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PJ^IGE FIFTY GENTy ' PUBLISHED BY, T O RONTO . V ^"''^''^iliPiiUPWiiii IBKP i I % rrr^^^rW^vmr ■■^-^ ' (^ ^^ ' ^ 'i-.^e' *«»»»l NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO IN 1877. BY DAVID EDWARDS. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHIES ARE PUBLISHED TO INDICATE THE STYLE, ETC., OF FORTY-TWO OTHERS, WHICH ARE IN COURSE OF PREPARATION : TO BE ISSUED IN EIGHT NUMBERS. A photographic portrait by Messrs. Hunter Sf Co., will accompany each biography. REV. JOHN McCAUL, LL.D., M.R.I.A. LIEUT.GOVERNOR MACDOXALD. THE HUX. OLIVER MOWAT, Q.C. THE HON. EDWARD BLAKE, Q.C. MR. J. W. CARTER. MR. JOHN C. FORBES. MR. ROBERT MALCOLM. MRS. JENNY K, TROUT, M.D. PRICE FIFTY CENTS TORONTO : PUBLISHED BY PETER A. GROSS. 1877. / '^1 m \ •n NOTAIULITIES OF TORONTO. Notabilities oy Toronto. By DAVID EDWARDS. ITHIN the compass of the Queen City of the "West, there resides a galaxy of men who have contributed not a little to make the Canadian Dominion what it is. In so far as " all the world's a stage," and "the men and women merely players," it will be well if some of us who occupy the i)it, or gallery, derive instruc- tion from the many-sided view of life which such a stage presents- In contemplating the achievements of industry or ambition we may possibly arrive at a conclusion as to how far the attainment is worth the labour it involved, and as to whether contentment in an ordinary sphere does or does not afford greater enjoyment than does some remote position to which distance lends enchant- ment. Time will not, by these means, be squandered over foolish tales of fiction, but it is to be hoped some satisfaction may be derived from the perusal of narratives of others' experience which may serve as a guide or possibly as a beacon to ourselves. Al- though it be true that no experience is equivalent to that which is bought, the wisdom of buying in a cheap market is proverbial. Whether therefore we regard the attainments, the aspirations, the caprices, or the mistakes of our neighbours, we shall probably discover therein something to emulate, if not to avoid. » i .V .•> PLATE I Phol-o, by HuNt-erBt to.Toronl-o.OnI-, Rev. John M?Gaul LLD.M.R.1A, i ^ ■•-r„ •t • NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO. THE F^EV. JOHN JVl^CAUL, LL.D., M.R.I.A. President of University College. m N the social sphere, as in the realm of nature, the silent forces are the most potential ; the stars in their courses revolve vrithout noise ; it is the little rills that toss and foam, while deep waters flow silently. Stump orators, religious and secular, may do the work of irrigation, but it is from the depths of com- parative seclusion that the issues of mental toil are supplied ; hence the fountains of thought are wont to flow at one time from a college, or a book, at another (as is illustrated by our Sunday Schools) from a shoemaker's stool, and the only philosophy, truly so styled, comes straight from the bench of a carpenter. Such sentiments as the foregoing have been suggested by the under- taking to write a brief notice of the career of the President of University College. Dr. McCaul was born in Dublin in the early part of the present century ,jand educated at Trinity College in that city ; he obtained the highest honours in his class, and ultimately became classical tutor and examiner there. In November, 1838 he was appointed, by the late Archbishop of Canterbury, Principal of Upper Canada College, and entered on his duties in the following year. In 1842 he became vice-president and professor of classics, logic, rhetoric, and belles-lcUres in (what was then styled) King's College : in 1853 he was appointed President of University College and also Vice- Chancellor of the University. In 1863 he was elected Presi- dent of the Canadian Institute. Dr. McCaul is the author of many valuable works on the Classics ; he has also written on the subject of Britanno-Roman NOTABILITIES OP TORONTO. I '. t > ■ Inscriptions, and notwithstanding the onerous character of his collegiate duties, he has been a steady contributor, through many successive years, to the Canadian Journal. Dr. McCaul edited, for a time, a literary annual styled the Maple Leaf; he has also composed several anthems, and other pieces of vocal music. For many years he was president of the Philharmonic Society of Toronto, and he has always been as ardent a promoter of every kind of rational recreation, as of diligent study. His uniform kindness and courtesy, have won him an abiding place in the esteem of those who for some forty years have been brought into personal contact with him. 1^ ■•!. ) I )' # 11 ..In IIM i/Ii-i ,'/ .^J^iJLM .i ,-..u. -. Miirfliiliiii Ji *ii ;r of his gh many il edited, has also 3ic. For ociety of of every uniform e in the ight into f •V. PLATE B t •\ Phol o. by Hu" •' I 'J i \. I \ NOTABILITIES OP TORONTO. LIEUTENANT-QOVERNOf^ JVly\CDOJ^ALD. Y the British America Act of 18G7, the appointment of the Lieutenant-Governors of the various provinces of the Dominion is vested in the Governor-General, who delegates to them the exercise of such functions as he may determine. The tenure of office of the Lieutenant-Governors is subject to the decision of the Governor-General. The present holder of the office of Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Hon. Donald Alexander Macdonald, is a son of the late Mr. Alexander Macdonald, a Highland Scotchman from Invernesshire, who settled in Glengarry in 17HG ; he is a younger brother of the late John Sandfield Macdonald. The Hon. D. A. Macdonald succeeded his brother, the late Hon. John Sand- fiold ^[acdonald, in the representation of the county of Glengarry, on the latter resigning that seat in favour of the representation of Cornwall, in 1857. The present Lieutenant-Governor retained the seat for Glengarry up to the time of his voluntary retirement in 1875. The Hon. D. A. Macdonald was born at St. Raphael's, Glengarry, in 1817; he received his education at a collegiate insti- tion near his birth-place, over which the late Right Rev. Alexan- der Macdonnell, afterwards Bishop of Kingston, presided. Dur- ing the greater part of his life he has followed mercantile pursuits, and at one time was a successful railway and 'canal contractor. For some time he has held the position of President of the Mont- real and Ottawa City Junction Railway, and he is one of the Directors of the Ontario Bank. He retired from business in 1870, and has subsequently devoted much time to public affairs. So long ago as 1859, two years after Mr. Macdonald's entrance into parliament, his merits were recognized by his being elected Vice- President of the great Reform Convention which assembled in l.f I i I \) NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO. Toronto in that yep.r. The Treasurership of Ontario was offered him in 1871. On the formation of Mr. McKenzie's government in November, 1873, he accepted the Postmaster-Generalship, in which he continued until his appointment as Lieutenant-Governor in May, 1875 ; during his brief tenure of office he effected the fol- lowing valuable reforms : Tlie establishment of direct mail com- munication with the continent of Europe, a considerable reduc- tion in postal rates across the Atlantic, free postal delivery in the principal cities of the Dominion, universal prepayment of postage on letters and newspapers, the reduction of postage by fifty per centum between the Dominion and the United States, and the extension of reciprocity to the Money-order Departments. Mr. Macdonald has long taken an active interest in the military affairs of the Province ; for many years he held the position of Lieutenant-Colonel of the Glengarry Reserve Militia — a position reflecting no small honor on the holder, in view of the martial spirit which still animates the inhabitants of the region wherein the battle of Chrysler's farm was won. The success which attended the effort to procure a pension fund for the veterans of 1812-15, was in a great measui*e due to his exertions. During Mr. Macdonald's protracted public career, he has been so fortu- nate as to retain the esteem of opponents as well as of friends ; his appointment therefore to his present office was hailed with a satisfaction which the lapse of time is unlikely to abate. I I > was offered government neralship, in int-Governor icted the fol- ct mail com- srable redue- livery in the at of postage by fifty per ites, and the ;meDts. Mr. the military le position of , — a position the martial ^ion "wherein iccess which the veterans 3ns. During eeri so fortu- s of friends ; bailed with a late. ' t PIRATE 3 -hoto, by Hunl-erft CtToront-o.Onh, Hon. Oliver Mowat. Q.G. ■wiPV'^avpni^w'vvmMr W PLATE 3 • 1'-, U'O'.v i ',, ~ -MT , -):,;> <*.i ilCiO^i ■;.:iiv.i ^^j,S;!(;t •; v/oou til' ivo I' I' J V NOTAniLITlES OP TORONTO. THE HOJ^. OLIVER JVIOWAT, Q.C. OWEVEE, little it may concern any one to know where Mr. Mowat first "muled and puked," inexorable cus- tom demands, and one must needs comply. Mr. !Mowat first drew breath at Kingston, in the year 1820. His father, the late Mr. John Mowat, was a native of Caithness-shire, Scotland, and a veteran who fought under Wellington in the Peninsular war. In common with many other retired officers, ]Mr. Mowat sought a home in Canada, after the battle of Waterloo had, for a time, secured the peace of Europe. As a British officer, Mr. Mowat was, of course, intensely loyal, and his sympathies were consecjuently enlisted on the conservative side of Canadian politics. It is therefore the more worthy of note, that the sympathies of Mr. Oliver Mowat should have been so far Cromwellia7i as to have been extended to [a party which at the time was feeble and despised; he had only attained his seventeenth year, when the discontent of 1837, culminated in the disastrous rebellion ; his sole relation to that event consisted in his doing duty, for a short period, as a volunteer ; but although ready to assist in suppres- sing an incipient revolution, and loyal to the Crown and to Im- perial connection, he sympathised with the cause of the people, as opposed by the " family compact." When, therefore, after the lapse of twenty years, Mr. Mowat elected to enter public life, the party of Reform found in him a gentleman well qualified to dis- charge the multifarious duties his position has imposed upon him. Mr. M.'s study of the law commenced in the office of Mr. (now Sir) John A. Macdonald. Sir John, who was five years his pupil's senior, had just attained his majority, and had been called to the bar, when this four year's connection between the two commenced. In 1861 Mr. Mowat attempted to dislodge *^ir John ► ^ I NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO. from the seat he had held for seventeen years, as member of par- liament for Kingston, but this attempt was frustrated by the vote of the Roman Catholics being secured by Sir John. Mr. M. was called to the bar in liS4-2 and conmienced ]>ractiee in that year, first in Kingston, and shortly afterwards in Toronto, where he has subse(|uently remained. He entered into {lartnership with the late Chancellor Van- konghnet, and with the late Mr. Justice Burns, the latter of whom, at the time, was a County Court Judge. Mr. M. rapidly rose to a position of eminence at the Chancery Bar, and in 185G his professional attainments secured for him, from a government of which Sir John A. Macdonald was Attorney-General for Upper Canada, au appointment as commissioner for consolidating the sta- tutes of Canada and Upper Canada respectively. Of this commis- sion he continued a member till 185!). At the general election of 1857, Mr. Mowat became the representative of South Ontario, in the Canadian House of Assembly ; his opponent at the time was Mr. Joseph C. Morrison, at present one of the Judges of the Court of Queen's Bench. Mr. Mowat's majority was nearly 800, and though he was opposed in the same riding on several subsequent occasions, his majorities have never fallen below 500. When, in 1858, the Macdonald-Cartier government fell, on the seat of govern- ment question, although Mr. M. had been but one year in parlia- ment, he was chosen a member of the Brown-Dorion cabinet, and accepted the office of Provincial Secretary ; during the next four years he was in opposition, owing to the resignation of his col- leagues and himself, on the Governor's refusal to grant a dissolu- tion. From May, 18G3, to March, 1864, Mr. Mowat is again found in office, in connection with the cabinet constructed on the ruins of that of Mr. John Sandtield Macdonald; during that period he discharged the functions of Postmaster-General. He effected many useful reforms when holding that office, the most important of which consisted in reducing the amount paid for lO nember of par- ,ted by the vote Mr. M. was e in that year, onto, where he lancellor Van- the latter of Mr, M. rajiidly ir, and in 185G 1 a government aeral for Upper lidating the sta- Of this commis- leral election of »uth Ontario, in t the time was ;es of the Court learly 800, and sral subsequent 500. When, in J seat of govern- year in pa^lia- on cabinet, and g the next four tion of his col- jrant a dissolu- lowat is again itructed on the ; during that •-General. He office, the most lount paid for t ocean postal service by nearly one-half. The great question of the federal Union of Upper and Lower Canada, and that of the confederation of the maritime provinces of British America en- grossed the attention of the inhabitants of the respective pro- vinces at this time ; it fell to the lot of Mr. Mowat to be present at the conference which vras held at Quebec, whereat a draught constitution for the Dominion was agreed to. The death of Vice-Chancellor Esten created a vacancy on the Chauc y Bench, which Mr. Mowat proceded to occupy ; Mr. M. discharged the functions of Vice-Chancellor from November, 1864;, to October, 1872. On the relimpxishment of the premier- ship of Ontario by Mr. Blake, the Lieutenant-Governor I'equested Mr. Mowat to form a cabinet. Mr. ^I. selected Messrs. Crooks, McKellar, Pardee, and Scott, for the'res})ective offices of Treasurer, Commissioner of Public Works, Commissioner of Crown Lands, and Provincial Secretary, and himself retained the office of Attornev-Geiieral. The first great legislative work undertaken by Wx. Mowat, in the capacity of premier, was the settlement of the Municipal Loan Fund question. The obstacles to a solu- tion of the jn-oblem were many and great, but by the exercise of tact and skill, they have been effectually overcome ; another question of eciual difficulty was, that of the settlement of the dis- pute respecting the provincial boundaries ; the simple plan of arbitration has happily succeeded in effiscting a solution of that problem also. Among the more important measures which have been jilaced upon the statute book, under the auspices of the ])resent jjremier, are the laAV relating to marriage, a measure in- tended to secure the registration of births, marriages, and deaths, a systematic scheme for granting government aid to public charities, and a general Incorporation Act, which has precluded much of the private legislation which has been wont to engross the time of the Assembly. The difficult question of railway aid has been at least temporarily settled, a new license law has been II I NOTAUILITIES OF TOKONTO. I adopted which has effected an entire change in the mode of issu- ing licenses ; the school law has been consolidated, and the department of education deprived of its irresponsible character ; an important change has also been secured in the constitution of the provincial university, in virtue of which the graduates now possess a share in its management ; the use of the ballot has been introduced into political and municipal elections, and has been rendered compulsory in cases of voting on municipal by-laws which authorize public expenditure; an income franchise has been adopted, together with an improved method of preparing and checking voters lists ; the law respecting bribery at political elections has been made more stringent and more equitable, and the Controverted Elections Act has been modified in the light of the experience of its workiug, afforded by the last general elec- tion, and by the subsequent trials in the election courts. The consolidation of the statutes of Ontario has been for some time in progress, under the supervision of the premier, and by his Admin- istration of Justice Act, he has, in a simple and ingenious man- ner, not only corrected a host of evils, but has prepared the way for a comi)lete fusion of the courts, by removing the barriers which have so long separated them from each other. When Mr. Mowat accepted office, the amount of unfinished business on the various assize circuits was rapidly increasing, and there was a growing accumulation of arrears in some of the superior courts ; at that time, only the common law judges, six in number, could preside at nisi prius, or try elections ; a remedy for such a condi- tion of affairs was provided by the Judicial Administration Act, which organized the Court of Error and Appeal with four judges, and guarded against a plethora in any cf the Courts, by allowing Common Law judges to sit in Chancery, and Equity judges to preside in the Queen's Bench or Common Pleas. It would be superfluous to expatiate on the importance of a measure so fraught with utility as that in question ; it may therefore suffice 12 I NOTABILITIES OP TORONTO. 3 mode of issu- lated, and the ;ible character ; constitution of graduates now ballot has been 1, and has been licipal by-laws franchise has 1 of preparing jry at political equitable, and iu the light of jt general elec- 1 courts. The r some time in by hLs Admin- iigenious man- pared the way g the barriers er. When Mr. usinees on the d there was a aperior courts ; number, could : such a condi- nistration Act, th four judges, bs, by allowing uity judges to It would be a measure so herefore suffice to indicate that in a short time, little will remain to be accom- plished, in the way of fusing the courts, except the change of their nomenclature. The interest taken by Mr. Mowat in social questions is well known, and is attested by his participating, from time to time, in efforts for their promotion. »3 lii u\ I A I NOTAr.ILITIES OP TOUONTO. I THE HOI^I. EDWAI^D BLAKE, Q.C. T is rather the exception than the rule that a man of superior ability is succeeded by a son no less distin- guished than himself. The subject of the present notice, it is all but superfluous to observe, constitutes a signal exception to such a rule. Wisdom and goodness were combined in his early training, and the result is one of which the Dominion has reason to be proud. The late Chancellor Blake evinced his wisdom by educating his sons so far as was i)racticable, at home ; hence we find him hear- ing his sons' Latin lessons in his dressing-room, and devoting his Sunday evenings to their recital of portions of the Psalms, and the Book of Isaiah, and to Miltim, Young, and other sacred ])oetry. Two masters were engaged to su})plement these parental teachings, and ultimately Mr. E. Blake and his brother entered the Upper Canada College, and graduated at University College. The home training of the boys told so effectually at the former of these, that the Principal once remarked " The Blakes are the only boys who know what reading is." The stimulus afforded by the Governor General's prize, resulted in Mr. Edward Blake securing the coveted distinction. At University College, Mr. E. B. became silver medallist in Classics, and took the degree of M.A., in 1858. Among the many advantages of his youth, a trip to Europe, at the age of fifteen, in company with his father, must not be omitted. It fell to his lot to visit Paris at that time of trouble which culmi- nated in the flight of Louis Philip[)e. Mr. Blake was called to the Bar in the Michaelmas term of 185G. He was for some time Lecturer and Examiner in Equity 14 I I E, Q.C. that a man of no less distin- superfluous to rule. Wisdom and the result )ud. ly educating his lind him hear- id devoting his -he Psalms, and d other sacred b these parental brother entered vcrsity College, it the former of kes are the only afforded by the Blake securing [r. E. B. became ' M,A., in 1858. ip to Europe, at not be omitted, le which culini- i^ ." aelmas term of liner in Equity ^-..-r- .-,', i, \ I I i \ K Phc !:'!■ PLATE ^ 1 , ■ 1 < ', • ^t s I?t ^^K^^^^BI^I^I^^I 1 !^^^K1l% ' IR^ i^ ><■ ■ ,; Phol-0, by HuN^eKelCe.Toron^o One, Hon. Edward Blake. Q C. I I -^tii .*- / , . (. I I NOTABILITIES OP TOEONTO. for the Law Society of Upper Canada, became Queen's Counsel in 1864), and a Barrister of the Law Society of Ontario, in 1871. At the Bar, Mr. Blake's rise was very rapid, so that in a few years he became the acknowledged leader in the Equity Courts. He first entered Parliament in 1807, having been invited to become a candidate for election to the House of Commons, by West Durham ; and for the Ontario Le<>;islature, by South Bruce. Mr. Blake is one of the extremely few who has never sought such positions, and when offices of the highest honor have been thrust upon him, has declined to accept the emolument attached to them. On the occasion above mentioned, Mi-. Blake was extremely reluctant to enter Parliament, and only consented to take his seat in consider- ation for the necessities oftlie Reform party. . • On the assembling of the first Ontarian Legislature, Mr. McKellar was the chosen leader of the Opposition, and Mr. Blake fouird himself in the anomalous position of playing second fiddle to that gentleman. As the retention of a false position could scarcely be more agreeable to Mr. McKellar than to other members of the House, he, after the lapse of two years, besought Mr. Blake to assume the Leadership of their party. Tliat Mr. B. was unrivalled in legal knowledge, in a capacity for discussing consti- tutional questions, and in debating power, was speedily recognized by the Assembly. In the face of heavy odds, and the recreancy of many who had been elected on the .strength of their professed attachment to Reform principles, a body of some twenty-five members were kept together, and were enabled to influence the course of legislation. The tactics of this minority found expres- sion in framing successive resolutions, which, when entered in the journals of the House, constituted a distinct issue between the contending parties, whereby to test the judgment of the country. On the meeting of the Legislature subsequent to the election of 1871, Mr. Blake took steps to test the opinion of the House, by moving an amendment to the address, in reply to the speech from ^5 n Mi 11 f , I the throne. The purport of this amendment was to deprecate the practice of the Assembly, of derogating to the Executive the dis- position of the Railway Aid Fund, and to advocate the submission of proposals I'elating to the disbursement of any such fund to the vote of the Legislative Assembly. This amendment sealed the fate of the ministry, and before two days had elapsed, the reins of power had practically fallen into the hands of the Opposition, and by the 20th of December, Mr. Blake was duly installed as Premier of Ontario. This usually coveted distinction was one of those which Mr. Blake accepted under constraint ; and in order that he might not be burdened with Departmental duties, (in addition to those entailed by an extensive private practice,) he became Presi- dent of the Council, without stipend. Uuder Mr. Blake's auspices the constitutional authority of the Legislature over the expenditure of public money, was restored ; the independence of Parliament was further secured ; the Election Law was improved ; Immigra- tion was encouraged (probably more than it was required); Dual representation was abolished; settlers on public lands having claims to relief, were assisted; and Railway enterprise was further aided. Mr. Blake's career as jn-emier was cut short through failing health, and in the summer of 1872 he embarked for Europe. In October of that year, he resigned his office, as (owing to his being a Member of the House of Commons,) he was compelled to do, under the Costigan Act, in order to be re-elected to the Dominion Parliament. That the influence of Mr. Blake's character and attainments in the Provincial House tended to invest the proceed- ings of the Legislature with dignity and impoi'tance in the eyes of the people, cannot be doubted ; and whether such a man as Mr. B. appeared in a Local House, or at the seat of government, he could not but figure in the van. The power with which he grai)pled with successive questions as they were presented for consideration, was therefore recognized at Ottawa, no less than in Toronto. i6 ^ XOTAltlLlTIES OP TORONTO. .* .0 deprecate the ecutive the dis- ! the submission Lich fund to the iient sealed the sed, the reins of Opposition, and ailed as Premier is one of those in order that he I, (in addition to e became Presi- Blake's auspices the expenditure '■ of Parliament ived ; Immigra- required); Dual Is having c'aims iS further aided, through failing ibr Europe. In ing to his being ompelled to do, o the Dominion 3 character and est the proceed- nce in the eyes ch a man as Mr. government, he with which he e presented for a, no less than Aniouf Mr. Blake's speeches, that on the Treaty of Washington in 1872, and on the Pacific Scandal, in 1873, were masterpieces of loo-ic and eloquence. Neither is he less effective in reply, as is evident from the speech which followed Sir John A. Macdonald's fnir hours defence of his policy in regard to Reil and his confede- rates in Manitoba. On the fall of the Macdonald Administration in 1873, IVlr. Blake was, of necessity, invited to enter the Cabinet. On this occasion, as on a former one, it was only on the importunity of jfriends, that Mr. B. was induced even partially to accede to their request. He consented at last, on condition that the arrangement should be regarded as temporary; and that he should act as a Privy Councillor, without salary, or Departmental office. In this capacity, Mr. Blake rendered invaluable assistance to his col- leagues, up to the time of his resignation of his position, in February, 1874. It is not surprising that South Bruce should delight to honor itself, as it has done, again and again, by electing Mr. Blake to represent the constituency in Parliament, and as it did by accla- mation in 1875, when Mr. B. re-entered the Cabinet, in the capacity of Minister of Justice. To eulogise a gentleman, whose name and character are rever" 4nced by every household in the Dominion, would be superfluous To express an earnest desire that his valuable life may long be spared, and his principles of action imitated, is more in accordance with the disposition of the writer of the present brief sketch of his career. I? i if ' > \ i r>l li i I ■4 1 i I i r; f NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO. JVIR. jOHJN WILLIAM CARTEF(. PHILANTHROPIST, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, need not necessarily have a rugged time of it; jut if he be ushered into the world not merely without the spoon, but with a scant supply of food for his journey, his gen- erous disposition may prove to be inconvenient. Without pre- tending that the latter hypothesis is literally applicable to Mr. Carter, there can be no doubt that had the same amount of ability, diligence, and energy been concentrated on the pursuit of personal uims, he might have occupied a different position among his neighbours to that which he holds at the present time; it is not often one is called on to prescribe for that enlargement of the heart which leads a man to sacrifice himself for others' welfare, but in the present instance, there appears to ' be some need of uttering a caution. Mr. Carter hails from an isle wherein generosity is no stranger, and his career has been such as it is no slight pleasure to record ; at the age of fifteen ho found himself placed on a list of candidates for apprentice- ship, which circumstance was itself a reward of good conduct at school; with perhaps too little consideration, he undertook to acquire a knowledge of the art of house painting, and under- went a considerable amount of suffering in consequence ; he j^ was at one time an active participant in the proceedings of the • "Wesleyan body, but he ultimately concluded that the social ! condition of the wage-earning classes in England presented a . more decided "call'' upon his energies; this conclusion was j, apparently justified, as an advance in the painters' wages { speedily followed the efibrts initiated by Mr. Carter with that view. In such a case, it ;enerally happens that the pioneer of i8 I mmsM I * *■ I RTEF(. Iver spoon in his iggecl time of it; rely withovit the journey, his gen- it. Without pre- ipplicable to Mr. same amount of id on the pursuit ifFereut position Is at the present escribe for that sacrifice himself there appears to ;er hails from an career has been be age of fifteen i for apprentice- ' good conduct at he undertook to ting, and under- ;onsequence ; he oceedings of the that the social land presented a ! conclusion was painters' wages [Darter with that i at the pioneer of .' ♦ * - ' » •^" h: I . if i If 1 1 ■ ' '> «' 'H \ :,' t ) ) I ■■■■11 PLATE 5 ■■*'-'•' -J Hi^^ L. * ■ M^ ' . '" ■^HK^^ W \ HbR^''^ mt. -r • • ) ^^l^v^,. ■.H' \\ • ' ^Soif > n 4^ •■-«:< ft' _sw pi^ ^'■»P|epf w 4 X 1 i'lUO, by hunrer &< '..i. foRo.Nh^.ONb M^ J.W. Cahtjcj? ita it r« i I IMh ■mmM 4, V 1 il i -1 ' *■ I I , , i-^ \\ ll %M NOTABILITIES OP TORONTO. |e movement is the victim, and Mr. C. was not long in dis- |vering that the tie between his employer and himself, which lovice might suppose to be the closer from the circumstance H their belonging to the same religious community, was dis- sdlved like a charm, in view of advancing wages ; after the lapse of a twelvemonth, Mr. C. had arrived at the conclusion iat a half-holiday on a Saturday would be a great boon for e class which, except in view of such an arrangement had no ptospect but that of an unbroken round of toil ; a request to this end was refused, and a strike of three weeks' duration was result. The opinions of the generality of men, with regard [such questions as the foregoing, are for the most part, dictated their supposed interest ; the province of the writer of a bio- Paphical notice is to record tlie performance of arduous uuder- auga, conducted with the best intent. It may be well how- ler to observe that inasmuch as two parties (capitalists and l(Jrknion) are engaged in all production, two interests, which )uld bo united, are involved therein ; if undue seltishuess be inifested on the part of either party, it is certain to produce ieimilar spirit in the other ; no cfommouwealth can flourish Iqiil^ wherein either of the two parties maintains an unbridled endency over the other ; the problem which all concerned JQ to solve is, how to work together amicably, and therefore ptosporously. Mr. Carter has devoted his life to the solution of this problem, not as a theorist, but after a fashion so essen- tially practical, as to have entailed upon him repeated personal saciifices ; men who habitually lavisli their praise on com- pmts who wage war, on the calculation that they can afford sacrifice 10,000 men, better than the foe eau 5,000, are the Iry men to denounce such men as Mr. C. as one of " the dan- Irous classes." Mr. Gladstone recognizes such men as among phe silent forces " of a community, and their labour and merit too great not to meet with recognition of some kind, in 19 ^• •i NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO. other quarters. Mr. Carter has therefore been selected to represent wage-earners, in deputations to the Imperial Govern- ment, and to the Outarian Government; his generous efforts on behalf of his own class have elicited from them several sub- stantial expressions of their esteem, among which have been the presentation of a handsome writing desk, a watch, an illum- inated address, and a purse of gold ; the relation in which the editor of The Beehive stands towards Mr. C. will be gathered from the following inscription which figures in a bound volume of that periodical, '' Presented to Mr. John "William Carter, by the editor and proprietor of this journal, as a slight acknowledgement of that ' generous friendship,' which led Mr. C. to volunteer the advance of two dollars (intended for the first year's subscription) so soon as he heard of the editor's in- tention to attempt to establish the journal, and that at a time when the editor was not the possessor of many more than two cents." Such is an unvarnished, and an intentionally incomplete ac- count of a journeyman painter, who has advocated many bene- ficial projects for the special behoof of the weaker section of society, and who, that his lot may continue to be identified with theirs has, up to the present time, repeatedly declined to become an employer. As it cannot but be desirable that manual labor should be directly, and thus effectually represented in Parliament, it is the writer's opinion that "the dignity" thereof, and the rights appertaining thereto, would be upheld by Mr. Carter, in a manner alike honorable to himself, to the class he would especially represent, and to the empire which should enrol him amongst its legislators. 20 II m ^ V M' PI,^T3G 6 f 'iktti. Photo, by Hont-ec eiCo.Toront-o.Ont, M?JoHN G.Forbes. ■fSJ t.- ..•;•■. ::t » ik NOTADILITIKS OF TORONTO. JOHN C. FOI^BE^, ARTIST. T is one of tlie privileges of an artist to select the point of view from which he will delineate his subject, and the majority of writers will probably maintain a similar privi- lege. The common-place occurrences of every-day life are insufficient to disclose the hidden depths of character. Such disclosures are reserved for great emergencies, great wrongs, or it may be, for great kindnesses. The foundering of a steamer in mid-ocean will elicit a calm in the breast of a few, which tower- ing billows are powerless to disturb — a courage undismayed on the brink of a watery grave. In the midst of the shrieks and confusion which characterize such a scene, Mr. Forbes found his way to the hold of the Hibemia, and unlocked a trunk, wherein was a framed portrait of his mother ; " Y'ou can't take that," cried the captain, "be thankful for your life;" the captain's back once turned however, the mother's portrait was cut from the frame, and the treasure consigned to his breast, to descend with himself to the bottom of the sea. Mr. F. also found time to indite four letters, in order that by distributing them among the captains of the boats, there might be a four- fold chance of some of them reaching his parents. One of the four, written at midnight, is subjoined : — "Twelve o'clock. "My Dear Pakents : — " The ship ia fast sinking, and we shall soon have to take to the boats in a gale of wind. My hopes for life are very small. I feel myself prepared to meet my fate. From "Your son, "John. " I may be picked up by a ship bound for distant parts. Don't give up hope." I 21 \J i\ NOTABILITIES OP TORONTO. A sinking ship is hardly the sphere from which to expect dotted *'i's" and punctuation, but both these desiderata are apparent in the manuscript of the above letter. When the passengers and crew had taken to the boats, and one craft after another had been capsized, hope was fast d^nng among the dwindling minority of the survivors, when a sail hove in siglit, and the captain called for matches ; all hands eagerly responded, but only to discover that their matches were saturated no less than themselves ; one isolated group alone were found, unpcne- trated by the briny waves, beneath the mother's portrait ; a light was struck, a lantern waved, and a rocket to windward responded, quickly followed by a second, and a third ; the Star of Hope, bound for Glasgow, bore up, and they who h.n'1 been delirious from exhaustion and in the jaws of death, were wafted from a condition of despair to a renewed lease of life in the cabins of the Star. When, after the lapse of a fortnight, the rescued artist set foot on British soil, his last available cash was expended in telegraphing the announcement of his deliverance, to his parents in Toronto. It is to be expected that an artist who was fated to participate in a scene so tragical as that of the sinking of the Ilibernia, should have the wreck photographed on his mind for the remainder of his life, and Mr. Forbes is so essential a devotee of tbe pencil, as to have regretted his in- ability to depict the soo ile he was expecting at any min- ute to be engulfed ' .he billows. Ilis fiimily, his country and the world, 1 .-r, have reason to rejoice that the con- tribution of a magnificent delineation of the wreck and its attendant horrors constitutes an abiding result of his rescue. A devotee is not by any means a calculator, hence Mr. Forbes is found beating about the Atlantic coast in quest of a lighthouse ; His search was ultimately rewarded by his participating with the sea-gulls in such a bird's-eye view of the great deep as is to be obtained from the uppermost windows of Minot Ledge 22 NOTAHILITIES OF TOIIOXTO. Lighthouse, in Massachusett's Bay. The circumstance of two previous lighthouses, on that rock, having been buried in the sea, was not encouraging, and it required an ardor of pursuit above the average, to have his course hewn through an iceberg, and himself hoisted by a rope from the vessel which conveyed him, to the entrance of his eyrie; here he remained for a month, wrapt in the study of the ocean wave, and possibly musing, from time to time, on the " pelican in the wilderness." As some years have elapsed since an Act for the extirpation of loolves was enrolled among the Statutes of Ontario, and a considerable proportion of the population are otherwise occupied than in effecting "clearings,'' it is to be hoped the representatives of the people may find it in their hearts to give substantial en- couragement to a Canadian who, by the production of such a painting as " The Wreck of the Ilibernia," has contributed not a little to the honour of the Dominion. It may be well to ob- serve at this juncture, that subsequently to his own remarkable deliverance, Mr. Forbes (with the aid of his sister) had the satis- faction to rescue a man from drowning in the middle of Tor- onto Bay. Mr. Fs' artistic talent is evidently hereditary ; his maternal grandfjither was a fresco painter, and his mother has executed some creditable oil paintings ; his father also has evinced some skill as a sculptor. It is the province of a mother to watch the words and ways of the precocious, hence Airs. Forbes is found treasuring up a pencil sketch which was being drawn by the present artist, under the screen of his left hand, while an absent brother was the subject of anxious conversa- tion ; the sketch is said exactly to resemble one whose life was sacrificed in the American civil war ; this sketch, executed at the age of sixteen, is the first indication of what was to follow ; the second effort was from life; the subject, an old and dirty Irish labourer of his father ; it is drawn at the back of another, which bears some resemblance to Shakespeare ; Pat, wLo had t 1 v,\ 23 w ■ * NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO. \k been leaning with his elbows on the table, appears to have suspected that he was being immortalized, and enquired what " Master John " was drawing, and on being shown the Shake- spearean head, exclaimed : " Och, I didn't think I was so hand- some as that I " Mr. Forbes' first portrait in oil, from life, is that of his devoted mother ; the likeness is excellent, the principal defect relates to t' • ingredients. Mr. F., in his earlier attempts, was glad to avail himself of pickings from among the daubs he found in the gallery at the N'ormal School, and painted a head of Beatrice Cenci, the executed ; the portrait of his fixther is regarded as his best. The world has often been indebted to the penetration of some generous patron of individual merit, for the artistic and literary gems which it possesses ; in the present instance, Mr. Forbes' pearls had well nigh been trampled under foot, had not the discrimination of the late Captain Dick rescued them from oblivion ; for two long years was Mr. F. toiling in the conscious possession of artistic talent, with few to encourage him, beyond that ardent lady who called him morning by morning, that he might make his way, pallet in hand, to the bay, to stereotype the hues of the sun as he ascended from the horizon. " The hum of men " was engrossed the while with the value of current exchanges ; happily for Torontonian art, Mr. Forbes' earlier productions, as displayed at the Provincial Exhibition, arrested the attention of the gentleman above named ; he possessed himself of that view of the bay which cost so many mornings' joyous labour, and became a steady patron of Mr. Forbes, so long as he lived. A slight acquaintance with Mr. F.'s works will suffice to indicate a considerable amount of originality in their designs ; he no sooner presented himself at South Kensington, and pre- pared his first drawing, than it was accepted at the Royal Academy ; two of his paintings, which had been ordered by a resident of Glasgow, were sent by that gentleman to the Royal 24 NOTABILITIES OP TORONTO. Scottish Academy, and on each of two occasions, when he sent .'lis productions to the internatioaa] exhibitions in Buflalo, he was awarded a first and second medal, respectively. The pro- prietors of The Illustrated News availed themselves of two vivid sketchesof the foundering of the iZi"6ernta from Mr. F.'s pencil, and more than one of his best oil paintings, " Love's Reverie," and " Beware," to wit, have so far commended themselves to popular favour, as to have become subjects for the engraver. It must sufiice to observe, in conclusion, that the merit of certain paintings, which were suspended in the Privy Council Chamber at Ottawa, commended the artist's skill to the judgment of the Governor General, and His Excellency conse»{uently commis- sioned Mr. Forbes to execute a portrait of his eldest daughter. Lady Helen Blackwood. Mr. F. has thus, with no further ad- vantage than is involved by a two years' sojourn in Great Britain, and a residence of six months in New York, progressed 80 successfully in the art to which he has devoted his life, as to have received substantial encouragement from a connoisseur, whose acquaintance with art-treasures is by no means I'cstricted to one hemisphere. i' 25 \h NOTABILITIES OF TOKONTO, JVIR. ROBERT JVl ALCOLM. «' 'Wf H E aristocracy" (as is expi-essed by the meaning of the word) is supposed to represent the best of a community; Mr. Malcolm is a transplanted member of the Caledonian aristocracy, but his claymore has given place to more useful instruments ; he was born in the land of cakes, within three miles of the place wherein St. Patrick first drew breath ; his father was one of tn^. 8 plucky pioneers, who, at the age of fifty, left his native land to settle in the bush ; his father's property consisted mainly of his muscles and his five boys ; the subject of the present notice was two years old at the time ; his subsequent career illustrates the fiict that what- ever be the value of an ordinary education, that love of know- ledge which characterizes the Caledonian race, will often do duty instead ; the fact that Mr. M.'s earlier recollections carry him back to the days when the baying of wolves at night served as a sufficient hint to keep within doors, will indicate that schools were few and far between ; his boyhood was spent in a period when, to bring a sleigh-load of wheat with oxen, from Scarborough to this city, (fifteen miles), involved an absence from the homestead of three days ; the second of these days would be occupied in bartering the load of fifteen or sixteen bushels, at Gooderham's mill, for an order which the present venerable banker would write upon his grocer ; sugar, tea, and factory cotton, were at that time treasures too rare to be ex- changed for aught but gold. These were ' days when Indians in quest of food, were daily visitors at the sliauty, when the leafy "lords of the forest" had scarce been felled ere the deer were browsing among the fallen branches, and when the elder a6 jp. s f f fr ■r ."I; ,1 I )! PLATE 7 ■t ■■■«.'« i;i, - '- ' j'lf s. ''ni- M? RoB-^^ Malcoi,m I': NOTABILITIES OF TORONTO. J- ' it of the brothers Malcolm " tree'd a bear," but ten rods from the paternal roof. * Before quitting the scene of Mr. R. Mal- colm's boyhood, it may be well to observe that the two hun- dred acres of wooded land, for which his father, in 1834, (the year of Toronto's incorporation), paid at the rate of eight and a quarter dollars per acre, he refused, in 1854, to sell (with its crops) for one hundred and twenty dollars per acre ; fifteen hundred per cent, as the reward of twenty years' toil, may or may not, according to the apprehension of the reader, occupy some kind of relation to that family relic (the seal of a Masonic "Lodge of Glasgow St. John "), which was "chartered by Malcolm IIL, King of Scots," in the year 1057. It must also be added, as worthy of note, that ac- cording to the pedigree of Washington, as displayed in the Patent Office at the States' Capitol, the general who was " first in peace, first in war, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," traces his genealogy to the same regal stock. Mr. Malcolm first established himself in business in Scarborough, in which place his energies were divided between the claims of harness-making, tavern-keeping, and farming. His connection with a tavern may be said to have been attended with a felicitous result, in- asmuch as ho has not touched intoxicants from that time forth. Mr. M. has contrived to make life in Toronto, for the past eighteen years, both pleasurable and profitable, without such adventitious auxiliaries. In 1859 he enrolled himself in the ranks of the Highland Rifle Company, and served for seven years in that company. On the occasion of" the ever-infamous American raid (2nd June, 1866), he, with five of his workmen, were confronting the foe on the memorable plain of Ridgeway But Mr. Malcolm has shown himself to be a man of war, in civil • In these days of eivic culture it will not be generally known that although bruin ascends a tree on all fours, ho is so indifferent a gymnast as to put his paws over hie head and fall fifty or more feet, in the form of a ball. ^! \\ V i ■f . 27 • ♦ NOTABILITIES OP TORONTO. strife, no less than in foreign, inasmuch as he has combatted one of those redoutable institutions styled " mercantile agen- cies." Not many years have passed since, on ajirst of April, a circular was scattered abroad by one of these agencies, which was calculated to injure Mr. M.'s credit. Instead of tamely submitting to it, he took steps to compel the agency to retract its statements, but, although he was happily able to withstand such an onslaught, he gives his customers the benefit of his ex- perience, by cautioning them (through the medium of his bill- heads) to " beware of black-mail agencies." Mr. Malcolm is one of those favorites of fortune, who was evidently born to triumph, hence it was to be expected that in conveying a pair of huge dray-horses, richly dight with silver-mounted harness, to the Centennial Exhibition, he would not only astonish all beholders, but return, as he has done, with a medal from the Commissioners, and with one from the Government of the Dominion. The medals were bestowed, not merely in recog- nition of the merit of Mr. M.'s saddlery and harness, but on account of the mail-bags he exhibited. As the bags are in use by the respective Governments of Canada and the United States, it would be superfluous to expatiate on their excellence. One of Mr. Malcolm's peculiarities consists in his proclivity for medals ; in common with three of his brothers, he has not only won a goodly array of them, but he has devised and presented an international gold medal, for annual competition by the quoiters of Canada and of the States. Mr. M.'s latest achieve- ment has doubtless ruffled the feathers of the American eagle, as it consisted in the conquest at Chicago, of the medal known to curlers as " the Gordon champion rink medal." Upon the whole, it may be concluded that Malcolm III., King of Scots, if he occupy himself in any measure with terrestrial events, has small reason to be ashamed of Malcolm the thirty-third, of 1.81 King street, Toronto. a8 . •^r ri HEINTZMAN & CO. PJA.NO MANUFACTURERS 1)5 & 117 K)NR ST WEST. TORONTO.