TORONTO.
Situation of Toronto.--The Bay.--History.--Rebellion of 1837.--
Fenian Invasion of 1866.--Population.--General Appearance.--
Sleighing.--Streets.--Railways.--Commerce.--Manufactures.--
Schools and Colleges.--Queen's Park.--Churches.--Benevolent
Institutions.--Halls and Other Public Buildings.--Hotels.--
Newspapers.--General Characteristics and Progress.
Toronto, the capital of the Province of Ontario, is situated on the
northern shore of Lake Ontario, on a beautiful and nearly circular bay,
about five miles in length, formed by a long, narrow, curved tongue of
land, extending out into the lake in a southwest direction. This harbor
is capable of receiving the largest vessels upon the lake, and is
defended at its entrance by a fort upon the extreme end of the
peninsula, which is called Gibraltar Point. This fort was thoroughly
repaired in 1864, and mounted with the most efficient modern ordnance.
Toronto was founded in 1794, by Governor Simcoe, who gave it the name of
York. In 1813, it was twice captured by the Americans, who burned the
public buildings and destroyed the fortifications. It was incorporated
as a city in 1834, when its name was changed to Toronto, an Indian word,
signifying "The place of meeting." It was the headquarters of the
Rebellion in 1837, when Sir Francis Head, then Governor of Upper Canada,
dissolved the House, for having stopped the supplies, as a retaliatory
measure upon his refusal to grant an elective legislative council. Sir
Francis had sent away from Upper Canada the whole of the Queen's army,
but putting himself at the head of the militia, he succeeded in
suppressing the insurrection. The city also suffered severely from the
fire of 1849. It has no manufactures of any importance, but, like most
of Western Canada, is chiefly dependent upon agriculture.
The growth of Toronto has been more rapid than that of any other city in
Canada. Though of such recent origin compared with many Canadian towns,
it is now second only to Montreal in size and population, the former
having increased from twelve hundred in 1837 to upwards of eighty
thousand at the present time. The site of the city is low, the
surrounding country being level, but free from swamp and perfectly dry.
The ground rises gently from the shores of the lake. The scenery in the
vicinity is tame and comparatively monotonous, though not unpleasing.
The city lies along the shores of the lake for something over two miles,
and extends inward about a mile and a half.
As one approaches Toronto its outlines appear picturesque, being varied
and broken by an unusual number of handsome spires. The traveler will be
pleasantly surprised, as he enters the city, at the extent and
excellence of its public edifices, the number of its churches, and its
general handsome and well-to-do aspect. Many of the houses and business
structures are built of light-colored brick, having a soft and cheerful
appearance. The streets are laid out regularly, crossing each other at
right angles, and, as a general thing, are well paved. In the winter
time they are filled with sleighs, and the air is alive with the music
of sleigh-bells. These sleighs are, some of them, most elegant in form
and finish, and provided with most costly furs. Every boy has his
hand-sled or "toboggan." At the same season of the year skating upon the
bay is a favorite amusement. King and Yonge streets are the leading
thoroughfares and fashionable promenades, being lined with handsome
retail stores which would do credit to any city in America. Other
important business streets are Front, Queen, York, Wellington and Bay.
Five railways centre at Toronto, connecting it with every section of
Canada, the West and the South. The principal of these are the Grand
Trunk and Great Western railways, which connect the city by through
lines with the East and West. While navigation is open magnificent
steamers connect it with all points on the lake, and carry on an
extensive commerce. It imports large quantities of lumber, both
manufactured and unmanufactured; wheat and other grain, soap, salt and
glue; while foundries, distilleries, breweries, tanneries, rope-walks,
paper and flour mills, furnish products which reach markets throughout
the Provinces and States.
Toronto is the centre of the Canadian school system, and its educational
institutions are numerous and of the highest order. It has Normal and
Model schools, in the first of which teachers exclusively are trained.
These schools, with the Educational Museum, built in the plain Italian
style, are picturesquely grouped in park-like grounds, on Church street.
The Museum contains a collection of curiosities, and a number of good
paintings and casts. The University of Toronto exhibits the finest
buildings in the city, and the finest of their kind in America. They
stand in a large park, approached by College avenue, half a mile in
length, and shaded by double rows of trees. The buildings, which are
of Norman architecture, of gray rubble stone, trimmed with Ohio and Caen
stone, form the sides of a large quadrangle. It was founded in 1843;
possesses a library of twenty thousand volumes, and a fine museum of
natural history, and has attached to it an observatory. Knox College,
Presbyterian, is situated a short distance north of the University, and
is a large building, in the Collegiate-Gothic style. Trinity College, in
Queen street west, overlooks the bay, and is an extensive and
picturesque structure, turreted and gabled, and surrounded by extensive
grounds. Upper Canada College is found in King street near John.
[Illustration: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, CANADA.]
Adjoining the University grounds is Queen's Park, embracing the most
elevated quarter of the city, and including fifty acres, handsomely laid
out. In this park a brownstone shaft, surmounted by a colossal statue of
Britannia, perpetuates the memory of the Canadians who fell in repelling
the Fenian invasion in 1866. This park is from one hundred to two
hundred feet above the level of the lake, and is surrounded by handsome
public buildings and private residences.
The Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, at the corner of King and Church
streets, is a spacious edifice, in the early English style, with lofty
tower and spire, and elaborate open roof. It was built in 1852, and is
surrounded by well shaded grounds. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St.
Michael, fronting on Bond street, is a large, decorated Gothic
structure, with stained windows, and a spire two hundred and fifty feet
high. The Wesleyan Methodist Church, in McGill street, is the finest
church of that denomination in America. Its massive tower is surmounted
by graceful pinnacles, and its interior is tastefully and richly
decorated. Knox's Church has a beautiful spire. One of the finest
church edifices in the Dominion is the Jarvis street Baptist Church, in
the decorated Gothic style. St. Andrews Presbyterian is a massive stone
structure, which dates back to the Norman style of architecture.
Toronto contains many benevolent institutions, hospitals and asylums.
Prominent among them is the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, a large and
handsome building, situated west of the city, and surrounded by two
hundred acres of handsomely ornamented grounds. The General Hospital is
a fine structure, east of the city, in Don street, near Sumach.
The Normal School Building, with its beautifully laid out grounds, is
one of the most attractive spots in the city, and the building is said
to be the largest of the kind in America. There is very little fine
scenery in the environs.
One of the most strikingly beautiful buildings of Toronto is Osgood
Hall, in Queen street, an imposing structure, of elegant Ionic
architecture, the seat of the Superior Law Courts of Upper Canada, and
containing an extensive law library. St. Lawrence Hall, in King street,
is a stately structure, in the Italian style, surmounted by a dome,
containing a public hall and reading-room. Masonic Hall, an attractive
stone building, is in Toronto street. The city contains two Opera
Houses: the Grand, capable of seating two thousand persons, and the
Royal, with accommodations for about fifteen hundred persons. The Post
Office, a handsome stone building, stands near the head of Toronto
street. The Custom House is of cut stone, of imposing proportions,
extending from Front street to the Esplanade. The City Hall stands in
Front street near the Lake Shore, in the midst of an open square, and
is an unpretentious structure, in the Italian style. Near by is the
extensive Lawrence Market. The Court House is in Church street.
Of the hotels, the Rossin House, corner of King and York streets;
Queen's Hotel, in Front street; the American House, in Yonge street; and
the Revere House, in King street, are the most noteworthy.
Toronto takes a front rank in literature, a large number of newspapers
and periodicals, daily, weekly, and monthly, being issued from its
presses. It is unlike, in many respects, its sister cities of Lower
Canada. It has more of a nineteenth century air, and more of American
and less of European characteristics, than Montreal and Quebec. The
French Canadians form a smaller proportion of its inhabitants. The
people in the streets are well dressed and comfortable looking, stout
and sturdy, though not so tall, on an average, as the people of New
York. An educated population is growing up, and Toronto already ranks
well, in general intelligence and public enterprise, with other cities
of like magnitude in the States while it outranks all others on Canadian
soil.