Chapter IV: Part 4

No writ can issue to secure the person of a debtor in the common gaol until all his property real and personal has been sold, the real property having been advertised in the Gazette for four months. At the expiration of that period, attempts are sometimes made by a fraudulent debtor or his friends, to evade imprisonment by a purchase in the debtor’s name of real property to a trifling amount, which must be again advertised, and so on; although of course wherever the attempt to defraud can be made apparent, the courts of justice will interfere. In cases of a commercial nature where a judgment has been obtained, the debtor has the right of being enlarged, upon giving security that he will not leave the limits of the city.

In general, the Canadian farmers when old and unable to work, make over their property by a notarial writing to one of their sons, on condition of his paying a certain sum of money to his other children; a custom which has the effect of preventing too great a division of real property. In the deed, which is rather curious, it is stipulated that the old man is to be supported by his son; that he is to receive from him a certain quantity of tea, sugar, and tobacco; he is to be furnished if necessary with a horse to ride to chapel on Sundays and festivals; and when dead a certain number of masses are to be said for his soul.

The governor of Lower Canada is assisted by an executive council, composed of any persons whom he chooses to recommend to his majesty for appointment. The legislative council, of which the members are also appointed by the king for life, and the Lower House, or House of Assembly, consisting at present of eighty-four members. The Chief Justice is the Speaker; and the puisnè judges of Quebec are members of the Legislative Council; but it is in contemplation to procure an act of Parliament to remedy this unconstitutional arrangement. Independently of the objection that could be urged against it as an abuse, the judges find ample employment for their time in their other avocations. They were placed there as a matter of course when the colony was in its infancy; but the reasons have ceased as the colony has increased in wealth and population. The Legislative Council is composed of the principal officers of the province, and other persons of consideration. Their number is unlimited, but is usually about thirty. The members of the House of Assembly are elected in the same manner as the members of the House of Commons in England. Quebec and Montreal return four members each. There are but two boroughs; William Henry or Sorel returning one member, and the “Three Rivers” returning two members. The other members are returned by counties, but no qualification whatever is required of any. This is an advantage in a young country, where society is comparatively small, and wealth is so often separated from talent. The qualification necessary for a voter is real property to the annual value of forty shillings. In the towns the payment of ten pounds a-year rent is sufficient, and single women are allowed to vote. The sittings of the Legislative Council, and the House of Assembly, do not usually occupy more than ten weeks in the year, commencing about the middle of January.

By far the larger proportion of the House of Assembly are of the radical persuasion. Like the rest of the old French Canadians, they have a strong negative attachment to the British government: because they are satisfied with the protection they enjoy, and are aware that they could not exist without it; but their proceedings evince little actual gratitude or affection for the mother country. Their grievances, whether they are those that really do exist, or those that are to be traced in the imaginary discontents of a few leading demagogues, being frequently discussed with more than constitutional jealousy, and with more petulant vehemence than is merited by the redressing and conciliatory spirit of the British government. And yet when we consider the events that are passing in Europe, it is not singular that such should be the conduct of a people, of whom it is said, that when a constitution was first talked of, they would have preferred that their country should have continued under the direction of a governor and council, or rather under that of a governor alone.

During the last session a bill passed the house of assembly, for an allowance to the members of 10_s._ a-day, beside their travelling expenses, but was rejected by the legislative council. Nevertheless when the Supply Bill came under consideration, the house of assembly tacked on the desired amount for the payment of their members, and the bill in that state was most inconsistently consented to by the legislative council.

Another instance of unconstitutional irregularity may be mentioned. The 31st of Geo. iii., c. 31, declares who shall be qualified to sit as members of the assembly, but it creates no disqualification to sit and vote in persons accepting offices of trust and profit, after their election. By this act also, no bill reserved by the governor for the royal signature shall have any force or authority within either province, unless his majesty’s assent thereto shall be signified within the space of two years from the day on which the bill shall have been presented for his majesty’s assent by the governor. In the year 1830, after various proceedings in the same matter, a bill for the disqualification of persons accepting government offices, until re-elected, from sitting in the legislative assembly, was passed by both houses, and the governor thought it of sufficient importance to reserve it for the royal assent. Two years, as we have seen, is allowed for the signification of his majesty’s pleasure, and if no answer is given in that time, the bill passes into a law forthwith. The bill was sent to England, and long before the time had expired, the impatient house of assembly entered a resolution on their journals, that any member accepting an office under government shall be considered as vacating his seat _ipso facto_, with the capability of being re-elected. As to the justice of the case, there can be no doubt; but when they themselves had commenced the application in a constitutional manner, their subsequent attempt to fly in the face of the prerogative does not reflect much credit on their loyalty.

The net revenue of Lower Canada for the year 1830, was 128,345_l._ 3_s._ 4_d._, being an increase of 5200_l._ over the preceding year. The bulk of this sum is at the disposal of the provincial legislature; and is expended in the country on internal improvements of every kind. The proposed civil list for the year 1831 amounted to 19,500_l._; but 14,000_l._ of this is all that is asked of the province by the royal message, besides a reservation by virtue of the prerogative, of what are termed the casual and territorial revenues of the crown, such as the rents of the Jesuits’ estates, rents of the king’s posts, &c. &c., which, to use the words of the governor’s message, of the 23d of February, 1831, can operate in no degree as a tax upon the people, or tend either in their nature, or in the mode of their collection, to impede or impair the prosperity of the province. But nevertheless the committee of the house of assembly have resolved never to compromise what they call the natural and constitutional right of watching over and controlling the receipt and expenditure of the whole revenue. Will they object when the remuneration of their clergy is thrown upon them, as is contemplated by the British government?

It would be tedious, and far beyond the limits of this work, to enter into a detail of all the grievances complained of by the house of assembly; many of them have been, or are in the way of being, remedied, and they may be found in the report of the committee of the house of commons on the affairs of the Canadas, in 1827. They complain in their petition to parliament that the affairs of the province were growing worse under the existing government; that the value of land was diminished; that there was a waste of the public revenue; that the enactment of beneficial laws was rejected by one branch of the legislature composed of persons dependent on the government; that the creditor of the government had not sufficient remedy; that sufficient security was not required of persons having the disposal of the public moneys; that the independence of the judges was not sufficiently consulted; and they asked for the appointment of a resident agent for the colonies, in England, &c. &c.

One of the schemes at present in agitation in the house of assembly is the entire dissolution of the legislative council; a measure which that more loyal body do not exactly relish, and on the 31st of March, 1831, they passed a number of resolutions expressive of their loyalty, and respectfully setting forth their grievances at the same time. In the report of a special committee of the house of assembly appointed for taking into consideration the governor’s message, in which his majesty, relying on the liberality and justice of the legislature of Lower Canada, invites them to consider the propriety of making some settled provision for such portion of the civil government of the province, as may upon examination appear to require an arrangement of a more permanent nature than those supplies which it belongs to the legislature to determine by annual votes; it was resolved, that as information relative to the expenditure of the sum demanded for casual expenses, and divers services, and of the manner in which the rents of the Jesuits’ estates, and the other casual and territorial revenues, are applied, was still refused by the British government; they had therefore deemed it inexpedient to make “aucune allocation permanente ulterieure pour les depenses du gouvernement;”—the legislative council, in their resolutions noticed above, having expressed a cordial disposition to concur with his majesty’s government in making such an arrangement.

The Jesuits’ estates, the convent, and the seminary, hold the city of Quebec in signory. The convent of the Jesuits is now converted into a barrack, and forms one side of the market-place in the upper town. By the way, I should recommend any traveller to visit the market-place in the lower town, where he will see some of the old French Canadians, with their long pig-tails tied up with eel-skins. The order of the Jesuits was suppressed at the conquest of the colony by the British. Government took possession of the estates belonging to them, and has since enjoyed the whole revenue, amounting to about 2500_l._ per annum; and though frequently applied to by the provincial legislature, has thought fit to conceal the manner in which it has been employed. Amongst other expenses, those incurred in the building the episcopal church, were, it is said, defrayed from this source.

Before I quitted Quebec, I was present at a ball, given by a lady and gentleman who had been united for the first time that day fifty years, and were again married on that morning by a Catholic priest.

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I returned from Quebec to Montreal by the John Bull steam-boat, probably the largest river boat in the world. Montreal is considerably larger than Quebec, and contains 50,000 inhabitants. Its front towards the river will be much improved by a fine quay which is now building. The principal objects are the convents and the new Catholic cathedral, a very large and handsome specimen of the simple gothic; but its internal decorations do not correspond with its majestic exterior. The view from the mountain of Montreal, nearly 700 feet high, is of the same kind, but I think inferior to the view from the ramparts of Quebec. The city is nearly two miles distant, and is seen to great advantage lying along the bank of the magnificent St. Lawrence, whose broadly expanded waters can be followed by the eye for many a league, both above and below the city. On the opposite side, the country is one vast flat plain, from which the isolated mountain of Chambli, and another peak at a few miles distance, abruptly arise; and by relieving the monotony of the view, have the merit of giving it a decided tone and character, to which it would not otherwise be entitled. The horizon is formed by the bold outline of the distant mountains of Vermont, and those of the eastern part of the state of New York.

I left Montreal to make an excursion up the Ottowa. The beauty of this river, the situation of Bytown, and the Rideau canal, were themes of admiration with every one who had seen them. I went on board a steam-boat at the village of La Chine, and in a few hours we were in sight of St. Ann’s, and alongside the rapids, which we passed by means of a short canal. About this spot the clear but dark-coloured “Ottowa tide” is chequered by many a green isle, if they can be so called, when clothed, as I saw them, in the diversified and brilliant colours that characterise the foliage of the American forest during the autumn. Every variety of green can be discerned—from the darkness of the fir, to the silvery leaf of the poplar or the willow—while the unaccustomed eye is delighted by the bright yellow of the fading hickory, and the admirable finish which is given to the picture, by the broad patches of deep and actual crimson of the sumach and the soft maple. I must again repeat, that I have seen nothing of the kind that can equal the surpassing beauty of an American forest in “the fall.” It may with justice be compared to the brilliancy of a bed of tulips. We entered the lake of the Two Mountains, so called from two lofty hills on the right. On the top of one of them, Mount Calvary, is a chapel built by the Jesuits, and connected with the Indian village on the margin of the lake by a line of chapels, placed at intervals in the pathway. Its sudden appearance in the bosom of the forest, is extremely effective and picturesque. Immediately behind the Indian village is a large bank of white sand, which in the distance may be easily taken for a well-cleared stubble field. At Carillon we were obliged to leave the steam boat, and proceed by land to the town of Grenville, along the side of the canal, cut for the purpose of avoiding the rapids of the “Long Saut,” which, when the river is swollen, are said to be exceedingly violent, even more so than those of the St. Lawrence. I found the banks on both sides of the river were cleared and cultivated to a degree that far exceeded my expectations, whilst the unfinished canal gives employment to several hundred poor emigrants, who were living chiefly in log-houses along the road-side, ranged amongst many other dwellings of a better description.

The Ottowa, although perceptibly inferior to the St. Lawrence in width and volume, is still one of the largest second-rate rivers in North America. Below Carillon, which is thirty-five miles from St. Ann’s, I observed nothing excepting the foliage I have mentioned, that an acquaintance with American scenery had not rendered familiar; but on approaching Grenville a lofty range of hills, containing rich mines of plumbago, ranges very majestically on the north bank of the river, which in many places is widened to a surface equalling that of a small lake, with its shores broken by majestic headlands. Soon afterwards, cultivation comparatively ceases, and the river bears a resemblance to the wilder part of the Ohio above Louisville, excepting that the forest trees on its banks and islands, are not so lofty as those of the latter river.

Bytown is 65 miles from Grenville and 120 from Montreal. It is divided into an upper and lower town; containing many excellent houses. Thirty years ago, there was scarcely an habitation in the vicinity, excepting that of Philemon Wright, Esq., a Bostonian, and one of the best farmers in Canada, who with singular enterprise and sagacity, foresaw that at no very distant period it must become a place of importance, and as the Americans would say, “located himself” in the untouched forests of the Ottowa. A new world has sprung up around him, and he now predicts, with great appearance of truth, that Bytown will become the capital of the country: a glance at the map will shew the justice of his reasoning. The Ottowa or Grand river, runs through the country for about 500 miles above Bytown. In its course it is joined by several considerable streams, by means of which a water communication can be extended to Hudson’s bay on the north; and on the south it is connected with Lake Huron, which is not more than 100 miles distant, through the medium of Lake Nipisany; and as the Saut de St. Marie, at the foot of Lake Superior, is said to be 800 miles nearer Montreal than to New York, it is highly probable that a considerable proportion of the product of the country around the great lakes, even from the further part of Lake Michigan, will find its way to the Ottowa.

The pretty, unpretending fall of the Rideau, so called by the French from its resemblance to a white curtain, is seen on the left immediately before the boat rounds the headland that conceals the locks of the celebrated Rideau canal, which are suddenly presented to the view, lying in a slope, between two lofty and precipitous banks, nearly perpendicular towards the river. That on the right is 160 feet in height, composed of limestone. On the area of the top, which may be from 500 to 600 yards in circumference, are the barracks and the hospital. It will probably be the site of an impregnable fortress, which might be built for 60,000_l._; an expense which should not be spared, when it is considered that the splendid works on the canal, at present unfortified, might be destroyed in half-an-hour. The locks themselves, eight in number, are magnificent in every respect, and reflect the highest credit on the engineer, Colonel By. In length they occupy a space of 1260 feet, and from the surface of the river to the top of the bank there is a perpendicular rise of 84 feet. Each lock is 134 feet long, 33 wide, and 17 in depth. The canal, for several miles above Bytown, is supplied by the Rideau river, and before it reaches Kingston on Lake Ontario, a distance of 140 miles, a head of water is obtained by means of thirteen dams of different dimensions, the largest being 300 feet wide and 65 deep. The navigation is continued by means of these dams, as there is not above seven or eight miles of excavation throughout the whole distance.

On the supposition that military stores are to be sent from Montreal to supply the troops in Upper Canada, or a fleet on Lake Ontario, it is intended that they should pass through the channel behind the island of Montreal, which is not yet rendered navigable; that they should proceed up the Ottowa, ascending the rapids by means of the Grenville canal, and upon arriving at Bytown, be forwarded to Kingston along the Rideau, which thus affords a method of communication infinitely shorter than any land conveyance,—an additional advantage arising from its great distance from the American frontier, and proportionate security from hostile incursion. Although the Rideau canal is principally a military work, it will be of the greatest importance in a commercial point of view, on account of its affording a direct means of conveyance by its communication with a number of smaller streams that intersect it at intervals, and which will enable the settlers who live many miles from the banks to forward the produce of their farms, with certainty and celerity. The difficulty and expense of conveyance was originally a great drawback upon the use of British manufactures in the Upper Province; they paid a freight from Quebec of 5_l._ a ton; but by means of the Rideau canal, the freight has been reduced one-half. Land, according to its situation on different parts of the canal, was selling from two to five dollars the acre; crown lands at a fixed price of 1_l._ the acre. On application to any of the crown land agents, a ticket may be obtained, containing a permission to cut timber on a certain space of ground, on payment of a duty to government of one penny the foot.

On the opposite side of the river stands the village of Hull. A winding road about a mile in length conducted me to the bridges thrown over the fall of the Ottowa, which according to the usual appellation bestowed by the French upon any fall of magnitude in the Canadas, is termed the “Chaudiere,” or “boiler.” The bed of the river is divided into five channels formed in the solid rock, with more or less of a fall in each of them. The largest may be about thirty feet in height, and from its greater violence has worn away the precipice for a considerable distance behind the others, which project and recede in a most singular manner, whilst the river not contented with so many ways of escape, rolls over the bare ledge of the rock that is extended between them, so that its eager waters are tumbling in all directions. The whole width of the stream immediately at the head of the fall, is more than half a mile. It was not particularly full when I saw it, but was darting through the bridges with extreme violence. In the spring, when the river is swollen by the melted ice and snow, the whole of the rocks are so deeply covered by the flood, that there is little or no fall to be seen even at the Chaudiere, as the principal fall is called; and I could easily conceive that the rush of water at that season of the year must be tremendous. The whole scene was exceedingly curious; and although rather disappointed at first sight, I felt myself amply repaid for my excursion to Bytown. When it was first understood that a bridge was to be thrown across from rock to rock, an old American who had known the river in its fury, and firmly believed that such a scheme was impracticable, was heard to predict with great emphasis, and corresponding action, that some day or other “it would go right slit to immortal smash.” Many of the poor Scotch emigrants answered to my inquiry as to their destination, that they were “ganging to Perth;” a thriving town, about fifty miles above Bytown, and situated between the Ottowa and the Rideau canal. Thirty miles on the river above Bytown, is the settlement on the Lake “des Chats.”

On the evening of the fatal field of Culloden, the unfortunate Prince Charles Edward presented himself, wearied and alone, at the door of a hut, and requested sustenance and momentary concealment; the inmate, a poor tailor, who recognized his person, mounted guard at the door whilst his illustrious guest was sleeping within, on a pallet of heather. He was soon aroused by the tailor, who awakened him by exclaiming in Gaelic, “My prince, core of my heart! save yourself, for the enemy are upon you.” A party of cavalry were galloping towards the hut, and the prince had just time to escape through a small back window, and reach the Morven mountains. For his greater comfort in repose he had deposited his sword upon a bench in a corner of the hut; and in the precipitancy of his flight he had forgotten to take it with him. The tailor had just time to conceal it, by removing the earth and burying it under the heather. The cavalry demanded the prince, saying that they had information that he had taken refuge in the hut, and carried off the tailor as their prisoner, who was afterwards confined in Edinburgh castle. In the mean time the sword still remained where he had buried it, but the hut became a heap of ruins. Whilst the “Clan and Disarming Act” (afterwards repealed by the exertions of the Duke of Montrose) was in force, he dare say nothing about the sword, but upon his death-bed in Breadalbane, the poor tailor informed his cousin, Finlay Mc Nauton, where the sword was to be found. He searched and found it, in the spot where it had lain from 1745 to 1784. The belt and scabbard were rotted with moisture, and the blade of course nearly covered with rust. It is the real old Highland basket-hilted claymore. On the rust being removed, the burning heart of the Bruce surmounted by the crown of Scotland became visible on the blade. Between them is engraved “Le Chevalier.” On the reverse are the words, “Vive le Roi,” extending the whole length of the blade. Finlay Mc Nauton joined the veteran battalion, and died at Gibraltar, the sword being still in his possession. Upon his death, it passed with the rest of his effects into the hands of John Mc Nauton, his brother, who is still alive at a very advanced age in Glengary, the oldest settlement in Upper Canada. Who would expect to hear that this sword, positively the most classical object in America, is now, as it were, lying in state on the banks of the Lake “des Chats,” in the wild forests of the Ottowa, not less than 150 miles from Montreal. Mc Nab of Mc Nab, the nephew and representative of the late laird, founded the settlement with the advice and under the auspices of his kinsman, the Earl of Dalhousie, the late governor of Lower Canada. He has collected around him about two hundred of his clan, whose forefathers followed his ancestors in the hour of battle, and have now gone with him in the day of their distress to clear and cultivate the wilderness of the Ottowa under his superintendence. He has possession of the sword, and never shows it to a stranger but in the presence of his piper, who is ordered to play the whole time. It was given to him by John Mc Nauton, who added in Gaelic, that “some damned long-legged fellow of a Sassanach had asked him for the sword and offered him money for it, but that he would never disgrace the clan of Mc Nauton by giving over that sword to an Englishman.”

The boundary line between Upper and Lower Canada leaves the St. Lawrence about 28 miles below Cornwall, and after running in nearly a straight direction, comes in contact with the Ottowa river at Point Fortune, opposite to Carillon. It pursues the course of the river for many a league beyond the habitations of civilised society; and then strikes off to Hudson’s bay. During the last session, an Act was passed in the provincial Parliament for the appointment of Commissioners to ascertain its exact direction, in order to satisfy the borderers, who complained of being subjected to the laws of either province alternately. The idea of an union of the two Canadas has apparently been dropped for the present. Perhaps the majority of the British inhabitants in both provinces would be in favour of such a project, or at all events would not offer much opposition to it; but the French population in Lower Canada would display a most violent aversion to any change of the kind. The old French law would of course be superseded by the laws of England subject to provincial alterations, and the French Canadian influence in the government would decline in proportion to the importance of the British interest in the House of Assembly, which would be increased by the accession of delegates from the Upper Province. Upper Canada would have no objection to a port of entry, by which her share of the duties on imports would be exactly regulated by the quantity she consumed. Every ship trading to the Canadas must of course discharge her cargo either at Quebec or Montreal. By the arrangement, solicited and obtained by Upper Canada in 1822, no duties can be laid on goods imported or passing into Lower Canada without the consent of both provinces, or by the British parliament; and the just proportion of the duties due to each province settled by arbitration, and its share paid over to the Upper Province. The proportion it now receives by the existing regulation is 25 per cent.; but this it will be seen must be increased, when it is considered that by far the greater number of the settlers resort to the Upper Province, that the French Canadian peasantry usually prefer the coarse cloth of their own manufacture, and that therefore the bulk of the imports from Great Britain must find their way to the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

It is probable that much confusion would ensue for a length of time after an union should take place, and it is equally so, that the Canadas themselves would eventually be gainers by the measure; but the more serious question is, whether it is not better for the mother country to have two parties there, instead of one; and whether it would be politic in Great Britain to promote an arrangement that would render the colonies far more independent than would be consistent with their allegiance to their mother country. As it is, the French Canadian interest is really on the decline, and the British population is wonderfully increasing. Every thing considered, the Canadas are improving with a rapidity not surpassed by any country upon earth; and I humbly conceive, that experimental interference should be deprecated, because it would lead to a certain interruption of their present career of prosperity, for the sake of a distant and not certain advantage.

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I returned to Montreal. When a traveller approaches Montreal he naturally turns his eye to the mountain behind it, and feels surprised that there is no fortification by which a city of so much importance, and so near the American frontier could be commanded,—strictly speaking, a fort should be built on the top of the mountain, and at La Chine, and on Nun’s island, by which, together with the batteries on St. Helen’s island in the river, immediately opposite to the city, the passage of the St. Lawrence would be effectually defended. But, when it is considered that the top of the hill, or mountain, is three miles from the city; that it requires eleven pounds of powder to throw a thirteen-inch shell to the distance of one mile; that all the fortifications in the world would not preserve the Canadas to us, if the natives were against us; that the Americans could never take Montreal so long as the Canadians would fight on our side; that there is a prospect of a lasting peace between Great Britain and the United States; and finally, the probability that before another half century has passed away, the Canadas will cease, by a bloodless negociation, to be a British colony—an enormous expense may well be spared, by leaving the city in its present state.

The picturesque island of St. Helen’s, contains a small garrison, and a large quantity of military stores. On the angle of the saluting battery on the south-west corner of the island, the French flag waved its last in the Canadas.

I left Montreal, after having discovered that there was a pack of fox-hounds kept close by, and that they hunted regularly, and occasionally on by-days. They had not been long organised, but promised very well. I was also present for one day during the races. The course is two miles in length, and in excellent condition, being railed off the whole distance. I saw one race, which was admirably contested; but the ground was not well attended, and the others did not go off with spirit. I was told, however, that there was a great prospect of improvement, as the Canadians were beginning to be fond of the sport. The excitement would have been much greater if it had lasted but two days instead of four; and a public ball afterwards would not have been amiss.

I then crossed the river in a steam-boat to La Prairie, distant nine miles from Montreal. A miserably bad road conducted me to Blair Findie, and subsequently to the very pretty village of Chamble, where orchards and corn-fields were to be seen on all sides. Both these places, particularly the former, are well known to the Canadian sportsmen as the favourite haunt of the woodcock—perhaps the best in America. They are found in great numbers in the low birch woods around Blair Findie, where a good shot will sometimes kill above twenty couple in a morning, and I heard that in one instance as many as eighty couple were killed in two days by two guns.

The beginning of October is the best season for shooting all kinds of game in the Canadas.

The American woodcock is considerably smaller than the European bird, seldom or very rarely exceeding eight ounces in weight, and its plumage is, I think, handsomer. The spots of brown on the back are larger and deeper, and the breast, instead of being marked with dusky bars, is of a fine almond colour. Their flavour is similar. The American bird when flushed, rises very rapidly, with a small shrill quickly repeated whistle, and seldom flies beyond a distance of one hundred yards. Sportsmen who do not mind the heat, will find the shooting exceedingly good in the month of July, when the woodcocks first return from their southern haunts for the purpose of breeding. In the northern States and the Canadas, they may be shot till the first fortnight in November has elapsed, after which they retreat to a warmer climate for the winter. No pheasant, partridge, or quail, is strictly speaking found in North America. The partridge, so called in the States, is the quail of the Canadas: but although on account of its size and general appearance it might easily be mistaken for the latter bird, it is in fact a species of the new genus, “ortyx.” The difference between the real quail and the ortyx of America, like that between the long and short-winged hawks, consists in the structure of the wing: in the one, the second feather is longest; in the other, the fourth, which evidently unfits it for taking a long flight. The “ortyx virginianus” has become naturalized in Suffolk, and has been shot near Uxbridge. A species of the genus coturnix, or real quail, has been found near the Straits of Magellan. The pheasant of the States is the partridge of the Canadas, and is in fact a very handsome species of grouse, feathered down to the toes, and having in a great measure the habits of the capercaily, living entirely in the woods, and treeing readily when put up by a small dog. I have before noticed the grouse, or barren, or prairie hen. In the Canadas there is also a darker coloured species, called, the spruce partridge. A large grouse, nearly allied to the capercaily in size and colour, is found near the Rocky Mountains; and although five or six different kinds of grouse are to be found in North America—including, I believe, the ptarmigan—yet the black and red game of Scotland are not among them. A smaller species of red grouse is plentiful in Newfoundland.

The same animal is called a hare in the States, and a rabbit in the Canadas. It never burrows; its usual colour is that of the European hare and rabbit mixed, and the meat is dark, like that of the European hare. A larger species which turns white in the winter, and is termed on that account, the varying hare, is more common in the Canadas than in the States, but is no where plentiful. I would here remark that any traveller who brings his gun with him, and has a decided wish to see some American shooting, should bring his own dog with him; any that he can depend on for general purposes, be it of what breed it may.

America offers a fine field to the ornithologist, and even a traveller who is usually careless of the study of natural history, cannot fail to be delighted with the variety of beautiful birds which he will see in merely passing through the American forests, more particularly in those of the States. Red birds, blue birds, and yellow or Baltimore birds (a species of starling), will frequently fly across his path; turtle doves are constantly alighting in the road before him; a large, magnificent species of woodpecker, with a red crest, usually termed the woodcock, will sometimes make his appearance; a great variety of the same genus, particularly a small species with a marked plumage of black, white, and crimson, are almost always in sight; he will be startled and deceived by the mew of the catbird,—and his eye and ear will be attracted by the brilliant plumage of the blue jay, the singing of the mocking-bird, the melodious flute-like whistle of the wood-thrush, or the instantaneous buz of the passing humming-bird. Considering the wildness of the country, I was very much surprised at the scarcity of the larger birds of prey; a small brown vulture, commonly misnamed the turkey-buzzard, is however an exception. I never saw but one bald eagle in America: he was beating for his prey over the mountain of Montreal; his snow-white head and tail being discernible at a great distance. They are more numerous on the sea coast, near the haunts of the fish-hawk (osprey). When this latter bird has taken a fish, the bald eagle who has been watching his movements from a neighbouring height, will commence a most furious attack upon him, will force him to drop his prey, and frequently seize it before it can disappear under water. The bald eagle is the national emblem of the United States. It was well remarked by Dr. Franklin, that the wild turkey would have answered the purpose better, being exclusively indigenous to North America, and having an innate and violent antipathy to red coats.

Chambli is a large, straggling village, containing perhaps 5000 inhabitants, of which 4000 are communicants at the Catholic church. The Catholic doctrine, divested of the pomp and absurdity of ceremony, being no where more strictly adhered to, than amongst the peasantry of Lower Canada. The houses are scattered around what is called the basin of Chambli—a lake about three miles in length and two in breadth, formed in the Richelieu river. A canal is now forming, which in a few years will contribute very much to the prosperity and importance of the village of Chambli and the surrounding country. When finished, the course of navigation between lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence, at present impeded by the rapids at Chambli, will be safe from interruption; so that the produce of “the townships,” as the lands granted by the crown are termed, will be conveyed directly to Quebec instead of passing through Montreal.

An old fort built by the French is standing at the foot of the rapids. The situation is selected with their usual judgment, it being scarcely assailable from the water. Chambli has also barracks for 1000 horse, and 15,000 infantry, but at present they are unoccupied.

I would recommend every one who has time at his disposal, to ascend the Belleisle mountain, distant eleven miles from Chambli. It is principally composed of granite, and rises abruptly from the plain to a height of more than 2000 feet. From the top may be seen the finest view in the Canadas. The eye roams on every side, over a vast extent of country, and the uniform direction of the “concessions” or lands held in signorie, contributes not a little to the singularity of the prospect. On the north, the St. Lawrence is visible on a clear day as far as the “Three Rivers,” which is half-way to Quebec; on the south and east, are the mountains of New York and Vermont. The city of Montreal, at the distance of seventeen miles to the westward, would appear like a white streak on the banks of the river; but that the superior height of the towers of the cathedral are distinctly relieved by the dark wooded sides of the hill, whose elevation is much diminished by the distance. The Richelieu river appears to run at the foot of the mountain, and the whole of its course is visible from lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence. The mountain itself is exceedingly picturesque; a small and very pretty lake being embosomed in its well-wooded recesses, like that of Tarni near Tivoli. The ascent from Chambli occupied a day; but I thought myself amply repaid for the time I had expended, and the fatigue I had undergone. I proceeded to St. John’s, and took the steam-boat for lake Champlain. In a few hours we passed the old fort at Rouse’s point, which by the late decision of the king of the Netherlands, on the boundary question, is now in possession of the Americans, although it stands on the Canadian side of the river. By the treaty of 1783, the boundary line between the United States and Lower Canada was imperfectly defined as extending “from the north west angle of Nova Scotia (now New Brunswick) to that angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of the St. Croix river to the Highlands; along the said Highlands which divide those rivers that empty themselves in the river St. Lawrence from those which fall into the Atlantic ocean.” But as the land had never been surveyed, so that the position of these Highlands might be ascertained, and it having always been disputed which were the rivers referred to, commissioners were appointed at the treaty of Ghent, to determine the true boundary, and as they could not agree, the king of the Netherlands was proposed as an arbitrator. Two lines were laid before him, on one of which he was to decide; one drawn by the Americans on the north of the Temisconata lake, and the other by the British 300 miles to the south of it. His majesty, however, in his award followed neither of them; but has drawn a line between them to the river St. John, transferring to the United States about six millions of acres; and has brought the most northerly point of the boundary for sixty miles within thirteen miles of the St. Lawrence, whilst 200 miles below, it strikes off to the south-east after having approached within fifty miles of Quebec. The old French Canadian settlers on the St. John and Madawaska settlements, and who, like the rest of their countrymen, have a mortal antipathy to the Americans, are exceedingly annoyed at being thus transferred into the dominion of the States; but as both Great Britain and the United States are dissatisfied with the decision, it is probable that some other arrangement will be made.

We then passed the isle Aux Noix, the British naval establishment on lake Champlain, I observed several schooners on the stocks, remaining, like the ships at Kingston, as they were at the close of the war, and several old gun boats that appeared to have taken part in it. The expenses of the fort, which effectually commands the passage from the lake, are the same as those of a frigate; and, as such, are placed on the naval establishment instead of the military.

Upon entering the lake, the shores appeared extremely flat and uninteresting. We touched at Plattsburg, and passed over the scene of Mc Donough’s victory over our fleet in the last war. We then arrived at Burlington, and at nine o’clock the next morning I started to cross the New England, or Yankee States, on my way to Boston. The coachman drove six-in-hand, and in a very workmanlike manner, without locking the wheels, but descending several hills so steep that as a Yankee expressed himself, It was like driving off the roof of a house. A detailed description of the road is unnecessary: it wound through the beautiful and well cultivated valleys of Vermont and New Hampshire, running for many miles along the banks of the Onion and Connecticut rivers; whilst the forests on the hills around were every where clothed in their splendid autumnal garb, and overshadowed some of the prettiest and happiest looking villages I ever saw in any country; the houses being chiefly white, with green blinds, and otherwise displaying an excellent taste in design. Whole fields were strewed with enormous pumpkins, and others were covered with broom corn, which is no bad substitute for oats. We passed through Montpelier, and skirted the rocky mountain of Monadnoc, stopping to look at the Bellow’s fall, on the Connecticut river, and afterwards arriving at Concord, where the fire of the British troops was returned by the Americans for the first time during the revolutionary war, on the 19th of April, 1775. General Gage had sent them to seize and destroy some stores which had been secretly collected at Concord. They succeeded in their attempt, but were subsequently obliged to retreat. The fight took place at the north bridge, about three quarters of a mile from the bridge over which the road now passes. The inhabitants are proud, and justly proud, of this event.

At Lexington, six miles nearer to Boston, stands a plain monument to the memory of the militia men who were fired upon and dispersed by the British troops on the same morning, previously to their advance upon Concord.

I entered Boston by the light of innumerable lamps, that plainly marked the direction of its many bridges, and took up my quarters at the Tremont hotel,—decidedly, taken altogether, the best house in the United States. The table and the bed-rooms were equally good, which is not the case at any other I had seen. In appearance it more resembles a government building than a hotel. Breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper are served up, as usual, at a certain hour; and although that hour at breakfast time is liberally extended, yet if it happens that a person be detained too long, he must either go without his dinner, or put up with cold and disfigured viands placed before him with an ill grace by a tired waiter, or pay extra for a meal expressly served up for him; as the hotel charges are two, or two dollars and a half a-day, and it makes no difference whether he attends the table d’hôte or not.

The principal theatre is exactly opposite the Tremont. The front is ornamented with Ionic pilasters supporting an entablature and pediment. The interior is tastefully arranged, but is seldom visited by the first circles.

The Indian name of Boston was Shawmut, its first English appellation was Trimountain, and its present name was given in 1630.

At an early day after my arrival, I took the opportunity of ascending the capitol, which stands on the most elevated corner of “the Common.” The Common, according to the usual English signification of the word, deserves a better name, as it is the prettiest promenade in the States. It contains about seventy-five acres, disposed in a sloping direction from north to south, varied by other eminences, of which the most conspicuous is formed by the not yet quite levelled remains of the British fortifications of 1775. It is surrounded by trees, and the best houses in Boston; some of them being large and handsome, and not the less deserving of the epithet because they are of a stone colour, or any other than that of red brick. But at Boston generally I observed greater taste in this respect than in any other of the cities which I visited. On one side of the Common is a mall, or promenade, formed by parallel avenues of fine elm trees; but yet, notwithstanding the beauty of its situation, it is deserted by the Boston belles for the gay glitter of the fashionable shops in Cornhill or Washington street.

To the best of my recollection, every capitol or state-house that I have seen, or of which I have seen a picture, is surmounted by a dome or cupola,—that of Boston is particularly conspicuous; but the smoothness of its exterior is but ill assorted with the richness of the Corinthian columns in the facade: it should be grooved like the dome of St. Paul’s. The present heavy appearance of the cupola at Washington would be very much improved if it were altered in a similar manner.

The capitol at Boston contains a very fine statue of Washington, by Chantrey. From the top is obtained a fine panoramic view of the whole city, with the bay, its islands, and their fortifications; its bridges, wharfs, and enormous warehouses. On the north is the memorable Bunker’s Hill, with part of the fine obelisk that is to be; the navy-yard, and the suburb of Charlestown. The bay of Boston, like that of New York, is fondly thought by some of the inhabitants of each city to be as fine, if not superior in beauty, to that of Naples;—whether they have seen it or not, is of little consequence; the bay of Boston, with its flat treeless islands and headlands, shall be as fine as the bay of Naples, and so may it remain!

The city resembles Baltimore more than any other in the Union: as a collection of buildings it is prettier, but I prefer the environs of the latter city, to the more distant hills that form the amphitheatre of Boston; which is too large to add much effect to the landscape.

Boston contains 70,000 inhabitants, and the first bridge and the first canal in the United States were constructed there. It appeared to me the neatest city in the Union; and although there is no edifice particularly striking, yet there are many that are handsome, and there is an air of civic importance pervading every street in the place, so that the eye does not easily detect the absence of any object that is necessary to complete the appearance of a place of such pretensions as Boston. The Fauneuil Hall, named after the founder, who lived a hundred years ago, must not be forgotten. It is the cradle of American liberty; because, within its walls, were held and heard the consultations and the eloquence of those who more than fifty years back were first aroused to resentment and resistance by the obstinacy of the government of England. It contains an original full-length portrait of Washington in his regimentals, by Stewart. The figure is excellent, but the horse is very indifferently executed. The other ornaments in the hall, are emblematical of the purposes to which it is applied. Public meetings and dinners are held there, and the company usually leave behind them the decorations that have been mottoed for the occasion. The name of “Skrzynecki” was very conspicuous, among a multitude of others.

Societies have always been in vogue among the young Bostonians. The objects of some of them are ridiculous enough. Many years ago a sum of 500_l._ was raised by subscription for the purpose of converting the Jews in England. At a much later period, a self-constituted college of young fellows sent a diploma to the Emperor of Russia; another gang, who called themselves “the Peace Society,” sent a deputation to the same august personage, requesting him to become a member. His answer was very gracious, and was accompanied by a valuable diamond ring. A Massachusett’s farmer, hearing of this, immediately packed up and dispatched to him an enormous turnip (“considerable vegetable”) as a specimen of American agricultural produce. He received no diamond ring; which was not a fair return, as it was quite reasonable to suppose that, as of yore, the head of a “noble Swede” would not be an unacceptable present to the Autocrat. A pair of colours, which ought to have been worked by the fair hands of the Boston belles, were lately forwarded to the Poles through the hands of General Lafayette; and before I quitted the United States, a meeting favourable to the Poles was held at New Orleans, and “an army in disguise,” consisting of no less than twenty-nine volunteers, was waiting at New York in order to sail to their assistance. The delay, I understood, had arisen on account of a dispute as to the place of embarkation, because, in case of their triumphant return, the city that last held them would be entitled to the whole honour of the expedition.

I was present at a meeting in the Fauneuil Hall, held for the purpose of adopting resolutions, and electing representatives to attend the grand meeting on the Tariff question, which was held on the 26th of October, at New York.