Title

History of the American troops part 2

Identifier

http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?b=1&ref=oo&id=298018

page

52-107

Bibliographic Citation

History of the American troops, during the late war, under the command of Cols. Fenton and Campbell : giving an account of the crossing of the lake from Erie to Long Point; also, the crossing of Niagara. The taking of Fort Erie, the battle of Chippewa, the imprisonment of Col. Bull, Major Galloway and the author, together with an historical account of the Canadas / by Samuel White, of Adams County, Penn.

10195728

History of the American troops, during the late war, under the command of Cols. Fenton and Campbell : giving an account of the crossing of the lake from Erie to Long Point; also, the crossing of Niagara. The taking of Fort Erie, the battle of Chippewa, the imprisonment of Col. Bull, Major Galloway and the author, together with an historical account of the Canadas / by Samuel White, of Adams County, Penn.

Type

Text

extracted text

52
purchase sea stores, and were told that it would be entirely unnecssary, as we should fare as well as the Admiral. We accordingly went aboard without making
any preparations, and were put in possession of a large
cabin. The weather was very cold, and it blew quite
a gale. That evening the Captain went ashore, and
Captain Hunt, from the state of New York, who had
previously managed to engage a Frenchman, to pilot
him across the country to the United States, in case he
should be able to make his escape, commenced preparations ; the better to assisst, the Frenchman had hired
himself on board in capacity of a waiter ; they got out
of the cabin window into the boat which lay astern, but
to their mortification, found there were no oars ; these,
after considerable manceuvering we managed to convey
from deck into the cabin, one party keeping the guard
busy in conversation ; from the cabin they were handed
to the boat, and having muffled the oars, and being
joined by four others, the painter was cut, and notwithstanding there were fifty sail of vessels in the harbor, each one having a lanthorn mounted, and two
guards patrolling the deck, they effected their escape,
and got safe to land. There still remained on board
the vessel, seventeen of our number, so that those who
made their escape were not missed until the following
morning at nine o'clock, when the Captain came
aboard and had the roll called. We were told to prepare to leave the cabin in an hour, and that we should
in future take up our quarters in the hold ; when we
urged that it was rather a hard case to punish us, for
the offences of others, our captain told us that he was
very well aware that they could not have got away
without our assistance. We then stated that it seemed rather like punishing us for not having availed ourselves of the opportunity presented us, as the boat was

53
sufficiently large to hold us all—the only reply he condescended to make us, was, that he would let us know
that we had our eldest "brudder" aboard, and that he
would take care of us—he was a Scotchman by the
name of Snowden. When the hour given us for preparation had expired, we were marched into the hold,
where we were kept for twenty-one days, three days
and nights of which we had nothing to eat, and when
at length they did furnish us with provisions, they were
of such a quality as an American dog would not eat,
without the necessary stimulus of starvation—they consisted of old sea bread or biscuit, which, for any thing I
know, was twenty years old, at all events, it was so
completely eaten up by the worms, all that the worms
could penetrate, the outside pilt being only left, and
that was so hard that it would require a hammer to
break it. Bad as it was we were not furnished with
more than one fourth of a common soldier's allowance.
This was shovelled up into a sack and with a bone of
beef thrown into the hold as if to so many dogs. We
cut the meat and broke the bread into small pieces, and
boiled all together, making a kind of soup called lobscouse ; while it was in preparation, we had made each
of us a spoon, and this done, it was poured out upon a
large wooden dish, and standing round, we played
away, until the hollow rattle of our spoons upon the
dish reminded us that it was empty. We fared twice
a day in this sumptuous manner. The water too
which they gave us to drink was most dreadful stuff ; no
human being could drink it without holding his nose,
the stench was so great. In the evening, our waiter
had the good fortune to procure us a bucket of water,
which was divided amongst us as though it was a luxury, and indeed to our tasting, it was delicious.

When we came to a place called " Ship Harbour,"

54
the vessels were obliged to lie to for a couple of days,
in consequence of bad weather. We had a very heavy sea, and the winds were very rough, and previous to
our reaching Ship Harbour, had lost one of the vessels
belonging to the fleet, which I believe was never heard
of. It must have gone down, as a few days afterwards,
the bodies of some of the crew were picked up on
shore, where they had been cast, and were recognized
by the device and number on their buttons. Fortunately there were no Americans on board of her. Here
we were transferred to another vessel, bound to England ; after we had been put on board, we were ordered to go below'among the sick and invalids—they were
then dying fast, and they were every day throwing
them overboard ; the place too, was very filthy, and full
of vermin. We refused to go down, and remained on
deck the whole day, which was bitterly cold, and the
wind very high. We then petitioned the Admiral for
better quarters, than those assigned to us, and declar4
ed in the strongest terms that we would otherwise
main on deck until we perished, and we walked the
deck from early in the morning until dark, when one
of the army officers invited us into their cabin, where
they had something prepared for us to eat, which was
the first meal we had eaten since we had had our lobscouse the day previous.
Next morning we were ordered back on board of th
vessel we had left, and taking advantage of the opportunity offered us by the sailors, some of whom were going ashore, we gave them some money, to purchase for
us something to eat. When they returned they brought
us a bag of potatoes and some fresh cat-fish, of which
we soon cooked a mess, and 1 thought it was the best
meal I had ever eaten. After the storm had somewhat abated we again set sail for Halifax.

55
The fleet that went down with us, consisted of twenty sail, two of which were seventy-fours ; after we had
been several days in the hold, the stove was hoisted upon deck, and we were compelled to do without fire for
the balance of the passage. Orders had been issued
that the lights should be extinguished at eight o'clock,
and that the fire in the stove should be drowned out
at nine o'clock. In consequence of neglect in this last
particular, we suffered this severe privation. The weather was extremely cold, and the ropes were all hanging with ice, besides we could not induce the Captain
to sell us any provisions. I offered the cabin boy one
dollar for a pint of beef soup, but he refused, saying,
that if he gave it, he would get the rope's end—he sold
us rum, however, at one dollar per bottle, and it will
be readily perceived that we paid our devotions pretty
regularly to the bottle, when I state that during the
passage we paid him for rum alone, upwards of two
hundred dollars. We could not have lived without it,
and were forced to " keep our spirits up by pouring spirits down." If our Captain were tired of us, before he
took away the stove, we now gave him double cause to
be so, as we kept up a continual singing, and noise until ten and eleven o'clock, every night, and very often
to a much later hour. He at length became afraid of
us, and had his guard doubled, by application to some
of the other vessels. He afterwards made another application, and recovered his temper, when strengthened by a couple of army officers. Alarmed as he was,
he would have been much more so, had he known that
we had actually agreed to take the vessel as soon as
we got out of the St. Lawrence, and had sea-room.
Our plan was to be put in operation in the night, but
unfortunately for us we got into the ocean early in the
day, and by night we were inside of the Halifax coast-

56
ers. We had two midshipmen and one lieutenant of
our navy on board, and had so far succeded as to have
made a passage, by which we could at pleasure enter the
apartment where the guard slept, and their arms being
stacked on the floor, could have seized them when we
pleased. Two of the stoutest of us were to go on
deck, but two being allowed up at a time, and the stairs
of the hatches were to be filled with men, ready to rush
up as soon as they should have seized the guard—some
were to fasten down the hatches on the sailors, and
others to take care of the cabin and the officers. We
- would then have compelled the sailors to work the vessel into New-York, but when night came on, our lieutenant discouraged the whole undertaking by informing us that we were then inside of the Halifax coasters,
and that should we be so fortunate as to escape from
the fleet, we would be re-taken by them, and if so, it
was as likely as not, we should all be hung to the yard
arms, without further comment. Having no particular propensity for swinging, we abandoned the project,
and landed on the following day at Halifax.
We were marched up the street, under guard like a
parcel of felons, to the office of the Provost Major,
where we received paroles to Prescott, a village across
the bay from Halifax, and were marched back in the
same order to the boat ; cheered as we went along by
the expression of sympathy, from the by-standers—ah!
poor devils ! exclaimed a poor old Irish woman ; in the
fulness of her heart and the roughness of her phraseology, she expressed her pity for our desolate situation,
and I have no doubt she felt for us from her soul, for
her manner indicated sincerity and her eye glistened
with a tear. We were put on board with our little
store of baggage, and in the morning landed at Prescott, our place of parole.

57
About the time I went on shore I was taken very
indeed I had been in a very weak state of health, ever
since I had had the fever, and my treatment from that
ti me was not such as to strengthen or improve it. I
remained unwell for several days, and wrote to Halifax
for medical aid, asking even as a favor, to go to the
hospital, and received neither medical assistance, nor
answer of any kind. I took a fancy to a drink of cider,
and accordingly went to a tavern, where I got some
very good ; it appeared to do me good, and I continued
the operation, and recovered, without other medicine.
Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia, and was founded in the year seventeen hundred and forty-nine with a
view to secure the British settlements from the French
and Indians. It was dividedinto thirty-five squares,
each containing sixteen lots of forty by sixty feet.—
They have one established church, and one meeting
house. The city is surrounded by picketings, and
guarded by forts on the outside, and has since been very strongly fortified. Along the Chebucto, south of
the town, are buildings and fish flakes, for a distance
of at least two miles, if not more, and on the north of
the river they extend for a mile and upwards. The plan
was originally contrived, and afterwards considerably
improved by the Earl of Halifax. In March of the
year seventeen hundred and forty-nine, was first issued
the proclamation for the establishment of this settlement, and so favorable were the terms offered to settlers, and so strong the desire of emigration amongst
the people, that but two months afterwards, that is to
say, in the month of May, persons had offered themselves, to the number of three thousand seven hundred
and fifty. They accordingly embarked, and after a
prosperous voyage, established themselves in the bay

5

8

of Chebucto, where they founded their city, calling it
Halifax, in honor of their patron.
So actively and with such spirit did they enter into
operations, that before the end of October three.hundred comfortable wooden houses were built, and as many more during the winter. The British government,
too, evinced great liberality in the manner, in which
for six successive years, they granted them large supplies of money, for instance, in the year seventeen hundred and forty-nine, they voted them 40,0001 for their
expences ; in seventeen hundred and fifty they granted
them /57,582 17s 3d 1-4; in seventeen hundred and
fifty-one, /53,927 14s 4d; in seventeen hundred and
fifty-two, a sum of /61492 19s 4d 1-4; in seventeen
hundred and fifty-three, /94,615 12s 4d; in seventeen
hundred and fifty-four, /55,447 2s; and in seventeen
hundred and fifty-five, /49,418 7s 8d. This city has
at length attained a degree of splendor, that bids fair
to rival the first cities in the United States, for which
it has been equally indebted to the late war, to the
great increase of population from the influx of exiled
loyalists, and to the fostering care of Great-Britain.
The harbour is perfectly sheltered from all winds, being at the distance of twelve miles from the sea, and
is so spacious that one thousand ships may ride in
it without the least danger. Upon it are many commodious wharves which have from twelve to eighteen
feet of water at all tides ; the streets are regularly laid
out, and cross each other at right angles, the whole rising gradually upon the side of a hill, whose top is regularly and very strongly fortified. Many considerable
merchants reside in this place, and are possessed of
shipping to the amount of several thousand tons, employed in a flourishing trade with Europe, and the
West Indies, There is a small, but excellent careen-

59
ing yard for ships of the royal navy, that may come in
to refit, and take water, fuel, or provisions on board, in
their passage to, and from the West Indies. It is well
provided with naval stores; and ships of the line are
hove down and repaired with the greatest ease and
safety. Several batteries of heavy cannon, command
the harbour, particularly, those upon George's island,
which being very steep and high, and situated in mid
channel, is well calculated to annoy vessels, in any direction. Above the careening yard, which is at the upper
end of the town, there is a large basin, or piece of water. communicating with the harbor below, is nearly
twenty miles in circumference, and capable of containing the whole navy of England ; lit is entirely sheltered
from all winds, and has but one narrow entrance, which
leads into the harbor. There are many detached settlements, formed by the loyalists, along the basin ; the
lands at a small distance from the water, being generally supposed to be better than those near Halifax. An
elegant building is erected near the town, for the convalescence of the navy ; but the healthiness of the climate has, as yet, prevented many persons from becoming patients ; scarcely any ships in the world, being
so free from complaints of every kind in regard to
health, as those that are employed upon this station.
There is a good light-house, standing upon a small elevation, just off the entrance of the harbor, which is
visible, either by night or day, from a distance of six or
seven leagues. Halifax is seven hundred and eightynine miles north-east of New-York. In winter, the climate is very severe, and much addicted to fogs—but to
return to our narrative.
We remained in this place until after the declaration of peace, and boarded during the time we remained, at the different taverns, at an expence of from five

58
of Chebucto, where they founded their city, calling it
Halifax, in honor of their patron.
So actively and with such spirit did they enter into
operations, that before the end of October three.hundred comfortable wooden houses were built, and as many more during the winter. The British government,
too, evinced great liberality in the manner, in which
for six successive years, they granted them large supplies of money, for instance, in the year seventeen hundred and forty-nine, they voted them 40,0001 for their
expences ; in seventeen hundred and fifty they granted
them 157,582 17s 3d 1-4; in seventeen hundred and
fifty-one, 153,927 14s 4d; in seventeen hundred and
fifty-two, a sum of 161;492 19s 4d 1-4; in seventeen
hundred and fifty-three, 194,615 12s 4d; in seventeen
hundred and fifty-four, 155,447 2s; and in seventeen
hundred and fifty-five, 149,418 7s 8d This city has
at length attained a degree of splendor, that bids fair
to rival the first cities in the United States, for which
it has been equally indebted to the late war, to the
great increase of population from the influx of exiled
loyalists, and to the fostering care of Great-Britain.
The harbour is perfectly sheltered from all winds, being at the distance of twelve miles from the sea, and
is so spacious that one thousand ships may ride in
it without the least danger. Upon it are many commodious wharves which have from twelve to eighteen
feet of water at all tides ; the streets are regularly laid
out, and cross each other at right angles, the whole rising gradually upon the side of a hill, whose top is regularly and very strongly fortified. Many considerable
merchants reside in this place, and are possessed of
shipping to the amount of several thousand tons, employed in a flourishing trade with Europe, and the
West Indies, There is a small, but excellent careen-

59
ing yard for ships of the royal navy, that may come in
to refit, and take water, fuel, or provisions on board, in
their passage to, and from the West Indies. It is well
provided with naval stores; and ships of the line are
hove down and repaired with the greatest ease and
safety. Several batteries of heavy cannon, command
the harbour, particularly, those upon George's island,
which being very steep and high, and situated in mid
channel, is well calculated to annoy vessels, in any direction. Above the careening yard, which is at the upper
end of the town, there is a large basin, or piece of water. communicating with the harbor below, is nearly
twenty miles in circumference, and capable of containing the whole navy of England ; at is entirely sheltered
from all winds, and has but one narrow entrance, which
leads into the harbor. There are many detached settlements, formed by the loyalists, along the basin ; the
lands at a small distance from the water, being generally supposed to be better than those near Halifax. An
elegant building is erected near the town, for the convalescence of the navy ; but the healthiness of the climate has, as yet, prevented many persons from becoming patients ; scarcely any ships in the world, being
so free from complaints of every kind in regard to
health, as those that are employed upon this station.
There is a good light-house, standing upon a small elevation, just off the entrance of the harbor, which is
visible, either by night or day, from a distance of six or
seven leagues. Halifax is seven hundred and eightynine miles north-east of New-York. In winter, the climate is very severe, and much addicted to fogs—but to
return to our narrative.
We remained in this place until after the declaration of peace, and boarded during the time we remained, at the different taverns, at an expence of from five

6o
to seven dollars a week. Our fare, too, was very poor;
breakfast consisted of bread and butter with some
roasted herrings, and water, colored with coffee; for
dinner they gave us generally a leg of mutton stuffed,
and roasted, and plum-pudding—sometimes they would
regale us with a roasted goose, but on Fridays we regularly sat down to codfish and potatoes; our suppers
were light, consisting of bread slightly marked with
butter, and a cup of tea, no doubt, through fear of injuring our digestion. The naval officers were paroled
to a small village some miles distant, as they did not
like to have them so near the water.
In some parts of Upper Canada, through which I passed, the people did not appear to pay the least respect
to the Sabbath day. I have frequently seen women
churning butter and baking bread, and men chopping
wood, and attending to divers other employments, the
same as on week-days. They have a substitute for
coffee, of which it has fallen to my lot, more than once
to partake, viz.: dry crusts of bread put on the fire and
burnt black, then pounded fine, and boiling water being poured upon it, it is suffered to rest for a while
when it is pronounced fit for, use. Provisions of all
sorts were very scarce and dear. In the markets of
Halifax, beef was upwards of twenty cents a pound,
turkey was fifty cents per lb., wheaten meal, though sour,
was twenty-four dollars per barrel, and I saw them
manufacturing flour in a mill near Halifax, that was so
much spoiled, and so firmly cemented together, that
they had to dig it out of the barrel with a heavy spade,
it was then placed under a sort of pounder, and after it
had been pounded and bolted, through a- cross-bolt,
the lumps were collected, and after having undergone
a repitition of the process, the whole was mixed with
fresh wheat, and re-bolted, until made fine enough to

61
pass through, when it was packed and sent to market.
Major Galloway and I paid two dollars, at a tavern in
Halifax, for a couple of glasses of brandy each, and
some oysters, which were so bad, we were forced to
leave them untouched.
There were but few men in the village in which we
were paroled, some followed fishing, some the sea, and
others the army. The soil of the country around appeared to be very poor, the country abounded with
small lakes ; the timber was principally scrubby white
pine, not growing thicker than from six to twelve inches in circumference. This was the wood used for firing by the inhabitants, each of whom cut and hauled as
much as he pleased without interrunpon. The corn
stalks which I saw in some gardens, and this was the only
place in which I saw any, were no larger than a person's
finger.
About this time the news of the defeat of the British
before New-Orleans, reached Halifax, and disappointment and chagrin were depicted in the countenanceof every individual, with the exception of the Ameris
can prisoners, whose joy was almost without bounds.
The merchants who had been speculating, and many
of them had embarked largely in purchasing the soldiers rights of plunder at New-Orleans, of cotton, sugar, tobacco, &c., were actually thunderstruck.. Many
of them upon hearing the news, collected all the cash
they could lay their hands upon, and disposed of as
much merchandise as possible, and cleared out, well
knowing that they had not the slightest chance of anything but absolute poverty, if they remained. Every
day while I remained there, I witnessed sales of their
goods at auction in the streets.
When the news of the victory reached us at Prescott, the officers assembled at what was called "Jack-

62
son's :Tavern," where Major Galloway, Captain Crowninshield, myself, and several others boarded, and spent
the afternoon in jollity and mirth. " Hail Columbia,"
I suppose was never sung with more heart-felt gratitude, than we sang it that afternoon ; joining hands, forming a circle and walking round, we sang with all our
force, disregardful entirely of consequences ; but we
were permitted to enjoy ourselves without molestation,
as there was not a British officer or soldier then resident in the village. Captain Crowninshield had been
detained in imprisonment for something like a year after he had been legally exchanged ; immediately after
the news of peace had reached them, Captain Cushet,
the provost Major, sent a line to him, with directions
to have his baggage put on board of a certain vessel
then lying in the harbor, bound for the United States,
and then to repair to his office in Halifax ; the Captain
did so, and on appearing in the office, the Major asked
him if he did not feel rejoiced at the prospect of returning to his family. Crowninshield replied that he did ;
but added at the same time, " without considering myself at all indebted to you, Captain Cushet." Cushet
answered, that thanks were not only due to himself but
to several others, gentlemen resident in Halifax, who
had interested themselves considerably, to procure his
liberation—to this our friend replied, that these of his
friends in Halifax, who had interested themselves for
him, he did indeed feel deeply indebted, but to Captain Cushet he again asserted he did not conceive himself at all indebted, as he had it in his power to prove
without leaving the city, in black and white, that it was
_ through his means alone he had been so long illegally
detained in captivity ; and he had yet to learn that cruelty and injustice had power to bind the object upon
whom they had been practised, to feelings of regard or

63
consideration for his oppressor. This charge was denied most positively and as positively and firmly repeated, when at length, Cushet completely losing all command of his temper, the following dialogue ensued :
"You shall not go home even now, sir." "Thank you,
sir." " Go on board and remove your baggage, and return to your place of parole.: " Thank you, sir." " I
will send you to Mellville prison, sir." " Thank you,
sir." " Begone out of my office, sir." " Thank you,
sir." Captain Crowninshield then left the office and
related the circumstance at dinner, when he was warmly greeted by all for his firmness, and they actually carried him on their shoulders round th room. He then
called for wine, to treat his fellow offieers of whom there
were about a dozen, then in the house ; we devoted ourselves to merriment and had a jovial time of it; several
other paroled American officers gathered in, and before
we had retired to rest ourselves, we had consigned to
rest upwards of forty bottles of good wine, thus celebrating our country's glory, and our enemies' disgrace,
under their very noses. The next morning the Captain made it known that he expected a guard to be
sent to conduct him to Melville prison ; several of the
officers, unknown to him, met together and formed a
resolution to attempt his rescue, and if possible prevent
his going to jail ; he however came to the knowledge of
the matter by some means, and begged of them to desist from their purpose, as it was impossibe to prevent
his going to jail in an enemy's country ; that they would
only risk their own lives, without doing him any service ;
I saw him plead with them, with tears in his eyes, so overcome was he by his feelings. before he could persuade
them to give up their project—he, however, at length
succeeded ; he was so universal a favorite amongst the
officers, that I firmly believe, had they after reflection,

65

64
found the undertaking feasible, they would never have
consented to abandon the enterprise.
Captain C. was from Salem, in the state of Massachusetts ; he had formerly been the captain of a vessel, which
occupation he had followed for nearly twenty years;
and was well acquainted with the merchants of Halifax.
For some time previous to the war, he had not gone to
sea, and would not have again resumed the service, had
he not had two vessels laden with goods, captured and
run into British ports, where they were condemned under pretence of having smuggled goods aboard. One
of the vessels thus captured had a cargo of West India goods, worth ten thousand dollars. Having still
something of his property left, he fitted up a small vessel with a swivel gun and a good crew, and went out
privateering ; he had married a young wife about a year
before he went to sea. In his first trip he was fortunate, taking several British vessels ; when they proved
to be of small value, the valuable part of the cargo was
taken out, and she was scuttled ; her crew would then
be paroled and put on shore—he made, however, two
very valuable prizes, one of which sold for one hundred
thousand dollars, which served in part to remunerate
him for previous losses.
Upon his scond trip, having taken and scuttled two
or three vessels, the crews of which not having an opportunity of being put ashore, were still on board, he
was on the look-out for an old West Indiaman, bound
for Halifax, having a valuable cargo, and which was
hourly expected, and when within a short distance
of the Halifax coast, came in sight of an old seventyfour ; this he mistook for his expected prize, and accordingly made sail for her, and it being late in the evening, and a thick fog, he had got alongside before he discovered his error. Those on board the seventy-four,

k

with a view of correcting his mistake, shoved out their
guns, and gave him a broadside ; by dint of several times
shifting his course, he however, made his escape, and
ran on until he thought himself safe, when he flay too,
fearful that if he proceeded he would get out of the
track of the West Indiaman ; unfortunately for him
however, his antagonist had shaped her course in the
same manner, and was alongside before day-break of
the following morning, when before he could get away,
she poured into him a broadside, which shot off his
main-mast, and otherwise so far disabled him as to preclude all possibility of escape—he consequently struck
his flag, and was fired into even after that process.
When taken, he had twice as many prisoners, as he
had of his own crew—they were all taken to Halifax,
where they were detained until after the peace.
According to Captain Crowninshield's expectations,
in one or two days after he had returned to his place
of parole, Captain Cushet came over to pay us, what
we called in derision, our starvation money, more properly, subsistence money, being twenty dollars per
month, in lieu of rations, which was nothing like sufficient to support us ; he had a guard with him, and told
Crowninshield that he must now set out for Melville
prison. In conversation which they held about the
matter, and in reply to the question of why he should
be sent to prison, the captain was informed that it was
not for anything he had said, but solely for the tone in
which it had been spoken ; he was then taken off, and
carried to Melville, where they kept him for about ten
days, when he was set at liberty and sent home to Salem. In Melville prison there were confined from
twelve to fourteen hundred Americans, who were treated with as much barbarity, as though the worst of convicts, some of them being half naked. John Hughes,

66
'- one of my men who was confined there, got an opportunity of writing to me, stating how much he suffered
from want of clothes and tobacco, at the time I received his letter, I had but two dollars and three shirts
which, however, I divided with him, giving him one dollar, and one shirt and a great coat, which proved to him
of considerable service.
Melville prison is two hundred feet in length, and
fifty broad, it is two stories high, the upper one being
for officers, and for the infirmary and dispensary, while
the lower part is divided into two prisons, one of which
was occupied by French, and the other by Americans.
The prison yard covers a space of ground of about one
acre in extent, the whole island containing little more
than five acres ; it is connected on the south side with
the main land, by a bridge. In a journal which has
fallen into my hands, I find a very minute account
of the prison on Melville Island and the treatment of
the unfortunate men confined there, which I copy
in order to show my Leaders, that I am not the only
one who speaks hastily of our English captives. With the
language or sentiments of the writer I have nothing to
do, and merely copy it as confirming my own statement, as to the hardships suffered by the inmates of the
prison, and as giving a more minute account of its discipline and regulations, than I was enabled to procure
from enquiry. The writer of the journal referred to,
went from the Port of Salem, as assistant surgeon, on
board a privateer, in December of 1812—the title page
of the work is lost, and I am consequently unable to
give his name.
" As to the inside of the prison at Melville, if the American reader expects to hear it represented as a place
resembling the large prisons for criminals in the United
States, such as those at Boston, New York, or Philo-

67

:

deiphia, he will be sadly disappointed. Some of these
prisons are as clean, and nearly as comfortable as some
of the monasteries and convents on the continent of
Europe. Our new prisons in the United States, reflect
great honor on the nation, they speak loudly that we
are a considerate and humane people ; whereas the prison at Halifax, erected solely for the safe keeping of
prisoners of war, resembles a horse stable with stalls
or stancheons for separating the cattle from each other.
It is to a contrivance of this sort that they attach the
cords that support those canvass bags or cradles, callFour tiers of these hanging nets
ed hammocks.
were made to swing one above the other, between these
stalls or stancheons. To those unused to such lofty
sleeping berths, they were rather unpleasant situations for repose. But use makes every thing easy.
The first time that I was shut up for the night in this
prison, it distressed me too much to close my eyes.
Its closeness and smell were, in a degree, disagreeable,
but this was trifling to what I experienced afterwards
in another place. The general hum and confused noise
from almost every hammock, was at first very distressing. Some would be lamenting their hard fate at being
shut up like negro slaves in a guinea ship, or like fowls
in a hen-coop, for no crime, but for fighting the battles of their country. Some were cursing and execrating their oppressors ; others late at night were relating
their adventures to a new prisoner, others lamenting
their aberrations from rectitude, and disobedience to
parents, and head-strong wilfulness, that drove them to
sea contrary to their parents' wish ; while others of the
younger class were sobbing out their lamentations at
the thoughts of what their mothers and sisters suffered,
after knowing of their imprisonment. Not unfrequently the whole night was spent in that way, and when about

68
day-break, the weary prisoner fell into a dose, he was
waked from his slumber by the grinding noise of the
locks, and the unbarring of the doors, with the cry of
"turn out—all out," when each man took down his
hammock, and lashed it up and slung it on his back,
and was ready to answer to the roll call of the turnkey.
If any, through natural heaviness, or indisposition, was
dilatory, he was sure to feel the bayonet of the soldier,
who appeared to us to have a natural antipathy to a sailor, and from what I observed, I believe that in general
little or no love is lost between them.
This prison is swept out twice a week by the prisoners. The task is performed by the respective messes
in turns. When the prison is washed, the prisoners
are kept out until it is perfectly dry. This in the wet
seasons, and the severity of winter is sometimes very
distressing and dangerous to health ; for there is no retiring place for shelter, it is like a stable where the
cattle are either under cover-or exposed to the weather,
be it ever so inclement.
When we arrived here in May 1813, there were
about nine hundred prisoners, but many had died by the
severity of the winter, and the quantity of fuel allowed
by the British government was insufficient to -convey
warmth through the prison. The men were cruelly
harassed by the custom of mustering and parading
them in the severest cold, and even in snow storms.
The agent, Miller, might have alleviated the sufferings
of our-people, had he been so disposed, without relaxation of duty. But he as well as the turnkey, named
Grant, seemed to take delight in tormenting the Americans. This man would often keep the prisoners out
for many hours, in the severest weather, when the mercury was ten and fifteen degrees below 0 ; under a pretext that the prison had been washed, and was not suf-

69
r14
ficiently dry for their reception, when, in fact every
drop of water used, was in a moment, ice. People in
the Southern states, and the inhabitants of England
and Ireland, can form no adequate idea of the frightful
Er climate of Nova Scotia. The description of the sufferings of our poor fellows, the past winter, was enough to
make one's heart ache, and to rouse our indignation
against the agents in this business.
Our people are sensible to kind treatment, and
are ready to acknowledge humane and considerate conduct towards themselves or towards their companions,
but they are resentful in proportion as they are grateful. They speak very general of the conduct of Miller, the agent, and Grant, the turnkey, with disgust and
resentment. A complaint was made to him of the badness of the beef served out to the prisoners, upon which
he collected them together, mounted the stair case
and began a most passionate harangue, declaring that
the beef was good enough and a d —d deal better than
they had in their own country ; and if they did not eat it,
they should have none. He then went on as follows:—
Hundreds of you, d d scoundrels, have been to me
11 begging and pleading, that I would interpose my influence that you might be the first to be exchanged, to return home to your families, who were starving in your
absence, and now you have the impudence to tell me
to my face, that the king's beef is not good enough for
your dainty stomachs. Why some of that there beef
is good enough for me to eat. You are a set of mean
rascals, you beg of an enemy the favors which your .
own government won't grant you. You complain of
ill treatment, when you never had better in your lives.
Had you been in a French prison and fed on horse
beef, you would have some grounds of complaint, but
here in his Brittannic majesty's royal prison you have ev-

70
erything that is right and proper for persons taken
fighting against his crown and dignity.—There is a
surgeon here for you, if you are sick, and physic to
take if you are sick, and a hospital to go to into the
bargain, and if you die, there are boards enough, (pointing to a pile of lumber in the yard) for to make your
coffins, and one hundred and fifty acres of land to bury
you in, and if you are not satisfied with all this yo•.i
may die and be d —d ! Having finished this eloquent
harangue, orator Miller descended from his rostrum,
and strutted out of the prison yard, accompanied with
hisses from some of the prisoners.
On a re-examination, however, of the "king's beef,"
some pieces were found too much tainted for a dog to
eat, and the prisoners threw it over the pickets. After
this the supply of wholesome meat was such as it ought
be, full good enough for Mr. Miller himself to eat, and
some of the very best pieces good enough for Mr.
Grant, the turnkey.
In all this business of provision for prisoners of war,
one thing ought to be taken into consideration, which
may be offered as an extenuation of crime alleged against
the British agents for prisoners ; and that is, that the
American solder and sailor live infinitely better in A- 1
merica, than the same class of people do in Great Britain and Ireland. Generally speaking, an American
eats three times the quantity of animal food that falls
to the share of the same class of people in England,
Holland, Germany, Denmark or Sweden.—He sleeps
more comfortably, and lives in greater plenty of fish,
flesh, vegetables, and spirituous liquors. Add to this,
his freedom is in a manner unbounded. He speaks his
mind to any man. If he thinks he is wronged, he seeks
redress with confidence; if he is insulted he resents it,
and if you should venture to strike him, he never will
-

.

71
rest quiet under the dishonor ; yet you seldom hear of
quarrels ending in murder; the dagger and pistol are
weapons in a manner unknown ; the fist a la mode de
John Bull, is commonly the ultimatum of a Yankee's
rage.
We often hear the British ff they are unsuccessful,
lamenting the war between England and America ; they
call it an unhappy strife between brethren, and they
attribute this "unnatural war" to a French influence,
and their friends in New England, who are denominated tories, use the same language ; they say that all the
odium of the war ought to fall on our administration, and
their wicked seducers, the French ; and yet you will find
that both in England and at Halifax, the French meet
with better treatment than their dear brothers the Americans.
We found that there were about two hundred French
prisoners in Nova Scotia. Some had been there ever
since eighteen hundred and three ; few of them were
confined in prison. The chief of them lived in or near
the town of Halifax, working for the inhabitants, or
teaching dancing or fencing, or their own language.
Some were employed as butchers and cooks, others as
nurses in the hospital, and they were every where favored for their complaisance, obedience, and good humor. They had the character of behaving better towards the British officers and inhabitants than the
Americans, and I believe, with reason ; for our men
seem to take delight in plaguing, embarrassing and alarming those who were set over them. 'A Frenchman always tried to please, while many Americans seemed to
take an equal delight in letting their masters know,
that they longed to be at liberty to fight them again.
I confess I do not wonder, that the submissive, smiling
Frenchman made more friends at Halifax, than the or-

72
dinary run of American seaman, who seemed too often
to look and speak, as if they longed to try again the
tug of war, with John Bull.
The daily allowance of the British government to our
prisoners, is one pound of bread, one pound of beef,
and one gill of peas. Over and above this, we received from the American agent, a sufficiency of coffee,
sugar, potatoes and tobacco. The first may be called
the bare necessaries of life, but the latter contribute
much to its comfortable enjoyment. Whether the
British government ought not to have found the whole
I am not prepared to determine, but certainly before
this addition from our own agent, our men complained
bitterly.
We were one day not a little shocked by the arrival of a
number of American soldiers who were entrapped and
taken with Col. Bcerstler, in Upper Canada. They exhibited a picture of misery, woe and despair. Their miserable condition called forth our sympathy and compassion, and I may add, excited our resentment against the
authors of their distress. These unfortunate landsmen
had never been used to rough it like sailors, but had
lived the easy life of farmers and mechanics. Some
of them had never experienced the hardships of a soldier's life, but were raw, inexperienced militiamen.
They were taken at some creek, between Fort George
and Little York, by the British and their allies. the Indians, who stripped them of most of their cloathing, and
then wore ,them down by long and harassing marches :
first to Montreal and then to Quebec, and soon after
crowded them on board transports like negroes, in a
guinea ship, when some suffered death, and others
merely escaped it. It appears from their account, and
from every other account, that the treatment of these
poor fellows at their capture and on their march, and

73

0

more especially on board the transports from Quebec
to Halifax, was barbarous in the extreme, and highly
disgraceful to the British name and nation.
We have asserted uniformly that the prisoners who
came from Quebec to Halifax, and Boston, down the
St. Lawrence, were treated and provided for in a manner little above brutes. Colonel Scott, now Major
Gen. Scott, came by that route from Quebec to Boston,
and it is well-known that he complained, that there was
neither accommodations, provisions or anything on
board the ship, proper for a gentleman. He spoke of
the whole treatment he received, with deep disgust and
pointed resentment. If an officer of his rank and accomplishments had so much reason for complaint, we
may easily conceive what the private soldier must endure.
We paid every attention in our power to these poor
fellows, whose emaciated appearance and dejection
gave us reason to expect that an end would soon be put
to their sufferings by death. They, however, recruited
fast, and we were soon convinced that they were reduced to the condition we saw them in, absolutely for
want of food. The account which these soldiers gave
of their hardships, was enough to fill with rage and resentment the heart of a saint. Four men were not allowed more provisions than what was needful for one.
They assured us that if they had not secretly come at
some bags of ship bread, unknown to the officers of the
transport, they must have perished for want of food.—
We cannot pass over one anecdote ; some fish were
caught by our own people on the passage, in common
with the crew, but they were compelled to deliver them
all to the captain of the ship, who withheld them from
the American prisoners. Some of the prisoners had a
little money, and the captain of the transport was mean

74
enough to take a dollar for a single cod-fish, from men
in their situation. This fact has appeared in several
Boston papers, with the names of the persons concerned, and has never been contradicted or doubted. We
give this as the common report, and as the Boston
news-papers circulated freely through Nova Scotia and
Canada, we infer that had the story been void of truth
it would have been contradicted.
About the month of August, Halifax was alarmed,
by a report that the prisoners in Mellville jail, had attempted to break prison with a view of seizing upon
the town—the report was in some measure correct, as
an attempt of the kind had been made, but failed, in
consequence of the imprudence of some of the prisoners, who having mined under the wall, crept out in day
light to see how it looked from the outside, and being
discovered by the guard were fired upon. Whether
there was just cause for the extraordinary excitement
created by this affair, or any real necessity for the very formidable precautions which were taken, remains a
matter of speculation ; be that as it may, however, orders were issued that all loyal citizens should hold
themselves in readiness at a moment's warning, to repel the attack of about one thousand unarmed prisoners; a company of artillery with two pieces of cannon
were placed upon an eminence south of the prison,
cannons were also placed in different directions so as
to play upon the prison, and a line of sentries were
placed at regular distances, all the way into the town
of Halifax, the people had been actually made to believe that they had sworn to murder every man, woman
and child in the town.
The weather was at this time very severe ; I have
seen many of the American prisoners, with their ears
frostbitten, and many of the negroes, who were carried

75
away from their masters, in the United States, actually perished with the cold. The Indians were wrapped
up in blankets, feet and legs, and also appeared pretty
well preserved with smoke. They came into the town
of Halifax about ten or eleven o'clock every day, apparently half frozen, and would mope about the streets
from store to store, in search of empty whiskey barrels ;
when they found one they would take it to the pump,
pour water in it, and after rinsing it well, would drink
the water; they were the most wretched and pitiable
objects I ever saw.
We got through the winter as well as we could, and
near the last of February, our ears were blessed with
the news of peace, and we immediately commenced
making preparations for our return home. According
to the articles of the treaty of peace, every officer was
bound to pay his debts before he could return home,
and Colonel Cushet made a loan, for all the volunteer
officers who were there. The only place at which he
could raise money, was from a merchant tailor, who
bound him to take as much cloathing as would amount
to the sum wanted in cash, at his own price, paying
the whole to a certain house in Boston in ten days,
with ten per cent for the use of it. Having procured
cash, we settled our affairs, laid in sea, stores, and went
aboard—here again the weather seemed to have conspired against us, and we were, in consequence of contrary winds, detained ten days on board ; at the expiration of which time we landed at Salem, where we were
warmly received by an old friend, Capt. Crowninshield,
who had landed a few days previous. He was accompanied by several gentlemen of distinction, who were
awaiting our landing on the shore. We proceeded
with them to a tavern, where we remained until evening, and then, with a number of the citizens, repaired

76
by invitation to the house of Captain Crowninshield,
where we were entertained in the most hospitable
manner.
Next morning we took the stage for Boston, and arrived there in time for dinner. We then called upon
the paymaster, to have our accounts settled ; he told
us he had no money, but he would give us due bills,
and we could sell them to the brokers, which he di J,
informing us at the same time where we could get them
cashed ; we were compelled, however, to allow a discount of twenty per cent.; as we had to pay our borrowed money, we had no other resource—some were
forced to allow twenty-five per cent. I took some Philadelphia paper, and when I went to pay my stage
fare, they deducted five per cent more—thus, calculating the ten per cent which we paid at Halifax for borrowed money, twenty per cent discount for cash at
Boston, and five per cent deducted by the stage proprietor, made in all, an allowance of thirty five per
cent which we were compelled to pay. Having at
length settled our affairs, we . proceeded homeward,
passing through New-York and Philadelphia, in each
of which places we remained a couple of days. We
were compelled to hire horses at Harrisburg, as the
stage went no further, and when we arrived at Carlisle,
we were detained by the inhabitants, to partake of a
dinner prepared for us at the Carlisle tavern—the next
day I arrived home in Adams County.

DESCRIPTION
OF

UPPER CANADA.
THE province of Upper Canada extends along
the northern bank of the river St. Lawrence, the lakes
Ontario and Erie, and the water communication from
lake Superior, about seven hundred miles, and is five
hundred miles wide, according to an imaginary line
that divides it from New Britain on the north. The
line that divides it from the lower province, begins in
lat. 45, at lake Francisco, and takes a due north course
to the Outtaways river, then up that river a north west
direction to lake Tomiscauting, then due north to the
line of New Britain.
The upper province is divided from the United
States by a line commencing some distance above the
St. Regis village of Indians, situate about seventy-five
miles below Ogdensburgh, and running through the
centre of the St. Lawrence, to where lake Ontario begins, thence through the centre of it to the outlet of
lake Erie, then through the centre of the outlet to the
beginning of the said lake, then through the middle of
it to the head, and so onward, passing through lakes
St. Clair, Huron, Superior, and lake of the Woods; it
then takes a south-westerly course to Red Lake, near
the headwaters of the river Mississippi.

78
In the upper province there are no mountains, and
but few hills of any considerable height ; the country,
however, is not of a clear level, but affords sufficient
eminences to render it agreeable to the eye, and convenient for the building of water-works, &c.
The sudden rise of ground dividing the waters of
lake Erie from lake Ontario, towers in some places
five hundred feet high, and almost perpendicular;
general, however, the height does not exceed two hundred feet, and the ascent is very gradual, with natural
offsets about five hundred yards wide, upon which are
situate plantations, and from which, especially those on
the top, are most extensive and beautiful prospects ;
the eye rests with admiration on the fertile plains below, and lake Ontario stands entirely exposed to observation. Upon the top of this eminence, the country is level, fertile and extremely beautiful ; nearly all
the waters on the south side of the slope run into lake
Erie, though there are but few that find their way
through, affording excellent situations for the erection
of mills or other buildings requiring water power.
The soil of the province of Upper Canada is exceedingly good in every part, yet it is much the best in the
upper part, west south west of the head of the bay Ouantie, around the north shore and head of lake Ontario,
and the west side of Grand River, in the London District. The lower part of the province is sand and clay.
mixed ; from the head of the bay Quantie, to the head
of lake Ontario, it is altogether a black light, rich
mould in most places, seven inches deep, after which
it is brown clay. On the Grand River, or Indian Land,
and in the London District, the soil is sand, brown:
loam and clay.
The timber of the lower part of the province is chieflyi
hemlock, birch and beech ; that of the middle part, beech,

79
sugar maple and white pine. On the west of the Grand
River, the chief of the timber is white pine, elm, bass,
black walnut, and the different oaks, chestnut and the
like—Indeed in this part of the province, may be found
nearly all the varieties of the United States ; also, some
of the trees of the Balm of Gilead ; one of a majestic
appearance stands upon the main road, about twentyfive miles west of Niagara. In the lower part of the
province, there is but little of any kind of wild fruit,
but in the middle part there are several sorts, particularly whortleberries and rice. In the western part there
is a great variety of wild fruits, viz.: cranberries, raspberries, grapes, blackberries, and wild potatoes ; also,
strawberries and plumbs of an excellent quality, and a
great quantity of the very best crab apples, which are
preserved by the inhabitants with the molasses of
pumpkins.
Considerable quantities of wheat are raised in the
lower part of the province ; and in the middle part,
wheat, rye, oats, peas, flax, hemp and corn. In the
western part, the product is wheat, which thrives much
better here than in any other part ; rye, oats and corn,
also come to great perfection, as likewise buck-wheat.
All kinds of roots and vegetables flourish well in any
part of the province, but especially in the west.
All kinds of birds found in the United States are
plenty ; here is also found a kind of bird, having the
same motion and voice as the parakite, so plenty in the
state of Kentucky—it differs, however, in colour, being
Wild ducks
grey, and is called by some, the frolic.
are very plenty in all the lakes, as are also geese in all
the lakes north of the settlements.
There are seven lakes of considerable size, in the
inhabited part of the province, and many parts of the
wilderness. Lake Ontario is about two hundred and

8o
81
thirty miles long, from north-east to south-west, and
eighty wide about the middle, being of an oval form;
it is exceeding deep and in most places appears to
be without bottom, as there has been great length of
cord let down without finding any. The water is very
clear and cool at all times of the year, having the appearance of a large spring. This lake never freezes,
except near the shore, where it is shallow, nor does it
freeze even there, except in very severe weather, and
then only for a very few weeks.
The little lake, or Burlington bay, lies to the southwest of lake Ontario, and is divided from it by a causeway five miles long, and in many places three hundred
yards wide ; the surface of this causeway is completely
level, of a light sand, matted over with grass, and
beautifully decorated with groves of timber, chiefly
oak, of a middle size, but of an endless variety of curious forms ; some six feet in circumference at the butt,
yet not more than twelve feet high, with extensive
li mbs, crooking and twining in all directions. A great
number of these trees are entirely encircled with
grape vines, and produce great quanties of grapes, of
an excellent quality ; this lake is about twenty miles in
circumference, and generally shallow.
Near the head of bay Quantie, on the north side is
a lake of considerable extent, named Hog lake, as also
several others not far distant. About. twenty miles
west of the head of bay Quantie, and fifteen miles
north of the shore of lake Ontario, is situated what is
called Rice lake, in consequence of the large quantities of rice which grows in it. This lake is from three
to nine miles wide, and thirty-six in length, though
not very deep. Its course is from east to west ; the
west end is not far from lake Simcoe. At the east
end there is a fall of eighteen feet perpendicular, in

I

the form of a half moon. Below the falls, begins what
is called the river Trent, which is tolerably large, and
affords many falls fit for water works. It empties into
the bay Quantie at the head. This lake communicates
with a chain of small lakes, called the Shallow lakes,
which also afford rice, and extends near the north end
of lake Simcoe. Lake Simcoe lies still west of Rice
lake, and is something larger ; it communicates with lake
Huron to the south-west, by the river Severn.
Lake Erie lies thirty miles distant from lake Ontario,
and is three hundred miles long, and from twenty to
forty miles wide. This lake is elevated about three
hundred feet higher than lake Ontario, which causes
the Falls of Niagara. The water, though pure, is not
deep, nor is so safe for navigation as lake Ontario.
The lake St. Clair is situate in a north-westerly
course from lake Erie ; still further to the north-west
is lake Huron, in lat. 42 ; it is one hundred miles in circumference. From lake Huron to the straits of St.
Mary, it is seventy miles to lake Superior. which is
fifteen hundred miles in circumference, and lies between forty-six and fifty degrees N. latitude, and between eighty-four and ninety degrees west longitude
,w
from London. The island Royal, situate near the middle of this lake is one hundred miles long, and forty
wide.
This province also contains many fine streams of water, the principal of which are the following :
The Ottaways, or, as it is sometimes called, Grand
River, is a large stream, rising out of lake Tomiscauting, and running a south-easterly course, and empties
itself in the St. Lawrence, above and below Montreal.
The spring floods in the river rise in the month of June,
or thereabout, and are often very destructive to the
young crops. There is a great variety of fish in this river.

83

82
The river Cananocqua is also a considerable stream,
and empties into the St. Laurence a few miles below
Kingston.
There is a stream of some note, called Myre's
creek, which is said to abound with fish ; the water is
remarkably pure and clear ; it empties into the bay
Quantie about fifty miles north of Kingston.
The river Trent also empties into the head of bay
Quantie from Rice lake, is large, and contains a variety of fish ; many hundred barrels of salmon are caught
in this stream every fall.
Duffer's creek is also a fine stream, emptying into
lake Ontario, thirty miles north-east of York.
The river Rush empties into the lake eighteen miles
below York, and is navigable for boats twenty miles up.
The river Credit, one of the best rivers in Canada
for salmon, is tolerably large, and empties into lake
Ontario about fifteen miles above York.
The Sixteen mile creek empties into the lake a few
miles further up, is large, and also well stocked with
fish ; the Twelve mile creek empties itself about five
miles further up, and is a beautiful stream.
The Chippewa river runs into the Niagara river, three
miles above the falls; what is called the Twenty mile
creek, has its rise near the head of the Chippewa, and
empties into lake Ontario sixteen miles west of Niagara.
The Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Thirty and Forty
miles creeks all run into lake Ontario, rushing over the
slope affording fine falls.
The Grand river is a considerably large stream, of
exceedingly clear water, rising from lake St. Clic, and
is navigable for vessels of a considerable size, for fifty
miles from its mouth; it empties into lake Erie, sixty
miles from the east end, and contains many fine fish.

T,There is also the Thames, a large and beautiful river, rising near the head of Grand river, and emptying
about thirty miles above Sandwich into the head of
lake Erie; there are, also, a number of fine streams
running into lake Erie, such as Big creek, passing
through Houghton and Middleton township, and Kettle and Otter creeks, in Middlesex county.
There are not many villages in the province of Upper Canada, of much note, the inhabitants finding their
greatest advantage in agriculture, the land being very
cheap and fertile. The following are a few of the most
notable.
CORNWALL is situate about one hundred and
thirty miles -down the river St. Lawrence, and is handsome, but small.
PRESCOTT is situate seventy miles below, standing opposite to Ogdensburg, on the United States
side; it is an inconsiderable plac e, and there is a fort
and a garrison.
BROCKVILLE lies twelve miles higher up the the river, and is handsomely situated, containing about
eighty houses.
KINGSTON stands a few miles below the head of
the St. Lawrence, opposite to Wolf island, which is the
means of forming a safe and commodious harbour. It
contains about one hundred and fifty houses, azourt
house, jail, and two houses for public worship. The
fort in this place is temporary, and the cannon small.
It is a place of considerable commerical business, and
is rapidly increasing.
YORK is situate one hundred and seventy miles
south-west of Kingston, on the northern shore of lake
Ontario, and is somewhat larger. It is laid out very
much in the manner of. Philadelphia, the streets intersecting each other at right angles. It is the seat of
-

I

84

85

government, and contains some fine buildings, among
which are a court-house, council house, and king's
store house. The harbour is safe and beautiful, affording every convenience to shipping, and is so situate, that while the water of the main lake is tossed like
the waves of the sea, it remains perfectly smooth and
calm.

PORT TALBERT lies sixty-four miles farther to
the south-west, on the lake shore ; a town was laid out
here in 1807, and bids fair for a considerable place. It
has a fine harbor for shipping.
MALDEN, this fort and village is situate on the
south-west end of lake Erie, fourteen miles south of
Detroit. It is a pleasant, though not a large place,
and the fort is a strong one. On the twenty-seventh
of September, 1813, this fort was burned by the British, on the approach of Harrison, previous to the battle of Moravian Town.
SANDWICH is situate still farther up the river,
opposite Detroit, and is a handsome village of considerable age, inhabited chiefly by French.
There are several other villages in the province not
i mmediately situate upon the water, which are of considerable size and beauty, but those already named are
the principal.
The province of Upper Canada is divided into eight
districts, twenty-four counties, and one hundred and
fifty-six townships, generally about twelve miles square,
these are subdivided into townships, and each township into fourteen concessions, the whole of which
. make two thousand one hundred and eighty-four.
These concessions are divided into twenty-four lots of
two hundred acres each, the whole of which amounts
to thirty-two thousand, four hundred and sixteen,
which number multiplied by two hundred, will produce
ten million, four hundred and eighty-three thousand,
two hundred, the number of acres surveyed in the province,'besides considerable called broken fronts, not
yet surveyed, but granted to those who owned land in
the rear thereof. Between every concession there are
four roods left for the public roads, and also between
every fourth lot, which is one quarter of a mile wide.

NIAGARA is situate on the south side of the lake,
almost opposite York, at the point of land formed by
the junction of the outlets of lakes Erie and Ontario.
It is a beautiful, prospective situation, being surrounded on two sides by water, the lake on the north, and
the Niagara river on the east, which affords a fine harbour. There are many squares of ground in this village adorned with almost every species of rare fruit.
It is a place of considerable business, and is inhabited
by an industrious and intelligent people.
QUEENSTOWN lies seven miles further up the
Niagara. It is a small but handsome village ; the most
of the honses are built of stone or brick, and are large
and well finished. Here also is done considerable business, and there are some very wealthy residents.
CHIPPEWA is situate ten miles above Queenston, and two above the falls of Niagara, at the mouth of
the Chippewa Creek. It contains some handsome
buildings.
FORT ERIE. There is a small village here of considerable beauty.—The inhabitants carry on a considerable traffic from the lake.
TURKEY POINT is situated about sixty miles
south-west of Fort Erie, on the Lake shore, in the district of London, a little north of Long Point. It stands
in a beautiful situation, is surrounded by a. fertile country, and has a handsome court-house and jail.
...

86
Amongst the curiosities of the province of Upper
Canada, the Falls of Niagara stand conspicuous ; a description of them, therefore, cannot fail to be highly
interesting:" In order to have a proper view of the Falls and the
adjacent parts, I will suppose a person to be sailing in
a little boat, out of Lake Ontario, up the Niagara river, or outlet of Lake Erie. Soon after you leave the
Lake, you pass the village of Niagara on the right hand,
and Niagara old fort on the United States side. A little
farther up you pass Fort George on the right—here
the water is deep and smooth. You still sail on a due
south course, the water being smooth and the banks
about sixteen feet high, and in most places perpendicular for seven miles. Here you conic to Queenston
on the right hand, and Lewiston on the left. This
place is called the "landing," for here all the lading of
vessels destined for the country, each side of Lake
Erie and the Michigan territory are taken out, and conveyed up the mountain or slope, nine miles, to the still
water, two miles above the Fall. The ascent of this
slope, though three hundred feet high, is very easy.
The river here is half a mile wide, and a little above
there is a whirl of considerable depth, though not dangerous. After you pass this place three hundred yards,
you enter the dismal chime, and instead of the lively
prospect of the sailing of ships, with flying colors,
fruitful fields, and pleasant landscapes, you are all at
once buried in a grave, of at least three hundred feet
deep. Although it is open in the top, should you look
up, the sight is truly gloomy—the banks are perpendicular, and in some places more than perpendicular,
abounding with craggy rocks, hanging over your head
in a frightful manner ; near the surface, there are to be
seen flat rocks, projecting towards each other in a hor-

87

o
isio

izontal position. You still row on a south direction,
with little variation ; the water is considerably rapid,
and the banks have nearly the same appearance, until
within about a mile of the cataract, where the banks
are not quite so high ; but still all is gloomy, as you are
buried from the sight of the land of the living, and
must be filled with haunted thoughts of five hundred
murdered dead,* that in on fatal hour plunged into
the mighty grave, in which you now are.
As you proceed, the water becomes very rapid, and
at length the mighty Falls appear in full, tremendous
view, and fill the ear with dismal roar. It is eight
miles from Queenston. When you arrive within three
hundred yards of the cataract, you must stop. Here
the bed of the river widens, and is not sunk more than
half of the distance below the surface, as it was at your
first entrance of the chime. A view of the horizon is
more extensive. In sitting in your little bark the above
distance, with your face to the south, before you flows
the main body of water, and plunges over with a tremendous dash. About sixty yards of the middle of this
cataract is much deeper than the rest, in consequence
of a chime sunk in the rock. The water has a blueish
green appearance. On your left hand comes the other part of the river, not so large by a sixth part, and
falls over also.
d
. s a deea bc h
T e p ar ate pitches,
ide d i nto two
i s di v in
li ouThis riv
by
er yards
four hundred
width. This division
a small island, crowding up to the verge of the rock,
,
near the middle. It extends half a mile up the stream,
and terminates in a point, where the water divides to
the right and left.
*Down this dreadful chime, a number of American soldiers
were driven headlong by the Indians, after they had surrendered
themselves prisoners of war to the British, on the thirteenth of
October, eighteen hundred and twelve.

86
Amongst the curiosities of the province of Upper
Canada, the Falls of Niagara stand conspicuous ; a description of them, therefore, cannot fail to be highly
interesting :—
" In order to have a proper view of the Falls and the
adjacent parts, I will suppose a person to be sailing in
a little boat, out of Lake Ontario, up the Niagara river, or outlet of Lake Erie. Soon after you leave the
Lake, you pass the village of Niagara on the right hand,
and Niagara old fort on the United States side. A little
farther up you pass Fort George on the right—here
the water is deep and smooth. You still sail on a due
south course, the water being smooth and the banks
about sixteen feet high, and in most places perpendicular for seven miles. Here you come to Oueenston
on the right hand, and Lewiston on the left. This
place is called the " landing," for here all the lading of
vessels destined for the country, each side of Lake
Erie and the Michigan territory are taken out, and conveyed up the mountain or slope, nine miles, to the still
water, two miles above the Fall. The ascent of this
slope, though three hundred feet high, is very easy.
The river here is half a mile wide, and a little above
there is a whirl of considerable depth, though not dangerous. After you pass this place three hundred yards,
you enter the dismal chime, and instead of the lively
prospect of the sailing of ships, with flying colors,
fruitful fields, and pleasant landscapes, you are all at
once buried in a grave, of at least three hundred feet
deep. Although it is open in the top, should you look
up, the sight is truly gloomy—the banks are perpendicular, and in some places more than perpendicular,
abounding with craggy rocks, hanging over your head
in a frightful manner ; near the surface, there are to be
seen flat rocks, projecting towards each other in a hor-

87
izontal position. You still row on a south direction,
with little variation ; the water is considerably rapid,
and the banks have nearly the same appearance, until
within about a mile of the cataract, where the banks
are not quite so high ; but still all is gloomy, as you are
buried from the sight of the land of the living, and
must be filled with haunted thoughts of five hundred
murdered dead,* that in one fatal hour plunged into
the mighty grave, in which you now are.
As you proceed, the water becomes very rapid, and
at length the mighty Falls appear in full, tremendous
view, and fill the ear with dismal roar. It is eight
miles from Oueenston. When you arrive within three
hundred yards of the cataract, you must stop. Here
the bed of the river widens, and is not sunk more than
half of the distance below the surface, as it was at your
first entrance of the chime. A view of the horizon is
more extensive. In sitting in your little bark the above
distance, with your face to the south, before you flows
the main body of water, and plunges over with a tremendous dash. About sixty yards of the middle of this
cataract is much deeper than the rest, in consequence
of a chime sunk in the rock. The water has a blueish
green appearance. On your left hand comes the other part of the river, not so large by a sixth part, and
falls over also.
This river is divided into two separate pitches, each
four hundred yards in width. This division is made by
a small island, crowding up to the verge of the rock,
near the middle. It extends half a mile up the stream,
and terminates in a point, where the water divides to
the right and left.
*Down this dreadful chime, a number of American soldiers
;were driven headlong by the Indians. after they had surrendered
themselves prisoners of war to the British, on the thirteenth of
October, eighteen hundred and twelve.

89
88
The form of the cataract bends inward, or is nearly
a semicircle. By the striking force of the falling water upon that below, wind is pressed under, which rises below in a foaming manner, though not to any heighth
or violence.
The lime stone rock on the United States side over
which the water flows, shelves considerably, and leaves
a large cavity between the base and falling column of
water, and, were it not for the depression of air, a person might walk some distance in it without being wet.
The mighty dash of so great a body of water on the
bed below, raises a fog or small rain, which mounts up
two thousand feet, in which, when the sun shines, may
be seen a variety of beautiful rain-bows. This fog
spreads to a considerable distance, and proves a fecundating moisture for the circumjacent woods and fields,
the superior freshness and luxury of which are strikingly perceptible.. This fog can be seen in clear weather for forty miles, particularly by persons on the lakes,
and often serves as a guide for sailing.
In the winter this rain falling upon the neighboring
trees, congeals in a thousand shapes, forming a romantic and pleasing appearance.
About half a mile above the falls, what are called
the rapids begin, and descend fifty feet to the cataract.
The draft of this rapid is so great, that it often reaches
ducks and geese, when they appear to be half a mile
out of danger, and when once under the influence of
the impetuous current, they cannot get on the wing
again. Indians, with their canoes, have been known
to be irresistably carried down the rapid, and have disappeared forever.
Above the rapid, the river spreads to nearly three
miles wide, and is shallow, with several small islands.
The river now has a south-east course to Grand Is-

land, nine miles wide, and then south to lake Erie,
where it is only a mile wide. This is twenty miles from
the falls by water, from this place you may, sail more
than a thousand miles, if you wish, without encountering
any more falls.
If my reader pleases, I will invite_ him back again to
view and contemplate a little more, this awful scene.
On both sides of the rapids, above the falls, the banks
of the river are quite low; and there are many convenient situations for water works. Several are now
erected, yet there is room for more. With a small expense a large quantity of water can be brought in use
to do great execution.
The perpendicular pitch of this vast body of water
is one hundred and forty-four feet, add to this fifty feet
which the water descends, above the falls, and seventy feet below, and we find that the river descends in eight
miles and a half, two hundred and sixty-four feet.
Some who have never seen this river suppose it to be
much less than it is, and others suppose it to be larger ;
indeed it is hard for any one to judge with propriety,
that has seen it, as there are but eight miles in the
whole length of the river, between the two lakes,
where any current can be seen, and that is very rapid.
For the contemplation of the curious, who may, perhaps, never see these falls, I have made the following
calculation, from which they may form some tolerable
correct idea of the quantity of water that falls over
this cataract.
Say that each of the spaces, over which the water
pitches; is four hundred yards wide, or twelve hundred
feet ; the most shallow one of these, or that on the United States' side, is three feet deep on the verge of the
rock, over which it falls. Now if we multiply its depth
three feet, into its width, twelve hundred feet, we have

90
thirty-six hundred cubic, or solid feet of water, on the
verge of the precipice. As there are sixty-two pounds
avoirdupoise, in a cubic or solid foot of water, and a
little more, which we leave out to avoid fractions, so if
we multiply sixty-two, the pounds in a square foot of
water, by thirty-six hundred, the number of feet of water on the verge, we have, two hundred and twentythree thousand, two pounds of water, on the verge of
the precipice. But when we consider the laws of gravity respecting spouting fluids and falling bodies, we
shall find the water of this cataract, receives a vast
additional weight by the time it comes to the lowest
point of fall. In order therefore to find this additional weight, we must note the following things :—" Heavy bodies near the surface of the earth, fall one foot
the first quarter of a second, three feet the second,
five the third, and seven feet in the fourth quarter ; that
is sixteen feet in the first second. Let go three bullets
together, stop the first at one second, and it will have
fallen sixteen feet ; stop the next at the end of the second second, it will have fallen, four times sixteen, or sixty-four feet; stop the last at the end of the third second
and the distance it will have fallen will be nine times
sixteen or one hundred and forty-four feet, and so on.
Now the momentum or force with which a falling body
strikes, is equal to its weight multiplied by its velocity,"
and in order to find which we must multiply the perpendicular space fallen through by sixty-four, and the
square root of the product is the velocity required.—
See Pike's Arithmetic, j5ages 362 and 5.
From calculation, we find that the water of the cataract is three seconds descending the one hundred and
forty-four feet, and that the velocity acquired in that
time and distance to be ninety-six, which, if we multiply into two hundred and twenty-three thousand, the

91
number of pounds of water on the top of the rock, we
find that twenty-one millions four hundred and twentyseven thousand two hundred is the weight thereof, at
the lowest point of fall—This is the weight of the water at the smallest part of the cataract, or that on the
United States' side. The other part of the Falls, as has
been noted, is at least six times as large ; that is, six
times the quantity of water flows over. Now if we
multiply the above sum, 21,427,200 by six, we shall
have the enormous sum of 128,563,20o lbs. of water,
which falls on the bed of the river below."
About two miles above the Falls, there is a spring of
water, whose vapour is highly inflammable, and is emitted, for a time, with a considerable degree of force. If
gathered into a narrow compass, it will support combustion for twenty minutes, and is capable of communicating to water, placed in a confined vessel and held over
it, the degrees of boiling temperature.
There is also, at some distance below the Falls, a
large hole, called the Devil's Hole ; it is three hundred
yards in circumference, and three hundred feet deep,
with trees and craggy rocks sticking to the inner surface. There is supposed to be a considerable depth
of water at the bottom.
What is called the Mountain Lake, may also be termed
one of the curiosities of this portion of country ; it is
situated in Prince Edward County, on the shore, about
thirty miles from Kingston, on the top of a mountain
of about two hundred feet in height—it is three miles
round, and, what is a curious circumstance, is well
stocked With fish, although being in no manner connected with the bay or lake, except by a small stream
that flows from it into the bay, by a perpendicular descent.

There are also many other curiosities, which the lim-

92

93

its of this work will not allow of being noticed. Among
these may be counted the Whirlpool, about three miles
below the Falls, and four above Queenston ; as also
the many falls in Twenty Mile Creek, which, like the
Niagara, flows over the same mountain. One of these
falls has a perpendicular descent of seventy-seven feet,
and the water, after running for some time with great
violence, falls over again, presenting to the admirer of
nature a most imposing spectacle.

and the upper province, takes its commencement from
the north side of lake St. Fr'aritis ; it then pursues
nearly a north course, running nearly twenty miles
to the Ottawas river, which comes from the north-west,
and falls into the St. Lawrence at Montreal, it then
ascends that river to longitude eighty west, thence it
takes a due north course to Charlton Island, about the
middle of the south end of James' Bay, where it intersects the north line in north latitude fifty-two, and west
longitude eighty.
The climate of this province is any thing but pleasant, during the winter, which lasts six months, commencing in November and finishing in the latter end
of April, there are continual falls of snow, which lie
generally to the depth of from four to five feet. The
mercury in the thermometer, in this province, has been
known to freeze, and in summer time it sometimes rises
to ninety-six degrees; when, however the winter breaks
up, the growth of vegetation is really surprising. Yet
notwithstanding the intense heat of summer, and the
rigor of winter, the inhabitants enjoy excellent health,
and are vigorous and robust, carrying a strength, quite
unusual to more southern climates, even to a very advanced age.
The ice on the rivers and lakes of Lower Canada
F generally acquires a thickness of two feet, and is capable of sustaining almost any weight —that on the
borders of the St. Lawrence sometimes exceeds six
feet.
•
As regards variety of soil the province of Lower Canada can vie with almost any other ; the traveller may
be for many days delighted with the prospect of the
most luxurious vegetation, and landscapes, improved by art and industry, and in a transition which he
feels to be almost sudden, finds himself surrounded on

DESCRIPTION
OF

LOWER CANADA.
THIS province lies on both sides of the river St.
Lawrence, between forty-five and fifty-two degrees of
north latitude, and sixty-one and eighty degrees west
longitude, from Greenwich. It is bounded on the
north by New-Britain, on the east by the gulf of the
St. Lawrence, on the south east by New-Brunswick,
the district of Maine, and New Hampshire : south by
Vermont, and seventy-five miles of the state of NewYork, viz : from lake Champlain to the St. Regis river,
where it empties into the St. Lawrence ; and on the
west by Upper Canada.
Upon the north line it extends to a distance of six
hundred and eighty-five miles ; its extent on the south
line is nearly nine hundred miles, and measures in
the middle about four hundred and fifty miles, running narrower to each end, more especially to the
north-eastern one. The dividing line between this

94
all sides by barrenness and desolation, without one solitary object upon which the eye may rest with pleasure.
On all the low banks of the St. Lawrence, the soil is
good, as it is on the low grounds of other large rivers.
Some of the vallies not situate on rivers afford excellent land ; it is generally of a black mould, mixed with
a small portion of sand. On the higher grounds the
soil is of a more sandy nature and is mixed slightly
with blue clay. On the high hills and mountains, it is
clay and gravel—lime-stone is found in great plenty, in
many places of this province, and answers an excellent
purpose.
In the northern part of the province there are 'many
very large and shallow ponds of water, abounding with
animals of the fur kind, which in summer time become
partly dried up, creating an unwholesome effluvia ; these
if they were drained would make excellent meadow
land, and many of them might be thus converted into
good land at a very trifling expense.
There are two sorts of pine in this province, the
white and the red, which are excellent for the East Indies ; four sorts of firs, two sorts of cedar and oak, the
white and the red ; the male and female maple; three
sorts of ash trees, the free, the mongrel and the bastard;
three sorts of walnut trees, the hard, the soft, and the
smooth ; vast numbers of beech trees and white wood,
white and red elms and poplars. The Indians hollow
the red elms into canoes, some of which, made out of
one piece, will contain twenty persons ; others are made
of the bark, the different pieces of which they sew together, with the inner rind, and daub over the seams
with pitch, or rather bituminous substance resembling
pitch, to prevent their leaking. The ribs of these canoes are made of boughs of trees. In the hollow elms,
the bears and wild cats take up their residence from
November to April.

95
In every part of the province there are plenty of evergreens, such as hemlock, cedar, firs, holly and laurel,
with others. Many of these evergreens are loaded with
an abundance of moss, which has a romantic appearance, and affords fine shelter for wild beasts and fowl,
in the winter season. Here may be found large spots
of ground under natural roofs, covered with dry leaves,
while the snow is five feet deep on the surrounding
parts, a circumstance extremely beneficial to the Indians, and the animals of this cold region. To these
places the Indians resort for hunting purposes, and here
screened from the wind they lie down upon the dry
leaves beside their fire and feel as comfortable as the
rich farmer or merchant in his warm house. One who
has never been at these places can form no correct idea
of the great difference of the weather in these solitary
retreats.
There is also a great variety of wild fruit, particularly the crab-apple, potatoe, onion and cranberry.
Near Quebec there has been found an excellent
lead mine, and many valuable ones of iron, have also
been discovered at different places. Some silver, it is
said, has also been found in the mountains. There
have also been found some coal mines, the coal from
which burns well, and some of alum, copperas and
clays, that paint quite well.
Fifty miles from Quebec on the banks of the " Trois
Rivieres," there is an excellent mine of iron ore, it lies
horizontal, situate near the surface, and is composed
of masses easily detached from each other, perforated,
and the holes 'filled with ochre. It possesses softness
and pliability, and for promoting its fusion a grey limestone, found in its vicinity is used. The hammered
iron is soft and tenacious, and has the quality of not being subject to rust.
,

96
The lakes of Lower Canada are numerous, though
not large ; a considerable number of which have no
names; the first, however, of any note, is that of Black
river, from which the river has its source ; it lies in north
latitude fifty-one, and west longitude sixty-six, fortyeight, is of considerable depth, and about one hundred
miles in circumference.
Middle Lake lies about one hundred miles to the
west of the former, is small, and is the source of Bustard river, which empties into the St. Lawrence, and
passes through several lakes ; also, a vast number of
lakes are to be found in every direction from the lake.
Lake St. John is situate about one hundred miles
north of Quebec, and is about ninety miles in circumference. This lake is the source bf the river Saguenay.
Another considerable lake is also found, one hundred
miles to the north-west, near the great chain of mountains ; it is the source of Picksuagus river.
Abbitib Lake is situate in latitude forty-nine, and
longitude seventy-nine, and is the source of a large river of the same name, which runs into the south end of
James' Bay. It is one hundred and ninety miles in
circumference, tolerably shallow, and abounds with
small islands. In the vicinity of this lake are several
more of less note.
Lake Mistissiney is situated north of Quebec about
two hundred and fifty miles, and is about three hundred miles in circuit, though a number of points of land
extend into it a good distance from every direction. It
is the source of Rupert's River, which passes through
some small lakes, on its Way to James' Bay, a northeast course.
Lake St. Charles is situate north of Quebec, and receives and discharges the river St. Charles ; it is about
five miles long.

97

faP

Lake Megantic, lies south of Quebec, about ninety
miles, and is the source of the river Chaudiere.
Lake Calvier is small, and is situated a few miles
above Quebec.
Lake St. Peter is formed by the expansion of the
St. Laurence, to the breadth of twenty miles. It is
one hundred and twelve miles from Quebec.
The lake of the Two Mountains, and the lake of St.
Louis, are in the vicinity of Montreal ; the latter is
formed by the junction of the Ottawas, with the St.
Laurence. The lake of the Two Mountains is an expansion of the Ottawas, ten miles above its mouth,
and i3 twenty miles long, and three broad.
The rivers of Lower Canada are very numerous,
and chiefly run into the St. Laurence ; the most of
them come from the north, and afford many romantic
falls.
In sailing up the gulf of St. Lawrence, the first river of note which is seen, is the Moisic river; about
forty miles further up, we come to Machigabiou river :
and in forty more, we come to Black river, already no, ted ; this river is three hundred miles long, and quite
large, and falls into the St. Lawrence, some distance
above the gulf.
The next in course is Bustard river, about ten miles
further up. This is one of the longest rivers of Lower Canada. It falls into the St. Laurence in lat. 48.50,
north, after running a course of at least four hundred
miles.
Betsaimites river, appears next in sailing up the St.
Laurence. It is large, of considerable length, and
passes through several lakes.
Portnus, is a river of some length, coming from two
small lakes. It empties into the St. Laurence, fifty
miles above.

98

99

Pete Chaisinagau river,
succeeds in course, and falls
into the St. Laurence, twenty miles above Portnus.
In sailing up the St. Laurence, several small streams
are seen; at length we come to
St. James' river; and a
little distance above, we come to the river
Saguenay,
which rises out of lake St. John, already noted ; which
lake is the repository of four considerable rivers, with
their numerous branches, viz : those of the
Picksuaganis, Chissouematon, Sable, and Periboaca.
In its course,
the Saguenay receives the Missigwinifii,
and several
more of considerable size, after which, it falls into the
St. Laurence, one hundred and fifty miles belOw Quebec, from nearly a west direction. This river is one
hundred and fifty miles in length, from the lake ; and
sweeps along a prodigious quantity of water. It is interrupted in its course, by abrupt precipices, over which
it dashes its foaming current ; and being bounded by
banks of great elevation, is remarkable for the depth
and impetuosity of its flood, which is sensibly felt in
the St. Laurence, whose water is obliged to yield to
its impulse for a distance of several miles. Large vessels, apparently going their course, have thereby been
carried side-long in a different direction.
This river, is generally, three miles wide, except at
its mouth, where it is only one ; at which place, five
hundred fathoms of line have been let down, without
finding any bottom. Two miles up, it is one hundred
and thirty-eight fathoms, and at
sixty miles, it is sixty
fathoms deep.

Montmorenci is the next considerable river, and falls
into the St. Laurence, eight miles below Quebec, over
a precipice of two hundred and forty-six feet.
St. Charles, falls into the same close by Quebec, and
is of considerable size.
On the south side of the gulf and river St. Laurence, there are a number of streams, which fall into it,
and take their rise in New Brunswick, New Hampshire
and Vermont.
The largest is the Chandiere river, rising out of lake
Megantic, and flowing a north course, one hundred and
thirty miles, falls into the St. Laurence about eight
miles above Quebec. Ships sail some distance up this

river.
The river St. Nicholas, falls in on the same side of
the St. Laurence, but a little higher up. Jacques Cartier, a river of considerable size, falls into the St. Laurence, about thirty miles above Quebec. The stream
of this, like all the rivers in Lower Canada, is frequently broken into cascades, affording picturesque
scenery.
The St. Ann, and Dog rivers, are streams of some
note, and fall into the St. Laurence, from the north.
Batisean river, also flows from the north, into the St.
Laurence. Three Rivers, otherwise, called St. Maurice, falls into the St. Laurence, from the north, fifty
miles above Quebec, by three mouths. It is three
hundred miles long, and much navigated by the Indians,
from the vicinity of Hudson bay. The tide of the
St. Laurence flows no higher than the mouth of this
river.
St. Reges river, rises in the state of New-York, and
falls into the upper end of lake St. Francis, in lat. 45

Albany river succeeds next in course, which rises in
a small lake, about sixty miles north from the St. Laurence, and flows through the fertile valley of Mal-bay.
This river abounds with salmon and other excellent
fish.

degrees. This is the last river of Lower Canada, which
runs into the St. Laurence, from the south.

1

I00

Ottawas river, is one of the largest in Upper Canada, etcept the St. Laurence, into which it falls below,
and above Montreal, as has been noted. It is at least,
one thousand miles long ; one of its branches, the
Petite Riviere, rises out of lake Tomis-Cauting, and
after meeting together four hundred miles from Montreal, receives a number of tributary streams on its
way, and pitches over a number of precipices.
All the rivers as yet described, run into the St. Laurence from the south or north; there are several which
run into James' bay, after running a western or north
eastern course—viz.
Slude river and RuAert's river, which has a course of
nearly two hundred miles ; and Harraconaw river, which
empties into the south end of James' bay, and is a
beautiful river.
The river St. Lawrence is one of the greatest, and most beautiful rivers ; from its mouth to Montreal, the
head of ship navigation, it is five hundred and forty-five
miles : for one thousand more it is passed by very large
boats, from here, for two hundred and forty miles,
through lake Ontario, the largest vessels in the world
may sail.
The harbors in Lower Canada are numerous, chiefly situate in the St. Laurence; there are a few on lake
Champlain, and two or three on the north-west coast
of James' Bay.
Fish, of which there is a great variety, is very plenty.
There are but two cities in Lower Canada, Quebec
and Montreal, (a description of these may be found in
the memoirs.)
Considering the great extent of Lower Canada, its
villages are few in number, and small in size, chiefly
lying on the banks of the St. Laurence.

IOI

The first of any note above Quebec, for there are
none below, is Jeunne Lorette ; it lies nine miles north
west of Quebec, and contains fifty log houses, inhabited by French and some Indians; there is a decent
chapel in this village.
The village of Trois Rivieres, is situate on the north
bank of the St. Laurence, extends three fourths of a
mile long, and contains seventy houses and a church.
Charlebourg is situate' eighty miles east of Lorette,
and is something larger.
The village of William Henry or Sorel is agreeably
situate at the confluence of the Sorel or Chambly river with the St. Laurence, and contains a Protestant
and Roman Catholic house for divine worship.
Some distance above Sorel, is is situate Vercheres ; it
contains about forty houses.
Sault Saint Louis, is a small village of about one
hundred and fifty houses, inhabited chiefly by the Iroquois or Mohawk Indians. It is about sixteen miles
above Montreal, and was originally built for those Indians, who have long been converted to the christian-re;. ; ligion. It is chiefly built of stone. The church and
dwelling of the missionaries are protected by a stone
wall, in which there are loop holes for musquetry.
Point aux Trembles village is fifty-one miles from
Quebec, contains one hundred and twenty houses, a
small convent of nuns, and a neat church.
The village of the Cedars is charmingly situated on
the St. Laurence, not far above Montreal ; it contains
about fifty houses.
The Canasadago village of the Iroquois, a Mohawk,
and Algonquin tribes of Indians, is situate on a delightful point of land on the hills, on the east side of
the two mountains, in the Ottowas river. Near the
extremity of the Point, their church is built, which di-

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vides the village into two parts, forming a regular angle along the water side. It contains about two hundred houses, and two thousand five hundred souls.
The province of Lower Canada is divided into three
districts and twenty-one counties, viz : Gaspe, Cornwallis, Devon, Hertford, Dorchester, Buckinghamshire,
Richlieu, Bedford, Surrey, Kent, Huntington, York,
Montreal, Effingham, Leinster, Warwick, St. Maurice,
Hampshire, Quebec, Northumberland and Orleans.
These counties are subdivided into parishes.
The only natural curiosities worth naming in Lower
Canada, are those cascades and water-falls with which
the province abounds.
The Bird Isles, which are situate in the gulf of St.
Laurence, consist of two rocks elevated above the water, upwards of one hundred feet, their flattened summits, whose circumference does not exceed three
hundred yards, exhibit a resplendent whiteness, produced by the quantities of ordure with which they are
covered, from immense flocks of birds, which, in summer, take possession of the apertures in their perpendicular cliffs, where they form their nests, and produce
their young. When alarmed, they hover above the
rocks, and overshadow their tops by their numbers.
The abundance of their eggs affords to the inhabitants
of the neighboring coast, a material supply of food.
Ninety miles up the Saguenay river, already noted,
there is a fall of water, that deserves notice, chiefly on
account of the immense sheet of water, which is perperpetually broken in its rugged course, and assumes a
resplendent whiteness.
When viewed from below the scene is stupendous and
terrific. The incessant and deafening roar of the waters
and the violence with which they hasten to their descent, tend to produce on the mind of the spectator an

103

impression awfully grand. The picturesque and rudely wild forms of the lofty banks, exhibit a gloomy contrast to the lively splendors of the cataract.
Three hundred and thirty miles from the mouth of
the St. Laurence is situate Cape Tourment, whose per
pendicular altitude is two thousand feet. It exhibits a
grand and sublime view, especially to those sailing up
the river.
The cataract of the river Montmorencie, which
empties into the St. Laurence, eight miles below
Quebec, may be reckoned among the natural curiosities of this country. The following description is in
the words of Mr. Herriott :
"After exhibiting a grateful variety throughout its
course, the Montmorenci is precipitated in an almost
perpendicular direction, over a rock of the height of
two hundred and forty-six feet ; falling, when it touches
the rock, in white clouds of rolling foam; and underneath, where it is propelled with uninterrupted gravitation, in numerous flakes, like wool or cotton, which are
gradually protracted in their descent, until they are received in the boiling profound abyss below."
" Viewed from the summit of the cliff, from whence
they are thrown, the waters, with every concommitant
circumstance, produce an effect equally grand, and
wonderfully sublime. The prodigious depth of their
descent, the brightness and volubility of their course,
the swiftness of their movement through the air, and
the loud and hollow noise emitted from the basin,
swelling with incessant agitation, from the weight of
the dashing waters, forcibly combine to attract the attention, and to impress with sentiments of grandeur
and elevation, the mind of the spectator. The clouds
of vapor arising and assuming the prismatic colors,
contribute to enliven the scene. They fly off from the
-

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4

fall, in the form of a revolving sphere, emitting with
velocity pointed flakes of spray, which spread in receding, until intercepted by neighbpring banks, or dissolved in the atmosphere."
" The breadth of the fall is one hundred feet ; the basin is bounded by steep cliffs, composed of grey lime
slate, lying in inclined strata, which on the east and
west sides, are sub-divided into innumerable thin shiv,
ers, forming with the horizon an angle of forty-five degrees, and containing between them fibrous gypsum,
and j5ierre a calumet, a soft stone of which the heads of
pipes are sometimes formed, mouldering incessantly
by exposure to the air, and the action of the weather ;
no surface for vegetation remains upon these substan-- 7
ces."
Eight miles from Quebec, the river Chaudiere empties into the south side of St. Laurence ; and four miles
from its mouth, there is a beautiful cataract, which de-0
serves attention.
The month of May, appears to be the most advan
tageous period, at which to contemplate this interesting scene, the approach to which ought first to be
made, from the top of the banks ; as in emerging from
the woods, it conducts at once to the summit of the
cataract, where the objects which instantaneously become developed to the eye, strike the mind with surprise, and produce a powerful impression.
"The water descends from a height of one hundred
and twenty feet, and being separated by rocks, forms
three separate cataracts ; the largest of which, is on the
western side, and they unite in the basin, beneath their
broken and agitated waters. The form of the rock
forces a part of the water, into an oblique direction,
and advances them beyond the line of the precipice.
The cavities worn in the rocks, produce a pleasing va-

1 05
riety, and cause the descending waters to revolve with
foaming fury, to whose whiteness the gloomy cliffs present a strong opposition of color. The vapor from each
division of the falls, quickly mounting through the air,
bestows an enlivening beauty on the landscape.
The wild diversity displayed by the banks of the
stream, and the foliage of the overhanging woods. the
brilliancy of colors richly contrasted, the rapidity of
motion, the refulgent brightness of the cataracts, the
deep and solemn sound, which they emit, and the various cascades further down the river, unite in rendering this such a pleasing exhibition of natural objects
as few scenes can surpass."
" On descending the side of the river, the landscape
becomes considerably altered, and the falls appear to
great advantage. Masses of rocks and elevated points
of land, covered with trees, together with the smaller
cascades on the stream, present a rich assemblage,
terminated by the falls. The scenery, in proceeding
down the river, is rugged and wild.
" Viewed in the Winter season, the falls exhibit an
appearance more curious than pleasing, being for the
greatest part congealed, and the general form of the
congealed masses, is that of a concretion of icicles,
which resembles a cluster of pillars in Gothic architecture ; and may not improperly be compared to the pipes
of an organ. The spray becomes likewise consolidated into three masses, or secretions of a cone, externally convex, but concave toward the falls.- The west
side being usually the only place in which the waters
flow; the aspect is infinitely inferior to that, displayed
in Summer ; and the sound emitted is comparatively
faint. The surrounding objects, covered alike with
snow, produce one uniform glare. The rocks and the
bed of the river, disguised by unshapely white masses
,

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107

produce a reflection, which gives, even to the waters of
the cataract, an apparent tinge of obscurity."
In the midst of the low ground, near cape Tourment,
a narrow hill, about a mile in length, and flatted on its
summit, rises to the height of one hundred feet. Upon the top is erected a large dwelling house, and a
chapel; and thither the ecclesiastics of the seminary of
Quebec, to whom the land belongs, retire in the Summer.
There are many other curiosities in this province,
which cannot here be described ; those most remarkable,
however, have already been noted.
Almost all the inhabitants of Lower Canada, that
have come to the years of maturity, are professors of
religion—the great majority are of the Roman Catholic persuasion, for whose worship, some years back,
there were one hundred and thirty churches, seven
convents, one hundred and ninety secular and regular
priests, and one bishop. There were also sixteen clergymen of the churCh of England, and one bishop,
besides some Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and
Quakers ; all of whom enjoy freedom of conscience, unmolested.
The Roman Catholic clergy of the province are distinguished for their devotion, benevolence, and inoffensive conduct and humanity. They are regular and
rigid in their religious ceremonies.
In the year 1497, Lower Canada was discovered by
John Cabot, a Venetian in the service of the English.
In 1534, Jacques Cartier, a Frenchman, under
commission of Frances I, explored the gulf of St. Lawrence, and the next year ascended the river, and wintered at St. Croix, where he erected a wooden cross.
In 1603, a patent for an exclusive trade was granted
to Sieur de Monts, who employed Champlain to make
further discoveries in Canada.

In 1608, Champlain sailed up the St. Laurence, as
far as a strait, called by the Indians Quebec, which is
the mouth of Sorrell river, where, on the third of July,
he began to build, and here passed the following Winter. At this time, the settlement of Canada commenced.
In 1628, a company of rich merchants, one hundred
and seven in number, was established by patent, for an
exclusive trade.
This company acquired a right of soil, in 1642 ; but
their charter was revoked in 1663.
In 1629, Quebec was taken by the English, under
Sir David Keith ; and surrendered to the French by
the treaty of St. Germain.
In 1690, Sir Wm. Phipps, with an armament from
Boston, made an unsuccessful attack upon Quebec.
On September 13, 1759, an English army under Gen.
Wolfe, made a successful attack upon Quebec, which
surrendered on the 18th.
In 1760, the whole province of Canada surrendered
to Gen. Amherst, and was confirmed to Great-Britain
by the treaty of 1763, under whose dominions it has
since continued.