_Journey from the Falls of Niagara to Montreal.-- The
Battle-ground at Queenstown.-- Newark.-- Kingston.-- Montreal._
On Thursday, the 25th of August, we took our final leave of the falls,
in the forenoon, in company with the Grymes and Clare families, for the
town of Newark, which is situated at the junction of the Niagara with
Lake Ontario, on the Canada shore, about fourteen miles distant. At
first our road passed over small hills, until we reached the
battle-ground at Queenstown, a steep hill, which is situated behind
Queenstown, and commands a view of the whole surrounding country. From
this, the country as far as Lake Ontario, is more level. Opposite to
Queenstown, on the American shore, is Lewistown.
The battle of Queenstown took place on the 13th of October, 1812. The
English, under the command of General Brock, occupied the heights, whose
right wing borders on the Niagara, having a deep ravine in front, and
whose left wing gradually slopes towards other no less considerable
eminences, which they had slightly fortified. General Solomon Van
Rensselaer, the present post-master in Albany, and cousin of General Van
Rensselaer, the patroon, encamped with the American troops, consisting
of regulars and militia, on the opposite shore, near Lewistown. General
Van Rensselaer was apprised that General Brock, with the greatest part
of his corps, had marched towards the west, and that there were but few
troops left on the heights. He determined therefore to cross the river,
to make himself master of so important a position. During the night he
conveyed his regulars, about one thousand four hundred men, over the
river, and gave orders that the militia should follow on the return of
the boats, and form a reserve in the rear. These troops gained the
heights, and nearly surprised the British, who, notwithstanding, made a
bold resistance. The Americans would, however, have remained masters of
the field, had not General Brock returned with his detachment. Brock was
a brave soldier, and hearing that the troops whom he had left behind,
were in a dangerous position, he immediately attacked the Americans with
but a single company. In this attack he found a glorious and memorable
death. The Americans kept the heights as long as possible; their
ammunition, however, being nearly exhausted, General Van Rensselaer sent
orders to the militia to advance. The general himself hastened to the
opposite shore to accelerate their movements; he was answered that they
were ready to defend the borders of the United States, but it was
contrary to the laws of the country to take them out of it. The troops
of the line in the meanwhile, having exhausted their ammunition, were
obliged to retreat; they expected to embark, but not finding any boats,
they were compelled, after a heroic defence to surrender as prisoners of
war. On the place where General Brock fell, the parliament of Canada has
erected a monument to the memory of that brave and intrepid soldier. It
consists of a lofty column, which may be observed from every part of the
adjacent country. It was not yet completed, and wanted the inscription.
We expected to meet the steam-boat Queenstown at Newark, in order to
proceed to Kingston, on the eastern extremity of Lake Ontario. We missed
it, however, and were afterwards informed that it had been obliged to
put in at another harbour on account of repairs. We were compelled,
therefore, to remain three days at Newark. Newark is a regularly built
town, with several handsome houses; it is situated at the outlet of the
Niagara into Lake Ontario, between Fort George and Missagua. Fort
Missagua is near the lake; Fort George lies south of Newark, and is in
ruins. During the last war, both these forts were occupied by the
Americans, and from Fort George towards the town, they had raised a
bulwark so as to form a kind of intrenchment. After they had evacuated
this position, and were obliged to retreat to the right shore of the
Niagara, the commander, General M‘Clure, burnt the town of Newark, an
act for which he has been severely censured by his country. Since this
occurred, the village has never properly recovered, and its future
increase will also be slow, especially as government is digging a canal
to the west of Newark, which is to connect Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario,
which will probably hereafter withdraw all the transitory commerce. Our
time passed very agreeably in this town, particularly through the
attention of the worthy Sir Peregrine Maitland, who had come hither; the
politeness of Major Cob, and the gallant officers of the seventy-sixth
regiment, of which four companies were at Newark, as well as the
delightful singing of Mrs. Grymes, who remained with her husband, while
many others, with whom we had expected to sail, went away.
We visited Fort Niagara, which is situated on the American shore, and
which, in consequence of its white houses, and its waving flag, presents
a very handsome appearance. The fort lies on a neck of land; it was
erected by the French in the middle of the last century, and was shortly
after taken by the British. After the peace of Versailles in 1783, it
fell into the possession of the United States, was retaken during the
late war by the British, and at the peace of Ghent, was again obtained
by the United States. We saw all that was to be seen, and found every
thing clean and comfortable. I will only further remark on the present
occasion, that the uniform of the United States’ Infantry is very
simple, and consists of dark blue cloth, with one row of white buttons,
blue lace collars and cuffs of the same, white cord, and leather caps.
We also visited the village of the Tuscarora tribe of Indians, who
reside within the limits of the United States, about three miles from
Lewistown. The village consists of single houses, or wigwams, and is
handsomely situated in a valley surrounded by forests. It contains a
frame church, in which the service is performed by a methodist
missionary, who also, during the winter, keeps school for their
children. Most of the houses are surrounded by gardens and orchards; and
the fields, in which they mostly cultivate Indian corn, appeared to be
in a very good condition. We were conducted into the house of an Indian,
about forty years of age, who had been educated in one of the schools in
New York, who speaks and writes English fluently. We found him in his
bed suffering from an attack of rheumatism. He inquired after our native
countries, and was pretty well acquainted with their geography. We
examined his library, and found that it consisted chiefly of methodist
religious books, with a history of the United States. He also had a
collection of Indian implements of war, consisting of a club of hickory
wood, a battle-axe of stone, bows and arrows, the points of which are
flint, very artificially made; an oblong stone, a kind of serpentine,
which the savages wear on their breasts during an engagement, and
ornaments of glass beads and shells, which they wear around their waists
in time of battle. All these articles I wished to buy; but the Indian
told me that he kept them for the inspection of strangers, and that they
were not for sale. Instead of them, he sold me some mocassins, a kind of
soft leather shoe, made of buckskin, which are ornamented with silk and
beads, and a small basket. Amongst the Indians, the women are obliged to
do all the work, even of the most degrading kind. Mr. Tromp, in order to
see several articles more conveniently, had placed his hat on the floor,
which was scarcely observed by the Indian, before he desired Mrs. Grymes
to put it upon a chair. His grandson, a boy of eleven years, shot very
expertly at an apple with his bow and arrow.
The steam-boat Frontenac, arrived in the evening after our return, and
was to sail on the following day for Kingston. We went on board and
examined her cabin. Around the dining-cabin there are six chambers, each
containing four births. I was shown into one of these, in which I could
lie at full length. In the ladies cabin are fourteen births. A great
part of the deck was covered by an awning, so that passengers could
enjoy the fresh air at the same time that they were protected from the
sun or bad weather. The boat carries seven hundred and fifty tons, and
has an engine made by Bolton and Watt, at Soho, near Birmingham, of
twenty-seven horse-power. Sir Peregrine Maitland conveyed me to this
vessel in his carriage. She lay at anchor off Fort George. Sir Peregrine
had the great politeness to station one of the companies of the
seventy-sixth regiment with a flag, to fire a salute of twenty-one guns;
and his attention was still farther shown in sending his son along, that
I might have no difficulty in seeing the navy-yard, at Kingston. The
Frontenac sailed at half past five o’clock. In a few moments we were on
the lake, and in a short time lost sight of land, and were apparently in
the open sea. There was but little wind, and the vessel, in consequence
of its great size, produced no disagreeable rocking. During the whole
evening we were entertained by Mrs. Grymes, by her delightful
performance on the guitar, and by her singing French and Spanish songs.
The night passed quietly; but it was otherwise at break of day. It
rained repeatedly; the wind grew stronger; the vessel pitched, and
several persons became sea-sick. Lake Ontario is of an elliptical form,
is about two hundred miles long, and fifty-five miles at its widest
part. It is everywhere very deep, in some places five hundred feet, and
never freezes completely over. It contains several good harbours, and
the boundary line between Canada and the United States, divides it into
two nearly equal parts.
In the afternoon we saw a small peninsula towards the west, called
Prince Edward’s Island, and passed between a cluster of small islands,
called the Ducks. About nine o’clock in the evening we reached Kingston,
the British harbour on Lake Ontario. We cast anchor close by the town.
I spent the night on board, and in the morning, as I awoke, I found one
of the companies of the thirty-seventh regiment, who are here in
garrison, marching along the quay, near the vessel, as a guard of
honour, accompanied by a band of music. I dismissed them of course
immediately, and after having received the visits of a few officers,
we rode over the bay to the dock-yard, which lies opposite to Kingston,
surrounded by a high wall and protected by a strong guard. By the
navy-list I ascertained that there are ten ships here, with three
hundred and six guns, in ordinary. It appeared to me, however, that the
number of guns was greater, for the St. Lawrence, one of these vessels,
carried one hundred and twenty guns, and two which are yet on the
stocks, the Montreal and Wolf, have three decks, and ports for one
hundred and thirty guns each. According to the stipulation of the treaty
of Ghent, they are not permitted to build any ships here during time of
peace; so that the soldiers at the arsenal consisted merely of the
necessary officers, besides twelve carpenters, who had scarcely any
thing to do, but to work at an elegant little schooner, which was
shortly to be launched to serve as a yacht. The large vessels on the
stocks were uncovered, and appeared to have suffered much from the
weather. The St. Lawrence was the largest vessel in the river, and is
said also to be in a state of decay; her bottom especially has suffered
from the effects of the fresh water and worms. The wharves of the
dock-yard are built of wood, and bear marks of the haste in which they
were erected; they were in a bad condition. Within a few years they have
erected a magazine, three stories high and one hundred and ninety-two
feet long, with iron doors and shutters, for the preservation of the
sails and cordage. The partitions in the inside are made of wood.
Immediately on our entrance into the magazine the large iron door was
locked and kept so, inasmuch as they greatly mistrust the Americans.
Beneath the building is a cellar, which is also occupied as a magazine,
and the floor of which consists of limestone, which serves for the
foundation of the whole building. The stairs are of stone, and are built
into a tower; they intend also at some future period, to make the
different floors fire-proof, like the magazine at Plymouth, by covering
them with iron. In a distinct massy building are the forges, and in a
third the offices. By the side of the offices is a large room, which
contains the different articles used in ship-building. Opposite to the
dock-yard, on a neck of land, is Fort Frederick, which I had not time to
visit. Behind the dock-yard, upon a small height, stood a number of
tents. We were informed that about four hundred Irish emigrants had
encamped there, who had been sent to this country at the expense of the
English government, to settle a piece of land on the north-western bank
of Lake Ontario, whither they were soon to go. The town of Kingston
contains about two thousand inhabitants, and is built in the usual
style.
We left Kingston after eleven o’clock, on board the steam-boat Lady
Dalhousie, for Prescott, sixty-eight miles from Kingston, on the left
bank of the St. Lawrence. Adjutant Maitland left us at Kingston, but the
rest of the company remained. We had scarcely left this place before we
sailed round a promontory on which stands Fort Henry, into the St.
Lawrence. This river is here very wide, and forms an archipelago about
fifty miles in length, called the thousand islands. The English and
American commissioners for determining the boundary line, took the pains
to count these islands, and found that they amounted to sixteen hundred
and ninety-two; in this calculation, however, they have included every
projecting rock, even if it had but a single tree. This archipelago
presents a beautiful prospect; most of the islands are rocky, and are
overgrown with trees, generally cedars. Here and there a fir reared his
lofty head, which, generally growing upon the bare rocks, where the
trees are less numerous, presents a picturesque appearance. We observed
something similar to the picture of Frederick, of which we were often
reminded in descending the St. Lawrence. Eighteen miles from Kingston
our vessel stopped at the village of Gananoqui, on the Canada shore,
to take in wood. I went for a moment ashore and found an insignificant
village, in the neighbourhood of which the river of the same name falls
into the St. Lawrence. The Gananoqui river has a rocky bed, and is
crossed by a wooden bridge, beyond which, upon a small eminence, is a
square two story log-house, the upper story of which was formerly
occupied as a garrison by about forty men. During the late war the
Americans got possession here of an English post and a magazine, in
consequence of which they built this block-house. At the extremity of
the archipelago of the thousands islands is a similar block-house for
the protection of the navigation of the river.
On the Canada shore, about fifty miles below Kingston, where the
archipelago terminates, is the small village of Brockville, where there
are some fine magazines near the river. At this place the night set in,
which was warm and moonlight. We found two taverns in the village, but
they were so full of people, and had such a dirty appearance, that I
preferred spending the night on board the steam-boat, and my example was
followed by the families of Messrs. Clare and Grymes. The steam-boat
carried one hundred tons, and was of twenty-five horse power, but she
was by no means so convenient and comfortable as the Frontenac.
At this place commence the rapids of the St. Lawrence. They are formed
by rocks, which extend obliquely across the river, over which the water
rushes with tremendous force, so that between this place and Montreal,
a distance of one hundred and thirteen miles, the steam-boats can run
only a part of the way. On this account, therefore, there is a line of
stage-coaches and steam-boats between Prescott and Montreal, which take
the passengers alternately, and produce much vexation in consequence of
the baggage. The rapids may be descended in bateaux, or Durham-boats,
which are small, flat vessels of about forty tons, have but half deck,
and draw eighteen inches of water. The Durham-boats have a mast and two
sails, and carry large cargoes of goods. We were anxious to undertake
the passage, in order to see the rapids, and to ascertain the danger of
which so much has been spoken. We therefore went on board a Durham-boat,
the Flying Dutchman, paid two dollars for each passenger, and were
assured by the captain, that, if the wind should be good, we should be
at Montreal in a day. Sir Michael resolved to attempt the enterprise,
and his lady accompanied him, in spite of her fears. Mrs. Grymes,
however, was so much afraid, that she preferred travelling partly in the
stage and partly by steam-boat.
We embarked on board the Flying Dutchman, at about 6 o’clock, early in
the morning of the 30th August. The morning was delightful, and as we
were much pleased with the beautiful prospect of Prescott, in the
neighbourhood of which is Fort Wellington, a redoubt, which was built
during the late war.
On the American shore we saw the town of Ogdensburgh, which was
fortified by the Americans during the late war, but soon fell into the
hands of the British. The comforts of our vessel were not, as we have
remarked, very great. It was open, a few barrels of potash served us as
a floor; and boards laid across our trunks as seats. Six miles below
Prescott we arrived at a few islands called the Gallop Islands, and the
first rapids. As we approached, the water appeared to be boiling, and
high foaming billows arose, over which our boat passed rapidly. They are
not so high as the swells at sea, but they are very short and rapid in
their movements. As our Durham-boat, however, was remarkably long, it
divided them without producing any disagreeable motion. Scarcely had we
passed the rapids before the river became again smooth, and as we had
scarcely any wind, our progress was but slow. Another set of rapids,
nine miles long, were passed in an hour, and with no more danger than
the preceding. We were assured, however, that a branch of these rapids,
from which we were separated by an island, are very dangerous. It is
called the least channel; and Duncan, in his Journal, gives a beautiful
description of a shipwreck that occurred here, in which many lives were
lost. Our vessel was not only flat at the bottom, like all the others
that pass these rapids, but had also an ingenious false keel, which
could be lowered and raised as the water was either shallow or deep. Our
passengers were principally of the lower class of Canadians, who spoke
bad French, somewhat like the Walloon. There was also a lively young
black bear, three months old, on board.
About twenty miles below Longsault, we reached the village of Cornwall,
on the Canada shore. The wind was so feeble that we had no hopes of
reaching a good tavern before dark, we determined, therefore, to stay
here all night. Towards evening, Mr. Grymes’ family also arrived by
land, and took lodgings at the same tavern. The village is small, but
the streets intersect each other at right angles, and contain several
new stone houses. It appears to be a place of little business. The
country is pretty flat, and the plain near the village is used by the
British as a race-ground. A race was to take place in a few days, horses
had already arrived and lodgings were bespoken. The British government
sends many Scotch emigrants into this part of the country.
Our departure on the following morning was delayed two hours by the
ladies; and it was not until about 7 o’clock that we left Cornwall in
our Durham-boat. The morning was very pleasant, and in consequence of a
rather strong southerly wind, we glided rapidly along. Five miles below
Cornwall, on the right shore, we saw the village of St. Regis, the last
belonging to the United States. The American line here leaves the St.
Lawrence, both shores of which belong to Canada as far as its outlet
into the sea. On the left bank of the river we descried a new Scotch
village, called Glengary Settlement. Farther on, you reach a lake,
called Lac St. François, through which the St. Lawrence flows, and
through which the boundary line between Upper and Lower Canada is drawn.
This lake, which is about forty miles long, and six broad, contains a
number of islands. Not far from St. Regis we passed one of these
islands, which is inhabited by some Indians, who have been baptized by a
Catholic missionary, and have their island in a good state of
cultivation. One of the Indians, with his wife, came along side of us in
a canoe, and sold us some fish. At the point where Lac St. François
terminates, and where the St. Lawrence again commences, is the village
of Coteau de Lac, on the left bank of the river. At this village is a
pretty strong rapid, stronger than those we passed yesterday. In order
that this rapid may be avoided, and that vessels may ascend with more
ease, the government has had a canal dug along the river, which has two
locks, and is covered by a small fort, Fort du Coteau.
Our captain had business at the custom-house; he stopped therefore for
an hour, during which I had time to look at the fort; after which we
continued our course in a strong wind which was brought on by a
thunder-storm. The shores and islands of the river are generally covered
with cedar trees, and amongst them we observed some neat houses and
churches, with bright tin roofs. At the village of Coteau des Cèdres, we
were obliged to encounter the last and most dangerous rapid, called the
Cascades. The waves were uncommonly high, and our vessel passed over the
dangerous parts with incredible velocity. Along these rapids there is
also a canal provided with locks, and intended to facilitate the ascent
of vessels. If these rapids are viewed from the shore, it appears
incredible that a canoe should venture in without being swallowed up.
Such a misfortune, however, does not happen, as we had just proved.
Below this rapid the river, where it receives the Ottawa, again spreads
out so as to form another lake called Lac St. Louis. North of this lake,
and at the place where the Ottawa unites with the St. Lawrence, it forms
another lake, Lac des deux Montagnes, which is separated from Lac St.
Louis by three islands, called Jesus, Perrot, and Montreal. The
thunder-storm passed close by us; the wind blew heavy, but favourably.
We met a steam-boat, having a corpse on board, and her flag at
half-mast; this was a bad omen! Another steam-boat got ahead of us as we
were passing towards La Chine, and excited our desire to sail faster;
but suddenly we saw a terrible storm approaching. In an instant every
hand was endeavouring to take down the sails, and the small one was
fortunately drawn in before the arrival of the squall, but the large
one, in consequence of its bad cordage, was only half way down when it
struck us. Near us we observed a sound, with a dangerous cliff, which it
was necessary to avoid by steering to the left, but we were driven
directly towards it. Six men could scarcely manage the helm. Half of the
sail floated in the water, and our destruction appeared inevitable. No
one knew who commanded; the sailors thought themselves better qualified
than the captain, and every thing was hurry and confusion. I deemed it
best to remain silent, and commit myself to the care of Providence, who
guides the destinies of man. At length a sailor climbed the mast and cut
the cord, so that the sail could be taken down, by which time we had
fortunately passed the sound. The storm also, which altogether did not
last much longer than five minutes, began to abate. The steam-boat ahead
had been in the same dangerous situation, and would have been cast upon
the rocks in the sound, had she not speedily returned into the lake,
where she cast anchor. Immediately after the storm, during which it had
rained, we observed a remarkable phenomenon, viz. a fall of white-winged
insects, of which a great quantity fell upon our boat. It continued
during five minutes. These insects had in all probability been driven
from the neighbouring forests. The storm, though unpleasant, had the
effect of propelling us swiftly forwards. After 6 o’clock in the
evening, we reached without any other unpleasant occurrence La Chine,
a village, which has a harbour situated upon the island of Montreal.
La Chine appears to be an insignificant village, though in consequence
of its favourable situation, it is said to do considerable business. The
French was spoken so badly here, that I thought myself transported to
our provinces of Hennegau or Namur. The village is said to have obtained
its name from the circumstance that during the time the country was
occupied by the French colony, they believed they could pass to China by
way of the St. Lawrence; and with this object, an expedition had been
fitted out, which embarked at La Chine.
Between La Chine and Montreal, the river has a very dangerous rapid, on
account of which the government has built a canal as far as this place,
which is nine miles long, has several locks, and is said to be of much
importance to the trade. As we preferred going by land we hired a
stage-coach, and started about eight o’clock in the evening during a
violent thunder-storm. Lady Clare, who was scarcely recovered from the
fear which she experienced on the water, would willingly have spent the
night here in a tavern, as she was much afraid to travel during a
thunder-storm at night. It soon turned out that her fears were not
unfounded. We had scarcely passed three miles over a good turnpike road,
before we came in contact with several carts that stood in front of a
tavern, loaded with iron bars. The drivers had gone into the tavern, and
left their carts in the middle of the road, and as the night was dark we
approached one of them so suddenly that three of the iron bars entered
the breast of our shaft-horse, which immediately fell and expired. After
much dispute between the coachman and the carters, we rode on with three
horses, and arrived at Montreal about ten o’clock at night. We stopt at
the Masonic Hall, a hotel which has been established within the last
year. It is a very large, convenient, massy building, four stories high,
and built of blue stone. It affords a fine view of the St. Lawrence,
which is upwards of twelve hundred yards wide here. At our arrival,
I became immediately acquainted with Captain Mellish, of the engineers,
who was sent from England on a scientific expedition into the interior
of the colony.
We remained at Montreal nearly three days. The city, which I examined in
company with Lieutenant Colonel Evans of the seventieth regiment, in
garrison here, contains about twenty-five thousand inhabitants. It
extends upon a hill to a considerable distance, between the St. Lawrence
and Le Mont Réal, which is about seven hundred feet high, and is lined
with timber. It has two principal streets, which run parallel with the
river, and are intersected by a third, that runs along the ditch of the
demolished fortresses. The houses are generally built of blue stone, and
covered with bright tin, have iron doors and shutters to protect them
against the fire, which give the city a very dismal appearance. In our
walk we passed a number of young men who wore belts, and were dressed in
blue coats, the seams of which were covered with white cord. We were
informed that they were the pupils of the Catholic ecclesiastical
school. It is well known that most of the Canadians, and four-fifth of
the inhabitants of Montreal, are Catholics; they are bigotted, and the
lower classes are exceedingly ignorant. There is a very broad street,
which unites the two principal streets, and in the centre is the
market-house. At one of the extremities of this street, are the
court-house and prison; behind which is the place where the old forts
stood, since converted into a parade. Montreal has several hospitals,
which are superintended by nurses. These hospitals, however, are not
sufficient, especially as the nuns do not admit any fever patients. In
consequence of this, some of the most wealthy citizens have joined, and
selected a healthy spot, on which they have erected a new hospital,
three stories high, capable of containing seventy patients of both
sexes. In this hospital, the sick, fifty in number, receive cheap and
excellent accommodations. They are under the care of nurses, and are
attended gratis, by the best physicians of the city. The arrangement is
similar to that of the hospital at Boston, but there is less of luxury
here in their management.
The public library is as yet small, though it is rapidly increasing. It
has united with it a cabinet of natural history. We also observed the
foundation for a large cathedral, which is to be built by private
contributions. At the barracks of the subalterns, I was much pleased
with the mess-room, which has a library connected with it; I was also
much gratified with the school for the education of the soldiers, and
their children. The barracks were formerly occupied as the Jesuit
college, which stood in the old French citadel, of which not a vestige
remains. Not far from the barracks is a steam-engine, which conveys the
water from the river into the city, at the same time that it moves a
mill. At the market-house stands a monument erected by the colony in
honour of Lord Nelson. It consists of a statue resting upon a single
column. On one side of the pedestal is an inscription; two others
contain representations of naval engagements; and the fourth,
a representation of the capitulation of Copenhagen.
The next day, Lieutenant-colonel Mac Gregor conducted me to the parade,
where a part of his regiment was assembled. They formed a battalion of
six divisions. The battalion exercises were not performed, but the
manœuvres, which were very complicated, and only adapted to the place,
were executed with much precision and admirable celerity. I learned a
new mode of making ready. At the command “ready,” the soldiers levelled
their muskets, cocked them in this position; at the command “fire,” they
brought them slowly to their cheeks. The infantry were divided into two
bodies, but in making a flank march, they formed into three, by passing
through the files. The platoons were divided into sections, containing
from four to six files, in consequence of which the oblique march was
easily executed.
After this manœuvre was completed, we took a boat, in company with the
officers, for the island of St. Helen, oppositely to Montreal, in the
middle of the St. Lawrence. This island contains a large artillery
depôt, under the direction of Major Wallace. Upon landing we were
saluted with a discharge of twenty-one guns from the battery on the neck
of the island. This battery is of a crescent shape, and serves as a
training-place for the company of artillery stationed here. The gunners
were just practising with one nine, and one six pounder, and a
seven-inch howitzer, each of which was charged with grenades. The mark
stood in the river, and their dexterity was such that the grenade never
exploded before reaching it. The skill consists chiefly in the proper
calculation of the fuse, so that the powder of the grenade may explode
the moment it is over the mark.
St. Helen was the only point that the French retained after all Canada
had submitted to the British power. It is about two miles in
circumference, and is covered with fine elms and different kinds of nut
trees, particularly the hickory. The soldiers have made excellent paths
through and around the island. A botanic garden was established here a
few years ago by the government, in which all the North American plants
are collected, for the purpose of furnishing gardens in England. On the
north side of the island you have some beautiful views of the shores of
the river, and Montreal, with her numerous churches, and situation at
the foot of the green mountain, presents a very imposing appearance.
Here are also the arsenal and barracks, new massy buildings, which are
protected against a _coup de main_ by a breast-work, as well as by
embrasures in the walls. The interior of the island is hilly, and in a
really romantic valley is a powder-magazine, containing four thousand
barrels of powder. Through Major Wallace, who resides in a very
beautiful house at the barracks, we became acquainted with his wife and
daughter, who pass their time very pleasantly at their solitary
habitation in music and drawing. During the winter, the people who are
obliged to stay on the island are sometimes prevented from going to
Montreal for six weeks, in consequence of the ice.
After our return to Montreal we took another ramble through the city,
and observed some very large stores. As Montreal carries on some fur
trade through the Ottawa river, with the Hudson Bay and North-west
Company, I had supposed I should be able to procure some cheap fur; but
I found little that was good, and this was valued at an enormous price.
In the evening we went to the Royal Circus, whose pompous advertisement
had promised a large company of riders and a good play. The riders, four
grown persons and two boys, performed some tolerably good feats; but the
play was so badly managed that we soon returned to the house. The
theatre is in other respects handsomely arranged: it has two tiers of
boxes, and a circle for the horses, which, during the play, forms the
pit.