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CANADA IN 1864. 
 
1 
 
 CANADA 
 
 IN 1864: 
 A HAND-BOOK FOE SETTLERS. 
 
 HENRY T. NEWTON CHESSHYKE, 
 
 LATE E.N., 
 
 AUTHOB Off n BECOLLECilONS OF A FIVE YEABS' BESIDEHCB IN NOBWAY." 
 
 LONDON: 
 SAMPSON LOW, SON, AND MABSTON, 
 
 14, LUDGATE HILL. 
 
 1864 
 [The right of translation is reserved.'} 
 
'01 
 
 HA.BKILD, P^Pn, W3DOX 
 
 
 ,11 t , , , , 
 
 A 
 
 *h 
 

 PREFACE. 
 
 The encouragement I have received as to my former 
 small work, entitled ' ' Eecollections of a Five Years' 
 Eesidence in Norway/' induces me to offer this 
 little volume to the public, particularly to those 
 whose thoughts are bent on emigration to Canada, 
 with the idea that my own six years' experience of 
 the country may not be altogether useless to new 
 settlers. The truthfulness and accuracy of the in- 
 formation contained in the book may, I hope> tend 
 to exempt it from harsh and unfriendly criticism as 
 to any deficiencies it may exhibit as • a literary 
 production. 
 
 London, September, 1864. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Those best suited for Canadian settlers — Modes of conveyance — 
 " Ten reasons for emigrating to Canada" — Difficulties of new 
 settlers much mitigated in the present day — "Varieties of 
 characters and of creeds in the backwoods . ... 1 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 Arrival in the backwoods — Building a shanty — Necessaries for the 
 first year and their cost — Cultivation of the land — Beaver 
 Meadow hay — Eates of postage — Postal communication past 
 and present 37 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Taxes — Duties required of the settler— Volunteers — Naval brigade 
 — Ways of making money in the backwoods — Potash — Berry 
 picking, etc. — The tea-plants of North America — Other vege- 
 table productions — Eeceipts — Cookery . . . .47 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 The Eed Indians — Sir E. B. Head upon them — Their character — 
 
 How influenced by association with the white men, and the 
 
 introduction of ardent spirits among them — Their present 
 
 condition — Specimens of their legends . ... 58 
 
 I 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 Trapping and other ways of taking animals in the backwoods, with 
 hints to trappers, and some information as to the relative 
 value of different furs 70 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Eish and fisheries — The settler's occupations proper to each month 
 in the year — Sleighs and sleighing 87 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The minerals of Canada 96 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Country taverns — Backwoods verses — Lumbering and lumber-men 
 — The old cook — Mormonism and Mormons — Sects — Camp 
 meetings 123 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Amusements — Hydrophobia — Variations of temperature — Lakes — 
 Animals and fish — Increase of population, of commerce, and 
 of general prosperity in the colony — Schools and colleges 135 
 
 Concluding Remaeks 146 
 
 Appendix 153 
 
CANADA m 1864, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Those best suited for Canadian settlers — Modes of conveyance — 
 " Ten reasons for emigrating to Canada" — Difficulties of new- 
 settlers much, mitigated in the present day — Varieties of 
 characters and of creeds in the backwoods. 
 
 What class of intending emigrants is best suited 
 for Canada, both with regard to their own advan- 
 tage, and the benefit of their adopted country ? It 
 may seem almost superfluous to affirm that the 
 indolent, and those wanting in physical activity and 
 strength, have no business here ; but the energetic 
 and the temperate man can always obtain a living 
 in this region, and need seldom fail of attaining an 
 independence. Of many that do come out, it may 
 be said that they are quite unfitted for settlers, and 
 only do injury to themselves and those around them. 
 I will just instance, by way of example, the case of 
 government clerks, accustomed to a sedentary life 
 in town. Many of these unwisely throw up their 
 situations at home, and transrjort themselves hither 
 
 1 
 
2 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 with, perhaps, a very exaggerated idea of their own 
 importance in the colony, and apparently nnder the 
 firm persuasion that a fortune is to be acquired 
 without trouble, or that some lucrative colonial post 
 will be speedily offered to them. These young men, 
 disappointed in the fulfilment of their somewha,t 
 unreasonable expectations, are but too apt to de- 
 generate into what our Yankee cousins elegantly 
 term " loafers/' passing from town to town, wasting 
 their time and incurring debts at the taverns, and 
 possibly sinking into confirmed whiskey- drinkers, 
 thus ruining any prospects they might have had of 
 success, and preparing for themselves a miserable 
 end. Nor is this, in my opinion, a suitable country 
 for the reform of the young prodigal. Such an one, 
 banished to the backwoods and isolated from society, 
 finds little wherewith to beguile his lonely monoto- 
 nous hours, and will most probably fly for solace to 
 the fatal whiskey-bottle, always at hand, and staring 
 him in the face at every shanty. 
 
 But mechanics and labourers of every descrip- 
 tion — indeed all able-bodied industrious men — can 
 almost invariably find employment in Canada ;* and 
 as fresh tracts in the far- west are gradually opened 
 out and cleared for colonization, the more will their 
 services be in request. The preconceived notions 
 of a new settler regarding these parts are generally 
 wide enough of the mark, and experience, as usual, 
 * See Appendix B. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 3 
 
 must be his practical teacher ; but it is better, at 
 all events,, that he should be prepared for the hard- 
 ships necessarily incident to the early part of his 
 career in the backwoods — hardships, however, which 
 may be considerably mitigated by the possession of 
 a strong, healthy wife, capable of household work 
 and cooking. But whether with or without that 
 helpmate and companion, let him steer clear of the 
 seductions of whiskey, for here, if anywhere, he will 
 ere long find to his cost, that u it biteth like a 
 serpent and stingeth like an adder/' By avoiding 
 this temptation, and putting his shoulder resolutely 
 to the wheel, he will, humanly speaking, be almost 
 sure to prosper. 
 
 The settler of a higher grade must bury his 
 pride, and must endeavour to reconcile himself to 
 hard manual toil, and to many privations which, will 
 naturally be more irksome to him than to the 
 labourer or the mechanic. Any assumed superiority 
 of class or rank would be particularly obnoxious 
 here, where, as in all recent and half-formed colo- 
 nies, equality must to a great extent prevail at first. 
 But such a settler, by adapting himself readily to 
 the circumstances and the people among whom he 
 has cast his lot, will, I think, prove to himself and 
 to others, that in no country in the world is more 
 true kindness and hospitality to be found than in 
 the far West of Canada. 
 
 Steamers leave Liverpool and Glasgow every 
 
4 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 week during the season for Quebec, the average 
 duration of the voyage out being from ten to twelve 
 days. The fare for the steerage passage is £7 ; that 
 for the cabin, £15 and £18. The cost is, of course, 
 considerably more than by sailing-vessel ; but where 
 the means are forthcoming, I think the extra money 
 is well spent to ensure so much safer and better a 
 mode of conveyance, unless in the case of a large 
 party going out together. With the exception of 
 some small items, to be enumerated hereafter, I 
 should recommend you, as an emigrant, to encumber 
 yourself as little as possible with luggage, taking 
 with you only a good supply of all sorts of wearing 
 apparel, which you would find it much more expen- 
 sive to purchase in Canada. If intending to settle 
 there, your things will pass free of duty, and an 
 ample allowance of warm woollen clothing will be 
 most desirable. Be careful to mark such goods as 
 you expect to want during the voyage, or you may 
 be much inconvenienced by the omission of this 
 precaution. 
 
 Whatever your destination may be, do not linger 
 •at Quebec longer than is really needful ; and should 
 you require any assistance or instructions, apply at 
 once at the Government Office, not listening to the 
 numerous land-sharks, in the shape of self-inte- 
 rested counsellors, who will surround you in their 
 anxiety to play the game of " Grab-loo" with you, or 
 any other greenhorn, as a newly-arrived English- 
 
A Hand-bo ok for Settlers. 5 
 
 man is termed in the city. A train is generally 
 ready to start with emigrants for the West, and in 
 England yon will have been able to procure a ticket 
 to convey you to any station on the Grand Trunk 
 Kailway, which traverses Canada to the extent of 
 upwards of a thousand miles. If you are bound for 
 the backwoods or the back country, you will on 
 alighting find persons willing to afford you all the 
 information in their power. There is commonly 
 some conveyance running from the towns to the 
 remote villages, but on this head I refer my 
 readers to extracts from the Government and other 
 pamphlets in the Appendix.* Kailway travelling is 
 cheaper here than in England, and there is a very 
 good plan of checking every article of luggage, the 
 owner being furnished with the corresponding 
 number, which, if kept and produced, ensures com- 
 pensation for your property in the event of its 
 being lost. 
 
 Subjoined is an extract from a Canadian Alma- 
 nack for 1864, which may be useful. 
 
 " TEN REASONS EOE EMIGEATING TO CANADA. 
 
 ( ' The aim of the man who contemplates changing 
 the land of his birth for another, being, generally 
 speaking, the improvement of his condition, the 
 question where the circumstances may be looked for 
 most favourable to the realization of his desire 
 * See Appendix A. 
 
6 , Canada in 1864 : 
 
 claims liis best thought. Such thought he owes 
 to himself, to his family if he has one, and to 
 those among whom he may decide on taking up 
 his abode ; because mistake in his choice may in- 
 volve him and those he loves in disappointment and 
 distress, and entail weakness on those to whom he 
 should bring strength. > 
 
 " In favour of the selection of Canada as his 
 future home, the attention of the intending emigrant 
 is respectfully invited to the considerations which 
 follow. 
 
 "I. Its accessibility. 
 
 C( Compared with other regions open to him, it 
 may be reached in a very short time (eleven days 
 by steam), at a trifling expense, and with a small 
 amount of inconvenience. 
 
 " In sailing vessels, the rates of steerage passage 
 vary, according to accommodation, from three 
 pounds to four or five pounds sterling. The charge 
 between Liverpool, Londonderry, or Glasgow, and 
 Toronto, by the Montreal Steamship line, is ^34, 
 including provisions ; between Glasgow and Quebec 
 or Montreal, 4^29. By the Anchor Line, the charge 
 between Glasgow and Quebec is %2b. The Great 
 Eastern charges c8"30 between Liverpool and New 
 York. Its cabin rates are — 1st cabin, ^95 — ^135; 
 2nd cabin, %10 ; 3rd cabin, ^50. By the Montreal 
 Line, the cabin passage varies, with accommodation, 
 from -§72 — «8f88. The cabin fare between Glasgow 
 
A Sand-booh for Settlers. 7 
 
 and Quebec, by the Ocean Line, is g?Q8 ; inter- 
 mediate^ ^44. By the Anchor Line, ^60 j inter- 
 mediate, ^30. Children are carried by them all at 
 lower rates, generally half price. 
 
 " Once landed at Quebec or Montreal, the emi- 
 grant may pass on to Toronto, or Hamilton, or any 
 intermediate locality, by steamboat or railway, and 
 thence by railway to the western extremity of the 
 province. The Northern Eailway will take him to 
 any place he pleases on the route between Toronto 
 and Collingwood, Lake Huron, whence he can pass 
 on to Owen Sound and intermediate places by 
 steamer. The cost of the passage by deck of 
 steamer and second-class cars is, from Quebec to 
 Toronto, a distance of 500 miles, about %h, with 
 corresponding rates for places intermediate; to 
 Windsor, the western extremity of the province, 
 631 miles from Quebec, &7 12J ; to Barrie; 565 
 miles, ^6 50 ; to Collingwood, 593 miles, %1 '. The 
 time between Quebec and Toronto is by railway 
 about thirty- six hours, by steamboat a day or two 
 longer. Toronto may be reached by railway from 
 Portland, the ocean terminus of the Grand Trunk, 
 in from twenty-five to twenty- six hours. 
 
 " As, moreover, he may return to his old home so 
 much more easily, should he for any reason wish to 
 do so, he is less irretrievably committed by coming 
 here than by going elsewhere. A visit to it is also 
 at any time much more practicable, other things 
 
8 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 being equal. His friends may likewise, if so dis- 
 posed, follow him with much less of difficulty — thus 
 renewing associations of which necessity had com- 
 pelled the temporary interruption. 
 
 "2. The scope afforded by its extent, both for the 
 successful employment of his capabilities and tlie 
 <j ratification of his tastes in the choice of a home. 
 
 " Leaving out the territory to the north-west, the 
 opening of which may be looked for ere long, 
 Canada occupies a space stretching in a south- 
 westerly direction from the Island of Anticosti in 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to the south-western 
 extremity of Lake Erie, of about 1400 miles in 
 length; with a breadth varying from 200 to 400 
 miles. Including water-surface, it is computed 
 to contain an area of 349,821 square miles — 242,482 
 exclusive of water. The number of acres com- 
 prised within it is estimated at 160,405,129 ; 
 128,659,684 of which are reckoned to Canada East; 
 to Canada West, 31,745,533. 
 
 ' ' ' If an area/ it is remarked in a pamphlet 
 published in 1860, by authority, 'be traced in 
 Europe, corresponding generally to that occupied by 
 Canada, in America, and the meridian of the most 
 southern part of Canada be supposed to he upon the 
 meridian of Greenwich, in England, the south of 
 France, at the base of the Pyrenees, will represent 
 the south frontier of Canada ; the south-eastern 
 boundary of this area will stretch through France,, 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 9 
 
 Switzerland, Bavaria, and Austria, to a point in the 
 south of Poland, and a line drawn northward to 
 Warsaw will delineate the mouth of the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence. The north-western boundary of this 
 area will extend from the south of France, in a 
 northerly direction, towards and beyond Brest ; and 
 a line drawn from near Brest to the British Channel, 
 thence through England, Belgium, and Germany, 
 to Warsaw again, will establish the position of a 
 European area, corresponding to Canada in America. 
 The inhabited and highly fertile portion of Canada 
 is represented in this area by those regions which 
 lie in the south, centre, and south-east of France, 
 and in those parts of Switzerland, Bavaria, and 
 Austria, included within its boundary. The other 
 portion, although of vast extent, and not so well 
 fitted for extended agricultural operations, is highly 
 valuable on account of its timber and minerals. ' 
 
 " 'The province of Canada embraces about 350,000 
 square miles of territory, independently of its north- 
 western possessions, not yet open for settlement ; it 
 is consequently more than one -third larger than 
 France, nearly three times as large as Great Britain 
 and Ireland, and more than three times as large as 
 Prussia. The inhabited or settled portion covers at 
 least 40,000 square miles, and is nearly twice as 
 large as Denmark, three times as large as Switzer- 
 land, a third greater than Scotland, and more than 
 a third the size of Prussia -, but such is the rapid 
 
10 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 progress of settlement through immigration, that in 
 ten years time the settled parts of Canada will be 
 equal in area to Great Britain or Prussia/ 
 
 "According to the Crown Lands Eeport for 1856, 
 the peninsula of Gaspe alone, which is 175 miles in 
 length, with an extreme breadth of 90 miles, com- 
 prises an area, after the deduction of a small portion 
 covered by Now Brunswick of 11,800 superficial 
 miles, equal to that of the European peninsula of 
 Denmark, which it resembles in form. The Ta- 
 dousac territory, valued as yet chiefly for its timber 
 trade and its fisheries, is there stated to have a coast 
 of 600 miles in length on the Gulf and River 
 St. Lawrence, with a breadth of 160 miles and 
 an area of probably 65,000 square miles ; more than 
 twice that of Scotland. The country drained by 
 the Saguenay includes an area of 27,000 square 
 miles, an extent equal to the Tyrol and Switzerland 
 taken together. The quantity of land in it capable 
 of cultivation is estimated at about 3,000,000 acres. 
 The area drained by the St. Maurice is about 21,000 
 superficial miles; about one-tenth larger than the 
 mainland of Scotland, and containing about as 
 much arable land. { Admirably watered, and inter- 
 sected by magnificent rivers, with forests of pine 
 alternating with rich tracts of hardwood land, and 
 with that most valuable of all minerals, iron ore, 
 in unlimited quantities, the country wants but the 
 hand of man and the course of a few years to make 
 
A Hand-boolc for Settlers, 11 
 
 it equal to the most flourishing parts of Canada/ 
 The area of the Ottawa and tracts therewith con- 
 nected is estimated at 82,000 miles; one-fourth 
 greater than that of the New England States. 
 
 " In the Great Manitoulin Island, which contains 
 about 3,000,000 acres, upwards of 200,000 acres are 
 expected soon to come into market. On the north 
 sides of Lakes Huron and Superior there remains 
 to be noticed an area of about 48,000 miles ; one- 
 half greater than that of the State of Maine. 
 
 (l Eegions so vast afford certainly ample room and 
 verge enough, and will do for some time to come. 
 Should they, however, become too strait, we have 
 the North West to fall back upon, one-fifth of which, 
 the Red River and Saskatchewan country, is com- 
 puted to contain a territory exceeding in extent the 
 empires of France and Austria united. 
 
 " 3. The physical characteristics of the country, its 
 natural resources, and its healthfulness. 
 
 " The variety of its products and abundance of its 
 harvests attest, where proper care is bestowed on 
 its cultivation, the excellence of its soil. And 
 although in the longer settled parts of the country 
 the best lands may be supposed to be occupied, and 
 therefore attainable only at a considerable advance 
 on the original prices, others quite equal to them are 
 to be found in the newer regions which every year 
 is bringing into the market. According to the 
 Crown Land Report for last year, there are now in 
 
12 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 tlie hands of the Government (surveyed) for disposal 
 5,908,557 acres in Lower Canada ; in Upper Canada, 
 2,839,358£ ; in all, 8,747,9154, varying in price with 
 situation. 
 
 " In Upper Canada, it is 70 cents per acre for 
 cash, or one dollar when paid in instalments — one 
 at the time of purchase, and the remainder in four 
 equal annual payments with interest. In Lower 
 Canada, the highest price is 60 cents, but the larger 
 quantity is disposable at 30 cents per acre. In the 
 Algoma District, Upper Canada, and in those of 
 Gaspe and Saguenay in Lower Canada, the price is 
 only 20 cents. The condition of settlement is ex- 
 acted in all cases. 
 
 " Through these newer lands seven great roads 
 have recently been laid out in Upper and five in 
 Lower Canada. The Upper Canada roads are — 
 1. 'The Ottawa and Opeongo Road/ which runs 
 east and west, intended to be 171 miles in length, 
 and to connect the Ottawa River with Lake Huron ; 
 of this, 62 miles are finished, on which 235 settlers 
 are already located. 2. ' The Addington Road/ 
 which intersects the Opeongo Road ; on this, which 
 is about 61 miles in length, there are 178 settlers. 
 
 3. e The Hastings Road/ running nearly parallel to 
 the Addington Road, and connecting the county of 
 Hastings with the Ottawa and Opeongo Road, 68 
 miles in length, on which there are 306 settlers. 
 
 4. ' The Bobcaygeon Road/ running north from 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers, 13 
 
 Bobcaygeon, between the counties of Peterborough 
 and Victoria, meant to be continued to Nipissing; 
 the number of miles completed is 36, the number of 
 settlers, 168. 5. f The Frontenac and Madawaska 
 Road/ of which the number of miles completed is 
 33. 6. ( The Muskoka Road/ which runs from the 
 head of the navigation of Lake Couchiching to the 
 Grand Falls of Muskoka, where it will intersect what 
 is called Peterson's line, which will eventually meet 
 the Ottawa and Opeongo Road, now gradually open- 
 ing west war dly. By this road, the intending settler 
 can reach the centre of the county in one day from 
 Toronto, whence he will proceed by Northern Rail- 
 way to Lake Simcoe, and thence by steamer — 
 21 miles are completed. 7. c The Sault Ste. Marie 
 Road/ intended to run from Sault Ste. Marie to 
 Gonlais Bay, — four miles of which are completed. 
 8. f The Burleigh Road' — 45 miles are finished; there 
 are nearly 100 settlers. In two years this line will 
 be completed, to the English Company's townships. 
 " The five in Lower Canada are — c The Elgin 
 Road/ in the county of D'Islet, 38 miles in length, 
 from St. Jean Port Joli to the Provincial Line; 
 < The Montreal and Cap Chat / c The Tache Road/ 
 from Buckland county of Bellechasse, to Kempt 
 Road, Rimouski, about 200 miles; f The Temis- 
 couata Road/ from River du Loup to Lake Temis- 
 couata; and 'The Kempt Road/ from Metis to 
 Restigouche. 
 
14 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 " Along these roads,, free grants, not exceeding 
 100 acres in each case, are given by the government 
 for the purpose of facilitating settlement, on the 
 following conditions. 
 
 " 1. That the settler be eighteen years of age. 
 
 " 2. That he take possession of the land allotted 
 to him within one month. 
 
 " 3. That he put into a state of cultivation twelve 
 acres of land in the course of four years. 
 
 " 4. That he build a log-house, 20 by 18 feet, and 
 reside on the lot until the foregoing conditions are 
 fulfilled. 
 
 " f Families may reside on a single lot, and the 
 several members having land allotted to them will 
 be exempt from building and residence on each in- 
 dividual lot. The non-fulfilment of these conditions 
 will cause the immediate loss of the land, which will 
 be sold or given to another. The lands thus opened 
 up, and gratuitously offered by the government for 
 settlement, are chiefly of excellent quality, and well 
 adapted, in respect of soil and climate, to all the 
 purposes of husbandry. 
 
 " ' The reports of the resident agents on these 
 roads, for the past year, convey the most favourable 
 accounts of the prosperity of the settlers thereon, 
 and of the large amount of produce they have raised 
 on the newly- cleared lands. ' 
 
 " In the Crown Lands' Eeport for 1862, similar 
 accounts are given ; though a late statement excepts 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 15 
 
 certain parts of the Opeongo Road, which, are said to 
 be so rocky as to be incapable of cultivation. 
 
 ' c In its mines, in its forests, and in its fisheries, 
 Canada has stores of untold, of almost inconceivable 
 wealth ; which its numerous lakes and rivers supply 
 facilities for conveying to market. 
 
 "Of metallic minerals, the following are enu- 
 merated in a catalogue contained in ' Canada at the 
 Universal Exhibition, in 1855/ to wit, Magnetic 
 Iron Ore, Specular Iron Ore, Limonite (Bog Ore), 
 Titaniferous Iron, Sulphate of Zinc (Blende), Sul- 
 phate of Lead (Galena), Copper, Nickel, Silver, Gold. 
 Non-metallic — Teranium, Chromium, Cobalt, Man- 
 ganese, Iron Pyrites, Graphite, Dolomite, Carbonate 
 of Magnesia, Sulphate of Baryta, Iron Ochres, Stea- 
 tite, Lithographic Stone, Agates, Jasper, Labrador 
 Felspar, Aventurine, Hyacinthe, Corumdum, Ame- 
 thyst, Jet, Quartzose Sandstone, Eetinite and Ba- 
 salt, Gypsum, Shell Marl, Phosphate of Lime, 
 Millstones, Grindstones, Whetstones, and Tripoli. 
 Under the head c Building Materials/ are specified . 
 Granites, Sandstone, Calcareous Sandstone, Lime- 
 stones, Hydraulic Limestones, Roofing Slates, Flag- 
 ging Stones ; Clays suitable for the formation of red 
 and white bricks, tiles and coarse pottery ; Moulding 
 Sand, Fuller's Earth; and Marbles, white, black, 
 red, brown, yellow and black, grey and variegated, 
 and green. Of combustibles — Peat, Petroleum and 
 Asphaltum, are named. Some of these are confined 
 
16 
 
 Canada in 1864 
 
 to a single locality, others to a few places, but the 
 more useful of them are widely distributed, and their 
 quantities very great. 
 
 " Though our fisheries are as yet in their infancy, 
 they employ from 1200 to 1500 boats, with nearly 1 00 
 vessels. The annual value of their products is, for 
 Lower Canada, #942,528; for Upper Canada, 
 #380,000 ; total, #1,322,528. 
 
 " Exclusive of furs, the products of the forest 
 amounted, in 1860, to #11,012,253. 
 
 " Our climate, notwithstanding the extremes of 
 cold and heat to which it is liable — which, however, 
 are often greatly exaggerated— is eminently favour- 
 able, as the tables of longevity and the habits of the 
 people prove, both to life and enjoyment. 
 
 " According to Professor Guy, the proportion of 
 deaths to the population is, in 
 
 Austria . 
 Denmark 
 France . 
 Portugal 
 Russia in Europ 
 Switzerland 
 United States 
 Lower Canada 
 Belgium 
 
 " ' The salubrity of the province/ remarks Mr. 
 Hogan, from whom we have taken the above table, 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 40 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 45 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 42 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 40 
 
 pe 1 
 
 in 
 
 44 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 40 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 74 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 92 
 
 . 1 
 
 in 
 
 43 
 
 England . . 
 
 lin 4G 
 
 Norway & Swe- 
 
 
 den . . . 
 
 lin 41 
 
 Prussia . . . 
 
 lin 39 
 
 Spain . . . 
 
 lin 40 
 
 Turkey . . . 
 
 lin 50 
 
 Upper Canada 
 
 lin 102 
 
 All Canada 
 
 lin 98 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 17 
 
 'is sufficiently proved by its cloudless skies, its 
 elastic air, and almost entire absence of fogs. The 
 lightness of the atmosphere has a most invigorating 
 effect upon the spirits. The winter frosts are severe 
 and steady, and the summer suns are hot, and bring- 
 on vegetation with wonderful rapidity. It is true 
 that the spring of Canada differs much from the 
 spring of many parts of Europe ; but after her long 
 winter the crops start up as if by magic, and reconcile 
 her inhabitants to the loss of that which, elsewhere, 
 is often the sweetest season of the year. If, how- 
 ever, Canada has but a short spring, she can boast 
 of an autumn deliciously mild, and often lingering 
 on, with its Indian summer and golden sunsets, until 
 the month of December. 
 
 " f A Canadian winter, the mention of which some 
 years ago, in Europe, conveyed almost a sensation 
 of misery, is hailed rather as a season of increased 
 enjoyment than of privation and discomfort by the 
 people. Instead of alternate rain, snow, sleet, and 
 fog, with broken up and impassable roads, the Ca- 
 nadian has clear skies, a fine, bracing atmosphere, 
 with the rivers and many of the smaller lakes frozen, 
 and the inequalities in the rough tracks through the 
 woods made smooth by snow, the whole face of the 
 country being literally macadamized by nature for a 
 people as yet unable to macadamize for themselves/ 
 
 "4. The constituents and character of its population. 
 
 ' f As a matter of course, its inhabitants share in the 
 
 2 
 
18 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 common characteristics of the races whence they 
 have sprung — which include the leading peoples of 
 Europe,, those especially of the British Islands, and 
 France and Germany — and natives of the United 
 States. The circumstances in which they are placed 
 — the constant demand on them for exertion during 
 the earlier period of their residence in the country, 
 the self-dependence they are called to exercise, con- 
 nected with the measure in which they are thrown 
 on one ano therms sympathy, and the hopes amidst 
 which they work, have a direct tendency to deve- 
 lop not a few of their better qu ah ties. Even the 
 variety of their previous modes of thought and 
 action, though occasioning perhaps for a time some 
 inconvenience, is a gain to them in the end by the 
 contributions which it enables them to make seve- 
 rally to the common stock of ideas, and the habit 
 which it produces of tolerance for unessential diffe- 
 rences, consideration for one another's feelings, and 
 appreciation of each other's virtues. 
 
 "An incidental advantage of no small value, re- 
 sulting from the variety of origin to which allusion 
 has been made, is the sympathy which the new 
 comer may look for from his countrymen, with the 
 measure in which the privilege of association with 
 them helps to make him feel himself at home. 
 This is a source of comfort specially open to emi- 
 grants from Britain, France, and the neighbouring 
 States. 
 
A Rand-booh for Settlers. 19 
 
 " Among the larger portion of our people there 
 exists, alongside of the variety of origin alluded to, a 
 homogeneousness which greatly facilitates their weld- 
 ing into one community, imparting to them, while 
 the process is going on, a coincidence of feeling 
 which makes living among them easy and pleasant, 
 and secures their acting together in all matters of 
 special moment. 
 
 ' ' The beneficial influence mutually exerted by the 
 new comer and the older resident on one another, is 
 well brought out in the following passage of Mr. 
 Hogan : — 
 
 C{ ' It is a remarkable fact that the farmers of 
 Upper Canada have opportunities of improvement, 
 and of enlarging and correcting their views, beyond 
 what are enjoyed by many of their class even in 
 England. And this arises from the circumstance 
 of the population being made up of so many varie- 
 ties. The same neighbourhood has frequently a 
 representative of the best farming skill of Yorkshire, 
 of the judicious management and agricultural expe- 
 riences of the Lothians, and of the patient industry 
 and perseverance of Flanders. In a country so peo- 
 pled, the benefits of travel are gained without the 
 necessity of going away from home. Other coun- 
 tries, in fact, send their people to teach Canadians, 
 instead of Canadians having to go to other countries 
 to learn. A thousand experiences are brought to 
 their doors, instead of their having to visit a thou- 
 
20 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 sand doors to acquire them. Nor is the advantage 
 of this happy admixture of population altogether on 
 the side of the Canadian ; for whilst he gleans from 
 the old countryman his skill and his science, he 
 teaches him, in return, how to rely upon himself in 
 emergencies and difficulties inseparable from a new 
 country ; how to be a carpenter when a storm blows 
 down a door, and there is no carpenter to be had, 
 and how to be an undismayed wheelwright when a 
 waggon breaks down in the midst of a forest, and 
 there is no one either to instruct or assist him. The 
 one, in short, imparts to a comparatively rude peo- 
 ple the knowledge and skill of an old and civilized 
 country; the other teaches skilled labour how to live 
 in a new land. The consequence is, the old coun- 
 tryman of tact becomes, in all that relates to self- 
 reliance and enterprise, a capital Canadian in a few 
 years ; whilst the Canadian, in all that pertains to 
 skilful industry, becomes an Englishman.'' 
 
 u The operation of the same fact, the mixed cha- 
 racter of our population, on the culture of taste is 
 shown in continuance of the above, but our space 
 compels us to leave it unquoted. The principle may 
 be applied more widely than it is by Mr. H. Its 
 power is, in fact, co-extensive with our whole think- 
 ing and working. 
 
 " 5. Its institutions. 
 
 " Nowhere is a more perfect freedom enjoyed than 
 here. Of a state of liberty more complete it would 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 2 1 
 
 indeed be difficult even to form a conception. We 
 live under laws of our own making or voluntary 
 adoption, administered in courts established by our- 
 selves, and by judges of our own appointing. The 
 men by whom our general affairs are managed are 
 chosen by ourselves and responsible to us for their 
 conduct. Our municipal system gives the people 
 a power in local matters which is supreme, and 
 affords to the more ambitious and intelligent among 
 them an opportunity of preparing themselves for 
 the performance of higher duties; as well as of 
 attracting the notice and securing the respect of the 
 community. Of influence or station, there is nothing 
 among us to which the poorest may not aspire. 
 
 "The general features of the municipal law of 
 Upper Canada, and which, with some modifications, 
 suited to the different state of society in Lower 
 Canada, may be stated as the system in force 
 throughout the province, are — 
 
 " The inhabitants of each county, city, town and 
 township, are constituted corporations ; their orga- 
 nization proceeding wholly upon the elective prin- 
 ciple ; and provision is made for the erection of new 
 municipalities, as the circumstances of the country 
 require, by their separation from those already ex- 
 isting. A complete system is created for regulating 
 the elections, and for defining the duties of the 
 municipalities and their officers. Their powers may 
 be generally stated to embrace everything of a 
 
22 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 local nature, including the opening and maintenance 
 of highways, the erection of school-houses, and the 
 support of common and grammar-schools ; the pro- 
 vision of accommodation for the administration of 
 justice, jails, etc., and the collection of rates for 
 their support, as well as for the payment of petty 
 jurymen; granting shop and tavern licences ; regu- 
 lating and prohibiting the sale of spirituous liquors ; 
 providing for the support of the poor ; preventing 
 the obstruction of streams ; effecting drainage, both 
 in the cities and county ; inspection of weights and 
 measures ; enforcing the due observance of the 
 Sabbath, and protection of public morals ; esta- 
 blishing and regulating ferries, harbours, markets, 
 etc.; abating nuisances ; making regulations for and 
 taking precautions against fires; establishing gas 
 and waterworks ; making police regulations ; levy- 
 ing rates upon all real and personal property, in- 
 cluding incomes, for all purposes ; and, for certain 
 objects, borrowing money ; together with a great 
 number of minor matters, essential for the good 
 government of a community. 
 
 "In educational advantageswe know of no country 
 so young that exceeds us. By few of that class are 
 we even equalled. Our common schools, established 
 on the best principles and taught by well- qualified 
 and honourably-conducted teachers, offer to our 
 youth at large the means of qualifying themselves 
 for the intelligent and efficient performance of the 
 
A Hand-hook for Settlers. 23 
 
 duties awaiting them in their present social posi- 
 tions, or aiding them, if such "be their wish, to raise 
 themselves to such as are higher, either without 
 cost or at a charge little more than nominal. For 
 the obtaining of a still better culture our Grammar 
 Schools, which are rapidly improving in character, 
 offer all reasonable facilities ; while our Colleges 
 and Universities place professional training and in- 
 struction in the higher departments of learning and 
 science within the reach of the possessors of mode- 
 rate means, or such as, in the absence of these, may 
 be disposed to maintain for a time a manly struggle 
 for their own advancement. 
 
 " From a valuable table (T.) given in Dr. 
 Ryerson's Report for 1861, we extract the fol- 
 lowing particulars, illustrative of the educational 
 progress of Upper Canada between 1842 and 
 1861. 
 
 " The number of common schools was, in 1842, 
 1,271; 1847, 2,727; 1852, 2,992; 1857, 3,631; 
 1861, 3,910. The pupils attending these numbered 
 in 1842, 65,978; 1847, 124,829; 1852, 179,587; 
 1857,262,673; 1861,316,287. Of Roman Catholic 
 separate schools there are reported, for 1851, in 
 which year they first appear in the returns, 16; 
 1857, 100 ; 1861, 109. There were in 1845, 2,860 
 common school teachers employed ; in 1850, 3,476 ; 
 in 1855, 3,565; and in 1861, 4,336. There were 
 paid for salaries of teachers of common and separate 
 
24 Canada inlS6i,: 
 
 schools, erection and repair of school-houses, libra- 
 ries and apparatus, in 1850, $410,472; in 1855, 
 $899,272; in 1861, $1,191,413. Of the schools 
 thus reported there were 252 free in 1850; 1,211 
 in 1855; and in 1861, 2,903. 
 
 a In 1842, there are supposed to have been in 
 existence 25 county grammar schools. They num- 
 bered 32 in 1847; in 1852, 60; in 1857, 72; in 
 1861, 86. On these schools there were in attend- 
 ance in 1847, 1,000 pupils; in 1852, 2,643 ; in 1857, 
 4,073; in 1861, 4,766. The salaries paid the mas- 
 ters were, in 1855, the first year in which they are 
 given separately, $46,255 ; in 1861, $71,034. 
 
 "In 1842, we have reported, in addition to the 
 above, 44 separate schools and academies (a sup- 
 posed approximation) ; in 1847, 96 ; in 1852, 181; 
 in 1857, 276; in 1861, 337. The number of pupils 
 in these institutions was, in 1847, 1,831 ; in 1852, 
 5,684; in 1857, 4,073; in 1861, 4,766. 
 
 u We had in operation, in 1847, six colleges, with 
 an attendance of 700 students; in 1852, eight, with 
 751 students; in 1857, twelve, with 1,335 (approx.); 
 1861, thirteen, with 1,373 (approx.) 
 
 " The amounts reported as paid for educational 
 purposes in Upper Canada, were, in 1851, $599,980 ; 
 in 1856, $1,326,992; in 1861, $1,476,107. 
 
 "The following table, by J. G-. Hodgins, LL.B., 
 F.R.G.S., taken from c Eighty Years' Progress/ 
 etc. (p. 524), will give an idea of the educational 
 
A Band-booh for Settlers, 
 
 25 
 
 advance of Lower Canada between 1852 and 
 1861. 
 
 Year. 
 
 Educational 
 Institutions 
 of all kinds. 
 
 Pupils. 
 
 Assessments 
 and Fees. 
 
 1853 . 
 
 . 2,352 . . 
 
 108,284 
 
 . . $165,848 
 
 1854 . 
 
 . 2,795 . . 
 
 119,733 
 
 . . 238,032 
 
 1855 
 
 . 2,868 . . 
 
 127,058 
 
 . . 249,136 
 
 1856 
 
 . 2,919 . . 
 
 143,141 
 
 . . 406,764 
 
 1857 . 
 
 . 2,986 . . 
 
 148,798 
 
 . . 424,208 
 
 1858 
 
 . 2,985 . . 
 
 156,872 
 
 . . 459,366 
 
 1859 
 
 . 3,199 . . 
 
 168,148 
 
 ' . . 498,436 
 
 I860 
 
 . 3,264 . . 
 
 172,155 
 
 . . 503,859 
 
 1861 
 
 . 3,345 . . 
 
 180,845 
 
 . . 526,219 
 
 cc As to religions privileges, we are also on the 
 whole favourably situated. The right of judging 
 for ourselves in these matters is universally recog- 
 nized; and in the eye of the law we stand on' an 
 equality. The common denominations have all a 
 place amongst us, so that we may each, if such be 
 our desire, have the opportunity of connection, in 
 the older portions of the country, at auy rate, with 
 those among whom we may have been brought up, 
 or who may be preferred by us. Fair allowance 
 being made for difference in circumstances, the 
 means of instruction will compare favourably as to 
 character, in the greater part of these bodies, with 
 those enjoyed by them elsewhere. Speaking gene- 
 rally, the usual forms of Christian exertion — the 
 
26 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 Sabbath school, Bible class, Bible, Tract, and Mis- 
 sionary Societies, and kindred organizations — are 
 found in healthful and vigorous operation among 
 them. Notwithstanding their differing views, these 
 denominations, moreover, dwell side by side in 
 peace, treat each other with the courtesies common 
 in other parts of the Christian world, and co-operate 
 with one another for common objects, as much at 
 lca c :t as is common in the lands whence they have 
 come. The institutions for the relief of want and 
 distress in its various forms, which usually follow in 
 the wake of Christianity, have place and are carry- 
 ing on their good work in our midst. 
 
 "6. The union which it offers of the advantages 
 characteristic hoth of the older and the newer states 
 of society. 
 
 " By selecting as their home the older parts of 
 the country, those whose tastes would lead them to 
 give the preference to the former may secure them 
 in fair measure, provided they bring with them the 
 necessary requisites in character, habits, and 
 means ; while such as are willing to share the usual 
 fortunes of the latter, may calculate on the chances 
 open to them in ordinary circumstances. Growth, 
 with its attendant advantages, is in these chiefly a 
 question of time and patience. At a much earlier 
 age, and with much less of struggle than is requisite 
 in older countries, the diligent and economical may 
 hope to place themselves in a position of independ- 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 27 
 
 ence. As a general thing, the means of comfortable 
 support is within the reach of the industrious, on 
 conditions much less onerous than in these. 
 
 " 7. Its relations and status. 
 
 " The emigrant to Canada has, in the fact of its 
 forming part of the British Empire, the guarantee of 
 one of the most powerful nations on the earth for 
 his protection against injury from without. In this 
 respect, as in every other, the mother country has 
 of course a right to expect that we shall make every 
 reasonable effort to help ourselves. Should the 
 necessity arise, this will be done ; and being done, 
 there need be feared on her part no failure. 
 
 c 'Against the risk of any movement from within, 
 which would interfere injuriously with him, he has 
 equal assurance in the hearty loyalty and affectionate 
 attachment of our people to the parent state, which 
 would make them contemplate the prospect of sepa- 
 ration with dislike, rather than pleasure. 
 
 ' c The connection of Canada with Britain gives her 
 also a standing which, in addition to its agreeable- 
 ness, is fitted to render important aid in her develop- 
 ment. It tends to operate thus by the feeling of 
 self-respect which it inspires and fosters, by the 
 honours which it holds out to the ambitious the 
 hope of sharing, and by the examples that are felt to 
 be constantly inviting imitation. 
 
 ' ' Retaining, as he does, his connection with the 
 land of his birth, the native of the British Islands 
 
28 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 who chooses Canada as liis home, is saved from 
 much of the feeling of expatriation which he would 
 experience elsewhere. He finds himself but half a 
 stranger, if even that. He looks with a pride, of 
 which he was perhaps never previously conscious, on 
 the old flag, as it floats over him ; exults in his 
 country's glories as his own ; and finds a hymn in 
 the National Anthem. 
 
 "8. The steadiness and satisfactoriness of its 
 growth, 
 
 " A few particulars are all our space will admit in 
 illustration of this. 
 
 1 ' The population of United Canada numbered in 
 the year 1800, 240,000. It was in 1825, 581,920 - 
 by 1851 it had reached 1,842,265. In 1861 it 
 amounted to 2,506,755. The advance in Upper 
 Canada between 1825 and 1861 has been from 
 581,027 to 1,396,091— not much less than 800 per 
 cent, in 36 years. 
 
 " In 1831, the number of cultivated acres in the 
 whole of Canada, Upper and Lower, was 2,884,345. 
 It came up in 1844 to 4,968,408; and in 1851 to 
 7,300,837. The returns for Lower Canada, for 
 1861, have not yet been published. In Upper 
 Canada alone, 6,051,619 are reported for that 
 year. 
 
 " Upper Canada had, in 1851, 99,906 occupiers of 
 land. They numbered, in 1861, 131,983. It pro- 
 duced, in 1851, 12,682,550 bushels of wheat; 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers, 29 
 
 11,391,867 of oats; 9,982,186 of potatoes; 3,110,118 
 of turnips; of flax or hemp, 59,680 lbs.; 3,669,874 
 lbs. of maple sugar. Its produce of these ar- 
 ticles was, in 1861 — wheat, 24,260,425 bushels; 
 oats, 21,220,874 ; potatoes, 15,325,920 ; turnips, 
 18,206,959; flax or hemp, 1,225,934 lbs.; maple 
 sugar, 6,370,605 lbs. The value of the live stock in 
 Upper Canada was, in 1 861, as much as $53,227,486; 
 its agricultural implements, $11,280,347; its farms, 
 $295,162,315. A similar progress will, we doubt 
 not, be shown in Lower Canada, when its agricul- 
 tural statistics for the year in question appear. 
 
 " In 1808, the value of the entire trade of Canada 
 was about $8,400,000. The value reached, in 1852 
 —exports, $i4,055,973 ; imports, $20,286,493 ; 
 total, $34,342,466. In 1861, its imports amounted 
 to $36,614,195 ; exports, $43,046,823 ; total, 
 $79,661,013. The value of the trade with the 
 United States alone was, in the last of these 
 years, $35,455,815 ; the imports from that coun- 
 try reaching $21,069,388, and the imports to it 
 $14,386,427. 
 
 " In 1851, the net revenue yielded by the customs 
 was $2,808,831 ; in 1861, $4,411,160. The value 
 of books imported was, in 1850, $243,580; in 1861, 
 $5,056,943. 
 
 c< On roads, navigation and railroads, the province 
 has expended as much as $60,000,000, over and 
 above the interest in the latter of parties out of the 
 
30 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 country. There are in use at this moment between 
 1,800 and 1,900 miles of railway; besides 3,422 of 
 electric telegraph, belonging to the Montreal Tele- 
 graph Company, which had, in 1861, a capital stock 
 of #400,000 (to which it had advanced from 
 #60,000, in 1847), employed 400 persons (35 in 
 1817), and conveyed 300,000 messages; the num- 
 ber conveyed in 1847 having been 33,000. 
 
 " Our post offices have multiplied from 3, in 1 766, 
 to 69, in 1824; 601, in 1850; and 1,698, in 1860. 
 The number of miles of established post roads was, 
 in the first of these years, 170 ; in the second, 1992 ; 
 in the third, 7,595; and in the last, 14,202. The 
 miles travelled were, in 1766, 369; in 1824, 616; 
 in 1851, 2,287,000; in 1860, 5,712,000. In 1852, 
 3,700,000 letters were transmitted; in 1860, 
 9,000,000. The expenditure of the Post Office was, 
 in the former of these years, #276,191, and its 
 revenue #230,629; in the latter, its expenditure 
 was #534,681, and its revenue #658,451. One 
 hundred and ten thousand dollars additional is paid 
 per annum, by way of subsidy, to railroads; and 
 four hundred and sixteen thousand to steamships. 
 
 " From the above it will be seen that our growth 
 has been rapid, steady, and general ; not coming by 
 fits and starts, or confined in its sphere. 
 
 "9. Its prospects. 
 
 " It cannot fail, without fault on the part of its 
 people, to continue growing and to become strong 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 31 
 
 and prosperous and influential ; for it has in itself, 
 in its geographical position, and in its relations, all 
 the elements of greatness. But such failure is not 
 to be anticipated, as self-respect, interest, and duty, 
 unite in urging us to make the best of our position. 
 The worst part of the struggle is over. To carry us 
 to the height of any reasonable ambition, all that is 
 necessary is perseverance for a moderate time in 
 the self-denial and exertion of the past with the 
 careful avoidance of its errors, as far as they may be 
 discovered. f 
 
 " The motive to throw in their lot with us, held 
 out by such a state of things to those who may be 
 contemplating change, is manifest. To witness 
 progress is pleasant, how much more to share in it 
 and to be made partakers of the advantages it 
 yields. 
 
 u 10. The common feeling of such as have made 
 trial of the country. 
 
 u Few who have lived in it for any length of time, 
 possessing the characteristics and pursuing the course 
 necessary to success, would willingly exchange it for 
 the lands whence they came. Nothing is more 
 common than for those who visit their old homes, 
 after a few years* residence therein, to feel impatient 
 till they get back. Numbers who have left it with 
 the intention of remaining at home, have returned 
 to it unable to enjoy themselves there. The freedom 
 realized here from the burdensome restraints of older 
 
32 Canada in 1861/ : 
 
 societies,, and the social consideration which the de- 
 serving seldom fail to receive, help to explain the 
 above state of feeling. In the fact of its existence, 
 the new comer, or the man contemplating coming, 
 has fair promise and assurance that he will, in due 
 time, feel himself one of us, and at home among us. 
 
 " The classes to which Canada will be found spe- 
 cially adapted are — 
 
 " 1. Farmers, and parties accustomed to agricul- 
 tural pursuits. 
 
 " These may, if they bring moderate means with 
 them, find cleared or uncleared farms, according to 
 their taste, in most parts of the country, at prices 
 moderate, though of course varying with quality of 
 land, value of improvements, and location. Such as 
 may be without the advantage of means may gene- 
 rally, if prepared to accept of reasonable wages, find 
 employment and comfortable homes among our 
 farmers. By satisfying themselves for a time with 
 these, they gain an acquaintance with the county, 
 the modes of working best suited to it, the most de- 
 sirable locations, prices of land, etc., which will save 
 them much to which they would be in danger other- 
 wise of being subjected, and help them to work at 
 advantage to themselves. 
 
 "Though not in an equal degree, parties previously 
 unaccustomed to agriculture, if disposed to devote 
 themselves to it, may secure these advantages by the 
 pursuance of the same course. Numbers are found, 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 33 
 
 all through the country, with good farms, and in 
 comfortable circumstances, who had their knowledge 
 to acquire after their arrival. If possessed of the 
 physical requisites, and the power of adapting them- 
 selves to new circumstances, none who make up their 
 minds to persevere need despair, though, compared 
 with the others, they must labour for a time under 
 disadvantage. 
 
 (i 2. Mechanics, those especially of the more com- 
 mon descriptions. 
 
 " These may generally find employment in one 
 part or another, indeed in almost any part of the 
 province, at fair wages, and within a reasonable time. 
 If well-behaved, industrious, and economical, they 
 may hope to attain ultimately a good position both 
 as to comfort and standing. Many of this class are 
 to be met with in our cities, and even smaller towns 
 and villages, living on their savings while yet com- 
 paratively young. Those of trades less common run, 
 of course, more risk, though numbers even of these 
 succeed in making themselves positions in the cities. 
 
 "3. The possessors of spare means. 
 
 " What they may be able and disposed to invest 
 will afford this class much better returns here, with- 
 out the adoption of any course involving wrong, 
 than at home. They may also, if desirous of making 
 themselves useful, obtain (provided they possess the 
 necessary requisites) abundant means of doing so in 
 harmony with their habits and tastes. 
 
 3 
 
84 Canada in 1864: 
 
 u The tilings needful to success in Canada, with- 
 out which none can hope for it, and with which none 
 need despair of it, are — 
 
 1. Fair health, intelligence, and capacity for 
 useful action. 
 
 2. Good principles, and correct, honourable 
 habits. 
 
 3. Steady and patient perseverance. 
 
 4. A cheerful and hopeful spirit. 
 
 5. The blessing of God." 
 
 From the foregoing "ten reasons" it will be mani- 
 fest that Canada is one of the healthiest countries in 
 the world. In some of the swampy grounds, near 
 rivers that have been dammed up for the purpose 
 of rafting down timber, ague has been very pre- 
 valent ; but as the surrounding parts are cleared 
 and cultivated, the disease vanishes. It may be 
 as well to warn those who are coming out with the 
 idea of at once obtaining one of the free grants of 
 land given by Government, that, as soon as roads 
 are opened, these lots are taken up mostly by old 
 emigrants, and often as a speculation, with a view 
 of reselling them at a profit to the new arrivals. 
 The first settlers must of course encounter diffi- 
 culties, though by no means to the same extent 
 as was the case in former days, when they had to 
 cut their own tracks through thick forests, and to 
 carry their wheat and other grains on their backs 
 for sometimes more than thirty miles. Now the 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 35 
 
 Government make good roads and bridges over the 
 swamps ; and when these are completed, saw-mills, 
 grist-mills, and stores quickly spring up. The 
 great evil in these new settlements is the number 
 of shibeens or whiskey-shanties that are imme- 
 diately erected, the liquor being in general of the 
 worst quality, and adulterated with all sorts of 
 poisonous ingredients. In the backwoods, where 
 laws and licences do not as yet prevail, intoxication 
 is but too common among the mauvais sujets who 
 are sure to be met with. Every shade of character, 
 and many varieties of professions, are here repre- 
 sented. The broken-down gentleman, the retired 
 officer, the young and laborious aspirant to an inde- 
 pendence, perhaps denied him at home, the ruined 
 spendthrift, the desperate gamester, all may be seen 
 in turn. And scarcely less diversified are the forms 
 of religious belief — the English Churchman, the 
 Romanist, the Presbyterian, the Methodist, the 
 Mormon, cum multis aliis, each endeavouring to 
 raise for himself a home in the wilderness. 
 
 The Englishman will yearn for the sight of that 
 far-away spire among the trees in the old country 
 village, and will miss the sweet sound of the bells 
 that have so often summoned himself and his 
 neighbours to the church of their forefathers. But 
 as years roll on, his log-house, however solitary at 
 first, will probably become the centre of a thriving 
 township, perhaps eventually of a populous city; 
 
36 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 and temples will be reared where not long ago the 
 ancient primeval forests stretched far and wide in 
 every direction, obscuring almost his view of the 
 very sky. Meanwhile, he will be encompassed by 
 the grand old temple of God's own making, the 
 pathless, illimitable woods, such woods as in the 
 eastern hemisphere suggested to his Teutonic ances- 
 tors the idea of their Gothic piles, and invested 
 their architecture with its distinctive character of 
 vast and noble simplicity. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 37 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arrival in the backwoods — Building a shanty — Necessaries for the 
 first year, and their cost — Cultivation of the land — Beaver 
 meadow hay — Rates of postage — Postal communication past 
 and present. 
 
 I will now assume that you, the new settler, have 
 arrived at your destination in the backwoods and 
 taken possession of your allotment of land there. 
 Your next step is to select a spot for your shanty, 
 which should be erected near a running stream, or 
 at all events where water is easily procurable in the 
 immediate vicinity. If you have undertaken Go- 
 vernment duties, your loghouse should measure 
 16 feet by 20 feet ; if not, you can suit your own 
 convenience, and unless you have a numerous family, 
 14 feet by 18 feet will be large enough. Having 
 cleared the ground you must then cut your logs ; 
 pine logs are to be preferred if readily attainable, 
 being generally straighter and easier to chop than 
 others. The troughs for the roof should be either 
 of pine or basswood ; the latter is to be recom- 
 mended as the lighter of the two, and consequently 
 easier to handle and to split. A layer of these 
 
38 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 troughs is placed on the rafters, and then one in- 
 verted over the edges of two. Having completed 
 the preliminaries as far as possible, go round to 
 your neighbours and ask them to " the Bee/' i.e., 
 to raise your shanty. You will find them for the 
 most part very ready to respond to your call, and in 
 return you arc expected to give them the best you 
 can get. Your female neighbours (if you are for- 
 tunate enough to possess any) will aid you in your 
 hospitable preparations. Unless you are yourself a 
 good builder, commit the " bossing"* department 
 to a more skilful hand ; and in a few hours your 
 shanty will be reared with right good will. Your 
 door and a place for your window must of course 
 be cut ; the window itself you should procure before 
 you go into the woods, and also hinges and nails for 
 the door. Should there be no saw mill hard by, 
 temporary boards may be made by splitting bass- 
 wood with an axe : and if you have no stove, a fire- 
 place may be constructed in one corner of flat stones, 
 with a chimney formed of pieces of maple built up 
 square, the bark being first stripped off, that the 
 wood may be less likely to ignite. Or a square hole 
 may be cut in the middle of the roof for the 
 escape of the smoke, and the fire lighted on the 
 floor, which should be raised by heaping clay or 
 other earth upon it. For a large party the latter 
 
 * The superintendent or head-man is called " Boss," both in 
 Canada and in the States. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers, 39 
 
 contrivance is the more comfortable, as all may 
 gather round the blaze, and it does not often smoke. 
 Your dwelling should be lined throughout with 
 moss, which abounds on the ash and various trees 
 in the woods and swamps. Do not build too near 
 one of the latter, or you will be constantly pestered 
 by mosquitoes, and annoyed by the croaking of frogs. 
 It may be as well here to insert a table of neces- 
 saries and expenses for a man and his wife for one 
 year : — 
 
 Provisions. 
 4 barrels of flour at £1 ... £4 
 li „ pork . . .200 
 30 bushels of potatoes at 2s. . 3 
 14 lbs. of tea at 3s. . . .220 
 1 barrel of white fish — mackerel 
 
 or herrings . . . . 1 10 
 Salt 5 0' 
 
 Seed. 
 
 10 bushels of potatoes at 2s. . 1 
 
 3 „ wheat at 5s. . 15 
 
 10 „ oats at 2s. . .10 
 
 Other Necessaries. 
 1 axe . . , . .060 
 1 grindstone . . . .076 
 1 shovel 2 
 
 Carried forward . £16 7 6 
 
40 
 
 Canada in 1864 
 
 Brought forward 
 2 hoes at 3s. each 
 
 £16 7 
 . 6 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 1 brush hook . 
 
 . 4 
 
 
 
 1 scythe . 
 1-inch auger . 
 
 ii- „ . . 
 
 1 hand- saw 
 
 . 5 
 . 4 
 . 5 
 
 . 7 
 
 
 6 
 6 
 6 
 
 2 water-pails . 
 
 1 window sash and glass . 
 
 . 2 
 . 5 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 1 bake-oven 
 
 . 7 
 
 6 
 
 2 pots 
 1 kettle . 
 
 . 10 
 . 5 
 
 
 
 
 1 frying-pan 
 1 tea-pot 
 3 tin dishes 
 
 . 3 
 . 2 
 
 . 7 
 
 
 6 
 6 
 
 G spoons 
 
 6 knives and forks . 
 
 . 1 
 . 5 
 
 
 
 
 3 pairs of blankets . 
 
 . 3 10 
 
 
 
 2 rugs . 
 
 2 pairs of sheets* 
 
 1 smoothing iron 
 
 . 7 
 . 6 
 . 2 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 
 £24 15 
 
 
 
 lpig 
 
 1 cow . 
 
 . 12 
 . 4 
 
 6 
 
 
 Hay . 
 
 . 3 
 
 
 
 £32 7 6 
 
 * Sheets are rarely used at present in tlie far backwoods. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 41 
 
 For the first year you could manage well enough, 
 with an open fireplace ; in the second you would re- 
 quire a cooking-stove, which may be purchased with 
 all appliances for £5 sterling, sufficient for your 
 purpose. Should you own any light carpenter's 
 tools, bring them with you into the backwoods, 
 where every little article may come into use. Of the 
 necessaries enumerated above, the cow may, during 
 the. first twelvemonth, be dispensed with, in which 
 case the hay for its use will of course not be required. 
 As to hay, the backwoodsman can, generally speak- 
 ing, collect enough for his cow ; the hay from the 
 beaver meadows is very good, particularly the blue 
 joint. Salt must be strewn over it as it is stacked, 
 and in feeding the cattle or horses, it is advisable 
 to administer to them about a tablespoonful of sul- 
 phur once a week. Some of the beaver meadows* 
 are of great extent, capable of producing many tons 
 of hay ; and it should bo one of your first cares to 
 discover and select one not already claimed ; and, 
 if late in the fall of the year, set fire to it and 
 let it burn all over, clearing away the rubbish for 
 mowing. Stack all your hay in one heap if possible, 
 for much of it is lost in the cold season from the 
 lower parts of the small stacks being frozen. Dur- 
 ing the summer and autumn your cattle will find 
 
 * Beaver meadows, i.e., originally beaver ponds; they became 
 meadows from the beaver dams having been destroyed, and grass 
 springing up where there was formerly water. 
 

 42 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 excellent browsing in the woods and at the edges 
 of the beaver dams. Sheep must not be left out at 
 night in the new settlements, on account of the 
 wolves. Cattle will almost weather out the winter 
 alone by browsing on the fallen trees, the bass-tops 
 especially ; and they will light upon many pickings 
 along the roads where lumbering is going on, and 
 at the feeding places. 
 
 You will probably find the axe unwieldy at first, 
 but you must not be discouraged by the difficulty, 
 for you ought during the winter to chop four acres, 
 which should be underbrushed before the snow begins 
 to fall. This process of underbrushing is best accom- 
 plished by means of a brush-hook, a short thick 
 scythe made for the purpose. All the lesser trees 
 and the small stuff are to be chopped and laid in 
 brush heaps; then at the commencement of the. 
 winter, chop your high trees, reserving such as you 
 require for logs, or for splitting into rails. Your 
 land being logged and burnt, sow your spring wheat 
 and drag it in, no ploughing being needful the first 
 year. If you are unprovided with oxen for logging, 
 and your timber is too large to lay yourself with the 
 help of only one other man, you must again have 
 recourse to ( ' a Bee." 
 
 After a time your drawbacks and troubles will 
 gradually decrease; meanwhile one piece of advice 
 I would fain impress upon every new settler, and 
 that is, to keep on good terms with your neigh- 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 43 
 
 hours, bearing in mind the words of the old 
 song,— 
 
 " Lend a helping hand to others, 
 It always bringeth bliss." 
 
 What is more or less the case everywhere, is espe- 
 cially brought home to one in the backwoods — that 
 man is dependent upon his fellow-man. In all pro- 
 bability you will be repeatedly asked for the loan of 
 all the things you possess — lend them if possible, 
 but always insist on their being returned to you at 
 a stated time. In one of my localities, I happened 
 to own more useful articles than my neighbours, 
 and I was in consequence pestered morning, noon, 
 and night by my borrowing friends. I began by 
 lending almost unconditionally, but I soon dis- 
 covered the necessity of stipulating in the first 
 instance that the things borrowed should be restored 
 to me at such an hour or on such a day, as it might 
 happen ; and by adhering to this rule I was able to 
 oblige others without being deprived for an inde- 
 finite period of the use of my own property. If any 
 one failed to comply with my regulation, I chalked 
 his name on the door with that of the article unduly 
 detained against it, to signify that I should not lend 
 to him again. 
 
 As soon as anything like a settlement springs up 
 in the backwoods, a school-house is erected, which 
 generally serves also for a place of worship on 
 Sundays. As buildings and inhabitants multiply, a 
 
44 Canada in 1864: 
 
 local postmaster is appointed, who must find security 
 for the fulfilment of the duties of his office. The 
 following are the rates of postage in Canada : — 
 
 Letters to any part of Canada, Nova 
 
 Scotia, and New Brunswick . 5 cents. 
 
 „ England by Canadian packets . 12 J „ 
 
 „ The United States . . . 10 „ 
 
 „ British Columbia . . . 25 „ 
 
 Letters to England must be directed to go u by 
 British Packet M or " by Canadian Steamer." 
 
 Letters can be registered in Canada for 2 cents, 
 both the postage and the registration fee must in 
 every case be prepaid.* 
 
 A parcel by parcel post is 25 cents within the 
 province, and 3 cents additional if registered. 
 
 Handbills, books, etc., 1 cent per ounce. 
 
 Printed circulars containing prices current, 
 2 cents each. 
 
 Books to England, 4 ounces, 7 cents ; 8 ounces, 
 sixpence sterling ; and for every additional 8 ounces 
 sixpence sterling. 
 
 CANADIAN NEWSPAPERS. 
 
 PEE QT7AETEB. 
 
 For a paper published 6 times a week, 40 cents. 
 3 „ „ 20 ,, 
 
 13 „ 
 
 6* >> 
 
 * If not, double postage is charged. 
 
 )} 
 
 )} 
 
 2 
 1 
 
 >> 
 
 a 
 
 » 
 
 )> 
 
 )) 
 
 a 
 
 3i 
 
 >) 
 
 a 
 
 }> 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 
 
 45 
 
 Where the postage is not paid in advance, 1 cent 
 is charged on delivery. 
 
 Newspapers from England by Canadian packet 
 are free ; by United States, 1 cent on delivery. 
 
 Periodicals on agriculture, education, temperance, 
 etc., are delivered free of charge. 
 
 Money orders may be sent, as in England, at 
 the following rates : — 
 
 10 dollars ... 5 cents. 
 
 20 
 
 )> 
 
 . 10 
 
 ;uii 
 
 40 
 
 a 
 
 . 20 
 
 a 
 
 60 
 
 }> 
 
 . 30 
 
 )> 
 
 80 
 
 }> 
 
 . 40 
 
 )} 
 
 100 
 
 a 
 
 . 50 
 
 3) 
 
 No single order can be issued for more than 100 
 dollars. 
 
 Orders payable at any money- order office in 
 Great Britain and Ireland can be obtained at any 
 Canadian money-office. 
 
 Stamps are sold for the different degrees of 
 postage. The postage law and the misdemeanours 
 connected therewith are the same as in England. 
 
 Is it not strange to contrast the present state of 
 postal communication, even in the remote and thinly- 
 peopled districts of our colonies, with that which 
 prevailed in Great Britain not a hundred years ago ? 
 The time that was then consumed in the conveyance 
 of a letter or a newspaper from London to Edin- 
 
46 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 burgli would now suffice to waft it across half the 
 Atlantic Ocean. Among the many valuable advan- 
 tages that the invention of steam locomotion has 
 bestowed upon mankind, we may reckon as one of 
 the greatest the easy and rapid transmission of news, 
 both public and private, from the mother- country to 
 her most distant possessions. And when we look 
 at the still more recent marvels of the electric tele- 
 graph, which promises ere long to encircle the earth 
 as with a zone, we feel that time and space are thus 
 comparatively annihilated, and our friends and rela- 
 tions in the other hemisphere, or on the further 
 side of the equator, are drawn, as it were, almost 
 within the reach and compass of our daily life by 
 the happy discoveries of those great men whose 
 names will ever adorn the 19th century, and render 
 it a memorable one in the annals of science. 
 
A Sand-booh for Settlers. 47 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Taxes — Duties required of the settler — Volunteers — Naval brigade 
 — Ways of making money in the backwoods — Potash — Berry- 
 picking, etc. — The tea-plants of North America — Other vege- 
 table prduoctions — Receipts — Cookery. 
 
 The taxes in Canada are very light, and a colonist 
 may be settled in the backwoods for years before 
 the tax-gatherer calls : my farm was 150 acres in 
 extent, and my taxes never amounted to £2 per 
 annum ; but of course much or all depends on the 
 value of the property. Every resident in this 
 country is called upon to perform statute labour for 
 -not less than two days, of eight hours each, in the 
 year, unless he provides a substitute, or pays half- 
 a-crown (English money) per diem for exemption. 
 The statute labour exacted of the owners of farms 
 varies with the size and worth of such farms ; for 
 mine above mentioned, five days' attendance fell to 
 my share. According to the Canadian laws, every 
 man under forty-five years of age is required to 
 serve in the case of war or rebellion, and by the 
 new Militia regulation to join muster once a year, 
 generally on the Queen's birthday. The bachelors 
 
48 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 from sixteen to forty-five years are first called out, 
 and, when they are exhausted, the married men have 
 to take their turn. Schools for military instruction 
 are about to be established. Any one able to drill a 
 company of infantry through all its manoeuvres is 
 entitled to a bounty of fifty dollars; and when 
 capable of doing as much by a whole regiment, he 
 having at the same time acquired a thorough know- 
 ledge of battalion drill, may claim another fifty. 
 
 Volunteering and playing at soldiers is all the 
 rage just now; every township has either its in- 
 fantry, cavalry, or rifle corps; and boys from the 
 age of twelve and upwards parade in scarlet jackets, 
 while the ladies occupy themselves in working- 
 colours for the volunteer regiments. The Govern- 
 ment provide them with arms, ammunition, and 
 uniform. The New Militia Bill has caused great 
 dissatisfaction among the older officers, as it allows 
 no one over forty-five to be eligible for a command, 
 and some of the veterans have been waging fierce 
 war with the pen against the powers that be, for 
 having forbidden them to do so against a foreign 
 foe with the sword. A settler imbued with a mili- 
 tary mania can turn out fully accoutred, and should 
 he possess any knowledge of warlike evolutions, 
 they may be of service to him. Naval brigades 
 have been formed in the principal towns, and I am 
 told that the fresh- water sailors make a very re- 
 spectable appearance on land. In one instance the 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 49 
 
 senior officer is a whiskey- distiller, and the lieutenant 
 a schoolmaster ; what sort of a figure they would 
 cut afloat I could not venture to say. 
 
 To revert to more peaceful operations. The 
 backwoodsman has several ways of turning his time 
 and resources to account. If he has hard wood- 
 land, let him husband his ashes and convert them 
 into potash, which yields a profitable return. Any 
 quantity of it can be made while the land is being 
 cleared. Then, again, there is the sugar-bush, which 
 will pay him well in a good season ; indeed, I have 
 known many settlers make 600 lbs. of sugar, which 
 at bd. per lb. is worth £12 10s., without reckoning 
 vinegar enough to supply his wants, to be obtained 
 from the molasses. Should he be located in a dis- 
 trict rich in berries, his wife and children should 
 gather the raspberries, thimbleberries, and huckle- 
 berries, which, when dried, will fetch lOtZ. a lb. 
 Wherever the woods are burnt, these fruits spring 
 up and grow wild in profusion. The thimbleberry 
 resembles the English blackberry, but exceeds it in 
 size, and much excels it in flavour ; the huckleberry 
 abounds also on some of the plains, and forms an 
 attraction to pic-nic parties during the warm 
 weather. All these fruits compose an excellent 
 preserve or jelly, as does the cranberry, of which 
 there are two sorts, one growing on a tree. In 
 some parts of Canada raspberries are so exceed- 
 ingly plentiful, that the inhabitants have steam- 
 
 4 
 
50 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 machinery for making them into jam ; and a friend 
 of mine has informed me that one man residing 
 near Sault Ste. Marie clears an annual profit of £600 
 by this manufacture. The mandrake also flourishes 
 without cultivation, and affords a jelly similar to 
 the guava of the West Indies. The fruit of the 
 butternut- tree is serviceable for pickling ; it is not 
 quite so large as the walnut, but at least as good, 
 if not better, for the purpose. The hazel-nut is also 
 to be met with, but the kernel is much smaller here 
 than in England. Under the hiccory trees you are 
 sure to find innumerable nuts, thrown down by the 
 black squirrels (which I may remark, en passant, 
 are capital eating, either in a curry or a pie) . Wild 
 cherries are to be met with almost everywhere 
 throughout Upper Canada, supplying the colonist 
 with one ingredient for his cherry-brandy or whiskey. 
 The mushroom is common in some of the cultivated 
 lands, as also the morell, growing chiefly beneath 
 the pines. It is good eating when stewed, and 
 makes famous ketchup. 
 
 The woods and marshes abound in two species 
 of tea-plant, the Labrador and another of the same 
 class ; both are imbibed extensively, particularly 
 among the Indians, and are said to be wholesome 
 and exhilarating. Professor Johnson remarks — 
 u Labrador tea is the name given in North America 
 to the dried leaves of the Ledum joalustre and the 
 Ledum latifolium. The plants grow on the borders 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 51 
 
 of swamps, and along the heathy shores of mountain 
 lakes. The narrow-leaved Ledum palustre, accord- 
 ing to Dr. Richardson, gives tea of the better 
 quality. Both are very astringent, and possess a 
 narcotic, soothing, and exhilarating quality. The 
 narcotic quality is so strong, that, in the north of 
 Europe (Sweden and Germany), these plants are 
 secretly employed by fraudulent brewers to give 
 headiness to beer. From the above facts we may 
 infer that, besides a variety of tannin to which they 
 owe their astringency, they contain -an active nar- 
 cotic principle, more powerful, probably, than the 
 theine of the tea-leaf, to which their peculiar ex- 
 hilarating and stupifying effects are due." Besides 
 these we have other North American substitutes for 
 the China leaf, distinguished by the names of Appa- 
 lachian, Oswego, and Santa Fe Mountain teas. The 
 bark of a wood much resembling dogwood is made 
 into tea by the Indians, and also the bark of a 
 mountain ash, which I have heard much praised by 
 them. Sarsaparilla is plentiful in most of the Upper 
 Canadian woods : it is reported, however, not to 
 be possessed of the qualities of the Honduras 
 variety. I add the names, with short descriptions, 
 of some other trees and herbs; and also a few 
 receipts, which may be useful in the backwoods. 
 
 The common Berberry. — The berries make an 
 excellent and wholesome jelly, when preserved with 
 their own weight in sugar - } pickled while still green 
 
52 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 in vinegar, they are a very good substitute for 
 capers. The bark is purgative and tonic; a de- 
 coction of it is a serviceable gargle for sore throat, 
 and the berries, when bruised, form a cooling beve- 
 rage in fevers. 
 
 The Prickly Ash. — The bark and capsules of this 
 species have a hot acrid taste, and, when taken 
 internally, act as a powerful stimulant, beneficial in 
 cases of rheumatism, intermittent fevers, and tooth- 
 ache. Lawson remarks that from the berries has 
 been extracted a medicine possessing the salivating 
 properties of mercury, and that a decoction of the 
 plant acts as a strong sudorific. 
 
 The Purging Buckthorn. — The juice of the unripe 
 berries is of the colour of saffron, and is used for 
 staining paper and maps. The juice of the ripe 
 berries, evaporated to dryness with alum or lime, is 
 the sap-green of painters ; if the berries are gathered 
 late in the autumn, their juice is purple. Twenty- 
 five or thirty of them will produce a strongly purga- 
 tive effect, but they are not much in favour now, 
 owing to the violent sickness, griping, and thirst 
 occasioned by them. The inner bark affords a beau- 
 tiful yellow dye; like the common elder, it is a 
 powerful cathartic, and excites vomiting. 
 
 The Flowering Dogwood. — The inner bark of this 
 tree is exceedingly bitter, and has proved an excel- 
 lent substitute for Peruvian bark. It may also take 
 the place of galls in the manufacture of ink ; from 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. ho 
 
 the bark of the more fibrous roots the Indians ob- 
 tain a scarlet dye. An infusion of the flowers is 
 used in intermittent disorders. 
 
 The Sorrel Tree. — The leaves have a pleasant 
 acrid taste, and are known to hunters as a means of 
 allaying their thirst. A decoction is made from 
 them, forming a refreshing beverage in fevers. The 
 branches, when combined with salts of iron, yield a 
 black dye ; in Tennessee they are employed in colour- 
 ing wool. 
 
 The American Rose Bay Tree. — Although not 
 growing wild so far north as Upper Canada, it may 
 be seen in some pleasure gardens, where, in its early 
 stages, it requires protection during the winter. 
 The leaves are sudorific and narcotic, and have been 
 given successf Lilly in rheumatism. 
 
 The Mountain Laurel. — The American Indians 
 make small dishes, spoons, etc., from the bark. A 
 decoction of the leaves has been known to be 
 swallowed with a view to self-destruction. They 
 are applied in a pulverized form, internally for fevers, 
 and topically for the relief of cutaneous affections. 
 A few drops of the tincture, which were once poured 
 on the body of a large and vigorous rattlesnake, 
 killed it in a short time. The powder on the leaves 
 is taken as snuff in some parts of the country. 
 
 The American Ash. — Shafts, felloes of waggons, 
 frames of carriages, spade and hoe handles, etc., are 
 made from the wood. The inner part of the bark 
 
54 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 imparts a very permanent yellow to skins, and is 
 used with advantage in dyeing wool. 
 
 The Silvery -leaved Shepherdin. — The fruit makes 
 an excellent preserve, and the jelly is thought pre- 
 ferable to currant. 
 
 The LobeUa. — It grows wild, and an infusion of 
 the leaves acts as an emetic. 
 
 The Maiden-haw Capillaria. — This flourishes 
 everywhere ; from it is extracted the excellent Sirop 
 de capillaire. 
 
 RECEIPTS. 
 
 For sprains and swellings, — Boil some elder bark, 
 and foment the parts affected. (A concoction of this 
 bark makes a strong emetic.) 
 
 For had cold. — Steep some small cedar boughs in 
 boiling water, and soak the feet in it at a moderately 
 warm temperature. 
 
 For those ivho live or ivorlc near marshy, swampy 
 grounds. — Take equal parts of wild cherry, slippery 
 elm bark, and prickly ash, and pour whisky over. 
 Drink a small wine-glassful before going out in the 
 morning. 
 
 For exhaustion produced by over-exertion and 
 fatigue. — Ginseng. It was formerly gathered in 
 quantities by the Indians round Montreal, and much 
 was exported to China. Father Jartout, a Jesuit 
 missionary there, describes its remarkable effects 
 upon himself. His pulse and his appetite were in- 
 creased, and his whole frame was invigorated. 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 55 
 
 For colds and diseases of the lungs. — The Iceland 
 or reindeer moss boiled down to a jelly. It is very 
 nourishing ; and in Norway, in times of scarcity, it 
 forms the chief diet of the poorer inhabitants, mashed 
 and boiled with the inner bark of the pine tree. 
 
 For cuts and ivounds. — Pure balsam. On the 
 stem of the tree you will observe the bark raised 
 in the shape of little round heaps, which are full of 
 the balsam. Cut away the bark with a sharp knife, 
 and insert the point to make the gum exude. Cover 
 the injured part therewith, and it will soon heal. 
 
 For ague. — Cayenne pepper and whiskey are much 
 used by the Indians in this complaint, and, combined 
 with wormwood, they form an excellent remedy. 
 
 For horses, when hide-bound. — Tamarac bark 
 pounded and mixed with a bran-mash, is capital. 
 
 Every store in Canada is Ml of quack medicines 
 of every variety, professing to cure all the ills that 
 flesh is heir to. Certainly " Ayer's Cherry Pectoral 3} 
 is much to be recommended for coughs and colds 
 the ingredients are bitter almonds and morphia. 
 Quack doctors abound, and thrive, I believe, more 
 than the regular practitioners ; partly, I fancy, from 
 their charges being lower. In this country the 
 medical man is rarely sent for until the patient is at 
 death's door, and then the former is blamed for not 
 making the latter a sound man again. 
 
 Hops grow plentifully in the backwoods, but 
 they are seldom employed in making yeast. A 
 
56 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 bachelor having to manufacture his own bread, will 
 find, in the absence of carbonate of soda, that com- 
 mon salt will answer his purpose. Mix a little flour 
 and salt with some milk, and put it near the fire, 
 and at the end of a few hours you will have a capital 
 substitute for yeast. If you have no oven, which is, 
 of course, the best thing for the purpose, you may 
 bake your bread in a frying-pan, placed in an almost 
 perpendicular position before the fire, and kept con- 
 stantly turning ; or you may bury your dough in a 
 heap of warm ashes. With the help of an iron pot, 
 Norwegian greed can easily be concocted, and famous 
 stuff it is. Put a lump of butter into your saucepan, 
 and when melted, add a little flour, rolling it round 
 to prevent its becoming burnt ; increase the flour 
 gradually until you have a sufficient quantity, adding 
 also milk or water, and stirring all constantly with 
 a spoon ; wlien it has boiled, or rather simmered, for 
 half an hour, you will have provided yourself with a 
 capital breakfast or supper. 
 
 The Indians generally roast their meat before 
 the fires with forked sticks placed in the ground, 
 and a duck eats better cooked in this way than in 
 any other that I know of. The bird is suspended 
 with its head downwards, the neck being tied up to 
 prevent the escape of the gravy. White French 
 beans, boiled with a bone of salt pork, make excel- 
 lent fare for the backwoodsman, much to be recom- 
 mended before encountering a hard day's work. 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 57 
 
 The bean will grow on any land, and fetch a good 
 price in the market. Your meat should be boiled or 
 stewed slowly, with the pot completely covered, or 
 the best part of your food vanishes in thin air. The 
 lower class of English are proverbially bad cooks, 
 frying or boiling their meat to a cinder, and thus 
 wasting much of it. A man intending to emigrate 
 to these woods would do well to acquire beforehand 
 a little knowledge of the culinary art, which is at a 
 wretchedly low ebb here ; he should also have some 
 insight into the butchers' trade, in order that he may 
 improve upon the custom now usually in vogue when 
 animals are slaughtered, Directly an ox or a sheep 
 is killed, and while the flesh is still quivering, it is 
 cut, or rather hacked, into all conceivable forms, 
 quite regardless of rule ; then the joints (if they 
 may be so called) are pitched into a cask, which is 
 filled up with salt. The sheep's head and trotters 
 are thrown away as useless things ; a sample of -the 
 waste and profusion you may often witness among 
 the inmates of a loghouse. 
 
58 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Bed Indians — Sir F. B. Head upon thorn — Their character — 
 How influenced by association with the white men, and the 
 introduction of ardent spirits among them — Their present 
 condition — Specimens of their legends. 
 
 The following- extract from the remarks of Sir 
 Francis B. Head, who, as is well known, was Go- 
 vernor of Canada during the rebellion of 1837, on 
 the Indian race, will, I think, be the best possible 
 introduction to the subject of my present chapter : — 
 ' ' The fate of the red inhabitants of America, the 
 real proprietors of its soil is, without any exception, 
 the most sinful story recorded in the annals of the 
 human race. From what they have suffered from 
 our hands, and the cruelty and injustice they have 
 endured, the mind, accustomed to its own vices, is 
 lost in utter astonishment at finding in the red man's 
 heart no sentiment of animosity against us, no feel- 
 ing of revenge ; on the contrary, that our appearance 
 at the humble portal of his wigwam is to this hour a 
 subject of unusual joy. If the white man is lost in 
 the forest, his cry of distress will call the most eager 
 huntsman from his game ; and among the tribe there 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 59 
 
 is not only pleasure,, but pride, in contending with 
 each other who shall be the first to render hhn 
 assistance and food. But 'the red men/ lately 
 exclaimed a celebrated Maimi cacique, c are melting 
 before the sun.-' If we attempt to Christianize the 
 Indians, and for that sacred object congregate them 
 in villages of substantial loghouses, beautiful as it 
 is in theory, it is a fact, to which I add my humble 
 testimony, that as soon as the hunting-season com- 
 mences, the men perish, or rather rot in numbers 
 by consumption ; while, as regards the women, it is 
 impossible for any accurate observer to refrain from 
 remarking that civilization, in spite of the pure zeal 
 of our missionaries, by some accursed process, has 
 blanched their infants' faces ; and, under pretence 
 of eradicating from the female heart the errors of a 
 Pagan creed, it has implanted instead the germs of 
 Christian guilt. 
 
 What is the origin of all this ? Why the simple 
 virtues of the red aborigines of America should, 
 under all circumstances, fade before the vices and 
 cruelty of the old world is a problem which no one 
 among us is competent to solve. I have merely 
 mentioned the fact, because I feel that before the 
 subject of the Indians in Upper Canada can be fairly 
 considered, it is necessary to refute the idea which 
 so generally exists in England about the success 
 attending the Christianizing and civilizing of the 
 Indian ; whereas I firmly believe every person of 
 
60 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 sound mind in this country who is disinterested in 
 their conversion, and who is acquainted with the 
 Indian character, will agree — 
 
 1. That an attempt to make farmers of the 
 red men has been, generally speaking, a complete 
 failure. 
 
 2. That congregating them for the purpose of 
 civilization has implanted many more vices than it 
 has eradicated, and, consequently, 
 
 o. That the greatest kindness we can perform 
 towards these intelligent, simple-hearted people is 
 to remove and fortify them as much as possible from 
 all communication with the whites. 
 
 It is impossible to beware of the white man, for 
 it seems to bo the instinct of his untutored mind to 
 look upon him as his friend ; in short, his simplicity 
 is his ruin ; although he can trap and conquer every 
 beast of the field, yet he becomes himself the prey 
 of his white brother. 
 
 For these reasons I am decidedly of opinion that 
 Her Majesty's Government should continue to advise 
 the few remaining Indians who are lingering in 
 Upper Canada to retire upon the Manitoulin or 
 other island in Lake Huron, or elsewhere towards 
 the NorthWest." 
 
 The Indian language is pleasing to the ear when 
 spoken by a pretty squaw, although some of the 
 words and sentences are very long. Take, for ex- 
 ample, the Indian for " Those are fine boys ;" u Nah 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 61 
 
 wudj mindiddo woIl ow kweewezains ewaidde dush. J ' 
 Fortunately for the emigrant here, it is not neces- 
 sary for him to attempt to master this crack-jaw 
 tongue, as the Indians in Canada invariably speak 
 English. Small-pox and ardent spirits have greatly 
 reduced the numbers of the red men in North Ame- 
 rica, and some of the tribes are nearly, if not wholly, 
 extinct. Schoolcraft says, " Under the French 
 Government they were liberally supplied with 
 brandy ; under the English with Jamaica rum ; 
 under the Americans with whiskey." 
 
 I believe the last to be the worst poison of the 
 three, and it is a common saying in this country that 
 a certain whiskey is warranted to kill at forty rods. 
 During the war which the Americans were waging 
 a few years since against the Sioux Indians, a 
 Yankee suggested sending them some casks of bad 
 whiskey, which would exterminate them at a much 
 quicker and cheaper rate than the dragoons who 
 cost annually many thousand dollars. Although a 
 heavy fine is at all events nominally imposed upon 
 persons giving or selling spirituous liquors to the 
 Indians, yet this law, like many others here, is fre- 
 quently set at defiance, and the Indian men may too 
 often be seen maddened with drink ; the squaws are 
 no less fond of it, and indulge in it when an oppor- 
 tunity offers of doing so unknown to their husbands. 
 
 It is to be feared that little real good to this race, 
 in a moral point of view, has yet resulted from the 
 
62 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 efforts of our Government to ameliorate their condi- 
 tion, such as the building of schools and the grant- 
 ing of land ; a thoroughly bad Indian has hitherto 
 been, and may still be said to be, a rara avis ; but, 
 sad as it is to make the acknowledgment, it must 
 be admitted that the fine traits of their original 
 character are becoming gradually lost through their 
 amalgamation with the white men, too many of 
 whose vices they appear to have imitated along with 
 the propensity to intoxication. Their manners are 
 good, and even gentlemanlike ; they have much 
 natural intelligence, but are apt to be cunning and 
 lazy withal. They lead a humdrum sort of exis- 
 tence, some trying agriculture, and some employing 
 themselves in fishing, basket-making, and trapping, 
 while a few of the cleverest among them act as 
 guides during the season to those sporting gentlemen 
 who hire Indians to kill ducks, deer, etc., for them, 
 and boast, on their return, of the wonders ' ' I have 
 done with my gun." 
 
 As neighbours to our settlers, the Indians de- 
 serve to be highly spoken of; several farmers who 
 resided near their settlements on Rice Lake have 
 told me that they should never wish for better. 
 They are by nature kind and obliging, particularly 
 the squaws. Some of the half-bred girls are pretty 
 when quite young ; at thirty, they are generally old 
 and haggard, owing, I suppose, to poor living and 
 exposure. AH, or nearly all, around me are Wes- 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 63 
 
 leyan Methodists, and I believe they are very atten- 
 tive to their devotions in public. 
 
 I subjoin two of the Indian legends,* and these 
 will suffice to convey a general idea of their style, 
 which is rather remarkable for its absence of 
 variety. 
 
 THE BOY WHO SET A SNAKE EOR THE SUN. 
 THE ORIGIN OF THE KUG E BEEN WA EAG, Or DORMOUSE. 
 
 In the far-off time in which the animals reigned 
 over the earth, they killed all the human beings 
 excepting a girl and her little brother, and these 
 two lived in fear and seclusion. The boy was a per- 
 fect pigmy, and never grew beyond the stature of an 
 infant ; but the sister increased with her years, so 
 that the labour of providing food and lodging for 
 both devolved wholly on her. She went daily to 
 procure wood for her lodge, and took her little helpless 
 brother with her, in order to protect him if possible 
 from any untoward accident, for he was so tiny that 
 a large bird might have flown away with him. She 
 made him a bow and arrows, and said to him one 
 day, " I will leave you behind here ; you must hide 
 yourself, and you will soon see the Gitshee-gitshee 
 gaun, ai seeng (snow birds) come and pick the 
 worms out of the wood which I have been chopping" 
 (for it was winter time) : " shoot one of the birds 
 * Adapted from Schoolcraft's " Indians." 
 
64 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 and bring it home." He obeyed her, and tried his 
 utmost to kill one, bnt had to go home unsuccessful. 
 His sister told him he must not despair, but renew 
 his endeavours the next day, and accordingly she 
 left him at the place at which she procured wood, 
 and returned without him. Towards nightfall she 
 heard his light footstep on the snow, and in he 
 came, exultingly, throwing down a dead bird. " My 
 sister," said he, " I wish you to skin it and stretch 
 the skin, and when I have shot more birds I will 
 have a coat made of the skins/' — " But what shall 
 we do with the body V she asked, for as yet men 
 had not begun to eat animal food, but lived on vege- 
 tables only. — " Cut it in two/' replied the boy, 
 ' c and season our pottage with one half of it at a 
 time." She did so ; and the brother, persevering 
 in his efforts, managed to kill ten birds, of the skins 
 of which his sister manufactured for him a coat. 
 
 " Sister," asked he one day, " are we all alone 
 in the world ? is there nobody else living V The 
 girl told him that those who had destroyed their 
 relations, and whom they had so much reason to 
 fear, dwelt in a certain quarter, and that he must by 
 no means go in that direction. But her words only 
 served to inflame his curiosity, and to excite his 
 ambition ; and soon after he took his bow and arrows, 
 and sought the very spot against which his sister 
 had warned him. After walking a long while with- 
 out meeting any one, he laid down quite tired upon 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 65 
 
 a knoll, where the sun had bleached the snow, and 
 fell fast asleep. And the sun's rays beat so hot 
 upon him, that they singed and contracted his bird- 
 skin coat, so that when he awoke and stretched him- 
 self, he felt as if he were bound in it. He looked 
 down, and seeing the damage done to his garment, 
 flew into a passion, upbraided the sun, and vowed 
 vengeance against it: "Do you think that you 
 are too high V said he. i( Ah ! I shall revenge 
 myself." 
 
 On returning home he related to his sister the 
 disaster that had befallen him, and lamented bitterly 
 the spoiling of his coat. He would not eat ; he lay 
 down as one that fasts, and did not rise, nor even 
 alter his position for ten days, in spite of all the 
 girl's efforts to arouse him. Then he turned round 
 and laid for ten days on the other side, after which 
 he got up and told his sister to make him a snare, 
 for he meant to catch the sun. She said that she 
 had nothing of which to make it, but at length she 
 recollected a piece of dried deer's sinew, left by her 
 father, and from this she quickly manufactured a 
 string suitable for a noose. But the moment she 
 showed it to her brother, he told her that it would not 
 do, but that she must procure something else. She 
 again replied that she had not the wherewithal ; but 
 at last she bethought herself of her hair, and pull- 
 ing some from her head, she converted it into a 
 snare. But the boy said pettishly that neither would 
 
 5 
 
66 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 this answer his purpose, and still lie bade her 
 make him a noose. She repeated her former asser- 
 tions, and desired him to leave the lodge. When 
 she was alone, she again took some of her own hair, 
 and plaited it in such a manner as to form a tiny- 
 cord. She then called her brother and handed it to 
 him. The moment his eye rested on this curious 
 braid, he was delighted. " This will do," he ejacu- 
 lated, and putting it to his mouth, he pulled it 
 through his lips, and as fast as he drew it, it changed 
 into a metal cord, which he wound round his body 
 and shoulders till he had obtained a great number 
 of yards. He then prepared himself, and set out a 
 little after midnight, that he might catch the sun 
 ere it should ascend into the heavens.* He set his 
 snare on a spot at which the burning orb of day 
 would strike the land, as it climbed above the earth's 
 disc ; and, marvellous to relate ! he caught the sun, 
 which, being held fast in the cord, could not rise. 
 
 The animals, -finding that daylight did not ap- 
 pear, were in a great commotion. They called a 
 council, and one was appointed to cut the cord. 
 This was a hazardous enterprise, as the sun's rays 
 would burn those who approached them. At last 
 the task was undertaken by the dormouse, at that 
 time the largest animal in the world ; and when it 
 stood erect, it looked like a mountain. When the 
 dormouse reached the place where the sun was 
 snared, its back began to burn and smoke with the 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 67 
 
 intensity of the heat, and the upper part of its "body 
 was reduced to a heap of ashes. It succeeded, how- 
 ever, in cutting the cord with its teeth, and freeing 
 the sun, but was itself reduced to a very small size, 
 and has remained so ever since. 
 
 WA WA BE ZO WIN, 
 OR, THE SWING ON THE LAKE SHORE. 
 
 Once upon a time there was an old hag, who lived 
 with her daughter-in-law and an orphan boy whom 
 the latter was rearing. When the son came home from 
 hunting, it was his custom to bring his wife the lip 
 of the moose, the kidney of the bear, or some other 
 choice bits of different animals, which she would 
 cook crisp, so that when eating them a crackling 
 sound would be heard. This kind attention of the 
 hunter to his spouse excited the old woman's envy j 
 and in order to possess herself of these luxuries, she 
 finally resolved to make away with her daughter-in- 
 law. To accomplish her purpose, she adopted the 
 following stratagem : — 
 
 She asked the young woman to leave her infant 
 son in the care of the orphan boy, and to go out and 
 swing with her. She undressed herself, and fastened 
 a leather strap round her body, and began to swing 
 over the precipice. After a short time, she told her 
 daughter to take her place ; the latter obeyed, imi- 
 tating exactly the example of the elder. When the 
 swing was in full motion, so that it cleared the pre- 
 
68 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 cipice at every sweep,, the old woman slyly cut the 
 cords, and the poor creature fell into the lake. The 
 hag then disguised herself in her companion's cloth- 
 ing, returned home in the dusk of the evening, and 
 feigned herself to be her son's lost wife. She found 
 and nursed the child. The orphan boy asked her 
 " where its mother was." " She is still swinging." 
 " I shall go and look for her/' he said. When the 
 husband came in at night, he gave the coveted 
 morsel to his supposed wife. He missed his mother- 
 in-law, but made no remark. She eagerly devoured 
 the dainty, and tried to still the child. The man 
 looked astonished at her averted countenance, and 
 asked why the infant cried so. 
 
 Meanwhile, the orphan had reached the sea- 
 shore, and had discovered no traces of the lost 
 woman. He returned, and while the old mother 
 was without cutting wood, he mentioned his sus- 
 picions to her son, and told him all his thoughts. 
 The man at once painted his face black, stuck Ins 
 spear inverted into the earth, and prayed the Great 
 Spirit to send lightning, thunder, and rain, in the 
 hope that the body of his wife might rise from the 
 water. Then he began to fast, telling the boy to 
 take the child to play on the lake side. 
 
 After the young woman had fallen in, she was 
 seized by a water-tiger, whose tail twisted round 
 her body and drew her to the bottom, where she 
 found all things ready for her reception, and became 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 69 
 
 his wife. While the children were sporting along the 
 shore, and the elder one was casting pebbles into 
 the lake, a gull emerged from its centre, flew to the 
 land, and assumed a human form, in which he re- 
 cognized the lost mother. She wore a leather belt 
 around her loins and another of white metal, which 
 was in reality the tail of her spouse the tiger. She 
 said, " Come here with the child whenever he cries, 
 and I will nurse hira." The father accompanied 
 them, and the gull again appeared, assumed her 
 former shape, and began to suckle her little one. 
 The man struck the chain with his- spear, severed 
 the links, and took the trio home with him. When 
 they entered the lodge, the old woman looked up 
 despairingly, and shook her head. A rustling was 
 audible in the lodge, and the next moment she had 
 fled forth, and was never heard of more. 
 
70 Canada in 1864 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 Trapping and other ways of taking animals in the backwoods, with 
 hints to trappers, and some information as to the relative value 
 of different furs. 
 
 The process of fitting out for trapping is by no 
 means an inexpensive one. Bear traps are seldom 
 used, being both costly and unwieldy ; a bear was 
 caught quite lately in a steel one, weighing about 
 140 lbs.; this lie carried off bodily with the greatest 
 ease, and was not captured until he had been fol- 
 lowed a distance of five miles. Honey had been 
 deposited in different spots in the vicinity of the 
 trap, and heads of Indian corn strewn plentifully 
 around. There are two sorts of bears in Upper 
 Canada — the brown-nosed and the black ; the latter 
 being the larger of the two. Many of these animals 
 are taken in New Brunswick by means of dead falls 
 with weights sufficient to hold the bear, the weight 
 required being from 700 to 900 lbs., and honey is 
 the best bait. I was told by a Canadian that he had 
 placed a gallon of molasses,, mixed with the same 
 quantity of whiskey in one of the sugar-making 
 troughs, and thereby successfully enticed a bear to 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 71 
 
 drink of the intoxicating draught, which so stupe- 
 fied him that he was easily despatched. 
 
 The Canadian bear generally retires to his winter 
 quarters in the latter part of November, and emerges 
 again in April. Last spring I observed numerous 
 tracks as early as the first week in the month, the 
 snow being then about eight inches deep.- 
 
 Beavers abound in most of the backwoods of 
 Upper Canada, and have been on the increase, as 
 until the last few years they were not destroyed. 
 For a long time the skins only fetched a mere trifle, 
 about sixpence per lb. ; when they were used in the 
 manufacture of hats, they were worth from three 
 to five dollars a pound; but when silk and other 
 materials were introduced in their stead, they fell 
 immediately, and at the present day they are sold at 
 six shillings a pound. A large beaver in spring will 
 weigh perhaps forty-five pounds, and its skin four 
 and a quarter. By some persons the flesh of this 
 creature is esteemed a delicacy, a taste in which 
 I do not concur ; however, the tail makes an unde- 
 niable soup, and a capital stew, which is one of the 
 favourite dishes at an Indian feast. 
 
 The beaver is an easy animal to trap. On all 
 the principal beaver-dams there is one part at which 
 he crosses as he passes on his way to and fro to exa- 
 mine the other dams, or to collect food ; and you 
 should set your trap a little to the side of this track, 
 and in the water where it is about five inches deep. 
 
72 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 Make fast a stone, weighing some fifteen pounds, to 
 the trap, and then attach to it a long piece of wood to 
 float as a buoy. As soon as the beaver feels himself 
 caught, he plunges into deep water, and the weight 
 of the trap with the stone sinks and drowns him, 
 while the floating buoy points out to the trapper the 
 spot at which his prey is to be met with. It fre- 
 quently happens that the beaver will break the float 
 or buoy in two, which makes it difficult to find the 
 trap; again, if the latter is not large enough, the little 
 fellow will be caught by the toe, and will burst 
 away. On the shores of the lesser dams you may 
 often observe a small mound called a scent-hill, 
 bearing a near resemblance to an ant-hill ; the male 
 deposits thereon some weeds or mud scented with 
 castor,* as a token to the female where to meet 
 him ; opposite to this, and in the water as before, 
 set your trap after the same fashion, and with the 
 same precautions indicated above. The beaver- 
 houses are often ten feet in height, and more than 
 seventy in circumference at the base ; they are con- 
 structed of sticks, sand, and mud, interwoven and 
 intermingled so closely that it is almost impossible 
 to break them apart, unless each piece is pulled out 
 separately; the work of destroying one of these 
 huts has taken me nearly a whole day. A man in 
 my neighbourhood, quite a Baron Munchausen in 
 
 * Castor (castoreum) is contained in the glandulous pouches of 
 the male. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 73 
 
 his way, told me lie had once killed a great num- 
 ber of beavers in the following manner : — He went 
 with a good lantern and a club to a beaver dam, 
 which he had broken away by day, and close to 
 which he held the light as soon as it grew dark; 
 when the beavers came to repair the damage, he 
 slaughtered twelve in succession by knocking them 
 on the head with his club. Many scents are em- 
 ployed to attract the beaver ; the castor is, I believe, 
 the best, and is often combined with rum. The 
 Indians put great faith in this spirit mixed with 
 cinnamon, while sassafras is warranted to draw a 
 beaver for a mile. These allurements are kept a 
 profound secret among trappers, but I suppose there 
 is no harm in my divulging them here. The beaver 
 skins should be stretched on a round hoop, and 
 hung up to dry, the tails being in the first place cut 
 off, and preserved for soup. 
 
 The beaver- dams are certainly wonderful pieces 
 of mechanism ; some of them are from ten to twelve 
 feet in height, and from sixty to a hundred in breadth ; 
 they are formed of boughs, logs, and sticks inter- 
 woven together, with occasionally a large stone de- 
 posited here and there to prevent the stream from 
 washing away the upper part, the whole being inter- 
 mingled and plastered over with mud and clay. 
 When commencing a large dam, the beavers will 
 often turn the course of the water, to enable them 
 to float the timber down to it. They generally 
 
74 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 manage to fell a tree on tlie exact spot chosen by 
 themselves ; still it will sometimes happen that it 
 falls the wrong way and upon a beaver, but this is 
 not often the case, as a warning is given when the 
 tree is about to descend. The size of some of the 
 trees laid low by these animals is astonishing ; I 
 measured two white poplars more than three feet in 
 diameter. The beaver brings forth from two to five 
 young ones at a birth, and is three years in attaining 
 maturity. 
 
 The fisher is very difficult to catch, being as 
 wary as a fox. The best bait for him is a piece of the 
 musk-rat, or of fish. When you have made yourself 
 acquainted with his haunt, set your trap, well covered 
 with moss or leaves, hanging your bait about a foot 
 or eighteen inches above the pan; a spring-pole 
 must be fastened to the trap, or the fisher would 
 soon gnaw off his leg and escape ; this contrivance 
 is soon made by bending a pole over till it nearly 
 touches the ground, then cut a notch in the side of 
 a small tree, or hammer a peg into the earth, so that 
 the end of the pole may bear against it. As soon 
 as the fisher is caught he will struggle violently, and 
 by his pulls upon the trap the spring-pole will be 
 detached from the peg or tree, and your prey then 
 hangs aloft in the air. In the season the fur of the 
 fisher is worth from four to six dollars. In order to 
 get off the skin, make an incision, commencing at 
 the tail, and you will be able to turn it inside out ; 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 75 
 
 it must then be stretched on a thin piece of board 
 and dried. 
 
 The otter, again, is not very easy of capture. 
 Where he frequents, he is in. the habit of making 
 what is called an otter slide, that is, the part of the 
 bank where he slides down into the stream. This 
 is readily to be distinguished, and exactly below 
 where he drops, set your trap with the pan about 
 three inches deep in the water. Be careful not to 
 approach the spot afterwards, nor to touch anything 
 near it, otherwise the otter will scent you, and will 
 take good care to remain at a safe .distance. Otters, 
 when met with in the snow, are easily killed • from 
 the shortness of their legs they are unable to run 
 through it, and the progress they make by means of 
 short jumps is necessarily tardy; hence they are 
 quickly overtaken. The fur of the otter is more 
 valuable than that of the fisher, commonly averaging 
 from six to seven dollars. Both of these animals 
 require for their capture a double spring-trap, and a 
 very strong one. 
 
 We now come to the mink, at the present time 
 the most valuable fur producer of Canada, in pro- 
 portion to its size, with the single exception of the 
 black fox ; this last year a good mink skin being 
 worth four dollars, and even more. There are 
 several Ways of trapping the mink ; that usually re- 
 sorted to is a steel trap, the size of an ordinary rat- 
 trap, minus the teeth: Construct a small house, 
 
76 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 oval in shape, and abont a foot in diameter, by 
 sticking pieces of wood into the ground at too nar- 
 row an interval to allow of the mink getting in 
 between them except at the entrance; from this 
 entrance build a passage about one foot in length, 
 likewise of sticks, and sufficiently wide to admit 
 your destined prey ; at the mouth of the oval set 
 your trap fastened by a chain, and covered with 
 leaves, and at its extremity hang upon a stick, some 
 six inches high, a small trout, a piece of fish, a red 
 squirrel, or, better than all, a bit of musk-rat. Be 
 patient, and the chances are that you will secure the 
 mink a little sooner or later, by adopting this con- 
 trivance. As in the case of the fisher, spring-poles 
 are often used with the steel trap to prevent the mink 
 from decamping with the loss of a foot. Another 
 method of catching the mink is with the dead fall, 
 either by means of the ordinary figure of four, or by 
 the even simpler contrivance of placing a piece of 
 stick under the upright or support of the fall or cross 
 beam ; at the outer end of this stick the bait must 
 be placed, and when the mink pulls at it, the stick 
 turns round, slips from the upright, and the cross- 
 beam falls, on the animal's back. 
 
 I have myself tried, but without success, the 
 following Yankee device, which, however, sounds 
 ingenious : — Nail some boards perpendicularly round 
 the top of an empty flour barrel, deposit your bait 
 at the bottom, throwing in some moss, leaves, etc. ; 
 
A Sand-booh for Settlers. 77 
 
 then place your cask in an oblique position, so finely 
 balanced that the additional weight of the mink will 
 cause it to stand upright. When once in the cask, 
 the height of the perpendicular boards will be too 
 great for him to scale, and thus his capture is 
 secured. 
 
 The mink must be skinned in the same way as 
 the fisher, and the skin stretched as long- as possible ; 
 if the inside is black it is not considered prime, and 
 will not fetch half price. The fur is in excellent 
 condition from October until the end of the winter; 
 during the spring, which is the breeding season, it 
 is of little value, and it is then illegal to trap the 
 animal. The scent obtained from the male is the 
 best wherewith to attract his fellows, but oil of 
 rhodium and aniseed are also available. A resident 
 not far from Toronto rears a number of minks, and 
 annually sells their fur to the amount of £100 ; 
 these creatures are easy to bring up, and become as 
 tame as ferrets ; a wire netting round the place of 
 their confinement is a sufficient security against their 
 escaping. 
 
 Of martens there are two species inhabiting these 
 regions — namely, the pine and the stone marten. 
 Their habits somewhat resemble those of the fisher, 
 but they are very scarce, and but few have been 
 taken in my part of the country. They are trapped 
 in the same manner as the mink, but their skins are 
 less valuable. 
 
78 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 Foxes are very numerous ; the cross fox is some- 
 times found, and occasionally a silver one. I have 
 not heard of any black foxes being caught or killed 
 in Canada for some years past, although some are 
 said to exist a few miles further west. The skin of 
 the common fox is worth about two dollars, that of 
 the cross from four to ten, that of the silver about 
 thirty, and the black fox skin has been sold for as 
 much as eighty or a hundred dollars ; robes made of 
 this last being worn by the Imperial family of Russia 
 on state occasions. 
 
 There are various modes both of enticing and of 
 catching these animals. Some Indians have assured 
 me that they could attract one close to them by 
 imitating the squeaking of a mouse, and one told me 
 that he captured foxes by putting a mouse into a 
 tuft of grass with its head visible, an*d placing it on 
 the pan of the trap,, which must be covered with 
 ashes and chaff; when the fox perceives the bait, he 
 makes a spring and is caught by the leg. When 
 the snow is on the ground, it is a capital plan to 
 take one of Master Reynard's pads, and therewith to 
 imprint a number of footmarks round the trap. 
 Another device, and a very successful one, as I am 
 informed, is to combine honey, assafcetida, and the 
 corns from the inside of a horse's leg, and to smear 
 the mixture over the trap, concealed as before by 
 ashes, with the bait thrown around it ; some, how- 
 ever, prefer to tie the bait to the pan. An old trap- 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 79 
 
 per imparted to me another method : — ascertain the 
 point at which the fox is wont to cross the neigh- 
 bouring stream, and in all probability there will be 
 a stepping-stone whereon he puts his foot ; remove 
 this stone, and substitute a trap as nearly as possible 
 resembling it in its place, and the chances are that 
 the next time he passes he will step on it. It has 
 been remarked by trappers that the fox dislikes 
 wetting his feet. 
 
 There is rather a noted old character, in his way, 
 partaking of the poacher, the genuine huntsman, and 
 the earth- stopper, who manages, , with the aid of 
 half a dozen curs, to kill many foxes, by first running 
 them to earth, setting a trap inside, and then 
 stopping it up air-tight. The same individual once 
 slaughtered a wolf, and carried it about with him to 
 every house in the neighbouring town, until he had 
 raised a considerable sum ; for the dead body emitted 
 such a dreadful effluvium that the people were -glad 
 to throw coin to the fellow to get rid of him and the 
 carcase together. By this, and other schemes, he 
 has managed to acquire some money, for he is now 
 independent, and owns a comfortable farm, on which 
 he and his faithful wife Bet* (a Bible Christian 
 teacher) flourish : the old man, among his friends, 
 with his dogs and his horn, seems as happy as a 
 prince, especially when he can prevail on any one 
 
 * The faithful wife Bet died in January of this year. 
 
80 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 to listen to his yarns about poaching, delivered in a 
 strong Cornish dialect. 
 
 The musk-rat is caught with less difficulty than 
 any of the furry tribe ; out of the season the skin is 
 worth little or nothing, but in the prime (the spring) 
 it fetches about tenpence or a shilling. These crea- 
 tures erect their houses in the fall of the year, at the 
 edges of swamps, in beaver-dams, and on the land 
 overflowed by rivers. Near their building or feed- 
 ing-places may be observed their tokens on logs 
 floating just above the surface ; by these, score with 
 an axe, or tomahawk a hole wide and deep enough 
 to allow your traps (which should be made fast 
 above) to be just under the water, and even with 
 the log or timber on which the animals sit, and by 
 this means you are sure of catching them. Another 
 plan is to pull down a part of one of their dwellings, 
 and set the trap near the entrance. The rat must 
 be skinned, and the skin stretched in the same way 
 as the beaver's. The Indians roast and eat the flesh, 
 which they declare to be excellent — first taking out 
 the small bags of musk which are found in different 
 parts of the body, and which produce the best 
 scent for enticing the living rats. They inveigle 
 many by moonlight by counterfeiting their squeak, 
 which is not unlike that of the house rat. The 
 houses are made of grass and weeds piled up in the 
 shape of an ant-hill, and some of them are very large. 
 
 I think that I have now mentioned most of the 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 81 
 
 far tribe caught in the backwoods, with the excep- 
 tions of the wolf and the lynx, and a few others. 
 Wolves abound in the unsettled townships; in a 
 settled township the Government gives a premium of 
 six dollars a head for each beast slain. The brutes 
 are very cunning, and the only successful method of 
 killing them, with which I am acquainted, is by 
 destroying them with strychnine ; small pills of fat, 
 each containing three grains of this poison, strewn 
 over the carcase of a deer or a horse, are pretty sure 
 to prove fatal to them. The skin is worth about 
 three dollars. One hears wonderful stories of these 
 animals chasing adults, but I have never witnessed 
 any such display of courage on their parts, and I 
 believe them to be arrant cowards. 
 
 The lynx, or catamount, as it is called here, is 
 not very common. It is an enemy to the lambs, and 
 will sometimes attack a cow. A neighbour of mine, 
 in Norway, on one occasion lost ten head of cattle 
 through these beasts tearing the udders of the cows. 
 The skin is not of much value ; and as lynxes are 
 very scarce, the trapper troubles himself but little 
 about them. 
 
 The weasel and the ermine are caught in this 
 country. The former is in great repute among Irish 
 horse- doctors, who place it in the mangers of horses 
 troubled with certain diseases, while some of the 
 Irish ladies reckon it as a charm. 
 
 The skunk is one of the most beautiful little 
 
 6 
 
82 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 animals in Canada ; but woe to Mm who approaches 
 too near to one caught in a trap, for the creature 
 possesses the property of emitting by the movement 
 of Jits tail the most offensive and foetid stench, which 
 will remain on the clothes until they have been buried 
 in the earth for a long while. Among the Irish, 
 skunk oil is supposed to be an antidote to rheu- 
 matism. 
 
 The marmot, or ground-hog, an animal that 
 lives underground and feeds on clover, is harmless 
 and comparatively worthless, although its skin is 
 said to furnish good whip-thongs, and its carcase to 
 be not bad eating. 
 
 Black squirrels are very numerous ; the fur is 
 serviceable for caps, and the flesh is excellent in 
 curry. 
 
 The Canadian hare is about the size of the Eng- 
 lish rabbit, but has much longer legs, and in appear- 
 ance resembles the mountain-hare of Scotland, in 
 winter becoming white like the Alpine variety ; it is 
 caught by snaring with wire and a spring-pole, or 
 by a deadfall made of the bark of the bass-tree 
 soaked in salt and water — the brine inducing the 
 animal to gnaw the bark. The skins are valueless, 
 and so is the flesh, unless disguised in soups or 
 stews. 
 
 I have now touched on the different methods of 
 trapping the furry tribe, so far as my own experience 
 goes. The trap for the beaver and the lynx is one 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 
 
 83 
 
 size larger than that for the otter and the fisher, and 
 costs two dollars if only one is bought : the best 
 sort is manufactured by iC Newhouse and Co., Oneida 
 Community/' which words are stamped on the pan 
 of all their traps. The next size (No. 3) is for the 
 otter, fisher, and fox ; and next in order is the mink 
 trap, which will stand the purchaser in about five- 
 dollars the dozen from the same company. There 
 are many imitations of these traps, but they are 
 generally useless, as you cannot set them square and 
 even, and the springs are constantly breaking in 
 severe weather. There is a new invention in 
 America, in which the springs are under the pan of" 
 the trap, thus occupying less room and exposing a 
 smaller surface of iron. The big iron traps for cap- 
 turing bears are dangerous and almost useless. The 
 wolf trap is also larger in the jaws than that em- 
 ployed for the beaver, and more likely to secure its 
 prey by catching him high up in the leg. 
 
 A trapper's outfit would be about as follows : — 
 
 dol. cent. 
 2 dozen mink traps . . . 10 
 
 1 „ beaver traps . 
 i „ otter traps 
 
 Tent 
 
 Canoe .... 
 Axe and tomahawk 
 
 . 16 
 
 . 7 
 . 8 
 
 . 7 
 . 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Carried forward . 
 
 . 50 
 
 
 
84 
 
 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 Brought forward 
 60 lbs. of pork 
 60 „ of flour 
 2 „ of tea 
 Powder, shot, etc 
 A bake oven, pot, and frying pan 
 
 dol. cent. 
 
 50 
 2 50 
 
 1 75 
 
 2 
 4 
 2 
 
 62 25 
 
 If the trapper has but a fair run of sport in the 
 two months in the fall of the year, he ought to make, 
 even if the skins do not realize the sums previously 
 mentioned, one hundred and fifty dollars. I give a 
 fair average, and quote from the accounts of two (not 
 first-rate) trappers for this last fall : — 
 
 dol. cent. 
 
 Eighteen deer 
 
 . 76 
 
 
 
 Six fawns . 
 
 . 12 
 
 
 
 Thirty- five beavers 
 
 . 125 
 
 
 
 Twenty mink 
 
 . 60 
 
 
 
 Three otter . 
 
 . ]9 
 
 
 
 Forty musk-rat . 
 
 . 10 
 
 
 
 
 2)302 
 
 
 
 151 
 
 The expenses in the second year would be very 
 small, as the canoe, tent, etc., would last him a long 
 while, or he might dispense with the latter by build- 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. S5 
 
 ing a shanty. The autumn season for trapping and 
 deer-hunting commences with the month of Sep- 
 tember, and closes about the second week in De- 
 cember ; the spring season is from the end of March 
 or beginning of April until the first week in May, 
 when the lakes all open and the hum of the mos- 
 quitoes is heard ; this is followed by the swarming 
 of the black flies, and for some three weeks they 
 render the woods quite unbearable, filling your nose, 
 ears, and mouth, and blackening your face ; it is 
 labour in vain to sweep them off, as myriads are at 
 hand to take their place, and continue the agreeable 
 occupation of sucking your blood. Two or three 
 years since these insects were in such numbers that 
 many cattle were completely devoured by them, and 
 a girl in the next shanty to the one in which I was 
 living, returned from drawing water at about a hun- 
 dred yards' distance with her face and throat in the 
 same condition as if some thousand leeches had been 
 applied to those parts. However, the black flies do 
 •not always amount to such a pest, though they are 
 the greatest with which I am acquainted in Canada ; 
 and as fast as the land is cleared they vanish. Dur- 
 ing their season, keep your house dark, and you 
 will not be troubled with them within doors. The 
 mosquitoes, which remain until August or Septem- 
 ber, are nearly as bad. 
 
 I have never encountered any venomous snake 
 in Upper Canada. I have heard of one rattle-snake 
 
SO Canada in 1864 : 
 
 being seen, and report speaks of the existence of the 
 puff-adder, but at all events it is extremely scarce. 
 The garter-snake (harmless) is very common ; and 
 some of the rivers and swampy grounds abound in 
 the black-snake, a hideous reptile, though also inno- 
 cuous; it will sometimes measure six feet in length, 
 and the thickness that of a man's wrist. The pigs 
 are deadly enemies to the rattle- snake, so much so 
 that the latter seems to have altogether disappeared. 
 Enough, I natter myself, has now been said of 
 trapping to enable the settler to commence opera- 
 tions in that line. I have not referred to partridge 
 and duck shooting, as being the same all the world 
 over. I may, however, mention that the partridge 
 here (of the grouse species) flies up and roosts in 
 the trees. Of these birds there are two sorts, the 
 spruce and the common partridge; and further 
 west you will find the quail, the wild turkey, and the 
 prairie hen ; the latter is to be seen in immense 
 quantities, particularly in the States. 
 
A Hand-booh f 01* Settlers. 87 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Fish and fisheries — The settler's occupations proper to each month 
 in the year — Sleighs and sleighing. 
 
 A little information about Canadian fish, and the 
 best ways of taking theni, may, perhaps, be service- 
 able to the settler. Hooks are much cheaper in 
 England than in Canada, therefore I should recom- 
 mend him to bring out a good supply of different 
 sizes. For the maskanonge (which much resembles 
 the pike) large cod -hooks will be found to answer 
 best, the trolling-hooks being generally too slight ; 
 but he will find the latter of use when two or three 
 are soldered together, with a copper or brass eye 
 at the end. Some large and small hooks for trout and 
 bass, some eel-hooks with a bent eye in the shank, 
 some of the smallest size for catching bait ; also a 
 few strong lines for mackerel, and a few fine ones 
 for fly-fishing, will complete the necessary outfit in 
 this department. 
 
 Many of the rivers and lakes are full of maska- 
 nonge, some of which weigh over fifty pounds. The 
 usual bait for them is a spoon, either of silver, 
 copper, or brass, according to the weather, the state 
 
88 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 of the water, and the season ; on a bright day, they 
 generally prefer silver, and on a dark one, copper or 
 brass. The boat is pulled at the rate of two miles 
 and a half an hour, the line towing astern some 
 thirty yards ; the metal spinning round attracts the 
 attention of the maskanonge, and numbers are thus 
 caught in some waters. Many Yankees come here 
 from the States for the sake of the sport in Rice 
 Lake, a celebrated resort for fishing, shooting, and 
 whiskey-drinking. Most of them despatch the fish 
 they have secured to the markets in the States; 
 while a few, both sportsmen and gentlemen, give 
 away what they catch, and spend their dollars freely. 
 The bass, which weighs from two to six pounds, is 
 excellent eating, both fresh and salted; there are 
 several species, of which the black is the best. It 
 will often take the spoon-bait, and in July and 
 August will bite freely at worms, clams, or the small 
 cray-fish ; with the first a boy took a couple of bar- 
 rels full one day in the river Trent. In August and 
 September excellent sport with this fish may be had 
 with a white or yellow fly (the latter is preferable), 
 tied on a hook, and towed slowly behind a boat. 
 
 Many sorts of trout are to be met with; the 
 lesser streams and mill-dams, where there is good 
 water, generally abound in the small speckled 
 species, which are delicious eating ; they have occa- 
 sionally been caught weighing one pound and up- 
 wards. In the streams that run into the large 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 89 
 
 lakes, the salmon, salmon-trout, the lamprey, and 
 the eel are plentiful. During the spawning season, 
 many salmon are destroyed by spearing at night ; 
 and although this practice is against the law, no 
 notice is ever taken of these nocturnal poachers. 
 Some of the settlers near the Trent gain a livelihood 
 by the sale of eels, so abundant are they in this as 
 in the other large rivers. They are taken with 
 night-lines, and average about 4 lbs. White fish, 
 sturgeon, pickerel, and herring are captured in mul- 
 titudes in Lake Ontario with gill and stake-nets, 
 and near the shore with seines ;. while long lines 
 are also used for salmon trout. Some of the farmers 
 subsist chiefly by catching the white fish. A friend 
 of mine in this neighbourhood often cures two hun- 
 dred barrels during the season, each barrel being 
 worth about seven dollars. The fresh- water her- 
 rings exceed their salt-water brethren in size, but 
 do not equal them in flavour when cured. 
 
 There are very extensive fisheries of cod, ling, 
 and mackerel, on the coasts of Labrador and Gaspe, 
 which also swarm with shell-fish. I may remark, in 
 passing, that the land in the Gaspe settlement is 
 sold at a low rate, but I would not advise any emi- 
 grants to select that coast, for the soil is poor, and 
 the winters are very long and severe, as some unfor- 
 tunate Norwegians found to their cost three years 
 ago, being nearly starved out. There are very good 
 salmon rivers along the coast of the Bay of Chaleurs, 
 
90 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 and also in the island of Anticosti, where a sports- 
 man, who did not mind solitude and " roughing it" 
 for a while, might vary his diversion by shooting 
 hears, the only human inhabitants being the inmates 
 of the lighthouse. But more of this anon. 
 
 I now propose to give a slight sketch of the 
 occupations proper to each month in Upper Canada, 
 thinking it may not be unacceptable to the newly- 
 arrived settler. 
 
 January. — This is the coldest month in the year 
 in these latitudes, the ground being covered with 
 snow, and generally affording good sleighing. 
 Lumbering will be going on at the shanties. You 
 can also employ yourself in chopping for clearing 
 land, and drawing fire-wood ; thrashing your corn, 
 and taking it to market. Also, while the snow is 
 deep is the time to break in your colts, should you 
 possess any; and if you are located near fishing- 
 grounds, you can angle with worms, or spear fish 
 through the ice. 
 
 February. — The same as in January, with the 
 addition of splitting rails for fences, and preparing 
 for sugar-making by getting troughs ready for con- 
 taining the sap, and the boiling-pots carried on to 
 the ground. Also spills for the sap may be 
 made. 
 
 March. — Lumbering still. Most of the timber 
 will now be drawn on the lakes ready for rafting as 
 soon as the ice breaks up. During this month 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 91 
 
 there is some little appearance of spring, the trees 
 beginning to show signs of budding. After the 
 first thaw, commence your sugar-making ; a sunny 
 day and a frosty night will cause the sap to run. 
 The spring season for trapping is from the end of 
 this month, or the beginning of the next, until the 
 first week in May. 
 
 April. — The frost begins to leave the ground, and 
 the snow has nearly disappeared, except in the 
 woods. You can generally plough in the middle of 
 the month, and you should get your hotbeds in 
 order for sowing quite early in May. 
 
 May. — This is a beautiful time here ; the leaves 
 are all out, the flowers are coming into blossom, and 
 towards the latter end of the month the weather is 
 generally very warm, the backwoods swarming with 
 black flies and mosquitoes. The farmer must be 
 busy sowing his grain; while the fisherman can 
 amuse himself, by no means unprofitably, with fly- 
 fishing or trolling for bass and maskanonge. 
 
 June. — Sheep-shearing usually takes place after 
 the middle of the month ; turnips should be sown, 
 and tomatoes and capsicums planted out, in the 
 beginning, unless you have already done that work 
 in May. Cucumbers will be ripe in the hotbeds. 
 Haymaking begins. 
 
 July. — Continue getting in your hay ; the wheat 
 harvest commences about the last week in this 
 month. The young ducks are ready for the sports- 
 
92 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 man ; and most of the finny tribe, both in lakes and 
 rivers, will bite freely. 
 
 August. — The wheat harvest is generally over 
 before the end of the month, and the other cereals 
 are ready for in-gathering, with the exception of 
 Indian corn and buckwheat. Deer are in good con- 
 dition, and fish take bait eagerly. The early apples 
 are ripe. This is our hottest month. 
 
 September. — The best month for sowing fall 
 wheat, harvest peas, and oats, and for fall ploughing ; 
 also for duck-shooting. Deer are in prime condition. 
 Autumn trapping commences. 
 
 October. — Indian corn to be harvested ; potatoes 
 and turnips to be taken up towards the end of the 
 month ; the plough is at work throughout the whole 
 of it. Asparagus beds to be covered. Onions to 
 be pulled, and grapes to be gathered ; also apples, 
 pears, and other fruit. Venison in season. Trapping 
 continues. 
 
 November. — This is a cold and windy time ; the 
 leaves are beginning to fall, and the general aspect 
 of nature to assume a desolate appearance. You 
 may commonly plough to the close of the month. 
 Potatoes and turnips should be potted or housed. 
 There is little rod-fishing, but plenty of trapping. 
 
 December. — The winter has fairly set in, though 
 it often happens that there is no deep fall of snow 
 before Christmas, and the weather will sometimes be 
 open and mild. Now kill your pigs, and salt down 
 
 
A Hand-boolc for Settlers. 93 
 
 your pork for home consumption or sale. Pork sells 
 commonly at about five dollars the hundred pounds. 
 Drawing wood and threshing out grain are the prin- 
 cipal employments of this month. Trapping ends 
 with the second week. 
 
 Sleighing in Upper Canada lasts about two 
 months, from the latter part of December until the 
 end of February, on the roads bordering on Lake 
 Ontario, which are not unfrequently bare of snow ; 
 but this mode of transit is of much longer continu- 
 ance in the woods. The introduction of the snow- 
 plough, used in Norway, and, I believe, in Lower 
 Canada, might be effected here with little trouble, 
 and less expense; it would greatly improve the 
 sleighing, and also protract its duration. This 
 plough covers about ten feet of ground, and makes 
 a clear, smooth surface, hardening the snow, and 
 tending to prevent its drifting, as it blows over the 
 track thus prepared, and leaves a space sufficient for 
 the passage of the sleigh, and sufficient likewise to 
 admit of two sleighs passing each other; whereas, 
 in Upper Canada, if your vehicle encounters another, 
 one is obliged to plunge into the deep snow, which 
 is not only unpleasant but apt to be dangerous. One 
 team can, without difficulty, manage ten or twelve 
 miles a day, and the cost of the plough itself would 
 not be more than ten shillings. Indeed, its utility is 
 so obvious that it is extraordinary the Government 
 
94 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 should not have caused its adoption. It is illegal 
 here, as elsewhere, to drive without bells, a set of 
 which can be purchased at the stores for 7s. 6d. In 
 the Lower Province I believe the sleighing is usually 
 iC in season" from November to March. The ex- 
 pense of a good cutter, L c, a pleasure sleigh, is 
 about thirty dollars, and that of a double or, lumber 
 sleigh is a little more. In the backwoods the jumper, 
 built by the backwoodsman himself, is in common 
 use ; the runners are made of ash or of iron wood, 
 instead of being shod with steel. For lumbering 
 and drawing timber there are the bobsleighs, which 
 consist of two short sleighs hooked to one another, 
 so that they can turn easily in a limited space. 
 There is another sort of these indispensable con- 
 trivances in the States, somewhat after the style of a 
 rocking-horse, the driver sitting astride as if on 
 horseback. 
 
 There are few out-door amusements while the 
 snow lasts ; but I may except that of going down 
 hill at a flying pace, seated on the Tabaugen (from 
 the Indian " Tabernac"), a flat board turned up at 
 the end. These Tabaugens are also very serviceable 
 during the winter for carrying loads on the snow, 
 enabling you to convey double the weight you could 
 bear on your back, and with greater ease to yourself. 
 I introduced the long Norwegian snow-shoe here, 
 and it has afforded some amusement to the young 
 people ; but it is of little real use in these regions, 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 95 
 
 where there are no smooth fields or prairies to tra- 
 verse, as in Norway, and where a rapid descent 
 down a declivity is somewhat perilous, as you may 
 chance to knock against a huge pine stump. In the 
 towns the inhabitants have their skating rinks, cur- 
 ling matches, etc. ; but in the country we have little 
 or no diversion at any season ; nothing but incessant 
 hard work to gather in the dollar, and ' ' go ahead." 
 To the more thoughtful and cultivated minds, how- 
 ever, the magnificent aspect of nature, in her alter- 
 nate mantle of the softest green and the purest 
 white, is a never-failing source of pleasure. 
 
96 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE MINERALS OF CANADA. 
 
 By the kind permission of the members of the Geo- 
 logical Survey, I am enabled to give the following 
 catalogue of the minerals found in Canada : — 
 
 METALS AND THEIR OEES. 
 
 IE0N. 
 
 Bog Iron Ore or Limonite. — Deposits of this ore, 
 in greater or less abundance, are spread out in 
 patches on the north side of the St. Lawrence, and 
 between it and the foot of the Laurentide Hills, all 
 the way from Ste. Anne des Plaines to Portneuf, a 
 distance exceeding a hundred miles. In this area 
 the ore seems to be most concentrated in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the St. Maurice and Batiscan rivers; 
 and iron has been smelted in the neighbourhood of 
 Three Bivers for upwards of a century. The St. 
 Maurice forges were established in 173 7., and con- 
 tinued in operation until 1858. In 1831 from 250 to 
 300 persons were employed at the establishment ; 
 but the ore and wood becoming exhausted, and the 
 Badnor forges having been erected in the Seigniory 
 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 97 
 
 of Cap de la Madelaine, on the Riviere au Lard, a 
 tributary of the Ckamplain River, in a vicinity where 
 the ore and wood are still abundant, the St. Maurice 
 forges went out of blast. The ore with which the 
 Radnor furnaces are supplied occurs close to the 
 surface, in a multitude of patches distributed over 
 the country, with a thickness of from three to twenty- 
 four inches. It is brought to the furnaces partly by 
 the workmen of the company, and partly by the 
 various farmers on whose lands the ore occurs. The 
 chief manufacture of the company consists of cast- 
 iron car- wheels, the price of which at the forges is 2g- 
 cents per lb. A rolling mill has been erected at 
 this establishment for the rolling of malleable iron 
 of superior quality, such as scythe iron, the price of 
 which is 3|- cents per lb., and nail-rod iron, the 
 selling price being &2 cents per lb. 
 
 The quartzose sandstone, used for furnace hearths, 
 belongs to the Potsdam formation, part of the lowest 
 group of the Lower Silurian series of rocks. Blocks 
 of from twelve to fourteen inches thick, four feet 
 long, and twenty inches wide, do not require renewal 
 offcener than once in two years. The ore is washed 
 at the smelting works, to free it from soil, and it 
 then contains between 40 and 50 per cent, of iron. 
 The quantity used annually is between 4000 and 
 5000 tons. The bog iron ore is found also in the 
 Seigniory of Yandreuil and at St. Yallier, but it has 
 never been worked. 
 
 7 
 
98 Canada in 1864: 
 
 The specimens contain abont 50 per cent, of iron. 
 
 Bed Hematite or Oligist Ore. — This is found in 
 MacNab. There is an nnworked bed of 30 feet 
 thick, containing, by analysis, about 58 per cent, of 
 iron. v 
 
 In Sutton this ore yields from 20 to 50 per cent, 
 of iron. It often contains a portion of titanium, as 
 rutile, ilmenite, or sphene. 
 
 Magnetic Iron Ore. — Sutton: A bed of 12 
 feet thick, consisting of dolomite, abounding in 
 small crystals of the magnetic oxyd of iron, which 
 equals, in many specimens, about 56 per cent, of the 
 mass, thus giving an iron ore containing about 38 
 per cent, of metal. Two other bands of dolomite 
 run parallel with the one mentioned, all in the space 
 of 100 yards, on the property of Mr. Oramel Stutson. 
 
 Marmora Iron Mine, Belmont, commonly known 
 as the Big Iron Ore Bed of Marmora. It appears, 
 however, not to be a single bed, but a succession 
 of them (one measuring 100 feet in thickness), 
 interstratified with thin bands of crystalline lime- 
 stone and talcose slate, associated with diallage rock, 
 serpentine, and epidosite. The breadth of the mass 
 is eight chains. The ore contains between 60 and 
 70 per cent, of iron. Many years ago a furnace 
 was erected at Marmora to smelt it, and iron of 
 superior quality was manufactured. More recently, 
 different companies have, for short periods, renewed 
 smelting operations, with very satisfactory results 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 99 
 
 in respect to the quality of the iron produced ; but 
 the distance of the place from a shipping port has 
 proved a serious obstacle to success.* 
 
 Newborough, S. Crosby: A bed of 200 feet 
 thick in gneiss. It is situated on Mud Lake,, a part 
 of the Eideau Canal, and is the property of Messrs. 
 G. Chaffey and Brothers, who mine the ore, and 
 supply it at Kingston for 2 \ dollars the ton, to 
 vessels which carry it as back freight to Cleveland, 
 on Lake Erie; whence it finds its way to the 
 smelting furnaces at Pittsburg, on the Ohio, in the 
 State of Pennsylvania. About 400'0 tons of the ore 
 were thus exported in 1859. 
 
 Hull: A bed of about 90 feet in thickness. 
 Messrs. Forsyth and Co. commenced mining this 
 ore in 1854, for the supply of their own furnaces at 
 Pittsburg. Up to 1858 they had exported about 
 8000 tons. It contains between 60 and 70 per cent, 
 of iron. 
 
 Grenville : A bed about 10 feet thick in gneiss, 
 on the property of Mr. Thomas Loughran. 
 
 * Since this report appeared, copper ore and lead ore combined 
 with silver have been found in this neighbourhood, and the distance 
 from a shipping port is now lessened, as a steamer can take the ore 
 from Heely's Falls, a distance of only eight miles, up the river Trent, 
 into Eice Lake, whence it can be conveyed by railroad to Coburg, on 
 Lake Ontario. There is not capital enough in the country to carry 
 out the speculation of renewing smelting operations on a sufficiently 
 extended scale ; if any English Company would try the experiment 
 large fortunes might be made in a short time. 
 
 LofC. 
 
100 Canada in 1864: 
 
 Grandison : A bed of about 20 feet thick in 
 gneiss, on Government land. 
 
 Madoc : A bed of 25 feet thick in gneiss. The 
 ore is very free from sulphur, and yields to analysis 
 about 70 per cent, of iron ; it is a natural magnet, 
 displaying strong polarity. 
 
 South Sherbrooke : A bed of about 12 feet thick 
 in gneiss. The ore contains between 60 and 70 per 
 cent, of iron. 
 
 Hastings Road, north side : A bed in gneiss. 
 
 Ilmenite, or Titaniferous Iron Ore with Rutile. — 
 St. Urbain, Bay St. Paul: A bed of 90 feet thick, 
 which is exposed for 300 feet on the strike, and is 
 traceable for about a mile. The ore has yielded to 
 analysis — 
 
 Oxyd of titanium . . .48*60 
 Protoxyd of iron . . . 46'44 
 Magnesia . . . 3' 60 
 
 98-64 
 
 LEAD. 
 
 Galena, or Suljphnret of Lead. — Gaspe, Indian 
 Cove : A vein which rises northward into a hill about 
 700 feet in height, constituting Gaspe promontory. 
 The vein has a width of about 1 8 inches. About 
 six tons of ore of 60 per cent, have been obtained 
 from a trial shaft of twenty feet in depth. 
 
 Ramsay Mines, Ramsay : A shaft has been sunk 
 on the lode to the depth of 37 feet, and the working 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 101 
 
 of 75 fathoms of ground, in 1858, yielded 26 tons 
 of ore of 80 per cent. A smelting furnace has been 
 erected, with a fifty-horse-power engine. 
 
 Lansdowne. 
 
 Bedford : The distance between the Lansdowne 
 and Bedford lodes is about 25 miles ; they bear for 
 one another, and it appears not at all improbable 
 that the veins in the two localities may be identical, 
 or belong to one group. Though now abandoned, 
 some of these are supposed to be still unexhausted ; 
 and two of them are known, at one period, to have 
 yielded a great quantity of ore, one of them as 
 much as 142 dollars worth to a fathom. 
 
 COPPER. 
 
 Sulphurets of Copper. — Bscott, near Brockville : 
 The ore from this bed has yielded 10 per cent, of 
 copper. 
 
 Bruce Mines, Lake Huron : The main lode, which 
 is worked with another of about the same thickness, 
 is, on an average, from 2 to 4 feet wide. In a 
 careful examination made in 1848, about 3000 square 
 fathoms of these lodes were computed to contain 
 about 6 | per cent, of copper. The quantity of 
 ore obtained from the mine, since its opening in 
 1847, is stated to be about 9000 tons of 18 per cent. 
 The number of men employed is thirty-four. The 
 ores are in part sent to the Baltimore market, and 
 in part to the United Kingdom. 
 
 Wellington Mine, Lake Huron: The lodes of 
 
102 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 this mine are probably a north-westward continua- 
 tion of those of the Bruce mine. The quantity of 
 ore obtained by the West Canada Mining Company 
 since 1857 is a little over 6000 tons of 20 per cent. 
 In 1861, the quantity was 1175 tons of 19 per cent., 
 and from the Huron Copper Bay Mine, 1300 tons, 
 making the total quantity obtained in that year about 
 3000 tons. The number of men employed is 260. 
 All of the ore raised by this Company is sent to 
 the United Kingdom. 
 
 Acton Mine, Acton : The ore of this mine occurs 
 in masses. In the first few weeks' work in 1859, 
 about 300 tons of ore, containing nearly 30 per cent. 
 of copper, were quarried, in open cuttings, from two 
 of the masses, without making much apparent im- 
 pression on the quantity in sight. The total quan- 
 tity sent from the mine up to the end of 1861 is 
 nearly 6000 tons, holding, on the average, about 
 17 per cent, of copper. 
 
 Upton Mine, Upton. 
 
 Bissonette's Mine, Upton. 
 
 Wickham Mine, Wickham : An experimental 
 shaft has been sunk to a depth of about 5 fathoms ; 
 about 4 tons of 30 per cent, ore have been obtained 
 from the excavation. 
 
 Yale's Mine, Durham. 
 
 Black Eiver Mine, St. Flavien. 
 
 Harvey's Hill Mine, Leeds : The English and 
 Canadian Mining Company employs about fifty hands. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 103 
 
 St. Francis Mine, Cleveland. 
 
 Jackson's Mine, Cleveland. 
 
 Coldspring Mine, Melbourne. 
 
 Sweet's Mine, Sutton. 
 
 Craig's Range Mine, Chester. 
 
 Nicolet Branch Mine, Ham. 
 
 Garthby : This appears to be a large mass of 
 iron and copper pyrites, running N.E. and S.W. 
 In some parts sulphuret of iron prevails, almost to 
 the exclusion of that of copper, while in others there 
 is as much as 8 per cent, of copper. Some parts 
 assume the aspect of what, among Cornish miners, is 
 termed "bell-metal ore." 
 
 Haskell Hill Mine, Ascot : The quantity of ore 
 obtained from the bed by five men in five months is 
 about 100 tons, yielding 8 per cent, of pure copper. 
 A vein on lot 17, range 7, of Ascot, within a mile 
 of Sherbrooke, in addition to the yellow sulphuret 
 of copper, has been found to hold traces of gold. 
 
 Native Copper. — Harrison's Location, St. Ignace* 
 Island, Lake Superior: The vein is about four or 
 ■&ve inches wide, and holds masses of native copper, 
 many of them weighing upwards of 100 lbs., accom- 
 panied by native silver. 
 
 Michipicoten Island, Lake Superior : The quan- 
 tity of metal is equal to about 5 per cent. 
 
 Mamainse, Lake Superior : 450 lbs. of native 
 copper in a single sheet, from a vein, was sent as 
 a specimen to the London International Exhibition, 
 
104 Canada in 1864: 
 
 1862. Here are occasionally found the remains of 
 Indian hammers, giving evidence of rude aboriginal 
 attempts at mining many centuries since. 
 
 Smelted Copper. — Bruce Mines, Lake Huron. 
 
 NICKEL. 
 
 Sulphur et of Nicltel. — Orford. 
 
 SILVER. 
 
 Native Silver. — Prince's Location, Lake Supe- 
 rior : The location is the property of the British- 
 American Mining Company, and in a small trial shaft 
 sunk by them, to the depth of between six and 
 seven fathoms, on the mainland, where the lode is 
 four feet wide, several hundred pounds of the vein 
 contained 3| per cent, of silver.* 
 
 GOLD. 
 
 Native Gold. — Fief St. Charles, Seigniory of 
 Aubert de Tlsle : Nuggets found here, some of 
 
 * Extract from a newspaper of the 20th December, 1863 : — 
 " Evidence of the richness of the silver deposits on Lake Superior 
 ssems to be constantly accumulating. George Cummingshas opened 
 a vein this week on section 15, township 49, N. of range 26 W., 
 . . . from which . . he brought in some 100 lbs. of extremely- 
 rich ore, some of the specimens weighing from 5 to 10 lbs., and 
 almost pure. The ore is a bright steel colour, indicating a high per 
 centage of silver. The vein, where the blasting was done, is about 
 two feet wide. The richness with which the veins open is most 
 astonishing, exceeding any deposits of the kind known before." 
 Silver is reported to be found in the township of Lake Huron. 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 
 
 105 
 
 them weighing from 10 dwts. to 126 dwts., were 
 sent as specimens to the London International 
 Exhibition, 1862. 
 
 Various companies have made trials of auriferous 
 drift in several places, one of the most important 
 having been on the Riviere des Plantes ; but of this 
 it is not easy to procure authentic details. In 1851, 
 the Canada Gold Mining Company commenced a 
 trial of the drift along the Riviere du Loup, near its 
 junction with the Chaudiere, which continued three 
 years. The following are the results for the years 
 1851 and 1852 :— 
 
 Area washed. 
 Sq. acres. 
 
 1851 4 
 
 1852 f 
 
 G-old collected, 
 dwts. grs. 
 
 2107-11 
 
 2880-19 
 
 4987-30 
 
 Yalue. 
 dols. 
 
 1826-46 
 2496-69 
 
 Wages, 
 dols.' 
 
 1644-33 
 
 1888-35 
 
 4323-15 
 
 3532-68 
 
 Profit, 
 dols. 
 
 182-13 
 508-34 
 
 690-47 
 
 Seigniory of Yandreuil, Beauce : In the nugget 
 of 80 dwts. with quartz, sent to the London Inter- 
 national Exhibition, 1862, the proportion of the 
 gold was 64 per cent. 
 
 Rapids of the Chaudiere, parish of St. Francois 
 (Beauce) : In an analysis made by Mr. Hunt, in 
 1 854, a portion of the galena separated by washing, 
 but still containing a small mixture of the blende 
 and pyrites, gave, by assay of 500 grains, 69 per 
 cent, of lead, and 32 ounces of silver to the ton of 
 ore. Another sample of 500 grains, more carefully 
 
106 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 dressed, gave 37 ounces of silver to the ton. The 
 silver contained a small quantity of gold. Another 
 portion of 500 grains, of the sample which gave 
 69 per cent, of lead, afforded by cupellation a 
 quantity of silver equal to not less than 25G ounces 
 of silver to the ton. 
 
 PLATINUM AND IRIDOSMINE. 
 
 Native Platinum. — Grains of platinum and of 
 iridosmine, in very small quantities, are met with 
 among the drift gold of the Chaudiere. 
 
 MINERALS APPLICABLE TO CHEMICAL MANUFACTURES. 
 
 Chromic Iron. — Mount Albert, Shickshock range, 
 Graspe : Found in masses, the largest weighing about 
 20 lbs. 
 
 Ham. 
 
 Bolton : The ore occurs in masses of from 50 to 
 1000 lbs. in weight. 
 
 Molybdenite, or Sulphuret of Molybdenum. — Que- 
 tachoo River, Manicouagan Bay, north shore, Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Cobaltiferous Iron Pyrites. — Elizabethtown, near 
 Brockville : Assays of the ore have yielded one half 
 of 1 per cent, of cobalt. 
 
 Dolomite. — Lithe eastern townships avast quan- 
 tity of dolomite occurs in bands, which are from 
 10Q to 300 feet thick. 
 
 Magnesite, or Carbonate of Magnesia. — Sutton. 
 
 Bolton: The purest specimens contain 80 per 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 107 
 
 cent, of carbonate of magnesia, with a portion of 
 carbonate of iron. 
 
 The most important application of this mineral 
 is probably for the fabrication of a cement to resist 
 the action of sea -water. 
 
 Petroleum, or Rock Oil. — Natural springs of 
 rock oil have long been known in several localities 
 in Western Canada. There are two in the township 
 of Enniskillen. Wells sunk to a depth of from 
 40 to 60 feet, through the superficial clays, en- 
 counter a stratum of gravel, resting on the surface 
 of the rock beneath, and often filled with oil, giving 
 origin to what are called surface wells. Within an 
 area of four square miles in the first three ranges of 
 the township, there were supposed to be, in August 
 1861, about seventy wells, yielding more or less oil. 
 Forty of these were surface wells. Some wells 
 bored in July and August, 1861, are stated to have 
 yielded from 400 to 500 barrels of oil in a week or 
 two after having been opened. Two bored wells, 
 belonging to Mr. Williams, yielded together, during 
 some months, from 20 to 25 barrels (of 40 gallons 
 each) daily. Wells bored to a depth of nearly 200 
 feet have yielded less oil than the surface wells. 
 
 In Pennsylvania the supply of oil from the flow- 
 ing wells soon diminished, and eventually failed. 
 
 Tilsonburgh : Near the village of Tilsonburgh, 
 in the township of Dereham, natural oil springs occur. 
 In the townships of Zone, Mosa, and Orford, on the 
 
108 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 banks of the Thames,, oil springs abound for a distance 
 of four miles. The oil-bearing limestone underlies 
 an area of 7000 square miles in Western Canada. 
 
 Bituminous Shale. — Collingwood. 
 
 Works were erected in 1859 by Messrs. Pollard 
 and Macdonell, consisting of 24 retorts, capable of 
 yielding about 250 gallons of oil daily, by the dis- 
 tillation of from 20 to 30 tons of shale. The cost 
 of the crude oil was 14 cents (about sevenpence) 
 the gallon. The works have been repeatedly de- 
 stroyed by fire, and are for the present abandoned. 
 
 Phosphate of Lime (Apatite). — North Elmsley. 
 
 South Burgess : The deposit of phosphate of 
 lime seen in North Elmsley, appears to be continued 
 south-westwardly through Burgess. 
 
 REFRACTORY MINERALS. 
 
 Soapstone (steatite, compact talc). — Bolton. 
 
 Sutton. 
 
 Potstone (compact chlorite). — Bolton. 
 
 Mica. — Found in Grenville, and North and South 
 Burgess. 
 
 Plumbago } or Blacldead. — Pointe du Chene 
 Graphite Mine, county of Argenteuil. 
 
 Lochaber : The workable beds which have been 
 observed, are chiefly in various townships on the 
 north side of the Ottawa. 
 
 Asbestus. — Generally a fibrous serpentine or 
 chrysotile, which occurs in veins cutting the serpen- 
 ine of the eastern townships. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 109 
 
 Friable Sandstone. — Used to protect the sides 
 and bottoms of furnaces in iron foundries. 
 
 Fire-clay. — In Mr. Gartshore's foundry at 
 Dundas, this clay has entirely superseded the fire- 
 clay formerly imported from the United States. 
 
 MINERALS APPLICABLE TO COMMON AND DECORATIVE 
 CONSTRUCTION. 
 
 Limestones. — Amprior, MaclSfab. 
 
 Cornwall. 
 
 Montreal. 
 
 Chevrotiere. 
 
 The quantity of stone annually quarried in the 
 vicinity of Montreal is over 90,000 tons. 
 
 The produce of the quarries of La Chevrotiere has 
 a deserved celebrity in Quebec, where it has been 
 used in the construction of churches and other 
 buildings. 
 
 Dolomites , or Magnesian limestone. — Owen Sound. 
 
 Noisy River Falls, Nottawasaga. 
 , Rockwood, Eramosa. 
 
 Guelph. 
 
 Oxbow, Saugeen River : This is the best dolo- 
 mite which has been discovered in the country. It 
 resembles the Caen stone in the facility with which 
 it can be worked. 
 
 Sandstones. — Lyn, Elizabethtown. 
 
 Nepean. 
 
 Quin's Point, Seigniory of La Petite Nation : 
 
110 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 This stone has been used in the constrnction of the 
 Parliament buildings at Ottawa. 
 
 Pembroke. 
 
 Hamilton, Barton. 
 
 Georgetown, Esqnesing : The stone from here 
 has been nsed in constructing culverts on the Grand 
 Trunk Railway, and numerous buildings in Toronto. 
 
 Nottawasaga, and other places. 
 
 Labradorite. — The opalescent variety of Labra- 
 dorite occurs in cleavable masses in a fine grained 
 base of the same mineral character, which forms 
 mountain masses. Where these are thickly dis- 
 seminated in the paste, the stone becomes a beau- 
 tiful decorative material, applicable to architectural 
 embellishment, and to articles of furniture. It is 
 worked at a cost beyond that of marble, but not 
 greater than is proportionate to the superior beauty 
 and durability of the material. 
 
 Gneiss. — St. Charles Reservoir, Jeune Lorette : 
 This stone has been used for building the dam and 
 reservoir of the Quebec Water-works, on the St. 
 Charles River. Masses of almost any size can be 
 blasted out from the rock, and large blocks have 
 been dressed and applied to the masonry work 
 of the reservoir, which will, no doubt, prove a 
 structure of the most lasting character. 
 
 Syenite. — Grenville. 
 
 Barrow Island, River St. Lawrence, opposite 
 Gananoque. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. Ill 
 
 Granite. — St. Joseph, Beauce : This band of 
 granite has been nsed for millstones, and would 
 yield a strong and durable building stone. 
 
 Barnston, and other places. 
 
 MAEBLES. 
 
 Limestones. — Arnprior : Light and dark grey 
 marble. 
 
 Elzivir : White marble. 
 
 Grenville : Yellowish-white marble. 
 
 Augmentation of Grenville : Spotted green and 
 white marble. 
 
 St. Armand : White marble, and black marble. 
 
 St. Joseph, Beauce : Eed marble, veined with 
 white. 
 
 Caughnawaga : Grey marble, and grey with red 
 spots. 
 
 St. Dominique : Dove-grey marble. 
 
 1/ Original : Grey marble with white spots. ' 
 
 Pointe Claire : Brownish black, and greenish 
 black. 
 
 Cornwall : Black marble. 
 
 Pakenham : Brown marble. 
 
 Gloucester : Brownish grey marble. 
 
 Montreal : Grey marble. 
 
 Dudswell : Cream white marble. 
 
 Serpentines. — Orford : Dark green serpentine, 
 .and dark green striped with light green. 
 
 Melbourne : Green and white. 
 
112 Canada in 1S64 : 
 
 St. Joseph, Beauce : Green, veined with white. 
 
 These rocks, or others immediately near them, 
 contain the metals iron, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, 
 silver and gold ; with the drift gold, derived from 
 these strata, are found platinum, iridosmine, and 
 traces of mercury. 
 
 SLATES, FLAGSTONES, LIME, BEICKS, AND DRAIN TILES. 
 
 Roofing Slates. — Walton Quarry, Melbourne : 
 Mr. Walton commenced opening a quarry in 1860, 
 and found it necessary to make a tunnel through the 
 serpentine. The cost was 30,000 dollars. Up to a 
 comparatively recent period, the usual coverings of 
 houses in Canada have been wooden shingles, gal- 
 vanized iron, or tin-plate ; but so many destructive 
 fires have occurred from the use of the first of these, 
 that they are now interdicted in all large towns. 
 Slate, as a covering, costs about one-third more than 
 shingles, but one-half less than tin, and one-third 
 less than galvanized iron. In the following table are 
 shown — 1st, the sizes of the slates, in inches ; 2nd, 
 the number of such slates in a square (of 100 
 square feet) ; and, 3rd, the price per square at which 
 Mr. Walton supplies his slates, placed on the rail- 
 road cars at Eichmond, which is within a mile and 
 a-half of the quarry. 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 
 
 113 
 
 Sizes. 
 
 Num- 
 ber. 
 
 Price. 
 
 Sizes. 
 
 Num- 
 ber. 
 
 Price. 
 
 Sizes. 
 
 Num- 
 ber. 
 
 Price. 
 
 24x16 
 
 86 
 
 $4 00c. 
 
 20x10 
 
 169 
 
 §4 00c. 
 
 14x10 
 
 262 
 
 $3 00c. 
 
 24x14 
 
 98 
 
 4 00 
 
 18x11 
 
 175 
 
 4 00 
 
 14x 9 
 
 291 
 
 3 00 
 
 24x12 
 
 114 
 
 4 00 
 
 18x10 
 
 192 
 
 4 00 
 
 14x 8 
 
 327 
 
 3 00 
 
 22x12 
 
 126 
 
 4 00 
 
 18x 9 
 
 213 
 
 4 00 
 
 14x 7 
 
 374 
 
 2 75 
 
 22x11 
 
 138 
 
 4 00 
 
 16x10 
 
 222 
 
 3 75 
 
 12x 8 
 
 400 
 
 2 75 
 
 20X12 
 
 141 
 
 4 00 
 
 16 x 9 
 
 246 
 
 3 75 
 
 12 X 7 
 
 457 
 
 2 50 
 
 20x11 
 
 154 
 
 4 00 
 
 16x 8 
 
 277 
 
 3 60 
 
 12x 6 
 
 533 
 
 2 25 
 
 To show that slate,, as a covering, is well adapted 
 to resist the influences of a Canadian climate, it may 
 be stated that slates from Angers, in France, have 
 been exposed on the roof of a building in Montreal 
 for upwards of 100 years, without any perceptible 
 ( deterioration. 
 
 Slate for roofing is also found at Orford, Tring, 
 Kingsly, Cleveland. 
 
 Flagstones. — Georgetown, Esquesing : A hard, 
 fine-grained sandstone, which can be split into 
 flagstones. They are used at Toronto and Hamil- 
 ton. 
 
 Hydraulic Lime. — St. Catherines. 
 
 Formerly the quantity of cement manufactured, 
 during the construction of railways and other public 
 works, averaged 80,000 bushels annually; the 
 quantity made now does not exceed one-tenth of the 
 amount. The price now is about a shilling per 
 bushel of 60 lbs. 
 
 8 
 
114 Canada in 186-i : 
 
 Walkerton. 
 
 Limelioiise. 
 
 Nepean. 
 
 Pockwood. 
 
 Magdalen Eiver. 
 
 Common Lime. — Guelph : The stone occurs here 
 in unlimited quantities. 
 
 Walkerton : This remarkably white lime makes 
 a superior whitewash, and a strong cement. 
 
 Montreal : This limestone yields the best stone 
 for building purposes, and also burns to excellent 
 lime, of which 2 70,000 bushels per annum are manu- 
 factured at Montreal at 16f cents per bushel. 
 
 Common Bricks. — Owen Sound. 
 
 Walkerton, Brant. 
 
 St. Jean, County of Lotbiniere. 
 
 Montreal : Messrs. Peel and Compte manufac- 
 ture 6,000,000 common bricks annually, which are 
 sold at from 5 to 6 dollars per 1000. The red bricks 
 of Montreal are manufactured from a blue clay of 
 marine origin, as is proved by the occurrence of sea 
 shells ; all probably the same as species now inha- 
 biting the ocean. The remains of the capeling 
 (Mallotus villosus) and the lump -sucker (Cyclostomus 
 lumpus) are obtained from the same clays near 
 Ottawa. In one of Messrs. Peel and Compters pits 
 has been found a nearly entire skeleton of the Green- 
 land seal, a species still liviug in the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence ; from the size of the head, the animal 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 115 
 
 appears to have been six feet long, and full 
 grown. 
 
 The quantity of bricks manufactured by Messrs. 
 Buhner and Sheppard is equal to 6,000,000 per 
 annum. In this manufacture they use Boaden's 
 brick-making machine. 
 
 Toronto : The deposit of clay extends eastward, 
 at least as far as Cobourg. The average annual 
 manufacture of all kinds of bricks is from 8,000,000 
 to 10,000,000. The price of common red bricks is 
 from 3 dollars to 4 dollars per 1000. 
 
 Drain Tiles. — North Plantaganet : Tiles are 
 manufactured by Mr. Thomas Gibb, at Treadwell, 
 from a blue clay, which forms a considerable deposit 
 on the banks of the Ottawa. The price of them is 
 10 dollars per 1000. 
 
 Quebec : Tiles made by Messrs. W. and D. Bell 
 are used for main sewers and house drains in the 
 city of Quebec, where 151,000 of them have been 
 laid. 
 
 GRINDING AND POLISHING MINERALS. 
 
 Whetstones. — Stanstead. 
 
 Hatley, Massawippi Lake. 
 
 Bolton. 
 
 Kingsey. 
 
 Collingwood. 
 
 Nottawasaga. 
 
 Madoc. 
 
116 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 Hones. — Otterfcail Lake, Thessalon River. 
 
 Grindstones. — Nottawasaga : Considerable num- 
 bers of grindstones are made by hand here, and in 
 the township of Mulmur, and are declared by prac- 
 tical men to be superior to those imported. A lathe 
 for turning them could be erected for about £200 
 sterling. 
 
 Millstones. — Grenville. 
 
 Cayuga, north of Talbot Road. 
 
 Millstones for grinding oats and barley are 
 manufactured by Mr. W. De Cew, of De Cewville, 
 in the county of Haldimand. 
 
 MINERAL MANURES. 
 
 Gypsum . — Oneida. 
 York, Grand River. 
 
 The following is the amount of gypsum raised 
 annually from the quarries on the Grand River : — 
 
 T. Martindale, Oneida . . 3500 tons. 
 
 F. Donaldson, Oneida . . 1500 „ 
 
 A. Taylor, York . . . 3000 „ 
 
 Thompson and Wright, Paris 4000 „ 
 
 F. Brown, Cayuga . . . 2000 „ 
 
 14,000 
 
 The greater part of this gypsum is used for 
 agricultural purposes, and the prices at which it is 
 sold are as follows : — 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 117 
 
 Plaster, unground . . . $2 per ton. 
 
 „ ground for the land . $3 to $4 „ 
 
 3 j „ ,, stucco, raw . $5 „ $7 „ 
 
 ,3 33 „ „ calciued $16 „ 
 
 Fresh-water Shell Marl. — JSTew Edinburgh. 
 
 Sheffield. 
 
 Montreal. 
 
 Nepean. 
 
 West Hawkesbuiy. 
 
 Brant, north of Durham Road. 
 
 Carrick. 
 
 Bentinck. 
 
 Anticosti. 
 
 Belleville. 
 
 St. Armand. 
 
 Calcareous Tufa. — Noisy River Falls. 
 
 MINERAL PAINTS. 
 
 Iron Ochres. — Ste. Anne de Montmorenci. 
 
 Cap de la Madelaine. 
 
 Pointe du Lac. 
 
 In 1851 Messrs. H. A. Monroe and Co., of New 
 York, made arrangements to prepare the ochres for 
 sale. The prevailing colours are red and yellow, 
 but there occurs also in some parts a beautiful 
 purple ochre, and in others a blackish brown. From 
 these natural tints, eight colours are said to have 
 been prepared. The deposit being but little mixed 
 with sand, the chief impurities consisted of the roots 
 
118 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 of those plants which had been growing on the sur- 
 face. The blackish brown variety, when purified from 
 roots, without fire, is sold under the name of raw 
 sienna ; when subjected to fire, it assumes a brown 
 of less intensity, and is sold as burnt sienna. 
 
 Nottawasaga. 
 
 Owen Sound. 
 
 Sulphates of JBarytes. — Burgess. 
 
 Lansdowne. 
 
 In Canada this mineral is as yet applied to no use, 
 but in some parts of the United States it is refined 
 and ground in large quantities, for use as a paint, 
 and also for adulterating white lead. The value of 
 the crude barytes suited for such a purpose is about 
 10 dollars per ton, while the wholesale price of the 
 paint is 30 dollars per ton. 
 
 MINERALS APPLICABLE TO THE PINE ARTS. 
 
 Lithographic Stone. — Marmora : One of the beds, 
 which is two feet thick, and of impalpable grain, is 
 a lithographic stone of excellent quality. The band 
 to which the bed belongs extends from Hungerford 
 to Rama, a distance of 100 miles; but though the 
 stone has been highly commended by all the litho- 
 graphers who have tried it, no one has attempted to 
 quarry it for use. 
 
 Brant. 
 
 Oxbow, Saugeen Eiver, Brant.* 
 
 * Splendid lithographic stone is also found on the Burleigh 
 Eoad. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 119 
 
 MINERALS APPLICABLE TO JEWELLERY. 
 
 Agates. — Michipicoten and St. Ignace Islands, 
 Lake Superior, 
 
 Labradorite. — Grenville. 
 
 Abercrombie. 
 
 Albite (Peristerite) . — Bathurst. 
 
 Orthoclase (Perthite) . — Burgess. 
 
 Jasper conglomerate. — Bruce Mines, Lake Huron : 
 This beautiful rock consists of white quartzite, in 
 •which, are imbedded a multitude of blood-red jasper 
 pebbles, which constitute a material fit to receive 
 the work of the jeweller. The whole rock is capable 
 of being applied to the manufacture of vases and 
 such like articles of virtu. Many boulders of the rock 
 lie scattered along the north coast of Lake Huron, 
 and they are abundant at the Bruce Mines. 
 
 Epidosite. — Shickshock Mountains : This green 
 rock occurs in massive beds, and extends over 
 considerable areas in the Shickshock Mountains, 
 on the south side of the St. Lawrence, in Gaspe. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS MINERALS. 
 
 Feldspar. — Bathurst. 
 
 Sandstone for glass - making \ — Williamstown, 
 Beauharnois. 
 
 Moulding Sand. — Dundas. 
 
 Owen Sound. 
 
 Durham. 
 
 Peat. — Chambly. 
 
120 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 Peat occurs near Chambly, on the south side of 
 the St. Lawrence,, and was some years ago cut, 
 pressed, and sold as fuel by the late Mr. Scobell. 
 As Canada is deficient in coal, when wood becomes 
 scarce in the progress of settlement, peat will gradu- 
 ally assume some importance as a fuel in many parts 
 of the country. It occurs in great abundance in 
 many places in the province; about 100 square 
 miles of it extend along the south front of the Island 
 of Anticosti. 
 
 I must now bring this catalogue of minerals to 
 a close, believing that I have given the settler suffi- 
 cient information to guide him to the different 
 localities in which they are to be found, and where 
 he may obtain a chance of employment, and perhaps 
 even of making a fortune. For fuller particulars I 
 refer my readers to a work published in Canada by 
 the Geological Society. 
 
 I subjoin, also by the "permission of the mem- 
 bers of the Geological Survey, a short description of 
 the crystalline rocks of Canada : — 
 
 CRYSTALLINE ROCKS OF CANADA. 
 
 Rocks of the Laurenticm System. — The rocks of 
 this system are the oldest known on the globe, and 
 are widely spread in North America, where they are 
 traced from the coast of Labrador to Lake Huron, 
 and thence northward to the Arctic regions. They 
 consist in great part of orthoclase gneiss, with 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 121 
 
 quartzites, sometimes conglomerate, and crystalline 
 limestones and dolomites. The total thickness of 
 these strata is estimated at not less than 20,000 feet. 
 Besides these, there is a great formation of anortho- 
 site rocks. In the Lanrentian System there is an 
 absence of anything like argillite or clay- slate. In 
 the gneiss and limestone series, the beds are chiefly 
 of magnetic and oligist iron. In the anorthosites 
 the only ones met with are beds of titaniferons iron 
 or ilmenite. 
 
 Rocks of the Huronian Series. — These rest upon 
 those of the Laurentian System, and are in part 
 made up of the ruins of the latter. The series is 
 met with at Lake Temiscaming, on the Ottawa, and 
 on Lakes Huron and Superior. Its thickness on 
 the north shore of Lake Huron is supposed to be 
 18,000 feet. There is but a small amount of car- 
 bonate of lime in it, and also an absence of gneiss. 
 Quartzite may be said to be the predominant rock 
 in the Huronian Series. Its colours are white, 
 grey, brownish, and sometimes greenish or reddish. 
 These quartzites often become conglomerate, from 
 the presence of various coloured pebbles of quartz 
 and jasper. The latter are frequently blood-red in 
 colour, and being imbedded in a white or a green- 
 ish base, constitute a very beautiful rock. 
 
 Rocks of the Silurian Series. — The Notre-Dame 
 and Shickshock Mountains are the N.E. prolonga- 
 tion of the great Appalachian chain, which extends 
 
122 Canada in 1864: 
 
 from the Gulf of St. Lawrence nearly to the Gulf 
 of Mexico. They attain, in some places, a height 
 of more than 4000 feet above the sea. They con- 
 sist of gneiss, anorthosite, diorite, epidosite, garnet- 
 rock, mica-rock, mica- schist, argillites, chlorite, 
 magnesite, dolomites, and limestones, sandstones, 
 etc., etc. 
 
 Intrusive Roclcs. — The results of recent geolo- 
 gical investigations in various parts of the world, 
 lead to the conclusion that many rocks, formerly 
 regarded as intrusive or exotic, are really sediments, 
 altered in situ, or indigenous rocks. Such is the 
 case with many granites, syenites, greenstones, 
 amygdaloids, porphyries, and serpentines; all of 
 which are represented among the altered strata of 
 Canada. These sediments at the time of their 
 metamorphism were, however, in such a plastic 
 state that they were sometimes displaced and forced 
 among the overlying and disrupted strata. Intru- 
 sive masses, so far as known, are extremely rare in 
 the Laurentian System, except in one small area in 
 the counties of Grenville and Argenteuil. To the 
 S.E. of the Lower Silurian Mountains, and to tih^B 
 N.W. along the valleys of the St. Lawrence and 
 Lake Champlain, are a series of intrusive rocks, the 
 more characteristic varieties of which are quartzi- 
 ferous porphyry, trachytes, phonolite dolerite, and 
 peridotite. 
 
A Sand-booh for Settlers. 123 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Country taverns — Backwoods verses — Lumbering and lumber-men 
 — The old cook — Mormonism and Mormons — Sects — Camp 
 meetings. 
 
 In most of tlie small villages in Canada the traveller 
 will find two taverns, where he may have breakfast 
 or dinner for a shilling English, and may occasionally 
 procure a glass of tolerable beer. Strong green tea 
 is the beverage at every meal, black being rarely 
 taken. The whiskey at these country inns is gene- 
 rally of the cheapest and also of the worst descrip- 
 tion, yet on the whole preferable to, and less inju- 
 rious than, the rum and brandy made from it, and 
 only to be known by some decoction added to each 
 liquor to give it its distinctive flavour. At almost 
 every public-house on the road you will see two or 
 three blear-eyed, unkempt individuals, keeping an 
 eye on the too tempting bottle at the bar ; these 
 are tavern -loafers, who live and die on whiskey 
 hanging about the place, chopping wood when sober 
 enough, or watering the traveller's horse. The bill 
 
124 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 of fare is pretty good ; broiled ham, pumpkin pie, 
 and tea, with occasionally some fresh meat in the 
 season ; but fried pork and " sarse" is the ordinary 
 dish among the lower orders, the sarse being the 
 fat in which the pork is fried. As a delicacy, you 
 are sometimes treated to molasses, called here "lasses 
 fixings/ ' and a pumpkin or apple tart finishes the 
 repast. 
 
 The lower classes in Canada are miserable 
 cooks, worse even than in England ; and but little 
 variety in the culinary department, such as made 
 dishes or similar luxuries, prevails among the gentry. 
 It is a common custom with the latter to have a 
 sheep killed at noon, and to dress part of it for the 
 day's dinner; and the same plan is pursued with 
 turkeys and fowls, thus ensuring their tenderness, 
 as I was informed by a young lady whom I ques- 
 tioned on the subject. 
 
 On the first occasion of my passing the night at 
 a small village tavern in Upper Canada, it was in- 
 timated to me by the landlord, quite as a matter of 
 course, that I was to share the sleeping accom^ 
 modation already occupied by a wandering Italian 
 with his hurdygardy; and on nry dissenting from 
 this arrangement, mine host was not only irate, but 
 evidently astonished. However, after a little trouble, 
 I succeeded in inducing him to give me a shake- 
 down on the floor. The general amusement at these 
 taverns is card-playing, varied now and then by a 
 
A Hand-hook for Settlers. 125 
 
 hoe-dance. Never shall I forget one of these enter- 
 tainments, which took place on the 5th of November. 
 I had just returned, tired and wet through, from the 
 backwoods, and on my asking for a bed, the land- 
 lord (an Irishman) informed me that there was to 
 be an evening party, and that he feared it would 
 prevent my having much sleep. Nevertheless, I 
 crept quickly to my couch in a small hole at the top 
 of the house before the arrival of the guests, but all 
 in vain ! Tt was an Orange jubilee, and about seven 
 o'clock three fiddles struck up, the dance com- 
 menced, and ended not until seven the next morning ; 
 the shoutings and yellings exceeded anything I have 
 ever heard, and I need hardly add that Morpheus 
 was a stranger to my pillow. No charge, however, 
 was made to me for that night's unrest. One of 
 the company was quite a poet in his w T ay, and he 
 favoured the rest with the following song of his 
 own composition, which I subjoin for the reader's 
 benefit, leaving him to judge of the merits of this 
 bard of the backwoods : — • 
 
 " Tell me, oh ! where is your star-spangled banner, 
 That you swore would ' lick all creation in fits' ? 
 Is it daub'd in the mud of the Southern Savannah, 
 Or torn by the South into wee little bits ? 
 
 " Have your stars ceas'd to shine, your eagle ceas'd flying, 
 The bald-headed eagle— that scavenger bird ? 
 Have your people ceas'd boasting, and nations defying ? 
 Was fighting or flying at Bull's Eun preferr'd ? 
 
126 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 " Yes ! the bald-headed eagle your Franklin* pronounc'd 
 Is the meanest of birds flying under the sun ; 
 He perhaps hover' d oyer you when you were trounc'd 
 That glorious day at immortal Bull's Eun. 
 
 "That star-spangled banner shall blazon no more, 
 
 And the bald-headed eagle his prey must disgorge ; 
 While the stout British lion shall prevail as of yore, 
 While proudly still triumphs the flag of St. George !" 
 
 The lumber-men lead rather a jovial sort of life 
 in the shanties, which it is customary to build far 
 away in the backwoods, and close to the spot on 
 which the timber is to be cut. These fellows are 
 mostly a rough, wild, heterogeneous set — French 
 from Lower, English, Scotch, and Irish from Upper 
 Canada, often with a half-nautical element in their 
 composition. Their pay is from ten to fifteen dollars 
 a month, but those who hew the timber with the 
 broad axe have from twenty to thirty, and some- 
 times more. Each gang of some half dozen men 
 are under a u boss," whose wages are rather higher 
 than theirs. The shanties are well supplied ^rith 
 provisions, such as salt pork and beef, potatoes, and 
 molasses, and tea is drunk ad libitum. Fat pork is 
 the especial glory of the lumber-man, who will fre- 
 quently turn out of his bunk three or four times in 
 the night to devour a lump of it, qualified with a 
 
 * Franklin says that the bald-headed eagle is a mean scavenger 
 bird and a coward, and regrets that his countrymen should have 
 adopted it as their national emblem. 
 
A Eand-booh for Settlers. 127 
 
 draught of tea. Breakfast is over by daybreak, and 
 all hands are off into the woods till noon, when they 
 return to dinner, consisting* of pork and peas-soup ; 
 then they work till dark, and after supper the fiddle 
 strikes up, and the evening concludes with a song 
 and a game of chequers. 
 
 The timber is drawn on sleighs or floated down 
 to the back lakes, thence to Lake Ontario, and 
 thence to Quebec; about six or seven weeks are 
 occupied in the entire transit. The lumber-men, of 
 course, need provisions and hay, so the settlers can 
 usually find a profitable market for their goods. 
 Lumbering has been on the whole a flourishing 
 trade, and the men have soon made fortunes, though 
 in bad times they have also lost them. In one of 
 the shanties in which I stayed, the boss was a 
 broken-down pawnbroker from Belfast, and in ano- 
 ther the cook had been in two of Sir John Franklin's 
 expeditions. He naturally had many anecdotes to 
 relate of perils and adventures, both grave and gay. 
 One was to the effect that, after Sir John's return 
 from one of his voyages, he and his crew were 
 walking on Tower Hill, when, in passing an 
 inn, his cocked hat was seized and borne off by a 
 young lady of decidedly questionable character, and 
 two days afterwards it was seen exposed for sale at 
 a pawnbroker's opposite. Many were the hardships 
 that old Mackenzie had endured : once he curried a 
 dog's head as a reserve supply for nearly a fort- 
 
128 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 night, and he assured me that stewed mocassins 
 were not so bad after all. The poor fellow was in 
 rather reduced circumstances, the Government 
 having promised him a lot of land which he had 
 never received. 
 
 Chancing one day, when in the backwoods, to 
 enter a nice clean shanty, decorated with paintings 
 of different lands, I found that the owners had been 
 Mormons, and that they had been long since in 
 company with Brigham Young. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Jones were intelligent people, and she must have 
 been very good-looking in her younger days, when 
 the prophet fell in love with her. From her I 
 learned some interesting particulars of the sect, and 
 most of her stories tally with those in Mrs. Ward's 
 book, called " Life among the Mormons." Some 
 years previous to my making her acquaintance, 
 Mrs. Jones had been travelling as lady's-maid with 
 an Irish family, who were crossing the Eo*cky Moun- 
 tains on their way to Utah, with about fifteen hun- 
 dred Mormons, under the appellation of l( The 
 Hand-barrow Company." From her account, these 
 poor deluded wretches must have suffered terrific 
 hardships, most of them dying on the road of star- 
 vation ; indeed, the scenes she depicted to me were 
 no less horrible than those described by Josephus as 
 having been witnessed during the siege of Jerusa- 
 lem. To such extremities were these wretched beings 
 reduced, that women ate their own children, and not 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 129 
 
 more than one hundred out of the whole number 
 survived to reach the promised land. 
 
 I have a shrewd suspicion that on Mrs. Jones's 
 arrival at the Great Salt Lake, she was almost im- 
 mediately promoted to the honour of inhabiting the 
 palace of the prophet, who at that time mustered about 
 a hundred and seventy wives, with an innumerable 
 offspring. Each wife has two rooms allotted to her, 
 and more, should her family increase largely ; all 
 are obliged, as far as outward appearances go, to live 
 or. good terms with one another, but the misery of 
 the women in Utah is not to be told ; once there, 
 they are in fact prisoners for life, at all events they 
 cease to be free agents, unless they can manage to 
 effect their escape like Mrs. Jones, and a few others ; 
 but this is next to impossible, for the " minute 
 men " are always on the alert, and ready to start at 
 a minute's notice (hence their name), and daily 
 communication with every part of the country is 
 kept up. 
 
 Mrs. Jones, with a female companion, once 
 made an unsuccessful attempt on horses to elude 
 their master; they rode day and night, but were 
 captured and taken back to Brigham Young, who 
 put them in prison, where they were kept in close 
 confinement for two months, and were then released 
 on their making professions of repentance. Mrs. 
 Jones enjoyed the reputation of being a skilful 
 doctor among the ladies, and so had many oppor- 
 
 
 
130 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 tunities of going about and learning tho private 
 affairs of this extraordinary community. 
 
 There are several different degrees among the 
 Mormon religionists, and each has its secret tribunal 
 or star-chaniber, before which any offender is tried, 
 and, if found guilty, is condemned to the shades 
 below ; he disappears from off the face of the earth, 
 and no further inquiries are made after him — at 
 least, so I was assured by Mrs. Jones. As soon as 
 any one arrives at JJ tar (thus she pronounced it), 
 the neophyte is inveigled to purchase something 
 valuable, and to part with all his money, as being 
 useless to him in his new abode ; when the bargain 
 is concluded, the unlucky wight discovers all too 
 late that his acquisition, as he deemed it, is the 
 property of the Mormon sect. Every Mormon 
 has to contribute a certain portion of his earnings 
 per month, nominally towards the support of immi- 
 grants ; altogether, it is not difficult to account for 
 the prevailing notion that Brigham Young is the 
 richest man in the world. Mormonism is at present 
 still on the increase, and its votaries have agents in 
 all regions of the globe. A magnificent country and 
 splendid cities are theirs, and they manufacture all 
 their implements of war and of husbandry, their 
 internal resources thus rendering them independent 
 of other people. Provisions for ten years are laid 
 up in the great city, and from their position they 
 can defy an invading army. When the Americans 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 131 
 
 sent a force against them, they captured all the 
 provisions of their unwelcome visitors, and seized 
 their trains, so that the Yankees were glad to make 
 off. Indeed, it was wonderful that they were in a 
 condition to do so, for the Mormons had poisoned 
 all the waters ; but my informant told me that the 
 secret was divulged to one of the American soldiers 
 by a freemason. 
 
 The way in which Mrs. Jones did at last effect 
 her escape was by joining with about twenty others, 
 all pretending that their intention was to settle in 
 some other part of the State ; and so they set off, 
 taking with them articles of household furniture,, 
 babies' cradles, and everything that might tend to 
 disarm suspicion. They travelled several miles, 
 guided by one of the band, who had formerly been 
 an interpreter to the Indian tribes, and was ac- 
 quainted with a short cut to the Yankee territory. 
 Having burnt their incumbrances, they made post- 
 haste and got clear of the Mormon country just as 
 they were on the point of being overtaken by the 
 minute men — indeed, a few in the rear were captured. 
 An unsuccessful endeavour to abscond by a man is 
 mostly punished with death by shooting ; a woman 
 is carried back again to Utah to obey the dictates 
 of Brigham Young as his wife, or as that of some 
 ancient elder. A large Mormon settlement is now 
 in course of formation near Chatham in Canada 
 West. There can be no doubt that Young is a very 
 
132 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 clever fellow, and Mrs. Jones speaks of his behaviour 
 as being gallant. I understand that Smith junior 
 proclaims himself to be the true prophet, and should 
 war break out between these two rogues, Mormon- 
 ism will in all probability be shattered in the con- 
 flict. It must fall to the ground sooner or later, and 
 the most likely period would seem to be that of 
 Brighain's death, when an awful scene must ensue. 
 But enough of this disgusting and yet wonderful 
 people. 
 
 As before mentioned, besides Episcopalians, 
 Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics, a great di- 
 versity of religious sects exists in Canada. Bible 
 Christians, Baptists, Congregationalists, Quakers, 
 Wesleyans, etc., etc. ; the latter being the most 
 numerous class among the dissenters. Some of the 
 congregations appear to be very pugilistic in their 
 tendencies ; I lately read an account of' a fight in a 
 Bible Christian meeting-house, in which one member 
 broke a chair over the head of another; while, in 
 an Episcopalian Methodist meeting, a young lady 
 thrashed a man at his prayers most unmercifully 
 with a bull's hide, and on his raising his face, she 
 ■flung a handful of cayenne pepper on it. A very 
 backward state indeed of civilization in some of the 
 regions of the colony is evidenced by these stories. 
 A camp-meeting perhaps discloses more extraor- 
 dinary vagaries than are to be met with in any other 
 Nonconformist rites. In the midst of the forest is 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 133 
 
 erected a barricade, with, some small shanties, like 
 fishermen's hnts in England; large fireplaces are 
 built on posts, in which blazing fires are lighted. 
 The minister jumps to his feet, and opens with a 
 prayer in a soft and gentle tone, in the course of 
 which a few groans are audible from the kneeling 
 assembly ; these become gradually louder and louder; 
 then the women begin to scream, and soon the scene 
 resembles Bedlam — or rather ten Bedlams — broken 
 loose ; the males beat their heads, the females shriek 
 and faint, and this exhibition may continue for an 
 hour or more, till all are quiet from sheer exhaustion. 
 After awhile rises another minister, and the whole 
 programme is repeated over and over again, with 
 only an interval of rest at night, for a week and 
 upwards. The scenes behind the curtain will not 
 admit of being described in detail. At a little dis- 
 tance from the camp, casks and bottles are passed 
 about among the crowd, and intoxication, with 
 its attendant evils, rides rampant among these 
 deluded votaries of a religion that might have dis- 
 graced heathenism. The Baptists in my neigh- 
 bourhood seem to select the winter months for the 
 dipping of their followers, and I was told that the 
 immersion in our climate had proved fatal to several 
 persons. There are a few itinerant Shakers, who 
 reside principally in the States, carrying garden 
 seeds about the country for sale. The Menonists 
 and Tunkers are nearly extinct here. 
 
134 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 As may easily be imagined, a certain amount of 
 rivalry and ill-will shows itself among some of the 
 members of so many denominations, especially at 
 that season of the year when their time and thoughts 
 are less occupied with work. However, on the 
 whole, a feeling of good neighbourhood may be said 
 to prevail among the settlers. And let us hope that, 
 as the means of spreading the pure and ennobling 
 worship and teaching of our own Church are multi- 
 plied, these jealousies will gradually subside, and 
 these degrading exhibitions of ignorance and blas- 
 phemy will vanish in the light of Christian truth. 
 
A Hand-hook for Settlers. 135 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Amusements — Hydrophobia — Variations of temperature — Lakes- 
 Animals and Fish — Increase of population, of commerce, and 
 of general prosperity in the colony — Schools and Colleges. 
 
 As before stated, our country amusements are not 
 numerous. In the towns,, besides the-skating rinks and 
 the curling, a game called <c shinning " is a favourite 
 diversion with the boys ; it is the same, or nearly the 
 same, as our hockey. A trotting match on the ice is 
 an exciting pastime, and one that frequently takes 
 place ; and some of the horses are remarkably fast 
 trotters. Speaking of them, I may just observe, en 
 passant, that there is a fine opening in Canada for 
 veterinary surgeons, which class is only represented 
 in the smallest degree ; and in my own neighbour- 
 hood a broken-down negro was our sole horse- 
 doctor. Yachting is on the decline. When the 
 Prince of Wales visited Canada a few years since, 
 he gave a cup to be contested annually, but it is the 
 cause of so much trouble and expense to the winner, 
 who has to insure it while in his custody, that yachts- 
 men are beginning to tire of it. Both in the larger 
 and smaller class of yachts, American-built crafts have 
 
136 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 been gaining every prize of late; the winner in the 
 former class is the property of an English gentleman. 
 Sailing across the ice in ice-boats is capital fun ; they 
 work to windward like a sailing-vessel, and when 
 they go about you will be pitched overboard, unless 
 you are very careful ; in a strong wind they will glide 
 along for twenty miles or more in an hour. In the 
 summer cricket has been in great force of late years, 
 and most of the small towns can turn out a decent 
 eleven. The billiard tables are generally very poor ; 
 every angle is marked, and the balls and the pockets 
 are too large. The four-balled game is the one 
 principally in vogue. 
 
 There are many varieties of dogs, but a thorough 
 bred one of any sort is rarely seen ; they are allowed 
 to run about, and the breeds get mixed. The two 
 most useful to the sportsman are the retriever for 
 ducks, and the hound for deer — the latter should not 
 be too finely bred. Hydrophobia is sadly prevalent, 
 and several persons died last year from being bitten. 
 One instance occurred of a man bitten in June, who 
 survived till December. November is the worst 
 month in Canada for this fearful disorder, and tho 
 same is, I believe, the case in England ; in Norway, 
 and Lapland also, dogs are more frequently attacked 
 by madness in winter than in summer. 
 
 I will now endeavour to convey some idea 
 of the seasons and their temperature ; the two 
 following tables are taken from the Records of 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers, 
 
 137 
 
 the Provincial Magnetic Observatory, by Professor 
 Kingston : — 
 
 MEAN MONTHLY AND ANNUAL TEMPERATURE AT TORONTO, 
 FROM 1840 TO 1859. 
 
 1840) 
 1859 j 
 
 1840) 
 1859 j 
 
 Jan. 
 
 23 3 -72 
 
 Feb. 
 
 22 3 -83 
 
 March. 
 
 30°-07 
 
 April. 
 
 4P-00 
 
 May. 
 
 51°-38 
 
 June. 
 
 61°-27 
 
 July. 
 
 67°-06 
 
 Aug. 
 
 66°-12 
 
 Sept, 
 
 57 D -98 
 
 Oct. 
 
 45"-27 
 
 Nov. 
 
 36 J -65 
 
 Dec. 
 
 25°-97 
 
 Mean annual temperature, 44°'ll. 
 
 MEAN MONTHLY AND ANNUAL FALL OE RAIN AT TORONTO. 
 FROM 1840 TO 1859. 
 
 
 Jan. 
 
 Feb. 
 
 March. 
 
 April. 
 
 May. 
 
 June. 
 
 1840) 
 1859) 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 1-408 
 
 1-043 
 
 1-553 
 
 2-492 
 
 3-305 
 
 3-198 
 
 
 July. 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Sept. 
 
 Oct. 
 
 Nor. 
 
 Dec. 
 
 1840) 
 1859) 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 In. 
 
 3-490 
 
 2-927 
 
 4-099 
 
 2-257 
 
 3-109 
 
 1-606 
 
 Mean annual fall of rain, 30 "859 inches. 
 
 In 1862, the hottest day was August 8th, the tem- 
 perature being 79°*08 ; the coldest was the 23rd 
 of January, the thermometer showing 2"42 below 
 zero. 
 
 The number of days on which rain fell was 118, 
 the total fall being 25*529 inches. Snow fell on 
 72 days, and the total depth was 85*4 inches ; the 
 
138 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 greatest depth in one day (March 20th) was 
 9*0 inches. There were twenty-four thunderstorms 
 during the year. February was the month of the 
 greatest, May of the least, humidity. November 
 was the most cloudy month ; the least cloudy months 
 being May and August. 
 
 The inland seas or lakes of North America, com- 
 prising an area of nearly 100,000 square miles, 
 differ in some points from other large lakes. There 
 are no mountain ranges of any considerable altitude 
 at any part of the circumference of their basin ; the 
 general aspect of the area is that of a great central 
 plain, with successive terraces or plateaux. Their 
 level has not undergone any extensive change for a 
 considerable time ; and it is a remarkable fact as 
 regards Lake Ontario, that its waters rise to a con- 
 siderable height, and subside again, once in seven 
 years. The water of these lakes is noted for its 
 purity, the principal tributaries flowing over rocky 
 beds ; they exercise a powerful influence over the 
 climate, which they render more temperate. In 
 the winter curling mists are observed overspreading 
 them, when the ice is (C taking," as it is called. 
 These are caused by the colder air of the surrounding 
 atmosphere condensing the moisture of the warmer 
 air on the surface of the lakes. The prevailing 
 winds are from the north-east and south-west. 
 Occasionally a tornado strikes the lakes, accompa- 
 nied by waterspouts. 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 139 
 
 With regard to the declination and dip of the 
 magnetic needles,, they are subject to very re- 
 markable local variations in many parts of the 
 vicinity of these inland seas, owing no doubt to 
 the iron disseminated through the rocks, and to 
 the massive beds of it which are found within the 
 area of the basins; these variations, however, do 
 not occur in the compass of a vessel on any of the 
 lakes. 
 
 It is well known that there is an inexhaustible 
 supply of salt water at different depths below the 
 surface of Ontario, especially near' Syracuse, St. 
 Catherine, and Grafton. The lakes, which formerly 
 were doubtless all salt, have become fresh (unlike 
 the Caspian and others), by their having outlets in 
 their several communications with each other, and 
 with the main stream of the St. Lawrence, thus 
 allowing the waters of the rivers by which they are 
 fed to flow through them. In 1678, a vessel of six- 
 teen tons was launched on Ontario by La Salle, and 
 in 1679 another of sixty tons on Lake Erie. The 
 first trading port was Oswego. 
 
 None of the indigenous animals are identical 
 with those of the same genus in the Old World, 
 although among some there is a close resemblance. 
 For example, the common deer (Gervus virginianus) 
 of this land, although nearly allied to that of Great 
 Britain, yet differs in some points from it. And 
 Agassiz, the highest authority in icthyology, declares 
 
140 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 that Canada does not possess a single fresh-water 
 fish corresponding exactly with any in the mother 
 country , though many are of the same type. Ono 
 of our most singular fish is the Lepidosterous or 
 bony-scaled fish, which is found in Lake Superior, 
 and in the Ottawa and other rivers in the north. 
 It is remarkable as being almost the only species 
 now existing which, in the nature of its scales, and 
 its heterocircal tail and other parts of its structure, 
 shows a very strong family likeness to the fossil 
 fishes of the other formations. 
 
 The furs, and, still more, the fisheries, of the 
 western lakes form a branch of commerce of con- 
 siderable and growing value. White fish, trout, 
 and sturgeon, attain a great size in Lakes Superior 
 and Huron, and from Lake Erie alone the exporta- 
 tion has been enormous. In 1782, the country 
 around the lakes was almost a wilderness. In 1851, 
 the population of Upper Canada was under a mil- 
 lion ; by the census of 1861, the numbers were 
 1,390,091. 
 
 There are various routes of intercommuni- 
 cation between the lakes and other parts of the 
 continent. No river, except La Plata, in South 
 America, possesses so wide an estuary, and is navi- 
 gable for large vessels to such a distance from its 
 mouth, as the St. Lawrence. Ships of 800 tons go 
 up to Montreal, whence there is a continuous water 
 communication for 2000 miles. But the best route 
 
A Sand-booh for Settlen 
 
 141 
 
 for export and import from and to the Lower Pro- 
 vinces, saving only during the season when the 
 navigation is closed, is by the Gulf of the St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 From the following statistics it will be seen to 
 what an extent live stock and farming produce have 
 increased in the last few years, and the growing 
 prosperity of the farming interest in Canada West 
 will be sufficiently apparent : — 
 
 In 1851 the total number of head of live stock 
 was 2,488,653. By the last census the numbers 
 were — 
 
 Milch cows 
 
 . 451,640 
 
 Oxen and steers 
 
 99,605 
 
 Young cattle . 
 
 . 464,083 
 
 Horses, of all kinds 
 
 . 377,681 
 
 Sheep 
 
 . 1,170,225 
 
 Pigs 
 
 . 776,001 
 
 Total . 
 
 . 3,339,235 
 
 In 1851, the wheat crop was 12,692,852 bushels, 
 the weight of wool was 2,398,764 lbs. ; but, without 
 going through the whole of the farm produce for 
 the year 1851, I will give that for the year 1860, 
 merely stating that the items generally show as 
 large an increase as the foregoing : — 
 
142 
 
 Canada hi 1864 
 
 Wheat, 
 
 bushels 
 
 Barley 
 
 >> 
 
 Eye 
 
 >} 
 
 Peas 
 
 33 
 
 Oats 
 
 33 
 
 Buckwheat 
 
 33 
 
 Indian Corn 
 
 33 
 
 Potatoes 
 
 33 
 
 Turnips 
 
 33 
 
 Mangel-wurzel „ 
 
 Carrots 
 
 33 
 
 Beans 
 
 33 
 
 Clover 
 
 33 
 
 Hay 
 
 tons 
 
 Hops 
 
 33 
 
 Maple sugar 
 
 lbs. 
 
 Cider 
 
 gallons 
 
 Wool 
 
 lbs. 
 
 Butter 
 
 33 
 
 Cheese 
 
 33 
 
 Flax and hemp „ 
 
 Tobacco 
 
 33 
 
 24,620,425 
 
 2,821,962 
 
 973,181 
 
 9,601,396. 
 
 21,220,874 
 
 1,248,637 
 
 2,256,290 
 
 15,325,920 
 
 18,206,959 
 
 546,971 
 
 1,905,598 
 
 49,143 
 
 61,818 
 
 861,844 
 
 247,052 
 
 6,970,605 
 
 1,567,831 
 
 3,659,766 
 
 26,828,264 
 
 2,687,172 
 
 1,225,934 
 
 777,426 
 
 The value of the wood of the white pine in 1852 
 was £1,000,000, and now it is nearly double ; the 
 next in order is the timber of the red pine, the oak, 
 and the elm. The pearlashes, gathered from the 
 ground in the new clearings in 1852, yielded a 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 143 
 
 return of £232,004. Fur and skins exported fetched 
 £25,547. 
 
 As regards the productions of the seas and lakes, 
 large quantities of cod, salmon, and herring, from 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and white fish and trout 
 from the lakes, are annually dried and pickled for 
 exportation. The worth of the exports in 1852 was 
 £74,462. The lake fisheries are at Prince Edward, 
 on Lake Ontario, and on Lake Huron. 
 
 As has been remarked in the chapter on mine- 
 rals, very little has been done towards developing 
 the peculiar capabilities of Canada for the production 
 of iron, and this is particularly the case with re- 
 spect to malleable iron and steel of the finest quality. 
 
 The manufacture of fire-engines has been brought 
 to a great pitch of perfection — Mr. Perry, of Mon- 
 treal, having gained the first prize in the London 
 Exhibition. At Melbourne, axes, planes, and other 
 edged tools, with scythes of excellent quality, -are 
 manufactured. All kinds of spades, shovels, and 
 nails are made in various places; also ploughs, 
 harrows, cultivators, and threshing and separating- 
 machines, with the latest improvements. Capital 
 types and stereotypes for printing are cast in Mon- 
 treal. The saw-mills in Ottawa and Chicoutimi are, 
 I believe, the largest in the world ; and grist-mills 
 are abundant. The making of surgical and of 
 musical instruments is yet in its infancy, but both 
 have been commenced at Montreal and at Toronto. 
 
144 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 Tlie manufacture of cotton is carried on to some 
 extent ; new works have lately been erected at 
 Hastings, in the counties of Northumberland and 
 Durham, and in other parts. Woollen fabrics, and 
 woollen and cotton mixed, for Guernsey frocks, hose, 
 etc., are to be had in plenty in Western Canada, 
 and the quality improves yearly. The blankets from 
 Dundas are highly spoken of, and those made by 
 Mr. Greenwood, in his factory near Grafton, are 
 also deserving of much commendation, and have the 
 additional recommendation of costing only £1 8,9. 
 the pair, and weighing eleven pounds. The manu- 
 facture of leather is carried on to a considerable 
 extent, and hemlock bark is commonly used in 
 tanning. Many other manufactories of different 
 sorts are at work on a large scale at Montreal and 
 Toronto, such as those for writing, printing, and 
 wrapping paper ; flint-glass ; plaster of Paris ware ; 
 bricks and tiles ; soap and candles ; without includ- 
 ing the making of maple-sugar to an enormous 
 amount, sold at fourpence a pound. About forty 
 vessels are annually built at Quebec, of some 800 
 tons and upwards. 
 
 Excellent grammar-schools have been estab- 
 lished in most of the provincial towns ; there are 
 colleges at Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, Cobourg, 
 and several other places; in Brompton (Canada 
 West) there may also be found a Female Eclectic 
 Institute, and a Female Wesleyan College ; and in 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers. 145 
 
 every parish, or section, are schools for the poorer 
 classes. A law has latelv been passed, granting 
 to the Roman Catholics a free school of their own ; 
 bnt it does not appear to have "been framed in a 
 judicions manner, and has given rise to much dis- 
 sension. 
 
 10 
 
146 Canada in 1864 
 
 CONCLUDING REMAKKS. 
 
 The foregoing sketches do not profess to present 
 more tlian a general outline, which, however, the 
 author hopes may not be altogether useless or un- 
 interesting to the emigrant who is about to become 
 a settler in the backwoods. As to the part of Upper 
 Canada that is most to be recommended, so much 
 must depend on circumstances. For those who 
 purpose going far west, or into the new townships, 
 it would be better for a few families to unite ' and 
 take up their Government lots together; and it 
 would be very desirable that there should be some 
 mechanics in this small society, for blacksmiths, 
 carpenters, shoemakers, and millwrights are much 
 needed in the woods. In some of the recent settle- 
 ments, on the erection of a mill by any individual, 
 the legislature has bestowed on him a free grant of 
 land, with other advantages. I am inclined to 
 think, on the whole, that the townships of Peter- 
 borough and Victoria are the best adapted at the 
 present moment for newly - arrived emigrants. 
 Fresh mines are being constantly discovered in dif- 
 ferent localities ; and as lumbering must go on to 
 a considerable extent for many years to come, the 
 
A Hand-book for Settlers. 147 
 
 settler will readily find a good market for his pro- 
 duce. In the course of another few years, the 
 country will be opened as far back as the Georgian 
 Bay, and this will enhance the value of the lands. 
 The summer is the most favourable time for the 
 voyage out to Canada — about June especially ; 
 before the end of that month the black flies make 
 travelling through the backwoods all but impossible. 
 August and September are very agreeable here; 
 the roads are good, and the country is in full 
 beauty. 
 
 From the accounts that have been given of the 
 Island of Anticosti, one may infer that it would not 
 be an undesirable spot to be selected by a few hardy 
 settlers, who are fond of sport, to form a colony for 
 themselves. I have before said that the rivers 
 swarm with salmon, speckled and salmon trout, etc., 
 while the bear, the otter, and the marten abound, 
 and seals frequent the coast in almost incredible 
 numbers: Timber for building purposes is easily 
 procured, owing to the immense drifts of logs, etc., 
 on the shores. A schooner from Quebec visits the 
 inmates of the lighthouse twice annually. I quote 
 the words of Mr. Eichardson, who has surveyed 
 Anticosti : " But such is the condition of the island 
 at present, that not a yard of the soil has been 
 turned up by a permanent settler ; and it is the case 
 that abdut a million of acres of good land, at the 
 very entrance from the ocean to the province, are 
 
148 
 
 Canada in 1864 
 
 left to lie waste, while great expenses are incurred 
 to carry settlers to the most distant parts of the 
 West. Taken in connection with the fisheries of 
 the St. Lawrence, it appears to me that the estab- 
 lishment of an agricultural population in the island 
 would not only be a profit to the settlers, but a 
 great advantage to the province at large. " 
 
 Let us now suppose that a party of six wish to 
 go in company to Anticosti, and endeavour thus to 
 calculate their expenses for a year : — 
 
 The passage to Quebec 
 
 A boat (second hand) 
 
 Nets, traps, etc. 
 
 Flour 
 
 Meat 
 
 Tea . .. 
 
 Sundries 
 
 Furniture, etc. . 
 
 £120 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 6) £259 
 
 £43 3 4 
 
 According to this calculation a man could enjoy a 
 year's sport (shooting, fishing, and trapping) for 
 less than £50 ; and, in all probability, the sale of the 
 fur would cover his expenses, of course leaving the 
 boat, nets, etc., still in hand. 
 
 A civilian owning a small capital yielding about 
 £100 per annum, or an officer on half-pay, could 
 
A Hand-boolc for Settlers. 149 
 
 live well in Canada ; the latter might hire a little 
 place, with a few acres, whereon to feed his horse 
 and cow, drink excellent beer, and smoke first-rate 
 tobacco, to say nothing of enjoying independence, 
 and mixing in good society, while in England his 
 scanty pension will barely make both ends meet, 
 and his poverty keeps him in the background. A 
 man in this country may procure capital board and 
 lodging, with washing included, and the occa- 
 sional use of a horse or team if required, at the 
 rate often shillings a week. Money-lenders, or, in 
 colonial phrase, bill-shavers, often amass large for- 
 tunes, lending their money on safe securities at, 
 perhaps, £50 per cent, per annum on small sums 
 for a short period. Money can be securely invested 
 at £10 per cent., and bank-stock pays £8 per cent, 
 interest. 
 
 The winters are sometimes tolerably mild ; the 
 first I passed here I lived in a tent without a fire 
 till the middle of January, and last Christmas we 
 had not more than an inch of snow upon the ground, 
 with a brilliant sun, and the thermometer at noon 
 standing at 50° in the shade. In the fall (viz., the 
 months of October and November), the woods are 
 exceedingly lovely, the leaves displaying every con- 
 ceivable variety of tint and colour, and nature is 
 then beheld in one of her grandest aspects. We 
 have little of the dismal foggy weather so famed, 
 for inducing the desire of suicide in weak or de- 
 
150 Canada in 1864 : 
 
 praved niinds, which at certain seasons visits our 
 native isle. We can generally take plenty of exer- 
 cise throughout the year, but I cannot say that our 
 Canadian young ladies in the country exert them- 
 selves much in this way, though in the towns they 
 make a promenade of one or more of the streets. 
 Their beauty is often remarkable, but it is seldom 
 adorned by the rosy blush of their English sisters, 
 probably owing in a great measure to the influence 
 of hot- stoves, and a life spent too much in-doors. 
 However, they are apt to find the temptations of the 
 skating rinks too strong to be resisted, and these 
 are indulged in by night as well as by day, with a 
 degree of colonial freedom that might astonish some 
 of our sedater damsels at home. 
 
 My little work is now at an end. If I have suc- 
 ceeded in awakening a larger amount of sympathy 
 in the breast of any of my readers for this beautiful 
 land, her present condition, and her future prospects ; 
 and if I have, at the same time, been able to convey 
 any useful information to the settler about to seek 
 for himself and his family a new home in the wilder- 
 ness of the Far West, I shall be well pleased. Long 
 may Canada continue to prosper and go forward in 
 the race of nations ! and should the period ever 
 arrive (at present apparently far distant) when the 
 child, having attained to full maturity, should desire 
 to dissolve her union with the mother country, and 
 assume her place in the world as an independent 
 
A Hand-booh for Settlers, 151 
 
 kingdom, may the severance be peacefully accom- 
 plished, withont destroying those feelings of affec- 
 tion and goodwill towards England which are the 
 glory of her colonies, and which have so powerfully 
 contributed to their existing state of greatness and 
 prosperity. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 EXTEACTS FROM GOVERNMENT PAMPHLETS. 
 
 COLONIZATION, CROWN LANDS. 
 
 GEOGEAPHICAL POSITION. 
 
 Canada extends from the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the east, 
 to (according to some authorities) the Pocky Mountains on 
 the west, embracing an area of about 350,000 square miles, 
 or 240,000,000 of acres, independently of its north-western 
 possessions, not yet open for settlement. The Eiver St. 
 Lawrence, and Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair, Huron, and 
 Superior, with their connecting rivers, form a remarkable 
 natural boundary between Canada and the States of the 
 Union, and a means of communication of surprising extent, 
 and unrivalled excellence. 
 
154 Appendix. 
 
 CONSTITUTION AND GOVEBNMENT. 
 
 An integral part of the British Empire, Canada enjoys 
 perfect religious, social, and political freedom. The Governor 
 is appointed by the Crown, and is its representative in the 
 province. He nominates an Executive Council, who are his ad- 
 visers. There are two legislative bodies, called the Legislative 
 Council and the Legislative Assembly, the members of which 
 are elected by the people. All public offices and seats in the 
 Legislature are open to any candidate possessing the confi- 
 dence of the people, holding a certain limited amount of 
 property, and being at the time a British subject. Three 
 years' residence entitles a foreigner to all the rights and 
 privileges of a natural born citizen. Aliens can buy, hold, 
 and sell land. 
 
 MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 The municipal system of Canada is admirably adapted to 
 the exigencies of a young and vigorous country. In order to 
 comprehend it, it is necessary to state that Upper Canada 
 is divided into counties, forty-two in number ; the counties 
 are divided into townships, the latter being about ten miles 
 square. The inhabitants of a township elect annually five 
 councillors ; the councillors elect out of this number a pre- 
 siding officer, who is designated the Township Beeve ; the 
 reeves and the deputy reeves of the different townships form 
 the County Council ; this council elect their presiding 
 officer, who is styled the Yfarden. In each county there is a 
 judge, a sheriff, one or more coroners, a clerk of the peace, a 
 clerk of the county court, a registrar, and justices of the 
 peace, which officers are appointed by the Governor in 
 Council. All township reeves, wardens, mayors, and alder- 
 men, are, ex officio, justices of the peace. 
 
Appendix. 155 
 
 CEOWIST LANDS. 
 
 Several millions of acres of surveyed lands are always in 
 market, and the prices fixed at which intending settlers can 
 acquire them, upon application to the respective Crown land 
 agents. The names of these agents, their residences, and 
 how to get there, will be found below. The prices of Crown 
 lands vary from seventy cents cash, to one dollar, and one 
 shilling an acre, on time, according to locality. 
 
 Crown lands in Upper Canada are sold for cash, at 
 seventy cents an acre, and, on time, at one dollar an acre, 
 one-fifth to be paid at the time of sale, and the remaining 
 four-fifths in four equal annual instalments, with interest at 
 six per cent, on the purchase money unpaid. On the north 
 shore of Lake Huron, and at Fort William on Lake Superior, 
 lands are sold on time at twenty cents an acre. All Crown 
 lands in the newly-surveyed territory are subject to settle- 
 ment duties, and no patent in any case (even though the 
 land be paid for in fall at the time of purchase) shall issue 
 for any such land to any person who shall not by himself, or 
 the person or persons under whom he claims, have taken 
 possession of such lands, within six months from the time 
 of sale, and shall from that time continuously have been a 
 bond Jide occupant of, and resident on the land for at least 
 two years, and have cleared and rendered fit for cultivation 
 and crop, and had under crop within four years at farthest 
 from the time of sale of the land, a quantity thereof in the 
 proportion of at least ten acres to every one hundred acres, 
 and have erected thereon a habitable house, and of the 
 dimensions at least of sixteen by twenty feet. Timber must 
 not be cut without license, except for agricultural pur- 
 poses. 
 
 There is generally on Crown lands an unlimited supply 
 of the best fuel. The conditions of sale allow the settler to 
 cut and sell from his lot whatever timber he thinks proper, 
 
156 Appendix. 
 
 by taking out a license, which can be had on application to 
 the Crown land agent. The value of the timber thus cut is 
 applied in payment of the purchase money due to the 
 Crown. Even in burning the timber which he does not sell, 
 the settler can convert the ashes into potash, which will meet 
 a ready sale at from £7 to £9 currency per barrel. 
 
 Purchasers of lands, after paying a first instalment, can 
 raise from the land itself and from the timber on it, the 
 means of paying the balance of the purchase money, and by 
 their own exertions, in a short time be possessed of a valu- 
 able property ; the pioneer settler thus becoming the inde- 
 pendent farmer. 
 
 COLONIZATION ROADS. 
 
 Government has opened several great lines of road on 
 which free grants of one hundred acres are given to actual 
 settlers. The conditions of location are : — That the settler 
 be eighteen years of age. That he take possession of the 
 land allotted to him within six months. That he build a log 
 house 16 by 20 feet. That he reside on the lot and clear and 
 cultivate ten acres of land in the course of four years. Mem- 
 bers of a family having land allotted to them may reside on 
 a single lot, thereby exempting them from building and 
 residence on each location. 
 
 The roads in Upper Canada are : — 
 
 1st. The Ottawa and Opeongo Road, which runs east 
 and west, and will connect the Ottawa with Lake Huron. 
 Resident Agent, T. P. French, Clontarf. Route, by 
 Grand Trunk Railway and Ottawa River, or Railway 
 to Ottawa City, thence by stage and steamer to Farrell's 
 Landing. 
 
 2nd. The Frontenac Road, running north of Kingston, 
 
Appendix. 15 7 
 
 through the county of Frontenac. Resident Agent, James 
 Spike, Deniston. Route, by Grand Trunk Railway to 
 Kingston. 
 
 3rd. The Addington Road, running north and south, 
 through the county of Addington. Resident Agent, E. 
 Perry, Tamworth. Route, by Grand Trunk Railway to 
 jSTapanee. 
 
 4th. The Hastings Road, running nearly parallel to the 
 Addington Road, and connecting the County of Hastings 
 with the Ottawa and Opeongo Road. Resident Agent, M. 
 P. Hayes, Madoc. Route, by Grand Trunk Railway to 
 Belleville. 
 
 5th. The Burleigh Road, running through the townships 
 of Burleigh and Anstruther. Resident Agent, Joseph 
 Graham, Peterborough. Route, by Grand Trunk Railway 
 to Cobourg and Peterborough. The Burleigh Road to join 
 the Peterson Road will be finished in two years. 
 
 6th. The Bobcaygeon Road, running from Bobcaygeom 
 between the counties of Peterborough and Victoria, north, 
 and intended to be continued to Lake Nipissing. Resident 
 Agents : for southerly portion, R. Hughes, Bobcaygeon; for 
 northerly portion, G. G. Boswell, Minclen. Route, by Grand 
 Trunk Railway to Cobourg and Peterborough, and thence 
 by steamer to Bobcaygeon. 
 
 7th. The Yictoria Road, running north through the 
 county of Yictoria to the Peterson Road. Resident Agent, 
 G. M'. Roche, Lindsay. Route, by Grand Trunk Railway to 
 Port Hope and Lindsay. 
 
 8th. The Muskoka Road, running from Lake Couchiching 
 to the Grand Falls of Muskoka. Resident Agent, R. J. 
 Oliver, Orillia. Route, by Northern Railway from Toronto 
 to Barrie, thence by steamer to Orillia. 
 
 By means of these roads access is obtained to townships 
 recently surveyed by Government and now open for settle- 
 ment. They are chiefly of excellent quality, and well 
 
158 Appendix. 
 
 adapted, in respect of soil and climate, to all the purposes of 
 husbandry. 
 
 The roads in Lower Canada arc : — 
 
 1st, The Elgin Eoad, in the county of L'Islet, about 
 thirty-five miles long, from St. Jean, Port Joly, to the pro- 
 vincial line ; and that part of the Tache Eoad, from the 
 county of Bellechasse to that of Kamouraska, inclusive, 
 about 100 miles. Eesidcnt Agent, S. Drapean, St. Jean, 
 Port Joly. 
 
 2nd. The Matapedia Eoad, from Fleurian to Eiver Eesti- 
 gouche, forty-six miles ; and that part of the Tache Eoad, 
 from the county of Kamouraska to that of Eimouski, about 
 100 miles. Eesident Agent, J. B. Lepage, Eimouski. 
 
 3rd. The Temiscouata Eoad, from Riviere du Loup to 
 Lake Temiscouata. Eesident Agent, L. N. Gauvreau, Isle 
 Yerte. 
 
 DIRECTIONS TO EMIGRANTS AND OTHEES 
 WISHING TO PUECHASE CROWN LANDS. 
 
 Emigrants and others desirous of purchasing Crown Lands 
 should make application to the respective local Crown Land 
 Agents, who are required by law to furnish all applicants 
 with correct information as to what lands are open for sale. 
 
 The Government Emigration Agents at Quebec, Mon- 
 treal, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, and Hamilton, will afford 
 information and advice to emigrants respecting the best 
 means of reaching the localities in which they intend to 
 settle. 
 
Appendix. 159 
 
 DIRECTIONS TO PAETIES CORRESPONDING WITH 
 THE DEPARTMENT OF CROWN LANDS. 
 
 Applications to purchase wild lands, in newly surveyed 
 or thinly settled townships, should be made to the local 
 agent, and if the lot sought to be purchased is at his dis- 
 posal, at a fixed price, he will sell under existing regulations. 
 If the lot has not yet been advertised, and placed at the dis- 
 posal of the agent, no sale of it can be made until that is 
 done, unless the applicant is in actual occupation, with valu- 
 able improvements : in that case he may, at his own expense, 
 procure the services of the agent (if the lot be within the 
 jurisdiction of one) to inspect it, or furnish him satisfactory 
 evidence, by affidavits of two credible and disinterested 
 parties, or the report of a sworn surveyor, to enable him to 
 report to the department the following particulars, viz. : — 
 
 The whole time the lot has been occupied ; by whom now 
 occupied; the nature and extent of the improvements 
 owned by applicant, and whether there are any adverse 
 claims, on account of improvements made by any other 
 party on the same piece or parcel of land. 
 
 If the lot is public land, but not within the jurisdiction 
 of any agent, the application should be made direct to the 
 department, applicant being careful, in order to avoid delay 
 and prevent unnecessary correspondence, to transmit at the 
 same time the evidence by affidavit or surveyor's report, as 
 above stated. 
 
 The same rules should be observed by applicants to pur- 
 chase Public Lands situated in the old settled townships, 
 with these additions : that in cases where the applicant 
 occupies improvements made by his predecessors on the lot, 
 he should show by assignment or other evidence, how he 
 obtained possession of them, and that he is now the bond 
 
160 Appendix. 
 
 Jide owner of the same. The present full value of the land 
 per acre, exclusive of improvements, should also be stated 
 by the agent, the surveyor or deponents, as the case may 
 be. All papers necessary to substantiate the applicant's 
 claim or right to purchase, if the application is made direct 
 to the department, should accompany the first application. 
 
 All assignments, whether by squatters or purchasers, 
 must be unconditional, to be recognized by the department. 
 
 Applications for information relative to the dates of 
 patents and the names of patentees should, invariably, be 
 made to the provincial or deputy provincial registrar. 
 
 Parties writing to the department should give their post 
 office, the date and number of the last letter (if any) they 
 received from the department on the subject. They should, 
 if they can, state whether the lots they write about are 
 Crown, Clergy, or School Lands. Each letter should be con- 
 fined to one subject; the signature should be distinctly 
 written, and the letter addressed to " The Honourable the 
 Commissioner of Crown Lands." 
 
 Every applicant of letters patent for lands, should state 
 his Christian name at length, with his occupation and 
 residence, as these must be stated in the letters patent. 
 
 INSTBUCTIONS TO IMMIGBANTS WITH SOME 
 CAPITAL. 
 
 Immigrants with some capital, desirous of settling on 
 land, and unaccustomed to life in the bush, would do well 
 to purchase a lot ivith a house, outbuildings, and a few acres 
 of clearance. Lots of this description are always to be found 
 in the newly-settled districts, the title to which is still in 
 the Crown. In such cases a small sum must be given for 
 
Appendix. 161 
 
 the right and improvements of the original purchaser. The 
 patent would then be issued on payment of the balance of 
 the purchase money due to the Crown, and on completion 
 of the required settlement duties. 
 
 The Crown Land agents will aid immigrants inquiring 
 for improved lots within their agencies, for which patents 
 have not been issued. They will say where such lots are to 
 be found, and they will assist, if requested, in drawing up 
 the necessary assignment to the purchaser, for registration 
 in the department of Crown Lands. 
 
 11 
 
APPENDIX B. 
 
 EMIGEATION TO CANADA. 
 
 (From " The Albion " of May 30, 1864.) 
 
 The subject of emigration has recently attracted much 
 attention in Canada, and has led to several discussions in 
 the provincial parliament. It would appear from the state- 
 ments of the honourable members that Federal agents are 
 busy there as in England, attempting to attract newly arrived 
 emigrants from Canada to New York and other Federal 
 cities, with a view to enlisting them in the Federal armies. 
 This drain on Canada had seriously affected the labour mar- 
 ket, and the legislature had under their consideration the 
 best means of putting an end to this system. In the 
 Legislative Council, on the 10th May, the Hon. Mr. Alex- 
 ander moved for a select committee to consider and report 
 upon the best means to be adopted to attract an increased 
 number of immigrants and settlers. At present they had 
 no agents in the United States or on the European Conti- 
 nent, and although they had a department of agriculture 
 
Appendix. 163 
 
 and emigration, little or nothing had yet been done to pro- 
 mote an influx of settlers. In his opinion they could easily 
 receive and absorb from 30,000 to 40,000 immigrants annu- 
 ally, all of whom could find comfortable homes and hiring 
 by their labour. Manufactures of various kinds were 
 rapidly springing up; and he thought that if care was 
 taken with the immigrants on their arrival, and the re- 
 sources of the province set before them, they would prefer 
 peaceful Canada to the United States. The Hon. Mr. 
 Campbell said the province was much indebted to Mr. 
 Alexander for the untiring zeal and energy he displayed on 
 the subject. He begged to second this motion. The motion 
 was carried nem. dis. In the Legislative Assembly, on the 
 same day, Mr. M'G-ee, Minister of Agriculture, moved the 
 second reading of the bill to amend the acts respecting 
 emigrants and quarantine, and proposing to make, at 
 Quebec, one legal landing-place, and that emigrants should 
 be landed at particular hours, with the regulations designed 
 to check the current of further emigration to the Northern 
 States. In the course of his remarks he maintained the 
 right of the various localities to representation by popula- 
 tion. He also maintained that the report of the ex-commis- 
 sioner of Crown Lands, that there were no more lands 
 suitable for cultivation, for appropriation — a statement 
 which must of necessity prove damaging to immigration — 
 was very incorrect, that in a comparatively small district 
 9400 situations were now open for immigrants immediately 
 on their arrival. Several other gentlemen spoke in favour 
 of the bill, and reference was again made to the diverting of 
 the immigration stream to the Northern States, and the 
 importance of such provisions as the bill designed to check 
 it. The discussion was adjourned. 
 
 Eeturn of the number of male and female servants, me- 
 chanics, etc., required in Canada, and for which applications 
 
164 Appendix. 
 
 have been made to the inland agents :— Farm labourers, 6,161 ; 
 boys over thirteen years of age, 1,115; female servants, 2,892 ; 
 carpenters and joiners, 165 ; masons, 131 ; bricklayers, 57 ; 
 founders, 14 ; coopers, 33 ; smiths, 60 ; tinsmiths, 5 ; shoe- 
 makers, 70 ; tailors, 29 ; miners, 218 ; tanners, 13 ; saddlers, 
 16 ; wheelwrights, 1 ; carriage-painters, 2 ; weavers, 4 ; gar- 
 deners, skilled, 9 ; grooms, 4, — Total, 10,999. Average rate of 
 wages : — Per month, with board (gold and not currency) : — 
 Farm labourers from $7 to §8 ; female servants, $2 to $5 ; 
 boys, $2 50c. to §6 ; carpenters, $14 to $20 ; tailors, $10 to 
 $14 ; shoemakers, §10 to $16 ; saddlers, $12 to $16 ; black- 
 smiths, $14 to $20. Per day, without board (gold, and not 
 currency) : — Farm labourers, from 70c. to $1 ; carpenters, 
 §1 to $1 50c. ; tailors, $1 12c. to $1 50c. ; shoemakers, $1 
 to $1 25c. ; blacksmiths, $1 12c. to $1 50c. ; masons, $1 25c. 
 to $1 50c. ; coopers, $1 25c. to $1 50c. ; tinsmiths, $1 to 
 $1 25c. ; founders, $1 25c. to $1 50c. ; bricklayers, $1 12c. 
 to $1 50c. 
 
165 
 
 YALUE OF ENGLISH COIN THROUGHOUT 
 CANADA. 
 
 Steeling. 
 
 
 
 
 CUKKENCY 
 
 £ s. d. % cts. 
 
 1 . . . . 2 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 12i 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 • 25 
 
 2 6 
 
 
 
 
 60 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 1 21 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 2 43 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 4 86 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 24 33 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 48 66 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 
 97 33 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 
 243 33 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 
 486 66 
 
 HASRILDj PEINTEE, LONDON" ► 
 
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