CHAPTER XVII.

_Journey from Montreal to Hamilton—Separation of Friends—Rideau Canal—Emigrants passing up the St Lawrence—Massena—Waddington—Ogdensburgh—Lake of the Thousand Isles—Andrew Dinwoodie, a Farmer from Dumfries-shire—Live-stock from England—Innkeeper of Kingston—Great Britain Steamer—Emigrant Passengers—John By Steamer._

Having long made up my mind to visit the western parts of Upper Canada, and the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri, it was necessary to separate from my companion, in whose company I had spent so many happy hours, and to whose disinterested friendship I owe more than it will ever be in my power to repay. It was arranged that he should take my trunk and portmanteau to New York, to wait my arrival there, having experienced the inconvenience of attempting to take luggage through a thinly-peopled district. I reserved a plain suit of clothes, which had already become shabby. Packing two shirts of cotton, and one of flannel, five collars, five pair of cotton stockings, and a dressing-case, into a small leathern cloak-bag which my friend had used for buckling behind his saddle in Scotland, I left Montreal on the 18th of August; having arranged to be at certain places on fixed days, so as to reach New York in the first week of November. My friend left Montreal some hours before me, on a visit to New Glasgow, and, after seeing Quebec, travelled by Lake Champlain to New York, and reached England on the 17th September.

I was anxious to pass along the line of the Rideau canal, so much praised by engineers, and sneered at by utilitarians, and which nine-tenths of those best capable of judging of its merits condemn as a lavish misapplication of national expenditure; but the irregularity of the conveyances by this route, and my limited time, induced me to ascend the St Lawrence; and, by way of varying the scene, I took the American line of conveyances—travelling by stage to Lachine, and from thence to Cascades by steam, from Cascades to Coteau du Lac by stage, and again by steam to Cornwall, which we reached by 2 A.M. of the 11th.

The waters of the dark-coloured Ottawa, and limpid St Lawrence, formed a striking contrast on the way to Cascades, situated on the former. The banks of the St Lawrence were observed in some places to consist of clay twenty feet deep, without any admixture—some excellent soil was seen above Cascades—the wheat crop from Montreal upwards was perfectly ripe, and barley in some instances carried.

At Coteau du Lac our steamer took seven batteaux, or open boats, in tow, in one of which I counted 110 emigrants, of all ages, who were doomed to pass the night on board. Men, women, and children were huddled together as close as captives in a slave-trader, exposed to the sun’s rays by day, and river damp by night, without protection. It was impossible to look upon such a group of human beings without emotion. The day had been so intensely hot, that the stoutest amongst them looked fatigued, while the females seemed ready to expire with exhaustion. Conversation was carried on in whispers, and a heaviness of heart seemed to pervade the whole assemblage. Never shall I forget the countenance of a young mother, ever anxiously looking at twin infants slumbering on her knee, and covering them from the vapour rising from the river, and which strongly depicted the feelings of maternal affection and pious resignation. Night soon veiled the picture, and, I fear, brought no relief to the anxious mother. The navigation up the St Lawrence in batteaux is accomplished by propelling them with poles, and is necessarily tedious. The accommodation is so wretched and irksome, that the emigrants’ privations of transport may be said only to commence at Montreal, where they perhaps expected them to end, and when their spirits are ill fitted to bear up against them. Steam conveyance of late must have shortened their sufferings.

On reaching Cornwall I immediately proceeded on board the American steam-boat Dalhousie, which conveyed us across to Hoogdensburgh by six A. M. From thence we were conveyed to Ogdensburgh by land, passing through the villages of Massena and Waddington. We breakfasted at Massena springs, the waters of which possess medicinal qualities, and are pleasantly situated on a branch of the Racket.

The thriving village of Waddington is on the St Lawrence, and opposite to which, on an island in the river, is situated the handsome residence of Governor Ogden.

The country in this part of the state of New York is of indifferent soil, and very partially cleared; the farm-houses are of the meanest description, and there is no appearance of wealth or comfort amongst the rural population. In many instances farmers were engaged in securing their hay crops on the Sabbath, and much wheat was standing in a state of over-ripeness. The previous state of the weather may, in some measure, explain both proceedings.

We arrived at Ogdensburgh shortly after nightfall, at an excellent hotel, which seemed filled with people. Tea, or, in common parlance of the country, supper, was soon provided for the stage-passengers, who did ample justice to the viands. On learning a steam-boat was to sail next morning at daybreak for Kingston, I retired to a double bedroom, in company with Mr M——, a north country Scotsman, who had just arrived in the country, and was travelling to York. The landlord of the hotel showed us personally to our bedroom, and also conducted us to the quay in the morning.

Ogdensburgh is situated at the confluence of the Oswegatchie river with the St Lawrence, and is the lower termination of American navigation on Lake Ontario. It has many appearances of prosperity, and contains a population of nearly two thousand souls.

At five in the morning the United States steam-boat left Ogdensburgh, calling at Morristown on the American side of the lake, and on the British one at Brockville and Kingston, where I remained for the evening. Darkness prevented me seeing the Lake of the Thousand Isles, on my way down to Montreal, and I was not fortunate in passing up during day. The Lake of the Thousand Isles takes its name from the number of islands which it contains, and is about forty miles in length; forming the termination of Lake Ontario, and commencement of the river St Lawrence. The islands are generally small rocks, a few feet above water, covered with stunted trees, standing as close together as curling-stones on a rink of ice in Scotland, and completely excluding a sight of the mainland. The weather was unfavourable, a drizzling rain having set in, which perhaps affected my feelings, and increased the sombreness of the scenery, which at all times possesses little interest from the want of life. So much is this felt, that a gentleman of my acquaintance, passing up the Lake of the Thousand Isles a few weeks before, was sitting by a traveller engaged with his note-book, when a crow came in sight. He interrupted the writer, and begged he would notice the crow, as it was the only moving thing he had seen during three hours’ sail.

On board of the United States I had a long conversation with a fellow-passenger, Andrew Dinwuddie, from Dumfries-shire, in Scotland, and I hope he will pardon me mentioning his name. Andrew was an excellent specimen of his cautious countrymen, and showed credentials highly honourable to his honesty and integrity. He had come to America in spring, accompanied by two brothers, who had purchased land near Prescott, paying L.300 for 200 acres, seventy of them being cleared. Andrew was unmarried, and determined to look about him before sitting down for life. After assisting his brothers to plant their potatoes, he worked with an English farmer in the neighbourhood of Ogdensburgh for a month, and was now on his way to Geneva and Canandaigua in the state of New York, at which places he intended to work for some time. Andrew seemed to have belonged to what is called in Scotland the class of small farmers, and was much pleased with the change of country he had made; having assisted at the Englishman’s hay and wheat harvest, for which he got $8 a-month, working moderately, and messing with his employer on the best of fare. He had found no difficulty in mowing during the warm weather;—and greatly preferred American butcher-meat three times a-day, to the oatmeal porridge, barley bread, and sour milk of Scotland.

While at Kingston, ten short-horned cattle, nineteen Southdown sheep, and a lot of swine, came to the yard of the Kingston hotel, at which I lodged, on their way to the county of Dumfries, Upper Canada, direct from England. They were objects of interest to many of the inhabitants, and were seemingly in excellent health and condition.

I left Kingston about dusk for York, in the St George steam-boat; one of the shafts broke when opposite the Bay of Quinte, and we returned to Kingston about noon next day. Another vessel was immediately expected to carry us on our voyage; and, in the meantime, the captain refused the passengers dinner; and four of us went on shore to dine, in order to be in readiness. We called at the Commercial Hotel, esteemed the first house of entertainment in Upper Canada; and, on an application at the bar, were told a joint could not be prepared for us until four o’clock. Having stated it was possible to dine without a joint, and we soon expected a steam-boat to take us to York, a mutton-chop was promised in half-an-hour. We had not, however, retired to the parlour five minutes, when a spruce waiter entered, and told us Mr Macdonald would not give dinner. I could not help contrasting this treatment with what we experienced at Ogdensburgh; and if Mr Macdonald’s behaviour passes for British manners and hospitality, they have not improved by transportation to Canada.

The Great Britain, one of the largest vessels on Lake Ontario, was laid alongside of the St George, and all hands employed in transferring the cargo of the one to the other. A passage was made from the upper decks of both vessels, along which the passengers passed to and fro; and as they came crowding up stairs for hours together with their luggage, reminded me of bees entering a hive laden with pollen; it was eleven o’clock before the bustle was over, and the vessel under weigh. I observed a quantity of gunpowder conveyed from the St George to the Great Britain in the most careless manner, and locked in the captain’s room. The owner of the Great Britain, Mr ——, was on board at the time, and must have sanctioned the transport of this dangerous commodity.

The night-scene on board the Great Britain formed a counterpart to that of the batteau on the St Lawrence, almost every inch of surface being crowded with reposing individuals; the lower decks and passages were crowded to excess, and a great part of the upper deck, which is uncovered, was also occupied. The aged and infirm sought shelter below; the boys clustered round the chimney stalks for heat, while the more hardy stretched themselves on the upper deck without almost any covering, surrounded by forms, or under lee of large packages. Near the stern of the vessel a young woman, perhaps with a view of avoiding danger, placed three infants on her outspread mantle, with their innocent faces towards heaven; and as they gradually sunk to rest, the motion of their slumbering eyelids seemed mimicry of the twinkling stars in the firmament.

The Great Britain reached York about six P.M., previous to which the passengers were mustered on the upper deck, and paid their passage-fares on going below. Many of the emigrant deck-passengers had not, or affected not to have, money; and I saw two middle-aged respectable-looking females place part of their wardrobe in pawn for their fares, and luggage had been credited from conveyance to conveyance all the way from Montreal, with the fares of its owners. Steam-boat proprietors do not lose much in this way, as the friends of emigrants generally relieve the pawned effects.

The meeting of emigrants and their friends at York was an interesting sight. In particular, a group of Scotch Highlanders, consisting of old women and half-a-dozen of innocent-looking girls, incapable of speaking the English language, appeared in ecstasy at joining their friends on the pier, who seemed to have arrived in the country some time before. They laughed, embraced, and saluted each other on the cheek, which is rarely witnessed in America.

To accommodate a gentleman, I lodged in the Steam-boat Hotel at York, which I found an indifferent establishment in the sleeping department. I could not have remained a second night, or gone to bed the first one, had light enabled me to see the actual state of things.

A friend having agreed to accompany me in a tour through the western part of Upper Canada, and who was waiting my arrival, we left York together, in the John By steamer, for Hamilton, where we arrived at eleven o’clock. The John By had been constructed to ply on the Rideau canal, with paddle wheels in the stern—the worst sailing and ill-constructed boat in Canada. The engine was high pressure; and if a vessel was to be built for roasting passengers, the John By might have furnished useful hints. She was soon afterwards wrecked.

We could not gain admittance into any of the hotels at Hamilton, except one, on account of the lateness of the hour. The beds were all occupied before our arrival; but the bar-keeper said he would place one on the floor, where Mr C—— and I were soon stretched side by side, and soon afterwards some individuals, similarly situated, were admitted to share our bed. On awakening next morning I missed Mr C—— from my side, who was lying in a distant corner of the room; and he afterwards told me, that disliking the company which joined us, he slipped from bed so soon as he could do so unnoticed.