Sketches of Upper Canada, domestic, local, and characteristic : to which are added, practical details for the information of emigrants of every class : and some recollections of the United States of America

Front matter

J. Stuart Fleming ii s'

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Letter I

Montreal — Emigrants landing — Story of the Cabin Boy — Outskirts of Montreal — La Chine — Fine scene there— Calash and Driver — French Canadians — American Innkeeper — St Ann’s — River Ottawa — Forests — Appearance of the country and crops — Boy and broad-rimmed hat — Rapids of Les Cedres — Navigation of the St Lawrence — 17

Letter II

Glengary Settlement — Settler’s account of it — Present state of the settlement — Scenery there — Age of the trees — Nature of the soil — Prospects of the settlers — Monotonous scenery— Village of Prescott — Broke ville — Carousing scene there — Tavern

Letter III

Bateaux — Water of the St Lawrence — Its singular effects — Canadian boatmen — Lake of the Thousand Islands — Currents — We land upon an island — False alarm— Deer-hunt by torch-light— Party of Indians arrive — Their dress and behaviour— Supper party — Picturesque groups — A day upon the banks of the St Lawrence — Adventure with a canoe — Tavern, and host and hostess — Mouth of Lake Ontario — View of Kingston Bay 43

Letter IV

Pleasures of a good tavern — Town of Kingston — Frigates— Naval depot and armoury — Kingston during the last war — Arrivals of emigrants — Equality and the bricklayer — Steam-boat Frontenac — Pleasure of travelling by steam — Lake Ontario — Septennial increase of its waters — Stormy night — Error in the reckoning — Arrival at Y ork — 5 7

Letter V

Town of York — disadvantages of its situation — Proposal to remove the seat of government — Re-embark on board the steam-boat — Lake Ontario at night — Spray of Niagara Falls — Village of Niagara — Its amusements — Affecting incident — Reflections on the condition of emigrants — Road to Queenston— Niagara river — Peach orchards — Canadian peasantry 70

Letter VI

Village of Queenston — Situation — Ferry — Portage — Romantic environs — Heights — Breadth of the Niagara river — Death and character of General Brock — Last American war — Bravery of the Canadians — Effects of the war — Prodigality — Commercial embarrassments — Vanity of the farmers — Tuscorora Indians — Account of their village — Conversation and characters there— Indian hymn — View from Queenston heights — Whirlpool — Thunder storm — Meteorological phenomenon 85

Letter VII

Niagara Falls — Different views of them — View from the Table Rock — Rainbows — A bold experiment — Appearance of the sheet of water — Noise— Difficult road to the bottom of the cataract— A perilous attempt there — View from the river under the cataract — American Fall — Dimensions of the Falls — People carried over them — Anecdote of an Indian — Wild ducks — Visit to Manchester — Mr Porter’s bridge above the Falls — Goat Island — Speculations — Rapids of the Niagara river ~106

Letter VIII

Scenery above the Falls — Curious mineral spring — Village of Chippowa — Merchants there — Mode of carrying on business — Scarcity of specie — Barter injurious to honesty — Mouth of Lake Erie — Ferry — Town of Buffalo — Lake Erie — Excursion along its shores — Canadian Taverns — Sugar-loaf country — Frog concert—Extraordinary scene at a cottage — Banks of the lake—

Wild vines — Story of an Indian woman and child — Grand River Ouse — Naval post there — Lands belonging' to the Mohawks— Night scene upon Lake Erie — Interesting Indian~125

Letter IX

Lundy’s Lane — Orchards — St Catharine’s — Salt spring there — A Sunday at St Catharine’s — Methodists — Farmers of Upper Canada — Their manners and character — Forests on fire — Emigrants travelling — Yankeyand Yorkshireman — Burlington Bay — Coote’s Paradise — Village of Ancaster — Deficiency of churches in Upper Canada — Manufactory of maple sugar — Grand River Ouse — Plaster of Paris — Its use in agriculture — Mohawk village — Indians not susceptible of civilization — Acuteness of their senses — Indian department— -Presents — Indian secrets— Major Norton — — 147

Letter X

Long Point — Change of scenery — Perfume from snakes — Fascination— Frog and black snake — Human beings sometimes charmed by serpents — Instances of it — Theory of fascination — Illustrations — Hawk and chickens — Partridges — Human fascination— Story in proof of it — Long Point described — Iron ore and foundery there — Game — Wild pigeons — Sulphurous spring — Night adventure with an Indian — Conversation with him- — Coltman’s tavern — Effects of a residence in the woods — Sublimities of the forest — ~l68

Letter XI

Talbot settlement — Its founder — Distribution of lands — First occupants of a new settlement — Slow improvement — Condition of the inhabitants of the Talbot Settlement — Emigrants from the Highlands of Scotland — -Their clannishness — State of society in the settlement — Natural depravity of Man — State of mind during a residence in the Settlement — Physiognomy of the material world — * — 182

Letter XII

Journey to the head of Lake Erie— Picturesque group at a tavern, and characteristics — River Thames — Interesting scene upon it— Delaware village and hotel— The Long Woods — A snow-storm there — Scene in an Indian wigwam — Alarming accident and subsequent difficulties— Singular means of extrication— Assisted by an Indian — His hospitality — Ward’s tavern— Interesting adventure at midnight— Settlement upon the bank of the Thames — Its present state — Mineral oil — Quack doctor and patient— Town of Chatham — Lake St Clair — French Canadians— Climate and fruit upon the Detroit river — Sandwich and Amherstburgli— North-west country — Lakes Huron and Superior — ~~ — ~~~ — - — ~ 194

LETTER XIIL

Departure from Sandwich — Dangers of the bordage — Violent snow-storm — La Valleys tavern — Company there — Evening’s amusement — Scene on Lake St Clair — Effects of intoxication — Sleigh-riding on the ice — Dangers that attend it — Canadian skies — American economy — A new Catholic prohibition — Arnold’s mills — Cottage there, and inmates — A walk in the woods — The upper part of the Talbot Settlement — Scarcity of money there — Amusing rencontre and conversation — Death-bed scene — Conclusion of the journey

Letter XIV

Climate of Upper Canada — Winter — Sleigh-riding — Degree of cold — Spring — Summer — Autumn— Indian summer — Improvement of climate from cultivation — Wild fruits — Soil and productions — Price of lands — Expense of clearing them — Rate of labour — Prices of grain and cattle — Taxes — Scarcity of money — Manner of paying labourers — Different classes of emigrants— Peasants and mechanics — Advantages Upper Canada affords them — What descriptions of them succeed best — Directions about embarkation — Expense of the voyage to Quebec —

Plan to be pursued on arriving- there — Manner of travelling up the country — Steps to be taken at York — Terms upon which government grants lands — Fees upon grants — Where the emigrant should choose his lands — Things to be attended to in selecting a lot — Plan to be followed by poor emigrants — Different modes of settling — Their comparative advantages- — Importance of arriving early in the season — Manner of building a house, and expense — Stock necessary for a new settler — Provisions, and expense of them — Art of chopping soon acquired— Different modes of clearing land — Expense paid by the first crop — Profits of the second — Barn to be erected— -Garden to be made — Manner in which settlers assist each other — Their mutual advantages — Different ways of disposing of surplus produce — Occupations during winter — Hauling firewood —Shooting — Mode of life — Articles of diet — Substantial comforts— Advantage of emigrating to Upper Canada — Proofs of this — Fineness of the country — Second class of emigrants — Inducements that the Province offers them — Objections and inconveniences — Emigrants possessing capital — Different ways of employing it — Profits of speculations in land— 241

LETTER XV*

Emigration a serious step — Ideas of different people upon the subject — Attractions of Upper Canada — Happiness of its population— State of society in the Province — Favourable to personal importance — Amusements — F ield-sports — Equestrian pleasures — Horticulture — Balls and cards — Character of the Canadians — Beauty of the ladies — Emigration recommended to a certain class of persons — A consolatory hint to the ambitious — Conclusion~~~~~„ 7 7

Letter XVI

Lewiston — Hatred between the Canadians and Americans — Departure from Lewiston — State of the farmers near it — Conversation at a tavern — Cambria post-office — Driver’s account of himself— -Story of the methodist priest — Sang froid of the Americans exemplified — An American breakfast — Rochester — Genesee Falls — Clyde Bridge — Grand Canal — Beauties of Canandaguia — Geneva — Reflections — Waterloo village— An American hotel — Cayuga Bridge— Arrival at Auburn — Table d’hote there — Specimens of new phraseology — Village described— States prison — Divine service there — Criminals — -Their behaviour— Shopkeeper at Weed’s port — Canal track-boat — Conversation with the cap tain-^— Town of Utica — Cotton manufactory near it — An American stage-coach — Scenery on the Mohawk — A female traveller- — Albany — State legislature, and De Witt Clinton — North River Steam-boat — Regulations on board — Dinner — High lands of the Hudson — A disappointment— Arrival at New York~ — 87

Letter XVII

New York — People on the streets — Blacks — Broadway described —A fashionable promenade— Personal appearance of the ladies— Gentlemen — New York hotels — Table d’hotes — Style of manners at these — Americans indifferent to convivial pleasures— Private boarding-houses — Anniversary of national independence—Festivities of the day — Scene on Broadway — Quietness of the populace — Amusements of New York — Theatre— Vauxhall Gardens — American museum — Wax-work — Apollino — Academy of fine arts — Colonel Trumbull — His pictures and style of painting — Chatham Garden — Steam-boat cotillion parties — American troops — Not respectable — Characteristic anecdote— Military College — American navy — Its high state of discipline — Booksellers’ shops— British authors most in repute in America — Circulating libraries— Advantages of New York as a place of residence — Departure from it — East River — First view of Philadelphia — Quakerism — Loungers in Chesnut-street— West’s picture — Almshouse and hospital — Regularity of the town — Characteristics of its inhabitants~326

SKETCHES

OF

UPPER CANADA.

Letter I

Montreal — Emigrants landing — Story of the Cabin-boy — Outskirts of Montreal — La Chine — Fine scene there — Calash and Driver — French Canadians — American Innkeeper- — St Ann’s — River Ottawa— Forests — Appearance of the country and crops — Boy and broad-rimmed hat — Rapids of Les Cedres — Navigation of the St Lawrence.

You may remember, my dear friend, when I promised to present you with occasional sketches of those things that might fall under my observation after I reached this side of the Atlantic, I did not include Lower Canada in my engagements, as the rapidity with which I expected to pass through it, would, I supposed, prevent me from becoming much acquainted with what it contained, and likewise, because it is infinitely better known, and more familiar to every one, than the sister province. However, before I enter into any details connected with Upper Ca-

A nada, I shall give you a superficial account of my journey from Montreal to Glengary, which is the first settlement beyond the boundary-line that divides the two countries. This will enable me to introduce you gradually to the barbarisms of Upper Canada ; for were I to plunge suddenly into the woods, and bring you among bears, Indians, and log-huts, your nerves might receive such a shock as would render you timid about continuing longer in my company.

I shall always feel a pleasure in recollecting the time I spent in Montreal. The lightness of the streets, the neatness of the buildings, the hospitality and polished manners of the people, and the air of enterprise and activity that is every where exhibited in it, are truly attractive, and appear to particular advantage when contrasted with the dulness, gloom, and dirtiness of Quebec.

Those individuals of the lower classes that one meets in the streets of Montreal, carry with them an appearance of vigour, contentment, and gayety, very different from the comfortless and desponding looks that characterize the manufacturing population of the large towns of Britain. When in the midst of a crowd, the tone of our feelings often depends more upon the degree of happiness exhibited by those around us, than by what we actually enjoy ourselves ; and a man cannot fail to experience a lively pleasure, when

UPPER CANADA.

he walks through a town, and perceives that a large proportion of its inhabitants are strangers to beggary and wo. The streets of our cities in Britain display such a succession of miserable beings, that one is often inclined, while traversing them, to become inimical to civilization ; as half the objects that present themselves afford evidence of the waste of happiness which its purchase occasions. Montreal is as yet a stranger to those miseries which a surplus labouring population never fails to produce, and will probably continue so, as long as vacant lands lie open, in all parts of Canada, for the reception of settlers.

Quebec has much more the appearance of a commercial city than Montreal. At present, comparatively few vessels come up the St Lawrence as far as the latter town ; for they cannot move from Quebec unless by the help of the tide, or a strong breeze directly astern. But the tide flows only to Three Hi vers, about sixty miles below Montreal ; and when they have gained this place, they must lie at anchor until a favourable wind enables them to stem the current, which is very rapid. However, six steam-boats now ply between the two cities, and transport all sorts of lading much more safely and expeditiously than square-rigged vessels can do.

One morning, I observed a ship and two brigs entering the harbour, and on going down to the river some time afterwards, I witnessed the interesting spectacle of the disembarkation of a number of British emigrants. The greater part were from Scotland, as I quickly discovered, and a seven-weeks passage across the Atlantic did not appear to have divested them of a single national peculiarity ; but their robust forms were a little reduced by the sickness and confinement attendant upon a long voyage. It amused me to observe how the ofiiciousness of the Canadian porters was damped by the watchfulness and suspicion of the Highlanders ; many an active Canadian, who had lifted a trunk upon his shoulders, with the intention of putting it in his little cart, was stopped by the alarmed owner, and divested of his burden, amidst abusive exclamations in Gaelic. Most of the emigrants had families, and the children formed a large part of the groupe. However, I observed several grandfathers and grandmothers, who, though feeble from age and infirmity, had accompanied their offspring thus far in their voyage to the terra incognita of Upper Canada. They looked round with disconsolate and inquiring eyes ; and if any feature in the appearance of the town chanced to resemble some part of their native village or city, it caused a joyful exclamation, and was eagerly pointed out to the notice of the whole crowd.

The vessel in which I had come across the

UPPER CANADA.

Atlantic lay near the quay, and on approaching her I observed a constable having in custody two fellows whom I remembered having seen during the voyage. In extreme poverty, and anxious to get to America, they had concealed themselves in the hold a few days before the vessel sailed; but hunger soon compelled them to make their appearance on deck, and supplicate for provisions. The captain, of course, received them very ungraciously (for any shipmaster, having on board his vessel persons whose names are not inserted in the list examined by the customhouse officer before he leaves port, is liable to a penalty of one hundred pounds) ; however, he allowed them small rations : but they were not satisfied with these, and displayed the atrocity of their characters in the means they employed to obtain more. There was a young cabin-boy on board, who had formerly been a shepherd, and this being his first voyage, he was altogether untainted with the vices of a sea life. Destitute of guile, he fell a prey to these men, who, by means of whipping and menaces, made him steal provisions for them from the store-room, to which he had frequent access ; but these thefts being soon discovered, a severe punishment was inflicted by the captain upon this miserable boy. His feelings were hardened, and he became an adept in deceit and petty roguery. I shall never forget the countenance of one of those wretches who forced him to commit theft, for it was not the face of a common villain. This fiend and his companion were strongly suspected of having evaded the laws of their native country, and were therefore placed under the charge of a constable, that they might undergo an examination.

Montreal improves with great rapidity, and will soon contain some very pretty streets. Its suburbs and outskirts are embellished by numerous villas, built in the English style ; and many of these are surrounded by pleasure-grounds, the variety and beauty of which, prove the wealth and taste of their owners. The inhabitants of this city possess much liberality of sentiment, which they alike display in their hospitality to strangers, in their mode of life, and in their mercantile transactions ; and they lay out their money with a spirit, and an ardour for improvement, which is by no means common among those who reside in small commercial towns.

In travelling from Montreal to La Chine, a village nine miles further up the St Lawrence, I could not but remark the warm and glowing appearance which every part of the country exhibited. The air was so pure and transparent, that every beam of the sun seemed to reach the earth in unimpaired brilliancy, quickening the luxuriant verdure that covered the fields, trees.

UPPER CANADA.

and shrubbery. Beautiful and improved farms lay on each side of the road ; and instead of being immured among forests, as I had anticipated, I saw extensive tracts of land waving in all the gayety and loveliness of harvest.

After an amusing ride, which lasted more than an hour, I stopped at La Chine. There is a portage between the two places, for the rapids of the St Lawrence interrupt the navigation, and consequently all stores and goods, intended for the upper country, are conveyed from Montreal to La Chine by land. At the latter place, they are put into flat-bottomed boats, called batteaua. ?, which are rowed up the river, with incredible labour, by Canadians, whom the forwarders engage at a certain sum during the season. La Chine is thus rendered a place of some importance, which otherwise it would not be ; but still it merely consists of a few dwelling-houses, and several large stores for the reception of the goods. This village is agreeably situated upon the St Lawrence, which expands into a breadth of several miles, and forms what the Canadians term Lake St Louis. The sun was just setting when I contemplated this scene. Not a sound could be heard, but the dull paddling of a canoe which had just left the shore. The picturesque dresses of the Indians who sat in it, the glittering of their tomahawks, and the figure of the chief, as he stood erect, appearing almost gigantic from the state of the horizon, were all impressive in the highest degree. There is something powerfully affecting in the scenery of a foreign country. Any trivial object, if peculiar to it, will render the mind susceptible of receiving increased emotion from other features, which might have before been so familiar, that they scarcely excited any at all. Often had I contemplated lakes and forests with something like indifference, but the mere introduction of the Indian canoe awakened me to a new feeling concerning them.

I remained all night at La Chine, and, at an early hour next morning, was provided with another calash and driver. This man possessed a most happy disposition, and was altogether so free and degage in his manner, that he afforded me much amusement. Though a carpenter by trade, he kept a calash for the accommodation of travellers, and would either drive a horse or a nail, as best suited his purpose. The Canadian post-horses are in appearance the most wretched animals imaginable, being lank, clumsy, and rough-coated ; but they become both active and spirited under the influence of the whip, which their drivers generally use very freely. I believe no member of the Four-in-hand Club, when mounted on the box, feels more elated than the Canadian peasant does while driving his sorry

UPPER CANADA.

horse and shackling chariot. He is all life and gayety, and talks to his horse and to the traveller alternately. He points out the beauties of the prospect; and if the carriage or harness gives way, he dismounts and repairs it, regains his seat, and dashes on. He relieves his horse by walking up every hill, and compliments himself upon this sacrifice, by calling to the animal, “ Ah, pauvre cheval! Vous avez un bon maitre ,” &c. The Canadian peasantry display a native politeness, a presence of mind, and a degree of address, which, though extremely pleasing, sometimes betray their possessors into too much familiarity : however, there is so much gayety and sentiment in these mistakes, that one cannot but heartily excuse them. My drivers always shook hands with me, and wished me a good journey, before we parted ; and they sometimes politely asked me to join them in drinking a glass of cider. The Canadians are dark-complexioned, and generally meagre, although rather athletic. Their eyes are small, sparkling, and animated ; but none of the men have any pretensions to personal beauty.

I stopped to breakfast at a beautiful spot called St Ann’s. The grand river Ottawa, in the midst of which is the island of Perrot, here joins the St Lawrence. I now, for the first time, had an opportunity of observing the manners of an American innkeeper of the lower order. Gentlemen of this description, in their anxiety to display a noble spirit of independence , sometimes forget those courtesies that are paid to travellers by publicans in all civilized countries ; but the moment one shows his readiness to be on an equality with them, they become tolerably polite. I found the maitre d'hotel at St Ann’s seated at his door, poising his chair on its hind legs, and swinging backwards and forwards. He took no notice of me when I alighted from the calash, nor when I walked into the house ; no — not even when I desired him to get breakfast ready. But I had forgot myself — “ Will you have the goodness,” said I, “ to order breakfast for me, if convenient ?” “ Immediately, squire,” replied he, as he rose from his chair, and shewed me into an apartment.

In a short time my host returned, and having seated himself beside me, entered into familiar conversation, and inquired into my affairs, respecting which I did not fail to give him such information as put his curiosity upon the rack. At first the familiarities of the tavern-keepers used to irritate me a good deal, but afterwards they only appeared ridiculous ; and as it was necessary to submit to them, I found it my interest to do so with as good a grace as possible.

Having been thoroughly scrutinized by <e mine host,” I was conducted into a neat room, where

UPPER CANADA.

an excellent breakfast awaited me. The house was situated in the midst of an orchard, and the boughs, loaded with blossoms, clustered round the window, through which I had a view of the grand river Ottawa, rolling majestically, and glittering in the sun. In the midst of the river was the island of Perrot, so luxuriantly wooded, that the foliage of the trees descended to the surface of the water, and completely concealed the bank on which they grew. Numerous birds fluttered in the sunshine, sometimes plunging into the bosom of the forest, sonietimes issuing from its recesses to revel upon the surface of the water ; and the kingfisher, with orient plumage, would often spring out of the thick copse, like a fragment of the rainbow darting from behind a dark cloud. All was glorious, animated, and beautiful.

It is necessary to cross the Ottawa here, and the intervention of the island of Perrot occasions a double ferry, and, as it were, divides the river into two branches. We crossed the first branch, which is about a quarter of a mile broad, on a raft. I then resumed my seat in the calash, and we drove along an excellent road, and were soon completely embowered in the forest. My situation was new and interesting in the highest degree, for I had never before experienced the sublimity of a real forest, nor witnessed a suecession of trees of such magnitude and beauty. Immense oaks grew so close to each side of the road, that the intervening space was merely wide enough to admit the passage of the calash without difficulty. The thick recesses of the shade around were impenetrable to the eye, the limited prospect being closed by a rich green obscurity, except where a ray of the sun found its way through some distant interstice among the trees, and betrayed the glittering waters of a rivulet, or the inviting freshness of a green bank.

On reaching the opposite side of St Perrot, we again embarked in a raft, and were conveyed across the other branch of the Ottawa, and landed upon the continent of America.

The country through which we now passed was open, level, and in a high state of cultivation. Hed wheat, buck wheat, rye, and Indian corn, were the principal kinds of grain to be met with ; but I saw several fields of excellent barley, Shd oats were not unfrequent, though they seemed to be stinted in growth, and of inferior quality. But, notwithstanding the fine crops, one might easily perceive that the British system of husbandry was not pursued ; for the lands were indifferently ploughed, and for the most part overrun with weeds. The potatoes and turnips were carelessly put in, and had evidently received no attention afterwards. With respect to farming,

UPPER CANADA.

I believe, the French Canadians are fully as bigotted as the lower orders of our Scotch agriculturists ; for, like the latter, when any innovation is proposed, they invariably refer to the practice of their ancestors, and often act alike against interest and evidence.

The houses of the Canadian farmers are almost all formed of wood. The proprietors display no taste whatever in selecting sites for their dwellings, which are as often placed in a swamp as on a dry eminence, and never have a tree near them, if it is possible to avoid it. There is no difficulty in explaining the cause of the aversion with which the Canadians regard trees. Their earliest labour is that of chopping them down ; they present on every side an obstacle to the improvement of their farms ; and, even after the land is cultivated, the roots and stumps impede ploughing and other field occupations. What would be the conceptions of an uninformed Canadian, were he told, that the Agricultural Society in England give a reward, annually, to the person who plants the greatest number of trees ?

The country continued extremely level, and perfectly dry, with the exception of a few scattered marshy spots. But the fields, though smooth, had no regularity of form, and were divided by wooden fences. This is annoying to the eyes of a British traveller, who has been accustomed to see lands enclosed with thorn hedges ; for the animation and variety they communicate to an open and cultivated country, can only be estimated by contemplating a prospect of which they do not form a part.

The road was enlivened with carriages of various descriptions, but I saw very few foot-passengers. Almost every farmer is able to keep what is called an establishment , viz. a horse and calash; and indeed the heat in Lower Canada, during summer, is so extreme, that no person attempts to walk any distance except from necessity ; therefore one seldom sees any of those humble half-gentleman pedestrians, that are so often to be met with on the public roads in Britain, dressed in tarnished clothes, and carrying bundles over their shoulders, suspended from the ends of their walking-sticks.

I was much struck with the politeness of the common Canadians. They never passed without uncovering ; and when two drivers came within call, they always saluted each other by the word monsieur . The children make a low obeisance to every genteel stranger ; and I cannot help mentioning a trifling incident which was occasioned by this custom. A little boy, who had apparently just begun to walk, stood at the door of a cottage, with an immense broad-rimmed hat upon his head. When I approached, he took it off and