Travels Through the States of North America,
and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada,
During the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797, Vol. II.
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_TRAVELS_
THROUGH THE STATES
OF
_NORTH AMERICA_,
AND THE
PROVINCES OF
UPPER AND LOWER CANADA,
DURING
THE YEARS 1795, 1796, AND 1797.
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BY _ISAAC WELD_, JUNIOR.
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SECOND EDITION.
ILLUSTRATED AND EMBELLISHED WITH SIXTEEN PLATES.
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_IN TWO VOLUMES_.
_VOL. II_
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_LONDON_:
PRINTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY.
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1799.
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_CONTENTS_
To _ VOLUME _ II.
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_LETTER _ XXVIII.
_Leave Quebec.—Convenience of travelling page 1
between that City and Montreal.—Post
Houses.—Calashes.—Drivers.—Canadian
Horses very serviceable.—Salutations
on arriving at different Post
Houses.—Beautiful Prospects from the
Road on the Top of the Banks of the
St. Lawrence.—Female Peasants.—Style
of Farming in Canada.—Considerably
improved of late.—Inactivity of
Canadians in not clearing more
Land.—Their Character contrasted with
that of the People of the
States.—Arrival at Trois
Rivieres.—Description of that Town and
its Vicinity.—Visit to the Convent of
St. Ursule.—Manufactures of Birch
Bark.—Birch Canoes, how formed.—Leave
Trois Rivieres, and reach Montreal._
_LETTER _ XXIX.
_The Party make the usual Preparations page 19
for ascending the St.
Lawrence.—Buffalo Skins.—How used by
Travellers.—Difficulty of proceeding
to Lake Ontario otherwise than by
Water.—Rapids above Montreal.— Village
of La Chine.—King’s Stores
there.—Indian Village on the opposite
Side of the River.—Similitude between
French Canadians and Indians in Person
and Disposition of Mind.—Owing to this
the Power of the French over the
Indians.—Summary View of the Indians
in Lower Canada.—The Party embark in a
Bateau at La Chine.—Mode of conducting
Bateaux against a strong
Current.—Great Exertion
requisite—Canadians addicted to
smoking.—How they measure
Distances.—Description of Lake St.
Louis.—Clouds of Insects over Reed
Banks.—Party encamps on l’Isle
Perot.—Passage of Rapids called Les
Cascades—Their tremendous
Appearance.—Description of the Village
of the Hill of Cedars.—Rapids du
Coteau du Lac.—Wonderful Rapidity of
the Current.—Party encamps.—Lake St.
Francis.—Point au Baudet.—L’Isle aux
Raisins.—Island in the River still the
Property of the Indians.—Not
determined yet whether in the British
Territory or that of the States.—Party
encamps.—Storm.—Unpleasant Situation
of the Party.—Relieved.—Continue the
Voyage.—Account of more Rapids.—Canals
and Locks at different Places on the
River St. Lawrence.—Immense Flights of
Pigeons.—Emigration of Squirrels and
Bears.—Oswegatchee River and Fort la
Galette described.—Advantageous
Position of the latter.—Current above
this gentle.—Bateaux sail on all
Night.—Songs of the Canadians.—Good
Ear for Music.—Lake of a Thousand
Isles.—Arrival at Kingston on Lake
Ontario.—Observations on the
Navigation of the St. Lawrence.—The
St. Lawrence compared with the
Mississippi.—A View of the different
Rivers which open a Water
Communication between the Great Lakes
and the Atlantic.—Great Superiority of
the St. Lawrence over all the rest.—Of
the Lake Trade._
_LETTER _ XXX.
_Description of the Town of page 64
Kingston.—Formerly called Fort
Cadaraqua.—Extensive Trade carried on
here.—Nature of it.—Inhabitants very
hospitable.—Harbours on Lake
Ontario.—Ships of War on that
Lake.—Merchant Vessels.—Naval
Officers.—Expence of building and
keeping up Vessels very great.—Why.—No
Iron Mines yet opened in the
Country.—Copper may be more easily
procured than Iron.—Found in great
Quantities on the Borders of Lake
Superior.—Embark in a Trading Vessel
on Lake Ontario.—Description of that
Lake.—A Septennial Change in the
Height of the Waters said to be
observable—also a Tide that ebbs and
flows every two Hours.—Observations on
these Phenomena.—Voyage across the
Lake similar to a Sea Voyage.—Come in
Sight of Niagara Fort.—Land at
Mississaguis Point.—Mississaguis
Indians.—One of their Chiefs killed,
in an Affray.—How treated by the
British Government.—Their revengeful
Disposition.—Mississaguis good
Hunters.—How they kill Salmon.—Variety
of Fish in the Lakes and Rivers of
Canada.—Sea Wolves.—Sea
Cows.—Description of the Town of
Niagara or Newark.—The present Seat of
Government.—Scheme of removing it
elsewhere.—Unhealthiness of the Town
of Niagara and adjacent Country.—Navy
Hall.—Fort of Niagara surrendered
pursuant to Treaty.—Description of
it.—Description of the other Forts
surrendered to the People of the
United States.—Shewn not to be so
advantageous to them as was
expected.—Superior Position of the new
British Posts pointed out_
_LETTER _ XXXI.
_Description of the River and Falls of page 108
Niagara and the Country bordering upon
the navigable Part of the River below
the Falls_
_LETTER _ XXXII.
_Description of Fort Chippeway.—Plan in page 135
meditation to cut a Canal to avoid the
Portage at the Falls of
Niagara.—Departure from
Chippeway.—Intense Heat of the
Weather.—Description of the Country
bordering on Niagara River above the
Falls.—Observations on the Climate of
Upper Canada.—Rattlesnakes common in
Upper Canada.—Fort Erie.—Miserable
Accommodation there.—Squirrel
hunting.—Seneka Indians.—Their
Expertness at the Use of the
Blow-gun.—Description of the
Blow-gun.—Excursion to the Village of
the Senekas.—Whole Nation
absent.—Passage of a dangerous Sand
Bar at the Mouth of Buffalo
Creek.—Sail from Fort Erie.—Driven
back by a Storm.—Anchor under Point
Abineau.—Description of the
Point.—Curious Sand Hills there.—Bear
hunting.—How carried on.—Dogs, what
Sort of, used.—Wind changes.—The
Vessel suffers from the Storm whilst
at Anchor.—Departure from Point
Abineau.—General Description of Lake
Erie.—Anecdote.—Reach the Islands at
the Western End of the Lake.—Anchor
there.—Description of the
Islands.—Serpents of various Kinds
found there.—Rattlesnakes.—Medicinal
Uses made of them.—Fabulous Accounts
of Serpents.—Departure from the
Islands.—Arrival at Malden.—Detroit
River_
_LETTER _ XXXIII.
_Description of the District of page 170
Malden.—Establishment of a new British
Post there.—Island of Bois
Blanc.—Difference between the British
and Americans respecting the Right of
Possession.—Block Houses, how
constructed.—Captain E—’s
Farm.—Indians.—Description of Detroit
River, and the Country bordering upon
it.—Town of Detroit.—Head Quarters of
the American Army.—Officers of the
Western Army.—Unsuccessful Attempt of
the Americans to impress upon the
Minds of the Indians an Idea of their
Consequence.—Of the Country round
Detroit.—Doubts concerning our Route
back to Philadelphia.—Determine to go
by Presqu’ Isle.—Departure from
Detroit_
_LETTER _ XXXIV.
_Presents delivered to the Indians on page 192
the Part of the British
Government.—Mode of distributing
them.—Reasons why given.—What is the
best Method of conciliating the good
Will of the Indians.—Little Pains
taken by the Americans to keep up a
good Understanding with the
Indians.—Consequences thereof.—War
between the Americans and Indians.—A
brief Account of it.—Peace concluded
by General Wayne.—Not likely to remain
permanent.—Why.—Indian Manner of
making Peace described_
_LETTER _ XXXV.
_A brief Account of the Persons, page 224
Manners, Character, Qualifications,
mental and corporeal, of the Indians;
interspersed with Anecdotes_
_LETTER _ XXXVI.
_Departure from Malden.—Storm on Lake page 296
Erie.—Driven back amongst the
Islands.—Shipwreck narrowly
avoided.—Voyage across the Lake.—Land
at Fort Erie.—Proceed to Buffalo
Creek.—Engage Indians to go through
the Woods.—Set out on Foot.—Journey
through the Woods.—Description of the
Country beyond Buffalo Creek.—Vast
Plains.—Grand Appearance of the Trees
here.—Indian Dogs.—Arrival at the
Settlements on Genesee River.—First
Settlers.—Their general
Character.—Description of the Country
bordering on Genesee River.—Fevers
common in Autumn.—Proceed on Foot to
Bath_
_LETTER _ XXXVII.
_Account of Bath.—Of the page 332
Neighbourhood.—Singular Method taken
to improve
it.—Speculators.—Description of one,
in a Letter from an American
Farmer.—Conhorton Creek.—View of the
Navigation from Bath downwards.—Leave
Bath for Newtown.—Embark in
Canoes.—Stranded in the Night.—Seek
for Shelter in a neighbouring
House.—Difficulty of procuring
Provisions.—Resume our
Voyage.—Lochartsburgh.—Description of
the eastern Branch of the Susquehannah
River.—French Town.—French and
Americans ill suited to each
other.—Wilkes-barré.—Mountains in the
Neighbourhood.—Country thinly settled
towards Philadelphia.—Description of
the Wind-Gap in the Blue
Mountains.—Summary Account of the
Moravian Settlement at
Bethlehem.—Return to Philadelphia_
_LETTER _ XXXVIII.
_Leave Philadelphia.—Arrive at New page 367
York.—Visit Long Island.—Dreadful
Havoc by the Yellow Fever.—Dutch
Inhabitants suspicious of
Strangers.—Excellent Farmers.—Number
of Inhabitants.—Culture of
Corn.—Immense Quantities of Grouse and
Deer.—Laws to protect them.—Increase
of the same.—Decrease of Beavers.—New
York agreeable to
Strangers.—Conclusion_
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_TRAVELS_, &c.
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_LETTER _ XXVIII.
_Leave Quebec.—Convenience of travelling between that City and
Montreal.—Post Houses.—Calashes.—Drivers.—Canadian Horses very
serviceable.—Salutations on arriving at different Post
Houses.—Beautiful Prospects from the Road on the top of the Banks of
the St. Lawrence.—Female Peasants.—Style of Farming in
Canada.—Considerably improved of late.—Inactivity of Canadians in not
clearing more Land.—Their Character contrasted with that of the People
of the States.—Arrival at Trois Rivieres.—Description of that town and
its Vicinity.—Visit to the Convent of St. Ursule.—Manufactures of
Birch Bark.—Birch Canoes, how formed.—Leave Trois Rivieres, and reach
Montreal._
Montreal, August.
HAVING remained in Quebec and the neighbourhood as long as we could,
consistently with the plan which we had formed of visiting the Falls of
Niagara, and returning again into the States before the commencement of
winter, we set out for Montreal by land.
In no part of North America can a traveller proceed so commodiously as
along this road between Quebec and Montreal; a regular line of post
houses, at convenient distances from each other, being established upon
it, where calashes or carioles, according to the season, are always kept
in readiness. Each postmaster is obliged to have four calashes, and the
same number of carioles; and besides these, as many more are generally
kept at each stage by persons called aids-de-poste, for which the
postmaster calls when his own happen to be engaged. The postmaster has
the exclusive privilege of furnishing these carriages at every stage,
and, under a penalty, he must have them ready in a quarter of an hour
after they are demanded by a traveller, if it be day-light, and in half
an hour should it be in the night. The drivers are bound to take you on
at the rate of two leagues an hour. The charge for a calash with a
single horse is one shilling Halifax[1] currency per league; no gratuity
is expected by the driver.
Footnote 1:
According to Halifax currency, which is the established, currency of
Lower Canada, the dollar passes for five shillings.
The silver coins current in Canada are dollars, halves, quarters,
eighths, and sixteenths of dollars, pistareens, Spanish coins somewhat
less valuable than quarter dollars, and French and English crowns and
half crowns. Gold coins pass only as bullion by weight. British and
Portugal gold coins are deemed the best; next to them those of Spain,
then those of France.
[Sidenote: CANADIAN HORSES.]
The post calashes are very clumsily built, but upon the whole we found
them easy and agreeable carriages; they are certainly far superior to
the American stage waggons, in which, if persons wish to travel with
comfort, they ought always to set out provided with cushions for their
hips and elbows, otherwise they cannot expect but to receive numberless
contusions before they get to the end of their journey.
The horses in Canada are mostly small and heavy, but extremely
serviceable, as is evident from those employed for the post carriages
being in general fat and very brisk on the road, notwithstanding the
poor fare and ill usage they receive. They are seldom rubbed down; but
as soon as they have performed their journey are turned into a field,
and there left until the next traveller arrives, or till they are wanted
to perform the work of the farm. This is contrary to the regulations of
the post, according to which the horses should be kept in the stable, in
perfect readiness for travellers; however, I do not recollect that we
were at any place detained much beyond the quarter of an hour
prescribed, notwithstanding that the people had frequently to send for
their horses, more than a mile, to the fields where they were employed.
When the horses happened to be at a distance, they were always brought
home in a full gallop, in order to avoid complaints; they were yoked in
an instant, and the driver set off at the rate of nine or ten miles an
hour; a little money, indeed, generally induces them to exceed the
established rate; this, however, does not always answer, but play upon
their vanity and you may make them go on at what rate you please, for
they are the vainest people, perhaps, in the world. Commend their great
dexterity in driving, and the excellence of the Canadian horses, and it
seldom fails to quicken your pace at least two or three miles an hour;
but if you wish to go in a gallop, you need only observe to your
companion, so as to be overheard by the driver, that the Canadian
calashes are the vilest carriages on earth, and so heavy that you
believe the people are afraid the horses would fall down and break their
necks if they attempted to make them go as fast as in other countries;
above all, praise the carriages and drivers of the United States. A few
remarks of this sort at once discompose the tempers of the drivers, and
their passion is constantly vented in lashes on their horses.
[Sidenote: CANADIAN DRIVERS]
To hasten the speed of their horses they have three expressions, rising
above each other in a regular climax. The first, “Marche,” is pronounced
in the usual tone of voice; “Marche-donc,” the second, is pronounced
more hastily and louder; if the horse is dull enough not to comprehend
this, then the “Marche-donc,” accompanied with one of Sterne’s magical
words, comes out, in the third place, in a shrill piercing key, and a
smart lash of the whip follows. From the frequent use made by the
drivers of these words, the calashes have received the nick-name of
“marche-doncs.”
The first post house is nine miles from Quebec, which our drivers, of
their own accord, managed to reach in one hour. No sooner were we in
sight of it, than the postmaster, his wife in her close French cap, and
all the family, came running out to receive us. The foremost driver, a
thin fellow of about six feet high, with a queue bound with eel skins
that reached the whole way down his back, immediately cracked his whip,
and having brought his calash to the door, with a great air he leapt
out, bowed respectfully at a distance to the hostess, then advancing
with his hat off, paid her a few compliments, and kissed both her cheeks
in turn, which she presented to him with no small condescension. Some
minutes are generally spent thus at every post house in mutual
congratulations on meeting, before the people ever think of getting a
fresh carriage ready.
The road between Quebec and Montreal runs, for the most part, close upon
the banks of the River St. Lawrence, through those beautiful little
towns and villages seen to so much advantage from the water; and as the
traveller passes along, he is entertained with prospects, if possible,
superior to those which strike the attention in sailing down the river.
For the first thirty or forty miles in the way from Quebec, the views
are in particular extremely grand. The immense River St. Lawrence, more
like a lake confined between ranges of mountains than a river, appears
at one side rolling under your feet, and as you look down upon it from
the top of the lofty banks, the largest merchant vessels scarcely seem
bigger than fishing boats; on the other side, deep mountains, skirted
with forests, present themselves to the view at a distance, whilst, in
the intermediate space, is seen a rich country, beautifully diversified
with whitened cottages and glittering spires, with groves of trees and
cultivated fields, watered by innumerable little streams: groups of the
peasantry, busied as we passed along in getting in the harvest, which
was not quite over, diffused an air of cheerfulness and gaiety over the
scene, and heightened all its charms.
[Sidenote: FEMALE PEASANTS.]
The female French peasants are in general, whilst young, very pretty,
and the neat simplicity of their dress in summer, which consists mostly
of a blue or scarlet bodice without sleeves, a petticoat of a different
colour, and a straw hat, makes them appear extremely interesting; like
the Indians, however, they lose their beauty very prematurely, and it is
to be attributed much to the same cause, namely, their laborious life,
and being so much exposed to the air, the indolent men suffering them to
take a very active part in the management of the farms.
The style of farming amongst the generality of the French Canadians has
hitherto been very slovenly; manure has been but rarely used; the earth
just lightly turned up with a plough, and without any other preparation
the grain sown; more than one half of the fields also have been left
without any fences whatsoever, exposed to the ravages of cattle. The
people are beginning now, however, to be more industrious, and better
farmers, owing to the increased demand for grain for exportation, and to
the advice and encouragement given to them by the English merchants at
Quebec and Montreal, who send agents through the country to the farmers
to buy up all the corn they can spare. The farmers are bound to have
their corn ready by a certain day on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and
bateaux are then sent by the merchants to receive and convey it to the
port where it is to be shipped.
[Sidenote: CHARACTERS.]
All the settlements in Lower Canada lie contiguous to the River St.
Lawrence: in no place perhaps do they extend farther back than twelve
miles from it, except along the banks of the River St. Jean, the River
des Prairies, and some other navigable streams falling into the St.
Lawrence. This is owing to the disposition of the French Canadians, who,
like the Germans, are fond of living near each other; nay more, as long
as the farm of the father will admit of a division, a share of it is
given to the sons when they are grown up, and it is only when the farm
is exceedingly small, or the family numerous, that they ever think of
taking up a piece of fresh land from the seignior. In this respect a
wonderful difference appears between their conduct and that of the young
people of the United States, particularly of those of New England, who,
as soon as they are grown up, immediately emigrate, and bury themselves
in the woods, where, perhaps, they are five or six hundred miles distant
from every relation upon earth: yet a spirit of enterprize is not
wanting amongst the Canadians; they eagerly come forward, when called
upon, to traverse the immense lakes in the western regions; they laugh
at the dreadful storms on those prodigious bodies of water; they work
with indefatigable perseverance at the oar and the pole in stemming the
rapid currents of the rivers; nor do they complain, when, on these
expeditions, they happen to be exposed to the inclemency of the seasons,
or to the severest pangs of hunger. The spirit of the Canadian is
excited by vanity; he delights in talking to his friends and relatives
of the excursions he has made to those distant regions; and he glories
in the perils which he has encountered: his vanity would not be
gratified by chopping down trees and tilling the earth; he deems this
therefore merely a secondary pursuit, and he sets about it with
reluctance: self interest, on the contrary, it is that rouses the
citizen of the states into action, and accordingly he hastily emigrates
to a distant part of the country, where he thinks land is in the most
rising state, and where he hopes to be able the soonest to gratify a
passion to which he would readily make a sacrifice of every social tie,
and of all that another man would hold dear.
On the second day of our journey from Quebec to Montreal we reached
Trois Rivieres, lying nearly midway between the two places. This town is
situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence, close to the mouth of the
River St. Maurice, the largest of upwards of thirty that fall into the
St. Lawrence, on the north-west side alone, between Quebec and Montreal.
This river, before it unites with the St. Lawrence, is divided into
three streams by two large islands, so that to a person sailing past its
mouth it appears as if three distinct rivers disembogued at the one
spot; from hence it is that the town of Trois Rivieres receives its
name.
The St. Maurice is not navigable for large vessels, neither is it for
sloops more than a few miles above its mouth. In bateaus and canoes,
however, it may be ascended nearly to its source; from whence, if credit
is to be given to the accounts of the Indians, the distance is not very
great to the head of navigable rivers that fall into Hudson’s Bay; at a
future day, therefore, if ever the dreary and inhospitable waste through
which it passes shall put on a different aspect from what it now wears,
and become the abode of human beings instead of wild beasts, the St.
Maurice may be esteemed a river of the first importance in a commercial
point of view; at present there are a few scattered settlements on each
side of it, from its mouth as far as the iron works, which are about
nine miles distant from Trois Rivieres; beyond that the country is but
little known except to Indians.
[Sidenote: TROIS RIVIERES.]
Trois Rivieres contains about two hundred and fifty or three hundred
houses, and ranks as the third town, in point of size, in the provinces.
It is one of the oldest settlements in the country, and its founder, it
is said, calculated upon its becoming in a short time a city of great
extent. It has hitherto, however, increased but very slowly in size, and
there is no reason to imagine that it will increase more rapidly in
future, at least until the country bordering upon the St. Maurice
becomes settled, a period that may be very distant. The bank of iron ore
in the neighbourhood, by the manufacture of which it was expected that
the town would suddenly become opulent, is now nearly exhausted; nor do
we find that this bank has ever furnished more ore than was sufficient
to keep one small forge and one small foundry employed at intervals. The
fur trade also, from which so much benefit was expected, is now almost
wholly centered at Quebec and Montreal; it is merely the small quantity
of furs brought down the St. Maurice, and some of the northern rivers
that fall into the St. Lawrence, nearer to the town of Trois Rivieres
than to Quebec or Montreal, that is shipped there. These furs are laden
on board the Montreal ships, which stop opposite to the town as they go
down the river.
The country in the vicinity of Trois Rivieres has been represented by
some French travellers as wonderfully fertile, and as one of the most
agreeable parts of Canada; but it is totally the reverse. It is a level
barren tract, and so sandy, that in walking along many of the streets of
the town, and the roads in the neighbourhood, you sink into the sand at
every step above the ankles. The sand is of a whitish colour, and very
loose. The air also swarms with musquitoes, a certain proof of the low
damp situation of the place. In none of the other inhabited parts of
Canada, except in the neighbourhood of Lake St. Charles, were we ever
annoyed with these troublesome insects. In Quebec, indeed, and Montreal,
they are scarcely ever seen.
The streets in Trois Rivieres are narrow, and the houses in general
small and indifferent; many of them are built of wood. There are two
churches in the town, the one an English episcopalian, the other a large
Roman catholic parish church, formerly served by the Recollets, or
Franciscan friars, but the order is now extinct in Trois Rivieres. The
old monastery of the order, a large stone building, at present lies
quite deserted; and many of the houses in the neighbourhood being also
uninhabited, that part of the town wherein it is situated has a very
dull gloomy aspect. The college or monastery of the Jesuits, also a
large old building of stone in the same neighbourhood, has been
converted into a gaol.
[Sidenote: ST. URSULE.]
The only religious order at present existing in the town is that of St.
Ursule, the sisterhood of which is as numerous as the convent will well
permit. It was founded by M. de St. Vallier, bishop of Quebec, in the
year 1677. It is a spacious building, situated near that formerly
belonging to the Recollets; and annexed to it, under the same roof,
there is an hospital attended by the nuns. We were introduced to the
chaplain of the order, a poor French emigrant curé, an interesting and
apparently a most amiable man, and under his guidance we received
permission to visit the convent.
The first part we entered was the chapel, the doors of which open to the
street under a porch. It is very lofty, but the area of it is small. The
altar, which is grand, and richly ornamented, stands nearly opposite to
the entrance, and on each side of it is a lattice, the one communicating
with an apartment allotted for sick nuns, the other with the cœur of the
chapel. On ringing a small bell, a curtain at the inside of this last
lattice was withdrawn, and an apartment discovered, somewhat larger than
the chapel, surrounded with pews, and furnished with an altar, at the
foot of which sat two of the sisterhood, with books in their hands, at
their meditations. The fair Ursuline, who came to the lattice, seemed to
be one of those unfortunate females that had at last begun to feel all
the horrors of confinement, and to lament the rashness of that vow which
had secluded her for ever from the world, and from the participation of
those innocent pleasures, which, for the best and wisest of purposes,
the beneficent Ruler of the universe meant that his creatures should
enjoy. As she withdrew the curtain, she cast a momentary glance through
the grating, that imparted more than could be expressed by the most
eloquent words; then retiring in silence, seated herself on a bench in a
distant part of the cœur. The melancholy and sorrow pourtrayed in the
features of her lovely countenance interested the heart in her behalf,
and it was impossible to behold her without partaking of that dejection
which hung over her soul, and without deprecating at the same time the
cruelty of the custom which allows, and the mistaken zeal of a religion
that encourages, an artless and inexperienced young creature to renounce
a world, of which she was destined, perhaps, to be a happy and useful
member, for an unprofitable life of solitude, and unremitted penance for
sins never committed!
[Sidenote: URSULINES.]
The hospital, which lies contiguous to the chapel, consists of two large
apartments, wherein are about twelve or fourteen beds. The apartments
are airy, and the beds neat and well appointed. Each bed is dedicated to
a particular saint, and over the foot of it is an invocation to the
tutelary saint, in large characters, as, “St. Jaques priez pour moi.”
“St. Jean priez pour moi,” &c. The patients are attended by a certain
number of the sisterhood appointed for that purpose. An old priest, who
appeared to be near his death, was the only person in the hospital when
we passed through it; he was seated in an easy chair by the bed-side,
and surrounded by a number of the sisters, who paid him the most
assiduous attention.
The dress of the Ursulines consists of a black stuff gown; a
handkerchief of white linen tied by a running string close round the
throat, and hanging down over the breast and shoulders, being rounded at
the corners; a head-piece of white linen, which covers half the
forehead, the temples, and ears, and is fastened to the handkerchief; a
black gauze veil, which conceals half the face only when down, and flows
loosely over the shoulders; and a large plain silver cross suspended
from the breast. The dress is very unbecoming, the hair being totally
concealed, and the shape of the face completely disguised by the close
white head-piece.
From the hospital we were conduced through a long passage to an
agreeable light parlour, the windows of which opened into the gardens of
the convent. This was the apartment of the “Superieure,” who soon made
her appearance, accompanied by a number of the lay sisters. The
conversation of the old lady and her protegées was lively and agreeable;
a thousand questions were asked us respecting the former part of our
tour, and our future destination; and they seemed by no means displeased
at having a few strangers of a different sex from their own within the
walls of the convent. Many apologies were made, because they could not
take us through the “interieure,” as there was an ordinance against
admitting any visiters into it without leave from the bishop; they
regretted exceedingly that we had not obtained this leave before we left
Quebec. After some time was spent in conversation, a great variety of
fancy works, the fabrication of the sisterhood, was brought down for our
inspection, some of which it is always expected that strangers will
purchase, for the order is but poor. We selected a few of the articles
which appeared most curious, and having received them packed up in the
neatest manner in little boxes kept for the purpose, and promised to
preserve them in memory of the fair Ursulines, that handed them to us,
we bade adieu to the superieure, and returned to our lodgings.
[Sidenote: BARK CANOES.]
It is for their very curious bark work that the sisters of this convent
are particularly distinguished. The bark of the birch tree is what they
use, and with it they make pocket-books, work-baskets, dressing-boxes,
&c. &c. which they embroider with elk hair died of the most brilliant
colours. They also make models of the Indian canoes, and various warlike
implements used by the Indians.
Nearly all the birch bark canoes in use on the St. Lawrence and Utawa
Rivers, and on the nearer lakes, are manufactured at Three Rivers, and
in the neighbourhood, by Indians. The birch tree is found in great
plenty near the town; but it is from the more northern part of the
country, where the tree attains a very large size, that the principal
part of the bark is procured that canoes are made with. The bark
resembles in some degree that of the cork tree, but it is of a closer
grain, and also much more pliable, for it admits of being rolled up the
same as a piece of cloth. The Indians of this part of the country always
carry large rolls of it in their canoes when they go on a hunting party,
for the purpose of making temporary huts. The bark is spread on small
poles over their heads, and fastened with strips of elm bark, which is
remarkably tough, to stakes, so as to form walls on the sides.
The canoes are made with birch bark, as follows: The ribs, consisting of
thick tough rods, are first bound together; then the birch bark is sowed
on in as large pieces as possible, and a thick coat of pitch is laid
over the seams between the different pieces. To prevent the bark being
injured by the cargo, and to make the canoe stronger, its inside is
lined with two layers of thin pieces of pine, laid in a contrary
direction to each other. A canoe made in this manner is so light that
two men could easily carry one on their shoulders capable of containing
six people.
The birch canoes made at Three Rivers are put together with the utmost
neatness, and on the water they appear very beautiful. They are made
from a size sufficient to hold one man only, to a size large enough for
upwards of twenty. It is wonderful to see with what velocity a few
skilful men with paddles can take on of these canoes of a size suitable
to their number. In a few minutes they would leave the best moulded keel
boat, conducted by a similar number of men with oars, far behind. None
but experienced persons ought ever to attempt to navigate birch canoes,
for they are so light that they are apt to be overset by the least
improper movement of the persons in them.
[Sidenote: VILLAGES.]
The day after that on which we quitted Trois Rivieres, we reached
Montreal once more. The villages between the two places are very
numerous, and the face of the country around them is pleasing, so that
the eye of the traveller is constantly entertained as he passes on; but
there is nothing in this part of the country particularly deserving of
mention.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_LETTER _ XXIX.
_The Party make the usual Preparations for ascending the St.
Lawrence.—Buffalo Skins.—How used by Travellers.—Difficulty of
proceeding to Lake Ontario otherwise than by Water.—Rapids above
Montreal.—Village of La Chine.—King’s Stores there.—Indian Village on
the opposite side of the River.—Similitude between French Canadians
and Indians in Person and Disposition of Mind.—Owing to this the Power
of the French over the Indians.—Summary View of the Indians in Lower
Canada.—The Party embark in a Bateau at La Chine.—Mode of conducing
Bateaux against a strong Current.—Great Exertion requisite.—Canadians
addicted to smoking.—How they measure Distances.—Description of Lake
St. Louis.—Clouds of Insects over Reed Banks.—Party encamps on l’Isle
Perot.—Passage of Rapids called Les Cascades.—Their tremendous
Appearance.—Description of the Village of the Hill of Cedars.—Rapids
du Coteau du Lac.—Wonderful Rapidity of the Current.—Party
encamps.—Lake St. Francis.—Point au Baudet.—L’Isle aux
Raisins.—Islands in the River still the Property of the Indians.—Not
determined yet whether in the British Territory or that of the
States.—Party encamps.—Storm.—Unpleasant Situation of the
Party.—Relieved.—Continue the Voyage.—Account of more Rapids.—Canals
and Locks at different Places on the River St. Lawrence.—Immense
Flights of Pigeons.—Emigration of Squirrels and Bears.—Oswegatchee
River and Fort la Galette described.—Advantageous Position of the
latter.—Current above this gentle.—Bateaux sail on all Night.—Songs of
the Canadians.—Good Ear for Music.—Lake of a Thousand Isles.—Arrival
at Kingston on Lake Ontario.—Observations on the Navigation of_ _the
St. Lawrence.—The St. Lawrence compared with the Mississippi.—A View
of the different Rivers which open a Water Communication between the
Great Lakes and the Atlantic.—Great Superiority of the St. Lawrence
over all the rest.—Of the Lake Trade._
Kingston, September.
[Sidenote: MONTREAL AND KINGSTON.]
ON arriving at Montreal, our first concern was to provide a large
travelling tent, and some camp equipage, buffalo skins[2], a store of
dried provisions, kegs of brandy and wine, &c. &c. and, in short, to
make every usual and necessary preparation for proceeding up the River
St. Lawrence. A few days afterwards, we took our passage for Kingston,
on board a bateau, which, together with twelve others, the commissary
was sending thither for the purpose of bringing down to Quebec the
cannon and ordnance stores that had been taken from the different
military posts on the lakes, preparatory to their being delivered up to
the United States.
Footnote 2:
In the western parts of Lower Canada, and throughout Upper Canada,
where it is customary for travellers to carry their own bedding with
them, these skins are very generally made use of for the purpose of
sleeping upon. For upwards of two months we scarcely ever had any
other bed than one of the skins spread on the floor and a blanket to
each person. The skins are dressed by the Indians with the hair on,
and they are rendered by a certain process as pliable as cloth. When
the buffalo is killed in the beginning of the winter, at which time he
is fenced against the cold, the hair resembles very much that of a
black bear; it is then long, straight, and of a blackish colour; but
when the animal is killed in the summer, the hair is short and curly,
and of a light brown colour, owing to its being scorched by the rays
of the sun.
On the north-west side of the St. Lawrence, except for about fifty miles
or thereabouts, are roads, and also scattered settlements, at no great
distance from each other, the whole way between Montreal and Kingston,
which is situated at the eastern extremity of Lake Ontario; but no one
ever thinks of going thither by land, on account of the numberless
inconveniencies such a journey would be attended with; indeed, the
difficulty of getting horses across the many deep and rapid rivers
falling into the St. Lawrence, would in itself be sufficient to deter
travellers from proceeding by land to Kingston, supposing even that
there were none other to encounter. A water conveyance is by far the
most eligible, and except only between Quebec and Montreal, it is the
conveyance universally made use of in every part of the country, that
is, when people wish merely to follow the course of the rivers, in the
neighbourhood of which alone there are any settlements.
The rapids in the St. Lawrence are so very strong just above Montreal,
that the bateaux are never laden at the town, but suffered to proceed
empty as far as the village of La Chine, which stands on the island of
Montreal, about nine miles higher up. The goods are sent, from Montreal,
thither in carts.
[Sidenote: LA CHINE.]
La Chine is built on a fine gravelly beach, at the head of a little bay
at the lower end of Lake St. Louis, which is a broad part of the river
St. Lawrence. A smart current sets down the lake, and owing to it there
is generally a considerable curl on the surface of the water, even close
to the shore, which, with the appearance of the boats and canoes upon it
in motion, gives the place a very lively air. The situation of the
village is indeed extremely agreeable, and from some of the storehouses
there are most charming views of the lake, and of the country at the
opposite side of it. There are very extensive storehouses belonging to
the King, and also to the merchants of Montreal. In the former the
presents for the Indians are deposited as soon as they arrive from
England; and prior to their being sent up the country they are inspected
by the commanding officer of the garrison of Montreal and a committee of
merchants, who are bound to make a faithful report to government,
whether the presents are agreeable to the contract, and as good as could
be obtained for the price that is paid for them.
In sight of La Chine, on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence, stands
the village of the Cachenonaga Indians, whom I have already had occasion
to mention. The village contains about fifty log houses and a Roman
catholic church, built in the Canadian style, and ornamented within with
pictures, lamps, &c. in such a manner as to attract the eye as forcibly
as possible. The outward shew, and numerous ceremonies of the Roman
catholic religion, are particularly suited to the capacities of the
Indians, and as but very little restraint is imposed upon them by the
missionaries, more of them become converts to that religion than to any
other. The worship of the Holy Virgin meets in a very peculiar manner
with the approbation of the squaws, and they sing her praises with the
most profound devotion.
In this and all the other Indian villages situated in the improved parts
of Lower Canada, a great mixture of the blood of whites with that of the
aborigines is observable in the persons of the inhabitants; there are
also considerable numbers of the French Canadians living in these
villages, who have married Indian wives, and have been adopted into the
different nations with whom they reside. Many of the French Canadians
bear such a close resemblance to the Indians, owing to their dark
complexions, black eyes, and long black hair, that when attired in the
same habits it is only a person intimately acquainted with the features
of the Indians that could distinguish the one race of men from the
other. The dispositions of the two people also accord together in a very
striking manner; both are averse to a settled life, and to regular
habits of industry; both are fond of roving about, and procuring
sustenance by hunting rather than by cultivating the earth; nature seems
to have implanted in their hearts a reciprocal affection for each other;
they associate together, and live on the most amicable terms; and to
this one circumstance more than to any other cause is to be attributed
that wonderful ascendancy which the French were ever known to have over
the Indians, whilst they had possession of Canada. It is very remarkable
indeed, that in the upper country, notwithstanding that presents to such
a very large amount are distributed amongst the Indians through the
hands of the English inhabitants, and that their natural rights are as
much respected by them as they possibly can be, yet an Indian, even at
this day, will always go to the house of a poor French farmer in
preference to that of an Englishman.
[Sidenote: CACHENONAGA INDIANS.]
The numbers of the Cachenonaga nation, in the village near La Chine, are
estimated at one hundred and fifty persons. The other Indian villages,
in the civilized parts of Lower Canada, are, one of the Canasadogas,
situated near the mouth of the Utawas River; one of the Little
Algonquins, near Trois Rivieres; one of the Aberachies, near Trois
Rivieres, at the opposite side of the river; and one of the Hurons, near
Quebec; but none of these villages are as large as that of the
Cachenonagas. The numbers of the Indians in the lower province have
diminished very fast of late years, as they have done in every other
part of the continent, where those of the white inhabitants have
increased; in the whole lower province, at present, it is thought that
there are not more than twelve hundred of them. Many of these Indians
are continually loitering about the large towns, in expectation of
getting spirits or bread, which they are extremely fond of, from the
inhabitants. No less than two hundred, that had come a great distance in
canoes, from the lower parts of the river St. Lawrence, were encamped on
Point Levi when we visited Quebec. These Indians, squalid and filthy in
the extreme, and going about the streets every day in large parties,
begging, presented a most melancholy picture of human nature; and
indeed, if a traveller never saw any of the North American Indians, but
the most decent of those who are in the habit of frequenting the large
towns of Lower Canada, he would not be led to entertain an opinion
greatly in their favour. The farther you ascend up the country, and
consequently the nearer you see the Indians to what they were in their
original state, before their manners were corrupted by intercourse with
the whites, the more do you find in their character and conduct
deserving of admiration.
[Sidenote: BRIGADE OF BATEAUX.]
It was on the 28th day of August that we reached La Chine; the next day
the “brigade,” as it was called, of bateaux was ready, and in the
afternoon we set out on our voyage. Three men are found sufficient to
conduct an empty bateau of about two tons burthen up the St. Lawrence,
but if the bateau be laden more are generally allowed. They ascend the
stream by means of poles, oars, and sails. Where the current is very
strong, they make use of the former, keeping as close as possible to the
shore, in order to avoid the current, and to have the advantage of
shallow water to pole in. The men set their poles altogether at the same
moment, and all work at the same side of the bateau; the steersman,
however, shifts his pole occasionally from side to side, in order to
keep the vessel in an even direction. The poles commonly used are about
eight feet in length, extremely light, and headed with iron. On coming
to a deep bay or inlet, the men abandon the poles, take to their oars,
and strike if possible directly across the mouth of the bay; but in many
places the current proves so strong that it is absolutely impossible to
stem it by means of oars, and they are obliged to pole entirely round
the bays. Whenever the wind is favourable they set their sail; but it is
only at the upper end of the river, beyond the rapids, or on the lakes
or broad parts of it, where the current is not swift, that the sail by
itself is sufficient to impel them forward.
The exertion it requires to counteract the force of the stream by means
of poles and oars is so great, that the men are obliged to stop very
frequently to take breath. The places at which they stop are regularly
ascertained; some of them, where the current is very rapid, are not more
than half a mile distant one from the other; others one or two, but none
of them more than four miles apart. Each of these places the boatmen,
who are almost all French Canadians, denominate “une pipe,” because they
are allowed to stop at it and fill their pipes. A French Canadian is
scarcely ever without a pipe in his mouth, whether working at the oar or
plough; whether on foot, or on horseback; indeed, so much addicted are
the people to smoking, that by the burning of the tobacco in their pipes
they commonly ascertain the distance from one place to another. Such a
place, they say, is three pipes off, that is, it is so far off that you
may smoke three pipes full of tobacco whilst you go thither. A pipe, in
the most general acceptation of the word, seemed to be about three
quarters of an English mile.
[Sidenote: LAKE ST. LOUIS.]
Lake St. Louis, commencing, or rather terminating, at La Chine, for that
village stands at the lower end of it, is about twelve miles in length
and four in breadth. At its uppermost extremity it receives a large
branch of the Utawas River, and also the south-west branch of the River
St. Lawrence, which by some geographers is called the River Cadaraqui,
and by others the River Iroquois; but in the country, generally
speaking, the whole of that river, running from Lake Ontario to the
Gulph of St. Lawrence, goes simply under the name of the St. Lawrence.
At the upper end of Lake St. Louis the water is very shallow, owing to
the banks of mud and sand washed up by the two rivers. These very
extensive banks, are entirely covered with reeds, so that when a vessel
sails over them she appears at a little distance to be absolutely
sailing over dry land. As we passed along this part of the lake we were
enveloped with clouds of little insects, different from any I ever saw
before or afterwards in the country; but they are common, it is said, on
various parts of the River St. Lawrence. Their size was somewhat larger
than that of the gnat; their colour a pure white; and so delicately were
they formed, that by the slightest touch they were destroyed and reduced
to powder. They were particularly attracted by any white object, and
having once alighted were not to be driven away but by force. The leaves
of a book, which I happened to have in my hand, were in a few seconds so
thickly covered by them that it was impossible to discern a single
letter, and no sooner was one swarm of them brushed off than a fresh one
immediately alighted. These insects have very broad wings in proportion
to their size, and fly heavily, so that it is only when the air is
remarkably calm that they can venture to make their appearance.
[Sidenote: ENCAMPMENT.]