CHAPTER XVIII.

_Journey on the Banks of the Grand River—Corduroy Roads—River-side Vegetation—Cradling—Settler from Edinburgh—Reserve of the Six Nations—Nellis Settlement—Indian Notices—Settler from Perthshire—First Settlers— Gentle Children—Agricultural Notices—Great Heat—Drinking Water—Raising Bee—Brantford—Oak Openings—Paris—Galt—Guelph—Waggoner at Table—Face of the Country—Dutch Hotel._

We rose very early next morning, and rode in a hired waggon to a friend’s near Albion mills, where we breakfasted, and set out for the Grand River, accompanied by a third person, to whom I had written to hold himself in readiness for the excursion. The road was tolerably good, until within four or five miles of the river, which then consists of almost one unbroken line of corduroy, on reaching which we returned the waggon, and walked the remainder of the journey. A corduroy road, or, in the language of the country, crossway, is formed of the trunks of trees, laid close to each other, so that animals and carriages may pass without touching the ground. It is formed wherever the soil is wet, and may be considered log pavement. We came in contact with the river at Brant’s tavern, where a wooden building was erecting of some pretensions, and continued our walk down the left bank, where Mr W—— resides, about two miles below the tavern.

The soil from Hamilton to the Grand River is chiefly clay, of good quality, and well settled, with exception of the Indian reserve on the banks of the river. From Brant’s tavern to Mr W——’s, the road is beautiful, the banks of the river being fringed with plum, cherry, apple-trees, and hawthorn, encircled with the wild vine, the foliage of which was particularly rich. I have often remarked the luxuriance and beauty of river-side vegetation, and more especially in America, which, no doubt, is in a great measure owing to the copious supply of moisture afforded the plants by evaporation, and which is the more abundant on moderate-sized rivers in a country like America, where the temperature of day and night varies considerably.

The greater part of the crops had been carried, and those of wheat remaining in the field appeared particularly shabby, compared with those of Britain, being thin on the ground and short in the sheaf. I examined a cradler at work in an oatfield, who was making good work, cutting low, and laying down the ears with regularity. The implement is brought round with a full and awkward-looking sweep, nine or ten feet wide, and jerked so as to throw off the stalks, the whole of which are collected in the cradle. By this mode of operating, the cradler supports the weight of the crop collected in the sweep on his arms, and receives no relief from any part of the cut crop, or implement resting on the ground, as in the case of mowing grass with the common scythe of Britain: a heavy crop of grain must, therefore, be particularly fatiguing to the cradler.

We found Mr W—— at home, who had been expecting us for a day or two, in consequence of having been written to. He had been known to us all when in Edinburgh, which he left in the previous month of March, and had only been a few weeks in his present situation in the Nellis Settlement on the Grand River. He had purchased six or seven hundred acres, about seventy of which were cleared, and there was a good house, in the Canadian sense of the word, on the property. For some time after the purchase, he resided with the former proprietor, who only left the house a few days before our arrival. His household establishment consisted of a newly-imported Scotch ploughman; and as our host had not himself been accustomed to house-keeping at any period of his life, the house may have justly been termed Bachelor Hall. The evening was spent in walking over the property, and admiring the beauty of the situation. Next morning Mr W—— explained the peculiarity of his circumstances with regard to household matters, which were temporary, and excited in all of us mirth instead of regret. The breakfast table was laid out with the only animal substance in the house, a large bone of mutton, the fragment of a joint which had been prepared for us three days before, and now produced to show we would have fared better had we kept our appointment. I had made up my mind to try if there was flesh on the bone, which could not be ascertained without using a knife, but unfortunately a large dog scampered off with the relick before our eyes. Mr W—— at this time was in the kitchen, infusing tea, and, when informed of the catastrophe, promised to reward with a swing in a rope the poor dog, which had no master, and had taken up its quarters with him a day or two before. A consultation was held about obtaining a substitute for the bone, when two of us went in quest of hen-eggs, a nest of which was found in the barn, containing a great supply. On searching for the means of cooking them, we could only find a boiler with a hole in the side, which seemed to serve for general use. Into this vessel part of the eggs were put, but it was impracticable to make the water boil, as it would have escaped through the hole. On removing them, they were found sufficiently done, and formed an excellent repast in connexion with the best wheaten bread I ever met with, and which had been baked by the lady of the former proprietor.

I have noticed these particulars in Mr W——’s household, from being amongst the first real Backwood scenes we had met with, and which his kindness and good-humour would have rendered agreeable under any circumstances. He had been accustomed to move in the best society in Edinburgh, and the facility with which he accommodated himself to his altered situation, was deserving of praise. It has been said, the circumstances of his household were temporary; and I have since learned he soon afterwards married a young lady, whom I saw on the banks of the Grand River, and trust he now enjoys that degree of happiness he so well merits, and which I sincerely wish him.

In the forenoon of the day after our arrival, Mr W—— drove my two friends, C—— and S——, down the banks of the river, I riding on horseback, in company with Mr W. N——. The banks form what is called the Reserve of the Six Nations, which extends from the mouth of the river on Lake Erie to Brantford, a distance of about fifty miles, and embraces three miles on each side of the river. The Indians granted part of their lands, upwards of fifty years ago, to individuals chiefly of Dutch extraction, who then settled on them, and whose descendants are still resident. The land so granted is called the Nellis Settlement, and is one of the most beautiful spots in Upper Canada. The poor Indians of the Six Nations, like every one of the many tribes in America which have come in contact with white men, have greatly decreased in numbers, and have recently sold to the British Government fourteen miles in length of their Reserve from the mouth of the river, and which has been surveyed, and was brought into the market a few weeks after my visit there. To see this district was the object of our excursion, but which the state of the roads and want of time prevented our accomplishing. We retraced our steps, after passing about half a mile into the newly ceded territory.

A number of well-dressed Indians of both sexes were passing up and down the banks of the river on horseback, with good saddles and bridles. In one instance, an Indian and his wife, or squaw, as they are called in the language of the country, were riding together, she after the manner of Englishwomen, with a child sitting behind, and the husband had a child before him.

In going down the river, we called on an Indian of reputed wealth, named Fish Carrier. He is a stout middle-aged man, with a wife and family. His log-house had an appearance of comfort, having two large well-glazed windows in front, a door with veranda to the back, and a stone chimney stack. The family seemed to have finished a repast shortly before our arrival,—a good table being covered with plates, knives, and forks, recently used. There were two four-posted beds in the room, five or six chairs, a cat, and several dogs. There were horses, cows, and pigs in the woods. Fish Carrier could imperfectly understand, but was unable to speak the English language, and Mr W. N—— being similarly situated with the Indian one, the conversation of the parties was short and unsatisfactory.

Some distance below Fish Carrier’s is the Council-house of the tribes, a long narrow wooden building, with an upper and lower range of benches round both sides, on which the senators recline during counsel. It is kept by two old women, who cook on days of meeting. At the time of our visit they were in the act of churning, and I sipped a little of the buttermilk. The butter was particularly white in colour. I also partook of bread made from Indian corn meal, mixed with a few unhusked French beans, which looked like raisins in a cake. The bread was soft and damp, and seemed to have been prepared by boiling. To me it was unpalatable, although some of my friends did not dislike it. The roof was hung with ears of Indian corn, considered public property, which are contributed by individuals in years of abundance, and reserved for times of scarcity. The Council-house is also used for dancing, and contained a number of ornaments worn on such occasions, consisting of strings of bones for fixing on different parts of the body, and prized for the clattering they make when in motion.

On our return, a young Indian, of fifteen or sixteen years of age, shot a small bird with an arrow from a common bow, and on being requested to try and strike the bird when dead, he placed it on the trunk of a tree, and missed it twice. Five small boys were shooting birds with a blow-gun, and amused me by their manner of stealing up to the object of their attack. The blow-gun is a long narrow wooden tube, with a small arrow, on the end of which is a quantity of thistle down neatly dressed, and which fills the tube, so as to give effect to the arrow, which is discharged from the gun by the breath of the sportsman. It is little better than a child’s toy.

Having a desire to see the lands which Government had obtained from the Indians, Mr C—— and I set out next day at seven A.M., furnished with horses, through the kindness of friends, to visit Mr B——. We had not, however, gone far when his horse became so lame that he returned, and I proceeded alone, down the banks of the river, which I lost sight of, and after a long ride came to a settled part of the country, where I found myself on the road to Cranberry, and four miles from the river. On learning the direction of the river, I entered the woods with a tired horse, which I led in my hand, and after a tedious walk, gained the river two miles below where the object of my search resided, and which I reached at two P.M. After resting the horse some time, I returned up the river, and in two hours got over a distance which in the early part of the day occupied seven hours. Many adventures are related throughout Canada of people having lost themselves in the woods; and there is so much danger in a bush excursion, that people unaccustomed to follow tracks in the wilderness, ought never to incur the hazard. A stubbornness of disposition led me to make an attempt to regain the river without a compass. Guiding my course by the sun, my success was complete, but had clouds arisen to obscure it, my situation would have been unpleasant.

On introducing myself to Mr B——, he said he had heard of my arrival in the country, and welcomed me kindly. He had only been settled a few days, and was engaged in improving his house, with the assistance of an Indian, who understood cabinet-making. The Indian was preparing a duck for dinner, of which I partook, sitting on a chest, and having another for a table. The duck might be a canvassback, but I made no enquiry on the subject, and it was without feathers, by which alone I could have determined the species. No food could be more grateful to my palate, and I rejoiced at so opportune an arrival. Mr B——, with the understanding of Government, purchased the Indian improvements, that is, paid them for the house and cleared land; and was to pay afterwards the ordinary price of land to Government. He was said to have farmed in Perthshire, Scotland, and resided some time in the state of New York before coming to Canada. Mentioning to him that I had been told of his leaving the States in disgust with the people, he assured me such was not the case, as he felt ashamed of having left his acquaintance there, who had shown him the utmost kindness, and whom he respected and loved.

On my return to the Nellis Settlement, I passed one or two habitations of white men on the river side, and seldom enjoyed a more agreeable ride. The sun was low in the horizon, and gilded every object with a rich and soothing hue, so different from the fierce rays of summer noonday, that an admirer of nature seldom loses an opportunity of viewing its loveliness. A romantic fancy may suppose this tint of the setting sun an affectionate evening adieu to nature; and such are its effects on vegetation, that I have seen the Scottish farmer stalk forth, and gaze on the beauty of his crops, although perhaps insensible of the cause of his pleasure. The unruffled waters, beneath a cloudless sky, reflected objects on the surrounding banks; while Indian cots, situated on the most prominent points of the terrace, occasionally met the eye. When contemplating a landscape, where several small islands seemed reposing on the surface of the river, and on which grew luxuriant Indian corn, overtopped with magnificent sunflowers in full blossom, gentle ripples issuing from beneath a bush on the bank of an island, led me to expect waterfowl, but a squaw, standing erect, came gracefully paddling a canoe filled with children, who had been cultivating the sunflower. Swan never guided her brood with more majesty and care than this female did her offspring.

I met some Indians, and a plain-looking white woman, with fair hair, dressed in Indian attire, and carrying a child of Indian hue. She was said to be a native of Ireland, and a solitary instance of a white female living with the Indians.

My friends were at a loss to conjecture the cause of my absence, as I engaged to dine at Mr N——’s, where I joined them a little after seven o’clock. Next day we dined with Mr W. N——. These invitations came opportunely after the loss of the mutton bone; and I have no doubt were the means of saving the lives of several of Mr W——’s fowls. It was gratifying to see the old settlers so attentive to Mr W—— on this emergency, and I was glad of the opportunity of witnessing the manners and customs of the descendants of the first inhabitants of this part of the country. Mr N—— is pretty well advanced in life, a shrewd and well-informed person, and has let his farm in shares to an Englishman. Mr W. N—— is a very active middle-aged person, with a wife and family, and cultivates his farm personally. He lives in a small frame-house, with plain furniture, and every thing we saw was plain and neat. Mrs W. N—— was also a native of Canada, cousin to her husband; had four or five children; and was, I believe, without a female servant or help. The children were thus the third generation which had been reared in comparative seclusion on the banks of the Grand River. The softness of manner, ease, and good-humour of the children, appeared equal to families in the better ranks of life in my native country, and I was anxious to ascertain if this gentleness of manner was real. With this view I romped, fondled, and teased, within and without doors, the small boys, without ruffling their tempers; and trust my little friends Hamilton and Nielson will in age display matured fruits of their sweet and early blossoms. Manner, like the disposition of children, is, to a certain extent, the gift of nature; but the example of parents deeply affects families, more especially when shut out from society. This family unquestionably owed much to the good sense and conduct of both parents, and ought to go far in satisfying people in Britain that their children will not necessarily become savages by being removed to the woods of Canada, if they themselves lead proper lives, which they ought to do for their children’s sake, if not for their own.

I have already mentioned a dam across the Grand River at Dunville for supplying water to the Welland Canal, and which throws back the water in the channel of the river for nearly twenty miles, until it reaches the Nellis Settlement. The beauty of the river has been injured below this point by the stagnant water having covered the low lands, destroyed the trees, and imparted a marshy and gloomy character to the banks. In the Nellis Settlement, the river possesses much of its original character, and is truly fine, gliding around some fertile and beautiful islands, while the rich flat lands on the banks extend a considerable distance back, and terminate in an undulating surface. The low land on the banks of the river is what is termed bottom, or interval land, in some parts of America, and is a fine rich loamy soil. The undulating ground is clay of good quality, and has not been cleared to any extent. The low lands are altogether cleared, though adorned with single and wide-spreading trees; and it is here most of the settlers reside. If the Grand River is rendered navigable to Brantford by means of locks, as is talked of, the charms of the Nellis Settlement, one of the most beautiful spots in the province, will be destroyed by the submersion of the islands and flats. The soil of the Indian Reserve, including what was sold to government, as seen by me on the east side of the Grand River, is chiefly clay of medium quality, with very little vegetable mould on the surface. In a distance of nearly twenty miles, I observed only one or two streamlets joining the river, which does not augur favourably of the lands abounding in water, unless the springs flow in a westerly direction towards the Welland or Chippaway River. The prevailing wood is oak.

The agriculture on the Grand River embraces the cultivation of wheat, oats, clover, and Indian corn, by the white population, the Indians confining their attention chiefly to Indian corn, and occasionally a little wheat. The female Indians bestow considerable attention on the cultivation of Indian corn, which is planted on the best of land by the river side, and infinitely surpasses any thing I saw belonging to the white population. In many cases the crop was eight feet high, and almost always has intermingled with it a few plants of the sunflower, still more luxuriant than the corn, the large yellow flowers of which bending towards the sun, impart a high degree of richness and beauty to the crop.

At eight A.M. on the 21st August, the party at Mr W——’s broke up, Captain A—— on horseback for Blenheim, S—— and the mutton-bone stealer for Hamilton, and C—— and I on foot for Brantford. The morning was fine, and the road being through the Indian Reserve on the banks of the river, we enjoyed our walk for some time. But towards noon the powerful rays of a vertical sun shone on us, while the banks and trees excluded every breath of air, and we suffered considerably from heat. My friend on two occasions petitioned for a few minutes’ rest, when we reclined under a tree to cool, almost naked. We reached Brantford to dinner, a distance of twenty-four miles, and learned the thermometer stood at ninety-four degrees in the shade. In the evening we walked around Brantford, having quite recovered the fatigue and broiling we underwent in the early part of the day.

People frequently speak of the danger of drinking cold water in Canada, and recommend a mixture of spirits as a safeguard, a convenient doctrine for such as delight in stimulants. Having at every period of my life indulged in the use of cold water when thirsty and taking exercise, I saw no reason for a change of system while in America, which Mr C—— also followed. In walking through the Indian Reserve, we became thirsty, and being unable to discover water, we approached the dwelling of an Indian, in the hope of obtaining a supply. A well-dressed interesting young squaw was sitting under a wooden shade, with a deer-skin, the embers of a fire, and cooking apparatus before her, apart from the house, to avoid heating it. I asked for a drink, and on observing that she did not comprehend the import of my words, motioned the action of drinking, when she instantly glided into the house, and brought a snow-white bowl, which she presented with water. We made a second application at an Indian habitation, but our eloquence and gestures were unavailing, as the inmates did not seem to wish to afford us relief. My friend now contrasted the soft black eye and benevolent countenance of the squaw who supplied water, with the dirty sordid looking creatures who denied it; and while we were engaged in debating whether the different appearances of the individuals really existed, or arose from our associations connected with them, we suddenly beheld an interesting and extensive view at a bend of the river, lying 200 feet below; and in the foreground, at a few yards distance, a limpid fount bubbling forth from the hollow trunk of a tree, at which we quenched our thirst.

In passing from Nellis Settlement to Brantford, two Indian school-houses were observed, and we intended calling on their religious instructor, Mr N——, who was from home. The Indian houses were similar to those on the river below, with glazed windows, verandas for excluding the rays of the sun, and a ladder on the roof for reaching the chimney-top. We several times pulled excellent apples, and passed one tree of remarkable size, loaded with fruit, surrounded by a fence, and its branches supported by props.

The soil on the banks of the river was generally clay, though in some places sand, and there was a tract of five or six miles of excellent loam. The wood was chiefly oak, with here and there a few pines, which on the west side seemed to prevail to the water’s edge. There is little agriculture on this part of the Reserve of any kind. At the Indian’s dwelling, where we obtained the drink of water, there was a good crop of wheat, well stacked, a waggon for carrying home the crop, and a good barn. This day I commenced a collection of seeds, by selecting six species of wheat, three white chaffed varieties having red-skinned grain, and three red chaffed varieties having very white grain.

While at Brantford, we observed a raising bee, that is, raising the frame of a house by a collection of people. The frame had been constructed, and the parts fitted beforehand, and the company had only to put them together. The process was expeditiously effected, the largest timbers being hoisted to their places by long sharp-pointed poles. The power of brute-force was displayed; yet three men, with the aid of mechanical power, might have accomplished the labour of thirty.

Brantford owes its name to the celebrated Mohawk Indian chief, Brant, and is situated on a high bank on the east side of the Grand River. It is a growing place, containing six hundred souls. There is a new bridge erecting over the river, forming the great thoroughfare to the London and Western districts; and it is said to be in contemplation to render the river navigable to this point. On the opposite side of the river, there is an extensive rich-looking flat country, a part of which is occupied by Europeans on lease from the Indians.

Having experienced the inconvenience of walking in warm weather, we debated whether to pursue the remainder of our journey on horseback or in a waggon, and determined on the latter, which was engaged at $3 per day, the driver finding himself and horses.

Next morning Mr W——, Captain A——, my friend, and I, left Brantford early in the morning, on our way to Galt, and stopped to breakfast with a Mr C——, a successful farmer, residing within seven miles of Brantford. The farm consists of what is called oak openings or plains; and, on examination, I found the soil consisting partly of clay and partly of sand. The crops had been pretty good, especially a field of oats. The straw of wheat in the barn showed no traces of mildew, and the grain was equal to any I had met with in America, a sample of which I preserved. Oak openings or plains consist of stunted oak-trees, thinly scattered over the surface, so that the plough may frequently enter without further obstruction than what arises from the roots of bushes. It is quite certain that fire passes over the plains every year or two, and destroys all tender vegetation. The effects of fire, I have no doubt, also prevents the growth of the trees, which are sometimes pretty thick, and in other places several acres are found without any. Oak openings are free of vegetable mould, or even live vegetation of any value; the soil is commonly light sand, and a superficial observer is apt to think nature hath pronounced the curse of sterility on such spots. But part of Mr C——’s soil convinced me the thinness of the trees, and thriftless vegetation is not an effect of the nature of the soil, which is often much under-rated. Oak openings may be cultivated by girdling the trees, and ploughing with six oxen, and fallowing the ground two years.

Mr C—— speaks in high terms of his oak openings, only a small part of which, in my opinion, merited praise. He estimates the expense of raising the first wheat crop on such soil, including the price of land, and two years’ fallow, at $20 per acre, and the return of the first crop at twenty bushels. The price of wheat, last year’s crop, 1832, was $¾. Gypsum, or plaster of Paris, he invariably applies to clover. Labourers are always to be had at from $10 to $13 a-month in summer. Winter lasts six months. I was pleased with my visit to Mr C——, and on parting expressed myself so to him.

After breakfast we proceeded by way of Paris, so called from its quarries of gypsum, or plaster of Paris, situated on the Grand River, eight miles from Brantford, and one below the Forks, at which there is mills. We soon afterwards reached Galt, also situated on the Grand River, over which there is a bridge. It contains a church, grist, saw, and pail mill; and several buildings are of stone. My friend had a letter of introduction, which he had brought from Edinburgh, to a gentleman in Galt, whom we understood to be in the habit of receiving the bearers of such letters coolly. In order to guard against apparent disappointment, we delayed calling with the letter till after dinner, and gave instructions for the horses to be put to the waggon before we left the inn. Our reception was, however, all we could have wished, being asked to take wine, and tea, both of which we declined. In conversation, we learned he had left his own residence to avoid company, and building-lots in the village were not sold, for creating opposition to Mr——’s store. The prospect from Galt is pine forest of stunted growth, with a few straggling cedars on the margin of the river. We left Galt in the afternoon, and reached Guelph at eight P.M. Next day we rode into the township of Eramosa, and returned to Guelph in time for dinner, and reached Galt in the evening.

Guelph is finely situated on the river Speed, a branch of the Grand River, and is well supplied with water from springs as well as the river, which drives mills, and over which there are two bridges. There are about fifty houses in the village, only one of which is of stone. There is a market house of wood, roughly finished, and without a stall or a frequenter of any kind. Three considerable sized churches of different sects, Catholic, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian, are being erected. Three weeks previous to our arrival, a range of six or seven wood houses had been burnt down, the brick chimneys of which were standing.

This village could boast of ruins, if not of antiquities. The bridges over the Speed at Guelph, and the corduroy, were decayed, and in a shameful state of neglect, alike marking the worthless nature of the wood and insufficient road-way management of the district.

The inn at Guelph is a good establishment for the country, and greatly superior to that at Galt. Our waggoner breakfasted and dined at the public table, in company with two gentlemanly-looking persons, lately from England, without any explanation from the landlord. The waggoner was a Lower Canadian, of French descent, and strongly resembling in size and feature the common description of Scotch peasantry. He spoke the English language in a broken imperfect manner, and was an unassuming obliging person. This was the second time drivers had appeared at table since reaching the American shore, and I did not experience inconvenience of any kind on either occasion from their presence, both having conducted themselves with the utmost propriety. A meal in the United States and Canada is simply a feeding, and not in any degree a conversational meeting; and ability to pay is therefore considered the standard of admission to public tables. Britain and America are similarly situated in this respect, but in Britain the facilities of getting private tables, and various degrees of entertainment, completely separate travellers into different grades. Viewing meals as social meetings, texture of coat or profession ought not to gain or deny an individual admission to table; and wherever the inhabitants of a country have not been brutalized, true politeness at a public table never fails to check vulgarity and impudence, as well as to impart pleasure.

The surface from Brantford to Galt, by way of Paris, is undulating, chiefly oak openings, consisting of dwarfish decaying oak-trees, with a good deal of underwood, and scarcely a plant of grass or clover interspersed. In some places a good deal of pine is seen, but every description of tree, including larch, is small and stunted looking.

From Galt to Guelph, and in the neighbourhood of the latter, the soil is light, composed of sand or gravel, bearing inferior crops, and, judging from the way sides, calculated to produce excellent pasturage. The wood is small sized; and the district abounding with limpid streams. Annual thistles were growing in vast numbers, and where cleared land had been neglected, were occupying the entire surface. The clearing of land was going on to a considerable extent.

The wheat was much mildewed, and some fields we examined nearly destroyed by it. Sleighs, mere arms of trees, were passing along the roads, drawn by two oxen, on which were small bags, seemingly going to the grist-mill, and under guidance of a stout man, who could have carried the bags on his shoulders. Such a misapplication of ox labour arose, I fear, from laziness.

A considerable part of the country between Guelph and Galt is settled by Dutchmen, many of whom have cleared farms of considerable size, with good houses and barns. There is a respectable hotel within a few miles of Galt, at which we intended to stop for the night. On entering the bar-room, in which were ten or twelve people, the landlord was scolding his wife in _high Dutch_; and as he continued deaf to our enquiries, we left the house.