were not yet so forward here as they ought to be; and the English, in
that particular, out do the French. The chief cause of this is, that
scarce any other people than dismissed soldiers come to settle here,
who have not had any opportunity of learning a mechanical trade, but
have sometimes accidentally, and through necessity been obliged to it.
There are however some, who have a good notion of mechanics, and I saw
a person here, who made very good clocks, and watches, though he had
had but very little instruction.
July the 27th. The common house-flies have but been observed in this
country about one hundred and fifty years ago, as I have been assured
by several persons in this town, and in Quebec. All the Indians assert
the same thing, and are of opinion that the common flies first came
over here, with the Europeans and their ships, which were stranded on
this coast. I shall not dispute this; however, I know, that whilst I
was in the desarts between Saratoga and Crownpoint, or fort St.
Frederic, and sat down to rest or to eat, a number of our common flies
always came, and settled on me. It is therefore dubious, whether they
have not been longer in America than the term above mentioned, or
whether they have been imported from Europe. On the other hand, it may
be urged that the flies were left in those desarts at the time when
fort Anne was yet in a good condition, and when the English often
travelled there and back again; not to mention that several Europeans,
both before and after that time, had travelled through those places,
and carried the flies with them, which were attracted by their
provisions.
Wild Cattle are abundant in the southern parts of Canada, and have been
there since times immemorial. They are plentiful in those parts,
particularly where the Illinois Indians live, which are nearly in the
same latitude with Philadelphia; but further to the north they are
seldom observed. I saw the skin of a wild ox to-day; it was as big as
one of the largest ox hides in Europe, but had better hair. The hair is
dark brown, like that on a brown bear-skin. That which is close to the
skin, is as soft as wool. This hide was not very thick; and in general
they do not reckon them so valuable as bear-skins in France. In winter
they are spread on the floors, to keep the feet warm. Some of these
wild cattle, as I am told, have a long and fine wool, as good, if not
better, than sheep wool. They make stockings, cloth, gloves, and other
pieces of worsted work of it, which look as well as if they were made
of the best sheep wool; and the Indians employ it for several uses. The
flesh equals the best beef in goodness and fatness. Sometimes the hides
are thick, and may be made use of as cow-hides are in Europe. The wild
cattle in general are said to be stronger and bigger, than European
cattle, and of a brown red colour. Their horns are but short, though
very thick close to the head. These and several other qualities, which
they have in common with, and in greater perfection than the tame
cattle, have induced some to endeavour to tame them; by which means
they would obtain the advantages arising from their goodness of hair,
and, on account of their great strength, be able to employ them
successfully in agriculture. With this view some have repeatedly got
young wild calves, and brought them up in Quebec, and other places,
among the tame cattle; but they commonly died in three or four years
time; and though they have seen people every day, yet they have always
retained a natural ferocity. They have constantly been very shy,
pricked up their ears at the sight of a man, and trembled, or run
about; so that the art of taming them has not hitherto been found out.
Some have been of opinion, that these cattle cannot well bear the cold;
as they never go north of the place I mentioned, though the summers be
very hot, even in those northern parts. They think that, when the
country about the Illinois will be better peopled, it will be more easy
to tame these cattle, and that afterwards they might more easily be
used to the northerly climates [20]. The Indians and French in Canada,
make use of the horns of these creatures to put gun-powder in. I have
briefly mentioned the wild cattle in the former parts of this journey
[21].
The peace, which was concluded between France and England, was
proclaimed this day. The soldiers were under arms; the artillery on the
walls was fired off, and some salutes were given by the small
fire-arms. All night some fireworks were exhibited, and the whole town
was illuminated. All the streets were crowded with people, till late at
night. The governor invited me to supper, and to partake of the joy of
the inhabitants. There were present a number of officers, and persons
of distinction; and the festival concluded with the greatest joy.
July the 28th. This morning I accompanied the governor, baron
Longueuil, and his family, to a little island called Magdelene, which
is his own property. It lies in the river St. Lawrence, directly
opposite to the town, on the eastern side. The governor had here a very
neat house, though it was not very large, a fine extensive garden, and
a court-yard. The river passes between the town and this island, and is
very rapid. Near the town it is deep enough for yachts; but towards the
island it grows more shallow, so that they are obliged to push the
boats forwards with poles. There was a mill on the island, turned by
the mere force of the stream, without an additional mill-dam.
The smooth sumach, or Rhus glabra, grows in great plenty here. I have
no where seen it so tall as in this place, where it had sometimes the
height of eight yards, and a proportionable thickness.
Sassafras is planted here; for it is never found wild in these parts,
fort Anne being the most northerly place where I have found it wild.
Those shrubs which were on the island, had been planted many years ago;
however, they were but small shrubs, from two to three feet high, and
scarce so much. The reason is, because the stem is killed every winter,
almost down to the very root, and must produce new shoots every spring,
as I have found from my own observations here; and so it appeared to be
near the forts Anne, Nicholson, and Oswego. It will therefore be in
vain to attempt to plant sassafras in a very cold climate.
The red Mulberry-trees (Morus rubra, Linn.) are likewise planted here.
I saw four or five of them about five yards high, which the governor
told me, had been twenty years in this place, and were brought from
more southerly parts, since they do not grow wild near Montreal. The
most northerly place, where I have found it growing spontaneously, is
about twenty English miles north of Albany, as I have been assured by
the country people, who live in that place, and who at the same time
informed me, that it was very scarce in the woods. When I came to
Saratoga, I enquired whether any of these mulberry-trees had been found
in that neighbourhood? but every body told me, that they were never
seen in those parts, but that the before mentioned place, twenty miles
above Albany, is the most northern one where they grow. Those
mulberry-trees, which were planted on this island, succeed very well,
though they are placed in a poor soil. Their foliage is large and
thick, but they did not bear any fruits this year. However, I was
informed that they can bear a considerable degree of cold.
The Waterbeech was planted here in a shady place, and was grown to a
great height. All the French hereabouts call it Cotonier [22]. It is
never found wild near the river St. Lawrence; nor north of fort St.
Frederic, where it is now very scarce.
The red Cedar is called Cedre rouge by the French, and it was likewise
planted in the governor’s garden, whither it had been brought from more
southern parts, for it is not to be met with in the forests hereabouts.
However, it came on very well here.
About half an hour after seven in the evening we left this pleasant
island, and an hour after our return the baron de Longueuil received
two agreeable pieces of news at once. The first was, that his son, who
had been two years in France, was returned; and the second, that he had
brought with him the royal patents for his father, by which he was
appointed governor of Montreal, and the country belonging to it.
They make use of fans here, which are made of the tails of the wild
turkeys. As soon as the birds are shot, their tails are spread like
fans, and dried, by which means they keep their figure. The ladies and
the men of distinction in town wear these fans, when they walk in the
streets, during the intenseness of the heat.
All the grass on the meadows round Montreal, consists chiefly of a
species of Meadow-grass, or the Poa capillaris, Linn. [23] This is a
very slender grass, which grows very close, and succeeds even on the
driest hills. It is however not rich in foliage; and the slender stalk
is chiefly used for hay. We have numerous kinds of grasses in Sweden,
which make infinitely finer meadows than this.
July the 30th. The wild Plumb-trees grow in great abundance on the
hills, along the rivulets about the town. They were so loaded with
fruit, that the boughs were quite bent downwards by the weight. The
fruit was not yet ripe, but when it comes to that perfection, it has a
red colour and a fine taste, and preserves are sometimes made of it.
Black Currants (Ribes nigrum, Linn.) are plentiful in the same places,
and its berries were ripe at this time. They are very small, and not by
far so agreeable as those in Sweden.
Parsneps grow in great abundance on the rising banks of rivers, along
the corn-fields, and in other places. This led me to think, that they
were original natives of America, and not first brought over by the
Europeans. But on my journey into the country of the Iroquois, where no
European ever had a settlement, I never once saw it, though the soil
was excellent; and from hence it appears plain enough, that it was
transported hither from Europe, and is not originally an American
plant; and therefore it is in vain sought for in any part of this
continent except among the European settlements.
August the 1st. The governor-general of Canada commonly resides at
Quebec; but he frequently goes to Montreal, and generally spends the
winter there. In summer he chiefly resides at Quebec, on account of the
king’s ships, which arrive there during that season, and bring him
letters, which he must answer; besides other business which comes in
about that time. During his residence in Montreal he lives in the
castle, as it is called, which is a large house of stone, built by
governor-general Vaudreuil, and still belonging to his family, who hire
it to the king. The governor-general de la Galissonniere is said to
like Montreal better than Quebec, and indeed the situation of the
former is by far the more agreeable one.
They have in Canada scarce any other but paper-currency. I hardly ever
saw any coin, except French sols, consisting of brass, with a very
small mixture of silver; they were quite thin by constant circulation,
and were valued at a sol and a half. The bills are not printed, but
written. Their origin is as follows. The French king having found it
very dangerous to send money for the pay of the troops, and other
purposes, over to Canada, on account of privateers, shipwrecks, and
other accidents; he ordered that instead of it the intendant, or king’s
steward, at Quebec, or the commissary at Montreal, is to write bills
for the value of the sums which are due to the troops, and which he
distributes to each soldier. On these bills is inscribed, that they
bear the value of such or such a sum, till next October; and they are
signed by the intendant, or the commissary; and in the interval they
bear the value of money. In the month of October, at a certain stated
time, every one brings the bills in his possession to the intendant at
Quebec, or the commissary at Montreal, who exchanges them for bills of
exchange upon France, which are paid there in lawful money, at the
king’s exchequer, as soon as they are presented. If the money is not
yet wanted, the bill may be kept till next October, when it may be
exchanged by one of those gentlemen, for a bill upon France. The paper
money can only be delivered in October, and exchanged for bills upon
France. They are of different values, and some do not exceed a livre,
and perhaps some are still less. Towards autumn when the merchants
ships come in from France, the merchants endeavour to get as many bills
as they can, and change them for bills upon the French treasury. These
bills are partly printed, spaces being left for the name, sum, &c. But
the first bill, or paper currency is all wrote, and is therefore
subject to be counterfeited, which has sometimes been done; but the
great punishments, which have been inflicted upon the authors of these
forged bills, and which generally are capital, have deterred people
from attempting it again; so that examples of this kind are very scarce
at present. As there is a great want of small coin here, the buyers, or
sellers, were frequently obliged to suffer a small loss, and could pay
no intermediate prices between one livre and two [24].
They commonly give one hundred and fifty livres a year to a faithful
and diligent footman, and to a maid-servant of the same character one
hundred livres. A journeymen to an artist gets three or four livres a
day, and a common labouring man gets thirty or forty sols a day. The
scarcity of labouring people occasions the wages to be so high; for
almost every body finds it so easy to set up as a farmer in this
uncultivated country, where he can live well, and at a small expence,
that he does not care to serve and work for others.
Montreal is the second town in Canada, in regard to size and wealth;
but it is the first on account of its fine situation, and mild climate.
Somewhat above the town, the river St. Lawrence divides into several
branches, and by that means forms several islands, among which the isle
of Montreal is the greatest. It is ten French miles long, and near four
broad, in its broadest part. The town of Montreal is built on the
eastern side of the island, and close to one of the most considerable
branches of the river St. Lawrence; and thus it receives a very
pleasant, and advantageous situation. The town has a quadrangular form,
or rather it is a rectangular parallelogram, the long and eastern side
of which extends along the great branch of the river. On the other side
it is surrounded with excellent corn-fields, charming meadows, and
delightful woods. It has got the name of Montreal from a great
mountain, about half a mile westwards of the town, and lifting its head
far above the woods. Mons. Cartier, one of the first Frenchmen who
surveyed Canada more accurately, called this mountain so, on his
arrival in this island, in the year 1535, when he visited the mountain,
and the Indian town Hoshelaga near it. The priests who, according to
the Roman catholic way, would call every place in this country after
some saint or other, called Montreal, Ville Marie, but they have not
been able to make this name general, for it has always kept its first
name. It is pretty well fortified, and surrounded with a high and thick
wall. On the east side it has the river St. Lawrence, and on all the
other sides a deep ditch filled with water, which secures the
inhabitants against all danger from the sudden incursions of the
enemy’s troops. However, it cannot long stand a regular siege, because
it requires a great garrison, on account of its extent; and because it
consists chiefly of wooden houses. Here are several churches, of which
I shall only mention that belonging to the friars of the order of St.
Sulpitius, that of the Jesuits, that of the Franciscan friars, that
belonging to the nunnery, and that of the hospital; of which the first
is however by far the finest, both in regard to its outward and inward
ornaments, not only in this place, but in all Canada. The priests of
the seminary of St. Sulpitius have a fine large house, where they live
together. The college of the Franciscan friars is likewise spacious,
and has good walls, but it is not so magnificent as the former. The
college of the Jesuits is small, but well built. To each of these three
buildings are annexed fine large gardens, for the amusement, health,
and use of the communities to which they belong. Same of the houses in
the town are built of stone, but most of them are of timber, though
very neatly built. Each of the better sort of houses has a door towards
the street, with a seat on each side of it, for amusement and
recreation in the morning and evening. The long streets are broad and
strait, and divided at right angles by the short ones: some are paved,
but most of them very uneven. The gates of the town are numerous; on
the east side of the town towards the river are five, two great and
three lesser ones; and on the other side are likewise several. The
governor-general of Canada, when he is at Montreal, resides in the
castle, which the government hires for that purpose of the family of
Vaudreuil; but the governor of Montreal is obliged to buy or hire a
house in town; though I was told, that the government contributed
towards paying the rents.
In the town is a Nunnery, and without its walls half a one; for though
the last was quite ready, however, it had not yet been confirmed by the
pope. In the first they do not receive every girl that offers herself;
for their parents must pay about five hundred ecus, or crowns, for
them. Some indeed are admitted for three hundred ecus, but they are
obliged to serve those who pay more than they. No poor girls are taken
in.
The king has erected a hospital for sick soldiers here. The sick person
there is provided with every thing he wants, and the king pays twelve
sols every day for his stay, attendance, &c. The surgeons are paid by
the king. When an officer is brought to this hospital, who is fallen
sick in the service of the crown, he receives victuals and attendance
gratis: but if he has got a sickness in the execution of his private
concerns, and comes to be cured here, he must pay it out of his own
purse. When there is room enough in the hospital, they likewise take in
some of the sick inhabitants of the town and country. They have the
medicines, and the attendance of the surgeons, gratis, but must pay
twelve sols per day for meat, &c.
Every Friday is a market-day, when the country people come to the town
with provisions, and those who want them must supply themselves on that
day, because it is the only market-day in the whole week. On that day
likewise a number of Indians come to town, to sell their goods, and buy
others.
The declination of the magnetic needle was here ten degrees and
thirty-eight minutes, west. Mr. Gillion, one of the priests here, who
had a particular taste for mathematicks and astronomy, had drawn a
meridian in the garden of the seminary, which he said he had examined
repeatedly by the sun and stars, and found to be very exact. I compared
my compass with it, taking care, that no iron was near it, and found
its declination just the same, as that which I have before mentioned.
According to Mons. Gillion’s observations, the latitude of Montreal is
forty-five degrees and twenty-seven minutes.
Monsr. Pontarion, another priest, had made thermometrical observations
in Montreal, from the beginning of this year 1749. He made use of
Reaumur’s thermometer, which he placed sometimes in a window half open,
and sometimes in one quite open, and accordingly it will seldom mark
the greatest degree of cold in the air. However, I shall give a short
abstract of his observations for the winter months. In January the
greatest cold was on the 18th day of the month, when the Reaumurian
thermometer was twenty-three degrees below the freezing point. The
least degree of cold was on the 31st of the same month, when it was
just at the freezing point, but most of the days of this month it was
from twelve to fifteen degrees below the freezing point. In February
the greatest cold was on the 19th, and 25th, when the thermometer was
fourteen degrees below the freezing point; and the least was on the 3d
day of that month, when it rose eight degrees above the freezing point;
but it was generally eleven degrees below it. In March the greatest
cold was on the 3d, when it was ten degrees below the freezing point,
and on the 22d, 23d, and 24th, it was mildest, being fifteen degrees
above it: in general it was four degrees below it. In April the
greatest degree of cold happened on the 7th, the thermometer being five
degrees below the freezing point; the 25th was the mildest day, it
being twenty degrees above the freezing point; but in general it was
twelve degrees above it. These are the contents chiefly of Mons.
Pontarion’s observations during those months; but I found, by the
manner he made his observations, that the cold had every day been from
four to six degrees greater, than he had marked it. He had likewise
marked in his journal, that the ice in the river St. Lawrence broke on
the 3d of April at Montreal, and only on the 20th day of that month at
Quebec. On the 3d of May some trees began to flower at Montreal, and on
the 12th the hoary frost was so great, that the trees were quite
covered with it, as with snow. The ice in the river close to this town
is every winter above a French foot thick, and sometimes it is two of
such feet, as I was informed by all whom I consulted on that head.
Several of the friars here told me, that the summers were remarkably
longer in Canada, since its cultivation, than they used to be before;
it begins earlier, and ends later. The winters on the other hand are
much shorter; but the friars were of opinion, that they were as hard as
formerly, though they were not of the same duration; and likewise, that
the summer at present was no hotter, than it used to be. The coldest
winds at Montreal are those from the north and north-west.
August the 2d. Early this morning we left Montreal, and went in a
bateau on our journey to Quebec, in company with the second major of
Montreal, M. de Sermonvile. We fell down the river St. Lawrence, which
was here pretty broad on our left; on the north-west side was the isle
of Montreal, and on the right a number of other isles, and the shore.
The isle of Montreal was closely inhabited along the river; and it was
very plain, and the rising land near the shore consisted of pure mould,
and was between three or four yards high. The woods were cut down along
the river-side, for the distance of an English mile. The
dwelling-houses were built of wood, or stone, indiscriminately, and
white-washed on the outside. The other buildings, such as barns,
stables, &c. were all of wood. The ground next to the river was turned
either into corn-fields, or meadows. Now and then we perceived churches
on both sides of the river, the steeples of which were generally on
that side of the church, which looked towards the river, because they
are not obliged here to put the steeples on the west end of the
churches. Within six French miles of Montreal we saw several islands of
different sizes on the river, and most of them were inhabited; and if
some of them were without houses on them, they were sometimes turned
into corn-fields, but generally into meadows. We saw no mountains,
hills, rocks, or stones to-day, the country being flat throughout, and
consisting of pure mould.
All the farms in Canada stand separate from each other, so that each
farmer has his possessions entirely distinct from those of his
neighbour. Each church, it is true, has a little village near it; but
that consists chiefly of the parsonage, a school for the boys and girls
of the place, and of the houses of tradesmen, but rarely of
farm-houses; and if that was the case, yet their fields were separated.
The farm-houses hereabouts are generally built all along the rising
banks of the river, either close to the water or at some distance from
it, and about three or four arpens from each other. To some farms are
annexed small orchards; but they are in general without them; however,
almost every farmer has a kitchen-garden.