To Miss Rivers, Clarges Street.
Montreal, July 9.
I am arriv'd, my dear, and have brought my heart safe thro' such a
continued fire as never poor knight errant was exposed to; waited on at
every stage by blooming country girls, full of spirit and coquetry,
without any of the village bashfulness of England, and dressed like
the shepherdesses of romance. A man of adventure might make a pleasant
journey to Montreal.
The peasants are ignorant, lazy, dirty, and stupid beyond all
belief; but hospitable, courteous, civil; and, what is particularly
agreeable, they leave their wives and daughters to do the honors of the
house: in which obliging office they acquit themselves with an
attention, which, amidst every inconvenience apparent (tho' I am told
not real) poverty can cause, must please every guest who has a soul
inclin'd to be pleas'd: for my part, I was charm'd with them, and eat
my homely fare with as much pleasure as if I had been feasting on
ortolans in a palace. Their conversation is lively and amusing; all
the little knowledge of Canada is confined to the sex; very few, even
of the seigneurs, being able to write their own names.
The road from Quebec to Montreal is almost a continued street, the
villages being numerous, and so extended along the banks of the river
St. Lawrence as to leave scarce a space without houses in view; except
where here or there a river, a wood, or mountain intervenes, as if to
give a more pleasing variety to the scene. I don't remember ever having
had a more agreeable journey; the fine prospects of the day so
enliven'd by the gay chat of the evening, that I was really sorry when
I approach'd Montreal.
The island of Montreal, on which the town stands, is a very lovely
spot; highly cultivated, and tho' less wild and magnificent, more
smiling than the country round Quebec: the ladies, who seem to make
pleasure their only business, and most of whom I have seen this morning
driving about the town in calashes, and making what they call, the
_tour de la ville_, attended by English officers, seem generally
handsome, and have an air of sprightliness with which I am charm'd; I
must be acquainted with them all, for tho' my stay is to be short, I
see no reason why it should be dull. I am told they are fond of little
rural balls in the country, and intend to give one as soon as I have
paid my respects in form.
Six in the evening.
I am just come from dining with the ---- regiment, and find I have a
visit to pay I was not aware of, to two English ladies who are a few
miles out of town: one of them is wife to the major of the regiment,
and the other just going to be married to a captain in it, Sir George
Clayton, a young handsome baronet, just come to his title and a very
fine estate, by the death of a distant relation: he is at present at
New York, and I am told they are to be married as soon as he comes
back.
Eight o'clock.
I have been making some flying visits to the French ladies; tho' I
have not seen many beauties, yet in general the women are handsome;
their manner is easy and obliging, they make the most of their charms
by their vivacity, and I certainly cannot be displeas'd with their
extreme partiality for the English officers; their own men, who indeed
are not very attractive, have not the least chance for any share in
their good graces.
Thursday morning.
I am just setting out with a friend for Major Melmoth's, to pay my
compliments to the two ladies: I have no relish for this visit; I hate
misses that are going to be married; they are always so full of the
dear man, that they have not common civility to other people. I am told
however both the ladies are agreeable.
14th. Eight in the evening.
Agreeable, Lucy! she is an angel: 'tis happy for me she is engag'd;
nothing else could secure my heart, of which you know I am very
tenacious: only think of finding beauty, delicacy, sensibility, all
that can charm in woman, hid in a wood in Canada!
You say I am given to be enthusiastic in my approbations, but she is
really charming. I am resolv'd not only to have a friendship for her
myself, but that _you_ shall, and have told her so; she comes to
England as soon as she is married; you are form'd to love each other.
But I must tell you; Major Melmoth kept us a week at his house in
the country, in one continued round of rural amusements; by which I do
not mean hunting and shooting, but such pleasures as the ladies could
share; little rustic balls and parties round the neighbouring country,
in which parties we were joined by all the fine women at Montreal. Mrs.
Melmoth is a very pleasing, genteel brunette, but Emily Montague--you
will say I am in love with her if I describe her, and yet I declare to
you I am not: knowing she loves another, to whom she is soon to be
united, I see her charms with the same kind of pleasure I do yours; a
pleasure, which, tho' extremely lively, is by our situation without the
least mixture of desire.
I have said, she is charming; there are men here who do not think
so, but to me she is loveliness itself. My ideas of beauty are perhaps
a little out of the common road: I hate a woman of whom every man
coldly says, _she is handsome_; I adore beauty, but it is not meer
features or complexion to which I give that name; 'tis life,
'tis spirit, 'tis animation, 'tis--in one word, 'tis Emily
Montague--without being regularly beautiful, she charms every
sensible heart; all other women, however lovely, appear marble statues
near her: fair; pale (a paleness which gives the idea of delicacy
without destroying that of health), with dark hair and eyes, the
latter large and languishing, she seems made to feel to a trembling
excess the passion she cannot fail of inspiring: her elegant form has
an air of softness and languor, which seizes the whole soul in a
moment: her eyes, the most intelligent I ever saw, hold you enchain'd
by their bewitching sensibility.
There are a thousand unspeakable charms in her conversation; but
what I am most pleas'd with, is the attentive politeness of her manner,
which you seldom see in a person in love; the extreme desire of
pleasing one man generally taking off greatly from the attention due to
all the rest. This is partly owing to her admirable understanding, and
partly to the natural softness of her soul, which gives her the
strongest desire of pleasing. As I am a philosopher in these matters,
and have made the heart my study, I want extremely to see her with her
lover, and to observe the gradual encrease of her charms in his
presence; love, which embellishes the most unmeaning countenance, must
give to her's a fire irresistible: what eyes! when animated by
tenderness!
The very soul acquires a new force and beauty by loving; a woman of
honor never appears half so amiable, or displays half so many virtues,
as when sensible to the merit of a man who deserves her affection.
Observe, Lucy, I shall never allow you to be handsome till I hear you
are in love.
Did I tell you Emily Montague had the finest hand and arm in the
world? I should however have excepted yours: her tone of voice too has
the same melodious sweetness, a perfection without which the loveliest
woman could never make the least impression on my heart: I don't think
you are very unlike upon the whole, except that she is paler. You know,
Lucy, you have often told me I should certainly have been in love with
you if I had not been your brother: this resemblance is a proof you
were right. You are really as handsome as any woman can be whose
sensibility has never been put in motion.
I am to give a ball to-morrow; Mrs. Melmoth is to have the honors of
it, but as she is with child, she does not dance. This circumstance has
produc'd a dispute not a little flattering to my vanity: the ladies are
making interest to dance with me; what a happy exchange have I made!
what man of common sense would stay to be overlook'd in England, who
can have rival beauties contend for him in Canada? This important
point is not yet settled; the _etiquette_ here is rather difficult
to adjust; as to me, I have nothing to do in the consultation; my
hand is destin'd to the longest pedigree; we stand prodigiously on our
noblesse at Montreal.
Four o'clock.
After a dispute in which two French ladies were near drawing their
husbands into a duel, the point of honor is yielded by both to Miss
Montague; each insisting only that I should not dance with the other:
for my part, I submit with a good grace, as you will suppose.
Saturday morning.
I never passed a more agreeable evening: we have our amusements
here, I assure you: a set of fine young fellows, and handsome women,
all well dress'd, and in humor with themselves, and with each other: my
lovely Emily like Venus amongst the Graces, only multiplied to about
sixteen. Nothing is, in my opinion, so favorable to the display of
beauty as a ball. A state of rest is ungraceful; all nature is most
beautiful in motion; trees agitated by the wind, a ship under sail, a
horse in the course, a fine woman dancing: never any human being had
such an aversion to still life as I have.
I am going back to Melmoth's for a month; don't be alarm'd, Lucy! I
see all her perfections, but I see them with the cold eye of admiration
only: a woman engaged loses all her attractions as a woman; there is
no love without a ray of hope: my only ambition is to be her friend; I
want to be the confidant of her passion. With what spirit such a mind
as hers must love!
Adieu! my dear!
Yours,
Ed. Rivers.