, drawing a long breath and looking approvingly on his assistants. The red-haired man's friend had not a creditor at the Sault, and, in default of a competing claim, was allowed to pay his debt to nature. " And I'll tell you what it is, stranger," said the narrator of the foregoing inci- dent, complacently drawing a moral therefrom, — " a man 'ill never know how necessary he is to society if he don't make his life valuable to his friends as well as to his-self."

We were actively employed during our stay at the

THE Hudson's bay company's foet. lOl

Sault in laying in provisions, &c. for our western journey, as it was the last civilised place we were likely to see for some time. The store at which we purchased our outfit belonged to a most obliging person, and contained a very miscellaneous assort- ment of articles. The most interesting were those which were in requisition during the winter. On account of its remote position, large supplies of every kind are always laid in here during the summer months, although the more adventurous inhabitants do keep up a communication with Detroit, across Lake Huron, upon the ice, by means of dog-sleighs. We examined with some curiosity those used by our friend. He also showed us some of his dogs, whose drooping hind-quarters and languid gait betokened the hard work they had undergone. Their master himself had performed marvellous feats upon snow- shoes, and thought nothing of walking eight hundred miles in three weeks, being at the rate of forty miles a- day. Of course he carried nothing : his food and clothing were dragged in the dog-sleigh by his side.

We crossed over to the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort, and there, too, were interested in looking over the stores which are kept for trading with the Indians. Beads, blankets, rifles, moccasins, and all the appur- tenances of wild Indian life, were here piled in shelves, and transported us in imagination to the council-fires of distant tribes. The Eed Eiver settle- ment is principally supplied from these stores. At present, the difficulty of transport is the great draw-

102 DEPARTUEE FEOM THE SAULT.

back to tlie prosperity of tliis colony, the inhabitants of ^\'hich also complain of being prohibited from trading with the Indians upon their o^yn account. The population amounts to about nine thousand, and is not likely to increase rapidly until greater facilities are provided for conveying their agricultural produce to the Canadian or American markets. AYe pro\dded ourselves, at the recommendation of the hospitable agent of the Company, with some stout ox-hide moccasins, and a piece of tarpaulin to serve as a tent or screen, and were thankful for the hints he gave us on a canoe life in the western rivers.

The most characteristic feature of the Sault Ste. Marie, as suggestive of the vast resources of the shores of Lake Superior, to which its future prospe- rity must be mainly due, is the tram-road which runs down the centre of the main street, and along which trucks, loaded witli huge blocks of copper, are perpetually rumbling. The weight of each was gene- rally marked upon it, and I observed that some of the masses exceeded 6000 lb. I was somewhat startled, upon the morning of our departure, to find, on coming to the door of the hotel, that our luggage had taken the place of the usual more valuable freight, and that, seated in picturesque attitudes upon piles of boxes and carpet-bags, about two hundred persons w^ere waiting to be trundled away to the steamer, more than a mile distant. They were so thickly hived upon the long line of trucks, that I could scarcely find a spare corner in which to

J

NEAR " BUSTING UP." 103

take up a position. At last, however, a thin man, with high cheek-bones and a red beard, invited me to share the top of a barrel with him, which I accord- ingly did ; and having lit a cigar, I was in the act of acknowledging his civility by offering my new friend one, when some little black suspicious-looking grains, jolting up through a crack in the lid, revealed to me the horrifying fact that we were seated upon a barrel of gunpowder. Springing hastily off, I seized my companion's hand just in time to prevent his lighting a fresh fusee, and pointed to his danger. He only remarked, as he swung himself leisurely from his perch, " that he had come darned near busting up the crowd," and recommended me to " slope along with him ; " a suggestion I was by no means backward in complying with.

There was a most miscellaneous cluster of per- sons sticking upon their no less miscellaneous effects. Fragile, delicate-looking ladies, with pink and white complexions, black ringlets, bright dresses, and thin satin shoes, reclined gracefully upon carpet- bags, and presided over pyramids of band- boxes. Square-built German fraus sat astride huge rolls of bedding, displaying stout legs, blue worsted stockings, and hob-nailed shoes. Sallow Yankees, with straw-hats, swallow-tailed coats, and pumps, carried their Httle all in their pockets ; and having nothing to lose and everything to gain in the western world to which they were bound, whittled, smoked, or chewed cheerfully. Hard-featured, bronzed miners,

lO-t THE SAULT CAXAL.

ha\dng spent their earnings in the bowling saloons at the Saiilt, were returnino; to the bowels of the earth gloomily. There were toimsts in various costumes, doing the agreeable to the ladies ; and hardy pioneers of the ^^'oods, in flannel .shirts, and trousers supported by leathern belts, and well supplied with bowies, were tellino; touoh yarns, and astonishino- the weak minds of the emigrants, who represented half the countries of Europe. We left the town, waving salu- tations to our numerous friends who came to the verandahs to see the living freight pass by — for a departure to the other end of the lake was rather an event — and, receiving their hearty farewells in return, were soon following the bank of the canal, which was then in process of construction, and is ere this com- pleted. As it connects the two largest lakes in the world, the dimensions of this work are fully equal to its importance, and it therefore deserves some notice ; while, at the same time, it may not be uninteresting to glance at the trade which now passes along it.

Two years had scarcely elapsed since Congress passed the act for the construction of a ship canal round the falls of the Ste. Marie. The entire leno-th of the river, which connects Lake Superior with Lakes Huron and ]\Iichigan, is about t^'enty-five miles ; but the portion which is not na^^gable extends over a distance of barely a mile. The rapid development of the mineral resources on the south shore of Lake Superior rendered this a work of paramount import- ance, and it has accordingly been undertaken and

PROBABLE TRAFFIC ALONG IT. 105

accomplished with a skill and energy worthy the most enterprising nation in the world. As all the lands in the United States belong originally to the Federal Government, whenever any great work is to be constructed of a similar character, an Act of Con- gress is necessary to allow the particular State inte- rested the right of locating the canal or railway through the public lands ; while, at the same time, a certain quantity of land is usually placed at the dis- posal of the State, as a means of raising the neces- sary funds. Agreeably to this arrangement, the State of Michigan was granted 750,000 acres of public land, to be selected in subdivisions by agents appointed by the governor.

The canal is nearly a mile in length. It is 100 feet wide, 12 feet deep, and contains two locks, each 300 feet long. It will thus be capable of receiving the largest lake craft afloat. The soil is partly gravelly, and partly solid clay ; but the sides of the canal are faced with stone, brought at great expense from the neighbourhood of Detroit. I did not ascer- tain the precise amount expended at the period of my visit, but it was calculated that the entire cost would exceed a million of dollars.

It is difficult to estimate the extent of the traffic which must pass through this canal, partly because no regular reports of the trade of Lake Superior have ever yet been made. But even if they had, the impetus which it would receive upon the completion of this canal would render it scarcely aj)preciable.

Cf r, A ^r TTT A -T^TT. "

106 THE "SAM WARD.

It is quite clear, from tlie nature of the products of tliis country, that they must seek a distant market ; and that for some time, at any rate, the miners must obtain the great bulk of their supplies from the Eastern States. But the time must come when the agricultural resources of Minnesota, and a great part of Wisconsin, will be developed, and find their outlet in this direction. In 1851 the value of the imports which crossed the Sault was estimated at a million of dollars. They consisted principally of grain, dry goods, provisions, groceries, &c. The exports were valued at about 700,000 dollars, and consisted almost entirely of copper and iron. The population upon the southern shore of Lake Superior has, however, nearly trebled since then ; and so, no doubt, has the traffic.

The great majority of the passengers on board the " Sam Ward " were going to take up their permanent abodes in these distant regions. This respectable craft had been built upon the lake, all the materials for her construction havino; been carried round the Sault rapids. She was large and roomy, but con- sidered by a gentleman accustomed to the magni- ficent boats on the more civilised lakes, to be " tar- nation old, and shaky some." However, we had very comfortable accommodation, and prosperous weather ; and I cherish the most lively and agree- able recollections of my voyage in the " Sam."

Towards evenino; the low wooded shores of the river Ste. Marie sank l^eneath the horizon, and we

LAKE SUPERIOR. 107

found ourselves at last upon the broad bosom of Lake Superior. It was a calm moonlight night. The only airs that fanned my cheek, the only ripples that danced in the moonbeam, were caused by our rapid motion, as we ploughed our way through the clear still water. Land was nowhere visible ; and as I leant over the sharp bows, and watched the silver spray as it sprang from beneath them, it was difficult to realise the fact that this monster boat, with her livino: freight of near three hundred souls, was already fifteen hundred miles from the ocean, and was bound upon a voyage of four hundred more.

CHAPTER X.

THE PICTURED ROCKS. — FATHER MARQUETTE.

Of the wonderful series of lakes wliieli extends half- way across the North American Continent, Lake Superior is by far the most interesting, not only to the scientific man on account of the singular geologi- cal formation of its shores, but to the traveller in search of magnificent scenery, and who, if he is unable to perceive in its rock-bound coasts the traces of great natural convulsions at a former period of the world's history, can at least appreciate the scenic grandeur of which they have been the origin.

Lake Superior difi*ers entirely from all the other American lakes. Listead of the low or gently rounded shores, clothed with the heavy timber of a more temperate climate, the scenery here is completely alpine. The coast is bold and lofty, formed of primi- tive rocks, and covered with pine. With an area of 32,000 square miles. Lake Superior is more than 600 feet above the sea-level, while its bottom at some places is about 300 feet below the surface of the

THE PICTURED ROCKS. 109

ocean. One consequence of its great extent and depth has been, that the action of its sweeping waves, upon a coast peculiarly susceptible to their influence, has been exhibited in a most striking manner, varying in effect with the nature of the formation in diff'erent localities. The most celebrated instance of this occurs at the Pictured Eocks, a spot we reached a little after daybreak on the morning following our departure from the Sault. We had heard so much of the interesting character of the coast, that we much reo;retted that our time did not admit of our exploring it at our leisure. Unfortunately we passed too rapidly, and at too great a distance, to be able to appreciate the wonders of this great natural curiosity.

A range of sandstone bluffs, perfectly precipitous, rise abruptly from the water to a height of upwards of two hundred feet. These extend for a distance of more than five miles, and present the most remarkable aspect. The lake surf, which has been dashing for centuries upon their base, has in some places exca- vated deep caverns, where it now thunders and reverberates as if triumphing in its mighty agency; in others, fantastically shaped grottoes project above the lake, supported by lofty sandstone columns, and surmounted with grotesque turrets. But the pheno- menon to which the Pictured Rocks owe their name, is the singular distribution of colours over the face of the cliff, more particularly at the part called the Amphitheatre. Though we could distinguish some-

110 THE CHAPEL.

thing of the painted ap23earance of the rock, we were too far off to perceive the full effect of the variety of tint, which, to judge from the accounts we received of it, must be singularly Ijeautiful. They are thus descrilDcd by Messrs Foster and Whitney, in their late report to the United States government : —

" The prevailing tints consist of deep brown yellow and grey burnt sienna, and French grey predominat- ing. There are also bright blues and greens, though less frequent. All of the tints are fresh, brilliant, and distinct, and harmonise admirably with one another, which, taken in connection with the grandeur of the arched and caverned surfaces on which they are laid, and the deep and pure green of the water which heaves and swells at the base, and the rich foliage which waves above, produce an effect truly wonderful." In coming from the Sault, the first excavation is called the chapel ; which, unlike the others in these cliffs, has been made in the rock at the height of about thirty or forty feet above the water. An arched roof of sandstone, from ten to twenty feet in thickness, rests upon four gigantic columns of rock, so as to leave a vaulted apartment of irregular shape, about forty feet in diameter, and about the same in height. The columns consist of finely stratified rock, and have been worn into curious shapes. At the base of one of them an arched cavity or niche has been cut, to which access is had by a flight of steps formed by the projecting strata. The disposition of

LE GEAND PORTAIL. Ill

the wliole is such as to resemble very much the pulpit of a church, since there is overhead an arched canopy, and in front an opening out towards the vaulted interior of the chapel, with a flat tabular mass in front, rising to a convenient height for a desk, while on the right is an isolated block, which not inaptly represents an altar ; so that, if the whole had been adapted expressly for a place of worship, and fash- ioned by the hand of man, it could hardly have been arranged more appropriately.

The next object of interest is Le Grand Portail, which leads into a cavern of vast dimensions, formed in a huge projection from the clifl", and into which canoes pass and thread its vaulted passages. Here the varied effects of the light, as it streams through the great arch, and falls upon the difierent objects, and the deep emerald green of the water, the unvarying swell of the lake, keeping up a succession of musical echoes, the reverberations of one's own voice, coming back to one with startling eff*ect, combine at once to impress and charm the visitor. The Grand Portal, or principal archway into the caverns, is about a hundred feet in height, and a hundred and sixty-eight feet broad at the water-level. The cliff itself is about two hundred feet high, from which this huge quadrila- teral mass thus singularly projects about six hundred feet. The Miner s Castle is another advanced mass of sandstone, somewhat similar in character to that just described : it has not only been excavated by the

112 THE GRAND SABLE.

action of the water, but is fantastically shaped, and its turreted entrance and arched portal have sug- gested the name it now bears.

As the steamer did not touch at Grand Island, it was impossible for us to visit these cliflfs in a canoe, as it is indispensable that they should l)e visited in order thoroughly to appreciate and understand their extra- ordinary character. From this point, however, they are only about fifteen miles distant, and canoes and guides can be procured without difficulty. There can be little doubt that within a very few years, a fash- ionable watering-place will be established here, and people from all parts of the world make the Pictured Eocks a favourite, as they must ever be a most attractive, resort.

But they do not constitute the only object of interest in the neighbourhood. The Grand Sable possesses a scenic interest little inferior to the Pic- tured Rocks. It extends from Gros Cap to Granite Point. Throughout this distance the coast resembles a vast sandbank, more than three hundred and fifty feet in height, and stretching for some distance inland without a trace of vegetation.* Schoolcraft describes the Grand Sable as a gigantic dune, composed of greywacke and sandstone triturated to powder by the action of the waves of the lake, and which has been swept by the force of the wind over the adjoining country, burying tall trees, and turning what was once a fertile district into a sandy desert.

MARQUETTE. J IS

The recent investigations of the Messrs Whitney, however, have proved that this was altogether an erroneous supposition, and that the main body of the ridge is made up of drift sand, and clay covered with loose sand ; the distribution of which accounts for the dune-like appearance of the ridge.

From the accounts we received of the fish in Lake Superior, we found that our experience at the Sault was likely to give us an erroneous impression of the sport which might be procured. Lake trout are said to have been caught exceeding fifty pounds in weight, and white fish and sturgeon are abundant. The fisheries of Lake Superior are already important, and will doubtless rise in value as the facilities for exporting the finny produce of the lake are increased. It is about 150 miles from the Sault to the watering- place of Marquette. We were delighted to find that two hours were allowed us to explore the picturesque neighbourhood, and we would gladly have lingered longer to enjoy the really noble trout-fisliing which the river running into the bay affords, or to sketch the beauties of the scenerv.

A very respectable hotel is always full, during the summer, of pleasure or health-seeking Yankees. The village is embosomed in wood, which reaches to the water's edge ; rocky promontories jut far into the lake ; and enterprising pine-trees shoot up between the crevices, and overshadow the deep clear water, with the white sand sparkling at the bot-

H

114- THE IRON IlEGION.

torn ; and quantities of fish go about in shoals ex- ploring nooks and crannies, or unexpectedly dodg- ing in and out of hidden cavities. The whole forms an enchanting picture, the background to Avhich is composed of a range of wooded hills about a thousand feet in height. Down the steep sides of this range mountain -torrents dash in numerous cascades. Among the most striking of these is the one formed by the Presqu'ile river, which leaps, from a rock about fifty feet in height, into a vast " pot hole," a hundred feet wide, and perhaps twice that depth ; it is described as terrible to look into.

It is not, however, owing to the romantic character of the scenery amid which it is situated that Mar- quette has become a place of considerable importance : at a distance of about twelve miles into the interior runs the range of mountains from which great quan- tities of iron ore have recently been extracted. It is found in trap associated with azoic, and is shipped here in its raw state, and conveyed to Cleveland, on the southern shore of Lake Erie, to be smelted. It has been found necessary to adopt this course as involving less expense than that which is incurred by smelting it on the spot with wood ; and unless coal be found in the neio^hbourhood, the less sanpxiine doubt whether, in spite of the quantity in which it exists, and its superior quality, it will ever be able to compete with that of Lake Champlain or New Jersey. I cannot but think that the completion of the ship canal at the Sault will set this question at rest when

EXPLOKATIONS OF FATHER MARQUETTE. 115

the iron resources of this district become more fully developed. Already the results of geological examin- ations show that it is unprecedentedly rich in the specular and magnetic oxides of iron, and that, so far as relates to the masses and purity of the ores, it stands unrivalled.

Marquette derives its name from the most cele- brated of that devoted band of Jesuit missionaries who first sought, about the middle of the seventeenth century, to introduce Christianity amongst the red men of the Far West. A disciple of St Fran9ois Xavier, he is second only to him in the zeal and enterprise which characterised his labours. In the course of these noble endeavours to enlighten bar- barous nations, he was enabled to achieve geographi- cal discoveries fraught with results of the highest importance to civilisation. The first to reach the Mississippi from the north-east, he continued his explorations until he was satisfied that it was identical with the river already visited by the first Sj^anish adventurers from the Gulf of Mexico. His early labours were amongst the remnant of the Hurons, who, persecuted by the Irocjuois, and other neigh- bouring Indian tribes, left the shores of Georgian Bay, which they had originally occupied, and found a refuge at La Pointe, a settlement on the southern coast of Lake Superior, near its Avestern extremity. At this, the most distant point of missionary explora- tion, he succeeded Father Alloiiez, who had planted the cross there three years before ; and meeting here,

116 HIS DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

for the first time, tlie Sioux and Illinois, he prepared himself, by studying their language and customs, for that journey through their territory which he after- wards accomplished with so much success.

Eenewed persecution soon after drove the Hurons to Mackinaw, upon the northern shore of Lake Michigan ; and, following his little flock to this spot, Father Mar- quette chose it as the starting-point for his expedition. Accompanied by only one other Frenchman, the Sieur Jolhet, he left Mackinaw, with two canoes, in the spring of 1673, and ascended the Fox Eiver for 175 miles, until they reached the portage to the Wisconsin. Thence they sailed down the latter river for an equal distance, until, to their inexpressible joy, they found themselves carried down the rapid current of the mighty stream, the existence of which had so long been doubtful. Father Marquette's journal of his voyage is full of interest. An enthusiastic adorer of

the Viroin Immaculate, he at once named his dis- cs ^

coveiy, after the object of his devotion, the " Concep- tion," and subsequently founded a mission on its banks. It is in the very first page of his journal that he announces his intention of doing so, in the folloT\T.ng terms : " Above all, I put our voyage under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Immacu- late, promising her that, if she did us the grace to discover the great river, I would give it the name of Conception ; and that I would also give that name to the first mission which I should establish among

HIS DEVOTIONAL EXEECISES. 117

these new nations, as I have actually done among the Illinois." Elsewhere is recorded the form of the daily devotions of the little band. After the creed, they said one "Hail, Father!" and "Hail, Mary!" — then four times these words, " Hail, daughter of God the Father! Hail, mother of God the Son! Hail, spouse of the Holy Ghost ! Hail, temple of the Holy Trinity ! By thy holy virginity and immaculate conception, 0 most j)ure Virgin, cleanse my flesh and my heart, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;" and, last of all, " Glory be to the Father ! " — the whole being thrice repeated. At this particular epoch, it is not without its signifi- cance that this form of prayer should have been in the mouth of a missionary exploring an unknown American river nearly two hundred years ago. It is singular moreover, that, upon descending the " Con- ception " for upwards of a thousand miles, Marquette should have reached that portion of it which had been first visited by De Soto, and named the " Espiritu Santo." After remaining some time at the mouth of the Arkansas, these voyageurs (in the true sense of the word) retraced their steps, and Marquette found a grave at the mouth of an obscure river on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The event is thus recorded by his pious chronicler : " So tender a devotion to the Mother of God deserved some singular grace ; and she accordingly granted him the favour he had always asked — to die on a Saturday ; and his two

118 HIS DEATH.

companions had no doubt tliat she appeared to him at the hour of his death, when, after pronouncing the name of Jesus and Mary, he suddenly raised his eyes above the crucifix, fixing tliem on an object which he regarded with such pleasure, and a joy that lit up his countenance ; and they from that moment believed that he had surrendered his soul into the hands of his good Mother."

CHAPTER XL

THE MINERAL EEGION OF LAKE SUPEEIOR.

In coasting along the southern shore of Lake Superior, one cannot but be struck mth the singular shape of that State of which it is the northern boundary. Michigan is composed of two peninsulas : one runs in a due north and south direction, between Lakes Huron and Michigan ; the other due east and west, between Lakes Michigan and Superior, of which the Porcupine Mountains form the dividing ridge. The highest peaks of this range, which abound in mineral deposits, have been estimated at from 1800 to 2000 feet in height. The scenery is wild, but not attractive. Dense pine-forests clothe the hills, while occasional plains of sand give a desolate aspect to the country. There is, nevertheless, good water-power, and the numerous large streams which flow upon either side of the dividing range will facilitate the transport of lumber, and enhance the value of this portion of the State. The extent of its lake coast has been estimated at from seven to eight hundred miles, so that five-sevenths of the entire peninsula

120 NORTHERN PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN.

may be reached by water. There is good grazing in parts, and potatoes and garden vegetables flourish ; but for corn, both country and chmate are uncon- genial. Nevertheless, the timber and mineral re- sources of the northern jDart of the State are very great, and have attracted to its shores a rapidly increasing population, which abeady amounts to about twelve thousand inhabitants. The northern peninsula was given to the State in compensation for Toledo, a district upon its southern frontier, which now forms part of Ohio.

Michigan, with the remainder of the orio;inal north-west territory, was held by France until 1763, and then by England until ceded to the United States in 1783. It was not, however, taken pos- session of for some years after, and only constituted a territory in 1805. In 1837 it was admitted as a State into the Union. After much vehement controversy, the capital has quite recently been fixed at Lansing, an uninhabited spot in the centre of the country, approached only by a miserable corduroy road. The rival claims of the principal towns already existing in the State were so diffi- cult to satisfy, that the most inehgible site in the province was chosen, it being deemed more desirable that the entire State should suffer from its inconve- nient position, rather than that its general prosperity should be advanced at the expense of certain parti- cular interests.

The sun was setting as, passing between the ex-

KEEWENAW POINT. 121

treme point of tlie Keewenaw Peninsula and Manito Island, we turned sharply into Copper Harbour, with its pretty village, containing five or six hundred in- habitants, situated at the head of a deep landlocked bay, where the neat white houses contrasted strongly with the sombre pine-woods that overshadowed them ; and Mount Houghton, an isolated and dome-shaped mountain, towered above, rising abruptly, from the lake upon the opposite side of the peninsula, to a height of 900 feet. Keewenaw Point is the most remarkable and prominent feature of the southern shore of Lake Superior, and, at the same time, one of the most valuable tracts of country in the world. It has been conjectured that originally a colossal dyke of trap extended right across the lake, of which Isle Eoyal, Beaver Island, Ship Island, and the elevated range of Keewenaw Point, are the only existing monuments. Here, too, as in other parts of this singular coast, the waves have acted on crevices or breaks in the stratification, where deep coves, inlets, and caverns have been formed. The copper deposit extends throughout the entire length of the Point, and for a distance of 135 miles, with a width varying from one to six miles. The productive veins of copper are confined exclusively to the range of trap rock which intersects the peninsula. Upon the northern or upper side there is a narrow belt of con- glomerate, which lines the whole coast for nearly 150 miles. There are numerous conglomerate hills sur- rounding Copper Harbour. This belt is also traversed

122 COPPER HARBOUP.

by veins of copper, several of whicli have been mined, but in no instance successfully. The southern or lower slope of Keewenaw Point is composed entirely of sandstone, which is here a purely sedimentary rock. We did not visit the British island of Isle Eoyal, where almost precisely the same formation occurs, and in the trappean rocks of which, an English com- pany has commenced mining operations, though, so far as I could ascertain, without the success which has attended the efforts of American speculators upon the southern coast.

We only remained at Copper Harbour long enough to enable some miners to land, and then followed the wooded coast, everywhere indented with excellent havens, to Eagle Harboiu*, in the neighbourhood of which some valuable mines are situated. All the landlocked harbours upon this coast have been formed by the water breaking through the thick belt of conglomerate, and excavating spacious and singu- larly shaped retreats, convenient, not only from the seciuity to vessels which they afford, but from their immediate contiguity to the trap range. This maintains an elevation generally of from 600 to 800 feet. In the neighbourhood of Eagle Harbour, black oxide of copper appears to have been diffused in the conglomerate, so that the rock requires to be crushed in order to recover these grains. Upon being reduced, it has been found to yield as much as 83 per cent, — proving that the value and quantity

THE CLIFF MINES. 123

of the ore probably exceeds all others of this class of metal known in Europe or America.

But by far the most interesting and productive mines are situated at Eagle Eiver, the place at which we next stopped, and from which the Cliif Mines, which are the most celebrated, are only three miles distant. They are 600 feet deep, and at the period of our visit, a block of solid copper, 160 tons weight, was being cut through in the mine with the cold chisel, at an expense of nine dollars a foot. The enormous size of the mass renders a far heavier expenditure necessary than when the copper is found in smaller quantities. It is conveyed to market at a cost of about two and a half cents a pound, and its value there is thirty-five cents. This mine derives its name from the wall of rock at the base of which it is situated, at an eleva- tion of about 400 feet above the lake. The rock is described by the geological surveyors as amygdaloidal trap, capped with hard crystalline greenstone — the vein traversing both diagonally. It expands and becomes highly metalliferous in the amygdaloid, but barren and pinched in the greenstone. It is scarcely necessary here, perhaps, to enter into particulars with regard to the phenomena of the lode in this mine, or the others in the neighbourhood; those interested in the subject wull find it well treated in various documents printed by order of the United States Government.

The North American ]\Iine is situated a little

12^ TRACES OF FORMER EXCAVATIONS.

further on in the same range, and is very produc- tive. Indeed, throuo;hout the mineral reoion of Lake Superior the position of the mines is generally exceedingly favourable for exploration, as the cliffs upon vdiich they are situated afford great facilities for raising the ore and draining the v^ater. The Cliff Mine was discovered by some German miners in the winter of 1845-6, and its richness may be regarded as affording the first great stimulus to mining exer- tions upon Lake Superior. It is interesting, in look- ing back scarcely ten years to the first attempts of mining by the white man upon the shores of Lake Superior, to find that traces of similar operations exist, to carry our retrospection over many centuries to the time when an unknown race searched the bowels of the earth for the same treasure. In the copper-bearing trap-rock of Keewenaw Point, such pits, treuches, and traces of extensive excavations have been found, as leave no doubt that a former generation had explored for this ore ; while further discoveries have recently been made, showing the skill and industry of a race, of whom, or of the opera- tions in which they had been engaged, the Indians have no tradition. In one of the trenches, at a depth of 18 feet, a huge block, weighing upwards of 11,500 lb., or more than six tons, was discovered, supported on a cobwork of timber, but w^hich the miners had evidently not been able to raise out of the pit. The antiquity is proved by the gigantic trees growing in the trenches, some of them five

FATHER RENE MESNARD. 125

hundred years old. The ground in the neighbour- hood is strewn with stone-hammers, mauls, and other mining implements. The block has since been cut up and conveyed eastward. The ancients evidently made great use of fire and water in their operations, which are characterised by great ingenuity.

Shortly after leaving Eagle Eiver, we passed the spot at which Indians are accustomed to make a portage when coasting in their canoes along the southern margin of the lake, and thus save the enor- mous detour of Keewenaw Point. This peninsula is almost cut off from the mainland by a deep inlet at its base, called Portage Lake ; at the head of which is a small stream, from which a portage of only half a mile is necessary to cross to the opposite shore. It is celebrated as the spot where the discoverer of Lake Superior, the Jesuit father Eene Mesnard, lost his life in 1660. AVith a solitary Indian in a bark canoe, this intrepid missionary set out upon a voyage along the south shore of that great lake, the Machigummie of the Indians, which had never yet been seen by Europeans; and having reached Keewenaw Bay, de- termined to press onwards to the head of the lake, when, in crossing the Keewenaw Portage, he wan- dered into the woods whilst the Indian was carry- ing across the canoe, and no trace of him was ever afterwards obtained.

The coast, after leaving the portage, is picturesque and precipitous. A broad belt of sandstone, terminat- ing in abrupt bluffs, intervenes for a distance vary-

126 THE MINNESOTA MINE.

ing from ten to fifteen miles between the lake and the copper -bearing trap. Occasional mines occur throughout : and Ontonagon, our next stopping-place, is rapidly rising into importance as the port for the prolific mines in the neighboiu'hood. Of these the most productive is the i\Iinnesota Mine, situated about fifteen miles from the town. It is the most formidable rival to the Clifi" Mine ; and the pure ore is found in masses scarcely inferior in size to those which have rendered the other so celebrated. A dif- ferent system of veins prevails from that of Keewe- naw Point : instead of cuttino; the formation at rio-ht- angles, they here run with it. The lode is from eight inches to eight feet wide.

I observed, upon the pier at Ontonagon, a quantity of barrels containing masses of copper too small to be shipped separately. After having been dressed by the hammer, so as to free them from the adherino; rock or vein-stone, they are packed in casks and sent east- ward to be smelted. This is called barrel-work; at the Cliff Mine its value is estimated at 50 per cent of pure copper. The method of detaching masses of pure copper froni the vein vdih the cold chisel was described to me, and appeared cumbersome and inconvenient. It has, at least, the merit of being simple. One man holds the chisel, and another hammers away at it until the block is cut through. The tedious part of the process is the necessity of taking out chips or wedges of copper in order to keep the opening large enough. Where there is

PROCESS OF "STAMPING." 127

a sufficient quantity of metallic copper in the vein- stone to stamp it, that process is resorted to; the rock being first roasted so as to render it friable, and then subjected to the batteries of the stamping-mill, after which the metal is washed from the pulverised rock, and packed in strong casks for smelting.

But the subject of mining on Lake Superior is as exhaustless as are its mineral resources, and it was impossible, in so hurried a visit, to gain more than a general idea of the value of the mines and the method employed in working them. Perhaps the indepen- dent way in which Yankees speculate, operates rather against mining undertakings where large capital is required ; and it is only natural that, in a country where so much may be done by private ventures, joint -stock companies should be somewhat at a discount.

CHAPTER XII.

ONTONAGON. — THE " SAIVI WAED/'

If in the last chapter I have expatiated somewhat too fully upon the mineral region of Lake Superior and its development, I must trust to the good sense of my readers to skip it if they find it dull, and can only plead as my excuse the prominence of the sub- ject on board the "Sam Ward," and the mineral atmo- sphere in which for a few days I was Hving. Indeed, among our numerous " prospecting " passengers, little else was talked of but shares, coj^per, dollars, and cents. One little colonel in particular was always full of minute statistical information, which he used to deliver himself of with great volubility at all times, and was positively eloquent if he found any- thing to whittle. I never saw the art of whittling carried to a higher pitch of perfection than by him at Ontonagon, the next port at which we touched. We were to embark lumber here for Fond du Lac, and I was sitting talking to my whittling friend, when we made fast to the pier opposite a stack of timber. He proposed going ashore, with a view of

A SPECULATIVE COLONEL. 129

" liquoring up '^ at the bar of the Ho-tel ; but no sooner had we crossed the landing-plank than he drew from his pocket an enormous clasp-knife, with the aspect of which I was already familiar, and mak- ing straight for the lumber, sat himself astride upon a projecting beam, and, with the greatest gravity and earnestness, sliced off a large splinter, from Avhich he immediately commenced paring long thin shavings. He at once became so absorbed in his occupation as to rehnquish his intention of " taking a drink ; " and I was afraid that he had got such an interest- ing whittle that it would stop further conversation. However, by way of experiment, I remarked, " This Minnesota Mining Company is a losing concern, I fancy '? "

" No, siree ! and any gentleman that told you so lied and he knew it why Fm in it and I guess Fm used to sleep with one eye skinned it ain't above fifteen mile from here you'd better stop over this boat and satisfy yourself we've a capital of a million and a half of dollars original shares twenty-two dol- lars they're at one hundred and eighty now there was eight hundred tons of copper exported last year there will be twelve hundred exported next we bought three square miles of land down here from Govern- ment at two dollars and a half the acre and sell it in lots two hundred feet by twenty-five at two hundred dollars a-lot now and cheap at that and if you've a mind to buy a couple of lots and prospect a bit say

half-a-dozen shares there's nobody knows better than

I

J 30 THE ART OF WHITTLING.

myself how to help a stranger," &c. &c.; and so on, without drawing breath or making a stop until he had reduced the splinter to the size of a toothpick, when his statistics, his breath, and his wood having all come to an end together, he turned sharp round and made another lounge at a plank. There are a great many different ways of wliitthng ; some, like my friend the colonel, cut slashingly away from them, others cut carefully up towards them ; a few cut shces across, cucumber fashion. I know a man who devotes himself principally to notches ; but this is very rare, if not altogether exceptional. The timber, by the way, which the colonel was so recklessly de- stroying with his clasp-knife, was destined for Fond du Lac, and belonged to him. His " skinned eye " had enabled him to perceive the advisibility of sending a supply of planks to a to^^m in the earliest stage of its formation, and where no mills had yet been erected. Meantime, having congratulated him upon the prospect of a good spec, my friend and I strolled into the town, whither the greater part of the pas- sengers had already repaired, and were now to be found conoTeo'ated round the bar of the hotel, — a most capacious structure, not quite completed, but it looked worthy of a great nation, as it towered above the log shanties which surrounded it. It was cer- tainly more comfortable, and upon a grander scale, than the Adelphi at Liverpool. Ontonagon contains about a thousand inhabitants ; it is a rapidly increas- ing place, situated upon a river navigable for a short

ONTONAGON. 131

distance into the interior. There is a bar at the mouth, with not more than five or six feet water upon it. The river, however, is one of the largest flowing into Lake Superior, and drains an area of not less than thirteen hundred miles.

A good plank-road leads to the mines. We con- tented ourselves with exploring the place. It was a perfect specimen of a backwood town in an embryo state. Stumps still stood in the principal streets, and the old forest still seemed to dispute the soil with the settlers. There had been no time to cut down trees or underwood which did not positively impede commu- nication. Occasionally a living tree formed the up- right at the corner of a house, while its companions had been felled and piled upon one another for the walls. Sometimes a house was built upon half-a- dozen stumps five or six feet above the ground. The object of the builder seemed not to be permanency, but shelter at any price ; and to obtain it, he availed himself of every natural assistance. Then, almost before he had a roof over his head, he entered upon a miscellaneous business. There are Yankee notions of every description in the front window, and a bowling alley at the back. He carries on his profession as a lawyer in his bed-room, sells cutlery and dry goods across his counter, and occupies his leisure moments with medicine. There is a bar connected with the alley, where he dispenses slings, juleps, and cobblers, behind which there are stores of all sorts, — pork, flour, tobacco, &c. Upon the other side of the street

132 FAR WEST FIXINGS.

lie is erecting a solid mansion witli tlie proceeds of his present lucrative business, and, having landed only two months ago from the " Sam Ward " without a " darned cent " in his jDOcket, is already deeply in- volved in mining transactions, and expects to make and lose five fortunes in the course of as many years, when his present location will have l3ecome too crowded, and he'll " clar out," to go through a similar experience elsewhere.

Such is the mode of life of many of these pion- eers of civilisation, the secret of whose success consists in buying property upon the outskirts of the inhabited world, when it is to be had for a mere trifle, preparing themselves betimes for the inevitable influx of emigrants, to whom they sell the necessaries of life at enormous profits, and whose wants are supplied at almost fabulous prices, until they become so numerous that the multiplicity of speculators reduces the cost of living to its proper amount, and drives the original settlers farther west. Thus they learn to live on the exigencies of others. When Government is glad to sell land cheap, they buy it ; when new-comers are glad to buy it dear, they sell it. They are a race remorseless in their bargains, generous in their hospitality, always "doing," never "to be done," — who consider that their fore- sight in choosing locations, and the hardships they undergo in appropriating them, entitle them to im- pose upon a less enterprising class their own terms, to which the latter are compelled to submit ; and if,

LE VIN. 133

in the course of such traffic, their moral perceptions, perhaps never very keen, become somewhat blunted, civilisation at least owes these hardy explorers no in- considerable debt of gratitude for the important services they render in preparing the way for its benign influence.

We received a large addition to our forces at Ontonagon ; and, considering how long we have been on board, and the number of passengers there were, I am hardly to be excused for not having before this given the reader some account of our mode of life on board the " Sam." I am afraid it was a dissipated, careless sort of existence — one to which the words of the old French song might very fairly be applied, " Le vin, le jeu, les belles, voila nos seuls plaisirs." As for the first, it was in the captain's cabin. He was the most hospitable and jovial of inland naviga- tors ; and as a mark of particular favour, we occupied the state room (as it is called) adjoining liis. They both opened on a sort of balcony, and here at all hours was collected a noisy group, taking what they called " nips," smoking mahogany-tinted meerschaums or fragrant havannahs, with a standard rule that each member of the party should furnish a story, a song, or a bottle of wine. The merit of these stories con- sisted not so much in their point as in the racy manner in which they were told, and the pecidiar idioms with which they abounded. Fashionable men from the east described trotting matches between 2.40''' mares,

* Mares capable of performing a mile in two minutes and forty seconds.

134 LE JEU.

" liow they went at it nip and chuck, you never seen a tighter race, and how they came out a dead heat, espe- cially the Bay," and howher ownerwon his bet bymeans of what we should call sharp j)ractice. The captain excited the company with narratives of races between high-pressure steamboats and ultimate " bustings-up." Far-west men told of artful speculations, or wild ad- venture ; while miscellaneous contributors recounted " ^cute " proceedings of various sorts, as escapes from creditors, clever impositions, practical jokes, &c. — each receiving a meed of praise proportionate to the utter absence of principle which his story disj)layed. The songs were generally of a sentimental character, containing insijiid allusions to Columbia ; and I was surprised at the want of humour which all these poetical efifusions manifested.

As for lejeu, it was pretty well sustained all through the day. There was the game of Seven-up, accom- panied by its incomprehensible exclamation of " hoss and hoss," and involving the mysteries of the " Sun- flower-shuffle" and the "big greasy cut ;" there was the Far West game of Old Sledge, and the fashionable do^^^l-east game of Euchre, and the universally popular game of Poker, and sundry others, with unrecollectable names, which were the means of causing consider- able sums to change hands. Last, but not least, les helles were very well represented ; but it required some little time to become acquainted with them, as they occupied the upper table at every meal, upon the sanctity of which we unprivileged bachelors were

LES BELLES. 135

not allowed to intriide. There is probably no country where matrimony is invested with higher privileges than in America, and I would recommend any one contemplating a long tour in the States, by no means to undertake it unprovided with a better-half ; or, in default of that, at least accompanied by his mother.

But the most propitious time for ingratiating oneself with our fair passengers was at the evening dance, the band being composed of niggers, who officiated during the day as barbers. There was one lovely girl, with a noble, thoughtful brow, black hair and eyes, perfect features, and a most irresistible smile, with that clear, transparent complexion, which is never to be met with out of America, to whom I had from the- first ardently desired an opportunity of being introduced ; and I shall never forget the thrill of pleasure which I felt when, upon the two guitars and a fiddle ranging themselves along the bottom of the saloon, and striking up a lively tune, this fair creature, near whom I happened to be standing, artlessly remarked, " that she had a mind to take the knots out of her legs;" — a piece of information on her part which I interpreted to mean that I was at liberty to ofier my services to assist her in this proceeding, and I accordingly solicited the honour of being her partner, and " annexed to her right away."

Alas ! I little knew what I had undertaken, or how completely I had over-estimated my own saltatory powers. Our vis-d-vis were a very tall, thin, flat lady, with a figure like a plank, and a short

136 A " SUPEEIOE COTILLON.

wizened old man, who reached to her elbow, with grey bushy eyebrows, which almost concealed his small piercing eyes, and a huge grizzly beard, so thick and matted, that when he compressed his lips, in the energy of the dance, it was impossible to tell within a quarter of an inch where his mouth was. During the moments of rest, however, he twitched it with a short jerking motion, as if he was knitting with his jaws. He was buttoned up to the chin in a straight military -looking coat, but he had short baggy trousers, dii'ty stockings, and his large splay feet were thrust into a pair of very old pumps. The band played nigger melodies, and accompanied themselves vocally. The dance was a sort of cotillon ; but we were entirely dependent for our figures upon the caprice of the band-leader, who periodically shouted his orders. My partner and the Httle old man oj^posite commenced operations. With clenched teeth and contracted brow did he give him- self up to the pleasures of the dance. Now he plunged violently forward, then retreated with a double shuffle, then seized my partner by the waist, and whirling her rapidly into the middle, danced round her demoniacally, performing the " pigeon wing on de floor and de same in de ar," he pirouetted first on one leg, then on the other, then jumped into the air with both, finished up with " Pete Johnson's knock," and the " under elects," and retired breathless to scowl at me and work his jaws defiantly. As my turn had come I now made a dash at his partner, and attempted a series of similar gymnastic exercises, in a solemn

OUR VIS-A-VIS. 137

and violent way, conscious all the while of the glance of profound contempt with which my fair companion eyed my performances, as I energetically hopped round her tall vis-d-vis, whom I might have imagined a Maypole. But not until the dance be- came more complicated, and the orders followed each other with rapidity, and distracted my attention, did I feel the full effect of my rashness. The band sang, " Heigh Nelly, Ho Nelly, listen lub to me ; " and then the leader shouted, " Gents to the right ! " and away we all shot in the required direction. Then came, " I sing for you — I play for you a dulcem melody." " Balance in line ! " There was a puzzle. I got into everybody's line but my own ; and my partner, with her sweet smile, said that " I had come near riling her, but that she was amost too tired to locomote much longer ; " so that we were both much relieved when the last order came of " promenayde all to your seats ; '' and in a state of extreme exhaustion we threw ourselves on a couch, satisfied that the great end had been gained, and that no knot could have been obstinate enough to resist such violent treat- ment.

We considered ourselves fortunate in finding among our fellow-passengers Messrs Petre and Clifibrd, who had just arrived from England, and who were bound upon a western tour : it was difficult to resist this temptation to extend our own, so we determined to unite our resources, and make our way together to the head waters of the Mississippi.

138 LA POINTE.

The village of La Pointe was the first place we touched at in the State of Wisconsin. It is prettily situated upon one of the Apostles' Islands, a wooded group, which are an attractive feature in the scenery. It is one of the oldest trading; stations on Lake Superior, and Claude Allouez was the first white man who landed here, on the 1st of October 1666. He describes it as a beautiful 'bay, upon whose margin dwelt numerous savages, their warriors amounting to eight hundred ; and here at Chaquamegon, for that was the name given to it by the Chi23peways, the Jesuit Father paused in his wanderings, and com- menced winning the savages to the standard of the cross. Invested with associations such as these, the scene which met our eyes as we landed at La Pointe possessed a double interest ; we were surroimded by a crowd of Indians in all the pomp of savage finery — a very difi'erent race from our companions upon the Severn. They were Chippeways, who had assembled here to receive the payments which are annually made to them by the L^nited States Govern- ment, and were about to set ofi* upon a warlike expedition against the Sioux. It was therefore a most favourable opportunity for seeing them, and it was evident, from the interest we excited, that some of their number were not in the habit of comino; in contact with whites. They were a motley picturesque throng : the blue blankets and red leggings of the squaws contrasted well, while their small delicate feet were encased in embroidered moccasins. The

A WAR PAETY OF CHTPPEWAYS. 139

men had red paint on their faces and feathers in their hair, while their tomahawks and scalping-knives transported us in imagination to more stirring scenes, and half tempted us to give up our plan of proceeding, and follow these warriors on their war-path. There were some splendid men among them — tall, well- made fellows, with a quiet cat-like walk, and imper- turbable countenances. We asked some of them to show us their weapons, which they did with great nonchalance, puffing kinnick-kinnick in our faces out of thick pipes made of red clay, or sometimes formed in the head of a tomahawk, of which the handle served as a pipe-stem. They could not speak English, but showed some interest in us ; and some of the chiefs came on board to look at the dancing, and manifested their contempt for it in grunts, or what Cooper would have called " expressive Ughs," which, considering the nature of the jDerformance, was perhaps not altogether to be wondered at. They certainly formed a singular addition to a scene which in itself was extremely novel.

It was blowing half a gale of wind, when I was aroused early on the following morning by an unusual scuffling on deck, and found that we had arrived at Fond du Lac, and were crossing the bar of the river St Louis, which enters Lake Superior at its most western extremity. The scene was wild and excit- ing ; the violence and direction of the wind, and the intricacy of the navigation, rendered the work one of considerable danger and difficulty, and the captain

140 FOND DU LAC.

]iad at first determined to remain outside until the gale moderated. However, time is valuable to the Yankee, and as the " Sam" was bound upon a voyage round the lake, and expected back at the Sault on an early day, our skipper determined to risk it ; and I was not sorry to arrive at the end of our voyage under more excitino; circimistances than had attended it hitherto. The scenery, too, was bolder. On the right was a deep bay, backed by a high wooded range. A sandy promontory more than a mile long, and in places only a few yards across, upon which grew a grove of tall limbless pine-trees, separated the St Louis from Lake Superior. Near its point were pitched a number of Indian wigwams, with upturned canoes arranged before them. Upon the left the land was low, and covered with a dense forest. Opposite to us, and upon the further shore of a broad lagoon formed by the St Louis, stood the city of Superior, perfectly invisible, however, from the point at which we crossed the bar. We just touched the ground once, then swung round in the deeper waters of the St Louis, and anchored in front of the Indian villao;e, as it was too shallow to admit of a nearer approach to the opposite shore.

Our arrival caused the greatest excitement every- where. Blanketed figures emerged out of the smoky wigwams and stood motionless on the shore, with their arms folded like Eoman senators, betraying as much animation as Indians ordinarily do. Innumer- able curs testified their astonishment by shrill yelps.

LAND IN MINNESOTA. 141

Two or three crazy-looking boats put off (as we were informed) from the city ; but we had not yet been able to discover any signs of a city beyond a single wooden shed. Meanwhile, at least half the passengers, ourselves among the number, had determined to land here, and there was an immense deal of preparation in consequence, though, from the absence of anything like a town, doubts seemed to have arisen as to where we were to go when we landed. However, nobody had courage to give these doubts any distinct expres- sion, but contented themselves with piling their luggage upon the sandy shore, and sitting upon it, waiting for the solution of the problem with a resigned air, which may have been because they had often undergone similar experiences before, and were in the habit of being left with their little all on desolate and remote shores, — or because, having arrived at said desolate and remote shores with their little all in search of fortune, they had only got themselves to thank for their present predicament, and were too wise to quarrel with fate when they most needed to conciliate it. However this may have been, we voted it an unprofitable way of spending our time, and placing our luggage under the care of a good-natured German, who was too profoundly absorbed in his meerschaum to care whether Superior existed or no, we strolled off with our sketch-books to a wio'wam, where we soon established ourselves upon terms of the most friendly intimacy with the inmates — exchanged a pipe of Turkish tobacco with the father of the

142 AN INDIAN WIGWAM.

family for one of kinnick-kinnick — won the affections of the mamma by caressing her baby, which was strapped to a board, and very dirty — delighted the young ladies by presenting them with portraits of themselves — got with some difficulty upon speaking terms with the dog, and ultimately stretched our- selves by the fire, and chronicled in our note-books our first day's experiences in Minnesota territory.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE CITY OF SUPEEIOR — LAND SPECULATION.

When that inestimable character, Mr Mark Tapley, arrived at the city of " Eden/' the first conviction which forced itself upon his mind was, that he had never in the course of his previous experience felt called upon to be "jolly" under more "creditable circumstances" than when locating himself in that dismal swamp.

Without being quite so discouraging as Eden, there was nothing inviting in the first aspect of the extreme western point of Lake Superior, as a spot upon which to take up one's permanent abode. It was a raw, bleak morning ; black clouds gathered behind the range to the north, and swept eastward across the broad lake, as if they meant mischief. The wind whistled over the narrow sandy spit of land on which we stood, curling up the corners of the bark upon the Indian wigwams, ominously flapping the curtain at the doorway, and sending the smoke eddy- ing back into the eyes of the occupants, with a force which rendered them anything but agreeable habita-

144 AN INVISIBLE CITY.

tions. A little schooner came dancing over the white waves of the lake, close hauled, and gunwale under ; but there was a sea on the bar which frightened her away ; and, standing off again on the other tack, she shortened sail, and prepared herself for the coming storm. There was another craft riding uneasily at her anchors in the lagoon, and we heard afterwards that in the course of the night she had a narrow escape, and dragged almost ashore. Even the " Sam" seemed anxious to get away, and avoid the ^^ossi- bility of leaving her old timbers upon the shores of the St Louis, as materials for the first houses of the city of Superior. Meantime, we were becoming not a little desirous to reach the said city ; and I could not help feeling grateful that fate had not destined me to be one of the original settlers. Indeed, I had no cause for complaint, as one of a party of four, determined to make the best of everything, and before many months were over, to wind up our travels with a white -bait dinner at Greenwich ; so that good fellowship and the prospects of home en- abled us to regard discomforts and inconveniences in the light of adventures. It is when they become matters of everyday routine that they lose their cha- racter of romance ; and it would require a good deal of faith in the future prosperity of an embryo town in the Far West, to induce one to live in it through the first stages of its existence. I therefore felt some commiseration for our fellow-passengers in the little boat which at last came to ferry us across to the

FIEST SETTLERS. 145

" City/' One was a German, with the usual roll of bedding, on the outside of which were strapped an axe, a gridiron, and a kettle ; his companion was an Irishman, with nothing but never -flagging spirits and gigantic muscle to trust to in the western world before him ; and the third was a Yankee, in a swal- low-tailed coat, with a revolver, a bundle in a yellow silk pocket-handkerchief, and unfathomable " 'cute- ness" as his stock-in-trade. Our boatman was a well-educated and intelligent young Englishman, who had forced his way to this distant region early in the day, and had been the first to ply regularly upon the river ; he charged high fares accordingly, but we did not grudge him the due reward of his enterprise. He told us that he was already worth more than his most sanguine expectations led him to anticipate, considering the short period of his stay ; and, as a small clearing in the woods opened up to view, he showed us the timber walls of a bowling-saloon in the process of erection, the first of which Superior could boast. Indeed, that celebrated city now burst upon us in all its magnificence, and one lofty barn- like shed, surrounded by an acre of stumps, repre- sented the future emporium of the resources of the fertile and prolific country of which it is destined to be the metropolis.

The river St Louis is for a few miles from its mouth the boundary of Minnesota and Wisconsin, in which latter state Superior is situated. The arrival of the steamer had evidently created a sensation.

K

146 A FAE, WEST GEEETING.

There was a large group collected at the door of the barn which was called the Hotel, and little heaps of luggage were piled up in the mud ; and here and there the more energetic among the late arrivals were cuttino; down branches and constructino; sheds, or pitching tents among the bushes, or hurrying to and fro in all the excitement of preparing for a sojourn in the woods until permanent shelter could be erected.

A tall, raw-boned American, with very short, wide trousers, and moccasins, was standing on a rough pier, constructed with a few logs, as we approached, and watched the process of our debarkation with languid interest. His aspect was as little encourag- ing to a stranger as the place of his abode. He had only one eye ; and a deep scar at the left corner of the empty socket suggested the idea of a " difficulty " which had resulted in the violent abstraction of the other. A short stubbly mus- tache was united to a beard of a like character by a dried-up rivulet of tobacco juice ; and one of his yellow, parchment-like cheeks was largely distended by a plug of the fragrant herb. " Gwine to locate in our city, gentlemen 1 " he drawled out as we col- lected round the tarpaulin package that contained our united effects, as if he thought we had come unusually well provided for such an experiment. We shook our heads. " Wal, j^ro-specting for copper, maybe V AYe assured him we had no such intention. He looked a little puzzled, and favoured us with a

rmST SENSATIONS. 147

lengthened stare of more than ordinary curiosity. " Ah," he said with a sort of doubtful grunt, "Injun traders ; " but our appearance belied that, and he evidently expected the answer he received in the negative. He could gain no information from our costumes ; they consisted simply of flannel shirts, and trousers of the same material, with the usual belts and knives. At last a bright thought struck him. " You're government surveyors," he said in a decided tone ; but w^e scorned the idea : so he gave an incredulous spirt of tobacco juice, and turned his back upon us, — evidently in doubt whether, as Mr Chuckster would say, we were " precious deep," and would not reveal our intentions — or " precious flat," and had not got any.

We then dragged our luggage some fifty yards up a steep muddy bank to the door of the hotel, and, not being taken the slightest notice of by any one, sat upon it in a helpless way. Just then I saw the " Sam" steam slowly out of the river : the last link which connected us with civilisation seemed broken, and I thought that to have been a friend- less emigrant upon that distant shore — without a roof to cover one, or a bed to lie upon, sur- rounded by a gang of selfish unfeeling adventm^ers — would have been perhaps the most unenviable expe- rience in one's life. It was impossible to get an answer to a question, or to attract any interest what- ever. Each person manifested the most profound indifl'erence to everybody's concerns but his own; so

148 A COOL INHABITANT.

we cleterminecl to watcli the luggage and explore the city by turns. Striking along a swamp, and balanc- ing myself upon the pine logs that served as a path- way, I observed a white sheet fluttering among the bushes, and, upon approaching, found that it was a tent formed of some sheets fastened ingeni- ously together ^y/th bark, and to which there was no visible entry. At last I discovered a part where it was not pegged down, and poking my head under, perceived lying in the centre, upon the hard damp ground, like a chrysalis in its cocoon, a huge mum- mied figure, wrapped in a blanket, above which gleamed a pair of spectacles : the only other article in the tent was a carpet-bag, which served as a pillow to the prostrate occupant ; the keen wind was whistling under and through the thin cotton sheeting ; the moisture oozed up through the damp soil ; and as it was the middle of the day, I thought some serious malady was the occasion of so uncomfortable a pro- ceeding. A pair of round eyes goggling at me through the spectacles relieved me from any appre- hension of waking the sufferer, so I asked him if he was ill.

" No, siree ; guess Fm only lazy."

" But it will be very cold to-night."

" Wal, don't reckon on its being colder than it was last night." -

" Then, do you mean always to live here '? "

" Ah, shouldn t wonder. I have got a house build- ing on hill 'uU be the finest in the city for a spell. Til

SUPERIOR QUARTERS. lj.9

make it a saloon, and there will be a room 18 by 25. The rent is only two hundred dollars a-year ; if youVe a mind to it, go up by swamp half a mile and see it, and come back and tell me what you think of it. I ain't one of your darned picayunish coons, and 111 hold on to this hyar fixing to oblige a stranger ; but if you're nosing about to no good, wal, put !" This latter hint was given with such emphasis, and the eyes looked so threatening, that, as I had no design upon the saloon, I "put" forthwith, or, in less concise terms, took myself off, carefully avoiding my friend's fixing during the remainder of my stay at Superior.

On my return to the hotel, I doubted whether the solitary and cheerless habitation I had just visited was not a preferable abode to the public lodging- house. As yet it was quite unfinished. The greater part of the interior was devoted to the purposes of a carpenter's shop. Sawing, planing, and hammering- went on without intermission. There were piles of planks and bales of cotton, baskets of tools and casks of pork, all mingled indiscriminately ; rough logs with rough people sitting on them, and shavings a foot deep everywhere. There was a lath partition which had not yet been plastered, and by looking through the interstices of which it was easy to dis- cover that it was the bedroom of mine host, his wife, and family. A similar partition, in which a door had not yet been put, separated the eating-room from the dirt and shavings. A ladder led up through a trap- door to a spacious loft, which at first sight presented

150 THE FAE \\T:ST

a most singular aspect. All round the sides were arranged beds of shavings upon the floor ; and above each, suspended from the roof, were musquito-nets of all colours, so that thev looked like a collection of variegated meat-safes imbedded in shavings. Above them, again, were a series of stages, supported by rickety wooden posts. Each stage was capable of containing two or three occupants, and the only means of access these latter possessed was by " swarming " up the posts, to use a schoolboy's term. In one corner of the loft there was a small room screened off: this was the land-office ; and as we have hitherto devoted ourselves to describing first impressions of Superior in its external aspect, a \dsit to the land- office mil afford us a good opportunity of learning something more of its present condition and future prospects.

It can rarely happen that a settlement in its inci- pient state, however brilliant its future prospects may be, is inviting ; and if I have painted Supe- rior in somewhat dingy colours, and taken a gloomy view of the emigrant's first experience, it is not to discourao'e him from adventurino- in the wilds of America, but simply to warn him, that in order to realise those large sums which are gambled A^ith there as if they were lottery tickets, he must expect hard- shijDs and trials of no ordinary nature. If he have a bold spirit, common prudence, and some fertility of resource, there is no part of the world in which those qualities can be turned to more profit and advantage

AS A FIELD FOR INVESTMENT. 151

than in Canada and the north-west states of America. Investments made with ordinary prudence are attended with scarcely any risk ; for as civilisation advances, property everywhere increases in value, and in the course of time the most injudicious selection of land will realise a handsome profit. The value of land is frequently doubled in these regions in one year, or even in a few months ; the difficulty is not to make money, but to keep it. The same incentives to the permanent accumulation of w^ealth do not exist in America which operate in England. No man cares to be the founder of a family in a country where all difference of birth is ignored, and it is impossible to entail his wealth upon a single representative of his family. The amusements of Americans are not so expensive as ours, and there are fewer of them ; nor is there any rank or society which necessarily involves a heavy expenditure to the man whose home is in the Far West. Money is still less valuable for its own sake, or as an ingredient in his happiness. The amenities of civilisation have no charms for him. He longs to exchange his insipid existence in an eastern city for the freedom of the woods, where his occupa- tion has ever been reckless speculation, the excitement of which still forms his chief source of pleasure ; so he plays away his fortune as soon as he has made it. His habits of life remain unchanged, whatever be his pecuniary circumstances ; and whether the last card was a trump, matters very little to him, for he means to p;amble all his life.

152 LAND SPECULATION.

To an Eno-lishman intendino; to return to his native land with a comfortable independence, the country in which the Yankee speculates is the one for him to invest in ; and if he is contented with a tithe of the winnings, without the risk, of the more dashing game, he will not repent the day when he crossed the Atlantic to seek his fortune on the shores of the American lakes.

In looking; out for elioible land-investments in an unsettled country, the attention of the explorer should ever be directed to the discovery of those localities v/hich seem to combine the necessary re- quisites for a future town. If he wish to buy upon the shores of a lake, the two great considerations are, the excellence of the harbour, and the character of the back country, with the facilities which exist for transport into the interior ; and he should com- pare its merits with those of other spots upon the coast, so as to avoid the risk of competition. If he be desirous of settling in the interior, he should do so u[)on the banks of a river. The head of the naviga- tion is a certain site for a town. Good water-power is almost indispensable, and a fertile back country, the nature of which may be judged of by the size and character of the timber : hardwood, including maple, birch, oak, &c., is an indication of the best land ; soft- wood betokens a poorer soil ; but ujjon the banks of a river the most valuable locations for lumber pur- poses are amid pine forests. If the land-speculator be fortunate enough to estalilish a pre-emptive claim

ELIGIBILITY OF SUPERIOR. 153

upon a tract of land combiniDg sucli qualifications upon the confines of civilisation, he may within a few years, or even before the last instalment of his pur- chase-money has been paid down, charge more for his land hy the foot than he is at the same moment paying to government for it by the acre, and, before ten years are past, may see a large bustling town covering the land which was clothed, when he bought it, with virgin forests; and find himself a millionaire, with just enough (if he be a Yankee) to meet the liabilities he has incurred in taking out a patent for diving-bells at New York, in laying down a gutta- percha pavement at New Orleans, and contracting to rebuild San Francisco after a fire ; together with a few other experiments in various parts of his almighty continent, too trifling to mention.

But this mode of land -speculating is not alone confined to individuals. Companies are formed, who purchase large tracts of land in eligible localities ; and the positioD of Fond du Lac appeared such a promis- ing site, that two sej)arate companies obtained grants of land at the mouth of the St Louis. It is not difficult to perceive the advantages which the western extremity of Lake Superior holds out as a point for such speculation. It is situated at the head of the lake navigation of North America. Since the passing of the reciprocity treaty, by which the internal- navigation of America is made available to the vessels both of England and the United States, there is uninterrupted fresh-water communication for large

154 ITS FUTURE PROSPECTS.

steamers, from thence to the sea by way of the St Lawrence, a distance of 2000 miles. There is no harbour nearer than La Pointe, ninety miles dis- tant upon the southern shore of the lake ; and upon the northern the country is sterile and uninhabited, and affords no good harbour between Fond du Lac and the frontier of the British Possessions and the United States.

When the bar at the mouth of the St Louis, on which there is now nine feet of water, is dredged, the lagoon, which is about six miles long and two broad, will be easy of access, as well as safe and commodious. Not only are the hills in the neigh- bourhood of Fond du Lac prolific in mineral re- sources, but the whole country lying to the west and south, and extending to the Mississippi, is rich, well watered, and susceptible in a high degree of cultivation. When it is settled, the whole cereal and mineral produce of Minnesota, and a great part of that of Wisconsin, must find an outlet at this point, which ^yll] a.lso be the port for the import trade of the east. A railway has abeady been projected from Superior to St Paul, the head of the navigation of the Mississippi, 130 miles distant, when a large share of the traffic which has contributed to the rapid growth of Chicago will find its way by this route. As soon, therefore, as the advancing tide of civilisation made it apparent that the time had arrived to turn these capabilities to account, rival companies bought land, and hung up the plans of their prospective cities in

BRIGHT VISIONS. 155

all the hotels of the northern towns. These plans are magnificent in appearance. Handsome squares, avenues and streets, with pictures of the noble edifices with which, in the imagination of the artist, they are ornamented, dazzle with their splendour our unsus- pecting emigrant, who labels his luggage for the per- fect specimen of architecture which he sees marked in the corner as the National Hotel, situated upon the principal square ; and on his arrival finds, to his dismay, a wooden shed in the midst of stumps, with an unfeeling landlord and beds of shavings. It is, however, fair to say that the chances are strongly in favour of the bright visions in the plans being realised in an incredibly short space of time.

CHAPTER XIV.

WISCONSIN. — BED AND BOAED IN THE FAR WEST,

It is only necessary to glance at tlie progress of Wisconsin, at the nortli - western corner of wliicli Superior is situated, and at the character and capabi- lities of the State generally, to justify the prediction that, in the course of a few years, Superior will he as large and as thriving as its other cities.

Wisconsin was only admitted into the Union as a State in May 1848. The rapid increase of its popu- lation has been unprecedented even in the annals of American progression. In 1838 the population, according to the State enumerations, was only 18,130; in 1850, the census returned the popula- tion as 305,391. I saw the Governor of the State in Washington, in 1854, and he assured me that there were upwards of 500,000 inhabitants in Wisconsin, who had all emigrated there within the last fifteen years. It is needless to observe that the value of property must have risen commensurately with the increase of population, in order to support my asser- tion as to the eligibility of Wisconsin as a field for investment ; but it possesses many other attractions

WISCONSIN AS A FIELD FOR EMIGRATION. 157

to the emigrant beyond tliat of mere progression. " The salubrity of the climate," says Mr Lapham, " the purity of the atmosphere, and of the water, wliich is usually obtained from copious living springs, the coolness and short duration of summer, and the dryness of the air during winter, all conspire to render Wisconsin one of the most healthy por- tions of the United States.'^ It is one of the most fertile as well as healthy. The general surface of the State is gently undulating ; the higher elevations are upon the shores of Lake Superior, where the hills are covered with dense forests of evergreen ; and the streams are rapid, affording good water-power. It is therefore a good timber district, and exports about 200,000,000 feet per year, while many of the ranges are rich in kon and copper ore. The soil is even here very rich ; and, unlike mineral regions gene- rally, this promises a rich reward to the farmer as well as the miner.

But it is to the south-eastern part of the State that the attention of the farmer should be more particularly directed. I afterwards travelled along the southern boundary of Wisconsin — over its roll- ing prairies, where the long luxuriant grass was in- terspersed with flowers — past oak openings where belts and clumps of oaks vary the monotony of the prairie ; for these forest giants alone can stand the action of the vast annual conflagrations which sweep over the western prairies, and which, while they enrich the grass, add doubtless to the productive

158 ITS CAPABILITIES.

power of the soil, and prej)are it for the plough- share. The soil is described as a dark bro^\^l vegetable mould, from one to two feet deep, very melloAV, without stone or gravel, and very fertile. This charming country is intersected by five or six navigable rivers, and dotted with numerous extensive and beautiful lakes. It possesses the greatest facili- ties for exporting its produce. Bounded on the north by Lake Superior, on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the west for 27o miles by the Mississippi, it has outlets in every direction, while railroads already connect its principal towns Avith New York. The lake commerce of Wisconsin in 1851 exceeded 27,000,000 of dollars, xlmongst the most important and valuable of the exports of Wisconsin, however, is lead, which is found in great abundance and richness upon the upper Mississippi. Such is a brief descrip- tion of the attractions which this State offers to intending emigrants, which are more fully set forth in some thousands of pamphlets issued by the State immigration agents at New York, and which, having been printed in German, Dutch, and Norwegian, have been in a great degree the means of pojDulating the State with settlers of different nationalities from the continent of Europe.

I was glad to have the opportunity of witnessing the process by which a vast and heretofore almost uninhabited country was becoming thickly and rapidly populated, as a process which involved so much that was interesting and anomalous.

AN IMAGINARY CITY. 159

The blind confidence whicli induces crowds of utterly destitute people to emigrate to comparatively unknown and altogether uncivilised regions, with the intention of living there permanently, — the cool pre- sumption with which crowded steamers start for cities which do not exist, and disgorge their living freights upon lonesome and desolate shores, to shift for themselves, — and the very remarkable manner in which they do shift for themselves — first, by building a hotel, then a newspaper ofiice, then probably a masonic lodge, or something equally unnecessary, then saloons and places of public entertainment — and, finally, shops and ordinary dwelling-houses, — are amongst the most novel and characteristic expe- riences of a traveller in the Far West.

Having inspected the plan of the city in the land- ofiice before described, we sallied forth to choose some lots for our own benefit ; and having been par- ticularly fascinated by the eligible position of some, situated within two doors of the bank, just round the corner of the grand hotel, opposite the wharf, fronting the principal square, and running back to Thompson Street — in fact, in the very thick of the business part of the town — and preceded by a very communicative and civilised young man, evidently imported from New York or Boston for pufiing pur- poses,— we commenced cutting our w^ay with bill- hooks through the dense forest, which he called Third Avenue, or the fiishionable quarter, until we got to the bed of a rivulet, down which we turned through

160 THE TABLE d'hoTE.

tangled underwood (by name West Street), until it lost itself in a bog, wliich was the principal square, upon tlie other side of which, covered with almost impenetrable bush, was the site of our lots. We did not think it Avorth our while cutting our way through them to the business quarter, and therefore returned somewhat sceptical, despite the glowing eulogy which our cicerone passed upon our selection, of its wisdom ; and almost disposed to quarrel with one of our quon- dam fellow-passengers whom we met, and who asked us if " we had got to housekeeping yet."

The table dliote was quite in keeping with the hotel in which it was given. Twenty or thirty rough fellows, in red flannel shirts, with knives and pistols stuck into their girdles, sat round the massive table to wash down a great quantity of hard salt pork with brandy, and garnish their conversation, of which they were very chary, A\ith a singular variety and quantity of oaths. Indeed, so frequently and inappropriately are they lugged into the common parlance of back- woodsmen, that it is at first very difficult to under- stand anything that is said ; and as, even when used as an embellishment in civilised conversation, they do not give one a very high estimate of the sense of the speaker, when they also interfere with the sense of the sentence, familiar intercourse with the denizens of the West is neither profitable nor attractive. There was a judge at dinner, who was a singular instance of this ; and if his decisions were framed in such blasphemous terms as his talk, it would have been

A "prospecting" judge. 161

morally impossible for his suitors to understand him unless they had undergone a special education for the purpose. He was seeking rest from his judicial labours by a little " prospecting ; " and had deter- mined to employ his holidays by doing a stroke of business in the copper line. To judge by his appear- ance, he had been a good deal in the bowels of the earth, and had not washed himself since he had started on his explorations. However, it was diffi- cult to account for the filth and shabbiness of his attire, for he had with him an unusually large ]3ort- manteau — in which he was always burrowing — com- petent to contain a sufficient supply of clothes for the most fastidious. Upon one occasion, however, when a group was collected near this mysterious receptacle, he suddenly opened it and displayed an enormous bundle, on the top of which were sprinkled a few dirty socks and collars, and which, on being untied, was found to contain huge specimens of copper, with which he was returning to his native State to induce his friends to advance the funds necessary for his purposes.

In olden time people used to say that poverty made one acquainted with strange bed-fellows. This is an experience which nowadays the traveller shares with the pauper, and it is involved by a tour in the Far West to an unusual extent. When the shades of evening closed upon Superior, and we had smoked a pipe or two in the twilight, we asked our host whether he could give us sleeping accommodation, to which he

162 NOVELTY OF OUR NICxHT's QUARTERS.

considerately replied : " Wal, I guess, if you can find a corner that's not pre-empted, you may spread your shavings there." And having received this permission to litter ourselves down amongst the prostrate figures in the loft, and luckily hit upon a corner that was not pre-empted, we formed our blankets into sacks, which we filled with shavings from the shed below, and pulled up the ladder after us. Fortunately there were very few musquitoes, as we were unprovided with nets ; but we had no sooner stretched ourselves upon our beds than we discovered the reason of our sup- posed good fortune in finding a vacant corner to con- sist in its being exposed to the full force of the wind, which whistled through the interstices of the logs of which the walls were composed, and one of w^hich, just at my ear, was big enough for me to fill up with my coat.

I could scarcely regret any cause, however dis- agreeable, Avhich kept me awake to contemplate for a short time the novelty of our night's quarters. We were surrounded by thirty or forty snoring men in every variety of costume ; for the process of turn- ing-in in the West consists simply of kicking off shoes or moccasins; while here and there previous "claims" were being somewhat querulously discussed ; and at the further end of the loft an eager party were leaning over a table, on w^hich stood a bottle, mth a tallow candle placed in it, playing " faro," a game they had imported with them from California ; for some of our bedfellows had taken a turn at the diggings, and,

EOUTES FROM SUPERIOR TO ST PAUL. 163

with their lank hair, unkempt beards, and rugged features, lit up with an unusual excitement by the interest of the game, they formed a group whose aspect was by no means reassuring to four quiet Cockneys. Moreover, men were continually "swarming up" posts to roost upon fragile platforms over our heads, and slipping rapidly and unexpectedly down them again. The creaking of these became ominous, as stout " parties " rolled uneasily in their sleep upon very thin planks, placed so far apart that, by looking up, we could see their forms between them, and lay in no small terror of being deluged with a cataract of tobacco juice ; and there was a wrangling kept up in the land -office, for a long time. At least I listened to it until snores, and oaths, and creaking became all blended into a soft murmur, and gra- dually worked themselves into a series of pleasant dreams of home.

Before sunrise, we were roused to the stern realities of backwood life. And as we had no intention of " getting to housekeeping " in Superior, it became us to think of proceeding on our journey westward. This, however, 'was no easy matter ; and the various descriptions we received of the relative merits of the different routes to St Paul, whither we were bound, were by no means encouraging. These were three in number ; but no two accounts agreed, either with regard to the time the journey would occupy, or the difficulties to be encountered. There was one route which involved walking sixty miles through swamps,

164 PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY.

witli the chance of finding a canoe at the St Croix Eiver ; and in default of that, walking sixty more, carrying oui' provisions with us for the whole distance, and sleeping out every night. And there was another by the Brule Paver, which would probably occupy three weeks in a bark canoe, but might take much more if the water was low, and we could get no information upon that point : so we decided upon the first, and had engaged some voyageiu'S to accompany us ; but, as we were on the point of starting, their courage failed them, and they refused point-blank to move a foot ; at which crisis a man who had just arrived from St Paul — indeed the only person who had made the journey during the season — proposed a third route, by the St Louis and Mississippi, which, after much discussion, was finally adopted, and which involved a great many preparations.

AYe began by buying a bark canoe for twenty dollars : then we tried to enp;ao;e two Indians, as well as two voyageurs. The former were painted warriors of the Chippeway tribe, encamped on the opposite shore of the river, who had just returned from the war- path, and had scarcely ever seen " pale-faces " in their lives before. They seemed willing enough to come at first, but when they found that our proposed route lay through the country of the Sioux, with whom they are at war, they l3acked out, and we were reduced at starting to our two half-breeds, Batiste Cadot and Jean Le Feve, whose services we had so much trouble

A MULTITUDE OF COUNSELLORS. 165

in securing. At their instigation we laid in, at the only store in the place, a hundred pounds of flour, three hams, some bacon, tea, sugar, biscuits, and brandy. The purchase of these articles involved an immense amount of liquoring up, for our trip had now become matter of notoriety, and ourselves of no little curiosity. Conflicting advice was tendered in every direction by people who knew nothing whatever of the matter, but who all expected a drink for their trouble. As the brandy was villanous and expensive, it was no less a tax upon one's stomach than one's pocket. However, it is one of the most ancient and sacred institutions of the country, whenever you are introduced to a man at the bar of a hotel, to '' liquor him right away ; " a compliment which, according to the strict rules of American etiquette, he ought to return before parting with you. In the fulness of their affection for us, some of these gentry, who wanted to make the journey at any rate, but lacked the necessary funds, offered to accompany us to St Paul ; and it was not without running some risk of giving offence that we declined their proposal. Indeed, I somewhat fear that, notwithstanding the best intentions on our part, we rather damaged our popularity with the worthy citizens of Superior by this apparent want of sociability. It is only natural that a single individual should esteem himself entitled to attach himself to a party travelling in the same direction, instead of making a long solitary journey ;

166 YANKEE PROMPTITUDE.

and I must say, for tlie credit of our Yankee friends, that in no part of the world are the inconveniences of a wild country more promptly remedied, by the establishment of speedy and commodious means of locomotion than in America.

PART III.— MINNESOTA.

CHAPTER XV.

CAIUPING OUT ON THE ST LOUIS.

It was upon a lovely morning, about the middle of August 1854, that we bade adieu to our Superior friends, and, Avith a voyageur at each end of the canoe, stowed away our four selves at the bottom of it, having made a convenient disposition of the luggage and stores for that purpose. The St Louis, the river we were about to ascend in our bark canoe, is here about two miles wide. Soon after leaving Superior, we paddled past a few log huts, the resi- dences of our own voyageurs and others of the same fraternity, who originally settled here many years ago as British subjects, and servants of the Nortli- West Company. They pointed out to us the remains of the Old Fort, and a little beyond it we saw the debris of the rival establishment which had belonged to

168 FOND DU LAC.

the Hudson^s Bay Company. Voyageurs and Yankee speculators have all the Indian trade to the south of the boundary-line to themselves now. At the head of the bay, where the river takes a sharp turn to the south-west, it is full of fields and islands of wild rice, intersected with so many channels that an inex- perienced voyageur might easily lose himself

Although we were so far north, as the banks of the river approached one another we might have imagined ourselves in the tropics. The massive foliage on either side dipped into the water ; the stream was dark and sluggish ; and a burning mid-day sun rendered the labour of paddling a heavily laden canoe somewhat irksome. We were, therefore, seven hours in reaching the Indian village of Fond du Lac, twenty- one miles from Superior. Here we determined to lighten our work, by taking two Indians with us as far as they would go, with another canoe for some of the baggage. This consisted principally of profusions, as we carried no tent, and our spare wardrobe was limited to a flannel -shirt a -piece. There will no doubt be a to^vn built shortly at Fond du Lac, as it is na^uo;able for steamers drawino; six feet of water, and there are good mill-sites at the falls of the St Louis, the head of the navigation. The Manhattan is the only steamer which navigated the river to this point in 1850. The trading-house of the American Fur Company is situated on the north shore of the river, and immediately opposite is the corner of the state of Wisconsin ; it is also the corner

•Mr ■ %*:°%m'vw

tok

N'EW

^»"=KS1

AN INDIAN TOMAHAWKED. 169

of the boundary lines running south and east between the ceded lands of the Chippeway, and those still held by that tribe east of the Mississippi. Dr Owen says, that the waters of the Lake Basin had their western terminus formerly above this place.

There was a good deal of excitement in the village, in consequence of a murder which had been committed a day or two before our arrival. The father-in-law of the chief had been tomahawked in his hut, and a serious division in the tribe was likely to be the result. The village contains about 400 inhabitants. We lunched in a neat cottage belonging to a half-breed, while the " sauvages," as the voyageurs call the In- dians, were preparing their canoe ; and afterwards made the unpleasant discovery that Messieurs Batiste Cadot and Jean Le Feve were somewhat " sauvage" in temper themselves.

The art of managing strange servants in a strange country is one of the traveller's most valuable accom- plishments, and his personal comfort, if not the actual success of his expedition, very often depends upon his tact and patience. Both these qualities were des- tined to be severely tried by our two voyageurs at Fond du Lac, and from their dogged insolence and refusal to obey orders, we augured badly for the future, though we could not discover the cause for such a manifestation of discontent, unless it arose from our having intimated at starting that we in- tended to lose no time on the way, — a determination which did not accord mth their interests, since they

170 A STRIKIXG VIEW.

liacl stipulated, as an indispensable condition, that they were to be paid by the day, doubtless with the view of taking advantage of our ignorance of the route, as we were evidently such " griffins '^ at bark- canoe voyaging. However, we mustered a good deal of general travelhng experience among us. Bury had spent two years of his life among the Arabs of Bar- bary and the Kurds of Uj)per Mesopotamia ; Petre had undergone a settler's experience in New Zealand, and made the tour of the world, besides a little desul- tory travelling to Mexico and South America ; Clif- ford's wanderings, as well as my own, had been pretty extensive ; so that this display on the part of our voyageurs did not give us much uneasiness.

The view from our resting-place was striking. Below us the river wound between islands, and on the opposite shore the Indian village dotted the cleared country ; behind it a high range clothed with forest rose abruptly, one peak attaining an elevation of about seven hundred feet, of so precipitous a character that it can onlv be ascended from one side. The summit is a level bare rock, exposing to the south a perpendicular face, several hundred feet high. Send- ing our canoes round by the river, we took a short cut over some low land covered with cedar, basswood, and other swampy bush, and then crossing a ridge, descended a steep bank to the river-side, where we found it a tumultuous torrent, compressed between banks about a hundred feet high, so boiling and bub- blino' that it did not seem to have recovered the

IMMENSE BURDENS BOENE BY INDIANS. I7l

excitement of going over the falls. These commenced here, and to avoid them we were compelled to make a long portage of eight miles. We thus lost a part of the magnificent scenery which characterises the passage of this river through the Cabotian mountains. The lower falls are described as a series of cascades, ten or eleven in number, and from six to seven feet in height, running obliquely across the stream, and extending for half a mile. The water falls in this distance 103 feet, gliding rather than falling over inclined layers of slate. The second falls are more imposing : enormous walls of rock, thirty to forty feet in height, project from either bank, and run nearly across the river like huge dams. At one point the river forces itself through a passage forty feet wide, the width of the river above and below being from 150 to 200 yards. The third and fourth falls are made up of a series of cascades. The entire fall of the river in these few miles is 389 feet, and the scenery throughout grand in the extreme.

Crossing the river, we commenced a long portage, and found ourselves at last fairly in Minnesota terri- tory. We only carried one canoe across the portage, as the Indians said they had another in cache on the other side. The burdens which these men carry are scarcely credible. One of our stout fellows clambered up the almost perpendicular bank with 60 lb. of flour on his head, with no more apparent inconvenience than if it was his ordinary head-dress, and with a good load on his back besides ; another packed up

172 CULINARY OPERATIONS.

the cooking utensils and remaining provisions, and trudged merrily away ; the two voyageurs shouldered the canoe ; we did the same with our personal kits and our guns, having first killed a kingfisher, the only living creature we had as yet seen, — and tramped through the woods along the narrow trail, until the growing darkness and the murmurs of the voyageurs compelled a halt. We dined on damper and bacon, washed down wdth the concentrated es- sence of green tea, strong enough, in woodsman's parlance, " to float an axe ;'^ and then, with our feet to the fire, and wrapped up in our blankets, we lay watching the stars twinkling through the dense fohaD;e overhead, until the soothino; influ- ence of coarse Cavendish exerted its soporific efiects, and we foUoAved the example of our servants, who had long since been snoring roundly on the opposite side of the fire.

We were preparing breakfast before daylight on the following morning. Petre's culinary acquirements were most valuable, and he produced quite a variety of dishes, with flour and bacon as the only ingredi- ents. Neither the Australian damper nor the Indian jupatty are, however, to be compared with the bread which our voyageurs made, and which was leavened with yeast, carried in convenient portable packages. Shortly after starting, we overtook an Indian and his squaw tramping it through the bush. The man was a fine specimen of his race, as he stalked along, carry- ing nothing but his gun and pipe, while his wife

U ^^_^^^^ T^/^T>m A /^TT, "

THE " KNIFE POUTAGE. 173

trudged wearily behind, staggering under an immense load of domestic effects, upon the top of which was strapped a wretched little papoose. We had camped half-way across the portage, so we had four miles to walk to the river, where we found a canoe in cache, and paddled against a current so impetuous that the waves often dashed into the canoe ; and we were half-an-hour accomplishing fifty yards. At last, after having forced our canoe, by dint of immense yelUng and punting, up rapids that would have given a salmon pleasant exercise, we reached a rocky island about eighty feet high, dividing the stream into tor- rents that were quite impracticable. We therefore were compelled to make a portage of three miles, called the " knife portage," because the surface of the ground is covered with masses of slate, which cut through moccasins.

At the other side of the portage the scenery is very fine : the river makes a perpendicular fall of fourteen feet ; and though the altitude is inconsi- derable, the body of water which rushes over the ledge of rock has a most imposing effect. The men were obliged to make two trips across the portage, as, with the second canoe, it was impossible to con- vey over everything in a smgle journey. Delays of this sort are unavoidable upon these rivers, but their duration depends very much upon the good-will and activity of the voyageurs and Indians. We were still playing at cross purposes, and being annoyed by our men in every possible way. Our occupations upon

174 OUR SERVANTS INSTRUCTED, AND

these occasions usually were fishing, without catching anything — shooting, almost without shooting any- thino' — cookino', sketchino^, and bathino;. After dining on a jay, a woodpecker, and a kingfisher, we started again. The current was so rapid that we were fre- quently obliged to leave the men to pull the canoes up the river, and to follow them along the banks. This was a trying process to feet covered only with moccasins, and I soon found that, however comfort- able they are upon swampy trails, a good shooting- boot would have been infinitely preferable upon the sharp rocks.

AYe found a good camping-ground in the evening upon the right bank of the river, and were completely exhausted with our day^s work when we arrived. We received not the sfio-htest assistance from our men in making a fire or preparing the camp ; and when they found that we made our arrangements inde- pendently of them, they informed us that they intended to leave us and retm-n. This we assured them they were at perfect liberty to do, but that as we meant to keep both the canoes, all the provisions, and should certainly not give them any of their pay, they would find the return journey very laborious and somewhat unprofitable. As they were not in a position forcibly to dispute this arrangement, they stated, in a more humble tone, that they considered themselves overworked, and we efi'ected an amicable compromise at last, by which it was agreed that they were to work twelve hours a-day, and be their own

A GOOD UNDERSTANDING ESTABLISHED. 175

masters in all other respects, choosing the camping- grounds, hours for starting, having meals, &c. After this we got friendly and confidential, and discussed the merits of a voyageur's life, and the prospects of Indian trade, in bad French, with much profit. Le Feve informed us that he had once made a bark- canoe voyage with a French philosopher — probably Nicollet — ^who took observations everywhere, and who determined the spot at which we were then camped as having an altitude of 900 feet above the sea. Our palaver was most disagreeably terminated by a heavy shower of rain, in the midst of which we turned in for the night. Tilting the canoe on its side, we put our heads under it, and made a sort of screen of tarpaulin, which prevented the rain from beating upon our faces ; but when we woke next morning, we found that it was still raining hard, and that we were lying in a puddle wet through. Under these circum- stances, tobacco is the invariable resource of the voyageur.

We were now far beyond the utmost limits of White Settlement, in a part of the country very little traversed even by Indians. In the whole course of our voyage up the St Louis, we only saw one wigwam after leavino; Fond du Lac. There was not much variety in our life. Sometimes it rained hard all day, but we pressed pertinaciously on, forcing our canoes against the swollen current. Our asj^ect upon these occasions would have astonished a quiet party of Indians not a little, as, with pipes in our mouths

176 THEIR BOAT -CHANTS.

and paddles in our hands, we struggled furiously with the stream, sometimes carried back against the rocks, at others hanging for a moment or two in the middle of the rapid, unable to advance a yard, and then, with a vigorous spurt, shoving our light bark into the smooth water beyond ; then paddling with measured stroke to the melodious chants of the voyageurs, and joining lustily in the chorus of them all, but more especially of the one which begins —

Deux canards blancs

S'en vout baignants,

En roulant ma boul^ ;

Le fils du roi s'en va chassant,

Boulez, roulons, ma bouM roulons.

Chorus. En roulant ma bould, roulons, En roulant ma bould.

And which goes on, throughout an interminable number of verses, to recount the history and adven- tures of the ducks and the prince, with its cheery chorus ever recurring. Then we would wake up the slumbering echoes of these old woods with English college songs they had never heard before, and which the Indians, who have excellent ears, always picked up and sang in perfect time, with a very good imita- tion of the words, amid shouts and laughter. A good understandino' havinpi; been once established, we became the best friends imaginable, and a more noisy, merry party never stemmed the waters of the St Louis.

As we passed the solitary wigwam before men-

A FEAST ON " TENDER BAR." 177

tioned, our shouts brought an old woman, its only occupant, tottering to the bank. She informed us that her husband was out upon the war-path against the Sioux ; that he was a great warrior from Eainy Lake, and had a splendid collection of scalps in his hut ; that he had killed a bear a few days before he left, and she proposed to " trade" a hind quarter with us for some biscuits. We were delighted to make the exchange, as we had not tasted fresh meat for some days, and were getting excessively tired of nothing but rusty ham and flour ; indeed, we had scarcely any of the former left. So we regaled ourselves that night with a royal feast on " tender bar," the cooking of which caused the greatest possible excitement, and the effect of which was to make us all sleep so soundly that we missed some sport in the night. A large animal crossed our camp and woke two of us, who seized their rifles, and jumped up just in time to hear the plunge in the water, and see indistinctly an object swimming across the river, but they could not tell whether it was a bear or a carriboo. At all events, it was the only animal ex- cept a skunk that we saw upon the St Louis.

The principal drawback to travelling in this part of America is the almost utter absence of all game ; so that not only is sport out of the question, but there is an actual difficulty in procuring means of subsis- tence with the rifle in case of the supply of flour running out. We tried the St Louis with fly, bait, and troll lines, but without the slightest success ;

M

178 DEXTERITY OF VOYAGEUES.

indeed, the appearance of the water is anything but promising ; it was the colour of coffee — so dark as to make navigation very dangerous. The utmost vigilance often failed to discover a jagged rock not three inches below the surface, upon which a severe blow might possibly have sunk us on the spot. As it was, we were often o])liged to jump out into the water, and eveiy evening there was a great deal of patching up, with gum, of woimds received on the l)ottoms and sides of the canoes. The dexterity of the voyageurs in everything connected with the inci- dents of our mode of travel was marvellous. Whether it was displayed in punting the canoe up a foaming torrent ^^ith long poles, or discovering with quick glance hidden rocks, quite imperceptible to the inexperienced eye, and avoiding them with inimitable presence of mind, or in carrying heavy loads over rocky portages, or cooking excellent dishes with inadequate materials, or making a cosy camp with a bit of tarpaulin and a few branches, or mending the canoe with strips of bark and gum, they were never without resources ; and if not interfered with, were good, active servants ; but they resented in the highest degree any dictation upon matters in which they were proficient, and we had no inclination to disturb arrano-ements which were the result of lono; experience, and always proved advantageous.

The voyageurs are half-breeds, but pique them- selves very much on their French origin ; look upon the " sauvages" with immense contempt, and talk an old Norman patois, which is very intelligible. They

THEIR CHARACTER AND TEMPERAMENT.

179

are most valuable servants to the Hudson's Bay Company ; possessed of great powers of endurance and knowledge of the country, their Indian blood renders them convenient channels for intercourse with the different tribes for trading purjDoses. They are hardy and independent, not more dishonest than their neighbours, and easily managed by those who understand their peculiar temperament. Those in the neighbourhood of Superior have profited from the rise in the value of property, and have not been improved by their intercourse with the Yankees, and increase of wealth.

The Portage

CHAPTER XVI.

THE SAVA2s'XAHS.

Our voyage up tlie St Louis liacl been slow on account of the great rapidity of the current, and therefore somewhat tedious, notwithstanding the occasional beauty of the scenery, where broad reaches were dotted with green islands, or high rocks compressed the river within a narrow channel ; and we were glad, after having ascended it for about eighty miles, to turn off into a small tributary, called the Savannah Eiver, which was not more than ten yards wide. Although there was comparatively little current, our progress here was even slower than in the St Louis. In places the channel was almost choked up with fallen trees, drift-wood, weeds, and debris of all sorts — a prominent featiu'e in which was frequently the wreck of a canoe. The banks being composed of soft clay, slides often occur, carrying with them their growth of trees, and which, collecting in the beds and narrow parts, form what are called " rafts."

Sometimes, where a tree had fallen right across the river, we were obliged to lift the canoes over it, and, more often still, to press them under the logs.

A SACEED ROCK. 181

and jump over them ourselves. Some of these trees, we observed, from their pointed ends, had been cut down by the industrious beaver ; and the voyageurs showed us the remains of a former dam. The danger of sharp rocks was here exchanged for that of snags ; and it set our teeth on edge to hear the grating of a pointed stick along the bottom of the thin bark canoe. The effects of this were soon apparent, and we found our canoes leaking heavily before the close of the first day in the Savannah. The stream wound slug- gishly between low banks covered with long grass, from which shot lofty trees, aspen, maple, ash, elm, birch, hemlock, j)ine, and fir, that met overhead, and formed an agreeable shade from the noonday sun. It was just such a jungle as would have been considered good tiger-cover in India ; and yet here not even the chirp of a bird broke the perfect stillness, which is one of the most striking peculiarities of American forests, and which often exercises a painfully depress- ing influence upon the spirits. Nevertheless, as the sun glanced through the thick foliage, the effects were certainly pretty, and there was a novelty in the style of navigation which rendered it full of interest. We passed the smouldering embers of a camp-fire of a party of Indians, and shortly afterwards the voyageurs pointed out to us a rock which is worshipped by them, and on which every person that passes puts an offering of tobacco for the benefit of Manito.

After we had followed the tortuous river for some miles, we suddenly found ourselves in a labyrinth of channels windino; amono; lono; rushes, and we were

182 THE GREAT SAVANNAH.

informed that we had entered the Great Savannah itself. As, however, the rushes ahiiost met overhead, it was impossible to form any impression of it, so we contented ourselves with poking on, trusting to the instinct of our voyageurs not to lose themselves in the singular and intricate navigation in which we were now engaged. At last we saw a clump of tall birch-trees, for which we steered, and found ourselves upon a small circular island, which afforded a com- fortable resting-place, and from which we could take an inspection of the Savannah, which was nothing more than a boundless swamp, covered vdth wild rice (the stalks of which were sometimes ten or twelve feet high), and dotted over with islands similar to the one upon which we stood, and from which sprung tall birch -trees, their white stems forming an agreeable variety in the endless exj^anse of pale- green rushes.

The exertion of forcing our canoes along the devious channels which intersected this swamj) in every direction, was very great. The voyageurs said they had never seen the wild rice so rank and abun- dant. The seed was quite ripe, and very sweet, so we amused ourselves plucking the ears and eating their contents as we pushed slowly along. Some- times we grounded on floating islands of vegetable matter, at others were deluded into the idea that it was practicable to punt, and were only undeceived by sticking the pole so deeply into the mud that it re- quired all hands to pull it out. Very often the channel was altogether choked, and the rice was so thick that

A WILD MAN OF THE LAKES. 183

paddling was impossible ; and we only extricated ourselves by the most violent and united efforts.

It was upon one occasion while thus engaged, and unable to see three yards in any direction, that we suddenly found ourselves face to face with a naked savage, alone in a bark canoe, who, glowering at us through the rushes, looked as if he was some amphi- bious animal indigenous to the swamp, and whose matted hair, hanging over his shoulders, was no im- provement to a hideous face daubed over with ashes, and which displayed some terror at so unexpected a rencontre. His first impulse evidently Avas to escape, but that was impossible, and as we looked amiable, and addressed him throuoh one of our Indians, he seemed reassured, and told us he had returned from an expedition against the Sioux ; that he was the husband of the woman from whom we had got the bear, and was now on his way to Fond du Lac, to revenge the death of his relative, who had been murdered there, and for whom, he said, pointing to the ashes upon his face and head, he was then mourn- ing. As our dough diet was beginning to tell upon some of the party, we were glad to exchange some powder with him for a partridge and a pigeon ; and so we parted with mutual good wishes, and left this wild man of the lakes and forests to proceed on his solitary mission of blood and vengeance.

The only other incident, in the course of our pas- sage through the Great Savannah, was the appearance of a flock of wild ducks, one of which Clifford shot ; but as it dropped among dense rushes, we were

184 TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES.

obliged, after a long search, to give up all hope of finding it. Our niglit-quarters, in this delectable region, were the most disagreeable we had as yet ex- perienced. We had reached a shallower part of the swamp, and were obliged to get out of the canoes, and walk for about a mile up to oui' waists in mud and water. At last we found a dry spot, on which we made our fire, and strewed long grass, as usual, for our beds, and looked over the cheerless marsh in a somewhat desponding frame of mind. We had already been nearly a week en route, and had not succeeded in procuring an ounce of fresh meat by our guns ; our salt meat was exhausted, which we scarcely regretted, as it had been rancid from the first ; and a considerable cpiantity of our flour had got wet at the bottom of the canoe, and was spoiled in consequence. We had a portage of sixteen miles before us for the following day, and, according to tbe account of the Indian from whom we had just parted, there was scarcely any water in the Little Savannah, where we hoped again to launch our canoe. The Indians, more- over, determined to return, as they were ajDproach- ing so near the country of the Sioux that they began to feel a little nervous about the safety of their "hair;" and had therefore come to the conclusion that, after seeing us safely across the portage, they would not be justified in exposing their scalps to further risk.

Thevoyageurs took a rather gloomy view of matters generally, and would venture upon no opinion as to the probable date of our arrival at St Paul. We had

EFFECT OF SLEEPING ON POISONOUS IVY. 185

already occupied twice tlie number of days in reach- ing our present point that they had specified at start- ing ; and so they sulkily said, as they had been wrong before, they w^ould give us no information upon the subject, beyond that of assuring us that the distance to St Paul was considerably over 500 miles; and as I had but a "very limited time at my disposal, this was by no means comforting. To add to our miseries, a dense mist settled heavily down upon the swamp, and we could feel the chill damp air eating into our very bones ; myriads of musquitoes, against which we had no protection, literally hived upon us, and Bury complained of feelmg ill. Indeed, we were all more or less affected from contact with the poisonous ivy, from which he seemed to suffer most severely. His face and head were so much swollen that his eyes were scarcely visible, and his hands and arms were double their natural size. This, we were assured by the voyageurs, resulted from our having slept on a description of plant which they called poisonous ivy ; and certainly, although neither Petre nor myself were so much disfigured, our fingers looked very much like Bologna sausages. Altogether, I did not fall asleep in a happy state of mind, more especially as, when in the act of doing so, I made the discovery that my blanket was already completely saturated with mois- ture. We generally lay pretty close together, but that night an ordinary blanket would have covered us all four very easily.

It was our usual habit for the first who should awake to give such a yell as not only to rouse the

186 AN AWAKENING SCREECH.

rest of the party, but to startle them so efFectually as to render it impossible that they should again relapse into a state of somnolency. Sometimes, but very rarely, it was the Uve, leve of the voyageur that fii'st fell upon the unT\illing ear ; we were more often frightened into our senses by an unearthly screech from Pet re, who used to think he had done his duty, and not being in the least startled hunself, drop con- tentedly off to sleep again, with the pipe hanging gracefully from his lips, which he had inserted the last thino; the nioiit before.

When day dawned upon the Savannah, however, it found us all wonderfully lively, for everybody had been lying awake on the look-out for it for some time. At last the morning sun dispelled the mist. We pulled on our still soakino; moccasins, wruno; the water out of our blankets, swallowed a jorum of pure green tea, eat a pound of dough, and were only too glad to make a start. Having cached the small canoe for the Indians to return with, we commenced di^agging the other after us, and wadino- for two miles throu^'h a tamarack swamp, often so deep that we were obliged to balance ourselves upon poles, where a false step would have buried us in mire. Altogether it is con- sidered the worst " carrying place" in the north-west — a character which the wrecks of canoes, smashed in the attempt to carry them over, fully justifies. At last we reached the edge of the Savannah, where we made a distril^ution of effects, and vith our separate loads started off on our walk across the water-shed, having finally left the streams which run into the

THE NORTH-WEST TEAIL. 187

Gulf of St La^^Tence, with the intention of launchino- our canoe upon tlie head waters of those which flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Indians, who carried the canoe, and Cadot, took a different route from that which we followed under Le Fevers guidance, u]Don which alone we were dependent, for there was not a vestige of a path to an ordinary eye. Le Feve, however, as- sured us that we were on the nortJi-west trail, and that if we went on long enough Ave should reach the Eed Eiver settlement, and ultimately the shores of the Pacific, by the most a23proved route. We were, in fact, following the line of the projected rail- road to the Pacific by the northern route, an enter- prise the importance and magnitude of which may render it an interesting subject for consideration on a future occasion. The dividing range is composed of ridges of drift hills, covered principally AAith young birch, maple, and pine, on the tops of which are many enormous boulders, derived principally from granitic, gneissoid, and sclustose rocks. The aspect of the country generally was tempting to the settle]*, and the view we obtained from the highest point of our route, and which had an altitude of about 1500 feet above the sea-level, was charming in the extreme. Well- wooded hills, and valleys, and meadows with long rich grass, bore testimony to the fertility of the soil, while lakes sparkled in the sunshine, and formed a most attracting picture ; and I could not but beheve that this country, which looked so bright and smiling even in a state of savage nature, was only waiting

188 THE SAVANNAH LAKE.

for the lianci of man still more to gladden and to beautify it.

At oiir feet lay the Savannah Lake, with grassy plains extending to the water's edge, dotted with clumps of wood, and watered by tiny meandering streams, the course of which was marked by fringes of long rank grass. We could just discern in the distance our Indians towino; the canoe do^vn one of these, until they reached the lake, which they crossed, and found their way out of it by another equally insignificant rivulet, called the Little Savannah Eiver. Meantime v^e dived into the woods again, sometimes to come out upon grass country, sometimes to push our wav throuo;h scrub and bush, and sometimes to wander through a forest of red pine, where no imder- wood impedes one's j)rogress, or spoils the effect of those straight lofty columns which shoot upwards to a height of forty or fifty feet, and then, spreading out their evergreen capitals, completely roof in one of nature's grandest temples.

At last we reached a small stream, where we waited for the canoe. This portage is always necessary ; but at other times of the year, when there is more water, the distance is considerably reduced. The method of floating a heavily-laden canoe down a shallow stream is very simple, though somewhat tedious. The voyageurs hurriedly construct a series of little dams, and when enough water is collected to float the canoe over the shallows, they open them successively. It is, however, less trouble to lift an unloaded canoe out of the water altogether. Our

PRAIUTE RIVER. 189

voyageurs used to trade chiefly with the Indian tribes on Vermilion Lake, taking up cotton goods, blankets, tobacco, rum, &c., and receiving in return peltry, horns, &c. They go in the autumn, live with the Indians all the winter, and return in the spring, very much dissatisfied if they do not clear 100 per cent profit upon their outlay. The rivulet they were now engaged in damming up in the manner described, was the first we had reached flowing into the Missis- sippi ; and although it was not above a yard broad, still its direction alone exercised a most cheering influence upon our spirits. A few miles lower down it fell into the Prairie Eiver, a stream twenty yards broad, and deep enough to admit of the embarkation of the whole party.

The reason that travelling in wild countries is congenial to certain temperaments, does not consist, as it appears to me, in the variety of scene or adven- ture which it involves, so much as in the vividness and diversity of the emotions which are ex]3erienced. For, as all pleasure derives its intensity in a great degree from the existence of pain, so the many draw- backs and discomforts of a rough life only serve to render its amenities more thoroughly enjoyable to those keenly susceptible of external influences. Thus our voyage down the Little Savannah River would have been robbed of half its attractions, had we not undergone a miserable experience upon the Great Savannah Swamp. As it was, a few hours changed entirely the aspect of affairs. Instead of punting laboriously against an overpowering current, or fore-

190 A CHEERING ANTICIPATION.

ing our gloomy way amid sedge and rush, or tramp- ing wearily, with loaded backs, through mud and water, we were now gliding easily and rapidly down the stream. We had shot some wood-pigeons in the course of our walk through the wood, so we looked forward to a good dinner and a hospitable reception at the Indian village on the shores of Sandy Lake, which we hoped to reach before nightfall; and in the cheering anticipation thereof, we bent our backs to our work with a will — our eight paddles dashed merrily into the water, sending showers of sparkling spray far and wide, and frightening the musk-rats out of their senses. The wooded banks echoed back our lusty French choruses, which we wound up with a British cheer, and shot out upon the broad bosom of the lake as it glittered in the rays of the declin- ing sun.

Our Bark Canoe.

CHAPTER XVII.

SANDY LAKE.

As nearly as possible in the centre of the continent of North America, and at an elevation of about 1800 feet above the level of the sea, extends a tract of pine-covered table-land about 100 miles square, and whicli probal^ly contains a greater num- ber of small lakes than any other district of the same size in the world. It is called Les Hauteurs des Terres, and is, in fact, the transverse watershed between the Hudson's Bay and the St Lawrence waters, and those which run into the Gulf of Mexico. In one of its tiny lakes (Itasca) the Mississippi takes its rise, and flows due south. In another close to it the Red River finds its source, and runs north to Lake Winnipeg ; while there are others, not many miles distant in a southerly direction, whose waters have an eastern outlet, and, after a short but rapid course, lose themselves in Lake Superior.

It added no little zest to the enjoyment of a sum- mer evening to feel that we had successfully trans- ferred ourselves and our bark canoe by the long

192 SOOTHING INFLUEXCES.

portage tlirougli the woods described in the last chapter, from one of these streams to Sandy Lake, which furnislies a tributary to the head waters of the Mississippi. We were now paddling along its silent margin — sometimes hidden by the tall dark shadows which rows of lofty pines fringing the shore threw upon the water — sometimes emerging from them into the full blaze of the setting sun, and round- ing long grassy peninsulas which stretched far across the lake — or wending our way through archipelagoes of little wooded islets. Overcome by the fatigues of the day, and the soothing influences of the scene, we lay back upon our blankets, and looked dreamily over the side of the canoe at the gentle ripple, and the evening fly that played upon it, until startled by the sudden plunge of the black bass or the maskelono'e: or watched the bright vermilion tino^e upon the fantastic outline of the lower clouds fade into a border of pale yellow, and gradually vanish, until roused to fresh energy by these indications of a failing day, and the recollection that the Indian villao'e which was our destination was still some miles distant; and then with vigorous strokes we plied the paddle to the chant of the voyageurs, and shot rapidly along towards the wreath of blue smoke that betokened the wigwam of the Indian: doubly cheering to us, for we had not seen a human habitation of any sort now for many days.

It was a solitary hut, with a single upturned canoe before it, and a single maugy cur standing sentinel

A CHIPPEWA Y VILLAGE. 193

at the door. Our shouts soon brousfht to the ecVe of the lake a wild, half- naked figure, whose long matted hair hung nearly to his waist, and whose naturally dark complexion was increased by a coating of soot. A ragged filthy blanket was his only cover- ing ; and he seemed so transfixed with astonishment that he did not for some time recover his faculties sufficiently to enable him to answer our demand for some fresh meat or fish. When we held up a dollar, however, a flood of light poured in upon his bewil- dered intellects, and he dived into his bark wigwam, and immediately reappeared with a squaw, a papoose, and an armful of fish. The squaw was a degree more dirty and hideous and badly clad than her husband. The infant watched our proceedings with a sort of fixed, unconscious stare, arising probably from an inability to shut its eyes on account of being firmly lashed to a board, after the manner of papooses generally.

Having been fortunate in thus procuring a good supply of fresh bass, we pushed contentedly on, and reached the village just before dark. The scene that here met our eyes was somewhat singular. A collection of wigwams, some conical and some oval in shape like gypsies' tents, were grouped confusedly upon the sandy beach, between which were suspended either fishing-nets, or lines from which hung rows of fish being cured. Two or three ruined log-houses indicated the former residence of white traders ; but they had evidently not been tenanted for many years.

194 NOVEL STYLE OF PADDLING.

and were quite dilapidated. A few canoes were fish- ing off the \TLllage ; a number more lay upturned upon the edge of the lake, where a knot of persons were collected, evidently watching with some interest so unusual an arrival as a large canoe from the eastern shore with eight paddles. Their curiosity was still further excited when, as we approached nearer, they perceived that four of us were whites. Moreover, there was something novel in our style of paddling, on which, to say the truth, we rather piqued ourselves. The Indians never attempt to keep time, l3ut we commenced at starting to put both voyageurs and Indians into training ; and now, at the end of a week's voyage, with twelve hours a-day of practice, we found ourselves in first-rate condition, and, with a "give way all," dashed past the village in a style that would rather have astonished the " Leander," much less the unsoj)histicated Chippeways of Sandy Lake ; and then, coming gracefidly round opposite an amazed missionary, who was standing close to the water surrounded by the youth of his congregation, we " in bow," and beached our light bark mth a violence that seriously imperilled the worthy man's toes. Paddling certainly has this advantage over roving, that every one sits with his face to the bows to criticise the steerino-, and take an equal interest ^yiih the cockswain in the accidents and incidents of the voyage.

Tliis same missionary was the only white man in the place, and we were delighted to find anybody

WAR BETWEEN THE CHIPPEWAYS AND SIOUX. 195

who could give us information about our route, and help us with his advice. He told us that the village contained about two hundred and fifty inhabitants — that most of the warriors and young men were on the war-path, and that very possibly we might fall in either with them or their enemies, the Sioux, in the course of our voyage — a piece of information which accounted for the determination of our Fond-du-Lac Indians not to accompany us farther. He said, how- ever, that the theatre of war was generally on the Minnesota, or St Peter s River, which falls into the Mississippi a few miles below the Falls of St Anthony. We regretted that our visit had not occurred a little later in the year, when he anticipated the assemblage of about six thousand of the tribe at this spot to receive their annual payment from the United States Government, and we should have been entertained with scalp-dances and other savage ceremonies.

The origin of the war in which the Chippeways and Sioux — or, in other words, the Algonquin and Dakotah races — are now engaged, has long been for- gotten. It is an hereditary quarrel, which was rag- ing two hundred years ago, when Father Hennepin was the first white man to explore these waters, and live with the Dakotahs at Mille Lacs. The date of its commencement could not then be assigned, and it will doubtless continue until the ploughshare and the pruning-hook of the white man will exercise their magic influence to exterminate, in a few years, both those tribes whose scalping-knives and tomahawks

196 TREATY OF TRAVERSE DES SIOUX.

liave been so energetically "\^ielcled against one an- otlier for centuries, and witli so little effect.

The Sioux villao-e at j\Iille Lacs, distant aloout seventy miles from Sandy Lake, is now inhabited by Chippeways, who are under the spuitual charge of the missionary with whom we were conversing. The Sioux have moved their hunting-grounds to the banks of the Minnesota, and, except when they make a pre- datory expedition into the country of the Chippeways, never ^dsit the eastern shores of the Mississippi. I afterwards saw some, however, upon the western bank, a few miles below St Paul, in the course of my voyage down the river ; l3ut by the treaty concluded at Traverse des Sioux, in July 1851, they abandoned their villages in that quarter, and " cede, sell, and relinquish," to the United States Government, all their lands in the State of Iowa, and also all their lands in the territory of Minnesota lying east of the Eed River of the north, and the Sioux River which flows into the Missouri ; in consideration of which they are allowed a long narrow reserve upon the head waters of the Minnesota River. The Upper and Lower Sioux together receive a pecuniary compensation of about 2,800,000 dollars. In 1853 eleven counties had been already organised in the territory thus purchased.

The Dakotahs number more than twenty-five thou- sand souls, and their territory to the east of the ceded districts extends over uninterrupted buffalo prairies to the roots of the Rocky Mountains. They are still amongst the most savage and warlike, as they are the

NUMBERS AND CONDITION OF CHIPPEWAYS. 197

most numerous, of the North American Indian tribes. Eetaining all their barbarous customs, they only hasten, by their aversion to civilisation, the period of their extinction. The Chippeways who inhabit both shores of Lake Superior, and a great portion of the north-west country which intervenes between the Sioux and civilisation, number about eight thousand souls, of which about half reside in Minnesota. The Chippeways of the Upper Mississippi are, according to Schoolcraft, the advanced band of the widespread Algonquin family, who, after spreading along the Atlantic from Virginia, as far as the Gulf of St Lawrence, have followed up the great chains of lakes to this region, leaving tribes of more or less variation on the way. It is impossible to say how many years may have been expended in this ethnological track.

Though insignificant and gentle in appearance, the Chippeways are brave and hardy, and have sustained with infinite credit their long contests with the Dakotahs. The villages of comparatively well civil- ised Chippeways in Upper Canada are not included in this enumeration, as their savage character has become so far modified by intercourse with whites, that they are ahnost qualified to be incorporated with the great mass of society. At present — even in Canada — they are divided into families, upon the totemic principle, before described ; and these are in their turn subdivided. Large annuities are paid both by the British and the United States Government to the Chippeway Indians. The sub -agency had been

198 VOYAGEURS RELATE OUR PROCEEDINGS.

transferred from La Pointe to Sandy Lake, where it was subsequently abandoned ; but the missionary told us that there was a probability of its being again permanently re-established here. The soil in the neighbourhood of Sandy Lake is good, and produces corn and garden vegetables.

Li return for all this information, w^e gave the good man a history of our travels and future inten- tions, while the voyageurs were enlightening an attentive group of natives \rpoii the same subject ; not, however, with any result beyond that of mysti- fying them more than ever, as they could not con- ceive what other object but trade could induce four palefaces to go through the hardships and fatigue of a bark-canoe voyage to a village so far removed from the usual haunts of Americans. Very often during a whole year the only white man they saw was their missionary. The voyageurs did not lose so good an opportunity of magnifying their own importance by marvellous accounts of our proceedings ; — they told how, instead of allowing ourselves to be conveyed along by our men like gentlemen, we never ceased paddling ourselves ; — hov/ we did nothing but sing, and laugh, and Ijathe, and make huge bonfires of fallen trees, and insist upon shooting impossible rapids, and upon always having our own way in everything, and otherwise comporting ourselves in a manner totally opposed to the habits of sober-minded Yankee traders under similar circumstances ; — a de- scription which served to elicit from their auditors a

THEY DISPUTE OUR AREANGEMENTS. 199

continued series of ejaculatory " waughs" and " uglis," and which was regularly repeated to every individual, either red or white, whom we afterwards met. In- deed, the voyageurs used to treat us with a kind of condescending indulgence, as if we were wilful chil- dren who were not to be thwarted.

A question soon after arose in which the extent of our authority was to be proved. It seems that Ame- rican traders do not dispute daily arrangements with their voyageurs, whom they engage to take them a certain distance, and never interrupt or interfere with their proceedings. However disposed we might be to follow their example under some circumstances, now and then points of difference arose between us ; and when our voyageurs informed us that it was their intention to camp at the village, we assured them that our camping-place for the night was to be a small island opposite. This did not agree with their views, as they would thus be cut off from intercourse with the village ; indeed, they had looked forward to a short stay here from the beginning, and had often spoken in glowing terms of the pleasures of Sandy Lake, of the abundance of provisions, and les belles sauvagesses, who, they said, were celebrated for their beauty above the women of any other Chippeway village. It was not, therefore, to be wondered at if they made objections to our propositions. However, as we were strongly recommended by the missionary to put a few hundred yards of fresh water between our camp and the village, and as we anticipated some

200 ISLAND CAMP AT SANDY LAKE.

annoyance from human as well as canine intrusion by remaining on the mainland, we contented our- selves with looking round the smoky wigwams, and, being satisfied that neither they nor their tenants were less filthy than usual, pushed ofi" — to the dis- gust no less of the villagers than the voyageurs — to a wooded islet, whither we were speedily followed by canoes full of inquisitive natives.

Here they collected round our camp-fire in such picturesque groups, that, as its ruddy glow fell upon their swarthy half-naked figures, we could not regret their presence, since it served to complete a most characteristic scene. AYe had ^JuUed up the canoe, and tilted it against the trunks of overhanoino; trees. A grassy sward, reaching to the water's edge, and smooth as a lawn, promised to afi'ord an agreeable couch ; and, seated here, we discussed, by the flick- erino; lig;ht of a tallow candle in a horn lantern, broiled fish, and green tea served up in capacious tin pannikins. A few yards from us the voyageurs were bendino; over the fire, eno-ao-ed in stirrino; the con- tents of a pot, from which ascended a savoury odour, and which was suspended over the crackling blaze from a wooden tripod ; — savages passed too and fro, bringing firewood, or stood watching the culinary operations; — canoes were seen in the dim moonlight, like shadows crossing the lake ; — the ^dllage lights twinkled in the distance, and beyond them an irre- gular, indistinct outline marked the hea\y forest, and formed the back-ground of the picture ; and as

HOME THOUGHTS THE 12TH OF AUGUST. 201

we leant back upon tlie canoe, and listened to the jabbering of the natives and the splashing of their paddles in the water, we thought of a very different party at home, collected under very different circum- stances,— for this was the night before the eventful twelfth of August, when shooting-boxes on the moors are inhabited by excited parties, and the gentlemen are speculating over whisky-toddy on the prospects of the morrow, and gamekeepers are sent for before the masters go to bed, and given last directions, and a potent glass to impress them on their memory, as with a graceful scrape they drink the health of the company ; — and dogs are yelping in the kennel, and bare-legged gillies dancing reels in the kitchen, and ultimately turn into cribs curiously constructed in the walls thereof, where they are considerably better off than we were on our grassy island in Sandy Lake, for we had scarcely rolled ourselves in our blankets, with our feet to the fire, than the sky became overcast, and thunder-showers and musqui- toes came together ; so that, drenched and bitten as we were, we courted sleep under considerable diffi- culties.

The ground seemed unusually hard, and there was either a stone under my hip, or a lump under my shoulder, or a stream trickling into my ear, or a dis- comfort of some sort, that kept me awake for hours, until, overcome by excessive fatigue, I was gradually lapsing into a state of unconsciousness, when the report of a gun at my ear roused us all with a start,

202 SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

and we gazed into the black darkness with bewildered senses, not knowing what had happened, or what to expect. AYe were soon relieved to some extent, for Bury appeared, rifle in hand, and told us he had been the cause of our alarm, and had fired at some large animal which had distm^bed his uneasy rest by snuff- ing in his face. Whereupon we loaded our guns, and watched with some curiosity, — rather glad, since sleep was not tempting, of an excuse to lie awake. Presently a heavy tread, accompanied by a no less heavy breathing, slowly approached, and, in a state of intense excitement, we peered into the obscurity, until we could indistinctly discern the form of a large animal, to which we were on the point of gi\T.ng a warm reception, when a shout of laughter from Petre cooled our valour, and revealed to us the mortifying fact that we were about to display it, by bagging a horse, whose curiosity, excited by such unusual in- truders upon his solitary domain, led him to pay us a midnight visit, and to rub his rough nose upon Bury's physiognomy, — a liberty which very nearly cost him his valuable existence.

Sandy Lake has always been an important point in Mississippi exploration, and Schoolcraft and others mention the island of which we had taken temporary possession, as having formed their camping-ground. It is singular that the source of the Mississippi should have remained undetermined until Schoolcraft fixed it at Lake Itasca only twenty-four years ago. It is clear, however, from his account, that British traders

< ■r.

EXPEDITIONS FOR ITS DISCOVERY. 203

were well acquainted with the ramification of lakes on Les Hauteurs des Torres long before his visit. Its discovery had been attempted by United States ex- peditions many years previously. Lieutenant Pike, of the United States army, started on snow shoes from Sandy Lake in 1805, but only succeeded in reaching Leech Lake ; and Governor Cass, now a veteran of the United States Senate, was appointed to command an exploring expedition to the head waters of the Mississippi, with the additional object of enforcing, by a military display, the allegiance of the Indians to the United States — of prohibiting the introduction of spirituous liquors — and of inducing the tribes to transfer those commercial relations which they had been accustomed to maintain with the English traders, to those of the American Company ; — a step they had hitherto shown themselves very unwilling to take. At Sandy Lake this demonstra- tion was made, and Governor Cass hoisted here the stars and stripes — made a depot of his heavy supplies — left with him his military escort and part of his French canoemen — and proceeded with light canoes and a select party to ascend the river. The trading fort at that time consisted of a stockade of squared pine timber thirteen feet high, and facing an area of a hundred feet square, with bastions pierced for musketry at the south-east and north-west angles. It enclosed two ranges of buildings. Cass and his party only succeeded in discovering a few more little lakes. Schoolcraft calculates the number of lakes

204) TWO CLASSES OF LAKES.

between Sandy Lake and tlie northern frontier at about ten thousand. They fall principally under two classes — those with clean sandy shores and a consi- derable depth, and those with marshy margin and abounding in wild rice. The former yield various species of fish ; the latter serve not only as a store- house of grain for the natives, who gather it in August and September, but they invite myriads of waterfowl into the region, and thus prove a double resource to them.

CHAPTEE XVIII.

EAELY TEADEKS — COUREURS DES BOIS — CHIPPEWAYS.

Before clayliglit on the following morning the mis- sionary came off to us with letters. As means of communication with civilisation were somewhat rare, he was glad to avail himself of the opportunity which we afforded. We did not get away so early as usual, as the voyageurs had slipped across to the mainland during the night, and did not make their appearance until the sun was far up in the heavens. A sluggish winding river connects Sandy Lake with the Missis- sippi ; and we were delighted to see some wikl ducks, although we did not succeed in bagging any. We passed a deserted trading post and village, where Le Feve told us he had formerly Hved. Its present con- dition was significant of the change which the country was gradually undergoing ; and as our voyageur looked with a melancholy interest at the scene of some of his former trading exploits, it recalled to mind those associations which connect the early history of the North-west with the remarkable men of whom Le Feve and Cadot were the descendants.

206 MICHAEL AKO, AND PICAED DU GAY.

The first men who attempted to engage in trade ^yit]l the Dakotahs were those who accompanied Father Hennepin upon his voyage of discovery to the Upper Mississippi. In looking through the annals of the Minnesota Historical Society, I find their names given, and they are worthy of being recorded as Michael Ako and Picard du Gay. In 1680 these men ^dsitecl ]\Iille Lacs, the Spirit Lake of the Dakotahs, with an outfit of a hundred and eighty dollars, fur- nished by the enterprising La Salle, and remained in captivity there for two months. On tlieir return they met the Sieur de Luth. who afterwards performed the journey in which we were now engaged, and who was the first white man to come by way of Lake Superior to the L'pper Mississippi. As yet, however, no trading posts had heen established among the Sioux, and it was reserved for Nicholas Perrot to erect a fort for trading purposes upon the shores of Lake Pepin, a short distance below St Paul. He and his comrades are those who, Dakotah tradition asserts, gave seed and corn to the nation ; through their in- fluence the Dakotahs began to be led away from the rice-o;rounds of the Mille Lacs reo-ion. His first inter- ^dew with them is thus described : " The Dakotahs first met with white men while on the war-path far in the south. The war party was a large one, and the white men with whom thev met were few. The Dakotahs were penetrated with fear, and felt reverence for the white men, similar to that which they feel for the gods. The white men were also agitated wdth

LE SUEUE. — THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY. 207

fear ; tliey extended the hand trembling to each other, and freely exchanged presents. AVhen a gun was exhibited, discharged, and presented to the natives, they drew back in utter amazement ; they separated in peace, and the Dakotahs returned to astonish their famihes with the relation of what had happened/'

Le Sueur, however, was the most active and exten- sive explorer of the Minnesota territory, and the first to ascend the river of that name ; in honour of which the principal city on its banks, consisting of half-a- dozen log-huts, is now called the city of Le Sueur ; and there is a magnificent plan of it hanging up in the hotel at St Paul, with the squares, streets, and public buildings duly described and portrayed. After the cession of Canada to the English, the French still re- tained their control over the Indian tribes of Min- nesota, and Englishmen for some years risked their lives in passing through the country. In 1774, how- ever, the North-west Company of Montreal was esta- blished. As they employed old Canadian voyageurs exclusively, they succeeded in establishing posts to the west of Lake Superior. In 1796 they built the fort we were now passing, and a few years afterwards established posts at Leech Lake and other jDoints of the Ojibeway country. They were thus enabled en- tirely to monopolise the fur trade of Minnesota, of which Sandy Lake became the chief emporium. The principal traders at this time were invariably Scotch- men, whose shrewdness and sagacity enabled them to turn to good account the hardy endurance, and the

208 THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY.

knowledge of the country and its inhabitants, pos- sessed by the half-breed voyageurs, — or, as they were more commonly called, " Coureurs des Bois." This class had now become very numerous, on account of the intimate relations which the French had main- tained with the Indians for upwards of a century, and their habit of marrying Indian wives. Their mode of life was wild and adventurous, and the deeds of daring of many a " Bois brule " are celebrated in the song of the voyageur, and their names handed down with veneration and respect. There is scarcely a river or a lake in the North-west with which some interesting association is not attached ; and the tra- gedy of Sandy Lake, in which the principal trader, a Scotchman, called Kay, was murdered by an Indian, is among the most celebrated of these.

For many years the North-west Company continued successfully to carry on their trade in spite of the rival American factory established at Prairie du Chien, below the FaUs of St Anthony, which was not con- ducted upon such principles as to induce the Indians to desert the English traders. In 181 6, however, the Si -'American Fur Company, organised by Jacob Astor, jTuichased the Sandy Lake station, together with all the posts in that region : and the fur-trade of this district, which is still valualjle, will continue to be carried on each year with less spirit and success, and bark canoes to ply upon the lonesome streams, and loaded voyageurs to tramp through these solitudes, until the hardy settler comes at last to wake the

THE MISSISSIPPI ITSELF. 209

slumbering echoes of the silent forest with the ringing blow of the axe, or to turn with the ploughshare the virgin soil of the rolling prairie.

It is not too much to predict that in a very few years the agricultural produce of the white man, from the fertile banks of the St Peter's and the thriving farms upon the Eed Eiver — lumber from the head waters of the Father of Rivers — and minerals from the shores of the mioiitiest of fresh-water seas — will be hurried through the woods and forests of Minne- sota,— and the shriek of the engine scare away the startled waterfowl on distant lakes — or the plashing of paddles in streams, or savannahs deepened and connected by canals, considerably astonish the bea- vers. If the navigation of the Upper Mississippi were improved, and its rapids avoided by locks, it would only require a canal thirty-five miles long to connect the St Louis below the falls with a stream running into Sandy Lake, and thus enable a steamer entering the mouth of the St Lawrence to make its exit at New Orleans, and complete 4000 miles of internal fresh-water navigation throuo-h the finest country in " creation.'^

Turning sharply round a green bank about sixty feet in height, and covered with granite boulders, we now entered a deep and rapid stream, which, from its size and volume, we at once recognised as the Mis- sissippi itself. It would be difficult to describe our feelings of satisfaction as we felt ourselves being- swept along by its eddying waters, or our surprise at

o

210 CHAEACTERISTICS OF ITS BANKS.

finding that even here, at a distance of 2500 miles from its mouth, this magnificent river had an aver- age breadth of a hundred yards, and a current so impetuous, that we looked forward with no little pleasure to being carried by it in our light canoe a distance of more than 400 miles. The banks of the river difiered entirely from those of the St Louis. The rocky banks, and tall pine-trees or scrubby underwood, were here exchanged for flat alluvial shores, covered with a luxuriant growth of elm, maple, ash, and cedar, and betokening great fertility of soil. The water of the St Louis was of a dark chocolate colour, tinged by its passage through the northern ]iine and tamarack swamps ; that of the Mississippi was light-coloured, and clear like the Minnesota river itself, which gives its name to the territory, — the literal meaning of the Indian word Minnesota being " The territory of the sky-coloured water."

We glided easily and swiftly along for fifty miles l3efore the growing darkness compelled us to think of camping. Our only delays had been caused by our attempts to stalk wild ducks, of which we were for- tunate enough to bag; three, and found them a most seasonable addition to our usual uninteresting diet. While they were being cooked, we amused ourselves by swimming across the Mississippi, a feat which is simple enough so near its source, but which, from its great breadth and rapid current, very soon becomes a somewhat formidable undertaking. Our cam2:)ing

INDIAN PICTOGHAPHS. 211

place was a low, damp spot, overhung by magnificent trees, but infested by musquitoes; so we were glad to be en route again at daylight, and put ofT break- fast until a fashionable hour. As we landed, we saw upon the soft clay the footprints of a bear which had paid a visit to the river during the night, and we re- gretted we had not chosen it as our camping-ground.'" The character of the banks remained the same; the stream less rapid and more winding, — sometimes making such deep bends, that ascending canoes make portages across the narrow necks ; and thus perform in ^Yo minutes a distance which it would take an hour to accomplish by following the course of the stream. We 23referred, however, slipping down with the current. We observed a tree which had been barked for a space of about a foot square, and on the white stem the Indians had drawn, with charcoal, three canoes, one below the other. The voyageurs assured us that by means of these pictographs they were in the habit of making most elaborate com- munications with their friends.

Wild ducks were numerous, and we had very fair S23ort in the course of our day's voyage. Upon one occasion, as we were drifting silently towards a flock, hugging the shore as much as possible, for the sake of concealment, we suddenly came upon a canoe con- taining four squaws. They did not see us approach, and when we were within a few yards, Le Feve

* The Indians, when bear-hunting, never kill the female with young, in order to perpetuate the existence of an animal so profitable to them.

212 INDIAN MODE OF CATCHING FISH.

maliciously gave the Indian war-wlioop, ^vliicli is made by a shrill yell, rising in key : and rendered more unearthly by clapping the hand rapidly upon the open mouth ; ^^iiicli terrified the unfortunate AYomen to such an extent that we were disposed to be angry with him for his piece of mischief. We had ourselves, under his tuition, become great adepts in the art, and this exercise of our lungs derived an additional piquancy from the fact that the possibility of our being answered by a hondfide savage in sober earnest was bv no means remote.

The women whom we so unexpectedly startled were evidently out upon a sort of general catering expedition, poking along the banks for musk-rats or mice, or visiting the mouths of the little streams which enter the river, and which are barred near the outlets with cruives somewhat shnilar to those used on salmon rivers in Scotland : so that stiu'O'eon and large fish are able to ascend : but on descending, they are arrested by the poles of the dam forced against them. The Indian, walking across the dam with a pole, to which is attached a hook, sees the pressure of the descending fish and jerks Inm out. Most of these tributaries were small, sluo-oi sh streams, covered with ^^T.ld rice, through which the women force their canoe, and. pressing the stalks over the side, beat out the grain with their paddles. They are, in fact, the comis- sariat corps of the villages, and have all sorts of ways of ol^taining supplies, which more civilised nations would often be glad to know. The maple sugar

A HIGHLY -FAVOURED COUNTRY. 213

which they manufacture is not only for home con- sumption, but is largely exported. Thirty or forty boxes, of from twenty to seventy pounds weight, are often sold by an industrious and strong-handed family in the course of one season, in addition to the quan- tity they have used themselves. Nicollet remarks, however, that there are probably no Indians anywhere more highly favoured than those inhabiting the coun- try about the sources of the Mississippi. Besides their natural resources of fish, wild rice, and maple sugar, with the addition of an abundance of game, the climate is found to be well adapted to the cultivation of corn, wheat, barley, oats and pulse. The potato is of superior quality to that of the middle States of the Union. In a trading point of view, the hunt is still very profitable. The bear, the deer and elk, the wolf, the fox, the wolverine, the fisher-racoon, musk-rat, mink, otter, marten, weasel, and a few remaining beavers, are the principal articles of trafiic. The American moose is said still occasionally to make its appearance, so that this region may be considered as the only one in the United States now capable of supplying the finer sort of peltries.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE HEAD WATEES OF THE ]\nSSISSIPPI — SHOOTING THE LITTLE FALLS IX A BAEK CANOE.

The Mississippi continues to wind tliroiigli wide alluvial bottoms, covered witli forest, until the cha- racter of the banks and of the wood chano^es too:ether, and towards evening we found ourselves between high drift -banks covered with pine. The sections exposed by the river presented deposits of clay, sand, boulders, pebbles, and loam. Indeed, between Sandy Lake and Crow Wing there is no rock anywhere visible in situ. As the sun set, the view from the promontory on which we had established our camp, at an elevation of about eighty feet above the river, was very beautiful, and amply repaid us for the trouble of dragging our camp-equipage up the steep clifl'. There was a portage 300 yards long from this point to Eabbit Eiver, where some Indians were encamped, but we did not visit them. Eabbit Eiver is a small tributary to the Mississippi, and runs parallel to it for some miles. As it has a very straight course, it is often ascended in preference to the main stream, a

CROW WING. 215

portage to which is made at the head, and sixteen miles are thus saved. We were awoke next morning by a pouring rain, in the midst of which we started, and passed the mouth of Pine Eiver, up which a belt of magnificent pine timber extends for many miles : it is navigable for three days for canoes ; then we shot the Eabbit rapids, and landed at mid-day, to dry ourselves, round a huge blaze of pine logs. A few hours after, we were cheered by the sight of a log-hut and a ferry-boat, with a Yankee leaning over the rail, chewino; a straw, and found we had reached Crow Wing, the highest white settlement upon the Missis- sippi, and about 150 miles from Sandy Lake.

The indications of civilisation which met our eyes here were quite refreshing. The town contained two log-houses and a pig-sty. There were a few children, some cocks and hens, an acre of potatoes, and another of Indian corn ; a waggon standing near the door of one of the houses, and the ferry-boat aforesaid, which enabled the inhabitants of Crow Wing to cross over to a large house, the gable of which peeped out from among the trees, and which, we were told, was the residence of the principal chief of the Chippeway Indians, — a great warrior, and a person of much celebrity, with an unpronounceable name, which I did not think of recording at the time.

We immediately invaded the most substantial- looking house, and found ourselves in a neat room, which contained nothing but a few plain tables and chairs ; so we continued our explorations, and were

2] 6 LUXUEIOUS FARE. SAFE PAY.

deligiitecl to discover two women baking in tlie kitchen, wdio, seeing four famished ruffians thus un- ceremoniously intruding, were in no way discon- certed, but forthwith placed before us some excellent loaves of corn-bread, some delicious l3utter, and a can of fresh milk, which luxurious fare we attacked with a violence that explained more than words the nature of our necessities ; and whilst Ave w^ere burying our heads by turns in the milk-cans, and making loaves disappear magically, other dainties were set before us, in the shape of cold meat, cheese, and potatoes; with which at length we appeased our appetites, and then condescended to inform our hospitable enter- tainers, and the man who had lounged up from the ferry-boat, whence we had come and Avhither we w^ere going, and suggested the propriety of trading for victuals on the spot. As the voyageurs, who knew him, guaranteed our being " safe pay," he forthwith sold us sundry delicacies, wdiich we transported in triumph to the canoe, getting, meanwhile, as much information out of our friend as his taciturn disposi- tion allowed him to afford us.

There is some practice required in fencing vdth Far- Westers : they are very dexterous in " pumping,'' and exceedingly difficult to " pump.'' The only w^ay is never to answer a question mtliout putting a por- tion of the reply into an interrogatory form. We gathered from the male inhaljitant of Crow Wing, that his occupations w^ere farming, and trading with the Indians ; that the soil was good, and the country fer-

INDIAN traders' PROFITS. 217

tile, but chiefly adapted for grazing purposes ; tliat the forest began here to be broken in upon by patches of prairie ; and, indeed, we could see for ourselves the undulating grass-land stretching away, just suffi- ciently diversified with wood and supplied with water to afford a most pleasing prospect, as well as great natural advantages. Our white friend, however, very soon became more communicative in discussing the prospects of Indian trade for the ensuing winter with Cadot. The tivo came to an arrangement for embarking in a joint speculation to Vermilion Lake; the white trader engaging to select the goods and have them conveyed in canoes from St Paul to Sandy Lake, where Cadot was to meet them, and accompany them to Vermilion Lake, thirteen days' voyage from the mouth of the Savannah, the route being princi- pally up the St Louis Eiver. Cadot possesses a log- hut of his own on Vermilion Lake, where he intends to pass the winter. He told me that he could get six marten skins for a blanket worth 2^ dollars, and sell the marten skins at St Paul at G dollars a-piece, which is a very fair profit. Le Feve was hesitating between taking a share in the venture, and going to La Pointe for the autumn, to sell merchandise to the Indians assembled there for the annual payments, for which he was to be paid 5 dollars a-day from a pri- vate firm. As nearly as I could calculate, from their own account, our voyageurs made an annual income of about £300 a-year. AVe paid them £l a-day each.

2J8 THE CHIEF OF THE CHIPPEWAYS.

Although we had so abundantly regaled ourselves, one of our party was unable to resist the bread and butter he was engaged in carrying to the canoe, and deliberately sat down upon the bank and recommenced operations, which was such an unfair proceeding on his part, that we were obliged, in self-defence, to follow his example, and were thus engaged when we became suddenly aware of the presence of a tall Indian, who stood watchino' us with mute astonishment. He was the most perfect specimen of a Chippeway " brave" that I had yet seen : a magnificent fellow, standing proudly erect under his plume of hawk's feathers, that betokened a warrior who had taken in his day many a Sioux scalp. His red blanket, worked with many devices, was thrown gracefully over his shoulder; his belt was garnished with tomahawk and scalping- knife, and in his hand he held a handsomely mounted rifle. His feet were encased in richly embroidered moccasins, with fringed leggings reaching to the thigh. Altogether, his costume exhibited a combina- tion of ribbons, feathers, beads, and paint, which was wonderfully becoming. Near him, in a respectful attitude, stood his attendant, likewise armed to the teeth, and carrying a formidable and curiously-shaped war-club, such as I had never seen before, and a red- earth pipe, with a long flat stem, ornamented with colom^ed hair.

We were not surprised to hear that this was the celebrated chief himself, of whom we had heard so much, and who smiled with complacent self-satisfac-

AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE. 219

tion when we expressed our admiration of his person and accoutrements, and asked permission to examine his weapons. He told ns, and his account was cor- roborated by the white settler, that only two months before, a war party of Sioux had visited Crow Wing and killed twenty-five men, women, and children, and it was to revenge them that the expedition of which we had heard ever since leaving Lake Superior, had been organised. Of the success of that expedition he could give us no details, nor did he offer any explana- tion upon his own absence from it ; and he was such an evident grandee, that we did not push our inquir- ies beyond the limits of politeness. The scene was one which might well be imj^ressed upon the memory of a stranger. The steep bank strewn with provi- sions and camp equipments of all sorts, the voyageurs mending the upturned canoe, ourselves grouped round loaves of bread and pyramids of butter, discoursing with a painted chief ; the Indian behind wrapped in his capacious blanket, in attitude or countenance un- moved ; civilised women carrying provisions to the boat ; the brawny backwoodsman looking carelessly on the broad prairie, stretching endlessly behind ; the rapid Mississippi sweeping past us ; and the wig- wams of the Indians on an island opposite, where the Crow Wing Eiver falls into the Mississippi, all com- bined to form a most characteristic scene.

The Crow Wing is about 200 miles long, navigable for canoes to its source ; and passing though a neutral territory between the Sioux and the Chippeway, it is

220 FORT RIPLEY.

consequently uninhabited by any Indians : but its banks are frequently tlie scene of bloodshed. Here, too, are some valuable pineries ; and the theatre of war will douljtless, before long, be converted into one of extensive lumber operations. As there was still an hour of dayhght, we pushed on for Fort Eipley, about ten miles lower down the river, in hopes of arriving in time to pay the officers stationed there a visit. It is the extreme post of the United States army in this direction. The evening was lovely, the air soft and balmy, the stream rapid, and we soon saw the stars and stripes fluttering above a neat white stockade upon the right bank of the river.

While Petre and Clifford were choosing a camping- ground, Bury and I saUied forth to the fort, and pass- ing a sentry and gateway, found ourselves in a small square, in the centre of which stood two pieces of ordnance, and round which were arranged the men and officers' quarters.

We only found the doctor at home, the captain and his subaltern beino; out shootino; ; so we returned to a sumptuous repast, upon which the combined en- ergies of the party had been expended ; and had it not been for the musquitoes, we should not have had a care in the world. Just as we had completed it, and were collecting round our battered old lantern to light our pipes, the three officers came down from the fort and paid us a visit. They were gentlemanlike, agreeable men, as I have invariably found the officers of the United States army to be, and we discussed the

ABSTINENCE ADVANTAGEOUS TO TKAYELLEES. 221

war and European politics, lying upon plaids and blankets, and smoking near the blazing fire, which threw a lurid glare across the dark silent river. Then we talked of life and sport in the Far West, and were sorry to hear that we were only two days from Buf- falo, since we had not even a week to spare, and we were therefore obliged, with regret, to decline their hospitable invitation to make the fort our starting- point, and organise an expedition therefrom. The nearest and best hunting-grounds to Fort Kipley are at Otter-tail Lake and the head waters of the Eed River, about sixty miles distant.

At a late hour we adjourned to the fort, and were supplied w^th some spirits, a most precious com- modity in the Far West. We had taken a very limited supply from Superior, which we had only just finished. The experience of every traveller will bear me out in saying, that there is no greater mis- take than to suppose that ardent spirits fortify the constitution during a protracted period of exposure. I have always observed that those who abstained altogether from their use, except medicinally, have been enabled in the long-run to endure more hard- ship and fatigue than those who trusted to other stimulants than that which the inherent vigour of their constitutions supplied. Bury and I were tempted by the novelty of a roof to accept the offer of the ferryman to sleep in his room by the river side. We accordingly left our companions, as usual, coiled round the fire, and stretched ourselves upon

222 A DESERTER'S HISTORY.

his wooden floor, while he ensconced himself in a comfortable bed mider musquito-curtains. It is fair to say that he offered to share it with one of us, but we declined his invitation, which was given in such broad Irish that I asked his history. It was a very common one. He had deserted from our own army, and, unable to get his livelihood by his own inde- pendent exertions, had entered that of the United States. Here his knowledge of military duty soon enabled him to attain the rank of sergeant ; but, as he assured us in a melancholy tone, he suffered from an infirmity which he was unable to overcome, and which had speedily caused his degradation to the ranks. His propensity to drink was not likely to be gratified in his present remote quarters ; and he expressed himself highly contented with his employ- ment, and the income he derived from it.

The garrison of Fort Eipley consists only of thirty- four men. The principal object of a station at this distant point, is to watch the Indian war perpetually being carried on in the neighbourhood. After a plunge from the end of the ferry-boat, and a hearty breakfast, we were ao-ain en route. The banks had now become steep and precipitous ; and at one ]3lace the voyageurs directed our attention to an Indian trail, which we landed to examine. Thev at once pronounced it to be the fresh war-trail of a party of Sioux ; so we ascended the steep bank to see if there were any signs of them. We stood in the centre of a boundless prairie, dotted here and there with

THE PAINTED ROCK. 223

stunted oak, but extending without interruption to tlie Rocky Mountains. Many-coloured flowers were waving in the long grass — the air was fragrant with wild thyme — and the whole aspect of the country forcibly reminded me of the steppes of Southern Eussia. In former days the buffalo used to cross the river at this point ; but it is said that none have ranged the prairies to the east of the Mississippi since 1820. We saw signs of nothing larger than a badger, which was promptly bagged, and made over as a perquisite to the voyageurs. We descended the steep bank to our canoe, glad to have been induced to climb it when rewarded by such a view, though we were disappointed in seeing Indians. Shortly after we passed an isolated mass of rock, which is covered with their devices, and is hence called the painted rock, and then found ourselves being hurried down the stream with a velocity which somewhat resembled our former experience at the Sault Ste. Marie. When the Mississippi is high, the rapidity with which canoes descend from Crow Wino; to St Paul, a distance of more than two hundred miles, is incredible. A hundred miles in eight hours has been recorded as a feat accomplished in these waters ; and even in the course of our own voyage, when the water was unusually low, our day^s performance, after leaving Fort Ripley, was eighty miles. The first serious rapids are called the Little Falls of the Mississippi. The river is here compressed in a very narrow channel. The left bank is a bluff preci-

224) . SHOOTING THE LITTLE FALLS.

pitous ^Yall of rock projecting into the stream, and forming an angle, round whicli it sweeps with great impetuosity.

The excitement of this part of the voyage was somewhat increased by the confession of our voya- geurs, that it was so long since either of them had made it, that they had nothing l3ut their instinct and good luck to trust to. They therefore told us that they would not risk shooting the Little Falls, but make a portage ; so we drew to land and jumjoed ashore, shouldering our usual packs, and left them to follow with the canoe. Instead of doing so, however, to our surprise and disgust we found that they had no sooner got rid of us than they shoved off. It was an exciting moment to watch them, as they neared the head of the foamino; torrent, tio;hten their waist- bands, make good their footing, and, standing one at the bows and the other at the stern, dash headlong with their fraoile bark into the breakers. We ran along the rocky bank watching the canoe tossing like a cork upon the waves, and escaj^ing destruction against some pointed rock by virtue of the vigilance and dexterity of the men ; and in three or four minutes it was safely moored in the backwater, and we arrived breathless, to scold our voyageurs for their rashness in risking our boat, and their perfidy in not risking us along with it. We determined, however, to profit by experience, and amused our- selves, while the tea was being made for luncheon, by jumping in about half-way up the rapid, and

C

i''»ilil'fe,\4!i

•HE KEW YORK' \p\]'y.r. LIBRARY

A3TCR, i-SNOX AND \

ART OF SHOOTING RAPIDS. 225

swimming down, or rather being hurled down it, and seeing who arrived at the bottom first, — which created much the same interest to those on the bank as boys experience when racing straws in a gutter.

It is often difficult to judge from the appearance of the water whether the rocks are sufficiently covered to admit of the passage of the canoe ; and I often thought we were going stem on to destruction when T saw a huge globular swelling ahead, betokening a sunken rock over which we passed harmlessly ; when at other times we were startled by a sharp blow, and felt the ominous upward pressure upon the thin bark, when there w^as no indication of this sort, or even the usual breaker. The great art in shooting a rapid is to take advantage of every rock by scraping as close past it as possible, and getting into the eddy below. The man in the stern directs operations ; and as we danced along, Cadot would give the quick orders, " Tire toi," " Change la main,^^ " Au large f which we all learnt very soon to understand and obey, and thus, by different modes of paddling, to co-operate with him in steering. The shallows were less interesting, but not less dangerous to our boat, than the rapids. They generally occur w-here the river is very broad, and only seven or eight inches deep all the way across. Then we are obliged to adopt a zigzag course, and poke about looking for w^ater enough for our canoe : a difficult operation, on account of the rapidity of the current. There is no- thing more disgusting than, after having discovered

226 THE " CHENEI."

wliat the voyageurs called the " Chenei" — a corrup- tion of " Chenal" — to find that the water is gradually shoaling, until the canoe grates rapidly over the pebbles for some yards, and is only saved from get- ting hard and fast, and having her bark bottom cut through, by two or three of us jumping out. Then we have to paddle or punt up stream again for fifty or a hundred yards, and attempt another " chenei."

Upon one occasion, while thus engaged, we ob- served four T^dld-lookino; Indians, mounted on two horses, trotting along the bank. They v,^ere armed to the teeth, and carried long rifles. In their savage attire and uncouth aspect they resembled Bedouin Arabs, so much more nearly than our old friends the Chippeways, that I asked Le Feve to what tribe they belonged. He said they were Winnebagoes going to their village, which was not far off upon the right bank ; and that as they vrere the most notorious rascals in the country-side, the further we camped from them the better. We therefore pitched upon a lofty bank on the left side, and set off in search of firewood, an unusual proceeding with us, for we had heretofore camped in forest. We had, however, pre- ferred the prairie to the wooded island which divided the stream, here very broad, and had no reason to regret our choice, for the view was lovely. The river was smooth and quiet, brilliantly reflecting the red evening sky. The dark green wood on the island contrasted well with its burnished surface, where fish were rising so freely that one of our party went pic-

A SOFTER COUCH THAN USUAL.

227

turesqiiely wading about with his fly-rod, indulging false hopes, for he accomplished nothing beyond mak- ing a charming figure in the foreground. A little lower down, the Winnebao;oes were fording; or swim- ming the stream. The only signs of life were upon the river; the prairie on both sides of it extended in endless solitude. Our couch w^as softer than usual on the long prairie grass, and we dropped off to sleep, inhaling the agreeable perfume which was emitted by the red cedar logs, of which our fire was composed.

Camping out on the Mississippi.

CHAPTER XX.

WINNEBAGOES — INDIAN AFFAIES — THE SAUK EAPIDS.

Shortly after starting, on the following morning, we passed the Winnebagoe village of Watab, extending for nearly a mile along the right bank of the river. It was very early, and the inhabitants were just get- ting up, and grouping picturesquely round their lodge fires. Blanketed figures were lighting their early pipes — squaws were washing themselves and their papooses in the river — curs were prowling about everywhere — a number of men, about to start on an expedition, were mounting their horses, and riding them down the steep bank, with their rifles swung across the saddle-bow — others were embarked in canoes, towing their steeds after them. These canoes are called periaguas, and are hollowed from a single log, there bemg no birch bark procurable. From the same cause their lodges were not made of bark, but of twisted reeds or canvass. As they are a wealthy tribe, they can afi'ord civilised tents, which I was surprised to see scattered among their wigwams. Scarcely two of these were of the same shape, and

WINNEBAGOE RITES. 229

this variety gave a novel and picturesque character to the whole village, which was much increased by singular stages made of grass, and supported by four posts, which had been erected before many of their habitations.

In the centre of the village stood the medicine- pole, decorated as usual with skins and streamers, and near it a long oval bower, which, from its position, was probably the medicine -tent, in which are performed those singular rites which Free Masons affirm connect the Winnebagoes to their fraternity. It is certain that there is a society in the tribe, the secret of which is kept most sacred, and one object of which is to relieve the poor. The members of this society, or medicine-men, are held in very high esti- mation by the tribe. They enjoy this distinction by virtue of possessing the medicine-stone, which they are supposed to carry in their stomachs. When new members are to be initiated, this stone is vomited up and placed in the medicine-bag, and the candidates for admission are struck with it upon the breast, and, from all accounts, are thus thrown into a sort of mesmeric sleep, during which they are supposed to learn the mysteries of the society, and on awaking from which they become medicine-men, with the stone in its proper locality.

In addition to these curious ceremonies, they also religiously keep up the scalp and war dances of their forefathers, and retain their barbarous habits in spite of the attempts of missionaries and

230 WIXNEBAGOE CHARACTEKISTICS.

others to civilise and educate them. Le Feve had the worst possible opinion of them, which, he said, was shared by all their red brethren. They enjoy the reputation of being rich, drunken, brave, cruel, dishonest, and independent. The peaceful relations, however, which they manage to main- tain with the Sacs, Foxes, Sioux, and other warlike neighbours, only proves that with these quahties they must combine considerable sagacity and tact. Le Feve said they could not get on without fighting, and succeeded in keeping on good terms with both Sioux and Chippeways, by taking either side indis- criminately.

They were found by the first French missionaries and explorers settled on Green Bay in Wisconsin, of which country they may be said to be the abori- ginal inhabitants. From their language, however, it is evident that they are of the same stock as the Da- kotahs. The name Winnebagoe, or Winnepeg, signi- fies turbid water ; hence the many lakes of the same name. The tribe calls itself Hochuugaras, or the trout nation. They were of grepvt assistance to the British army in the war of 1812, having uniformly espoused the cause of the Crown against the Ame- ricans. It was not until 1833 that they finally ceded their lands in Wisconsin for a tract in Iowa on the west of the Mississippi ; and were very loth to migrate to their new territory, which was ultimately, in 1846, changed for that which they now occupy. They occasionally commit outrages upon f)6aceable

DIMINUTION OF THEIR NUMBERS. 231

white travellers, and think less of assassination than their neisi;hbours. As is the case with all the Indian tribes, their numbers have been gradually diminish- ing ; and their population, according to the last United States Government census of the Indian tribes, amounts only to about 2500. The Winne- bagoe agency, which was situated on Long Prairie Eiver, about fifty miles west of this village, is now deserted, and in the year previous to our visit, a council had been held, at which the Winnebagoes agreed to relinquish the lands they held here for a tract on Crow River. I do not know whether this arrano'ement has received the sanction of the general government, but it was considered at St Paul that the interests of the Whites would be injured rather than advanced by the exchange.

There can be little doubt, at all events, that this must be the case so far as the Indians are concerned. It is useless for the American Government to expect that their efforts to improve the moral and intellec- tual condition of the red men can ever be attended with success, while they persevere in that system of deportation which must tend much more than any- thing else not only to retard their civilisation, but ulti- mately to exterminate these original possessors of the soil. Experience has shown that it is impossible to civiHse the red man by sending missionaries to pre- side at his council-fires, or by erecting schools upon his hunting-grounds. So long as he is surrounded by all the incidents of his wild life, and can choose

2S2 DEPORTATION SYSTEM KETARDS

between hunting buffaloes and learning to spell, or between fighting Sioux and planting cabbages, he will invariably choose the former more congenial occupations : in order to his really advancing, these must be placed beyond his reach, and he must find himself in the midst of an industrious and ener- getic community of Anglo-Saxons, and feel com- pelled to compete with them in the arts of peace. In his savage state the Indian thinks that eloquence in council, skill in the chase, and prow^ess on the war-path, are the only accomplishments w^orthy of a man, and no preaching will ever persuade him to the contrary, or induce him to believe that agricul- tural pursuits are not derogatory to his dignity. It is only those who, born in the midst of white settle- ments, have never seen a buffalo or wielded a toma- hawk, who can be made amenable to these infiuences, and w^ho, if they have their natural failings of apathy, improvidence, and propensity to drink to contend against, at least are ignorant of, and therefore are not tempted by, those attractions of savage life w^hich proved irresistible to their fathers. The common argument against allowing the tide of emigration to encircle and flow past Indian villages and lands is, that they acquire all the vices of the white population by the intimate intercourse which is thus necessarily maintained with them, and are slow to imitate their virtues. This might be urged with some plausibility were they completely isolated in some distant location, far beyond the limits of white settlement ; and this

THE PROGRESS OF INDIAN CIVILISATION. 233

system of exclusion lias been rigorously carried out in Manitoulin with some Canadian Indians, though without much success ; but in the States no such ar- rangement is attempted. As soon as the existence of an Indian population is found to interfere with white settlement, they are moved just far enough west to be beyond the influence of a really civilised commu- nity, but not far enough to escape the contaminating effects of contact with those unscrupulous adventur- ers, who hover like hawks upon the outskirts of civi- lisation, and who, under the plea of being Indian traders, or " squatters'' looking for claims, lose no opportunity of fleecing their victims of their annu- ities, which are paid to them in money, of the value of which they are ignorant ; and of encouraging those vices the existence of which affords them a fruitful source of profit, in a manner which, in a more eastern community, w^ould not be tolerated.

The constant change of location which this system involves, must, moreover, exercise a most injurious effect upon the prosperity of a tribe. Had the Win- nebagoes been allow^ed to remain at Green Bay, where there is now an extensive and thriving white commu- nity, there can be little doubt that their population would have been greater than it is at present, subjected as they have been within the last few years to so many successive deportations. No sooner do they begin to receive some moral and religious training, and to acquire from intercourse with civilised men some knowledge of agriculture, than they are moved

234 SYSTEM PURSUED IN CANADA.

en masse for some liunclreds of miles to the western prairies, where the young men may have an opportu- nity of learning to hunt the buffalo for the .first time, and of forgetting all they were taught before.

It doubtless takes some time before Indians be- come reconciled to the customs and occupations of white men, and are able to turn them to account in the United States. There are instances of this, how- ever, and even in the State of New York some of the Six Nation and Tuscarora Indians occupy a useful and respectable position in society. In Canada it has been the chief object of the Indian department to

brino' about this state of thino-s. Hitherto the Indi- ct o

ans have been treated in all respects as minors. In- stead of receiving their annuities in money, these have been devoted to the purchase of stock, agricul- tural implements, clothes, &c., and to the erection of schools for aoTicultural as well as intellectual train- ing, churches, and comfortable dwellings. The indivi- duals are not liable for debt, all claims being made against the department, which exercises its own dis- cretion in the sale of their lands to white settlers, the management of their funds, the appointment of chiefs and subordinate officers, and in satisfying the requisi- tions made upon it by the various tribes. To some of these in the neighbourhood of such flourishing cities as Montreal and Toronto, civilisation, under its most favourable aspect, is presented, and they are already in a condition to be advanced a stage in the social scale, and emancipated from the pupilage under

THE OSAKIS OE SAC RIVER. 235

which they have hitherto been held, to become incor- porated into the great Anglo-Saxon community. In fact, they differ very little from their white neighbours. They have never hunted in their lives, for they have no hunting-grounds, and consequently do not barter peltry for whisky. Many of them are tee-totallers, and have learnt trades and agriculture. They are per- fectly aware of the value of money, and when they choose can take care of it. They have thus been in a condition to profit largely from the instruction of their schoolmasters and the preaching of their mis- sionaries, and if they have attained a higher pitch of intellectual than of moral culture, it is due partly to the innate depravity of human nature, and partly, perhaps, to the fact, that those who are charged with their spiritual concerns are often apt to impress upon the minds of their pupils the importance of sectarian differences rather than the great truths of Christi- anity.

Passing the Osakis or Sac Eiver, which opens a line of communication by means of bark canoes with the Red River of the North, we reached in a few hours a substantially built house, the first we had seen since leaving La Pointe, in a distance of about 600 miles. It was situated at the head of the most dan£i;erous and celebrated rapids on the river. We found a comfort- able tavern at this settlement, with a piece of refine- ment in one of the rooms which created quite a sen- sation. The tavern-keeper must have been somewhat astonished, on entering it, to find four rough-looking

236 THE VILLAGE OF SAUK.

characters crowding in an earnest and excited manner round a piece of looking-glass six inches square ; but as we had been taking the most intense interest in the progress of our respective beards, the opjDortunity thus afforded of inspecting, for the first time, counte- nances which had undergone some change from ex- posure and neglect, naturally gave rise to some excitement and very invidious comparisons. The owner of the hotel was a farmer on quite a large scale, havino; under cultivation about 150 acres. His wheat averaged twenty-two bushels the acre, and his oats thirty-five. The other crops, with the exception of winter wheat, are satisfactorily raised here, and also to the north of this point ; and a statement of the amount of the cereal joroduce per acre of the farms between this and St Paul, is the best answer that can be given to " suckers" from the South, who, when they pay these " diggings" a visit, turn up their noses and say, "You cant make caivn crap hyar nohow you can fix it, stranger."' A stage runs down the left bank of the river twice a-week to St Anthony, and log-houses are springing rapidly up upon the road-side at every ten or fifteen miles. Three years ago there was scarcely a habitation of any sort above the Falls of St Anthony. The village of Sauk is doubtless destined to be a town of some imj)ortance, for a steamer of light draught, launched above the Falls of St Anthony, has navigated the stream from that point to the foot of the Sauk Eapids, a distance

SHOOTING THE SAUK RAPIDS. 237

of eighty miles. Tlie man at the tavern said that there was too little water upon the Sauk for us to shoot them with any safety ; but Le Feve had been looking forward to this process with such glee, and professed such confidence in his own powers, despite his total ignorance of the channel, that we determined to risk our canoe, which had become less indispensable to our progress, since, in the event of her being wrecked, we could now pursue our journey by land. When we got to the head of the rapids, and saw about a thousand yards of foam before us, it was evi- dent that, notwithstanding the speed with which we ho]3ed to traverse them, the excitement would be somewhat sustained. The danger of these rapids, however, did not arise from the velocity of the cur- rent, so much as from the quantity of fragments of pointed granite with which the bed of the river, here about two hundred yards across, is thickly strewed, and many of which are only two or three inches below the surface of the water.

Stripping ourselves so as to be prepared for an emergency, we plunged our canoe into the breakers, and dashed merrily over the first quarter of a mile, making some narrow escapes, but keeping the canoe well in hand. Here, however, the current became furious, and in spite of our efforts, the canoe swung round, and the stream took her broadside on, and dashed her with some force against a rock, upon which she became firmly fixed. Le Feve, Bury, and

238 A PREDICAMENT.

I were overboard in a second. At first Bury disap- peared altogether. He liad jumped out upon tlie deep side, and finding no standing -ground, he had gone under. Luckily he managed to get hold of the edge of the canoe with one hand as the current was sweeping him past it, and gradually drew up to its level his dripping face and extinguished pipe, which he still held firmly clutched between his teeth. Le Feve, more experienced, was standing on the top of the rock, not ankle deep in water, while I was vainly endeavourino; to obtain a footins; near him on an- other rock, against the edges of which I received sundry bruises before I succeeded in making good my stand against the current, which I was only enabled at all to resist by keeping firm hold of the canoe. Meantime we expected her to go to pieces every moment, and Petre, ChfFord, and Cadot, who were inside, looked anything but happy. However, by a uuited shove towards Bury, whose whole weight was hanging upon her, she dropped into the deep water. Le Feve and I jumped in at the same moment, Bury trailed after a short way, and was hauled in, and so we let her drive, the water mean- time flowing freely in through a rent in the bark. We struck severely once again, but did not stick, and in a few moments we were in smooth water, and the faithful old craft was tenderly beached, and turned up for inspection and repair. The bottom was already so covered with scars and rents which

THE ELK RIVER. 239

liad been skilfully darned and gummed, that it was like a piece of patcliwork. However, by dint of a fire-stick, and some more bark and gum, she was soon pronounced fit to convey us the remainder of our journey in safety ; and before evening we had varied the excitement of the day by a literal wild- goose chase, which was crowned with success. We stalked them carefully, and fired at them swimming, in defiance of the prejudice of cockney sportsmen who have not to depend upon their guns only for dinner. It was a fine sight to see a flock of these huge birds rise noisily from the water, and soar away over our heads, and highly satisfactory to observe that one had preferred diving to following the example of his companions. He had only had his wing broken, and so continued to keep out of shot, and dive actively for some time, coming up in the most unexpected directions. As the river was here very wide, and divided into numerous channels by lovely wooded islets, the chase was a long and amus- ing one, and ended by the goose taking refuge on shore and beino; run down.

On account of these various delays it was late before we arrived at the mouth of the Elk Eiver, which we had determined to reach, becraise the voya- geurs held out the prospect of an inn at that spot. We found here a good house, occupied by twenty or thirty of the roughest characters I had ever seen. Our arrival created a good deal of curiosity and

24)0 SIGXS OF CIYILISATIOX.

astonishment, and we went through the usual course of sharp cross-examination, which ended in not satis- fying our questioners, who were princijoally regular backwood pioneers, and discussed the merits of each others claims and the advantages of Minnesota generally. Some had already profited from these, others had just arrived, and were acquiring informa- tion. We made a supper off mush, squash, hominy, and other Far AVest delicacies, and then turned into two beds as a novelty. Our voyageurs slept on the river bank near the canoe.

AYe were struck, in the course of our next day's voyage, by the numerous farm-houses which began to enliven the banks of the river, and the sio^ns of civilisation followed in rapid succession, to cheer us on our way, and encourage us with the prospect of a speedy termination to our journey. Not that we were desirous of relinquishing our bark-canoe life ; but the apprehension of an accident, and consequent delay, had somewhat marred its enjoyment. We passed Eum Eiver, which connects Mille Lacs, the former hunting - ground of the Sioux, with the Mississippi, and were delighted with the smiling aspect of the country through which we paddled. Great numbers of the settlers are Germans, who come penniless to Minnesota, settle upon a piece of land, which they improve to the value of fifty dollars a-year, at the same time earning a livelihood for themselves by obtaining employment in the neigh-

OUR LAST PORTAGE. 241

bourhoocl. When at the end of five years they have thus expended two hundred and fifty dollars on their land, the Government presents them with sixty acres, and they thenceforward set up as small farmers on their own account. The territory is thus becoming rapidly populated by an industrious and enterprising class, who appreciate the good policy which has devised such liberal and advantageous terms to the emigrant.

At last we came in sight of the well-built and pic- turesquely-situated town of St Anthony. The white houses rising upon the left bank of the river were half concealed by the trees amid which they were em- bowered, and looked substantial and comfortable. Saw-logs, booms, and other signs of lumber opera- tions, crowded the river. Threading our way between these, we entered a narrow channel behind a green island, and, mooring our canoe under the spreading shade of some magnificent trees, congratulated our- selves upon having reached our last portage. We determined, in making it, to create a sensation in St Anthony, and to convey our trusty bark through the town to the bottom of the falls in a cart. This was, indeed, only a proper mark of attention to the craft which had outlived so many perils, and served us as a home for so long. So we despatched our voyageurs upon an exploring expedition into the town, and, sheltering ourselves from the mid-day sun, we lay dreamily upon the bank, watching the eddy-

Q

242 OUE PAST AND OUR PROSPECTIVE VOYAGE.

ing stream, and wondering whetlier the voyage of three hundred miles with it, which we had still in prospect under very different circumstances, would afford us as much enjoyment as that which we had so nearly completed.

Winnebagce Lodges.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE FALLS OF ST ANTHONY.

There was no little curiosity excited in the quiet and remote town of St Anthony, as the unusual pro- cession passed through it, of a bark canoe in a wag- gon, followed by two voyageurs and four Englishmen ; and when we stopped for a moment at the hotel and entered the bar, the billiard-players in the adjoining room, and the loafers of the neighbourhood, crowded inquisitively round to discover the origin of the visit. When they heard the route we had taken from Superior, we were overwhelmed with inquiries as to the nature of the country, the character of the pines on the Upper Mississippi, and its advantages generally as a district in which to settle ; for most of the inhabitants of these western towns are anxious to hold land beyond them, so as to profit by the advance of civilisation, and are ever seeking informa- tion from explorers, who, if they are personally inte- rested, give the public no more of their experience

244 TOWN OF ST ANTHONY :

and observation tlian they can help, until they have established their own claims in an indisputable man- ner, and then their descriptions are of course framed so as to induce emigration to flow in the desired direction as freely as possible. As we were quite uninterested, we were also quite impartial, and gave a true account, which, however, was most probably not believed. St Anthony is a cheerful, pretty place, clean and well built, containing about 2500 inha- bitants. A great rivalry exists between it and St Paul ; the former owing its prosperity to the con- veniences it derives for timber operations from the magnificent water-power — the latter from its position at the head of Mississippi navigation. It is, indeed, possible to navigate the river to this point with a smaller class of boats ; but it is doubtful whether those employed below St Paul will ever be able to reach it, or whether it would be desirable that they should do so. The distance is about fomteen miles, but the actual northing is not more than two, while the stages perform the journey overland in less than an hour, the distance not exceeding eight miles. St Anthony is already a curious mixture of a manufac- turing town and a watering-place. The extreme beauty of the scenery in the neighbourhood, the attractions of the Falls themselves, and the comfort- able and civilised aspect of the town, are beginning to render it a fashionable summer resort, and j)icturesque villas are springing up on all available sites ; but

J5

o a:

:2

mBLlc I

ITS RAPID GROWTH. 245

upon the bank of the river saw-mills, foundries, shingle-machines, lath-factories, &c., keep up an in- cessant hubbub — delightful music to the white man, who recognises in the plashing of water, and the roar of steam, and the ring of a thousand hammers, the potent agency which is to regenerate a magnificent country, and to enrich himself — but the harshest sounds that ever fell upon the ear of the Indian, for they remind him of the great change through which he has already passed, and proclaim his inevitable destiny in loud unfaltering tones.

The first dwelling-house was only erected in this city in the autumn of 1847, and Mrs Ard Godfrey claims the honour of having given birth to the first of the fair daughters of St Anthony. There are now numerous manufactories, shops, newspaper ofiices, and young ladies ; four organised churches — Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian, and Methodist ; while the importance of the place has been much increased by its having been selected as the location for the uni- versity of Minnesota ; the Act providing " that the proceeds of all lands that may hereafter be granted by the United States to the territory, for the support of a university, shall be, and remain, a perpetual fund, to be called the ' University Fund,' the interest of which shall be appropriated to the support of a university." This university was opened in 1851, and already contains about a hundred pupils. Indeed, Minnesota seems determined to be in advance of

246 MAGNIFICENT SCENERY SURROUNDING

the age, for two sections in every toAYiiship Lave been appropriated for tlie suj^port of common schools, no other State having previously obtained more than one section in each township for such a purpose.

At the foot of the Falls the voyageurs launched the canoe and prepared lunch, while we explored the neighbourhood and sketched the Falls. They are only twenty feet in height ; but the scenery does not derive its interest from their grandeur, but from the perfect grouping of rock and wood and water on a magnificent scale. The Mississippi is upwards of six hundred yards wide above the Falls. These are quite perpendicular, and the water drops in beautiful single sheets on either side of a huo-e mass of white sand- stone, of a jDyramidal form, which splits the stream. The rapids below extend for several hundred yards, and are very broad, divided into various channels by precipitous islands of sandstone, gigantic blocks of which are strewn in grotesque confusion at the base of lofty walls of stratification of dazzling whiteness. These fantastically-shaped islands are thickly wooded, and birch and maple cling with desperate tenacity to nooks and crannies in the perpendicular clifis. The banks of the river are of a character similar to the islands in its stream ; and there is a pictur- esque old mill upon the opposite side, the first that was built here, which has just arrived ■ at such a stage of decay as to add an additional

THE FALLS OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 24^7

cliarm to the scene. The white houses of St Authony are almost hidden by the thick foliage of the left bank.

We could scarcely bear to tear ourselves away from so lovely a spot, after only two hours spent in exploring its beauties ; but we had fourteen miles still before us to St Paul, and tlie sun was already getting low in the heavens ; so we paddled gently on, or sometimes rested on our oars, and, letting our canoe float down the stream Ijetween perpendicular cliffs, gave ourselves up to the enervating influences of the balmy evening air, and lay back in quiet con- templation of most magnificent scenery possessing all the charms of novelty, and the advantages of being- visited under the most favourable, though certainly somewhat unusual circumstances.

The stream was broad and sluggish, and the fish rose so freely in every direction, and exhiljited them- selves so temptingly as they jumped and glittered in the sunshine, that our indefatigable fishing com- panion destroyed his own peace of mind, and kept continually hooking his friends, in unsuccessful at- tempts to delude his prey with gaudy-coloured flies ; but lie could only boast of one rise, and that was known to himself alone, so we voted that the tranquil enjoyments of the evening ought not to be disturbed by such restless proceedings ; and prohil3iting all dis- tracting ejaculations of surprise or delight, made Le Feve chant the melodious song of the voyageur, and

248 FOET SNELLIXG.

watclied the thin blue clouds of the fragrant pure leaf of Yiroinia circlino; in the air. There was one reach inexpressibly beautiful, where a stream issues from beneath thick foliage, and leaps a perpendicular cliff seventy or eighty feet high. It takes its rise in Lake JMinnetonka, twelve miles distant, to the fertile shores of which many immigrants have already been attracted, and, passing through the romantically situ- ated Lake Calhoun, terminates thus abruptly its brief existence. A little below it, a loftv wall of white sandstone, about two hundred feet in height, seems to l)ar the passage of the river ; and the loop-holed walls of Fort Snelling appear to totter upon the brink of the dizzy precipice, but the stars and stripes flaunt bravely above them, and are as little likely to be moved as the rock on which they are planted. Pass- ing round the base of this joromontory, we find our- selves opposite the debouchure of the most important tributary of the Upper Mississippi. Here the Min- nesota, or St Peter's Eiver, pours in its deep, quiet volume, after a long course through a district which has been described as the Italy of the north-west — the '•' Undine region " of Nicollet. The river is navigable for many miles, and opens up a country concerning which we can obtain and impart more full informa- tion when we arrive at St Paul. Meantime there is the city of Mendota, situated upon an island at the confluence of the two rivers — a less rapidly pro- gressive place than is usual in these parts, having sufiered from those obstructive tendencies which

THE CAPITAL OF MINNESOTA. 249

characterise war-departments generally, and in con- sequence of which the large military reserve attached to Fort Snelling, upon w^hicli it is situated, has only recently been available for practical purposes. Men- dota possesses great advantages of position, and was for long a trading-post of the American Fur Com- pany. Five miles lower down, upon a lofty blufi' overhanging the Mississippi, stands the city of St Paul — its handsome houses and churches crowning the heio-hts, and a fleet of steam-boats moored at their base. SlijDping unassumingly behind one of these white ungainly river-monsters, w^e hauled up our picturesque little bark, and, shouldering our packs for the last time, ascended the long staircase which led up the cliff, and found ourselves in the main street of the capital of Minnesota.

" Wal, gentlemen, you seem flush of camp fixings, anywhy," said one of a group of tall Americans who were lounging at the bar of the hotel at St Paul, when we entered and deposited upon the floor sundry kettles, gridirons, bags of provisions, &c. " Just come in from the pereixts, I reckon ; but as there ain't been a steamer in from St Peter s for a week, guess you must have tramped it."

" No ; we have come from Superior in a bark canoe."

" And whar are you bound for '? "

" For Chicago and the east."

" Then, of course, you'll take the cars from Eock Island."

250 HIGHLY ESTEEMED CITIZENS.

" Well, we think of leaving the Mississippi at Galena, and going by rail from thence — a route at least a hundred miles shorter than by Rock Island/'

" Ah ! take you a tarnation longer time though, and cost you a steeper lot of dollars — that's a fact ! " As this was manifestly absurd, we vouchsafed no reply, so he went on another tack. " Liquor up, gentlemen V^ We bowed. " Let me introduce you to some of the most highly esteemed of our citizens." We bowed again. " Now then, mister," turning to the man at the bar, " drinks round, and cobblers at that." AVe all indulo;ed in lono- sucks at the seduc- tive reeds ; then " a highly esteemed citizen" ejacu- lated, "Britishers" — I nodded — "and pretty smart ones too," said our entertainer ; " there ain't many men in St Paul that's made your journey. Fm the agent of the Eock Island Eailway, and I'll tell you what — I'll trade tickets to Chicago for the hull four of you against your canoe, this hyar gun, and them fixings, right off; and if you've a mind to do the thing cheap, don't think twice about it, for you won't get such an offer from the 'coon over the way." We said we were not smart enough to embark so rapidly in the speculation ; and then followed a series of inquiries as to the present condition of Superior, and its future prospects — for the latest intelligence of its progress was as eagerly received by this knot of speculators as a Crimean telegraph at the War Office.

LOW WATER.

251

We in our turn heard, to our dismay, that the water in the river was so low that the departure of any steamer was most uncertain ; so we were fain to console ourselves with a comfortable night's rest, and the prospect of exploring at our leisure the town and its neighbourhood.

Fort Snelling,

CHAPTER XXII.

ST PAUL — LOCOMOTIYE DOIXS IN IVEDsNESOTA.

St Paul is perhaps the best specimen to be found in the States, of a town still in its infancy with a great destiny before it. Its progress hitherto has been ecjualled only by Chicago. In 1847 a few trading huts, rejoicing under the sobricjuet of Pig's Eye — a name still retained by some rapids just below the town — marked the site of the present city ; and it occurred to some of the French traders and Yankee squatters upon the unpre-empted land in the neigh- bourhood, to mark out what is called in the States a town plat, without apparently any anticipation of the important results which ^Yere ultimately to attend their speculation ; indeed, they were some- Avhat old-fashioned in their notions, and laid out their plat in what one of the present citizens, in his account of the first years of St Paul, caUs '"'little skewdan- gular lots, about as large as a stingy card of ginger- bread broke in two diagonally." The consequence was, that for the first two years there was very little temptation to put an}i:hing upon the said lots ; but

ORIGIN OF THE TOWN OF ST PAUL. 253

in 1849 some celebrated go-ahead speculators took up the thing, one of whom, Henry M. Eice, is now pushing on Superior as he did St Paul, when he was in company with John E. Irving, with whom he " bought in/^ At this time there were half-a-dozen log-huts, a hotel, a couple of stores, a log Catholic chapel, and about 150 inhabitants — a community which was worthy of being represented by the press ; and, accordingly. Colonel James M. Goodhue arrived in the same year to start a paper, which he intended to call " The Epistle of St Paul." The good people there, however, had discrimination enough to object to the name, and so he called it the Minnesota Pioneer, in one of the articles of which he gives an amusing description of his finding himself, on a raw, cloudy day in April ^49, in a forlorn condition, at the bottom of the cliff, surrounded by his press, types, and printing apparatus, with no shed to put them in, or acquaintance in the place. A Yankee editor is not to be discouraged by trifles ; so he got a room " on^' Third Street, "as open as a corn-rick,'^ from which airy tenement his first number issued, " in the pre- sence of Mr Lull, Mr Cavileer, Mr Neill, and perhaps Major Murphy." After that he got a lot in what he supposed would be the middle of the town, having " calculated that the two ends would probably unite there," and building a dwelling-house, lived in it through the next year, without having it lathed or plastered. Such was the origin of St Paul, and such the commencement of the Pioneer, which, in the Ian-

254 PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY OF ST PAUL.

guage of tlie editor, has " advocated Minnesota, morality, and religion, from the beginning." In the recent death of this gentleman, St Paul has sustained a great loss ; and if he had been as successful in his advocacy of the two latter principles as of that of the territory, Minnesota would be a terrestrial paradise ; for it began to shoot ahead thenceforward with a vengeance. There are now four daily, four weekly, and two tri-weekly papers, which is pretty well for a Far West town only five years old, and more than Manchester and Liverpool put together. There are four or ^ye hotels, and at least half-a-dozen handsome churches, with tall spires pointing heavenward, and sundry meeting-houses, and a population of seven or eight thousand to go to them, and good streets with side-walks, and lofty brick warehouses, and stores, and shops, as well supplied as any in the Union ; and " an academy of the highest grade for young ladies ; " and wharves at which upwards of tlu-ee hundred steamers arrive annually, bringing new settlers to this favoured land, and carrying away its produce to the south and east. The navigation of the river is closed during the four winter months, or from No- vember to March. As the resources of JMinnesota are developed, the trade upon the river must continue to increase. The saw-mills of St Anthony, St Paul, and Stillwater will suj^ply countless feet of timber for the States further south ; its prahies will furnish live stock ad libitum ; and its cereal produce will, according to Colonel Goodhue, hold its own with the

CAPABILITIES OF MINNESOTA. 255

most favoured states. That gentleman thus com- pares its capabilities in this respect with its principal rival, Illinois : " We will give Illinois May the start, and Minnesota shall come out ahead. Don't care what the crop is — any grain, any root — anything from a castor bean, or an apple or pear tree, or a pumpkin, to a sweet potato or a tobacco plant. Wliy, sucker, do you know you have frosts about two weeks earlier in Illinois than w^e do here '? It is a fact ! AVe will show these people sights who come up here in May, and go shivering back home, saying that Minnesota is 'too cold for craps! ^' And so on in the same strain with regard to cattle. In addition to all this, there is the Indian trade, which is cer- tainly diminishing, but still forms a large share of the business done in St Paul. During our stay there, we frequented constantly the shops of some of the traders, and overhauled moccasins embroidered with porcupine quills ; tobacco-pouches ornamented with beads ; tomahawks, pipes, and all the appurtenances of Indian life which these men pick up from Sioux or Chippeway warriors, and sell as curiosities, witli histories attached to certain articles, alleged to have been bought from famous chiefs, which may or may not be true, but in consideration of which extra charge is made. At all events, I am prepared to assert against all comers, on the authority of a most respectable citizen from whom I bought them, that a pipe now in my possession, and which bore the traces of recent use, together with a very frowsy old tobacco-

256 INDIAN TEADE AT ST PAUL.

pouch, did really belong to tlie most celebrated war- cbief and extensive scalp-taker among the Sioux, popularly called " Medicine Bottle," but whose Indian name is Wah-kan-o-jan-jan, which is an unconscion- able amount of gibberish for the word light, which it literally signifies.

These shops have their agents up the country, who supply the Indians with ammunition, blankets, guns, &c., in advance, and at a considerable profit, in antici- pation of the price at which they purchase their furs and peltries from them. The young men of the tribes, however, very often come into the town to trade, and a party of Chippeways had been in St Paul about three weeks before our visit, who had afterwards gone out upon the war-path. Some Sioux, however, discovered their trail upon the St Peter s River, between Fort Ridgiey and Traverse des Sioux, and having lain in ambush till their enemies were in the act of fordino' the stream, rushed upon them, and took fifteen scalps. Some of the victims were women and children ; the Chippeways are the only tribe who take their families with them on the war path.

AVe hired a light waggon one afternoon, and drove about the country near St Paul, in search of trout streams and pretty scenery. We were not happy in lighting upon the former, but there was ample to gratify us so far as the latter was con- cerned. St Paul is generally the prominent fea- ture in every view, and its noble position justly

SCENERY AHOUND ST PAUL. 257

entitles it to this distinction. I scarcely ever remem- ber to have seen anything more lovely than the sun- set, as we stood upon a newly-raised terrace near an unfinished Elizabethan villa, which an evidently prosperous citizen was erecting upon a hill, and which commanded a noble view of the town, with the deep broad river sweeping past lofty cliffs, and the woodland country stretching away to distant hills bathed in tints of richest purple.

The most striking characteristic of the environs of St Paul, however, is the utter wildness of the sur- rounding country. In whatever direction you ascend the hills which encircle the town, with the exception of the busy, gay-looking city, all is gloomy forest or solitary prairie ; and there can be no stronger testi- mony to the rapid growth of the place, than the fact that the country in the immediate vicinity is still in a state of savage nature. No doubt a few years will work a marvellous change here too ; but the most in- teresting element of the scenery will be destroyed when this wonderful combination of civilisation and barbarism has disappeared.

The land immediately round St Paul is not very fertile, as it consists principally of sand and loam; it possesses, however, the advantage of retaining heat and producing rapid vegetation. That portion of Minnesota which is universally admitted to be en- dowed with greater advantages of soil and climate, and to be generally a more favoured district than any other in the north-west, is the valley of the St

R

258 VALLEY OF THE ST PETER's EIVER.

Peter's, and wliieli was described as "the prettiest country lying wild that the world can boast of, got up with the greatest care and effort by old dame Nature ten thousand years or more ago, and which she has been improving ever since." Indeed, I was quite tired of hearing its praises, and looking at the plans of prospective cities on the banks of the river. There is Shakopee, Le Sueur, Traverse des Sioux, Kasota, Mankato, and Henderson, all thriving cities, containing from one to fifty log-houses each, but with imaginary public buildings, squares, and streets, enough for a moderately-sized empire. That they have a great future in store there can be no doubt. The St Peter's is navigable for upwards of a hundred miles, and receives numerous streams, fertilising this region so prolific in resources, and affording them at the same time a ready outlet. We unfortunately had not time to ascend this river, or to judge for our- selves upon its capabilities and beauties. But Mr Bond, who has written a book describing his adopted territory, kindles when he writes of this valley, and in a burst of enthusiasm exclaims, that you may ride " across rolling prairies of rich luxuriance, sloping away in the wide blue dreamy-looking basin of the Minnesota, the loveliest view of broad fair voluptuous Nature, in all her unconcealed beauty, that ever flashed upon mortal vision, to Henderson." It would be manifestly out of place for any mortal, whose vision had not been thus blessed, to say anything more about Henderson, or the way to it ; and if

PROJECTED RAILWAYS. 259

people won't go and settle there, at least neither Mr Bond nor I will have anything to reproach ourselves with.

The population of the territory has increased since 1850, when it was 6077, to 140,000 ; so that even a go-ahead Yankee has no cause for complaint ; and the influx of immigrants must augment with increased facilities of access. From its position near the centre of the continent of North America, with excellent water-carriage to the gulfs of Mexico and the St Lawrence, a railway to the Pacific is only needed, to render perfect a chain of communication, which would advance the prosperity not only of the territory from which it started, but of the whole Union and of Ca- nada. At present, however, if there is not a railway in Minnesota, there is no country in the world where they are more wanted, and where they are likely to spring up more rapidly. It may be interesting to glance at the probable direction of these lines, and the traffic which will pass along them. The first which will be completed will be a short one, eight miles long, from St Paul to St Anthony ; but the one which will contribute chiefly to the settlement of the terri- tory, is from Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, which is already connected with New York by rail, to St Paul, a distance of two hundred miles, through the most fertile part of Wisconsin. This railroad has been chartered to extend from St Paul to the western boundary of the territory, and it is contemplated ulti- mately to the Pacific. At present a " difficulty" has

260 ST PAUL AND NEW ORLEANS SCHEME.

arisen in its construction, wliicli will probably be set- tled by Congress, as difficulties usually are in tlie States. Other lines from the east will tap the Missis- sippi valley at Prairie du Chien, or Prairie la Crosse. The one to Dubuque, in Iowa, is already finished, and tbis city can now be reached by rail from New York, a distance of twelve hundred miles. A projection, second only in magnitude to the great Pacific scheme, has been entertained, of connecting St Paul with New Orleans, a distance -of two thousand miles. This will probably l)e completed in the course of a very few years, as the line presents no engineering difficulties, passing through a populous country the whole way, and, in its successful competition ^ith the Mississippi, will set at rest for ever any doubt of the superiority of railway over water carriage, if it still exists in the minds of benighted easterns. Another line essential to the interests of Minnesota is already commenced, to connect St Paul with Superior. When I \dsited St Paul, there was a good deal of excitement, involv- ing a great consumption of quid and expenditure of oaths, in consequence of the conduct of a certain Colo- nel, who was also a member of Congress, and who, after the bill was passed, sanctioning the railway, by the exercise of what is called, in Congressional lan- guage, " outside influence," but which, in unvarnished American, means dollars, persuaded the engrossing clerk to substitute '" and" for " or," thereby altering entirely a most important provision in the bill, which somewhat interfered ^Yith his particular interest. This

ST PAUL AND SUPEPtlOE RAILWAY. 261

was accidentally discovered before the final assent to the bill was given, and the charter repealed in conse- quence.

The effect will simply be to run a line in another direction between the two places ; for the value of this connection is incalculable, and the advantage to be gained from it is not to be lost by individual ro- guery. The two great ports upon the western lakes must ever be Chicago and Superior. From the former is now exported the produce of the West for the At- lantic board. To reach the entrance of the Erie Canal, it makes a circuit of 980 miles. The distance from Superior to the same jDoint is only thirty-six miles more. It is evident that the produce of the country lying to the back of these ports, will find its way by the most convenient route to the nearest outlet. At present the whole surplus produce of Min- nesota goes to Chicago by river and rail, a distance of 500 miles. When the rail to Superior is completed throug-h the hundred miles of mamiificent lumber comitry which separates that city from St Paul, the whole produce of the Upper Mississippi valley, as far south as the borders of Iowa, will find its out- let in this direction, instead of in the other. The lumber of the St Croix, the live stock of the St Peter s, the cereals of the Eed Eiver and Western Wisconsin, will centre at Superior. Here, too, will be the emporium for the products of that mineral region, in the midst of which it is situated, and which may safely be pronounced the most prolific in

262 A NEW CHANNEL OF COMMERCE.

tlie world. The iron and copper for the south will be conveyed to St Paul by this railway, and thence by the Mississippi to New Orleans, or wherever may be its ultimate destination. It is clear from this that the railway which connects these towns will be the channel throuoii which the trade of the east and the south of this great continent will freely flow, gather- ing volume as it passes from the mighty stream of western produce which here pours into it. But the enterprise which lies nearest the heart of every Min- nesotian is the railway to the Pacific. I was fortu- nate enough, when at Washington, to meet Governor Stevens, of AVashington Territory, in which the western terminus is situated, upon the Straits of De Fuca, which separate our colony of Vancouver's Island from the mainland. This gentleman had just arrived to lay his survey and report upon the north- ern route before Congress. He entertained the strongest opinion of its practicability. The length of the line from Chicao;o to the Pacific will be 1960 miles. Of this distance 990 miles, or about one-half, are embraced under existing acts of incorporation, granted by Wisconsin and Minnesota, for the con- struction of a railway in the recpired direction, some portion of which is already completed. It is true that the remaining 900 must pass through country uninhabited except by Indians and buffalo, with the exception of the Eed Eiver settlements, a little to the south of which it is desioiied to

THE NORTH PACIFIC SCHEME. 263

pass, and the settlements upon the Pacific ; but experience has shown that, in the United States, it will always pay to construct a railway through a wild country, for the purpose of opening it up for settlements ; and a single log-hut is frequently the terminus of a paying line. The very manner in which they are located shows this. Thus the Govern- ment will reserve on a railway a strip of land, perhaps fifteen miles wide, upon each side of the line, through- out its entire length. This is divided into sections of 640 acres, which are again divided into eight lots. No person is permitted to purchase less than half a lot, the upset price of these being a dollar and a quarter the acre. The alternate sections are the property of the railway, and it is entitled to make its selection of these as it progresses. Hence the cha- racter of the country through which it passes becomes very important. The North Pacific railway follows the Mississippi from St Paul to the Sauk Eapids, where it trends westward, and forms a junction with a branch from Superior, which crosses the Mississippi near Sandy Lake, thence to the great bend of the Upper Missouri, across an undulating country abounding in buffalo, with a mild climate, no en- gineering difficulties, and capable of producing good crops and supporting a large population ; then across a more sterile country, bare of timber to the base of the Eocky Mountains, and over them by a pass nearly six thousand feet high, and down into a fertile valley

264 RAPIDITY OF RAILWAY EXTENSION

to cross another range at an elevation of about four thousand feet, whicli rises abruptly from the Pacific. There is every reason to suppose that, by making a short bend to the north into the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's territory, both these ranges may be crossed at a much less elevation. The Straits of De Fuca are only fifteen days' steam from Shanghai, which would then be brought within a month's journey of Liver- pool.

These may be deemed extravagant expectations in quiet old-fashioned countries like our own, but people in America are familiar with such enterprises. The rapidity of railway extension in the States is well illustrated by the present railway trafiic of Chicago. In 1852 there was only one railway, forty miles long, into this city. When I was there, two years after- wards, nearly twenty railways radiated either directly or by connections from Chicago, with an aggregate length of 2500 miles. They extend north, south, west, and south-east. They are each from one to three hundred miles long, passing through and open- ing up new fertile districts. Eighty trains, averaging 120 passengers each, arrive daily at Chicago, and eighty trains, taking nearly the same number of persons, depart. The Illinois Central, which is the longest railway in the world — bemg 771 miles in length, including branches — passes through this town ; so it is well qualified to be the terminus for the North Pacific line ; and we have no business to

IN THE UNITED STATES. 265

doubt tlie engineering performances of a coimtiy in which there are already 21,310 miles of railway laid down, or about 2500 miles more than the whole of the rest of the world put together. But our discus- sion upon this subject is getting very nearly as long as the North Pacific Eailway itself ; so, having suffi- ciently considered the political economy and statistics of Minnesota and its capital, it is time, before leaving the latter, to look at it socially.

CHAPTER XXIII.

MAXXEE3, CUSTOMS, AXD POLITICAL OPIXIOXS OF THE

ST PAUL PUBLIC.

EvEPcYBODY in tlie Far West is hospitable, but there is very little time for idle ceremony in the exercise of hospitality. We did not know any persons there excejDt those we met accidentally at the hotel, and the gentleman who disposed of our canoe and camp- fixings by auction for our benefit. He was a pros- perous merchant of the place, with a Avell-supplied store ; and we were referred to him as the principal auctioneer. Accordingly, we arranged the time and place for the auction, and two small boys peram- bulated the streets with dinner-bells, informino- the public of St Paul, at the pitch of their voices, that a bark-canoe, gun, and camp-fixings were to be put up for competition near the wharf, where our faithful canoe was peacefully reclining. At the appointed hour we sneaked down to the river-side, to see our dear old craft knocked down to the highest bidder. Our respect for her was too great to admit of our approach so near as to hear the unkind criticisms

OUE CANOE, ETC. SOLD BY AUCTION. 267

made at her expense ; and tlie natural delicacy of our feelings prevented our listening to the deprecatory remarks which were lavished upon our property generally; so we retired to a respectful distance, just far enough off to hear Mr Collins, with a loud voice, proclaim that she had " gone " for seven dollars, and accompany his assertion by a rap with his hammer, which I hoped knocked a hole in the bottom, for she was worth more in spite of her patches, and we had originally purchased her for twenty dollars. We were somewhat consoled by hearing that an extra gun wdiich we had bought at the Sault for ten dollars, for the use of the Indians or voyageurs, fetched twelve. It was a wretched piece of work- manship : one barrel had never been known to go off; the other, which everybody seemed to consider a special duty to keep loaded, used to explode spon- taneously at the most unexpected and inconvenient seasons.

Some idea may be formed of the rapid increase of the value of town lots in new cities, from the fact that Mr Collins showed us one which he had pur- chased three years before for 150 dollars. He was allowed three years in which to pay his purchase- money. Upon the day he paid in the last instalment, and thus completed his title, he sold the same lot for 1600 dollars. The weather was frightfully hot during our stay in St Paul : the thermometer stood one day at 95"^ in my bedroom. There is in conse- quence an immense consumption always going on at

268 SABBATH OBSERVAXCE.

the bar of red lions and white lions, cock-tails, mint- juleps, gin slings, cobblers, and other cooling diinks with as many diflferent names as there are political parties in the United States, which is saying a good deal. On Sunday I was struck with a greater ob- servance of the day than I had anticipated. The numerous churches are well filled, and St Paul is rather celebrated for a more universal profession of religion than ordinarily characterises w^estern towns, — the inhabitants of which will tell you that the Sunday is "just like any other day, or indeed rather more so."

We were always roused to the labours of the day by a boisterous gong, which at six o'clock in the morning reverberated through the long passages of the hotel, rendering a renewed attempt at sleep utterly out of the question. Soon after people began to drop in to breakfast, and eat hot rolls, soaked toast, buckwheat cakes, and hominy, and drink iced milk ; then they grouped round spittoons, lighted their cigars, corrected their cold potations with " nippers " of brandy, skimmed the papers, swore at the contents, and finally strutted ofi' to their respec- tive duties. AYe " put out '^ as well to shop and " nose about the town wherever we've a mind to," finding no difiiculty in amusing ourselves until 3 P.M., when dinner is ready. This was the most unpleasant process at St Paul. In the first place, the rush into the room at the sound of the D-ono- was terrific, and excited and heated one in an atmosphere

POST-PEANDIAL ENJOYMENTS. 269

at " blood heat " to sucli an extent that, combined with the exertion of scrambling for dishes, and the rapidity with which their contents were necessarily bolted, we found ourselves at the end of ten minutes seated at the deserted tables, replete, panting, per- spiring, and exhausted. The master of the hotel sat at an upper table, upon the sanctity of which " unprotected males " were not allowed to intrude, much to our disgust, for the ladies have a private entry before the gong rings, and sit at least three minutes longer after dinner than the gentlemen, besides indulging in more elaborate preparations of corn, buckwheat, and other special delicacies. After dinner it is the correct thing to go out upon the steps in front of the hotel, unbutton your waistcoat and make one of a row of tobacco-consumers, some of whom chew, some smoke, and some do both. Here we tilt our chairs well back, criticise the passers-by, as this is in the main street — talk politics, and drink cooling beverages ; indeed, the object of hurrying through dinner at a railway pace is thus most satis- factorily explained. It is evident that the pleasures of the table consist, in this country, not in the deli- cacy of the viands, or in the act of their consumption, but in the process of their digestion, which is cer- tainly doubly necessary, and which is prolonged as much as possible, and enjoyed in a very epicurean manner.

We generally find ourselves here in the best possible company ; and if we do not actually mix with the

270 THE MINNESOTA CONSTITUTION.

liigliest officials in the territory, at least liear all about them. There is Mr Smith, who is a district attorney, and a member of the legislature ; and Captain Jones of the ]\Iilitia, who is also Eegister to the United States Land Office, Secretary of State, Auctioneer and Store-keeper ; and Colonel Brown, late of the Texan Eangers, who now edits a paper, and keeps the bowling- saloon over the way; and a " sucker" from Illinois ; and a steamboat captain, waiting for high water : with two or three late arrivals from the eastern States or the old country. We discuss the great poh- tical questions which are now agitating creation, in an easy off-hand manner, and skip from the Mississippi to the Volga " without winking." By way of a com- mencement, I offer Colonel Brown a light, and ask him to explain the constitution of the territory.

" Ask that ar councillor there," turning to Mr Smith. " Joe, post up this hyar entire stranger." Whereupon Joe informs me that there is a Governor who is ap- pointed by the President and Senate for four years, and who is ex oficio Superintendent of Indian Affairs and Commander-in-chief of the jMilitia ; and there is a Council and House of Eepresentatives. The number of councillors is limited to fifteen, and of representa- tives to thirty-nine, to be elected by a plurality of votes. The suffrage is of course universal to every free white male inhabitant who is twenty-one years old, and who has sworn to the constitution of the United States, and the act forming tliat of the terri- tory. There is a Supreme Court, with a Chief Justice,

PROBABLE ORIGIN OF WHITTLING. 271

and wliicli goes circuits ; district courts, justices of the peace, Sec. That there is also a pretty strong militia. Then the Captain strikes in, and they diverge upon a question of local pohtics far beyond the depth of an " entire stranger;" so I turn the conversation to a neighbouring territory, and venture to express the astonishment with which, when at AVashington, I lis- tened to a feu dejoie of 144 guns, in honour of the majority by which the Nebraska Bill was passed, and 500,000 square miles of territory were opened up to slavery in the freest country in the world. Colonel Brown of the Texan Kangers looks very fierce at this ; he has a face, at any rate, which, in the forcible lan- guage of the steamboat captain, looks like a " full cross between a gridiron and a steel trap ; " and when he smartly jerks out a nine-inch blade from his waist- band, it is rather an agreeable surprise to see the point inserted between his teeth instead of between my own ribs. The colonel uses this knife a good deal, either for his teeth or nails, for cutting tobacco plugs, or for whittling ; which suggested to me the idea, that the custom of whittling originated in a de- sire on the part of the whittler to be prej)ared for a row by keeping his knife open in his hand, while, partly as an excuse, and partly as an occupation, he employs it upon wood, until he finds something more interesting to cut into.

" It's clar to me, mister," says the colonel mildly, " that you've been residing among the Puukins in the Yankee States, and have not been long enough in

272 FEELING IX FAVOUR OF SLAVERY.

our country to coniprelienci the gen-i-us of our insti- tutions, or to sot your head free of the onremitten lies you heerd thar. Yes, sir," he adds, evidently quoting from his last article, '' their efforts to extin- guish freedom have proved abortive, and we are about to re-lume the torch of Liberty upon the altar of Slaver}'."

" Good," said the captain.

" This glorious institution will shortly pervade our beauteous territorv : slave-oTown corn will wave uj)on our hill-sides, and the melodies of the happy nigger will re-echo through the vales of ]\Iinne- sota ! "

"Hear him," says the skipper. "Consarn me if there's such a high-pressure chap as the colonel between Sent Paul and the mountino-s."

There is a dissentient growl from one of the do^'n- east Punkins, but he dares not give vent to his senti- ments, for the feeling in favour of slavery is almost universal in the north-west. This is perhaps the natural result of a state of society so extremely de- mocratic, that servants are almost unknown, and, where they can be obtained, only perform their func- tions as acts of condescension. In a count rv which is so prosperous that every man can set up in busi- ness on his o^vn account, it is not worth his while to serve another, and people feel the necessity of import- ing a race to perform those offices which thev are now obliged to do for themselves. Hence in all new ter- ritories slavery will be popular. This is an evil,

ITS EXTENSION UNJUSTIFIABLE. 273

however, wliich, as the population increases, will very soon remedy itself. Meantime it has been de- cided in Congress, that the Federal Government has no rio-ht to interfere with the measures of territorial legislatures on this subject, and a parcel of wild hoys fresh from Tipperary may now introduce slavery, for the fun of the thing, into any tract of country north of the Missouri Compromise Line, as soon as it is organised into a territory, a privilege of which our knowledge of those gentry may lead us to suppose they would not be slow to avail themselves. What- ever excuses may be found for the perpetuation of this evil in the Southern States, where it came into existence under peculiar circumstances, and aboli- tion is surrounded with so many difficulties, and must necessarily be accompanied . with much hard- ship and injustice to individuals, there can be no justification for its extension over new country, blessed with a climate highly favourable to white labour, and so prolific in its resources. What the practical working of the system will be in these northern climates, and how far it will stand competition with free white labour as the country becomes more thickly peopled, are questions which will be best solved by the experiment which has already com- menced in Nebraska. They did not enter into the calculations of our friends in the hotel, with whom the transition from slavery to annexation was easy and natural. These form the two great topics of con- versation, and are intimately connected. Whatever

s

274? ANNEXATION CANADA AND CUBA.

may be the views of Americans upon the great ques- tion of slavery, which seems destined, before long, to split the Union, they do not scruple to avow them- selves Annexationists.

If I turn to Colonel Brown of the Texan Eangers, and ask him whether he Avould like to annex Canada, he growls out in his forcible manner, " Jest as soon

annex ," mentioning those regions which, to

judge from their frequent recurrence in his conversa- tion, are ever uppermost in his mind. If, on the other hand, I suggest to my Massachusetts friend the propriety of annexing Cuba, he says blandly, " Wal now, mister, we opine down-east that such an act would call down upon our country the wrath of this world and the vengeance of the other ; and all I can say is, that if our President and his Government — and pack of ^em don't make up into one old woman Td own as a relation, — commit such a blamenation piece of injustice, Td like to see the price of the unhappy niggers in that island paid for in blood ten times over, rather than let it fall into the hands of a parcel of blood-suckino' nio-g-er-drivino; Southerners, whose existence I esteem the greatest blot upon fair crea- tion. Annex Cuba ! No, sirree"

But thoucrh Colonel Brown considers that it would be the height of injustice to annex Canada, he main- tains that his Government is bound by every obliga- tion, moral and divine, to appropriate Cuba ; and he says, that the proposal of Spain to emancipate the slaves in that island calls for immediate intervention

ANNEXATION^OANADA AND CUBA. 275

on the part of his Government, upon which he heaps the vilest epithets, to ward off a blow which so seri- ously menaces liberty generally, and that glorious institution in particular upon which its existence de- pends. And as he delivers himself of these senti- ments with great volubility — for he has extracted his plug from his left cheek to secure greater freedom of utterance, and it is firmly clutched between the fingers of his out-stretched hand — he glares savagely at the former speaker, winds up by calling him a squash-headed, cent-shaving, whitlin-o-nothin Yan- kee, and flips his quid into the middle of the street as a mark of supreme contempt.

The Yankee is cowed for the moment, but informs me, in an under tone, that though to annex Cuba would be to commit murder and robbery in their most ao-o-ravated forms, to incite Canadians to rebel- lion would be to perform a holy duty towards an oppressed and enslaved people, and that he hopes to see the day when there will not be an acre of the North American continent owned l>y a British subject.

Were it worth while, I could inform my Yankee friend that there are those in both Houses of Parlia- ment, in our own country, who neglect no opportunity of publicly manifesting their indiflerence to colonial interests; who, as statesmen, advocate with impunity principles which, in the mouths of colonists, are re- garded as rebellious ; who openly express their desire to be freed from what they are pleased to consider burdens upon the mother country; and whose speeches

276 PUBLIC OPINION IN EEFERENCE TO

are calculated to excite a far more contumacious spirit than those of Yankee agitators. I contented myself, however, with assuring him that he may divest his mind of the belief that the idea of annexa- tion is popular in Canada ; that Canadians appreciate too highly the constitutional freedom which they en- joy under the present system of responsible govern- ment, to desire to ally themselves to a country in which ministerial responsibility does not exist even in name ; that they are further reconciled to their position by the hghtness of the taxes with which they are burdened, in comparison to those in the States ; and are well contented to enjoy the protection of the mother country, under a system which may be said to confer upon them all the advantages without the burdens of independence.

To return, however, to the tobacco -consuming group in front of the hotel, there is one point upon which they are universally agreed — indeed, throughout the West, public opinion seemed unanimous in its expression of an earnest desire to see the allied armies defeated in the Crimea.

The colonel expresses himself strongly on this point. " I conclude,^^ he says, first turning with modesty to his admiring audience, " that I can about see as far into a millstone as the man that pecks it. Wal, you Britishers air ^cute — you go on the high moral ticket. You call annexation robbery and terri- torial aggression ; but there ain't a power in creation that's swallowed more of other people's country

THE PRESENT EUROPEAN WAR. 277

without clioking than you have when nobody was looking perticler. And now you re a-going to fight civihsation, by protecting the most barbarous power in Europe, and for liberty by allying yourself with a French despot and a Mahommetan tyrant ; but chaw me, if liberty ain't a long sight better off in the hands of that old 'possum Nicholas than such mealy-mouthed hypocrites. You understand stabbing great prin- ciples in the dark — you do ! Liberty's all bunkum with you. If it ain't, what do you go cringing and scraping to all the despots in Europe for, when you could raise the hull Continent in the cause of freedom if you had a mind to '? Why don't you choke off your privileged classes, and sot your oppressed white niggers free, and give back the black niggers in the Indies the country you've robbed 'em of, instead of screeching at us, and coming over here with your long faces, and almighty jaw, and unremittin lies, about slavery and Cuba '? There's no sin in creation your no-souled, canting, bellows-winded Parliament won't commit, if they can make a darned cent by it. And if you were to take the Crimea, there'd be no holding you ; civilisation and Hberty, and all the rest of it, would be in danger over here then, — and the slaves in Cuba would have to be protected, and you'd be fighting against us to preserve the liberal institutions of Spain. But there's no fear of that. The Eoosians will whip you into ribbons when they get a chance. Why, they've got the sympathies of our country with them, and it's well known that every great question

278 AMERICAN LIBERTY OF SPEECH.

t'other side Jordan"' is settled by the public opinion here. Youll find out the mistake you made when we offered to meditate between the helgeant powers — [the colonel never allowed a long word to stop him], — and you took so long to consider upon it that it never came off at all. Now, youll all go to blazes together, and there ain't a man in these diggins as won't be glad to hear that the old country has a busted-up, fighting for, — ha ! ha! ha! boys, what do you think? — Liberty!'' and the colonel wiped the per- spiration from his brow, and looked like a man w^ho felt he had distinmiished himself.

" That's it, colonel," says Joe, in an ecstasy of admiration. "Whv, it's enoudi to make a man swaller tobacker to hear him. I guess your Victoria would be down upon you pretty smart if you was to come out like that in your country. We can speak our minds over here ; we can blaspheme, and profane, and rip, and snort, jest as we've a mind to, and nobody dar hinder us. Ah! it's a great country." With which sag;e reflection the councillor subsides into a state of rumination ; and nobody showing any disposition to dispute the colonel's position, his com- panions chew the cud — of tobacco — in silence, and regard me with a certain complacency as one who has been " chawed up some," and considerably " run over" by the colonel. I have a consciousness of the same sort myself ; and in default of any right hon- ourable gentleman being present to defend a policy

* Across the Atlantic.

SYMPATHISERS WITH THE WESTERN POWERS. 279

which has been found somewhat incomprehensible in other quarters of the world besides the Far West, it is ahowed to stand or fall by its own merits.

It may be interesting to observe from this con- versation, that in the New AVorld Ave are still con- sidered " knaves,'' while in the Old we are fast losing our perfidious character for one less complimentary to our national intelligence. I should, however, be giving an erroneous impression of public opinion in America if I did not allude to the small sections of some of the communities in the eastern cities who profess to sympathise with the Western Powers ; except, however, in Washington, Philadelphia, New York, or Boston, I never heard a soul express any other than the sentiments of the gallant colonel. Any efforts to enlist Americans for the war mil not improve this feeling, and it is most earnestly to be hoped that so impolitic a step will not be taken ; one which, while it will give much dissatisfaction to the Americans, will not serve any good purpose to our- selves. For when a man becomes too great a black- guard to live in America, he is not likely to improve the morale of the British army.

We shall never, however, be popular in the States so long as we sneer at or openly condemn their institutions. While excessively jealous of hostile criticism, Americans use unmeasured terms in con- demning the more glaring faults of their own system, and even to a stranger will hold up many of their in- stitutions to the utmost contempt. I should almost

280 SLAVEEY. — THE CUBA QUESTION.

feel it a breacli of confidence to disclose what I liave heard from Americans illustrative of the defects in the working of their constitution. As the country becomes more thickly populated, these Avill become as apparent as those of our own system. Probably, however, in a country with fewer obstructive ten- dencies, they will be much more speedily remedied. At present the internal resources of America are so great as to insure its progression in spite of any government short of a military despotism. The great question of slavery will lead to an explosion which it is to be hoped will not terminate in a Kilkenny-cat process. Some catastrophe of this sort seems to me inevitable without our interference; and we shall neither ameliorate the condition of the slaves, nor bring about their emancipation a whit the sooner, by having jDublic demonstrations of disgust.

The question next in importance to slavery is that of Cuba. Here, too, upon many grounds, the policy of non-interference would seem the wisest. It is true that the annexation of this island on the part of America is unjustifiable ; but we can scarcely object to it upon that score. If we go upon what the colonel calls " the high moral ticket," we must not persevere in similar proceedings ourselves : if, on the other hand, we confess our policy to be what it ever has been, purely self-interested, then Cuba will afford us a far more valuable market as an American state than as a Spanish colony ; and as for the balance of power in America, Avhen tlie present war is over we

A BABEL OF LANGUAGES. 281

had better let the balance of power all over the world take care of itself for some time to come. Such, at least, were the reflections to which the opinions I heard expressed in the Far West gave rise ; and I was dreaming of Old and New World politics, and watch- ing the heau monde of St Paul emerging for the evening promenade, when one of the group in front of the hotel, who had not previously uttered, suddenly burst forth with " Hi, whoopee, thars gals ! '' which suggested to us the propriety of a walk on the terrace which overlooks the river, and a nearer inspection of Minnesotian belles and the gay world generally.

As the territory is only six years old, all here are strangers, and all adventurers ; and the most con- fused Babel of languages greets our ears as we stroll along. Of course, the Anglo-Saxon language, in its varied modifications of Yankee, English, Scotch, and Irish, prevails ; but there is plenty of good French, and the voyageur patois, Chippeway or Sioux, Ger- man, Dutch, and Norwegian. The possessors of these divers tongues are, however, all very industrious and prosperous, and happy in the anticipation of fortune- making. Joining ourselves to some of these, we may enter with them a bowling -saloon, as these afford great opportunities for observing the manners and customs of the inhabitants. The roughest characters from all parts of the West, between the Mississippi and the Pacific, collect here, and from morning till night, shouts of hoarse laughter, extraordinary and complicated imprecations, the shrill cries of the boy-

282 PEMBINA AND RED PJYEE SETTLERS.

markers calling the game, and the booming of the heavy bowls, are strangely intermingled, and you come out stunned with noise, and half blinded with tobacco smoke. Some of these men were settlers from Pembina and the Eed Eiver settlements. They come down to Traverse des Sioux with a long cara- van of carts, horses, and oxen. These they leave here, and take steamer to St Paul for a hundred miles down the St Peter, and lay in their luxuries of civilisation, and those necessaries of life which are unprocurable in their remote settlement. They were just starting for their return journey when we were at St Paul, and did not expect to arrive at Pembina for a month or six weeks. The distance from Traverse des Sioux is about three hundred and fifty miles. The country through which they pass abounds in buffalo, but it is also infested with hostile Sioux, who have lately been particularly earnest in their quest for white scalps, and they are consequently compelled to raise a breastwork for protection at the camping- ground every night. In winter, the journey is made with dog-teams and snow-shoes. The population upon the Eed Eiver is made up of half-breeds, buffalo- hunters, and Scotch farmers, besides a few Indian traders.

CHAPTER XXIV.

STEAM-BOAT LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI — THE BLUFFS.

At last, after waiting three days at St Paul, and having sundry false alarms of a start, it was inti- mated to us that we should be conveyed from the hotel in an omnibus to a steamer that really was about to leave for Galena. It was somewhat dis- couraging, when we bade adieu to one of our friends, to see him turn up his eyes wdien we told him the name of the boat. " Wal, mister," he said, " it's your business, not mine ; but I know something of that boat. She belongs to that darned picayunish old ^coon, Jim Mason, and he'll run her till she sinks, or busts up, and then God help the crowd." The Nominee, one of the oldest and safest boats on the river, was expected up in a day or two, and we were half tempted to wait for her ; but we were too much pressed for time to justify such a proceeding ; so we drove down to the wharf, shook hands tenderly with the omnibus driver, and boots, who accompanied him to help us to get our luggage on board, and went in search of cabins, in the course of which Bury found

284 THE "pig's eye" SHALLOW.

himself, by mistake, in the ladies' saloon — a fact he was politely informed of by one of the occupants, who said, " Guess you 2^^^^ for the wrong jdcw, mister."

The view of St Paul and the banks of the river just below it is very beautiful, and I was thankful for a stoppage upon the Pig's Eye, as the delay enabled me to take a sketch of the town. The pro- cess of getting over a shallow in a river steamer is somewhat novel. The boat we were in had only one paddle-wheel behind, and looked like an animated water-mill. AVhen we got near a shallow, the pres- sure was increased, and we charged it. Our first attempt at the Pig's Eye was a failure, and we were oblio'ed to back off: but we took another run and went at it resolutely — then groaned and creaked severely upon the sand, while the old wheel behind worked and pushed away bravely, stirring up oceans of mud, until we scraped over and paddled away again with the rajDid current.

The population upon the Upper Mississippi is begin- ning to be considerable, and the settlers who have chosen their locations uj^on its banks, at all events revel in magnificent scenery. There are perpendicular bold cliffs towering above the dark stream, hke the ruined walls of some gigantic fortress, divided by deep valleys, where lofty forest trees are connected by hanging creepers, and grassy glades open up into rolhng prairie, dotted with cattle wadiug in the deej) pasturage ; while here and there a thin wreath of

00

/

THE SETTLEMENT OF WILD LAND. 285

blue smoke, curling over all, betokens tbe log-but and its entourage of cultivation.

I understood tbat all tbis land was already in tbe market, and most of it private property. Tbe way in wbicli wild land is settled in tbe States is wortby of notice. Tbe pioneers of civilisation, witbout capital to purcbase land, go to tbose distant parts wbere tbey are at liberty to " squat ^^ witbout any payment. A sbort residence of a montb or two on a piece of land is sufficient to give a man a pre-emptive claim to it at any future period ; so tbat wben it is surveyed and put up for sale by tbe government, be is entitled to buy it at tbe fixed price of a dollar and a quarter tbe acre, tbereby getting tbe advantage of bis own improvement. He may tben actually sell tbe land at five or six times tbis rate, and, paying tbe govern- ment tbe amount due, pocket tbe difference, and "make tracts^^ to wild lands furtber west, and repeat tbe process tbere. Tbus tbere is always a great deal of settled land beyond tbat wbicb is actually sur- veyed and available for purcbase at land -offices. Tbere are about twenty millions of acres open for tbis sort of settlement in Minnesota, and tbe emigrant bas free cboice to go and take possession of any loca- tion tbat suits bis fancy, witbout asking permission, or being called upon to pay a fartbing to anybody. He bad better make bis claim upon tbe side of some navigable river, so tbat be can reacb a settlement witbout difficulty ; or if be " conclude" to remain in a town, be must buy a lot, and can run up a small

286 LAKE ST CROIX.

house for himself in ten davs or a fortnio:ht. AVhat is called " green dimension lumber" is twelve dollars a thousand feet at St Paul, and nine dollars at St Anthony. He will get shingles for his roof at two dollars a thousand, and find all the other necessaries in the shape of glass, nails, putty, &c., at reasonable prices.

The St Croix River enters the Mississippi from the left, about fifteen miles below St Paul. It expands into a lake just above the confluence, and divides Minnesota from Wisconsin. AVe stopped at Point Douglas to take in wood for fuel. It is a thriving town opposite Point Prescot, a rival village upon the Wisconsin side. Between them was Lake St Croix, glowing in the evening sun, and surrounded by a charmingly diversified country, the hills sw^elhng back from the water, and covered with prairie or forest, and watered by large streams, abounding in water- falls and trout. Steamers run up the St Croix to Stillwater, a large town settled long before St Paul, and owing its prosperity to the lumber districts upon the head waters of the river upon which it is situated. By ascending the St Croix for a hundred miles in a bark canoe, and making a short portage to the Brule River, Lake Superior is easily reached. At present Stillwater is a formidable rival to St Anthonv, boast- ing numerous saw-mills, and floating countless lum- ber rafts to the Southern States. Lumber is, indeed, the most important item of Minnesota exports, and furnishes more employment to labour than any other

LAKE PEPIN. 287

trade. Upwards of a hundred persons are employed at the Mississippi Boom alone, exclusive of those engaged in running the rafts down the river. The booms on the St Croix, Eum River, and at the Falls of St Anthony, require at least 300 more. But there is besides quite a floating population on the rafts, who are always getting in the way of the steamers, and indulging in an immense deal of " chaff'' at their expense. The wood here is cheaper than on Lake Superior, 128 solid feet costing only two dollars instead of three.

The most celebrated part of the Upper Mississippi, as well for the beauty of the scenery as for the romantic Indian legends which attach to many of the most strildng objects in it, is Lake Pepin. It is properly an expansion of the river, not exceeding four or five miles in width, and twenty-five in length. The current is, however, barely perceptible. Upon the right, lofty calcareous cliffs terminate abruptly. They are generally pyramidal in form. The La Grange cliff at the entrance to the lake is about 350 feet in height, and a remarkable instance of this ; the " Maiden's Rock " is a lofty promontory projecting into the lake upon the north-east side, and rising from it to an elevation of about 400 feet. It is so called because an Indian damsel precipitated herself from the top of it, like any civilised young- lady. Yf inona — for that was her name — was incited to this act by a sentiment which it has been sup- posed only exists in the form of temporary insanity

288 THE STORY OF WINONA.

in refined society. Her story is considered, there- fore, very remarkable by the Indians, who have handed down the romantic tale ; bnt it is common enonsh amono' whites. She was in love with rather a fast young Sioux hunter, with no means of his own, and no interest to obtain anything, and of whom the parents, therefore, did not approve as a match, more particularly when an unexceptionable " partie " ofi"ered himself, in the shape of a warrior with a very good income, a lodge very well garnished with scalps, and an establishment generally which no young woman of proper feehngs would have dreamt of refusing. Winona, however, seems to have been badly brought up, for she persisted in her obstinacy. She certainly did go so far as to flirt a little with the warrior, and chose him more often than was quite correct, if she did not mean anything, as her partner at scalp-dances ; but this, she assured her lover, was only for the sake of keeping up appearances in society : her heart could never be another's, &c. &c. At last her mamma said that it was C[uite absurd of Winona to put the whole family to inconvenience, and prevent her younger sisters from being settled in life through her caprice, to say nothing of the money that had been lavished upon her, and the trouble which had been taken to get into the best society on her account ; so she read her husband a curtain- lecture to that efi'ect, and that respectable individual took the opportunity of informing Winona one day, when they went to get some blue clay, used as a j)ig-

BURYING-PLACES OF INDIANS. 289

ment, upon the shores of Lake Pepin, that she must many forthwith the obnoxious warrior. Winona looked submissive, but she was evidently a deter- mined little vixen at bottom, for she stole away up the cliff, from the top of which she harangued her parents and some of her relations, in reproachful and even disrespectful terms, and then, in spite of their appeals "to return, and all would be forgiven,'' she precipitated herself headlong among them. It is said that the young gentleman for whose sake she thus ter- minated her existence, appeared utterly disconsolate at the time ; but this is doubted, as, although no very distinct traces of him have been discovered, he is supposed to have found consolation in the orthodox way, and to have married an heiress.

There are some conical mounds upon the prairie in the neighbourhood of the lake, which look as if they were artificial, and are supposed to be similar to those which have been opened in other parts of the continent, and to contain quantities of bones, show- ing that they were the burying-places of Indians. A few years will suffice to obliterate all traces of the nations who once inhabited these shores. Not only will their present occupants be driven farther west, but those mounds which mark the resting-places of their ancestors will shortly be levelled by the plough- share, and the inequalities of the ground, now so sig- nificant, will be hidden hy the long waving corn. The very means of our locomotion suggested the rapidity of the change which is taking place. A

290 SCENERY BELOW LAKE PEPIN.

bark canoe is unknown upon the waters of this part of the Mississippi, and woukl now excite as much wonder and curiosity among the white men upon its •banks, as a steamer did fifteen years ago among the red men, whose bark lodo-es have since made way for the loD;-huts. We therefore reoTctted that we had not pushed on in our bark canoe from St Paul, in- stead of waiting for the steamer, as we flattered our- selves we should have produced very much the same effect upon the inhabitants as those gentlemen did who recently pulled down the Danube in a Thames wherry.

A little below Lake Pepin, a rocky island, as lofty as the bluffs upon either side, divides the stream, and is remarkable as beino; of the same formation as the cliffs, and not a mere bank of alluvial deposit, as is the case with every other island on the river, as far as New Orleans, with one or two exceptions. The scenery upon the banks of the Mississippi maintains the same character for a lono- distance from this point. A luxuriant sward clothes the hill-side to the water s edge ; here and there it is dotted by clumps of copse-wood or majestic trees, standing apart and giving a park-like appearance to the whole. These grassy slopes are surrounded by massive cliffs as with uninterrupted natural battlements. Sometimes these assume grotesque forms, at others they are for many miles a succession of truncated cones, with an averao'e elevation of about four hundred feet above the river. The lower t\YO hundred feet, which form

PRAIEIE LA CEOSSE. 291

the sloping hill, are composed chiefly of lower sand- stone ; the upper two hundred, which form these sin- gular mural escarpments, consist of lower magnesian limestone. As yet the population seems almost alto- gether confined to the eastern or Wisconsin bank of the river. There was seldom an interval of more than a mile without some sio;n of the white man. Generally it was the solitary log-hut, with the usual wife, children, and chickens at the door ; now and then a small village, until we reach Prairie La Crosse, a town rapidly rising into importance, and the pro- jected terminus of a railway from Madison. Our stoppages, however, were generally so short, that we could do little more than stretch our legs for a few moments on terra firma, when we were warned on board again by the steamer s bell.

Soon after leaving La Crosse, we passed the " Nominee," crowded with passengers, and firmly imbedded on a sandbank. We stojDped for a mo- ment to make a few sarcastic and humorous remarks upon their condition, when we touched the ground ourselves, and were greeted by a loud shout of laughter at this just retribution. However, our wheel exerted itself miraculously, and we left the " Nominee " disconsolate, and its captain devising Yankee dodges for her release. She drew more water than we did, and had two pad die- wheels. In spite of their predicament, I half envied the pas- sengers in her, who were going to try their fortune in the country we were turning our backs upon.

292

MINNESOTA VERSUS THE WORLD.

The boundary of Iowa and Minnesota was upon our right, and I looked for the last time with regret upon this vast territory, which covers an area of 200,000 miles, which gives origin to the mighty Mississippi, and furnishes a thousand miles of its banks, and which is as prolific in its resources as inviting in its aspect. Blessed with such advantages of soil and climate, daily becoming more easy of access, with mercantile, agricultural, lumbering, and mineral inte- rests so rapidly developing, no wonder that the tide of emigration sets steadily in its direction ; and he would be a rash individual indeed, who would dare to take the bet of one of its inhabitants, who said, " We just set up Minnesota against the vest of the tvorld, and all the other jplanets, and coolly offer to back her with any odds you may choose to offer."

steamer Sna^^ed.

CHAPTER XXV.

ACROSS THE PRAIRIES. — CHICAGO. — NIAGARA.

It was not to be expected that we could make a voyage of two days and nights in a Mississippi steam- boat without getting snagged, and we were always on the tiptoe of expectation for the crash, which at last came, and "broke up'' our paddle-wheel. We had been reminded most forcibly of the possibility of such an occurrence, having nearly run up against the huge stranded carcass of a steamer, which not long- before had shared this fate. Fortunately the bottom of our boat did not suffer, so that a detention of some hours under a range of bluffs 400 or 500 feet in height, was the only inconvenience; indeed, we scarcely regretted even this, for we enjoyed a ramble along the base of the cliffs, and a swim in the river, peculiarly grateful after the crowded arrangements on board the boat. This craft was by no means well adapted for passengers under any circumstances ; but in spite of her l)ad character she had managed to start from St Paul with a host of deluded beings,

294 AN IMPERTURBABLE PURSER.

wlio were for tlie most part unprovided witli berths, and supplied to a very limited extent with food. The consequence was, that, as the dinner hour drew near, the doors of the saloon were besieged very much as those of an opera-house are at a popular singers benefit ; and upon their being opened, a rush took place, succeeded by a hot contest for seats. This was a most disagreeable process, and one which Avas very apt to lead to unpleasant results ; so we used gene- rally to wait until two detachments of unshaven ruffians had dined, and then we came in for the scraps at a late hour in the afternoon. Upon one occasion we made a desperate effort, and I got next the purser, who always secured a good place for himself at the first table. My mild remonstrance producing no effect, I was roused by his placidity to still stronger language, much to the astonishment of the passengers, who look upon the purser of a steamer in America with as much awe as if they were under a despotic monarchy, and he was (as steamboat captains in the latter countries always are) a government spy. The effect was as extraordinary as it was unexpected. Instead either of retorting with an oath or a bowie, or following a totally different line and adopting a conciliatory tone, the purser, without relaxing his imperturbability, rose from his seat and disappeared, leaving his plate, which had just been replenished, untouched. We were unable to discover whether his feelings or his food had been too much for him ; but it was perplexing conduct, and made me feel a strong

VILLAGE OF WINONA. 295

desire to apologise to him upon the first opportunity. He, however, never exhibited any traces either of displeasure or of increased civility ; so we regarded it as a curious development of Far West forbearance, and one which (if he had taken his dinner with him) would furnish a most useful and profitable lesson to people in any part of the world. From this absence on the part of the purser of any power or disposition to indulge in repartee, he could hardly be the one to whom, when a complaint was made in one of these very boats that the towel in the public washing-room was filthy, answered pithily, " Wal now, I reckon there's fifty passengers on board this boat, and they've all used that towel, and you're the first on ^em that's complained of it."

The most singular -looking place at which we stopped was AVinona — a village called after the Sioux maiden before mentioned. It consists of thirty or forty wooden houses, scattered over a perfectly level prairie eight or ten miles long and about two in width, and backed by a range of well-rounded par- tially-wooded hills. This prairie was the more re- markable, because the scenery had been of the same character, with this exception, ever since leaving St Paul. The high bluffs on either side, which appeared so fantastic in shape at first, had lost their interest in a great measure from the great similarity which subsists between them, and it was quite a relief to come upon a stretch of prairie land.

Shortly after passing the mouth of the Wisconsin

296 TOWN OF DUBUQUE :

Eiver — celebrated as tlie one hj which the Mississippi was first reached by Marquette — we saw the large and handsome town of Dubuque upon the left bank, situated at the base of hills terraced with vines to the summit, and very much reminding me of those upon the banks of the Ehine. A long low island, with a shallow channel between it and the towTi, renders Dubuque somewhat difficult of access. We were so tired of the steamer that we determined to land here, and find our way across the prairie to the Illinois Central Eailway, instead of going on to Galena. We were fortunate in meeting with a hotel-keeper on the point of starting in a light well-appointed wag- gon and four very bright-looking nags. He offered to take the whole party to Warren, forty miles, for a consideration ; and in half-an-hour we were gallop- ing along the main street to the river. We were pretty well able to judge of the extent and prosperity of the town, and I was not surprised to learn that it was becoming a formidable rival to Galena. It is the largest town in the State of Iowa, with a popula- tion of about 8000, and an increasing trade. It was first settled by the Canadian French in 1686, or a very few years after the Mississippi was discovered, for trading purposes with the Indians. The streets are broad, and well laid out, at right angles to one another, with an active bustling population. The progress of the to^vn is, however, quite of recent date, and is to be attributed partly to the great influx of immigration towards the whole west, more particu-

ITS PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY. 297

larly since the organisation of Nebraska territory, to which it is an important outlet, and partly to the existence of the most prolific lead-mines which are to be found in the " States" in its immediate neighbour- hood. Dr Owen says that these afford as much lead as the whole of Europe, excepting Great Britain, and that their capabilities are unbounded. It is found principally in the upper magnesian limestone. Zinc occurs in fissures along with the lead. Iron ore is also abundantly distributed. There is a coal-field in the State, not far south of Dubuque, embracing an area of 20,000 square miles, through which flow the Iowa and Des Moines, both navigable rivers. Wine is becoming quite an important article of manufac- ture and export from Dubuque, and the growth of the vine certainly adds much to the beauty of the place, whatever may be its effect upon its prosperity. Here, as in Minnesota, a great railway system has been projected, and Dubuque wiU shortly be con- nected with Iowa city, the capital of the State, from which it is distant seventy-two miles. Here other railways from the east will centre, and a grand trunk- line will extend to Council Bluffs upon the Missouri, which forms the western boundary of the States, and divides it from the territory of Nebraska, which was only organised as such last year.

The general aspect of the country is that of a high rolling prairie, watered by magnificent streams, and on the river -courses skirted with woodland. There are, besides, timber lands less extensive than

298 OX WAGGONS — " MAKING TRACKS.

the jDrairies. In an agricultural point of view, its capabilities are very great ; the soil is everywhere very fertile, and its natural pastures afford great facilities for the rearing of sheep and cattle. When the great enterprise which has been undertaken by the State, of rendering the Des Moines Eiver, which flows into the Mississippi, navigable for two hundred miles from its mouth, is completed, a tract of country will be opened up well worthy the attention of the intending emigrant. At present the great rush is through this State to Nebraska ; and I was surprised to hear that comparatively few took up locations upon the sunny hill-sides of Iowa. It was only admitted into the Union in 1846, and its population, in 1852, had already reached 230,000, so that now it probably amounts to about 400,000.

We crossed the river by a curiously constructed ferry-boat, and found, waiting to be conveyed to the western bank, ox waggons, reminding me of those used in the Cape of Good Hope — covered with white canvass, and containing the settler s family, and all his goods and chattels. There seemed to be very little difference in the process which the Dutch boor calls " trekking," and that which the Illinois farmer terms " making tracks." Our Dubuque friend told us that throughout the summer there had been an unceasino; stream of wao'crons and teams crossino; the river, and " moving to " the Far West ; and his assertion was corroborated by the ferryman, who

AN INTEEESTING FAMILY. 299

complained tliat one boat liad not been enougli to do the work.

Ascending a steep bill, we shortly after came upon an interesting family. First, some yards in advance, the patriarch appeared, with rounded shoulders and slouching gait, clothed in a negligee buff-coloured suit ; his loose hunting-shirt reached nearly to his knees — his wide trousers fell over low fox-coloured shoes — one of his long arms swung by his side, the other supported a heavy rifle — his powder-horn, encased in deer-skin, and his bullet- pouch, ornamented with a squirrel's tail, hung round his coarse sunburnt neck. With long steps and flat Indian tread he stalked past, scarce honouring mth a glance of his keen eye our dashing equipage. Behind him came the waggon with the hardy-looking mother, surrounded by a brood of small fry sitting in front, and all their worldly possessions, from a bed- stead to a tea-cup, stowed away inside. There was a big sensible-looking dog keeping watch over all, doubtless a tried and faithful servant, to whom I attached some significance after the description I once heard a Yankee give of the greatest friend he possessed in the world. " Ah '/' he said, "my friend Sam is a Imll team and a horse to spare, besides a big dog under the waggon." It said more for the consistency of Sam's friendship than if he had pane- gyrised him for half- an -hour in our less forcible Anglican mode of expression. A few hundred yards

300 " CROWDED OUT NO ELBOW-ROOAI.

in the rear came some stray horses and cows, driven by a barefooted hiss, with evidently nothing on but a cotton gown, and even that seemed to l)e an unna- tural and disaOTceable encumbrance to her lower extremities. The probability is, however, that some stray senator may pick her up on some future day, when the " dio;oino;s^^ to which she is now bound be- come thickly populated and progressive. Meantime her father complains of being " crowded out," and says that he has no longer elbow-room, and that people are settling down under his nose, when the nearest farm to that which he has just left in disgust is at least twenty miles distance by the sectional lines. He is no emigrant from the old country, but moved into Western Illinois when that was the Far West. But he sees crowds of emigrants moving beyond him, and crowds more taking up their loca- tion where he once roved in solitary dignity ; and that disturbs his peace of mind, and he leaves the cockney atmosphere for the silent prairie far beyond the most distant emigrant, never stopping, perhaps, till he reaches the western borders of Nebraska, where the Indian war-whoop is still heard to recall the expe- riences of his earlier days, and to keep ever bright the watchful eye, and the listening ear ever attentive, and thus to add to the peaceful occupations of agri- culture the excitement incident to a border life.

As the tinkling of the cattle-bells died ujDon the ear, we emerged from a wooded glen, and found our-

A RUN UPON THE PEAIRIES. 801

selves upon the open prairie. We were on the south- ern border of Wisconsin and Illinois, and the air of the wide open country was fresh and exhilarating. There were some large brick-fields here, from which the town of Dubuque was principally built ; but it is progressing so rapidly that they are now found to afford an inadequate supply. Lead-shafts and furnaces were numerous, and betokened the abundance of the ore, which is found throughout a great portion of south-western Wisconsin, as well as in Iowa. No man who visits America should leave it, if possible, without taking a run upon " our pereras." They certainly contribute in no small degree towards en- abling " our country to whip creation." And there is an expanse and freedom about them which accords well with the spirit of the people who occupy them. We galloped over the grass, flushing prairie chickens, and cracking our whips about our nags^ ears, to whose credit it must be said that they did not need any such admonition to do their dutv, for in two hours and a half we had rattled over the first twenty miles, and stopped to bait at a neat village, where we were tenderly cared for, and regaled with excellent fare, by a German housewife, who was as primitive and simple in her manners as if she was still in some Thai or other in her fatherland ; then we " inspanned," and passed thriving farms and stacks of hay, and here and there enclosures where the harvest had just been gathered, every now and then meeting more famihes

302 AN INTERESTING TEAVELLER.

moving west, and once passing a traveller going in tlie same direction as ourselves, whose costume and aj)pearance excited the deepest interest. He looked as 23erfect a representation of Don Quixote as did his horse of Eosinante. Instead of a squire, however, he was followed by a particularly thin mule, on whose back was strapj^ed all his worldly effects, and which was attached by a leading-rein to the tail of his horse. He wore a tall conical wide-awake, a long pointed beard, and droo23ing mustache, and smoked a Cubano of surpassing size and length. His sleeves were slashed to the shoulder, and his jacket ornamented with rows of buttons. From a girdle round his waist peered forth the handles of sundry daggers and the butts of revolvers. A high-peaked Spanish saddle was furnished with stirrups of cumbrous manufacture, into which were thrust heavy jack-boots, with spurs such as CromAvelFs dragoons would have gazed at with wonder. It was only natural that we should do the same ; I did not think such specimens were ex- tant except in museums of Spanish curiosities. He puffed along with a dignified air, not appearing in the least discomposed by his solitary ride from Cali- fornia, or anxious to reach its termination, which was in all probability the railway, now only about ten miles distant. Perhaps he felt regret at the prospect of giving up the wild adventurous life he had been leading, and did not wish to hurry — or perhaps his animals were tired, which, considering they had come

WARREN. — CHICAGO. 803

two thousand miles, was not to be wondered at ; but they looked as hard as nails, or as he did himself. Whatever was the cause, he jogged slowly on ; and I watched him, with feelings of mingled curiosity and awe, until his quaint form was lost in the distance. The only other excitement of the drive was a break- neck race with another waggon, when we went a pace which was a " caution to anything short of locomotive doins,^' in which we were both very nearly smashed, and which had the advantage of hurrying us over five miles of our journey before we knew it, and of bring- ing us in time for the train a little after dark. We did not see much of Warren in consequence, but ensconced ourselves in the most comfortable corner of the car we could find, and gave ourselves up to the luxuries of rapid locomotion and civilisation. We were now in Illinois ; our Far West experiences were fast drawing to a close ; and before daybreak we found ourselves at Chicago, that emporium for west- ern produce. The history of its rise and progress has been fully discussed by recent travellers ; and all the world knows how, twenty years ago, there were only a few log-huts here, exposed to the depredations of savage Indian tribes ; how, since then, it has been in- creasing with untold rapidity ; how, within the last three years, the population has risen from 38,000 to 75,000 ; how railways diverge from it in all directions — the arteries of that magnificent country of which it is the heart ; how its lake commerce rivals its rail-

30 J? THE OLDEST INHABITANTS OF CHICAGO.

way traffic, and surpasses that of any other town similarly situated. It would betray the greatest igno- rance, nowadays, not to be familiar with all this ; and they must be ill-informed indeed who do not know, moreover, that Colonel R. J. Hamilton is the oldest inhabitant, but that JMr G. W. Dole, and Mr P. F. W. Peck came here so soon after, that they al- most share the honours with him, and are always referred to upon interesting points touching the weather, the crops, &c. ; that the oldest native inhabit- ant is a dauo;hter of the o^allant colonel : and that Mr Eobert A. Kinzie opened the first store, and Mr Elijah Went worth kept the first tavern. All this is so much matter of history that it would be insulting alike to the individuals and the British public to allude to it more fully, or to dwell longer upon this western metropolis ; so we again ascend the cars, and, choosing for greater expedition the " light- ning run" — Anglice, the express train — sweep past clearings, forest, and farms and villages, always accompanied by the eternal telegraph wires and the eternal ticket-taker, who perambulates the cars ; and occasionally making exploratory ex]3edi- tions on our own account through the cars to pick up information, and jump from one to the other — an agreeable and exciting amusement when the speed averages fifty miles an hour. Of course we run ofi" the rails, but there are no lives lost, or any damage done beyond a few bruises, and the most intense

ONCE MORE UPON BRITISH GROUND. 805

exertion on the part of the male contents of the train, for three hours in a broiling sun, to get the engine and four carriages, which are deeply imbedded in a clay ditch, out of it, and back upon the rails, in which at last we are successful. The accident turns out to have been exclusively the fault of Tom, the switch-man, whom the engine-driver thus admo- nishes : — " Now, Tom, you skunk, this is the third time you forgot to set on that switch, and last time there was twenty people went under, and the balance was bruised, so you mind what you're about, and don't forget that switch again, or Fm darned if I don't tell the Boss (station-master)." In a few hours after this, we had traversed the whole breadth of Michi- gan, and found ourselves at its principal city, Detroit. We could say as much about it as about Chicago, but abstain for the same reason ; and jumping into the ferry-boat, in five minutes afterwards we stand once more upon British ground. But we determine not to take breath until we get to Niagara, though it is a bad place to select for this purpose, as the first sensation, on suddenly bursting upon that unrivalled scene, is rather that of impeded than of free respira- tion. Accordingly, we rush in the Great Western Eailway through the most fertile provinces of Upper Canada, reach and cross the seething, boiling water, and, seeking some grassy nook upon Goat Island, overshadowed by lofty forest trees, we listen to the solemn roar of the mighty cataract, and indulge in

u

806 LISTENING TO THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.

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