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LETTERS 
 
 FROM 
 
 CANADA, 
 
 
 WRITTEN 
 
 DURING A RESIDENCE THERE IN THE YEARS 
 
 1806, 1807, and 1808; 
 
 SHEWING 
 
 THE PRESENT STATE OF CANADA, 
 
 ITS PRODUCTIONS — TRADE — COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE 
 AND POLITICAL RELATIONS. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE OF 
 
 The Laws, the Manners of the People, and the Peculiarities 
 of the Country and Climate. 
 
 EXHIBITING ALSO 
 
 THE COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF 
 
 NOVA-SCOTIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, $ CAPE-BRETON: 
 
 AND 
 
 Their increasing Ability, in Conjunction with Canada, to furnish the 
 necessary Supplies of Lumber and Provisions to our 
 
 WEST-INDIA ISLANDS. 
 
 BY HUGH GRAY. fCon», 
 
 18G7 
 
 LONDON:% ofv/ ^^ 
 
 PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, RELS, AND OR W.F., 
 PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 1809. 
 
^ 
 
 y L 
 
 
 T. Davison, Whitefriars. 
 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The Author of these letters, from the na- 
 ture of his pursuits in Canada, was led to 
 direct his attention, in a particular man- 
 ner, to the laws and the commerce of the 
 country. In the investigation of its laws, 
 ancient and modern, he became acquainted 
 with the nature of the government ; and in 
 the views he took of its commerce, — the 
 productions of the country, its commercial 
 regulations, and political connexions in 
 their different bearings, presented them- 
 selves to his consideration. Many import- 
 ant facts, and valuable commercial docu- 
 ments and calculations, relative to these 
 interesting countries, were gradually col- 
 lected and arranged. 
 
 During his residence in Canada, and 
 while travelling through it, the manners 
 
FREFACE. 
 
 and customs of the different classes of so- 
 ciety did not pass unnoticed ; and the na- 
 tural beauties of the country, which are 
 every where conspicuous, were not regarded 
 with indifference. 
 
 In Canada, nature presents itself in 
 grand and imposing forms. To see, to 
 feel, and to admire, necessarily follow each 
 other. The peculiarities of the country, 
 and of the climate, are striking; and the 
 phenomena incident to the Canadian win- 
 ter are extremely curious. These were in- 
 vestigated with all the attention they 
 seemed to deserve. 
 
 On his return to England, he found 
 that the state of our political relations with 
 the United States of America, and the 
 northern powers of Europe, was still such 
 as to render all communication with them 
 extremely precarious ; any country, there- 
 fore, which could give us the articles we 
 had been in the habit of receiving from 
 them, became doubly interesting. Such 
 is Canada, and such are our other North 
 American colonies. To point out the va- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 lue of the latter more forcibly, there are 
 added in the Appendix the petitions and 
 memorials from Nova Scotia and New 
 Brunswick to the British government, in 
 which the productions and resources of 
 those countries are stated, and the line of 
 policy pointed out, which they imagine 
 most likely to promote their welfare. 
 
 The immense regions in North Ame- 
 rica, which still form a part of the British 
 empire, are very little known to the Eng- 
 lish nation ; and yet the statesman, the 
 philosopher, and the merchant, might 
 there find an ample field for the exercise 
 of his talents. The geographical position 
 of our North American colonies, relative to 
 the United States ; their immense extent 
 of territory, and their commercial import- 
 ance, ought to induce us (particularly at 
 the present moment) to turn our attention 
 that way. To effect this end, is, in a great 
 measure, the object of the present publi- 
 cation. 
 
c' 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 Page 
 
 INTRODUCTORY— at sea 1 
 
 LETTER II, 
 
 Make Cape Breton — islands of ice — their origin and 
 magnitude — Banks of Newfoundland — gulf stream 
 — cause of the hazy weather generally found on 
 the Banks of Newfoundland — Bankers - 9 
 
 LETTER III. 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence — Cape Breton — a short ac- 
 count of it — Magdalene islands — Island of Anti- 
 costi — -Mouth of the St. Lawrence — country on 
 each side of the river — mountains — principles for' 
 ascertaining tjieir height — Labrador shore — Seven 
 Islands— King's posts — a battle between a whale, 
 a thresher, and a sword rish - - 18 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Discovery of Canada, by Jaques Carrier — burning 
 woods — visited by Indians — Islands of Bique, Ka- 
 mouraska, &c. — the Traverse — Island of Orleans 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 — *Bason of Quebec, and surrounding scenery — 
 arrive at Quebec - • - - 31 
 
 LETTER V. 
 The river St. Lawrence a fine approach to America 
 —why — observations on theoriginal colonization of 
 Canada — intrusted by the French king to private 
 individuals — original discovery of Quebec — taken 
 by the English in 1629, restored 1632 - 41 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Samuel de Champlain founder of Quebec — advan- 
 tages of its situation — Cape Diamond — Site of 
 Quebec — Upper and Lower Town described — be- 
 sieged by the Americans in 1775 — death of Mont- 
 gomery — present population of Quebec — objects 
 of curiosity — arsenals — nunneries — -Roman catho- 
 lic and protestant clergy— how supported — tythes 
 — fortifications of Quebec — Plains of Abraham — 
 death of Wolfe — views of the surrounding cqun- 
 try — Cape Diamond — why so named - 47 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 River St. Lawrence— extent of the ship navigation 
 — its communication with the interior- — situation 
 of Quebec renders it the key of the St. Law- 
 rence - - ' - - • - 69 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 The policy of our government in the affairs and 
 management of Canada — how far advisable in 
 giving Canada a British constitution — Canadian 
 legislators — their want of education and political 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 knowledge—- division of Canada into two pro- 
 vinces — -very impolitic — their union easy - 75 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Falls on the River Chaudiere — travelling in the 
 woods very difficult — not so to the Indians and 
 voyageurs — why — delirium the effect of being lost 
 in the woods — illustrated by examples— River 
 Chaudiere — description of the Fall — the Fall of 
 Montmorency - — description thereof — comparison 
 between the Montmorency and Chaudiere - 87 
 
 LETTER X. 
 Influence of the Canadians in the legislature — 
 French language used in the House of Assembly — 
 ' Le Canadien, a French newspaper — observations 
 upon the conduct of the managers thereof — the 
 effects of conquest — Canadians, by the articles of 
 capitulation, not granted their old laws — proved by 
 a review of the articles of capitulation — bad effects 
 of an improper administration of justice, illus- 
 trated by examples — in Canada, no bankrupt laws 
 ■ — consequences thereof - - 100 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 Travelling in Canada — the caleshes — the auberges — 
 Canadian politeness conspicuous — manners of the 
 people — appearance of the country — road from 
 Ouebec to Montreal — the seigneuries and conces- 
 sions — rivers which fall into the St. Lawrence — 
 Canadian farming — St. John's fort — Lake Cham- 
 plain — Canadian farmers-— in general poor — cause 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 of their poverty — the law making marriage a co- 
 partnership, and creating a commwiite de bien 124 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 Montreal— situation — Island of Montreal — surround- 
 ing country — Lake St. Peter's — markets of Mon- 
 treal well supplied— La Chine — arrival and de- 
 parture of the North-west canoes — the canoe de^ 
 scribed — the North-West Company — their origin 
 —Canadian voyageurs— Upper Canada trade from 
 Montreal — bateaux — Indians of different nations 
 — remarks on them -• - - - 144 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 Population of Canada — Upper and Lower Canada 
 — reasons for a greater increase of population in 
 Upper than in Lower Canada— Upper Canada pre- 
 ferred by emigrants — why — general idea of the 
 trade of Canada — statement of exports on an aver- 
 age of five years — presents to the Indians — how 
 far advisable that they should be ^continued 1 64 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 Canadian trade with the United States — statement 
 of imports from America, by way of St. John's, 
 in 1806 — exports by way-of St. John's — balance of 
 trade against Canada — paid in specie— business of 
 exchange considered — currency of Canada — go- 
 vernment bills — treaty with America — advantages 
 not reciprocal — American trade with India — its 
 effects on the trade of Canada with Britain disad- 
 vantageous - - - - 179 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Productions and exports of Canada to Great Britain 
 and elsewhere considered — wheat — flour — a scow 
 described — biscuit — pease — barley — oats and In- 
 dian corn — hops — hemp — tythes to the clergy — 
 lumber trade — pine — oak — maple — elm — ash — 
 cedar, &c. — staves — rafts of wood — ships annu- 
 ally built in Canada — pot and pearl ashes — fish- 
 eries of the St. Lawrence — the fur trade — iron 
 forges of Canada — manufactures of soap and can- 
 dles, leather, hats, and snuff — maple sugar — infe- 
 rior district of Gaspe — its trade and population — 
 character of the merchants of Canada - 197 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 The supplies required by our West India colonies — 
 to what extent furnished by our North American 
 colonies — policy of the Americans in regard to 
 their fisheries— average importation of provisions 
 and lumber into the West India islands for three 
 years, ending 1806 — North American colonies 
 claim the exclusive right of supplying the West 
 India islands — their reasoning in support of such 
 claim - - - - 231 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 The Canadian winter — commences in November, 
 when snow begins to fall — a snow storm — the 
 country deserted by the winged creation — quadru- 
 peds disappear — winter dress — the cariole, the 
 winter carriage used by all descriptions of people 
 —the navigation of the St. Lawrence closes — win- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 ter customs and amusements— people not so liable 
 to suffer from cold in Canada as in England — ac- 
 counted for — winter air extremely dry — its effects 
 resemble those of the Siroc wind — greatest degree 
 of cold, and medium temperature, of December 
 and January — winter roads — how formed — a pont 
 — the St. Lawrence freezing over, opposite to 
 Quebec — the winter method of passing the St. 
 Lawrence in canoes - 24% 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 Winter travelling- — in carioles — on snow shoes — the 
 military taught to walk on snow shoes — winter 
 travelling very expeditious — the Canadian horse— 
 a winter tour through Canada — summer and win- 
 ter scenery contrasted — river du Loup — Maski- 
 nonge — Berthier — occupations of the natives dur- 
 ing winter — winter fishing — petite morue — horses 
 eat fish — re-animation of the fish after being out 
 of the water for several days — arrive at Montreal — 
 pic nic parties — hospitable reception of strangers 
 in Canada — journey from Montreal into the 
 United States, by way of Lake Champlain, over 
 the ice— American sleighs — Laprairie — thence to 
 Lake Champlain through the woods — a military 
 pass — an American pitch — their method of clear- 
 ing a piece of ground — extent of Lake Cham- 
 plain — travelling on the lake very dangerous* — 
 horses and sleigh often fall through the ice — horses 
 saved— curious method of doing so — weak places 
 in the ice — cause thereof — cracks and openings in 
 the ice — danger in passing them - - 260 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 Range of the thermometer in Canada — advantages 
 derived from the frost — meat, fowls, and fish, pre- 
 served by being frozen — manner of doing so — price 
 of provisions in winter — fire wood — coals — extra- 
 ordinary effects of cold — burning by a cold iron — 
 exemplified and explained — frost-bitten frequent 
 in Canada — the remedy — the difference in the 
 manner in which a cold iron, and a cold atmosphere 
 affect the body - ~ - - 282 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 A sudden change from extreme cold to warm wea- 
 ther frequent in the middle of winter — its effects 
 — the ver glas — facts to shew the intensity of the 
 cold — stoves generally used in Canada in winter 
 — their advantages — experiments on the expan- 
 sive force of freezing water in bomb-shells — the 
 effects of frost on water confined in the fissures 
 of rocks, in the walls of houses, &c. — Canadians 
 use dogs in drawing light weights - - 299 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 Conclusion of the Canadian winter — breaking up of 
 the ice — accoimt of a vessel arriving while the ri- 
 ver was full of ice — state of the ice in the spring 
 - — vegetation under the snow — return ,of the fea- 
 thered tribes — the land not so deeply penetrated 
 by the frost as might be imagined-— the causes 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 thereof — the long continuance of winter may re- 
 tard the improvement of Canada, but not pre- 
 vent it — comparison between Russia and Canada 
 — and between the Neva and the St. Lawrence — 
 effect of winter on the habits of the people 312 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 The constitution of Canada — the legislative council 
 —the house of assembly — observations on the pro- 
 priety of having given to Canada a representative 
 form of government — complaints of the Canadians 
 — unfounded—civil list of Canada — disposition of 
 the mass of the people - 322 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 The English language not the language of Canada — 
 English schools — opposed by the Canadians — go- 
 vernment have not exerted themselves to intro- 
 duce English — inducements for the Canadians to 
 prefer English to French-^English the most uni- 
 versal of all languages — Canadian militia - 335 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 Canadian tenures — en fief- — en roture — the seigneu- 
 ries — grants or concessions of land— townships 
 held in free and common soccage — grantees bound 
 to have a certain number of settlers on their lands 
 in a given time — the boundaries of Canada — ex- 
 tract from the definitive treaty of peace with Ame- 
 rica — situation of the river St. Croix— Bay of Pas- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 samaquoddy — sovereignty of the islands therein 
 disputed — river Ponobscot — route from Nova 
 Scotia to Quebec — in the grants of townships the 
 crown makes certain reserves — roads leading from 
 Canada to the United States — numbers of Ame- 
 ricans settled on the townships — reflections there- 
 on — policy of the mother country in her manage- 
 ment of colonies - -' -, ..* 346 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 No. Page 
 
 I. DUTIES payable in Canada on goods im- 
 ported - - - - -371 
 
 II. Allowances at the Custom-house - - 373 
 
 III. Post-office regulations - 374 
 
 I V. Roads and distances in Canada - - 375 
 
 V. List of governors of Canada - - 377 
 
 VI. List of the counties — number of representa- 
 tives — and of parishes - * - 378 
 
 VII. Account of provisions and lumber imported 
 into the West Indies in the years 1804, 1805, 
 and 1806. 
 
 VIII. Account of the value of exports from Eng- 
 land to America and the West Indies, exclusive 
 
 of the United States, in 1806, 1807, and 1808 . 379 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 No. Page 
 
 IX. Account of the value of imports and exports 
 between Great Britain and the United States of 
 America in 1806, 1807, and 1808 - - 380 
 
 X. Exports from Quebec in 1808 - - 382 
 
 XI. Memorial and petition of the merchants, and 
 other inhabitants of New Brunswick, to the Se- 
 cretary of State - - - 385 
 
 XII. Petition of the merchants, and other inha- 
 bitants of Halifax, to the Secretary of State ; 
 
 and memorial referred to therein - - 389 
 
 XIII. Address respecting the islands in Passama- 
 quoddy Bay _ -. - _ 40Q 
 
 XIV. Declaration as to the boundaries of the river 
 
 St. Croix - 40a 
 
LETTERS 
 
 FROM 
 
 CANADA. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 At Sea, May, 1806. 
 
 I promised to write you, my worthy 
 friend, on my arrival in Canada ; I will do 
 more; I will write you before I get there. 
 You may perhaps say, What can be found 
 worthy of notice on the face of the trackless 
 ocean ? Not so much, I grant you, as in the 
 cultivated vale, or crowded city. But on 
 the ocean even, we meet with occurrences 
 which highly excite our curiosity, and, merit 
 our attention. Our approach to the Ame- 
 rican shore ; our crossing the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence ; our progress up that noble ritf er ; 
 
 B 
 
9 
 
 cannot fail to furnish objects well deserv- 
 ing remark. 
 
 The promise I have made you, to com- 
 municate whatever is new and interesting, 
 will act as a stimulus to observation, and 
 keep my attention on the alert. Canada is 
 a most important country to Great Britain. 
 It claims our attention from its geographi- 
 cal position relative to the United States ; 
 from its extent of territory ; from its numer- 
 ous productions ; and from its rising value 
 as a British colony. Few subjects are likely 
 to be more interesting than the topographi- 
 cal description of a country so little known 
 to us, presenting every where features pe- 
 culiar and striking, and phenomena well 
 deserving the attention of any one the least 
 acquainted with natural history. \t is very 
 interesting also to trace the character of a 
 people up to its origin, in the nature of the 
 government and laws ; the state of the ad- 
 ministration of justice; and the peculiari- 
 ties of their local situation, and of their 
 climate ; from all which, nations receive a 
 bias in their manners, customs, and pur- 
 suits. It shall be my endeavour, during 
 my residence in Canada, to elucidate these 
 
3 
 
 points, and make myself acquainted with 
 its trade and political economy. 
 
 I am well aware, that to perform this 
 task with propriety requires talents very 
 superior to any thing of which I can boast: 
 but men who are every way qualified will 
 not be found ready to undertake it The 
 field is not sufficiently productive of either 
 fame or fortune ; I look for neither in ad- 
 dressing you, and if I encroach upon the 
 province of an abler pen, I trust I shall be 
 forgiven. Information, in a rude dress, is 
 better than none at all; and here, on the 
 great Atlantic Ocean, I shall attempt to 
 embody in phrase the fleeting thought. A 
 smooth sea and fine weather enable me 
 to commence our correspondence. 
 
 The weather hitherto has been pretty 
 favourable, not however without some va- 
 riety. Indeed, the wind has been some- 
 times extremely violent, at least what > 
 landsman would call so: on these occa- 
 sions, the proper place for us landlubbers is 
 our cabin ; we should turn in, as the sailors 
 call it. You may, no doubt, go to bed, 
 but you cannot say you go to rest, for you 
 are incessantly rocked about in the most 
 
unpleasant manner, from the rolling and 
 pitching of the vessel. Besides, the abo- 
 minably jarring discordant sounds with 
 which one is constantly annoyed on board 
 ship, are intolerable, particularly in the 
 middle of the night, when all is dark 
 around you, and sleep is wished for in 
 vain. A heavy swell heaves and strains 
 the ship ; the waves dashing and roaring 
 under the cabin-windows; the ropes and 
 sails flapping and rattling overhead ; the 
 timbers and bulkheads creaking, cracking, 
 and growling ; form altogether such a 
 pretty kind of concert, as one might expect 
 to find in the palace of Pandemonium. 
 
 A gale came on a few daj r s ago: I could 
 neither sit nor stand without great exer- 
 tion ; but curiosity kept me on deck. The 
 waves ran tremendously high, and the ship 
 seemed ready to be swallowed up. One 
 moment you are elevated, and mount the 
 briny swell ; you are then sunk down, im- 
 mersed in the deep, shut up, as it were, 
 by the foaming surge, which seems to pre- 
 sent on all sides an insuperable barrier. 
 
 A sudden squall laid the ship almost on 
 her beam-ends ; ahead sea struck her while 
 
5 
 
 gunwale under, and made a clear sweep 
 fore and aft ; to hold fast is, in this case, 
 your only chance of safety. The ship at 
 length righted, and we saw the seamen at 
 the prow, emerging, as it were, from the 
 wave, reeling from side to side, making 
 fast every thing they could, and putting 
 themselves in situations that a landsman 
 shudders even to look at. The waves were 
 running, what those who delight in hyper- 
 bolical description would call, mountains 
 high. In fact, we were so deeply immersed 
 sometimes, and the waves were rolling so 
 high around us, that we could not see the 
 toy-gallant royals of a frigate that happen- 
 ed to be within a few hundred yards of us, 
 so that at any rate we must have had a 
 very pretty specimen of a storm of the first 
 magnitude. 
 
 By and by the gale ceases ; your appre- 
 hensions of danger subside ; and reflection 
 on the past scene satisfies you that it is, 
 in the nature of things, very improbable 
 that a ship should sink. Her whole ma- 
 terials are buoyant ; and her form is such, 
 that while the water is prevented from dis- 
 
6 
 
 placing the air contained in her, she can 
 no more sink than can a bladder filled with 
 air, or an empty cask. Such reflections, 
 and a conviction that your vessel is strong 
 and good, prepare you for the next gale. 
 Confidence grows fast upon you, and you 
 cease to be surprised that seamen, who 
 know these things, and who have escaped 
 so many storms, should become callous, in 
 a great measure, to the dangers of the sea. 
 
 There is certainly something very sub- 
 lime in a storm; the scene is awfully grand. 
 Fear has generally been considered as a 
 source of the sublime ; and in the case of a 
 storm, I cannot help thinking that it al- 
 ways exists. I cannot imagine, notwith- 
 standing all I have heard seamen say, that 
 they, or any one else, can, in a storm, be 
 entirely divested of it. Whatever confi- 
 dence they have in their vessel, they must 
 know that they are liable to a variety of ac- 
 cidents, which will greatly increase their 
 risk and danger. 
 
 The being accustomed to any particu* 
 lar danger lessens its operation on the mind ; 
 but the danger is not removed, nor is its 
 
nature altered. A manufacturer of gun- 
 powder, for instance, works with as much 
 unconcern as if he manufactured leather; 
 yet we see instances every year of powder- 
 mills being blown up, and every one near 
 them destroyed. A brave fellow of a sea- 
 man, by being engaged in a number of 
 boarding parties, without receiving the 
 least injury, may go on such enterprises 
 cheerfully, and with little or no fear; yet 
 it does not follow that a man, scrambling 
 up the side of a ship, full of people ready 
 to defend themselves, does not run a great 
 risk of having a pike put through his body, 
 before he himself can act either offensively 
 or defensively. 
 
 The mind does not willingly dwell on 
 that which gives it pain. It accommo- 
 dates itself to its condition; hence sea- 
 men, manufacturers of gun-powder, and 
 all those engaged in hazardous occupa- 
 tions, soon cease to reflect on the dangers 
 to which they are exposed. 
 
 We are now on the banks of Newfound- 
 land, the region of codfish; and I am call- 
 ed on deck. The ship is hove to for the 
 
8 
 
 purpose of fishing : fresh cod for dinner 
 -would be not a little acceptable; besides, I 
 understand there is a good deal of amuse- 
 ment in cod-fishing ; you shall know what 
 success we have : en attendant, Adieu ! 
 
LETTER II. 
 
 Off Cape Breton^ May, 1806. 
 
 Liand-a-head ! Land ! Land ! repeated 
 half a dozen voices. Joyful tidings ! I had 
 just fixed myself in a position to secure 
 me against the rolling of the ship, a very 
 necessary precaution at, sea ; I liad a sheet 
 of paper before me, for the purpose of 
 saying something to you about the banks 
 of Newfoundland and cod-fishing, when 
 my ears were agreeably assailed with the 
 joyful sound of Land-a-head ! I am very 
 fond of music ; yet I can safely say, that 
 the fine tones of a Catalani, which I have 
 often heard with pleasure, or the modula- 
 tion of a Braham, which is exquisite, are 
 sounds vastly inferior in their power of 
 pleasing to the shout of Land-a-head, after 
 having been tossed and buffeted across the 
 Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 Here we are, on the 20th May, in sight 
 of Cape Breton. As we left Portsmouth on 
 the 14th of April, our being now in sight 
 
10 
 
 of the New World is pretty fair. Five 
 weeks at sea, however, is quite enough to 
 give a high relish for a sight of land of any 
 sort ; and you can hardly suppose a greater 
 contrast than the land we have left — the 
 green fields of England — and the barren 
 mountains of the island of Cape Breton : 
 yet we have great pleasure in looking at 
 it. We have still a long voyage to perform. 
 We have to cross the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 and go up the river, which may probably 
 occupy a fortnight. 
 
 For some days past the great increase 
 of cold which we felt made us conjecture 
 that we approached either snow-clad moun- 
 tains, or islands of ice which are known to 
 float in these latitudes at this season of the 
 year. Those floating islands are of great 
 height, some have been ascertained to rise 
 upwards of two hundred feet from the sur- 
 face of the sea; their breadth and depth 
 in the water must, of course, have been 
 immense. From the comparative speci- 
 fic gravity of ice and water, the body of 
 ice under water must have been rather 
 more than T^ths of what appeared above 
 water. These islands are supposed to be 
 
11 
 
 formed on the coast of New Britain, and 
 on the Labrador shore, during the severe 
 winters which reign in those regions for 
 about nine months in the year. The sea, 
 in a gale of wind, dashed against a rock, 
 will be thrown up to a great height, 
 and be arrested, in part, by the severe 
 frost; frequent accumulation will render 
 the mass of great magnitude. When the 
 summer heat begins to melt the snow, 
 and act upon the land, these immense 
 masses of ice are loosened from the shore, 
 and floated off by the north-west winds. 
 They are supposed to continue and float in 
 the Northern Ocean for more than one year; 
 and they, in part, owe their immense height 
 to the snow and rain which fall upon them 
 and freeze. When, in the course of time, 
 they are floated into the more southern lati- 
 tudes, the warm air, which comes in con- 
 tact with them, is condensed, and parts 
 with the moisture it held in solution, which 
 appears in the form of mist, and with which 
 these immense masses of ice are constantly 
 surrounded and constantly fed ; for during 
 the night the vapour is frozen, and adds to 
 the height of the whole mass. 
 
12 
 
 A vessel to leeward of one of these float- 
 ing islands is surprised, sometimes before 
 it is seen, with a suddea and unlooked for 
 degree of cold ; and I am assured that it is 
 extremely dangerous to approach them. 
 There are many instances of Quebec ves- 
 sels, and others, navigating those seas, 
 having been w r recked on these islands of 
 ice. The Lady Hobart, a Halifax packet, 
 struck on one a few years ago, and was 
 totally lost. The passengers and crew took 
 to the boat, and, after being fourteen days 
 at sea, were fortunate enough to reach the 
 island of Newfoundland, but, as you may 
 w T ell suppose, in a most exhausted state. 
 
 Notwithstanding the danger, I must 
 own I felt a strong desire to see one of 
 those huge masses of ice ; but we were not 
 so fortunate. The cold we felt proceeded 
 from the snow-clad mountains of the island 
 of Cape Breton. It presented to us a very 
 barren and dreary prospect, very different, 
 indeed, from the smiling land we had left. 
 Yet a great degree of interest is excited by 
 a view of even this part of the new world. 
 
 In crossing the banks of Newfound- 
 land we had very unpleasant, hazy, and 
 
13 
 
 wet weather, which, I am told, is genera 
 found on them. It is accounted for in this 
 way : 
 
 An immense bidy of water, called by 
 seamen The Gulf Stream, flows from the 
 Gulf of Mexico, and proceeds along the 
 coast of America, at a considerable dis- 
 tance from the shore. Its breadth is ge- 
 nerally supposed to be about 15 to 20 
 leagues. It runs at the rate of about four 
 miles an hour, and it has been ascertained 
 by the thermometer that it is considerably 
 warmer than the ocean on each side of it. 
 This heat is communicated to the air in con- 
 tact with it, which therefore holds in solu- 
 tion an increased quantity of water. When 
 it gets so far to the north as the banks of 
 Newfoundland, it meets with a eld at- 
 mosphere, which cools and condenses the 
 warm air, and renders it incapable of re- 
 taining all the water it previously had dis- 
 solved ; and a deposition of it, in the form 
 of mist, fog, and rain, takes place in con- 
 sequence. These increase to such an ex- 
 tent as to obscure the sun for days, and 
 sometimes weeks, to the great annoyance 
 of the seaman, who is thereby prevented 
 
14 
 
 from taking an observation to ascertain his 
 latitude. 
 
 We have been so fortunate as to have 
 a favourable and pretty strong wind to 
 carry us across the banks, so that, with the 
 exception of one day, we bad no opportu- 
 nity of fishing for cod. 
 
 I was called on deck one day to look at 
 a banker ; I immediately thought of Lom- 
 bard-street : yet it seemed strange that 
 those who have so many thousand reasons 
 for staying at home, should find any to in- 
 duce them to be on board ship, alongside 
 of us, on the banks of Newfoundland. I 
 found, however, that the banker is a small 
 vessel stationed on the banks for the sole 
 purpose of fishing. There are immense 
 numbers of them. They come from New- 
 foundland, and also from the United States; 
 for we have given the Americans liberty to 
 fish on the banks, and also on the coasts, 
 bays, and creeks, of all our dominions in 
 America. 
 
 I doubt much how far it was wise policy 
 in our government to allow the Americans 
 to participate in this x trade. There might 
 perhaps be less objection to it in time of 
 
15 
 
 war, when our communication with the 
 continent is so much abridged that we 
 cannot supply their demands ourselves. 
 But in time of peace we could certainly 
 manage the whole of this trade ; and in 
 time of war even, there seems no reason 
 why we should not exclusively supply our 
 West India market. I do not see how Bri- 
 tish capital could be employed more advan- 
 tageously to the country than in a trade 
 which draws real wealth from the ocean, 
 increases our shipping, and augments the 
 number of our seamen. 
 
 When one reflects on the great extent 
 of the Banks of Newfoundland, being 
 nearly four hundred miles in length, by 
 about two hundred miles in breadth, be- 
 sides the smaller banks and fishing grounds 
 on the coast of Cape Breton, and round 
 the shores and islands of the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence, there seems room enough for 
 all the cod-fish catchers in the world ; and 
 it may seem hard that any of them should 
 be excluded. But as Great Britain has 
 both the right and the power to monopolize 
 this trade, I cannot see any impropriety in 
 her doing so. The allowing the Americans 
 
16 
 
 a share in this trade was an act of pure 
 generosity on the part of Britain. How- 
 ever, a nation ought to be just to its own 
 subjects before it is generous to those of 
 another country. 
 
 For some days past we have seen a 
 great number of enormous whales rolling 
 their huge carcasses in the deep. It is 
 curious enough to observe them when 
 several appear near the vessel at the same 
 time. They come to the surface to breathe, 
 or blow, as it is generally called (and 
 with great propriety, for the noise is equal 
 to that of fifty bellows of the largest size), 
 and the water is spouted to an immense 
 height, like the steam of a fire engine. 
 
 Amongst the extraordinary things one 
 meets with at sea, it is not one of the least 
 surprising to observe small land-birds several 
 hundred miles from land. I was sitting on 
 deck the other day, when, . to my great 
 surprise, my attention was arrested by the 
 .warbling of a bird. I looked up, and saw 
 a linnet perched on the rigging, and whist- 
 ling with as much ardour as if on a bush 
 in a green meadow. It is probable they 
 are driven to sea -in a gale of wind, or, 
 
17 
 perhaps a fog may conceal the land from 
 them, and by taking a wrong direction, 
 they may proceed to sea ; still it is a matter 
 not a little surprising that they should be 
 able to continue on the wing so long as is 
 necessary to fly several hundreds of miles, 
 particularly when the usual shortness of 
 their flight is considered. They continue 
 sometimes with a vessel for several days, 
 and are frequently caught by the sailors ; 
 but it is remarked that they seldom live, 
 though every care is taken to give them 
 proper food. When the vessel rolls much, 
 they find it difficult to retain their footing 
 on the rigging, a#d you see them forced, 
 as it were, to resume their flight in search 
 of a better resting-place : poor little crea- 
 tures! they look for it in vain. You at 
 length see them drop into the sea. It is 
 surprising what hold such little incidents 
 take of our sensibilities. 
 
 To-night we expect to enter the Gulf 
 of St. Lawrence. I trust the weather may 
 continue favourable, and the wind moder- 
 ate, so as to enable me to write again be- 
 fore we enter the river. In the mean time, 
 I must go on deck, and take another view 
 of Cape Breton. 
 
18 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence, May, 1806. 
 
 We are now in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 which we entered a few days ago. The 
 entrance through which we passed is the 
 principal one ; it is sixty miles broad, and 
 is formed by Cape North, in the island of 
 Cape Breton, on the south side, and by 
 Cape Raiy, in Newfoundland, on the north 
 side. There is another communication 
 with the ocean, through the Streights of 
 Belleisle, between Newfoundland and the 
 Labrador shore, but it is seldom used, ex- 
 cept by running vessels from Quebec, that 
 are going to Scotland, or the north of 
 England. The third communication with 
 the ocean is by the Gut of Canso, through 
 which, vessels coming from the West In- 
 dies, or the United States of America, 
 generally enter the Gulf. This passage, 
 which is very narrow, separates Cape 
 Breton from New Brunswick. 
 
 The inland country of Cape Breton ap- 
 
19 
 pears very mountainous, and they still 
 (25th May) are covered with snow— -a chill- 
 ing prospect. 
 
 We acquired possession of Cape Breton 
 in 1763, and erected it into a separate 
 government in 1784. There is in this 
 island, which is about a' hundred miles in 
 length by sixty in breadth, much arable 
 land, which at present abounds with hard- 
 wood and pine timber. This country is of 
 great value to Britain, for several reasons. 
 As it commands the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 it may be considered as the key of Canada. 
 There are in its neighbourhood very valu- 
 able fisheries, which cannot well be carried 
 on without a harbour in the island, and the 
 harbour of Louisburgh is the principal one 
 for that purpose. 
 
 Great advantages are likely to accrue 
 from the valuable coal-mines in Cape 
 Breton. There is also abundance of iron. 
 The working of the coal-mines, together 
 with the fisheries, form the chief employ- 
 ment of the inhabitants. Communication 
 with the interior of the island is rendered 
 easy by means of a number of lakes and in- 
 lets from the sea, found in every direction. 
 
20 
 
 The gulf is as smooth as a mill-pond. 
 We glide along, almost without being sen- 
 sible that we are on shipboard. We passed 
 yesterday the Bird Rocks, so called from 
 the great number of sea fowls which resort 
 to them. These rocks are not very distant 
 from the Magdalene Islands, to which they 
 are considered to belong. The whole of the 
 rocks and islands were lately granted by 
 government to admiral Sir Isaac Coffin. 
 The islands are valuable only as a fishing 
 station. 
 
 These islands are inhabited by the 
 French who left Acadia (now Nova Scotia) 
 after it was secured by France to Britain 
 by the peace of 1763. I am told they are 
 naturally a quiet, good sort of people. In- 
 deed it is well they are so, for they have 
 never been considered of sufficient conse- 
 quence to give them either laws or a go- 
 vernment. They carry on, however, a con- 
 siderable trade in oil, seal-skins, cod-fish, 
 &c. which they send to Europe, or to Que- 
 bec, whence they receive in return the 
 various articles they have occasion for, 
 such as flour, liquors, clothing, &c. 
 
 Sir Isaac has lately made an attempt to 
 
21' 
 
 bring them under his authority as their 
 lord and master. He has paid them a visit : 
 how far he may succeed, time only can 
 shew ; but I understand they would rather 
 be left to themselves than be governed by 
 any body. 
 
 To the southward of our course lies 
 Prince Edward's Island, near the coasts of 
 Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It is a 
 fine island ; the soil is rich, and fit for 
 every sort of grain. It abounds with tim- 
 ber of a variety of kinds, fit for the ship- 
 builder, carpenter, and cabinet-maker. 
 
 We are now in sight of the island of 
 Anticosti, which lies at the mouth of the 
 river St. Lawrence ; it is about one hun- 
 dred and thirty miles in length, and about 
 thirt} r in breadth. This extensive tract of 
 country is not inhabited : the length and 
 severity of its winters, and the sterility of 
 its soil, have rendered abortive some at- 
 tempts that have been made to settle on it ; 
 and it will not probably be again attempted, 
 while so much good terra jirma remains 
 uncleared and unappropriated. At pre- 
 sent the whole island might be purchased 
 for a few hundred pounds. It belongs to 
 
some gentlemen in Quebec, and you might, 
 for a very small sum, become one of the 
 greatest landholders in the world, and a 
 Canadian Seignor into the bargain. 
 
 When you have passed the island of 
 Anticosti, you may be said to be in the 
 river St. Lawrence ; but from its great 
 breadth (being about ninety miles), you 
 still conceive yourself to be in the gulf. 
 The channel between Anticosti and the 
 main land on the south is about fifteen 
 leagues. We have a fine favourable breeze, 
 and in mid-channel we can see both coasts. 
 The mountains appear to be of great 
 height, and they are all covered with snow. 
 They are probably a great way inland; for 
 although we have been directing our course 
 towards those on the south shore the whole 
 day, there seems little or no change in 
 their appearance as to size and height — a 
 proof that both are very great. 
 
 I am informed their elevation has never 
 been accurately ascertained ; but, if any 
 regard is to be had to appearances, I 
 should suppose they are fully as high as the 
 Pyrenees. The captain of our vessel ima- 
 gines that we are at least a hundred miles 
 
23 ' 
 
 from them. From this circumstance, a 
 tolerably correct idea may be formed of 
 their height. Sir Isaac Newton has given 
 us principles by which an accurate esti- 
 mate may be made of the height of an ob- 
 ject if you know its distance, and of the 
 distance of an object if you know its height. 
 
 When two vessels approach each other 
 at sea, the top-gallant sails are, at first, all 
 that is seen ; the nearer they approach each 
 other, the more they seem to rise out of the 
 water. Seamen discover, from the square- 
 ness of the yards, what sort of vessel it is ; 
 they can judge pretty correctly what height 
 of masts she should have, and, therefore, 
 can nearly determine her distance ; a very 
 important matter in time of war, and in 
 case of being chased. 
 
 If, according to your reckoning, you 
 run ninety-six miles from the time you first 
 see the top of a mountain until you come 
 near it, you may calculate that mountain 
 to be about a mile in height; and if you 
 know the height of the mountain, you can 
 ascertain your distance as soon as you see 
 it. Increase the height, and the distance 
 at which the object may be seen increases 
 
24 
 
 in the following proportion : At the dis- 
 tance of 4.18 miles, looking over a smooth 
 surface, you can see the top of an object 10 
 feet high; at 8.37 miles you can see the 
 top of an object 40 feet high. In order 
 that one object may be seen at double the 
 distance of another, it must be four times 
 higher. The Peak of Teneriffe is from 
 thirteen to fourteen thousand feet high, so 
 that it will be seen just appearing above 
 the horizon at the distance of about 150 
 miles. 
 
 When people on the sea-shore talk of 
 immensely extensive views on the boundless 
 ocean, they are not aware, that these im- 
 mensely extensive views, reach but a few 
 miles, unless they are on a very elevated 
 situation. 
 
 On the south side of the river St. Law- 
 rence, the province of Canada extends to 
 the entrance of the river at Cape Rosier, 
 where you have the district of GaspS, and 
 a bay of that name a few leagues to the 
 south of Cape Rosier. This part of Ca- 
 nada is still inhabited by a few Indians. 
 
 On the north side of the entrance of the 
 river you have the Labrador coast, and the 
 
. 25 
 islands of Mingan. Amongst these islands 
 there is secure and good anchorage, and 
 they present an excellent situation for a 
 cod, seal, and salmon fishery; they are 
 well adapted also for carrying on a trade 
 with the Esquimaux Indians. 
 
 Higher up the river you have The Bay 
 of Seven Islands, a secure harbour for ships 
 in any wind. In this neighbourhood are 
 what are called The Kings Posts. The 
 French king established settlements or 
 posts here for fishing, and carrying on the 
 fur trade with the Indians, who inhabit 
 the country as far north as Hudson's Bay. 
 The King's Posts belong to government, 
 as successors to the rights of the French 
 king. They are held in lease by the North- 
 west Company, established in Montreal, 
 who pay 1000/. per annum of rent, and 
 they have the exclusive right of trading 
 with the Indians of the Labrador country. 
 Some of the finest furs come from these 
 posts, particularly bears and foxes. 
 
 We have proceeded up the river a con- 
 siderable way, but it still looks like a sea. 
 To-day I witnessed a very extraordinary 
 scene ; a fierce battle, in consequence of 
 
26 
 
 a whale being attacked by a thresher and 
 a sword-fish. One would think that the 
 immense size and strength of the whale 
 would put him entirely out of danger, but 
 size and strength must often yield to inge- 
 nuity and stratagem ; no animal seems 
 exempt from a violent death, not even the 
 whale. Our Canadian pilot informed me 
 that such conflicts were very common in 
 the river St. Lawrence. The thresher 
 (the Canadians call it un fleau) is from 
 fifteen to twenty feet long; of the flatfish 
 genus, resembling a sole, but rather longer 
 in proportion ; the back, like that of the 
 sole, is black; and the belly white. He is 
 assisted in his attack on the whale by the 
 sword-fish. It would seem that pure anti- 
 pathy and mischief are alone the causes of 
 this combination ; they have not the sti- 
 mulus of hunger, as they do not eat the 
 whale when dead. Fish are generally con- 
 sidered to be extremely stupid animals ; 
 but here you have a concerted plan, and 
 an instance of ratiocination, approaching 
 to that of the dog or fox. 
 
 When the attack is to commence, the 
 sword-fish gets under the whale, and darts 
 
27 
 up at him with immense force*. The 
 whale, feeling the stroke and attack of the 
 sword-fish, flies to the top of the water, 
 where the thresher attacks him. I saw 
 the whale come up, raising his huge back 
 high out of the water. The tail of the 
 thresher was immediately seen brandished 
 in the air, and most part of his body out of 
 the water; flap after flap he struck the 
 whale on the back as fast as I could with a 
 stick, who, feeling the blows, darts down 
 head foremost, raising his immense forked 
 tail in the air, and striking with it on every 
 side, apparently with a view of hitting the 
 thresher, and if it did, instant death most 
 
 * To shew the strength of the sword-nsh, it may be 
 proper to observe, that the sword has been found stick- 
 ing in the bottom of a ship. On the 1 6th September, 
 1806, in Ayris ship-yard, in Kensington, near Phila- 
 delphia, the ship Pensilvania packet was hove down, and 
 it was found that she had been struck six feet below the 
 bends by a sword-fish : the sword had pierced the copper 
 sheathing, and bottom plank, to the ceiling inside ; the 
 sword was broken short off outside ; it had been driven 
 in with such force as to splinter the plank and cause a 
 leak. It is supposed that the sword-fish mistakes the 
 ship for a whale. I believe there is to be seen, in the 
 British Museum, a part of the bottom of a ship, with 
 the sword of the fish which pierced it sticking in it. 
 
28, 
 
 probably would follow. The sword-fish 
 again attacks him ; the whale rises again, 
 and is again attacked by the thresher; 
 he again descends, but attempts in vain 
 to elude the attack of his enemies. I saw 
 him several times raise his head out of the 
 water, at the moment the thresher's tail 
 was brandishing in the air, and striking 
 him. He seemed to attempt to catch it 
 in his mouth. 
 
 The conflict continued in view about an 
 hour. Sometimes they remained under 
 water for a few minutes, but the whale 
 must come to the surface of the water to 
 breathe, or blow, as it is called; and be- 
 sides, the attacks from the sword-fish, it is 
 to be presumed, were incessant, and would 
 naturally make him rise to the surface. It 
 is probable they did not leave the whale 
 till they had killed him. I understand, 
 from the Canadians, that whales have 
 been found killed by the sword-fish, who 
 at the same time has fallen a sacrifice to 
 his own furious attack, not having been 
 able to draw the sword from its whale-belly 
 scabbard. 
 
 This latter circumstance, if true (for I 
 
have not myself seen it), is sufficient evi- 
 dence to prove that the sword-fish assists 
 the thresher in his attack on the whale, and 
 I find that the Canadians all agree that 
 the sword-fish has a share in the battle. 
 
 It is impossible to conceive any thing 
 more desperate than the conflict appeared 
 to be. To see the tremendous animals in 
 contact, part of both raised high out of 
 the water at the same time ; the black back 
 and immense head of the whale, contrast- 
 ed with the long white and black tail of 
 the thresher, in constant action, literally 
 threshing the whale most unmercifully; 
 every blow resounding like the noise of a 
 cannon : feeling the blows, and galled on 
 all sides by creatures he might well despise, 
 he flounces about, blowing and making a 
 tremendous noise ; dashing the water to a 
 prodigious height, and occasioning a sort 
 of local storm. 
 
 V 
 
 One would imagine that Job alluded 
 to such battles when he describes the Le- 
 viathan : — »** out of his nostrils goeth smoke ; 
 he mccketh the deep to boil like a pot ; he 
 maketh a path to shine after him ; one 
 would think the deep to be hoary" 
 
30 
 
 There was something extremely sub- 
 lime in the whole scene : had a Milton be- 
 held it, he certainly would have given it a 
 place in his writings, clothed with all that 
 fine imagery and lofty diction his wonder- 
 ful genius could so well bestow. 
 
 I perceive my letter is of great length : 
 how can it be otherwise, in talking of the 
 largest river, the largest animals, and 
 amongst the largest mountains in the 
 world ? Every thing around me is on the 
 grand scale. Let us have a little respite, 
 however. I dare say you think it is high 
 time. 
 
31 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 River St. Lawrence, off Cape Chat, 
 Thirty -eight leagues from Anticosti, May, 1806. 
 
 We have been beating up against a con- 
 trary wind since yesterday, and have, in 
 tacking, had an opportunity of approach- 
 ing both sides of this immense river. The 
 appearance of the country is very different 
 indeed from any thing you can see in 
 Europe. The whole, to the very edge of 
 the water, is one continued forest. The 
 trees, however, appearing scraggy and 
 dwarfish, present a most desert and me- 
 lancholy aspect, without the least appear- 
 ance of the country being the residence of 
 human beings. 
 
 Probably it looks pretty much the same 
 now that it did to Jaques Cartier, when, 
 in the year 1535, he sailed up the river St. 
 Lawrence, and discovered Canada. The 
 river had its name from his having entered 
 it on St. Lawrence's day. The etymology 
 of the word Canada, or why the country 
 
32 
 
 received this name, are equally unknown. 
 I have heard a definition, which is more 
 whimsical, perhaps, than true. It is said 
 that the Spaniards had visited the country 
 before the French did; but finding it very 
 barren, and without gold, the grand ob- 
 ject of their pursuit, they frequently, on 
 the eve of their departure, mentioned in 
 the presence of the Indians, " aca ?iada" 
 signifying, here is nothing. When the 
 French visited the country, the Indians, in 
 hopes of getting rid of them, and suppos- 
 ing them Spaniards, repeated frequently 
 aca nada> which the French, not under- 
 standing, thought, might be the name of 
 the country; hence they called it Canada. 
 You may take this definition till you can 
 find a better. 
 
 To-day we have passed the isle of 
 Bique, and we see some signs of an inha- 
 bited country. The face of the heavens 
 appears quite darkened with smoke, aris- 
 ing from the burning of the woods, which 
 is the method taken in this part of the 
 world to clear and prepare the land for 
 cultivation. We see the forest burning at 
 a great distance, and in a variety of situ- 
 
33 
 
 ations. One cannot help regretting this 
 apparent waste of timber ; but the fact is, 
 there is yet as much timber to be found in 
 situations from which it can be easily 
 transported to the river, as the market re- 
 quires; besides, the greater part of the 
 timber we see burning is of an inferior 
 quality, and would not be worth the ex- 
 pence of transportation. 
 
 When the underwood is thick, which 
 is generally the case where the trees are 
 of an inferior size and quality, the blaze 
 of the burning forest is awful. It con- 
 tinues to burn for weeks together, and you 
 see here and there, amongst the half con- 
 sumed ordinary sized trees, the trunks of 
 very large trees, scorched black to the very 
 top. The fire lays waste every thing be- 
 fore it for many miles beyond what those 
 who first kindled it, intended, or could 
 cultivate ; and you see a new forest grown 
 up in many places, while the old charred 
 trunks of lofty trees still remain nearly the 
 same as when first burnt ; for it is the 
 quality of charcoal to preserve what it 
 surrounds from corruption. 
 
 A few huts appear here and there on the 
 
 d 
 
34 
 
 shore. Their mutual wants and mutual de- 
 fence induce the settlers to draw near each 
 other. We have here the very rudiments 
 of civil society. The inhabitants of these 
 huts are Canadians ; they have few wants 
 which their own industry and ingenuity 
 cannot supply ; they are their own archi- 
 tects, carpenters, shoemakers, and tay- 
 lors ; and except for their hatchets, and a 
 few simple tools, they are very little de- 
 pendant on foreign assistance. 
 
 We have received a visit from some 
 Indians ; they came off to us in a birch 
 canoe, on purpose to dispose of some fish 
 they had caught. We took them on board* 
 and as they were the first Indians I had 
 ever seen, they excited my curiosit}' not a 
 little. Poor, miserable looking creatures 
 they certainly were ; feeble and diminu- 
 tive in form, they gave us a very disad- 
 vantageous idea of their countrymen. 
 It is hardly fair, however, to judge of a 
 people from the appearance of a few fisher- 
 men ; at the same time, we ought to recol- 
 lect that the Indians are all fishermen and 
 hunters, and that therefore those we saw 
 are more likely to be a fair sample of the 
 
35 
 
 whole tribe, than the fishermen or hunters 
 of a nation which employs the great ma- 
 jority of its people in the arts of civil so- 
 ciety, are to be considered as a sample of 
 the people of such nation. 
 
 We received from them all their fish ; 
 they would not take money in return, but 
 seemed highly pleased when we gave them 
 in exchange, a bottle of brandy, and some 
 salted pork. They got into their feeble 
 bark, and paddled off, singing for joy.— 
 Limited, indeed, are the wants of these 
 poor creatures, when such a trifling cir- 
 cumstance could gladden their hearts. 
 
 As we proceeded farther up the river, 
 the country assumed a more favourable 
 aspect ; the number of habitations increas- 
 ed, and we began to observe marks of cul- 
 tivation. We passed the Island of Bique, 
 where vessels bound for Quebec and Mon- 
 treal usually take pilots; for the naviga- 
 tion of the river now becomes more intri- 
 cate, from the number of islands, banks, 
 and shoals, which abound. At Bique 
 there is good anchorage; and the frigates 
 which come to convoy the Canada ships 
 home, do not in general go higher : it is 
 
36 
 
 the usual place of rendezvous. The vessels 
 from Quebec proceed down to Bique to 
 receive their sailing instructions. It is 
 distant from Quebec about 150 miles, and 
 from Montreal near 350. 
 
 After passing Bique, several beautiful 
 islands make their appearance ; Green 
 Island, Hare Island, the islands of Kau- 
 mouraska, and a variety of others, all cover- 
 ed with wood. Some of them are inhabit- 
 ed, and in a state of cultivation; no more 
 wood being left than is necessary for fuel 
 and other domestic purposes. This, in the 
 course of time, will be the case with almost 
 all of them, as the soil of many is very 
 good. 
 
 The magnitude of the river now strikes 
 one very forcibly, for though it is about 
 twenty miles broad, I found, on tasting 
 some of the water at half ebb tide, that it 
 was perfectly fresh. I really do believe that 
 there is more fresh water thrown into the 
 ocean from this river, than from all the 
 rivers in Europe put together. I have seen 
 many of the largest of them. A dozen 
 Danubes, Rhines, Rhones, Taguses, and 
 Thameses, would be nothing to twenty 
 
37 
 miles of fresh water in breadth, from ten to 
 forty fathoms in depth. 
 
 The mountains on both sides are very 
 high, and often terminate in capes or bold 
 headlands, which have a very fine effect. 
 In general, I perceive that there is, on both 
 sides of the river, a tract of land compara- 
 tively level, between high-water mark and 
 the first range of mountains, particularly 
 on the south side ; and we see parish 
 churches, villages, and a general appear- 
 ance of cultivation. Yet still the strip of 
 cultivated ground, viewed from the river, 
 is so small, compared with the high wood- 
 covered mountains in the back ground of 
 the picture, that it is scarcely enough to 
 take off the appearance of complete savage 
 wildness. The sombre hue of the pine forest 
 is a strong contrast to the lively verdure of 
 the corn-fields. I perceive that the spring 
 is very late in this part of the country : 
 in many places the rising grain is not suffi- 
 ciently advanced to cover the ground, and 
 the forest trees are not yet in leaf. Vege- 
 tation, in general, is very little advanced, 
 although we are now at the end of May. 
 
38 
 
 One cannot help being struck with this 
 tardy appearance of spring in a latitude so 
 far south. We are now in latitude 48, 
 which is not only to the south of the most 
 southerly part of England, but even con- 
 siderably to the south of Paris, where sum- 
 mer heat is now oppressive. If we com- 
 pare the commencement of vegetation in 
 the old and new world, we shall perceive a 
 striking difference even where both situ- 
 ations may feel the influence of the sea air. 
 In Norfolk (on the coast), w T hich is at 
 nearly an equal distance from the north 
 and south extremes of England, vegetation 
 was last year very generally observed, both 
 in the field and in the forest, about the 
 middle of March, although upwards of five 
 degrees to the north of our present situ- 
 ation. 
 
 We anchored, during the night, att he 
 foot of the traverse^ a well known part of 
 the St. Lawrence, where we first had an op- 
 portunity of observing the great rapidity 
 of the tides, and where, from shoals and 
 islands, the navigation, to strangers, be- 
 comes somewhat difficult, and even dan- 
 
39 
 gerous ; but with a good pilot and a fair 
 wind there is little or no risk. 
 
 This morning we have a fine breeze, and 
 we approach Quebec fast. We are now 
 opposite the Island of Orleans, one of the 
 largest in the river, and one of the most 
 beautiful. It is about thirty miles in 
 length, by about ten in breadth. Look- 
 ing at this island one might fancy one's self 
 in some part of Britain. The greatest part 
 of it appears cultivated; and villages and 
 cottages every where present themselves to 
 the eye. 
 
 Quebec just begins to open to our 
 view in very fine style : the scenery on 
 both sides of the river is charming. On 
 the left we see Point Levi, with its roman- 
 tic church and scattered cottages ; on the 
 right is the upper point of the Island of 
 Orleans; beyond it the mainland opens to 
 view, and you are struck with the magnifi- 
 cent Falls of Montmorency. A river, called 
 The Montmorency, of very considerable 
 magnitude (as large as the Thames at Rich- 
 mond), is seen precipitating itself in a 
 body over a perpendicular precipice of 
 246 feet. It is allowed to be one of the 
 
40 
 
 finest waterfalls in the world. The eye 
 then runs along a cultivated country for 
 about half a dozen miles, and the prospect 
 is terminated by a ridge of mountains on 
 the right, and by Cape Diamond and the 
 Plains of Abraham on the left, where you 
 see the city and battlements of Quebec 
 commanding majestically the surrounding 
 country. 
 
 The ship is alongside the wharf ; and 
 although she is as good a ship, and we have 
 had as good a voyage as falls to the lot of 
 most people, yet I do assure you, I very 
 willingly step out of her, — into the Conti- 
 nent of America. 
 
41 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 Quebec, July, 1806". 
 
 Having led you, my worthy friend, across 
 the Atlantic, and Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 and conducted you up the river to Quebec, 
 let us take a view of this famous city and 
 its neighbourhood. I have now been here 
 a few weeks; and a few weeks residence is, 
 I conceive, quite enough to enable one to 
 see and judge of the outward and visible 
 part of a country, its inhabitants, and their 
 customs. Indeed, I am convinced that it 
 is during the first few weeks' residence that 
 you are best qualified to judge of, and de- 
 scribe these matters. In the first place, 
 the appearance and manners of the country 
 you came from, are alive in recollection; 
 hence you will the more forcibly be 
 struck with every thing new ; and in the 
 second place, while these impressions are 
 new, they will so occupy your mind, as 
 to enable you, with facility, to describe 
 
42 
 
 them clearly and forcibly, which you 
 would have great difficulty in doing after 
 time had familiarized them to you, and 
 weakened your recollection of that country, 
 and of those appearances with which 
 you originally contrasted them. Hence 
 you always find that the truest and most 
 lively descriptions of countries, of people, 
 and of manners, are given by travellers 
 who make a point of noting down, under 
 the impressions of the moment, what- 
 ever may strike them as worthy of re- 
 mark. 
 
 Europeans have ever been told that 
 the appearance of America is extremely 
 imposing; and, so far as I have seen, I 
 can safely bear testimony to the truth of 
 the remark. Nature seems to have sketch- 
 ed the picture with a bold hand : the out- 
 line is rough, but the effect is grand, and 
 d, la distance, the scenery is extremely 
 pleasing. 
 
 There is not, perhaps, in the whole ex- 
 tent of this immense continent, so fine an 
 approach to it as by the river St. Law- 
 rence. In the southern states you have, in 
 general, a level country for many miles in- 
 
43 
 
 land ; here you are introduced at once 
 into a majestic country : every thing is on 
 the grand scale ; mountains, woods, lakes, 
 rivers, precipices, waterfalls, all shew the 
 hand of nature in a vast and imposing 
 manner: the stamp, the impression of 
 originality, are conspicuous every where. 
 The pigmy operations of man, the marks 
 of civilization and of cultivation, here and 
 there meet the eye ; yet, nevertheless, the 
 country has still the appearance of an im- 
 mense forest. 
 
 When we reflect on the number of 
 years this country has been in the possession 
 of Europeans, we cannot help being sur- 
 prised that it should still retain so much of 
 its original rudeness: it is now about 260 
 years since it w r as taken possession of by 
 the French. However, it must be confess- 
 ed, they cannot be said to have had peace- 
 able possession. They were very soon at- 
 tacked by the Indians, who kept them in 
 an almost constant state of warfare ; they 
 were never free from alarms ; and in this 
 perilous situation they continued for many 
 years. The infant colony seems to have 
 °een very much neglected by Old France, 
 
44 
 
 who did not by any means watch over it 
 with a motherly care. 
 
 The colonizing of Canada was for 
 many years entrusted to private individuals, 
 who, at their own expence, fitted out ex- 
 peditions. They were usually men of rank 
 and fortune, who took the lead in these 
 expeditions, receiving from government an 
 exclusive right to trade with the Indians in 
 furs, which at first was the principal ar- 
 ticle of Canadian commerce. These lead- 
 ing men found no difficulty in enticing 
 as many individuals to accompany them as 
 their funds could provide for. But ex- 
 perience ever shewed that these expedi- 
 tions were on too small a scale to ensure 
 success or safety to the settlers. They were 
 quite inadequate to putting them on a 
 footing with their opponents, the Indians ; 
 who harassed them in such a manner by 
 continued and reiterated incursions, that 
 . they could neither sow nor reap in safety. 
 
 From the year 1535, when Quebec was 
 first discovered, to the year 1664, a period 
 of 129 years, the government and trade 
 of Canada were in the possession of private 
 merchants holding under patents from the 
 
45 
 
 king of France. In the year 1664, the 
 king assumed the government; a governor 
 was appointed; but the trade of the 
 country was given exclusively to the Com- 
 pany des Indes Occidentales. 
 
 The English had by this time esta- 
 blished colonies in New England, and at 
 Boston, who did every thing in their 
 power to weaken and annoy the French 
 colony, which they found interfered in 
 their trade with the Indians. Indeed, the 
 English attacked and took Quebec so far 
 back as the year 1629; but it was restored 
 to the French by the treaty of St. Germain 
 in 1632. 
 
 The French government, even after they 
 took the colony under their own imme- 
 diate care, seem to have paid more atten- 
 tion to the fur trade, to exploring the in- 
 terior of the country, cultivating the friend- 
 ship of the Indians, and spreading the 
 Roman catholic religion, than to the im- 
 provement of the country in agriculture, 
 and the promotion of the arts, and the do- 
 mestic pursuits of civil society. 
 
 It is surprising to think with what per- 
 severance and industry the Roman catholic 
 
46 
 
 missionaries explored the interior of the 
 country ; submitting to the privation of 
 every comfort, adopting the savage mode 
 of life, subjecting themselves to a thou- 
 sand insults, and even to death itself, 
 which was inflicted sometimes in the most 
 barbarous manner. Without going into 
 the merits of the cause which prompted 
 such perseverance, — such heroic conduct, 
 we cannot help admiring the men who 
 thus evinced their zeal and courage. 
 Where the intention is good, praise is due, 
 and we may suppose will have its reward 
 from Him who knoweth the heart. 
 
 I shall close this, as an opportunity oc- 
 curs for England. In my next you shall 
 have some account of one of the first cities 
 on the Continent of America, in celebrity 
 at least, if not in extent. 
 
47 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Quebec, August, 1806, 
 
 Amongst the great variety of cities which 
 I have had occasion to visit in ray peregri- 
 nations through Britain, and the different 
 countries on the continent of Europe, I 
 think I never saw any one which has so 
 happy a situation as Quebec*. 
 
 Samuel de Champlain, who founded it 
 in the year 1608, deserves immortal honours 
 for the judiciousness of his choice. It ever 
 has been considered, and probably ever 
 will be considered, as the capital of that 
 immense region called the Canadas. It 
 certainly is the key of the river St. Law- 
 rence, which contracts suddenly opposite 
 to the city, being only about a mile in 
 breadth; whereas the bason of Quebec, im- 
 mediately below, is from four to five miles 
 in breadth ; and the river widens immedi- 
 ately above the city. The grand battery 
 of Quebec is opposite to the narrowest 
 
 * Latitude 46.55, longitude 70.10. 
 
48 
 
 part of the river, and is an extensive range 
 of very heavy ordnance, besides some 13 
 inch mortars, which, if properly served, 
 must destroy any vessels which might 
 attempt to pass, or come near enough 
 to injure the town. 
 
 The river opposite to Quebec is about 
 100 feet in depth, and affords good an- 
 chorage: for a considerable way above 
 Quebec it is navigable for ships of any 
 size. Indeed, large ships go as high up 
 as Montreal, which is near 200 miles 
 above Quebec. 
 
 The site of Quebec seems to have been 
 destined by nature for the capital of an 
 empire. The surrounding country is mag- 
 nificent; and it is seen to great advantage 
 from Cape Diamond, which overlooks the 
 great river, and is the termination of the 
 plains of Abraham. 
 
 It is a very difficult thing to convey 
 by words a correct idea of any town, or 
 give a just notion of the situation of a 
 place, and the appearance of its surround- 
 ing scenery. In reading the description 
 of a place, we naturally draw a picture 
 of it in our own mind ; but it is always an 
 
49 
 erroneous one. Nothing but a model, if 
 properly executed and coloured, or a pano- 
 rama, the most excellent of all sorts of 
 painting, can enable one to form so correct 
 an idea of a place as to supersede the ne- 
 cessity of visiting it. 
 
 I recollect how much I was struck with 
 the difference between the picture I had 
 drawn in my own mind of many places 
 of consequence and celebrity, the descrip- 
 tions of which I had read, and their real 
 and true appearance on inspection. Of 
 these the most striking were London, Lis- 
 bon and its magnificent Cintra, Gibraltar, 
 Montpellier, Lyons, Paris, and many other 
 places of note on the continent of Europe. 
 Although the picture I had drawn to my- 
 self of Quebec was not correct, yet it was 
 fully as near the truth as I expected it 
 would be. 
 
 I do not pretend to be a great profi- 
 cient in the topographic art, but the draw- 
 ings of Quebec are, in general, so very er- 
 roneous, or at least so inadequate to the 
 end proposed, that the aid of description 
 seems extremely necessary, in order that a 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 tolerably correct idea of the place may be 
 formed. 
 
 The genera] course of the river St. Law- 
 rence is from south-west to north-east. 
 iVbove the island of Orleans, the St. Law- 
 rence expands, and a bason is formed by 
 the junction of a river called the St. Charles, 
 which comes from a lake of the same name, 
 situated amongst the mountains towards 
 the north. After passing an Indian vil- 
 lage, about ten miles from Quebec, called 
 Lorette, situated upon elevated ground, 
 the St. Charles takes its course through a 
 plain, which is separated from the great 
 river by a ridge of high land, about nine 
 miles in length, extending from a place 
 called Cape Rouge, to Cape Diamond. The 
 general breadth of this ridge is from one 
 to two miles. Cape Diamond is a bold 
 prcmontory, advancing into the river St. 
 La vrence, of an elevation of 350 feet above 
 the river, nearly perpendicular; and the 
 baiiK the whole way to Cape Rouge is 
 nearly of the same elevation, rising from 
 the river almost perpendicular: the ridge 
 slopes towards the north till it reaches the 
 
51 
 
 valley, through which the river St. Charles 
 runs. This ridge of land has every ap- 
 pearance of having been an island, sur- 
 rounded by the great river. The valley is 
 full of large round stones, and other matter, 
 which indicate the presence of water at no 
 very remote period, and the operation of a 
 strong current. 
 
 On the north-east, or lower end of the 
 peninsula, Quebec is situated; and the 
 line of its fortifications runs from the river 
 St. Charles, across, to the top of the bank 
 which overlooks the St. Lawrence; the 
 distance is about half a mile: and from 
 the line of fortification to the point of 
 Cape Diamond the distance is about a 
 quarter of a mile: within this space stands 
 the city of Quebec. It consists of an 
 Upper and Lower Town: the Upper Town 
 may be said to be situated on Cape Dia- 
 mond, at least upon the side of it, which 
 slopes towards the river St. Charles. It is 
 much elevated above the Lower Town, and 
 separated from it by a line of steep rocks, 
 which run from the cape towards the river 
 St. Charles, Formerly the river St. Law- 
 rence, at high water, came up close to these 
 
rocfo; but as the tide rises and falls he 
 *boct nrtexen ieet. it gave an opportunity 
 of taking from the river a considerable 
 space; wharfs were built at low water- 
 mark, and even at some places beyond it, 
 and the intermediate ground filled up to 
 such a height that it remained dry at 
 high water. Upon this situation strec 
 were laid oat, and houses built, 
 streets run from the upper side of Cape 
 Diamond down to the river St. Charles 
 a distance of about half a mile; they are 
 of considerable breadth, and the houses 
 are large and commodious; those next the 
 river hare attached to them very extensive 
 warehouses (called, in the language of 
 Quebec, k.in^crd*'. and 
 
 dose to die wharfs to disclar g e their car- 
 goes; at some of them the vessels remain 
 afloat at low water, at others, which are 
 not carried so far out, or where the river 
 does not deepen so suddenly, the vessels lie 
 drr at low water. 
 
 The Lower Town is not included in the 
 fortifications, but the passes to it are com* 
 npanded by the batteries in die line of for- 
 tification, wfaichsurromids the Upper Town; 
 
53 
 
 so that the approach by land to the Lower 
 Town will hardly be attempted by an ene- 
 my. It is true the Americans attempted it 
 in the winter of 177-3? but they were re- 
 pulsed with great slaughter. 
 
 General Montgomery, in the winter 
 177o> besieged Quebec with an American 
 army, and when reinforced by General Ar- 
 nold attacked the city by assault on the 
 night of 31st December. They were re- 
 pulsed; — the general and two of his aids- 
 de-camp were killed. The blockade con- 
 tinued during the winter: but on the arri- 
 yal of troops from England in the spring, 
 the siege was raised, and the Americans 
 driven out of the province. 
 
 During the winter the town was de- 
 fended almost wholly by the inhabitants; 
 there were only forty soldiers in the garri- 
 son. Luckily two king's ships wintered 
 there, the crews of which assisted in the 
 defence of the town. The deficiency oi 
 men in the garrison arose from their ha vino- 
 been carried into the United States to tight 
 our battles in that quarter. The defeat of 
 the Americans on the plains of Abraham, 
 and their being obliged to raise the siege, 
 
54 
 
 has contributed, amongst other things, to 
 distinguish Quebec as a strong hold. 
 
 The communication from the Lower 
 Town to the Upper Town is by a winding 
 street; at t :op of which is a fortified 
 aate. On entering this gate, von find on 
 the right hand a large area, in which is si- 
 tuated the house (dignified with the title 
 of a palace) in which the bishops ot Que- 
 bec formerly resided; at present it is used 
 for public offices, and accommodates the 
 supreme council and house of assembly. 
 Beyond the palace you have the grand 
 battery, on which are mounted many pieces 
 of heavv artillery, besides mortars, which 
 certainly command the channel of the 
 great river. 
 
 Turning to the left soon after entering 
 the gate, you* find yourself in another area 
 or square; on the side next the river you 
 see the Chateau de St. Louis, in which the 
 governor resides. It is situated on the 
 brink of a precipice, and you have the 
 Lower Town of Quebec under your feet. 
 The view from the gallery at the back of 
 the chateau is extensive and grand. Oppo- 
 site to the chateau on the other side of the 
 
55 
 
 square, you have the English church, a 
 very elegant building; and the court house, 
 where elegance is not so conspicuous. On 
 the north side of the square you have a 
 very handsome building, erected for, and 
 used as, a tavern, hotel, and assembly 
 room. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of this square 
 you find towards the north an extensive 
 area, in which is situated the Upper Town 
 market-house; a building perfectly unique 
 in its kind. One does not know which to be 
 most astonished at 9 whether the want of 
 taste in the architect, or that his plans 
 met with approbation: suffice it to say, 
 that on a building one story high, you have 
 a dome as large as that of St. Paul's in 
 London. Never were the rules of archi- 
 tecture and common sense more outraged. 
 
 From the area of the market-place dif- 
 ferent streets diverge, leading to the differ^ 
 ent gates of the city; viz. Hope Gate, Pa- 
 lace Gate, St. John's Gate, and St. Lewis's 
 Gate,besides the gate leading to the Lower 
 Town; — these streets constitute the Upper 
 Town. Outside of St. John's and Palace 
 Gate there are extensive suburbs, which 
 
56 
 
 are increasing in size daily. The popula- 
 tion of Quebec and its suburbs may be 
 reckoned about ten thousand souls. 
 
 There is nothing in the appearance of 
 Quebec itself which strikes one as being 
 very different from an English town, ex- 
 cept, perhaps, the roofs of the houses; they 
 are generally covered with boards or shin- 
 gles, and you always see on the roofs, seve- 
 ral ladders, for the sake of easy access in 
 case of fire. 
 
 A shingle roof so much resembles a 
 slate one, that when they are painted a 
 slate colour, you cannot know the one 
 from the other; the only evil attending 
 them is, that they are liable to catch fire: 
 from this circumstance, Quebec has for- 
 merly suffered greatly from fires. A law 
 has been passed encouraging the cover- 
 ing houses with boards in place of shin- 
 gles, and, indeed, prohibiting the latter al- 
 together. 
 
 The dread of fire in Quebec is greater 
 than in any place I have ever known, but 
 when it is considered how much they for- 
 merly have suffered from it, one ceases to 
 be surprised. 
 
m 
 
 A society has been formed, called the 
 Fire Society: they elect a president and 
 other office bearers annually. The object of 
 this society is to assist in the extinguishing 
 of fire, for which purpose they have several 
 engines and firemen; indeed, in case of fire 
 almost every man may be said to be a fire- 
 man, for every body lends his assistance: 
 poor people who have been very active re- 
 ceive pecuniary reward from the society. 
 Their funds are raised by annual voluntary 
 subscription. 
 
 Many of the best houses, and most va- 
 luable warehouses are covered with tin 
 plates, which make not only a very beau- 
 tiful and very durable roof, but are also a 
 complete security against fire. 
 
 The reason that fire has spread so ra- 
 pidly in Quebec has been, that the shingles 
 when once inflamed, being extremely light, 
 were blown by the wind to an incredible 
 distance, and operated on other shingle roofs 
 like a shower of fire. Now, the tin-plates 
 receive the burning shingles with impunity; 
 it might be imagined that the tin-plates 
 would wist, but this is not the case. I have 
 
58 
 
 seen roofs near forty years old, and they not 
 only remained perfectly bright, but had never 
 required any repairs ; so that although some- 
 what expensive at first, a tin-plate roof will 
 be a saving in the end. 
 
 There are very few objects of curiosity 
 in Quebec deserving the attention of a 
 stranger. We have all read and heard so 
 much about nunneries, without, in Eng- 
 land, having an opportunity of seeing them, 
 that the occasion no sooner presents itself 
 than it is embraced. Strangers generally 
 pay a visit to the Quebec nunneries: to 
 me they were not objects of curiosity, 
 having seen so many in Portugal and in 
 Spain ; however I made one of a party, and 
 visited them. 
 
 There are three nunneries in Quebec, 
 the Hotel Dieu, the Ursulines, and the 
 General Hospital. The nuns appear to have 
 as much reason to be satisfied with their si- 
 tuation as any nuns can be supposed to 
 have. They tell you that they are happy; 
 but were they to say so a thousand times, 
 you, somehow or other, cannot bring your- 
 self to believe it ; — so contrary to human 
 
59 
 nature seems the life they lead. They 
 will reason with you as to the propriety of 
 their institution. — I observed to one of then;, 
 with whom I had some conversation, that I 
 thought it a very cruel and unfair thins; to 
 permit a young girl who was ignorant of 
 the world, and even of the natural propen- 
 sities of her own heart and mind, at the age 
 of fourteen, to take vows of eternal celiba- 
 cy, and seclusion from the world. Her 
 answer was plausible if not conclusive: she 
 said, that the law permitted young women of 
 that age to take vows of eternal constancy 
 to man, — she did not see any good reason 
 why they should be prohibited from taking 
 vows of eternal constancy to God. 
 
 The nuns here are not so useless, how- 
 ever, as those in the south of Europe; 
 they employ themselves in teaching young 
 girls, reading and needlework. They at 
 the same time, it is true, instil into their 
 young minus, very bigoted notions of their 
 religion, which is a matter of conscience with 
 them : but it is to be regretted, that young 
 people, who must necessarily have very 
 frequent communication with heretics in 
 
60 
 
 the course of their future lives, should be 
 taught to look on them with an unchari- 
 table eye. 
 
 However, I believe I can safely say, 
 that nowhere do the Roman Catholics and 
 Protestants live on better terms than here. 
 They go to each other's marriages, baptisms, 
 and burials without sciuple; nay, they have 
 even been known to make use of the same 
 church for religious worship, one party 
 using it in the forenoon, and the other in 
 the afternoon. There is something truly 
 Christian in all this; it evinces a meekness 
 of spirit, and a degree of charitable for- 
 bearance with one another, which greatly 
 promote general happiness. 
 
 The Roman Catholic religion is that of 
 the great majority of the people; and, by 
 the Quebec bill of J 7 74, the clergy are 
 authorised to receive tythes from people of 
 their own persuasion, but not from Protest- 
 ants, or off lands held by Protestants, 
 though formerly such lands might have 
 been subject to tythes. The dues and 
 tythes of these lands are still however paid; 
 but it is to persons appointed by govern- 
 
61 
 
 ment ; and the amount is to be reserved in 
 the hands of the receiver-general for the 
 support of protestant clergy actually resid- 
 ing in the province. The governor may 
 erect parsonages and rectories, and endow 
 them out of these appropriations. The 
 
 clergy of the church of England, in both 
 
 i — 
 
 provinces, amount at present to twelve 
 only, exclusive of the bishop of Quebec ; 
 — of the church of Scotland there are only 
 three; — of the church of Rome there are 
 about two hundred. 
 
 Quebec on the north, north-east, and 
 south sides, is so strongly fortified by the 
 nature of the ground, that little has been 
 left for the engineer to do ; what was ne- 
 cessary however has been done: and as 
 the great river, and the river St. Charles 
 surround, in a manner, the fortifications in 
 these directions, and in some places come 
 very near the bottom of the rocks; no ene- 
 my, if a common degree of vigilance is 
 observed, can hope to succeed by an attack 
 on these quarters. 
 
 The least defensible part of Quebec is 
 towards the south-west, where the line of 
 
62 
 
 fortifications extends from one side of the 
 peninsula to the other, enclosing the city 
 and highest part of Cape Diamond. There, 
 a cavallier battery has lately been erected, 
 which commands the ground to a consi- 
 derable distance from the walls; at the 
 extent of the range of this battery, markello 
 towers are about to be erected, which will 
 sweep the plains of Abraham, and prevent, 
 in some measure, an enemy from approach- 
 ing near enough the walls to make a breach. 
 There is no fosse; so that if a breach were 
 once made, a daring enemy would have no 
 difficulty in entering the city. 
 
 The ground for a considerable distance 
 to the south-west of the city of Quebec is 
 called The Plains of Abraham, famous for 
 the battle in which General Wolfe beat the 
 French. These plains are nearly on a level 
 with the fortifications, and widen as you 
 retire from them, to the extent of from one 
 to two miles, preserving the level nearly 
 throughout, but sloping a little both ways, 
 particularly towards the river St. Charles 
 on the north. On the side towards the St. 
 Lawrence the bank is of great height; 
 
63 
 
 almost perpendicular, and generally cover- 
 ed with wood where the slope will admit 
 of it, which is not always the case. Not- 
 withstanding the difficulty of ascent, Ge- 
 neral Wolfe, with infinite labour, contrived 
 to carry his little army, and a few small 
 field pieces, to the top of the bank, and 
 took his stand on the plains of Abraham. 
 
 The French were astonished, on looking 
 out in the morning, to find him there ; they 
 came out of the city and gave him battle. 
 He beat them, and followed them close up 
 to the walls of the town. 
 
 It was very unaccountable that the 
 French should resolve to come out of a 
 strong fortification (where they might long 
 have resisted the assailants) and put them- 
 selves on a footing with their enemies. 
 Besides the troops in the city of Quebec, 
 the French had ten thousand men encamp- 
 ed at Beauport, within a few miles of Que- 
 bec. If an arrangement had taken place 
 with those troops, that they should attack 
 Wolfe at the moment the garrison sallied 
 forth, his little army must have been cut to 
 pieces. To this error we owe Quebec*. 
 
 * They were less to blame, perhaps, than General 
 
64 
 
 The French general Montcalm, as well 
 as the brave Wolfe, fell in the engagement; 
 very different however must have been their 
 feelings in their last moments. The con- 
 duct of the Frenchman in rashty sacrificing 
 his troops and the interests of his country 
 could not bear reflection. Wolfe saw his 
 troops triumphant; they had beaten the 
 enemy : he died in the arms of victory. 
 
 How sleep the brave, who sink to rest, 
 By all their country's wishes blest ! 
 When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
 Returns to deck their hallowed mould ; 
 She then shall dress a sweeter sod, 
 Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 
 
 By fairy hands their knell is rung, 
 By forms unseen their dirge is sung. 
 There, Honour comes? a pilgrim grey, 
 To bless the mould that wraps their clay : 
 And Freedom shall awhile repair 
 To dwell a weeping hermit there. 
 
 I have been on the spot where Wolfe 
 
 Murray afterwards was, who, notwithstanding the exam- 
 ple of the French having suffered by it, left the fortifica- 
 tions, went out on the plain in the face of a superior army, 
 under the command of the French general Mr. Levi. 
 He was beaten, and obliged to retreat to the city with the 
 loss of his artillery and near a third of his army. 
 
65 
 
 fell, and a stone is shewn on which it ig 
 said he was laid* It is very much mutilat- 
 ed, from the curiosity of strangers who wish 
 to carry off a bit of it, as a kind of relic. 
 One cannot help feeling a good deal inte- 
 rested in traversing a field of battle; — the 
 glory which we attach to the death of the 
 hero who falls in his country's cause, sanc- 
 tifies the ground on which he fell. 
 
 The upper town of Quebec being on a 
 very elevated situation, enjoys fine air, and 
 a commanding view of the surrounding 
 country, which affords the most sublime 
 scenery in nature. I have seen most of 
 the fine views in Europe; and 1 can safely 
 say, they do not surpass, perhaps they do 
 not equal, that from the flagstaff of Que- 
 bec on Cape Diamond. 
 
 The majestic St. Lawrence under your 
 feet, receiving the waters of the river St. 
 Charles, and forming the bason of Quebec, 
 from three to four miles across ; — further 
 on you see the river dividing itself into two 
 branches, forming the beautiful island of 
 Orleans: — on the opposite side of the great 
 river, a finely wooded country, terminating 
 at Point Levi, conceals the course and bed 
 
 3? 
 
66 
 
 of one of the branches of the river, — the 
 island of Orleans, the falls of Montmoren- 
 cy, strike the observer; and the villages of 
 Beau port, Charlebourg, and Lorette, ap- 
 pear at a distance, and render the woods in 
 which they are embosomed more interest- 
 ing. The eye follpws the northern branch of 
 the St. Lawrence till it is lost amongst the 
 distant mountains. To the southward you 
 look over a level country for upwards of 
 sixty miles, till the view is bounded by 
 mountains. This extensive tract is still in a 
 great measure in a state of nature; — no- 
 thing to be seen but the stately forest in 
 all its majesty. 
 
 Amongst the fine views which I have 
 beheld with delight, and which combine in 
 them objects sufficiently striking to entitle 
 them to be compared with the view from 
 Quebec, I recollect that from the Rock of 
 Gibraltar, — from the pass of Bellegarde in 
 the Pyrenees, — from the Place de Peru at 
 Montpellier, — from Kings weston near Bris- 
 tol, — from Edinburgh Castle,— from Cintra 
 near Lisbon, — and from many other places 
 which 1 could mention; but the view from 
 Quebec is equal to any of them, perhaps I 
 
67 
 'might even venture to say, that it surpasses 
 them all. It is difficult to imagine a more 
 happy blending of art and nature;— vil- 
 lages, country houses, cottages, corn fields, 
 — are combined with primeval woods, fine 
 rivers, beautiful islands, magnificent water- 
 falls, towering hills, and lofty mountains. 
 
 From the scenery which surrounds Cape 
 Diamond let me return to the Cape itself. 
 — I had heard that Cape Diamond, and 
 the country in the neighbourhood of Que- 
 bec, abounded with marble. I am no great 
 mineralogist; but, from every thing I can 
 observe (and I have taken some pains to 
 examine), I do not find any species of cal- 
 careous rock in the whole extent of the 
 ridge, from Cape Diamond to Cape Rouge. 
 What generally prevails, is a coarse income 
 plete sort of schistus, the laminae of which, 
 when exposed to the operation of the at- 
 mosphere, moulder into a dark brown co* 
 loured earth; it never can be used for 
 building to any advantage, unless it is de- 
 fended from the action of the air. 
 
 Cape Diamond abounds with very fine 
 specimens of quartz, or rock crystals. — I 
 have myself, in walking on the banks of 
 
68 
 
 the river at the foot of the rocks, found 
 many of them. They are discovered from 
 
 the brilliancy of their reflecting surfaces: — 
 they sparkle like the diamond; — and hence 
 the place had its name. On examination, 
 I have generally found that they are pen- 
 tagons, terminating in a point, and possess- 
 ing naturally much of the brilliancy and 
 polish of a cut diamond ; and they are so 
 hard, that like a diamond they cut glass. 
 
LETTER VII. 
 
 Quebec, August, 1806, 
 
 I formerly observed to you, that Que- 
 bec seems admirably situated to become 
 the capita] of an empire. Allow me to men- 
 tion the circumstances which induce me to 
 think so. . 
 
 The uninterrupted navigable part of 
 the St. La,wrence is of great extent, — 
 near five hundred miles, which is the di- 
 stance between the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
 and Montreal, where, are found vessels of 
 from 3 to 400 tons burden. In its course 
 it receives a number of fine rivers, which 
 open a communication with the country on 
 both sides. The lake Champlain, 120 
 miles in length, communicates with the St. 
 Lawrence by means of the river Sore I (or 
 Ckambly, as it is sometimes called), and is 
 the natural channel for the produce of the 
 fine country surrounding this lake. 
 
 Although the ship navigation ends at 
 Montreal, another species of navigation 
 
/ 
 
 70 
 
 commences, suitable to the waters to be 
 navigated, and to the commodities to be 
 transported. Bateaux, and canoes, convey 
 to Upper Canada, and the country round 
 the lakes, and to the north-west territories, 
 the European commodities they want; and 
 with the aid of scows*, floats, and rafts, 
 carry down to Montreal and Quebec the 
 surplus produce of these immense regions, 
 as yet of trifling amount 'tis true, compared 
 with the commerce of Europe; but when 
 one reflects on the variety of climate, of soil, 
 and of productions, which these extensive 
 countries display; and the facility given to 
 the transportation of goods by means of so 
 many fine rivers and large lakes; one cannot 
 help concluding that it is destined at some 
 future period to be the most commercial 
 country on earth. 
 
 The river St. Lawrence must ever be 
 the grand outlet to the ocean for the pro- 
 ductions of all that tract of country be- 
 tween the United States and Hudson's 
 bay, including the lakes Erie, Ontario, Mi- 
 chigan, and lake Superior^; and there can 
 
 * These, described in another place. 
 
 f Although the lakes are not immediately connected 
 
71 
 
 be no doubt that Quebec is the key of the 
 river St. Lawrence. 
 
 When we consider the many millions of 
 
 with the Atlantic by any other river than the St. Law- 
 rence, yet there are several rivers that fall into the At- 
 lantic, which rise so near the sources of others that run 
 into the lakes, and each navigable for boats so near their 
 sources, that by means of them, and of a very short land 
 carriage, trade may be carried on between the Atlantic, 
 and the lakes. There are three channels for this trade 
 which particularly demand attention ; the first by the 
 Mississippi and Ohio, and thence up the Wabash, Mia- 
 mi, and Muskingum, from the heads of which there are 
 portages of from 1 to 15 miles, to the rivers which fall 
 into the Lake Erie : secondly, along the Patowmack river 
 (which flows past Washington Citj/J, and from thence 
 into the Cayahoga, Bigbeaver, and Yahogany, to Presqr.e 
 Isle, on Lake Erie: thirdly, along Hudson's River (which 
 falls into the Atlantic at New York}, and the Mohawk 
 River, Wood Creek, Lake Oneida, and Oswego River, 
 which falls into Lake Ontario. In the course of time 
 there will be a competition amongst the settlers on these 
 different routs, which shall have most of the trade of the 
 Western territory, but they must all yield to the St. Law- 
 rence, which commands a decided preference, because 
 the distance to a port where vessels from the ocean can 
 load, is shorter than by any of the other routs, and the 
 portages are not so long ; and besides, during the summer 
 months, the rivers in the United States have so little 
 water near their sources, that the length of the portages 
 must be greatly increased. In the St. Lawrence they are 
 always the same, It 
 
72 
 acres which communicate with this river 
 and surround the lakes, where, at present 
 you have only the stately pine, the hardy 
 oak, and many other tenants of the forest; 
 and where in course of time will be seen 
 the golden harvest, the lowing hierd, the 
 bleating flock, and the sons and daughters 
 of industry and innocence; — the heart ex- 
 pands with secret pleasure, and tastes in 
 anticipation, the happiness in reserve for 
 posterity. 
 
 Man in civilized society is naturally a 
 commercial animal; he is seldom satisfied 
 with what he possesses; he must be chang- 
 ing one thing for another; he is prompted 
 to it by his wants, and when he can find in 
 any one place such things as he may desire 
 to have, thither he resorts* This formerly 
 gave birth to fairs ; and it has made some 
 cities perpetual fairs. It has made Lon- 
 don the first city in the world ; and it will 
 continue Quebec as the first city in the 
 Canadas; perhaps it may become the first 
 
 It is worthy of notice that a person may go from 
 Quebec to New Orleans, at the mouth of the Mississippi, 
 by water the whole way, except about the space of one 
 mile from the source of the Ilinois river, to the source of 
 a river which falls into Lake Michigan, 
 
73 
 
 in America, for it has a much more exten- 
 sive communication with the interior of 
 America than the new city of Washington 
 or any other city of America. Neither 
 the Patowmac, Chesapeake, Delaware, nor 
 Hudson's river, are at all to be compared 
 to the St. Lawrence, either in magnitude 
 or extent of back country. 
 
 Quebec is already considerably extend- 
 ed beyond the walls: there may in time be 
 as much difficulty in finding out the old 
 walls and old city of Quebec, as there is 
 in finding the bounds of the old city of 
 London. I fancy I hear people proposing 
 to take a walk to the west end of the town, 
 or to Wolfe s Square, in the centre of which 
 may be placed his statue, where Wolfe's 
 stone now lies. The river St. Charles, which 
 at present covers unnecessarily a great deal 
 of ground, may be confined to a narrow 
 channel, and will be a fine situation for 
 extending; the Lower Town as far as Beau- 
 port. Wharfs and quays will of course 
 arise : the situation is excellent for dry and 
 wet docks; and warehouses without number 
 may be eligibly situated. I believe the 
 Trench had this in contemplation, and even 
 
went so far as to make a plan of it. Long 
 before these things take place, Canada may 
 possibly be no longer a British colony : to 
 this subject I shall direct your attention 
 in my next letter. 
 
75 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 i 
 
 Quebec, August, 1S66. 
 
 Allow me to make a few observations on 
 the treatment the Canadians have expe- 
 rienced since the conquest. 
 
 The length of time Canada may con- 
 tinue under the dominion of Britain, will 
 depend very much on the manner in which 
 the country is governed, and the kind of 
 policy observed towards the inhabitants. 
 It is a subject which is even now discussed 
 every day, and I find that there is a great 
 difference of opinion about it. 
 
 We lost the United States by an impo- 
 litic course of treatment, and it behoves us 
 to look well to the Canadas. Some people 
 pretend to say that we are better without 
 America, and very ingenious arguments 
 have been brought forward to prove it. 
 One thing we may be assured of is, that 
 the arguments will be favourably received: 
 we are very glad to find palliatives for evils 
 we cannot remedy. I suppose no one will 
 
76 
 pretend to say that he loss of our North 
 American colonies, and consequently of 
 our Newfoundland trade, would not be a 
 very serious evil to Great Britain. Al- 
 though self-interest and the power of cus- 
 tom might induce the people to continue 
 their trade with us, and our Customhouse 
 books might shew higher exports than while 
 they were under our dominion,' still if we 
 depended on them for any articles of the 
 first necessity; — party spirit, caprice, or fo- 
 reign influence, might produce a non-im- 
 portation act, or an embargo, nay they 
 miorht even refuse bread and water to our 
 men of war ; — injuries to which we never 
 "would he liable, were we masters of the 
 country. It appears to me to be decidedly 
 the interest of Great Britain to retain the 
 dominion of her North A:i erican colonics, 
 even though her doing so should retard their 
 progress in population, in arts, ana in com- 
 merce. Their individual interests ougHt to 
 yield to those of the mother countiy, the 
 head of the empire. 
 
 Canada, and Canadians, differ very ma- 
 terially from the ci-devant British colonies 
 in America and their inhabitants. These 
 
77 
 were Englishmen,— ^descended from men 
 who had the highest notions of civil and 
 religious liberty, and they inherited the 
 temper and sentiments of their ancestors; — 
 they were impatient under what they con- 
 ceived to be the tyranny of government, 
 and they brought about the revolution. 
 The Canadians are legitimate Frenchmen,-— 
 the descendants of the worshippers of Louis 
 the Fourteenth and of Cardinal Richelieu, 
 ■ — the descendants of men who never once 
 formed an idea, themselves, of the nature 
 of civil and religious liberty, and who, of 
 course, would not be likely to impress it on 
 the minds of their children. The authori- 
 tative mandates of the French king have 
 never sounded in their ears in vain; — they 
 were issued with all the arrogance of des- 
 potism, and received with implicit and 
 passive obedience. Even now, to reason 
 with the great bulk of the Canadians on 
 the measures of government, is what they 
 never look for; they have no idea of ques- 
 tioning their propriety ; — command them 
 au nom du Roi, and you will be obeyed. 
 
 The government of Britain have thought 
 fit to give to Canada a constitution upoq. 
 
78 
 
 the same principles as her own; and have 
 given to the Canadians the right of elect- 
 ing, and being elected members of the 
 legislature. How far it has been wise so 
 to do, appears at least problematical. 
 That which is a positive good in certain 
 circumstances, may be a positive evil in 
 others. Is it clear, that the British form of 
 government is fitted for Canada, and that 
 the Canadians are in a state to be benefit- 
 ed by being allowed a share in the govern- 
 ment? Does their knowledge, their educa- 
 tion, the whole train and direction of their 
 ideas, prejudices, and passions, fit them 
 for being legislators ? 1 suspect that the 
 answer must be in the negative. How 
 can those men attain a knowledge of the 
 principles of government, and of civil 
 and religious liberty, who can neither 
 read nor write, which is the case with 
 the great mass of the people, and how- 
 ever strange it may appear, is the case 
 with many of the members of the House of 
 Assembly. This must seem incredible, but 
 is however strictly true; and is of itself a 
 most convincing proof t hat it was too soon 
 to give them a share in the government. 
 
79 
 The state of the country is so low as to 
 arts a*id letters, that it is impossible to 
 find in the counties, and even sometimes 
 in the towns, men, who in any respect are 
 capable of taking a part in the legislature. 
 Let knowledge be more gene/ally spread 
 through the country; let the people be 
 taught to read and to reason, which En- 
 glishmen had long been habituated to be- 
 fore they received their constitution, and 
 then, and not till then, ought they to have 
 a voice in the deliberations of government. 
 
 I do not deny that some of the Canadians 
 are qualified from their education and ge- 
 neral knowledge to tak6 a part in state 
 affairs, but it is the case with very few of 
 them ; and to pretend to find in the counties 
 in general, fit men to represent them, is 
 altogether out of the question. The coun- 
 ties are large districts, thinly inhabited, 
 and generally by people who cannot leave 
 their families without great injury to their 
 private interests. In fact, more than one 
 half of the members of the House of As- 
 sembly are merchants, shopkeepers, law- 
 yers, and notaries public, living in Quebec 
 and Montreal. The House of Assembly 
 
80 
 
 consists of fifty members, and I will ven-* 
 ture to say, that taking away seven or eight 
 of them, whom I could name, the business 
 of the House could not go on at all, such 
 is the incapacity of the rest. Would not a 
 council, including these seven or eight mem- 
 bers, answer every purpose of a House of 
 Assembly? Nay, be more consonant to the 
 feelings and prejudices of the majority of 
 the Canadians, and to the state of the pro- 
 vince both in a civil and military point of 
 view. 
 
 I may be told that it is now too late, 
 the Canadians having tasted the sweets of 
 power. It is an observation as true as it is 
 common, that it is never. too late to do well. 
 It is to be hoped, and presumed, that the 
 House of Assembly will not in any material 
 point thwart the intentions of the execu- 
 tive, or act contrary to the interest of 
 Great Britain. If they did, I should think 
 it by no means too late for the governor to 
 dissolve them never to meet again, except 
 to be instantly dissolved, which it is in his 
 power to do. It would be doing many of 
 them no great injury to transplant thern to 
 their corn fields, or country shops, instead 
 
81 
 
 of allowing them to sit in a House of As- 
 sembly where the} r are mere eyphers, or, at 
 best, tools to a few designing men. 
 
 The Canadians themselves seem to have 
 felt their incapacity to act as legislators, 
 for they opposed as much as they could 
 the introduction of the present form of 
 government. It was brought about by the 
 English residents in Quebec and Montreal; 
 but from some mismanagement at home 
 they were completely outwitted. If Up- 
 per and Lower Canada had had but one 
 house of assembly, the English party 
 would have always kept the majority. 
 But Canada was divided into two provin- 
 ces ; and as the French Canadians in Lower 
 Canada greatly outnumber the English, 
 they have completely the ascendency in the 
 House of Assembly ; — a thing never dream- 
 ed of by those who promoted the introduc- 
 tion of the present form of government. The 
 Canadians find that the government of the 
 country is virtually placed in their hands ; 
 the English cannot carry a single point if 
 they choose to oppose them ; and is it to 
 be expected that a constitution founded 
 
 G 
 
on the purest principles of civil and re- 
 ligious liberty, can be supported, explain- 
 ed, and acted upon, by men, who are as 
 ignorant of such principles, as they are 
 deficient in general knowledge ? 
 
 The division of Canada into two provin- 
 ces, with separate and independent go- 
 vernments, was certainly approved of by 
 Mr. Pitt, though it did not originate with 
 him : — the present lord Grenville I have un- 
 derstood was instrumental in bringing it 
 about. It appears contrary to principles 
 which Mr. Pitt afterwards applied to an- 
 other part of the empire. He maintained, 
 and all mankind must allow that union 
 gives strength and vigour; by the union 
 of Scotland and Ireland with England, 
 the strength of the whole is generally 
 allowed to be increased. The same 
 principle will apply to the Canadas. They 
 should not have separate legislatures, be- 
 cause it will in time engender separate 
 interests, real or supposed; and produce a 
 jarring in their co-operation for the general 
 good of the colony, and in promoting tljer 
 interests of the mother country. 
 
83 
 
 It does not appear attended with much 
 difficulty, even now, to unite the two houses 
 of assembly, as the Irish was to the English 
 Parliament. Let the governor of Upper 
 Canada be in civil, as he now is in mi- 
 litary matters, subordinate. The officers 
 of the crown, and the judges, (as in Scot- 
 land and Ireland), might continue to act, 
 each for their own district, under such new 
 regulations as might seem expedient. The 
 laws and language of Upper and Lower 
 Canada being different, need be no objec- 
 tion. The same thing exists between the 
 highlands of Scotland and England, though 
 the same legislature serves both. An union 
 of the two governments seems the only line 
 of policy which can ensure to Englishmen 
 that weight in the country which is highly 
 expedient, not only for their own safety and 
 convenience, but for the good of the pro- 
 vince, and the interests of Great Britain, 
 If Canada is to have a representative go- 
 vernment (which I by no means think ne- 
 cessary), the whole province should have 
 but one legislature, and one head. 
 
 The British government have in more 
 
84 
 
 cases than one, acted unwisely, in my 
 humble opinion, in these matters. — There 
 can be little doubt that the kind of go- 
 vernment to be given to a conquered 
 country ought to be fitted for the people 
 to be governed, regard being had to their 
 previous habits, and the general state of 
 society. 
 
 The English conquered Corsica, for in- 
 stance, and took it into their heads to give 
 the Corsicans a British constitution. Of all 
 the islanders in the Mediterranean the 
 Corsicans are the most savage, and were 
 the least accustomed to think for them- 
 selves in matters of government. What 
 was the consequence ? Lord Minto, the 
 first viceroy, could tell you. Their savage 
 manners could not be moulded so as to 
 make them fit for deliberating in council. 
 Like the Canadian members of parliament, 
 many of them could neither read nor write. 
 Such men cannot appreciate the value of 
 a. free constitution. The English are so 
 fond of their consitution, that they think 
 it is only necessary to shew it to all the 
 world* and it must be accepted with joy. 
 
 
85 
 
 This way of thinking will naturally enough 
 be adopted by those who have studied po- 
 litics in their closet, and have never been 
 out of England ; — but, by those who have 
 visited foreign countries, who have con- 
 templated man in a state of ignorance and 
 superstition, very different conclusions, I 
 venture to say, will be drawn. The Eng- 
 lish consitution is, I imagine, too complex 
 a machine to be at once understood, adopt- 
 ed, and put in motion, by a simple and 
 uninformed people, who have not been ac- 
 customed to political disquisitions, and ab- 
 stract reasoning. We ought to recollect, 
 that even in England, a nation ever forward 
 in its advances to refinement, it was only 
 by degrees that a free constitution was in- 
 troduced, — the country for many centuries 
 being in a state of probation, as it were* 
 The seeds of liberty, which, in one reign, 
 were sown and began to shoot out, were in 
 the next, trodden under foot and destroyed. 
 Rational and genuine freedom is not the 
 child of theory, it would appear ; it can- 
 not, like a book, be taken up and laid down 
 at pleasure. 
 
86 
 
 A truce, however, for the present, to po- 
 litical discussions. I am going with a party 
 to see the Falls in this neighbourhood. The 
 Fall of Chaudiere is, I am told, very grand ; 
 and the Fall of Montmorency, will, I doubt 
 not, give as much pleasure, on a near view, 
 as we are led to expect from its grand ap- 
 pearance at a distance. 
 
87 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Quebec, September, 1806, 
 
 Since I last had the pleasure of writing 
 you, I have visited not only the Fall of 
 Chaudiere, but also the Fall of Montmo- 
 rency, two of the greatest natural curiosities 
 which this country has to boast of. Neither 
 of them is equal to the far-famed Falls of 
 Niagara, in Upper Canada, where the St. 
 Lawrence precipitates itself in a body over 
 a rock about 160 feet of perpendicular 
 height; but they are both possessed of 
 beauties peculiar to themselves, which 
 render them highly deserving the attention 
 of the lovers of the sublime and beautiful. 
 
 The river Chaudiere falls into the St. 
 Lawrence, about five miles above Quebec, 
 on the opposite side. When a visit to it is 
 in contemplation, a boat must be procured, 
 for which you must be indebted to some 
 of your friends, as there are none for hire : 
 and you must carry meat and drink with 
 you,(if you intend to eat) — a thing never to 
 
88 
 
 be neglected when a jaunt into the country 
 is proposed. A cockney steps into a post- 
 chaise when he makes an excursion from 
 London, — drives twenty miles into the coun- 
 try to some favourite spot, — orders dinner at 
 the inn, — takes his amusement, and returns 
 when he feels an inclination. In all this 
 business, he is a very passive kind of animal. 
 Now, here, if you wish to go into the coun- 
 try, you must literally be active; — you must 
 study the tides, procure boats and men to 
 manage them, carry your dinner and drink 
 with you, act the part of cook yourself fre- 
 quently ; — all this, however, serves, I think, 
 to make these little excursions the more 
 amusing. 
 
 We went up the St. Lawrence with the 
 tide and a strong breeze, and landed in 
 the mouth of the Chaudiere. It is so full 
 of rocks and rapids that you cannot sail 
 up it; and the banks are so steep and 
 full of wood that they admit of no path to 
 the fall. It is situated about three miles 
 from where the Chaudiere joins the St. 
 Lawrence ; and it is necessary to make a 
 circuit of a few miles in order to get to it 
 Part of our way was easy enough, as there 
 
89 
 is a road cut through the wood ; but the 
 greater part is very difficult, as you are 
 obliged to find your way through a wood 
 where there is no road, nor any visible 
 path to direct you, — at least that I could 
 discern. However, some of the party had 
 been there before; and were, besides, some- 
 what acquainted with the art of travelling 
 in a wood. 
 
 It is surprising what new light experi- 
 ence throws on this way of travelling. An 
 Indian or a Canadian voyageur, will dis- 
 cern a path or tract where others have 
 passed, and follow it for many days, where 
 you aijd I never would have imagined a 
 human being had passed before. Those 
 accustomed to travelling in the woods ac- 
 quire a dexterity in discovering footsteps, 
 truly surprising. The fallen leaves, where 
 I could discover no vestige, shew, to an ex- 
 perienced traveller, infallible marks of it. 
 They are frequently aided by the under- 
 wood in finding the route already taken ; — 
 a branch broken in a certain manner, or, 
 the branches twisted, or put into unnatural 
 situations, indicate that some one had 
 passed that way. By their acuteness in 
 
90 
 
 these matters, the Indians follow either 
 foes or friends through extensive forests 
 with as much certainty as the fox-hound 
 follows the fox. If they expect to be fol- 
 lowed by their friends, they leave certain 
 unequivocal marks behind them. They 
 break the underwood at every step in a par- 
 ticular manner, and notch the trees as they 
 pass along. 
 
 If an Indian or Canadian voyageur 
 wishes to make a journey to any particular 
 place, to which there is no known tract ; — 
 he goes into the woods without the smallest 
 dread ; he makes a straight course, and 
 will, after many days journey, reach his 
 destination, without a compass, through 
 woods that perhaps never before had been 
 trodden by the foot of man. They tell you, 
 that by narrowly observing the trees, they 
 discover certain marks which indicate to 
 them the points of the compass, even though 
 the sun should be obscured by thick wea- 
 ther. They never lose their presence of 
 mind, as those do who are not accustomed 
 to travelling in the woods. For my part, 
 had I been left alone, after penetrating into 
 the Chaudiere wood a few miles, I doubt 
 
91 
 touch whether I ever could have found my 
 way out again. 
 
 There was an instance, not long ago, of 
 a person belonging to Quebec having lost 
 his party who were going to see the Falls. 
 He was never more heard of. It was sup- 
 posed that he had wandered in the wood 
 till his strength failed him, and that he had 
 fallen a sacrifice to famine. This idea is 
 confirmed from the circumstance of a hu- 
 man skeleton having since been found in 
 the wood. He was a strong, healthy, 
 young man. 
 
 It is very well known in this country 
 (from a number of people having from time 
 to time lost their way in the woods, but 
 who accidentally found it again), that the 
 rfiind undergoes a wonderful change when 
 you find you have lost all traces of your 
 way. A kind of delirium comes on — per- 
 haps the effect of fear. The person is no 
 longer capable of using his accustomed sa- 
 gacity, and profiting from his own experi- 
 ence. Objects which might have pointed 
 out to him his way, are passed by unno- 
 ticed ; he often wanders in a circle while 
 he supposes himself pursuing a straight 
 line. Sometimes, after wandering a whole 
 
92 
 
 day, he finds himself within a short dis- 
 tance from his own house, when he thought 
 himself many miles from it; and vice 
 versa. 
 
 A gentleman lately told me, that he 
 went into the woods in Upper Canada 
 with his gun, in the near neighbourhood of 
 his own house. In pursuing his game he 
 penetrated deeper into the wood than he 
 had been accustomed to do, and finally 
 lost himself. He did not know which way 
 to go ; he persevered however, in hopes of 
 getting to some part of the country which 
 he knew ; he travelled the whole day with- 
 out knowing where he was, and without 
 the least appearance of an inhabited coun- 
 try. Overcome with fatigue of body and 
 distraction of mind (for he had left a wife 
 and family at home), he sat down in de- 
 spair. After sitting some time, he thought 
 he discerned a house through the trees at 
 some distance ; — he started up, — and made 
 towards it. Conceive his astonishment, his 
 joy-— it was his own house : he thought him- 
 self at least forty miles from it. In fact, he 
 had been travelling all day in a circle, and 
 often in places which he might have known, 
 had his mind been tranquil, and possessing 
 
93 
 its usual powers of discernment ; but these 
 had fled, the moment he became alarmed at 
 finding he did not know his way. 
 
 I have been told many stories of this 
 kind ; and I am the more inclined to be- 
 lieve them from my having once experi- 
 enced something of the same kind myself, 
 on losing my way, and all traces of a road, 
 upon an immense heath in Portugal. The 
 effect, on that occasion, was more visible on 
 my guide than myself. We had set off 
 pretty early in the morning, — had crossed a 
 mountain, and proceeded several miles on 
 a dreary heath, by tracts known only to the 
 muleteers. It was in the month of No- 
 vember ; the day was dark and gloomy, and 
 it had rained violently all the morning. By 
 and by, I found that my muleteer stood 
 firm, and would not advance. I called 
 out to him to know what was the matter; 
 he said, we had lost our way. The rain had 
 for a long while so beat in my face, that I 
 had not paid much attention to the ground 
 we were upon, I trusted to my guide. On 
 now looking around me, I found that there 
 was not the smallest trace of a road. 
 " Oh, my God !" cries the muleteer, "we 
 are lost — we shall perish, Meo Dzos ! so- 
 
94 
 
 mos per did os, Jesus! Jesus!" — He imme«< 
 diately began to cross himself. I knew 
 this to be the dernier resort of a Roman 
 6atholic when in despair, and that force 
 alone would now make him exert himself. 
 He would neither advance nor retreat ; he 
 seemed to have lost his power of judging 
 and reflecting, as well as his powers of act- 
 ing. I was determined he should advance, 
 and at length, by threats, and a certain de- 
 gree of coercion, I roused him to action. 
 We did advance, and finally arrived at 
 a part of the country which was inhabited, 
 I was glad to find that we had wandered 
 but a few miles from our way. — Let us re- 
 turn, however, to the woods in Canada. 
 
 Our party had no great difficulty in di- 
 recting their course to the Chaudiere. Its 
 noise at last announced its proximity. The 
 Chaudiere would in England be considered 
 as a river of considerable magnitude. Its 
 banks at the fall, are highly picturesque; 
 they are very lofty. and very steep, yet co- 
 vered with stately pines of a variety of fan- 
 tastic shapes. Scrambling along a rock, 
 you approach the brink of the precipice 
 130 feet perpendicular, where the river 
 throws itself into the abyss below, roaring 
 
95 
 
 and racing: along, as if angry at being forced 
 from its native channel, to be lost in the 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 We were much gratified with the gran- 
 deur of the fall, and of the surrounding 
 scenery. Looking up the river, the view h 
 not extensive, but highly picturesque ; the 
 lofty banks are overhung with wood, and 
 the grey rocks, which now and then shew 
 themselves, add to the wildness of the 
 scene. The water, when not swelled hj 
 rain, does not fill the channel, but is seen 
 winding round the points of rocks, and 
 forming into currents, which, according to 
 the quantity of water at the time, sepa- 
 rate or join near the head of the fall, and 
 quickening their motion as they approach 
 the brink, are dashed into the gulf below. 
 The view down the river is of the same wild 
 nature as that upwards ; rocks and trees 9 
 and rolling rapid streams, all confounded 
 together: the sunbeam illumines the rising 
 spray, mixing radiant gems with the som- 
 bre hue of the forest. Nature* in this spot, 
 seems just emerging from original chaos — 
 so wild is the appearance and arrangement 
 of every thing around you. 
 
96 
 
 After having fully gratified our curid- 
 sity, and remarked all the beauties of the 
 place, seated on the Chaudiere rock, and 
 moistened with the rising spray till we were 
 dripping like so many river gods* we re- 
 solved to retrace our steps through the 
 wood. We did so with less difficulty than 
 on our approach, and regained our boat 
 with appetites worthy of some excellent 
 beef steaks, with which we had provided 
 ourselves. We lighted a fire on the rocks,-— 
 cooked our dinner, — made up a table in our 
 boat, and with one accord commenced the 
 attack. Every thing was excellent, be- 
 cause every body was hungry, and disposed 
 to be pleased :— noble ingredients in all 
 feasts and parties, from the cottagers' po- 
 tatoes and milk, — up to ragouts and bur- 
 gundy. 
 
 After seeing the Fall of Chaudiere, my 
 curiosity was the more strongly excited to 
 see the Fall of Montmorency, more famous 
 still than the Chaudiere, because it is seen 
 at a distance by all who sail up the St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 The river Montmorency falls into the 
 St. Lawrence about nine miles below Que- 
 
. 37 
 Bee ; and it may be said, almost literally* 
 to fall into it, for the distance does not ap- 
 pear to be above four or five hundred yards. 
 The approach to it, both above and below^ 
 is very easy ; you may drive a gig to with- 
 in a few yards of it. The Montmorency 
 is certainly one of the finest falls in the 
 world : it is (as I have formerly mentioned) 
 no less than 246 feet perpendicular height. 
 Some give the preference to the Fall of 
 Chaudiere, because the surrounding scenery 
 is more picturesque. For my own part, I 
 am inclined to give the preference to the 
 Montmorency. It is nearly as large a river 
 as the Chaudiere, and from the great height 
 of the fall in one undivided mass, it is more 
 grand and striking. The banks of the river 
 downwards soon terminate in the St. Law- 
 rence, and are so perpendicular that trees 
 cannot grow on them. They are, of course, 
 not so beautiful as those of the Chaudiere ; 
 but the magnificence* the grandeur of the 
 fall, so occupies the attention, so fills the 
 mind, that you do not think of looking for 
 trees or rocks ; they would be lost in the 
 grandeur of the principal object. This is 
 not so much the case at the Chaudiere. IF, 
 
 H 
 
93 
 
 turning your attention altogether from the 
 Fall of Montmorency, you direct it up the 
 river, the scenery is not to be surpassed 
 any where. I have been several miles up 
 the river, and must say I never saw scenery 
 more picturesque. 
 
 After viewing the fall, if you turn your 
 attention towards the St. Lawrence and the 
 Island of Orleans, and, following the course 
 of the river, direct your view towards the 
 lower end of the island, by Chateau riche 9 
 till you reach the mountain called Cap 
 Tourment, it must be allowed that it is dif- 
 ficult to imagine an assemblage of objects 
 more interesting, or better calculated to in- 
 flame the fancy of the poet, or give life to 
 the canvas of the painter. 
 
 Both the Montmorency and the Chau- 
 diere may be viewed either from the top or 
 bottom of the fall. The latter, it is gene- 
 rally thought, is seen to greatest advantage 
 from below. You are pleased and asto- 
 nished with the 
 
 " Sweeping theatre of hanging woods, 
 
 u Th' incessant roar of headlong tumbling floods." 
 
 The Montmorency, too, viewed from be- 
 low, is truly sublime. 
 
99 
 
 And full lie dashes on the rocky mounds, 
 
 Where thro' a shapeless breach his stream resounds ; 
 
 As high in air the bursting torrents flow, 
 
 As deep recoiling surges foam below. 
 
 Prone down the rock, the whitening sheet descends, 
 
 And viewless Echo's ear, astonish'd, rends ; 
 
 Dim seen thro' rising mists, and ceaseless show'rs, 
 
 The hoary cavern, wide surrounding low'rs ; 
 
 Still thro' the gap the struggling river toils, 
 
 And still below the horrid cauldron boils. 
 
 Who could imagine that this fine de- 
 scription was not made at the Montmo- 
 rency ? Words cannot describe it more 
 happily. A volume of the works of the 
 immortal Scotch bard happened to be on 
 my table while I was writing you, and had 
 nearly finished my letter. I accidentally 
 took it up, and the first thing almost that 
 presented itself to my view was the above 
 poetical effusion. It harmonised so well 
 with the train of my ideas, that I transcribed 
 it immediately, quite happy in the reflec- 
 tion that my letter would now contain 
 something worth reading, something to re- 
 pay y° u for the trouble of getting through 
 it. Lest I should be mistaken, however, 
 I will not increase the evil, but for the pre- 
 sent bid you adieu. 
 
100 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Quebec, March, 180?. 
 
 There is a great deal of misapprehension 
 in Britain relative to this country. It is 
 naturally concluded that, in a British co- 
 lony such as Canada, a conquered coun- 
 try, those who govern and who give law to 
 it, would be Englishmen. This, however, 
 is by no means the case ; for though the go- 
 vernor and some of the council are English, 
 the French Canadians are the majority in 
 the house of assembly ; and no law can 
 pass, if they choose to prevent it. The 
 English (supposing the governor to exert 
 all the influence he possesses) cannot carry 
 one single question ; and the Canadians 
 have been in the habit of shewing, in the 
 most undisguised manner, the power of a 
 majority, and a determination that no bill 
 should pass contrary to their wishes. They 
 carry things with a high hand ; they seem 
 to forget that the constitution under which 
 
101 
 
 they domineer over the English, was a free 
 siift from Britain ; and that what an act of 
 parliament gave, an act of parliament can 
 take away. 
 
 You will naturally imagine also, that in 
 a British colony,the English language would 
 be used in the house of assembly, public 
 offices, and courts of justice. No such 
 thing ; the French language is universally 
 used, and the record is kept in French and 
 in English. The Canadians will not speak 
 English ; and Englishmen are weak enough 
 to indulge them so far as to speak French 
 too, which is much to their disadvantage ; 
 for though they may speak French well 
 enough to explain themselves in the ordi- 
 nary affairs of life, they cannot, in de- 
 bate, deliver themselves with that ease, and 
 with the same effect as in their native lan- 
 guage. 
 
 The Canadians find that they have got 
 the whiphandof the English, and they seem 
 resolved to keep it, without being at all 
 delicate as to the means. I can give an in- 
 stance, — Near the end of the session, many 
 of the Canadians have obtained leave of 
 absence, in order to return to their families 
 
102 
 
 and occupations; so that it has happened 
 that just so many were left as would make 
 a quorum, of whom about half were Engv 
 lish and half French. When the latter 
 found that the English were likely to carry 
 a question, a Canadian has been known to 
 step outside the bar, and there stand while 
 another told the house that they must ad- 
 journ for want of .a quorum. The speaker 
 did not think he had power to compel the 
 member outside the bar to resume his place; 
 and thus questions were put off till a de- 
 cided majority of Canadians could attend. 
 
 A French newspaper, called Le Cana- 
 dien, has lately been edited here : the evi- 
 dent intention of which is to raise the Ca-* 
 nadian character, and detract from that of 
 the English. It is natural enough for the 
 Canadians to wish to appear in the most re- 
 spectable light possible; but they should 
 not attempt to do so by the means they are 
 now following. 
 
 I had heard much of Le Canadian, and I 
 took it up with a curiosity much excited ; 
 but instead of finding something new, I 
 found the translation of a letter written by 
 General Murray to the British government 
 
103 
 
 forty years ago, in consequence of a quar- 
 rel between him and the British settlers, full 
 of the most violent complaints against them. 
 Let these matters be true or let them be 
 false, why should they be brought forward 
 now? It is evident that the Canadians 
 wish to identify the character of the mer- 
 cantile men of the present day with that of 
 those who were here at the time General 
 Murray wrote his letter. Let us suppose, 
 (without, however, admitting the fact) that 
 every thing General Murray said was true ; 
 that the English residents were at that time 
 low bred and unprincipled, and that their 
 conduct was such as might be expected 
 from such people, both General Murray 
 and the Canadians might feel it. It was a 
 matter the Canadians had reason to regret 
 and to complain of; but they might as well 
 regret and complain of the conquest itself, 
 for the one is a natural consequence of the 
 other. What is the usual train of events 
 upon a conquest ? 
 
 The old laws and regulations are over- 
 turned with the government that framed 
 them. A military government at first takes 
 place ; its duration is in proportion to the 
 
104 
 
 nature, extent, and value of the colony. «-~ 
 Respectable mercantile men look at the 
 colony with an eye of suspicion ; they will 
 not leave places where they are already es- 
 tablished, and which they know ; they will 
 not trust themselves, their families and pro- 
 perty, in a country newly conquered, and 
 which may soon revert to the parent state. 
 Time alone can give confidence to mercan- 
 tile men, and bring to a conquered coun- 
 try men of capital. Although they will not 
 go themselves, however, they will risk part 
 of their property, and put it in charge of 
 those who may be inclined to try the expe- 
 riment. Such men remain in the country 
 at all risks, and they are joined by a num- 
 ber of the followers of the army who are 
 known tp be characters not the most re- 
 spectable in the world. Such are always 
 the mercantile men of newly conquered 
 countries. 
 
 One of the greatest evils of conquest is, 
 that the ancient laws of the country being 
 destroyed, and the new not understood and 
 properly enforced, the evil-disposed, no 
 longer feeling the restraints of law, break 
 put into frequent excess, and are guilty of 
 
105 
 
 fraud and deceit; the bad shew themselves; 
 the good become, in time, less good, from 
 the influence of bad example. This prin- 
 ciple operates equally upon the conquerors 
 and conquered, and has been conspicu- 
 ous in this country. It is ever to be re- 
 gretted ; but with conquest itself it must 
 be endured. In process of time the two 
 countries assimilate ; mutual accommoda- 
 tion, mutual good offices, reconcile the peor 
 pie to each other. The military government 
 gives place to civil government; and the 
 equal and impartial distribution of justice 
 by civil judges, keeps in check any attempts 
 at injustice in the conduct of individuals ; 
 greater stability and security are given to 
 property ; the minds of men are at length 
 brought into proper discipline by the regu- 
 lar operation of just and equitable laws. — - 
 Merchants of character and respectability, 
 such as at present are to be found in this 
 country, are attracted from different quar- 
 ters, and grow up in the country. Their 
 capital gets into circulation, and by their 
 knowledge and industry they supply the 
 public wants, and infuse life and energy 
 every where. 
 
106 
 
 Such is the progress of society in a con- 
 quered country. It is in the nature of things 
 that it should be so. Why then should the 
 Canadians, at this late period, rip up old 
 sores, and attempt to attach to the present 
 mercantile men of this country the charac- 
 ter Murray gives of those who came here 
 forty years ago ? It is an unworthy, insi- 
 dious kind of conduct, as distant from jus- 
 tice as from truth. Le Canadien seems to 
 commence under the influence of a very bad 
 spirit — amalignant spirit of party ; — perhaps 
 not unconnected with the views of that man 
 whose victories and power are only equal- 
 led by his ambition, and his unquenchable 
 hatred towards England. 
 
 An idea is very generally entertained, 
 both in Canada and in England, that the 
 French, in their capitulations of Quebec 
 and Montreal, stipulated for, and obtained 
 the use of their own laws; and that we can- 
 not now interfere in these matters. The 
 first time I heard this idea started, was soon 
 after my arrival in Canada. I had been 
 reading the articles of capitulation, and the 
 definitive treaty with France, ceding Ca- 
 nada; but they had left no such impression 
 
107 
 on my mind. I had recourse to them again, 
 and remained convinced that no such con- 
 clusions could be drawn from them. 
 
 The Canadians were allowed the free 
 exercise of their religion ; and private pro- 
 perty, personal and real, with all their 
 rights, were to be respected ; but they are 
 not allowed their ancient laws, or any share 
 in the government. 
 
 The only article in the capitulation of 
 Quebec*, which applies to this point, is 
 the second, in which it is granted, " That 
 " the inhabitants shall be maintained in the 
 " possession of their houses, goods, effects, 
 " and privileges/' — In the capitulation of 
 Montreal -f-, the 27th article stipulates, 
 " That the free exercise of the catholic, 
 " apostolic, and Roman religion, shall bub- 
 " sist entire in such manner that all the 
 " states, and people of the towns and couu- 
 f4 tries, places, and distant posts, snail con- 
 " tinue to assemble in the churches, and to 
 " frequent the sacraments as heretofore, 
 ** without being molested in any manner, 
 " directly or indirectly. These people shall 
 
 * Dated 18th September, 1759. 
 f Dated 8th September, 1 760, 
 
108 
 
 " be obliged by the English government to 
 " pay to the priests the tythes and all the 
 " taxes they were used to pay under the 
 " government of his Most Christian Ma- 
 " jesty." Granted, as to the free exercise 
 of their religion ; the obligation of paying 
 tythes to the priests will depend on the King's 
 pleasure. 
 
 The 34th article stipulates, " That all 
 " the communities, and all the priests, shall 
 " preserve their moveables, the property 
 " and revenues of the seigniories, and other 
 " estates, which they possess in the colony, 
 " of what nature soever they may be; and 
 "' the same estates shall be preserved in their 
 " privileges, rights, honors and exemptions? 
 Granted. 
 
 The 37th article stipulates, " That the 
 ^ lords of manors, military and civil offi- 
 " cers, the Canadians as well in the towns 
 " as in the country, the French trading or 
 " settled in the whole extent of the colony 
 " of Canada, and all other persons what- 
 " soever, shall preserve the entire peace- 
 " able property and possession of their 
 " goods, noble and ignoble, moveable and 
 * c immoveable, merchandizes, furs, and 
 
109 
 " other effects ; even their ships, they shall 
 " not be touched, nor the least damage 
 " done to them, on any pretence whatever. 
 " They shall have liberty to keep, let, or 
 " sell them, as well to the French as to the 
 " English, to take away the produce of 
 " them in bills of exchange, furs, specie, 
 " or other returns, whenever they shall 
 " judge proper to go to France, paying 
 " their freight, as in the 26th article. They 
 " shall also have the furs which are in the 
 " posts above, and which belong to them, 
 " and may be on the way to Montreal ; and 
 " for this purpose they shall have leave to 
 " send, this year or the next, canoes fitted 
 " out to fetch such of the said furs as shall 
 " have remained in these posts." Granted, 
 as in the 26th article, which excludes any 
 property belonging to his Most Christian 
 Majesty, which must become the property 
 of the King. 
 
 The 41st article stipulated, " That the 
 P French, Canadians, and Acadians, of 
 " what state and condition soever, who 
 " shall remain in the colony, shall not be 
 48 forced to take arms against his Most 
 \ Christian Majesty, or his allies, directly 
 
 /< 
 
<6 
 
 a 
 
 110 
 
 " or indirectly, on any occasion whatso- 
 11 ever. The British government shall only 
 " require of them an exact neutrality/'—- 
 Answer. " They become subjects of the 
 King! 9 
 
 The 42 d article stipulates, " That the 
 " French and Canadians shall continue to 
 be governed according to the custom of 
 Paris, and the laws and usages established 
 for this country; and they shall not be 
 " subject to any other imposts than those 
 " which were established under the French 
 " dominion/' Answered by the preceding 
 articles, and particularly by the last. 
 
 This request to have their old laws is • 
 thus positively refused. They are told that 
 they are to become subjects of the King of 
 Great Britain. The best proof that this 
 was the meaning of all parties, is, that from 
 the conquest to the year 1774, a period of 
 fourteen years, the Canadians were govern- 
 ed by English laws in both civil and crimi- 
 nal matters. A court of king's bench, and 
 trial by jury, were established. Had there 
 been any idea of the Canadians having a 
 right to be governed by their own laws, it 
 certainly would have been taken notice of 
 
Ill 
 
 in the definitive treaty of peace between 
 France and England in the year 1763, in 
 which Canada was finally ceded to Eng- 
 land ; but that treaty only stipulates for the 
 Canadians " the exercise of the Roman ca- 
 tholic religion, so far as the laws of Great 
 Britain permit ;" thus limiting the articles 
 in the capitulations relative to religion, and 
 defining clearly the intention and meaning 
 of the two governments. 
 
 There were no other laws acted upon by 
 the English in Canada previous to the year 
 1774, but the laws of England, and the 
 proclamations of the governor and council. 
 It is true, I believe, the laws were not ad- 
 ministered m a way to give satisfaction to 
 the Canadians ; but had they been ever so 
 well administered, it is not likely the Ca- 
 nadians would have been satisfied. They 
 did not understand either the laws or forms 
 of process. These are matters that are not 
 to be understood all at once. Perseverance 
 would have been crowned with success; 
 but the British legislature gave way to the 
 importunities of the Canadians. An act Df 
 the British parliament was passed in the 
 
in 
 
 } r ear 1774, declaring all former provisions! 
 made for the province to be null and void* 
 and that all controversies, as to property, 
 should for the future be determined agree- 
 ably to the laws of Canada. In criminal 
 matters the laws of England were still to 
 be used. 
 
 I have no hesitation in saying, that I 
 think it would have been a fortunate thing 
 for the country, if the English civil laws had 
 been also firmly and permanently estab- 
 lished ; not on account of its own superior 
 excellence, which the Canadians might 
 justly question, but because it would have 
 been understood by the judges, and uni- 
 formly and properly interpreted/ A pro- 
 per line of proceeding would, by this time, 
 have been fixed upon; the practice and 
 rules of court would have been ascertained 
 and determined ; the decisions would have 
 been uniform ; the laws would have been 
 strictly enforced ; and the minds of the 
 people kept alive to proper notions of right 
 and wrong. 
 
 Has any thing like this happened ? — - 
 not at all. In Upper Canada there is a 
 
113 
 
 chief justice and two puisne judges. Lower 
 Canada was divided into three districts in 
 the year 1794. In the district of Quebec 
 there is a chief justice and three puisne judg- 
 es, one of whom is a Canadian ; in the dis- 
 trict of Montreal the same number ; in the 
 district of Three Rivers, only one judge. — 
 The chief justices are always Englishmen; 
 the situation is respectable, and generally 
 given to some English lawyer from Lon- 
 don, who is likely to be very little ac- 
 quainted with either the laws or the lan- 
 guage of Canada. The laws are of course 
 ill understood and ill interpreted ; there has 
 been no uniformity of decision ; — the peo- 
 ple have interpreted one way 3 and have re- 
 gulated their conduct by the maxims hand- 
 ed down to them by their fathers ; the 
 judges have interpreted another way, in- 
 volving the parties in great expence and 
 trouble ; and this state of uncertainty has 
 opened a door for all sort of quibbling 
 amongst the lawyers ; the consequence has 
 been, that the people have lost all respect 
 both for the laws and for the judges. 
 
 Canada presents an instance of the bad 
 effects produced on the mind, and moral 
 
114 
 
 perceptions by a lame or improper admini- 
 stration of justice and government. 
 
 Previous to the conquest by the Eng- 
 lish, I am told that the Canadians were an 
 upright, honest people, fulfilling every en- 
 gagement, and punctual in the perform- 
 ance of their various duties. The Abbe 
 Raynal must have been wrong, when he 
 says, in describing the Canadians — " There 
 appeared in both sexes a greater degree of 
 devotion than virtue; more religion than 
 probity; a higher sense of honour than of 
 real honesty; devotion took place of mo- 
 rality ; which will always be the case 
 wherever men are taught to believe that 
 ceremonies will compensate for good 
 works, and that crimes are expiated by 
 prayers/' 
 
 After the conquest, the people of great- 
 est respectability, both civil and military, 
 retired to France — judges, counsellors, 
 great landholders, governors, and rulers of 
 all sorts : all those who, by example, pre- 
 cept, or authority, were qualified to keep 
 good order in the country, who knew the 
 people^ their prejudices, and wants: al- 
 most all such Jeft it. In their room came 
 
115 
 
 English governors and judges, who, though 
 well meaning and just men, yet knew 
 neither the people, nor their laws, language, 
 nor customs ; and (from not being brought 
 up in the country) they were unacquainted 
 with the thousand minute and undescribable 
 impressions and notions acquired in child- 
 hood, which have a strong influence on our 
 character and conduct through life. They 
 could not, in the natute of things, preserve 
 that check on the people to which they had 
 been accustomed under the judges of their 
 own nation. 
 
 Man is prone to error — he needs a curb 
 rein. The impressions which the old 
 French government and judges left behind 
 them, wore off by degrees, and the rising 
 generation degenerated. I do not mean to 
 confine this observation to the Canadians 
 alone; Englishmen felt it likewise; and 
 all mankind must feel bad effects from an 
 imperfect definition of their line of dutyj 
 and a want of good and wholesome laws. 
 
 Nothing debases a people so soon or so 
 effectually as bad laws, or a bad admini- 
 stration of laws, in themselves good : the 
 latter more frequently occurs than the for- 
 
116 
 
 mer. I have had several opportunities, be- 
 sides the present, of verifying the observa- 
 tion. 
 
 In the countries in the south of Europe, 
 for instance, particularly in Portugal, the 
 laws are good in principle, but they are ill 
 administered. The judges are very cor- 
 rupt; they are venal in the highest degree, 
 which arises from their salaries being so 
 low that they cannot support that rank in 
 life to which they are entitled. From the 
 gradual depreciation of money, their in- 
 come has been constantly getting worse.— 
 For some time, the respectability attached 
 to the character of a judge would induce 
 men of education and property to accept 
 of the situation ; domestic oeconomy would 
 enable them to preserve a respectable ap- 
 pearance : but, in time, their situation 
 ceases to be desirable. Men of inferior 
 rank and education can alone be found to 
 accept of it : bribes are offered, because 
 the judges are known to be poor both in 
 purse and spirit : bribes for the same rea- 
 sons are taken : but the blame rests with the 
 government ; — by not applying a remedy to 
 the evil, which they know to exist, they 
 
117 
 may be supposed to wink at it : it increases 
 every day : corruption of every sort creeps 
 in : a bad man will not pay his debts, if 
 by paying part to his judge he can pre- 
 serve the rest. If an innocent man is as- 
 saulted and wounded, or robbed, and the 
 culprit, though condemned upon the clear- 
 est evidence, can purchase a pardon, the 
 principle of retributive justice is wounded 
 and weakened : — in time it is altogether 
 destroyed. 
 
 I knew an instance in Portugal, where a 
 formidable band of robbers had carried on 
 a practice, for some time, of robbing, and 
 murdering in the most barbarous manner. 
 They were, upon undoubted proof, con- 
 victed of a variety of crimes of the deepest 
 die;— the mere naming of which would 
 make human nature shudder. They were 
 condemned to death, to the number of, I 
 believe, thirty. They consisted of inn- 
 keepers, muleteers, friars, younger sons of 
 respectable families: some women, too, 
 were amongst them ; but they were not 
 executed — and why? because they mus- 
 tered up twelve thousand crowns, which be- 
 ing handed over to a judge in Porto, where 
 
1J8 
 
 they were tried, he procured their pardon. 
 This circumstance is universally known in 
 Portugal : it happened in the year 1802. 
 
 Let me ask, what effect such a glaring 
 act of injustice, such abominable venality 
 in a judge, would have on society, parti- 
 cularly on the minds of the rising genera- 
 tion ? It is too evident : all idea of right 
 and wrong must be destroyed : the pas- 
 sions must gain strength, and take the lead, 
 no longer kept under by early conviction, 
 that every breach of the law will assuredly 
 be punished : private revenge, deadly 
 feuds, clandestine murder, become preva- 
 lent. All these things are, in fact, frequent 
 in Portugal, in Spain, in Italy, in Turkey, 
 and in every other country where the sources 
 of justice are polluted. 
 
 In the feudal times in Britain, much of 
 the same kind of proceedings were conti- 
 nually occurring : individual caprice, and 
 not the law, governed. Thankful ought 
 we to be that no such abuses now exist. I 
 have always thought there was great wis- 
 dom and truth in the answer my Lord 
 Mansfield gave to the King, when he was 
 asked, at the time of the riots in Lon- 
 
119 
 don, " whether he thought the government 
 had reason to be alarmed at the apparent 
 increase of licentiousness and corruption 
 in the kingdom ?" The answer was, " that 
 his Majesty had nothing to fear, so long as 
 corruption was kept out of Westminster- 
 hall" 
 
 I beg pardon for taking up your time 
 with these stories. They obtruded them- 
 selves into notice, as illustrative of my as- 
 sertion, that nothing debases a people so 
 soon, or so effectually, as the mal-admini- 
 stration of justice. 
 
 In the application of the principle to 
 Canada, I am very far from thinking that 
 any of the judges are venal or corrupt; on 
 the contrary, they are very upright and in- 
 dependent men. The criminal law of Eng- 
 land is administered in its greatest purity; 
 crimes are sure of meeting the punishment 
 attached to them : hence you seldom hear 
 of any acts of violence. In criminal mat- 
 ters, the abuse of justice strikes us forci- 
 bly; but, in civil matters also, the abuse 
 of justice has an infallible tendency to cor- 
 rupt the public mind — whether it arises 
 
120 
 
 from corruption in the judges, or from a 
 defect in the application of the laws, and 
 the arrangement of the proceedings in the 
 courts. 
 
 Here it is that Canada is defective ; the 
 ^courts are ill arranged ; the forms of pro- 
 ceeding, vague and undefined. The French 
 and English laws and forms, though good 
 by themselves, have made a very bad mix- 
 ture. There is, in short, something so bad 
 in these matters, that the ends of justice 
 are completely defeated. In Quebec, civil 
 justice is really laughed at. A man who 
 pays his debts here, has greater merit than 
 in most other countries; he need not do it 
 unless he thinks proper ; he has only to en- 
 trench himself behind the forms and quib- 
 bles of the law, and laugh at his creditors. 
 Shame ! shame ! In the extended state of 
 modern commerce, bankruptcy may ensue 
 from unforeseen and unavoidable causes. 
 No man would be more lenient in such cases 
 than myself; but fraud and deceit are the 
 same in all ages, and in all countries ; — let 
 them be marked and punished. 
 
 If you see the fraudulent bankrupt ca» 
 
121 
 
 ressed and respected, while bis fraudulency 
 is notorious ; if you see that the courts of 
 justice are no longer the terror of evil doers, 
 and the praise and protection of those that 
 do well, but are laughed at by knaves, 
 without any apprehension of their being 
 forced to do justice, or fulfil engagements 
 which it is convenient for them to evade ; 
 when you see that this open and avow- 
 ed injustice is supported by the ingenuity 
 and quibbles of lawyers, because, forsooth, 
 they have received a fee, and must do some- 
 thing for it, were it even to assert things 
 which they, and the whole court, knew to 
 be gross falsehoods ; can there be a doubt 
 that the public mind must be vitiated, and 
 the security of property weakened ? 
 
 In Canada there are no bankrupt laws; 
 and you cannot arrest your debtor, unless 
 you can swear that he is about to leave the 
 country. You cannot put his property in 
 trust for the benefit of his creditors, or 
 deprive him of the power of disposing of 
 it. You may easily conceive what an 
 opening is thus given to those who are frau- 
 dulently inclined. 
 
 If you sue him, he puts you off from 
 
122 
 
 term to term, by one quibble or another; 
 in doing which, the lawyers here are very 
 expert : for it seems a maxim with them, 
 that any regard for truth is altogether an 
 unnecessary part of their character. If 
 they wish to gain time, some of them have 
 been known to invent, on the spur of the 
 occasion, the most gross falsehoods, and im- 
 pudently pass them on the court as truths. 
 Were it necessary to be more particular, and 
 give an instance, I could at once do it. If the 
 other party denies the truth of the assertion, 
 a day is given to prove it : by that means 
 a whole term, perhaps, is lost. If at last 
 you get judgment in the lower court, the 
 matter is carried to the court of appeals, 
 where a year or two can easily be wasted : 
 an appeal may then be made to the king 
 and council. In short, one appeal follows 
 another, till your patience, and your purse 
 too, perhaps, are exhausted. The worst of 
 it is, that all this time your debtor is wast- 
 ing the money which ought to be in your 
 pocket. 
 
 Perhaps you may say, that you do not 
 feel interested in all this, as you do not in- 
 tend to go to law. So much the better :-— • 
 
123 
 
 but if you wish to know a people, you can- 
 not judge of them by a better criterion than 
 the state of their jurisprudence. With this 
 view I have gone a little into it. If you 
 should ever have any dealings in this coun- 
 try, the information may be of use to you. 
 
 The study of the law, however, is in all 
 its branches proverbially a dry study. I 
 shall therefore give you a respite. 
 
 As soon as the weather is agreeable, I 
 purpose going into the country, in different 
 directions, that I may get some knowledge 
 of the inhabitants, and of the state of agri- 
 culture. I shall have the pleasure also of 
 viewing the natural beauties of the coun- 
 try, which are scattered every where with 
 a liberal hand. 
 
124 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 Quebec, September, 180^ 
 
 I have visited the greatest part of Lower 
 Canada from Kamouraska, a hundred miles 
 below Quebec, as high up as Lachine, near 
 200 miles above it, so that I have had an 
 opportunity of making some remarks on 
 the Canadians, and their country; and 
 have, besides, had a fair specimen of Ca- 
 nadian travelling. 
 
 I shall not go too much into a detailed 
 and minute description of places, or take 
 up your time in making you read a collec- 
 tion of high-sounding inflated words, and 
 technical phrases, in an attempt to paint 
 the natural beauties of the country. Such 
 attempts have been reproved as savouring 
 of affectation, because, after all, they come 
 very far short of the true end of descrip- 
 tion — the giving a correct idea of the place 
 described ; serving more to gratify the va- 
 
125 
 
 nity of the writer, than to edify the 
 reader. 
 
 Travelling in Canada is certainly not 
 altogether so pleasant as travelling in Eng- 
 land. The Canadian calesh is a very sorry 
 vehicle, compared to the English post- 
 chaise ; nor are the auberges quite so com- 
 fortable as English inns. A person who 
 had been accustomed to travel only in Eng- 
 land, would say, that a Canadian calesh, 
 with its two wheels and single horse, with- 
 out springs, and without cushions, was not 
 fit for a Christian to be put into : and as to 
 the auberges, or inns, that they were such 
 filthy places, that you might lodge in a 
 hog-sty without your olfactory nerves being 
 more offended. 
 
 I certainly must say, that there is great 
 room for improvement, both in the form of 
 the calesh, and the comforts and accom- 
 modations of the inns. But I have seen 
 worse. In order to reconcile myself to my 
 situation, and extract as much happiness 
 from the moment as it would admit of, I 
 avoided comparisons with English inns and 
 modes of travelling. I recalled to memory 
 Spanish, Portuguese, and even French inns 
 
126 
 
 and conveyances : the balance was much 
 in favour of Canada. I felt myself per- 
 fectly comfortable, and thanked my stars 
 that it was no worse. 
 
 It adds greatly to the comfort of travel- 
 ling in Canada, that you are every w T here 
 treated with the greatest politeness and at- 
 tention. This, to me, counterbalances a 
 thousand inconveniences. Often have I 
 felt provoked on the continent of Europe, 
 when, after a fatiguing journey, — wet and 
 hungry, perhaps, into the bargain, — stop- 
 ping at a filthy place, they called an inn, 
 I have looked in vain for the least civility 
 or assistance from the people of the house ; 
 frequently obliged to carry in my own lug- 
 gage, and endeavour to find a place where 
 it might be safe from the thief-like fellows 
 about me — the landlord, perhaps, amongst 
 them. How different is the case in Ca- 
 nada! A Canadian aabergiste (landlady) 
 the moment you stop, receives you at the 
 door with a degree of politeness and urba- 
 nity which is as unexpected as it is pleas- 
 ing. Voulez vous bien, Monsieur, avoir la 
 complaisance d'entrer ; voila une chaise, 
 Monsieur ; asseyez vous s'il vous plait. If 
 
127 
 they have got any thing you want, it is 
 given at once with a good grace. If they 
 have not, they tell you so in such a tone 
 and manner, as to shew that they are sorry 
 for it. Je n en ai point, Monsieur; Tensuis 
 mortifiee. 
 
 You see that it is their poverty that re- 
 fuses you, and not their will. A man must 
 be as savage as a Goth, and as surly as a 
 city epicure over spoiled venison, who, 
 with such treatment, though his dinner 
 should be indifferent, could leave the house 
 in bad humour. 
 
 The Canadian innkeeper is frequently 
 a farmer also, or a shopkeeper. Indeed, 
 you need never be at a loss for a house to 
 stop at. There is not a farmer, shopkeeper, 
 nay, nor even a seigneur, or country gen- 
 tleman, who, on being civilly applied to 
 for accommodation, will not give you the 
 best bed in the house, and every accom- 
 modation in his power. 
 
 The Canadians seem to have brought 
 the old French politeness with them to this 
 country, and to have handed it down to 
 the present generation. One is more sur- 
 
128 
 
 prised to find here courtesy and urbanity, 
 from the little likelihood that such plants 
 would exist, far less flourish, in the wilds of 
 Canada. 
 
 During the months of July and August 
 travelling in Canada is very uncomfortable 
 from the great heat of the weather. The 
 thermometer generally shews near 80 de- 
 grees : however, where the occasion is very 
 urgent, the inconvenience is not so great as 
 to prevent you. In September the heat is 
 more moderate, and travelling becomes 
 pleasant. 
 
 From Quebec to Montreal the distance 
 is about 180 miles. You may either hire 
 a calesh to go the whole way, or take a 
 calesh from post-house to post-house. If 
 you proceed direct, they generally make 24 
 posts; and you get into Montreal on the 
 morning of the third day, without travel- 
 ling in the night time. The usual charge 
 for posting is fifteen pence a league, which 
 is much cheaper than posting in England. 
 Indeed, it ought to be so, considering the 
 nature of the vehicle, and your having only 
 one horse ; besides, hay and corn are much 
 
129 
 cheaper here than in England, and there is 
 no post-horse duty. 
 
 In the course of the journey to Mon- 
 treal you are now and then tempted to 
 stop, or to go a little out of your way, for 
 the purpose of seeing a few places of note. 
 You behold, every where, fine interesting 
 scenery ; the road runs the whole way along 
 the river St. Lawrence ; its banks and is- 
 lands vary their appearance every hour, and 
 keep the mind continually occupied and 
 amused. 
 
 The road differs from all others I have 
 seen, in this, that it may be said to be al- 
 most a continued street; one house suc- 
 ceeds another so quickly, that I believe I 
 may safely say there is not a mile without 
 one. Except the town of Trois rivieres 
 (Three rivers), you have scarcely any place 
 that deserves the name of a town: but 
 every parish church has a village in its 
 neighbourhood ; and of these there are, 
 between Quebec and Montreal, upwards 
 of twenty. In these little villages we see 
 the beginnings of, perhaps, large county 
 towns; for here the parishes contain as 
 
130 
 
 much ground as many of the counties do 
 in England. 
 
 The quick succession of houses on this 
 road arose from the manner in which the 
 lands were granted. The whole course of 
 the river on both sides, from its mouth to 
 within about thirty miles above Montreal, 
 was divided by the French king into a cer- 
 tain number of seignenries, or lordships, 
 which were given to those who had influ- 
 ence enough to procure them: but they 
 were bound to concede them in certain lots, 
 to such of the inhabitants of the country as 
 might apply for them ; who were, at the 
 same time, bound to settle upon the lands, 
 and clear them of the woods ; keep open 
 the highways, and perform certain other 
 services. The lots ran along the course of 
 the river, a certain number of yards in front, 
 by so many in depth. In front they were 
 very narrow, generally but three square 
 acres ; however they run back into the coun- 
 try a considerable way, generally about 
 eighty square acres. The side of a square 
 acre is about 70 yards. 
 
 The first thing to be done was to build 
 
131 
 
 a house, and open a road to communicate 
 with their next neighbours. They then, by 
 degrees, cleared and cultivated their land* 
 In this way a road was made, and the coun- 
 try cleared by the sides of the river, where 
 even now the great bulk of the population 
 of Canada is found. The first settlers had 
 additional reasons for clearing the lands, 
 and settling along the course of the river. 
 It enabled them to communicate with Que- 
 bec easily by means of canoes; and in 
 winter, when the heavy snows fall, their 
 settling near each other enabled them to 
 keep open the communication, by uniting 
 their efforts, which is still the case. 
 
 I am told, that, after a fall of snow, one 
 man drives his sledge to his next neigh- 
 bour (a very difficult matter sometimes), 
 who joins him with his cattle in going to 
 the next, and so on, till a path is trodden 
 sufficiently hard to bear the horses. 
 
 The cultivated land does not extend far 
 back in general. When the seigneurs, or 
 lords of the manor, had granted, or, as it 
 is called here, conceded those lots of their 
 seigneurie, or lordship, which fronted the 
 river, they made fresh concessions (be- 
 
132 
 
 hind the first) of the lands which receded 
 still further. On the first grants or con- 
 cessions there is always left a certain por- 
 tion of wood for domestic purposes, and 
 for fuel ; this tract of wood forms a boun- 
 dary between the first and second conces- 
 sion. When the soil happens to be good, 
 or the situation to be attended with very 
 favourable circumstances, four or *five con- 
 cessions have taken place; and they are 
 now increasing in the ratio of the po- 
 pulation. But tracts of primeval wood are 
 still preserved between the different con- 
 cessions or grants; from which circum- 
 stance the country retains, and will long 
 retain, a wooded wild appearance. 
 
 When you meet with rivers which run 
 into the St. Lawrence, you see cultivation 
 carried up their banks much further. In- 
 deed, it is on the banks of such rivers where 
 the best land is generally found ; such as 
 the river Quelle, river de Sud, river Cham- 
 bly, river de Loup, &c. 
 
 The river Quelle has its source in moun- 
 tains to the southward ; and it falls into the 
 St. Lawrence near one hundred miles be- 
 low Quebec. For several miles before it 
 
133 
 
 joins the great river, it runs through a level 
 and very fertile country ; and the tide flows 
 up for a considerable way, so as to make 
 it navigable for small vessels. This district 
 is well cultivated, and very populous. The 
 neighbouring parishes of Kamouraska and 
 St. Ann's are also populous, and well cul- 
 tivated. 
 
 The configuration of this part of the 
 country is very curious. In the middle of 
 rich plains you see a number of small hills 
 covered with wood ; they rise like so many 
 rocks in the ocean. On approaching and 
 examining them narrowly, you find that 
 they are literally bare rocks, of primitive 
 granite, full of fissures, in which pine trees 
 have taken root, and grown to a consider- 
 able size so as to cover the rocks. It is 
 probable the great river at some former pe- 
 riod covered this part of the country, when 
 these hills were so many islands ; and that 
 the rich soil which now surrounds them, is 
 a deposition from its waters. The proba- 
 bility of this conjecture is strengthened by 
 the circumstance, that the islands of Ka- 
 mouraska, still insulated only at high wa- 
 
134 
 
 tei\ resemble in every respect the rocky 
 hills surrounded by the fertile fields. 
 
 The river de Sud likewise takes its rise 
 in the mountains to the southward. It falls 
 into the St. Lawrence at St. Thomas, after 
 watering a beautiful and rich plain, which 
 runs up into the country for many miles. 
 
 This river is one of those which literally 
 falls into the river St. Lawrence. This fall 
 is not to be compared to some of the others; 
 but still, when the river is full, it has a fine 
 effect, as the precipice is about twenty feet. 
 It affords excellent situations for mills, of 
 which the lord of the manor has availed 
 himself. 
 
 I rode up the banks of this river for up- 
 wards of twenty miles into the parish of 
 St. Francis, and was surprised to find 
 so much cultivation; and that, too, in a 
 better style than I had usually seen. Were 
 I to choose a situation as a farmer, it would 
 be on the banks of the river Quelle, or de 
 Sud. I am inclined to give these situa- 
 tions the preference, even to the country on 
 the river de Loup, although it is near 200 
 miles further up the St. Lawrence, and 
 
135 
 
 consequently further to the south ; and al- 
 though there certainly is an extensive tract 
 of very valuable land in that quarter, and 
 situated, too, between Quebec and Mon- 
 treal. 
 
 The country in the neighbourhood of 
 the river Chambly does not yield to the 
 others either in fertility or beauty. This 
 river has two names ; sometimes it is called 
 Chambly, sometimes Sorel; places thus 
 named being situated upon it. This river 
 is of great value to Canada, because it has 
 its source in Lake Champlain, from whence 
 great quantities of valuable produce, par- 
 ticularly ship-timber and pot-ashes, are 
 annually introduced from the United 
 States. Indeed, it is the only channel ac- 
 knowledged in law for the commerce of the 
 States with Lower Canada. Hence, at a 
 place called St. Johns, on this river, near 
 the lake, we have established a custom- 
 house, which takes cognizance of whatever 
 passes to and from the United States. 
 
 There is a fort at Chambly, and another 
 at St. John's : neither of them are very for- 
 midable ; that at Chambly is built of stone 
 — that at St. John s of wood. We gene- 
 
136 
 
 rally have some troops at St. John's, as it 
 is the frontier town. The officer who com- 
 mands the detachment generally examines 
 those who pass either way: it is a kind of 
 check on evil-disposed subjects, but a very 
 ineffectual one, as experience has proved. 
 Those who do not wish to be known, can 
 find many ways of getting from the one 
 country to the other without going by St. 
 John's. 
 
 The Canadians are but poor farmers. — 
 Indeed, they are generally so, in more 
 senses of the word than one. They are ac- 
 cused of indolence, and an aversion to ex- 
 periment, or the introduction of any changes 
 in their ancient habits and customs, and 
 probably with reason : — it is the characte- 
 ristic of the peasantry of all countries. — 
 The improvements that have taken place 
 in Britain have not originated with the pea- 
 santry. Commerce has introduced wealth 
 among the middle classes of society. Gen- 
 tlemen, who farm their own grounds, or 
 wealthy farmers, have generally been the 
 inventors or promoters of useful improve- 
 ments : now, in this country, you have 
 very few men of this description. It is true 
 
137 
 
 the land is the property of those who cul- 
 tivate it : but their capitals are generally so 
 limited, and their farms so small, that they 
 cannot afford to make experiments: and 
 when, to this, you add their total want of 
 education, and consequent ignorance of 
 every thing that does not come within the 
 scope of their own limited observation, you 
 cease to be surprised that the country should 
 be so badly cultivated. 
 
 Some places, however, deserve to be 
 mentioned, as exceptions to the general 
 rule. I remarked some farms on the rivers 
 Ouelle and de Sud that would not disgrace 
 Norfolk or Northumberland. 
 
 The Canadian farmer is not sufficiently 
 aware of the value of manures, and of ar- 
 tificial grasses : nor does he seem to reflect, 
 that it is more advantageous to have a small 
 farm of good land in high cultivation, than 
 a large farm half laboured or neglected.— 
 He ploughs the same field, and sows in it 
 the same sort of grain, twenty times over; 
 he does not think of a routine of crops, nor 
 does he renovate the exhausted soil by the 
 addition of manures ; the only remedy he 
 knows for land so exhausted as to yield 
 
138 
 
 little or no return, is, to let it lie fallow for 
 some time. It is in vain to endeavour to 
 convince him of his error: nothing but 
 example will produce any good effect.— 
 This they begin to have. Some of the far- 
 mers are a little more enlightened than the 
 generality of them : they have ventured to 
 listen to reason, and to reflect upon the 
 comparative value of different modes of 
 treating their lands; and they begin to 
 make innovations in their ancient systems 
 of farming. 
 
 One of the principal causes of the po- 
 verty, not only of the Canadian farmer, but 
 also of all ranks amongst them, is the ex- 
 istence of an old French law, by which the 
 property of either a father or mother is, on 
 the death of either, equally divided amongst 
 their children. Nothing seems more con- 
 sonant to the clearest principles of justice 
 than such a law; yet it assuredly is preju- 
 dicial to society. 
 
 In this country (or indeed in any other) 
 an estate, with a good house upon it, con- 
 venient and appropriate offices, and a good 
 stock of cattle, u\-dy be well cultivated, and 
 support, creditably, a numerous family.— 
 
139 
 
 If the head of the family dies, leaving half 
 a dozen children, the estate and whole pro- 
 pert}' is divided amongst them, which hap- 
 pens here every day. Each of the sons 
 takes possession of his own lot, builds a 
 house, marries, and has a family. The va- 
 lue of the whole property is very much les- 
 sened. He who gets the lot, with the dwell- 
 ing-house and offices, which served for the 
 whole estate, gets what is out of all pro- 
 portion to the means he now has of em- 
 ploying them : he can neither occupy them, 
 nor keep them in repair. The other lots 
 are generally too small to supply the ex- 
 pences of a family, or enable their owners 
 to support that state of respectability in the 
 country which their father did ; so that, in- 
 stead of one respectable and wealthy head 
 of a family, who could protect and assist 
 the younger branches, giving them a good 
 education, and putting them forward in the 
 world, you have half a dozen poor dispi- 
 rited creatures, who have not energy or 
 power to improve either their lands or them- 
 selves. Without great industry, and some 
 capital, new lands cannot be brought into 
 
140 
 
 cultivation, nor can those already cleared 
 be made very productive. 
 
 The law alluded to might do very well 
 in such a country as Canada for a few ge- 
 nerations, while the new grants continued 
 very large : but the divisions and subdivi- 
 sions must, in time, become too minute, 
 and be a check on the improvement of the 
 country, in an agricultural point of view ; 
 and also, as a natural consequence, retard 
 the increase of population. 
 
 This division of property is extremely 
 prejudicial to the interest not only of the 
 landholder but also to that of the merchant, 
 shopkeeper, and mechanic. 
 
 When one of the parents dies, an in- 
 ventory is made of the property, and each 
 child can immediately insist on the share of 
 the property the law allows. The French 
 law supposes that matrimony is a co-part- 
 nership; and that, consequently, on the 
 death of .the wife, the children have a right 
 to demand from their father the half of his 
 property, as heirs to their mother. If the 
 wife's relations are not on good terms with 
 the father, a thing that sometimes happens, 
 
141 
 
 they find it no difficult matter to induce the 
 children to demand a partage, or division, 
 which often occasions the total ruin of the 
 father, because he loses credit, equal, at 
 least, to his loss of property, and often to 
 a greater extent. His powers are dimi- 
 nished, and his children still have a claim 
 on him for support. 
 
 One effect of this law, and not one of 
 the least material, is, that the affection be- 
 tween parents and children is likely to be 
 destroyed by it : and, in fact, k is remark- 
 ed, that in this country the instances of un- 
 feeling conduct between parents and chil- 
 dren are extremely frequent, and a spirit 
 of litigation is excited amongst them. One 
 is at a loss to account for such unnatural 
 conduct, until an acquaintance with the 
 laws and customs of the country gives a 
 clue to unravel the mystery. 
 
 The law, making marriage a co-part- 
 nership, and creating a communite de bien 9 
 is sanctioned by the code of French law, 
 called Coutume de Paris, which indeed is 
 the text book of the Canadian lawyer; the 
 wife being by marriage invested with a 
 right to half the husband's property ; and, 
 
142 
 
 being rendered independent of him, is per- 
 haps the remote cause that the fair sex have 
 such influence in France ; and in Canada, 
 it is well known, that a great deal of con- 
 sequence, and even an air of superiority to 
 the husband, is assumed by them. In ge- 
 neral (if you will excuse a vulgar metaphor), 
 the grey mare is the better horse. 
 
 British subjects coming to this country 
 are liable to the operation of all these Ca- 
 nadian or French laws, in the same man- 
 ner that the Canadians themselves are. — 
 They are not always aware of this circum- 
 stance ; and it has created much disturb- 
 ance in families. A man who has made a 
 fortune here (a thing by the bye which does 
 not very often happen), conceives that he 
 ought, as in England, to have the disposal 
 of it as he thinks proper. No, says the 
 Canadian law, you have a right to one half 
 only; and if your wife dies, her children, 
 or, in case you have no children, her near- 
 est relations may oblige you to make a 
 partage, and give them half your proper- 
 ty, were it a hundred thousand guineas, 
 and they the most worthless wretches in ex- 
 istence. Nothing can prevent this but an 
 
143 
 antinuptial contract of marriage, barring 
 the communite de bien. 
 
 From Canadian travelling I got on Ca- 
 nadian farming : the farming led me to the 
 farmers, and these to their laws and cus- 
 toms. One cannot well avoid following up 
 an association of ideas ; but it occurs to 
 me that, having mentioned Montreal, you 
 will naturally expect me to give you some 
 account of it, which I shall attempt to do 
 in my next letter. 
 
144 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 Quebec, 1807. 
 
 Montreal is situated on an island; but 
 the island is so large in proportion to the 
 water which surrounds it, that you are not 
 sensible of its insularity. A branch of the 
 river Ottawas, which falls into the St. 
 Lawrence above Montreal, takes a north- 
 erly direction, and forms the island. This 
 branch joins the St. Lawrence at Repen- 
 tigni, where the public road from Quebec 
 is continued by a ferry of about a mile in 
 breadth. A little above the ferry there is 
 an island ; on each side of which the chan- 
 nel narrows much, and an attempt has 
 lately been made to build a bridge across 
 — it failed. The masses of ice which came 
 down the river when the winter broke up, 
 carried the bridge away. The attempt 
 however will be renewed upon a different 
 plan, and, it is to be hoped, will prove suc- 
 cessful, as it would be of great utility to 
 
145 
 
 the inhabitants of the surrounding coun- 
 try, besides very accommodating to tra- 
 vellers. 
 
 The island is about thirty miles in length, 
 by about ten in breadth. The city of Mon- 
 treal is situated near the upper end of it, 
 on the south side of the island, at the di- 
 stance of about one hundred and eighty 
 ' miles from Quebec. It lies in latitude 
 45-30, being about 70 miles to the south- 
 ward of Quebec. They pretend to say, that 
 the spring is always earlier than at Quebec 
 by near a month, and I believe it is allow- 
 ed to be so. One would scarcely think that 
 so small a difference of latitude, should pro- 
 duce such an effect; it would not be so in 
 Europe; there must be some aiding cause 
 with which we are not acquainted. 
 
 Montreal was once surrounded by a 
 wall, which served to defend it against any 
 sudden attack from the Indians; but as 
 this is now no longer dreaded, the wall is 
 about to be removed, that the town may 
 be enlarged with the greater facility. The 
 St. Lawrence comes close to the town on 
 the south side, where there is a great depth 
 
146 
 
 of water, but vessels have much difficulty 
 to get at it ; for immediately below the 
 town there is a current, to stem which a very 
 strong breeze is necessary : vessels lie some- 
 times for weeks (waiting for a wind) with- 
 in a couple of miles of the town, without be- 
 ing able to reach it. It is a pity the site of the 
 town had not been chosen at the bottom in- 
 stead of the top of the current. This cer- 
 tainly would have been the case had the ori- 
 ginal founders reflected for a moment what 
 might be the future destiqy of the place. But 
 they were monks, whose minds were di- 
 rected to the propagation of their religion, 
 more than the advancement of commerce. 
 Montreal may be said to be a handsome 
 town. Its streets are regular and airy; and 
 contain many handsome and commodious 
 houses. It is fully as large and as popu- 
 lous as Quebec, containing about 10,000 
 people, the great mass of whom are Cana- 
 dians. Its suburbs, too, are extensive. Ithas 
 suffered greatly from fire at different times, 
 and the precautions taken to prevent the 
 spreading of conflagration exceed even those 
 of Quebec; for, in addition to the roofs 
 
147 
 being generally covered with tinned plates, 
 the windows have outside shutters, covered 
 with plate iron. 
 
 The island of Montreal is wholly in a 
 state of cultivation ; and it is surrounded 
 by a country generally cultivated. What 
 adds much to its consequence is, its being 
 situated near the embouchure of several 
 rivers, which bring down from the coun- 
 tries through which they flow a great deal 
 of very valuable produce. 
 
 The river Chambly opens a communica- 
 tion with Lake Champlain, whence are re- 
 ceived large quantities of wood, potashes, 
 salted provisions, wheat, &c. From the 
 river UAssomption much valuable pro- 
 duce is brought. The river of the Ottawais, 
 which forms the northern boundary of the 
 island, opens a communication with an im- 
 mense extent of country. It is through this 
 river that the traders to the northwest ter- 
 ritories proceed. They go in birch ca- 
 noes many hundred miles up this river, till 
 they meet with rivers which discharge in 
 Lake Huron, from thence they get into 
 Lake Superior, and so on to the Grand 
 Portage, where they discharge the goods 
 
148 
 
 they have taken up, _and are again loaded 
 with the furs that have been got in exchange 
 for the preceding year's investment. They 
 do not return by the same course, but by 
 way of Detroit, and through Lakes Erie 
 and Ontario. Montreal is at the head of 
 the ship-navigation from the ocean, and 
 the bateaux and canoe-navigation from 
 and to Upper Canada must commence and 
 terminate at La Chine near Montreal. From 
 these circumstances Montreal bids fair to 
 rival Quebec in commerce :— It is more 
 convenient as a depot for produce. But as 
 Quebec must ever be the great shipping 
 place, there, general merchants will find 
 many inducements to settle. 
 
 Although the St. Lawrence is navigable 
 for large vessels as high up as Montreal, 
 yet the navigation above Quebec is at- 
 tended with so many inconveniencies, that 
 in general it is found more advantageous 
 for the vessels to stop at Quebec, and 
 for such of their cargoes as come from 
 Montreal, to be brought down in river 
 craft. 
 
 The influence of the tide is not felt at 
 Montreal, nor indeed for many miles be- 
 
149 
 low it. I understand that it has been ob- 
 served that the water at the town of Trois 
 rivieres, rises from the pressure of the tide 4 
 — it is about half way between Quebec and 
 Montreal. At any rate, it cannot be sup- 
 posed to have any effect above Lake St. 
 Pe£ers,which commences about two leagues 
 above Trois rivieres. 
 
 This lake is about twenty miles in 
 length, and about fifteen miles in breadth. 
 It is formed by the waters of the St. Law- 
 rence expanding over a level country, 
 aided by several considerable rivers, which 
 terminate their course here; such as the 
 Masquinonge, De Loup, St. Francis, &c. 
 The lake is, in general, very shallow, 
 and in the ship channel there is not usually 
 found more than from eleven to twelve feet 
 water, as I have already mentioned : so that 
 loaded vessels sometimes take the ground, 
 and are under the necessity of being light- 
 ened of part of their cargo, which is put 
 into river craft, and taken in again, in deep 
 water. Vessels of a considerable draught 
 of water, instead of taking in their whole 
 cargo at Montreal, take in only such part 
 of it as they can carry across the Lake, 
 
150 
 
 and take the remainder below the lake from 
 river craft which accompany them. 
 
 The country in the neighbourhood of 
 Montreal is very fine. About two miles 
 from the town there is a very beautiful hilh 
 commonly called the Mountain ; it is about 
 700 feet in height from the level of the river. 
 A part of this hill is covered with wood, but 
 much of it is in a state of cultivation. 
 I rode to the top of it, whence you have 
 a noble view of the surrounding country, 
 bounded by the mountains in the state of 
 New York towards the south. 
 
 Between the Mountain and town of 
 Montreal, there are a great many very fine 
 gardens and orchards, abounding with a 
 variety of fruit of the very first quality, and 
 no place can be better supplied with vegeta- 
 bles than Montreal. Quebec, too, is ex- 
 tremely well supplied with vegetables, and 
 a regular succession of fruit; but cannot 
 vie with Montreal, where both soil and 
 climate combine to produce the finest fruit 
 I have ever seen. The apples are particu- 
 larly good. — The Pomme de Neige, so called 
 from its being extremely white, and from 
 its having the granulated appearance of 
 
151 
 
 snow, when broken ; it also dissolves, almost 
 entirely, in the mouth like snow : the Fa- 
 meuse, Bourassa, and Pomme Gris, are very 
 fine apples* Peaches, apricots and plums, 
 are found in the greatest perfection ; and, 
 with the protection of glass, you have grapes 
 as good for the table as any I ever saw in 
 Portugal. Currants, raspberries, gooseber- 
 ries, and every sort of small fruit are found 
 in great abundance. The markets of Mon- 
 treal are extremely well supplied with all the 
 necessaries and most of the luxuries of the 
 table; provisions are particularly plentiful in 
 winter, for then their industrious neighbours 
 the Yankees bring in great quantities, such 
 as fresh fish, bacon, cheese, &c. The 
 greater distance of Quebec prevents them 
 from receiving this sort of supply from the 
 United States ; but their own resources are 
 copious. 
 
 The orchards in the neighbourhood of 
 Montreal produce apples, which yield as 
 fine cyder as ever was drank. 
 
 La Chine is situated about nine miles 
 from Montreal. It is a place of considera- 
 ble consequence, from the circumstance, 
 mentioned before, of its being the place 
 
152 
 
 where the bateaux (flat-bottomed boats), 
 and canal navigation commences for Up- 
 per Canada, and for the country in the 
 north-west. The first, go by way of Lake 
 Ontario and Niagara; the second, go up 
 the Outawais river towards Lake Superior. 
 They are under the necessity of com- 
 mencing their voyage from La Chine in- 
 stead of Montreal, because the river St. 
 Lawrence is so rapid between Montreal 
 and La Chine that loaded canoes cannot 
 be forced up. 
 
 I had the pleasure of seeing both an 
 arrival and departure of canoes from and 
 to the north-west territories, — It certainly is 
 a curious spectacle. It is surprising to see 
 the great quantity of goods put into one 
 of the large birch canoes ; and it is no less 
 surprising to think, that with such a load, 
 and in such a vessel, they should undertake 
 a voyage of some thousand miles. 
 
 The canoe is one of 4he most frail con- 
 veyances you can imagine ; — you probably 
 have seen the model of one. The length 
 of the large ones is about thirty feet, the 
 greatest breadth about six feet ; they be" 
 come gradually narrow towards each end, 
 
153 
 
 till they terminate in a point; the bottom 
 is rounded, and they have no keel. A 
 frame of thin slips of wood is formed, over 
 which they fasten sections of the bark of 
 the birch tree. These sections are sewed 
 together with filaments of the roots of a 
 tree, and the seams made water-tight by a 
 species of gum, w r hich hardens and adheres 
 very firmly. 
 
 The canoe is constructed with much 
 ingenuity : it is extremely light, and there- 
 fore answers the purposes for which it is 
 intended perfectly well. The canoe is the 
 common conveyance on the river St. Law- 
 rence, and on the lakes : the largest, how- 
 ever, are used by the North-west Company, 
 for conveying goods into the Indian terri- 
 tory, and bringing down furs. These cost 
 about 201. 
 
 The North-west Company consists of a 
 number of merchants associated for the 
 purposes of trading with the Indians in furs. 
 They formed the association in the year 
 1784; and have carried on the trade with 
 great spirit and success. Those who ma- 
 nage the concerns of the company reside 
 in Montreal : they receive a compensation 
 
154 
 
 for their trouble, besides their share of the 
 profits of the concern. From Montreal 
 they send up the country large quantities 
 of goods, to be bartered with the Indians 
 for furs. For the conveyance of these 
 goods, and for bringing back the furs, they 
 have employed, generally, about fifty ca- 
 noes, and upwards of a thousand people ; 
 such as canoe-men (styled voyageurs), 
 guides, clerks, &c. The capital employed 
 in this trade, in goods alone, is, I have been 
 told, upwards of 100,0001. 
 
 The goods are made up in packages of 
 about 80lbs. for the convenience of stow- 
 ing, and of carrying across these places, 
 where the loaded canoe cannot pass. In 
 many places they meet with rapids and 
 falls, which arrest their progress : in such 
 cases, they unload the canoe, and carry 
 both it and its cargo to the next canoeable 
 water. Six men carry one of the largest 
 canoes : its load weighs generally from four 
 to five tons; consisting of a number of 
 small packages, which they carry very ex- 
 peditiously. These Canadian voyageurs 
 are hardy, strong fellows : they have been 
 known to carry at one time five packages, 
 
155 
 
 weighing about 80lbs. each, over a portage 
 of nine miles. 
 
 The canoes, when they take their de- 
 parture from La Chine, are loaded to with- 
 in about six inches of the gunwale, or edge 
 of the canoe. Instead of oars, they use 
 paddles, which they handle with great dex- 
 terity. They strike off, singing a song pe- 
 culiar to themselves, called the Voyageur 
 Song : one man takes the lead, and all the 
 others join in a chorus. It is extremely 
 pleasing to see people who are toiling 
 hard, display such marks of good humour 
 and contentment, although they know, 
 that for a space of more than 2000 miles 
 their exertions must be unremitting, and 
 their living very poor; for, in the little space 
 allowed in the canoe for provisions, you 
 find none of the luxuries, and a very scanty 
 supply of the necessaries, of life. The 
 song is of great use : they keep time with 
 their paddles to its measured cadence, and, 
 by uniting their force, increase its effect 
 considerably. 
 
 The Canadian is of a lively, gay tem- 
 per ; well calculated for the arduous task 
 
156 
 
 which he has to perform in his capacity of 
 voyageur. 
 
 The character of the voyageur resem- 
 bles very much that of the British sailor: 
 he is equally rough in his manners and ap- 
 pearance — equally thoughtless and impro- 
 vident: he endures the greatest fatigue 
 without complaining, and obeys implicitly 
 the orders of the person who has charge of 
 the canoe (his bourgeois, as he is called), 
 without ever pretending to question or 
 doubt their propriety : he paddles and 
 sings, and eats and sleeps, regardless of 
 to-morrow. Like the jolly tar, he no sooner 
 receives his wages than he commences a 
 life of extravagance and debauchery, The 
 sailor knows that money at sea can be of 
 no use to him, and he hastens to rid him- 
 self of his gold. The voyageur, in like manner, 
 knows that money is of no use in the inte- 
 rior of America ; and he, too, hastens to get 
 quit of his dollars. Although they act in 
 different situations, yet their minds are ope- 
 rated on in the same way : hence arises a 
 resemblance of character. 
 
 From Montreal, Upper Canada is sup- 
 
157 
 
 plied with a great variety of merchandize, 
 which is conveyed up the river St. Lawrence 
 in bateaux, or flat-bottomed boats, carry- 
 ing from four to five tons. They are about 
 forty feet in length, by six feet in breadth. 
 The return cargo is flour, potash, wheat, 
 peltries, &c. They commence their voy- 
 age at Lachine, go as high as Kingston, 
 situated near the commencement of Lake 
 Ontario, where the goods are put into large 
 vessels, to be carried up to Niagara. The 
 bateaux take in a return cargo, and get 
 into Lachine after ten or twelve days ab- 
 sence. The distance from Lachine to 
 Kingston is about 200 miles. 
 
 The government have stores at La- 
 chine for the reception of a variety of dif- 
 ferent sorts of goods, of which they think 
 proper to make presents to the Indians. 
 
 You probably expect that I should give 
 you some account of the Indians. Doubt- 
 less I have seen hundreds of them ; but 
 those were such miserable-looking, disgust- 
 ing creatures, that I do not undertake the 
 task of describing them with any degree of 
 pleasure. 
 
 Indians of different nations, and from 
 
158 
 
 different parts of America connected with 
 Canada, come annually to Quebec, to 
 Montreal, and to other military posts, to 
 receive the presents which the government 
 annually distribute amongst them. Those 
 who come to Quebec encamp at a little 
 distance from the town, on the banks of 
 the St. Lawrence ; and I took the earliest 
 opportunity to go and see them, gratifying 
 a curiosity so natural to Europeans. 
 
 Conceive to yourself a parcel of men, 
 women, and children, huddled together 
 under a wigwam^ formed of pieces of wood, 
 seven or eight feet in length, the ends 
 fixed in the ground, and meeting at 
 the top, form a kind of sloping frame, which 
 is covered with the bark of the birch-tree, 
 to keep out the inclemencies of the wea- 
 ther—a very poor covering indeed. They 
 are half naked, wholly covered with dirt, 
 and oily paints, and swarming with vermin ; 
 diminutive, and weakly in their persons and 
 appearance; and having a physiognomy, 
 in which you look in vain for traces of intel- 
 ligence. I do not mean to say that they are 
 without the reasoning faculty, but they cer- 
 tainly appear excessively stupid. I under- 
 
159 
 
 stand that their numbers decrease every year, 
 — if they were wholly extinct, I do not think 
 that human nature would be a great sufferer 
 by it. 
 
 If you wish to see a very pretty story 
 about the dignity of the Indian, you have 
 only to consult Rayjtal, who says a great 
 deal more for them than dame na- 
 ture warrants. Their stupid apathy and 
 indifference about the objects of civilized 
 society is called noble independence of 
 spirit. To the same source is traced their 
 adopting a wandering life, with all its pri- 
 vations and hardships, in preference to a 
 fixed abode, and the culture of the ground. 
 Frequent attempts have been made to do- 
 mesticate them, by taking them when 
 young children into European families, 
 and treating them with every attention. It 
 is surprising, however, that there is no in- 
 stance of succeeding in the attempt, or of 
 their learning any occupation and be- 
 coming members of civilized society. 
 
 Two Indians were in England not long 
 since. They had been employed as com- 
 mon voyagears in the northwest trade, and 
 had learned a little English. — They found 
 means to get to England by way of New 
 
160 
 
 York, and represented themselves to be 
 Indian princes, come to make a represen- 
 tation to government. They were treated 
 in the handsomest manner, — lodged in a 
 hotel in London, and all their expences 
 paid. They returned here lately, genteelly 
 dressed, a la mode Angloise, but in a very 
 short time they betook themselves to the 
 woods, adopting the Indian dress and ha- 
 bits; one would naturally have thought, 
 that after visiting London, and having ex- 
 perienced the comforts of civilized life, 
 they would not have so soon assumed their 
 ancient habits ; perhaps, there is some- 
 thing in the nature of the Indian, which 
 tells him that a forest is his proper home, 
 and hunting his fellow tenants of the wood, 
 his proper employment. 
 
 I may be thought too severe on the In- 
 dians, by those who have been on the 
 banks of the rivers Missouri and Missis- 
 sippi, or in the north-west territories be- 
 yond the Lakes. There, Indians are to be 
 seen in their natural, unsophisticated state. 
 Those that I have seen, have occasionally 
 mixt with Europeans. They are extremely 
 fond of strong spirits, in which both sexes 
 
161 
 indulge to excess, and are then guilty of the 
 most dreadful cruelties, maiming and mur- 
 dering their friends and relations in the 
 most savage manner. 
 
 Amongst the nations in the interior, I 
 am informed there are found individuals 
 who shew great powers of ratiocination ; 
 possess many virtues ; and who want no- 
 thing but education to be equal to Euro- 
 peans. Whether the generality of them 
 ought to be placed on that footing or not, 
 appears problematical. To form a just 
 estimate of their genius and mental powers, 
 more facts are wanting; a few instances 
 of individual pre-eminence are not enough. 
 Great allowance must, no doubt, be made 
 for the circumstance that their situation in 
 life calls for the display of only a particur 
 lar kind of talents ; and to those naturally 
 will the force of their mental powers be di- 
 rected. Of their bravery in war, there are 
 many proofs ; as also of their ingenuity and 
 dexterity in the chace. The whok j powers 
 of their mind have been directed to these 
 objects. Letters have not been introduced 
 amongst them ; and reading promotes re- 
 flection. It gives to the mind a new kind 
 
 M 
 
] 
 
 of existence ; it strengthens and enlarges- 
 the power of its operations. 
 
 Whether nature, has put the American 
 Indian on the same footing, in every respect, 
 with the European, as to mental powers, 
 is not to be ascertained in the present day : 
 we want facts from which to judge. — 
 Among all other animals, we see certain 
 classes or species of the same genus superior 
 one to the other. The Author of Nature 
 has willed it so. It is possible that the Au- 
 thor of Nature may also have made varie- 
 ties in the human race, differing from each 
 other in their powers both of body and 
 mind ; and that the American Indian, the 
 African, and the European, are illustra- 
 tions of the fact. 
 
 The commerce of the river St. Lawrence 
 differs as much from that of the European 
 countries, as the appearance of Canada 
 does from that of the countries in Europe. 
 From what I have said in my different com- 
 munications to you on these subjects, as 
 well as on the political state of the coun- 
 try, I trust I have enabled you to form a 
 general idea of them. Many subjects of 
 importance require yet to be illustrated. 
 
163 
 
 I must, at greater length, explain to you 
 the nature and value of the exports and im- 
 ports of the country, its productions, ma- 
 nufactures, &c. in order to shew you its 
 value as a British colony. — These matters 
 will form the subject of my next commu- 
 nication > 
 
164 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 Quebec, December, 180JT, 
 
 The navigation of the river St. Lawrence 
 is now closed — not a vessel to be seem- 
 like the migrating birds, they have gone in 
 search of a milder climate ; immense 
 masses of ice occupy their place, and ride 
 triumphant in the river. Canada has put 
 on her winter clothing, she is wrapped in 
 snow, and the rivers are bound up in ice. 
 We have all assumed our winter dresses ; 
 furs and flannels are substituted for nan- 
 keens arid muslins. The wharfs and quays, 
 lately so moving a scene, are now deserted; 
 business is at a stand. The merchant, and 
 the variety of people employed by him, 
 are now idle; amusements and festivity 
 have assumed the place of the more serious 
 and important occupations of life. The 
 amusements of this country, particularly 
 the winter amusements, have a distinctive 
 character ; you would look in vain for any 
 
165 
 
 thing of the same kind, in the temperate 
 climes of Europe. I shall be better able to 
 give you a description of these matters, and 
 of the curious phenomena which the Ca- 
 nadian winter months offer to our observa- 
 tion, when the winter is finished. In the 
 mean time, give me leave to send you the 
 result of my enquiries relative to the pro- 
 ductions and commerce of Canada. 
 
 The population of Canada at the time 
 it came into the possession of the British in 
 17^9-60, amounted to 73600 souls, as ap- 
 pears from General Murray's report to the 
 British government, immediately after the 
 conquest. At that time the extensive coun- 
 try now called Upper Canada was not inha- 
 bited by any Europeans. At present the two 
 Canadas contain at least 300,000 inhabit- 
 ants; of these, Lower Canada contains about 
 two-thirds. The descendants of the Old Ca- 
 nadians constitute at least nine-tenths of the 
 population of Lower Canada. They pro- 
 fess the Roman Catholic religion, and are 
 allowed the use of the Old Canadian, or 
 rather French laws, agreeably to the prin- 
 ciples laid down in the Coutume de Paris, 
 as 1 have mentioned to you in a former 
 letter. 
 
166 
 
 In Upper Canada, the population 
 amounts to about 100,000. These are all 
 British, at least they speak English, 
 and are governed entirely by the laws of 
 England, both in civil and criminal mat- 
 ters ; and in questions relative to real pro* 
 perty, as well as in questions relative to 
 personal property, The lands are held by 
 the English tenures, and the courts of jus- 
 tice are regulated agreeably to the forms 
 of the respective courts in England. Nia* 
 gara was formerly the capital of Upper 
 Canada, but about twelve years ago York 
 was laid out for a town, and the seat of 
 government transferred to it, and it is al- 
 ready of considerable size. 
 
 From the preceding statement of the 
 population, it is evident that the increase 
 in Lower Canada for these last fifty years 
 has been very great ; it has, in fact, nearly 
 tripled. In Upper Canada the increase 
 has been very rapid, as several years elaps- 
 ed after the conquest before any part of 
 Upper Canada was settled or cultivated. 
 Thirty years ago, Upper Canada was nearly 
 a continued forest ;— that a population of 
 100,000 should in that space of time accu- 
 mulate, is a proof that the country ancl 
 
167 
 climate are propitious. Indeed, it is ge- 
 nerally allowed, that the climate of Upper 
 Canada and its soil are superior to those 
 of Lower Canada. 
 
 The country is in general more level 
 and low than the neighbourhood of Que- 
 bec and Montreal. The waters of the im- 
 mense lakes have perhaps narrowed their 
 beds, and left the surrounding country dry, 
 at a later period than has been the case in 
 Lower Canada, where hills and mountains 
 and rapid rivers abound, and where the 
 nutritious parts of the soil may have been 
 carried off. The climate of Upper Canada 
 is temperate, and friendly to vegetation. 
 The warmth of the air will facilitate the 
 decomposition of all vegetable and animal 
 matter, which may he in a state of decay, 
 and in the course of time an accumulation 
 of soil will take place. When the forests 
 are cleared awa}^, and the plough and har- 
 row have performed their functions, the 
 same causes which promoted the growth of 
 the large hardy oak, the statety pine, and 
 the matted thicket, will raise fine crops of 
 wheat, and luxuriant artificial grasses. 
 
 In all new countries, such as the Cana- 
 das, population must increase much faster 
 
168 
 
 than in old countries, because the produc- 
 tion of food for man is much easier ; and 
 as their situation precludes the possibility 
 of their indulging in what are called the 
 luxuries of life, their principal occupation 
 will naturally be the production of food. 
 They will clear their lands of wood, — they 
 will sow and reap; next year more will be 
 cleared, sown, and reaped, until the grain, 
 &c. produced exceed the wants of the fa- 
 mily. The surplus becomes an object of 
 merchandize. Their disposable capital in- 
 creases; and it is employed either in in. 
 creasing production by cultivating more 
 land, or in ameliorating what is already 
 produced. Mills are erected; wheat con- 
 verted into flour; flour into biscuit; cat. 
 tie are fattened and prepared for market. 
 This accumulation of the real wealth of a 
 country is the natural cause of an increase 
 of population. 
 
 Besides the operation of this cause, the 
 Canadas owe much of their increase of po- 
 pulation /to emigrations from the United 
 States of America, and from Europe. 
 These emigrations, to a greater or less ex- 
 tent, take place every year. The emigrants 
 generally prefer settling in Upper, rather 
 
169 
 than in Lower Canada, as well those from 
 the United States, as those from Europe. 
 Tnere are many reasons for the preference 
 given to Upper Canada. The soil and cli- 
 mate are better ; and lands are cheaper, and 
 more easily procured : the tenures are bet- 
 ter understood, and better liked than the 
 French tenures in Lower Canada. The 
 great mass of the people speak English, 
 and have English habits, neither of which 
 are to be found in Lower Canada. In 
 case of a dispute with your neighbour, the 
 cause is tried in an English court of justice, 
 and in a language you understand ; which 
 is not the case in Lower Canada. In short, 
 these causes will continue to draw to Up- 
 per Canada a great augmentation to the 
 natural increase of the population and 
 wealth — whilst the Canadian French popu- 
 lation will only increase in the ordinary 
 rauo. 
 
 In proportion to the increase of popu- 
 lation, is the demand for manufactures, and 
 for articles of foreign importation. The n- 
 crease of industry and wealth gives a greater 
 fund to pay tor the productions of other 
 countries. That this has been the case in 
 
170 
 
 Canada, is clearly proved by the gradual 
 increase of her foreign trade. 
 
 Great Britain is at a considerable regu- 
 lar expence in supporting the garrisons and 
 military establishment of Canada, — be- 
 sides the value of the presents given annu- 
 ally to the Indians, and the amount of the 
 salaries of a variety of people employed in 
 what is called the Indian department, 
 consisting of superintendants, inspectors, 
 agents, &c. The goods given to the Indians 
 annually are of considerable value, and 
 consist of clothes, muskets, powder and 
 ball, trinkets, hardware, &c. — Yet Canada 
 is well deserving the pains and cost neces- 
 sary to preserve it. She consumes our ma- 
 nufactures to a considerable amount, as I 
 shall shew you presently ; she gives em- 
 ployment annually to about 200 sail of 
 merchantmen, and about fourteen hundred 
 seamen ; she furnishes Newfoundland with 
 supplies of flour, bread, &c. — and she sup- 
 plies our West India islands with a consi- 
 derable quantity of lumber, staves, punch- 
 eon-packs, hoops, horses, and salt-fish of 
 a variety of kinds. She supplies Great 
 Britain with wheat occasionally ; and, what 
 
171 
 
 is likely to be of great importance, the fo- 
 rests of Canada will be found equal to 
 supplying the dockyards with masts and 
 yards for the largest men of war in the 
 navy, and, indeed, for vessels of all sorts, 
 to almost any amount ; besides a great 
 abundance of oak, and other ship-timber 
 of a variety of species. Our coopers, too, 
 may be supplied with staves to any amount, 
 and of as good quality as usually come from 
 Hamburgh, Stettin, and Dantzig. 
 
 This cannot fail to be of great conse- 
 quence, when we happen to be excluded 
 from the Russian dominions, and from the 
 Baltic ports, which the capricious con- 
 duct of the Emperor of Russia gives too 
 much reason to fear may sometimes be thq 
 case. 
 
 The quantity of wheat, flour, and bis- 
 cuit, annually exported from Canada is 
 very considerable : but the crops are pre- 
 carious, and the quantity as yet not suffi- 
 cient to ensure to the mother country a re- 
 gular supply. 
 
 The following statement of exports will 
 shew what a variety of articles Canada pro- 
 duces, I have taken the average of jive 
 years, ending 1805, 
 
172 
 
 Wheat 
 
 Flour - ■» - - - 
 Biscuit - - - - - 
 
 Pease - - - - - 
 
 Oats ------ 
 
 Barley - * - - - 
 Indian corn - - - - 
 
 Beef 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Pork 
 
 Cod fish 
 
 Oak 
 
 Pine ------ 
 
 Staves - - - - - 
 
 Stave ends, &c - - 
 Pine boards and planks 
 Oak plank - - - - 
 
 Handspikes - - - - 
 
 Oars ------ 
 
 Masts - - - - - 
 
 Spars - - - - - 
 
 West India hoops - - 
 Shingles - - - - - 
 
 Madeira pipe packs - 
 Puncheon ditto - - 
 Tierce ditto - - - 
 Essence Spruce - - 
 Ditto- - - - - - 
 
 Pot and pearl ashes - 
 Linseed - - - - - 
 
 Seal skins - - - - 
 
 Castorum - - - - 
 
 Horses - - - - - 
 
 Sarsaparilla.- ,- - - 
 Tallow - - - - - 
 
 Butter - - - - - 
 
 Soap and candles - - 
 Salmon - - - - e 
 
 Currency. 
 
 s.d. £. s, &. 
 
 345499 bushels - - - 6 6 112287 3 6 
 
 19822 barrels - - - - 42 6 42123 17 6 
 
 21777 quintal?, or cwt. - 25— 27221 5 
 
 2266 bushels .-.56 623 3 
 
 2366 ditto - - - - 2— 236 12 
 
 4b01 ditto - - - - 3— 643 3 
 
 922 ditto - - - - 4 6 207 9 
 
 1-45 barrels- - - -60— 3735 O 
 
 429 tierces - - - - 90— 1930 10 
 
 1286 barrels - - - 90— 5807 6 
 
 1704 quintals - - - 17 6 1491 
 
 3534 pieces - - - - 40— 7068 
 
 mO* ditto - - - - 2>5~- 2084 
 
 840124 at 251. perl 20O - - 17502 11 8 
 
 9205 at 101. per ditto - - 3 16 6 
 
 80014 at 60s. per hundred - 2400 8 4 
 
 796 at 20s. each - - - 796 
 
 12537 at 7s 6d per dozen - 391 15 7 
 
 544 at 6s a pair - - - 81 12 O 
 
 134 at 201. each - - - 2680 
 
 144 - 10— 72 
 
 91290 at 61. per thousand - T " 547 15 
 
 31262 at 10s per thousand - 15 13 
 
 • 1908 at 15s - \ - - - 1431 
 
 627 ------ 12 6 396 17 
 
 536 ------ 7 6 201 
 
 39 boxes - - - 10— 19 10 
 
 34 hogsheads at 251. - - 850 
 
 22084 cwt. ■- - - - 47 6 52449 10 
 
 5615 bushels - . - 5 6 1560 12 6 
 
 3i26 36 547 10 
 
 2753 lbs 8— 1101 4 
 
 100 at 201 200O 
 
 16300 lbs. - - - - 2— 1650 
 
 20 barrels - - - 50— 50 O 
 
 199 firkins - - -80— 796 O 
 
 1576 boxes - - - 60— 4728 
 
 610 tierces - - 65— 1982 10 O 
 
 Carried forward 299692 19 7 
 
173 
 
 Currency. 
 
 £. ,. d. 
 
 Brought forward s. d. 299692 19 7 
 
 Salmon 197 barrels - - 45— 443 5 
 
 Herrings - - - - 200 ditto - - 20— 200 
 
 Bass, aspeciesoffish,? ^ di * „ 3Q \ 1Q5 Q Q 
 
 aboutsizeot a salmon ^ J 
 
 Onions ----- 20 ditto - - 25— 25 
 
 Apples 300 ditto - - 25— 375 
 
 Cranberries- - - - 10 barrels - - 15— 11 5 
 
 Snuff 10 kegs - - 100— 50 
 
 Stoves 200 <- 120— 1200 O 
 
 Hops- ----- 30 pockets - - 100— 150 
 
 Balsam ----- 1780 lbs. - - — 6d 44 10 
 
 Capillaire - - - - 100 lbs. - 1— 5 
 
 Beer 100 hogsheads - 100— 500 
 
 Ox and cow hides - - 1000 - - -15— 750 
 
 Horns 2000 per dozen - - 3— 24 19 
 
 Hemp 23cwt. - - 35— 40 5 
 
 Expences on 180 vessels, pilotage, port charges, &c. at? ognon O 
 2001. each v- - - - - - - £ 
 
 There are annually built at Quebec a certain number of 
 
 vessels on British account, and on British capital; 
 
 say about 1500 tons, at 101. per ton, exclusive of 
 
 sails and rigging ----- 15000 " 
 
 Furs and Peltries exported from Canada^r 
 
 Britain, on an average of three years 
 
 ending 1805. 
 
 £. s. d. 
 
 Martin - - - - 23170 at 4s each 4634 O 
 
 Beaver - - - - 99076 average? nn<> .„ , n „ 
 lilb. each, at 14s per lb. - '- \ 9247 ° 18 8 
 
 Otter ----- 17649 at 17s 6d 33091 17 6 
 
 Minks - - - - 11687 at 2s 6d 1460 17 6 
 
 Fishers - - - - 5657 at 8s 6d 2404 4 6 
 
 Foxes 8636 at 12s 5181 12 
 
 Bear and cub - - 20074 at 40s 40148 
 
 Deer 223290 at 5s 55822 10 
 
 Racoon - - - - 151710 at 2s 15171 O ' 
 
 Musk-wash - - - 79650 at Is 2d 4646 5 
 
 Cat, cased and open 12221 at 7s 6d 4582 7 6 
 
 Carried forward 259613 12 8 354617 3 7 
 
174 
 
 Bfought forward 
 ■tfrolf - - i - - 6425 at 
 Elk - 1032 at 
 
 Woolvereen - - - 12^0 at 
 
 Hare, rabbit, ermin, } 
 and squirrel - - S 
 
 3062 at 
 
 
 £. s. 
 
 a. 
 
 £. s. A.* 
 
 •d 
 
 259613 12 
 
 8 
 
 354617 3 7 
 
 8s 
 
 2570 
 
 
 
 
 10s 
 
 516 
 
 
 
 
 5s 
 
 312 10 
 
 
 
 
 6d 
 
 I 76 11 
 
 
 
 
 
 "*- 
 
 263088 13 t 
 
 The expence of the military establishment in Canada, 
 drawn for by the paymaster general, and paymas- 
 ters of regiments, amounts annually to about - - 1500OO 
 
 Total exports to Britain and British establishments 767705 1 7 3 
 
 All exports are to be considered as a remittance in pay- 
 ment of imports • and as the military expences are 
 paid by England for articles consumed by British 
 soldiers, and have nearly the effect of exportation, 
 the above sum of 1500001. is classed under this head. 
 During last year there were cleared out at the Customhouse of Que- 
 bec 193 vessels, measuring 33996 tons, navigated by 1601 men. 
 
 The imports of Canadayr<?w Britain and British establish- 
 ments are not so easily ascertained as the exports, 
 because no accaunt is kept at the Customhouse of 
 goods which do not pay duty. 
 
 The goods which pay duty were on an average of five 
 years as follows 
 
 Madeira - • 
 
 - 15,455 gal. 
 
 10s 
 
 C s. 
 
 7727 10 
 
 d, 
 
 
 Port wine - 
 
 43,471 — 
 
 8s 
 
 17428 
 
 
 Teneriffe 
 
 - 2,400 — 
 
 Ss 
 
 600 
 
 
 Spanish, red 
 French wine 
 
 - 46,720 '— 
 
 - 52,776 — 
 
 3s 4d 
 2s 6d 
 
 7786 13 
 6597 
 
 4 
 
 Brandy - 
 Rum - - - 
 
 Molasses 
 
 - 29,051 — 
 
 T4783 puns. 
 517,912 — -J 188 hhds. 
 £ 69 tierces 
 
 - 42,052 — 
 
 69 
 
 4s 64 
 3s 
 
 8715 6 
 > 116530 4 
 6307 IS 
 
 
 Salt - - - 
 
 - 89,11 1'minots 
 
 ls8d 
 
 7425 17 
 
 10 
 
 Loaf sugar - 
 
 - 139,324 lbs. 
 
 Is 4d 
 
 9288 5 
 
 . 4 
 
 Muscovado - 
 
 - 135,790 — ■ 
 
 7|d 
 
 4243 7 
 
 6 
 
 Coffee - - 
 
 - 46,748 — 
 
 Is 7d 
 
 3700 17 
 
 6 
 
 Tobacco - - 
 
 - 84,500 — manufactured 
 
 Is 
 
 4225 
 
 
 Ditto - - - 
 
 - 71,000 — leaf 
 
 9d 
 
 2662 10 
 
 
 Cards- - - 
 
 - 17,350 — pack* 
 
 Is. 
 
 86710 
 
 
 0> Mm 
 
 204105 17 6 
 
175 
 
 It is to be presumed that the dry goods 
 imported, for which no duties are paid, and 
 of which no account is kept at the custom- 
 house, amount to the difference between 
 the above sum and the value of the ex- 
 ports, viz. about 563,600/. — Indeed, it is 
 not improbable that the imports exceed 
 the exports and remittances, for it is very 
 well known, that many of the goods im- 
 ported are never paid for, the importers 
 becoming insolvent. 
 
 Besides the preceding imports, goods 
 of a variety of kinds are annually sent to 
 Canada (as I have formerly mentioned) 
 by the British government as a present to 
 the Indians. When these goods are de- 
 livered to the proper officer, bills are drawn 
 for the amount in favour of the shipper; 
 but, as the province gives nothing in return 
 for these goods, the bills drawn in pay- 
 ment cannot be considered as a remittance 
 from Canada, for which the province ought 
 to take credit. The Indians give nothing 
 ill return for which they are not amply 
 paid. In fact, it is a present, and like b1\ 
 Other presents must go to the debit of profit 
 and loss at home. Did the Indians live a 
 settled life, and employ themselves in agri- 
 
176 
 
 culture, and in increasing the useful pro* 
 perty of the province, the presents might 
 be considered as a salary, and, like all 
 other salaries and army pay, would be 
 compensated to Britain by labour or ser- 
 vices, and the province might take credit 
 for the amount, because in the accomplish- 
 ment of their duty, their salary is spent in 
 the purchase of various articles of food, 
 which if not consumed in that way might 
 increase the exportations of the province: 
 but this is not the case. The Indian kills 
 his game, eats the carcass, and sells the 
 skin to the merchant, who pa} 7 s him for it 
 as much as if he had received no present 
 from government. 
 
 That government should continue an- 
 nually to distribute presents to the Indians, 
 is a measure, the expediency of which is 
 very much doubted. They are given with 
 the view of conciliating the affections of the 
 Indian tribes, and securing them in our in- 
 terests. It is thought that their own in- 
 terest will teach them that we are their best 
 friends, so long as we take their furs and 
 peltries, and give more for them than they 
 can get elsewhere; when this ceases to be 
 the case, the presents will not have" great 
 
177 
 effect. Indeed, I am well assured that the 
 presents are, even now, almost thrown away, 
 from the circumstance of their being given 
 to the most unworthy part of the Indians, 
 — to fellows who live in the neighbourhood 
 of Detroit and Michilimakinack, and whom 
 these presents keep in a state of idleness 
 and dissipation ; while the real hunters, 
 the active Indians who furnish the furs, and 
 are truly useful as well as formidable, get 
 little or nothing. They stand no chance 
 with the Detroit or Mickilimakinack In- 
 dians, or those in the neighbourhood of 
 these places, whose knowledge of, and con- 
 nexions with, the commanders and men in 
 power, secure to them a large share of 
 what the British government send to this 
 country. The Micmac and other Indians 
 that come to receive their presents at 
 Quebec and Montreal, are too insignificant 
 to be feared, or to be taken much into con- 
 sideration. 
 
 It certainly would be improper, nay 
 highly unjust, to stop all at once the giving 
 presents ; but I find it is the general opinion 
 that the thing might be done gradually; 
 and that it would not only be a consider- 
 
178 
 
 able saving to Britain, but really, upon the 
 whole, an advantage to the Indians not to 
 receive presents. It would be better 
 that they should spend their time in hunt- 
 ing, than in coming to our military posts 
 and destroying themselves with spirits, 
 which they get in exchange from British 
 subjects, for the very presents they had just 
 received from government; so that they 
 very often return as completely divested 
 of their presents, as when they came out 
 of their native forests. I have heard that 
 some years ago very great abuses were 
 committed by those concerned in this de- 
 partment, who are said to have inveigled 
 the Indians to part with their presents for 
 liquors, and that the goods were after- 
 wards appropriated to their own use, where- 
 by large fortunes were made. 
 
 An important part of the commerce of 
 Canada is carried on with the United 
 States of America, the consideration of 
 which 1 shall reserve for my next letter* 
 
179 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 Quebec, December, 1807. 
 
 I have just returned from taking a walk, 
 though the weather is bitter cold. You will 
 be surprised that any one could shew their 
 nose to it, when I shall have told you how 
 cold it is; on that subject you shall hear 
 from me. by and by: in the mean time let 
 me continue my mercantile disquisitions. 
 I have to lay before you the commercial 
 connexions of Canada with the United 
 States. 
 
 Besides the trade which Canada carries 
 on with Britain and her colonies, a very 
 considerable trade is carried on with the 
 American states. The law acknowledges 
 but one place in Lower Canada, through 
 which goods can be introduced from the 
 United States, as I mentioned in a for- 
 mer letter. It is by the river Cham- 
 bly, which connects Lake Champlain 
 with the St. Lawrence. At St. John's, on 
 this river, there is a custom-house for the 
 
180 
 
 purpose of taking cognizance ot such 
 goods as are brought in from the States. 
 
 The imports by way of St. John's in 
 the year 1806 were as follow. 
 
 Souchong tea 
 
 Hyson skin 
 
 Bohea 
 
 Hyson 
 
 Ditto, single 
 
 Coffee 
 
 Chocolate 
 
 Foreign spirits 
 
 Leaf tobacco 
 
 Manufactured, ditto 
 
 Indigo 
 
 Butter 
 
 Cheese 
 
 Codfish 
 
 Fresh pork 
 
 Salted ditto 
 
 Indian corn 
 
 Shoes - - , 
 
 Sole leather 
 
 Boots 
 
 Saddles 
 
 Linseed oil 
 
 Pig iron - 
 
 Hams 
 
 Hat bodies 
 
 Nankeen 
 
 Horses 
 
 Mahogany 
 
 Ditto, boards 
 
 Pine plank 
 
 152 libs. 
 
 84105 
 
 20 
 
 750 
 
 22246 
 
 235 
 
 9880 
 
 607 gallons 
 14611 lbs. 
 30646 
 928 
 4039 
 31714 
 11100 
 67943 
 
 631 barrels 
 5873 bushels 
 7356 pairs 
 83880 lbs. 
 1 307 pairs 
 
 65 
 528 gallons 
 32134 lbs. 
 1200 lbs. 
 2950 
 3230 pieces 
 
 15 
 1500 feet 
 1000 feet 
 
 3 
 3 
 2 
 5 
 3 
 1 
 1 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 70 
 2 
 5 
 1 
 25 
 40 
 6 
 
 
 2 
 5 
 130 
 2 
 1 
 
 503700 feet per 1000 feet 60 
 
 Do. boards & plank 431000 per ditto 
 
 Oak (square) 
 
 Shingles 
 
 Staves, pipe 
 
 Ditto, hogsheads 
 
 Potash 
 
 Muscovado sugar 
 
 Loaf ditto 
 
 M apple ditto 
 
 Honey - r 
 
 Molasses • 
 
 Snuff 
 
 Tallow 
 
 Hogslard 
 
 50 
 
 188150 per square foot 1 
 
 2000Q per 1000 - 10 
 
 55800 - L. 30 
 
 248000 per ditto 7 10 
 
 3669 bar. 11007 ewt. 40 
 
 215 lbs. - 
 
 35 lbs. 1 
 
 500 lbs. 
 
 899 lbs. 1 
 
 45 gallons 3 
 
 134 lbs. O 
 
 130 lbs. - 
 
 109O lbs. - 
 
 d. 
 9 
 3 
 
 6 
 6 
 6 
 4 
 
 6 
 7 
 
 8 
 6 
 6 
 4 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 O 
 
 
 3 
 71 
 
 ' 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 o 
 
 6 
 
 
 9 
 9 
 9 
 
 /. 
 
 285 
 
 13667 
 
 2 
 
 206 
 
 3893 
 
 17 
 
 658 
 
 151 
 
 365 
 
 893 
 
 278 
 
 134 
 
 792 
 
 277 
 
 1132 
 
 2208 
 
 807 
 
 1839 
 
 5592 
 
 1633 
 
 130 
 
 158 
 
 401 
 
 37 
 
 295 
 
 807 
 
 97 
 
 150 
 
 58 
 
 1511 
 
 1077 
 
 9407 
 
 10 
 
 1674 
 
 1860 
 
 22014 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 12 
 
 44 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 40 
 
 9 
 3 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 12 6 
 
 13 4 
 
 15 O 
 
 5 6 
 
 16 10 
 8 
 
 12 8 
 
 17 
 10 
 
 7 8 
 10 
 10 9 
 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 O 
 
 8 
 
 13 6 
 10 
 
 O 
 
 10 
 
 10 o 
 
 o 
 
 6 8 
 
 2 O 
 10 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 o a 
 
 
 
 5 5 
 
 15 
 
 10 
 
 19 
 
 15 O 
 
 6 
 
 17 6 
 
 17 6 
 
 Carried forward L 774650 5 4 
 
181 
 
 Beans 
 
 Pease 
 
 Oats 
 
 Wheat 
 
 Flour « 
 
 Rosin 
 
 Tar 
 
 Hops 
 
 Cotton wool 
 
 Pimento 
 
 Gunpowder 
 
 Stockings 
 
 20 bushels 
 16 ditto 
 96 ditto 
 
 326 ditto 
 19 barrels 
 
 141 
 
 18 
 
 J 0670 lbs. 
 
 153 lbs. 
 
 60 lbs. 
 
 25 lbs. 
 378 per pair 
 
 j. d. /. s, d. 
 
 Brought forward 74650 5 4 
 
 3 - 3 
 
 3 4 - 2 13 4 
 
 14 - 6 8 
 
 5 6 - 89 13 
 
 40 O - 38 
 
 40 - 285 
 
 20 - 18 
 
 9 - 400 2 6 
 
 18 - 13 3 4 
 
 10 - 3 
 
 2 - 2 10 
 
 2 - 37 16 
 
 L. 75546 11 6 
 
 Besides the preceding articles, there are 
 a variety of others introduced from the 
 United States. Some by way of St. 
 John's, some by other channels, besides 
 what is sent into Upper Canada. Where 
 there is so extensive a line of boundary as 
 that which separates Canada from the 
 United States, it is not to be supposed that 
 strict attention will be paid to the law 
 making St. John's the only legal channel 
 for goods intoLowerCanada. Smuggling to 
 a great extent is carried on. Of the articles 
 not enumerated, I am well informed that 
 there are at least 20,000 pieces of white 
 cotton, at about lis. 6d. a piece — a large 
 quantity of blue cotton — silk handkerchiefs 
 — East India checks and stripes — East 
 India silks— French cambricks and crapes. 
 
182 
 
 besides groceries and a variety of other ar- 
 ticles. I am assured that these and other 
 non-enumerated articles do not amount 
 annually to less than 100,000/.; — and, 
 therefore, the whole imports from the Unit- 
 ed States into Canada must amount an- 
 nually to 175,546/. lis. 6d. 
 
 The exports from Canada by way of St. 
 John's to the United States are correctly 
 known. In the year 1806 they were as 
 follows. 
 
 
 
 
 i. d. 
 
 
 £. '- 
 
 d, 
 
 Beaver skins 
 
 291 15 lbs. 
 
 
 18 9 
 
 . 
 
 27395 6 ' 
 
 3 
 
 Bear 
 
 3112 
 
 each 30 
 
 . 
 
 4668 
 
 
 
 Racoon 
 
 21776 
 
 . 
 
 2 
 
 - 
 
 2176 14 
 
 
 
 Deer 
 
 901 
 
 - 
 
 3 9 
 
 - 
 
 168 18 
 
 9 
 
 Musk rat 
 
 128837 
 
 _ 
 
 1 4 
 
 • 
 
 8589 2 
 
 8 
 
 Musk 
 
 1818 
 
 _ 
 
 2 6 
 
 _ 
 
 227 5 
 
 
 
 Buffalo 
 
 39 
 
 _ 
 
 20 
 
 - 
 
 39 
 
 O 
 
 Martin 
 
 28379 
 
 . 
 
 4 
 
 - 
 
 5675 16 
 
 
 
 Fox 
 
 600 
 
 . 
 
 6 
 
 . 
 
 180 
 
 
 
 Fishers 
 
 800 
 
 - 
 
 5 
 
 - 
 
 200 
 
 
 
 Wolf 
 
 5532 
 
 _ 
 
 7 6 
 
 - 
 
 20T4 
 
 
 
 Cat 
 
 503 
 
 - 
 
 7 6 
 
 - 
 
 188 12 
 
 6 
 
 Otter 
 
 10427 
 
 • 
 
 20 
 
 _ 
 
 10427 
 
 
 
 Calf 
 
 967 
 
 . 
 
 3 4 
 
 - 
 
 161 3 
 
 4 
 
 Ox hides, raw 597 
 
 each 20 
 
 . 
 
 597 
 
 
 
 Salt 
 
 9091 bushels 
 
 2 6 
 
 • 
 
 1136 7 
 
 6 
 
 Fish 
 
 1097 barrels 
 
 30 
 
 - 
 
 1645 10 
 
 
 
 Articles not ] 
 
 particularised 
 
 Amount of exports 
 
 from Canada 
 
 
 IO36 13 
 
 2 
 
 
 66,586 8 
 
 2 
 
 
 Amount of ditto from United States 
 
 
 175,546 Jl 
 
 6 
 
 
 Balance against Canada 
 
 
 L, 
 
 108,960 3 
 
 4 
 
 This balance the Americans carry out 
 of Canada in cash. There are a great 
 variety of coins in circulation in Canada : — 
 
183 
 
 we have the Spanish, French, American, 
 and British, gold and silver coins. The 
 Spanish dollar is in most general use, and 
 these the Americans prefer, because they 
 generally bear a premium in New York 
 and Boston, -to the amount sometimes of 
 2 per cent. The Americans want them for 
 their China trade. 
 
 There does not appear any way of pre- 
 venting this drain of the circulating me- 
 dium while the trade remains on its pre- 
 sent footing : nor do I think it is of much 
 consequence. The old notion that it was 
 ruin to a country to allow its specie to be 
 taken from it, is now very generally ex- 
 ploded. Wherever money is wanted, and 
 there is something to be given for it, there 
 it will flow while there is such a thing in 
 existence as commerce. In the present 
 case, if the Americans by carrying cash 
 out of Canada create a scarcity, both the 
 government and the merchants will find a 
 difficulty in procuring it. The government 
 want large sums for paying the troops, and 
 the expences of the civil department — the 
 , merchants want money to pay for the pro- 
 duce they purchase for exportation. They 
 
184 
 
 draw bills on England, which they sell 
 to the holders of cash. Now, when the 
 holders of cash find that money is much 
 wanted, they will give it to those who for 
 100/. bill on England will take the smallest 
 amount of cash from them. Payments are 
 made in the currency of the country. 
 Sterling is ll^th per cent, more valu- 
 able — this is the par of exchange. When 
 there are many drawers, the number of bills 
 for sale, lowers their value; and the demand 
 for cash raises its value; so that the holders 
 of cash can get sterling bills under par, 
 that is, they get a bill for 100/. sterling for 
 less currency than 111.1/. — Suppose five per 
 cent under par — five pounds are deducted 
 from one hundred pounds, and currency at 
 par is given corresponding to 95/. sterling, 
 by which there is evidently a gain to the 
 holder of cash, and a loss to the drawer of 
 bills — 95/. sterling being equal to 105/. lis, 
 1^-d. currency, which he gets instead of 
 111/. 2s. 2%d. the par. It follows that the 
 holders of cash wish to lower the exchange, 
 and the drawers to raise it. If I want a 
 bill on England, to remit, the less currency 
 I give for it the better for me; and if I 
 
185 
 
 wish to dispose of a bill, the more currency 
 I get for it the better for me. 
 
 The s Americans by taking cash out of 
 the country, increase the value of what re- 
 mains, and the exchange falls. It has 
 sometimes fallen so low, that sterling has 
 been given for currency, whereby drawers 
 of bills suffered a loss of 1 1~ per cent. 
 
 In New York and Boston, the exchange 
 on Britain is in general high, that is to say, 
 bills on London 'bear a premium, some- 
 times as much as eight per cent. For a 
 100/. bill, you get currency corresponding 
 to 1 08/. Cash is more plentiful than bills. 
 — In Canada it is quite the reverse ; and 
 when the exchange is, in consequence, low, 
 it becomes extremely advantageous for the 
 holders of cash, in Boston and New York, 
 to send it to Canada for the purchasing of 
 bills (which they get at a discount), rather 
 than purchase bills at home, which are sold 
 at a premium. Thus the cash carried out 
 of Canada by one set of men, is brought 
 back again by another set. In conse- 
 quence of which, the exchange in Canada 
 approaches par, and the circulating me- 
 dium regains its level. 
 
186 
 
 Government, as well as individuals, who 
 have occasion to draw bills in Canada, suf- 
 fer very heavy losses by the discount on 
 bills. I cannot help thinking that it would 
 be a very easy matter for government to 
 prevent any great loss by exchange. All 
 they have to do is to keep themselves ad- 
 vised of the state of exchange in New- 
 York, and draw at three or four per cent, 
 more favourable for the holders of cash than 
 the course at New-York offers. There can 
 be no doubt that the cash would immedi- 
 ately come into Canada. Instead of go- 
 vernment bills in Canada being at a discount 
 of seven or eight per cent, they would rare- 
 ly be below par ; for in New- York bills in 
 general bear a premium sufficiently high to 
 induce the holders of cash to carry it to Ca- 
 nada for government bills, at par, or very 
 little below it. The expence of bringing 
 in cash from New- York, to Quebec or Mon- 
 treal, is not above three to three and a half 
 per cent, insurance included. The risks to 
 be insured against are, thieves, and the 
 danger of loss in crossing lakes and rivers*, 
 
 * Very large sums are brought in from the States. 
 In summer the conveyance by land is in a carriage, and 
 
187 
 
 In casting one's eye over the articles 
 which Canada receives from America, it is 
 evident that almost every one of them 
 might be produced in Canada, or imported 
 from Britain and her colonies, if the trade 
 were under proper regulations. 
 
 By the treaty of amity, navigation, and 
 commerce, with the United States, in 1794, 
 it is provided in the third article, " that all 
 " goods and merchandize, whose importa- 
 " tion into his said Majesty's territories in 
 " America shall not be entirely prohibited, 
 " may freely, for the purposes of commerce, 
 " be carried into the same, in the manner 
 " aforesaid, by the citizens of the United 
 " States ; and such goods and merchandize 
 " shall he subject to no higher or other duties 
 " than would be payable by his Majesty's 
 " subjects on the, importation of the same 
 
 on the lake, and crossing the St. Lawrence a canoe is 
 used. In winter, the land carriage is a sleigh, and the 
 same conveyance is used on the lake, and on the river, 
 as soon as the ice is strong enough. From 20 to 30,0001. 
 have been brought in at one time by one man, openly 
 enough to convince the people that it was money ; yet I 
 have never heard that any robbery has been committed ; 
 which is saying a great deal for the honesty of both the 
 Americans and Canadians. 
 
188 
 
 "from Europe into the said territories: and 
 " in like manner all goods and merchan- 
 " dize, whose importation into the United 
 " States shall not be wholly prohibited, 
 " may freely, for the purposes of commerce, 
 " be carried into the same, in the manner 
 " aforesaid, by his Majesty's Subjects ; and 
 " such goods and merchandize shall be 
 " subject to no higher or other duties than 
 " would be payable by the citizens of the 
 " United States on the importation of the 
 " same in American vessels into the At- 
 " lantic ports of the said States/' 
 
 This clause carries with it an appearance 
 of reciprocal advantage to Great Britain and 
 America; but there is in fact no reciprocity 
 in it. Why adopt the duties laid on by us 
 on goods imported by the river St. Law- 
 rence, as the measure of reciprocal charge 
 on the introduction of goods from America 
 by the line of boundary ? If the British 
 government, or provincial legislature, think 
 proper to allow their own merchants to im- 
 port certain articles by the river St. Law- 
 rence, free of duty, are the Americans to 
 say, you must allow us to import the same 
 articles on the same terms by way of Lake 
 
,189 
 Champlain ; — they certainly ought not to 
 be allowed to say so, nor to do so. Co- 
 gent reasons may exist for the one, and not 
 for the other. 
 
 The object to be attended to, — the jus- 
 tice of the case, is reciprocity of duties on 
 the goods which pass from the one country 
 to the other. It may suit the policy of 
 Britain that no duties be charged on cer- 
 tain articles shipped by her merchants for 
 Canada, and at the same time be very 
 contrary to her interest or wishes, that the 
 Americans also, should be allowed to send 
 the same articles to Canada, free of duty. 
 Whatever duties are charged on goods com- 
 ing from one side of the line, may be 
 charged on goods coming from the other, 
 if thought adviseable : here the reciprocity 
 would be perfect. 
 
 The Americans lay a duty of about 
 15 per cent, on almost every thing they 
 get from Canada, while they annually 
 send into Canada goods to near three times 
 the amount, pn which no duties are paid. 
 
 Formerly, Canada was supplied with 
 teas, cotton goods, silk, and all other East 
 India articles by the British merchant, but 
 
190 
 
 at present the large quantities of East In- 
 dia goods used in Canada, are supplied ex- 
 clusively by the Americans. In the article 
 of tea alone, it will be seen by a reference 
 to the list, that the amount is near 20,0001. 
 a year, which is a trifle even, compared to 
 the sums annually paid for cotton goods. 
 
 By the 13th article of the treaty of 
 commerce, 1794, " His Majesty consents 
 " that the vessels belonging to the citizens 
 " of the United States of America shall be 
 i€ admitted and hospitably received in all 
 " the sea-ports and harbours of the British 
 " territories in the East Indies ; and that 
 " the citizens of the said United States 
 " may freely carry on a trade between the 
 " said territories, and the said United 
 " States in all articles of which the im- 
 " portation or exportation respectively to 
 " or from the said territories shall not be 
 " entirely prohibited." 
 
 In consequence of this permission, the 
 Americans have gone largely into the East 
 India trade; and, from a variety of advan- 
 tages attached to a neutral flag, they have 
 been able (particularly since the com- 
 mencement of the French revolution) to 
 
191 
 import India goods into America, and trans- 
 port them into Canada, so much cheaper 
 than can be done by the British merchants, 
 that the latter are entirely cut out of the 
 trade. Not only the East India company 
 are sufferers by it, but also the British mer- 
 cantile and shipping interests. Add to this, 
 that the money carried out of Canada in 
 payment of these goods, creates a scarcity 
 of cash, which lowers the rate of exchange, 
 and occasions thereby an increase of price 
 on every article of produce exported from 
 Canada; and this increase falls on the per- 
 son for whose account the produce is export- 
 ed. Canadian produce is increased in price 
 to the European consumer; and, in the 
 English market, is less able to compete with 
 the same sort of produce brought from Ame- 
 rica and elsewhere; and all this arises in con- 
 sequence of the article in the treaty before 
 quoted, allowing the Americans to carry 
 into Canada, East India articles, groceries, 
 &c. dutyfree. I, therefore, humbly conceive, 
 that if the advantage of the mercantile and 
 shipping interests of Britain is consulted, 
 the above article ought to be abolished, or 
 rather so modified that the British merchant 
 
192 
 
 might send his goods into market on the 
 same terms that the Americans do. 
 
 To strike effectually at the root of the 
 evil, I believe the best way would be to 
 prohibit the Americans from going to In^- 
 dia. If the goods are once in the United 
 States, it will be next to impossible to 
 prevent their being carried into Canada, 
 their line of boundary being so extensive. 
 I cannot pretend to say what advantages 
 result to our East India possessions, from the 
 Americans having liberty to go there; but, 
 it strikes me, as being very much against 
 the mercantile and shipping interests of 
 Britain. 
 
 The Americans for some years past, 
 have supplied, not only Canada, but like- 
 wise the West India islands, and the Spa- 
 nish main, with a variety of Asiatic pro- 
 duce, brought from thence in American 
 bottoms, which, it is presumed, must have 
 been brought in British bottoms, had 
 the trade not been thrown open to Ame- 
 rica. I do not pretend, however, to be suf- 
 ficiently informed on this matter, to em- 
 brace the question in all its different 
 bearings. 
 
193 
 
 I understand that a new treaty is now 
 on the stocks between Britain and Ameri- 
 ca. If the first ten articles of the treaty of 
 1?94 are still declared permanent, parti- 
 cularly the third article, and this, after 
 maturely considering its operation in Ca- 
 nada, and weighing the information which 
 the merchants connected with Canada are 
 ready and able to give, we may presume 
 that something more is taken into consi- 
 deration by our legislators than we are 
 aware of, otherwise they would not do that 
 which seems to every one who knows the 
 Canada trade, to be contrary to the best 
 interests of Britain. — I say of Britain, for 
 I hold it to be a thing certain that the foot- 
 ing on which the trade at present stands, is 
 the best that can be for Canada ; for it as- 
 suredly is advantageous to Canada, to re- 
 ceive tea, groceries, and East India goods 
 in great abundance, and at a cheaper rate 
 than she can from England. But, it is dis- 
 advantageous to Britain both in a com- 
 mercial and political point of view, that 
 her colonies should draw their supplies 
 from any other quarter than from Britain ; 
 it would in time render them independent 
 
194 
 
 of Britain, and more attached to the coun- 
 try from which they receive their supplies 
 than to the mother country. This is likely 
 to be the case with Canada (and perhaps 
 the West Indies too), and well deserves the 
 serious consideration of government. The 
 more supplies received from America, — the 
 more encouragement that is given to that 
 trade, the less dependence will Canada 
 have on Britain, and the less inclined they 
 will be, to resist any attempts the Ameri- 
 cans may make to get possession of the 
 country. The interests of the colonies, and 
 of the mother country, are sometimes at 
 variance, as in the present instance, and 
 when that is the case, I would without he- 
 sitation, sacrifice the former to the latter, 
 and frame treaties accordingly. 
 
 1 should think that it would be much 
 better that all mercantile regulations in 
 treaties, should have a limited duration; 
 the situation and circumstances of nations 
 undergo great change, and it seems proper 
 that the mercantile regulations in their 
 treaties should be capable of receiving 
 such changes as circumstances may shew 
 to be necessary. 
 
195 
 
 If experience demonstrates that treaties 
 are founded on principles of justice and of 
 reciprocal advantage, they can easily be 
 continued from time to time ; but if they 
 should not be founded in justice, and are 
 without reciprocity (such as the third ar- 
 ticle of the treaty of 1794), and yet be de- 
 clared permanent, the good faith and ho- 
 nour of the nation aggrieved, may induce 
 them to adhere to the treaty; but it will be 
 with a bad grace, and create bad blood, they 
 will be glad to embrace any opportunity 
 of coming to a rupture, in order to bring 
 about a new treaty. This would be avoid- 
 ed if there were a limitation to the opera- 
 tion of the oppressive articles ; they would 
 be endured with patience, until the time 
 should arrive when a new arrangement 
 could be made. 
 
 Although the first ten articles of the 
 American treaty are declared permanent 
 it does not follow, that, like the laws of the 
 Medes and Persians, they are unchange- 
 able: the act contains several articles, 
 which, in their nature, were not permanent, 
 hence it became necessary to use some ap- 
 pellation for those articles which had an 
 
196 
 
 unlimited duration, and the term perma~ 
 nent was adopted, not probably meaning 
 that they should never be touched, but 
 merely to distinguish them from the others: 
 they were to be permanent till changed by 
 mutual consent. 
 
 Our North American colonists look 
 homewards just now with all that anxiety 
 which men naturally shew, when their best 
 interests are under discussion; the Ameri- 
 cans ^re able negociators, and their local 
 knowledge of this country, and the great 
 attention they pay to the most minute 
 circumstances tending to their advantage 
 in a commercial point of view, require on 
 the part of our ministry, much circumspec- 
 tion, and all the aid they can get from 
 men of commercial habits, who have 
 studied the interests of the colonies on the 
 spot, and whose inferences are drawn from 
 the evidence of facts. 
 
1.97 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Quebec, 1807. 
 
 Having gone at some length into the 
 political connection between Great Bri- 
 tain and America, as far as relates to our 
 transatlantic possessions, permit me to 
 resume the consideration of the produc- 
 tions and exports of Canada, to Britain 
 and elsewhere. 
 
 It will be observed on examining the 
 list of Canadian exports, that they already 
 consist of almost every necessary of life; 
 and, were the Canadians as active and in- 
 dustrious as their neighbours in the United 
 States, the amount of exports would very 
 rapidly and greatly increase ; as it is, they 
 will gradually increase as population in- 
 creases. 
 
 Wheat is the most considerable article 
 of exportation from Canada; upwards of 
 one million bushels have been exported in 
 
198 
 
 one year; not half that quantity however 
 was exported on an average of five years 
 ending in 1605. 
 
 Canada wheat is of an excellent qua- 
 lity: it is thought superior to the Baltic 
 wheat, being harder, and yielding more 
 flour in proportion to the quantity. The 
 bushel usually weighs 60lbs. and upwards. 
 It is what is called spring wheat; the 
 seed is put into the ground in May, and the 
 harvest is finished in the beginning of Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 The farmers are very negligent in pre- 
 venting the growth of weeds, so that the 
 wheat when threshed is very foul; it is in 
 general purchased from the fanners, by 
 the country shopkeepers, who are usually 
 corn dealers, and that too from necessity, 
 as it is frequently the only way by which 
 they can be reimbursed for the goods they 
 have soli during the year, These shop- 
 k* t peis, and corn dealers are applied to by 
 the merchants in Quebec and Montreal 
 when grain is wanted. 
 
 Vi at is sold by a French measure 
 called a minot, winch is to the Winchester 
 bushel as 106*765 is to 100,000, being 
 
199 
 -somewhat more than 8^-per cwt. larger than 
 the Winchester bushel. 
 
 Wheat is generally "purchased by the 
 merchant from the country shopkeeper in 
 the months of February, March, and April. 
 It is brought to Quebec and Montreal as 
 aoon as the ice breaks up, and the naviga- 
 tion opens in the river St. Lawrence. From 
 its being so very foul, it is seldom or never 
 in a proper condition to be shipped, until 
 it is cleaned. For that purpose it under- 
 goes the operation of being once or twice 
 put through what is cal ed the cribbles y 
 the expence of which, as well as the ex- 
 pence of bringing it from the place of its 
 growth, is paid by the merchant exporter. 
 It is brought by the river in small vessels, 
 on which no assurance is ever effected, al- 
 though there is considerable risk of loss, or 
 at least of damage : this risk the merchant 
 takes upon himself. When the grain is 
 shipped, an account is made of all ex- 
 -pences, and a consideration added for risk 
 of river craft : all of which, with first cost, 
 fixes the price on board. A commission of 
 5 per cent, is charged for shipping, and 
 
200 
 
 the amount is drawn for immediately, iri 
 bills at sixty days sight. 
 
 The principal objection to the importa- 
 tion of Canada wheat into England, is the 
 price : 6s. 6d. was the average price for five 
 years, ending 1805* and it is frequently 
 shipped as high as 7s. 6d. per bushel. 
 Even at that price, it generally pays very 
 well in Spain and Portugal. In the west 
 of Scotland, particularly at Greenock, it 
 brings generally a better price than in the 
 London market, and sells there even higher 
 than English wheat. In that part of the 
 country, the seasons are so wet and back- 
 ward, that the wheat seldom comes to ma- 
 turity, at least it does not acquire a suffi- 
 cient degree of hardness to grind well, and 
 become good and useful flour. The Ca- 
 nada wheat, being remarkably hard and 
 dry, is mixed with it. It then grinds well, 
 and the flour is fit for the bakenouse* 
 Freight to Britain is usually about 2s> per 
 bushel. 
 
 It seldom happens that the number of 
 bushels shipped at Quebec holds out at the 
 port of delivery, which arises from the 
 
201 
 Axianrtei* of measuring in Canada. A half 
 bushel is used in general; and they are 
 extremely dexterous in measuring. The 
 grain is put in and out of the bushel so 
 quickly, that it has not time to feel its 
 own weight, as it were, and settle down. 
 I knew an instance of a man having mea- 
 sured, and put into the sacks in which it 
 was carried on board, 6400 half bushels in 
 the space of eleven hours and a half, which 
 is near ten times in a minute. 
 
 The next articles of consequence ih the 
 list of exports, are flour and biscuit. The 
 average amount of flour for five years, end- 
 ing 1805, was 19,822 barrels at 42s. 6d. 
 per barrel, 42,123/. 17$. 6d. The flour 
 exported from the river St. Lawrence comes 
 principally from Upper Canada, where the 
 wheat is of a superior quality to that of 
 Lower Canada, and yields very fine flour. 
 They have many inducements for sending 
 flour rather than wheat. It has a long in- 
 land navigation on the lakes, and down 
 the St. Lawrence to Montreal and Quebec. 
 Jt is brought down in bateaux (flat-bot- 
 tomed boats), of from four to five tons bur- 
 then, navigated with oars, poles, and sails ; 
 
202 
 
 and in scows. From the length of the in- 
 land navigation it becomes an object of 
 importance to compress the bulk, and con- 
 centrate the value of the article, in order 
 to save freight ; and besides, when flour is 
 well packed, it is not so subject to receive 
 damage as wheat would be : it resists the 
 water better. The country, too, is bene- 
 fited by the wages of labour in manufac- 
 turing the article, and consequently aug- 
 menting its value. It gives employment 
 to a number of people in the grinding, 
 making casks, &c. A public inspector at 
 Montreal and at Quebec examines all 
 flour previous to its being shipped, to see 
 that it is of a proper merchantable quality. 
 
 A scow is a vessel with four sides, an 
 oblong square, in length forty to fifty feet, 
 in breadth thirty to forty, and from four to 
 five feet deep, flat-bottomed. The sides 
 are not perpendicular; they are inclined 
 outwards, for the purpose of carrying a 
 greater weight. 
 
 The scows are built on the lakes in Up- 
 per Canada. A large one will carry 500 
 barrels of flour, and costs about 50/. They 
 are built for the tanners, lor the purpose 
 
203 
 of transporting to Montreal flour, potash, 
 &c. and are navigated by long oars or 
 sweeps, and poles. They have a mast and 
 sail, too, which they can use in the lakes 
 when the wind is favourable : on these oc- 
 casions they steer with an oar ; and they 
 have anchors and cables to come to with 
 in the lakes, when the wind blows strong 
 against them. They are made of pine, 
 planked, and calked outside, like a ship, 
 but have no deck. When they have dis- 
 charged their cargo they are of no further 
 use, except for breaking up for domestic 
 purposes, and they are sold generally for a 
 very few dollars. 
 
 The advantage to the country is carried 
 still further when the flour is manufactur- 
 ed into biscuit, and exported in that shape. 
 There was exported from Canada, on an 
 average of five years, 21,777 hundred 
 weight at 25s. — 27,221/. 5s. The Canada 
 biscuit is of an excellent quality, and ge- 
 nerally much cheaper than the British bis- 
 cuit. Considerable supplies of it are sent 
 to Newfoundland and to Halifax, for the 
 use of our navy, and other shipping in that 
 quarter. 
 
204 
 
 The other species of grain, such as 
 pease, barley, oats, and Indian corn, are 
 produced in considerable quantities; but 
 the surplus produce is not sufficient to 
 render them of importance as objects of 
 foreign trade* 
 
 It is only within these very few years 
 that barley has been known in this coun- 
 try. It was introduced by a gentleman 
 who erected a distillery near Quebec. He 
 imported the seed from England, and after 
 much" pains taken to overcome the anti- 
 pathy which the Canadian habitant has 
 to experiments, he succeeded in prevailing 
 upon them to give it a trial. He gave 
 them the seed gratis, and bound himself to 
 pay them a certain sum for each acre they 
 should sow, whatever the produce might be. 
 In this way he overcame their prejudices ; 
 and barley is now very common in all parts 
 of the country. 
 
 The barley of Canada makes very good 
 malt; and several breweries have been 
 erected for making ale, of which enough is 
 now made to supply the demands of the 
 country, besides considerable quantities 
 exported to the West Indies, &c. 
 
205 
 
 The Canadian soil and climate are 
 friendly to the growth of hops, of which 
 enough is raised to supply the wants of 
 the brewers. They grow very luxuriantly, 
 and the flowers are very large ; larger in- 
 deed than I ever remember to have seen in 
 Kent. They are likely to become an ar- 
 ticle of consequence for exportation. Small 
 quantities have already been sent to Eng- 
 land. 
 
 Government have lately taken much 
 pains to introduce the cultivation of hemp 
 into Canada. The soil and climate are very 
 well calculated for it; and some attempts 
 that have been made, have completely suc- 
 ceeded. Government have lately sent out 
 agents, who have had lands assigned to 
 them for the cultivation of hemp, and for 
 the purpose of shewing the people how to 
 cultivate it ; as example in aid of precept 
 is most likely to be efficient. They have 
 great hopes of being able to succeed in 
 their endeavours to any extent that may be 
 wanted. Time, of course, is necessary ; for 
 it is no easy matter to induce a poor igno- 
 rant farmer to embark in a species of agri- 
 culture with which he is unacquainted : he 
 
206 
 
 naturally prefers certainty to hope; he 
 knows he can both raise and sell wheat. 
 However, as government have agreed to 
 pay the farmer a price certain per ton, and 
 as this price is more than w r hat he would 
 receive for the wheat produced on the land 
 that produced the hemp, it is probable the 
 quantity raised in the country in general, 
 will increase very fast. 
 
 There is one thing that it is imagined 
 will retard the business, which is, that ac- 
 cording to the existing laws hemp pays no 
 iythes to the clergy, who have great influ- 
 ence with their parishioners, and who, it is 
 feared, may use that influence in counter- 
 acting the views of government. It would 
 perhaps be a proper thing to make hemp 
 a tytheable article, and thereby give the 
 clergy an interest in promoting its cultiva- 
 tion equal to what they have in other 
 tilings which the farmer produces. Wheat 
 and all other grain pays one-twenty-sixth 
 part in lieu of tythes. 
 
 It certainly is an object of great import- 
 ance to Britain to draw from this country 
 a constant supply of hemp. This would 
 make her jnore independent of Russia, 
 
207 
 from whose despotic, capricious govern- 
 ment our trade is subject to great risks 
 and losses, and even to a total stoppage. 
 The importation of hemp from Russia has 
 annually amounted to no less than 30,000 
 tons for the general consumption of the 
 country, and for the use of the royal navy. 
 No part of the productions of Canada 
 is likely to become of more importance to 
 Britain than the produce of the forests, 
 which consists of an abundance of differ- 
 ent kinds of wood, fit for the purposes of 
 the dockyard, as well as for the use of 
 the house carpenter, and cabinet-maker. 
 The dock-yard can be supplied with masts 
 of the largest size. Some have been 
 brought down to Quebec, 120 feet in 
 length, and about four feet in diameter. 
 It is the white pine which arrives at this 
 immense size, and may be stiled the mo* 
 narch of the Canadian forest. 
 
 There is a great varietyof fine oak timber. 
 The U pper Canada oak is considered next to 
 the British in quality, and superior to what 
 comes from the Baltic. It is of a more open 
 graia than the British oak, is softer, and 
 
208 
 
 consequently does not last so long. There 
 isno crooked oak timber in Canada, which 
 is a disadvantage in ship-building, as there 
 is a want of the timber necessary for 
 knees. I cannot well inform you why 
 there is no crooked oak in Canada. Per- 
 haps it arises from the trees growing so 
 close to each other in the forest, that they 
 have not room to spread out their branches 
 like the British oak ; or perhaps the soil 
 being very moist and rich, constantly co- 
 vered with vegetable matter, the growth is 
 too rapid to admit of all those twistings 
 and elbows which seem so natural to the 
 British oak. Or perhaps the Canada oak 
 may be somewhat of a different species 
 from the British. Whatever may be the 
 cause, the fact is undoubted. The want 
 of crooked timber for knees is remedied in 
 some measure by the substitution of pine 
 roots, which, the carpenters say, answer 
 perfectly well, and are to be had in abund- 
 ance. 
 
 The length and straightness of the Ca^ 
 nada, oak fits it for planking for ships, and 
 for every other purpose for which oak 
 
209 
 plank may be wanted. Staves for casks of 
 all sorts are made to great advantage from 
 the Canada oak. 
 
 Of the various kinds of wood fit for the 
 purposes of the cabinet-maker and car- 
 penter, with which the forests of Canada 
 abound, I may mention maple, elm, ash, 
 birch, hiccory, cherry-tree, and red cedar : 
 of some of these there are different species. 
 The curled maple and bird's-eye maple 
 make beautiful furniture. The cherry-tree 
 also is highly esteemed ; the others are very 
 useful for domestic purposes, and making 
 implements of husbandry, &c. 
 
 No part of the Canada lumber is likely 
 to become of more value than Staves, and 
 the quantity might be increased to almost 
 any extent, were the population of Canada 
 more considerable. Staves, even at pre- 
 sent, form a leading article of exportation. 
 They are becoming daily better known, 
 and better liked in Britain, as well as in 
 the wine countries, particularly in Portugal 
 and Madeira. 
 
 Staves are sold at so much per long 
 thousand of 1200 standard staves. The 
 standard stave is 5J feet long, and \i inch 
 
 p 
 
210 
 
 -thick, and about 5 inches broad. The 
 price increases one-fifth for every half inch 
 increase in the thickness. Staves' one inch 
 thick are charged two-thirds of the price of 
 standard. Staves 44 feet long, are reckon- 
 ed three for two standard. 34- and 24 feet 
 long, are reckoned two for one. The 2f are 
 reckoned the same as Sf, because they 
 are generally broader, being for heading. 
 
 The Canada staves are generally ship- 
 ped in the rough. They are split, not 
 sawed ; and of course, are what is called 
 featherbed, that is, thicker at one side than 
 at the other ; but they are always measured 
 at the thinnest side. 
 
 A full, well-built vessel ought to take 
 1200 staves for every ten tons register. 
 And it is generally found that 1200 stand- 
 ard staves, when carefully and closely 
 packed, take about 15 tons measurement. 
 Freight is generally from 45/. to 47/. per 
 1200. 
 
 Staves of any dimensions may be got 
 by giving previous notice. Contracts may 
 be entered into with those who prepare 
 them, and who will cut them to any given 
 size. Some have lately been shipped, 5 
 
211 
 
 inches thick; and it is probable that staves 
 of that thickness will answer extremely 
 well wherever labour is cheaper than in 
 Canada, or where ingenuity or machinery 
 can abridge the labour of splitting or saw- 
 ing. The average price on board has been 
 considered about 331. per 1200 standard. 
 
 An act of the provincial parliament has 
 lately been passed for the proper regulation 
 of the lumber trade of Canada. Much be- 
 nefit is expected to arise from this law, as 
 none but proper merchantable wood will 
 be allowed to be exported as merchant- 
 able, and it will have an appropriate mark 
 to distinguish it from what is not mer- 
 chantable. 
 
 All the timber shipped at Quebec is 
 floated down the river in what is termed 
 rafts : a raft is the general name ; but they 
 vary greatly in their construction, accord- 
 ing to the kind of wood of which they are 
 composed. The large masts are laid close 
 to each other, and have pieces of oak fast- 
 ened to them, in order to keep them toge- 
 ther, w r hich is not an easy matter in some 
 of the rapids. 
 
 The rafts of oak timber and staves are 
 
212 
 
 of a different form. A great number of 
 large pieces of pine are strongly fastened 
 together with wooden pins, making a kind 
 of frame in the form of a gridiron. To this 
 frame the pieces of oak are fastened, and 
 thereby buoyed up ; for they are so heavy, 
 they would not float of themselves. These 
 floats or rafts are so well put together, that 
 they resist the strong concussions in com- 
 ing down the rapids ; and it is remarkable 
 there is not a piece of iron about them : 
 their only fastenings are wooden pins, and 
 the twigs and young shoots of trees, of a 
 tough and pliable nature. The cables even, 
 which they use as a fastening to prevent 
 their being carried up the river by the flow- 
 ing tide, are nothing but young shoots of 
 trees (chiefly hiccory, I believe), fastened 
 and twisted together. By these floats not 
 only the oak, both squared and in plank, 
 is brought down, but also staves : and they 
 are of vast dimensions. They are managed 
 and directed by the force of large oars or 
 sweeps, from 30 to 40 feet long, having 
 their fulcrum near the edge of the raft. The 
 rowers are stationed at the proper distance 
 to give effect to their exertions on the lever i 
 
213 
 and, it must beallowed, a great power Is 
 wanted to give a direction to such an un- 
 wieldy mass. Fifteen to twenty people are 
 employed on some of them : a house is 
 erected on them, inw r hich the people sleep 
 and eat ; for they have cooking utensils, a 
 fire-place, and beds, — such as they are. 
 After the wood is sold, the float and house 
 are also disposed of; and, like the scow, ge- 
 nerally for very little money. 
 
 Some very handsome ships are annually 
 built at Quebec and Montreal : they are 
 contracted for by the carpenters at about 
 101. currency per ton, exclusive of sails and 
 rigging, which are imported from Britain, 
 as well as every article of copper that may 
 be necessary. Most of the irou work may 
 be found of Canada manufacture. This 
 business is of immense advantage to Que- 
 bec ^nd Montreal, as it gives employment, 
 summer and winter, to -a great many car- 
 penters, and other tradesmen and labour- 
 ers. There is not a less sum than 20,0001. 
 annually circulated in Quebec and Mon- 
 treal in- the business of ship-building; and 
 as it is a winter as well as a summer em- 
 
214 
 
 ployment, they have a resource in it when 
 all others fail them. 
 
 Pot and pearl ashes are shipped at Que- 
 bec and Montreal to a considerable extent, 
 as will appear by a reference to the list of 
 exports: but it is an article for which Ca- 
 nada is indebted almost entirely to Ame- 
 rica. The ashes are usually made by the 
 Americans, and brought to Montreal, where 
 there is a public warehouse for their recep- 
 tion, and where the quality is ascertained 
 by an officer appointed for that purpose. — 
 They are afterwards sold, and either ship- 
 ped at Montreal, or sent down in river 
 craft to Quebec, where they are put on 
 board for England. Such as come to Que-> 
 bee, without going to Montreal, are exa- 
 mined by the public inspector at Quebec, 
 and their quality ascertained. 
 
 Although the most considerable quan-? 
 tity of the pot and pearl ashes comes from 
 the United States, yet the whole does not 
 come from thence. The Canadians makei 
 a small quantity for exportation. It is a 
 custom amongst the people in Canada, to 
 preserve the ashes of the wood burnt in 
 
215 
 
 their stoves : part they make use of them- 
 selves in the manufacture of the soap ne- 
 cessary for their own families (almost 
 every family in Canada makes the soap 
 used in their own houses) : the remainder 
 they sell to potash manufacturers, who col- 
 lect it through the country, and pay in ge- 
 neral about tenpence per bushel. 
 
 It is a pity the Canadians do not turn 
 their attention to the manufacturing of pot- 
 ash; there is no want of wood, nor indeed 
 of any thing but industry and exertion on 
 their part ; for there can be no doubt that 
 their time is not fully occupied in the ma- 
 nagement of their farms ; and were they 
 more industrious, it would make up in some 
 measure for the want of population. 
 
 The best ashes are made from beech, 
 elm, and some other hard woods. None of 
 the pine genus, nor any of the soft woods, 
 answer the purpose. 
 
 The process of making potash is very 
 simple : the w r ood ashes are collected as 
 free from extraneous matter as possible: 
 they are put into wooden pots of a consi- 
 derable size, with small apertures in the bot- 
 tom: the ashes are saturated with water, 
 
216 
 
 which filters through these apertures, car- 
 rying with it the salts of the ashes. More 
 water is added, until the ashes are entirely 
 deprived of their salts. — The water now 
 holds in solution a very strong vegetable 
 alkali : by boiling it in large kettles, the 
 water is evaporated, and the salts remain : 
 they now receive the appellation of potash. 
 The potash is sometimes calcined to deprive 
 it of all extraneous colouring matter : it be- 
 comes extremely white, and is denominated 
 pearl-ash. 
 
 Potash sells in Canada usually for from 
 401. to 501. per ton. The pearl-ash is, in 
 general, somewhat higher. 
 
 The fisheries of the St. Lawrence have 
 never been followed up with spirit : an es- 
 tablishment has been formed on the La- 
 brador shore, from whence considerable 
 quantities of salmon, cod-fish, mackarel, 
 and shad, are annually brought to Quebec, 
 and either used in the country, or re-ship- 
 ped for the West Indies. A species of her- 
 ring, and a fish about the size of a salmon, 
 called bass, are caught, salted, and sent 
 to the West India market, in considerable 
 quantities. 
 
217 
 
 A seal and porpoise fishery has been 
 carried on in several parts of the St. Law- 
 rence, and was formerly very productive 
 both in skins and oil ; at present little ad- 
 vantage is derived from it. These articles 
 are likewise brought from the Kings posts. 
 
 The fur trade of Canada, in point of 
 value, and of importance to Great Britain, 
 is Jiearly equal to any other branch of the 
 Canada trade. The duty paid in England 
 on furs and skins, imported from Canada, 
 amounted per annum on an average of four 
 years, ending 1806, to 22,0531. The lum- 
 ber trade is of more real value to Britain, 
 because timber is of more real use in so- 
 ciety. The corn trade is, perhaps, more va- 
 luable to the Canadians than the fur trade ; 
 but the trade in furs employs a great num- 
 ber of people, and a large capital. 
 
 The North-zpest Company, who have 
 entirely monopolized to themselves the fur 
 trade, are a self-created company, not ac- 
 knowledged by government, but who have 
 united their capital and exertions for 
 their mutual benefit. As they have at pre- 
 sent no competitors in the north-west ter- 
 ritory, they have the trade in their own 
 power in a great measure: but they are 
 
218 
 
 obliged to pay a considerable price for the 
 skins, because the Indians have been so 
 long accustomed to the trade^ that they 
 have long ago learned that a beaver skin is 
 worth more than a two-penny knife, or a 
 sixpenny trinket. 
 
 The business in the north-west territory 
 is managed by young men employed by the 
 company ; who go into the Indian country, 
 and establish trading posts in different quar- 
 ters, some of them an immense distance 
 beyond Lake Superior ; — so far, that it re- 
 quires more than one summer to send the 
 goods to them, and get returns. These 
 young men remain in these distant regions 
 for several years, subject to many hard- 
 ships and privations : they live almost en- 
 tirely on the produce of their hunting ; 
 they never see, for years together, either 
 bread or salt: and, what is rather surpris- 
 ing, although animal food is their only re- 
 source, they enjoy very good health. It is 
 a very solitary mode of living ; for there are 
 not more than two or three Englishmen at 
 the same post. They have under their com- 
 mand several Canadians, who act as canoe- 
 men, hunters, &c. 
 
 These pursuits, the collecting the furs 
 
219 
 ana bringing them down to Montreal, seem 
 congenial to the common Canadian ; he ap- ~ 
 pears better pleased to be employed in 
 hunting and fishings with all their attendant 
 dangers, than to earn his bread quietly by 
 cultivating tire soil. Many of these voya- 
 geurs save their wages, return to their own 
 parish, and employ themselves id clearing 
 and cultivating the land; many of them, 
 too, it must be allowed, acquire habits of 
 dissipation, which they never afterwards 
 are able to correct. 
 
 Another fur company has lately been 
 established under the title of the South-west 
 Company; from the furs in which they trade 
 being brought from the south-west parts of 
 America, in the neighbourhood of the Mis- 
 sissippi, Missouri, and Ohio. This trade 
 had been carried on by a variety of indi- 
 viduals, who, by interfering in each others 
 concerns, did themselves a great deal of 
 harm, which is now avoided by their be- 
 ing united. They are sometimes called the 
 Michilimackinack Company, because they 
 have an establishment in that quarter. 
 
 The profit in thS fur trade ought to 
 be very great, for the capitaLemployed is 
 a long time in returning. The goods to be 
 
220 
 
 bartered with the Indians are shipped from 
 England in the spring, and arrive in Ca- 
 nada in the course of the summer. They 
 are shipped at twelve months' credit. These 
 goods are sorted during the summer and 
 winter, and sent up the country the follow- 
 ing spring; and it is perhaps six months 
 before they get to their destination ; some- 
 times, it is more than twelve months, when 
 the posts are at a great distance ; they are 
 bartered for furs, which take as long a 
 time to come to Montreal; and by the 
 time the furs get to London and are sold, 
 and in cash, three years at least have elaps- 
 ed. So that the profits ought to be at 
 least triple the profits of a trade where 
 the capital is turned once a year. 
 
 Besides the furs shipped for the British 
 market, the United States have been in 
 the habit of taking off large quantities of 
 furs from Montreal, as will appear from the 
 list of exports to America. These pur- 
 chases form the principal counterpoise to 
 the large importations from the States. 
 
 An attempt has lately been made to esta- 
 blish ^ fur company in*New York, to trade 
 to the south-west ; whether they will succeed 
 or not, time only can shew. Those who 
 
221 
 know the trade for some time past, think 
 that it must be a losing concern to any 
 man, or body of men who may undertake 
 it; reasoning on the principle, that if the 
 Makinack company (who do the business 
 on the least expence possible), with difficulty 
 get a living profit by it, what must be the 
 situation of a Charter Company, acting by 
 governors, managers, and agents, who al- 
 ways do their business at a greater expence 
 than individuals ; and whose exertions, in 
 general, are only commensurate to their 
 interest in the concern. It is a matter that 
 I cannot determine ; but, I dare say the sa- 
 vages, the catchers of wild beasts, will, in the 
 course of a very few years, settle thepoint. 
 
 A variety of articles for domestic pur- 
 poses, which used formerly to be imported 
 from Britain, are now manufactured in this 
 country. 
 
 Of the manufactures of Canada, the 
 iron forges take the lead. There are 
 two works of this kind in the province ; 
 one near Three Rivers, called the forges of 
 St. Maurice; the other at Batiscam, near 
 St. Ann's, on the road from Quebec to 
 Montreal. The forges of St. Maurice were 
 established by the French king many years 
 
222 
 
 ago, and his Britannic majesty at the con- 
 quest succeeded to his rights. The works 
 are let on lease to a mercantile house in 
 Quebec, who carry on the business with 
 spirit and success. 
 
 The chief articles manufactured at these 
 forges, are stoves, bar-iron, and cooking 
 utensils. Besides what is necessary for the 
 use of Canada, there is a considerable ex- 
 portation of cast-iron articles, particularly 
 of stoves. 
 
 Formerly almost all the candles and 
 soap used in Canada were imported ; at 
 present, enough is made for the use of the 
 country, and a considerable exportation 
 besides. 
 
 There was a regular importation of hats 
 formerly; at present, however, they are 
 made here in sufficient quantity for the use 
 of the country. But there is still a con- 
 siderable importation of hat-bodies, which 
 are put into form and finished here.' It 
 might be thought that as the beaver fur 
 goes from Canada, it would be cheaper 
 here than in England ; but this is not the 
 case. Indeed, furs of all sorts can be pur- 
 chased in London at a cheaper rate, and 
 of a very superior appearance to any that 
 
223 
 
 can be got in Canada. The English fur- 
 rier knows his trade better, and the extent 
 of his transactions enables him to take a 
 smaller profit than the Canadian. 
 
 Leather has hitherto been, and indeed 
 continues to be imported in large quanti- 
 ties, principally from the United States* 
 But this probably will not long be the case, 
 because tan works are becoming more com- 
 mon, and, at Quebec, are on a pretty large 
 scale. 
 
 Canada has long been famous for the 
 manufacture of snuff. The use of tobacco 
 in different shapes is very common. From 
 the time a Canadian habitant awakens in 
 the morning, till he goes to bed at night, 
 the tobacco pipe is seldom out of his 
 mouth. The men smoke so much that 
 they have not time to take snuff; but the 
 snuff-maker is amply compensated by the 
 ladies, who, of all ranks and of all ages, are 
 greatly addicted to snuff taking; — and a 
 filthy custom it is. It most assuredly assists 
 their stoves and dry winter atmosphere, in 
 giving them a withered appearance, ap.d 
 premature marks of age. 
 
 A species of sugar is made in Canada 
 
224 
 from the maple tree, which is extremely 
 good, when purified. The method of mak- 
 ing it is this :— 
 
 In the months of March and April, 
 when the sap begins to rise, an incision 
 is made in the tree about three feet 
 from the ground, and the sap soon be- 
 gins to run out. It is received into a 
 
 vessel placed for the purpose ; a piece of 
 wood is stuck into the incision which con- 
 ducts the sap into the vessel, and it is car- 
 ried to the boiler. Those who wish to 
 make sugar, go into the woods, and encamp 
 among maple-trees. They carry boilers, 
 and other necessary apparatus with them; 
 and they remain in the woods for several 
 days, till the whole process is finished.— 
 The quantity. of maple-sugar made in Ca- 
 nada is equal to two-thirds of the whole 
 consumption of the country. From the 
 number of maple-trees with which the 
 woods abound, one might imagine that 
 enough might be made to render it an ar- 
 ticle of trade and exportation. But they 
 are deterred from it by the general abund- 
 ance of West India sugar, which can be 
 purchased nearly as cheap as maple-sugar* 
 being often at five pence per pound ; while 
 
225 
 
 this is the case, the Jamaica sugar will al- 
 ways have the preference. 
 
 Before closing this account of the trade 
 of Canada, I must mention a district of it, 
 called the Inferior district of Gasp£. It is 
 situated to the southward of the river St. 
 Lawrence, from Cape Chat downwards, 
 and comprehends a considerable extent of 
 country on the w r est coast of the Gulf 
 of St. Lawrence, in which are found two 
 deep bays, viz. Gaspe Bay, and Chaleur 
 Bay. 
 
 The district of Gaspe has a governor 
 appointed by the king, and there is an in- 
 ferior court of Kings Bench for the de- 
 cision of such civil suits as do not ex- 
 ceed 201. and to take cognizance of cri- 
 minal matters that are not capital. 
 
 At present the population, if you reckon 
 resident settlers only, is not more than 
 3,500. In the summer time a great many 
 more are attracted for the purpose of carry- 
 ing on the fishery, which is done in all its 
 different stages. 
 
 The bays and coasts of Gaspe abound 
 with codfish, salmon, and many other 
 sorts of fish. There are several fishing sta- 
 tions along the coast; those of most im- 
 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 portance are at PerdS and Chaleur bay. 
 The trade employs annually about a dozen 
 square rigged vessels, besides a great many 
 small craft, fish, to the value of 60 ? 0G0L 
 a year, including what is sent to Quebec 
 to be re-shipped for the West Indies, and 
 elsewhere, or used in the country, are cured 
 and sent to a market. The greatest part, 
 however, is sent direct from Gaspe to the 
 West Indies or Mediterranean. 
 
 So much for the production and ex- 
 ports of Canada ; and I wish I could, in 
 addition, give you a correct idea of the 
 character of the mercantile men of this coun- 
 try. I will venture to make a few ob- 
 servations. They are very industrious, 
 and by no means extravagant in their ex- 
 pences and style of living ; and yet, I will 
 venture to say, that there is no place on 
 either side of the Atlantic where there have 
 been so many bankrupt estates. It is a sur- 
 prising circumstance, and no less true than 
 surprising, that of the great variety of mer- 
 cantile houses which have been established 
 here during the last forty years, not above 
 five in a hundred of them have paid their 
 debts. I have seen a list of the whole, and 
 the manner hi which they made their exit; 
 
 ^^^m 
 
else, really, I could not have believed it 
 possible. These houses have been almost 
 wholly British. Very few of the Canadians 
 have ever engaged in foreign commerce, 
 and those who have tried it, have generally 
 failed in the attempt* 
 
 I have endeavoured to discover the 
 causes of the great number of failures in 
 this country; to enable one to do so, it is 
 necessary to look back a little, to the events 
 which have occurred. 
 
 When we acquired the country, the po- 
 pulation was trifling; and from the previ- 
 ous derangements in the French treasury, 
 the people were very poor. The mercan- 
 tile adventurers from England, who came 
 to the country, were strangers to the peo- 
 ple, and to the kind of goods which suited 
 them ; of course, they sold their goods to 
 great disadvantage. They persevered for 
 a year or two, but bankruptcy very fre- 
 quently ensued. When they began to be 
 a little acquainted with the sort of goods 
 that were wanted, and the people that 
 might be trusted, and when the general 
 state of the country had been considerably 
 ameliorated, the American war broke out : 
 it threw every thing back, and put a stop in 
 
228 
 
 a great measure to business ; the goods that 
 were imported, from the high rate of freight 
 and insurance, came to an immense price ; 
 and when peace took place, there were 
 many sufferers. Another calamity befel 
 the country, of rather an uncommon kind 
 to produce bankruptcy, viz. a great facility 
 in making remittances. A public officer 
 drew bills on government to a great amount 
 from time to time, which he gave to the 
 merchants on credit — they calculated on 
 paying for them when they collected their 
 debts in the course of the winter ; many of 
 them never did pay; but the worst of it was, 
 that calculating on the facility of getting 
 bills, they gave large orders, which were 
 executed with promptitude, as the English 
 merchant, having received remittance of go- 
 vernment bills, supposed that what he had 
 received were bona fide bills, paid for; and 
 that his correspondent was a man of pro- 
 perty. As soon as the supply of govern- 
 ment bills stopped, from a want of punc- 
 tuality in fulfilling engagements, remittan- 
 ces failed, and bankruptcy ensued.^ 
 
 A great many bankruptcies may be 
 traced up to these causes, which were 
 however of a temporary nature, and are not 
 
229 
 likely ever to recur. There are other causes 
 of bankruptcy which arise out of the nature 
 of the country, and might have operated in 
 aid of the preceding temporary causes. 
 Perhaps, the long continuance of the winter 
 lessens their power of doing business to the 
 extent they would be able to do, were the 
 navigation of the St. Lawrence open all the 
 year. During six months of the year, from 
 November till May, no business is done 
 except by those engaged in the dry x goods 
 line, who continue to supply the wants of 
 the shopkeepers ; but these are not great, 
 for the country people have laid in their 
 winter stock before the navigation closes. 
 An important cause of bankruptcy, I should 
 suppose, has been the want of capital to 
 begin with, aided sometimes by their not 
 being acquainted with the laws and customs 
 of the people, and aided also by the bad 
 custom which has got into general use of 
 giving long credits to the country shop- 
 keepers. Credit is easily procured in Eng- 
 land by the foreign merchant, but it is not 
 procured for nothing. Interest is charged 
 after a certain time, and runs on during 
 winter as well as during summer. If long 
 credits are given here to ttie shopkeepers, 
 
230 
 
 and even when monies are due, if pay- 
 ments are not punctually made, remit- 
 tances must fail. Interest accumulates in 
 England ; and in Canada considerable ex- 
 pences of housekeeping, &c. are unavoid" 
 ably incurred. If the profits do not meet 
 these, or if the merchant has the misfortune 
 to make bad debts, the consequence is 
 evident, bankruptcy must ensue. 
 
 As the mercantile men in this country 
 draw their resources from Britain, their 
 real situation is not known except in Bri- 
 tain. They are often in Canada imagined 
 to be men of fortune, when they are in fact 
 on the verge of bankruptcy. By and by 
 their drafts come back dishonored, and the 
 bubble bursts; then fortunate is he who 
 h^s had le^st to do with them*« 
 
 * To shew the encreased production and trade of Ca- 
 nada, there is added in the appendix a statement of the 
 exports nd imports of ast year, 1808. — It forms a cu- 
 rious illustration of the efficiency of a brisk market, and 
 high prices. 
 
231 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 Quebec, 1807. 
 
 Canada, and the other British colonies 
 in North America, have of late acquired 
 an additional degree of importance to the 
 mother country, from the existing differ- 
 ences with the United States ; and assur- 
 edly neither ourWestlndia planters, nor our 
 timber merchants, can trust to the States for 
 supplies, as confidently as they have done 
 heretofore ; they must look elsewhere, and 
 to no quarter so naturally as to our own 
 colonies. 
 
 The obvious question for our considera- 
 tion is, can our West India planters, our tim- 
 ber merchants, and our dockyards, get the 
 necessary supplies from our North Ameri- 
 can colonies ? or, to what extent can they 
 be supplied ? 
 
 The West Indies require to be supplied 
 with Dried codfish, 
 
 Barrel or pickled fish, 
 Salmon, herrings of different spe- 
 cies, mackarel, and oil. 
 
 Lumber, vi#. squared timber, scant- 
 
232 
 
 ling, planks, and boards ; shingles, 
 clapboards, oak staves, and hoops. 
 
 Biscuit and flour; Indian corn and 
 meal; pork, beef, butter, cheese, 
 potatoes, and onions. 
 
 Live stock, horses, oxen, hogs, sheep, 
 and poultry. 
 
 Our timber merchants, and dockyards, 
 require lum b r of all sorts ;-~masts, yards, 
 squared oak timber, plank, staves, pine« 
 timber, deals, hemp, &c. Upon reference 
 to the list of exports from Canada, it will 
 appear that a supply of the whole of the 
 preceding articles can be procured, but 
 probably not to the extent necessary, ex- 
 cept fish, which certainly can be got in any 
 quantity in Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 
 wick, if not in Canada, and in the Gulf and 
 river St, Lawrence, 
 
 The fisheries of our American colonies 
 have had little or no direct encouragement 
 from our government, though frequent re- 
 presentations have been made on the sub- 
 ject. It has been recommended to govern- 
 ment to grant bounties, and to withhold 
 from the Americans a share in the carrying 
 to the West Indies, fish, lumber, &c. the 
 produce of our colonies. Jt is a ch> 
 
233 
 
 cumstance well known, that great part of 
 the fish which the Americans carry to the 
 West Indies, is caught and cured in Nova 
 Scotia and New Brunswick, and sold to the 
 merchants of Boston, who, from a variety 
 of causes, can carry them to the West In- 
 dies, cheaper than our own colonists can. 
 The American government have taken great 
 pains to encourage this fish trade, by giv- 
 ing bounties, which operate strongly against 
 the colonists : so much so, that they are in 
 a great measure driven out of the trade.— 
 This they say was not the case formerly, 
 because, for nine years, viz. from 1785 to 
 1794, while American ships were excluded 
 from the West Indies, they were so well 
 provided withs articles of the first necessity, 
 that vessels from the northern colonies 
 were frequently unable to find sale for their 
 cargo esin our own islands, and were obliged 
 to go to the foreign islands for a market. — 
 Codfish at that time generally sold for less 
 than five dollars per quintal, which proves 
 its abundance, and consequently that the 
 allowing the Americans to import fish in 
 American ships was not a measure of ne- 
 cessity. It seems to be decidedly the 
 opinion of the best informed people here, 
 
234 
 
 that with proper encouragement from home, 
 the West Indies could be amply supplied 
 with all sorts of fish, at moderate prices, 
 from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and 
 Gaspe*. 
 
 It is certain that the fisheries of th& 
 United States, by the encouragement given 
 to them by their government, increase to a 
 great degree, although the}^ labour under 
 many disadvantages from the local situa- 
 tion of their country : while the British 
 fishery, with the advantage of carrying on 
 the fishing on their own coasts, declines 
 every year, for want, it is presumed, of 
 adequate encouragement from the mother 
 country, and from the interference of the 
 citizens of the United States, in a variety 
 of shapes. 
 
 I have in my possession a very impor- 
 tant document, shewing the amount of the 
 provisions and lumber imported into our 
 West India colonies, in the years 1804, 
 1805, and 1806, and distinguishing the 
 countries whence imported. By compar- 
 
 * See appendix. — Memorial, and petition, of the mer- 
 chants and other inhabitants of New Brunswick ; also, 
 petition of the merchants and inhabitants of Halifax, 
 Nova Scotia, and memorial referred to thereia. 
 
235 
 
 ing the amount of these importations with 
 the whole produce of our North American 
 colonies, we shall be able to judge how far 
 these colonies are likely to supply the wants 
 of our West India islands. 
 
 The average importation of the West 
 Indies, for the three years, ending 1806, was 
 as follows : 
 
 CORN. 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 United Kingdoms 
 
 183,1684- 
 
 British North American Colonies - 
 
 3,276f 
 
 America 
 
 406,189! 
 
 Other countries - ■ - 
 
 4,435^ 
 
 Making a total of 
 
 597,069J- 
 
 BREAD, FLOUR, &c. 
 
 Cwt. 
 
 United Kingdoms 
 
 34,49S| 
 
 British American Colonies 
 
 2,789^ 
 
 America - 
 
 463,505^ 
 
 Other countries - 
 
 7,667 
 
 Making a total of 
 
 508,460 
 
 RICE. 
 
 Barrels 
 
 United Kingdoms 
 
 53f 
 
 British American Colonies 
 
 18 
 
 America - 
 
 11,740 
 
 Making a total of 
 
 ll,811f 
 
236 
 
 BEEF and PORK. 
 
 United Kingdoms 
 
 British American Colonies 
 
 America 
 
 Other countries - 
 
 FISH, dry. 
 United Kingdoms 
 British North American Colonies 
 America 
 Other countries - 
 
 Barrels. 
 54,571! 
 1,642! 
 
 4*7,4244. 
 
 385! 
 
 y Making a total of 
 
 104,013-1- 
 
 • 
 FISH, dry. 
 United Kingdoms 
 British American Colonies 
 America 
 
 Barrels. 
 395 
 3374 
 569 
 
 Making a total of 
 
 l,303f 
 
 Quintals. 
 
 3,302| 
 101,692f 
 138,484 
 
 3,2984 
 
 Making a total of 246,778 
 
 FISH, pickled. 
 United Kingdoms 
 British American Colonies 
 America 
 Other countries - 
 
 Barrels. 
 51,694f 
 27,467 
 38,171! 
 990^ 
 
 Making a total of 118,323! 
 
237 
 
 
 
 BUTTER. 
 
 
 Firkins. 
 
 United Kingdoms 
 
 - 
 
 49,814|. 
 
 British American Colonies 
 
 - 
 
 210J. 
 
 America 
 
 
 8,04if 
 
 Other countries 
 
 - 
 
 80 
 
 Making a total of 58,146f. 
 
 CATTLE. 
 United Kingdoms 
 British North American Colonies 
 America 
 Other countries 
 
 Number. 
 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 4,175 
 
 1,123 
 
 5,309 
 
 SHEEP and HOGS. 
 United Kingdoms 
 British American Colonies 
 America - - • 
 
 Other countries 
 
 Number. 
 
 44 
 
 3,488 
 
 318 
 
 3,850 
 
 OAK and PINE BOARDS and 'TIMBER. Feet. 
 
 British American Colonies 
 
 America 
 
 Other countries 
 
 942,122 
 
 38,354,312 
 
 101,330 
 
 39,397,764 
 
238 
 
 
 SHINGLES. 
 
 Number* 
 
 British American Colonies 
 
 332,925 
 
 America 
 
 43,051,704 
 
 Other countries 
 
 13,333 
 
 
 43,397,962 
 
 STAVES* 
 
 Number* 
 
 British American Colonies 
 
 525,360 
 
 America 
 
 17,602,354 
 
 Other countries 
 
 267,500 
 
 
 18,395,214 
 
 * An attentive perusal of the preceding 
 statements will shew how much the West 
 India islands are at present beholden to the 
 United States for their supplies. In some 
 articles, such as bread, flour, and rice, the 
 States have a decided advantage : these are 
 of a superior quality; besides, their vici- 
 nity lessens the expence of carriage. These 
 articles might, no doubt, be carried in Bri- 
 tish bottoms, instead of American ; but 
 they will probably be always furnished 
 cheaper from the States than from our pro- 
 vinces, even supposing the quantity could 
 be procured. This may be the casein the 
 course of a few years, though, at present, 
 
 * For a more detailed account of the imports to the 
 West Indies, see appendix. 
 
239 
 it appears that there is more flour and bis- 
 cuit consumed in the West Indies, than the 
 whole exportation from our North Ame- 
 rican colonies. 
 
 Beef and pork, though supplied at pre- 
 sent by the United States, to the extent of 
 near half the consumption of the West In- 
 dies, may certainly be supplied by Great 
 Britain and her colonies, particularly in 
 time of peace, when the great consumption 
 of the navy will in some measure cease.— 
 Besides, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, 
 and Canada, afford abundance of fine pas- 
 ture, particularly some of the islands in the 
 St. Lawrence, which abound with salt 
 marshes, yielding plenty of luxuriant grass 
 and hay, such as the Isle au Grue 9 where 
 there are salt marshes of many miles ex- 
 tent, and where many thousand head of 
 cattle might be fed all the year round.— 
 Even now, both summer and winter feeding 
 is carried on there to a considerable extent. 
 
 Although it appears that nearly one half 
 of the fish used in the West Indies is fur- 
 nished by America, yet there can be no 
 doubt that the whole might be got from 
 our own provinces, were the Americans 
 
' 240 
 
 prohibited from going to the islands ; and 
 the colonists enabled, by bounties, to be 
 their own carriers, instead of employing 
 the Americans, who Jiave besides a bounty 
 from their government of twenty shillings 
 a ton on all vessels employed in the cod- 
 fishery. 
 
 In the different articles, under the de- 
 nomination of lumber 9 the Americans ap- 
 pear to have a most decided superiority ; 
 but, it must be remarked, that part of their 
 imports to the West Indies, is procured 
 from New Brunswick, which already pro- 
 duces upwards of ten millions of feet an- 
 nually. As every year is adding to the 
 population of our provinces, their power of 
 supplying lumber annually increases ; for 
 it is want of population, and not want of 
 wood, that prevents our colonies from sup- 
 plying any quantity that might be re- 
 quired. 
 
 The West India planters and merchants 
 may say, " It is true we may be supplied 
 from our own colonies, but not at so cheap 
 a rate as from America ; our interest in- 
 duces us to give them the preference/' — It 
 may be so; but it becomes a question, 
 
241 
 
 whether the Mother Country is to listen to 
 such a reason. There are, perhaps, inte- 
 rests paramount to theirs which must be 
 attended to; — the great interests of the em* 
 pire are to be taken into consideration. 
 
 The British North American colonists 
 argue with much plausibility in support 
 of their claims to an exclusive supply of 
 the West India islands. They grant that 
 it is the interest of the West India plant- 
 ers, and of the Americans, to have a free 
 trade to the islands; but, they contend 
 that the planters have no right to expect 
 supplies from a neutral nation, merely 
 because it affords them at a cheaper rate 
 than the British colonies. If the Ame- 
 ricans should obtain by treaty an indulg- 
 ence of a free trade, it would greatly check 
 the prosperity of our northern provinces, 
 and throw the whole of the trade into the 
 hands of the Americans ; so that the islands 
 would depend on them entirely for sup* 
 plies: and, if at any time hereafter, differ- 
 ences should take place between Britain 
 and America, from what quarter are the 
 islands to obtain supplies ? The dimi- 
 nished trade and fisheries of the colonies 
 
 R 
 
242 
 
 may demonstrate, when too late, the fatal 
 policy of throwing into the hands of fo- 
 reigners, a trade, which, with due encou- 
 ragement, might have been almost entirely 
 confined to British subjects. The supplies 
 required by the islands cannot greatly en- 
 crease; — and the northern colonies, from 
 their great extent, and growing popula- 
 tion, will every year be more and more 
 able to furnish every article that may be 
 wanted. 
 
 This question between the West India 
 planters and our North American colo- 
 nies, is the case of two children applying 
 to an impartial mother for a preference in 
 some particular request. She will grant 
 that which best suits the general good of 
 the family, however hard or unjust either 
 party may think it. The interests of colo- 
 nies ought ever to give way, when they in- 
 terfere, or are at variance w T ith, the inte- 
 rests of the Mother Country. 
 
S4S 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 Quebec, 1808* 
 
 The genial influence of a May sun has 
 broken the icy fetters with which Canada 
 has been so long bound up. The winter is 
 now past — we begin to see the face of the 
 earth, which we have looked for, in vain, 
 these six months. You cannot conceive 
 what pleasure arises from discovering a 
 piece of ground which the snow has de- 
 serted—the eye rests upon it with delight ; 
 our pleasurable sensations resemble those 
 we enjoy, when, after a long absence, we 
 Jneet a dear friend. 
 
 A Canadian winter is truly a subject of 
 curiosity to the natives of Britain, or of any 
 of the southern countries of Europe. It 
 presents a view of nature perfectly new, 
 and a variety of phenomena so highly in- 
 teresting, that they cannot fail to arrest the 
 attention of any one at all conversant in 
 natural philosophy. 
 
244 
 
 In Canada there cannot well be said to 
 be more than two seasons of the year, sum- 
 mer and winter. The earth hath scarcely 
 laid aside her mantle of snow, when you 
 begin to feel the force of summer heat ; and 
 although the weather in September is mild 
 and pleasant, it partakes more of the sum- 
 mer than of the autumn of temperate cli- 
 mates. The season of vegetation seems 
 kindly prolonged, till surprized in a man- 
 ner at once by the return of winter, with- 
 out much of what may be called autumn 
 weather- 
 Frost is felt in October, but the sun 
 still retains enough of power to make the 
 weather, during the day, tolerably warm. 
 
 During the month of November the 
 frost becomes daily more severe, and snow 
 begins to fall. Your house is now put upon 
 the winter establishment; stoves are put 
 up in your rooms, and in 'your passages; 
 the windows are well secured and made 
 tight ; and you lay aside your summer dress, 
 and adopt flannels and furs. 
 
 One snow storm now succeeds another, 
 till the whole face of the country is co- 
 vered. The eye in vain looks for a bit of 
 
N . 245 
 ground to rest upon — the trees alone re- 
 main visible — the chilling grasp of winter 
 is every where felt, and every precaution is 
 taken to resist its effects. 
 
 There is something very awful and ter- 
 rific in a Canadian snow storm. A heavy- 
 fall of snow is generally accompanied by a 
 violent gale of wind, which driving along 
 the snow with immense velocity, and form- 
 ing a thousand eddies and turnings, accord- 
 ing to the inequalities of the surface, and 
 resistance consequent thereon, you are able 
 to form an idea of the velocity of the wind 
 —it becomes, as it were, visible. The most 
 severe snow storms they experience in Ca- 
 nada, come from the north-east, the frozen 
 regions of Hudson's bay and Labrador. 
 
 During summer the woods of Canada 
 abound with birds of a great variety of sorts 
 and sizes — partridges, woodcocks, pigeons, 
 and singing birds without number. The 
 lakes and rivers abound with aquatic birds, 
 such as ducks, geese, snipes, &c. Some 
 of these pass the whole summer in Canada ; 
 others, such as the pigeons, are only found 
 at certain seasons, as they pass from the 
 southern to the more northerly parts of th$ 
 
246 
 American continent, and vice versa. No 
 sooner does the frost set in, than almost all 
 the feathered tribes take the alarm, and 
 leave the country ; even the hardy crow is 
 obliged to take himself off. A species of 
 partridge, called the pine partridge (from 
 its living on certain parts of the pine tree, 
 of which it tastes very strongly), alone re- 
 mains—but it is very rarely seen. Few 
 quadrupeds are to be seen ; some hares are 
 found, but to see them is difficult, for they 
 have changed their colour to as pure a white 
 as the snow in which they lie — a kind pre- 
 caution in nature to conceal them from 
 their enemies. Many other quadrupeds, 
 no doubt, remain in this country during 
 the winter. Like the bear, they probably 
 do not change their lodgings while the snow 
 is on the ground, but remain stationary, and 
 in a torpid state. 
 
 The Canadians change their appear- 
 ance as much as a complete change of dress 
 can do. The hat and bonnet rouge are laid 
 aside, and they use fur caps, fur cloaks, 
 fur gloves, and worsted hose, over, as well 
 as under boots. Thus defended, they ven- 
 ture with impunity into the severest frost. 
 
247 
 The snow soon covers the ground to the 
 depth of several feet, and wheel carriages 
 can no longer be used : the wheels would 
 sink so deep, that it would be impossible 
 to advance a step. In place, therefore, of 
 wheel carriages, a sort of sledge is used, 
 which in Canada is called a cariole. It 
 passes over the snow without sinking deep. 
 It is placed on what they call runners, 
 which resemble in form, the irons of a pair 
 of skaits, and rise up in front in the same 
 manner, and for the same purposes. The 
 cariole is generally from nine to twelve 
 inches above the snow. Some, called high 
 runners, are about eighteen inches. • The 
 body of the cariole varies in shape, accord- 
 ing to the fancy of the owner. It is some- 
 times like the body of a phaeton, some- 
 times like a chair or gig, sometimes like a 
 vis-a-vis, and sometimes like a family coach 
 or chariot. The cariole, in short, is the 
 name for all sorts of vehicles used in win- 
 ter, from a market cart, up to a state 
 coach. 
 
 The generality of them are light, open 
 carriages, drawn by one horse. The snow, 
 
248 
 
 after being trodden on for some time, be- 
 comes compact enough to bear the horse, 
 and gives very little resistance to the cari- 
 ole. Some people are extremely fond of 
 driving out in carioles ; for my own part, I 
 think it is a very unpleasant conveyance, 
 from the constant successon of inequalities 
 which are formed in the snow by the cari- 
 oles. These inequalities the Canadians call 
 cahots (from the French word cahoter, to 
 joltj, and they certainly are very well 
 named, for you are jolted as if you crossed 
 a field with very deep furrows and high 
 narrow ridges. The motion is not unlike 
 rowing in a boat against a head-sea— -a 
 thing that requires to be only once tried, to 
 be disliked, 
 
 As no other sort of carriage can, how- 
 ever, be used in this country, custom and 
 example reconcile one to it ; all ranks use 
 them, of one sort or other. Sometimes 
 you see them conveying a dashing buck up 
 oie street and down another at a gallop, to 
 the no small annoyance of people who are 
 end of keeping their bones whole, a thing 
 hose gentlemen seem very careless about,! 
 
249 
 Sometimes you see the close covered family 
 ones, conveying an old lady quietly and 
 steadily to church, or to have a little gos- 
 siping with a fnend ; and sometimes you 
 see them comrng in from the country con- 
 veying beef and mutton, turkies and geese, 
 for the supply of the market. 
 
 When the navigation of the St. Law- 
 rence becomes impracticable, little busi- 
 ness is done by the merchants, who then 
 appropriate a considerable part of their 
 time to amusements. It is necessary to do 
 something to give a little variety to the 
 sameness of a six months' winter. The}^ 
 have parties of pleasure in town, and par- 
 ties of pleasure in the country, in which you 
 have dancing, music, and the social en- 
 joyments of conviviality. 
 
 There is a public assembly once a fort- 
 night, which is very well attended. If you 
 are fond of dancing, you have an oppor- 
 tunity of indulging in it ; if you like a so- 
 fter rubber, you find very good whist play- 
 ers. The civil and military gentlemen mix 
 very cordially together. Such of the Ca- 
 nadians as can afford it, and have an incli- 
 jiation, join in the amusements that are 
 
250 
 
 going forward, particularly the assemblies 
 and dancing parties ; and, indeed, they are 
 an acquisition, as many of the ladies want 
 neither beauty nor the accomplishments 
 necessary for their gracing an assembly. 
 
 One should naturally suppose that very 
 bad consequences would be likely to arise 
 from being heated by dancing in so cold a 
 climate. This, however, is not the case: 
 both the ladies and gentlemen in the cold- 
 est weather, are dressed in the assembly- 
 room as thinly as they are in England in 
 summer ; and the rooms are very comfort- 
 able, being kept moderately warm by a 
 stove. Immediately after dancing, and 
 while very warm, the company go into the 
 open air in the middle of the night while 
 the cold is extreme (from 20 to 30 de- 
 grees below the freezing point), without 
 next day feeling the least inconvenience. 
 It is true, they take every precaution neces- 
 sary, by clothing themselves very warmly. 
 
 People are less liable to suffer from cold 
 in Canada than they are in England, not- 
 withstanding the greater severity of the 
 weather. Many reasons are assigned for 
 this fact. The Canadians take care not to 
 
251 
 
 expose themselves to the external air with- 
 out being warmly clothed ; particular at- 
 tention is paid to keeping the feet, the 
 hands, and the head warm. 
 
 The air is extremely dry in winter, being 
 deprived of its moisture by congelation; the 
 intense frost causes naturally a deposition of 
 the aqueous particles, in the shape of hoar 
 frost. Now, it has been accurately ascer- 
 tained and proved by experiments, that cold 
 dry air is not so good a conductor of heat 
 from our bodies as cold moist air ; it follows, 
 therefore, that the thermometer may shew 
 a very low temperature in cold dry air, such 
 as we have here, without our being; sen- 
 sible of a great degree of cold ; and, that 
 in cold moist air, such as you have in Eng- 
 land, the thermometer may not be under 
 the freezing point, and yet the quantity of 
 caloric or heat carried off from your body, 
 be greater than if the thermometer shewed 
 a temperature many degrees below freez- 
 ing. Were the effect of the cold here on 
 one's feelings, to increase in proportion as 
 the thermometer falls, and go as far beyond 
 what it is in England, as the real quantum 
 of caloric in the atmosphere is more there 
 
252 
 
 than here, it would be impossible to exist 
 in this country; but the evil carries its cure 
 along with it, the frost deprives the air of 
 its moisture, and consequently decreases 
 its power of carrying off from our body the 
 heat it contains. If we wish to know how 
 the weather is to affect us, we should con- 
 sult a hygrometer as well as a thermometer. 
 
 When the cold dry air of this country 
 enters your apartment, and is warmed by 
 the heat of the stove, its drying power be- 
 comes very great. To be convinced that 
 this is the case, it is only necessary to ob- 
 serve how much the furniture of the house 
 suffers from it. The very pannels of the 
 doors shrink so much as almost to fall out 
 of the frame, and the frame itself shrinks 
 to such a degree that the bolt loses its 
 hold. 
 
 I recollect to have remarked the very 
 same effects from the hot easterly wind, 
 which blows occasionally, in the end of 
 summer, in the southern countries of Eu- 
 rope. The Italians call it the siroc wind. 
 It is equally known and dreaded, for your 
 sensations are extremely disagreeable ; the 
 effect on furniture is the same as that of 
 
253 
 
 the air of this country, heated by the stove; 
 but its effects on your body are much more 
 severe. The skin, when the westerly wind 
 blows, is covered with a gentle moisture, 
 but as soon as the easterly or siroc wind 
 blows, the skin becomes dry and parched, 
 and your sensations are oppressive, and 
 undescribable. When the air here is very 
 much heated by the stoves, you feel in some 
 degree the same sensations and effects ; but 
 you have a remedy at hand : you have only 
 to open a door, and you get a fresh supply 
 of cold air. There is no avoiding the siroc 
 wind — let your doors and windows be ever 
 so tight before it begins to blow, it soon 
 makes a passage for itself through the cre- 
 vices of the shrunk pannels. 
 
 An Englishman can w T ith difficulty form 
 an idea of the cold of Canada, or of its 
 effects, till he feels and sees them. The 
 coldest weather is generally during the 
 month of January. The thermometer fell 
 last January to 60 degrees below the freez- 
 ing point, and it continued at that tem- 
 perature for several days. The medium 
 temperature in December and January is 
 about 22 degrees below freezing. 
 
254 
 
 About the beginning of December all 
 the small rivers are frozen so completely, 
 and covered with snow, that bridges for 
 passing them, are no longer necessary, and 
 very little attention is paid to keeping in 
 the summer roads. Where they are hol- 
 low, or where there are fences, the roads 
 are so completely filled up with snow, that 
 they are on a level with the fields on each 
 side. 
 
 The country people who first form the 
 winter roads on the snow, direct their Cap- 
 rioles by the nearest course where the snow 
 is most level ; and they go in as straight a 
 line as possible, to the place to which they 
 are destined. They put up branches of 
 trees on each side the new track, as a direc- 
 tion to others who wish to go that way* 
 These they call des balises, or beacons. 
 When they can conveniently follow the 
 course or bed of a river it is generally 
 done, because the surface is evener than 
 over the fields, and there is less snow on 
 them, as they do not freeze till after a con- 
 siderable quantity of snow has fallen on 
 the fields. 
 
 Even the great river St. Lawrence is 
 
255 
 arrested in its course. It freezes com- 
 pletely over, a few leagues above Quebec, 
 and serves occasionally as a road to Mon- 
 treal. It seldom freezes over, opposite to 
 Quebec, or in the bason. As the river 
 narrows here, the current is increased, and 
 the tide sets up and down with such force, 
 that it generally keeps the floating masses 
 of ice in motion. When the river freezes 
 over, opposite to Quebec, it is called, in the 
 language of the country, a pont, because it 
 answers the purpose of a bridge to the peo- 
 ple who live below Quebec, and who then 
 bring up provisions, and fire- wood in great 
 quantities. 
 
 A variety of circumstances must com- 
 bine to form a pont; when many very 
 large masses of ice happen to come in 
 contact, and fill the whole space be- 
 tween one side of the river and the other, 
 they become stationary. If this hap- 
 pens at neaptides, and in calm weather, 
 the frost fixes the whole, and it becomes a 
 solid mass before the rising tides derange 
 it ; when it has stood a few days, it generally 
 acquires strength enough to resist every 
 
056 
 
 impulse it may receive, till the Avarmth of 
 the April sun affects it. 
 
 All these circumstances so seldom hap- 
 pen at the same time, that it is about ten 
 years since the river took opposite to Que- 
 bec. This year, however, I have had the 
 pleasure of seeing it in that state, and it 
 certainly is an interesting and curious sight. 
 For the distance of eight miles, you see an 
 immense sheet of ice, as smooth as a mir- 
 ror. Thousands of people crowd upon it 
 every day, and booths are erected for their 
 entertainment. In one quarter, you see 
 numbers of people enjoying the amusement 
 of skaiting; in another, you see carioles 
 driving in different directions ; for the ice 
 is so strong, that horses go on it with the 
 greatest safety. Sometimes you see cariole 
 races : they go over the ice with great swift- 
 ness. In short, when the pout , takes (as they 
 term it), it occasions a kind of jubilee in 
 Quebec. 
 
 In one point of view, it is a sub* 
 ject of r'eal rejoicing to the city; it is ac- 
 companied with substantia] advantages.-— 
 Provisions of all kinds, and firewood, a n<? 
 
 m^^b^^b 
 
257 
 Jess necessary article in this country, fall in 
 price, from an increase in quantity, as soon 
 as the pont enables the people in the coun- 
 try below Quebec, to bring their surplus 
 stock to market, in their carioles, without 
 the expence and risk of passing the river in 
 canoes. These canoes are not such as have 
 been before described, used in the north- 
 west trade. They are one solid piece of 
 wood, the trunk of a large tree scooped 
 out, and formed in the outside something 
 like a boat ; some of them are very large, 
 carrying easily 15 or 20 people. 
 
 The passing of the St. Lawrence in ca- 
 noes, in the middle of winter, is a very ex- 
 traordinary operation- The time of high 
 water is chosen, when the large masses of 
 ice are almost stationary. The canoe is 
 launched into the water, where there is an 
 opening: the people are provided with 
 ropes, boat-hooks, and paddles. When 
 they come to a sheet of ice, they jump out 
 of the canoe upon it; draw the canoe up 
 after them ; push it to the* other side of the 
 sheet of ice ; launch it into the water; pad- 
 dle till they come to another sheet of ice ; 
 
 s . 
 
258 
 
 again haul up the canoe, cross the ice, and 
 again launch — -and so on till they reach the 
 other side. You see twenty to thirty ca- 
 noes crossing in this way at the same time ; 
 and you cannot help trembling for them, 
 when you see two immense masses of ice 
 coming together, and they between, appa- 
 rently in the greatest danger of being 
 crushed to pieces ; but the people extricate 
 themselves with great dexterity. 
 
 Custom has taught them to avoid the 
 danger which seems to threaten them with 
 destruction: they dexterously jump upon 
 the first piece of ice with which they come 
 in contact, and haul the canoe after them. 
 I have never, myself, been under any neces- 
 sity to pass the river in this way ; and I 
 must own that it seemed fraught with so 
 much danger, that I never from mere 
 N curiosity was induced to attempt it. One 
 might, by the aid of the people, escape 
 drowning, if one even did fall into the 
 water; but I conceive that a ducking in 
 the river St. Lawrence, in the month of 
 January, and remaining half an hour or 
 more' in wet clothes, would be likely to put 
 
259 
 
 a period to one's existence as effectually 
 as drowning. 
 
 In my next I shall enable you to form 
 some idea of Canadian winter travelling, 
 and make you acquainted with some phe- 
 nomena incident to that season of the 
 year. 
 
s6o 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 Quebec, 1808. 
 
 To see the Canadian winter in all its ma- 
 jesty, and to feel it in all its rigour, it is 
 necessary to take a journey into the differ- 
 ent parts of the country. This I have 
 done. I have made a tour as high up as 
 Montreal, and gone into the province of 
 Vermont, in the United States. Lake 
 Cham plain, 120 miles in length, was frozen 
 over : we crossed it on the ice. 
 
 Having provided myself with a good 
 horse and cariole, and laid in a stock of 
 provisions and liquors, and, moreover, hav- 
 ing taken the necessary precautions to guard 
 against the severity of the climate, I left 
 Quebec in one of the coldest mornings I 
 had ever experienced. The wind blew 
 fresh from the north-west; the sun shone 
 bright, and glistened on the dry pellucid 
 snow, which the wind raised into the air,. 
 
261 
 
 whirling it about, and dashing or darting 
 on my face the minute crystals, like a 
 shower of needle points, occasioning a 
 smarting sensation, which made me feel 
 more keenly the severity of the cold. Who- 
 ever has travelled in Canada in the winter 
 season, will be at no loss to recognize the 
 kind of morning I describe. 
 
 What a strange figure a Canadian win- 
 ter traveller is, wrapped up in his various 
 vestments ! In addition to the usual num-r 
 ber of coats and waistcoats, I had a very 
 large double cloak, a large fur cap, and fur 
 tippet ; and, what added greatly to my 
 comfort and defence against the cold wind, 
 I had a very large muff, in which was 
 often obliged to bury my face when the 
 wind blew keen ; for you will recollect, that 
 as the cariole is an open carriage, it affords 
 no defence from the cold. With all the 
 clothing and coverings you can put on, 
 still you can with difficulty keep yourself 
 warm. 
 
 When a journey of any extent is to be 
 made, a cariole must be used; but if you 
 wish to deviate from the public beaten 
 track, or to go into the woods, or cross 
 
' 262 
 
 fields, either from necessity or for amuse* 
 ment, you must use what are called snow 
 shoes. They are made of a kind of net-* 
 work, fixed on a frame, shaped like a boy's 
 paper kite ; they are about two feet long, 
 and 18 inches broad, and therefore take 
 in so much of the surface of the snow, 
 that you sink but a very few inches. 
 The military, in Canada, are all provided 
 with snow shoes, and are marched out on 
 them, that it may be no novelty in case of 
 their taking the field in winter. For the 
 same reason they are sometimes encamped 
 amongst the snow. ^ 
 
 You can take a great deal of exercise 
 in winter, without being fatigued, and can 
 walk with ease and agility under a load of 
 waistcoats and coats, under which you 
 would sink in summer. When a person 
 proceeds to take off all his coverings, it puts 
 one jn mind of the grave-digger in Hamlet, 
 to whom modern actors have given many 
 more waistcoats than even a Canadian grave-t 
 digger in winter would require. 
 
 The winter travelling in Canada is some- 
 times very expeditious. It is surprising 
 with what speed a good Canadian horse 
 
263 
 
 will travel, drawing a cariole over the ice. 
 There have been instances ot a single horse 
 having drawn a cariole, with two people in 
 it, no less than 90 miles in twelve hours ; 
 which is more than mail-coach rate, with 
 all their changes. When this happens, the 
 roads must be very smooth and hard, which 
 is generally the case when a severe frost has 
 succeeded a thaw. 
 
 The Canadian horse is a remarkably 
 hardy animal : his best pace is a trot. He 
 is accustomed to a great deal of bad usage 
 and hard work, and he is the most willing 
 creature in the world (as the jockeys term 
 it), for he never refuses the draught. You 
 will see them brought from the, country in- 
 to Quebec in the coldest weather, and left 
 standing in the open air without covering, 
 for hours together, while their owners are 
 transacting their business, or drinking in a 
 public house ; and they seem not to be the 
 worse for it. 
 
 In the winter time the Canadian horse, 
 like all the other quadrupeds of the coun- 
 try, acquires an increased quantity of fur 
 to protect him from the cold ; and the Ca- 
 nadians never use the currying comb, — 
 
264 
 
 When the horses have been heated by fast 
 driving, in a cold day, they appear to have 
 a sort of icicle at every hair, and really 
 make a very grotesque appearance ; and 
 you frequently see icicles two or three inches 
 in length, hanging at their noses. 
 
 Previous to my commencing my tour, 
 there had been a heavy fall of snow for 
 some days, so that the roads were in bad 
 order for expeditious travelling. I seldom 
 went more than from thirty to forty miles 
 a day. I had not proceeded far, ere I found 
 the great difference, in point of beauty, 
 between the winter and summer scenery. — 
 Instead of the fine variety, which, in sum- 
 mer, presented itself, in tracing the course 
 of the river, — the gaiety, the liveliness of 
 the moving waters, and passing vessels— 
 the fine tints of the forest, and of the 
 corn-field — the labourer employed in the 
 business of the farm — every surrounding 
 object reflected from the surface of the 
 river; nothing now was to be seen but 
 one continued solid plain — one indiscrimi- 
 nate field of snow; — -no rivers — no wa- 
 ters-— no ships — not an animal in view, 
 man nor beast, except now and then a muf. 
 
265 
 fled-up traveller, hurrying along, as if anxi- 
 ous to get to a place of shelter. 
 
 The St. Lawrence was so full of shelv- 
 ing masses of ice, which the frost had fixed 
 in that position, that a road could not be 
 made upon it; we continued therefore in 
 the summer road, till we came to the river 
 du Loup, which gave us for several leagues 
 a pleasant road, free from cahots. From the 
 river du Loup to the river MaskinongS, the 
 distance is short, and we followed the course 
 of the Maskinonge for several leagues, till 
 we came to the St. Lawrence, on which we 
 found a good road as far as Berthier. 
 
 Berthier is one of the best cultivated and 
 most beautiful settlements in Canada. In 
 summer it bears someresemblance topart of 
 Gloucestershire, on the banks of the Severn. 
 — In the St. Lawrence, opposite to Ber- 
 thier, are several islands of considerable size, 
 abounding with very fine timber, and yield- 
 ing rich pasture for cattle. In summer, 
 they have a charming effect ; but, in win- 
 ter, all is dreary and deathlike — nothing is 
 left but the mere skeleton of a wood. 
 
 Which way soever you direct your at- 
 
266 
 
 iention, nothing presents itself to your ob- 
 servation, but ice and snow; so that you 
 may suppose there can be very little 
 variety in a winter journey. After the first 
 day, yqur curiosity is perfectly satisfied. 
 
 The country people, pass their time in 
 winter, very idly. Their only care seems to 
 be to keep themselves warm; and their 
 principal occupation is cutting and bring- 
 ing home firewood. They make a journey 
 to Quebec or Montreal occasiqnally, to dis- 
 pose of any surplus provisions they may 
 have, and procure some of the comforts of 
 life ; such as replenishing their rum bottle, 
 and renewing their stock of snuff, pipes, 
 and tobacco. 
 
 Those who live on the banks of the St. 
 Lawrence, where the tide ebbs and flows, 
 occupy themselves occasionally in fishing, 
 or catching a species of fish, which come 
 up the river in the winter time, in great 
 abundance, and form a seasonable supply 
 for those who will take the trouble to at- 
 tend to it 
 
 They arc from four to nine inches long, 
 and resemble a cod in every respect, except 
 
267 
 size. The Canadians call them petite 
 Monte : the English call them Tommy 
 cod, — Some people think that it is a dif- 
 ferent fish from the cod; for my own 
 part, I cannot see why. The principal 
 reason for their being supposed a different 
 fish from the cod is, that they are found 
 full of spawn, which, it is alleged, could 
 not be the case with cod at so early an age, 
 and so small a size. This does not appear 
 to me enough to warrant this conclusion. 
 It is not, I believe, ascertained at what age 
 or size the codfish begins to propagate ; and 
 I have yet to learn why this may not take 
 place when the fish is six inches long, as 
 -well as when it is a foot, or two or three 
 feet, long. If size w r ere the criterion, it ap- 
 pears as extraordinary that a fish, w T icfi 
 grows to the length of three or four feet, 
 should propagate w T hen at the length of one 
 foot, as that it should do so at the length 
 of six inches. 
 
 The manner of catching these fish is to 
 cut holes in the ice, and put down either 
 nets or lines. Between Quebec and Three 
 Rivers immense quantities are taken . They 
 are easily preserved without salt ; the frost 
 
268 
 
 answers the purpose; and you may se£ 
 them piled upon the ice in large quantities, 
 all frozen. It is a remarkable thing, that the 
 Canadian horses eat them . One can sc arcely 
 help smiling at the idea of ahorse eating Jisk, 
 but, you may rest assured, it is a fact. 
 
 Great quantities of these fish are caught 
 at Quebec, with lines. The manner of do- 
 ing so is odd enough : A hole is dug in the 
 ice, and a temporary house is built over it, 
 large enough to hold half a dozen people, 
 and a stove to keep them warm. Those 
 who cannot afford to purchase deals to 
 make a house, substitute large pieces of ice, 
 with which they form a kind of defence 
 from the weather. The middle of the night 
 is the best time for fishing. They place a 
 Strong light near the hole, which attracts 
 the attention of the fish, and brings them 
 round the hole, in large quantities ; so that 
 they are caught as fast as they can be 
 pulled in. These houses are erected on the 
 river St. Charles, in great numbers ; and 
 have a singular appearance in a dark night, 
 particularly those made of ice, the trans- 
 parency of which, gives them the effect of so 
 many lanterns. 
 
269 
 
 It is a singular fact, that these fish, if 
 not bruised, will, when put into cold water 
 several days after they are caught, return to 
 life, and swim about as well as ever. At 
 the time they are caught, they are thrown 
 into a basket, and in the course of a mi- 
 nute or two, they become frozen stiff. When 
 carried home, and put into cold water, they 
 become thawed, and begin to swim. How 
 long they would continue out of the water 
 in the frozen state, and afterwards shew 
 signs of life, I cannot determine ; but I can 
 speak to the fact, for several days. I have 
 tried some that had been taken, and been 
 in a frozen state for eight da}'s, but they 
 did not recover, or shew any signs of life. 
 
 It is a curious circumstance : certainly 
 the vital principle had not been destroyed. 
 Perhaps the ice, or sudden freezing, had 
 not penetrated much below the surface; 
 and, by forming a kind of covering, hav- 
 ing the properties of a non-conductor, may 
 have preserved the vital heat from escap- 
 ing into the cold air. Perhaps, a kind of 
 torpor came on, like that of the bear and 
 other winter sleepers. Probably the cause 
 is beyond our reach, for nature generally 
 
mo 
 
 draws a veil 1}etwixt us and her most ex-* 
 traordinary operations. 
 
 On ray arrival at Montreal, I found the 
 good folks employed in precisely the same 
 way, that those I had left in Quebec, passed 
 their time. In all countries, people pass 
 their leisure hours pretty much alike ; that 
 is, they dedicate them to amusement. In 
 Canada, as most of their winter hours are 
 leisure hours, there is, of course, some in- 
 genuity necessary to give such variety to 
 their amusements as may prevent them 
 from becoming insipid by frequent repeti- 
 tion. Hence, in Quebec and Montreal, to 
 the regular town parties, are added, irregular 
 country parties. Pic-nic feasts, where every 
 one carries with him a ready-dressed dish, 
 are very common; and as the place of 
 rendezvous is generally a few miles out of 
 .town, the ladies and gentlemen have the 
 pleasure of a little carioling before dinner; 
 the roads, it is true, are often abominably 
 bad, being a constant succession of cahots, 
 in which you are jolted most unmercifully ; 
 not to say any thing of cariols being very 
 frequently upset, and their contents, ladies, 
 gentlemen, soup, poultry, or roast beef, 
 
271 
 tumbled into the snow, to the no small 
 amusement of the rest of the party. It is 
 also any thing but excessively pleasant, after 
 having dined, danced, supped, and passed 
 the evening in festive glee, enlivened by 
 the sons; and the catch, to drive home in 
 the middle of the night, let the wind blow, 
 and the snow drift as much as they please. 
 Besides, there sometimes come on such 
 dreadful storms, that neither man nor horse 
 can shew their face to them. The conse- 
 quence is, the party remain all night; the 
 fiddlers again strike up the merry dance, 
 and the whist players again cut for partners; 
 what cannot be cured, must be endured. 
 Day-light comes at last, and enables 
 the party to take the road homeward with- 
 out the danger of losing their way, which 
 most probably would have been the case 
 with some of them had they attempted it 
 in the course of the night. The little 
 hardships, disasters, or inconveniences of 
 these country parties, give a zest however 
 to the more elegant amusements of the 
 town. 
 
 A stranger in Canada, who has had a 
 respectable introduction, is well received. 
 
272 
 
 and meets every where the greatest hos- 
 pitality. 
 
 To travel from Canada to the United 
 States, is, in England, considered to be a 
 most arduous and perilous undertaking. In 
 truth, it is not without its dangers and diffi- 
 culties, particularly in winter; yet, with all 
 the inconveniences attending it, the journey 
 is performed very frequently. The Ame- 
 ricans are constantly coming into Canada, 
 particularly to Montreal. They bring pro- 
 visions, and various sorts of dry goods, ge- 
 nerally in Sleighs, which resemble the Cana- 
 dian cariole, except that they are placed on 
 high runners, and are larger and more com- 
 modious than the cariole. The high run- 
 ners give them one great ad vantage, which is, 
 that they do not form in the roads those in- 
 equalities the Canadians call cahots, which 
 jolt you so much, and are one of the prin- 
 cipal drawbacks to winter travelling in 
 Canada. 
 
 I procured one of the Yankie sleighs, as 
 they are usually termed, and left Montreal 
 in a very cold , hazy morning. Our first stage 
 was from Montreal cross the St. Lawrence 
 to Laprairie, a distance of about nine miles. 
 
273 
 
 After travelling about two hours on the 
 river, we began to think it was more than 
 time to reach the other side. We continued 
 our course for half an hour more; still no 
 appearance of the place of our destination. 
 In fact* we had lost our way. The weather 
 was so thick and hazy we could see but a 
 very short space, and our driver had struck 
 into a wrong track. There were a variety of 
 tracks on the river, formed by the people 
 coming from different parts of the opposite 
 side, with fire-wood, &c. for Montreal. In- 
 deed, I reckoned from 2 to 300 sleighs on 
 that part of the river alone* all directing 
 their course to Montreal. 
 
 On inquiring of some of these people, 
 we found that instead of crossing the river 
 we had taken a direction upwards, and 
 were very near the rapids, a little below 
 a part of the country inhabited by a tribe 
 called the Caghnawaga Indians, at a con- 
 siderable distance from Montreal. We 
 had to retrace our steps; and in about 
 two hours more, we arrived at Laprairie. 
 
 This circumstance is trifling in itself; 
 I mention it merely to shew you the lia- 
 bility to go astray, when travelling over a 
 
 $ T 
 
274 
 
 level surface of snow. You can hardly 
 imagine any thing more easy than to cross 
 from one side of a river to another, over a 
 track which we had been accustomed to 
 look at every day, and yet, we went a con- 
 siderable way out of our road, in a very 
 short space of time. It was a good lesson 
 for us, as we had to go on I^ake Champlain ; 
 where, if we once lost ourselves, it might be 
 long enough before we again found out the 
 right road. 
 
 After leaving Laprairie, we very soon 
 got into a primeval forest, through which a 
 road has been cut as far as the American 
 boundary line; and it is continued onwards 
 to Lake Champlain. This is the principal 
 communication in this district, between 
 Canada, and the United States. For many 
 miles the country is very level, and com- 
 pletely covered with large timber, prin- 
 cipally pines. I saw no cross roads, so 
 that it is a kind of pass that might be de- 
 fended with very few men. 
 
 The vicinity of Montreal to the United 
 States, encourages the soldiers occasionally 
 to desert, by the road we passed; to pre- 
 vent which, a few invalids are stationed in 
 
 6 
 
275 
 
 the wood ; they live in log-houses, not the 
 most comfortably in the world. There is 
 another road by way of St. John's, but the 
 deserters avoid it on account of the gar- 
 rison or fort. As we approached the Ame- 
 rican boundary, we found a few settlements, 
 what the Americans call a pitch. They cut 
 down some trees, make a log-house, sow 
 some corn ; next year they cut down more 
 trees, and sow more corn, and so on till 
 they produce something in the style of a 
 farm* Instead of cutting down the trees* 
 the Americans very frequently ring them, 
 as they term it, which is cutting a section 
 of the bark quite round : soon after which 
 the tree decays. We saw several potash 
 manufactories as we approached the Lake* 
 and the woods are continued close to the 
 water. We found near the Lake a kind of 
 public-house, where we stopped during the 
 night. 
 
 Next morning w r e could not proceed* 
 because, during the whole night it had 
 blown very fresh, accompanied with a 
 heavy fall of snow, which continued till 
 near mid-day ; and as every track on the 
 Lake was covered, we could not venture to 
 gi> upon it, our conductor not being well 
 
276 
 acquainted with the different bearings of 
 the land marks. 
 
 The Lake, though 120 miles long, is not 
 broad, seldom above 10 to 15 miles; and 
 there are a great many islands and head- 
 lands, which direct the course of the pilot 
 in summer, and the cariole or sleigh driver 
 in winter. 
 
 So soon as the weather moderated, we 
 set out on the Lake; and took a guide for 
 some time, till we should fall in with some 
 one going our way, or discover a track in 
 the snow to direct us. 
 
 Travelling on Lake Cham plain, is, at all 
 
 i 
 
 times, really dangerous; and I would not 
 advise any one to attempt it, if it can be 
 avoided ; which may generally be done by 
 lengthening the route. Instead of going 
 on the Lake to Burlington, or Skeensboro, 
 you may go by way of St. John's, Wind- 
 mill-point, and Sandbar, to Burlington, and 
 from thence to Skeensboro. 
 
 It is very common, for sleigh, horses, and 
 men, to fall through the ice, where the 
 water is some hundred feet deep ; and you 
 have no warning of your danger till the 
 horses drop in, pulling the sleigh after 
 them; luckily the weak places are of no 
 
 ^^^^^MMI 
 
277 
 great extent; you extricate yourself from 
 the sleigh as quickly as possible, and you 
 find the ice generally strong enough to sup- 
 port you, though it would not bear the 
 weight of the horses. You instantly lend 
 your aid in pulling out the horses, and in 
 endeavouring to save them, which is done 
 in a manner perfectly unique, and which 
 will require the greatest stretch of your 
 faith in my veracity, to believe — the horses 
 are strangled, to save their lives. 
 
 When the horses fall through the ice 
 (there are almost always two in an Ame- 
 rican sleigh), the struggles and exertions 
 they make, serve only to injure and sink 
 them ; for, that they should get out of 
 themselves, is, from the nature of the thing, 
 perfectly impossible. When horses go on 
 the Lake, they always have, round their 
 necks, a rope with a running noose. I ob- 
 served that our horses had* each of them 
 such a rope ; and on inquiry, found out for 
 what purpose it was intended. The mo- 
 ment the ice breaks, and the horses sink 
 into the water, the driver, and those in the 
 sleigh, get out, and catching hold of the 
 ropes, pull them with all their force, which , 
 in a very few seconds, strangles the horses . 
 
278 
 
 and no sooner does this happen, than they 
 rise in the water, float on one side, are 
 drawn out on strong ice, the noose of the 
 rope is loosened, and respiration recom- 
 mences ; in a few minutes the horses are 
 on their feet, as much alive as ever. This 
 operation has been known to be performed 
 two or three times a day, on the same 
 horses ; for, when the spring advances, the 
 weak places in the Lake, become very nu- 
 merous ; and the people, whose business 
 leads them often on it, frequently meet 
 with accidents. They tell you that horses 
 which are often on the lake, get so accus- 
 tomed to being hanged, that they think no~> 
 thing at all of it. 
 
 Pray, tell me, do you not think that 
 this is one of those stories that travellers 
 imagine they may tell with impunity, hav- 
 ing a licence? — Seriously, you are wrong. — i 
 Though this manner of saving horses, and 
 getting them out of the water, appears ex- 
 traordinary, yet, I assure you, the thing is 
 very common, and known to ever}' one 
 who has been accustomed to travel on the 
 lakes and rivers of this country, during win- 
 ter. The attempt however does not always 
 succeed. It sometimes happens, that both 
 
 ■HH 
 
%79 
 sleigh and horses go to the bottom ; and 
 the men too, if they cannot extricate them- 
 selves in time. There was an instance of 
 it on Lake Champlain, a few days before I 
 crossed it. 
 
 These weak places of the ice, which 
 prove so treacherous, have been later in 
 freezing, than the surrounding ice. In all 
 lakes, and large bodies of fresh water, there 
 are some places which never freeze ; and 
 some which freeze much later than others. 
 It is to be accounted for, probably, in this 
 way. The great body of the water, is of a 
 higher temperature than the atmosphere, 
 although the surface has been cooled down 
 below the freezing point, and become ice. 
 The water is constantly giving out its heat 
 to the atmosphere, at some particular place, 
 which thereby is kept from freezing for a 
 considerable time ; by and by, when the 
 frost becomes very intense, that place at 
 length freezes, but does not acquire the 
 strength necessary to support the horses. 
 
 There is another source of danger to 
 the traveller on the lakes, which it is dif- 
 ficult to account for : viz. large cracks or 
 openings, which run from one side of the 
 lake to the other; some of them, six feet 
 
280 
 
 broad at least. I had not proceeded 
 many miles on the lake before I met with 
 a crack; but instead of an opening, I 
 found that at this place the ice had 
 shelved up to the height of several feet ; 
 and I learned that this was an indication 
 of there being an opening further on. At 
 the distance of eight or ten miles from this 
 place, I was surprised to observe the driver 
 put his horses to their full speed : I could 
 see no cause for it. In a few minutes, 
 however, I saw the crack or opening, 
 about five feet broad : we were at it in a 
 moment ; it was impossible to check the 
 horses, or to stop and consider of the 
 practicability of passing, or of the conse- 
 quences ; the driver, without consulting any 
 one, had made up his mind on the sub- 
 ject, — the horses took the leap, and cleared 
 the opening, carrying the sleigh and its 
 contents with them. The concussion on 
 the opposite side was so great, however, 
 that the runners of the sleigh were broken, 
 and there was a great chance of our being 
 thrown, by the violence of the concussion, 
 out of the sleigh, into the gulf we had 
 crossed : this had very nearly taken place; 
 but I was fortunate enough to regain my 
 
 Mi 
 
281 
 
 seat. By the help of some cords, we re- 
 paired our damage, and proceeded on our 
 journey. We met with several other cracks, 
 but as they were not in general above a 
 foot or two in breadth, we passed them, 
 without fear or accident. When the ice is 
 cleared of snow, which was frequently the 
 case, I could see that it was about a foot 
 in thickness; yet it made a crackling noise 
 as we went along, and seemed to give to 
 the weight of the sleigh and horses, as we 
 advanced, which produced sensations not 
 very pleasant. 
 
 There are a great many islands in Lake 
 Champlain, which are generally inhabited; 
 you find inns on them, too, where you can 
 get provisions, and beds if necessaty. I 
 shall embrace another opportunity of mak- 
 ing some observations to you about this 
 Lake and the surrounding country ; but for 
 the present, shall, in my next letter, com- 
 municate to you some further particulars 
 relative to the Canadian winter. 
 
 ■■MB^^^^^M 
 
282 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 Quebec, 1803. 
 
 The range of the thermometer in Canada, 
 is very extensive. The heat in summer 
 runs into as great an extreme, as the cold in 
 winter. The range, during the last twelve 
 months, has been no less than 120 degrees ; 
 and, what is not a little surprising, it has 
 reached 60 degrees precisely, on each side 
 of the freezing point (32). In summer the 
 thermometer rose to 92, and in winter it 
 fell to 28 below zero. I have been told, 
 that the cold has been known in this coun- 
 try to freeze mercury, the thermometer hav- 
 ing fallen below 40 under zero. 
 
 The severity of the cold has its advan- 
 tages as well as disadvantages. The quan- 
 tity of snow with which the ground is co- 
 vered, renders it necessary for the farmer to 
 house all his cattle and sheep, and to put 
 
283 
 
 his hay, straw, and corn, under cover. — 
 So soon as the ground is covered, and the 
 frost completely set in, the cattle and sheep, 
 which are destined for winter use, are kill- 
 ed; and also poultry of all kinds, before 
 they have lost any of the fat they had ac- 
 quired during the summer and autumn. — 
 No salt is necessary to preserve them : they 
 only require to be exposed to the frost for 
 a short time, and they become as hard as 
 ice. When in this state, the poultry, and 
 indeed the beef and mutton too, are packed 
 in casks or boxes amongst snow, and at the 
 end of four or five months, are still per- 
 fectly sound and good. I have to-day 
 (10th May) eat of a fowl which has been 
 killed upwards of four months ; and I really 
 think it could not easily be distinguished 
 from a fowl killed but a few days. Frozen 
 meat is thawed by keeping it in cold wa- 
 ter about twelve hours — warm water would 
 render it useless. , 
 
 After the meat is hard frozen, the prin- 
 cipal thing to be attended to, is, to preserve 
 it from the external air when the tempera- 
 ture is above the freezing point, which is 
 frequently the case in March and April. — 
 
284 
 
 Snow being a good non-conductor of heat, 
 answers this purpose : blankets, too, are fre- 
 quently used. The frost not only preserves 
 beef, mutton, and poultry, but also Jish, so 
 long as you can keep it in a temperature be- 
 low freezing. The fish market, during winter, 
 is pretty well supplied, owing, not a little, 
 to the great industry of the people of the 
 United States, who come even from Bos- 
 ton to Montreal, a distance of 4^0 miies. 
 
 Provisions of all kinds are more plenti- 
 ful, and consequently cheaper, in winter 
 than in summer. The market is supplied 
 from a greater extent of country. The 
 Jakes and rivers being frozen, and the peo- 
 ple without work, they bring to market all 
 sorts of meat and poultry, from a great dis- 
 tance. Being hard frozen, it can be stowed 
 in their carioles without receiving the least 
 injury from the great length ot carnage. 
 
 Good beef and mutton are sold at from 
 3d. to 4d. per lb. ; good fat fowls at 20d. 
 to 2s. per couple ; turkeys 2s. to 2s. 6d. 
 each ; geese and ducks in proportion : so 
 that the expense of housekeeping in these 
 articles, is not great in winter. In summer, 
 as meat is supplied in the towns by the 
 
285 
 town butchers alone, the price advances 
 considerably. The great heat of summer 
 renders it impossible to bring meat from any 
 considerable distance. 
 
 It is a fortunate thing for the people in 
 the towns of Canada' that provisions are 
 cheaper in winter than in summer ; for, the 
 winter subjects them to a heavy expense 
 for firewood, which is, as you may well be- 
 lieve, a sine qua non in this climate. 
 
 The expense of fuel to a family in Que- 
 bec or Montreal, is fully equal to what the 
 same family would require in London ; and 
 it is to be regretted, that there is no pros- 
 pect of its becoming cheaper. On the con- 
 trary, in proportion as the woods are cut, 
 and the distance of carriage increased, the 
 price is augmented ; so that in time it will 
 be cheaper to import coals than purchase 
 wood. Firewood is generally laid in, dur- 
 ing the summer. It is brought to Quebec 
 and Montreal, on the river,, in immense 
 rafts. The wood is cut into junks, and 
 piled upon a float sub-divided into com- 
 partments of ^certain size, containing so 
 many cords. In winter, it is brought from 
 
286 
 
 the country in sleighs, and sold at so much 
 per cord, or per sleigh load. No coal has 
 yet been found in Canada, probably be- 
 cause it has never been thought worth 
 searching after* It is supposed that coal 
 exists in the neighbourhood of Quebec ; at 
 any rate, there can be no doubt that it ex-^ 
 ists in great abundance in the island of 
 Cape Breton, which may one day become 
 the Newcastle of Canada. 
 
 At present, coals are to be purchased 
 very cheap in Quebec. Many of the ves- 
 sels from Scotland, and from the north of 
 England, take in coals as ballast, and sell 
 them very cheap ; sometimes as low as 17s. 
 per chaldron. Even the kennel coal, which 
 is difficult to be met with in many parts of 
 England, is sold at 36s. per chaldron, which 
 is not above half the price of Newcastle 
 coal in winter in the neighbourhood of 
 London. People who have been accus- 
 tomed to burn wood, do not like to burn 
 coal. They tell you that the smell is ex- 
 tremely disagreeable to them, and, besides, 
 that coal does not answer for stoves so well 
 as wood. This prepossession against coa3s 5 
 
287 
 accounts for their being proportionally 
 cheaper than wood. 
 
 It is well that we have either wood or 
 coal, for the effects of frost in this country 
 are with difficulty guarded against, and are 
 really in themselves very curious. I made 
 an experiment, which, to most people, w T ill 
 appear very surprising. I burnt my hand 
 with a cold iron. This may seem in- 
 credible ; but a little explanation will con- 
 vince you of the truth of what I have as- 
 serted. 
 
 In one of those very cold mornings we 
 had in the month of January, when the 
 thermometer had fallen near 60 degrees be- 
 low the freezing point, I put my hand to a 
 piece of iron that had been exposed to the 
 frost in the open air all night. At first, I 
 felt the sensation arising from extreme cold ; 
 in a few seconds I felt the sensation of 
 heat; and it soon became so strong, and 
 so painful, that I was as glad to quit my 
 hold, as if it had been a hot iron. Indeed, 
 I found that I had kept it too long, because 
 the part that had been in contact, blistered, 
 in the same manner it would have done had 
 
288 
 
 it been a hot iron, and it was cured in the 
 same way. No surgeon in England, had 
 he been called in, could have suspected 
 that it was not the effect of coming in con- 
 tact with a hot iron. In truth, heat was 
 the cause of the wound ; and you will rea- 
 dily allow that I am correct, when I have 
 explained to you a few circumstances. 
 
 Burning by a hot iron is produced by 
 the heat, or what is technically called, 
 caloric, passing in such quantity, and with 
 such rapidity, into the part in contact with 
 the iron, that the continuity and arrange- 
 ment of the part is destroyed. Burning 
 with a cold iron arises from the heat pass- 
 ing in such quantity, and with such ra- 
 pidity, out of the part of the body in con- 
 tact with the cold iron, as to produce the 
 same effect. Heat in both cases is the 
 cause; and its going into the body from 
 the iron, or into the iron from the body, 
 does not alter the nature of the effect. 
 
 It is the nature of heat to spread itself 
 equally and uniformly through all bodies. 
 Some receive it, and part with it more 
 quickly than others do ; their conducting 
 
289 
 powers are different. When two bodies, of 
 different temperatures, come in contact, the 
 greater the difference is, the more violent will 
 be the transmission of heat from the one to 
 the other. JSlow, when you reflect that 
 the temperature of the blood is 66 degrees 
 above the freezing point (the freezing 
 point is 32. of Fahrenheit, making 98. as 
 the temperature of the blood), and that 
 the temperature of the cold iron, which 
 burnt me, was 28. below zero, that is, 60. 
 below the freezing point, you have a differ- 
 ence of 126 degrees of heat. This differ- 
 ence is greater than what ^exists between 
 the teijnperature of our blood (98.) and the 
 temperature of boiling water, 212. which is 
 only 1 14 degrees; so that it is not at all 
 surprising that the transmission of heat 
 should have been violent, and that burning 
 should have been the consequence. 
 
 You will excuse me for leading you a 
 little into these abstract matters. To as- 
 sert that I was burnt with a cold iron, re- 
 quired something more to support it than 
 the mere ipse dixit of the narrator, what- 
 ever his character for veracity might be. The 
 thing, on a superficial view, is so contrary 
 
 u 
 
290 
 
 to our common-received opinions, that it 
 was some time before I was quite recon- 
 ciled to it. In theory, it was not new to 
 me; and, as au opportunity occurred for 
 proving the theory by practice, I was re- 
 solved not to neglect it *. 
 
 Analogous to being burnt with a cold 
 iron, is the effect produced on the face 
 when it is exposed to a very cold wind.— 
 The sensation is nearly the same as when it 
 is exposed to a very, hot wind, and the effect 
 is precisely the same. When travelling in 
 
 * The idea of being burnt by a cold iron appears pa* 
 radoxical, but it has been long familiar to chemists. Our 
 great poet Milton, too, makes an allusion to the like ef- 
 fect of cold in his description of the residence of Satan 
 and his compeers.— -After describing Styx, he says, 
 
 <( Beyond this flood a frozen continent 
 Lies dark and wild, beat with perpetual storms 
 Of whirlwind and dire hail, which on firm land 
 Thaws not, but gathers heap, and ruin seems 
 Of ancient pile ; or else deep snow and ice, 
 -A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog 
 Betwixt Damiata, and Mount Cassius old, 
 Where armies whole have sunk : the parching air 
 Burns fr ore, and cold performs tF effect of fire" 
 
 Paradise Lost, Book II. 
 
 Frore is an old word for frosty. — We have also in 
 Virgil, Georg. I. 1. 93. 
 
 Boreae penetrabili frigus adurat. 
 
291 
 a hot cKmate, and exposed to the opera- 
 tion of a warm wind, I have found that 
 my face became red and inflamed, and, 
 as it were, scorchedl If rubbed with any 
 kind of strong spirit, it smarted exceed- 
 ingly, and perhaps the skin partially came 
 oft'. The same sensations, and the same 
 effects, are produced by a very cold wind. 
 The principle on which they act, the cause 
 from which they proceed, is the same — the 
 too violent passage of heat into, or out of 
 the part affected. 
 
 There is another effect very frequently 
 produced by cold in this country, which 
 bears* no analogy (as in the preceding ex- 
 ample) to any thing produced by external 
 heat ; and a dreadful effect it is— I mean 
 frost bitten. 
 
 When the weather is very cold, particu- 
 larly when accompanied by a smart wind* 
 instances of people being frost bitten, fre- 
 quently occur. Not a season passes, with- 
 out some of the sentinels being frost bitten 
 on their posts. Sometimes, their hands and 
 face, sometimes, their feet, are affected; and 
 a mortification of the part generally fol- 
 lows, if the proper remedy is not applied 
 
292 
 
 in time. The remedy will seldom be ap-r 
 plied, if you are attacked in the dark, which 
 is often the case with those who travel at 
 night, as well as with sentinels. Their own 
 feelings do not inform them of the presence 
 of the enemy ; and they are not likely, in 
 the dark, to have him discovered by other 
 people. He insidiously makes a breach ; 
 and if he can keep his ground but for a 
 short time, it is in vain afterwards to think 
 of dislodging 'him. In the towns, during 
 the day, there is less danger, because you 
 will be stopped by the first person who 
 observes the symptoms. This is readily 
 and easily done, as the part frost bitten 
 becomes white, while the rest of the face is 
 very red. 
 
 In so critical a moment, people do not 
 stand on any ceremony, as you may sup- 
 pose. They know you are not conscious 
 of your situation ; and they also know, that 
 before they could convince you that you 
 are frost bitten, and on the point of losing 
 your n6se perhaps, it might actually be too 
 late to apply the remedy ; they instantly 
 take a handful of snow, and either rub the 
 part themselves, or make you do it. 
 
293 
 
 It certainly is enough to startle a stran- 
 ger, to see a person, perfectly unknown to 
 you, come running up, with a handful of 
 snow, calling out, M Your nose, Sir, — your 
 nose, — you are frost bitten f and, without 
 further ceremony, either themselves rub- 
 bing it without mercy, or making you do 
 so. 
 
 When this is done in due time, the tone 
 of the part, the circulation of the blood, is 
 restored ; and, instead of losing a nose, you 
 get off with the loss of the skin perhaps. — 
 An acquaintance of mine, who has not 
 been long in the country, was stopped in 
 the street the other morning. — " Your nose, 
 Sir" was the salute ; " it is frost bitten ; — • 
 rub it with snow instantly, or you will lose 
 it." The advice came from a quarter that 
 commanded instant attention. Snow was 
 immediately applied, and the bad effects 
 prevented. 
 
 1 myself, have guarded against being 
 frost bitten, by using every necessary pre- 
 caution; but I have not escaped altoge- 
 ther. A few days ago, had I continued a 
 little longer exposed to the cold wind, I 
 must have experienced its effects to a much 
 
2.94 
 
 greater extent than I did. I had been walk- 
 ing quickly against the wind, which was bit- 
 ter cold. I felt so much pain at last, that I 
 was glad to turn my back on it, and get 
 home as fast as I could. I found that one 
 side of my face was somewhat swelled, 
 much inflamed, and very hot. I am as- 
 sured, that had I persevered in walking 
 against the wind, I most undoubtedly would 
 have suffered severely. 
 
 If I had continued under the influence 
 of the frost a little longer, the painful sen- 
 sation I felt, would have gone off, and I 
 should have supposed that the wind had 
 become milder; whereas, the ease I should 
 have felt would have arisen from my sensa- 
 tions being blunted, the blood vessels at 
 the surface having lost their tone. After 
 this happens, the longer one continues ex- v 
 posed to the cold, the greater is the pro- 
 gress of insensibility. It ultimately per- 
 vades all the extremities; drowsiness en- 
 sues. You would willingly lie down on the 
 snow, were no one near to prevent you.— • 
 You would fall asleep, never to awake 
 again ! 
 
 I know a gentleman, who was so far 
 
295 . 
 
 gone, that he lay down on the snow, several 
 times, from a desire to sleep ; and nothing' 
 but the roughest usage from a person who 
 fortunately was with him, prevented his 
 doing so. It was absolutely necessary to 
 kick and buffet him, to keep him awake. 
 Had he gone to sleep, it most assuredly 
 would have been the sleep of death ! 
 
 Were one to choose their manner of 
 weakening the grasp of the grim tyrant, 
 there is not, probably, so easy a way of 
 doing so, as by the benumbing, soporific in- 
 fluence of frost. 
 
 A friend of mine, some time ago, found 
 a man lying on the snow, in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Quebec, quite dead ; he was 
 at a little distance from the road ; he had 
 probably got benumbed by the cold, and 
 had stepped aside to indulge, for a few 
 minutes, his desire of sleep. Poor man ! 
 he awakened no more ! His. countenance 
 bore no marks of suffering : it was as placid 
 and unruffled as if the heart had still con- 
 tinued to beat, and the blood to circulate. 
 
 The manner in which a cold iron and a 
 cold atmosphere affect the body, is very dif- 
 ferent. The cold iron deprives the body 
 
296 
 of its heat in such a violent manner, as 
 quite to derange the part in contact, rup- 
 ture the blood vessels, and destroy their 
 continuity. The cold atmosphere deprives 
 the parts (on which it acts) of their heat in 
 a less violent manner : the blood vessels 
 are not ruptured, nor the continuity of the 
 parts destroyed, but both are so strongly 
 acted upon that their functions are de- 
 stroyed. The blood vessels no longer re- 
 tail the powers of expansion and repul- 
 sion. It is well ascertained, that air is de- 
 composed in the lungs, and parts with its 
 caloric to the blood, which carries it through 
 the system. Shall I hazard a conjecture ? 
 Heat (in cases where frost proves fa- 
 tal), is perhaps taken off from the body, 
 faster than it can be supplied by the lungs 
 to the blood, and carried into circulation. 
 A general torpor, a stoppage of the circula- 
 tion of thetluids, — death, in short, ensues. 
 
 One would naturally enough suppose, 
 that an effect occasioned by cold should be 
 removed by heat. This idea has occasioned 
 theloss of many a limb. It has generally 
 been supposed, that cold is a material sub- 
 stance, of a nature directly opposed to 
 
297 
 heat. This is now generally allowed to be 
 an error, there being; no such substance as 
 cold — no such thing in nature. The word 
 expresses a negative quality, viz. the ab- 
 sence of heat. 
 
 Impressed with the idea that heat must 
 be a good remedy for evils produced by cold, 
 hot water has been often applied to parts 
 that have been frost bitten, and tbe conse- 
 quences have always been fatal. The rea- 
 son appears to be this, that the part frost 
 bitten, having become diseased by the heat 
 of the body rushing violently, and in great 
 quantity, out from it, the application of 
 hot water will make the heat rush violently 
 into it; and if any part of the work of de- 
 struction remains undone, the heat of the 
 warm water will do it. Experience has 
 proved, that the application necessary to 
 restore the parts to their wonted tone, 
 must be of a very moderate degree of 
 heat— very little, indeed, above freezing. 
 The heat may then insinuate itself so gra- 
 dually and gently, as not to increase the 
 evil. Snow, or cold water, have been 
 found to be the most efficacious applica- 
 tions, being of a temperature sufficiently 
 
298 
 
 low, yet still possessing a degree of heat 
 sufficient to produce an effect on the parts, 
 and restore circulation ; or, perhaps, the 
 caloric, or animal heat, meeting with snow, 
 a non-conductor, may remain in the part 
 frost bitten, and, of itself, restore it to its 
 proper tone. 
 
 Excuse me for troubling you with these 
 speculations. I own that they are rather 
 out of my province, though not altogether 
 foreign, in considering the effects of a Ca- 
 nadian winter. I have yet some details to 
 give you of the effects of frost, which must 
 be quite new to you. Professing to make 
 you acquainted with this country, I should 
 but ill perform my task, did I omit any 
 point of information essential for giving 
 you a knowledge of winter, which occupies 
 one half the year. In my next communi- 
 cation I shall endeavour to make good my 
 promise. 
 
 
299 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 Quebec, 1S08. 
 
 In giving you the striking features of the 
 Canadian winter, I ought not to omit, that 
 during the most severe cold in January, a 
 great and very sudden change takes place 
 almost every year, and continues for a day 
 or two. From a most severe frost, when 
 the thermometer shewed 60 degrees below 
 the freezing point, it suddenly became so 
 warm, that the thermometer shewed three 
 degrees above freezing. In short, the wea- 
 ther this winter changed in a few hours 
 from nearly the greatest degree of cold that 
 ever was known here, to a complete thaw. 
 It is a law of nature, that when fluids be- 
 come solid, heat is given out to~the atmo- 
 sphere. On this principle, when water be- 
 comes ice, heat must be giyen out ; and an 
 accumulation of this heat may produce 
 
soo 
 
 the thaw experienced, in Canada, in the 
 middle of winter. 
 
 Such a great and sudden change is pro- 
 ductive of very unpleasant sensations. The 
 stoves, and winter clothing, are quite op- 
 pressive ; and } 7 et, it is dangerous to at- 
 tempt to dispense with either, for j^ou, every 
 hour, look for a return of the cold weather. 
 Fortunately, it does not in general continue 
 many days ; sometimes, however, it has 
 been known to last ten or fourteen days ; 
 and, when this is the case, it is of very se- 
 rious injury to the country in a variety of 
 ways. It is extremely prejudicial to the 
 health of the people. The streets are so 
 inundated with water from the melting of 
 the snow, that you cannot walk out; and 
 the roads become so soft, and the rivers so 
 full of water, that you cannot use a cariole, 
 or travel, indeed, in any mode. But, 
 what is a much more serious evil than all 
 these things, the provisions which were 
 destined to serve through the winter, be- 
 come thawed, and are either destroyed al- 
 together, or greatly injured. 
 
 It is surprising, that although this cir- 
 cumstance has occurred frequently, and 
 
301 
 
 the people are subject to it every year, 
 yet there is not much attention paid to 
 putting the provisions in such a situation, 
 and packing them up in such a manner, as 
 to effectually prevent their being accessi- 
 ble to the warm air, during the thaw. It 
 might be done very easily : Let them be 
 packed in a tight box or cask, after being 
 completely frozen, and this box or cask 
 put into another, large enough to admit of 
 its being surrounded with pounded ice and 
 snow, which would act as a perfect non- 
 conductor of heat, and preserve the con- 
 tents of the inner box in their frozen state 
 for a great length of time. The outer box 
 should have holes in its bottom, to allow 
 any water to run out, which might arise 
 from the melting of the snow. This method 
 has, I believe, been tried with success; but 
 it is by no means in general use. 
 
 During the thaw, a very extraordinary 
 effect is produced, sometimes, on the trees. 
 The Canadians call it a ver-glas. The 
 tree, from the trunk to the point of the 
 smallest branch, becomes incrusted with 
 pure ice. There may be a small degree 
 of frost during the night, which will freeze 
 
502 
 
 the moisture that covered the trees dur- 
 ing the day; and it is probable that the 
 external parts of the trees themselves, be- 
 ing cooled down below the freezing point, 
 by the extreme cold of the previous wea- 
 ther, freeze the vapour, the moment it comes 
 in contact with them; in the same way that 
 the glass of a window in winter becomes 
 incrusted with ice by the freezing of the 
 moisture in the air of a room. The branches 
 become at last so loaded with ice, that they 
 can with difficulty support the weight of 
 it ; and if there happens to come a storm 
 of wind, which was the case lately, the 
 branches infallibly break off, and the de- 
 struction amongst trees of all sorts is im- 
 mense. I see every day the effects of the 
 last ver-glas. Branches of trees, from six 
 to twelve inches in diameter, are seen every 
 where hanging from the trees, completely 
 broken down. 
 
 I am told, that there can be nothing 
 more curious or beautiful than one of those 
 ice-incrusted trees when the sun shines 
 upon it. Indeed, one can easily conceive 
 that it must have the appearance of fairy 
 work, or enchantment. 
 
303 
 
 In order that I might be able to ascer- 
 tain correctly the state and changes of the 
 atmosphere, both external and internal, I 
 kept a thermometer suspended in a north- 
 ern exposure, both on the outside and in- 
 side of the window. The thermometer on 
 the inside was within half an inch of the 
 glass. I observed a circumstance which 
 marked strongly the extreme cold of the 
 external atmosphere. 
 
 It was between three and four o'clock 
 in the afternoon ; the room had been kept 
 very warm during the whole of the morn- 
 ing; and, at the time, I observed that the 
 thermometer shewed ?3. though almost 
 touching the ice on the window. Not- 
 withstanding of this, the inside of the win- 
 dow remained covered with ice, in the way 
 you sometimes see it in England, in the 
 morning, after a severe frost. 
 
 This not only proves the severity of the 
 frost, but also that glass is a very bad con- 
 ductor of heat ; else it would have been af- 
 fected, and penetrated by the heat, in such 
 a manner as to counteract the operation of 
 the cold air of the atmosphere ; but the 
 cold was so intense, as to destroy and ab- 
 
304 
 
 sorb, as it were, the heat, faster than it 
 could be received from the atmosphere of 
 the room, notwithstanding its being so very 
 much wanned. 
 
 You will probably suppose that a room, 
 at the temperature of 73. must be uncom- 
 fortably hot. It is beyond what summer 
 heat in England usually shews. I, like all 
 other Englishmen, came to this country, 
 strongly prejudiced against stoves and 
 warm rooms ; but I have found that warm 
 rooms are very comfortable in cold wea- 
 ther; and that they are more likely to be 
 comfortable, if heated by a stove, than if 
 by an open fire-place. 
 
 The prejudices against stoves are, I 
 think, ill founded. When one who has not 
 been accustomed to it, comes into a room 
 heated by a stove, he is struck with the 
 equal degree of warmth that prevails; and 
 he is apt to fancy the air is close, meaning, 
 I suppose, unwholesome; he probably 
 throws open a window, and cold air imme- 
 diately rushes in. I question if that is more 
 wholesome ; a strong current of air is pro- 
 duced, from which very bad effects often 
 arise. 
 
305 
 
 Where the air of a room is kept uni- 
 formly warm, it must be changing every 
 moment. By being heated, it is rarified 
 and presses upwards ; its place is supplied 
 by the cold air from without, which, being 
 more dense, rushes in at every little crevice 
 in the lower part of the room. 
 
 The principal advantage arising from 
 the uniform heat of a stove, is, that the 
 walls of the room become warmed, and 
 communicate their warmth to the air which * 
 comes into the room, and gets in contact 
 with them. In a room, the walls of which 
 are cold, if the air is heated and rarified^ 
 it will be cooled and condensed the mo- 
 ment it comes in contact with the cold 
 walls ; and as by condensation it becomes 
 heavier, it will rush downwards, produc- 
 ing a current of air towards the floor, which 
 will be felt by those sitting close to the 
 wall. 
 
 You will uniformly see these observa- 
 tions exemplified in assembly rooms and 
 churches, the walls of which, being cold, 
 condense the warm air. By condensation, 
 it parts with the moisture which it held in 
 solution, and which is seen running down 
 
 x 
 
306 
 
 the walls in streams. All rooms which are 
 not meant to be frequently used, such as 
 assembly rooms, ought to be plastered on 
 laths, or, what would be better still, pa- 
 pered, or painted on canvas. In the lat- 
 ter case, at least, I should suppose they ne- 
 ver would be so cold as to condense the air^ 
 and produce the effects above mentioned. 
 
 I must own, I am a friend to warmth. 
 It is said, that by custom, we may inure 
 ourselves to cold, in such a manner as to 
 render our bodies in some degree insensible 
 to it; but supposing this to be attained, 
 it does not follow that its pernicious effects 
 on us are prevented. Rheumatisms, and 
 other diseases, may be the consequence. 
 
 The Canadians keep their houses very 
 hot; and they themselves, while exces- 
 sively warm, go immediately into the cold 
 air, without seeming to feel any inconve- 
 nience from it; which would induce one to 
 believe that the sudden transition from a 
 hot room into the cold air, if the person be 
 properly clothed, were not so dangerous 
 as is generally imagined. This is further 
 illustrated by the instances I have formerly 
 mentioned of ladies and gentlemen going 
 
307 
 into the cold night air, out of a warm ball- 
 room, without suffering any inconvenience 
 from it. 
 
 I am disposed to join in the opinion of 
 those who think that the living in a warm 
 room, so far from weakening and making 
 you delicate, as it is termed, and render- 
 ing you unfit to bear cold, is the best pre- 
 servative against the bad effects of cold, 
 when you may be under the necessity of 
 exposing yourself to it. 
 
 It has been observed by an eminent 
 philosopher, that if, during the time we are 
 sitting still, the circulation of the blood is 
 gradually and insensibly diminished by the 
 cold which surrounds us, it is not possible 
 that we should be able to support a great 
 additional degree of cold, without sinking 
 under it. We should be like water, which, 
 by exposure to moderate cold in a state of 
 rest, has been slowly cooled down below 
 the freezing point; the smallest additional 
 cold, or a small degree of agitation, changes 
 it to ice in an instant ; but water, at a high 
 temperature, will support the same degree 
 of frost, for a considerable time, without 
 appearing to be at all affected by it. 
 In giving you facts, illustrative of the 
 
308 
 
 severity of a Canadian winter, let me men- 
 tion to you the experiments on bomb shells, 
 made at Quebec some years ago, by a Ma- 
 jor Williams, of the Artillery. I am ac- 
 quainted here, with some gentlemen who 
 witnessed the experiments : they were made 
 in order to ascertain the force of the expan- 
 sion of freezing water : they are curious ; 
 and you, perhaps, have not met with them 
 in the course of your reading. 
 
 These experiments were made on iron 
 shells of different sizes, from the 13-inch 
 shell, to the cohorn of four inches diameter. 
 The shells were nearly filled with water, and 
 an iron plug was driven in at the fuze hole, 
 by a sledge hammer. It was found, how- 
 ever, that the plug could never be driven 
 so firmly into the fuze hole, as to resist the 
 expanding ice, which pushed it out with 
 great force and velocity, and a bolt or cy- 
 linder of ice immediately shot up from the 
 hole : but when a plug was used that had 
 springs, which would expand, and lay hold 
 of the inside of the cavity, so that it could 
 not possibly be pushed out, the force of 
 the expansion split the shell. 
 
 The amazing force of expansion in con- 
 gelation is also shewn from the distance to 
 
309 
 which these iron plugs were thrown out of 
 the fuze hole. A plug of two pounds and 
 a half weight was thrown no less than 415 
 feet from the shell ; the fuze axis was at an 
 angle of 45; the thermometer shewed 51 
 degrees below the freezing point. Here 
 you see ice and gunpowder performing 
 the same operations. That similar effects 
 should proceed from such dissimilar causes 
 is very extraordinary. 
 
 The expanding force of freezing water 
 acts powerfully on all bodies exposed to its 
 operation. Wherever water lodges, and is 
 at all confined, as in the cracks and fis- 
 sures of rocks, or in the walls of houses, 
 the effects of its expansion are felt. Masses 
 of rock are severed from the mountain's 
 brow, and precipitated into the valleys 
 below. There the frost again acts upon 
 them, and they are reduced from one size 
 to another, until they become an earth. — 
 In agriculture, the effects of the expansion 
 of freezing water are well known. The 
 farmer finds, that by > ploughing a strong 
 soil, and exposing it to the operation of the 
 winter's frost, the hard clods are broken 
 down and pulverised, and the soil is better 
 
310 
 
 fitted to receive the seed, and give it nou- 
 rishment. 
 
 In Canada, the walls of the houses are 
 usually plastered on the outside, to pre- 
 serve the stone from moisture, and the con- 
 sequent • destructive effects of the frost. 
 They find it, however, a very difficult mat- 
 ter to get plaster to adhere; particularly 
 if exposed to the easterly wind, which, in 
 one winter, destroys almost any plaster 
 they can use: A composition has lately 
 been tried, which promises to answer bet- 
 ter. About a couple of pounds of Mus- 
 covado sugar are mixed with a bushel of 
 lime ; and it makes a very hard and durable 
 mixture, for rough casting. In places the 
 most exposed to easterly wind, it has re- 
 mained hard and fast, after a fair trial. 
 
 Before I close this letter, let me men- 
 tion to you the assistance the Canadians 
 receive from their dogs, which they employ 
 for a variety of domestic purposes. 1 for- 
 merly mentioned to you the speed and the 
 hard work to which the Canadian horse 
 was frequently put; but he is not the only 
 beast of burden here, or, I should rather 
 say, of draught. The Canadians make 
 
311 
 
 much use of dogs for drawing light weights. 
 You frequently see a single dog draw a 
 small cart, or sledge, loaded with more 
 than 200lbs. weight of different articles. — 
 In the winter, in addition to this weight* 
 you see the man who drivess,tanding on the 
 sledge, and dragged along with great speed, 
 if there is a gentle declivity. The weight 
 they are made to draw, is really incredible. 
 Nor are they very large dogs, or of any 
 particular species: you see them of all 
 sorts and sizes, with carts or sledges, in pro- 
 portion to their strength. The butchers em- 
 ploy them for transporting meat to their 
 customers in different parts of the town : 
 they use small carts in summer, and sledges 
 in winter ; the dogs are fitted with a com- 
 plete set of harness, and two or three of 
 them are sometimes yoked to the same cart 
 or sleigh. People employ them too, in 
 bringing water from the river; in drag- 
 ging small carriages with children; and, 
 in short, in all domestic purposes where a 
 moderate weight is to be transported. They 
 certainly might be used in Britain with 
 great advantage, in many cases ; because a 
 boy can attend them, and make than draw 
 a great deal more than he can carry. 
 
312 
 
 LETTER XXL 
 
 Quebec, 1805, 
 
 jNo part of the Canadian winter is more 
 interesting than the conclusion of it, when 
 the snow begins to disappear, and the ice 
 in the rivers to break up, which is the case 
 in the end of April. 
 
 One would naturally suppose, that six 
 months frost and snow would have become 
 insufferably tiresome to a stranger. I can 
 assure you I have not found it so. 
 
 The winter may be divided into three 
 seasons, or portions, as it were : for two 
 months at the beginning, the snow is fall- 
 ing, and the frost becoming daily more 
 severe. We are amused by making ob- 
 servations upon it, and by the novelty 
 of our situation, and our consequent ha- 
 bits. The middle two months of severe 
 frost is not without interest : we then see 
 winter in all his majesty, after he has bound 
 up the lakes and rivers in fetters of ice, 
 and covered the earth as with a mantle. 
 
313 
 
 The last two months are interesting, be- 
 cause we are anxious to see by what means, 
 and in what manner, such an immensity of 
 snow and ice is to be got rid of. 
 
 The influence of the sun is little felt in 
 February. In March, however, you are 
 sensible of its power; and, during this 
 month, the weather in general is very beau- 
 tiful ; the frost is still sufficiently severe to 
 keep the roads hard and good ; the sky is 
 clear, the sun shines bright ; it is pleasant 
 to get into a cariole, and drive a few miles 
 into the country. During the month of 
 April, the influence of the sun has been so 
 great, as powerfully to affect all nature.*— 
 The snow has nearly disappeared about the 
 first week in May ; the ice in the lakes and 
 rivers is broken up, by the increase of wa- 
 ter from the melting of snow, and it is 
 floated down to the great river St. Law- 
 rence, where it accumulates in immense 
 quantities, and is carried up and down with 
 the tide. 
 
 At this time the St. Lawrence presents 
 one of the most extraordinary scenes in na- 
 ture. You cannot form an adequate idea 
 
314 
 
 of it, without being a spectator. From 
 ba*ik to bank, it is quite choaked up with 
 immense masses and sheets of ice ; some of 
 them from 4 to 500 yards in diameter. — 
 The tide forces them on one another, breaks 
 them into smaller pieces, and raises them 
 in shelving and fantastic forms, consider- 
 ably above the surface. This mass of mov- 
 ing ice fills the whole bason, and is seen as 
 far up the river as your eye can reach — a 
 distance altogether of twelve to fifteen 
 miles. 
 
 While the river was in this state, we 
 were astonished to see a vessel from Eng- 
 land come round point Levi, into the ba- 
 son. The arrival of the first vessel from 
 England is hailed as a joyful circumstance. 
 You cannot imagine what a crowd of 
 pleasurable ideas fills the mind on this oc- 
 casion. All classes and descriptions of 
 people are interested in it. The merchant, 
 the tradesman, and the labourer, have an 
 immediate prospect of beginning their ope- 
 rations, of putting a period to a state of 
 idleness, and of supplying the wants of 
 their families, which, necessarily, will oftea 
 
315 
 
 be felt, after being six months with little or 
 no employment. The military men have 
 a more immediate prospect of communi- 
 cating with their friends at home, and of 
 having more frequent intelligence of what 
 is going on in Europe. In short, a thou- 
 sand agreeable associations are formed in 
 the mind, which may be more easily con- 
 ceived than described. 
 
 The vessel arrived on the 28th of April, 
 which is about a fortnight sooner than 
 usual. Indeed, for these last forty years, I 
 am well informed, there have been only two 
 vessels that have arrived so soon. The ri- 
 ver being still full of ice, it was curious, and 
 at the same time terrific, to see the vessel, 
 with all sails set, surrounded by, and fixed 
 amongst, these immense pieces of ice, mov- 
 ing backwards and forwards with the tide, 
 whichever way it led, Anchors and ca^ 
 bles were of no use; the only object, — the 
 only chance of safety, was to take advan- 
 tage of some occasional opening amongst 
 the sheets of ice, by which she might be 
 forced out of the stream. An opportu- 
 nity fortunately occurred ; it was imme^ 
 
316 
 
 diately seized, the wind being strong and 
 favourable ; and she was brought to the 
 quay, and safely moored. 
 
 People went off to her assistance im- 
 mediately on her appearing, and they had 
 much difficulty in reaching her; but they 
 did so at last, with the assistance of ca- 
 noes, which they paddled when an open- 
 ing occurred, and hauled over the ice 
 when necessary. It was an extraordinary 
 sight to see people jump off the sheets of 
 ice, into the main-chains of the vessel. 
 
 One might have thought, that these 
 immense masses of ice coming against the 
 sides of the vessel, would have stove them 
 in; she received no injury however. In 
 fact, the ice at this season has been so 
 acted upon by the warmth of the weather, 
 that its hardness is greatly lessened. It 
 seems to preserve much of its thickness ; 
 but it has become perforated, honey- 
 combed, and full of water, so that the 
 concussion on the vessel was reduced to 
 almost nothing. Ice of the same apparent 
 magnitude, in the month of Jauuary, would 
 have squeezed the vessel to pieces. 
 
317 
 
 Notwithstanding this vessel suffered 
 no injury, there was a considerable risk of 
 her being forced on shore. 
 
 In the fall of the year the risk of ship- 
 wreck is greatly increased, from the snow 
 storms prevalent at that time. These 
 storms not only prevent the sailors from 
 seeing the coast and the landmarks, and 
 consequently from directing their course 
 properly ; but the cold is then so severe, 
 that the men cannot remain exposed to it. 
 The cordage becomes incrusted with ice, 
 so that it cannot run through the blocks, 
 and the sails become frozen in such a man- 
 ner, that there is no possibility of working 
 the ship ; besides* so much ice gets about 
 the rudder that it becomes immoveable* 
 Many vessels have been lost from these 
 circumstances, and almost every winter, 
 some vessels sail in expectation of getting 
 out of the river ; but, being caught in a 
 snow storm, are very fortunate if they escape 
 destruction, by getting into some bay or 
 place of shelter, where they remain fixed 
 for the winter. 
 
 No sooner is the influence of the April 
 sun felt, than you see birds of various kinds 
 
318 
 
 Returning to their summer quartets; and 
 vegetation about the 10th of May is very 
 strong. The snow is nearly gone, and the 
 frost is sufficiently out of the ground to 
 allow the farmer to commence his opera- 
 tions. This takes place after the snow is 
 gone,sooner than one would imagine. The 
 frost does not penetrate so deep into the 
 ground, as from the intenseness, and long 
 continuance of the cold, might be ex- 
 pected. 
 
 In countries where you have six months 
 frost, were the soil exposed to its influence 
 all the while, it would have penetrated so 
 deep, that I question if the heat of a whole 
 summer would eradicate it. But Pro- 
 vidence has furnished a remedy: it has 
 kindly decreed, that when water is cooled 
 down to 32°. it shall freeze, and be con- 
 verted into ice and snow. The rivers be- 
 come covered with ice, the surface of the 
 earth becomes hardened, snow falls to a 
 considerable thickness, and bv these means 
 the water and the land are protected from 
 the influence of that immense volume of 
 cold, dense atmosphere, which presses on, 
 from the polar regions towards the south. 
 
319 
 when the sun retreats after the solstice. 
 
 The natural heat of the earth is about 42 ; 
 the thermometer stands at this point in 
 the deepest mines that have Leen sunk. 
 This natural heat as well as the heat accu- 
 mulated in the earth and water during 
 summer, is prevented, by the ice and 
 snow, from making its escape; and as 
 so >n as the return of the sun has brought 
 warmth enough to banish the frost from 
 the asmosphere, the latent heat of the 
 earth and water lends its aid in dissolv- 
 ing the snow and ice, and forwarding ve- 
 getation. Snow is peculiarly well calcu- 
 lated for preserving warmth in the earth ; 
 because it is full of air, which is known to 
 be a very bad conductor of heat, and will, 
 of course, the more effectually prevent its 
 escaping from the surface. It is a thing 
 very well ascertained here, that vegetation 
 has made some progress under the snow, be- 
 fore it has deserted the ground. 
 
 The long continuance of winter in Ca- 
 nada is certainly a circumstance which 
 must retard its progress in improvement, 
 and the increase of its trade. Some peo- 
 ple pretend to say, that it must ever pre- 
 vent its becoming a great, populous, and 
 
320 
 
 trading nation. I cannot go so far. We 
 have seen Russia, in the course of a cen- 
 tury, become a great, populous, and trad- 
 ing nation. We have seen a splendid ca-* 
 pital city, and many respectable towns, 
 raised by the magical powers of commerce, 
 and domestic industry ; and yet the Rus- 
 sian winter is as long as the Canadian win- 
 ter. The communication of the Russians, 
 by water, with the rest of the world is cut 
 off, and that element confounded, as it 
 were, with the land, from the 27th of No- 
 vember, to the 19th of April (upon an 
 average calculation of 15 years), which is 
 nearly five months. Now vessels some- 
 times leave Quebec as late as the begin- 
 ning of December, and arrive sometimes 
 in the end of April, so that the Neva is as 
 long shut up as the St. Lawrence ; yet no- 
 body ever doubts that Russia is a rising 
 country, and may become the most power- 
 ful in Europe. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, and not a little 
 surprising, that so large a river as the St. 
 Lawrence, in latitude 47, should be shut 
 up with ice as soon, and continue as long 
 shut up, as the comparatively small river, 
 the Neva, in latitude 60. 
 
321 
 
 Could the husbandman, the labourer, and 
 all those whose trade or profession in Canada 
 lead them to work in the open air, follow 
 their occupations all the year round, it cer- 
 tainly would be of great advantage to the 
 country, and to the people. At present, a 
 great proportion of the people are obliged 
 to live twelve months on six months work, 
 which implies their receiving double wages. 
 This is certainly the case ; wages are very 
 high ; 4, 5, to 6s. a day are given, accord- 
 ing to the kind of w r ork, and merit of the 
 workman. The idleness of their winter life 
 has other bad effects. It generates habits 
 prejudicial to exertion ; so that, in summer 
 even, they do not perform so much work 
 as men who are in habits of industry all the 
 year round. At the same time I must say, 
 that the lower classes in this country dress 
 as well, and appear to live as comfortably, 
 as the same classes of people do in any coun- 
 try in Europe. 
 
 Y 
 
S22 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 Quebec, 1808, 
 
 I have now, my worthy friend, been a 
 sojourner in Canada for a considerable 
 length of time. If it is not a land abound- 
 ing in all the luxuries and elegancies of life, 
 it undeniably is a land of peace and 
 plenty. 
 
 My further experience has enabled me 
 to confirm the truth of the statements I 
 have already sent you, relative to the com- 
 merce of Canada ; and to verify the obser- 
 vations I have ventured to make on the 
 country, and its inhabitants, in physical 
 and moral points of view. 
 
 I did not imagine that my letters would 
 have reached the extent they have done. 
 One thing leads on to another ; and it is diffi- 
 cult to know where to stop. Perhaps you 
 could have told me very easily : be that as 
 
323 
 
 it may, I must go on a little further, I 
 have proceeded so far in drawing a portrait 
 of Canada, that I should be sorry to omit 
 any feature which might leave the resem- 
 blance doubtful. It would be more cor- 
 rect, were I to say the outlines of a por- 
 trait, for it is devoid of colouring and of 
 ornaments yet I think it will be recognized 
 by those who know the original. 
 
 I have, in a former letter, made some 
 remarks on the government of Canada; 
 but I have not said any thing, either as to 
 the precise nature of the constitution, or 
 the exact boundaries of the country. Se- 
 veral points connected with these objects 
 demand attention, particularly the state of 
 the public mind, in so far as regards the 
 connexion with, and dependance on, Great 
 Britain. 
 
 By the act of parliament, passed in 
 1791, it is enacted, " That there shall be, 
 within each of the provinces of Upper and 
 Lower Canada, <f legislative council, and 
 house of assembly, who, with the consent of 
 the governor, appointed by the king, shall 
 have pofrer to make laws." — Bills, though 
 they have passed, both the assembly and 
 
324 
 the council, may, by the governor, be refer- 
 red to the king, and do not become laws 
 till his assent k procured. When the go- 
 vernor assents for his Majesty, the bill be- 
 comes a law : but copies of such laws are 
 sent home to the Secretary of State, and 
 his Majesty may declare his dissatisfaction 
 #tany time within two years. 
 
 The legislative council is to consist of 
 not less than seven members for Upper 
 Canada, and fifteen for Lower Canada, to 
 be summoned by the governor. The mem- 
 bers are to hold their seats for life, unless 
 forfeited by four years continued absence, 
 or by swearing allegiance to some foreign 
 power. The king may grant hereditary ti- 
 tles, by letters patent ; with a right of sit- 
 ting as legislative counsellors. But this right 
 of creating a Canadian nobility has not as 
 yet been exercised. 
 
 The house of assembly is to consist of 
 not less than sixteen members for Up- 
 per Canada ; and not less than fifty mem- 
 bers for Lower Canada; to be chosen by 
 the freeholders in the several towns and 
 counties. The members for the counties are 
 chosen by those who possess real pro- 
 
325 
 
 perty of the yearly value of 40s. The 
 voters for the towns must possess a house, 
 or land, of the yearly value of 51. sterling ; 
 or have been residents a year, and paid 
 101. a year rent. The council and assem- 
 bly are to be called together at least once 
 a year; and every assembly is to continue 
 four years, unless sooner dissolved, which 
 it is in the power of the governor to do, as 
 soon, and as often, as he pleases. Every 
 voter must, if called upon, take an oath 
 that he is qualified to vote according to 
 law. The governors of the two provinces 
 are perfectly independent of each other in 
 their civil capacity. In military affairs, 
 the governor of Lower Canada takes pre- 
 cedence, as he is usually created Captain 
 General of his Majesty's forces in North 
 America, 
 
 B} r an act passed in the parliament of 
 Great Britain, in the 18th year of his pre- 
 sent Majesty, intituled, " An act for remove 
 ing all doubts and apprehensions concern- 
 ing taxations by the parliament of Great 
 Britain, in the colonies, provinces, and 
 plantations in North America, and the 
 West Indies," &c. Parliament restrained 
 
326 
 
 restrained itself for ever, from imposing^ 
 taxes or duties in the colonies, except for 
 the regulation of trade; the produce of 
 such taxes or duties to be disposed of bj 
 the provincial legislature. 
 
 "Whether the British government did 
 right in giving Canada a provincial assem- 
 bly, has been frequently a subject of dis- 
 cussion here. Much, of course, may be 
 said on both sides : for my own part, I 
 have no hesitation in saying, that, in my 
 opinion, it was premature. 
 
 An infant colony is something like an 
 infant child, and should be treated in the 
 same manner. It would be considered ex- 
 tremely unwise to put a very young man, 
 of large fortune, in possession of his es- 
 tates, and allow him to have the manage- 
 ment of them. The most promising youth 
 would not be trusted to such an extent : 
 but if he was known to possess strong pas- 
 sions, and, instead of being well grounded 
 in his education, he had been neglected, — 
 his mind uncultivated, bad habits acquired, 
 strong prejudices and antipathies against 
 his guardians imbibed, with every wish to 
 be troublesome to them, every desire to 
 
327 
 
 throw off their superintending care, and 
 either to take the reins into his own un- 
 steady, feeble hands, or invite to his aid 
 the greatest enemies the guardians have, 
 would not the guardians be justly accused 
 of acting a foolish part, were they, not- 
 withstanding all this, to put it in the power 
 of the young man to accomplish his wishes 
 either in whole or in part ? 
 
 This is precisely the case of the British 
 government and Canada. The comparison 
 I have made between the Canadians and 
 an ignorant headstrong youth, will no 
 doubt be deemed by them highly Anti- 
 Canadian, yet I think it will hold good in 
 every point. 
 
 They will pretend to be indignant at 
 the idea of their having a wish to throw 
 off the superintending care of Britain, and 
 to give a preference to France ; and I do 
 believe that a great many of them would be 
 sincere in their indignation, because pruden- 
 tial considerations might predominate with 
 these; or they may have reasoned them- 
 selves into the conviction that any change 
 must be for the worse : but I would not 
 do the great body of the people the in- 
 
328 
 
 justice to suppose, that they have not the 
 wish again to see the French in Canada. 
 I judge of them from myself, and from what 
 I conceive to be the necessary tendency of 
 human nature, Were Bonaparte and his 
 Frenchmen to get possession of Canada, or 
 Nova Scotia, I do not believe that there is 
 a British subject in either of these colonies, 
 unbiassed by considerations relative to his 
 own personal emolument, who would ever 
 cease to wish for the return of their coun- 
 trymen. 
 
 Children would imbibe prepossessions 
 against the French; they would be ac- 
 customed to hear lamentations for the days 
 that were passed ; their young minds would 
 be early impressed with the greatness and 
 goodness of the British nation ; prejudices 
 and antipathies would take possession of 
 them ; it is not in nature that it should be 
 otherwise. Were the English (as the 
 French are now) the majority in this coun- 
 try, would the French put the government 
 into their hands ? Most assuredly not : the 
 English would not expect it; nor would 
 they expect to have places of trust, of 
 confidence, and of emolument. They 
 
329 
 would naturally say, the French cannot 
 be blamed for prefering their own coun- 
 trymen and friends ;— it is an effect of con- 
 quest, and though unpleasant to us, must be 
 endured, like many other unpleasant effects 
 of it. We have the fullest protection for 
 our persons and property, there is no bar 
 to our industry, no hinderance to us in 
 the exertion of our talents in every branch 
 of trade ; we enjoy the free exercise of our 
 religion ; we are elegible to all the offices un- 
 der government, if we have interest enough 
 to get them ; and, indeed, our not having 
 it, is no gre^t loss, as most of these situa- 
 tions are not worth having; an industrious 
 man with a certain degree of talent being 
 almost always able to do better by his own 
 personal exertions, in either commerce, 
 manufactures, or agriculture. In short, 
 what have we to complain of — that the 
 French are richer than we are— that they 
 are more commercial — that they are more 
 trusted by their countrymen than we are ?— 
 Ought we to cdmplain of these things ? — 
 Certainly not. If we have not capital, or 
 industry, or knowledge, it is not their 
 fault; there is no bar to our acquiring those 
 
330 
 
 things ; and as we are the majority, our 
 countrymen would certainly give us the 
 preference both in purchases and sales, if 
 they found their account in it. 
 
 By thus changing sides with the Cana- 
 dians, the argument appears in a stronger 
 point of view. I really do not see what 
 they have to complain of; and yet they 
 are very much dissatisfied. 
 
 Their dissatisfaction has lately had 
 vent through the medium of a newspaper 
 edited at Quebec in the French language. 
 I have taken notice of it in a previous let- 
 ter. They call it " Le Canadien" It 
 affords to a certain class of the community 
 a mode of expressing their feelings, to 
 which they wish to give as extensive a cir- 
 culation as possible. If one were really to 
 believe thattherearegroundsfor all thathas 
 appeared in this paper against the English, 
 it would be concluded that the Canadians 
 are the most oppressed people in the world. 
 
 I have taken pains to find out if they 
 have any real cause of complaint — if they 
 are oppressed or maltreated in any one 
 way; but I have looked for it in vain. 1 
 have every wish to do them justice, and 
 
331 
 
 would gladly state to you any circumstance 
 to justify their apparent dissatisfaction ; but 
 really, I cannot find any. I am afraid I 
 must look for it only in their own tempers 
 and dispositions, influenced by the peculi- 
 arity of their situation, as descendants of 
 those who formerly had entire possession of 
 the country, and of its government, civil 
 and military ; and who feel sore at being 
 deprived of any part of the inheritance of 
 their fathers. 
 
 Perhaps they are displeased that they 
 have not a greater share of what are called 
 the loaves and fishes ; and I have heard 
 them express great displeasure at an Eng- 
 lishman having received a pension on the 
 Canada establishment, or an increase of 
 salary. 
 
 As to the loaves and fishes, their dis- 
 content is extremely unreasonable ; they 
 expect a line of conduct from the English, 
 that the English would not experience from 
 them, were situations changed ; but the 
 fact is, they hold a large share<of the pub- 
 lic employments. 
 
 As to pensions on their establishment, 
 their displeasure on that account arises 
 
332 
 
 from their not knowing the real state of 
 the finances and resources of the country. 
 The more pensions that are granted to En- 
 glishmen residing in Canada, the better 
 for the country ; the province gains by it. 
 
 The civil list, including the whole civil 
 expenditure of the province of Lower Ca- 
 nada for 1806, amounted to 30,^13/. 11 s. 
 8di. sterling; but of this sum the pro- 
 vince paid only l6,% L 27L 14s. Od^. as ap- 
 pears by the accounts laid before the House 
 of Assembly ; the remainder was paid out 
 of the military chest, from funds raised by 
 draughts on the British government. Now 
 as Britain already pays more than the half 
 of the civil list, it is evident that every 
 pension added to this list is paid by the 
 British government. Every additional pen- 
 sion operates in the, same way that an 
 additional regiment sent to the country 
 does; and I doubt not that the Canadians 
 are well aware, that, independent of de- 
 fence, the more troops that are sent to the 
 country the better ; the demand for the 
 fruits of their industry is increased. 
 
 It is to be regretted that those amongst 
 the Canadians who are looked up to by 
 
333 
 
 their countrymen, and whose opinions pass 
 current under the idea of their having been 
 formed after due deliberation, and after hav- 
 ing well studied the matter, should be so 
 negligent of their duty to their country- 
 men, as to publish opinions, and make as- 
 sertions not well founded, and without 
 having duly considered and well under- 
 stood the subject; such men do great in- 
 jury to society. If any discontent exists 
 in the country, any idea of oppression, or 
 rnal-ad ministration in government, such 
 men are the cause of it. 
 
 It certainly is a possible case, that " Le 
 Canadien" is connected with French poli- 
 tics, either directly or indirectly ; either by 
 agents of Bonaparte, or by agents of the 
 French party in America. The agents of 
 France have been detected in almost every 
 nation on earth. They have been detected 
 in Ireland, and they infest every court on 
 the continent of Europe. They have spread 
 over Persia, and the peninsula of India. 
 They have been very successful in the 
 United States. Is it then to be thought, 
 that Canada alone, where circumstances 
 
334 
 
 are so favourable to their exertions, should 
 be exempted from their attacks ? 
 
 The great mass of the people are 
 quiet and inoffensive* If left to them- 
 selves they would be troublesome to no 
 body; and notwithstanding their natural 
 predilection for the French (nos pauvres 
 gens, our poor people, as they still call 
 them), I believe, that at present any order 
 from our government would be as much 
 attended to in Canada, as in Britain. 
 
 It is true, the government has some- 
 times attempted measures which have 
 failed. But this, perhaps, arose from want 
 of perseverance on the part of government; 
 or from their not adopting means adequate 
 to the end in view. Amongst other mea- 
 sures which have failed, I could mention 
 the introduction of the EnglLh language 
 into the country. As this is a very impor- 
 tant point, I shall make it the subject of 
 another letter. 
 
335 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 Quebec, 1808. 
 
 At the time of the conquest, forty years 
 ago, Canada contained such a mere hand- 
 ful of people, that it would have been no 
 difficult matter to have introduced the 
 English language very generally, in the 
 towns at least. Some steps have been 
 taken for that purpose from time to time, 
 but have failed of success, from want of 
 energy on the part of government. Eng- 
 lish schools have been established in some 
 parts of the country, but few, or none, of 
 the Canadians have ever sent their children, 
 to them. 
 
 Government, from the beginning, in- 
 stead of shewing a decided preference to 
 their own language, adopted a temporising 
 system, which left the Canadians without a 
 motiveto learn English. Had the knowledge 
 of the English language always been held 
 
336 
 
 out asa recommendation to favour, andapre- 
 ference given on that account, where other 
 qualifications were equal — had English 
 alone prevailed in the courts of justice, and 
 in all departments of state, and public of- 
 fices ; it is highly probable that it would 
 have been the general language of the coun- 
 try at the present moment : at least, it 
 would have become a necessary part of the 
 education of the better sort of people ; as 
 they could not have appeared at the go- 
 vernor's without it, nor have had any thing 
 to say, either in the provincial parliament, 
 or courts of justice. Had the leading men 
 of the country been Englified, their influ- 
 ence would have been felt by the lower 
 classes; and you might now, in a great 
 measure, have had a colony of Englishmen, 
 instead of Frenchmen. I may be told that 
 language is only sound, and that a man 
 may have good principles, whatever lan- 
 guage he speaks. All that may be very 
 true ; but I deny that the descendants of 
 Frenchmen, retaining the French language, 
 manners, and customs, and constantly talk- 
 ing of the French as their progenitors, 
 can ever be good British subjects, or enter 
 heartily into her interests. The French- 
 
S37 
 nian's amor patina is not easily rooted out ; 
 nay, nor any other man's amor patrice. It 
 can only be done by giving a proper direc- 
 tion to the minds of young people ; to ac- 
 complish which not the least pains are 
 taken in Canada. 
 
 It seems highly expedient, and decidedly 
 for the advantage of the Canadians them- 
 selves, that the English language should be 
 universally prevalent in Canada. In mak- 
 ing this assertion, I am aware that I am 
 flying in the face of the opinions of the 
 Canadians —opinions strongly supported 
 by all those passions and prejudices so na- 
 tural to humanity. I do not greatly blame 
 them. We all have opinions and preju- 
 dices, of which we cannot easily get the 
 better; and which, indeed, like the Cana- 
 dians in the present case, we are at no great 
 pains to conquer. But this does not alter 
 their nature ; they still are wrong. Could 
 the Canadians leave their minds open to 
 conviction, I think they would scarcely be 
 able to continue opposed to the conclusions 
 I shall draw. 
 
 Canada is become a part of the British 
 empire, and the more closely it is connected 
 
 z 
 
338 
 
 with the body of the empire, the better for 
 the whole. It is acknowledged universally, 
 that the strength of a whole is increased by 
 the union of the parts. If the junction of the 
 branch to the trunk is defective, if a frac- 
 ture exists, the nourishment given is check- 
 ed — the advantages mutually received are 
 weakened. This has ever been considered 
 an axiom both in the natural and political 
 world. Every impediment to a close con- 
 nexion between Britain and Canada ought 
 to be removed or avoided, in order that they 
 may fully enjoy all the benefits arising 
 from their connexion. I, for my own part, 
 have no doubt that the English language not 
 being the language of Canada, is an impe- 
 diment of this sort. Did the Canadians 
 speak the German language, the Italian, or 
 any other language, the effect would be the 
 same. I do not mean to enter into any view 
 of the comparative value of the French and 
 English languages; but one thing I will 
 venture to say, which is, that the English is 
 the language which the Canadians would 
 find the most useful f and I think I can 
 prove it to their satisfaction. 
 
 I know well that it is generally said that 
 
339 
 the French is the language most generally 
 known ; and that all the world speak 
 French. These observations are far from 
 being literally true. No doubt, most gen- 
 tlemen, who have had a liberal education, 
 know the French language ; and you occa- 
 sionally find some who speak it pretty well : 
 but these are not the people with whom the 
 Canadians are likely to be principally con- 
 nected. Canada must, in time, become a 
 great, populous, and trading country. Na- 
 ture has given a great facility to mercan- 
 tile intercourse ; the large lakes and rivers 
 open up a vast extent of country; and they 
 will infallibly be surrounded by a people 
 who speak English, The Canadians (pi Lower 
 Canada, to whom I beg leave to be under- 
 stood to refer,) ought to recollect, that Ca- 
 nada forms a part of America ; and that the 
 language of America is English, and ever 
 will be English. This too is the case with 
 Upper Canada ; a circumstance which they 
 ought not to overlook. I also take upon 
 me to assert, that no language on earth is 
 so generally and universally spoken, both as 
 to the extent of the countries which use it, 
 and the number of their inhabitants. This 
 
340 
 
 may be thought a bold assertion, but it is 
 
 true. 
 
 English is the language not only of the 
 
 British islands, but it is the language of the 
 whole extent of America, from the frozen 
 ocean to the gulf of Mexico. It is the lan- 
 guage of a great part of the West Indies; 
 it is the language of government, and mer- 
 cantile men in the whole extent of the 
 East Indies, a country as large as Europe ; 
 not to mention its being the language of 
 New Holland, (an immense continent of it- 
 self;) and of the Cape of Good Hope, and 
 many other British settlements : and, next 
 to their own, it is the language generally 
 used by mercantile men and seamen in 
 Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the Rus- 
 sian empire : so that the English language 
 may be said to be at present even, but will 
 most assuredly, in the course of time, be 
 the most universal of all languages. 
 
 What the Canadians ought principally 
 to regard is, that they must infallibly be 
 surrounded by people who speak English, 
 with whom it is their destiny to buy and 
 sell, to traffic, and treat. They cannot 
 turn to the right hand nor to the left with- 
 
341 
 out being spoken to in English. If they 
 go into Upper Canada, there they meet it; 
 if they pass the bounds of the Seigneuries, 
 in Lo^er Canada, again they find the want 
 of the English language. It presses upon 
 them on all sides ; so that, on this account 
 alone, it is evidently the interest of the Ca- 
 nadians to learn English ; not to mention 
 how much it is their duty also to learn the 
 language of the head, and executive part 
 of the government. And let me remark, 
 that those should be convincing arguments 
 which shew us that both our interest and 
 duty are connected with conviction. 
 
 It is not in these different points of 
 view alone, in which it is the interest of the 
 Canadians to encourage, in their young 
 people, a knowledge of English: they 
 ought to look a little into futurity; their 
 neighbours are more advanced in useful 
 improvements than they are ; and although 
 their parents have not done them justice, 
 by putting it in their power to derive every 
 advantage from their situation which it can 
 yield, they ought not to retaliate on their 
 children, by keeping them in equal igno- 
 rance. How can they profit from the ex* 
 
342 
 
 perience of their neighbours, if from an 
 ignorance of language they cannot com- 
 municate their ideas to each other ? 
 
 It certainly is surprising that the Bri- 
 tish government have paid so little atten- 
 tion to this point. So long as there is 
 peace in Canada, the language (to Britain 
 at least) is of less consequence ; but, in 
 case of war with America (which is at all 
 events ^possible case), the speaking French, 
 and French only, must be a bar to the 
 Canadians co-operating with British troops, 
 or acting with effect under the command of 
 a British officer. In this view of the case, 
 the conduct of our governors has, I think, 
 been contrary to every principle of com- 
 mon sense and prudence. 
 
 In Lower Canada there are about 60,000 
 militia. They are mustered at stated pe- 
 riods ; and in the towns, they are clothed 
 and armed, and have learned the business 
 of soldiers so well, that they are fit to be 
 brigaded with the troops of the line. One 
 would naturally have supposed, that the 
 Canadians and the English would have been 
 mixed together, and taught their exercise 
 in English, so as to do away, as much as 
 
343 
 possible, the distinction of nations; and 
 that they might all be in the habit of obey- 
 ing a British officer, and acting under Bri- 
 tish command. Precisely the reverse of all 
 this has taken place. The English and 
 Canadians are divided into separate corps. 
 The Canadians are officered by their own 
 people; taught their exercise in French; and 
 form a perfectly distinct body from the 
 English. If brigaded with English troops, 
 they could not understand the word of 
 command, nor act with effect. In short, 
 if the governor of Canada had intended to 
 make them fit materials for Bonaparte to 
 use against us, he could not have resorted 
 to a better plan than what has been adopt- 
 ed here: upon this point all the world 
 cry out; indeed it seems so absurd, it is 
 hardly credible. 
 
 There seems to be no doubt, that go- 
 vernment, by a temperate and steady ap- 
 plication of the influence and powers they 
 possess, might long ere now have made 
 English the prevailing languagein the towns 
 at least, and probably amongstthe leading 
 people in every part of the country ; and I 
 
S44 
 have no doubt that by the same means it 
 may still be done. 
 
 It is supposed (and I believe not with- 
 out good grounds), that the principal check 
 to the prevalence of the English language 
 is, that the clergy silently oppose it. An 
 attempt should be made either to induce 
 them to second the wishes of government, 
 or at least to remain neuter. The most ef-r 
 fectual means of doing so would be to abo-? 
 lish tythes, and pay the clergy a fixed salary 
 out of the public purse. It would be a very 
 easy matter to raise a fund for this purpose. 
 The abolition of tythes would be attended 
 with a great many advantages, agricultu- 
 ral, as well as political. It is an event greatly 
 wished for, I believe, in England : there, 
 however, many obstacles present them- 
 selves, which do not exist here; and I doubt 
 not that it would be so popular a measure, 
 that the clergy, with all their influence, could 
 not oppose it. Indeed, it is a matter of some 
 - doubt whether they would not themselves 
 prefer a sum certain, — paid at once, to 
 the vexatious operation of collecting tythes. 
 from a hundred hands. 
 
S45 
 
 If we take a view of the increase of po- 
 pulation in Upper and Lower Canada for 
 some years past, we shall see that the in- 
 crease of those speaking English has been 
 much greater, in proportion to the original 
 stock, than of those speaking French ; so 
 that, in time, these will be left in the mi- 
 nority. This arises from the great influx 
 of people from Europe, and from the 
 United States, who generally prefer set- 
 tling either in Upper Canada, or in the 
 Townships of Lower Canada, where land is 
 more easily procured, and the tenures bet- 
 ter understood. That you may completely 
 understand the distinction of tenures, it 
 may be necessary to explain to you how 
 lands are granted and held in Canada ; this 
 I shall attempt to clo in my next letter. 
 
346 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 Quebec, 1808 a 
 
 At the conquest of this country by the 
 English, the Canadians were allowed to 
 retain their private property, as well rea^ 
 as personal ; and as they were afterwards 
 indulged with their own laws, the lands 
 continued to be held by the old French 
 tenures. 
 
 All the land on both sides of the river 
 St. Lawrence from the gulf, up to the 
 boundary of Lower Canada, about thirty 
 miles above Montreal, was granted by the 
 French king to certain individuals, who 
 became seigneurs, or lords of the territory; 
 The tenure was of a, feudal nature : they 
 held immediately of the king en fief or 
 en roture, and rendered him foi et horn- 
 mage (fealty and homage) on their acces- 
 sion to the property ; on a transfer of the 
 
347 
 mgneurie, they pay a fifth part of the value, 
 called the Quints. This is still the case ; 
 it is paid to the receiver-general, who gives 
 you a receipt on your title, and puts you 
 in possession. 
 
 These seigneuries are large tracts of 
 country, and they have from time to 
 time been conceded by the seigneurs in a 
 variety of lots to those who might want 
 to settle on, and improve them. These 
 grants or concessions are also of a feudal 
 nature; the grantees are the vassals of 
 their lord. There is seldom any considera- 
 tion given at first, but they are bound to 
 pay a small sum, generally about 5s. a 
 year, besides a bushel of wheat, and a 
 couple of fowls in name of rent. They 
 also pay lots et vanis (mutation fines) on 
 every subsequent transfer of the property, 
 by sale, or by long lease, called Bail am- 
 pheteotique. They are to perform certain 
 annual services to their lord, and thej' 
 must carry to his mill all the corn they 
 wish to have ground, of which he retains 
 a fourteenth part, as mouture, or millers 
 fee. 
 
 Since the English have had possession 
 
348 
 of the Canadas, the whole of Lower Ca- 
 nada not before granted to seigneurs has 
 been surveyed by government, and divided 
 into townships. These townships are about 
 ten miles square, and have been granted 
 to a variety of individuals, who have had 
 influence enough with government to pro- 
 cure them. They are held by the English 
 tenure of free and common soccage. 
 
 The Quebec act (1791) declares that 
 nothing therein contained shall extend to 
 lands held in free and common soccage; 
 hence it has been argued that the old laws 
 of Canada do not reach such lands : many 
 are still of opinion, however, that the Ca- 
 nadian laws, and common Canadian mort- 
 gages in particular, do extend to the 
 townships. It is a point on which the 
 learned in the law differ, and I \yill not 
 pretend to decide it. 
 
 The original grantees of the townships 
 are bound by their titles to have a certain 
 number of settlers on their lands in a 
 given time. No mention is made what 
 sort of people these are to be \ and as the 
 Americans have in many places cultivated 
 their lands up to the Canadian line of 
 
349 
 boundary, the townships lie very convex 
 nient for them ; accordingly, immense num- 
 bers of Americans (about 15,000 I have 
 heard) have settled on the townships, and 
 continue to do so. It may be proper here 
 to trace the line of boundary between the 
 United States and Canada. 
 
 The boundaries of Canada are very ill 
 defined on the side of the United States. — » 
 They have been the subject of much di& 
 ference of opinion, and of a great deal of 
 unpleasant discussion, from the time of the 
 declaration of American independence, up 
 to the present day. In the discussions on 
 this subject, in a diplomatic point of view, 
 the Americans have uniformly had the ad- 
 vantage of us; and that from many causes. 
 Their local knowledge was perfect; they 
 had the most minute information as to 
 the value of the territory in all its dif- 
 ferent bearings; and they knew how 
 to estimate the importance of territory, 
 and the use of rivers ; for they looked 
 forward to the period when tracts of coun- 
 try, though then covered with almost im- 
 penetrable forests, should Ipe cleared and 
 become populous districts. The short space 
 
ic 
 
 350 
 
 of time in which this has happened, shews 
 how correct they were in their views; 
 and leaves us no alternative, but to regret 
 that our commissioners should have been 
 so easily persuaded to extend the line of 
 boundary in the manner they did. 
 
 The second article of the definitive treaty 
 of peace runs thus : — " And that all dis- 
 putes which might arise in future on the 
 subject of the boundaries of the United 
 " States may be prevented, it is hereby 
 "agreed and declared that the following 
 u are, and shall be, the boundaries, viz. 
 " from the north- w r est angle of Nova Scotia, 
 " viz. that angle which is formed by a line 
 " drawn due north, from the source of St. 
 " Croix river, to the highlands ; along the 
 " said highlands, which divide those rivers 
 " which empty themselves into the river St. 
 " Lawrence, from those which fall into the 
 " Atlantic Ocean, to the northwesternmost 
 " head of Connecticut river; thence down 
 " along the middle of that river to the 45th 
 " degree of north latitude; from thence by 
 " a line due west on said latitude, until it 
 " strikes the river Iroquois, or Cataraguy ; 
 " thence along the middle of the said river 
 
351 
 
 " into lake Ontario, through the middle of 
 " said lake, until it strikes the communi- 
 " cation by water between that lake and 
 " lake Erie ; thence along the middle of 
 " said communication into lake Erie ; 
 " through the middle of said lake, until it 
 " arrives at the w T ater communication be- 
 " tween that lake and lake Huron ; thence 
 ? along the middle of the said water com- 
 " munication into the lake Huron ; thence 
 " through the middle of the said lake to 
 " the water communication between that 
 " lake and lake Superior ; thence through 
 " lake Superior northwards of the Isles 
 u Royales and Philipeaux to the long lake; 
 " thence through the middle of the said 
 " long lake, and the water communication 
 " between it and the lake of the Woods, 
 " to the said lake of the Woods ; thence 
 ** through the said lake to the most north- 
 " western point thereof, and from thence 
 44 on a due west course to the river Missis- 
 " sippi ; thence by a line to be drawn along 
 46 the middle of the said river Mississippi, 
 " until it shall intersect the northernmost 
 " part of the 31st degree of north latitude; 
 
- 
 
 
 352 
 
 " south, by a line to be drawn due east* 
 
 " from the determination of the line last 
 
 " mentioned, in the latitude of 31 degrees 
 
 " north of the equator, to the middle of 
 
 " the river Apalachicola, or Catahoutche ; 
 
 " thence along the middle thereof, to its 
 
 junction with the flint river; thence 
 
 straight to the head of St. Mary's river, 
 
 46 and thence down along the middle of St. 
 
 " Mary's river to the Atlantic Ocean ; east, 
 
 " by a line to be drawn along the middle 
 
 " of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in 
 
 the Bay of Fundy, to its source, and from 
 
 its source directly north to the aforesaid 
 
 highlands, which divide the rivers which 
 
 " fall into the Atlantic Ocean, from those 
 
 " which fall into the river St. Lawrence, 
 
 " comprehending all islands within twenty 
 
 " leagues of any part of the shore of the 
 
 " United States* and lying between lines, 
 
 " to be drawn due east from the points 
 
 " where the aforesaid boundaries between 
 
 " Nova Scotia on the one part, and East 
 
 " Florida on the other, shall respectively 
 
 " touch the Bay of Fundy and the Atlan- 
 
 <c tic Ocean* excepting such islands as now 
 
 a, 
 
 Si 
 
 4C i 
 (C 
 
353 
 
 <c are, or heretofore have been> within the 
 " limits of the said province of Nova 
 " Scotia" 
 
 Doubts arose as to the true river St. 
 Croix, and commissioners were applied to 
 by both governments to ascertain it, which 
 was done accordingly. The report is dated 
 25th of October, 1798. 
 
 The river St. Croix discharges itself into 
 Passamaquoddy bay, in the bay of Fundy, 
 latitude 45 degrees, 5 minutes, 5 seconds, 
 north— longitude 67 degrees, 12 minutes* 
 30 seconds, west. 
 
 There are several islands in the bay of 
 Passamaquoddy, which have been claimed 
 by the Americans, but to which they have 
 no right, as they have ever been considered 
 within the limits of the province of Nova 
 Scotiai and it is to be hoped, that govern- 
 ment will not yield a point which seems to 
 be thought of considerable importance to 
 New Brunswick, frequent representations 
 having been made from New Brunswick on 
 the subject, to which we trust proper at- 
 tention will now be paid *. 
 
 * See Appendix, in which some of these representa- 
 tions are inserted. 
 
 A A 
 
354 
 
 In the late treaty with America (nego- 
 eiated with Lord Holland), which was re- 
 jected by the president, very little altera* 
 tion was made in those articles of the for- 
 mer treaty, which were most found fault 
 with. It appears very extraordinary, that 
 the Americans should see cause to reject 
 the treaty, and that we should see cause to 
 rejoice that they had done so ; yet, I will 
 venture to affirm, that no one, who is ac- 
 quainted with the commercial relations be- 
 tween the United States and our American 
 provinces, will hesitate to say, that he con- 
 ceives it fortunate that the late treaty was 
 rejected. 
 
 On the termination of the American 
 war, it appears to have been the intention 
 of government to make the river Penob- 
 scot, in the district of Main, the boundary 
 line of the two countries. At that time, 
 there were no settlements to the eastward 
 of that river. Unfortunately, the English 
 commissioners (probably from not being 
 personally acquainted with the country, 
 and not being sufficiently instructed on the 
 point, or, from being over persuaded by 
 the Americans), abandoned that line q{ 
 
355 
 
 boundary which was clear and well defined, 
 and adopted the river St. Croix, which has 
 produced so much dissension and discus- 
 sion. The map clearly shews, that the Po- 
 nobseot was the preferable boundary, in 
 every sense of the word; and we have only 
 now to regret the passiveness, and neglect 
 of British interests, which our commissi- 
 oner displayed on that point. It is equally 
 conspicuous in his consenting that a line, 
 drawn due north from the source of the ri- 
 ver St. Croix, to the highlands, should be 
 the boundary ; without ascertaining how far 
 that line would be convenient and proper 
 in its whole course. In fact, it has turned 
 out quite the reverse ; because the commu- 
 nication between Canada and New Bruns- 
 wick is completely cut off by it— the route 
 for many miles passing through American 
 territory. This ought to have been looked 
 into, and the line, instead of going directly 
 north to the Mountains, ought to have 
 turned to the westward, so as to allow a 
 free communication between New Bruns- 
 wick and Canada, along the only route 
 practicable and convenient, viz. by the ri- 
 ver St. John, and the lake Timiskuata.— « 
 
356 
 
 This circumstance is not generally known ; 
 but ministers ought to attend to it, and re- 
 medy it, if possible; for, in case of any 
 disturbance with the Americans, it may be 
 of very great consequence to preserve a 
 communication between New Brunswick 
 and Canada. Even now, the regular post 
 for the conveyance of mails and dispatches 
 from Nova Scotia to Canada, passing 
 through a part of the American territory, 
 is liable to be stopped by that government, 
 either from political motives, or from any 
 other cause. 
 
 The route, at present, from New Bruns* 
 Avick to Canada, is up the river St. John, 
 in the bay of Fundy, through the woods 
 towards the river St. Lawrence. From St* 
 John's to Frederic Town* the distance is 
 90 miles ; from thence, to the gran*d falls, 
 180 miles; from thence, to the settlement 
 of Madawaska, 45 miles ; from thence, to 
 the source of the river St. John, the lake 
 Timiskuata, 45 miles; from thence, cross 
 a portage, or tract, in a very rugged coun- 
 try, to the Riviere des Caps, in the St. Law; 
 rence, 36 miles. This last part of the jour- 
 ney must be performed on foot, there be- 
 
357 
 ingno regular formed road; the previous part 
 of the journey can be performed in canoes. 
 From the Riviere des Caps to Quebec, the 
 distance is 121 miles; there is a good car- 
 riage road, and you can travel post. 
 
 In many cases, the making a ridge of 
 mountains a boundary betwixt two coun- 
 tries, may be very distinct and well de- 
 fined ; such as the Pyrenees, for ii stance, 
 where the course of the mountains is con- 
 tinued in one undivided chain; the ground, 
 the water of which runs into France, be- 
 longs to France; and the ground, the wa- 
 ter of which runs into Spain, belongs to 
 Spain: but the highlands, mentioned in 
 the American treaty, are, from every thing 
 I can learn, neither so boldly marked, nor 
 continued in that undivided manner, so as 
 to make them a boundary sufficiently dis- 
 tinct. Such as they are, however, we must 
 abide by them ; and it is ever to be regret- 
 ted, that, since that principle was adopted 
 in one part of the line, it should not have 
 been adopted in another, viz. the borders 
 of Lake Champlain, which discharges it- 
 self into the river St. Lawrence, and natu- 
 rally belongs to Canada, 
 
358 
 
 Had the north side of the Vermont 
 mountains, and the lake, as high as Skeens- 
 boro, or even Crown Point, been included 
 in Canada (and which, I have been assured, 
 would have been granted had it been in- 
 sisted upon), the advantage to Canada now 
 would have been very great; and if, in- 
 stead of the line 45, the line of boundary 
 had run from Skeensboro, or even Crown 
 Point, due west, it would have included 
 the whole river St. Lawrence to Lake On- 
 tario, and rendered the river infinitely more 
 valuable to Canada. At present, it is a line 
 of boundary for a considerable way, and 
 would, in case of war, be of no use to 
 cither party. 
 
 The distance from the mouth of the ri^ 
 ver St. Croix, to the termination of the line 
 north, in the highlands, separating the wa^ 
 ters which run into the St. Lawrence, from 
 those which run into the Atlantic, is from 
 3 to 400 miles ; from thence, south-west, 
 along the line of highlands (for the Ame- 
 rican geographers have laid down a very 
 pretty chain of mountains in the very 
 course they could wish them to be), to 
 where the Connecticut river crosses the pa- 
 
359 
 rallel 45, the distance is about 400 miles ; 
 from thence, the parallel 45 crosses the 
 lower end of Lake Champlain, and comes 
 to the St. Lawrence a little above Lake St. 
 Francis, a distance of about 150 miles ; so 
 that there is a line of boundary of from 
 900 to 1000 miles between Lower Canada, 
 New Brunwick, and the United States. 
 The line which separates Upper Canada 
 from the United States is continued from 
 the parallel 45, up the St. Lawrence, 
 through the Lakes Ontario* Erie, Huron, 
 Lake Superior, Lake of the Woods, and so 
 on to the north-west, through an immense 
 extent of country, known only to the In- 
 dians, who wander through it, and to the 
 North-west Company r , who go to trade with 
 them. 
 
 It is particularly well known to Sir 
 Alexander Mackenzie, who, with a lauda- 
 ble ambition for discoveries, and a bold 
 and manly line of conduct, accomplished 
 in 1793 a journey to the Pacific Ocean, 
 over a country that had never been trod- 
 den by the foot of a European. By this 
 journey, and another which he made to the 
 Northern Ocean, he ascertained two very 
 
360 
 
 important points, viz, the practicability of 
 opening an overland trade with the shores 
 of the Pacific, and from thence with China, 
 and with India; and the impossibility of there 
 being any north* west passage from Europe 
 to China, by the Northern Ocean, 
 
 The line of boundary between Lower 
 Canada, and the United States, would, in 
 case of a war, attract much attention. Al- 
 though it is extensive, there are, compara- 
 tively, few places where an army could en- 
 ter. The greatest part of the country 
 through which the river St. John runs, is 
 a continued forest, and impassable ; and 
 the country to the north of the highlands, 
 from thence as high up as Quebec, except 
 near the St. Lawrence, is pretty much in 
 the same state, without any thing like a 
 road, till you get as high as the river Qlwu- 
 diere, which falls into the St, Lawrence a 
 little above Quebec. It rises about a hun- 
 dred miles up the country, in the highlands, 
 forming the line of boundary. A road is 
 formed up this river for a considerable part 
 of its course ; but, I believe, it is not con- 
 tinued quite through ; the townships huts 
 course, not being all settled, 
 
36J 
 The banks of the St. Lawrence, from the 
 lowest settlement, up to this river* ^re not 
 cultivated backwards to a gnat distance, 
 seldom above lOor 15 miles, in a direct line 
 from the river. The distance ( f \he Ameri- 
 can line, from the river St. Lawrence, is n<>t 
 well ascertained ; it must vary, as the high- 
 lands advance or recede; upon an a\c- 
 age, it is probably about 50 to 60 miles. 
 When you get as high as the river Chau- 
 diere, the highlands retire towards the 
 south, leaving a country between them and 
 the St. Lawrence of the breadth of near a 
 hundred miles. It contracts again as it 
 approaches the St. Lawrence on lie paral- 
 lel 45. In this tract of country are tie 
 southern townships of Canada ; they n n 
 behind the Seignevrics the whole way fn m 
 Bique, 150 miles below Quebec, to the 
 termination of the parallel 4 J in f he St. 
 Lawrence, upwards of 200 miies a hove 
 Quebec; but they lie principally between 
 the river Chaudiere and the river Chamblie. 
 The Seigneuries do not in general recede 
 from the river above eight or ten miles. In 
 the country backwards, as far as the xiuje- 
 yipan line, are found the townships. 
 
S62 
 
 In each township, the crown, when it 
 makes a grant, reserves one-seventh for 
 future disposal, and one-seventh for the 
 future support of the protestant clergy* — 
 The crown reserves also the right of cutting 
 wood fit for ship-building. 
 
 Besides the road on the river Chau- 
 diere, there is another on the river Ya- 
 maska, about a hundred miles further up. 
 This river discharges itself into that part of 
 the St. Lawrence called Lake St. Peter's. 
 
 A third road, a little further to the 
 west, comes from Burlington, on the east 
 side of Lake Champlain, and down the 
 river Chamblie, 
 
 A fourth road comes in from the state 
 of New York, by Odlesknvn to Laprairie, 
 oppositeMontreal, 
 
 Besides these roads, there may have 
 been some opened very lately, and per- 
 haps there may be a few tracks, known only 
 to the natives, which, in case of war, might 
 be serviceable to Americans, though they 
 would not be so to British soldiers. An 
 American is at home in the woods, and 
 could easily find his way, and live, where 
 an Englishman would lose himself and die. 
 
363 
 
 The unfortunate soldiers, who attempt to 
 desert from Quebec by the Chaudiere road, 
 find the impossibility of passing through 
 woods with which they are unacquainted. 
 They, almost without one instance to the 
 contrary, are brought back, after having 
 delivered themselves up to some of the 
 country people, to be conducted to Que- 
 bec. 
 
 If we should unfortunately go to war 
 with America, the less our troops are in 
 the woods the better. I am not qualified 
 to give an opinion as to the best manner 
 of defending Canada. In case of an at- 
 tack, every thing that soldiers can do, will 
 be done ; for the troops are kept in excel- 
 lent order, and in good spirits. I should 
 suppose that Upper Canada is more vulne- 
 rable than Lower Canada. It not only has 
 no strong holds, but as the line of boun- 
 dary runs through the lakes, boats might 
 be prepared, and troops might be carried 
 over in any numbers, and landed at any 
 given point, unless they were obstructed by 
 pur navy; tor on those lakes we have q. 
 navy, which rides as triumphant as that of 
 the ocean. During the American war we 
 had several armed ships on the lakes, and 
 
364 
 
 even now we have a few, with a regular 
 establishment of officers. 
 
 I do not know if it was the intention of 
 government that Americans should be al- 
 lowed to settle in the townships. Whether 
 it is sound policy or not, is a question 
 which has been much agitated here; and 
 it certainly involves many difficulties. In 
 one point of view the Americans are pre- 
 ferable to any other people, because there 
 are no people who so welh understand the 
 business of clearing a new country, and 
 making it productive. They are active, in-* 
 dustrious, hardy, and enterprising, to a 
 degree, that is scarcely to be credited, till 
 ocular demonstration convinces you of the 
 fact. In these points, the Canadians are 
 not to be compared to them ; nor are any 
 of the emigrants from Europe by any means 
 so valuable. In short, the American, when 
 he makes a pitch (as they term it, when they 
 make an establishment in the woods) is 
 quite at home, and following the profes- 
 sion he has been habituated to from his 
 infancy. The emigrant from Europe has 
 every' thing to learn; and, besides that, he 
 has to unlearn all his European habits. 
 
 Therecan be no doubt, that the greater 
 
365 
 
 the number of inhabitants such a country 
 as Canada possesses, the greater will be the 
 amount of its productions, and the better 
 market will it be for the manufactures of 
 the mother country. The more industri- 
 ous and enterprising the people are, the 
 better ; because over and above their own 
 wants, a large surplus produce will be 
 found for exportation, raising thereby a fund 
 to pay for manufactures imported. It is 
 this which will make Canada of conse- 
 quence to Britain ; and the most expeditious 
 method of bringing about such an end 
 would naturally be adopted, were there no 
 political considerations to be attended to ; 
 but Britain, in order to increase the pro- 
 ductions of Canada, and open a larger mar- 
 ket for her manufactures, must not adopt 
 means which would have a tendency to de- 
 prive her of the country altogether. 
 
 Canada is a desirable country for emi- 
 grants, particularly the south-west parts of 
 it, where the climate is moderate, as is the 
 case in Upper Canada. In fact, popula- 
 tion increases fast both in Upper and 
 Lower Canada, as you may well be con- 
 vinced of, since, in the course of little 
 
366 
 
 more than forty years, the increase has been 
 from 7o,6GO to 300,000, which is nearly 
 doubling every 20 years. 
 
 Government have not hitherto inter- 
 fered with the proprietors of the Seigneu- 
 rzesand townships; they have been sufttred 
 to dispose of their lands in any way they 
 thought proper, and to any people they 
 chose, whatever their principles, religious 
 or political, might be; and whatever coun- 
 try they might come from. 
 
 Since the commencement of the present 
 misunderstanding with the United States, 
 some doubts have arisen as to the propriety 
 and policy of allowing so many Americans 
 to come into Canada, and particularly to 
 giving them tracts of land on the back of 
 the townships, contiguous to their own 
 boundaries. It seems more advisable to 
 confine them to the neighbourhood of the 
 Seigneuries, where they would be more un- 
 der the eye of government, and the cogni- 
 zance of the law. 
 
 There exists amongst the old Canadians 
 a strong prejudice against the Americans; 
 they are jealous of their increasing num- 
 bers in Canada ; they hate them most cor-v 
 
S67 
 dially : indeed, that is not surprising, for 
 they have, from the first establishment of 
 the colony, been almost constantly in a 
 state of warfare. Les sacra Bostonois, is 
 the usual epithet for all Americans, from 
 whatever part of the country they may 
 come. It is not the old Canadians alone 
 who have imbibed prejudices against the 
 Americans ; the British seem to have 
 caught the infection, for which, indeed, 
 they are a good deal predisposed from 
 their early prepossessions at home. This 
 prejudice will cease, or give way, gradu- 
 ally, as they know each other better. The 
 Americans are, I should suppose, just as 
 fit materials to make good subjects of, as 
 any other people. All mankind require 
 good laws over their heads, and that jus*, 
 tice should be strictly and impartially ad- 
 ministered; wherever this happens, you 
 will have quiet and good subjects, in course 
 qf time, of whatever country they may have 
 originally been. 
 
 Some people think that there is more to 
 be apprehended from Bonaparte than from 
 the Americans. His ambition and thirst 
 for dominion are pretty evident ; he would 
 
368 
 
 rejoice to get possession of Canada : he 
 wants colonies and commerce. It is thought 
 that a few thousand French troops, could 
 they jind their way into Canada* would be 
 well received by the Canadians, and would 
 very soon possess themselves of the coun- 
 try : at least* they would unhinge our go- 
 vernment, and confine our power to Que-* 
 bee. In this point of view the Canadians 
 are as dangerous as the Yankees. 
 
 I should suppose we need not be un- 
 der any apprehensions from either. Let 
 the Canadian endeavour to eradicate from 
 his mind any remaining partiality for 
 France ; for surely no nation has so com- 
 pletely vilified itself. Well may the de- 
 scendents of old France say, " You are a 
 reproach amongst the nations — we know 
 you no more !" The Canadian ought to 
 fraternize with those around him : he ought 
 to be thankful for the blessings he enjoys 
 under the auspices of Great Britain — a 
 nation which rears its head amongst the 
 nations of the earth; because honor, energy, 
 and good faith, are in her councils ;— vir- 
 tue, integrity, and industry, amongst her 
 people. 
 
369 
 The policy of the mother country, in 
 regard to the management f of colonies, is 
 complex. The principal object is to pre- 
 serve their allegiance and dependence, and 
 have such command of their resources, as 
 to be able to bring them forward at any 
 time, when the mother country may have 
 occasion for them. Every thing will natu- 
 rally be done by the mother country to in- 
 crease those resources, and promote the 
 general prosperity of the colony, so long as 
 the primary objects are not endangered.— 
 Were there any risk of that sort, I should 
 have no hesitation in adopting a line of 
 conduct calculated to preserve these pri- 
 mary objects in full force, though the 
 growth of the colony might thereby be 
 checked. 
 
 It has been said, that we have lost no- 
 thing by the United States becoming in- 
 dependent, because they take our manu- 
 factures to a greater amount than they did 
 before they became independent. Sup- 
 pose they do, the conclusion does not fol- 
 low as a matter of course. I am inclined 
 to think, that our losing the sovereignty of 
 the' United States has been a very great 
 
 B B 
 
S70 
 
 misfortune. It probably would have been 
 better for Britain to have preserved Ame- 
 rica in due allegiance, and to have had the 
 command of her resources, and of her mar- 
 ket, though her population, instead of six 
 millions, had only reached to four,-and that 
 our exports had not been half of what 
 they have been for some years past. Bet- 
 ter half a loaf than no bread. — We should 
 not have been annoyed by non-importation 
 acts and embargoes,commercial interfer- 
 ences, disputed treaties, &c. — Let us look 
 well to our remaining North American 
 colonies, lest the same thing should be- 
 fal us. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 No. I. 
 
 Duties payable in Canada, on Importation, under 
 several Acts of the British Parliament. 
 
 Sterling. 
 
 6 Geo. II. c. 13. Foreign sugars, per cwt* 
 
 ["Ditto, white or clayed, per cwt. 
 
 4 Geo. III. c. 15. < 
 
 Foreign indigo, per lb. - 
 Ditto, coffee, per cwt. 
 Madeira ") 
 
 I 
 
 J. 
 
 d, 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 19 
 
 9 
 
 Fayal £ Wines, per tun 7 
 
 j TeneriffeJ 
 J Portugal^Spanish^and other wines, \ „ 
 
 10 
 
 L from Great Britain, per tun 
 
 C liritish plantation coffee, per cwt. 7 
 
 6 Geo. III. c. 35. < Molasses, per gallon - - 
 
 £ British pimento, per lb. -00 
 
 ^.Brandy, or other spirits, manufac- "> n 
 tured in Britain, per gallon 5 
 
 Rum, or other spirits, imported ) „ ~ 
 
 from the West Indie?, ,per ditto ) 
 Ditto, from Colonies in America 
 Brandy, or other foreign spirits, \ - 
 imported from Britain £ 
 
 14 Geo. III. c. 88. 
 
 i 
 
 Rum, orspirit, the produce of Co- N 
 lonies in America, not under f 
 the dominion of his Majesty, ^ 
 imported from any other place 
 than Great Britain 
 Molasses, in British bottoms - 
 ^D.tto, in any other - - 
 
 r 
 
 o 
 i 
 
 0£ 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 9 
 
 
372 
 
 Additional Duties laid on by the Provincial Par- 
 liament. Acts 33 Geo. III. cap. 8. — 35 
 Geo. III. c. §.—andM Geo. III. c. 14. 
 
 Foreign brandy, or other foreign spirits, per gallon 
 
 Rum, per gallon - - 
 
 Molasses and syrups, per gallon 
 
 Madeira wine, by one act 4d. and by another 2d. 
 
 Other wines, by one act 2d. by another id. 
 
 Loaf, or lump sugar, per lb. 
 
 Muscovado, or clayed sugar, per lb. 
 
 Coffee, per lb. - 
 
 Leaf tobacco, per lb. 
 
 Playing cards, per pack - 
 
 Salt, per minot - 
 
 Snuff, per lb. - 
 
 Tobacco, manufactured in any other way 
 
 Duties imposed by a Provincial Act, for building 
 Gaols, to continue six Years, from the %5th 
 March, 1805. 
 
 Bohea tea. per lb. - 
 
 Souchong, black, per ditto - : ' 
 
 Hyson 
 
 Green teas - - - 
 
 Spirits, or other strong liquors, per gallon 
 
 Wines ------ 
 
 Molasses and syrups - - - 2 
 
 Goods sold at auction, 2£ per cent, on amount of sales. 
 
 Sterling. 
 
 £. 
 
 s. 
 
 i. 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 Of 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 () 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
373 
 
 No. II. 
 
 Allowances at the Custom-house. 
 Deduction of Weight. 
 
 On coffee, in bales or bags, 3 lbs. for every cwt. 
 
 in casks, 12 lbs. per ditto. 
 
 Loaf sugar, in casks or boxes, 15 lbs per cwt. 
 Leaf tobacco, in casks, 12 lbs. per cwt. 
 Leakage on wines, spirits, and molasses, 3 gallons on every 
 
 hundred. 
 For waste of articles, subject to duty by weight, an allowance 
 
 of three pounds on every hundred pounds. 
 On salt, an allowance of 3 minors per hundred. 
 The import duty on salt is 4d. per minot. Salt landed below 
 the east bank of the river S. j guenay, on the north side of the St. 
 Lawrence, and below the east bank of the river Grand Mitis, on 
 the south side, is not subject to duty. There shall be drawn back, 
 at the Custom-house, 4d. on every bushel of salt exported from the 
 port of Quebec, to any place beyond the above Iimi's ; 7d. on every 
 tierce of salmon ; and 4d. on every barrej of salted beef or pork, or 
 salted fish of any sort, exported from this province, 
 
374 
 
 No. III. 
 
 Post Office Regulations. 
 
 At the beginning of every month a packet sails from Falmouth 
 for North America, having on board a mail for Quebec. In the 
 summer months she puts in at Halifax, in her way to New York, 
 and there delivers the mail for Canada. From Halifax they are 
 forwarded by land to Quebec. In the months of November, De- 
 cember, January, and February, the packets pass Halifax, and 
 deliver the mails for Canada, to the agent for British packets at 
 New York, who forwards them through the United States by post 
 to Montreal. 
 
 A mail for England is dispatched from Quebec once every fort- 
 night in summer, and once a month in winter, to be sent by first 
 packet for England. 
 
 A mail for Burlington, in the United States, is made up at Que- 
 bec every Thursday, and at Montreal every Saturday, by which 
 conveyance letters may be sent for Europe, under cover, to a friend 
 at New York, on paying the Canadian postage. The post for Mon- 
 treal leaves Quebec every Monday and Thursday, and leaves Mon- 
 treal for Quebec on the same days. Post arrives at these places on 
 Wednesdays and Saturdays. A monthly communication, by po$t, 
 between Lower and Upper Canada, has been lately opened. 
 
375 
 
 No. IV. 
 
 Roads and Distances in Canada. 
 
 From Quebec to Halifax. 
 
 Miles. 
 
 From Quebec to Point Levi, cross the river - 1 
 
 Thence to the Portage at Riviere de Cap - 12l£ 
 
 Thence to Timiskuata - - - 36 
 
 Thence to the settlement of Maduaska - 45 
 
 Thence to the great Falls in river St. John - 45 
 
 Thence to Frederick town - - - 180 
 
 Thence to St. John's - go 
 
 Thence to Halifax 1 8g§ 
 
 70S 
 
 From Quebec to Michelemakinak, at the entrance 
 of Lake Huron* 
 
 To Montreal - - » - - 184 
 
 To Coteau de Lac - - - 225 
 
 To Cornwall ... 266 
 
 To Matilda - - - - - 301 
 
 To Augusta ----- 335 
 
 To Kingston ----- 355 
 
 To Niagara ----- 525 
 
 To Fort Erie - - - - 560 
 
 To Detroit ----- 790 
 
 To Michelemakinak - 1107 
 
 From Quebec to Nexv York, by way of Montreal. 
 
 To Cape Rouge - - - - 9 
 
 To St. Augustin - - - - g 
 
 To Jacques Cartier - - - - 15 
 
 To St. Anne's - - - - 30 
 
 To Three Rivers • 22 
 
 To Riviere de Loup - - - - 27 
 
 To Berthiere - - - - 22 
 
 To Repentigne - 32 
 
 To Montreal - - - - - 18 
 
 Carried over 184 
 
376 
 
 Miles. 
 Brought over 184 
 
 To Laprairie - - - - 9 
 
 To St. John's - 14 
 
 To Isle au Noi - 14 
 
 To Windmill Point - - - - 12 
 
 To Savage's Point - 6 
 
 To Sandbar ----- 20 
 
 To Burlington, the first post town in the States 14 
 
 To Skeensboro' 
 To Fort Anne 
 To Dumont's Ferry 
 To Water ford 
 To Albany City 
 
 89 
 
 150 
 
 To Hudson City - - - - 34 
 
 ToRhinebeck - - - - 3! 
 
 To Poughkapsie - - - - 17 
 
 ToPeckskill ----- 34 
 
 To Kingsbridge - - - - 34 
 
 To New York - • - - 15 105 
 
 588 
 
 ■i 
 
377 
 
 No. V. 
 
 List of Governors of Canada, from the Conquest, 
 with the Date of their Appointments. 
 
 James Murray, 2, -st November - 1?63 
 
 P. M. Irvine, President, 30th June - - 1?66 
 
 GuyCafleton, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in } i^fifi 
 
 Chief, 24 th September - - -3 ' 
 
 Ditto, 26th October - - - - I76S 
 
 H. T. Cramah-:, President, 9th August - - 1770 
 
 GuyCarleton, 11th October - 17/4 
 
 F. Haidiman - 1778 
 
 H. Hamilton, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in) ,„ ,» 
 
 Chief ■- - - "- -I 178 f 
 
 H. Hope, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief 1785 
 
 Lord Dorchester, Governor General - - 1786 
 
 A. Clarke, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief 1791 
 Lord Dorchester, 24th September - - • 1793 
 
 Robert Prescott - 1796 
 
 Sir Robert Milnes, Lieutenant Governor - - 1799 
 
 Thomas Dunn, President, and superseded by -> .„,.. 
 
 Sir James Craig, Governor and Captain General - ) 
 
37$ 
 
 No, VI. 
 
 List of the Counties in Lower Canada — the Num- 
 ber of Representatives in the Provincial As- 
 sembly—and the Number of Parishes. 
 
 Parishes. Member?- 
 
 Gaspe - - — ■ none 
 
 Cornwallis - - - " 11 
 
 Devon - - - - 6 
 
 Hereford -- - - 7 
 
 Dovchester -'"*-■" 4 
 
 Buckinghamshire - - 12 
 
 Richelieu - 7 
 
 And for the town of William Henry, in ditto 
 
 Bedford - - - - 1 
 
 Surrey - 5 
 
 Kent - 4 
 
 Huntingdon - 7 
 
 York .... 5 
 
 Montreal - <• - - 9 ? 
 
 Effingham - 3 
 
 Leinster - 8 
 
 Warwick - 4 
 
 St. Maurice - - • 9! 
 
 Hampshire ... 7 
 
 Quebec - 5 
 
 Northumberland - 1 
 
 Orleans - 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 1 
 1 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 for town 4 
 county 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 
 county 
 Three > 
 Rivers y 
 
 } 
 
 county 
 town 
 
 6© 
 
An Account ofL the Wesfc IndieS) in the Ye ars 
 
 1804, loO^g severa } Countries from which 
 such Artie 
 
 1806. 
 
 SPECIES and IS. 
 
 The 
 
 JITED 
 IGDOM. 
 
 -._._... . isheU. 
 
 CORN.— Antigua , 
 
 Barbadoe?4^30 
 
 Dominica53i4o5 
 Grenada . 9»9*» 
 Jamaica } x > z °5 
 Montserrf^'972r 
 
 Nevis ... 6 > 2 3° 
 St. Kitts .5>°35 
 St.Vincei?*>759 
 Tortola.., 6 >4« 6 
 Trinidad. x '730 
 
 Demerara?*! 26 
 
 ► St. Lucia .9'* 11 
 
 Surinam , °$ l 
 
 Tobago ,4» 1 97 
 
 & 0,014 
 
 8,203 
 
 BREAD, 
 FLOUR, 
 
 and 
 MEAL. 
 
 Arts. 
 
 Antigua, 
 Barbadc 6 '^ 5 
 Dominic 4 ' 610 
 Grenada 4 ° 
 Jamaicag' 5 
 Montsef 5 '^ 
 Nevis . I 
 St.Kitts a ' l8 ° 
 St.Vin Cl 3'9 2 ° 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidac 
 
 Demerai 
 
 St. Lucie 
 
 Surinam * * 
 
 Tobago x »°4 
 6 1,015 
 
 5o 
 9 6 5 
 
 455 
 
 >9°5 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 604 
 
 3H 
 
 1,450 
 
 2IO 
 
 2,578 
 
 Cyvts. 
 
 483 
 
 7 
 609 
 
 381 
 
 236 
 
 1,716 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 169,201 
 22,683 
 
 6,961 
 
 9,966 
 82.043 
 
 6,3*5 
 14,4-33 
 19,299 
 16,637 
 
 2,00 r 
 
 7,99i 
 4,846 
 2,222 
 
 4,515 
 17,133 
 
 386,256 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 34,242 
 
 78,475 
 18,844 
 
 I2,8l2 
 142,350 
 
 *,955 
 
 8,682 
 21,017 
 11,212 
 
 1,482 
 25,872 
 12,976 
 
 7,5i8 
 13,412 
 
 7,"7 
 
 397,966 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 764 
 450 
 
 1,214 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 241 
 
 500 
 
 3,692 
 
 413 
 
 5" 
 
 18 
 
 5,375 
 
No. VII. 
 
 An Account of the principal Articles of Provision and Lumber imported into his Majesty's Colonies in the West Indies, in the Years 
 1804, 1805, and 1806: distinguishing each Year; each Island or Colony respectively; and the several Countries from which 
 such Articles were imported. 
 
 SPECIES and ISLANDS. 
 
 CORN.— Antigua 
 
 Sarbadoes ....*. 
 
 Dominica 
 
 Grenada 
 
 Jamaica 
 
 Montserrat 
 
 Nevis , 
 
 St. Kitts , 
 
 St. Vincents. 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad 
 
 Demerara .... 
 
 » St. Lucia 
 
 Surinam 
 
 Tobago 
 
 Total 
 
 BnEAD, 
 FLOUR, 
 
 and 
 MEAL. 
 
 Antigua 
 
 Barbadocs . . . . 
 Dominica .... 
 
 Grenada 
 
 Jamaica 
 
 Montserrat 
 
 Nevis 
 
 St. Kitts 
 
 St. Vincents.. .. 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad 
 
 Demerara 
 
 St. Lucia 
 
 Surinam 
 
 Tobago 
 
 Total. . 
 
 
 1804. 
 
 
 
 1805. 
 
 
 
 1806. 
 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 of, 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 16,048 
 
 40,894 
 
 8,64* 
 
 13,^58 
 
 21,666 
 2,499 
 5,693 
 
 17,244 
 
 i3,i95 
 1,012 
 
 3,657 
 8,180 
 
 3,452 
 3,088 
 6,712 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 2,025 
 8ll 
 
 1,111 
 
 IOl 
 
 84 
 
 24 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 179,065 
 26,242 
 
 3,828 
 17,626 
 70,533 
 
 4,617 
 22,846 
 12,619 
 25,641 
 894 
 14,304 
 14,386 
 
 7,727 
 
 4.703 
 
 27,755 
 
 Bushels.. 
 
 1,897 
 
 510 
 
 680 
 I,30O 
 
 130 
 115 
 
 Bushels; 
 
 25,454 
 26,543 
 7,054 
 10,414 
 17,422 
 
 3,574 
 7,623 
 16,498 
 9,572 
 652 
 5,429 
 
 8,131 
 221 
 
 i,43 6 
 5,739 
 
 145,762 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 936 
 123 
 
 234 
 469 
 
 40 
 
 534 
 560 
 
 200 
 
 Bushels. 
 184,628 
 
 37,657 
 1,767 
 
 14,987 
 49,928 
 
 2,595 
 40,680 
 
 13,549 
 
 14,646 
 2,019 
 
 10,751 
 3,738 
 4,350 
 1,835 
 
 16,396 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 335 
 126 
 408 
 
 1,120 
 
 4,227 
 
 1,180 
 
 24 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 34.230 
 53,465 
 
 9,91a 
 21,285 
 15,972 
 
 6,230 
 
 5,035 
 31,759 
 16,486 
 
 1,730 
 7,226 
 9,8li 
 851 
 14^97 
 10,014 
 
 Bushels. 
 604 
 
 314 
 1,45° 
 
 2IO 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 169,201 
 22,683 
 
 6,961 
 
 9,966 
 82.043 
 
 6,325 
 14,433 
 19,299 
 16637 
 
 2,OOI 
 
 7,991 
 4,846 
 
 2,222 
 
 4,515 
 
 17,133 
 
 Bushels. 
 
 764 
 450 
 
 
 
 165,540 
 
 4,156 
 
 432,786 
 
 4,632 
 
 3,096 
 
 399,5 2 6 
 
 7.470 
 
 238,203 
 
 2,578 
 
 386,256 
 
 1,214 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 790 
 2,015 
 
 45 
 
 2,860 
 
 12,075 
 
 I2 e 
 1,925 
 
 1,600 
 610 
 
 5 
 
 160 
 440 
 
 20 
 865 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 52 
 264 
 
 773 
 1.020 
 
 i,373 
 
 26 
 19 
 
 700 
 9 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 36,417 
 93,457 
 13,755 
 22,456 
 165,740 
 
 1,9*4 
 
 7,213 
 27,^83 
 15,578 
 
 2,179 
 42,735 
 95,096 
 
 9,322 
 20,517 
 14,345 
 
 Cwts. 
 26 
 
 327 
 
 373 
 
 2,266 
 
 3.554 
 105 
 
 6,656 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 3,315 
 
 12,185 
 
 165 
 
 2,525 
 12,960 
 
 2IO 
 2,065 
 l,8lO 
 
 IOO 
 
 605 
 
 75 
 
 45 
 995 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 131 
 406 
 
 175 
 
 23 
 
 457 
 
 395 
 
 430 
 
 49 
 350 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 44,997 
 95,176 
 11,231 
 21,658 
 102,616 
 
 2,529 
 
 8,088 
 27,092 
 18,354 
 
 1,513 
 34,377 
 14,686 
 11,790 
 20,291 
 
 9,945 
 
 Cwts. 
 14 
 
 i,53 6 
 689 
 
 4,802 
 299 
 
 266 
 
 700 
 
 737 
 
 1,295 
 
 640 
 
 Cvts. 
 
 5,195 
 
 14,610 
 
 40 
 
 3,085 
 
 M°5 
 
 150 
 
 2,180 
 
 3,920 
 
 795 
 
 50 
 
 9*S 
 
 455 
 
 1,040 
 1,015 
 
 Cwts. 
 483 
 
 7 
 609 
 
 38j 
 236 
 
 Cwts. 
 
 34,242 
 78,475 
 18,844 
 12,8l2 
 142,350 
 
 i,955 
 
 8,682 
 21,017 
 11,212 
 
 1,482 
 25,872 
 12,976 
 
 7,5*8 
 13,412 
 
 7, "7 
 
 CwU. 
 
 241 
 
 500 
 
 3, 6 92 
 
 413 
 
 5" 
 18 
 
 5,375 
 
 23,535 
 
 4,236 
 
 568,207 
 
 i 37,055 
 
 2,416 
 
 424,343 1 
 
 10,970 
 
 1,716 
 
 397,966 
 
the British West Indies — continued. 
 
 1805. 
 
 
 
 1806. 
 
 
 SH 
 
 nral 
 
 1ES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 1 
 of 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 s. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 189 
 1,094 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Baireis. 
 2 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 439 
 
 2 .373 
 
 Barrels, 
 
 . . . 
 
 129 
 
 
 
 
 455 
 
 — 
 
 
 471 
 
 
 
 
 436 
 
 — 
 
 18 
 
 *,l8 5 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 4,094 
 
 — 
 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 12 
 
 . , ., 
 
 
 263 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 
 338 
 
 45 
 
 
 iH 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 1K6 
 
 — 
 
 ■ . . 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 — 
 
 ... 
 
 501 
 
 
 
 
 985 
 
 — 
 
 
 8 i7 
 
 
 
 
 1,008 
 
 — 
 
 
 376 
 
 
 
 
 229 
 
 -— 
 
 
 711 
 
 60 
 
 
 
 
 505 
 
 — ' 
 
 
 "3 
 
 
 31 
 
 
 106 
 
 1 
 
 18 
 
 7>io3 
 
 6l 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 50 
 
 
 11,100 
 
 46 
 
 •Is. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 . . . 
 
 i>9 r 3 
 
 
 3,857 
 
 
 2,135 
 
 — 
 
 236 
 
 1,326 
 
 
 '3,347 
 
 65 
 
 25 
 
 Il8 
 
 103 
 
 1,919 
 
 
 776 
 
 
 3,475 
 
 — 
 
 . ». 
 
 2,891 
 
 
 979 
 
 133 
 
 817 
 
 — 
 
 3*4 
 
 14,157 
 
 
 32,281 
 
 1,262 
 
 9.567 
 
 — 
 
 12 
 
 3^ 
 
 
 78 
 
 
 416 
 
 — 
 
 . . 
 
 "5 
 
 56 
 
 21 
 
 
 157 
 
 — 
 
 
 694 
 
 IO 
 
 222 
 
 
 1.575 
 
 37 
 
 610 
 
 1,204 
 
 
 280 
 
 
 1,844 
 
 — 
 
 . . . 
 
 138 
 
 
 39 
 
 
 182 
 
 — 
 
 98 
 
 10,216 
 
 72 
 
 1,245 
 
 75 
 
 6 .234 
 
 89 
 
 
 7,895 
 
 
 1,657 
 
 
 8,168 
 
 — 
 
 
 3,031 
 
 180 
 
 240 
 
 
 i,53i 
 
 — 
 
 128 
 
 4,543 
 
 8 
 
 1.533 
 
 
 2,246 
 
 — 
 
 253 
 
 3,3i6 
 
 46 
 
 250 
 
 
 1,864 
 
 — 
 
 .754 
 
 5^389 
 
 372 
 
 56,765 
 
 1,535 
 
 39,226 
 
 244 
 
 iuint. 
 
 Bar. Quint 
 
 Bar. Giuint. 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 Bar. Quinr. 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 1.433 
 5,660 
 
 3^712 
 8,i8t 
 
 
 
 19 16 
 15 4 
 
 2,982 
 O 31,016 
 O 2,916 
 O 19,454 
 
 17,408 
 
 O 540 
 
 55 
 
 ,218 8,351 
 
 981 
 
 O 25,039 
 
 
 O 34 
 O 2 OO5 
 
 735 
 O 27,876 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 O 28 
 
 
 O 616 
 
 
 6,240 
 
 O 30 
 
 186 47S 
 
 — 
 
 5 
 
 1,072 
 
 J 5 
 
 5 
 16 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 54 
 
 89 
 
 34 " 6 37 
 
 ■■■• 
 
 
 | 
 
 O 310 
 
 O 607 
 
 
 2,993 
 
 O 141 
 
 I 11 
 
 O 199 
 
 3,007 
 
 O 3;443 
 O 450 
 
 O 20,410 
 
 
 O 7 
 
 10,955 
 
 2,424 
 
 100 488 
 
 20,492 
 
 
 
 17 25 
 54 
 
 
 6,31.5 
 
 O 14 
 
 7,717 
 
 O 4,420 
 
 4,238 
 2,178 
 1,406 
 
 145 32,604 
 6,477 
 11,566 
 
 
 87 2,380 
 
 15,302 
 
 13 903 
 1 O 1,771 
 
 40,562 
 O 12,785 
 26,962 
 
 
 
 
 1 O 42O 
 
 40 807 
 
 _ 
 
 6,070 
 
 3 8,871 
 
 
 239 
 
 3,59^ 
 
 1 
 
 5,509 
 
 
 
 
 9>J32 
 
 14S & 117,446 
 
 1 O 605 
 
 I365 & 4,637 
 
 i2&ii3,93; 
 
 J 452 & 144,968 
 
 O 4,588 
 
SPECIES and 
 
 s — continued. 
 
 1806. 
 
 The 
 UNITED 
 tINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 FISH, -lAnti 
 PICKLED. J Barr 
 Dom 
 Gren 
 Jama: 
 Moat 
 Nevis 
 St. K 
 St. Vi 
 Tortc 
 Trini 
 Deme 
 St. Li 
 Surin 
 Tobaj 
 
 152 
 
 235 
 
 726 
 
 48,838 
 
 30 
 
 "1,885 
 176 
 
 5 
 
 58 
 
 967 
 
 394 
 
 1,840 
 
 55.306 
 
 BUTTER.— Antij 
 Barb 
 Dom 
 Gren 
 Jams 
 Mon 
 Nevi 
 St.'K 
 St. V 
 Tort 
 Trin: 
 Dem 
 St. I 
 Surii 
 Tobi 
 
 Firkin?. 
 
 1,978 
 
 H-93I 
 2,398 
 1,769 
 
 25,904 
 
 19 
 
 326 
 901 
 622 
 
 842 
 1,286 
 2,297 
 
 872 
 2,546 
 
 217 
 
 56,908 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 307 
 2.654 
 
 268 
 
 29,4' 6 
 
 559 
 618 
 122 
 
 265 
 263 
 
 126 
 
 1,468 
 
 3 6 4 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 36,74! 
 
 Firkins. 
 
 76 
 
 72 
 127 
 
 18 
 
 12 
 
 32 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 3,561 
 
 3* 
 613 
 
 9 
 
 30,834 
 
 632 
 
 J, 124 
 
 1,603 
 
 84i 
 
 309 
 
 1,294 
 
 2,653 
 
 354 
 
 2,517 
 
 1,469 
 
 47,845 
 
 Firkins. 
 
 232 
 
 74 
 472 
 200 
 
 54 
 
 3 6 4 
 
 305 
 
 18 
 
 807 
 
 2,099 
 
 745 
 980 
 
 243 
 
 6 >593 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES; 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 I 40? 
 
 93? 
 
 25 
 
 2,372 
 
 Firkins. 
 
 119 
 
 45 
 
The Account of Provisions and Lumber imported into the British West Indies — continued. 
 
 SPECIES and ISLANDS. 
 
 RICE.. 
 
 . Antigua .... 
 Barbadoes . . 
 Dominica .... 
 Grenada . . . 
 Jamaica .... 
 Montserrat .. 
 
 Nevis 
 
 St. Kitts .... 
 St. Vincents.. 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad 
 Demerara 
 St. Lucia .... 
 
 Surinam 
 
 Tobago 
 
 1804. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 3» 
 
 Total. 
 
 BEEF and > Antigua ..... 
 PORK. \ Barbadoes . . . 
 
 Domfnica 
 
 Grenada 
 
 Jamaica 
 
 Montserrat , . , 
 
 Nevis , 
 
 St. Kitts 
 
 St. Vincents .. 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad 
 
 Demerara .... 
 St. Lucia .... 
 Surinam 
 Tobago 
 
 Total. . . 
 
 FISH, DRY.— Antigua .... 
 Barbadoes .. 
 Dominica . . . 
 Grenada . . . 
 Jamaica .... 
 Montserrat . . 
 
 Nevis 
 
 St. Kitts .... 
 St. Vincents . . 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad 
 Demerara. 
 St. Lucia 
 Surinam 
 Tobago 
 
 47 
 
 78 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 1,392 
 
 16,761 
 
 2,554 
 
 1,361 
 
 29,151 
 
 126 
 
 45 
 
 396 
 
 482 
 
 46 
 
 1,708 
 
 J » 6 59 
 »93 
 
 M3 2 
 
 97 
 
 57,303 
 
 Bar. Quint 
 
 Total. 
 
 o 
 o 
 6 
 
 o 
 
 257 
 
 o 
 
 16 
 
 o 
 
 50 
 
 16 
 
 13 
 80 
 
 39! 
 74 : 
 100 
 
 10 
 
 70 
 
 4 1 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 70 
 341 
 
 6 33 
 
 2 44 
 
 182 
 19 
 
 126 
 
 23 
 
 1,638 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 o 
 
 10 
 
 o 
 
 37 
 
 16,050 
 IX >355 
 
 24,586 
 
 o 
 
 J 74 
 
 35 
 
 45 
 
 o 
 
 917 
 
 
 
 116 
 
 3 2 
 
 583 & 2,497 
 
 o 13,878 
 
 5>26 3 
 5-494 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 458 
 2,812 
 
 39 6 
 
 395 
 
 4,024 
 
 11 
 
 87 
 
 243 
 
 5 1 
 
 4 
 
 2,259 
 
 4.657 
 
 362 
 
 855 
 403 
 
 17,017 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 5,634 
 
 159 
 
 2,589 
 
 1,875 
 
 19,332 
 
 231 
 
 775 
 
 3,70o 
 
 3,884 
 
 228 
 
 8,278 
 14,705 
 1,583 
 5,885 
 2,861 
 
 71,728 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 140 
 1,731 
 
 I47&9 1,609 
 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 
 274 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 6 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 
 593 
 6 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 i,542 
 3,524 
 3,633 
 M75 
 
 44,595 
 
 r 54 
 
 43 5 
 
 3,550 
 
 3>524 
 
 437 
 
 i5,no 
 
 46,910 
 4,815 
 
 17.827 
 5,405 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 1,107 & 153,038 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 *95 
 
 36 
 75 
 
 312 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 25 
 
 53 
 100 
 210 
 
 70 
 82 
 
 540 
 
 Bar. Quint 
 
 4,600 
 
 18 
 
 50 
 
 35 
 
 1805. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 24 
 
 33 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 3,089 
 
 I3,6H 
 
 1,161 
 
 572 
 26,468 
 
 4 
 69 
 
 437 
 
 828 
 
 58 
 
 639 
 
 1,421 
 4x7 
 748 
 124 
 
 49,646 
 
 Bar. Quint 
 
 17 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 45 
 134 
 
 no 
 
 55 
 22 
 
 542 
 918 
 
 4,703 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 
 28 
 
 5 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 20 
 
 73 
 832 
 72 
 
 59 
 66 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 
 COLONIES. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 18 
 
 Barrels, 
 
 236 
 103 
 
 314 
 
 12 
 
 6lO 
 
 128 
 
 253 
 
 i,754 
 
 Bar. Quint 
 
 55 
 
 324 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 10 
 
 o 
 
 47 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 1,433 
 5,660 
 
 3,712 
 18,181 
 
 26,240 
 
 5 
 1,072 
 
 15 
 
 13,007 
 
 237 & 2,774 l50i&99,532 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 189 
 
 1,094 
 129 
 
 471 
 2,185 
 
 23 
 263 
 182 
 
 9 
 
 501 
 8i7 
 376 
 711 
 113 
 
 7,*03 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 1,913 
 
 1,326 
 1,919 
 
 2,891 
 
 14,157 
 32 
 
 115 
 
 694 
 1,204 
 
 138 
 IO,2l6 
 
 7,895 
 2,031 
 
 4,543 
 2,316 
 
 51,389 
 
 Bar. Quint 
 
 34 
 2005 
 
 735 
 27,876 
 
 5 
 16 
 
 2,993 
 
 3?443 
 
 45° 
 
 20,410 
 
 145 32,604 
 
 o 6,477 
 
 o 11,566 
 
 3 8,871. 
 
 14S & 117,446 
 
 OTHER 
 
 COUNTRIES 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 60 
 
 6l 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 56 
 
 IO 
 
 72 
 
 180 
 
 8 
 
 46 
 
 372 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 O 30 
 
 o 141 
 
 o 420 
 
 o 605 
 
 1806. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 16 
 
 3i 
 
 50 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 3,857 
 
 13,347 
 776 
 
 979 
 
 32,281 
 
 78 
 
 21 
 
 222 
 
 280 
 
 39 
 1,245 
 
 1,657 
 240 
 
 i,538 
 250 
 
 56,765 
 
 Bar. Quint 
 19 16 
 
 15 
 
 o 
 1S6 
 
 616 
 
 47 
 
 1 
 
 o 
 
 17 
 o 
 
 87 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 65 
 
 133 
 1,262 
 
 75 
 
 i,535 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 439 
 
 2 >373 
 
 455 
 
 436 
 
 4,094 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 238 
 
 186 
 
 8 
 
 985 
 
 1,008 
 
 229 
 
 505 
 106 
 
 „ OTHER 
 ^OUNTRi Es . 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 11,100 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 2,135 
 
 25 
 
 M75 
 
 817 
 9,567 
 
 416 
 
 157 
 
 1,575 
 1,844 
 
 182 
 
 6,234 
 8,168 
 
 i,52i 
 2,246 
 1,864 
 
 45 
 
 46 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 Il8 
 
 39,226 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 o 2,982 
 o 31,016 
 o 2,9x6 
 
 O 19,454 
 
 o 17,408 
 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 II 
 
 7 
 
 25 
 
 54 
 
 4,380 
 
 o 310 
 o 607 
 o 10,955 
 
 40 
 o 
 
 807 
 239 
 
 o 7,717 
 
 o 15,302 
 
 12 903 
 
 o 1,771 
 
 o 2,596 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 218 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 34 
 o 
 100 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 
 365&4 J 637'i2&ii3,937 
 
 54° 
 
 55 
 
 8,35i 
 
 981 
 
 25,039 
 
 54 
 
 89 
 
 ' 63 
 
 2,424 
 
 488 
 
 20,492 
 
 40,562 
 
 12,785 
 26,962 
 
 5,509 
 
 37 
 
 89 
 
 452 & 144,968 
 
 244 
 Bar. Quint. 
 
 28 
 
 199 
 O 4,4 J0 
 
 :i 
 
 4.5* 
 
:he British West Indies — continued. 
 
 805. 
 
 
 
 1806. 
 
 
 al 
 
 s. 
 
 STATES 
 
 ot 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 4 
 
 No. 
 130 
 
 437 
 132 
 160 
 412 
 
 20 
 132 
 
 7 
 709 
 263 
 207 
 22 
 251 
 
 No. 
 
 49 
 
 194 
 
 No. 
 
 No. 
 
 No. 
 
 152 
 293 
 389 
 135 
 662 
 
 50 
 
 31 
 
 98 
 
 918 
 
 477 
 
 7o 
 
 48 
 
 75 
 
 No. 
 
 34 
 127 
 
 12 
 136 
 
 4 
 
 2,882 
 
 243 
 
 
 
 3,388 
 
 309 
 
 o 
 5 
 9 
 9 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 Feet. 
 
 1,808,438 
 
 5>4I5,352 
 1,502,300 
 
 2,875,399 
 6,813,167 
 
 268 900 
 789,167 
 867,911 
 
 2,525,904 
 302,300 
 3,500,814 
 4,541,350 
 1,792,300 
 1,158,280 
 3,673,680 
 
 Feet. 
 3,93C 
 
 2,800 
 
 240 
 
 l43,OOC 
 
 , Feet. 
 
 Feet. 
 
 I,000 
 7,000 
 
 2,650 
 753,588 
 
 6,877 
 
 39,000 
 
 1,200 
 
 Feet. 
 
 2,480,4/0 
 5,205,078 
 2 945,550 
 2,090,862 
 9,5oi,734 
 395>9o8 
 578,000 
 
 1,5*3,3%* 
 2,275,150 
 
 3 67. <H5 
 2,506,423 
 
 6,539,95o 
 
 912,273 
 
 1,228,800 
 
 3,058,549 
 
 Feet. 
 
 50,000 
 4,000 
 
 400 
 12,000 
 
 2,ooo 
 
 4 
 
 37,835,262 
 
 149,970 
 
 
 811,315 
 
 40,610,075 
 
 68,400 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 >o 
 
 )0 
 
 >o 
 >o 
 »o 
 
 )0 
 
 No. 
 
 2,631,000 
 8,355,650 
 2,254,500 
 2,391,200 
 8,572,310 
 
 236,000 
 
 824,000 
 1,432,800 
 1,619,700 
 
 255,000 
 3,266,250 
 1,721,750 
 3,401,200 
 
 309,000 
 1,180,350 
 
 No. 
 17,500 
 
 No. 
 
 No. 
 
 40,000 
 
 21,000 
 208,225 
 
 12,000 
 
 6,000 
 8,000 
 
 No. 
 
 3,442,406 
 6,055,950 
 3,188,500 
 2,281.400 
 17,621,756 
 
 597,000 
 
 688,000 
 1,510,175 
 3,118,000 
 
 3^7,000 
 3,028.774 
 2,768,000 
 2,901 000 
 
 224,000 
 2,128,771 
 
 No. 
 3,000 
 
 )0 
 
 38,410,710 
 
 17,500 
 
 
 395,325 
 
 49,9 7,733 
 
 3,00© 
 
^continued. 
 
 1806. 
 
 SPECIES and- 
 
 The 
 JNITED 
 INGnOM . 
 
 „►« No. 
 
 STAVES Anti 
 
 Bart 
 
 Don* 
 
 Gref 
 
 Jam;* 
 
 Mor 
 
 Nevi 
 
 St.K 
 
 St.V 
 
 Tort 
 
 Trin 
 
 Demi* •*•••• 
 
 St.L 
 
 Surir 
 
 Toba 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES 
 
 No. 
 
 JOO 
 
 33,196 
 
 6,500 
 
 14,880 
 
 346,760 
 
 I4>300 
 
 7,400 
 
 9,000 
 
 5,8oo 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 No. 
 
 952,430 
 
 1,023,537 
 
 43I,7CO 
 
 920,833 
 
 12,395,732 
 
 117,600 
 
 201,000 
 
 661,460 
 
 1,460,800 
 
 39,50O 
 
 845,571 
 908,079 
 198,500 
 63,000 
 946,187 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 3*7,336 21,164,979 j 135,500 
 
 No. 
 
 30,000 
 
 IO,000 
 
 34,000 
 
 70,500 
 I,000 
 
SPECIES and ISLANDS. 
 
 FISH, "» Antigua .. 
 PICKLED. J Barbadoes 
 Dominica . . 
 Grenada . . 
 Jamaica.. .. 
 Montserrat 
 
 Nevis 
 
 St. Kitts .. 
 St. Vincents 
 Tortola 
 Trinidad . . 
 Demerara . . 
 St. Lucia .. 
 Surinam . . 
 I'obago .... 
 
 Total. 
 
 BUTTER.— Antigua ... 
 Barbadoes . 
 Dominica. . . 
 Grenada . . . 
 Jamaica . . . 
 Montserrat 
 Nevis 
 
 St.' Kitts . . . 
 St. Vincents. 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad . . . 
 Demerani.. . 
 St. Lucia . . . 
 Surinam . . . 
 Tobago . . . 
 
 Total. 
 
 COWS and 
 OXEN. 
 
 ? Antigua . . . . 
 J Barbadoes . . 
 
 Dominica . . 
 
 Grenada. . .. 
 
 Jamaica 
 
 Montserrat 
 
 Ne; is 
 
 St. Kitts 
 
 St. Vincents 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad. . . . 
 
 Demerara . . 
 
 St. Lucia.. . . 
 
 Surinam .. .. 
 
 Tobago 
 
 Total 
 
 1804.. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITEO 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 20 
 
 320 
 
 46 
 
 2,205 
 
 43.853 
 
 130 
 
 50 
 
 1,787 
 
 293 
 
 33 
 285 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 2,or5 
 
 5°,949 
 
 Firkins. 
 
 672 
 
 1S03S 
 
 3648 
 
 3,019 
 
 21, ^65 
 
 70 
 
 416 
 
 2 499 
 
 416 
 
 1 218 
 
 1,041 
 
 805 
 
 604 
 
 978 
 
 76 
 
 52,462 
 
 3,211 
 
 224 
 
 184 
 
 17,691 
 
 414 
 343 
 
 277 
 298 
 
 289 
 6 
 
 23-035 
 
 55 
 
 2,962 
 
 1.974 
 685 
 805 
 18,161 
 558 
 637 
 a.399 
 778 
 
 1 75 
 2.271 
 5,1.8 
 
 850 
 3,805 
 
 966 
 
 42, 144 
 
 Firkins. 
 .38 
 
 775 
 
 1,040 
 
 68 
 
 1,867 
 
 7 
 
 63 
 
 238 
 
 301 
 
 39 
 
 i,35' 
 
 3,408 
 
 529 
 943* 
 400 
 
 No- 
 
 4OI 
 1,369 
 
 * 35 
 134 
 
 136 
 
 307 
 
 *55 
 
 SIS 
 287 
 
 4,076 
 
 OTI&ER 
 
 The Account of Provisions and ] J umber imported into the British West Indies — continued. 
 
 100 
 50 
 96 
 
 30 
 
 r 5 
 
 47 
 
 48 
 1992 
 
 2,083 
 
 1805. 
 
 Barrels. 
 3l6 
 
 187 
 
 20 
 
 822 
 
 43,1*4 
 
 no 
 
 50 
 
 1,877 
 
 338 
 
 38 
 428 
 
 166 
 
 1,458 
 
 48829 
 
 Firkins. 
 
 692 
 
 11,249 
 
 3. '74 
 
 818 
 
 H.493 
 
 302 
 1,034 
 
 858 
 1,272 
 1,238 
 1,742 
 1,094 
 
 2,028 
 
 40,074 
 
 BRITISH 
 Comment,, 
 COLONIES. 
 
 Barrels. 
 803 
 4,696 
 
 5»5 
 
 3i6 
 
 12.39.9 
 421 
 621 
 
 310 
 i34 
 
 338 
 
 329 
 
 854 
 1,011 
 
 23,625 
 
 65 
 
 33 
 
 240 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 3,427 
 303 
 70; 
 I90 
 
 IV3' 
 162 
 340 
 
 1,291 
 236 
 278 
 
 1,639 
 
 1,217 
 489 
 
 2,410 
 610 
 
 «4>5*5 
 
 Firkins. 
 
 I76 
 240 
 
 7 
 
 443 
 
 154 
 
 6 
 
 454 
 
 1,923 
 
 611 
 
 1,116 
 
 369 
 
 6,484 
 
 1,499 
 233 
 183 
 100 
 
 187 
 
 l8l 
 
 404 
 33i 
 354 
 191 
 71 
 
 4,'3i 
 
 119 
 210 
 
 329 
 
 1806. 
 
 UNITED 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 34 
 417 
 
 34 
 
 485 
 
 152 
 235 
 
 726 
 
 30 
 
 1,885 
 
 176 
 
 5 
 
 58 
 
 967 
 
 394 
 1,840 
 
 55,306 
 
 Firkins. 
 1,978 
 
 r 4-93l 
 2,398 
 1,769 
 
 25,904 
 
 19 
 
 326 
 901 
 622 
 
 842 
 1,286 
 2,297 
 
 872 
 
 2,546 
 217 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 Barrels. 
 
 307 
 
 2.654 
 
 3" 
 
 268 
 
 29,416 
 
 559 
 618 
 122 
 
 265 
 
 263 
 
 126 
 
 1,468 
 
 364 
 
 36.74 1 
 
 76 
 
 72 
 127 
 
 STATES 
 AMERICA 
 
 3,561 
 
 32 
 
 6, 3 
 
 9 
 30,834 
 
 632 
 j, 124 
 1,603 
 
 84i 
 
 309 
 1,294 
 2,653 
 
 354 
 2,517 
 1,469 
 
 47.845 
 
 Firkin*. 
 
 18 
 
 32 
 
 337 
 
 232 
 
 74 
 
 472 
 
 200 
 
 54 
 364 
 
 3°5 
 18 
 807 
 2,099 
 745 
 980 
 
 343 
 
 1 408 
 
 939 
 
 25 
 
 2,372 
 Firkins. 
 
 6,593 
 
 / 
 
 No. 
 
 458 
 
 1,464 
 
 416 
 
 .56 
 
 166 
 307 
 
 119 
 
 45 
 
 171 
 
 402 
 430 
 215 
 1S3 
 124 
 
 4,33° 
 
 83 
 
 12 
 684 
 
 802 
 
The Account of Provisions and Lumber imported into t^he British West Indies — continued. 
 
 SPECIES and ISLANDS. 
 
 SHEEP and ? Antigua . . 
 HOGS. 5 Barbadoes. ■ 
 Dominica . . 
 Grenada . . 
 Jamaica 
 Montserrat 
 
 Nevis 
 
 St. Kitts 
 
 St. Vincents 
 Tortola 
 Trinidad . . . 
 Demerara . . , 
 St. Lucia . . , 
 
 Surinam 
 
 Tobago 
 
 Total. . 
 
 OAK & PINE ) Antigua 
 
 BOABDS.and V Barbadoes . . 
 
 TIMBER. ) Dominica . . 
 
 Grenada. . . . 
 
 Jamaica .... 
 
 Montserrat 
 
 Nevis 
 
 St. Kitts 
 
 St. Vincents 
 Tortola 
 Trinidad . . , 
 Demerara . . , 
 St. Lucia . . . 
 
 Surinam 
 
 Tobago 
 
 Total. . , 
 
 SHINGLES.— Antigua 
 
 Barbadoes 
 
 Dominica 
 
 Grenada 
 
 Jamaica 
 
 Montserrat . . , 
 
 Nevis , 
 
 St. Ivitts 
 
 St. Vincents . - 
 
 Tortola 
 
 Trinidad 
 
 Demerara 
 
 St. Lucia 
 
 Surinam , 
 
 Tobago 
 
 Total. , 
 
 1804. 
 
 The BIUTISH 
 
 UNITED Contm»ntal 
 
 KINGDOM. COLONIES 
 
 Feet. 
 17,000 
 2,917 
 
 3, coo 
 
 6,000 
 
 513,743 
 
 66,800 
 
 78,517 
 45,55° 
 
 81,200 
 
 814,737 
 
 2,400 
 
 14,000 
 124,50c 
 
 20,000 
 
 25,750 
 3,600 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 301 
 461 
 
 *75 
 555 
 
 39 
 
 16 
 
 139 
 
 607 
 
 1,601 
 
 65 
 
 7i 
 
 66 
 
 4,194 
 
 Feet. 
 
 1,536,457 
 4095,977 
 2,092,675 
 ",793,641 
 6,353,284 
 191,000 
 3 58,000 
 
 T , 323, 542 
 2,674,200 
 433,202 
 3,826,7^6 
 7,53r,300 
 1,000,547 
 1,982,50.) 
 
 r >43°,520 
 
 36,623,601 
 
 1,526.700 
 5,601,400 
 2,631,800 
 1,328,700 
 
 1 2,507,43° 
 
 284,000 
 
 392,000 
 
 1,702550 
 
 1,931,000 
 
 313,000 
 
 4,675,400 
 
 3 549,95° 
 
 2,072,000 
 
 288,000 
 
 2,032,740 
 
 212,250 40,836,670 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 37 
 
 7 
 
 337 
 
 401 
 
 *,43° 
 
 230 
 82,960 
 
 85,620 
 
 1,500 
 
 19,500 
 
 The 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 1805. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continent 
 
 colonies; 
 
 34 
 
 34 
 
 STATES 
 
 ot 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 130 
 437 
 
 160 
 412 
 
 20 
 132 
 
 7 
 
 709 
 263 
 207 
 22 
 251 
 
 Feet. 
 
 37,000 
 143,935 
 "4,459 
 
 18,479 
 643,500 
 
 26 600 
 
 7,728 
 
 69,683 
 
 3,740 
 50,200 
 
 85,000 
 
 1,200,324 
 
 No. 
 10,000 
 
 106,500 
 104,000 
 
 142,800 
 
 11,000 
 
 5,000 
 
 20,000 
 33,000 
 29,000 
 
 30,000 
 
 491,300 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES 
 
 1,808,438 
 5,415,352 
 1,502,300 
 
 a>875,399 
 
 6,813,167 
 
 268.900 
 
 789,167 
 
 867,911 
 
 2,525,9°4 
 
 302,300 
 
 3,500,814 
 
 4,54 r >35° 
 1,792,300 
 1,158,280 
 3,673,680 
 
 37,835,262 
 
 No. 
 
 2,631,000 
 8,355,650 
 2,254,500 
 2,391,200 
 8,572.310 
 
 236,000 
 
 824,000 
 1,432,800 
 1,619,700 
 
 255,000 
 3,266,250 
 1,721,750 
 3,401,200 
 
 309,000 
 1,180,350 
 
 38,410,710 
 
 49 
 
 194 
 
 243 
 
 3,930 
 
 2,800 
 
 240 
 
 143,000 
 
 1806. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 149,970 
 
 I7,50 
 
 17,500 
 
 BRITISH 
 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 „„ OTHER 
 COUNTRIES 
 
 No. 
 
 No. 
 
 152 
 
 
 
 293 
 389 
 "5 
 662 
 So 
 
 34 
 117 
 
 12 
 136 
 
 31 
 
 98 
 
 918 
 
 477 
 70 
 48 
 75 
 
 1,000 
 7,000 
 
 2,650 
 753,588 
 
 6,877 
 
 39,000 
 
 1,200 
 
 811,315 
 
 40,000 
 
 21,000 
 208,225 
 
 2,480,470 
 5,205,078 
 2.945,55° 
 2,090,862 
 9,5oi,734 
 
 395.9o8 
 
 578,000 
 1,523,381 
 2,275,150 
 
 367.045 
 2,506,423 
 6,539,95° 
 
 912,273 
 1,228,800 
 2,058,549 
 
 40,610,075 
 
 6,000 
 8,000 
 
 No. 
 3,442,406 
 6,055,950 
 3,188,500 
 2,281,400 
 7,621,756 
 597,000 
 688,000 
 
 i,5io,i75 
 
 3,118,000 
 
 3? 7, 000 
 
 3,028.774 
 2,768,000 
 2,901 000 
 224,000 
 2,128,771 
 
 295,225 49,9°7,732 
 
The Account of Provisions and Lumber imported into the British West Indies— continued. 
 
 
 
 
 1804. 
 
 
 
 1805. 
 
 
 
 1806. 
 
 
 SPECIES and ISLANDS. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BUITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 . Of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 The 
 
 UNITED 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 
 BRITISH 
 Continental 
 COLONIES. 
 
 STATES 
 
 of 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 OTHER 
 COUNTRIES. 
 
 STAVES — Antigua .. 
 Barbadoes 
 Dominica 
 Grenada . . 
 Jamaica . . 
 Montserrat 
 Nevis .... 
 St.Kitts .. 
 St. Vincents 
 Tortola . 
 Trinidad . . 
 Demerara 
 St. Lucia . . 
 Surinam .. 
 Tobago .. 
 
 
 No. 
 
 
 No. 
 
 17,800 
 796,641 
 
 12,840 
 
 9,000 
 
 120,494 
 
 I5,80O 
 
 7,000 
 2,600 
 
 30,400 
 
 No. 
 
 545.798 
 834,994 
 
 293,000 
 
 539,897 
 8,174,884 
 
 30,500 
 302,800 
 452,862 
 977,900 
 
 97,000 
 436,150 
 1,479.862 
 187,534 
 134,743 
 8l6,OI2 
 
 No. 
 45,000 
 
 1 1,000 
 1 2,00 Z 
 
 No. 
 
 No. 
 
 *3,950 
 31,080 
 6,450 
 I5,IOO 
 82,489 
 
 3,9°° 
 2,700 
 
 30,000 
 
 30,000 
 
 700 
 
 5>50o 
 
 2,000 
 1,000 
 
 No. 
 
 818,090 
 923,928 
 265,000 
 843,000 
 9,697,079 
 119,050 
 112,400 
 
 430,799 
 673,700 
 
 21,345 
 618,994 
 661,602 
 3*7,394 
 
 57,700 
 715,065 
 
 No. 
 l8,000 
 
 466,500 
 105,000 
 
 No. 
 
 No. 
 
 500 
 
 22,196 
 
 6,500 
 
 14,880 
 
 246,760 
 
 14,300 
 
 7,400 
 
 9,000 
 
 5,8oo 
 
 No. 
 
 952.430 
 
 1,022,537 
 
 431,700 
 
 920,833 
 
 ",395,732 
 117,600 
 ZOI,000 
 
 661,460 
 1,460,800 
 
 39.500 
 845,571 
 
 908,079 
 
 198,500 
 
 63.000 
 
 946,187 
 
 No. 
 30,000 
 
 IO ,000 
 
 34,000 
 7°,foo 
 
 1,000 
 
 Total.... 
 
 ..,,,,, 
 
 
 1,012,575 
 
 15,366,936 
 
 68,500 
 
 
 235,169 
 
 16,285,146 
 
 589,500 
 
 
 3*7,336 
 
 21,164,979 
 
 1 135,500 
 
379 
 
 No. VI1L 
 
 An Account of the 'real Value of Exports from 
 England to all Parts of America and the li tst 
 Indies (exclusive of the United StatezJ, in 
 the Years, ended the i()th of October, 1806, 
 1807, und 1808 ; distinguishing British Ma- 
 nufactures from foreign Merchandize. 
 
 \ 
 
 British 
 Manufactures 
 
 Foreign 
 Merchandize. 
 
 Total. 
 
 
 £ 
 
 £• 
 
 £. 
 
 Years, ended 10th October, 1806. 
 
 7,275,9 11 
 
 696,495 
 
 / 972,406 
 
 180?. 
 
 8,635,860 
 
 650,761 
 
 9,286,621 
 
 1808 
 
 12,041,320 
 
 817,775 
 
 12,859,095 
 
380 
 
 No. IX. 
 
 An Account of the real Value (according to the^ 
 average Prices of the last three Years) of all 
 Imports and Exports between Great Britain 
 and the United States* of America, for three 
 Years, ending 5th of January , 1808, distin- 
 guishing each Year, and the principal Arti- 
 cles of such Imports and Exports ; and also 
 foreign Merchandize from Biitish Produce 
 and Manufactures* 
 
 Real Value of Imports from the United States 
 of America. 
 
 
 1805. 
 
 1806. 
 
 1807- 
 
 
 & 
 
 £ 
 
 Annotto - 
 
 6,290 
 
 71,353 
 
 64,402 
 
 Ashes, Pearl aud Pot 
 
 102,952 
 
 , 138,498 
 
 144,326 
 
 Cochineal - 
 
 720 
 
 77,817 
 
 9,104 
 
 Coffee - 
 
 18,259 
 
 25,904 
 
 66,636 
 
 Corn, Grain and Meal 
 
 151,322 
 
 422,429 
 
 922,308 
 
 Hides . - 
 
 15,985 
 
 12,406 
 
 18,590 
 
 Indigo f 
 
 12,756 
 
 47,297 
 
 69,909 
 
 Pitch and Tar 
 
 48,511 
 
 34,378 
 
 40,266 
 
 Seeds; viz. Flax and Linseed 
 
 1,652 
 
 1 1 ,5C}0 
 
 7,050 
 
 Skins and Furs 
 
 68,691 
 
 65,062 
 
 26,116 
 
 Sugar - 
 
 13,866 
 
 51,173 
 
 13,030 
 
 Tobacco - 
 
 313,487 
 
 417,946 
 
 447,883 
 
 Turpentine - 
 
 118,308 
 
 100,822 
 
 77,638 
 
 Wood ; viz. Deals & Fir Timber 
 
 36,164 
 
 64,758 
 
 131,741 
 
 Mahogany 
 
 30,378 
 
 29,432 
 
 81,482 
 
 Masts - - - 
 
 5,519 
 
 10,121 
 
 5,355 
 
 Staves 
 
 106,681 
 
 130,203 
 
 146,734 
 
 Wool; viz. Cotton 
 
 2,027,818 
 
 2,566,720 
 
 4,1 15,136 
 
 Other articles - . - 
 
 97,444 
 
 73.825 
 
 143,704.. 
 
 Total Imports. 
 
 4,076,803 
 
 4,300,743 
 
 6,531,410 
 
 * Including Louisiana, 
 
381 
 
 Real Value of Exports to the United States 
 of America. 
 
 
 1805. 
 
 I806. 
 
 1807- 
 
 
 if- 
 
 l> 
 
 £■ 
 
 Brass and Copper Manufactures 
 
 90,342 
 
 82,142 
 
 168,004 
 
 Cotton Goods 
 
 3, 26'7, 843 
 
 4,645,730 
 
 4,609,211 
 
 Glass and Earthenware 
 
 165,563 
 
 1 75, 5 CO' 
 
 162,542 
 
 Haberdashery 
 
 245,433 
 
 313,764 
 
 310,862 
 
 Hats - - f 
 
 98,904 
 
 99,260 
 
 64,620 
 
 Iron and Steel 
 
 739,049 
 
 684,678, 
 
 773,188 
 
 Lead 
 
 72,003 
 
 44,619 
 
 31,166 
 
 Linens - 
 
 319,950 
 
 289,044 
 
 306,821 
 
 Salt 
 
 60,830 
 
 84,68.0. 
 
 81,574 
 
 Silk Manufactures 
 
 465,442 
 
 425,165 
 
 417,418 
 
 Tin and Pewter 
 
 56,550 
 
 79,18.0 
 
 75,875 
 
 Woollens 
 
 4,621,827 
 
 4,866,178 
 
 4,239,118 
 
 Other articles 
 
 815,732 
 
 599,495 
 
 606,114 
 
 British Produce and \ 
 Manufactures. / 
 
 
 
 
 11,019,468 
 
 12,389,488 
 
 11,846,513 
 
 Foreign Merchandize. 
 
 427,471 
 
 476,063 
 
 251,42() 
 
 Total Exports. 
 
 11,446,939 
 
 12,865,551 
 
 12,0.97,94? 
 
382 
 
 Xo. X. 
 
 Efforts from Quebec— 1803. 
 
 Wli 
 
 Cri blinds 
 
 Pease 
 
 Oats 
 
 Barley - 
 
 Indian corn 
 
 Hay« 
 
 Fi.ur 
 
 B ;cuit - 
 
 k 
 Bitro 
 
 \ 
 Oak timber 
 Jftra -'tto 
 rsjaple walnut . 
 braves and bead 
 
 "o ends - ~ . 
 Boards abd plaaks - 
 Op k 
 
 Handspikes - 
 
 uft 
 Masts 
 Bowspi 
 Y «* - 
 Soars - 
 
 ps 
 -Lata wood 
 Scan t 
 
 Punch, and hhd. p 
 Madera do. 
 ;sh 
 ion 
 Ditto ... 
 Herr: 
 
 * d. 
 
 - J 86708 bushels... n « 
 
 to / o n 
 
 ■ 5S ..."-; 
 
 -s6o9 dicta . . op 
 
 to ! 4 J 
 
 J tO ( 7 n 
 
 " 424C2 barrels 4: g 
 
 32587 quintals .... 24. 
 
 140 
 
 **arreta ?oo n 
 
 «*» 60 
 
 » 50 
 
 :; ™ J 
 
 perlSOO;/^, <J 
 
 rtto .... go 
 i-^: 7 per ditto 100 
 
 15 
 
 I 
 
 ,P^ P air .... 6 
 
 V.::::: :03 ° 
 
 i*»::::::::::- ; S 2 
 
 ;•: :::« 2 
 
 J pieces 250 
 
 2025 |J ° 
 
 quintals .... i 4 
 
 '?* 5 ieroes 8- 
 
 ol barrels j C , 
 
 J 
 
 u\ 
 
$83 
 
 Picitled fish 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Lard 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Butter 
 
 Soap 
 
 Tallow 
 
 Candles 
 
 Pickled tongues 
 
 Rounds beef - H 
 
 Ditto - - { 
 
 Ditto - - J 
 
 Hams 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Oxen 
 
 Horses 
 
 Calves 
 
 Sheep 
 
 Turkies 
 
 Essence of spruce 
 
 Iron stoves 
 
 Shingles 
 
 Ox horns 
 
 Apples 
 
 Onions 
 
 Wool 
 
 Hemp 
 
 Ditto seed 
 
 Oil 
 
 Hops 
 
 Mats 
 
 Birch 
 
 Castor oil 
 
 Cast or urn 
 
 CapiRaire - 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Malt 
 
 Pot and pearl ashes 
 
 New ships 
 
 Beer 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Beaver 
 
 Martin 
 
 Otters 
 
 Alink 
 
 Fishers 
 
 5. d. 
 
 Brought Forward 
 
 83 tierces 30 
 
 519 bbls 20 
 
 50 ditto 106 
 
 393 kegs 40 
 
 2660 do. andfirk... 40 
 
 1142 boxes 32 6 
 
 1 keg 20 
 
 886 boxes 55 
 
 45 kegs 30 
 
 7 pun L. 90 0" 
 
 83 bbls 332 0[ 
 
 39 kegs 38 0J 
 
 14 tierces 30O 
 
 107 pieces 10 
 
 26 100 
 
 60 300 
 
 4 10 
 
 213 .. 15 
 
 118 2 6 
 
 150 casks 100 
 
 1 27 80 
 
 60500 10 
 
 6485 1 
 
 396 bbls. ...-.- 20 
 
 83 ditto 20 
 
 8 bales 200 
 
 4719 lbs 4 
 
 8 bbis 10 
 
 9260 gallons 2 
 
 1319 Ids 2 
 
 143 6 
 
 30 boards 5 
 
 2 eases 60 
 
 9 kegs 5 
 
 17 punch ) 
 
 9 casks ) 
 
 9263 bushels 5 
 
 I07652cwt.0qrs. 7ib.T . 
 30838 barrels .... J ° 
 
 3750 tons LAO 
 
 29 hhds 80 O 
 
 300 ditto .... 1 6 
 
 FURS. 
 
 126927 ..: 18 9 
 
 9530 3 4 
 
 7230 20 
 
 9108 2 
 
 3866 4 
 
 460 
 
 210 
 
 53 
 
 130 
 
 900 
 
 2 
 
 159 
 
 6 
 
 750 
 
 508 
 
 SO 
 
 27 
 
 396 
 
 83 
 
 80 
 
 78 
 
 4 
 
 926 
 
 131 
 
 6 
 
 17 
 
 100 
 
 740 
 
 296,043 
 
 37,500 
 116 
 1S5 
 
 £• 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 381,974 
 
 4 | 
 
 6 
 
 124 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 519 
 
 
 
 
 
 400 
 
 
 
 
 
 786 
 
 
 
 
 
 5,200 
 
 (V 
 
 
 
 1,855 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 ] 
 
 
 
 
 
 2,436 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 67 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 732,970 
 
 13 8,994 
 
 1,588 
 
 7,230 
 
 910 
 
 773 
 
 129,496 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 (1 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 
 18 
 11 
 10 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5\ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 8 
 O 
 
 
 
 11 
 
JFoxes 
 
 Bears and cubs 
 
 Deers 
 
 Cased and open cat 
 
 Racoons 
 
 Jviuskcats 
 
 Wolf 
 
 Elk 
 
 Woolvereens - 
 
 Seals 
 
 Buffalo - 
 
 384 
 
 Brought forward 
 
 1035 5 
 
 1298 2S O 
 
 103875 3 4 
 
 57.8 3 4 
 
 123507 2 
 
 6513 16 
 
 18 7 6 
 
 662' 15 
 
 39 5 
 
 10 4 
 
 1 20 
 
 Furs 
 
 General 
 
 Add expence of the military department, which has 
 been more this year than usual. 
 
 £• 
 
 s. 
 
 & 
 
 [} T129.496 
 
 7 
 
 11 
 
 259 
 
 t : ° 
 
 O 
 
 1,622 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 17,312 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 953 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 12.330 ' 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 4'. 8 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 496 
 
 ^0 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 169,979 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 732,970 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 895,949 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 200,000 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 1,095,949 
 
 3 
 
 334 vessels cleared at the Custom-house. 
 70275 tons. 
 3330 men. 
 
 To illustrate more fully the above tonnage in 1808, as in- 
 creased by the natural amelioration of the country, and by the 
 embargo in America, let us compare it with the tonnage of the 
 shipping of the years 1806 — 33,996. 
 
 1807—42,293. 
 The increase is conspicuous. 
 
 -# 
 
385 
 
 No. XL 
 
 To the Right Hon. Lord Hobart, one of His 
 
 Majejiy's principal Secretaries of State, 
 
 8$c* Sfc. 
 
 The Memorial and Petition of the Merchants and other Inhabitants 
 of New Brunswick, 
 
 Humbly sheweth, 
 
 THAT after the settlement of this province by the American 
 loyalists in the year 1733, its inhabitants eagerly engaged in endea- 
 rouring to supply with fish and lumber the British possessions in the 
 West Indies, and by their exertions they had, within the first ten 
 years, built ninety-three square-rigged vessels, and seventy-one sloops 
 and schooners, which were principally employed in that trade. There 
 was the most flattering prospect that this trade would have rapidly 
 increased, when the late war breaking out, the Governors of the 
 West India islands admitted, by proclamation, the vessels of the 
 United States of America to supply them with every thing they 
 wanted \ by which means the rising trade of this province has been 
 materially injured, and the enterprising spirit of its inhabitants se- . 
 verely checked. For the citizens of the. United States, having none 
 of the evils of war to encounter, are not subject to the high rates of 
 insurance on their vessels and cargoes, nor to the great advance in 
 the wages of seamen, to which, by the imperious circumstances of 
 the times, British subjects are unavoidably liable. And being ad- 
 mitted by proclamation, they are thereby exempt from a transient 
 and parochial duty of two and a half to five per cent, exacted in the 
 West India islands from British subjects. 
 
 Admission into the British ports in the West Indies having been 
 once obtained by the Americans, their government has spared neither 
 pains nor expence to increase \he\i fisheries, so essential to that trade. 
 By granting a bounty of nearly 20s. per ton on all vessels employed in 
 the cod fishery, they have induced numbers to turn their attention to 
 that business, and now the principal part of the cod fishery in the 
 Biy of Fundy is engrossed by them. 
 
 c c 
 
386 
 
 The county of Charlotte being separated from the United States 
 only by a navigable river, the Americans have, under the foregoing 
 advantages, been enabled to carry off annually (to be reshipped for the 
 West India market) nearly three millions of feet of boards cut in that 
 part of this province, and also a large proportion of the fish caught 
 and cured by British subjects in the Bay of Passamaquoddy. 
 
 These discouraging circumstances have prevented the trade in fish 
 and lumber from this province to the West Indies from increasing 
 since the year 1793, and would have totally annihilated it, had not the 
 province possessed advantages in point of situation so favourable for 
 that trade, as to enable its inhabitants to continue the establishments 
 already made for that purpose. What those advantages are, your 
 memorialists now beg leave to state to your Lordship. 
 
 The sea coast of this province abounds with cod and scale fish, and 
 its rivers are annually visited by immense shoals of herrings, shad, and 
 salmon. The numerous harbours along the coast are most conve- 
 niently situated for carrying on the cod fishery, which may be prose- 
 cuted to any extent imaginable. The herrings which frequent the 
 rivers of this province are a species peculiarly adapted for the West 
 India market; being equally nutritious with the common herrings, 
 and possessed of a greater degree of firmness, they are capable of 
 being kept longer in a warm climate. In such abundance are they 
 annually to be found, that the quantity cured can only be limited by 
 the insufficient number of hands employed in the business. 
 
 The interior of this province, as well as the parts bordering on the 
 sea coast, is every where intersected by rivers, creeks, and lakes, on 
 the margin of which, or at no great distance from them, the country 
 for the most part is covered with inexhaustible forests of pine, spruce, 
 birch, beech, maple, elm, fir, and other timber, proper for masts of 
 any size, lumber, and ship-building. The smaller rivers afford ex- 
 cellent situations for saw-mills, and every stream, by the melting of 
 the snow in the spring, is rendered deep enough to float down the 
 masts and lumber of every description, which the inhabitants have 
 cut and brought to its banks, during the long and severe winters of 
 this climate, when their agricultural pursuits are necessarily suspend- 
 ed. The lands in the interior of the province are generally excellent, 
 and where cleared, have proved very productive. 
 
 Great advances have not hitherto been made in agriculture for 
 want of a sufficient number of inhabitants, yet within a few years 
 
387 
 
 there has remained, beyond our dome6tic supply, a considerable sur- 
 plus in horses, salted provisions, and butter, for exportation. And 
 your memorialists look forward with confidence to a rapid increase 
 in the exports of those articles, for which the soil and climate of this 
 country are well adapted. 
 
 Possessing so many local advantages, your memorialists feel them- 
 selves warranted in stating to your Lordship, that, were not the Ame- 
 ricans admitted into the British ports in the West Indies, the fisheries 
 of this and the neighbouring colonies, if duly encouraged, would, 
 with the regular supply from the united kingdoms, furnish the 
 British West India islands with all the fish they would require. And 
 that in a few years the supply of lumber from this province, which 
 already exceeds ten millions of feet annually, would, with the excep- 
 tion of staves only, be equal to the demand in the said islands. And 
 your memorialists farther confidently state, that these provinces 
 would furnish shipping sufficient to carry from the United States all 
 the flour, corn, and staves, which the British West Indies would stand 
 in need of beyond what the Canadian provinces could furnish. 
 
 During the peace from 1783 to 1793, American vessels' were not 
 admitted into the British West India islands, (the whole trade of 
 those islands being carried on during that period in British bottoms) 
 and at no time have the supplies been more abundant or more reason- 
 able. Were the Americans excluded from those islands, this and 
 the neighbouring provinces could now furnish a much larger propor- 
 tion than formerly of the supplies required, and a rapid and pro- 
 gressive increase might annually be expected. But should the Ame- 
 ricans obtain by treaty a right to participate in that trade, not only 
 will the farther progress of improvement in this province be interrupt- 
 ed, but many of its most industrious inhabitants, unable to procure 
 a subsistence here, will be urged to forego the blessings of the British 
 constitution, to which they are most sincerely and zealously attached, 
 and to seek for an establishment in the United States of America. 
 That great advantages would result to the British nation from pro- 
 viding a sure and permanent supply of those essential articles for its 
 West India islands, independent of foreign assistance, must be ob- 
 vious. The inhabitants of those islands, forming commercial con- 
 nexions only with their fellow subjects, would continue the more 
 unalterably attached in their dutiful affection and loyalty to the 
 parent state ; and there would be the less reason to dread the conse- 
 
588 
 
 quences of any misunderstanding that might hereafter arise between 
 Great Britian and the United States of America. The introduction 
 into the West Indies of contraband articles, particularly teas, and all 
 kinds of East India manufactures, (a traffic which the Americans now 
 carry on to an enormous extent) would thereby be checked, and the 
 whole benefit of the trade of those islands secured to British subjects. 
 If thu9 aided and supported against the views of the Americans, the 
 trade of these northern provinces would speedily acquire new and 
 increasing vigour, and (which may be an important consideration) 
 soon render them valuable nurseries of seamen for the British navy, 
 that grand security to the commerce and prosperity of his majesty's 
 kingdoms and colonies. 
 
 Your memorialists therefore most humbly pray, Sec, 
 
 Stilt John, New Brunswick, 11th May, 1804, 
 
889 
 
 No. XII. 
 
 To the Right Honourable Lord Hobart, one of His 
 
 Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, 
 
 $c. $c. 
 
 The Petition of the Merchants, and other Inhabitants of Halifax, in 
 the Province of Nova Scotia, 
 
 Humbly sheweth, 
 
 THAT the trade of this province arises principally from the fish 
 caught on its coasts, great quantities of which are exported annually 
 by your petitioners to the West India islands. That in the pursuit of 
 this commerce, your petitioners are rivalled by the citizens of the 
 American States, to whom the ports of those islands are ever open, 
 and who are exempt from duties and other expences to which your 
 petitioners are liable. Your petitioners have heard, that in the ex- 
 isting negociation, relative to the twelfth article of the treaty with 
 America, the Americans aim at a further extension of their trade with 
 the British West India islands, which, if obtained, would utterly ruin 
 the already declining fisheries of the British colonies, whence the na- 
 tion has long derived much wealth, and its navy a supply of hardy 
 seamen. 
 
 That the coasts of this province, as well as the Gulph of St. Lwa- 
 rence, and the islands of Newfoundland and Cape Breton, abound 
 with fish of the most valuable sorts; so that with encouragement these 
 colonies would satisfy, to its utmost extent, the demand of the West 
 India islands for dry and pickled fish. 
 
 Your petitioners, therefore, most humbly pray, that your Lord- 
 ship, and his majesty's other ministers, would take the premises, and 
 the annexed memorial, into consideration, and would protect the trade 
 and fisheries of his majesty's subjects in these colonies against the 
 views of the Americans, by granting to the British colonists the ex- 
 
390 
 
 elusive privilege of supplying their fellow subjects in the West Indies 
 with the article of fish caught on the coasts of North America. 
 
 (Signed) y William Sabatier, 
 
 William Smith, 
 George Grassic, 
 James Fraser, 
 William Lyon, 
 
 Committee appointed by the Merchants, and other 
 Inhabitants of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 
 
 Halifax. Nova Scotia, March 23d, 1804, 
 
391 
 
 Memorial and Statement of the Cast referred to in the annexed 
 
 Petition. 
 
 AS every British province and island in these northern climates 
 is individually able to furnish the West India islands with some essen- 
 tial article of consumption, which in whole, or in part, is deficient 
 in others, the Petitioners, in the following statement, have extended 
 their observations beyond the limits of the single province in which 
 they reside. 
 
 The West India islands require to be supplied with the undermen- 
 tioned articles, viz. 
 
 From the Fisheries. — Dried cod fish, barrel or pickled fish, viz. sal- 
 mon, herring (of various species), and mackarel and oil. 
 Forest. — Lumber, viz. squared timber, scantling, planks and boards, 
 
 shingles, clapboards, hoops, and oak staves. 
 Agriculture. — Biscuits and flour, Indian corn and meal, pork, beef, 
 
 butter, cheese, potatoes, and onions ; live stock, viz. horses, oxen, 
 
 hogs, sheep and poultry. 
 Mines. — Coals. 
 
 Of these arcicles, the following are produced by the several colo- 
 nies. — New Brunswick produces, in the greatest abundance, lumber 
 of every kind, except oak staves ; it yields already many of the smaller 
 articles which serve to complete a cargo, and its shores abound with 
 various fish fit for pickling. Nova Scotia produces lumber of all 
 sorts, except oak staves, but in a lesser degree than New Brunswick ; 
 horses, oxen, sheep, and all the other productions of agriculture, ex- 
 cept wheat and Indian corn ; the Eastern and Northern parts of the 
 province abound in coal, and its whole coast yields inexhaustible 
 quantities of cod fish, and others fit for pickling. 
 
 Cape Breton and Prince Edward islands j the former yields coal in 
 abundance, its fisheries are considerable ; but without dealing directly 
 with the West Indies, they serve to increase the exports of Nova Sco- 
 tia. Both these islands supply Newfoundland with cattle, and with 
 due encouragement would rival some of the more opulent colonies, 
 in articles of agriculture ; their fisheries also may be greatly extend- 
 ed, as the whole circuit of these islands abound in fish. 
 
 Canada can supply any quantity of oak staves, as well as flour and 
 Indian com, for six months in the year. Newfoundland yields little 
 
S92 
 
 lumber, but its trade in dried cod fish has hitherto, in a great mea* 
 sure, supplied all Europe and the West Indies, and it is capable of 
 still greater extension 
 
 The petitioners have therefore no hesitation in affirming, that these 
 mother colonies are able to supply the West Indies with dried fish, 
 and every species of pickled fish, for their consumption ; and that 
 at no very distant period they could also supply all the other articles 
 herein before enumerated, except, perhaps, flour, Indian meal and 
 corn, and oak staves. 
 
 Having stated the foregoing facts, the petitioners beg leave to re- 
 quest the attention of his Majesty's ministers to the peculiar circum- 
 stances of this province, the permanent establishment of which took 
 place about fifty-four years ago; for previous to the settlement of 
 Halifax, there were few inhabitants in it, and but little trade. The 
 mother country, sensible of the favourable situation of this colony for 
 fisheries, that its harbours are seldom more than a few miles from 
 each other, and that its extensive sea coast teems every season with 
 shoals of fish of the most useful sorts, made every effort to establish 
 them. The fisheries, however, until the close of thcAmerican war, 
 languished from one cause only — the want of inhabitants. The influx 
 of inhabitants at that time, and since, has promoted industry and 
 domestic comfort, and a race of people born on the soil have become 
 attached to it. The clearing of the lands, and other causes, have 
 improved the climate; and by a late survey of the interior of the 
 Province, it is discovered that the lands are not only better than had 
 been imagined, but superior to the greater part of the rest of North 
 America. 
 
 The present situation of this Proyince with regard to its trade, re- 
 sembles that of New England at the close of the seventeenth century ; 
 and unless checked at this crisis, it has the most reasonable expec- 
 tation of a more rapid increase than the latter ever experienced. 
 
 Encouraged by the prospect before them, and conscious of the 
 abuses that have crept into the fisheries, the Petitioners are looking 
 forward to the aid of the Provincial Legislature, and to other means, 
 for correcting those abuses and for establishing and improving the 
 fisheries, that great source of wealth to the parent state, the colonial 
 husbandman, and merchant : but they perceive with regret, that their 
 efforts will prove ineffectual, unless the citizens of the United States, 
 according to the ancient policy of Great Britain towards foreigners, 
 
393 
 
 are wholly or partially excluded from the islands, or a permanent 
 equivalent is granted to the colonists. 
 
 The American Legislature has rejected the 12th Article of the late 
 Treaty ; the citizens of the United States would have been excluded 
 from the West Indies, if the governors of those islands had not, under 
 the plea of necessity, by proclamation, admitted them. In this trade 
 the Americans possess the following advantages over the colonists. 
 
 First, — In the Islands of Barbadoes, Antigua, Saint Kitt's, and Ja- 
 maica, a stranger's duty of two and a half, or more, per cent, is im- 
 posed on imports, and in the Island of Saint Vincent, British subjects 
 exclusively are subject to a duty of three per cent, which must be 
 paid in specie, and to procure which a forced sale is frequently made 
 of part of the cargo to great disadvantage. From this duty the Ame- 
 ricans, being invited by proclamation, are exempt. 
 
 Second, — During the late and present war, the citizens of the 
 United States, being neutrals, have not been burthened with the 
 heavy charge of insurance against the enemy, which to the colonists 
 has increased the premium ten per cent, to the smaller islands, and 
 twelve and a half per cent, to Jamaica. 
 
 Third, — The northern States have granted a bounty of near 20 
 shillings per ton, on vessels in their fisheries. 
 
 From those circumstances, so unable are the petitioners to contend 
 with the Americans in the West India markets, that they derive 
 greater advantage by selling their fish at an inferior price in the 
 United States j whence the Americans re-export them to the West 
 India Islands under the above-mentioned advantages, so as to make 
 a profit even on their outward voyage. 
 
 It is well known, and in an ample report made to Congress in the 
 years 179O and 1791, by the now President of the United States, then 
 their Secretary of State, it was set forth, that the fisheries of New 
 England were on the verge of ruin, and he recommended, what was 
 afterwards adopted,— the grant of a bounty to counterbalance the 
 disadvantages the trade then laboured under. At that period, the 
 fisheries of Nova Scotia made a rapid increase ; the whale fishery alone 
 from the port of Halifax 'consisted of twenty-eight sail of ships and 
 brigs from 60 to 200 tons burthen j but the succeeding war and other 
 unfavourable circumstances soon destroyed this important branch of 
 the fishery. By the aid of bounties from the State Legislature, the 
 American fisheries recovered their former vigour, and are now car- 
 
394 
 
 lied on with great spirit, increasing their trade with the West Indies 
 to an incredible extent ; considerable numbers of our best fishermen 
 have emigrated from Newfoundland and this Province, to the United 
 States, within a few months, and more are daily following them : 
 thus it appears evident, that a wise policy, steadily pursued, will pre- 
 serve a sinking trade, and that this Province is not wanting in exer- 
 tion, when favourable opportunities for it are offered. 
 
 Should the Americans obtain by treaty an indulgence of their trade 
 in fish with the West Indies, it will prove the ruin of that of the British 
 Northern Colonies, and draw away from them their most industrious 
 inhabitants. The islands will then depend on Foreign States for sup- 
 plies of all the articles before enumerated ; and if at any time hereafter 
 differences should take place between Great Britain and the Ameri- 
 can States, from what quarter, it may be asked, are the Islands to 
 obtain their supplies; the ruined trade and fisheries of those colonies 
 may prove, too late, the fatal policy of throwing into the hands of 
 foreigners a trade, which, with a little encouragement, might have 
 been almost, if not entirely, confined to British subjects. 
 
 From these considerations the justice and policy of giving en- 
 couragement to the Northern Colonies are evident. Should the 
 strangers duty, imposed in the Islands, be taken off; should a bounty 
 equal to that granted by the State Legislature be allowed, and the 
 present war succeeded by a peace, then may the West India Islands 
 receive from these Colonies supplies of all kinds of dried or pickled 
 fish, on terms as advantageous as they are now furnished with them 
 from a Foreign State. It is obvious that the Americans, and the 
 West India planters, have a mutual interest in the free trade tc the 
 Islands, but the planters have no right to expect supplies from a neu- 
 tral nation in time of war, merely because it affords them at a cheaper 
 rate than the British Colonies ; they should bear the inconveniences 
 of war as well as their fellow subjects, who have been driven into 
 these northern regions by their zealous loyalty in support of the 
 happy constitution under which they now live. The supplies required 
 by the Islands cannot greatly increase; while the Northern Colonies, 
 from their great extent and growing population, will every year be 
 more and more able to furnish those supplies. The Islands are, in a 
 measure, 'limited in their extent; but the Northern Colonies are 
 almost unbounded. 
 The inhabitants of those colonies have acquired their present con- 
 
395 
 
 dition, which, at best, is mediocrity, by a continued exertion of in- 
 dustry and frugality, under a climate and a soil, which yield their 
 blessings to persevering exertion alone. The West India planters have 
 ever been in a different situation, and can afford to wait a reasonable 
 time for the accomplishment of those expectations which are justly 
 entertained by the colonists ; in the interim, they ought to give a 
 fair equivalent for the articles of which they stand in need, and not 
 expect, at an inferior price, commodities whose value the imperious 
 circumstances of the times have tended to enhance. The northern 
 colonists have struggled with all the difficulties incident to a young 
 country, and they are now arrived at a period, when, if duly encou- 
 raged, they may be enabled to reap the fruits of their honest labours 
 but restricted in their trade to the Mediterranean by an ancient regu- 
 lation, which obliges them to land their cargoes in some English 
 .European port, before they can proceed on homeward-bound voy- 
 ages, and burthened also in the manner here stated in the West 
 India trade, the petitioners cannot contend with the Americans, but 
 look forward with the most distressful prospects to means of procur- 
 ing a future subsistence, unless his Majesty, in his goodness, shall be 
 pleased to afford them protection and relief. They therefore anxi- 
 ously hope, that the observations contained in this memorial may not 
 appear unworthy of the attention of his Majesty's ministers, but that 
 whatever temporary indulgences may be granted to the American 
 citizens, the British colonists, agreeably to their former solicitations 
 on that subject, may be permitted to return to America, without 
 entering at any port in Great Britain. 
 
 My Lord, Halifax, Jan. 30, 1805. 
 
 We the Committee of the merchants and inhabitants of Halifax, 
 Nova Scotia, who presented to Lord Hobart, your Lordship's prede- 
 cessor, a petition, praying that the British colonists might have the 
 exclusive right of supplying his Majesty's West India islands with 
 fish, have lately seen, in print, a letter written to your Lordship by 
 G. W. Jordan, Esq. Colonial Agent for Barbadoes, containing ob- 
 servations on our petition, and the memorial annexed to it ; we 
 think it our duty briefly to answer those observations, and to enforce 
 the object of our petition. 
 
396 
 
 Mr. Jordan's first remark is founded on a misconception or per- 
 version of the allegation of the petitioners : we assert in our memorial 
 '** that in the islands of Barbadoes, Antigua, Saint Kitt's, and Ja- 
 ** maica, a stranger's duty, of two and a half per cent, is imposed on 
 " imports, and that in the island of Saint Vincent, British subjects, 
 te exclusively, are subject to a duty of three per cent. ;" no charge 
 is therefore made, that the duty is not general in the island of Bar- 
 badoes ; the charge is clearly confined to the single island of Saint 
 Vincent. 
 
 We are not alarmed, my Lord, at the reference made by Mr. 
 Jordan to papers which were not intended for his inspection, but for 
 private information only ; since those papers contain no other facts 
 than such as can be proved. The practice in the West India islands 
 of keeping the ports always open to the Americans, amounts, in our 
 apprehension, to the grant of a free trade; and that goods of foreign 
 manufacture are by these means introduced into the islands no one 
 ■who is at all acquainted with the character and practices of the 
 American traders can doubt. We lament that, even in these colo- 
 nies, into whose ports no American vessels are admitted, except fish- 
 ing vessels, which by treaty are allowed to resort to our coasts, such 
 quantities of foreign goods do find admittance, that it is to be feared 
 more than half the East India goods consumed in this province is 
 supplied from the neighbouring States of America. 
 
 We do not, as Mr. Jordan is pleased to assert, claim a right of 
 selling our own commodities at our own prices in time of war; but 
 we contend that, when the article of fish is furnished from the 
 northern colonies, in abundance, although increased in price by the 
 war expences, the West India colonists ought not, on that account, 
 to require or permit the introduction of it from foreign states, and in 
 foreign bottoms ; especially as the fish is generally paid for in the pro- 
 duce of the islands, of which the planters take care to raise the price 
 in proportion. That these northern colonies can supply the islands 
 with their whole consumption of fish, and at reasonable prices, can 
 be easily proved, and that they are, therefore, entitled to do so, exclu- 
 sively , Mr. Jordan himself admits. 
 
 The right of the West India colonists to obtain from the Ame- 
 rican States all articles of the first necessity, which they cannot ade- 
 quately obtain from the dominions of Great Britain, is not disputed 
 by us ; but we assert that the article of fish can be adequately ob« 
 
397 
 
 tained from the British colonies. That the allowing supplies to fos 
 imported in American bottoms has been destructive to the British 
 carrying trade, has been lately demonstrated by a very able writer oft 
 the subject} and that the indulgences granted to the Americans have 
 injured the fisheries, and greatly reduced the tonnage and seamen 
 employed in these colonies, we can assert from our own sad experi- 
 ence. An inspection into the imports and exports of the island of 
 Jamaica for one year, as laid before their House of Assembly, and 
 published in the Jamaica almanack for the last year, will shew how 
 large a portion of the West India carrying trade is engrossed by the 
 Americans. 
 
 If, my Lord, we have stated in our memorial that it is, now, 
 more advantageous for the merchants of this colony to dispose of their 
 fish in the United States, than to send it to the West India islands,— 
 we have made it a subject of complaint ; and at the same time have 
 set forth the reasons why the Americans rival us in that trade. Were 
 our commerce with the islands placed on a fair foundation, the same 
 British ships would convey our fish thither, which now carry it to 
 the American markets. But burdened as that trade is with insurance 
 against the enemy, and confined as it is, and ought to be, to a fair 
 dealing in legitimate merchandize, we contend in those ports with 
 the Americans at every disadvantage. 
 
 Had Mr. Jordan fairly observed on our petition and memorial, 
 he would not have asserted that the positive affirmation in the for- 
 mer, ** that these provinces can supply the West Indies with fish," 
 was shaken by a subsequent observation, " that, under certain cir- 
 ** cumstances, the trade and fisheries of these colonies would be 
 Kt ruined, which, with encouragement, might be almost, if not 
 " entirely, confined to British subjects." The observation refers 
 expressly to the trade in all the articles enumerated in the memorial ; 
 the affirmation is confined to the single article of fish. One read- 
 ing of the paragraph referred to will entirely refute Mr. Jordan's 
 remark. 
 
 Having already, my Lord, observed that the increase of the price 
 of fish, occasioned by war, is no just ground for the introduction of 
 that article, from foreign ports, and in foreign vessels, we shall not, 
 follow Mr. Jordan in the curious inference he undertakes to draw 
 from our admission, that, in war time, the Americans can under- 
 sell us in fish. So little are we disposed to require an extravagant 
 
398 
 
 price for our fish, that we most readily would accede to Mr. Jordan's 
 proposal, of fixing the maximum price of cod fish at eight dollars, in 
 time of war; and, indeed, could we obtain even three-fourths of 
 that price, generally, during the war, the fisheries would soon flou- 
 rish again, and the islands be at all times amply supplied with fish. 
 
 On the two facts with which Mr. Jordan closes his observations, 
 we shall only remark that the former is conceded by us as to the 
 flour and grain imported into Nova Scotia from the United States ; 
 and it is perfectly consistent with our memorial, in which we con- 
 fess that this province is deficient in the articles of wheat and corn. 
 The other fact we must dispute ; and although we are not provided 
 with documents to ascertain the tonnage employed between the Bri- 
 tish North American provinces and the West India islands, for the 
 particular year 1791, yet we are furnished with returns of the ton- 
 nage employed in the trade to and from the West India islands for 
 the year 179&, and entered at the Custom-house in Halifax, being 
 for one only of the two districts into which this province is divided, 
 and which we beg leave to insert, as follows : 
 
 Inwards. 
 
 719 
 
 3605 
 
 385 
 
 1862> 
 4 
 
 1792. 
 
 Outwards. 
 
 Spring quarter, 
 
 - 886 
 
 Midsummer ditto, 
 
 - 1436$ 
 
 Michaelmas ditto, 
 
 - 2397 
 
 Christmas ditto, 
 
 - 1770 
 
 Tons 
 
 648y§ 
 
 Tons 657 l* 
 4 
 
 It is therefore incredible, that, in the year 1791 only, 4837 tons 
 were employed in the trade between all the British northern pro- 
 vinces and the West India islands, when, in the subsequent year, 
 it appears by an authentic return, that in one district, of one pro- 
 vince, upwards of six thousand tons were actually engaged in that 
 commerce. 
 
 Here, my Lord, we conclude our observations on Mr. Jordan's 
 letter ; nor shall we presume to intrude on your Lordship's patience 
 further than to state one fact, which must demonstrate the effi- 
 ciency of the British colonies, or at least of British shipping, to sup- 
 ply the demands of the West India markets. From the year 1785, 
 to the year 1794, American ships were excluded from the West 
 
399 
 
 India islands, yet they were, during that period, so well provided 
 with articles of the first necessity, that ships from these colonies were 
 frequently unable to find a sale for their cargoes in our own islands, 
 and were obliged to resort to foreign islands for a market. By re- 
 turns collected from the merchants of this province, engaged in the 
 West India trade, we find that the prices obtained by them for cod 
 fish, from the year 1785, to the year 1792 inclusive, never exceeded 
 five dollars per quintal, and sometimes fell short of half that sum. 
 In the year 1793 we meet with a single instance of cod fish selling 
 for six dollars j but the common price, even in that first year of the 
 war, was not more than three and a half dollars per quintal. The 
 cheapness, therefore, of this article clearly proves the abundance 
 of it in the West India islands, and consequently that the allowing 
 the Americans to import fish in American ships was not a measure 
 of necessity. 
 
 We have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, 
 
 Your Lordship's 
 
 Most obedient and most humble servants, 
 
 (Signed) - William Salatier, 
 
 William Smith, 
 
 George Grassic, 
 
 James Fraser, and 
 
 William Lyon. 
 The Right Hon. Lord Camden, 
 
 &*c. &c. &c, , 
 
400 
 
 No. XIII. 
 NEW BRUNSWICK. 
 
 Address respecting the Islands in Passamaquoddy 
 
 Bay. 
 
 To the Honourable Gabriel G. Ludlow, Esquire, President 
 of his Majesty's Council> and Commander in Chief of the Pro- 
 vince of New Brunswick, &c. &c. 
 
 The joint Address of his Majesty's Council, and the House of 
 Representatives of the Province of New Brunswick, in Ge- 
 neral Assembly. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 HAVING long entertained a confident hope, that the possession 
 of Moose Island, Dudley Island, and Frederick Island, in Passa- 
 maquoddy bay, usurped by the State of Massachusetts, would never 
 be sanctioned by any act, or avowed acquiescence on the pait of his 
 Majesty's government ; but that his Majesty's indisputable right to 
 these islands would in due time be effectually asserted j it is with 
 very great concern that we now find, from a passage in a letter from 
 Mr. Merry, to your honour, stating the communications made to 
 him by Mr. Madison, the American Secretary of State, on the sub« 
 ject of these islands, that the United States do actually consider their 
 present possession as having been so sanctioned j and that they are 
 prepared to construe his Majesty's forbearance in this behalf, as 
 having already warranted their claim of an entire right to these 
 islands. \ 
 
 In the letter above referred to, Mr. Merry states, (S that the Ame- 
 " rican minister observed to him, that since his Majesty's govern- 
 t( ment have allowed the United States to remain in possession of 
 
401 
 
 *' the above-mentioned islands, the icaters which surround them, to 
 r « the distance to which the jurisdiction of any territory is usually 
 '* understood to extend, ought equally to he considered as American ; 
 " and added, that although he could not properly refer, on this oc- 
 '* casion, to the convention between his Majesty and the United 
 " States, concluded in London, on the 12th of May, 1803, because 
 ts it had not been ratified, nevertheless, by that convention, the 
 " islands in question were declared to belong to the United States ; 
 " an arrangement which would probably be confirmed whenever the 
 u matter of the boundary line between the two territories should 
 '* again be brought into discussion ; the more so, because it was not 
 " the article respecting the eastern boundary on the side of New 
 *' Brunswick which occasioned the convention to remain unra- 
 « tified." 
 
 As a hope may be entertained that the convention referred to by 
 Mr. Madison respecting these islands may not yet be ratified, we 
 request ) r our honour to transmit to his Majesty's ministers this our 
 joint address, on a subject of such importance to his Majesty's 
 government, and the rights and interests of his faithful subjects in 
 this province. 
 
 After the full discussion of the question of right to these island 1 ), 
 in the correspondence between his Majesty's ministers and his excel- 
 lency the lieutenant-governor of this province, on former occasions, 
 particularly his excellency's dispatch to his Grace the Duke of Port- 
 land, dated 5th August, 1799, ana * the letters and documents therein 
 mentioned, it may be thought superfluous to do more than generally 
 to refer to those papers on the present occasion. We trust, however, 
 that the magnitude of the object will justify our attempt to bring 
 within a small compass the result of those discussions, adding thereto 
 some further observations which more immediately press upon our 
 attention, and which we hope will merit the consideration of his 
 Majesty's ministers. 
 
 That part of the second article of the treaty of peace between his 
 Majesty and the United States which respects the present question 
 is expressed as follows : " East, by a line to be drawn along the 
 ** middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in the Bay of Fundy, 
 ** to its source, &:c. comprehending all islands within twenty leagues 
 '** of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying between 
 •* lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid 
 
402 
 
 tf boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part, and East Flo- 
 " rida on the other part, shall respectively touch the Bay of Fundy, 
 f( and the Atlantic Ocean, excepting such islands as now are, or 
 " heretofore have been, within the limits of the said province of 
 " Nova Scotia." 
 
 The islands hereby granted are evidently such, and such only, 
 as are within twenty leagues of the coast, and also lie between those 
 parallels of latitudes by which the shores of the ceded country are 
 limited at theirt* rthem'and southern extremities. Hence all islands, 
 not within those parallels, however near they may be to the shore, 
 are clearly excluded from the grant ; and of those which are within 
 the parallels, all such as then were, or ever had been, within the 
 limits of Nova Scotia, are also excluded. From the treaty of peace, 
 therefore, the United States can derive no shadow of claim to the 
 islands in question ; and his Majesty's original right to them remains 
 entire and incontestable. 
 
 For, we believe, it has never been controverted, even by the Ame- 
 rican government, that these islands, always before the treaty of 
 peace, were comprehended within the limits, and constituted a part 
 of the province of Nova Scotia, which it was the obvious intention 
 of the treaty to reserve to his Majesty, by its utmost limits • a refer- 
 ence to the original boundaries of the province in Sir William Alex- 
 ander^ patent, and to the description of the boundaries in all the 
 commissions to his Majesty's governors of the province, and the ac- 
 tual grant of two of these islands to Francis Bernard, and others, by 
 letters patent under the seal of the province of Nova Scotia, bearing 
 date the 30th October, 1765, place this fact beyond all dispute. 
 
 These islands, at the time when the province of New Brunswick 
 was erected in the year 1?84, were all possessed and inhabited by 
 his Majesty's subjects ; they were, by an act of the General Assem- 
 bly of the province, passed in January, 178G, for the purpose of 
 dividing the several countries into towns and parishes, expressly made 
 a part of the parish of West Isles, in the county of Charlotte ; and 
 their inhabitants yielded obedience to the laws of the province, in 
 attending to the several duties which they were called upon to per- 
 form by the courts and magistrates established and appointed in that 
 county*; and we cannot but consider it as a matter of serious regret, 
 that the possession of these islands, shortly afterwards usurped by the 
 State of Massachusetts, and hitherto continued, has given rise to a 
 
403 
 
 claim of territorial right, on the part of that State, founded merely 
 upon that possession. 
 
 We now beg leave briefly to hint at some of the mischiefs and 
 inconveniences which have resulted from this continued usurpation. 
 Very large quantities of lumber, furnished from the neighbouring 
 parts of the province, are purchased by the American subjects, and 
 carried to these islands for exportation ; which lumber is paid for 
 with prohibited articles from the United States; and they in the 
 same manner engross almost the whole of the produce of the fish- 
 eries among these islands, which is also paid for in the same man- 
 ner ; and thus we sustain a double injury. The West India islands 
 are, in a great measure, precluded from receiving their supplies of 
 fish and lumber in British bottoms ; and large quantities of contra- 
 band goods are introduced into this province, to the great injury of 
 the commercial interests of Great Britain, as well as of the fair mer- 
 chants and traders residing here. 
 
 Their situation enables the inhabitants of these islands to engross a 
 very great proportion of the plaster trade from this and the neigh- , 
 bouring province of Nova Scotia, which is now become of great 
 magnitude and extent, whereby his Majesty's subjects are deprived 
 of a very highly valuable carrying trade in this article. 
 
 These islands are become places of refuge for insolvent debtors, and 
 disorderly persons of every description, particularly of deserters from his 
 Majesty's service : all attempts to recover whom are insolently resisted. 
 
 By the possession of these islands, great facility is given to the 
 conveyance, in small vessels, of contraband articles of every descrip- 
 tion to various parts of this province and Nova Scotia ; so that the 
 fair British merchant can have no equal competition with these illicit 
 traders, even in the sale of British and West Indian goods. 
 
 Whereas, on the contrary, if these islands were in the possession 
 of his Majesty's subjects, very large quantities of fish and lumber 
 w r ould be thereby furnished by them for the supply of the British 
 West India islands, the present ruinous contraband trade greatly 
 interrupted, and a very beneficial carrying trade, in the article of 
 plaster of Paris, in a great measure secured. 
 
 Or, if the Americans were dispossessed of these islands, there is 
 no other situation in that neighbourhood which could give them the 
 advantages and opportunities to injure the trade of this province, 
 which they now enjoy. 
 
404 
 
 To these considerations it may be added, that in case of hostilities 
 at any time in the United States, or countenance given by them to, 
 hostile attacks from any other country, the province, by the posses- 
 sion of these islands, would, in that quarter, be rendered more se- 
 cure from attack, and capable of defence. 
 
 Impressed with the importance of the foregoing considerations, 
 we indulge the hope, that the transmission of this address by your 
 honour to his Majesty's ministers may he productive of important 
 benefits to the interests and welfare of his Majesty's subjects in this 
 province. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 G. D. Ludlow, Speaker of the Council. 
 
 A. Botsford, Speaker of the House of Assembly* 
 
 Presented in March, 1807. 
 Transmitted in June, 1807. 
 
 LBA g ?9 
 
405 
 
 No. XIV. 
 
 Declaration as to the Boundaries of the River 
 
 St. Croix. 
 
 Thomas Barclay, David Howell, and Egbert Benson, 
 Commissioners appointed in pursuance of the fifth Article of the 
 Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, between his' Bri- 
 tannic Majesty and the United States of America, finally to de- 
 cide the Question, " What River was truly intended under the 
 Name of the River St. Croix, mentioned in the Treaty of Peace, 
 between his Majesty and the United~States, and forming a Part of 
 the Boundary therein described, " 
 
 DECLARATION. 
 
 WE, the said commissioners, having been sworn impartially to 
 examine and decide the said question according to such evidence as 
 should respectively be laid before us, on the part of the British go- 
 vernment and of the United States, and having heard the evidence 
 which hath been laid before us by the agent of his Majesty, and the 
 agent of the United States respectively appointed, and authorized to 
 manage the business on behalf of the respective governments, have 
 decided, and hereby do decide the river hereinafter particularly de* 
 scribed and mentioned, to be the river truly intended under the name 
 of the river St. Croix, in the said treaty of peace, and forming a part 
 pf the boundary therein described ; that is to say, the mouth of the 
 said river is in Passamaquoddy J5ay, at a point of land called Joe's 
 Point, about one mile northward from the northern part of St. An- 
 drew's Island, and in the latitude of forty-five degrees five minutes 
 and five seconds north, and in the longitude of sixty-seven degrees 
 
406 
 
 twelve minutes and thirty seconds west from the Royal Observatory 
 at Greenwich, in Great Britain, and three degrees fifty-four minutes 
 and fifteen seconds east from Harvard College, in the University of 
 Cambridge, in the State of Massachusetts ; and the course of the 
 said river, up from its said mouth, is northerly, to a point of land 
 called the Devil's Head, then turning, the said point is westerly, to 
 where it divides into two streams, the one coming from the west- 
 ward, and the other coming from the northward, having the name 
 of Chiputnateccok, or Chibnitcook, as the same may be variously 
 spelt, then up the. said stream so coming from the northward to its 
 source, which is at a stake near a yellow birch tree hooped with iron, 
 and marked S. T. and I. H. 1797* by Samuel Titcomb and John 
 Harris, the surveyors employed to survey the above mentioned stream 
 coroirg from the northward ; and the said river is designated on the 
 map hereunto annexed, and hereby referred to as further descriptive 
 of it by the letters A.B . C. D. E. F. G. H. I. F. and L. ; the letter 
 i\. being at its said mouth, and the letter L. being at its said source : 
 and the. course and distance of the said source from the island, at the 
 confluence of the abovementioned two streams, is as laid down on the 
 said map, north five degrees and about fifteen minutes, west by the 
 magnet about forty-eight miles and one quarter. 
 
 In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, 
 at Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, the twenty-fifth day of 
 October, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight. 
 
 Thomas Barclay, (L. S.) 
 David Howell, (L. S.) 
 Egbert Benson, (L. S.) 
 
 (Witness) Edward Winshw, 
 
 Secretary to the Commissioners, 
 
 THE END. 
 
 T. DA VI RON, Whitefriars, 
 Loncion. 
 
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»V.y 
 
 
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