) H l"\ ,0- \^ " S ' '' / .V. * ;/ <■ -7^ ^\ , N C ^ -/^^ 0..- .V A^^^ ^ 0^ 0- ■' " '^' .<^' '^^ ^^ A' vOo V^' .-^^" <. <& \ '. •""p %^ "^ ;. s- ^0 ^ >". 'oo .N ^ -^^ '^' ■^. , ^ * /■ C' ^_ * « , ^ * ' \\^ , , , ^^, V -T z: ^^ ^ , J. -* A •it -?^ ^ "-^^ v^^ ; x*^ ^^ •>> ■ „'^ ,0- N, 0^ ». ^' * "/ -^^ -\^ \ o. <" x^' '• ' " . '^> "' ^ " V> s ^ ' ' ' V -0 N ' _*^" -1^ r ,0- *" X .-^o. cP\ -'.-^^^ ^ '^ ■% ^%^- .V .;? ;• ^^ * ., s o > ^0 3 ■o. %v:>»^ ,# .-Js 0- ^^ '''. '^. '"^" xV o'^^ cP- ■ * >* •f^ -^^ .^>^-«,-^b "^y- V^ ^I'xOo^. <\^ v\ .0- 3^ c- ■ ^ .0-' ■f^ V s^ .\-- -V .o\' <^ A^' * 4' ^-•.'^. iCk^ a''*!--,.: > ^'^^'-L- M. M> 1% ^ JD^ Bh t3> S3E (D aDisTD) TB r in>ir : *fp jrgiiTT, ?^^*^nr;>'''^^-^,^_ I gLi KUhliJ r'rom FOINT.I i, That on the twelfth .day of August, in the forty-fifth year of the Inde- |;)endcijce of the United States of Ameri(ia, Ben- jamin yiLLiMAN, of the said District, hath de- posited in this Office the title of a book, the right whereoi he claims as Author, in the words following, to wit : — «• Remarks made on a short Tour between Hartford and Que- "bec, in the Autumn of 1819; by the Author of a Journal of "Travels m England, Holland and Scotland. Second edition, "with corrections and additions." In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, " An Act for the encouras,ement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charta and Books, to the authors and propri- etors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned." CHAS. A. INGERSOLL, Cltrk of the District of Connecticut. A true copy of Record, examined and sealed by me, CHAS. A. INGERSOLL, Clerk of the DiUrict of Connectic\i.!. .^ vVV PREFACE. DuRiN(} the excursion, which produced this small volume, 1 began, with an intention of sketching a series of short articles, in some degree popular and general in their character, and still of such a cast as would ad- mit of their being thrown, occasionally, into the Ameri- can Journal of Science. Before the close of the journey, these remarks, al- though written hastily, in public houses, and in steam- boats, became too extensive for the object first intend- ed. For reasons, with wliich it is, perhaps, unnecessa- ry to trouble the reader, it has since been thought ad- visable to print then), after due revision, in the form in which they now appear. The geological notices are, with fevv exceptions, pla- ced under distinct heatls, and may, without inconven- ience, be omitted by those to v.bom they are uninterest- ing. But, the geoioirical features of a country, being permanent — being intimately connected with its scene- ry, with its leading interests, and even with the very Ciiaracter of its population, have a fair claim to delinea- tion in the observations of a travelier ', and this course, however unusual with us, is now common in Europe. I regret that my limited time di I not admit of more ex- tended and complete observations of this nature, and I cannot flatter myself that tliey are always free from error. The historical remarks and citations have been the more extended, from an impression, that less has been said by travellers in America, than might h.ave been ex- pected, of scenes and events, which, to Americans. I conceive, must ever be subjects of the deepest interest. The friend, in whose company this tour was made, having been in the habit, when tr;;velliug, of t.tking h'st}' outlines of interesting portions of scenery, and of finish ng them after his return, did, in this instance, the same ; and, although when executed, they were not in- I* 4 PREFACE. tended for publication, the drawings, which illustrate some of the scenes in this work, were, at my request, furnished by him. The engraver, Mr. S. S. Jocelyn, of New-Haven, a young man of twenty, almost entirely self-taught, evin- ces talents, deserving of encouragement, and which have been highly spoken of, by the first historical pain- ter in this cou.itry. This little accidental work does not assume the digni- ty of a book of travels ; it contains no adventure, and claims to be merely a series of remarks, and of state- ments officts, respecting some portions of this country, and of a neighboring province. BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, Yale College, August l\th, 1820. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The first edition of this book, although a large one, having been a good while exhausted, and the inquiry for it still continuing, on the part of those who visit Lower Canada, and the intervening countries, I have consented, at the request of the respectable Individual, who undertakes the publication, to revise these " Re- marks" for another Edition. The principal object has been, to correct a number of errors, generally, however, not of primary impor- tance, which have been pointed out to me, by the kind- ness of several friends and correspondents. To those who have sent anonymous communications, I now re- turn my thanks, for the candid manner in which they, ae well as"^ others, have treated the subject, and I have shown'my sense of the value of all these suggestions, by adopting them, except in one case, where I have slated my authority. — I allude to the death of Baron Dieskau. I have not thought it necessary, to add a map, as sug- gested by one of my unknown friends, because, the country travelled over, is already so well delineated, in many maps. Since the publication of this book, I have again visited the Lakes and the battle grounds, and have therefore, in the present edition, interspersed various additional re- marks, observations, and notices of historical facts, which, perhaps, may be found to add to the value of the work, as a pocket companion of travellers. Possibly the reader may think it fortunate, that the feeble state of my health has prevented these additions (rom being still more extended. jj PREFACE. As this little volume has been recently republis^hedin London,* 1 have to regret, that the reprint had not been made from the prei-eiit edition, that tour of the plates were omitted, and that for the vignette in the the title page, a very poor wood cut has been substituted, it is but justice however to say, that the four prints which have been preserved viz. one of Monte Video — one of Quebec, and both those ot Lake George, are beautifully executed. It may not be improper to add, that besides nume- rous expressions of aj;probation, as regards the correct- ness of this work, received from intelligent and respect- able inhabitants of Canada, 1 have enjoyed the advan- tage of the direct revision and correction of two Eny- lish Gentlemen, attached to the British army, and I have in the present edition, availed myself of all the criti- cisms, vvhiclithey have been so kind as to make. 1 shall venture to close these remarks by an extract of a letter from one of these gentlemen. " 1 beg leave to make my best acknowledgements, for the gratilication I experienced in perusing yo'.ir sketches of Canada. The shortnesb of your stay among us, pre- vented your entering into those details, on our constitution, administration, tone of society, general happiness, virtue, agriculture, scenery, geology. &c. which might have given occasion for a few more corrections. I consider your little work as a most fiiilhrul and spirited transcript of the impressions which our rivers, cities, commerce, language k.c. and the external coat or surface of our so- ciety, make on a transient visitor. Its tendency is highly conciliatory and friendly, and it will always be quoted as a just and pleasing picture of these countries for the year 1820." B^-S. Y. C. May, 15, 1824. * In a collecliou of voyages nud travels by SirR. Phillips, & Co. OONTENTS. 9 Page. Fort Anne ; battle in its vicinity, - - - ITf Whitehall; the canal, 180 Port; sketch of the place, - - 182 The old man, of the Age of Louis XI V. - - 183 Lake Champlain ; passage down, - - - 191 Ticonderoga, 195 its lines and ruins, its battles, 198 A night on the Lake, - - . - 205 Morning scenery ; Plattsburgh, &c, - - 206 Entrance into Canada, ----- 208 St. Johns; and departure for Montreal, - - 210 Montreal; first glimpse of it, - - - - 212 River St. Lawrence; passage across it, - - 213 Montreal; first impressions of the place, - - 214 A public house ; its accommodations, - - 215 Guests ; their manners, ----- 2l6 The St. Lawrence; evening scenes on its waters, 217 day scenes on its waters, and * its banks, 219 Passage to Quebec, 220 town of Sorel, 221 Approach to Quebec, .... 227 Entrance into Quebec, ----- 234 C tnadian Calash, 237 Bcauport and Montmorenci ; excursion to those places, 238 Gi;olos;y ijetween Quebec and Montmorenci, - 242 Fi'Ms of Montmorenci, ----- 244 S r.v-millsand lumi)er, - > . - - 249 Quebec and its environs ; view of them from Beau- port, - - 262 Battle of Montmorenci, ----- 255 F ilis of Ciiaudiere; excursion to them, - - 268 Projected ro.id to Maine, . ^ . . 277 Quebec; r!ii>ht view of, and end entrance into it, 278 Plains of Abraham; death of Wolfe, and Montcalm, ... - 279 Its fortifications, - - - - 291 Geological andmineraloaiical remarks, 298 to 303 DeaiiofGeneral Montgomery, - - - - 3C8 General Arnold's party, - - - - 314 10 CONTENTS. Page. Castle of St. Louis, and Death of the late Duke of Richmond, _ . - - 317 General remarks on Quebec, - - - - 32"? River St. Lawrence, 337 Steam-boats, ..-.-- 342 Dangers of steam-boats, ----- 344 An incident, 346 Night scene on the river St. Lawrence, - - 349 Frederick Pursh, the botanist, (Note) - - 350 Montreal; the mountain, ... - 351 Montreal ; Geology and mineralogy of its environs, 355 Mode of building, - - - - 357 Beauty of its environs, - - - 359 Race-course, and racing, - - 360 Its importance, , - - - 361 Miscellaneous remarks upon it, - 363 North-West Company, - - - 371 Aborigines, ..---- 373 Ploughing match, ----- 375 Agricultural dinner, . . - - 376 History, &c. 380 Caution to strangers in Canada, - - - 383 Peculiar mode of extracting teeth, - - - 384 Catholic worship, - - - - - 286 French language, ------ 389 Population ; manners ; costume; villages; political situation, &c. - - - 391 Departure from Canada, - - - - 398 Plattsburgh bay, 402 Anecdotes, ------- 404 Burlington to Hanover, - - - - - 409 Geology and mineralogy from Lake Champlain, 415 Hanover, ...---- 416 Dartmouth College, . - - - 417 Connecticut river; ride down its banks, - - 4l9 Geology, 421 Bellows Falls, - - - - - 422 Geology and mineralogy, - - - - 424 Brattleborough, 426 Geology, &c. 428 Greenfield, Deerfield, and other towns, to Hartford, 431 Addenda — historical, &c. . - . - 438 CONTENTS. PRINTS. Page. Q,uebec from Point Levi, (Vignette on title page) Description of this print, - - - 269 No. 1. Monte Video, from the south rock, (fron- tispiece) 2. Approach to the house, facing page - 16 Description of No's 1 and 2, - - - 10 v^ 3. Lake George from the village of Caldwell, (facing page) - - - - 148 '^ 4. Lake George from Fort George, (facing page) - - - - - 150 Description of No's 3 and 4, - • - - 149 < 5. Approach to Q^uebec from the S. W. (fa- cing page) ----- 230 Description of No. 5, - - - - 229 ^ 6. Part ofQ,uebecfromthewharfj (facing page) 232 Description of No. 6, - - • - 233 4 7. Falls of Montmorenci, (facing page) - 248 Description of No. 7, - - - - 248 •^ 8. Lumber establishment at Montmorenci, and bay of Quebec, ('J'^icing page) - 254 Description of No. 8, - - - - 253 / 9. Quebec, from the mouth of the Chaudiere, (facing page) . - - - 272^ Description of No. 9, - - - 27^ PRINCIPAL TOPICS. Monte Video, near Hartford ; description of its scenery, ..---- 10 Middle region of Connecticut ; its scenery and geol- ogy, - - - - - - - 17 Primitive country ; its commencement, - - 28 Churches,; zeal for building Ihem, - - - 36 8 CONTENTS. Pafe. American Inns ; peculiarities in their manners, 32 Ride to Sandisfield, ----- 35 Ride to Lenox, ...... 37 Geology between Sandisfield and Lenox, - - 38 Lenox; sketch of the place, - - - - 39 Ride to New-Lebanon, ----- 40 Shakers ; (heir villao;es, &c. - - - - 41 Neu'-Lebanon; its mineral spring, - - - 46 its scenery, - - - - 51 Ride to Albany, 54 Geology between New-Lebanon and Albany, - 56 Albany ; sketch of the place, . - - 58 Hudson river ; scenery and Geology of its banks above Albany, ----- 66 Horse ferry boat ; a new and singular one, - 68 Troy, Lansingburgh, and Waterford, - - 69 Generd Burgoyne's expedition, - - - 71 Stillwater; house where General Frazerdied, 81 The battle ground, 96 Gen. Gates' camp, ----- 97 General Frazer's grave, - - - - 108 The last encampniant of the British army, - 113 The last house of refuse, - - ■ US Tlie field of surrender, - - - - ll8 Reflections and remarks, ... 121 Stillwater to S.Hidy Hill, 126 Geolon;y between those places, - - - 128 FoitEd'.vnrd, - - - - .- - 129 Murder of Miss M'Crea, - - - - 131 S;;ndy-Hi!l; massacre there, - - - - 137 Baker's Falls, - - - - - - 140 Excnrw very 2;ooil. IG2-1. 54 TOUR BETWEEN HARTPOnD AND QUEBEC. For those who wish to enjoy fine rural scenery, bold, picturesque and beautiful, with the best nmoun- tain air, and such advantages to health, as this co- pious fountain presents, nothing can be better in its kind than New-Lebanon. Its waters must be ad- mirable for bathing. New-Lebanon spring is twelve miles from Lenox, and seventy miles from Hartford. It is situated just within the limits of the state of New-York, three or four miles from the state of Massachusetts, and thirty or more from Connecti- cut. A stone similar to a mile-stone, denoting the boundary line between the states of Massachusetts and New-York, stands on the slope of the mountain, as we descend towards the village of the Shakers. In the valley of New-Lebanon there is a family vault, which struck us on entering the village. It is a neat cemetery, covered by a high mound ; a marble table lies on the top, and (what constitutes its singularity,) it has a flag staff', similar to those in Ibrts ; we supposed it must be a: mausoleum for some military man, but we were informed that it was the vault of a private family, of the name of Hand, and that whenever any mtmber of the fami- ly dies, a black flag is hoisted on the flag-staff. RIDE TO ALBANY. The morning after our arrival at the New-Leha- noq spring, the equinoctial blorm, wuich bad never T.OUR BETWEEN HAIITF^RB AND QWEBEC'. 55 deserted us, poured, literally, floods of rain ; they ran in torrents down the steep hills of New-Leba- non, while the black clouds and the clusters of va- por hung over the tops and around the sides of the mountains, or, driven by the gusts of wind, swept with gloomy grandeur, along the frowning ridges. It appeared as if we were imprisoned for the day, and we solaced ourselves with the pleasant society of the small but intelligent party which we found at the Springs. About ten o'clock, the rain so far ceased that we resumed, and afterwards continued our ride, al- though rain and sun-shine, and alternate currents of hot and cold air, made it a day of singular fluctua- tion. Stephen-Town, Nassau and Schodack, through which we passed, presented nothing jiarticularly in- teresting. At Greenbush, we observed the exten- sive barracks, erected during the late war, for the accommodation of the United States' troops ; being white, and standing upon elevated ground, they make a pleasing appearance — aside from the pensive sen- sations, associated withall military spectacles. Near the river, we examined an abandoned pit, dug for coal, and a sulphureous mineral water ; the latter has been considerably spoken of, but, on the present oc- casion, was weak both in taste and smell, owing, I suppose, to the recent heavy rains, and to its being left without any shelter to protect it from the weath- er. Some winters since, a bottle of it which had §6 TOUR BETWEEJ; HARTFOUI) AND QUEBEC. been brought to me, happened to freeze, and broke, when the offensive hepatic gas filled the house to the no small annoyance of the family. From the barracks, we descended a considerable hill, before vre reached the bank of the river ; a horseboat conveyed us over the Hudson, and before night, we were safely landed at a very comfortable house in the city of Albany. GEOLOGY. At New-Lebanon, a few miles east of the springs, the geology of the country undergoes a great chani^e, and the whole tract, thence to Albany, is, without doubt, a transition country. Bluish gray transition lime stone, in immense strata, traversed by white veins of calcareous spar, is found at New-Lebanon. Its texture is nearly compact, its structure slaty, and its inclination to the horizon considerable. Grau- wacke makes its appearance, about seven miles on the road towards Albany, and continues to be abun- dant at intervals. Common transition slate and a red slaty rock of a very fine, and indeed almost im- perceptible grain, apparently between a sand stone and a slate are abundant. The strata on the road are in many places, much decomposed. The slate thrown out of the pit at Greenbush, where the exca- vation was made for coal, is evidently transition TOUR BETWEKN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 57 islate, having often a tortuous appearance and a glis- tening surface, as if covered with a varnish or with plumbago. It is just such slate as is found in con- nexion with the anthracite of Rhode Island. It ap- pears therefore, that good bituminous coal is not to be expected at Greenbush ; the incombustible coal, the anthracite, may indeed be found, but it would be much less valuable than the other kind. I have several limes had occasion to remark, that the picturesque features of a country depend very much on its geology. This remark is particularly verified by the country just spoken of. After leav- ing New-Lebanon, we soon lose that bold scenery which I have described, and which often so emin- ently characterises primitive countries. The tran- sition lime-stone, I am aware, is occasionally Alpine in its appearance, as in the Peak of Derbyshire, and it is so in the New-Lebanon basin. But, the transiiion and slaty formation, which im- mediately succeeds, presents hills of moderate ele- vation, without ridges, peaks, defiles or deep hol- lows, and bounded by gentle outlines and large curves. It would be too much to say, that this is the invariable character of transition countries, but compared with the primitive in the immediate vi- cinity, I believe they usually possess this appearance. We must not, however, insist with too much rigor upon the application of the systematic arrangements of other countries to this. Many parts of our primi- 6 58 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. tive formations, occupy a low level, and some of our prinoitive slaty rocks are not highly inclined in relation to the horizon. The ridges of greenstone trap at Greenfield, in Massachusetts, are higher than the granite of North- field and Montague, in the same vicinity, and atLev- erett, the granite is low, and the puddingstone rises to the heighth of five or six hundred feet, and far above the granite. The Sugar-Loaf Mountain, in the southern part of Deerfield, is composed of con- glomerate, and is five hundred feet high above the contiguous plain. Mount Toby, on the opposite side of the river in Sunderland, is between eight and nine hundred feet high, and these hills are higher than the greenstone, granite and other rocks in that region.* ALBANY. Albany contains from ten to twelve thousand in- habitants,f and is the second city in the state (we might almost say empire,) of New-York. Its lati- tude is 42° 38' N. ; it is one hundred and sixty miles from New-York, and one hundred sixty-four from * See Mr. Hitchcock's account of Deerfield, &c. — American Journal of Science, &:c. — V^ol. I, t 12,630 in lSi20.— Morse' s G^osraphi/. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 59 Boston. It rises, for the most part, rapidly from the river, and exhibits a very handsome appearance from the Greenbush side. The greater part of the population, however, is on the flat ground, immedi- ately contiguous to the river, where the Dutch, who founded the town, first commenced building, agree- ably to their established habits in Holland. In- stances are innumerable, where people continue from habit, what was at first begun from necessity, and this seems to have been the fact in the present ease. The town extends about two miles north and south, on the river, and in the widest part, nearly one mile east and west. It is perfectly com- pact — closely built, and as far as it extends, has the appearance of a great city. It has numerous streets, lanes, and alleys, and in all of them, there is the same closeness of building, and the same city-like appearance. The principal streets, and especially Market, State and Pearl streets, are spacious, and the hous- es in general, are handsome and commodious ; ma- ny are large, and a few are splendid. State-street is very wide, and rises rapidly from the river, up a considerably steep hill. The Capitol stands at the head of it. This is a large and handsome building of stone,* furnished with good rooms for the govern- * I could not but re»ret that the tessellated marble pavement of the vestibule, otherwise very handsome, was shamefully dirtied by tobacco spittle : such a thing would not be suffered in Europe, H is, however, unfortunately, only a sample of the too general 60 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ment and courts of law; in the decorations and fur- niture of some of these apartments, there is a good degree of elegance, and even some splendor. — There is also a State Library, just begun ; it does not yet contain one thousand volumes, but they are well selected, and a fund of five hundred dollars per annum is provided for its increase, besides three thousand dollars granted by the legislature to com- mence the collection. The view from the Balcony of the Capitol is rich and magnificent : the mountains of Vermont and of the Catskill are the most distant objects, and the banks of the river are very beautiful, on ac- count of the fine verdure and cultivation, and of the numerous pretty eminences, which bound its meadows. The Academy of Albany, situated on the Capi- tol Hill, is a noble building of Jersey free stone. Although it has (as stated to me by Dr. B ) cost ninety thousand dollars, only the lower rooms are finished. Schools are, however, maintained, in it, for nearly two hundred children, and it is pros- perous, under the able direction of Dr. T. R. Beck, and several assistant teachers. This Institution was erected at the expence of the city of Albany, and is honourable to its munifi- cence, although a plainer building, which, when treatment of public buildings, and places in the United States, and constitutes no peculiar topic of reproach, in this instance ; teat it is particularly offensive in so fine a building. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 6^ completely finished, would have cost much less money, would probably have been equally useful, and might have left them, out of their ninety thou- sand dollars, a handsome fund, in addition to what they now possess. There is a large and convenient brick building for a Lancasterian school, but I did not go into it,* Among the interesting things of Albany is the seat of the late General Schuyler, situated quite in the country, at the south end of the town. It is memorable, principally, from its historical associa- tions. It was the seat of vast hospitality and the resort of the great men of the revolution. Even Gen. Burgoyne, with his principal officers, was lodged and entertained there, after his surren- der, although he had devastated Gen. Schuyler's beautiful estate at Saratoga, and burned his fine country seat. The house of the late Gen. Schuyler, is spacious and in its appearance venerable; it has, long since, passed away from the family and is now possessed by a furrier. At the opposite, or northern extremity of Albany, and almost equally in the country, is situated the seat of the patroon, Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer. It is well known, that he possesses a vast patrimo- nial estate of forty miles square, lying in the vicinity of Albany, which has descended, unbroken, froiD * I visited it afterwards, and was much gratified by seeing several hundred children receiving instruction in this building. 1824. 6* 62 TOUR BEtWEEN HAlltFORD AND QUEBEC. his early American ancestors. Such a phenome- non, in a republican country, is very remarkable, and cannot fail, in spite of our early prejudices, and the strong bias of national feelings, to excite a de- gree of admiration, if not of veneration. We are still more disposed to indulge these feelings, when we find the hereditary possession of such wealth, associated with distinguished excellence, in public and private life, with the most amiable and unassu- ming manners, and with a princely, although dis- criminating liberality. The house, (which was built by the father of the present patroon,) is a palace. It stands on the flat ground, by the river, and looks down Market street, which here terminates abruptly. The house has in the rear, nothing but green fields and beautiful rural scenes. It is imbowered in groves, and shrubbery, and reminded me powerfully, of some of the fine villas in Holland, to which, both in situation and appearance, it bears a strong resemblance. Among the gentry and professional and literary men of Albany, there are individuals of distinguish- ed eminence. But, eminent men, of our own time and country, are rather too near, for much minute- ness of delineation. Were it not for the restraint thus imposed by delicacy, it would be a task, by no means ungrateful, to draw likenesses from the life, and to exhibit the combined effect of talent, learn- ing, and social virtues. An American in Europe, is free from this embarrassment, and should he here discover a mind of amazing vigor and activi- TOUR BETWEEN HARTfORD AND QU EBEC. 63 ty — always glowing — always on the wing — replete with various and extensive knowledge, flowing out in the most rapid, ardent, and impressive eloquence, while simplicity and familiarity of manners were as- sociated with a high minded integrity, and indepen- dence, he would fearlessly pronounce the possessor of such qualities an original and captivating man. Albany is the great thoroughfare and resort of the vast western regions of the State ; its streets are very bustling; it is said that two thousand waggons sometimes pass up and down State street in a dayj it must hereafter become a great inland city. It stands near the head of sloop navigation and of tide water : sloops of eighty tons come up to the town, besides the steam-boats of vastly greater ton- nage, but of a moderate draught of water. In addition to the public buildings that have been already mentioned, Albany has a City Hall, a Jail, an Aims-House, a State Arsenal, two Market hous- es, four banks, a museum, eleven houses of public worship, and a public Library, containing about four thousand volumes.* The private library of Chancellor Kent, does honour to him and to learning. It contains between two and three thousand volumes of choice books. The collection on jurisprudence, embraces not only the English, but the civil and French law. It con- tains Latin, Greek, English and French Classics — belles letters — history — biography — travels, — and books in most branches of human learning. The * Worcester's Gazetteer. 64 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. numerous manuscript remarks and annotations, on the blank leaves and margins of the books, evince that they are not a mere pageant, and at a future day will form some of the most interesting of our literary relics. The situation of Albany is salubrious, and emi- nently happy, in relation to the surrounding coun- try, which is populous and fertile. No one can estimate the importance of the regions west, which, in their progressive increase, and aided by the stu- pendous canal,* now in progress, must pour a great part of their treasures through this channel. Albany has been memorable in American histo- ry. It was the rendezvous, and the point of de- parture, for most of those armies, which, whether sent by the mother country, or, raised by the colo- nies themselves, for the conquest of the Gallo- American dominions, and of the savages, so often, during the middle periods of the last century, exci- ted, and more than once disappointed the hopes of the empire. It was scarcely less conspicuous in the same manner, during the war of the revolution, and during the late war with Great Britain. Few places, on this side of the Atlantic, have seen more of mar- tial array, or heard more frequently the dreadful " note of preparation." Still, (except perhaps in some of the early contests, with the Aborigines) it has never seen an enemy ; a hostile army has never encamped before it ; nor have its women and * Already united to the waters of the Hudson, and beginning to verify the remark in the text. 1824. "TOUR BETWEEN HAKTFORD AN» QUEBEC. 6b children ever seen " the smoke of an enemy's camp." More than once, however, has a foreign enemy, after fixing his destination for Albany, been either arrested, and turned back in his career, or visited the desired spot in captivity and disgrace. The French invasions from Canada never came nearer than Schenectady.* In 1777, the porten- tous advances of the British armies from Quebec, and of the British fleets and armies, from New- York, threatening a junction at Albany, and filling the new States with alarm, and the Cabinet of St. James with premature exultation, met a most sig- nal discomfiture. Albany was the seat of the great convention, held in 1754, for the purpose of bringing about a con- federation of the Colonies, for their mutual defence and general benefit, and it has been signalized, by not a few other meetings, for momentous public purposes. We passed a part of three days in Albany, and were not without strong inducements to protract our stay. The public houses are excellent, affording every accommodation and comfort, with that quiet and retirement, and that prompt civility, so com- monly found in English Inn«, and which, until with- • la 1690, Schenectady was sudJenly assaulted, in the night, by the French and Indians, and its miserable inhabitants either n H-acre). or drag;g;ed, in the depth of winter, into captivity. 66 TOUR BET\rEEN HAUTFORD AND QUEBEC. in a few years, were so rare in those of America. Polished and enlightened society, and the courte- sies of hospitality hold out still stronger attractions, but our allotments of time did not permit us to re- main any longer, and we hastened to set our faces towards the British dominions. BANKS OF THE HUDSON, ABOVE ALBANY. We determined to go by Whitehall, as we wish- ed to avail ourselves, of the rapid and comfortable conveyance, to the confines of Canada, now estab- lished on Lake Champlain. Being unwilling how- ever to pass rapidly by, or entirely to avoid-, all the interesting objects on the road, we adopted such an arrangement, as might permit us to take the banks of the Hudson and Lake George in our route. Indeed, from Albany, upon the course pro- posed, every part of our way was to be over classic- al ground. History sheds a deeper interest over no portion of the North American States. He who venerates the virtues and the valour, and commis- serates the sufferings of our fathers, and he, who views, with gratitude and reverence, the deliveran- ces which heaven has wrought for this land, will tread with awe, on every foot of ground between Albany and the northern lakes. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 67 We were obliged, on this occasion, to deny our- selves a visit to S(h"npct^«dy, and its rising literary institution, and to the waters of Tallston and S ira- toga. Leaving them therefore to the left, we pro- ceo' ed along the banks of the Hudson, principally on the western shore. This is a charming ride. The road is very good, and absolutely without a hill ; the river often placid and smooth, but sometimes disturbed by a rocky bottom, is ahnost constantly in sight, and flows through beautiful meadows, which are commonly bouniie !, at small dis'ances from the Hudson, by verdant hills, of moderate height, and gentle de- clivity. The strata of rocks are, almost invariably, the transition slate. They present scarcely any variety. The direction of the strata is so nearly that of the river, that they form but an inconsidera- ble angle with it ; they often protrude their edges into view, because they have a very high inclination to the horizon, apparently about 45°,* or perhaps in some instances, a few degrees less. The rock is easily broken up, and reduceil to small fragments ; and therefore forms an excellent material for the roads. The banks of the river frequently present a natural barrier, formed by the same kind of rock. Nearly six miles from Albany, we crussed the river into Troy. * I had no opportunity to judge, except by the eye, as we rode 6S TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC SINGULAR HORSE FERRY-BOAT. The ferry-boat is of a most singtilar construction.* A platfornn covers a wide flat boat. Underneath the platform, there is a large horizontal solid wheel, which extends to the sides of the boat ; and there the platform, or deck, is cut through, and removed, so as to afford sufficient room for two horses to stand on the flat surface of the wheel, one horse on each side, and parallel to the gunwale of the boat. The horses are harnessed, in the usual manner for teams — the whiffle trees being attached to stout iron bars, fixed horizontally, at a proper height, in the posts, which are a part of the permanent structure of the boat. The horses look in opposite directions, one to the bow, and the other to the stern ; their feet take hold of channels, or grooves, cut in the wheels, in the direction of radii ; they press forward, and, al- though they advance not, any more than a squirrel, in a revolving cage, or than a spit dog at his work, their feet cause the horizontal wheel to revolve, in a direction opposite tothatof theirown apparentmo- tion ; this, by a connexion of cogs, moves two verti- cal wheels, one on each wing of the boat, and these, being constructed like the paddle wheels of steam- boats, produce the same effect, and propel the boat forward. The horses are covered by a roof, fur- nished with curtains, to protect them in bad weath- er ; and do not appear to labour harder than com- mon draft horses, with a heavy load. * They have now become common, and are worked by four horsc3 where the boat is large. 1824. TOUR BETWEEN UARTFOnB AND QUEBEC. 69 The inventor of this boat, is Mr. Langdon, of Whitehall, and it claims the important advantages of simplicity, cheapness, and effect. At 6rst view, the labour appears like a hardship upon the horses, but probably this is an illusion, as it seems very im- material to their comfort, whether they advance with their load, or cause the basis, on which they labour, to recede. TROY, LANSINGBURGH, AND WATERFORD. Troy, six miles north of Albany, is a beautiful city, handsomely built, and regularly laid out; its appearance is very neat ; it stands principally on the flat ground, by the Hudson — contains five thou- sand inhabitants *-a court-house, jail, market-house, jand two banks, a public library, a Lancasterian 'school, and five places of public worship. It has an intelligent and polished population, and a large share of wealth. A number of its gentlemen have discovered their attachment to science, by the in- stitution of a Lyceum of Natural History, which, fostered by the activity, zeal, and intelligence of ts members, and of its lecturer, Mr. Eaton, promi- ses to be a public benefit, and to elevate the char- acter of the place. Near it, on the opposite side of the river, are ex- ensive and beautiful barracks, belonging to the * 6264 ia 1820. 7 70 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUE BEG. United States, with a large park of artillery. Below the town, are fine mill seats, on which are al- ready established, several important manufactures, for which kind of employments, Troy appears very favourably situated. Small sloops come up to this town, which, for size, and importance, is the third, er fourth in the state. We had to regret that the arrangements of our journey did not permit us to pass as much time in Troy, as, under other circumstances, would have .l>een both useful and agreeable. Lansingburgh, through which we passed, three miles north of Troy, is inferior to it in the number and quality of its buildings. Its population is not far from two thousand. It is a large and handsome settlement, situated, principally, on one street, and has an academy, a bank, and four* places of public worship. Sloops come up to this place, and it. en- joys a considerable trade. It was formerly more flourishing than at present. Troy has, for a good many years, gained the pre- eminence, and seems likely to retain it. Waterford is a pretty village, of one thousand in- kabitants, and stands on the western bank of the Hudson, at its confluence with the Mohawk, where a numberof islands, producingthe appearance of seve- ral mouths, give diversity to a very beautiful scene. It is ten miles north of Albany. From the Lansing- bargh side, we crossed into it, over a commodi- * Worcester's Gazetteer. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 71 ous bridge. The name of this place, was formerly Half-Moon point. It is memorable as having been the n>ost southern point, to which the America* army, under General Schuyler, retreated, before the then victorious General Burgoyne. In the con- tiguous islands, in the mouth of the Mohawk, they took their stand, and were preparing to form a camp, so strong, that their enemy would not be able to force it. This was in August, 1777. On the 19th of that month, General Schuyler was upe rseded in command by General Gates. Colonel Morgan's re- giment of riflemen, dispatched from the main army by General Washington, arrived on the 23d ; and on the 8th of September, the army again turned northward, and marched to Stillwater, to face Gene- ral Burgoyne. From this place, therefore, we are to pass over the most interesting scenes of that cam- paign. GENERAL BURGOYNE' S EXPEDITION. Of that momentous period, I am not now about to re-write the history, which may be found, per- haps, sufficientl}' detailed, in various authors. * But, in travelling over ground, which has been the scene • Ramsay's History of the American Revolution, Gordon's His.- tory, Marshall's Life of Washington, Wilkinson's Memoirs, An- I aual Register, Burjjoyue's State of the Expedition from Cana- «!», &c. ka. 1 72 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEG, of memorable actians, it is both iustructive and in- teresting, to advert concisely, to some of the most prominent events. In May, 1775, Ticonderoga, and Crovrn Point, and the small marine force on the lake, had been taken by surprise, by the Americans, led by Colonels Allen and Arnold, and thus, the command of the lakes George and Champlain, had been acquired without bloodshed, and with comparatively little effort. This opened the way for the invasion of Canada, which was undertaken in form, in the summer of 1775, it being supposed that the Canadians were disaffected to the British government, and needed nothing but the appearance of an American army, to induce a general revolt. Accordingly, in September, 1775, General Scuy- ler, with General Montgomery, proceeded to the Sorel river, and took post at the Isle-aux-Noix, eight or nine miles above St. Johns, and eleven below the egress of the river from Lake Champlain. General Schuyler falling sick, the command devol- ved on General Montgomery, who, in the course of a few weeks, reduced the forts of St. Johns and Chambly, on the river Sorel, and captured Mont- real and the towns of Sorel and the Trois Revie- res, on the St. Lawrence. Early in December, he formed a junction with General Arnold, who, in No- vember, arrived at Point Levi, opposite to Quebec, with the little army which he commanded, (having traversed the hideous wilc|erqess between the Ken- TOUE BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 73 nebec and St. Lawrence rivers,) and the two ar- mies united, scarcely equalling one thousand men, proceeded, in due form, to invest Quebec. The siege, from the want of heavy cannon, prov- ing ineffectual, they made a desperate assault, on the last day of December. This terminated in the death of Montgomery, and the defeat of the enter- prise; the army, however, kept its ground, in the vicinity of Quebec, till spring, and maintained, part- ly a siege and partly a blockade of the place. On the return of spring, and the arrival of British reinforcements, the American army gradually retir- ed up the St. Lawrence ; and, although largely re- inforced, from time to time, till it eventually amount- ed to eight thousand men, it was not able to retain possession of the country ; but, by degrees, after varfous conflicts, more or less important, relinquish- ed all that had been gained, by so much effort and blood. In June, 1776, the evacuation of Canada was complete, and the great objects, originally in view, of uniting Canada to the slates, and of preventing invasion from that quarter, were entirely defeated. Still, the Americans held the command of the lakes, and Sir Guy Carleton, who commanded in Canada, made such astonishing efforts to prepare a navy, that, by the autumn of 1776, he had a force much superior to that of the Americans. A desperate conflict ensued, in October of the same year ; and General Arnold, who commanded 7* 71* TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, the American flotilla, although he did every thing, which valour could accomplish, witnessed the com- plete destruction of this little navy. Thus the principal obstacles, that prevented the invasion of the new States, from Canada, were re- moved, and the tide of war, with a powerful reflux, was soon to roll back from the North. The troops, destined for the intended invasion, were already in Canada, and General Burgoyne, their future commander, returned to England in the au- tumn of 1776, to digest the plan of the intended campaign By an exertion of arbitrary authority, he was made to supersede General Sir Guy Carleton, who had commanded with much ability, during the preceding campaign, and whose only fault in the view of the English ministry, was probably, his humanity and clemency to the Americans; his mag- nanimity, however, led him still to do every thing in his power to forward the service In the spring of 1777, General Burgoyne returned to Canada, took the command, and the armament proceeded on its destination. It was led by accomplished and experienced offi- cers; — it was furnished with a most formidable train of brass artillery, and with all the apparatus, stores, and equipments, which the nature of the service required, and which the art of man had invented. Veteran corps of the best troops of Britain and Ger- many, formed almost the whole of this dreaded army, while L-anadians, and American loyalists, fur- TOUR BETWEEN HAtltFORD AND QUEBEC. 13 The carriage road, leaving the two foot-paths, (just described,) at the gale, passes the cottage and its appendages, inch'ning at first down towards the wa- ter, and then following the undulations of the ground, where the ascent is the easiest, winds gently up to the flat on which the house stands. Along this road the house, the tower, the lake, &c. occasionally ap- pear and disappear, through the openings in the trees ; in some parts of it, all these objects are shut from your view, and in no part is the distant view seen, until passing through the last group of shrub- bery near the house, you suddenly find yourself within a few yards of the brow of the mountain, and the valley with all its distinct minuteness, immedi- ately below, where every object is as perfectly visi- ble, as if placed upon a map. Through the whole of this lovely scene, which appears a perfect garden, the Farmington river pursues its course, sometimes sparkling through imbowering trees, then stretching in a direct line, bordered with shrubbery, blue, and still, like a clear canal, or bending in graceful sweeps, round white farm houses, or through meadows of the deepest green. The view from the house towards the east, pre- sents nothing but the lake at the foot ef (he lawu, bounded on the north and south by lofty clilTs, and on the opposite shore, by a lower barrier of -rocks, intermixed with forest trees, from amongst which, a road is seen to issue, passing to the south along the brink of the water, and although perfectly safe, 14 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOKD AND QtfESEC. appears to form, from that quarter, a dangerous en- trance to this retired spot. Every thing in this view, is calculated to make an impression of the most entire seclusion ; for, be- yond the water, and the open ground in the imme- diate neighbourhood of the house, rocks and forests alone meet the eye, and appear to separate you from all the rest of the world. But at the same moment that you are contemplating this picture of the deep- est solitude,^you may without leaving your place, merely by changing your position, see through one of the long Gothic windows of the same room, which reach to a level with the turf, the glowing western valley, one vast sheet of cultivation, tilled with inhabitants, and so near, that with the aid only of a common spy-glass, you distinguish the motions of every individual who is abroad in the neighbouring village, even to the frolicks of the children, and the active industry of the domestic fowls, seeking their food, or watching over, and providing for their young. From the same window also, when the morning mist, shrouding the world below and fre- quently hiding it completely from view, still leaves the summit of the mountain in clear sunshine, you may hear through the dense medium, the mingled sounds, occasioned by preparation for the rural oc- cupations of the day. From the boat or summer house, several paths diverge ; one ofwhichj leading to the northeast, af- ter passing through a narrow defile, is divided into TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QURBEC. 15 two branches ; the first passes round the lake, and generally out of sight of it, for a quarter of a mile, until descending a very steep bank, through a grove of evergreens, so dark as to be almost impervious to the rays of the sun, even at noon day, it brings you suddenly and unexpectedly out, upon the east- ern margin of the water, into the same road which was seen from the opposite side, and from thence along it, to the cottage, beyond the foot of the south rock. The other branch of the path, after leaving the defile, passes to the east side of the northern ridge, and thence you ascend through the woods, to its summit, where it terminates at the Tower, standing within a few rods of the edge of the precipice. The tower is a hexagon, of sixteen feet diameter, and fifty-five feet high ; the ascent, of about eighty steps, on the inside, is easy, and from the top which is nine hundred and sixty feet above the level of Connecticut river, you have at one view, all those objects which have been seen separately from ^he different stations below. The diameter of the view in two directions, is more than ninety miles, extending into the neighbouring states of Massa- chusetts and New- York, and comprising the spires of more than thirty of the nearest towns and villa* ges. The little spot of cultivation surrounding the hou^e, and the lake at your feet, with its pictur- esque appendages of winding paths, and Gothic buildings, shut in by rocks and forests, compose the fore-ground of this grand Panorama. 16 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, On the western side, the Farmington valley ap- pears, in still greater beauty than even fronri the low- er brow, and is seen to a greater extent, presenting many objects which were not visible from any oth- er quarter. On the east, is spread before you, the great plain through which the Connecticut river winds its course, and upon the borders of which the towns and villages are traced for more than forty miles. The most considerable place within sight, is Hartford, where, although at the distance of eight miles in a direct line, you see, with the aid of a glass, the carriages passing at the intersection of the streets, and distinctly trace the motion and po- sition of the vessels, as they appear, and vanish, up- on the river, whose broad sweeps are seen like a succession of lakes, extending through the valley. The whole of this magnificent picture, including in its vast extent, cultivated plains and rugged moun- tains, rivers, towns, and villages, is encircled by a distant outline of blue mountains, rising in shapes of endless variety. The annexed prints, Nos. 1 and 2, will give some illustrations of the scenery on the top of the moun- tain. They exhibit different views of the lake, the cultivated lawn, the buildings, the surrounding for- est, and rocky pinnacles and tower; but still, it must be remembered, that they give only some parts of the scene on the top of the mountain, with- out conveying any adequate idea, of the altitude Q J. X.^^*> ><^- rsr-'-f f i ■ /-<.-»-v. w^^i^-e^^w-'^fe^-r^- ; ■V p' as- .-..J* "■S TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 75 nished it with rangers, scouts and spies, and a nu- merous array of savages, with their own dress, and weapons, and with their own characteristic ferocity, increased the terrors of its approach. It numbered, according to common estimation, ten thousand strong,' including every description of force ; an army, which, considering the theatre of action, was equal to ten times that number in the ordinary wars of Europe. It is probable, however, that this force was some- what overrated, by the Americans, as the regular troops did not exceed, (according to the statement of the British officers,) seven thousand n)en. Un- molested in its progress, from St. John's, up the lake, it landed and invested Ticonderoga, on the first and second days of July. This post, the key of the North, had not been at- tempted by Sir Guy Carleton, after the destruction of the American flotilla, in the preceding October. It had, in the mean time, been strengthened by ad- ditional works, and men, and the command of it committed to General St. Clair, an officer of the highest standing. The cour.try looked to him for a vigorous defence, and expected that he would stem the tide of invasion, and fix bounds to its proud bil- lows. But, that country, little knew the really fee- ble, and ill provided state of the garrison, and its utter incompetency- to contend with the formidable army by which it was now invested. Had it been even much stronger than it was, it<; strength would have been rendered unavailing, by the unexpected 76 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEG, occupancy of Sugar Loaf Hill, or Mount Defiance, hitherto deemed inaccessible, and equally neglect- ed by all previous commanders, whether French, British or Americans, and had the latter now thought proper to possess it, they could not have spared troops for the purpose. From this completely commanding, and very contiguous position,* Gene- ral Burgoyne was already prepared, to pour down into the garrison, a certain and deadly fire from his artillery J while, not an effective shot could be re- turned. The Eagle, perched in the covert of the rock, was poising his wings to dart upon the defence- less prey, that was crouching beneath him, and nothing but precipitate flight could save the vic- tim. Accordingly, on the night of the fifth of Ju- ly, Ticonderoga was abandoned : the baggage, stores, hospital, ordnance and moveable provisions were dispatched to Skeensborough, by water, in the httle American flotilla, while the main body of the garrison, having crossed the lake to Fort Indepen- dence, defiled to the left, into Vermont. They were closely pursued by a detachment of the Brit- ish, under General Frazer, and of the Germans un- der General Reidesel, who, the next day, brought them to action, and the obstinate and sanguinary, conflicts at Hubberton, evinced, that although in re- * Only one thousand four hundred yards, from Ticonderoga, and one thousand five hundred from Mount Independence, on the opposite shore.— (Genera/ Burgoyne.) TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 77 treat, they were slill very formidable. This little ar- my, led byGeneral St. Clair, after a circuitous march, reached the Hudson, at Batten Kill, and soon join- ed General Schuyler, who, with the main army, was a few miles above, at Fort Edward. General Bur- goyne, with a great body of the British troops, pro- ceeded, in pursuit of his enemy, up the lake, to Skeensborough, and destroyed the American flotilla, baggage and stores, while General Philips with most of the stores of General Burgoyne, went up lake George, to Fort George, situated at its head. Gen- eral Schuyler's army continued to retreat, down the Hudson, to Saratoga and Stillwater, and, at last, to Van Shaick's island, in the mouth of the Mohawk, where it took post, on the eighteenth of August. From Skeensborough, General Burgoyne, with extreme difficulty, and after several weeks of severe labour, and one considerable battle near fort Anne, cleared the passage to Fort Edward ; for General Schuyler, in consequence of General Burgoyne's halting, nearly three weeks, at Skeensborough, had time to throw very formidable obstructions in his way. He felled innumerable trees into Wood Creek, and across the roads by Fort Anne ; he de- molished bridges, and by every other means in his power, so impeded his march, that the British army did not arrive at Fort Edward, on the Hudson, till the 30th of July. A junction was at length formed at this place, between the main body, and the divi* sion that went by lake George. 78 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. In order to enable General Burgoyne to move down the Hudson, it was necessary to transport the stores, boats and ammunition, a distance of sixteen miles over a very difficult country, from Fort George to Fort Edward. But still on the fifteenth of August, there was at Fort Edward, only four days' provisions in advance. On the sixteenth, Colonel Baum, who with his Germans, had been detached by Burgoyne, to seize a magazine of stores at Benington, in Vermont, and to countenance the loyalists in that quarter, was to- tally defeated and slain, by General Stark ; most of his detachment were either killed or made prison- ers; and Colonel Breyman, who had been sent to succour Baum, and who arrived on the same ground, a few hours after the battle, was also defeated, and with extreme difficulty, regained the main army with the greater part of his troops. In the mean time. Colonel St. Leger, in conse- quence of an arrangement, made in England, had proceeded, early in Aue;ust with an army of British and Indians, to attack For. Sfanwix, called also Fort Schuyler, on the Mohawk. This was intended to operat'^, as a diversion in favour of Burgoyne ; to distract the Americans, and in case of success, to bring dnwn a powerful force, upon their flank. Th.s t^xpedit'in was attended with some success, in the defeat of Colonel Herkimer, who fell into an ambuscade, while advancing with the militia, of the vicinity, to relieve the Fort ; he w^g slain, with ma- TOtJR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 79 ny of his party; but a successful sally from the Fort — the reported advance of General Arnold, with a force greatly magnified by the artful representa- tions of some friendly Indians, and the fears and fickleness of the savages in the British army, eventu- ally defeated St. Leger's expedition, and caused him to retreat in extreme confusion and distress. I Thus, General Burgoyne v<;'as disappointed of any collateral aid from St, Leger, and the signal defeat ! at Bennington, not only deprived him of any supply of provisions, from that source, but lost him a sixth I part of the regular troops in his army, and revealed the important secret, that regular troops could be beaten by militia. These events revived the cour- age of the Americans, gave them time to rally and , to recruit their armies, and very materially embar- trassed and retarded the movements of General Bur- goyne. To retreat was to abandon the objects of his ex- pedition, and to disappoint the expectations of his government; to advance, although with increasing difficuhies, and dangers, was therefore the only al- ternative. Accordingly, on the thirteenth and four- teenth of September, he passed the Hudson river, on a bridge of boats, not far from Fort Miller, and proceeded without any material opposition, to Saratoga and Stillwater, till on the seventemth, Ihis advanced guard was within four miles of the American army, now returning northward. On the eighteonth, the fronts of the two armies were almost 80 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. in contact, and some skirmishing ensued, but witli- out bringing on a general engagement. Thus, we have passed in a very rapid review, the principal events which preceded and induced the crisis of General Burgoyne's expedition. The two armies were now so situated that the catastrophe could not long be averted, and the four succeeding weeks were pregnant with dangers and difficulties, and fruitful in the waste of human life. We had so arranged our journey, as to lodge at Stillwater, and we were even desirous to stay in the very house, which had been rendered memorable, by the death of a distinguished General of the Brit- ish army. This small house, which is still in tolerable re- pair, and is now kept as a tavern, was, for some time, the centre of the hospital camp ofGen.Bur- goyne, and was rendered very memorable by the events which happened in and near it. We arrived, at night fall, in the midst of a hard rain: obtained the refreshments we needed, and made ourselves comfortable for the night. Willing to arrest the impressions of the moment, I wrote down such thoughts as the scene suggested. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 81 HOUSE,* IN WHICH GENERAL FRAZER DIED— Ten 0^ clock at night. We are now on memorable ground. Here much precious blood was shed, and now, in the silence and solitude of a very dark and rainy night — the family asleep, and nothing heard but the rain and the Hudson, gently murmuring along, I am writing in the very house ; and my table stands, on the very spot in the room where General Frazer breathed his last, on the eighth of October, 1777. He was mortally wounded in the last of the two desperate battles fought on the neighbouring heights, and in the midst of the conflict, was brought to this house by the soldiers. Before me lies one of the bullets, shot on that occasion ; they are often found, in ploughing the battle field. Blood is asserted, by the people of the house, to have been visible here, on the floor, till a very re- cent period. General Frazer was high in command, in the Brit- ish army, and was almost idolized by them : they had the utmost confidence in his skill and valour, and that the Americans entertained a similar opin- ion of him, is sufficiently evinced by the following anecdote, related to me at Ballston Springs, in 1797, * In the former edition, this was named Swords' House — ^but I am informed by Gen'l. Hoyt, that Swords' House, mentioned in Gen'l. Burgoyne's " State of the Expedition," was two miles high- er up the Hudson, (1824.) 82 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC* by the Hon. Richard Brent, then a member of Con- gress, from Virginia,* who derived the fact from General Morgan's own mouth. In the battle of October the seventh, the last pitch- ed battle, that was fought between the two armies, General Frazer mounted on an iron grey horse, was very conspicuous. He was all activity, courage, and vigilance, riding from one part of his division to another, and animating the troops by his exam- ple. Wherever he was present, every thing pros- pered, and, when confusion appeared in any part of the line, order and energy were restored by his arri- val. Colonel Morgan.f with his Virginia riflemen, was i-mmediately opposed to Frazer's division of the army. It had been concerted, before the commence- ment of the battle, that while the New-Hampshire and the New-York troops attacked the British left, Colonel Morgan with his regiment of Virginia riflle- men, should make a circuit so as to come upon the British right, and attack them there. In this attempt, he was favoured by a woody hill, to the foot of which the British right extended. When the at- tack commenced on the British left, " true to his * Since deceased. t Afterwards General Morgan— the hero of the battle of the Cowpens, and distinguished through the whole war, by a serie? of the most important services. TOUR BETWFEN HARTFORD AND QUFBEC. 83 purpose, Morgan at this critical moment, poured down like a torrent from the hill, and attacked the right of the enemy in front and flank."* The right wing soon made a moveiient to support the left, which was assailed with increased violence, and while executing this movement, General Frazer re- ceived his mortal wound. In the midst of this sanguinary battle, Colonel Morgan took a few of his best riflemen aside ; men in whose fidelity, and fatal precision of aim, he could repose the most perfect confidence, and said to them : "that gallant officer is General Frazer ; I admire and respect him, but it is necessary that he should die — take your stations in that wood and do your duty." Within a few moments General Fra- zer fell, mortally wounded f How far, such personal designation is justifiable, has often been questioned, but those who vindicate war at all, contend, that to shoot a distinguished offi- cer, and thus to accelerate the conclusion of a bloody battle, operates to save lives, and that it is, morally j no worse, to kill an illustrious, than an obscure indi- vidual ; a Frazer, than a common soldier j a Nel- * Wilkinsoa's Memoirs, Vol. I. p. 268. t He was supported on his horse by two officers, till he reached his tent ; he said that he saw the man who shot him, that he was a riflemad, and posted in a tree. 84 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBLC, SON,* than a common sailor. But, there is some- thing very revolting to humane feelings, in a mode of warfare, which converts its ordinary chances into a species of military execution. Such instances, were, however, frequent, during the campaign of General Burgoyne; and his aid-de-camp, Sir Fran- cis Clark, and many other British officers, were vic- tims of American markmanship. The Baroness Reidesel, the lady of Major Gene- ral the Baron Reidesel, in some very interesting letters of hers, published at Berlin, in 1800, and in part republished in translation, in Wilkinson's me- moirs, states that she, with her three little children, (for she had, with this tender charge, followed the fortunes of her husband, across the Atlantic, and through the horrors of the campaign,) occupied this house, which was the only refuge, within protection of the British armj. The rooms which it contain- ed remain, to this day, as they then were, although some other rooms have been since added. The house stood, at that time, perhaps one hun- dred yards from the river, at the foot of the hill ; it was afterwards removed to the road side, close by the river, where it now stands. The Baroness, with her little children, occupied the room in which we took tea, and General Fra- zer, when brought in wounded, was laid in the other room. In fact, as it was the only shelter that re- mained standing, it was soon converted into a hos- * Nelson was killed by a sharp ^hooter from the tops of the San- tissiroa Triaid^ida. TOUB BETWEEN HARTFORD AKD QtTBBEO. 85 pital, and manj other wounded and dying officers were brought to this melancholy refuge. Thus a refined and dehcate lady, educated in all the elegance of affluence and of elevated rank, with her little children, was compelled to witness the agonies of bleeding and dying men, among whom, some of her husband's, and of her own particular friends, expired before her eyes. She imparted to them of her few remaining comforts, and soothed them by offices of kindness. This distinguished lady was not without female companions, who shar- ed her distresses, or felt with keenness their own misfortunes. Among them was Lady Harriet Ack- land, the wife of Major Ackland, who commanded the British grenadiers. Nearly every thing that has been said of the Baroness Reidesel, will apply to her. News came, from time to time, from the heights, that one officer and another was killed, and among the rest, that Major Ackland was desperate- ly wounded, and a prisoner with the enemy. Major (called in General Burgoyne's narrative, Colonel,) Ackland, had been wounded in the battle of Hubberton, but had recovered, and resumed the command of the grenadiers. He was wounded, the second time, in the battle of October 7, and found by General (then Colonel.) Wilkinson, who gives the following interesting statement of the occur- rence:* " With the troops, I pursued the hard pressed, flying enemy, passing over killed and wounded, until I heard one exclaim, 'protect me, * Memoirs, yol. I. p. 271. 8* 86 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Sir, against this boy.' Turning my eyes, it was my fortune to arrest the purpose of a lad, thirteen or fourteen years old, in the act of taking aim at a wounded oflicer, who lay in the angle of a worm fence. Inquiring his rank, he answered, 'I had the honour to command the Grenadiers ;" of course I knew him to be Major Ackland, who had been brought from the field to this place, on the back of a Captain Shrimpton, of his own corps, under a heavy fire, and was deposited here, to save the lives of both."* " I dismoimted, took him by the hand, and ex- pressed hopes that he was not badly wounded ; not badly,' replied this gallant oflicer, and accomplish- ed gentleman, ' but very inconveniently — I am shot through both legs ; will you, Sir, have the good- ness to have me conveyed to your camp?' I direct- ed my servant to alight, and we lifted Ackland into his (the servant's,) seat, and ordered him to be con- ducted to head quarters." * Anbury relate?, (Travels, vol. I. p. 394,) that after Ackland was deposited, by Captain Shrimpton, he offered fifty fjuineas to the Grenadiers, who were flying by him, if any one of ihem would convey him into camp ; that a very stout Grenadier undertook it, but being overtaken by the Americans, both were made prisoners. Anbury's book, however, altliough it contains many interesting Recurrences, which, so far a? they are stated on his own know- ledge, are probably related with correctness — is evidently a made up work, and, wh'it is curious enough, many pages of it, and by far the most important parts, are taken, almost verbatim, from General Burgoyne's " State of the Expedition from Cana- da" — althou2:h that work was not published, till three years after Anbury's letters are dated. TOUR HKTWEEN HARTFORD and QUEBEC. 87 Two other ladies, who were in the same house with madam Reidesel, received news, the one, that her husband was wounded, and the other, that hers was slain ; and the Baroness herself expected, eve- ry moment, to hear similar tidings; for the Baron's duties, as commander in chief of the German troops, required him to be frequently exposed to the most imminent perils. The Baroness Reidesel gives, in her narrative, the following recital, respecting General Frazer's death : — " severe trials awaited us, and on the 7th of October, our mi--fortunes began ; I was at break- fast, with my husband, and heard that something was intended. On the same day, I expected the Generals Burgoyne, Philips and Frazer,to dine with us. I saw a great movement among the troops ; my husband told me it was a mere reconnoissance, which gave me no concern, as it often happened. 1 walked out of the house, and met several Indians, in their war dresses, with guns in their hands. When I asked them where they were going, they cried out, War ! War ! (meaning that they were going to battle.) This filled me with apprehensions, and I had scarcely got home, before I heard reports of cannon and musketry, whi* h grew louder by de- grees, till at last the noise became excessive. About four o'clock in the afternoon, instead of the guests whom 1 expected, General Fiazer was brought, on a litfer, morhort distance from the road, on a gentle elevation, directly opposite to the mouth of the Battenkill,and one mile north of the Fishkill. After the circumstances of the British army became extreme, this house, as it was stated to mc, was at least, for a time, the head quarters of Gen'l. Burgoyne. I am not informed whether he still remained there, when the most distinguished ladies of the army, with their children, and some wounded officers, sought it as a re- fuge from our shot, which pervaded every other part of the British encampment. The circumstances related in the text, evince that it was but a poor refuge. The room in which the wounded man lay, whose remaining limb was taken oflF by a cannon ball, is in the north east angle of the house, and it will be evident, on casting an eye across the river, that the cannon which did the mischief, must have =tood on a small eminence, still visible on the eastern bank. The family were so kind as to permit me to go into the cellar, and it needs but a glance at the premises, to discern the exact spot, where the baroness Reidesel and her children, must have sought a shelter from the cannon balls. The place must have been in the north east angle of the cellar, where the protection would be most complete, as it was not possible that the shot should reach this place, although they tai^ht possibli^ have perforated the floor, and struck in the opposite corner. Thus it appears, that there are three very memorable houses remaining, viz ; this — that in which Frazer died, and that in the American camp in which Sir Fran- cis Clark expired. The old church, denoted in GenT. Burgoyne's plans, was still standing in 1821 — Several bullet holes were visible in the north side of it— St stood^ust south of the Fishkill. 1824. il6 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. but wounded and women ; we were at last obliged t© resort to the cellar for refuge, and in one corner of this, I remained the whole day, my children sleeping on the earth, with their heads in my lap, and, in the same situation, I passed a sleepless night. Eleven cannon balls passed through the house, and we could distinctly hear them roll away. One poor soldier who was lying on a table, for the purpose of having his leg amputated, was struck by a shot which carried away his other; his comrades had left him, and when we went to his assistance, we found him in a corner of the room, into which he had crept, more dead than alive, scarcely breath- ing. My reflections on the danger to which my husband was exposed, now agonized me exceeding- ly, and the thoughts of my children, and the ne- cessity of struggling for their preservation, alone sustained me." A horse of General Reidesel was in constant readiness for his lady to mount, in case of a sudden retreat, and three wounded English of- ficers, who lodged in the same house, had made her a solemn promise, that they would each of them, take one of her children upon a horse, and fly with them, when such a measure should become necessa- ry. She was in a state of wretchedness on account of her husband, who was in constant danger, exposed all day to the shot, and never entering his tent to sleep, but notwithstanding the great cold, lying down whole nights by the watch fires. " In this horrid TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 117 situation," they remained six days, till the cessation of hostilities, which ended in a convention, for the surrender of the army ; the treaty was signed on the sixteenth, and the army surrendered the next dav.* On the present occasion, I did not visit the Brit- ish fortified camp.f When 1 was here, in 1797, 1 examined it particularly. It was then in perfect preservation, (I speak of the encampment of the British troops, upon the hill, near the Fishkill,) the parapet was high, and covered with grass and shrubs, and the platforms of earth, to support the field pieces, were still in good condition. No devas- tation, of any consequence had been committed, ex- cept by the credulous, who had made numerous ex- cavations in the breast works, and various parts of the encampment, for the purpose of discovering the money, which the officers were supposed to * Baroness Reidesel's Narrative, in Wilkinson's Memoirs. tin May 1821,1 again visited this fortified camp, and found it as perfect as it was when I saw it nearly twenty three years before, and almost every particular stated in the text was strictly applicable to it. It is about a mile from the river, and was cer- tainly chosen with great good judgment, and had the American army attempted to take it by storm , it would evidently have cost them very dear. While at Ballston Springs during the late summer, some gentlemen of our party made an excursion to this place, and T learned from them with extreme regret, that the plough was passing over the fortified camp of General Burgoyne, and that its fine parapet would soon be levelled, so that scarcely a trace of it would remain. 11 118 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. have buried, and abandoned. It is scarcely neces- sary to add, that they never found any money, for private property was made sacred by the conven- tion, and even the pubhc mihtary chest was not disturbed : the British retained every shilHng that it contained. Under such circumstances, to have bu- ried their money, would have been almost as great a folly, as the subsequent search for it. This infat- uation, has not however gone by, even to this hour, and still, every year, new pits are excavated by the insatiable money diggers.* THE FIELD OF SURRENDER. We arrived at this interesting spot, in a very fine morning; the sun shone with great splendor, upon the flowing Hudson, and upon the beautiful heights, and the luxuriant meadows, now smiling in rich ver- dure, and exhibiting images of tranquillity and love- liness, very opposite to the horrors of war, which were once witnessed here. ■ The Fishkill, swollen by abundant rains, (as it was on the morning of October 10th, 1777, when General Burgoyne passed it with his artillery,) now * This appears to be a very common popular delusion ; in many places on the Hudson, and about the lakes, where armies had lain, or moved, we found money-pits dua; ; and in one place, they told us, that a man bought of a poor widow, the right of dig- ging in her ground for the hidden treasure. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 119 poured a turbid torrent along its narrow channel, and roaring down the declivity of the hills, hasten- ed to mingle its waters with those of the Hudson. It was upon the banks of the Fishkill, that the British army surrendered. We passed the ground, where stood the tent of General Gates, and where he received General Burgoyne, and the principal officers of his army. General Wilkinson's account of this interview is interesting : " Early in the morn- ing of the 17th, I visited General Burgoyne in his camp, and accompanied him to the ground, where his army was to lay down their arms, from whence we rode to the Bank of the Hudson river, which he surveyed with attention, and asked me whether it was not fordable. ' Certainly, Sir ; but do you observe the people on the opposite shore?' 'Yes, (replied he,) I have seen them too long.' He then proposed to be introduced to General Gates, and we crossed the Fishkill, and proceeded to head quarters, General Burgoyne in front, with his adju- tant General Kingston, and his aids de camp Cap- tain lord Petersham, and Lieutenant Wilford behind him ; then followed Major General Pliillips, the Baron Reidesel, and the other General officers, and their suites, according to rank. General Gates, ad- vised of Burgoyne's approach, met him at the head of his camp, Burgoyne in a rich royal uniform, and Gates in a plain blue frock ; when they had ap- proached nearly within swords' length, they reined up, and hahed, I then named the gentlemen, and 120 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBKC. General Burgoyne, raising his hat most gracefully, said ' The fortune of war, General Gates, has made me your prisoner ;' to which the conqueror, return- ing a courtly salute, promptly replied, ' I shall al- ways be ready to bear testimony, that it has not been through any fault of your excellency.' Major General Phillips then advanced, and he, and Gene- ral Gates saluted, and shook hands with the famili- arity of old acquaintances. The Baron Reide- sel, and the other officers, were introduced in their turn." We passed the ruins of General Schuyler's house, which are still conspicuous, and hastened to the field where the British troops grounded their arms. Al- though, in 1797, I paced it over with juvenile en- thusiasm,* 1 felt scarcely less interested on the present occasion, and again walked over the whole tract. It is a beautiful meadow, situated at the in- tersection of the Fishkill, with the Hudson, and north of the former. There is nothing now to distinguish the spot, except the ruins of old Fort Hardy, built during the French wars, and the deeply interesting historical associations which will cause this place to be memorable to the latest generation. Thousands and thousands yet unborn, will visit Saratoga, with feelings of the deepest interest, and it will not be forgotten till Thermopylae, and Marathon, and Ban- nockburn and Waterloo, shall cease to be remem- * In company with the Hon. John Elliott, now a Senator from Georgia, aud John Wynn, Esq. from the i^ame state. TOUE BKTVVEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 121 jered. There it will be said, were the last en- renchments of a proud invading army ; on that spot itood their formidable park of artillery — and here, Dn this now peaceful meadow, they piled their arms! ;heir arms no longer terrible, but now converted nto a glorious trophy of victory ! REFLECTIONS AND REMARKS. I have adverted but little to the sufferings of the American army, because but little, comparatively, is jnown of what they individually endured. Except- ng the inevitable casualties of battle, they must have suffered much less than their enemies; for they soon ceased to be the flying, and became the attacking md triumphant party. Colonels Colburn, Adams, Prancis and many other brave officers and men, rave up their lives, as the price of their country's iberty, and very many carried away with them the jcars produced by honourable wounds. The brave- •y of the American army was fully acknowledged by :heir adversaries, "At all times," said Lord Balcarras, "when I ivas opposed to the rebels, they fought with great courage and obstinacy." " We were taught by ex- aerience, that neither their attacks oor resistance ivas to be despised." Speaking of the retreat of the A.mericans, from Ticonderoga, and of their behav- our at the battle of Hubberton,Lord Balcarras adds : 11* 122 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. " Circumstanced as the enemy were, as an army very hard pressed, in their retreat, they certainly be- haved with great gallantry ;" of the attack on the lines, on the evening of the 7th of October, he says : "The lines were attacked, and with as much fury as the fire of small arms can admit.'' Lord Balcarras had said, that he never knew the Americans to defend their entrenchments, but ad- ded : " The reason why they did not defend their en- trenchments was, that they always marched out of them and attacked us." Captain Money, in an- swer to the question, whether on the 19th of Sep- tember, the Americans disputed the field with ob- stinacy, answered, "they did, and the fire was much hotter than I ever knew it any where, except at the affair of Fort Anne," and speaking of the bct- tle of October 7th, and of the moment when the Americans, with nothing but small arms, were marching up to the British artillery, he adds : " I was very much astonished, to hear the shot from the enemy, fly so thick, after our cannonade had lasted a quarter of an hour." General Burgoyne gives it as his opinion, that as rangers, " perhaps there are few better in the world, than the corps of Virginia riflemen which acted under Colonel Mor- gan.'' He says, speaking of the battle of September 19th, that, "few actions have been characterised by more obstinacy, in attack or defence. The British bayonet was repeatedly tried ineffectually." TOOK BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 123 Remarking upon the battle of the 7th of October, le observes : "If there be any persons who con- , inue to doubt that the Americans possess the qual' ty and faculty of fighting, call it by whatever term ;hey please, they are of a prejudice, that it would be very absurd longer to contend with ;" he says, :hat in this action the British troops "retreated hard pressed, but in good order,'' and that "the troops dad scarcely entered the camp, when it was storm- ed with great fury, the enemy rushing to the lines, under a severe fire of grape shot and small arms." In a private letter, addressed to Lord George Germain, after the surrender, he says, " I should now hold myself unjustifiable, if I did not confide to your Lordship, my opinion, upon a near inspec- tion of the rebel troops. The standing corps that I have seen, are disciplined. I do not hazard the term, but apply it to the great fundamental points of military institution, sobriety, subordination, regu- larity and courage.'' It is very gratifying to every real American to find, that for so great a prize, his countrymen, (their enemies themselves being judges,) contended so nobly, and that their conduct for bravery, skill and humanity, will stand the scrutiny of all future ages. From the enemy it becomes us not to withhold the commendation that is justly due ; all that skill and valour could effect, they accomplished, and they were overwhelmed at last by complicated dis- 124 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. tresses, and by very superior numbers, amounting at the time of the surrender, probably, to three for one, ahhough the disparity was much less, in the two great battles. The vaunting proclamation of General Burgoyne, at the commencement of the campaign ; some of his boasting letters, written during the progress of it, and his devastation of private property reflect no honour on his memory. But, in general, he ap- pears to have been a humane and honourable man, a scholar and a gentleman, a brave soldier and an able commander. Some of his sentiments have a higher moral tone than is common with men of his profession, and have probably procured for him more respect, than all his battles. Speaking of the battle of the 7th, he says, "In the course of the ac- tion, a shot had passed through my hat, and anoth- er had torn my waistcoat. I should be sorry to be thought, at any time, insensible to the protecting hand of Providence ; but 1 ever, more particularly considered (and I hope not supersiitiously) a sol- dier's hair breadth escapes as incentives to duty, a marked renewal of the trust of being, for the pur- poses of a public station : and under that reflection, to lose our fortitude, by giving way to our affec- tions ; to be divested by any possible self-emotion from meeting a present exigency, with our best fac- ulties, were at once dishonour and impiety.'' Thus have I adverted, I hope not with too much particularity, to some of the leading cir- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 125 iumstances of the greatest military event which has ;ver occurred in America ; but compared with the vhole extent and diversity of that campaign, the ibove notices, however extended, are few and brief, confess, I have reviewed them with a very deep nterest, and have been wilHng to hear some of the listinguished actors speak in their own language. — should the notice of these great events tend, in any nstance, to quench the odious fires of party, and to ekindle those of genuine patriotism — should it re- 'ive in any one, a veneration for the virtues of hose men who faced death, in every form, regard- ess of their own lives, and bent only on securing to )Osterity, the precious blessings, which we now en- oy ; and above all, should we thus be led to cher- sh a higher sense of gratitude to heaven, for our un- ixampled privileges, and to use them more temper- itely and wisely, the time occupied in this sketch, vili not have been spent in vain. History pre- ents no struggle for liberty which has in it more if the moral sublime than that of the American re- olution. It has been, of late years, too much orgotten, in the sharp contention^ of party, and le who endeavours to withdraw the public mind rom those debasing conflicts, and to fix it on the ;randeur of that great epoch — which, magnificent n itself, begins now, to wear the solemn livery of an-' iqnity^ as it is viewed through the deepening twilight f half a century^ certainly performs a meritori- ous service, and can scarcely need a justification. 126 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOKD AND QUEIiEC. The generation that sustained the conflict, is now al- most passed away ; a few hoary heads remain, seamed with honourable scars — a few experienced guides can still attend us to the fields of carnage, and point out the places where they and their compan- ions fought and bled, and where sleep the bones of the slain. But these men will soon be gone ; tradi- tion and history, will, however, continue to recite their deeds, and the latest generations will be taught to venerate the defenders of our liberties — to visit the battle-grounds, which were moistened with their blood, and to thank the mighty God of battles, that the arduous conflict, terminated in the entire estab- lishment of the liberties of this country. STILLWATER TO SANDY HILL. This ride of twenty-two miles we took before din- ner. After viewing the field of surrender, which is seven miles above Stillwater, and thirty-two above Albany,we passed on two miles farther, to the bridge, at Fort Miller, where we crossed to the eastern side of the Hudson. On coming near the head waters of this river, we begin to tread on ground famous, not only in the war of the revolution, but, in those numerous and bloody campaigns, of a still earlier date, in which the French and the savages carried fire and slaugh- ter, into the vast frontier of the northern English TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 127 Colonies; The contests then sustained, were dis- tinguished by immense sacrifices, efforts and suffer- ings on the part of the Engh'sh Colonies ; sacrifices, efforts and sufferings, which, notwithstanding the great aids, occasionally received from the mother country, scarcely admitted, for a long course of years, of any serious and permanent intermission. Fort Miller was one of the posts established in those wars, and formed a link in the chain, which con- nected the upper waters of the Hudson with those of the lakes George and Champlain, and of course, with Canada. Fort Miller, is completely levelled, and I know not of any particular event, of signal importance, connected with its history, except that here, or a little way below, General Burgoyne, when proceeding to Stillwater, on the 13th and 14th of September, 1777, passed most of his army over the Hudson. From this place W€ pursued our journey, along the left bank of the river, to Fort Edward, and San- dy Hill. In the whole distance, from Albany to the latter place, (nearly fifty miles,) there is, on the imme- diate border of the river, scarcely a hill, even of moderate elevation, and the scenery is extremely similar to that which I have already described. The river, sprinkled with islands, flows through beautiful meadows, and appears, in many places, smooth and glassy as a mirror, and its motion is scarcely perceptible, either to sight or hearing ; 128 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. again, it is agitated, and with ripples and waves, is urged over a shallow and rocky bottom, or, dashes rapidly, down a more sudden and more rocky de- clivity ; but, in every variety of surface, it forms al- ways, a pleasing and interesting object. GEOLOGY. It was not in my power, to make many very pre- cise observations on the nature of the hills, by which the meadows are bounded. On Bemus' heights, the soil and forest hid almost every rock from view ; the solitary projections were, however, gen- erally slaty, like the rocks along the river, which, with very few exceptions, were slate — of the trans- ition class, (as I suppose ;) the direction of the stra- ta was, more generally, like that of the other great rock formations of the north : that is, somewhat to the east of north, and to the west of south ; their dip appeared extremely variable, but T believe they were never flat, nor vertical, and the structure of the strata was often, extremely confused and tortuous.* * The observations of Prof. Amos Eaton, (Index to the Geology of the Northern States, second edition,) of Dr. William Meade, (Experimental Enquiry, &c.) and of Dr. John H. Steel, (Analysis of the Mineral waters of Saratoga, &c.) may be advantagreously consulted as to the geology of the regions bordering on the upper waters of the Hudson. / TOUR BETWEEN IIAHTFOHD AND (iUEBEC. 129 FORT EDWARD. At this Fort, we first observed the canal, which is destined to connect the head waters of Lake Champlain with those of the Hudson. It is now on the point of being united with this river, and they are constructing the walls of the Canal of a very handsome hewn stone : it is obtained, as I am in- formed, near Fort Anne, and presents to the eye, aided by a magnifier, very minute plates and veins, which feebly eiFervesce with acids, and appear to enclose an extremely fine, black mineral, resem- bling hornblende ; the stone is impressed by steel, and feebly fires with it ; is it a peculiar kind of cal- careous sand stone? It is of a dark hue, and is shaped into handsome blocks, by the tools of the workmen. I was gratified to see such firm and massy walls constructed of this stone ; indeed, in point of solidity and beauty, they would do honour to the modern wet docks of Great Britain. It is intended to have a lock at this place, where there is a considerable descent into the Hudson. There is a village at Fort Edward, bearing the same name, and I ought to have remarked that there are villages, at Stillwater, Saratoga and Fort Mil- ler ; but there is nothing particularly interesting in any of them. Fort Edward, however, is memora- ble, on account of its former importance ; It is situa ted near the great bend of the Hudson, and form- ed the immediate connexion with Lake George, 12 130 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEC. which is sixteen miles, and with Lake Champlainj which is twenty-two miles distant. It was origin- ally only an entrenched camp, and was constructed by General Lyman ; but as its situation was im- portant, it was soon converted into a regular Fort. Its walls, built of earth, were raised thirty feet high, with ditches corresponding in depth and width, and it was defended by cannon. It stands on the brink of the Hudson, and the embankment was continued along the river. The walls appear to be, in some places, still twenty feet high, notwithstanding what time and the plough have done to reduce them ; for the in- terior of the Fort, and the parapet are now in some places, planted with potatoes. I know not that this Fort was ever beseiged or stormed, although it was often threatened. In the last French war, it was an important station, and in General Burgoyne's campaign, it formed the medi- um of communication with Lake George, whence the provisions were brought forward for the use of the British army, which was detained on this ac- count, at and near Fort Edward, for six weeks, by which means, they lost the best part of the season for military operations — as they moved down the river, they relinquished the connexion with Fort Edward and Lake George, and were never able to recover it. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 131 MURDER OF MISS McCREA. The Story of this unfortunate young lady is weli known, nor should I mention it now, but for the fact, that the place of her murder was pointed out to us, near Fort Edward. We saw, and conversed with a person, who was acquainted with her, and with her family ; they re- sided in the village of Fort Edward. It seems she was betrothed to a Mr. Jones, an American refugee, who was with Burgoyne's army, and being anxious to obtain possession of his expect- ed bride, he dispatched a party of Indians to escort her to the British army. Where were his affection and his gallantry, that he did not go himself, or at least that he did not accompany his savage emissa- ries ! Sorely against the wishes and remonstrances of her friends, she committed herself to the care of these fiends ; — strange infatuation in her lover, to solicit such a confidence — stranger presumption ii her, to yield to his wishes ; what treatment had she not a right to expect from such guardians ! The party set forward, and she on horseback; they had proceeded, not more than half a mile from Fort Edward, when they arrived at a spring, and halted to drink. The impatient lover had, in the mean time, dispatched a second party of Indians, on the same errand ; they came, at the unfortunate 132 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. moment, to the same spring, and a collision imme- diately ensued, as to the promised reward.* Both parties were now attacked, by the whites, and at the end of the conflict, the unhappy young woman was found tomahawked, scalped and (as is said) tied fast to a pine tree just by the spring. Tradition reports, that the Indians divided the scalp, and that each party carried half of it to the agonized lover. This beautiful spring, which still flows limpid and cool, from a bank near the road side, and this fatal tree we saw. The tree, which is a large and ancient pine, "fit for the mast of some tall ammiraP' is wounded, in many places, by the balls of the whites, fired at the Indians ; they have been dug out as far as they could be reached, but others still re- main in this ancient tree, which seems a striking em- blem, of wounded innocence, and the trunk, twist- ed off at a considerable elevation, by some violent wind, that has left only a few mutilated branches, is a happy, although painful memorial of the fate of Jane McCrea.f Her name is inscribed on the tree, with the date 1777, and no traveller passes this spot, without spend- * Which is said to have been a barrel of rum. + General Hoyt of DeerfielJ, informs me, that the received ac- counts of the circumstances attending the murder of Miss McCrea are in some particulars incorrect ; he states, that he has ascer- tained that she was not murdered at this spring, "but in the road, at a little distance from it, and that she was on foot. rOUU BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QITEIIEC. 133 jng a plaintive moment in contemplating the untime- ly fate of youth and loveliness. The murder of Miss McCrea, (a deed of such atrocity and cruelty as scarcely to admit of aggrava- tion,) occurring as it did, at the moment when Gen- eral Burgoyne, whose army was then at Fort Anne, was bringing with him to the invasion of the American States, hordes of savages, " those hell- hounds of war,"* whose known and established mode of warfare, were those of promiscuous massa- cre,! electrified the whole continent, and indeed, the civilized world, producing an universal burst of horror and indignation. General Gates did not fail to profit by the circumstance, and in a severe, but too personal remonstrance, which he addressed to * Lord Chatham. t It is true that General Burgoyne, in his celebrated speech to the Indians, at the river Boquet, at the opening of the campaign, (June 24, 1777,) reprobated such proceedings, and bound the say- ages, (whom however he called "brothers" and "friends,") down to European rules of warfare ; but, who would expect, that a fine speech and a few rhetorical flourishes, even if sanctioned by re- wards and punishments in prospect, would restrain the habitual, I had almost said, the innate ferocity of an American barbarian. All that happened, might therefore have been anticipated, and had General Burgoyne's army continued to be successful, the savages, instead of deserting him, as they did, in the hour " of his utmost need," would have spread murder and desolation every where, in spite of speeches, rules or remonstrances. The French, the English and the Americans, are however, all chargeable with a common guilt, differing only in degree, in em- ploying the savages, in the various wars on this continent. 12* 134 TOUR BET\VEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. General Burgoyne, charged him with the guilt of the murder, and with that of many other similar atrocities. His real guilty or that of his government, was, in employing the savages at all in the war; in other respects he appears to have had no concern with the transaction ; in his reply to General Gates, he thus vindicates himself: " In regard to Miss McCrea, her fall wanted not the tragic display you have labored to give it, to make it as sincerely la- mented and abhorred by me, as it can be by the tenderest of her friends. The fact was no premedi- tated barbarity. On the contrary, two chiefs, who had brought her off, for the purpose of security, not of violence to her person, disputed which should be her guard, and in a fit of savage passion, in one from whose hand.* she was snatched, the un- happy woman became the victim. Upon the first intelligence of this event, I obliged the Indians to deliver the murderer into my hands, and though, to have punished him by our laws, or principles of. justice, would have been perhaps unprecedented, he certainly should have suffered an ignominious death, had I not been convinced by my circumstan- ces and observation, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that a pardon under the terms which I pre- sented, and they accepted, would be more effica- cious than an execution, to prevent similar mis- chiefs."* *Feb. 7, 1824. — The following letters, which have recently- appeared in the public printsi are worthy of being preserved in this place : — TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 135 SANDY HILL, AND THE MASSACRE THERE. Sandy Hill* "is delightfully situated just above Baker's Falls — it contains a woollen manufactory, From the Mohawk (JV. F.) Herald. MURDER OF MISS McCREA. Florida, Dec. 27, 1823. Dear Sir — There was no event during our revolutionary struggle writh Great Britain, that excited more sympathy than the tragical fate of Jane McCrea. The time, and every circumstance attending that transaction,was peculiarly fitted to harrow up the minds of men to resistance and revenge. Wherever the story was told, (and it was told throughout the continent with the rapidity of lightning,) every bosom was thrilled as by an electric shock, and beat in unison. Young as I then was, the horrors of the scene impressed my mind so deeply, that forty-six years have in no part effaced it. But the subsequent writers of that period of our history have related the story very differently, and some have spelled her name errone- ously. In order to correct in season every mistake, I lately requested Colonel McCrea, of Saratoga, to state all the facts, as they were known and believed in the family. This gentleman was nephew to Jane McCrea, and is distinguished for candor and probity ; and is perhaps better able to tell the story than any other living wit- ness. The following is an extract from his letter. I hope you will think with me that it ought to be preserved, and give it a place in the Herald. I am, &c. S. Reynolds. Ballston, Jply 1st, 1822. Sir — It is with no small degree of diffidence I undertake to commit to paper that which is known in our family concerning the late Jane McCrea ; and in yielding to this, I do it solely with a view of complying with yeur request of transmitting to poster- ity something more of her history than is at present extant, * Worcester's Gazetteer. 13G TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. a court house, a bank, an academy for young ladies, and about eighty houses." This pretty and flour- Miss Jane McCrea, who was killed by the Indians at Fort Ed- ward, in July, 1777, was the second daughter of the Rev. James McCrea, formerly pastor of a congregation in Lamington, New- Jersey, but died previous (.0 the revolution. His eldest son, Col, John McCrea, had become a resident of Albany before his father's death, and his sister Jane directly afterwards repaired to his house, and resided with him. In the year^ seventy-three, they removed to that part of this county now known by the name of Northumberland, on the west side of the Hudson river, about three miles north of Fort Miller Falls, and he was here when his iister was killed. This was on Suaday morning, and it was eve- ning before he received the fatal news. Early the next day, he sent his family to Albany, and repaired himself to the American camp, where he found his sister's corpse, shockingly mangled. — Two of the neighboring women, whom he had brought with him, washed and dressad her remains, and he had her interred with one Lieutenant Van Veehten, three miles south of Fort Edward. She was twenty-three years of age, of an amiable and virtuous character, and highly esteemed by all her acquaintance. She was at this time on a visit to a family in (he neighborhood of Fort Edward. A Mrs. McNeil had persuaded her to remain till the Monday following. Here she was concealed in the cellar, when the Indians arrived, who, after ransacking the house, dis- covered her retreat, and drew her out by the hair, and placing her on a horse, proceeded on the road towards Sandy Hill. They had gone but a short distance, when they met another party of Indians, returning from Argyle, where they had killed the family of Mr. Bains. This party disapproved of taking Miss McCrea to the British camp, and one of them struck her with a tomahawk, and tore offher scalp. It was said, and generally believed, that she was engaged in marriage to Captain David Jones, of the British army. Captain Jones survived her only a few years, and died, as was thought, with grief. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, &c. James McCrea. Dr. S. Reynolds. TOUR BET\\*EEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 137 ishing village is regularly laid out, and composed of neat and handsome houses, many of which surround a beautiful central green. Its population is from tive hundred to six hundred. The village of Sandy Hill is of recent origin, and the site on which it stands was formerly the scene of Indian barbari- ties. From Mr. H. a very respectable inhabitant, I learned the following singular piece of history. Old Mr. Schoonhoven, recently living in this vicinity, and probably still surviving, although at the great age of more than four score, informed Mr. H. that during the last French war, he, and six or seven other Americans coming through the wilderness, from Fort William Henry, at the head of Lake George, to Sandy Hill, had the misfortune to be taken prisoners by a party of the savages. They were conducted to the spot which is now the central green of Sandy Hill, and ordered to sit down in a row, upon a log. Mr. Schoonhoven pointed out to Mr. H. the exact place where the log lay ; it was nearly in front of the house where we dined. The Indians then began, very deliber- ately, to tomahawk their victims, commencing at one end of the log, and splitting the skulls of their prisoners, in regular succession ; while the survi- vors, compelled to sit still, and to witness the awful fate of their companions, awaited their own, in un- utterable horror. Mr. Schoonhoven was the last but one, upon the end of the log opposite to where 138 TOUR BETWEEiST HARTPORD AND QUEBEC, the massacre commenced; the work of death had already proceeded to him, and the lifted tomahawk was ready to descend, when a chief gave a signal to atop the butchery. Then approaching Mr. Schoon- hoven, he mildly said, " do you not remember that (at such a time) when your young men were danc- ing, poor Indians came, and wanted to dance too ; your young men said " no! — 'Indians shall not dance with us;" but you (for it seems, this chief had re- cognized his features only in the critical moment,) you said, Indians shall dance — now I will show you that Indians can remember kindness." This chance recollection {providential, we had better call it,) saved the life of Mr. Schoonhoven, and of the other survivor. Strange mixture of generosity and cruelty ! For a trifling affront, they cherished and glutted ven- geance, fell as that of infernals, without measure of retribution, or discrimination of objects ; for a favor equally trifling, they manifested magnanimity, ex- ceeding all correspondence to the benefit, and ca- pable of arresting the stroke of death, even when falling with the rapidity of lightning !* * Considering the moral and intellectual light of the American savages, we may, however, well ask whether this act, atrociou3 as it is, manifests more that is abhorrent to every humane — every just — every moral — every christian, nay, to every truly honorable feeling, than the lamentable practice of duelling, that dreadful na- tional sin of this country; that foul stain on our character as a moral and religious people; that sin which ascertains no man's courage, but demonstrably proves that man's cowardice, who dares TOUR BETWEEN HARTPORD AND Q,UEBEC. 13^ ADDITIONAL REMARKS ON SANDY HILL. Mr. H , one of the earliest inhabitants of Sandy Hill, came to this place at the close of the war of the Revolution, and erected the first framed building. At that time, the ground? now occupied ae a public green, was cover- ed by a grove of shrub oaks. Sandy Hill is in the town of Queensbury — but is an incorporated village, exhibiting a great appearance of neatness and com- fort. It is said to be very healthy. I observed the citizens busied in sweeping their public green with brooms, and in cleaning their streets — a commend- able example for other villages; it is done here by a kind of common law. The houses are situated principally on the main street, but there are some scattered buildings. There was no house for public worship when I was there las<, (in May 1821 ;) the school-house was used for this purpose. The view from this building is said to be very fine. The village affords good accommodations for trav- ellers. Beard's house is remarkable for neatness, order, good fare, and the most obliging manners. not encounter the opinions of fighting men, but prefers the viola- tion of the most sacred laws both of God and man ; thai sin which sends to a premature grave those who have defended the nation by their valor, and honored it by their councils and their wisdom ; that sin, for whose victims thousands of American hearts are now bleeding, and for which all good men mourn, and angels weep ! ! / 140 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Baker's Falls, contiguous to this village, will well repay the traveller for a short walk. He will see them to the best advantage by crossing the bridge, and descending in the direction of the stream, till he is one hundred or one hundred and fifty yards below the falls ; the best station is near the crystallizinghouse of a gunpowder manufactory, which is established here, on the high bank of the river; there are various good points of view for a quarter of a mile below. The entire fall is seventy- eight feet ; but it takes place at several leaps, and forms a succession of violent, tumultuous rapids, not inferior in grandeur to Glen's Falls, and supe- * rior to them in picturesque effect ; these falls are really quite as well worth visiting as the more cele- brated cataract a few miles above. From the place where Baker's Falls are seen to the best advantage, the village of Sandy Hill forms a fine part of the background, being seen at the dis- tance of half a mile, on the high opposite bank. There is a fine rapid above the falls, and below the bridge. The water of the river is turned to good account by a mill-dam, which diverts a portion of the flood into artificial channels ; thus creating a great water power for the working of mills on both sides of the river. The transition and secondary formations are said to forma junction at this place. Slaty rocks com- pose the banks of the river, and are seen lying be- neath the water ; and where the latter is tranquil, a TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 141 handsome picture is presented by the veins of white calcareous spar, which in great numbers, intersect the black slate rocks, and give them a tesselated appearance, rendered more brilliant by the refrac- tive effect of the water, through which they are seen. The rocks on the shores above the bridge, where they are not covered by water, present a sim- ilar appearance. The frowning precipices which form the banks of the river — the mill-dams — the bridge, and the steep road, by which it is approach- ed from the village — readily suggest to an observer, the possibility of fatal accidents. It seems they have been of too frequent occurrence. Several persons have been precipitated over the falls, en- countering instant death. Two men were in a boat above the mill-dam, and venturing a little too far, were drawn irretrievably into the rapid waters; as the boat passed over the mill-dam, one of the men caught upon it, and stood braced, till a plank, secu- red by a rope, was floated down to him, and he was thus extricated from his danger — -but his companion went over the dam, and was lost. Another man in aboat was impelled mto tlie current, and finding his case hopeless, calmly shipped his oars, and submit- ted to his fate; a man at the bridge, about three years ago, was standing upon a floating timber, and in the act of cutting it, when it suddenly parted and let him into the water, which soon hurried him to his death ; the dead bodies were found down at Fort Edward, a few nnles below. A man in a dark night walked 142 TOUB BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. off the high bank at the bridge, on the eastern side, and fell seventy-five feet ; and a Frenchman, about the same time, drove a waggon and horses over this precipice ; it is scarcely necessary to say that they all perished. EXCURSION TO LAKE GEORGE. This interesting region lay to the left of our pro- posed route to Lake Champlain; to visit it would demand nearly twenty miles of additional travelling, through very bad roads; Mr. W. was already famil- iar with the scene; I therefore took an extra con- veyance, with which I was furnished at Sandy Hill, by the civility of Mr. H. who did me the favor to accompany me on the excursion, (for there was no public vehicle,) and leaving Mr. W. to pursue his journey to Fort Anne, where I agreed to meet him, I parted with him four miles above Sandy Hill, at Glenn's Falls. GLENN'S FALLS. We stopped for a few moments at this celebrated place. It is not possible that so large a river as the Hudson is, even here, at more than two hundred miles from its mouth, should be precipitated over TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 143 any declivity, however moderate, without a degree of grandeur. Even the various rapids which we had passed above Albany, and still more, the falls at Fort Miller Bridge, and Baker's Falls, at Sandy Hill, had powerfully arrested our attention, and prepared us for the magnificent spectacle now be- fore us. I regretted that I could not, more at leisure, investigate the geology of this pass, both for its own sake, and for its connexion with this fine piece of scenery. The basis of the country here is a black lime- stone,* compact, but presenting spots that are crys- tallized, and interspersed, here and there, with the organized remains of animals, entombed, in ages past, in this mausoleum. The strata are perfectly flat, and are piled upon one another, with the utmost regularity, so that a section, perpendicular to the strata, presents almost the exact arrangement of hewn stones in a building. Such a section has been made by the Hudson, through these calcareous strata; not however all at once ; a number of lay- ers are removed, either through a part of the width of the river, or through the whole of it ; and, a few feet further down the stream, the layers, next below are removed; and thus, by stairs, or rather * Satin spar is found in thin, delicate, but extensive veins, principally in the fallen rocks below the bridge ; generally it is of a brilliant white, but sometimes it is black, although still re- taiuias; its fibrous structure. Crystals of Bitterspath, well defi- ned, nnd glistening in black limestone, occur at the same place. — ■ The satin spar was first observed by Mr. S. F. B. Morse. 144 TOUR BKTWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. by broad platforms, not however without frequent irregularities, and deep channels cut by the water in the direction of the river, the way is prepared for this fine cataract. Down these platforms, and through these chan- nels, the Hudson, when the river is full, indignantly rushes, in one broad expanse ; now, in several sub- ordinate rivers, thundering and foaming among the black rocks, and at last dashing their conflicting waters into one tumultuous raging torrent, white as the ridge of the tempest wave, shrouded with spray, and adorned with the hues of the rainbow. Such is the view from the bridge immediately at the foot of the falls, and it is finely contrasted with the solemn grandeur of the sable ledges below, which tower to a great height above the stream. I do not know the entire fall of the river here» but should think, judging from the eye, that it could not be less than fifty feet,* including all its leaps, down the different platforms of rock. Through an uninteresting country, partly of pine barren, and partly of stony hills, I arrived at night- fall, at the head of Lake George, and found a com- fortable inn, in the village of Caldwell, on the west- ern shore. * This estimate being made without measurement, and as I have not at hand, any auihorily on the subject of the heieht of these falls, I wish the conjecture \n the text to be regtirJed as such merely. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 145 As we approached Lake George, fragments of primitive rocks began to appear, and I observed numerous loose masses of granite, on the steep stony hills, near the lake. I was much struck with the formidable difficulties which General Burgoyne had to encounter in transporting his stores, and his boats, and part of his artillery, over this rugged country : at that time, without doubt, vastly more impractica- ble than at present. PROSPECT FROM THE HEAD OF LAKE GEORGE. Sept. 28. — In the first gray of the morning, I was in the balcony of the Inn, admiring the fine outline of the mountains by which Lake George is envi- roned, and the masses of pure snowy vapour, which, unruffled by the slightest breeze, slumbered on its crystal bosom. During all the preceding days of the tour, there had not been a clear morning, but now, not a cloud spotted the expanse of the hea- vens, and the sky and the lake conspired to exalt every feature of this unrivalled landscape. The morning came on with rapid progress'; but the woody sides of the high mountains, that form the eastern barrier, were still obscured, by the lin- gering shadows of night, although, on their tops, the dawn was now fully disclosed, and their outline, by contrast with their dark sides, was rendered beau- tifully distinct ; while, their reversed image?, per- 13* 146 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,TJEBEC. fectly reflected from the most exquisite of all mir- rors, presented mountains pendent iii the deep, and adhering by their bases, to those, which at the same moment were emulating the heavens. A boat had been engaged, the evening before, and we now rowed out upon the lake, and hastened to old Fort George, whose circular massy walls of stone, still twenty feet high, and in pretty good preservation, rise upon a hill about a quarter of a mile from the southern shore of the lake. I was anxious to enjoy, from this propitious spot, the ad- vancing glories of the morning, which, by the time we had reached our station, were glowing upon the mountain tops, with an eifulgence, that could be augmented by nothing but the actual appearance of ihe king of day. Now, the opposite mountains— those that form the western barrier, were strongly illuminated down their entire declivity, while tlie twin barrier of the eastern shore (its ridge excepted) was still in deep shadow ; the vapour on the lake, which was just sufficient to form the softened blending of light and shade, while it veiled the lake only in spots, and left its outline and most of its surface perfectly dis- tinct, began to form itself into winrows,* and clouds * This, possibly, is an American word, (meaning the rows of hay, that are raked together in a meadow, before the hay is thrown into heaps ;) it exactly describes the vp^pour, as it appear- ed, in some places, on the lake, and I knew no other word that did. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 147 and castles, and to recede from the water, as if con- scious that its dominion must now be resigned. The retreat of the vapour formed a very beauti- ful part of the scenery ; it was the moveable light drapery, which, at first, adorning the bosom of the lake, soon after began to retire up the sides of the mountains. At the distance of twelve or fourteen miles, the lake turns to the right, and is lost among the moun- tains ; to the left, is north-west Bay, more remote and visible from the fort. The promontory, which forms the point of junc- tion between the lake and the bay, rises into lofty peaks and ridges, and apparently forms the north- ern termination of the lake. Up these mountains, which are even more grand and lofty, than those on the sides of the lake, the vapour, accumulated by a very slight movement of the atmosphere from the south, rolled in immense masses, every moment changing their form ; now obscuring the mountains almost entirely, and now veiling their sides, but permitting their tops to emerge, in unclouded majesty. Anxious to witness, from the surface of the lake, the first appearance of the sun's orb, we regained our boat, and, in a few moments, attained the de- sired position. Opposite to us, in the direction to- wards the rising sun, was a place or notch, lower than the general ridge of the mountains, and form- ed by the intersecting curves of two declivities. 148 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Precisely through this place, were poured upon us the first rays, which darted down, as if in lines of burnished gold, diverging and distinct, as in a diagram ; the ridge of the eastern mountains, was fringed with fire, for many a mile ; the numerous islands, so elegantly sprinkled through the lake, and which recently appeared and disappeared, through the rolling clouds of mist, now received the direct rays of the sun, and formed so many gilded gar- dens ^ at last came the sun, "rejoicing in his strength," and, as he raised the upper edge of his burning disk into view, in a circle of celestial fire, the sight was too glorious to behold ; — it seemed, when the full orb was disclosed, as if he looked down with complacency, into one of the most beautiful spots in this lower world, and, as if gloriously re- presenting his great creator, he pronounced " it all very good." I certainly never before saw the sun rise with such majesty I have not exaggerated the effect, and, without doubt, it arises principally from the fact, that Lake George is so completely envi- roned by a barrier of high mountains, that it is in deep shade, while the world around is in light, and the sun, already risen for some time, does not dart a single ray upon this imprisoned lake, till, having gained a considerable elevation, he bursts, all at once, over the fiery ridge of the eastern moun- tains, and pours, not a horizontal, but a descending flood of light, which, instantly piercing the deep shadows, that rest on the lake, and on the western •* *■■ m TOUH RETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 149 side of the eastern barrier, thus produces the finest possible effects of contrast. When the sun had at- tained a little height above the mountain, we ob- served a curious effect ; a perfect coneof light, with its base towards the sun, laj upon the water, and, from the vertex of the cone, which reached half across the lake, there shot out a delicate line of par- allel rays, which reached the western shore, and the whole very perfectly represented a gilded steeple. As this effect is opposite to the common form of the sun's effulgence, it must probably depend upon some peculiarities in the shape of the summits of the mountains at this place. PRINTS, NO. 3 AND 4. Forsome illustrations of the scenery of the south end of Lake George and of the preceding descrip- tion of it, reference may be had to the prints. No. 3 and 4, — for which, as well as for all the similar ornaments of this volume, I am indebted to the pen- cil of my friend and fellow traveller. These two views were sketched by him, on a former tour, but are, in every respect, as appropriate to the present occasion, as to the one on which they were drawn. The view. No. 3, being taken from the water's edge, in front of the public house, in the village of Caldwell, which stands on the very shore of the south-western side of the lake, of course leaves that village in the rear, and exhibit?, as the most 150 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, prominent objects, the mountains, on the eastern shore forming a strong contrast with the peaceful bosom of the lake. Several of the islands are in sight, and pleasantly diversify the uniform surface of the water, the view of which, to the north, and north-west, is, necessarily, limited by the position of the observer. In print, No. 4, the observer being at Fort George, situated, as I have already remarked, at some dis- tance from the southern shore of the lake, and in a direction, about mid-way between its eastern and western sides, contemplates a prospect, considera- bly different from that seen in the other position. The eastern barrier is now much less in view : the promontory, where the lake turns off to the right, and is lost among the mountains, and where north- west bay stretches to the left and appears bounded by very high mountains, is immediately before him, at the distance of about twelve miles ; the islands, in view, are more numerous, and give greater varie- ty to the now more extended surface of the lake ; and, immediately at the observer's feet, is the ac- clivity, by which we ascend from the lake, to the old fort, upon the walls of which we are supposed to stand, and they, of course, are not in view. On the very shore, we observe one of the old barracks, formerly belonging to the fort, now exhibiting a tavern sign, and, till within a few years, constituting the only place of accommodation to those who vis- ited Lake George. At this place, although princi- Hf^'" T©UR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q.UEBEC. 16l pally covered by the water, are the ruins of the old military quay or pier, formerly extending a good way into the lake, and affording important facilities to the numerous expeditions, that have sailed upon Lake George. REMARKS ON LAKE GEORGE AND ITS ENVIRONfc- Every one has heard of the transparency of the waters of Lake George. This transparency is, in- deed, very remarkable, and the same, (as we might indeed well suppose it would be,) is the fact with all the streams that pour into it. After the day light became strong, we could see the bottom per- fectly, in most places where we rowed, and it is said, that in fishing, even in twenty or twenty -five feet of water, the angler may select his fish, by bring- ing the hook near the mouth of the one which he prefers. Bass and trout are among the most celebrated fish of the lake ; the latter were now in season, and nothing of the kind can be finer ; this beautiful fish, elegantly decorated, and gracefully formed, shy of observation, rapid in its movements, and delighting, above all, in the perfect purity of its element, finds in Lake George, a residence, most happily adapted to its nature. Here it attains a very uncommon size, and exhibits its most perfect beauty and sym- 152 TOUR BETWEEN HARTPOllD AND QUEI5EC. metry. The delicate carnation of its flesh, is here also most remarkable, and its flavour exquisite. If the lovers of the sublime and beautiful, visit Lake George, for its scenery, and the patriotic, to behold the places where their fathers stemmed the tide of savage invasion ; the epicure, also, will come not to cherish the tender and the heroic, nor to ad- mire the picluresque and the grand, but to enjoy the native luxuries of the place. The lake is about a mile wide near its head, and is sometimes wider, sometimes narrower than this, but rarely exceedinj^ two miles, through its length of thirty-six miles. It is said to contain as many islands, as there are days in the year. I had scarcely any opportunities of observing the mineralogy and geology of this region. The beautiful crystals of quartz, which all slrtm- gers obtain at Lake George, are got on the islands in the lake ; one about four miles from its head, (and called, of course, the diamond island,) has been principally famous for affording them ; there is a so- litary miserable cottacje upon this island, from which we saw the smoke ascending 5 — a woman, who lives in it, is facetiously called "the lady of the lake," but, probably no Malcolm Groeme, and Rhod- erick Dhu will ever contend on her account. Crystals are now obtained from other islands, I believe, more than from this, and they are said no longer to find the single loose crystals in abundance rotm BETWKEN HAllTFOUD AND Q,UEBE(;. 153 on the shores, but break up the rocks for this pur- pose. Poor people occupy themselves in procur- ing crystals, which they deposit at the public house, for sale. The crystals of Lake George, are hardly surpass- ed by any in the world, for transparency, and for perfection of form ; they are, as usual, the six-sided prism, and are frequently terminated at both ends by six-sided pyramids. These last must, of course, be found loose, or, at least, not adhering to any rock ; those which are broken off, have necessarily only one pyramid.* I procured specimens of the rocky matrix, in which the crystals are formed ; it is of a quartzoze nature, and contains cavities finely stud- ded with crystals. The crystals of Lake George frequently contain a dark coloured foreign substance, enclosed all around, or partially so ; its nature, I believe, has not been ascertained ; it may be manganese, titanium, ©r iron. I had no opportunity to see the rocks, except those on which Fort George stands, and which form the barrier of the lake, at its head ; they are a dove- coloured, compact lime-stone, of a very close grain, and smooth conchoidal fracture ; they very much * I have a crystal from Lake George, obtained by a solJier, and presented to the late President Dwight, which is between five and six inches long, by three broad, and is perfectly limpid, and well crystalized. J4 154 TOUR BETWEEN HAKTFORD AND QUEBEC. resemble the marble of Middlebury, (Vermont,) and, I suppose, belong to the transition class. I could get no view of the rocks of the two lateral barriers, but, from what I afterwards saw, I conclude they are primitive, and probably (at least the eas- tern one,) gneiss.* The vulgar, about the lake, say, that in some pla- ces, it has no bottom ; by which, doubtless, ought to be understood that it is in some places so deep as not to be fathomed by their lines ; I know of no attempts to ascertain its greatest depth. The mountains are extensively, or rather almost universally in dense forest; rattle snakes and deer abound upon them, and hunting is still pursued here with success. I was credibly informed, that, a few years since, there was a man in this vicinity, who had the sin- gular power, and the still stranger temerity, to catch livino- rattle snakes with his naked hands, without wounding the snakes, or being wounded by them ; he used to accumulate numbers of them in this manner, for curiosity, or for sale, and, for a long time, persisted, uninjured, in this audacious prac- tice; but, at last, the awful fate, which all buthim- * Ur. Meade (Experimental Euquiry, &.c. p. 5,) remarks, that the eastern side of Lake Georgo iscoinposed of transition rocks . the head of this lake appears, indeed, to be transition lime-stonej and possibly its bed may be the same ; although the quartz from ti e islands, which 1 have not Tisited,) gives a different indica- tion ; both barriers are, however, undoubtedly primitive. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 153 self, had expected, overtook him ; he was bitten, and died. Surely no motive, except one spring- ing from the highest moral duty, could have justifi- ed such an exposure. In some places, the mountains, contiguous to the shores, are rocky and precipitous. Tradition re- lates, that a white man, closely pursued, in the win- ter season, by two Indians, contrived to reach the ice, on the surface of the lake, by letting himself down one of thesfi precipices, and, before the In- dians could follow, he was on his skaits, and dart- ing, "swift as the winds along," was soon out of their reach. I am not informed that the height of the moun- tains, about Lake George, has ever been measured ; they appeared to my eye, generally, to exceed one thousand feet, and probably the highest may be fif- teen hundred, or more. The wreck of a steam-boat, recently burnt to the waters edge, lay near the tavern : it gave great fa- cility in going down this beautiful lake to Ticondero- ga; parties and individuals, were much in the habit of making this tour; and, were there a good road, instead of a very bad one, from Glenn's falls to Lake George, and were the steam-boat re-estab- lished, it must become as great a resort, as the lakes of Westmoreland and Cumberland, or as Loch Ka- trin, now immortalized by the muse of Scott. The village of Caldwell, built entirely since the American war, contains five or six hundred inhabit- 156 TOUR BETWEEN HABTFORU A\D QUEBEC. ants, with neat buildings, public and private, and a very large commodious public house, well provided and attended, so that strangers, visiting the lake, can have every desired accommodation. This village, I am informed, has arisen principally from the ex- ertions of one enterprising individual, from whom it derives its name, as well as its existence. He has lived to see his labours crowned with success, and a pretty village now smiles at the foot of the western barrier of Lake George, on ground where the iron ranaparts of war are still visible; for, on this very ground, the Marquis Montcalm's army was en- trenched, at the siege of Fort William Henry, in }757. BATTLES OF LAKE GEORGE. In the wars of this country, Lake George has long been conspicuous. Its head waters formed the shortest, and most convenient connexion, between Canada, and the Hudson, and hence the establish- ment of Fort William Henry, in 1755, and, in more recent times, of Fort George, in its immediate vi- cinity. This most beautiful and peaceful lake, environed by mountains, and seeming to claim an exemption from the troubles of an agitated world, has often bristled with the proud array of vvar, has wafted its TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QTTEREC. 157 most formidable preparations on its bosom, and has repeatedly witnessed both the splendors and the havoc of battle. Large armies have been, more than once, em- barked on Lake George, proceeding down it, on their way, to attack Ticonderoga and Crown Point; this was the fact with the army of Abercrombie, consisting of nearly sixteen thousand men, including nine thousand troops from the colonies, and a very formidable train of artillery, which, on the fifth of July 1758, embarked at the south end of Lake George, on board of one hundred twenty -five whale boats, and nine hundred batteaux. What an armament for that period of this coun- try ! What a spectacle, on such a narrow quiet lake ! It is said by an eye witness, to have been a most imposing sight. Little did this proud army imagine, that within two days, they would sustain, before Ti- conderoga, a most disastrous defeat, with the loss of nearly two thousand men, and of lord Howe,* * " Lord Howe, who was killed near Ticonderoga about two and a half miles from the French lines near the north end of Lake George, in a renconter the day preceding the disastrous assault, upon that fortress, was not the father, but the elder brother of the two Howes, who were so conspicuous in the Revolutionary War, and from him the Admiral, (being the elder of the two sur- viving brothers,) inherited the title of Viscount and afterwards became an Earl. Lord Howe was at the time of his fall, a young man, though a Major General. Ricliard, who succeeded to the title, was then a Captain in the British navy, and Gen. Sir. Wil- liam Howe was then a Colonel. In the accounts of the celebrated battle, on the Plains of Abraham, he is mentioned as commanding 14* 9 158 TOUR BETWEEN HAKTFORD AND QUEBEC. one of their most beloved and promising leaders, and that they would so soon return up the lake, in discomfiture and disgrace. In July, of the next summer, (1759,) Lake George was again covered with an armament, little inferior in numbers, to that of General Abercrombie, but vastly superior in suc- cess j for Ticonderoga and Crown Point, were abandoned at its approach, and General Amherst, its fortunate leader, obtained an almost bloodless victory,* FORT WILLIAM HENRY. The remains of this old fort are still visible; they are on the verge of the lake, at its head ; the walls, the gate, and the out-works, can still be complete- ly traced; the ditches have, even now, considera- ble depth, and the well that supplied the garrison, is there, and affords water to this day; near, and in this fort, much blood has been shed. the British Light Infantry. These three Howes, were in fact, the Grandsons of George the First, being the children of his ille- gitimate daughter by Lady Darlington, married to Lord Viscount Howe. {Extract from a private anonymous communication to the author, correcting a mistake in the note on page 155, of the former edition.}— ISU. ♦Colonel Roger Townhsend was killed by a cannon shot, while reconnoitering, on almost the same spot where lord Howe was killed, the year before : he is said to have resembled him much, "in birth, age, qualifications, and character." ,?J» TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEC. 159 In August, 1755, General, afterwards Sir Wil- (iam Johnson, lay at the head of Lake George, with an army, about to proceed to the attack of Crown Point; they were troops raised by the northern colonies. Baron Dieskau, who commanded the French forces in Canada, leaving Ticonderoga, came up Lake Champlain, through south bay, and was pro- ceeding to the attack of Fort Edward, which con- tained not five hundred men, and had been report- ed to Dieskau, to be without cannon. To the suc- cour of this fort, General Johnson detached one thousand men, and two hundred Indians, under Colonel Williams, of Deerfield. Dieskau's army, having in the mean time learn- ed that there were cannon at Fort Edward, and being assured that General Johnson's camp was without artillery or entrenchments, importuned their General to change his purpose of attacking Fort Edward, and to lead them northward, to assail Johnson's camp. Dieskau yielded to their wishes, and turned his course accordingly. The moun- tain?, which form the barrier of Lake George, con- tinue to the south after they leave the lake, form- ing a rugged, narrow defile, of several miles in length, most of which was then, and still is, filled with forest trees. In this defile, about four miles from GeneralJohn- son's camp, Colonel Williams' party, which left the camp, between eight and nine o'clock in the morn- 160 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q.UEBEC. ing, of September 8th, 1755, very unexpectedly fell in with the army of Baron Dieskau; the two armies met in the road, front to front; the Indians of Dieskau's army were in ambuscade, upon both de- clivities of the mountains, and thus it was a complete surprise, for Colonel Williams had unhappily neg- lected to place any scouts upon his wings. A bloody battle ensued, and a deadly fire was poured in upon both flanks.-Colonel Williams, endeavouring to lead his men against the unseen enemy, was instantly shot through the head, and he, and hundreds of his party, including old Hendrick, the chief of the Mo- hawks, and forty Indians were slain. The remain- der of the party, under the command of Colonel Whiting, retreated into the camp. They came run- ning in, in the utmost confusion and consternation, and perhaps owed their safety, in a great measure, to another party, which, when the firing was heard, and perceived to be growing louder and nearer, was sent out to succour them. Judge Kent informed me, that old Mr. Van Schaik, of Kinderhook, has recently related to him that, arriving the next day, on the ground where the battle was fought, he saw three hundred men, dead on the spot, and Baron Dieskau lying, mortally wounded, in the English camp, on the bed of Gene- ral Johnson. This wound was received in a second, and a still greater battle, fought the same day. Dies- kau, after the retreat of Williams' party, marching on with spirit, attacked General Johnson's entrenched TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND uildings. The plan is regular, and the streets intersect at fight augles, leaving a central square, of more than y TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 223 five hundred feet' on a side.* The town is built principally of wood, and the aspect of many of the buildings is more like that of an Anglo-American town, than any thing that we have seen in Canada. The population is about fifteen hundred. The churches are of stone. We visited that of the Cath- olics, which is somewhat ornamented with pictures, but cannot be considered as particularly handsome. We found people at their devotions, and a priest in attendance. Sorel was occupied by General Thomas, in May, 1776, with the greater part of the American army, on their retreat from before Quebec. Here Gen- eral Thomas died of the small pox. The river Sorel is two hundred and fifty yards broad, opposite to the town, but it presents a singu- lar example of a river, much narrower at its em- bouchure, than at its origin; it is more than four times as wide at St. John's, as at Sorel, and contin- ues to widen all the way up the stream, to the Lake Champlain; from St. John's, there is also a ship navigation into the lake; but, from the town of So- rel, vessels of one hundred and fifty tons ascend only twelve or fourteen miles, f From the town of Sorel, we proceeded among a great many islands, and, after passing a few miles, entered that great expanse of the river, which is ten miles wide, and twenty miles long, and is called the lake of St. Peter. It has, indeed, a very great * Bouchette + Bouchette. 224 TOUR BETU'EEI* HARTFORD AN'R t^UEIiEC. resemblance to a lake, being smooth, and without apparent motion. We felt, as we had done in Lake Champlain, that this must be Long-Island Sound, and here, indeed, the resemblance is much greater, as the water is green, like the ocean. The water is, of course, shallow, and some caution is necessary, to avoid running aground. The shores are very flat and swampy, and, in a hot climate, would probably be sickly. At the large town of Three Rivers, where we arrived by three o'clock in the afternoon, and which is half way between Montreal and Quebec, we stopped in the stream a few minutes, to take in passengers. There were some ships lying at this place, but there is no harbor, other than the stream, nor did I observe any accommodations for ships, except the naked banks of the river. This town is the third in the province, but very far behind the other two ; it contains about three hundred and twenty houses, and two thousand, five hundred in- habitants ; it extends about one thousand, three hundred yards along the river, and was founded in 1618* Proceeding down the river, we continued to en- joy a delightful day's sail, with a perfect Indian summer. Mr. W and myself had a large state room to ourselves, where we could retire in per- fect seclusion, whenever we did not choose to be * Bouchette. TOUK BETWEEN HARTKOKi) AND QUEBEC. 223 among the passengers, who, however, were few and civil, and, as the boat was very large, we had none of the inconveniences of a crowd. I occupied a good deal of the day in writing, as the scenery had a very great degree of sameness, and from the win- dows I could catch a glimpse of its changes, so as to go seasonably on deck, and not to lose any impor- tant object. Towards evening, when we were just above the Richelieu Rapids, and the surface of the river ex- tremely smooth, the captain pointed out a large seal, sleeping on the water, at the distance of per- haps two or three hundred yards. He fired at it five or six times, without effect; we could see the balls strike the water, very near the seal, but the animal did not even awake, or change its position. As the Rapids of Richelieu, where the river is very narrow, and the current rushes tumultuously over a rocky bottom, are esteemed dangerous for night navigation, and as it was already evening, we cast anchor to wait the return of day. This was just what we could have wished, for, had we contin- ued on our course, we must have arrived at Quebec in the night, and thus have lost the noble scenery of the approach to tJiis city. We had also the addi- tional advantage of a night of perfect quiet and se- curity, undisturbed by the jar of the machinery, or the trampling of the people. Indeed, had we been in motion, we should have felt very secure at night, for the fire and the boiler were as far from us, as 20 226 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. the whole length of a common European ship, and no accident has ever happened in this river. In the morning we were again underway, as soon as we could see sufficiently to avoid the rocks, which are so numerous here, that day light is almost indispensable to a safe passage. It was a perfect May morning, with the finest, softest splendor of an Indian summer, so that we had every inducement, and every opportunity to observe the various inter- esting objects that occurred. By this time we had become familiar, and acquainted with several of our fellow-passengers, among whom, were English mil- itary and naval men, Quebec me rchants, and a Ro- man Catholic ecclesiastic. The latter came on board at the Three Rivers, and appeared a mild and amiable man. From our other companions, to whom we made known our country, and our views in travelling, we received every desired informa- tion, and the most obliging civilities. The military gentlemen, particularly, were very courteous, and, as they were not only acquainted with Canada, but had seen much of other countries, and of foreign military adventures, they were very interesting and instructive. One of them had witnessed in person, some of Wellington's victories, and another, a man of most original and attractive character, and ap- parently o( warm piety, had been not less occupied, in the East-Indies, in promoting schemes of benev- olence, than in the pursuit of arms. Having been warned that Quebec would burst upon us, all of a TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 227 audden, and that we were drawing near to it, our eyes now gazed in no other direction, and our thoughts became entirely fixed upon that object. APPROACH TO QUEBEC. Oct. B. — This seat of ancient dominion — now hoary with the lapse of more than two centuries — formerly the seat of a French empire in the west — lost and won by the blood of gallant armies, and of illustrious commanders — throned on a rock, and defended by all the proud defiance of war — who could approach such a city without emotion ? — Who in America has not longed to cast his eyes on the water-girt rocks and towers of Quebec ! On approaching this city, about the middle of the day, we enjoyed the most propitious circumstances of light and weather. From Cape Rouge, on our left, (seven miles above Quebec,) there is an uninterrupted range of high ground, rising even into hills and precipices. Cape Rouge is so called, from its red color — the precipitous bank being stained, probably, by oxid of iron, so as to give it, for miles, a reddish hue. The land grew higher and higher-, we passed the mouth of the Chaudiere river, six miles from Quebec, on our right, where a number of ships were waiting to take in timber, and we watched every moment for the appearance of the great for- 228 TO«R BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEnEC. tress of the north, while one of our miUtary ac- quaintances pointed out to us the various interest- ing objects, as we came up with them in succession. At length we descried the towers of Quebec, stand- ing on a rock of three hundred and forty-feet in height, measured from the river. I have already remarked that the banks, (espe- cially the north one,) are, for miles above the city, very precipitous, and they grow more so the near- er we approach. About two miles from Quebec, we were shown Sillery river and cove, and within one mile, or a mile and a half of the city, Wolfe's cove, now 611ed with lumber and ships. This name has been derived, from the fact, that here General Wolfe, under cover of night, landed his army, un- perceived by the French, and clambering up the precipice, gained the heights of Abraham. Three round towers of stone, mounted with can- non and standing on these heights, in advance of the other works of Quebec, are the first objects that strike the eye ; then the high walls of stone, cover- ed with heavy artillery, and which, as we come nearer to the city, we perceive to extend all along, upon the verge of the precipice, of naked rock, of more than three hundred feet in height, which di- vides the lower from the upper town. On our right was the ground on the south-eastern side o/ the river, called Point Levi. This also is a preci- pice of rock, but rather less elevated than Cape Diamond, on which the citadel of Quebec is built. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 229 Point Levi is now covered with brilliant white hou- ses. In the year 1759, General Monckton, by or- der of General Wolfe, erected his batteries there, to bombard Quebec. PRINT NO. 5. This sketch, taken by Mr. W , from the steam-boat, was commenced, about three or four miles above the city, and when we were passing every moment, rapidly along. It was unavoidably subjected to the disadvantage of constant change of position ; but, as it fortunately happened, this cir- cumstance rather augmented the distinctness, than altered the relative position of the principal objects. On the right, is exhibited part of the promonto- ry of Point Levi, with a glimpse of a few of the houses and ships at its foot. In the remote view, down the river, are seen some of the highlands, be- yond the falls of Montmorenci, on the left bank of the river, and at the distance of from ten to fifteen miles. Immediately before the observer, is the smooth expanse of the river, with some of the nu- merous ships and boats that adorn its surface. On the left, and nearest at hand, a beautiful copse of wood, with some buildings at its (eet, just intercepts the view of Wolfe's cove, which lies be- tween this grove and the high bank on which stands the nearest round tower ; only the opening of the cove is seen. Then come the heights, on which 230 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. are the plains of Abraham, and upon them the Mar- tello towers, two of which only are, from this posi- tion, visible ; the view of two others is cut off by the intervening heights. Further on, appears Cape Diamond, composed of almost perpendicular pre- cipices of naked rock, three hundred and forty-five feet in the greatest height. The walls and towers of massy stone, pierced and cut down for embra- sures, and, crowned with the flag-staff and colors that appear on this Cape, constitute the Citadel OF Quebec. Immediately at the foot of this precipice, is the commencement of the lower town which is continued around the foot of the rock; only a very small part of it, and no portion of the houses of the upper town is visible from this point of view. ****** Arrived in the bay of Quebec, we found it swarming with ships, and presenting every appear- ance of a great seat of commerce.' The bay is a beautiful piece of water, looking like a perfect lake, with most nobly formed swelling shores. It is bounded by the ground just mentioned — by the Isle of Orleans, four miles down the river, and by a de- lightful country, on the north, and north-east, inter- sected by the Montmorenci and St. Charles' rivers, which fall into the bay; the ground slopes with charming declivity to the water, around which it 'WIW ^ f I IP ll i ^'f i . II' ] I HJ iiiiilU'iiilr'iJf^P iii^ ::i»;!'tfBajll)||l»i|'r'!l TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 23L, sweeps gracefully like a bow, and presents in a long circuit, so many snow-white cottages — handsome country houses, and fine populous villages, that it seems for leagues almost one continued street. The land is finely cultivated, and even now, is cov- ered with the deepest verdure, and sprinkled with dandelions in full bloom. Back of this fine amphi- theatre of rural beauty, ranges of mountains stretch their shaggy summits, and limit the view. The harbor is one of the grandest imaginable, and the whole scene resembles extremely the pic- tures of the bay of Naples, to which, it is paid by competent judges, to bear a strong resemblance. We had scarcely time to admire this fine scene, be- fore we were moored at the dock in the lower town, in the midst of all the din of a crowded port. — ■ While we were waiting for the necessary arrange- ments to land, we had a few moments to contem- plate the new scene before us. Contiguous, was the lower town, skirting the upper, and embracing the feet of its rocky precipices. It makes a circuit of, I should imagine, almost two miles, and is crowd- ed in the most compact manner possible, on a nar- row strip of land, between the precipices and the St. Lawrence. The houses are so far below the walls of the upper town, that a stone could be drop- ped into the chimnies of the nearest, and it would, in most places, fall two or three hundred feet in the air, before it reached its object. One of the most striking objects before our eyes was the castle of St. Louis — the residence of the 232 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QlTEnEC. governor. It is a hundred and sixty-two feet long, fort}-tive broad, and three stories high. It stands (almost impending over the lower town,) upon the very verge of the giddy precipice of two hun- dred feet in height, and lofty pillars are built up from the rock below to support its gallery, which runs the whole length of the building. It is a plain yellow structure of stone, and now exhibits no ap- pearance of a castle, although it was a fortress under the French government. From the castle, an observer may look down perpendicularly upon the houses of the lower town, and see all the confusion, even to the motion of a dog; all the offensive, as well as agreeable objects of a crowded port — the grotesque assemblage of buildings, peculiar (as is said) to an old French town; he may hear the rumbling of carts and drays, and the jargon of different languages, and he will inhale the smoke and gases from a crowd of chimnies, ris- ing to the foot of the building on which he stands. On the right of the castle, the massy walls appear again, and the black artillery, pointing over the par- apet, look like beasts of prey, crouching, and ready to leap upon their victims. We soon landed, under the auspices of Captain 5 (our newly acquired military friend,) who politely showed us our lodgings, in St. John's street, had our baggage conveyed to them by his own servant, and called soon after to inquire for our welfare. n ^ fe TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC, 133 PRINT NO. 6. This view was taken from the steam-boat, while, still other steam-boats and vessels were between it and the wharf, and they are the nearest objects which we observe at the bottom of the picture.* — Then come the buildings in the most crowded and bustling part of the lower town, which may be con- sidered (with a considerable omission of houses fur- ther to the left,) as a continuation of the commence- ment of the lower town, seen at the foot of Cape Diamond, in print No. 5. In the present print we see, immediately before us, confused piles of houses and stores, built, in many instances, in the old French style, with steep high roofs, having two or more rows of dormant windows. On the highest point of the extreme left, is Cape Diamond, with a part of the citadel in view, crown- ed with a flag and telegraph. On the right of these, are a few of the houses of the upper town, and almost immediately before us, the elevated castle of St. Louis, with its gallery, supported by high pillars of stone, springing from the rocks below. Still further on the right, we observe other hous- es in the upper town, (only the nearest edge of which is, however, visible,) and on the extreme right, is a spire of one of the Catholic churches. * The wall and arched passage, on the nearest part of the shore, ere not copied, but are from fancy. 134 TOUB BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ENTRANCE INTO QUEBEC. As we passed along the streets of the lower town, I could well have thought that we were in the Wap- ping of London. A swarming population, among whom sailors were conspicuous ; the cheering heigho ! of the latter, working in the ships ; the va- rious merchandize crowded into view, in front of the shops and warehouses ; the narrow compact streets, absolutely full of buildings ; the rattling of innumerable carts and drays, and all the jargon of discordant voices and languages, would scarcely permit us to believe that we were arrived in a remote corner of the civilized world. We did not feel so absolutely like strangers, as we should have done, without the countenance of the captain. I have already mentioned, that a for- tuitous acquaintance with this gentleman, on board the steam-boat, and an incidental disclosure to him of our views in visiting Canada, led to a good deal of intimacy, and, on his part, to offers of service. He is a captain of ; is still a young man, and being open, frank, and friendly in his deportment, he won our confidence, and did not withhold his own. We learned, that he served in the peninsu- lar war, both under Sir John Moore, and under Wellington ; he was with the former, when he fell, in the flight of the British army from Corunna, and with the latter, on various distinguished occasions. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 235 His wife, a very fine young woman, who, with another lady, had come to the wharf to receive him, joined us, a^nd, with this pleasant little party, we entered Quebec. The first street of the lower town, along which we passed, came to an abrupt termination, the last house standing at the foot of the precipice, when, turning suddenly to the right, into a street, one of whose sides was overhung by the frowning rock, we soon came to a foot passage of stairs, made of plank, very steep and high, and furnished with iron railings; this passage terminated in Mountain street, as it is called, from the steepness of the ascent. It is the only passage from this side into :the upper town, and it was by no means an easy task to as- cend it, even on a good foot pavement. In the mean time, we admired the strength and agility of the little Canadian horses, which, with heavily loaded carts at their heels, perseveringly scramble up this arduous ascent, and with still greater care and firmness, sustain their ponderous vehicles when descending, and prevent them from hurrying themselves and their burdens, headlong down the steep. The castle of St. Louis, (literally a castle in the air,) was now seen immediately above our heads, on the left, at the distance of two hundred and fifty feet. It is completely on the edge of the precipice, which overhangs the lower town, and from its dan- gerous pre-eminence, appears ready to participate 236 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. in the destruction which it seems threatening to all below. We now passed the grand Prescot Gate, under ponderous arches of stone, of great thickness and weight, and entered the upper town. The impression of every thing was completely foreign from any thing that we see in the United States. Buildings of wood, and even of brick, are almost entirely unknown. Stone, either rough from the quarry, or covered with white cement, or hewn according to the taste and condition of the proprie- tor, is almost the only material for building ; roofs, in many instances, and generally on the better sort of buildings, glittering with tin plate, with which they are neatly covered ; and turrets and steeples, pouring a flood of light from the same substance ; these are among the first things that strike the eyes of a stranger, entering the city of Quebec. If from the United States, he sees a new popu- lation, and, to a great extent, a completely foreign people, with French faces and French costume: the French language salutes his ear, as the common tongue of the streets and shops : in short, he per- ceives that, even in the very capital, there is only a sprinkling of English population ; it is still a French city ; and the Cathedral, the extensive col- lege of the Jesuits, now used for barracks, and most of the public buildings and private houses, are French. He sees troops mingled, here and there, with the citizens; he perceives the British uniform, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 237 and the German in the British service, which rennind him that the country has masters, different from the mass of its population, and although the milita- ry are, obviously, not subjects of terror to the citi- zens, the first impression borders on melancholy, when we see these memorials of an empire fallen, and of an empire risen in its stead. Sixty years have done little towards obhterating the Gallic fea- tures of the country, and with a pleasure very rare- ly experienced in similar cases, we involuntarily revolve in our minds, here is a country conquered, though not oppressed. Trumpets and bugles now startle us with a sud- den burst of martial music, and we can hardly be- lieve that we are not arrived in a fortified town of Europe. It was a fine morning, (October Tth,) and, as we were about to avail ourselves of this favorable weather, to visit some parts of the environs of Que- bec, I will first describe our carriage, which was THE CANADIAN CALASH. This is not unlike an American chaise or gig, but is built much stouter, and with or without a top ; the horse is much farther from the body of the carriage, and this allows room for a driver, whose seat rests 21 238 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, ©n the front or foot board, of that part of the vehi- cle in which we ride ; this foot board, after sloping in the usual manner, then rises perpendicularly, to such a height, as to sustain the seat ; high sides are also furnished to the part where the feet rest in a common chaise, and thus children and baggage are secured from falling out. The calash carries two grown persons on the seat within, besides the driver, who is often a man; hisseat,and the board which sup- ports it, fall, by meansof hinges, when the passengers are to get in, and the board and seat are then hook- ed up again to their place, when the driver mounts. In such a machine, which is the most common vehi- cle of the country, and is sometimes, as in the pre- sent instance, made clumsily handsome, we made our first excursion from Quebec. Our driver was Michael Gouvan, a very intelli- gent and obliging young man, a French Canadian, who spoke both English and French; and his horse, (an iron gray,) was one of that small, but hardy breed, which being, in this country, left in their natural state, are extremely stout and courageous, and carry the heavy calash, and three men, appa- rently with more ease, than our horses draw our gigs, and two grown persons. EXCURSION TO BEAUFORT AND MONTMORENCI. I have already observed that it was a very fine morning ; the temperature was mild, and the skies rOTTR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 239 bright, with a balmy softness in the atmosphere, ac- companied by a slight haziness; it is exactly like our Indian summer, and indeed, they here call this kind of weather by the same name; we could not have had a more acceptable time for our little jour- ney of nine miles, to the falls of Montmorenci. We passed out at the gate St. John, on the north western side of the town; it stands at the head of the street of the same name, and leads to a very ex- tensive and populous suburb, situated entirely with- out the walls. This suburb exhibits many new and good buildings, and appears modern. We soon reached the beautiful meadows, north-east of Que- bec, through which flows the river Charles. On our left, was an extensive nunnery, quite by itself, in the fields ; it appears to be the same described by Charlevoix, nearly a century ago, under the name of the hospital. For four miles, we passed through some of the most beautiful meadows which I have ever seen ; they were neatly divided into small enclosures, by stakes driven into the ground, and secured at top, by a rail, fastened with withes ; the meadows were covered with thriving cattle : they were still rich in deep verdure, and would have adorned the banks of the Connecticut, or of the Thames. The road through them, was much cut up by wheels, as this is a great thorough-fare into Quebec, and the land is naturally moist and rich. Houses were scattered here and there, upon the meadows, and when we 240 TOUB BETWEEN HARTFORD AND «iUEBEC. began to ascend the rising ground, we entered the extensive village of Beauport. This village, consisting of sixty or seventy hou- ses, is built principally on one street, of four or five miles in length, and extends quite to the river Montmorenci ; it is one of those, which I mention- ed as making so brilliant an appearance from the bay of Quebec. The farms and garden grounds of this village are "all in a flourishing state, and the orchards, and occasional clumps of trees, combine to render it one of the pleasantest roads in the en- virons of Quebec. This village is the residence ©f many families of respectability."* The houses are generally of stone, covered with a cement, and white washed, roof and all; this gives them a very neat appearance, and makes them look very brilliant, even at a considerbje dis- tance ; commonly they are of one story, sometimes of two, and inside they appeared very comfortable. The windows, as is generally the fact in the French houses, are divided, up and down, in the middle, and swing, like doors on hinges. There is in this village, a large and showy church, with three steeples, and on entering it, we found solitary individuals at their private devotions, crossing themselves with holy water, and silently moving their lips. This church contained a num- ber of pictures, and they were ornamenting its ceil- ing with golden roses. ♦ Bouehette, TOUR UETWEEr? HARTFORD AND QUEREC. 241 Our driver left his calash, went into church, fell on his knees, and said his prayers with much apparent seriousness. The Montmorenci is a small, but rapid river, rolling tumultuously, over a very rocky bottom, and just above the falls, is considerably smaller than the Housatonuck, at the falls of Salisbury, in Con- necticut. Leaving our calash and driver on the high hill, which forms the western bank of the river, we crossed a bridge, and passed down the eastern side of the Montmorenci, which is also very high ground, and, as we approach the St. Lawrence, it rises, so as to be even still higher than the opposite shore. From this elevation, the beautiful island of Orleans, which is twenty miles long, and five wide, was in full view before us. It is well cultivated, contains about four thousand* inhabitants, and, next to Mont- real, is the most important island in the river. On the side contiguous to where we were, it slopes to the water's edge, and terminates in a handsome beach of sand. A similar beach, corresponds to it, on the main; the ship channel is on the other side of the island. As we passed along through the fields, we found a man and boy ploughing. The oxen were yoked, not as with us, by the shoulders and neck, but by the horns. A kind of yoke lay upon their necks, and was fastened, by leather straps, to the horns; * Bouchette. 21* 242 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. but no bow, or other contrivance, passed around the neck; thus the oxen draw entirely by their horns; and I am told that the French farmers cannot be induced to adopt our method, although it is obvious that the animal is tlius sadly embarrassed, and can exert very little power. 1 saw, however, one yoke in another field, harnessed in our way. GEOLOGY. There is very little variety in the geology be- tween Quebec and Montmorenci. After leaving the city, the first objects that strike the eye, where the green slopes of the hills have been excavated, in quarrying, are numerous black rocks, very regu- larly stratified, and looking almost like great beds of coal. These rocks, which prevail through the village of Beauport, are black fetid limestone, in strata nearly horizontal, and presenting in the sec- tion of the hills, a remarkable regularity, almost architectural. The strata, being divided by seams, both horizontal and vertical, look as if they had been laid up by the skill of a mason. The houses in Beauport, are generally built of this stone, and the people burn it into lime at their very doors. Its great regularity, and the ease with which it divides, must make it an excellent building stone ; while the combustible substance which it contains, will also TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 243 aid, very materially, in burning it into quick lime. — These strata appear to be secondary limestone. The strata, over which the Montmorenci falls, seem to be, (for I could not get near enough to be quite certain,) of the same description. I am fa- voured by Dr. John I. Bigsby, of the Medical staff of the British army in Canada, with the following facts, as to the "succession of the litrata a few yards above the bridge, at the falls of Montmorenci, on the west side of the river :" "The lowest visible rocks, rising six or eight feet from the bed of the river, are dough shaped mounds of granite, vertical, with a south-west direction, with many irregular quartz veins, half a foot thick. On it, lies a perfectly horizontal sand stone, so coarse as to resemble conglomerate, (I suspect this sand stone is a coarse gray wacke.) It is four feet thick, and weathered red and white. Upon this rests light hair brown, highly crystalline limestone, very fetid, full of shells, vegetable filaments, massive blende, and a mineral, like brown spar. This gradually be- comes dull, less crystalline, and at length, at the top of the bank, is nearly a common blue lime (stone,) with a conchoidal fracture, and still here and there containing small crystals of carbonates. The whole height here, is perhaps, forty feet." As we walked along upon the eastern bank ot the Montmorenci, and approached the St. Lawrence, we found ourselves on the verge of a precipice, of three hundred feet in height: this terminates at the 244 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QtJEEEC. St. Lawrence, or very near it, in an almost perpen- dicular promontory, down which, with some diffi- culty, we wound our way to the bed of the great river. The strata of rock here, run parallel to the St. Lawrence, and at right angles to the Montmo- renci ; as these strata are very soft, and easily de- composed and disintegrated, the Montmorenci, which rolls its rapid and turbulent waters across them, has evidently, by long continued attrition, worn them away, so that in the bed of this small river, at the falls, these rocks have receded about one sixth of a mile from the St. Lawrence. THE FALLS OF MONTMORENCL The distructive action of the river itself, upoa the rocks \Ahich form its bed, and its banks, has produced in the long course of time, a deep bay, or indentation, shaped nearly like a parabola, or a horse-shoe magnet; it recedes from two hundred and eighty, to three hundred yards,* from the St, Lawrence, and its almost perpendicular banks, are in different places, from two to three hundredYeet high; they are composed apparently, of fetid lime stone, very much decomposed, which, on the east- ern side, resembles extremely a fine grained slate, or sand stone. The crumbled and broken parts, be- * Bouchette. lOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEnEC. 243 come fetid by friction or percussion. At the upper end of this bay, the Montmorenci, after a gentle pre- vious dechvity, which greatly increases its veloci- ty, takes its stupendous leap of two hundred and forty feet,* into a chasm among the rocks, where it boils and foams in a natural rocky basin, from which, after its force is in some measure exhausted in its own whirlpools and eddies, it flows away in a gen- tle stream, towards the St. Lawrence. The fall is nearly perpendicular, and appears not to deviate more than three or four degrees from it. This de- viation is caused by the ledges of rock below, and is just sufficient to break the water completely into foam and spray. The width of the stream, at the moment of its fall, is apparently, fifty or sixty feet; it may be seventy when the river is swollen by rains, or by the melted snows. The effect on the beholder is most delightful. The river, at some distance, seems suspended in the air, in a sheet of billowy foam,f and, contrast- * It is astonishing that Charlevoix states the fall of Montmo- renci as beingf thirty feet wide, and only forly high. 1 cannot but think that there must have been a typographical error in the omission of two hundred, before forty, especially, as Charlevoix states the height of the Niagara falls very nearly as Ihey are now estimated. It is not probable that a century has made much dif- ference with either, t It has been compared to a white ribbon, suspended in the air; this comparison does justice to the delicacy, but not to the gran- deur of this cataract. 246 TOUK BETWEEN HARTFORD KM) QUEBEC. edj as it is, with the black frowning abyss, into which it fails, it is an object of the highest interest. As we approached nearer to its foot, the impres- sions of grandeur and sublimity were, in the most perfect manner imaginable, blended with those of extreme beauty. This river is of so considerable magnitude, that, precipitated as it is, from this amazing height, the thundering noise, and mighty rush of waters, and the never ceasing wind and rain, produced by the fall, powerfully arrest the attention : the spectator stands in profound awe, mingled with delight, espe- cially when he contrasts the magnitude of the fall, with that of a villa, on the edge of the dark preci- pices of frowning rock, which forms the western bank, and with the casual spectators, looking down from the same elevation. But, these impressions are not sufficient to overpower the beauty of this cataract. The sheet of foam, which breaks over the ridge, is more and more divided, as it is dashed against the successive layers of rock, which it al- most completely veils from view; the spray be- comes very delicate and abundant, from top to bot- tom, hanging ov6r, and revolving around the tor- rent, till it becomes lighter and more evanescent, than the whitest fleecy clouds of summer, than the finest attenuated web, than the lightest gossamer, constituting the most airy and sumptuous drapery, that can be imagined. Yet, like the drapery of pome of the Grecian statutes, which, while it veils, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORO AND QUEBEC. 247 exhibits more forcibly, the form beneath, this does not hide, but exalts the effect produced by this no- ble cataract. The rain-bow we saw in great perfection; bow within bow, and, (what I never saw elsewhese, so perfectly,) as I advanced into the spray, the bow became complete, myself being a part of its circum- ference, and its transcendent glories moving with every change of position. This beautiful and splen- did sight was to be enjoyed only by advancing quite into the shower of spray;* as if, in the language of ancient poetry, and fable, the genii of the place, pleased with the beholder's near approach to the seat of their empire, decked the devotee with the appropriate robes of the cataract, the vestal veil of fleecy spray, and the heavenly splendors of the bow. The falls of Montmorenci have been often de- scribed, and we had obtained tolerably definite and correct ideas of them, but their entire impression on us was beyond our expectations. Those who visit this place in the winter, see one fine feature added to the scene, although they may lose some others. The spray freezes, and forms a regular cone, of sometimes it is said one hundred feet in height, and standing immediately at the bot- tom of the cataract. It is even said, that some are * Which was very copious, and, (if not averted by an umbrel- la,^ would soon wet the observer through his clothej. 248 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q.UEBEC. hardy enough to clamber up this icy tower. Captain informs us that he has performed this giddy feat. PRINT, NO. 7. In this view, on the right, are seen the rocky strata, rising from the St. Lawrence, and presenting their broken edges ; higher up, the precipice is cov- ered with sand, gravel, and ruins of the rocks, and with some poor verdure, and stinted shrubs. This high bank, here terminating abruptly on the great river, is continued around to the fall, forming the right side of the great curve, in the centre of which, appears the cataract. In the picture, the spray is but partially represented, and is less copious, and rises to a less considerable height, than in the scene itself. Just where the river commences its leap, some rocks are seen, breaking the current. Immediately in front, nearest to the observer, and just where some spectators are placed, the fall is seen with great advantage; perhaps, it is more beautiful there, than any where else; the views of it are, however, very fine at every position, as we advance towards it, (although the impending banks of ruinous and decomposed rock, look rather alarm- ing, as we pass along.) At the foot of the cataract, on the right, we perceive a projection of rock, half veiling the bottom of the fall from view ; this rock is constantly wet and slippery, with the spray, and Jllil''llll'lfl if PI TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 249 the observer scrambles up its sides, with some diffi- culty but, when arrived there, he is fully compen- sated by the grandeur of the scene; if he advance over the other declivity of the rock, the bow at- tends his every step, and at some places, two or three concentric bows are seen. If willing to be thoroughly wet, and possessed of a little of the spirit of adventure, he may, by persevering in his advances even gain a peep behind the cataract. On the left, is seen the other side of the bay ; it is composed of perpendicular ledges of black stratifi- ed rock; (I presume it is the same fetid limestone, which constitutes the basis of Beauport,) and on its summit, a little removed from the edge, is a hand- some villa. Almost exactly on the edge, and re- sembling a low fence, is seen an aqueduct, which diverts a part of the river, just above the fall, and conducts it to a saw mill at the bottom of the bank. The tranquil basin, below the fall, at low water, presents to view, portions of th(; rocky strata, which form its bed, and it is then fordable, and also for some time, during the latter part of the ebb, and the beginning of the flow of the tide. ******* SAW MILLS AND LUMBER. Just below the falls, on the right bank of the Montmorenci, at its confluence v/ith the St. Law- 22 250 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC rence, is the great establishment of Mr. Patterson, for sawing lumber. The mills, which are probably as extensive as any in the world, are fed by a stream, directed (as is already mentioned in the description of print 7,) from the Montmorenci, just above the falls. It is conducted along, on the high bank, in a large artificial channel, of plank and timber, till, rushing down the inclined plane, form- ed by the great natural descent of the hill, it ac- quires a prodigious velocity, and, falling upon the ■water wheels, in the mill, at the bottom of the bank, it imparts an impulse, sufficiently powerful, to turn the machinery of a vast establishment, and per- forms a very great amount of labour. Nor does it injure the cataract, as Lieutenant Hall, in his trav- els, supposes it would \ for, it is no more missed from the stream of the Montmorenci, than a pebble would be from its banks. Contiguous to these mills, is a vast deposit of lumber; much of it is afloat, and is guarded from floating quite away, by wharves and pillars, and by very extensive artificial dams, running out a great way into the St. Lawrence, and forming a large ba- sin. I cannot say with confidence, how many acres it appeared to cover ; my elevation on the contiguous bank, was so great, that I might be much deceived ; but it served, together with the deposits which we had seen at the Chaudiere, at Sillery, in Wolfe's cove, and other places, to give us a strong impres- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORl) AND QUEBEC. 251 sion of the magnitude of the Canadian lumber trade ; it is, in fact, the principal business of the country ; and the ships waiting to receive it, are very nume- rous. A good deal of this lumber, as we were as- sured, comes from Vermont, and is rafted down Lake Champlain, and through the rivers Sore! and St. Lawrence. To us, who had never seen any thing to compare with the exhibition of lumber, on the waters around Quebec, this sight, and the other similar ones, ap- peared very remarkable. The number and size of the ships, also, that are waiting to receive it, far ex- ceeded our expectations, and evinced, that, if Great Britain cannot supply herself with lumber, on good terms, from any other source, this colony must, for this reason alone, be very important to her ; and, indeed it has obviously this great advantage, as a source of supply, that it is in a great measure, in- dependent of the contingency of war. As an article of trade, however, I am aware that lumber from its great bulk, and low value, makes a much greater show, than a commerce in many com- modities, which, in a much more snug way, may employ a much greater amount of capital, and of profits. The Lumber rafts on the St, Lawrence, well de- serve to be mentioned among the curiosities of the river. We found some of them around us in the morning, as we were coming down to Quebec, and were amused with the view of these anomalous 252 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. floating communities. Some of them occupied thousands of square feet on the water, and exhibit- ed an active, grotesque population, busy in steering these ponderous misshapen piles, down the current of the river; they erect huts upon them, and con- trive to concentrate upon the rafts, the few and coarse accommodations, which their frugal habits, and their tardy inland voyage may demand. We did not expect to find oppressively hot weather in Canada, so late as the 7th of October, but in clambering the precipices about the falls of Montmorenci, we experienced a degree of heat, like that in the middle of July. VIEW OF QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS, FROM BEAUPORT. From the river Montmorenci, the ground gently descends towards the St. Lawrence, and towards Quebec, but as the distance is considerable, the ele- vation is sufficient to afford a good view of that city. Approaching it by water, from Montreal, we have only a glimpse of the upper town, but from the Beauport side, we see it perfectly. Most of the upper town is built upon -a side hill, sloping rapidly to the north and east, and the view from Beauport, gives the idea of a fine city of considerable magni- tude. The roofs and spires, covered with tin, glittered to-day, in the bright meridian sun. The towers and TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 253 turretted walls, completely encircle the upper town, although they exclude the lower; and the suburbs, (now become almost as extensive and handsome, as the city itself,) are also in full view, with a considera- ble part of the lower town, and most of the ships in the bay and river. The opposite shores of the island of Orleans, and of Point Levi, with the numerous farm houses and villages, that are conspicuous all around, and the luxuriant meadows, intersected by the Charles, ad- ded to the beauty of the prospect. Indeed, Quebec and its environs, present as mag- nificent scenery as can well be imagined. Towers and spires — walls and rocks — cascades and precipi- ces — swelling hills, and luxuriant vallies, and woody mountains — beautiful villages, and numberless sol- itary villas, and white cottages — with grand rivers, and crowding fleets, are all united to delight the spectator. Such scenes would be esteemed very fine in any country. PRINT, NO. 3. This print, although the scene is principally the same, does not exhibit exactly the view, from Beau- port, which was last described. The observer is not in Beauport, but is standing on the eastern side of the Montmorenci, on the bank, which is exhibit- ed on the right of print 7. Immediately before him, ^22 254 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. is the saw mill of Mr. Patterson, with floating lum- ber, and a ship waiting to receive it. On the right, is the high promontory, situated on the western side of the Montmorenci, and constituting the counter- part to that exhibited in the last print ; the ship, and sawmill, and two adventurers, on the top of ihe precipice, give some idea of its height. From the mill, we see the aqueduct passing along the hill ; after it begins to descend from the heights, it is cov- ered on the top, with thick plank, strongly bound by timber, to prevent the water from overflowing, for the stream is so copious, as completely to fill this hollow box, through which the water is hurried with a frightful velocity. On the left is Point Levi, op- posite to Quebec, and distant from the observer five or six miles ; at the foot of this promontory, we see a little settlement, a port in mmiature, and numbers of ships contiguous. In the extreme distance, are the hills about the mouth of the Chaudiere river, and beyond it ; they are from twelve to fifteen, and even twenty miles distant, and are situated on the right bank of the St. Lawrence. In the middle of the view, on the right, is the city of Quebec, exhibiting a part, both of the upper and lower town. This view may be considered as being, in this respect, a continuation of that, ex- hibited in prints No. 5 and 6 ; and, as beginning nearly where the latter leaves off. We see the up- per town, with its crowded show of houses and Mi TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 255 spires, and with the flag and telegraph on Cape Diamond, surrounded by its military wall, and dis- tant four or five miles; the wall passes along upon the very edge of the precipice of naked black rock. Immediately at the foot of this precipice, is ?» con- tinuation of the lower town, with its quays, ships, and ware houses, and, on its extreme right, we see the steep ascent to the palace gate. The promon- tory, on the right of the Montmorenci, intercepts the view of Beauport, and of the beautiful slope from it to the St. Lawrence ; nor do we see the declivity of the city of Quebec to the north and west; from the highest parts that are in view, it de- clines very rapidly in (hat direction, towards the Charles river; and this part is extensive and popu- lous, and includes the fine suburb of St. Johns. In order to urderstand this print, and No. 5 and 6, it must be remembered, that the front of the town, towards the St. Lawrence, is circular, pre- senting its convex side to the rivers, in the form of the exterior curve of an amphitheatre. * BATTLE OF MONTMORENCI. The roar of the cataract — the beauty of the re- volving spray, and the splendors of the rainbow, have not always been observed, in tranquility, at 256 TOUll UETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEIiEC. Montmorenci ; for the flash, and the smoke, and the thunder of artillery, at a former period, overwhelmed these milder beauties, and the banks, and the waters of these rivers have, at their conflu- ence, been stained with blood. On the 27th of June, 1759, General Wolfe, ar- riving in the St. Lawrence, with an armament equip- ped expressly for the reduction of Quebec, estab- lished his army upon the island of Orleans, while Admiral Saunders, with the fleet, occupied the channels and the bay of Quebec. On the 29th, General Wolfe detached General Monckton, with four battalions, to drive the French force from Point Levi, the promontory opposite to Quebec, and to occupy that place, a service which was suc- cessfully executed. The French soon after, passed over from Quebec, with one thousand six hundred men, to attack General Monckton, but fell into confusion — fired on one another, and retreated back to the city.* General Monckton severely cannonaded and bombarded the city, from this point, and although his fire was quite destructive to the lower town, and very injurious to the build- ings in the upper, it made no serious impression on its defences, and left the place nearly as tenable as ever. Indeed, it is obvious from mere inspec- tion, that were the works of Quebec, on the side next to Point Levi, all destroyed, still it would be * General Wolfe's dispatch to his governnjentv TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFORD AND QUEBEC. 25t of little avail, towards ai\ escalade of the preci- pices, of naked rock, in some places more than three hundred feet high, on which the walls and towers are built. For nnany miles above the city, the left bank of the river is a mere precipice, or admits of easy and effectual defence, by a small number of troops, judiciously stationed. The only accessible ground, in the immediate vicinity of Que- bec, is the graceful declivity between the river St. Charles, which washes the north eastern part of the city, and the Montmorcnci. This is the fine natu- ral slope, that appeared so beautiful as we entered the bay of Quebec, and stretches four or five miles, along the river, from Beauport to the St. Lawrence. Near Montmorenci, this declivity becomes very steep and of arduous ascent. This ground would, of course, invite a landing, but the Marquis de Mont- calm, had occupied every part of it, with an en- trenched camp; batteries of cannon were placed at every accessible point, and his rear was defend- ed by a thick forest. Still, General Wolfe, seeing no prospect of re- ducing Quebec, except by first defeating the army by which it was defended, and perceivmg no possi- bihty of attacking that army, except by occupying this ground, took measures to effect that object. On the night of July 9th, he passed his army over the north channel, between the island of Or- leans and the promontory represented on the right of print?. He wished next to pass the Montmo- 258 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. renci above the falls, and to attack the enemy in the rear, but, there was no ford nearer than three miles up the river, and the opposite bank was entrench- ed, and so steep and woody, that it could not be successfully attacked. He had occupied with cannon, the precipice be- low the falls, which forms the right of the curve, in print 7; it is higher than the opposite side, to which the left of the French camp extended, and the vig- or of the fire from this battery, under the direction of General Townsend, prevented the French from erecting a corresponding battery, near the place where the aqueduct is represented, in the left of the picture ; this battery was therefore unopposed, and considerably annoyed the French camp. We saw the remains of the English battery ; they are still distinctly visible on the heights, north-east of the bay, below the falls ; the bank has now crum- bled so much, that the entrenchments are close to the edge of the precipice, and the observer, on ac- count of the frail support below, should be on his guard in approaching the brink. It has been already mentioned, in the description of print 7, that the bay below the falls is fordable, near, and at low water. General Wolfe determined to avail himself of this facility, and to attack the en- em> !!' front, in their entrenchments; to enfilade and batter these, a great quantity of artillery was placed upon the eminence, and was served with much effect. TOUR fiETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 259 it became necessary to pass the ford on the rock, and then to go around the point by the saw mill, which is exhibited on the right of print 8. The promontory there represented, immediately above the saw mill, cuts off, in a great measure, the view of the ground occupied by the French camp, and also the view of the beach where the English troops were to form. It was on the morning of the 31st of July, that the grenadiers, in the boats of the squadron, sup- ported by a part of General Monckton's corps from Point Levi, who were also in boats, proceeded for the shore; they were thrown into some confusion, and detained a good while by accidental ground- ing, so that it was late in the afternoon, before they effected a landing on the beach, above the saw mill. The enemy h?.d precipitately abandoned a redoubt, close to the shore ; the corps of Generals Townsend and Murray, which were to ford the Montmorenci, and come round to the beach, to unite in the attack, were on their way, and in good order, but the corps of General Monckton were not yet landed. The grenadiers, consisting of thirteen companies, aided by two hundred royal Americans, had orders to form in four distinct bodies, and to proceed to the attack as soon as they could be supported by Monckton's corps, and aided by the troops from the ford of the Montmoreuci. But, before Monckton's corps were landed, and before the other troops were at hand to support 260 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^UtBtC. them, and, without wailing to form, they rushed im- petuously forward, running towards the "enemy's entrenchments, in the utmost disorder and confu- sion."* Their courage proved their ruin; they were cut down in great numbers, by a very hot and well directed fire, and, being unable to form, they retreated behind the redoubt, which the French had abandoned, leaving their dead to be plundered, and numbers of their wounded to be murdered and scalped by the savages. General Wolfe now drew off his grenadiers, to form them behind General Monck- ton's corps, which was by this time drawn up on the beach, in "extreme good order." But it was now near night — a sudden thunder storm came on — the tide began to make — and the attack was abandoned, after the loss of between five and six hundred brave men, of the flower of the army, and Wolfe, fearing that, if he persisted any longer, his retreat might be cut off, quietly retired again to his camp, across the Montmorenci. This attack has often been censur- ' ed as rash, and, after viewing the ground, 1 presume most persons would pronounce that judgment to be correct. General Wolfe himself, says : "The ene- my were indeed posted upon a commanding emi- nence. The beach, upon which the troops were drawn up, was of a deep mud, with holes, and cut by several gullies. The hill to be ascended, very steep, and not every where practicable. The * Wolfe's letter to Mr. Pitt. TOUa BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 261 enemy numerous in their entrenchments, and their fire hot. If the attack had succeeded, our loss must certainly have been great, and theirs inconsidera- ble, from the shelter which the neighboring woods afforded them. The river St, Charles still re- mained to be passed, before the town was invested. All these circumstances 1 considered ; but, the de- sire to act in conformity to the king's intentions, induced me to make this trial, persuaded that a victorious army finds no difficulties."* General Wolfe expected, (had he succeeded,) to have penetrated the left of the French camp, where his artillery, from the opposite heights, had made an impression. Without claiming to have any mili- tary knowledge, I may, perhaps, be allowed to say, that, after toiling up this hill, on foot, and finding it an arduous undertaking to one entirely unmolest- ed, it appears next to madness, to lead columns of men up a long and steep ascent, where, especially in a hot summer's day, they could not for many minutes, proceed upon the run, without being put out of breath, and where the well directed fire of deeply entrenched troops, aided by artillery, must speedily cut down, (as it actually did,) one half of those who made the rash attempt, while they, in turn, could do their enemy little or no harm. It was an affair, extremely like Bunker's Hill, in almost all its circumstances, except that the French * Wolfe's letter to Mr. Pitt. 23 262 TOUK BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,UEBEC. possessed regular entrenchments, abundance of cannon, and experienced commanders and troops, while the Americans, at Bunker's Hill, had nothing more than a small redoubt, and a very imperfect breast-work, thrown up in one night, and made, to some extent, of rail fence and haj, and were almost without cannon, and with commanders and troops, most of whom had never been in battle before. — Had they been situated at Bunker's Hill, as the French were, at Montmorenci, they would, without doubt, have finally repulsed the assailants. If Gen- eral Wolfe had lived, and ultimately failed in the campaign, he would probably have been censured, with much severity, especially had he been frustrated in the attempt to gain the plains of Abra- ham, which he certainly would have been, had the French commander been as much on his guard there, as at Montmorenci. In the recital of the horrors of war, we view them with wonderful apathy, for the very reason, that ought to excite the deepest interest, because the results are given by hundreds and by thousands. In this vast aggregate of human woe, we forget the particular sufferings, and are much less affected, (as has often been remarked by moral writers,) by the accounts of the slaughter of armies, than we should be by the detailed exhibition, of the sufferings of a single soldier. But we ought to remember that every wounded and dying man has his own individ- ual agony ; and that it is not greater for a Wolfe. than for every private soldier. T@UR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 263 The following anecdote* contains an account of the dangers and sufferings of two individuals, in this very battle, and the event happened on the very ground which we walked over in this day's excursion. I presume that, notwithstanding its length, I shall be excused for its introduction : — " Captain Ochterlony, and Ensign Peyton, be- longed to the regimentof Brigadier-General Monck- ton. They were nearly of an age, which did not exceed thirty ; the first was a North-Briton, the other a native of Ireland. Both were agreeable in person, and unblemished in character, and connect- ed together by the ties of mutual friendship and esteem. On the day that preceded the battle, Captain Ochterlony had been obliged to fight a duel with a German officer, in which, though he wounded and disarmed his antagonist, yet he him- self received a dangerous hurt under the right arm, in consequence of which, his friends insisted on his remaining in camp during the action of next day ; but his spirit was too great to comply with this re- monstrance. He declared it should never be said that a scratch, received in a pwvate rencounter, had prevented him from doing his duty, when his country required his service ; and he took the field with a fusil in his hand, though he was hardly able to carry his arms In leading up his men to the enemy's entrenchment, he was shot through the Jungs with a musket ball, an accident which obliged * Smollett's History of England, Vol. V. p. 49. 264 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANIi) QUEBEC. him to part with his fusil; but he still continued advancing, until, by loss of blood, he became too weak to proceed further. About the same time, Mr. Peyton was lamed by a shot, which shattered the small bone of his left leg. The soldiers, in their retreat, earnestly begged, with tears in their eyes, that Captain Ochterlony would allow them to carry him and the ensign off the field. But he was so bigotted to a severe point of honor, that he would not quit the ground, though he desired they would take care of his ensign. Mr. Peyton, with a generous disdain, rejected their good offices, de- claring that he would not leave his captain in such a situation; and, in a little time, they remained sole survivors on that part of the field. "Captain Ochterlony sat down by his friend, and, as they expected nothing but immediate death, they took leave of each other ; yet they were not altogether abandoned by the hope of being protect- ed as prisoners ; for the captain, seeing a French soldier, with two Indians, approach, started up, and accosting them in the French language, which he spoke perfectly well, expressed his expectation that they would treat him and his companion as ofRcers, prisoners, and gentlemen. The two Indians seemed to be entirely under the conduct of the Frenchman, who, coming up to Mr. Peyton, as he sat on the ground, snatched his laced hat from his head, and robbed the captain of his watch and money. This outrage was a signal to the Indiani TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 265 for mnrder and pillage. One of them, clubbing his firelock, struck at him behind, with a view to knock him down ; but the blow, missing his head, took place upon his shoulder. At the same instant, the other Indian poured his shot into the breast of this unfortunate young gentleman, who cried out, ' O Peyton ! the villain has shot me' Not yet satia- ted with cruelty, the barbarian sprung upon him, and stabbed him in the belly with his scalping knife. The captain having parted with his fusil, had no weapon for his defence, as none of the offi- cers wore swords in the action. The three ruffians finding him still alive, endeavored to strangle him with his own sash; and he was now upon his knees, struggling against them with surprising exertion. — Mr. Peyton, at this juncture, l.aving a double bar- relled musket in his hand, and seeing the distress of his friend, fired atone of the Indians, who dropped dead on the spot. The other, thinking the ensign would now be an easy prey, advanced towards him, and Mr. Peyton, having taken good aim, at the dis- tance of four yards, discharged his piece the second time, but it seemed to take no effect. The savage fired in his turn, and wounded the ensign in the shoulder; then, rushing upon him, thrust his bayo net through his body; he repeated the blow, which Mr. Peyton attempting to parry, received another wound in his left hand ; nevertheless, he seized the Indian's musket with the same hand, pulled him forwards, and, with his right, drawing a dagger 23* 266 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. which hung by his side, plunged it into the barba- rian's side. A violent struggle ensued ; but at length, Mr. Peyton was uppermost, and with repeated strokes of his dagger, killed his antagonist outright. Here he was seized with an unaccountable emotion of curiosity, to know whether or not his shot had taken place on the body of the Indian ; he accor- dingly turned him up, and stripping off his blanket, perceived that the ball had penetrated quite through the cavity of the breast. Ilavinj„^ thus obtained a dear bought victory, he started up on one leg, and saw Captain Ochterlony standing at the distance of sixty yards, close by the enemy's breast-work, with the French soldier attending him. Mr. Peyton then called aloud, * Captain Ochterlony, I am glad to see you have at last got under protection. Beware of that villain, who is more barbarous than the sav- ages. God bless you, my dear captain. I see a party of Indians coming this way, and expect to be murdered immediately.' A number of those barba- rians had for some time been employed on the left, in scalping and pillaging the dying and the dead, that were left upon the field of battle ; and above thirty of them were in full march to destroy Mr. Peyr ion. This gentleman knew he had no mercy to ex- pect; for, should his life be spared for the present, they would have afterwards insisted upon sacrificing him to the manes of their brethren whom he had slain ; and in that case, he would have been put to death by the most cxcrutiating tortures. Full of this TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD \riD QUEBEC. 267 idea, he snatched up his musket, and, notwithstand- ing his broken leg, ran above forty yards without halt- ing; and feeling himself now totally disabled, and incapable of proceeding one step further, he loaded his piece, and presented it to the two foremost In- dians, who stood aloof, waiting to be joined by their fellows : while the French, from their breast-works, kept up a continual fire of cannon and small arms upon this poor, solitary, maimed gentleman. In this uncomfortable situation he stood, when he discerned at a distance, a Highland officer, with a party of his men, skirting the plain towards the field of battle. He forthwith waved his hand in signal of distress, and being perceived by the officer, he detached three of his men to his assistance. These brave fellows hastened to him through the midst of a ter- rible fire, and one of them bore him off on his shoulders. The Highland officer was Captain Mac- donald, of Colonel Frazer's battalion ; who, under- standing that a young gentleman, his kinsman, had dropped on the field of battle, had put himself at the head of this party, with which he penetrated to the middle of the field, drove a considerable number of the French and Indians before him, and finding his relation still unscalped, carried him off in triumph. Poor Captain Ochterlony was conveyed to Quebec, where, in a few days, he died of his wounds. After the reduction of that place, the French surgeons who attended him, declared that, in all probability, he would have recovered of the two shots he had 268 TOUR BETVVEEr/ HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. received in his breast, had he not been mortall/ wounded in the belly, by the Indian's scalping knife. " As this very remarkable scene was acted in sight of both armies, General Townshend, in the sequel, expostulated with the French officers upon the inhumanity of keeping up such a severe fire against two wounded gentlemen, who were disa- bled, and destitute of all hope of escaping. They answered, that the fire was not made by the regu- lars, but by the Canadians and savages, whom it was not in the power of discipline to restrain." EXCURSION TO THE FALLS OF CHAUDIERE. Oct. 8. — With our faithful Gouvan, and our com- fortable calash, we crossed the St. Lawrence about the middle of the day. We had come down to the wharf much earlier, and waited two hours for the boat, which was detained on the other side, at the command of a party of the officers of justice, who had gone over to whip a culprit; at length, a great company of them returned in the boat, with their badges, and bringing with them the miserable man. As usual elsewhere, in such cases, it excited and gratified the mob, but the disgraced and chastised offender, wore an aspect very different from the consequential air of the constables, or from the grin- ning insolence of the populace. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 269 Arrived on the opposite shore, we soon ascended the steep heights of Point Levi — saw where Gene- ral Monckton erected his batteries, to bombard the city, previous to the unsuccessful battle at Montmo- renci — and enjoyed a brilliant and new view of Que- bec, and of its environs — the fortifications and pre- cipices appearing particularly grand from this eleva- tion. BESCRIPTION OF THR VIGNETTE. {See title JpOge.) VIEW OF QUEBEC FROM POINT LEVI. No position, in which we were placed, afforded us so impressive a view of the rock of Quebec, and particularly of its caatellaitd appearance, as this from the summit of Point Levi. After the prints that have been already described, this will be readily intelligible. The distance is about one mile. On the extreme left, is a glimpse of the heights and plains of Abraham — on the extreme right, the hills about Beauport and Montmorenci. Immediately before us, is the rock of Quebec; and the extent of the part that is seen, is about one mile : nearly the whole of it is, literally, a naked rocky preci- pice, almost black, and composed of enormous strata of slate and limestone, very rude, both on account of their natural contortions, and the effects of blasting, and of other forms of violence upon them. On the summit of the rock, on the left where 270 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. it is three hundred and forty-five feet high, is the citadel, standing on Cape Diamond ; some way to the right of this, where the rock decHnes considera- bly in height, appears the castle of St. Louis, (more distinctly exhibited in print 6.) Still further to the right, and scarcely distinguishable among the build- ings, is the Prescot gate, at the top of Mountain street, which comes obliquely up from the lower town, and affords the only communication on this side of the rock. Beyond the gate, on the left, is seen the English Episcopal Cathedral, and, to the right, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the parliament house, the seminary, &;c. and, in frost of these last, is the wall of the city, with embrasures and cannon, forming the grand battery, which occupies a lower level, or natural platform of the rock, here about two hundred and thirty feet high. At the foot of the rock, is the lower town, and, if we add to it that part exhibited from Montraorenci, (print 8,) we have then very nearly the whole of the lower town ; it may be added, that print 8, and this vignette, in connexion, exhibit nearly the whole of the rock of Quebec. Nearly on the extreme left of the rock, at the foot of Cape Diamond, in the lower towu, is the place wliere General Montgome- ry was slain, on the morning of December 31, 1775, and, on the riji;iit, at the foot of the rock, or grand battery, is the treet where General Arnold's party were defeated and captured, on the same occasion. TOUR BETWEEN HABTPOHD AND QUEBEC. 271 This vignette is the only print in this volume, that is not original. It is common at Quebec, on bank bills, and, Mr. W , finding it so very exact a representation of the fine scene, which we contem- plated from Point Levi, adopted, and copied it, with some slight variations. The engraver has given it still greater precision, by reference to the view of Quebec, on Colonel Bouchette's topographical map of Lower Canada. * The villages through which we passed, were not 30 well built as Beauport ; a larger proportion of the houses were constructed of logs, and the people ap- peared not in so good circumstances ; but still they were comfortable. The road to Montmorenci was rough; that over which we were now passing was smooth, and, com- pared with any other roads that we had seen in Can- ada, it was very fine. We passed through a large settlement, sustained principally by the great lumber establishment of Mr. Caldwell, and soon arrived at the mouth of the Chaudiere river, over which we were ferried. During our whole ride from Point Levi, we had been gratified by a succession of fine views; the river — the opposite shores, precipitous in almost every direction — the heights of Abraham — Cape Diamond, and the upper and lower town — the 272 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEe. slopes of Beauport, and the heights of Montmorenci — the Isle of Orleans, and the bosom of the river- some of these features were constantly, either in prospect, or in retrospect; and we saw many scenes which would have been well worthy of the pencil. Among these, one was selected, of which the an- nexed print is a representation. PRINT NO. 9. This scene, which we thought not to be ex- ceeded in beauty by any that we saw in Canada, was sketched from the left bank of the Chaudiere river, at its mouth. Our road from Point Levi, con- ducted us to the foot of the precipice of rock, which is seen on the opposite side of the Chaudiere ; and, while a larger boat was getting ready to convey over carriages and horses, Mr. W. had the good fortune to cross first, in a small boat, and occupied the few moments, before the rest of us arrived, in securing the outlines of this grand and beautiful prospect. It was seen by the mildest, softest light, of an Indian summer afternoon — not more than two hours before sun-setting ; and there was a mellowness in the tints, especially of the remoter objects, which, notwithstanding the grandeur of some of the fea- tures of the landscape, excited still stronger percep- tions of beauty. These impressions were heighten- ed by contrast, with the deep black gulf, immediate- ly below the observer, and a little to the right. — TOVR BETWEEN HARTFORD AN© QUEBEC. 273 This is the mouth of a very considerable river, the Chaudiere, which here, coming from the south- cast, pours its black waters into the deep green St. Lawrence, and is so imprisoned between very ab- rupt, precipitous shores, principally of rock,* but overhung in part by forest, that, from the high bank where the view was taken, only a part of the river is seen. Some idea of the height of these banks will be gained, by comparison with the ships, which here lie securely anchored in the mouth of the Chaudiere ; they are European ships, in quest of lumber, and appeared to be generally of between two and three hundred tons burden. On the right, at the distance of six or seven miles, we see Point Levi ; in the middle of the ex- treme distance, are the hills about Montmorenci, distant about twelve miles ; on the smooth expanse of the river between, numberless ships are seen to repose, surrounded and tinged, by the peculiarly attempered light, of what I presume pamier5 would call a perfect Claude Lorrain sky. On the left, is Quebec, with its citadel, built on Cape Diamond, and nearer, a glimpse of a part of the plains of Abraham, with some of the Martello towers. The distance is about six miles, and the bearing nearly north-east by north ; the distance by the road is nine miles. * The rock on the opposite shore, is extremely well characteri- zed gray icacke, ("the gray wacke of Werner.) 24 274 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC, After crossing the Chaudiere, our road became more rough, and was evidently much less frequent- ed. In mounting the bank from the Chaudiere, it was so steep, that it was with difficulty the horse dragged up the empty calash. Somewhat less than two miles from the falls, we turned into the fields, and, at a farm-house, obtain- ed a French Canadian to act as our guide through scenes, which, we were assured, would, to stran- gers, soon become quite a labyrinth. It was not long before we were obliged to leave our calash, and proceed on foot, when, crossing a small river, "we entered a forest, where an obscure cart path, soon dwindled into a foot path, which we pursued over a rugged and unpleasant variisty of surface. The afternoon was very hot, and we were much fatigued, but our journey was rendered less irksome by the society of Mr. H d, an interesting young Hibernian, who h^d accompanied us from Quebec. Owing to our detention at the ferry, it was nearly sun-set when we arrived at the falls, and we were too much hurried to enjoy the Chaudiere quite at our leisure, as we yesterday did the Montmo- renci. The Chaudiere is a river of considerable magni- tude, but, owing to its numerous rapids, falls, and various obstructions, it is scarcely navigable, even TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOKD AND Q,UEBEC. 273 for canoes. It rises from the Lake Megantic, near the American territory : its general width is from four hundred to six hundred yards, and its course is more than one hundred miles long. The banks are, in general, high, rocky, and steep, " the bed rugged, and much contracted by rocks, jutting from the sides, that occasion violent rapids."* Among the falls in this river, those which we had come to visit are the most considerable. Salient points of rock narrow the river so much, that its breadth does not exceed four hundred feet, and the descent is estimated at one hundred and thirty.* Enormous masses of rock lie on the shore, contiguous to the falls, and, by similar masses, the cataract is divided into three parts, which reunite, before they plunge into the abyss at the bottom. Ledges of clay slate, alternating with gray wacke slate, and red slate, here form the natural dam, over which the water is precipitated. I saw no granite, as Lieutenant Hall mentions in his travels ; and, as the region is a transition one, I doubt whether he has not fallen into a mistake on this point. We emerged from the deep gloom of the forest, exactly at the place v/h.ere the cataract becomes visible, although the sound produced by it, (at a distance scarcely audible,} had been for some time rapidly increasing on the ear. This cataract is grand, and wild, and turbulent, roaring, and dashing, and foaming over its irregular * Bouchetto, 276 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANT) QUEBEC ban ier— current encountering current, and all plunging into a restless whirlpool, boiling with in- cessant agitation ; thence, undoubtedly, its French name of the Pot, or boiling Cauldron. Colonel Bouchette has given the following accu- rate sketch of these falls : — "The continual action of the water, has worn the rock into deep excava- tions, that give a globularligure to the revolving bod- ies of white foam, as they descend, and greatly in- crease the beautiful effect of the fall; the spray thrown up, being quickly spread by the wind, pro- duces, in the sun-shine, a most splendid variety of prismatic colors. The dark hued foliage of the woods, that on each side press close upon the mar- gin of the river, forms a striking contrast with the snow-like effulgence of the falling torrent ; the hur- ried motion of the flood, agitated among the rocks and hollows, as it forces its way towards the St. Lawrence, and the incessant sound, occasioned by the cataract itself, form a combination that strikes forcibly upon the senses, and amply gratifies the curiosity of the admiring spectator." The. falls of the Chaudiere are, by many, con- sidered as superior to those of the Montmorenci ; but, although vastly grander, on account of their width, and the great quantity of water, they did not strike u«, as having such peculiar beauties, and as differing so much from common cataracts ; that of Montmorenci is probably without a parallel in North-America, TOUR BETWEEN. HARTFORD AND QtrEDEC. 277 The Chaudiere is interesting, from its connexion with a projected road* to the United States. The Canadian settlements on the river du Loup, are seventy miles from the nearest American settle- ments on the Kennebec, and only twenty from the American line. A mountainous ridge intervenes — it is quite wild, but is intersected by numerous rivers and streams, and would, without doubt, afford practicable passes for roads. A mutual good un- derstanding between the contiguous countries, would soon effect the object; indeed, Massachusetts, be- fore the late war, appointed commissioners for the purpose of making a road to the height of land: This will probably be effected at a future, and not very distant period, and will bring Quebec within a distance of no more than two hundred miles by- land, from Hallowel, on the Kennebec ; and thence to the ocean, the communication is uninterrupted. By this road, it will be only three hundred and seventy miles to Boston. From Quebec, there is already an excellent road for fifty miles up the Chaudiere, and a tolerable one to the settlements on ihe river du Loup.* » * It -was by this route, that General Arnold's party, in 1775, penetrated to Quebec. t Bouchette. 24* 278 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. It was eight o'clock, and quite dark, before, on our return, we reached the ferry, at Point Levi ; the steam-boat had stopped for the night, and no persuasions or temptations of ours could induce the boatmen to put out again. Fortunately for us, a party arrived soon after, who appeared to be persons of influence, belonging to Quebec, and they indu- ced the boatmen to go ; we fell into the train, and thus they did us good, probably without intend- ing it. Our late arrival gave us the pleasure of enjoying a night view of Quebec, from a position where, otherwise, we should not have seen it. The few lights that were visible, in the upper town, served merely to mark its outline. The lower town look- ed like the illuminated foot of a gloomy mountain. It was so dark, when we landed, that the dirt of the lower town could not be seen, and we wound our way up through the steep and intricate passages, rendered faintly visible by a few lamps, which shed just light enough to exhibit the antique fashion of the houses, and to render us sensible of the gioom of its narrow crowded streets. Mr. W rode, but I walked with Mr. H d, and just as we pass- ed through the perfectly dark arch of the Pres- cot gate, and issuing into the city, a flash, like light- ninjy, illuminated the upper town, and was instant- ly followed by the thunder of the evening gun. It needed but little help from imagination to make us believe that we were entering a fortress of the dark TOUR BETWEExN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 279 ages, and the grand flourish of martial music, which immediately burst upon our ears, with the full swell and deep intonation of bugles, clarionets, and trum- pets, and other wind instruments, was well adapted to increase the illusion. The imperfect light served to magnify the size of the place d'armes, or military parade, in which we were arrived, and we hastened to the opposite side of it, contiguous to the barracks, (formerly the College of the Jesu- its.) Here we found the band, consisting of about twenty Germans, who continued to play for some time, and seemed as much gratified with their own music, as if it had possessed, for them, the charm of novelty. PLAINS OF ABRAHAM. I have several times had occasion to mention that the weather has been very fine, since we have been in Canada. It has been particularly so, since our arrival at Quebec, and the thermometer has been at summer heat, or even above, so that our excur- sions up and down the streets of this mountainous city, and over its environs, has been sometimes very fatiguing. On one of the fine mornings, we drove out through the magnificent gale of St. Louis, to the celebrated plains of Abraham, for no one would leave Quebec, without visiting the ground on which was fought the battle, that decided the fate of Can- 280 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ada, and ultimately terminated the empire of the French in North-America. There are probably few scenes of warfare, which are more intelligible than those in this vicinity. It is rery obvious, (after becoming acquainted with the peculiarities of the place,) that any army that is to act against Quebec, must encounter very uncom- mon ditliculties. We have already had occasion to advert to some of them, while speaking of the scenes that occurred at Montmorenci. The unsuccessful termination of that affair, evin- ced, that nothing was to be hoped from any addi- tional efforts in that quarter. The season was al- ready far advanced — the expected co-operation from General Amherst, by the way of Lake Cham- plain, and from General Johnson, through lake On- tario, had not been realized, and it became abso- lutely necessary to attempt something decisive, as the season would soon compel the English to aban- don the campaign. The camp at Montmorenci was therefore broken up, and on the sixth of Septem- ber, the troops were embarked, and transported up the river; they were landed for a season, at Point Levi, and refreshed on the southern shore, but after some days, again went on board, and were convey- ed three leagues above the city. General Mont- calm dispatched a corps of observation after them, consisting of one thousand five hundred men, under General Bougainville, but still maintained his sta- tion with the main army, at Beauport. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 2 81 On the twelfth of September, one hour after midnight, General Wolfe, with his army, leaving the ships, embarked in boats, and silently dropped down with the current, intending to land a league above Cape Diamond, and thus to gain the heights of Abraham. But, owing to the rapidity of the current, they fell below their intended place, and disembarked at what is now called Wolfe's cove, a mile, or a mile and a half, above the city. The operation was a most critical one — they had to navigate in silence, down a rapid stream — to hit upon the right place for a landing, which in the dark, might be easily mistaken — the shore was shelving, and the bank to be ascended was steep and lofty, and scarcely practicable, even without opposition. Doubtless, it was this combination of circumstances, which lulled the vigilance of the wary and discerning Montcalm : he thought such an enterprise absolutely impracticable, and there- fore had stationed only sentinels and picket guards along this precipitous shore. Indeed, the attempt was, in the greatest danger of being defeated by an occurrence, which is very interesting, as marking much more emphatically, than dry official accounts can do, the very great delicacy of the transaction. One of the French sentinels, posted along the shore, challenged the English boats in the customa- ry military language of the French, '*Qi« vit !'' who goes there ! to which a Captain of Frazer's regiment, 282 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEe. who had served in Holland, and was familiar with the French language and customs, promptly replied, "/a France.'''' The next question was much more embarrassing, for the sentinel demanded ^^ a quel regiment .^" " to what regiment." The Captain who happened to know the name of one of the regiments which was up the river, with Bougainville, promptly rejoined, " de la Reine,'''' — " the Queen's." The sol- dier immediately replied, ^^ passe,'''' for he concluded at once, that this was a French convoy of provisions, which, as the English had learned, from some de- serters, was expected to pass down the river to Quebec. The other sentinels were deceived in a similar manner; but one, less credulous than the rest, running down to the water's edge, called out, " Pourquoi est ce que vous ne parlez plus haut?" "Why dont you speak louder?'' The same cap- tain, with perfect self-command, replied, " Tai toi, nous, serons, entendues !" " Hush, we shall be over- heard and discovered."* The sentry satisfied with this caution retired. The British boats were on the point of being fired into, by the captain of one of their own transport ships, who, ignorant of what was going on, took them for French ; but General Wolfe perceiving a commotion on board, rowed along side in person, and prevented the firing which would have alarmed the town, and frustrated the enterprize. General Wolfe, although greatly re- duced by a fever, to which a dysentery was super- * SmoUet, V©1. v. p. 56. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 283 added, was nevertheless the first man to leap ashore. The rugged precipices, full of projections of rocks and of trees, and shrubs growing every where among the cliffs, into which the bank was broken, presented a most forbidding appearance, and General Wolfe familiarly speaking to an officer who stood by, said, " I don't believe there is any possibility of getting up, but you must do your en- deavour." There was only a narrow path, leading obliquely up the hill; this had been rendered by the enemy 'impassable, in consequence of being broken up by cross ditches, and there was besides an entrenchment at the top, defended by a captain's guard.* This guard was easily dispersed, and the troops then pulled themselves up by taking hold of the boughs and stumps of the trees and of the pro- jections of the rocks. This precipice, (which may be in different places, from one hundred fifty to two hundred feet high,) is still very rude and rugged, but probably much less so than in 1759; it can now be surmounted, without very great diftjculty, by men who are un- molested. Wolfe staked all, upon a very hazardous adven- ture; had he been discovered prematurely, through a spy, a deserter, or an alarmed sentry, his army * A private soldier belonging to this guard, and named La Baume, who was shot through the thigh on this occasion, was lately living on the River Sorel, and may be still alive — he was sentinel in the path. — (Private communication from Canada, Jan, 25, 1824.) 284 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. would have been inevitably lost; but having gained the heights, he formed his troops, and met the ene- my in good order. The plains of Abraham lie South and West of Quebec, and commence the moment you leave the walls of the city. They are a very elevated tract of ground; this must of course be the f^cl, as they are on the summit of the heights which terminate at the river; they are nearly level — free from trees and all other obstacles, and I presume were nearly so* at the time of the battle. Our military friend, Cap- tain , with true professional feeling, remarked, that it was "a fine place for a battle.'*'' I went to the brink of the precipice, where my guide assured me that Wolfe and the army came up; a foot path, much trodden, leads through low bushes to the spot. I presume, that five hundred men, posted on this edge, would have repelled the whole army. It was about an hour before the dawn, that the army began to ascend (he precipice, and by day light, they were formed and in perfect preparation, to meet the ettemy. The Marquis de Montcalm, was no sooner in- formed, that the English troops were in possession of the heights of Abraham, than he prepared to fight them, and for this purpose marched his army across the Charles, from his entrenchments at Beauport, and between nine and ten o'clock the two armies met, face to face. Montcalm's numbers were nearly the same as those of the English army, * Except perhaps on their confines. TOUR BETWEEN UAKTFORD ANJJ tlUEUEC. 285 but nearly half of his troops were Indians and Ca- nadians, while the whole of Wolfe's were disciplin- ed corps of the best description. The French general could not now, as at Montmorenci, avail himself of the cover of entrenchments, behind which undisciplined troops, especially if skilled in marksmanship, have often repelled the assaults of veterans. Montcalm made, however, the best possible dis- position of his troops — apportioning his regulars, in such distinct bodies, along the line, as to support the irregulars, in the most effectual manner. In front, among the cornfields and bushes, he placed one thousand five hundred of his best marksmen, prin- cipally Indiansand Canadians, whose destructive fire was patiently borne by the British lincj* but they reserved their own till the enemy, whose main body they perceived rapidly advancing, was within forty yards, when it was poured in upon the French, and continued with such deadly etfect, that it could not be withstood. The French fought bravely, but they wore broken, and notwithstanding one or two efforts to make a stand, and renew the attack, they were so successfiilly pushed by the British bayonet, and hewn down by the Highland broad sword, that their discomfiture was complete. The battle was particularly severe on the French left, and the Eng- lish right. This ground is very near the St. Law- * The adyanced guards had exchanged sho's for some hours before. 25 286 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. rence, and but a little distance in front of the cita- del, and all the events that passed there, nnust have been distinctly seen by those on the walls of Que- bec. It must have been a most interesting spec- tacle, and we can easily enter into the feelings of the American French, who viewed their country and their city, and their tiresides and homes, as in- volved in the issue of this battle. With what emo- tions then, must thej'havc seen their defenders, not only falling in the ranks, but driven by the furious onset of the enemy, to the walls of the city, where they were slaughtered by the bayonet and broad sword, on the very glacis, and in the ditches, im- mediately under their eyes. About one thousand of the French were killed and wounded, and more than half that number of the English, and it is thought that the French army would have been to- tally destroyed, if the city had not opened its gates, to receive a part, and if another part had not taken refuge in the works over the St. Charles. Montcalm was on the French left, and Wolfe on the English right, and here they both fell in the critical moment that decided the victory. Wolfe, early in the action, received a bullet in his wrist, but he bound it around with his handkerchief, and con- tinued to encourage his troops ; soon after, another ball penetrated his groin, but this wound, although much more severe, he concealed, and persevered, till a third bullet pierced his breast. It was not till that moment, that he submitted to be carried into TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 287 the rear of the line : he was no longer able to stand, and leaned his head upon the shoulderof a lieuten- ant, who sat down for that purpose — when, being aroused by the distant sound of " they fly — they fly," he eagerly ^sked, "who fly?" and being told it was the French, he replied, then " I die happy." He asked to be sustained on his feet, that he might once more behold the field, but his eyes were al- ready swimming in death, his vision was gone, and he expired on the spot. This death has furnished a grand and pathetic subject for the painter, the poet, and the historian, and undoubtedly (consider- ed as a specimen of mere military glory,) it is one of the most sublime that the annals of war afford. From my earliest childhood, I had ardently wished to see the plains of Abraham, and to stand on the place where Wolfe expired. To-day I enjoyed that pensive satisfaction, and easily passed in imagina- tion, from the quiet and security in which we saw these beautiful plains, to the tremendous collision of ten Uiousand men in arms. A round stone of red granite, four or five feet in circumference by two or three in diameter — not a fixed rock, but a loose stone, marks the spot where Wolfe expired in the moment of victory. This stone was placed here thirty years after the battle*— and is one of the four stones arranged in a meridian line by the surveyor general of Canada, in 1790, for the pur- pose of adjusting the instruments used in the public *Bouchette. 288 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. surveys of land. This stone has been so much round- ed, by having portions detached by visitors, that it was with the utmost difficulty I could knock off a small piece. Fortunately, the entire stone is too large to be carried away, and it cannot be broken to pieces, except by gunpowder. A fine mounument to Lord Nelson, graces the market place in Montreal — but there is no monu- ment to Wolfe, even on the spot where he fell. When I expressed to an English officer, my sur- prise at this omission, he reminded me, (what in- deed might have been very obvious upon a little re- flection,) that the feelings of a French population were not to be forgotten, and, that such a monument might be offensive to them.* The victorious hero has engrossed the plaudits of the world, but Montcalm deserved as much com- mendation as Wolfe. Except the massacre at Fort William Henry, (which, however, it is said he ex- erted himself, although unsuccessfully, to prevent,) I know of no other imputation on his memory ; and in talent, military skill, and personal courage, and devotion to his king and country, he was in no way inferior to his rival. He survived long enough to write a letter, with his own hand, to the English * Nearly opposite to our lodgings in St. Juhn-street, is the only monument to Wolfe, which we saw in Quebec. It is a statue, I believe, of wood, handsomely carved, and about as large as life ; it is in tlie military costume of that day, and is said to be a good likeness of Wolfe. It stands in a niche, in the angle of a house, or shop, and exposed to the weather. TOUa BETWEEN HAUTFORD AND QUEBEC, 289 General, recommending the French prisoners to his humanity, and, when informed that his wound was mortal, he expressed great satisfaction that he should not live to see the fall of Quebec, which capitulated five days after. Montcalin's second in command, General Senezergus, also died of his wounds. Had Montcalm succeeded in preserving Canada from conquest, and had Quebec been successfully defended by his valor, his fame would have been extolled as much as that of Wolfe now is. This victory was, in its consequences, of immense importance. It eventually terminated a long course of bloody wars ; it gave permanent peace and secu- rity to the English colonies, rescued their vast fron- tier from all the horrors of savage warfare, and even contributed largely to the general pacification of Europe. It is one of the great epochs of Amer- ican history. The French dominion in America, utterly incompatible with the repose or safety of the English settlements, and, after enduring one hundred and fifty years, was soon to be finally ter- minated. Thus a providence, probably at the time unseen and unobserved, by any of the parties, was preparing the way for American independence. No American can, therefore, contemplate with indifference, the spot where Wolfe fell, and somu gallant blood was spilt. The French had still a powerful army, and some naval force about the city, and in the ensuing 25* 290 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, spring, Monsieur Levi approached it from Mon- treal, for the purpose of recovering it from the Eng- lish. General Murray, who commanded in Que^ bee, marched out to meet him, and, on the 28th of April, 1760, a bloody battle occurred, three miles above the city, at Sillery ; the English army, very much inferior in numbers, to the French, was se- verely defeated, with the loss of one thousand men, and the French, it is said, suffered still more. The English retreated into Quebec, to which the French now laid siege, and, very possibly, would have re- duced it, but for the arrival of an English squadron, with reinforcements, when they abandoned the seige, and retired up the river. How large a portion of the history of modern Europe is occupied by the wars of England and France ! What rivers of each other's blood, as well as of the blood of other nations, have not these rival empires shed ! Heroic, enlightened, refined, learned, enterprising, both claiming the name of christian; had their efforts been equally directed to promote the welfare of their own respective do- minions, of each other, and of the world, by culti- vating the arts of peace, and the virtues of civil life, what good might they not have done! But like ferocious beasts of prey, they have hunted each other out of every niche and corner of the globe; every colony, every little cluster of traders, or of agriculturalists — every wan Jering bark, if belonging to the rival power, has been exposed to these cruel assaults. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 291 In which quarter of the world, on what ocean or sea, in what country, on what island, or on what coast, of remotest India or America, have they not opened each other's veins, till the earth cries out upon them, for blood unrighteously shed ? FORTIFICATIONS OF QUEBEC. The strongest town in America, and one of the strongest in the world, demands a brief notice in this respect, although it will be such, as one unskil- led in military affairs, can give. It is quite obvious, from what has been said, that Quebec is possessed of great natural advantages. The lofty perpendicular precipices of naked rock, which, on the south and east, separate a great part of the lower town from the upper, constitute, in themselves, on those sides, an insurmountable bar- rier ; the river Charles, with its shallow waters, and low flats, of sand and mud, drained almost dry, by the retiring of the tide, forms an insuperable impe- diment to the erection of commanding works, or to the access of ships on the east and north, not to mention that all this ground is perfectly commanded, by the guns from the upper town. The only vul- nerable point is on the west and south, from the plains of Abraham. Cape Diamond, the highest point of the town, it is true, is rather more elevated than any part of the plains,* but the highest ground * Only ten or fifteen feet. — Bouchetle. 292 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEREC. on the plains of Abraham, (the place which is called Ferguson's house,) "connmands most of the works on this side of the town ;" besides, there is no bar- rier of rock, no river, ravine, marsh, or other natu- ral obstacle, to hinder an approach upon this side ; this is the vulnerable side of Quebec, and here, therefore, it is fortified with the most anxious care. " The distance across the peninsula, from one river to the other, in front of the line of fortification, is one thousand, eight hundred thirty-seven yards,"* or very nearly, one mile — the circuit within the walls, is two miles and three quarters — immediate- ly without, it is probably three miles, and the aver- age diameter is one thousand five hundred yards, or very nearly six sevenths of a mile. A complete wall of massy hewn stone, construct- ed with elegance, as well as strength, completely encircles the town, and is furnished with strong massy arches and gates, and with deep ditches. It reminded me, much more than any thing that I have seen, either in England, or in my own coun- try, of the strong places of the Netherlands, partic- ularly of Breda, and of Bergen op Zoom. The walls of Quebec vary much, in different parts, in height and thickness. Every where, how- ever, they are high enough to render escalade very difficult, and a breach almost hopeless. In the strongest parts, next to the plains of Abraham, they * Bouchette, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 293 appeared to me forty or fifty feet thick, and equally high. Even the lofty precipices of naked rock, are surmounted with a stone wall, and with cannon, and the highest points are crowned with towers, and dis- tinct batteries. In general, the curtains of the wall are looped for musketry, and projecting bastions present theirartillery towards the assailants, in every direction, and, of course, so as to rake the ditches. A military man at Quebec remarked to me, that, in storming a place, they preferred attacking the bat- tery or bastion, rather than the curtain, because the cross fire cuts down so many in the ditches. When we visited the plains of Abraham, we drove out and in by the gate St. Louis, where the wall appeared to be fifty feet thick, and nearly as high ; this was the judgment we formed, without enquiry — I need not say, without measurement.* A deep ditch succeeds, and then there is an exterior, but lower wall, and another ditch, both of which must be scaled, before the main wall can be approached. A storming party would be dreadfully exposed, while mounting this exterior wall. The avenue to the gate is bounded, on both sides, by a high wall, and makes several turns, in zigzag. At every turn, cannon point directly at the approaches ; and gen- erally, down every ditch, and in every possible di- rection, where the walls can be approached, great guns are ready to cut down the assailants. * We were afterwards informed by a British^officer, that actual measurement gave this result 294 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUBBEC* I have sevenal limes remarked, that the promon- tory of rock, which constitutes the loftiest point of the upper (own, is called Cape Diamond, and that, upon this, is erected the famous citadel of Quebec. This is not, as one might suppose, a building, or castle, covered with a roof; it is open to the heav- ens, and differs from the rest of the works, only in being more elevated, stronger, and therefore more commanding.* The highest part of the citadel, is Brock's bat- tery, which is a mound, artifically raised, higher than every thing else, and mounted with cannon, pointing towards the plains of Abraham. It was named after General Brock, who fell at Queens- town, and was erected during the late war, about the time that Montreal was threatened, by Gen- erals Wilkinson and Hampton. This commands every part of the works on that side, and is intend- ed, I presume, besides the general objects of de- fence, to operate, in the last resort, on an enemy who may scale all the other walls. The citadel is forbidden ground, and, by rule, no person, not be- longing to the military, or the supreme government is admitted into it. By special favor, however, we enjoyed this grati- fication ; the sentry, at first, refused to let us pass, although under patronage whichcommanded his res- pect; but atlength, with much reluctance, he yielded. * As I saw it in 1C19, now (in 1824,) such important additions have bet n maJe frj tUe citadel, that I know not whether this part of the text is correct. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEnEO. 295 This course of conduct is usual in such places, and may be judicious here, as preventing numerous and troublesome visits, but it appears very unneces- sary in a military point of view, for, the more the strength of the citadel is made known, the less dis- posed, I am persuaded, will any enemy be lo attack it. Commodore Bainbridge, during his recent vis- it here, (I understand,) was freely shown the citadel and every part of the fortifications; anti I heard a British officer say, that, in his view, it was quite ri- diculous to pursue any other course, and to pretend to any secrecy about the thing. Still, however, I suppose the officers to have orders from their supe- riors, not to introduce persons here, for the day af- ter we had been in the citadel, 1 was with two Brit- ish military men, of considerable professional and official influence, and, while they were showing me some apartments, contiguous to the citadel, 1 hinted a wish to see it, if it could be permitted, but was answered politely^ although decidedly^ that it could not. 1 did not tell them that I had already seenit.* Every other part of the fortifications may be free- ly visited by every body, but, on the side next to the St. Charles river, the sentry refused to permit me to approach the embrasure ; I wished to see how high the wall was at that place. * I understand, that now, (1824,) there is no longer aay seriou* difficulty in obtaining admission to see Cape Diamond. 296 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. From the citadel,* the view of the river, of the town, and of the surrounding country, is, of course, extremely grand and beautiful, but, in this instance, the rapid advance of evening, rendered the distant objects indistinct. We were, however, very forci- bly struck with the formidable preparations, which seem on all sides, to render an attack upon the place a hopeless enterprise. Within the walls are nu- merous magazines, furnished with every implement and preparation, and more or less proof against the various missiles of war. Piles of cannon balls are every where to be seen, and, I presume there are some hundreds of heavy cannon mounted on the walls, and in the various defences. About forty acres of ground, within Cape Diamond, are reserved for military works.f Beyond the walls, on the plains of Abraham, are the four Martcllo towers, already mentioned ; they are solidly constructed of stone, and appear to be forty feet high, and, at the base, have probably a diameter not much inferior ; as they have cannon on their tops, they, of course, sweep the whole plain, and effectually command it; the particular object of their construction, was to prevent an ene- pay from occupying the high ground, on the plains * A new citadel is now erecting on Cape Diamond, as strong as the modern improvements in fortification can make it. (Private communication from Canada, Jan. 25. 1824.) t Bouchette. TOUR BETWEEN MARTFORU AND QUEBEC. 297 of Abraham. These towers are very strong, on the side most remote from the town, and weaker on the side next to it, that they may be battered from it, should an enemy obtain possession of them. On the whole, as long as the river is in possession of those who defend the town, and as long as the latter is sufficiently furnished with men, and other means necessary to render its fortifications efficient, there appears little hope of taking it at all, and certainly not without such an expense of blood, as it is very painful to contemplate. An officer of the garrison informed us, that it took him one hour and a half, merely to visit all the sentinels on duty, upon the various stations on the walls; this appears to evince, that the walls cannot be much less than three miles in circuit; and the same military man gave it as his opinion, that it would require at least ten thousand men for a com- petent garrison. The cold is so intense in the winter nights, par- ticularly on Cape Diamond, that the sentinels can- not stand it more thanone hour,* and are relieved at the expiration of that time. It is in vain to attempt to conceal, that the Cana- dians, and the government, in their various defen- * And even, as it ia said, at much sborter intervals, in cases of the most extreme cold, reaching probably, almost or quite, to the freezing point of quicksilver. The present winter, 1823-4, the public prints inform us that the cold has reached 41 degrees below at Quebec. ~ - ' 26 298 TOUR BETWEE\ HARTFORD AND qUEBEC. ces, (and it is said that still more expensive works are in contemplation,*) have reference to danger from only one source. It is to be hoped that fhe attempt to take Quebec by force, will never again be made, for, if it has al- ready cost so much blood, with defences compara- tively weak, what would it not cost now ?f GEOLOGICAL REMARKS. The limited opportunities which I have enjoyed, of examining the geology of this vicinity, have led, rather to isolated, than to connected observations. It has not been in m}- power to ascertain the bear- ing and relations of these facts, and this I regret the more, as it is probable that interesting results would be obtained, by a more extended and connected survey. * We are recently informed, by the newspapers, that these new works are going on very rapidly. July, 1!J20. t Going into a book-store in Quebec, I observed in one of the Gazettes of the city, a p^iragraph, copied from a recent American paper, to this effect, that, if it should be ever desirable to take Quebec, it could, at any time, be easily done, in two months, at the point of the bayonet. Surely such a remark is indecent, with respect to a people, with whom we are now in amity ; and, to any one who has ever seen Quebec, it appears superlatively ridicu- Ibus, and only exposes us to contempt ; an effort to take the moon at the point of the bayonet, would be almost equally rational. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 299 In speaking of the mouth of the Chaudiere river, r have already observed, that gray wacke forms the cliiFs on the eastern side. It has never before fallen to my lot, to observe this rock on so great a scale. It occurs in a schistose form, at the falls of the Chaudiere, and constitutes a principal part of the barrier, over which the torrent is precipitated. On the road from Point Levi to the Chaudiere river, and for several miles before we arrive at the latter, vast ledges of common gray wacke, rise above the surface of the ground, and form a continued chain of rocks, of a very peculiar physiognomy, and very diflerent from those rocks, with which 1 have heen most familiar. This gray wacke is of a most indubitable character, and varies from coarse to fine grained; in the coarsest kind, the individual por- tions are not larger than peas, and I have observed a very fine grained kind, with which they pave some of the streets in Quebec ; its grain is so small, as to be almost imperceptible. I did not learn whence it is brought. At Point Levi, the road up the precipice, from the river's edge, is cut with much labour, through cliffs of slate, very highly inclined — much contort- ed, and'containing imbedded limestone, which ap- peared to me like that of the transition class; but my examination was very hasty and slight. It is very probable that this formalion extends under the bed of the river, and substantially ap- pears again in the precipices of Quebec, which I 300 TOVn BETWEEN' IIAItTFOllD A\J) QUEKEC'. found ail opportunity to examine with some atten- tion. The name of Cape Diamond, is derived from the fact, that what the common people every where call diamonds, or, in other woids rock crystals are found in this rock and at its foot. I walked around these precipices, with my ham- mer in my hand, and observed the crystals in their places ; they occur in veins, in argillite or slate, along with crystallized carbonate of lime. I passed through the gate, on the north east, and de- scended the oblique road, which leads to the lower town; this street is, in a manner, cut out of the rocky strata, and I had very good opportunities to observe them j I continued my examination around at the foot of the precipices beyond Cape Diamond, and almost to the plains of Abraham. The fortifications of Quebec stand principally upon, and are composed chiefly of slate rock and of the fetid limestone; the slate is highly inclined, and is sometimes remarkably twisted and irreg^ular in its arrangement; the colour is dark — almost black, and it is often fetid when struck. This is explained by its association with compact fetid limestone, which abounds in many parts of these ledges, and is replete with veins of white or slightly coloured calcareous spar — sometimes fibrous in its structure and sometimes distinctly crystallized. 1 observed the same rocks appearing in the upper town, in various places, and especially where they TOUK BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 3QV were cutting a drain near the prison. Dr. Wright, the Inspector General of Hospitals at Quebec, was kind enough to show me a collection, which he is forming, of the rocks and minerals of the country, and among them were a good many specimens from Upper Canada. I was much gratified to see such a beginning in Quebec, and from the zeal and intelli- gence of Dr. Wright and of Dr. Bigsby* of the same department — may we not hope that we shall become much more extensively informed than now, as to the mineralogy and geology of the Canadas ,'* The very highly inclined position, sometimes al- most vertical, and the contorted structure of the slate of Quebec — with the abundance of perfectly limpid quartz crystals, occasionally an inch in length, that are sprinkled between the layers of slate, giving it often an elegimt appearance, seem to forbid our regarding it as secondary, notwithstand- ing its association with the black, compact, fetid limestone, and its bein» itself (occasionally at least) fetid, on percussion. I am told, that both the slate and the limestone, as well as strata of wacke, (gray wacke ?) are subordinate to gneiss mountains, which run east south-east, and east nonh-east dipping southerly at a very elevated angle. On the whole, as the slate is the prevailing rock, and as the region on tile other side of the St. Lawrence, is decidedly a transition formation, I am inclin^ to refer the * This summer acting with the commi?sioners of boundaries eli the great lakes. 26* 30i TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOUD AND QUEBEC. rock of Quebec to the same class. The crystals of quartz were formerly more abundant, and proba- bly, more beautiful, than at present. I found numbers however, that were not only . transparent and beautiful, but crystallized all around. As 1 was hammering upon a rock, to which I had climbed, so far up one of the precipices, that I was above ihechimnies of the houses, in the contiguous parts of the lower town, a man came running out, and with a French accent, and much vehement ges- ture and expostulation, conjured me to desist, un- less I meant to bury him and his house in ruins, by causing the rocks to fall. I saw no danger, as the rocks appeared tolerably firm, but of course desist- ed and came down. Indeed so large a number of the houses in the lower town are built against the foot of the precipice, or very near it, that the rocks look as if th' y might at any time fall and crush them ; it would seem as if they must of course do so, should any of ihem give way. We were inform- ed that a great mass fell, recently, and much en- dangered many houses, but happily missed themj one bouse is said to have been crushed last winter, but I did not hear that any life was lost. I e amined the rocks on the plains of Abraham, and particularly near where General Wolfe died, for there was an open quarry at that place ; they were slate of the same description with the preci- pices at Cape Diamond, and I observed no other OD the plains, and none in the rocks of the town^ TOUR BETWEEX HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 303 but slate and the svvinestone ; these two stones are almost exclusively employed in building, and the walls as already observed, are constructed prin- cipally of them. NOTES ON THE MINERALOGY OF QUEBEC, Furnished by a Scientific Friend. The promontory on which stand the city of Que- bec, and its fortifications, to ihe south-east, is a near- ly perpendicular escarpment, varying in height from two hundred to three hundred and seventy feet. Towards the N and N. VV. it slopes in abrupt de- clivities for twelve or fifteen hundred yards, and ter- minates in the valley of the St. Charles by a long and somewhat shivered precipice, about ei;^hty feet high. The great body of this celebrated rock is brown- ish, or bluish black limestone, without lustre, of ve- ry conchoidal fracture, of variable hardness, of the sp. gr. 2,5 or 2.6 and effervescing on exposure to acids. It is more or less slaty : — the majority of its lam- inae are a foot thick, but many are quite shaly, when a degree of histre is observable. The strata are placed at an high angle with a 9. E. dip; frequently they are vertical, as on the face of some parts of Cape Diamond ; and occa- sionally the dip is N. VV. The precipice at the west end of Sauk au Matelot Street in the lower 304 TOWR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. town, exhibits some singular but not unprecedent- ed contortions in its layers. Two contiguous strata, (followed in a less degree by the surrounding ones) slowly open, and in the space of eight or ten yards rejoin each other leaving an oval interval some" yards broad, resembling the belly of a vein, — and filled with the black limestone of the locality, so traversed by veins of bitter spar that it is not possi- ble to trace in it any particular structure. Great disorder exists in other parts of this neighbourhood. Three hundred yards to the W. the strata runs S. E. and dip vertically; and on advancing still westward are found to have even a south-west inclination, "'i In the quarries of the suburbs of St. John, the direction and dip of the rock are obscured by an assemblago of what, or. a hasty visit, I am inclined to consider natural cleavages of great dimensions. These cleavages have often the high polish and metallic glaze of pottery — an appearance also ob- served on manv of those continuous sheets of rock, several luindre*! feet square, which form the face of the precipice overlooking the St. Lawrence, at the farther end of Champlam street. Their colors are black, brown and red. These smooth faces are not uncommon elsewhere, and are also frequently covered, in patches, with the black limestone, in doughy coatings, in high relieved, and extended limbs, as if they had flowed, lava-like, in a semi- fluid state. This is quite common in gray wacke, and;; is daily seen in the action of temporary tor- TOUn BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 3@5 rents on sandy cliffs Laru;e masses of earth fall into the ravine, the streamlet, for the moment, tlows of the consistence of soft paste, overspreading the neighboring grounds, and on the outskirts of its in- fluence, consolidates, in branch-like prolongations, raised above the surface over which they ramify. Conglomerates and gray wacke are interleaved conformably with various parts of the rock of Que- bec ; but they are in very inconsiderable proportion to the whole mass. They are most numerous on the northern and northwestern side of the promon« tory : and at the place near Sault au Matelot Street, already noticed for the irregular disposition of its strata, the entire face of the precipice consists of a calcareous conglomerate, of rounded ash colored nodules of very various sizes, scatiered spari gly through a dark cement — the common rock proba= bly. It extends some hundred yards westward, and is lost in the body of the hill From Palace Gate, west, along the cliff over- hanging St. Roche, layers from one to twelve feet broad, of another species of puddingstone, are inter- posed between the strata of black limestone. Two are visible near Palace Gate and one in Major D'Estimauville's garden in the suburb of St. John. The matrix and its contents are in equal proportion, and are well mixed. The nodules are seldom so large as an inch square ; and are often rounded. The general colour is greyish brown. A disagree- able odour is perceptible on percussion. Fragments 306 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AXl) (iUEBEC. of chlorite, and grains of iron pyrites are often imbed- ded in it. In the face of the precipice below, and to the east of Major D' Estimauville's g>rden, there is a large oval bed of this puddingstone contained in the stra- tified rock; — into which it penetrates in numerous veins. In St. John's suburbs, from this garden, about N. E. fivehundredyards (speaking loosely) a kind of puddiflgstone similar to the one first mentioned ap- J>€ars. It is twelve feet broad ; the nodules are ve- ry small, sparing and rounded. On the left of the foot of the first descent into St. Roche's from St John's Gate, opposite to Mr. Shepherd's excellent house, layers of light brown homogeneous limestone, of small breadth, alternate several times with the black species. Their tex- ture is indistinctly crystalline. The gray wacke is well defined, very compact, and makes its appearance in the ditch to the left of St. John's gate. By reason of its situation it is on- ly visible for 50 yards. It dips S. E. at a high an- gle, and is remarkable in being at one part 12 feet broad and at some distance from thence only six. Another stratum of gray wacke, I am informed, is to be seen onCape Diamond, in an excavation which is now filled with water. The accidental minerals of this limestone are as follows. T re are the white rhomboidal calcspar in large masses, and in veins of large size : — a fibrous TOUR BETVVEEX HAKTFOUD AND (QUEBEC. 307 calcspar in mass, but without the lustre of satin spar: the cubic, rhoniboidal, pyramidal, and pearl spar crystals, variously modified, and lastly numerous clusters of opaque white capillary crystals, two thirds of an inch long at most, super-imposed on their ends, and radiating from a point in an extremely beautiful manner. They effervesce on exposure to acids. All these species occupy drusy cavities and the sur- face of the strata ; and are greatly intermixed with themselves and with the fine rock crystals which are found here in great abundance. Their form is the six sided prism with the ordinary pyramidal acu- minations. Tliey are often much flattened, and are seldom equiangular. The prism not unusually disappears, leaving a twelve sided crystal. They are not often imbedded, but usually super-im- posed, laterally or terminally. The crystals are single or agglutinated masses, being in the latter case full of rents and of a brown earthy matter, or in rare instances containing a drop of pale bitumin- ous oil. They are either colorless, with an ex- tremely high lustre, or of a smoke brown hue. Minute seams of coal, very light, jet black, shin- ing, have been met with in the cliff of the Grand Battery. A few drachms of a black pitchy matter are oc- casionally collected from the cavities of the rock — but it has not hitherto been examined. Some workmen, while blasting on Cape Dia- mond, laid open a small druse of calcspar accom- 308 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANB QUEBEC, panied by two rudely crystallized masses of fluoi spar. I have not applied any tests ; but feel as- sured they are fluor. Helitrope is found loose in considerable quanti- ties on the outside of St. Louis' Gate — I have not seen it in place. It polishes excellently. I consider the Limestone of Quebec to belong to the transition class of rocks, from its composi- tion and structure, from its inclination, and from its being conformable to the vast transition formations, with which it is surrounded, excepting in the di- frection of Beauport. The altenations of common slate — grey wacke — quartz rock and chlorite slate, which constitute this intermediate order recline on the north upon mountains of gneiss, mica slate and various forms of granite, rocks which they again meet on the southern frontiers of Lower Canada. The horizontal lime stone, of Beauport and Montmorenci, is in all probability a projection or tongue of secondary rocks, extended from the formations of Montreal and the Ottawa ; with which they correspond in character, and with which I believe them to be connected in fact. DEATH OF GENERAL MONTGOMERY. Every American on visiting Quebec, of course, inquires for the place, wliere Montgomery and his associates fell. i his question 1 proposed many times, without being able to obtain a satisfactory an- COXjH between HARTFORD and QUEBEC. 309 swer, but, in my mineralogical visit to the lower town, where I knew that the event occurred, I re- peated my inquiries, till 1 ascertained tlie street, which as described by historians, passes at the foot of Cape Diamond. Many persons in Quebec, know little or nothing of the event, and many more feel no interest in the topic. I inquired in vain, at several houses and shops, within a few hundred yards of the place, till at last, I was so happy as to find an individual, who appeared to be perfectly acquainted with the whole transaction, and from the precision and distinctness of his story, and the clear views he had of the ground, and of the event, I have no doubt that his information, as to the place, was correct. He was confident that he shewed me the exact spot where the barrier stood, from which the fatal shot was fired, and the precise place where Montgomery and his companions were cut down. It is immediately under Cape Diamond, and was, at that time, as it is now, a very narrow pass, between the foot of the impending precipice, and the shore; ves- sels then were moored to rings fixed in the rock, some of which rings still remain, although wharves have been since constructed at the water's edge ; now there is a road just wide enough for a cart ; it has been cut out of the solid rock. The American camp was on the plains of Abraham. Four points of attack were agreed on — two /ci/?^5 against the walls of the upper town, one at St. John's gate, and 27 310 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBE(J. the other near the citadel, while two real assaults, were to be directed against two other points, both in the lower town, but situated on opposite sides. General Arnold led a party from the plains of Abraham, around by the river Charles, and assault- ed the lower town on that side. In the mean time, General Montgomery approached under Cape Dia- mond. The pass at the foot of Cape Diamond, was probably, then much narrower and more difficult than at present. The attempt was made at five o'clock, on the morning of December 31, 1775, in the midst of a Canadian winter, and of a violent snow-storm, and of darkness. The path, narrow and difficult at best, was then so much obstructed by enormous masses of ice, piled on each other, as to render the way almost impassable.* Montgom- ery's party were therefore obliged to proceed in a narrow file, till they reached a picket block house, which formed the first barrier. The general assist- ed with his own hands, in cutting down and remov- ing the pickets, and the Canadian guard, stationed for its defence, having thrown away their arms, fled, after a harmless random fire. The next bar- rier was much more formidable ; it was a small bat- tery, whose cannon were loaded with grape shot, and as General Montgomery, with Captains Chees- man and Macpherson, the latter of whom was his aid, and others of the bravest of his party, were * Marshall. rOUB "BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 31 I pressing forward towards this barrier — a discharge of grape shot killed the general, and most of those near his person, and terminated the assault on that side of the town. It is said that this second barrier had also been abandoned, but that one or two persons returning to it, seized a slow match, and applied it to the gun, when the advancing party were not more than forty yards from it. This occurrence has been sometimes differently related. Some American gentlemen who were at Quebec about sixteen years since, saw a man, who asserted that he was the person who touched off the cannon, and what is very remarkable, he was a New-Eng- lander. He related, that the barrier was abandon- ed, and the party who had been stationed at it were in full flight ; but as it occurred to him, that there was a loaded cannon, he turned, and dis- charged it at random, and then ran. This anecdote I had from one of the gentlemen who conversed with this man. That there was some such occurrence, appears probable, and the following circumstances, having a similar bearing, were related to me by the person who shewed me this fatal ground. The spot may be known at the present moment, by its being somewhat farther up the river, than the naval depot, where great numbers of heavy cannon are now lying. The battery stood on the first gentle decliv- ity, beyond this pile of cannon, and the deaths hap- pened on the level ground, about forty yards still 312 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. farther on. My informant stated, that the people in the block house, as he called it, loaded their cannon over night, and retired to rest. It so hap- pened, (and it was perfectly accidental,) that a captain of a vessel in the port, lodged in the block house that night. He was an intemperate man, half delirious even when most sober, and never minded any one, or was much listened to by others. Early ©n the fatai morning, before light, he exclaimed, all of a sudden— "they are coming, I s r they are coming!" no one regarded him, but he got the iron rods, which they used to touch oflfthe cannon, heated them, and fired the pieces. Immediately, rockets were seen to fly into the air, which were signals to the party of Arnold, that all was lost. When light returned, General Mont- gomery, his aids, and many others, in the whole twenty-seven, (as he stated,) were found cither dead, or grievously wounded. Thus, 1 have had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing both where Wolfe and Montgomery fell. Had the latter succeeded, his enterprise would have been regarded as more gallant than even that of Wolfe. Probably the situation of the defences was very different then from what it is now ; at present, such an attempt would be perfectly desperate, and could deserve no name but rashness. The memory of the transaction appears, in a great measure, to have pagsed by, at Quebec, and TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. 313 I can even conceive that, in twenty years more, it may be difficult to have the place accurately desig- nated. It would be easy now, with permission of the government, to have an inscription, cut upon the neighboring precipice of rock, which is not six feet from the place, and, I presume, were the re- quest properly preferred, no objection would be made. " All enmity to Montgomery expired with his life, and the respect to his private character pre- vailed over all other considerations ; his dead body received every possible mark of distinction from the victors, and was interred in Quebec, with all the military honors due to a brave soldier." " The most powerful speakers in the British Par- liament, displayed their eloquence in praising his virtues, and lamenting his fate. A great orator, and veteran fellow-soldier of his, in the late war, shed abundance of tears, whilst he expatiated on their past friendship and participation of service in that season of enterprise and glory. Even the min- ister extolled his virtues."* During our visit to the citadel, the place of his interment was pointed out to us. His bones (as is well known,) were recently transferred to New- York, more than forty years after their original interment, and now lie buried, contiguous to the monument, erected by Congress, in front of St. Paul's Church. * Annual Register, for 1776. 27* 314 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. GENERAL ARNOLD'S PARTY. In the existing accounts of the attack made by General Arnold's division, it is not easy for a per- son who is unacquainted with Quebec, to under- stand, precisely, where the scene of operations lies, nor how there was to be a co-operation with General Montgomery. Perhaps the following re- marks may have a tendency to render this scene intelligible, and especially to those who may seek for information on the spot. General Arnold's party entered through the su- burb of St. Roch, which lies on the river St. Charles, north-west of Quebec, without the walls, and is an appendage of the lower town. Having been obli- ged to abandon the only cannon which they had, they passed, through the street St. Roch, which leads in a south-west direction, towards the wall, and then turning to the left, by the Intendant's Palace, proceeded on, towards the St. Lawrence, parallel to the city wall, and at a small distance from it. Here it was that, during a march of near- ly half a mile, the party, with very little injury, sustained the fire on their right flank, from the walls. Without reg.rding this heavy fire, they pressed on towards the enemy's first barrier, which was in the street called Sault des Matelots.* This street commences in the lower town, on the St. * See Colonel Bouchette's plan of Quebec, in his topographical map ol Lower Canada. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 315 Lawrence, a few hundred yards from the passage up Mountain street ; passing down that street, and turning to the left or north, we come to that of the Matelots.* This street runs in a straight direction for some way, a id then turns suddenly, by a very narrow path, only twelve feet wide, and cut out of the rock, around that angle of the precipice, and of the grand battery, which looks down the bay of Quebec; it then proceeds west without turning. At the time of the attack, this passage, around the foot of the precipice, was exceedingly narrow, and much obstructed by cakes of ice. Coming from the suburb of St. Roch, the first barrier occurred, befoie arriving at the angle of the street, and of the precipice ; the second after passing it. Arnold be- ing severely wounded, in the approach to the first barrier, it was stormed and carried, by Captain Morgan of the Virginia riflemen, although it was defended by two twelve pounders, loaded with grape shot; one of these pieces was discharged, but killed only a single man, and before the second was fired, the barrier was passed by scaling ladders, and its defenders fled. It was still dark — a violent snow storm prevailed, and Morgan and the other officers, being ignorant of the streets and their de- fences, did not attempt the other barrier till the day dawned. They then turned the angle of the * Or sailors — I know not whether the name was derived from the circumstance, that a sailor once fell over the precipice int© this place, " without loss of life, or even serious injury." Private Communication — 1824. Mi) TOMU IIICTWKKN IIAUTFOUD ANI» titlKliKC. street, which broiif^lU llicm iu front of the St. Lavv- rencf, and of the next barrier, which hist was en- tirely inviHihlc (ill lUvy had made this turn, when they were instantly exposed to a tremendous lire of musketry frocn the barrier, and from the houses on both sides of the street ; a few of the bravest mounted the barritr with ladders, but saw on the other side, double rows of soldiers, wilhHhcir ^uns tixed on the ground, and presenting nothing but points of bayonets to recoive them, should (hey leap (o (hf ground. Their rotreat was in the meantime^ «:ut oil', by a |>ar(y of two iiundred miMi, who, with several ticid pieces, issutui from the palace gate, in their rear, and thus they were completely surround- ed — the inicoiKiuered barrier was in front — the city wall and precipice on one side, and the St. Law- rence and St. Charles or» (he other. It was a most daring attack. I passed several times through the street of the Matelols, and wonder that any of the party slioidd have escapcnl death. We can now understand how the party of Mont- gomery and that of Arntdd would, if successful, have co-opcratetl. At the time of their lepulse, they were making directly towards one another, and, but for that event, would have met in Mountain street, and probably have attempted the Prescot gate in concert; or possibly, being in possession of the. lower town, (hey might have assailed the palace gate which Arnold had passed, after leaving the IOf;B BETWEEN HARTFOED AND ^L'KftK'':. 317 jbijrb of St. Roch. At present, eitbf;r of theec •fltcrnpts would app^.-ar prep' sterous, and it would I aee.m that they could fecarct^ly have proved success- ' ful then, unlefei! the enemy had been taken by sur- prise. Judge Mnir'rhall'fe interestinj; account* of tliis afe%ault will be perfectly intelligible, if it be remembered that the (scenes of both tra- gedies are in the lower town, and the catastro- ' phieg of both in front of the precipice, bordering on the St Lawrence. Montgomery fell on the ex- treme left, ag represented in the vignette — the re- pulse of Arnold's division was on the extreme right, and none of either party entered the upper town, till Arnold's troops, having fought for three hours, finally surrefjdered, after they were surrounded, and all hope of escape was at an end. Rare- ly has more per-sonal bravery been dif^playfcd, thao in this transaction. CASTLE OF ST. LOUIS AND THE LATL DLKE OF RICHMOND. Ttie situation, and dimensions of this building, have been already mentioned, (page 212.; On its site, and on the contiguous ground, the French had a fortress, called St. Louis: it covered four acres, and formed nearly a parallelogram. The * Life of Wasbii*gtoo, vol. ii. p. 332. 318 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. present castle is a part of the curtain, connecting two of the bastions of the fort, or, at least, it is in the same place, for, I am not certain that it has not been rebuilt, since the destruction of the ancient fortress. This castle had been suffered to go to decay, but, in 1808, seven thousand pounds were voted for its repair and embellishment, and an additional sum at a subsequent period. Sir James Craig first occu- pied it, after this resuscitation. The entire establishment forms a square, of which the present castle is the front, and the other parts are occupied by public offices, ball rooms, &c. and, there are stables, a guard-house, and a riding room, besides extensive gardens.* Without introduction, we went to the castle of St. Louis, and, as strangers, preferred our request to see the interior. The sentinel, and the servants, gave us a ready admission. We were civilly con- ducted through its various apartments. They are numerous, but generally plain ; some are large and handsome, but they are inferior, in elegance, to the rooms in many private houses. The furniture, with some exceptions, is far from being splendid. Some articles are rich, but many are hardly worthy of the distinguished place which they occupy. Among the cuiiosities of the place, is a famous round table, or rather half of a round table, with a circular place cut in the middle. This, it seems, is * Bouchette. TOURBETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 319 occupied by the host, when he drinks wine with his friends, who are arranged around him. That there may be no impediment to conviviality, not even the usual trouble of circulating the bottle, there is an ingenious machine of brass, shaped a little like a sextant, which can, at pleasure, be at- tached to the table, or removed ; the centre em- braces a pivot, on which it moves, and the periphery of the circle, sustains the bottle; the machine re- volves in the plane of a horizontal circle, in other words, on the circular table ; this is eflfected merely by touching a spring ; the contrivance is certainly as important as it is original. 1 am not certain, however, to whom the honor of the invention belongs, for we were assured in the castle, that the furniture descends, not as public, but as private property, and is paid for by each successive governor. This, (if correctly stated,) does not correspond with the usual munificence and dignity of the British government. The duke of Richmond, the late Governor-Gene- ral of the Canadas, is stated not to have been rich ; indeed, in Canada, the remark is made on all hands, that he was poor. Still, we were repeatedly assur- ed, that the duke's plate, which was lately sent back to England, was insured at forty thousand pounds, a fortune in itself, for a p.ivate man. We were introduced into the duke's private study and library ; the latter was not extensive, although he books were good ; we saw also his bed room 320 TOUR BETWEKN HARTFORD AN© (tWEBEC. and bed, and, in short, all the apartments of the family. We asked for some personal relic of the duke, and they presented to us a thermometrical register, kept by him, during the first seven months of the present year, and the first half of August, ending with the time, (I presume,) when he set forward on the journey, during which he died. The register is said to be in his own hand writing. As it is not often that we obtain a document respecting Cana- dian temperature, and, as this is interesting, on ac- count of its origin, 1 will present an abstract of it, in the form of results. Average tempera- A. D. 1819. Jan. 17^ Feb. 25 March 25 April 43 56 66 75 May June July Aug. (first 15 days) 78 ture at nooQ. ab. (( u a a it (( Coldest day at noon. Jan. 14 6°bel.0Jan. 23 4l°ab.O Feb. 24 13 ab. March 6 2" April 8 32 May 25 36 June 1 52 July 28 65 The average of the three Aug. 8 winter, spring, summer. Hottest day at noon. Feb. 9 42 " March 21 37 " April 29 64 " May 4 72 " June 6 90 " July 23 84 " Aug. 7 72 '• and 10 86 " 22°above months, is <(55 73 In January, the thermometer, at noon, on the 5th, 8th , and 29th, was 4° below 0. I have thrown away fractions of a degree. The thermometers, with which the observations were made, still hung in the room. TOUli BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 321 It is well known that the duke died of hydropho- bia ; and, it seems innpossible to obtain in Canada, nay, even in Quebec, and in the palace itself, a cor- rect account of the circumstances that attended the calamity. As the subject, being of very recent oc- currence, has been much spoken of in our presence^ and in all circles, I trust it will not be indelicate with respect to the friends of the deceased, or to the people recently under his government, if I pro- ceed to repeat some of the statements which we have heard. The person who shewed us the castle, and whoy as we were informed, belonged to the duke's house- hold, gave us the following account. It seems that the duke had a little dog, to which he was immode- rately attached ; the dog's name was Blucher, and Biurher, we were told, was carressed with such fondness, that he slept with his master, and wa« affeclionately addressed, by the appellation of •' my dear Blucher." This idolized animal was bitten in the neck by another dog, afterwards ascertained to be mad — the rencounter took place in the court-yard of the palace, and the duke, in whose presence it occur- red, full of compassion for his poor dog, caught him up in his arms, and applied his own lips to the part bitten; others, as well as this man, have informed us, that it was thus the duke imbibed the poison, some say through a cut in his lip, made by his ra- zor, or through an accidental crack. The duke 28 322 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC continued to sleep with the dog, which had not then, however, exhibited signs of madness. There are other persons, and, among them, some highly respectable men, attached to the army, who deny the above, and say that the duke was bitten by a rabid fox, on board the steam-boat; the fox and dog, it is said, were quarrelling, and the duke interfered, to part them. Others assert, that the -duke put his hand into the cage, where the fox was confined ; and all who impute the event to the fox, (declare that the hurt, which was on a finger, was «o extremely slight, as not to be noticed at the time, nor thought of afterwards, till the hydrophobia came •n. At the mansion house in Montreal, where the ^uke always lodged, when in that city, we were assured by a respectable person in the house, that the duke certainly got his poison from his own dog; that the story was told him by the servants of the duke, when they returned with the dead body ; and, what is more, that he saw the letter which the duke wrote to his own daughter, the lady Mary, after his symptoms had manifested themselves, and when he was in immediate expectation of death. In this letter, the duke reminded his daughter of the inci- dent which ^as related to us at the palace. Which ever story is true, it would appear that the duke came by his death in consequence of his attach- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 323 ment to his dog, and, surely never was a valuable life more unhappily sacrificed.* The duke was up the country, near the Ottawa river, when the fatal symptoms appeared, but he persevered in his expedition — travelled thirty miles on foot, the day before he died — concealed his com- plaint, and opposed it as long as possible — wrote his final farewell to the lady Mary, and the other children, in a long letter, which contained particu- lar directions as to the disposition of the family — and met death, we must say, at least, like a soldier, for a soldier he had been the greater part of his life. His complaint manifested itself, in the first in- stance, by an uneasiness at being upon the water, in the tour which he was taking into the interior, and they were obliged to land him. A glass of wine, presented to him, produced his spasms, although it is said, that, by covering his eyes with one hand, and holding the glass with the other, he succeeded in swallowing the wine; but afterwards, he could bear no liquids, and even the lather used in shaving, distressed him. In the intervals of his spasms, he was wonderful- ly cool and collected — gave every necessary order * I have never had it in my power to see the official accounts of the duke's death, as published in England. I am told they dif- fer in some measure, from the preceding statements, but I cannot tell in wrhat particulars. All I can say, is, that I give the reports as I heard them. 324 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND q,UEBEC;* to his servants, and to the officers of his suite — op- posed the sending for a physician, from Montreal, because, he said, the distance from it to Richmond, where he died, being eighty miles, he should be a dead man, before the physician could arrive, and seemed to contemplate the dreadful fate before him, with the heroism, at least, of a martyr. In his turns of delirium, instead of barking and raving, as such patients are said usually to do, he employed himself in arranging his imaginary troops, forming a line of battle, (for he had been present at many battles, and, last of all, at Waterloo,* itself,) and gave particular commands to a captain in the navy, who was not present, bu^ whom he called by name, to fire — and the command was often, and ve- hemently repeated. In a soliloquy, overheard but a few minutes before his death, he said, " Charles Lenox, duke of Richmond! — die like a man !— Shall it be said, that Richmond was afraid to meet death — no, never !" I know not what were his grace's views on top- ics, more important at such a crisis, than what our fellow men will think of us ; but, there was a degree of grandeur, of the heroic kind, in finding a military nobleman, cool and forecasting, in contemplation of one of the most awful of all deaths, and, even in his * I was informed by a British officer, that the duke was not ac- tually iH the bloody field, but somewhere in the immediate vicin- itv. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 325 moments of delirium, like king Lear, raving in a style of sublimity. We were informed, that, even in death, he did not forget Blucher, but ordered that he should be cashed, and the event awaited. The dog was carried away with the family, when they sailed for Eng- land, although he had previously begun to snap and fly at people. The duke appears to be remembered with af- fection ; he was regarded as a very warm friend to Canada, and all here, believe that he had its in- terests much at heart, and was actively engaged in promoting them. His family, consisting principally of daughters, young and unmarried, with very slender resources, and in a foreign land, received the appaling news at the castle of St. Louis, and soon the sad tidings were followed by the breathless body. One daughter is married to Sir Peregrine Mait- land, Governor of Upper Canada, and the lady Ma- ry, the eldest of the remaining daughters, is spoken of (although without any intended disparagement to the other children,) in the highest terms. We saw fire screens, prettily inscribed with verses, and orna- mented by her hand ; and the person who attended us, gave each of us a walking stick, cut by the * I was informed by a British officer, that the duke was not ac- tually in the bloody field, but somewhere in the immediale vicini- ity. 28* 326 TOUB BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. duke's own hand, in his last excursion. There was a large bundle of them done up by strings, and it seems it was the duke's custom, when he saw a stick that pleased him, to stop and cut it. Sir Peregrine Maitland, and his lady and family, lodged in the same house with us, at Montreal, and appeared plain, unassuming people. While there, they received the calls of the principal military and civil officers, and of the most distinguished private individuals ; among the rest, came the veteran sol- dier of Wolfe, dressed in his scarlet uniform, and in the fashion of other days. Before leaving the palace, we wrote, by request, our names and residence ; a requisition frequently made in similar places in Europe. From the gallery, in front of the castle of St. Louis, we had a most magnificent view of the river, and of the surrounding country, while the lower town lay directly at our feet, but was rather a blemish, than a beauty, in the prospect. The castle is, at its foundation, more than two hundred feet higher than the river, and in summer, must be a most charming cool spot, but in winter, a very bleak one. The duchess of Richmond is in England, and has never been in America. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 327 GENERAL REMARKS ON QUEBEC A stranger's residence of a f&w days, in a foreign eity, is hardly sufficient to give him any thing more than general views. Such views, accurately sketch- ed, are, however useful, although forming but an outline. Quebec, at least for an American city, is certain- ly a very peculiar place. A military town — containing about twenty thou- sand inhabitants — most compactly and permanently built — stone its sole material — environed, as to its most important parts, by walls and gates — and de- fended by numerous heavy cannon — garrisoned by troops, having the arms, the costume, the music, the discipline of Europe — foreign in language, fea- tureSj and origin, from most of those whom they are sent to defend — founded upon a rock, and, in its highest parts, overlooking a great extent of country — between three and four hundred miles from the ocean — in the midst of a great continent — and yet displaying fleets of foreign merchantmen, in its fine capacious bay — and shewing all the bustle of a crowded sea-port — its streets narrow — populous and winding up and down almost mountainous de- clivities — situated in the latitude of the finest parts of Europe — exhibiting in its environs, the beauty of an European capital — and yet, in winter, smarting with the cold of Siberia — governed by a people, of 328 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORO AND QUEBEC. different language and habits, from the mass ef the population — opposed in religion, and yet leaving that population without taxes, and in the full enjoy- ment of every privilege, civil and religious ; such are some of the most prominent features, which strike a stranger in the city of Quebec. As to its public buildings, besides the Castle of St. Louis, which has been mentioned, there is the Hotel Dieu, the Convent of the Ursulines, the Mo- nastery of the Jesuits, now used for barracks, the Cathedrals, Catholic and Protestant, the Scotch Church, the lower town Church, the Court House, the Seminary, the new Jail, and the artillery bar- racks : there are also a Place D'Armes, a Parade, and an Esplanade.* The Court House is a modern stone building, one hundred and thirty-six feet by forty-four, with a handsome and regular front. The Protestant Cathedral is seen in the vignette, being farther to the left than any building that has a steeple. This is the handsomest modern building in the city ; it is of stone, and is one hundred and thirty-six feet long by seventy -five broad ;f it stands on ground nearly as high as any in the place, and is seen at a great distance. * Bouchette. + All the dimensions of the public buildings are taken on the authority of Colonel Bouchette. TOUR BETWEEN HAltTFORD AND QUEBEC, 329 The Catholic Cathedral, seen on the right of the vignette, is built of stone ; it is two hundred and sixteen feet long, and one hundred and eight broad. It was the first public building that we entered in Quebec. We found, as usual in such places, priests in attendance, and people at their devotions. The building is full of pictures and images, and has a venerable and ancient appearance. It can contain four thousand people. The Seminary was founded in 1663, for ecclesi- astical instruction only, but is not now confined to that profession, although, according to Colonel Bou-. ehette, its members must be Catholics. The building is of stone, forming three sides of a square, two hundred and nineteen feet long, and one hundred and twenty broad. The Hotel Dieu was founded in 1637, for the sick poor of both sexes. It includes the convent, hospital, church, court-yard, cemetery, and gardens. The principal building is three hundred and eigh- ty-three feet long by fifty broad. This establish- ment, conducted by nuns, is highly commended for the humanity, comfort, cleanliness, and good ar-- rangement which prevail in it. The Ursuline Convent is a square, whose side is one hundred and twelve feet ; was founded in 1639; is devoted to female education, and is conducted by nuns. The Monastery, or College of the Jesuits, now usedy for barracks, is three stories high, and forms a 530 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. parallelogram of two hundred and twenty-four feet by two hundred. It was a fine establishment in the time of the Jesuits, and judging from some of the apartments which 1 saw, it contains very comforta- ble accommodations for officers and troops. I was particularly struck with the new Jail, which is a handsome structure of stone, standing on very elevated ground ; it is one hundred and sixty feet long by sixty-eight broad, and three stories high : the cost was over fifteen thousand pounds. The Bishop's Palace is one hundred and forty- seven feet by one hundred and eighteen, and stands in a very commanding situation, near the grand bat- tery. It is now occupied by the Provincial Parlia- ment, and for various public offices, and an annuity is paid to the Catholic Bishop. It is said to be in a ruinous condition. The artillery barracks were built by the French in 1750. They extend five hundred and twenty- seven feet by forty, and contain accommodations for the artillery troops of the garrison, work-shops store-houses, &;c. and every variety of small arms for twenty thousand men, which are always kept fit for immediate use, and are fancifully arranged. Quebec is well paved with large stones, firmly fix- ed. Most of its streets are narrow ; the principal ones are thirty-two feet wide, but most of them on- ly from twenty-four to twenty-seven. The houses are of very unequal height, and generally have high sloping roofs, to enable them to sustain the ice and TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QPEBEC. 331 anew. The covering of the roofs with tin, or even with sheet iron, is hy no means general ; most of them are still covered with shingles. Many of the modern houses, especial)}' on the highest ground, are very handsome, and in the mod- ern style, and some new ones are in progress. The market place is, in its largest dimensions, two hundred and fifty feet by one hundred and six- ty-five. I saw it on Saturday morning, which is the best time, and I never wish to see a market better supplied with meats, fowl, fish, and vegetables, and every thing was in very good order. The prices we are told are not high. There are a great many dogs in Quebec, and they are not kept merely for parade: they are made to work, and it is not uncommon in Quebec, to see dogs harnessed to little carts, and drawing meat, merchandise, and even wood, up and down the hills ; they pull with all their little might, and seem pleas- ed with their employment. * * * * iP * Quebec was founded on the 3d of July, 1608, hj Samuel de Champlain, Geographer to the French King. His commencement was on Cape Diamond, on the site of an Indian village called Stadacone. In 1629 it was taken by the English, but esteem- ed of so little value, that it was restored in 1632. It was in the hands of private adventurers or tra- ding companies till 1663, when it was made a royal 332 TOUR • BETWEEN HARTPOBD AND QUEBEC. government, and became a regular and importani colony. In 1690, Sir William Phipps, with a great arma- ment from Boston, attacked and cannonaded Que- bec, and landed an army, but was repulsed, with great loss and disgrace. In 1712 the attempt was again made, by an Eng- lish fleet under Sir Hovenden Walker, who wascast away in the St. Lawrence, and lost seven of his largest ships and three thousand men, while General Nicholson, who was coming with an army by the way of Montreal, was obliged to retreat. In 1720 Charlevoix visited Canada, and it is in- teresting to compare his account of the appearance of Quebec, and of its environs, with its present situ- ation. It will be found that even then, not only the outlines of the place were formed, but that they were filled up to some extent. It at that time con- tained about seven thousand souls. He remarks, that it stands on the most navigable river in the universe, and that there is no other city in the known world, a hundred and twenty leagues from the sea, whose harbour is capable of containing one hundred ships of the line. He observes that, as Paris was, for a long time, inferior to what Quebec then was, he anticipates the time when the latter will be equal to the former; when *' as far as the eye can reach, (on the St. Lawrence,) nothing will be seen but towns, villas, and pleasure houses'' — ^" when the shores shall discover fine meadows, fruitful hills TOWR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 333 and fertile fields" — " when the whole road shall be fticed with magnificent quays, and the port surround- ed with superb edifices, and when we shall see three or four hundred ships lying in it loaden with riches." All that Charlevoix anticipated a century ago, is not yet accomplished, but no contemptible part of it is already realized. He speaks of the beauty of the prospect from Cape Diamond, and of the purity of its air, and says, " you sometimes find a sort of diamonds on it finer than those of iVlencon" — " I have seen some of them, (says he,) full as well cut, as if they had come from the hand of the most ex- pert workman,'' and adds, that they have become very scarce. It is scarcely necessary to say, that he alludes to the crystals of quartz. He speaks of the church as being roofed with slate, and he says that it is the only building in all Canada which has this advantage, all the others being covered with shingles. He mentions the Governor's residence in the fort, and describes the front of it as having a gallery exactly as the Castle of St, Louis standing in the same place, has now. He mentions the Jes- uits' buildings, the Hotel Dieu, the Intendan'.'s Pal- ace, the Seminary or College, the Bishop's Palace, and various other buildings and institutions, which, evince great intelligence and vigor, in the early French population. He says the tides rise twenty-five feet at the time of the equinox. This corresponds very nearly with the present estimate, which is from twenty-three to 29 334 TOUK BETWEEN UAllTFOnD AND QtJEnEC. twenty-four feet, and seventeen or eighteen for cora- nion tides : the greatest depth of water is twenty- eight fathoms, and he states it generally at twenty- five. The great rise o( tides at Quebec, causes at present a necessity for very high quays : when we landed from the steamboat, we ascended on a plank not less than fifty feet long, and laid from the boat to the wharf so as to form a rather steep in- clined plane. Charlevoix commends the society in Quebec; he says you will find in it " the best company, and nothing is wanting that can possibly contribute to form an agreeable society" — that there are " rich merchants, or such as live as if they zcere so" and *' assemblies full as brilliant as any where." He states, that " they play at cards, or go abroad on parties of pleasure, in the summer time, in calashes or canoes; in winter, in sledges upon the snow, or on skaits upon the ice" — that '* the Creoles of Cana- da draw in with their native breath an air of free- dom, which makes them very agreeable in the com- merce of life, and no where in the zvorld is the French language spoken in greater ptirity, there being not the smallest foreign accent in the pronuncia- tion. He says, that although there are no rich men, every body puts on as good a face as possible ; and that they make good cheer, provided they are able to be at the expense of fine clotheis ; if not, in order to be able to appear well dressed, they retrench in TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANT) QUEBEC. 335 the article of the table : that they have fine stature and complexions, a gay and sprightly behaviour, with great sweetness and politeness of manners, and that the least rusticity, either in language or behaviour, is utterly unknown, even in the remotest and most distant parts. It is surprising to see how little change there has been in these respects after the lapse of a century, and after sixty years of subjec- tion to a foreign power. Charlevoix's comparisons between the Canadi- ans and the New Englanders are amusing : he re- marks, that in New-England, and the other British Provinces " there prevails an opulence which they are utterly at a loss to use ; and in New France, a poverty hid by an air of being in easy circumstan- ces, which seems not at all studied." " The Eng- lish planter amasses wealth, and never makes any superfluous expense ; the French inhabitant again enjoys what he has acquired, and often makes a parade of what he is not possessed of." I will finish these citations by one which is in- deed most remarkable, and accounts for the dread- ful scents of massacre and invasion, which the Eng- lish colonies so often and so long experienced from the French. "The English Americans, (says Charlevoix,) are averse to war, because they have a great deal to lose ; they take no care to manage the Indiana, from a belief that they stand in no need of them The French youth, for very different reasons, abom,inate 333 TOUR BEBWEEN HARTFORD AND (iUEBEC. the thoughts of peace, and live well with the na- tives, whose esteem they easily gain in time of war, and their friendship at all times." With respect to the institutions* of Quebec, most of which were founded by the French, the valua- ble statistical accoimt of Canada, by Colonel Bou- chette, will supply every detail, as to the nunneries, the hospitals, the college, the churches, catholic and protestant, the clerj^y, and every other important particular, which a stranger would desire to learn. This work, with its grand topographical map, is however, I believe, iittie known in the United States, and is rather too expensive for general circulation. f Besides the peculiar, or at least remarkable fea- tures, which have been sketched, Quebec is cer- tainly a very respectable city, and one of those pla- ces on the American continent, most worthy of the curiosity of an intelligent stranger. Indeed to have * After being so full in my notices of scenery and historical events, in the vicinity of Quebec, more might have been reasona- bly expected respecting its institutions ; the omission was acci- dental ; for fear that our fine weather would fail us, we postponed these topics till the last, and then left Quebec, several days sooner than we had expected or wished, which deprived us of the op- portunity of making other observations. t Colonel Rouchette is highly loyal, and his zeal (commenda- ble, without doubt in the main) perhaps imparts a degree of as- perity, to some of his notices of the events of the late warfare, en the Canadian frontiers, and of the policy of the American government. 7'hese things however do not seriously impair the ■ value of his great and laborious work, for which he deserves high commendation. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORB AND (QUEBEC. 337 seen Quebec and Montreal, and the intervening and surrounding country, is, in some degree, a substi- tute for a visit to Europe. The latitude of Quebec rs 46° 48' 39'' N. THfc RIVER ST. LAWRENCE. Montreal, Oct, 12. — The mighty outlet of the most magnificent collection of inland waters in the world, the North American lakes — individually, like seas — collectively, covering the area of an em- pire ; already enlivened by the sails of commerce, and recently awed by the thunder of contending navies; bordered by thriving villages. and settle- ments, and hereafter to be surrounded by populous towns and cities, and countries ; associated as this river is with such realities, and with such anticipa- tions, it is impossible to approach the St. Lawrence, with ordinary feelings, or to view it as merely a river of primary magnitude. Already, the two great cities of Canada are erec- ted on its borders; Europe sends her fleets to Que- bec, and even to Montreal ; nearly two hundred miles of intervening water, are now daily passed be- tween the cities by steam boats, some of which are as large in tonnage as Indiamen, or sloops of war. It is now no very difficult task, to be wafted on the St. Lawrence from Lake Ontario to the Ocean, a distance of nearly seven hundred miles, or from Niagara, which differs little from one thousand, and 29* 338 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. the entire range from Lake Superior, is two thou- sand. In that part of the St. Lawrence, which, within a week, we have now twice passed, there are fewer observations to be nmade than on many routes much less extensive, and on many rivers of much inferior magnitude. This arises from the great sameness which prevails along the banks. They appear to be very generally alluvial; extensively, they are so low that they seem, in many places, hardly to form an adequate barrier against the occasional swelling and overflow of the great river, which they limit; indeed, it is difficult always to convince one's self, that they are not, here and there actually lower than the riVer; of rocks, till we come within a (ew miles of Quebec, there are hardly any to be seen, and yet it is obvious, that there are rocks in the vicinity, because the houses are often constructed of stone; for many miles from Montreal, on (he way to Quebec, the batiks are little less than damp meadows, reseiitbling Holland extremely; some- times the shores recede in natural terraces, and retirino; platforms, placed, one above another, till the last visible one forms a high ridge; at other times, precipitous banks, cut down as it were by art, exhibit strata of gravel, and clay and sand — form- ing distinct, and oft.-'n variously colored horizontal layers; the forests are usually removed from the immedirste margin of the river, and the verdure is, in most places, rich and lively. TOUR BKTWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 339 The average width of the river between Montre- al and Quebec, appears to be about two miles ; but it is extreme!)' irregular; sometimes it does uot ex- ceed half a mile, or three fourths of a mile, but this is true only near Quebec, and at a few other pla- ces ; at other times, it becomes two, three, or more miles wide. I have already mentioned, that in the Lake of St. Peter, as it is called, a few miles above the town of Three Rivers, an expansion of the river takes place, so that, ibr more than twenty* miles, its breadth is nine or ten miles. The current is considerable — probably three miles an hour, generally, but in some places it has, apparently doublf* that force, and the river, instead of flowing, as it commonly does, with an unruffled surface, becomes perturbed, and hurries along, with murmurs and eddies, and in a few places, with foam and breakers. This is particularly the case at the Richelieu rapids, fifty miles above Quebec, where the river is compressed wit!)in half a mile, and the navigable part within much less ; numerous rocks, which ap- pear to be principally large rolled masses, form, when the water is low, as it was when we passed, a terrible reef, and when the river is up, is a danger- ous concealed enemy. Through these rapids, as was mentioned on the passage down,) the steam boats dare not go in the night, and the instance in which it is said to have been done, was to carry to Quebec * Colonel Bouchette states the length at twenty-five miles, but he includes that poriion which is full of islands. 340 T0UR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. the news of the Duke of Richmond's death. The speed of the steam boat had, however, been surpas- sed by that of the land messenger, who had already arrived with the gloomy news. At the lower end of the town of Montreal, the stream, compressed by the island of St. Helena, is so impetuous, that the steam boats, which every where else can stem the current, are here sometimes obliged to anchor, and procure the aid of oxen ; four yoke were em- ployed, with a drag rope, to draw the Malsham — the boat in which we came up to Montreal through this pass ;* it is however, not half a mile, that the river is so rapid ; for, after passing this place, steana carries the boats on again to their moorings, at (he upper end of the town. It requires a very strong wind to carry vessels with sails against this cnrrent. I saw some vessels here which enjoyed this aid and for one hour, I could not perceive that they made any head way. The population on the river is very considerable, nearly all the way between the two cities, so that on both sides, houses or villages are almost con- stantly in view. There are, however, but two towns of any magnitude, both of which have been mentioned — Sorel, at the mouth of the river of the same name, and which connects Lake Champlain with the St. Lawrence, forty-five miles below Mon- treal, and the Trois Rivieres, or Three Rivers,! * I am informed that this aid is not always necessary. t The tide ceases near this place. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 341 half way between Quebec and Montreal. This large town derives its whimsical name, from the fact that the river St. Maurice, which empties here, is divided atits mouth, bylittle islands, into three parts, so that there seem to be three rivers instead of one. Most of the houses on both banks of the St. Lawrence, as well as in the vicinity of Quebec, are white, roof and all ; the roofs of houses in Canada, being frequently protected from lire, as well as beautified, by a white wash of salt and lime, or of lime only, which is renewed every year. There are many villages on the river; some are large and populous, and most of them are furnished with handsome, and a few with grand churches ; they have from one spire to three, and having gen- erally a brilliant covering of tin, both on the roofs and spires, they blaze in the sun, and, even at the distance of miles, dazzle the eyes of the beholder. Some other public buildings, and the best private houses on the banks, are occasionally covered in the same manner. Most of the cottages are only one story high, and are small; but large and good houses, appearing like the residences of the seign- eurs and other country gentlemen, are hardly ever out of sight. The banks of the St. Lawrence, thus verdant and beautiful from cultivation, and decked every where with brilliant white houses, and villa- ges, impress a traveller very pleasantly, although he finds but little variety in the views. 1 have omitted to mention, that from the rapids of Riche- 342 TOUR BETWEEN HAUTFORl> AND (QUEBEC. lieu, going down the river, the banks ahnost imme- diately become considerably more elevated. STEAM BOATS. Although there are roads, said to be good, on both sides of the St. Lawrence, it was, till within five or six years, a considerably arduous underta- king, to travel, back and forward, between the two cities of Canada. By land, in the slow Cana- dian calash, it was tedious, and although down the river from Montreal to Quebec, it was obviously no difficult thing to go with the current — to return by water, was always difficult. With head winds it was of course, impossible to ascend, nor, with strong head winds, could they always descend, even with the aid of the stream. Quebec and Montreal were therefore a great way apart, as regarded facility of intercourse ; now they are, in this respect, very near, and it is possi- ble to visit either city from the other, quite com- fortably and at ease — to transact business, and re- turn, within the period of four days, alfhmigh the distance is one hundred and eighty miies. This wonderful facility has been imparted by steam boats, of which no fewer than seven now ply be- tween Montreal and Quebec. They are named Malsham, Swiftsure, Lady Sherbrook, Quebec, Telegraph, Car of Commerce, and Caledunia. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOUD AND QUEBEC. 343 The burden* of the Malsham is above six hun- dred tons, and that of the Lady Sherbrook was sta- ted to us at about eig^ht hundred; these are the largest, and most of the others are considerably smaller. They are built with deep holds for freight, which appears to be much more an object with them than passengers. Going down in the Swiftsure, of be- tween three and four hundred tons, we had but about a dozen cabin passengers, and returning in the Malsham, we had but four. The accommoda- tions are good, and the provision for the table am- ple — for dinner, it is luxurious — there is a lunch at noon, for dinner is at four o'clock, and tea at eight; breakfast also at eight o'clock. The captains of the boats partake in all the good things ; some of them at least, are convivial with their guests, and sit long to drink wine, which is the common practice in Canada. Some of them appear to be in danger from reple- tion ; they have but little bodily exercise, and swim- ming as they do in a sea of luxury, it is not extra- ordinary that they exhibit the physical effects of good living; they are, however, very obliging and courteous to their passengers, who are made per- fectly comfortable on board of their boats. The machinery is situated deep in the hold, and appears but little above deck; this circumstance, with the depth of the hull, and the burden of freight * That of the Car of Commerce is stated at about six hundred tons. 344 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. which the boats carry, causes them to move much more steadily than ours do. On board the Malsham, we could scarcely per- ceive the jar of the machinery; there being no la- dies on board, Mr. W and njyself were per- mitted to appropriate the after cabin, a very con- venient room, where, with a comfortable fire, we enjoyed even domestic retirement, and were allow- ed to occupy our time as we pleased. We were told, that the Lady Sherbrook was the finest boat in the line, but we were not on board of her. The fuel for the boats costs about two dollars and fifty cents the cord, and they stop twice, once at Sorel, and once at the Three Rivers, to take it in. The passage costs ten dollars down to Quebec, and twelve returning ; we were on board two nights, and one day, in going down, and two days and three nights in returning; but a part of two of the nights, in the last, and one of them in the first, was spent in the dock. Steam boat business has been very profitable on this river, but is now said to be otherwise, owing principally to its being overdone. DANGERS OF STEAM BOATS. The catastrophes produced by the explosion of the boilers of steam bo;its. having now become rare, the attention of the public, in consequence of TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^PEBEC. 345 several unhappy occurrences, and especially of the late dreadful one on Lake Champlain, has been directed to the dangers of fire. The active volca- no which the steam boat necessarily carries in her bowels, seems sufficiently appalling, and few per- sons, when first beginning to travel in this way, can lie down to sleep, without deeply pondering, that a furious imprisoned enemy is raging within the com- bustible vehicle that bears them along, and that both fire and water, usually foes, but here leagued in unnatural alliance, may conspire for their de- struction. Rarely, however, does it appear to have occurred to the traveller, that the most serious dan- ger (as the thing is actually managed,) arises from just that negligence, and presumption and apathy, which destroy so many buildings, so much proper- ty, and so many lives on shore. I am sorry to say that, in the boats on these northern waters, there is not that degree of care and anxious vigilance which the case certainly demands, where so much property and so many lives are at stake. 7'he Phoenix, as 1 have before observed, was, without doubt, destroyed by a candle; still, candles are negligently left on board of most of the boats in the northern waters ; fires and candles are not adequately watched on the St. Lawrence, and we have seen in one of the Canadian boats, a fire made in an open stove, standing without a chimney, on the naked deck, while the coals were every mo- ment blowing against pine gpars, and falling on the 30 346 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. deck, which was made of dry pine and covered with pitch. We were also exposed to danger from a very unexpected INCIDENT. On our passage up the river, in a northeasterly storm, just as we were entering the Richeheu rap- ids, where we needed all our power to stem the current, and any disaster would be peculiarly em- barrassing, we were pressing on, not only with pow- erful steam, but with a strong and fair wind, which strained every thread of our large square sail, the only one which we carried. Our mast, apparently about fifty feet high, and of proportionate diameter, was, it seems, only feebly braced from the bow, al- though perhaps sufficiently in the other direction. The Captain, having been up the preceding night, was asleep below : I was on deck, and observed that our mast, with its feeble shrouds, was strained to the utmost, and felt some anxiety lest it should fail. Going below, I was scarcely seated, before ft crash and an outcry brought me again on deck. The wind, it appears, suddenly flirted around, and a violent squall from an angry cloud, instantly threw the sail all aback upon the mast; there being no adequate stays or braces to sustain the solitary pine, it snapped, like a pipe's stem ; the two chimnies were a few yardsbehind ; the heavy sparwhich sup- ported the sail at top, falling violently across one of the chimnies, was broken quite in two; the mast. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UEBEC. 347 also, in its fall broke the horizontal iron rods, which crossed each other and were fastened to some high frame work, to sustain the chimnies ; the sail fell over the mouths of both chimnies, and shut them up completely, and from the top of one of them, sus- tained by the cords which fastened them to the sail, hung the two broken pieces of the yard, probably forty feet in length. The Captain could not be immediately found : the Canadian seamen who managed the boat, vocif- erated most furiously in French, but seemed utterly confounded, and without resource, and some feeble attempts which they made to disengage the sail from the chimnies, only pulled it more entirely over them. In the mean time, the wind, which continu- ed to blow violently, jerked the sail and its broken spars with so much force, that there was much dan- ger that the chimnies would go by the board ; in which case, our furnaces being in full action below, would throw out their flame immediately upon the deck, and upon the tierces of gin, by which it was covered even close to the chimnies. There ap- peared to be nearly one hundred of these tierces, and the explosion of any one of them, which would probably occur if struck by the fire, would involve us in sheets of flame; and should we even succeed in extinguishing the fire, our boat without either steam or sail, would be completely unmanageable, and be liable to be wrecked at the foot of the rap- ids. 348 TOUR BETWKEN HARTFORD AKI) (lUEBEC. In this moment of anxiety, (while a poor Scotch emigrant, whose all was on board, was weeping and wringing his hands, and exclaiming that we should all be lost,) the Captain arrived on deck. The wind worried the sail across the top of one of the chimnies, which was cut into points like a picket fence, so that the canvass was soon completely perforated, and the chimney stood up through it, like a head in a pillory. The other chimney was so battered by the fall of the yard, that it could not pierce the sail, especially as it was guarded at that part by a strong rope, and every effort to dis- engage it, failed. It was easy to foresee what must follow: the sail, which being wet with rain, for sometime resisted the heat, now became so dried, that it look fire and blazed. The Captain sent up one of the sailors to cut it away, and the man with sufficient hardihood, crawled up and worked where it was on fire all around him. At length by burn- ing, it fell from the chimney, and we were extrica- ted from our unpleasant situation. If, however, the sail, the fuel on deck, and every part of the boat had been dry, and especially had the accident oc- curred in the night, the consequences might have been very painful. But there was an eye superior to human vigilance, which watched over our safety. Immediately after this accident, we had a good proof of the manner in which science and art can sometimes triunoph over the obstacles of nature. We entered the rapids of Richelieu, not only with TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND (QUEBEC. 349 an opposing current of great strength, but with a strong head wind; but still, by the force of steann alone, we fought our way through, and indeed the same wind continued through the remainder of our passage. A NIGHT SCENE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. The long twilight of this climate, which, (as ob- served at Montreal,) in a degree compensates for the shortness of the days, was exhausted ; the cot- tages and villages on shore cast their evening light on the river ; the waning moon, reduced to less than half her full size, had just risen over our stern, and cast a feeble radiance on the flood and the shores; the stars, unobscured by a single cloud, were bright as gems in the azure vault ; the galaxy was delicately traced athwart the sky — all was still- ness except the dashing of the water wheels, the cry of the steersman, and the occasional song of the Canadian boatmen ; when the aurora borealis ap- peared, under circumstances which 1 never before witnessed. Not only was there a mild glow in the lower part of the northern portion of the sky, similar to that seen through a transparency, but there were shoots of light darting upward like very feeble flames, now elongating, now receding, and chang- ing their places. 30* 35i TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOUD AND ^.tJEBEC. and calashes, besides people and cattle, other than those belonging to these vehicles. We crossed lower down, and in deeper water, than we had pass- ed in the canoe. The view of the town when we were receding, as well as when we were advancing, was very fine. It stretches about two miles along the St, Lawrence, and it scarcely equals half a mile in breadth. The bank of the river is considerably el- evated, and the ground, although not very uneven, rises gradually from the water, into a moderate ridge — then sinks into a hollow, and then rises again, with more rapidity, till it finishes, less than a mile He saicl he mucli preferred their protection to that of the wan- dering whites, who, unrestrained by ahiaost any human law, prowl through those immense forests in quest of furs and game. Possibly (without however, intending any thing disrespectful by the remark,) some mutual sympathies might have been excited, by the fact that Mr. Parsh was himself a Tartar^ bora and edu- cated in Siberia, near Toboltski ; and indeed, he possessed a physiognomy and manner different from that of Europeans, and highly characteristic of his country. His conversation was full of fire, point and energy ; and al- though not polished, he was good humoured, frank, and generous . He complained that he could not endure the habits of civilized life, and that his health began to be impaired as soon as he be- came quiet, and was comfortably fed and lodged, fie said he must soon "be off again" into the wilderness. His health was then declining, and unfortunately it was but too apparent, that some of the measures to which he resorted to sustain it, must eventu- ually postrate his remaining vigour. It is to be hoped that his unfinished labours will not be lost and that although incomplete, they may be published ; since, if, suiBciently matured, they must add to the stock of knowledge. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOIID AND QUEBEC. 353 and a half from the town, in one of the finest hills that can be imagined. This hill is called the moun- tain of Montreal, and indeed, from it, the town de- I'ives its name j the words originally signified, as is said, the Royal Mountain. This mountain rises five hundred and fifty feet above the level of the river. It forms a steep and verdant barrier, covered with shrubbery, and crowned with trees, and is a most beautiful back ground for the city. Its form, as it appears from the river, is nearly that of a bow. We rode up, across the southern end of it, behind the beautiful seat of the Hon. Mr. McGillivray. I afterwards ascended it on foot, in company with an English gentleman, and walked the length of its ridge. 'J'he view is one of the fin- est that can be seen in any country. Immediately at our feet the city of Montreal is in full view, with its dazzling tin covered roofs, and spires, and its erowded streets; the noble St. Lawrence, stretch- ing away to the right and left, is visible, probably for fifty miles, and, on both sides of it, and for a very great width, particularly on the south, one of the" most luxuriant champaign countries in the world, is spread before the observer. The mountains of Belasil, Chambly, and a few others, occur upon this vast plain, but, in general, it is uninterrupted, till it reaches the territories of the United States, in which we discern the mountains of Vermont and ^New-York. 35i TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOKD AND qUEBEC. and calashes, besides people and cattle, other than those belonging to these vehicles. We crossed lower down, and in deeper water, than we had pass- ed in the canoe. The view of the town when we were receding, as well as when we were advancing, was very fine. It stretches about two miles along the St. Lawrence, and it scarcely equals half a mile in breadth. The bank of the river is considerably el- evated, and the ground, although not very uneven, rises gradually from the water, into a moderate ridge — then sinks into a hollow, and then rises again, with more rapidity, till it finishes, less than a mile He saici lie mucli preferred their protection to that of the wan- dering whites, who, unrestrained by ahnost any human law, prowl through those immense forests in quest of furs and game. Possibly (without however, intending any thing disrespectful hj the remark,) some mutual sympathies might have been excited, by the fact that Mr. Parsh was himself a Tartar, born and edu- cated in Siberia, near Toboltski ; and indeed, he possessed a physiognomy and manner different from that of Europeans, and highly characteristic of his country. His conversation was full of fire, point and energy ; and al- though not polished, he was good humoured, frank, and generous . He complained that he could not endure the habits of civilized life, and that his health began to be impaired as soon as he be- came quiet, and was comfortably fed and lodged. He said he must soon "be off again" into the wilderness. His health was then declining, and unfortunately it was but too apparent, that some of the measures to which he resorted to sustain it, must eventu- ually postrate his remaining vigour. It is to be hoped that his unfinished labours will not be lost and that although incomplete, they may be published ; since, if,, sufficiently matured, they must add to the stock of knowledge. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORB AND QUEBEC, 353 and a half from the town, in one of the finest hills that can be imagined. This hill is called the moun- tain of Montreal, and indeed, from it, the town de- rives its name ; the words originally signified, as is said, the Royal Mountain. This mountain rises five hundred and fifty feet above the level of the river. It forms a steep and verdant barrier, covertd with shrubbery, and crowned with trees, and is a most beautiful back ground for the city. Its form, as it appears from the river, is nearly that of a bow. We rode up, across the southern end of it, behind the beautiful seat of the Hon. Mr. McGillivray. I afterwards ascended it on foot, in company with an English gentleman, and walked the length of its ridge. "J'he view is one of the fin- est that can be seen in any country. Immediately at our feet the city of Montreal is in full view, with its dazzling tin covered roofs, and spires, and its crowded streets; the noble St. Lawrence, stretch- ing away to the right and left, is visible, probably for fifty miles, and, on both sides of it, and for a very great width, particularly on the south, one of the" most luxuriant champaign countries in the world, is spread before the observer. The mountains of Belaeil, Chambly, and a few others, occur upon this vast plain, but, in general, it is uninterrupted, till it reaches the territories of the United States, in which we discern the mountains of Vermont and -New-York. 364 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. In our rear, we saw the Ottawa or Grand river, and its branches, which, uniting, and becoming blended with the St. Lawrence, divide the island of Montreal from the main. Nothing is wanting, to render the mountain of Montreal a charming place for pedestrian excur- sions, and for rural parties, but a little effort, and expense in cutting and clearing winding walks, and in removing a few trees from the principal points of view, (as they now form a very great obstruction;) a lodge, or resting place, on the mountain, con- structed so as to be ornamental, would also be a desirable addition. On the front declivity of the mountain, is a beau- tiful cylinder of lime stone, or gray marble, erected on a pedestal ; the entire height of both appeared to be about thirty-five feet. It rises from among the trees, by which it is surrounded, and is a mon- ument to the memory of Simon McTavish, Esq. who died about fourteen years since, and was, in a sense, the founder of the North Western Compa- ny, Just below, is a handsome mausoleum, of the same materials, containing his retr^ains; and, still lower down the mountain, an unfinished edifice of stone, erected by the same gentleman, which, had he lived to complete it, woulJ have been one of the finest in the vicirily of Montreal. It is now fast becor ing a ruin, although it is 'uclosrd and roofed in, and the winflows are built up with masonry. It would have been a superb house, if finished ac- cording to the original plan. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORB AND QUEBEC. 355 GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. The mineralogy and geology of this mountain, and of the island, I could wish to see thoroughly in- vestigated, as they appear to be interesting ; the few facts which I had it in my power to observe, were as follows : The plain at the foot of the mountain, particularly at the race course, is compact, black lime stone, fetid, and containing organized remains; its stratification is regular, and its position flat ; it forms one of the most common building stones io Montreal. This rock seems to prevail half way up the mountain, and is followed, by what appeared to me, a hard, probably a siliceous slate, intersect- ed by veins of trap. Higher up still, and on the north-eastern end particularly, is a rock, inclined at an angle of 45°, which seemed to be a decom- posed lime stone, of a light gray colour, and friable texture, at least where it was exposed to the weath- er. The very summit of the mountain, is a horn- blende rock, highly crystalline in its structure, and containing distinct crystals of both hornblende and augite. It is a striking example of the parasytical character of the hornblende and trap rocks, follow- ing no regular order of succession, but occasionally forming caps and ridges, on all sorts of rocks and mountains. There is found also on the island, within a short distance of the town, a lime stone, of a smoke gray, 35'& TOUft BETWEEN HARTPOR» ANB QUEBEC. highly crystalline in its structure, nearly, or quite as much so as the decidedly primitive marbles; when broken, it presents numerous and brilliant crystal- line plates, and this is, in fact, almost exclusively its structure. Still, it contains numerous shells, and other or- ganized remains, of which the impressions and forms are very distinct. Shells, and organized re- mains, in a highly crystallized lime stone! Is it transition lime stone, just on the verge of becoming primitive ? I had no time to visit the place whence it comes, but, in the piles of stone, about to be used in building, in the town, I observed this crystallized iime stone (and that in vast blocks, showing the stratification, and evincing that it was not acciden- tal) actually united into one piece, with the black compact kind, like the hone slates, of different colours, which are often exposed for sale. In other pieces, I saw fragments of the black compact kind, mixed with the crystallized ; and some large blocks of the latter were terminated by a black uneven surface, probably showing the line of connexion with the black kind.* I have not seen enough of the vicinity of Mont- real, to venture to pronounce, confidently, concern- ing its geological classification ; it would appear, bowever, that it is partly a transition, but princi- * I thence infer, that they occur together, in itirocdiate con- oexiou, and probably the black compact kind will be louud to lie upon the other. TOUR HETWEEN HARTFORD AND ^CEUEC. 357 pally a secondary region. I saw no proof that any part of it is primitive, and cannot but wonder at the opinion entertained, as I am told, by many per- sons in Montreal, that the gray crystallized lime stone is granite. I saw no granite on the island. MODE OF BUILDING IN MONTREAL. Montreal has much the appearance of an Euro- pean town, particularly of a continental one. The streets are narrow, except some of the new ones ; the principal ones, are those parallel to the river, of which those of St. Paul, which is a bustling street of business, near the river, and Notre Dame street on higher ground, and more quiet, more genteel, and better built, are the principal; the latter street is thirty feet wide, and three fourths of a mile long. A few of those which intersect the above streets at right angles, are also considerable. The town has a crowded active population, and many strangers, and persons from the country, augment the activity in its streets. But the circumstance which assimilates it most to a continental European town, is its being built of stone. People from the United States, are apt to consider Montreal as gloomy, and, I presume it arises from the fact, of its being built of stone, and principally in an antique fashion. The former is however, in reality, a strong ground of preference 31 358 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. over our cities, built of wood and brick, Stone is the best material of which houses can be construct- ed; if properly built, they are not damp in the least ; they exclude both heat and cold, better than any other houses ; they will not burn,* except in part, and scarcely need repair, and they are easily made beautiful. Indeed, no other material pos- sesses sufficient dignity for expensive public edifi- ces; and we were sorry to see even a few private houses, in the suburbs of Montreal, built of brick, in the Anglo-American style. I was, I confess, much gratified at entering, for the first time, an American city, built of stone. The inhabitants of Montreal possess a very fine building stone in the gray lime stone already mentioned ; it is as handsome, when properly dressed, as the cel- ebrated Portland stone of England, and it is much superior to it in durability. A number of the mod- ern houses of Montreal, and of its environs, which are constructed of this stone, handsomely hewn, are very beautiful, and would be ornaments to the city of London, or to Westminster itself. Many of the houses are constructed of rough stone, coarsely pointed, or daubed with mortar, and have certainly an unsightly appearance ; others, here, as well as at Quebec, and elsewhere in Cana- da, are covered with a rough cement, and look rude- ly; it is perfectly easy to make both these kinds of * An advantage, which they obviously possess in common with brick. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 359 houses handsome, as well as durable, as is seen in particular instances in Canada. Many of the houses, stores, and ware-houses, in Montreal, have iron plate doors, and window shutters, fortified by iron frames ; this is obviously a precaution against fire, as well as robbery, and the tin coverings and the roofs of the buildings, are intended as a protection against the former. The tin is put on in an oblique direction to the cornice and ridge ; the nails are covered from view, and from the weather, by doubling the tin over the heads of the nails, and the diflferent rows of tin sheets are made to lap in the manner of shingles. It is by no means an easy thing, to put on a tin roof, so as to be both handsome and durable. Montreal is certainly a fine town of its kind, and it were much to be wished that the people of the ^United States would imitate the Canadians, by con- structing their houses, wherever practicable, of stone. P]NVlROi\s. The environs of Montreal are beautiful, but, al- though considerably cultivated and improved, they are far from being brought to the state of which they are capable. A number of handsome villas now make their ap- pearance around the town, and there are numerous 360 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. sites, still unoccupied, which will probably be here- after crowned with elegant seats. Few places in the world possess more capabilities of this kind than Quebec and Montreal; if the latter is less bold than the former, in its scenery, it possesses much rich- ness, and delicate beauty, which need nothing but wealth and taste to display them to advantage ; the former already exists in Montreal to a great extent, and there are also very respectable proofs of the existence and growth of the latter. RACE COURSE AND RACING. Near the city of Montreal, there is a race course, a circuit of about two miles. It happened that we were at this place at the time of the races, and in a ride around the environs, we came across the ground at the time when the horses were about starting. The subject seemed to excite a good deal of interest in the community. In the steam boat on Lake Champlain, Canadians, anticipating the sports of the ensuing week, were much occupied in discussing the merits of the different horses, and in predicting the results. The same topic was the ruling one at the public houses, and upon the turf, where we found both the gentry and the common people of Montreal. The latter were on foot, and the former were either on horseback, or with elegant equipages, of which this TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 3G1 city affords a few. Their number appears not to be proportioned to the vvealih of the place, for the obvious reason, that, from the nature of the coun- try, water conveyance is principally used in travel- ling. Ladies were present in considerable numbers, and all were intent, while the judges mounted the sta^e — the horses were led forth, and the riders, in leather breeches, silk party colored jackets, and jockey caps, mounted, and darted away at the ap- pointed signal. Three times they coursed around the appointed circle, and twice, at least, must a horse come out ahead of his competitors, before the prize is won. It was, in the present instance, obtained by a horse, famous, it seems, on this ground, for distan- cing all his compeers. His name is Democrat, And thus it has grown into a proverb, that Democrat beats every thing 'hi Canada. At Quebec there is also a race course, and races were held the day that we arrived. The course is on the venerable plains of Abraham, where we saw the ground, exhibiting marks of having been recent- ly trod. How different a strife from that between contending armies ! Who would not wish to pre- serve these classical plains from such a degradation. IMPORTANCE OF MONTREAL. The point which connects the ocean, and, of course, Europe, and the rest of the world, with the 31* 302 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBE6. countries bordering on the vast lakes of this conti- nent, and upon the various rivers which empty into them, cannot be otherwise than important- This is precisely the situation of Montreal, and its location certainly evinces great good judgment on the part of Jaques Cartier, who, in 1635 or 36, first sailed thus far upon the St. Lawrence, and fixed upon this place as the site for a town. It was then occu- pied by an Indian village. The city was begun in 1640, by a few houses, compactly built, and was originally called Villa Marie. There seems, how- ever, to have been one error in selecting the place of the future city. It was meant to be at the head of navigation ; it is literally so ; and ships* can go up to the very city, although it is not usual to do it with vessels of more than an hundred and fifty tons. Vessels drawing fifteen feet of water can lie at Market gate, high up in this city ; the general depth of water in the harbor is from three to four and a half fathoms. Unfortunately, however, the rapid of St. Mary, at the extreme end of the town, or rather, near one of its suburbs, is so powerful an obstacle, that nothing but a very strong wind will force a vessel through, when not impelled by any other power. Ships are sometimes detained here for weeks, on- ly two miles below where they are to deliver their freight; a canal is contemplated, to enable river craft to convey freight around the rapid. * It is said even of six hundreil lorn. TOUR nETWEEN HARTFORD A\n QUEBEC. 363^ This is the rapid where the steam boats are some- timesobliged to anchor, and procure the aid of oxen. It would appear that the town should have been built at this place, or a little below, and then the incon- venience would have been avoided. But as the buildings do now, in fact, extend to this place, it would be easy to establish a port here, and it will doubtless be done in time; it would, however, greatly forward the object, if a (ew spirited individ- uals would begin, by erecting stores and wharves, and it would be easy to have the steam boats stop there ; easy I mean, as to every thing but the rival local interests which are usually in such cases array- ed against projected improvements. There are few cities in the world, especially of the magnitude and importance of Montreal, which, situated more than five hundred and eighty miles from the ocean, can still enjoy the benefit of a direct ship communica- tion with it. Montreal is evidently one of the three great chan- nels by which the trade of North America will be principally carried on. It is obvious that New- York and New-Orleans are the other two places, and it is of little consequence that other cities may engross a considerable share of trade, or that, by canals and other internal improvements, smaller rills of com- inerce may be made to flow towards one city or another. The great natural basins and water courses, and mountain ranges of this continent, will still control (he course of trade, and direct its most 364 TOUR BETWEKN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. gigantic currents towards these three towns, one ot which is already a great and noble city, and the two others are advancing with great rapidity. The sickly climate of New-Orleans will somewhat re- tard its growth, but will not prevent it; Montreal enjoys a climate extremely favorable to health, but it is locked up by ice four or five months in the year. The carriole, however, triumphs over the ice, and the Canadian, when he can no longer push or paddle his canoe on the waters of the St. Law- rence, gaily careers over its frost-bound surface, and well wrapped in woollen and in furs, defies the severity of winter. In 1815, Colonel Bouchette stated the popula- tion of Montreal at fifteen thousand; no one now rates it, including the suburbs, at less than twenty thonsand, and one intelligent inhabitant gave it as his opinion, that the population must, at present, equal twenty-five thousand; perhaps the middle number is nearest to the truth. Montreal has many good, respectable institutions, most of which are, however, French establishments, dating their origin under the French dominion, now sixty years extinct in this country. I must refer for an account of them, as well as of those at Quebec, to Colonel Bouchctte's work, which ought to be perused by every person who would obtain a competent knowledge of the Canadas. I shall presently quote from him the dimensions and ex- tent of some of the most important public institu- tions of Montreal. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 365 The colleges or seminaries of Quebec, and of Montreal, are considered as very useful institutions, and the French is the colloquial tongue in both.— A gentleman of New-York, who came on with us in the steam boat down Lake Cham^ain, brought three boys with him — two of them his own children, and placed them at the seminary in Mon- treal. This institution is said to contain two or three hundred members ; both here and at Que- bec, they are distinguished by a peculiar costume — a blue surtout, the seams of which are all ornamented with a white cord, and they are confined both summer and winter, by a large sash or belt, doubled around the body, and tied in a knot. It is of woollen, and of many colors, and gives them something of a military air. In winter, this appendage must be useful, (but in sum- mer, and the Canadian heat is very intense,) it must be oppressive if not injurious. Among the youths whom we saw in the streets, in the academ- ic uniform, were some who were almost men, and others who appeared to have hardly escaped from the nursery. The morals of the boys are said to be very carefully watched, and the expenses to be very moderate — two points in which they are cer- tainly very worthy of imitation. 1 did not go into the college buildings, but their exterior, which I saw, is rude, and the building is ancient. They have a fine garden and buildings without the city, besides those that are within. 366 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. The nunneries both here and at Quebec, are maintained in all their pristine dignity. We were too much occupied at Quebec, to see the nunneries even in the hmited manner in which they are shown, and tt Montreal they are open, in a restricted sense, on Thursday only; this happened, unfortunately, to be the only day in the week which we did not spend there. I went, however, into the Court yard of one of the principal nunneries, and saw one of the aged sisters with her veil lifted up ; she was busily occupied in feeding chickens. In the institutions called Hotel Dieu, both at Quebec and at Montreal, and in other hospitals, the nuns attend on sick and distressed persons, without regard to any distinctions, whether of religion or otherwise ; and their humanity, disintcredness, and skilful kindness are spoken of in the highest terms of approbation. An opulent and highly respectable citizen, of Montreal, formerly from Massachusetts, said to us, "I shall always think highly of the nuns, and feel very grateful to them ; for when I first came to Montreal, poor and friendless, and became sick, I committed myself to the care of the nuns in one of the hospitals, and there 1 received, for months, all the kindness of mothers and of sisters, till 1 was restored to health," Perhaps we ought not to censure with too much severity, the establishment of, here and there, an institution, where the unhappy, the bereaved and even the deserted and betrayed, especially Avhen TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 367 they arc persons distinguished by meritorious pe- culiarities of character or situation, may find at least a temporary shelter from the gaze of an unfeeling world ; but it certainly is wrong, to make the de- sertion of the most interesting and important social relations a religious duty. It is however, a pleasing alleviation to find that any such persons make some amends to society for their dereliction of its common duties and interests, by the gratuitous performance of difficult and painful offices of humanity. Montreal has a number of good public buildings. Besides the large Catholic and English Cathedrals, and other churches, there are, the Court House, which is one hundred and forty-four feet long, the Jail and the Banks, and various other public build- ings which do honour to the town. The Court House, Jail and English Cathedral particularly are modern, and very large and handsome buildings, constructed of the gray limestone, hewn and laid up with neatness and skill. The monument to Lord Nelson, in the principal market place, would grace any of the squares of London. A figure of his lordship, crowns a high column* of the gray limestone, which is sustained by a large pedestal on the sides of which are ex- hibited in alio relievo, the principal achievements of his lordship's life and an appropriate inscription, containing his last and very memorable public or- * I have not heard its height mentioned, bttt should imagine it may be forty feet. 368 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. ders to the squadron before the battle of Trafalgar, " England expects that every man will do his duty." MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ON MONTREAL. This city is in latitude 45" 31' north, and in lon- gitude 73° 35' west from Greenwich. It covers one thousand and twenty acres — what was within the old fortification was only one hundred acres. Its cli- mate is very considerably milder than that of Quebec, and most persons would probably consider it as a more desirable residence. In regard to accommodations, it is so to a stranger, who will look in vain, in Que- bec, for an establishment ecjual to the Mansion House. He will find indeed, in Quebec, a good table, but there are deficiencies on other topics, to which an American, from the United States, and still more perhaps, an Englishman, will not easily be reconciled The following facts,* as to the extent of some of the public establishments of Montreal, may be of some use, towards a correct estimation of the pub- lic spirit of the country, especially of that which prevailed under the French dominion. The Hotel Dieu, founded in 1644, is three hun- dred and twenty-four feet in front, by four hundred and sixty-eight deep 5 it is attended by thirty -six nuns, who administer to the sick and diseased of both sexes. * Bouchette. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 369 The Convent of La Congregation de Notre Dame, forms a range of buildings, two hundred and thirty-four feet in front, by four hundred and thirty- three ; the object of this institution is female in- struction. The general hospital or convent of the gray sis- ters, was founded in 1750: it occupies a space along the httle river, St. Pierre, of six hundred and seventy-eight feet, and is a refuge for the infirm poor and invalids. The Cathedral of Notre Dame, is one hundred and forty-four feet by ninety-four; this church we thought, in some respects, more splendid in the in- terior, but less grand, than that at Quebec. It con- tains, among other things, a gigantic wooden image of the Saviour on the cross. The Cathedral stands completely in the street of Notre Dame, across the place d'armes, and entirely obstructs the view up and down the street. This church is on the out- side rude and unsightly. The English Cathedral is the finest building in Montreal — its tower, which is unfinished, is still in progress; this church is very large, but I did not learn its dimensions. Those whom we saw attend- ing worship in it, were persons of very genteel ap- pearance, including many military men, but the church would have held ten times as many as were present. The seminary of St. Sulpice, occupies three sides of a square and is one hundred and thirtv-twa, 32 370 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. feet by ninety, with spacious gardens. It was founded about 1657. The new College or Petit Seminaire, is in the Recollet suburbs ; it is two hundred and ten feet by forty-five, with a wing at each end of one hundred and eighty-six feet by forty-five ; it is an appendage of the other seminary, and designed to extend its usefulness, by enlarging its accommodations. There is near the mountain of Montreal, another appendage of the seminary. It appears to be about a mile from the town — it is a considerable stone building surrounded by a massy wall, which enclo- ses extensive gardens, &:c. This place was former- ly called Chateau des Seigneurs de Montreal, but BOW it has the appellation of La Maison des Pretres. It is a place of recreation, resorted to, once a week, by both the superiors and pupils of the Seminary. There is no English College in Canada, but a foundation for one has been laid by a gentleman,* who died in 1814, and bequeathed ten thousand pounds, besides a handsome real estate at the mountain near Montreal, " for the purpose of en- dowing an English College ; but upon condition that such an institution should be erected within ten years, otherwise the property was to revert to his heirs.'' I have not heard that the plan has ever been carried into execution. I know nothing that has excited my surprise more in Canada, than the number, extent and vari- * Hon. James M'GiU. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND 'here they are almost ex- clusively found, the soil is generally luxuriant ; they inhabit, for the most part, the rich alluvia! soil by which the St, Lawrence, the Sorel, and other prin- cipal waters, are so extensively bordered. Their subsistence is easily obtained — there are scarcely any marks of extreme poverty among them, and a mendicant we never saw while in the country. — They are, however, generally without enterprise, and are satisfied to go on without change, from gen- eration to generation. There is much reason to be- lieve, that they give a very just exhibition of the French people in the provinces from which they emigrated, as they were two hundred years ago. I speak of the common people. They are more like an European peasantry, than any thing in this coun- try : I mean in North America. They are truly a peasantry, except that they are vastly superior to European peasantry in comforts and in privileges. * In 1663, it contained 7000 souls ; in 1714, 20,000 ; in 1759, 70,000 ; in 1773, 90,000, including upper Canada— Soi.c/i€//e. 392 TOUR BETWEEN ilARTFORD AND QUEBEC. It is questionable, whether ady conquered coun- try was ever better treated by its conquerers. They were left in complete possession of their religion, and of the revenues to support it ; of their property, Jaws, customs, and manners ; and even the very governing* and defending of the country is almost without expense to them. They are said to pay no taxes to government, and none of any descrip- tion, except a trifling sum of a few shillings a year to their seigneurs, as an acknowledgment for the tenure of their lands, and a twenty sixth part of their grain to the clergy, with certain liabilities to contribute to the repair of churches, and various other public objects. With the affairs of government they give them- selves little concern ; and it is a curious fact, if cor- rectly stated to us by various intelligent men in Canada, that this country, so far from being a source of revenue, is an actual charge upon the treasury of the empire. It would seem as if the trouble and" expense of government were taken off their hands, and as if * Remarks by a British frienil. — Lower Canada now, 1821 pays its own Civil List, but all the military establishment is at the expense of the Home Government : and no advantage of a pe- cuniary kind is derived from our N. American Colonies. Even the timber has been proved before Parliament to br? so inferior, that this year a lax has been laid upon it, to mrtke it more equal in this respect witli the Baltic timber, which is much superior in quality, but was excluded in a great measure from our markets by a prohibitory duty. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 393 they were left to enjoy their own domestic comforts wifhout a drawback. Such is certainly the appear- ance of the population, and it is doublful whether even our own favored communities are politically more happy. It is evident that the Canadians are abundantly more so, than the mass of the English population at home. They are not exposed, in a similar manner, to poverty, and the danger of starva- tion, which so often invade the Enelish manufac- turin^f districts, and which, aided by their dema- gogues, goad them on to e\ery thing but open re- bellion. Such is the richness of the soil in Lower Cana- da, that the farmers are said even to be afraid of raising too much produce, lest the price should fall. They have so little occasion to n>anure their grouiids. that stable manure, as we were assured, is, in the winter — even now, and it was much more the fact formerly — carried on to the river, and left in heaps on the ice, that they may get rid of it as a nuisance ; and, in general, it c;innot be given away — people will not remove it without being paid for their labor. Such negligence and bad farnting are much to be regretted ; for even the island of Mon- treal, beautiful as it is, would certainly be the bet- ter for the manure which is annually thrown away, and I trust their new agricultural society will soon teach the people a better lesson on this subject, and prevent their wasting so rich a treasure. 34 394 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND <4UEBE«. In the costume of the French gentry in Canada, there is nothing peculiar. The peasantry frequent- ly wear a blue or red woollen cap, falling back in a pendant cone, and many of them wear a red or party-colored woollen sash around their waists. — They are very fond of tobacco, and are frequently observed smoking with a short pipe, while the) are walking or driving their carts. We were sufficient- ly amused, at seeing a common Frenchman driving a cart of dry straw in the streets of Montreal, while he was sitting immediately before it, smoking his pipe quite unconcerned, although a strong wind was blowing the sparks directly towards the straw. A day or two after, we met another, also smoking, and with the utmost sang froid, sitting in the midst of his load of straw. We visited a number of villages, and went into several houses of the peasantry, besides looking into many others, particularly around Quebec, the delightful weather causing them to throw their win- dows v/ide open. Most of the cottages are con- structed of logs, nicely squared, and laid up ; the angles are framed or halved together, the seams are made tight by plaister, good windows and doors are fitted in, the roofs are generally of shingles, the whole is tight against the weather, and neatly white- washed, roof and all ; at least, this is commonly the fact on the St. Lawrence. 1 have already men- tioned that the better sort of cottages are built of stone, sometimes covered with cement and some- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 395 times not. Inside, the houses appear very comfort- able : they are plastered or wainscoated, and each mansion is furnished with an ample stove, usually standir g in the middle of a large room, or in the partition of two, or in the common angle of several. There are large out houses, barns, &;c. built in much the same manner as the houses. We had occasion several times to call at the hous- es of the peasantry for milk, or something else that we wanted. The milk was very rich, and for a trifle, was bountifully furnished. The manners of the French in Canada, are extremely courteous and kind ; those of the gentry are of course polished, but the common people, also, have a winning gen- tleness and suavity, and a zealous forwardness to serve you, which, particularly in the villages, de- lighted us very much. Even the common " oui Monsieur,''^ is uttered in a manner so different from the blunt coldness of our common people, who fre- quently also forget the Monsieur, that we were much struck with the difference.* The women, of course, excel the men, in all that is bland in manner, and obliging in conduct; there is al»o a lady-like self-possession about themj they do not appear at all embairassed, by the questions of a stranger, but answer them with the ease and politeness of higher life, without relinquishing the simplicity of manners appropriate to their own con- * We were treated with much kinduess by all classes of people in Canada. 396 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEFiEC. dition. If would seem from the citations which I have made from Charlevoix, that there have heen in these respects, no serious changes in a century. After our visit to the Chaudiere, being late and in haste, we asked for some milk at a peasant's door, without meaning to go in; the milk was instantly produced, but we must not drink it at the door; "etilrez Monsieur," '^entrez Monsieur," was kind- ly ri'peated by the woman of the house, and we went in; she seated us around a table, and furnish- ed us with a bowl of tine milk, and with tumblers to drink it out of. Mr. W was much gratified to find that the manners of the peasantry of Canada remained pre- cisely like those of France. Like the people of the parent country, they continue very fond of mu- sic : we frequently heard the violin in the streets of tlie towns and villages. At Beauport, we saw them daiicing merrily at a wedding, which had just been celebrated at noon day, and the bride and bridegroom were walking home, neatly dressed, hand in hand, and with a cheerful air. There are May poles in most of their villages; some of them are very high, and splendidly painted ; they voluntarily erect them as a mark of respect be- fore the door of the man in the village, whom they wish to honour as their best citizen, and t^aily dance around them on the first of May. They are very fond of dogs — in the towns, thf^y are from their numbers, a perfect nuisance, and lately at Que- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEC. 397 bee. a verdict of fifty pounds, was given by a jury, for the shooting of a dog by a gentlemar. at whom he flew. The deaih of the Duke of Richniond, seems not to have excited any particular dread of dogs. .# Lower Canada is a fine country, and will hereaf- ter become populous and powerful, especially as the British and Anglo-American population shall flow in more extensively, and impart more vigour and activity to the community. The climate, notwithstanding its severity, is a good one and very healthy, and favorable to the freshness and beauty of the human complexion. All the most important comforts of life are easily and abundantly obtained, although the expenses of living are high, considering the fertility of the country. A more correct knowledge of Canada, is now fast diffusing itself through the American States, since the intercourse is become so easy, and I be- lieve few Americans from the States, now visit this country, without returning more favourably impress- ed, respecting it than they expected to be. It will be happy if Iriendly sentiments and the interchange of mutual courtesie'i shall do away the unfoimded Impressions and prejudices of both communities. Commercial intercourse between the two countries, 34* 398 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. is also important, and I presunDe, mutually advanta- geo^is, and will probably continue to increase* The commercial men in Canada are principally British and American. DEPARTURE FROM CANADA. We left Montreal on the morning; of the four- teenth, in a thick snow, which however soon, ceas- ed ; the crystals of snow were all single prisms, or two prisms, united at an angle, and not the usual star of six rays. TJie first snow of the season fell the day before, when I was on the mountain of Montreal. The country and the appearance of the people between Montreal and St. Johns, on the river Sor- el, a distance of twenty-seven miles, are so similar to what I have a'ready described, that I find little to add. From Montreal to Chambly, fifteen miles, is a perfectly flat alluvial country, with a deep rich soil, and appears to have been a mere swamp, till cul- tivation had redeemed it. The road has been made by ditching and emb 'nkntient, and considering the nature of the countrv, the road is not bad. Chambiy is a considerably jarge town, for Cana- da ; contains a few good r»nd some handsome houses, extensive barracks,* both for infantry and cavalry, and a few troops. * Erected, principally, during the late war, when it was a great military station. TOUR BETWEEIi HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 399 There is here an interesting remnant of the old French dominion. It is a square fort of stone, probably forty feet high, and two hundred feet on the ground, on each of its sides. It has square towers, projecting from each of its angles, so that every approach to it could be completely enfiladed by three tiers of cannon. We were permitted to visit the inside, which is a square open to the heavens, although the walls are so thick, as to con- tain numerous enclosed apartments- Tl)e French mi'itary w oiks, in this country are highly respecta- ble, considering the immaturity of the country, when they were erected, and the length of time that has elapsed since most of them were constructed. The fort, (or perhaps it might more properly be called the Castle) of Chambly has the date 1711, cut in the stone near the portcullis. This fortress was taken by General Montgomery, in 17,5, previously to the surrender of the Fort at St. Johns. At Chambly, the river Sorei, which both above and below is sluggish, (at least it is so, near its mouth and at St. John's) becomes very lively, roar- ing over a rocky bottom and forming a pretty, al- though not an impetuous rapid. In the only place upon its banks, where I had an opportunity to see any of the rocks, they were flat secondary lime- stone, covered by slate. From Chambly to St. Johns, twelve miles, there is a beautifil country, al>ng the bank of the river; the population is a numerous one, and in summer, 400 TOUR BETWEEN UARTFOUD AND QUEBEC. this must be one of the finest rides that a flat coun- try can present. Near Chatnbly, but on the other side of the rivec, there is a large and handsome house, belonging to General Christie Burton, who has there an estab- lishment of mills. We arrived in the town of St. John's in the after- noon. We were very comfortably accommodated at Cameron's Inn ; but St. John's is a place in which a stranger will not wish to remain long. Al- though the country is fertile about it, its appearance is mean, dirty and disagreeable. A few troops are stationed here, but the ancient fort, which was very extensive, and still looks very venerable, with its high earthen walls and falling barracks, is an interes- ting ruin. It was captured in 1775 by General Montgomery, after a gallant defence, and a consid- erably protracted seige. This place was an important post during the French wars, and even during the revolutionary war: the same was true of Chambly, and both have been taken and retaken, although I do not remem- ber any very memorable event, that has signalized their transfer from one power to another. In wandering about the ruins of the fort, I ob- served the cenn.'tery of the garrison ; their monu- ments are boards painted black, and the inscription is in white painted letters. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANn QlTEriEC. 401 October 15. — At eight o'clock in the morning, we left St. John's in the steam boal Congress, and al- though encountering both an opposing wind and current, we swept along with great rapidity, in one of the swiftest and best boats that 1 have ever seen. She is not large, but is fitted up with great neat- ness, and every thing about her is in tine order. We soon passed the Isle aux Noix, which, as observed in the passage down, has also been cele- brated in the military history of these countries, and is now fortified and occupied by a considerable force. Troops appeared to be engaged in throw- ing up additional works. There are large bar- racks on this island, and numbers of officers reside here, on this low spot of only eighty-five acres, in what appears to be a gloomy exile. This isiand is particularly important to the naval command of. Lake Champlain, and here the unfortunate Captain Downie's squadron was fitted out. In passing into Canada, I remarked, that the country on both sides of the river, quite to the lake, is a dismal low swamp, with only inconsider- able clearings and settlements. It is said, howev- er, to be heahhy. At Rouse's Poini\ at the confluence of the river Sorel with Lake Champlain, we again passed the strong stone work recently erected by the United 402 TOUR BETWEEN HAHTFORD AND QUEBEC. States to command the river, and now about to fall to the British government. Once more we were in our own waters, and in a short time passed around Cumberland Head, which is composed of flat strata of secondary limestone. PLATTSBURGH BAY. The fine capacious Bay of Plattsburgh was now before us, and the town of the same name. The important military events which have occurred here, are too recent and familiar to make any very particular notice of them necessary. This is still a military station, and when one sees the position occupied by the British army before it in 1814, and contemplates their numbers, compared with the feeble force which so gallantly opposed them, he is astonished that they did not at once storm and carry the forts, and atmihilate all opposition. Ev- ery one here says that they might, with the great- est ease, have done it.* We were on shore, and visited some of the works. We learned the exact position of Commodore Macdonougji's fleet, and passed over this portion of the bay. We conversed with numbers of per- * ft doufitless would have been atl^'inpted, ha'l the fleet been Ticlor'uus; but after its destruction, the acquisition of the forts would perhaps have been of little use. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC, 403 sons who were witnesses of the action, and some of whom were on board immediately after it was ter- minated. We passed close to the small island, call- ed Crab Island, to which the dead and wounded of both fleets were carried, and which was the com- mon grave of hundreds of friends and foes. The particular details of the scenes of horror which at- tended and succeeded the battle — of the shocking mutilations of the human form, in every imaginable mode and decree, and of the appalling display on the beach, of so many bodies, dead and wounded, pre- paratory to their conveyance either to the hospital or to the grave, I shall, for very obvious reasons, omit. Even now, their bones, slightly buried on a rocky island, are partly exposed to view, or, being occasionally turned up by the roots of the trees, blown down by the wind, shock the beholder; and the buttons, and other parts of their clothes, (for the military dresses in which they were slain, were also their winding sheets,) are often seen above ground. Long may it be, ere the waters of this now peaceful lake are again crimsoned with hu- man blood ! One remarkable fact I shall mention, on the au- thority of an American surgeon, who attended up- on the wounded of both fleets. The Americans re- covered much faster than the British, where their injuries were similar; healthy granulations formed, and the parts united and healed more readily. This was imputed to the different state of mind in the victors and in the vanquished. 404 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANIJ QUEBEC. ANECDOTES. A British officer in Canada, of his own accord, spoke to me in the highest terms of the American navy, and of its officers. He mentioned Captain H'sl) particularly, with a franknes? of conimcnda- tioji, that was equally honorable to himself, and to the subject of his praise. He said that an officer of the Guerriere, who was on board of that frigate when she was captured by Captain Hull, narrated to him the circumstance to which 1 am about to allude. It will be remembered, that Captain Hull was standing before the wind, a little east of north, with all sail set, when he descried the Guerriere, under double reefs, standing on a wind, to the southward and westward. The Constitution then hauled to, shortened sail, and prepared for action ; immedi- ately after which, she resumed her course before the wind, and commenced bearing down upon the Guerriere. The latter ship having tacked, so as to bring h«!r bowsprit to the northward and east- ward, having her main top-sail aback, and being about two miles distant, (that is, at long cannon shot,) fired her broadside, but it was not returned by the Constitution. The Guerriere then wore, as short round as possible, and gave her antagonist the other broadside ; still the fire was not returned ; but Captain Hull, with hi^ ship in fighting dim, con- tinued to bear down upon his adversary, who, find- TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD ANU QUEBEC. 405 iiitj that he was thus pressed, continued, on his part, to wear and to fire, first one broadside and then the other; to all this, however, Captain Hull paid no attention, but continuing; to recieve the fire of the Guerriere without returning it, pressed forward, till he was now very near. The Guerriere then put before the wind, to make a runniiig fight, and the Constitution followed on, directly astern, till findina; that the Guerriere would outsail her, she spread more canvass, when she gained so fast upon the chase, that she was soon enabled to take her position upon the larboard side of her antagonist, and to deliver her fire at very close quarters, when the mizen-mast of the Guerriere was shot away. It was this crisis of the affair that excited so much admiration among the British officers. They ima- gined, that it was in the power of Capt. Hull, to choose whether he would tack, and lie across the stern of his adversary, so as to rake her with com- parative impunity; — or to shoot along side, and thu< give his antagonist an opportunity to defend herself. The Constitution had, as yet, sustained very little damage, and it was obviously the inten- tion of her brave commander, not to give his fire, till he could come to close quarters. The British officers considered it as giving also to the Guerriere, an opportunity of defending herself. "It was the noblest thing (added a gentleman with whom I was conversing.) that was ever done in a naval con- vict." — The compliment thus paid to the magna- 35 406 TOUR BETWEEN' HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. nimity of Capt. Hull, however gratifying to an American, must not be admitted, without some qualification — whatever might have been the im- pressions of the British officers, the opinion of na- val men of the first eminence in this country, is, that Capt. Hull chose the position, best fitted to accomplish his object, and that in no part of this conflict, did he give even a momentary advantage to his enemy. The result of this battle is well known — the ships continued fighting, at close quar- ters, till the Constitution, attempting to lay the Guerriere aboard on the larboard bow, shot a head and crossed her bows, when her main and mizen- mast fell, and she struck her colours.* A gentleman at Montreal, mentioned to us, that a public dinner was given at Terrebonne, a small town a little way below Montreal, to Commodore * Upon preparing the former edition of this work, my im- pressions coincided with those of the British officers — but a more minute examination since, of the circumstances of the action, (with the aid of the opinions of some of the ablest naval men in this country,) has induced me to adopt a different opinion. I understand, that the speedy fall of the masts ol the Guerriere was the effect of marksmnnship, and not an accidental result of random firing. The crew of the Guerriere appear to have been, in some measure, disconcerted, by their previous efforts in wear- ing so often, and in firing so many broadsides, and by the singularly cool and undaunted manner in which the Constitution bore down upon them. It is a fact that they fired badly, both as to rapidity and direction, and often did not even run their guns out of their port holes, but tore their own wooden walls with their own discharges. — 1824. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORU AND (QUEBEC. 407 Biarclay, after his signal defeat by Commodore Per- ry on Lake Erie. Barclay, who was sadly cut to pieces by wounds, of which he was hardly recover- ed, and his- remaining arm (for he had lost the oth- er before,) being suspended in a sling, gave as a volunteer toast, "Commodore Perry — the brave and humane enemy." Commodore Barclay then entered into a detailed account of Perry's treatment of himself, and of the other wounded and prisoners, who fell into his hands; and in narrating the story, [ic became himself so deeply affected, that the tears flowed copiously down his cheeks. The audience were scarcely less moved; and how could it be otherwise, when the speaker, who, but a few weeks before, had, without dismay, faced the tremendous cannonade of his enemy, could not now, without tears of admiration and gratitude, relate his deeds of kindness to himself and his companions, when suffering under wounds and defeat. O! this was a nobler triumph for Perry, than the victory which God granted to his arms! Scarcely had we been gratified by the above anecdote, when the New-York newspapers, which, in our parlour at Montreal, we were cheerfully pe- rusing, informed us, that the brave, magnanimous, and gentle Perry, had fallen — not in battle on the water, but by a fever, in a foreign land. The news would have been sufficiently painful at home, but 408 TOUR BETWEEN IIARTFORW AND QUEKEC. among strangers, add those who were so recently our public enemies, it gave us a severe shock : we not only felt that it was a public loss, but we nei- ther could realize, nor wished to do so,. that it was not our own private bereavement. Few men of his age, have done more to serve and honour their country than Perry, although we must still regret that he gave his sanction to duelling. After a rapid sail across the lake, and seeing the spot where the I'lioenix was burnt, and, at a greater distance, the rocky channel through which General Arnold in 1776, escaped the pursuit of the British fleet, we arrived, early in the evening, at Burling- ton, where the carriage was in waiting to receive us. Before leaving the steam-boat Congress, 1 will remark, that, under the auspices of her present commander, the younger Captain Sherman, who also commanded the Phoenix when she was de- stroyed, vigorous measures have been adopted to prevent a recurrence of a similar accident, and that we were much pleased with his management of the boat. TOUR BETWEEN HAllTFOUD AND QUEllEC. 409 BURLINGTON, IN VERMONT, TO HANOVER, IN NEW- HAMPSHIRE, 84 MILES. We were on the road three days, and, as it is not remarkably interesting, except for its wild Al- pine scenery, I shall give but a sketch of it. Burlington is one of the most beautiful villages in New-England. It stands on a bay, of the same name, is a port of entry, and has a population of probably nearly two thousand. Rising rapidly from the lake, and occupying the declivity and top of a high hill — abounding with elegant houses — generally large, and painted white — having several handsome public buildings, and (the most conspic- uous and commanding of them all,) a college, situa- ted on the most elevated ground, three hundred and thirty feet above the surface of the water; the im- pressions which it makes on a stranger, are very agreeable, and the more so, as it is scarcely forty years since this region was a wilderness. Its build- ings are, a court-house, a jail, an academy, a col- lege, two handsome houses of public worship, one hundred and sixty dwelling-houses, and forty-three stores, offices, and mechanics' shops. It is the most commercial place on the lake.* The college edifice, is a brick building, one hun- dred and sixty feet long, from forty-five to seventy- five wide, and four stories high. This institution * Worcester's Gazetteer. 35* 410 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AN'D QUEBEC. was founded in 1791, under the appellation of the University of Vermont. The building is commo- I dious; it contains about fifty private rooms, and good public apartments. This edifice stands in a most delightful situation, and from the top of it, to which I ascended, there is a grand and extensive prospect, although, in the present instance, it was obscured by a fog. The number of students was stated to me, by one of the tutors, to be from thirty to forty.* It is well known that, in the Vermont republic of letters, there is a divisum imperium, and that the two rival institutions of Middlebury and Burlington, have long contended for pre-eminence. It does not become a stranger to make any other remark, than that, in a state of no greater popula- tion, the united efforts of all the friends of learning are not more than sufficient to sustain one institu- tion, as it ought to be supported ; it is to be hoped therefore, that Vermont may, in due time, combine all her efforts, and blend her two institutions into one. Burlington college has a library of about eight or nine hundred volumes, and a small apparatus. It is but just recovering from a state of partial disor- ganization, produced by the late war, when, for a season, the building was occupied by troops of the United States, and Mars put the muses to flight. The concession, however, it was understood, was * The number in Oct. 1823, was 53 classical, and 55 medical students. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 411 not compulsory, and was handsomely paid for by the general government. The faculty, when full, consists of a President, five professors, and two tu- tors. At present, there is a President,* one pro- fessor, and, I believe, two tutors, who constitute the actual faculty of the institution. It is worth a journey across the green mountains, which occupy almost the entire breadth of Ver- mont, and from which the state derives its name, to see the grand views which they present. There is in fact, a succession of mountains, one, two, three, and four thousand feet high ; not here and there a single peak, but a vast billowy ocean, swelled into innumerable pointed waves, and bold ridges, and scooped into deep hollows. There were but few precipices of naked rock ; most of the sides of the mountains were in full for- est, and the varied hues of the leaves of the maple and oak, now beginning to receive the first influ- ence of frost, were finely contrasted with the bright evergreens. According to the barometrical measurement of Captain Partridge, the Camel's Rump, twenty miles east by south from Burlington, is about four thou- sandf feet high, and many others approach this ele- vation. * The Rev. Dr. Austin— now (1824,) Rev. Daniel Haskel and six professors, including four in the medical department. t Three thousand four hundred. — Worcester's Gazetteer. 412 TOUn nETWEEN lIAUTPOriD AND QtJEnEC. The day was somewhat obscured by rain, mist, and clouds, which, while they did not screen the mountains from our view, added a gloomy gran- deur to the scerse, and seemed the appropriate dra- pery of such Alpine regions. Most of the country is still unsubdued by the plough. Innumerable stumps, the remains of the pristine forest, deform the fields — pines, and other trees, girdled, dry, and blasted, by summer's heat, and winter's cold — scorched and blackened, by fire, or piled in confusion, on fields, cleared, half by the axe, and half by burning — numerous log houses, of a rude construction, and incomparably inferior to the snug cottages of the Canadian peas- antry—all these, and many other objects, indicate a country, in some parts at least, imperfectly sub- dued by man. Along the Onion river, however, and its branch- es, we found much clear, good land; on the sides of the mountains, many fields fit for pasturage, and, almost every where, fine cattle and sheep, but very little ploughed land ; every few miles also, we came to good houses, and a few villages, occurred on the journey. At Montpelier, in a low valley, forty miles from the lake, we found the legislature of Vermont con- vened. Montpelier is a small, and rather neat village, of about one hundred families ; the township, in which it is situated, contains nearly two thousand people; TOUIi BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 413 but this place is so secluded, that it seems as if the governmetit had souhment, who, with the president,-]- and two tutors, constitute the faculty. The number of stu- dents, at present, is about one hundred and fifty, and * If I am correctly informed, qdc other profesforship is at pres* ent vacant. t Argu^t, 1820 — This institution has recently been deprived, by deatli, of its excellent head, President Brown. 36 418 TOUB BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. since the termination of the recent contest, by which the old college has been confirmed in its powers, it appears to be flourishing more than before. During that contest, and while the buildings wer*^ in pos'^es- sion of the other parly, it is said that they were con- siderably injured : they are not now in the best state of repair, although it was stated that one ih-m- sand dollars had been expended upon them, since their restoration to their present possessors. The library contains about four thousand vol- umes. The apparatus of this institution is not the most extensive, but is competent to the most im- portant purposes of instruction. There are two libraries, of about two thousand volumes each, be- longing to private societies among the students. There is a separate building for commons, but, at present, none are maintained ; the students board in the village, and many of them occupy apartments in it. I was informed that it is op- tional with them to have rooms in college, or out; but their rooms are, in both cases, visited by the faculty, and, owing, without doubt, to the smallntss of the place, no inconvenience is experienced from the fact, that a part of them are in town.* * It is understootl that this Institution has flourished, and con- tinues to do so, under the Presidency of the Rev. Mr Tyler ; but I have no document at hand, from which to state the number of the students, or of the faculty. — 1824. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND Q,UBBEC. 419 RIDE DOWN CONNECTICUT RIVER. Oct. 19. — We passed down the New-Hampshire aide of the river, eighteen miles, and then crossed into Vermont, at the beautiful town of Windsor, containing two thousand seven hundred fiftj-seven inhabitants.* There was nothing particularly interesting in the intervening country. Windsor is built upon two principal streets, parallel to each other, ar.d to the river, and, in the lower street, shews something of the bustle of business ; the upper street is very quiet, and both are ornamented by very handsome houses, many of them of brick, giving an air of dig- nity and elegance to a small town. There are also two handsome churches, a court-house, an acade- my, and a state's prison. The town has a magnificent back ground, in the high mountain Ascutney, measusing three thousand three hundred and twenty feet above the sea, and two thousand nine hundred and three, above the surface of the river.f The form of the mountain is handsome, and presents naked rocks at its summit. Fiom Windsor, we passed down the Vermont side of the river, to Charlestown, where we again crossed into New-Hampshire. * Worcester's Gazetteer. t According to Captain Partridge's measurement. 420 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFOIlD AND qUfiBEC. We saw, on our ride, the establisment of Mr. Jarvis, formerly a consul abroad. He has a very extensive farm, and an entire village, named Weth- ersfield, is owned by him, and occupied by his ten- ants. We passed the night at Charlestown. This is another village remarkable for beauty. It is built upon one street, which is very wide, and, for nearly a mile, the houses are placed at distan- ces, convenient both for neighborhood and accom- modation. Here, a? at Windsor, a large proportion are very handsome, and there is an extreme degree of neat- ness in the fields, gardens, and door yards. The verdure being still fine, notwithstanding the period of the year, was charmingly contrasted with the brilliant white of the houses. From Hanover to this place, the river Connecti- cut flows in a narrow channel, in most places so confined by very high ground, and sometimes by mountains, that it seems to run in the only possible place, and the channel appears as if it had been cut by art, and laid with exquisite skill, through an an almost impervious counlry. Rarely do the pre- cipitous banks retire, so as to leave any meadows, or flat lands upon the border, and the country ap- pears not remarkably fertile. The pines still oc- cupy a considerable portion of it, but most of the large ones are cut away ; here and there an ancient tree still raises its head to the winds, and towers above its compeers. In many parts of this region, TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUElBEC. 421 k^ery formidable fences are made by pulling up the stumps of the gigantic pine trees, and arranging them in a row, with their roots interlocked. GEOLOGY. The geology of this district is very simple. At Hanover, the rocks appear to be a variety of gneiss, evith so large a proportion of hornblende, as to be- ;ome almost hornblende slate; and doubtless, in some instances, they become decidedly that rock; iistinct veins of crystallized hornblende intersect the rock, and it abounds in garnets remarkable for beauty ; their angles are extremely well defined — their surfaces highly polished, and their color al- most as fine as that of the Spinelle Ruby. I have seen no such garnets, from the rocks of this coun- try. From Hanover, we pass along in the direction of the ledges of rocks, which form the hills bounding the river ; we no longer cross them, as in travelling aver the Green Mountains, and it is not always easy, in driving rapidly by, or with the opportunity of only a very hasty examination, to pronounce con- fidently on their nature. This may, however, be said, without hazard, that they are all primitive slaty rocks, generally highly inclined, or vertical. 36 * 422 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Leaving Charlestown, we passed by its rich and extensive meadows, commencing just below the town, and extending nearly to Bellows Falls, a dis- tance of eight miles. They were still very verdant, and rich in herds of fine cattle. BELLOWS FALLS. This place is worth visiting, both for its bold and pictures(jue scenery, and for the interesting nature of its mineralogy and geology. On approaching Bellows Falls from the north, the traveller is first struck by the elegant appear- ance of the small village of Rockingham, situated on the Vermont side of the river, upon ground pleasantly elevated. A neat church, semi-gothic, and several seats of gentry, who have clustered about these falls, are finely contrasted with the wildness and rudeness of the surrounding scenery. On the New Hnmpshire side, a very high ridge of mountain rock, I presume five or six hundred feet above tlie level of the river, forms its immt'diate barrier, there being only just room for a narrow road between it and the Connecticut. Immediate- ly at the foot of this frowning and impending moun- tain, is an elegant establishment, belonging to a gentleman who seems not to feel what every ob- server must dread, that his house may be crushed by falling rocks. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 423 Bi;Uows Falls are very much unlike any thing of the kind which we have seen on our journey. They are rather a grand and violent rapid than a cataract, properly so called ; for, in no place that I saw, did the waterfall perpendicularly for any great distance. The river is, at this place, very much compressed between ledges of rocks, and, for nearly a quarter of a mile, it is hurried on with vast rapidity, and tumult, and roaring. In the whole, it falls fifty feet,* before it becomes again placid. The bridge, which stands immediately over the falls, and at the most rapid, that is to say, at the narrowest place, is a handsome object. Its founda- tion is literally a rock, for it is erected not only upon the precipices which form the banks, but up- on the very ledges which interrupt the course of the river, and rise calmly out of the turbulent scene that surrounds them. This is said to have been the earliest bridge erected over the Connecticut, and the view of the falls from it is very interesting. The water, which for some way above, comes rushing over, and among very rugged rocks, arrives in an extremely agitated state at the bridge, under which is the grand pass ; for the stream is here narrowed into the width of apparently twenty or thirty foet, and rushes through with great rapidity ; not, however, in the compressed state described * Worcester's Gazetteer. 124 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. by the apocryphal historian of Connecticut.* It is all foam, and both immediately above and be- low the bridge, resembles the most violent breaking of the waves of the ocean, when dashed upon the rocks by a furious tempest. A little below the bridge, the river is again hurried on, between two salient points of rock, in a place so narrow, that one may easily toss a stone to the other side; the angry surges here struggle through with vast commotion, and rise, in white crested waves, the very sight of which makes one's head giddy. Bellows Falls, as a piece of scenery, are peculiar, on account of a certain snugness, which marks the entire collection of mountains, rocks, and river-tor- rent, and handsome houses, which are all approach- ed without the slightest inconvenience, and are comprised within a very small compass. On the west side there is a canal half a mile long, around the falls ; it has nine locks. GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. The rocks at this pass are sienite, mica slatC; and a peculiar aggregate of mica and feldspar, very much resembling sienite. The strata run in the same direction as the great mountain ranges in the vicinity, only they are very low; the torrent ap- * Peters : who says that the water is here so dense that it ean- flot be pierced by a crowbar. TOUR BETWEEN UARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 425 [)ears as if it had once broken through, and very possibly there might, anciently, have been a lake above this place. I would strongly recommend a particular exam- ination of the rocks about Bellows Falls. The few moments which I had to spend, I occupied in in- specting the ledges on the Vermont side, and below the bridge. They appear to be sometimes over- flowed, for they contain numerous excavations, evi- dently worn by the water, agitating the pebbles and stones, and, as long as the floods last, whirling them ivith incessant motion. Numbers ©f these cavities, 3oth here and at the bridge, are of considerable di- 'nensions; some are cylindrical, others are shaped like cauldrons, and are large enough to serve for ihat purpose. In the rocks alluded to, there are numerous veins, some of them a foot wide or more. The veins are quartz or feldspar, or more frequently, they are proper granite veins. In them I observed violet or 'ose coloured mica, and that of a straw yellow; eldspar resembling the adularia ; garnet; tourma- in both the common black schorl, and the indico- ite, and talc. In loose rocks there was also abun- iance of tremolite and of sappar. There can be ittle doubt that a few blasts of gunpowder would mcover fine fresh specimens of these interesting Tiinerals. * II, 426 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC!. From Bellows Falls, we passed down to Walpole* This is another handsome village ; some of the houses are splendid. Putney, on the Vermont side, presented nothing particularly interesting. We reached Brattleborough, at evening, and there passed the night. In Dummerston I saw a great slate quarry : the strata were vertical, and the excavation was like a deep canal, so that as I walked into it. the perpen- dicular strata formed a perfect wall on both sides, and I trod on their edges. It was a fine example of primitive roofing slate ; and from this place and the vicinity, at Brattleborough, &c. it is extensively quarried, and carried down the river. In speaking of the villages on Connecticut river, I often use the epithets beautiful, handsome, &;c. till they are in danger of becoming trite. Still I must repeat them with respect to the eastern* village of Brattleborough. This village is built principally upon one street, and contains very few houses or shops that are not an ornament to the place. The street is parallel to the river, and passes through luxuriant meadows, spreading into an extensive champaign, bounded by the Connecticut, which here, for miles, washes the base of a grand mountain barrier, that limits the yiew on the east. This view was best seen in re- trospect, as we rose the hill, at the south end of the * The other village I did not see. TOUR BEtWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 427 town. Thence we saw this mountain-range, prob- ably here one thousand* feet high, covered with the richest drapery of the forest, and stretching away to the north, while the Connecticut, gently washed its foot, and the pretty village, with its white houses and brilliant church, rose in the midst of a rich meadow. But, the most interesting object in Brattleborough, is its venerable pastor, with whom, at his pleasant rural abode, we had the honour of an evening inter- new. At the age of 75, he has recently return- ed from England, his native country, alter a visit of eighteen months. He had been absent from Eng- land twenty-five years, and found on returning to bis native town, which, (except occasional visits,) lie left sixty- three years since, that but one person remembered him. Even the monuments of his co- temporaries in the grave yard, were so moss grown, :hat he could not read the inscriptions, and those of the persons who had died more recently, he did not inow. He found, however, many friends in vari- )us parts of England, who remembered him with iffection. The country appeared to him greatly improved, and to exhibit the most decided proofs of I thriving condition ; but his adopted country he greatly prefers, and gladly returned to end his days n it. The venerable man, at once an instructive and ielightful Mentor, entertained us with many of the * This is a conjecture merely : I know not ©f any measurement. 426 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. From Bellows Falls, we passed down to Walpole' This is another handsome village ; some of the houses are splendid. Putney, on the Vermont side, presented nothing particularly interesting. We reached Brattleborough, at .evening, and there passed the night. In Dummerston I saw a great slate quarry : the strata were vertical, and the excavation was like a deep canal, so that as I walked into it. the perpen- dicular strata formed a perfect wall on both sides, and 1 trod on their edges. It was a fine example of primitive roofing slate ; and from this place and the vicinity, at Brattleborough, &c. it is extensively quarried, and carried down the river. In speaking of the villages on Connecticut river, I often use the epithets beautiful, handsome, &;c. till they are in danger of becoming trite. Still I must repeat them with respect to the eastern* village of Brattleborough. This village is built principally upon one street, and contains very few houses or shops that are not an ornament to the place. The street is parallel to the river, and passes through luxuriant meadows, spreading into an extensive champaign, bounded by the Connecticut, which here, for miles, washes the base of a grand mountain barrier, that limits the Tiew on the east. This view was best seen in re- trospect, as we rose the hill, at the south end of the * The other village I did not see. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORR AND QUEBEC. 427 town. Thence we saw this mountain-range, prob- ably here one thousand* feet high, covered with the richest drapery of the forest, and stretching away to the north, while the Connecticut, gently washed its foot, and the pretty village, with its white houses and brilliant church, rose in the midst of a rich meadow. But, the most interesting object in Brattleborough, is its venerable pastor, with whom, at his pleasant rural abode, we had the honour of an evening inter- view. At the age of 75, he has recently return- ed from England, his native country, aitera visit of eighteen months. He had been absent from Eng- land twenty-five years, and found on returning to his native town, which, (except occasional visits,) he left sixty- three years since, that but one person remembered him. Even the monuments of his co- temporaries in the grave yard, were so moss grown, that he could not read the inscriptions, and those of the persons who had died more recently, he did not know. He found, however, many friends in vari- ous parts of England, who remembered him with affection. The country appeared to him greatly improved, and to exhibit the most decided proofs of a thriving condition ; but his adopted country he greatly prefers, and gladly returned to end his days in it. The venerable man, at once an instructive and delightful Mentok, entertained us with many of the * This is a conjecture merely : I know not of any measurement. 428 TOUR BETWEE^f HARTFORB AND qUEBEt . inci.lents of his tour, the relation of which was en* livened by the most interesting remarics. He is hke the aged oak, whose boughs are still adorned with leaves, and whose root is still firm in the ground, although it has endured the vicissitudes of many revolving summers and winters. * October, 21s/. — We left Brattleborough in the morning, and eleven miles below, crossed the bridge into Northfield, in Massachusetts. Northfield is a neat village, on a wide street situ- ated on a hill, but the houses are plain; the place had, however, an air of comfort and snugness. GEOLOGY, &c. In this street, a very interesting change was ob- served in the geology. Rocks occurred both loose and in place, composed of fragments : they were of every size, from a fool or even several feet in diam- eter, down to small grains. These fragments were evidently the ruins of primitive rocks ;^entire pie- ces of granite, with all its constituent parts distinct; of gneiss, mica slate, chlorite slate, common slate, &LC. were interspersed, and the cement which bound them together, was merely the same materials, re- duced to a finer state. These rocks are very in- structive. Coming immediately after the primitive TOUR BETWEBW HARTFORD AND QDEREC. 429 country, and indeed in close connexion with it and being composed of fragments of primitive rocks confusedly jumbled together, they appear to lay strong claims to a traitsition character. Passing down through Norihfield into Montague, we came to extensive ranges of primitive rocks, chiefly gneiss ; but in them occurred great beds of granite, the first that I had seen in place on our whole journey. Primitive rocks continued to the upper lock of Miller's Falls : the canal here, is cut through a coarse conglomerate, composed of frag- ments of primitive rocks. The scenery at this place is handsome; and at the confluence of Miller's River with the Connecti- cut, the latter forms a great bow, and looks like a lake surrounded by high hills. Several miles below, we came to Miller's Falls. The river runs nearly north west, and is precipitated over the strata, which at this place cross the river, and form a natural dam. In the middle of the riv- er, the rocks rise so high that they form an island, and the torrent is therefore divided, as at Nifigara. Through the whole width, which is one thousand two hundred feet, there is an artificial dam of tim- ber, built upon the natural one. The fall thus be- comes thirty feet, and is very beautiful in its kind. It is in fact, a vast mill dam, and is said to be a very good miniature of Niagara. The whole scene is a a fine one, and was so different from either of the 37 430 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Other falls that we had seen, that it was an agreea- ble addition. The object of damming these falls, is to feed with water, the canal which is cut around them, and to render the current for three miles above, less rap- id. This canal is two miles long, and werode along. its bank, to its junction with the Connecticut. The rocks which form the natur.il dam at Miller's Falls, are composed of fragments of primitive rocks ; but generally these fragments are not large, rarely exceeding an inch or two in diameter, and general- ly smaller than that. The strata liave an inclination of forty five degrees, and have every mark of the earliest class of fragmented rocks. Are they not a variety of Greywacke .'* Their direction is nearly north-east and south-west. We crossed the Connecticut again, at the place where, by completing its great bend, it returns to its usual direction of north and south. We now arrived in the town of Greenfield, and on ascending the hill from the river, I saw, for t!ie first time, in this part of the country, trap rocks in place. They here constitute an extensive range, extremely well characterized, and, (agreeably to Mr. Hitchcock's excellent account of the geology of this vicinity,*) form, very nearly^ the northern * See American Journal of Science, vol. 1. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 431 extremity of the great trap ranges, which com- mence at New-Haven and cross completely both the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut.* I'he fragmented rocks, which in nearly the whole of this range, lie beneath the trap, 1 here had the pleasure of seeing emerge, at a high angle of in- cliisation, and at a high elevation, on the side next to the village of Greenfield. From the hill in question, we had a fine view of this village, which stands principally on two inter- secting streets; has a number of handsome houses, and, for a country town, an uncommon proportion of brick buildings. Walpole also has a number, and Windsor a larger number than either. Greenfield stands two miles from Connecticut river, on a high plain, which declines gently to the west. It has handsome churches, a court-house, a jail, &.C. DEERFIELD. Just at evening, we drove over to Deerfield, a distance of three miles, through the most luxuriant and beautiful countrj, that we had any where seen in our whole journey. This country is the fine al- * The same that, in sketching the scenery in the middle re§;iou of Conuecticut, were described early in this volume. 432 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND qUEBEG. luvial region, intersected bj the Deerfield river, and probably formed by it, as the alluvial countries on rivers generally appear to be. Even now, in the latter part of October, the grass is most vividly green, thickly matted, and rich as the shag of vel- vet. The remains of the crops of corn, evinced also great productiveness, and seemed almost t« realize the fables of the golden ages. We were comfortably lodged in a good inn, just in time to visit, before dark, a very interesting an- tiquity in this town. In the early periods of the history of the New- Englimd colonies, Deerfield, being for a long course of years, a frontier town, was very often attacked by the French and Indians from Canada, and its inhabitants were frequently slain, or carried into captivity. To guard against these attacks, an extensive fort was established, including withm its limits, many of the houses, and forming a place of retreat and of security for the inhabitants. In February, 1704, this fort was, by the negli- gence of the sentinel, surprised and taken, just be- fore day light, and the inhabitants were aroused from their slumbers, by the furious attacks of cruel enemies, upon their defenceless dwellings. Most of the houses were burnt, and their wretched ten- ants were either dragged away into captivity, or slaughterd in their own habitations, or near them. Men, women, and children, were indiscriminately TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 433 slain, and parents saw their little ones butchered before their eyes. One house still remains, as a painful memento to posterity. The front door was hacked and hewn with hatchets, until the savages had cut a hole through it ; through this hole they fired into the house; this door, which still bears its ancient wounds, and the hole, (closed only by a board, tacked on within,) remains now, as the savages left it, and is a most interesting monument. Through the windows they also fired, and one bullet killed the female head of the family, sitting up in bed, and the mark of that bullet, as well as of four others, is visible in the room ; in one of the holes in a joist, another bullet remains to this day. This family was all killed, or carried into captivity. In the same attack, the clergyman of the place, the Rev. John Williams, and his family, shared a similar fate. Two of the children were killed at the door, Mrs. William?, their mother, in the mead- ows, a little way out of town, and Mr. Williams, and the rest of the family, were carried prisoners to Canada. We saw in the museum, in Deerfield academy, the pistol which he snapped at the Indians, when they rushed into his bed room. Mr. Williams* lived many years after his return, and I saw his grave, and that of his murdered wife. * The house of public worship, in which Mr. Williams used to preach, is still stauding ia Deerfield. 37* 434 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. On the latter, is a very proper inscription, which I regret that I omitted to copy. Deerfield is a plain venerable town, with good buildinjis, but not many of them are in the modern style; this circumstance is, however, rather pleas- ing, than otherwise. Deerfield extends about a mile on one street; it has a highly respectable academy, the finest mead- ows in New-England; and a very interesting ancient history, upon which I have no time to enlarge. Oct. 22.— We left Deerfield on a fine morning, and extended our ride thirty-eight miles, to Spring- field. We followed the Deerfield mountain — cross- ed the fatal, bloody (or, as it is now called, muddy,) brook, where, on the 12th of September, 1675, Captain Lathrop, with alniost his whole company, of ninety or an hundred young men, the flower of that region, was cut oflfby the Indians, who, to the number of seven or eight hundred, attacked them by surprize, when, as is said, most of the party were engaged in gathering grapes. We rode down to the ferry at Sunderland, to ob- tain a good view of the Sugar Loaf Mountain, which is so well described by Mr. Hitchcock,* that * American Journal of Science. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QtTEr.EC. 435 I have scarcely occasion to remark, that it is com- posed of conglomerate rock, and that the mountain back of it is trap. We crossed through Hatfield, over to Hadley, and thence into Northampton, where we dined. — It is hardly necessary to say any thing of these scenes, which are so luxuriant, and so well known, that their beauty is quite proverbial. Hatfield and Hadley are neat and venerable pla- ces, and Northampton is one of the finest inland towns in America. The great bends of the river here — the bold scenery of Mount Holyoke, and Mount Tom, and the rich and grand landscape, from their summits, particularly from the former, have been often de- scribed, and can hardly be exaggerated. At West Springfield, we called on the venerable Dr. Lathrop, now almost eighty-eight years old ; he will complete that age, he informed us, on the last day of this month. His sight is almost extinct, but his other faculties appear unimpaired. He is erect and vigorous, walks well, and his features are not injured ; his head is covered with fine white locks, and his whole appearance is very interesting. He is recently relieved from public duty by a col- league ; and, after about sixty years of the most useful labors as a preacher, is well entitled to rest: 436 TOUR BETWEEN HARTPORD AND QUEBEC. as a writer of sermons,* he has been excelled by few in this country f Oct. 2;?. — We passed the last night at Spring- field, which, in beauty, hardly yields to any town on the river. In the morning. 1 visited the United States' armory, and was murh gratified ; for order, neatness, and high excelloiice, in every department — nnder the able management of Colonel Lee, it merits the highest euiogium. We proceeded through Long Meadow to En- field, and, at the bridge, on the eastern side, I was pleased to observe the sand stone rocks, filled with the remains of vegetables, bituminized and carbon- ized, and affording one indication, among many, of a region containing coal, 'i'his, and the contiguous places, should be more attentively examined. Through Windsor, we proceeded to Hartford, and, arriving there before evening, almost five weeks from the time of our departure, found those in health and prosperity, who were most interesting tons; and, in the retros|)«'Cl, perceived much cause for satisfaction, and still more for gratitude, that, in travelling nearly twelve hundred miles, not one dis- aster, nor one serious disappointment, had given us occasion to regret the undertaking. * Allusion is here, of course, made to the volumes of sermons, which he has published. t This venerable minister of religion died on the 31st of De- cember, 1820, in the nmetietb year of his age. — (1824.) TOOR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 437 REMARK. I have said very little of the public houses and accommodations on the journey. Should this be thought a deficiency, it is easily supplied ; for, we found them, almost without exception, so comfort- able, quiet and agreeable, that we had neither oc- casion nor inclination to find fault. Great civility, and a disposition to please their guests, were generally conspicuous at tlie inns ; almost every where, when we wished it, we found a private parlour and a separate table, and rarely, did we hear any profane or coarse language, or observe any rude and boisterous deportment. ADDENDA. 1. Historical J^otices respecting the vicinity of the Lakes George and Champlain, and the Head Wa- ters of the Hudson. The following notices, received from a respect- ed friend, canne to hand too late for insertion in their proper places, in the body of the book. Be- lieving, however, that they may afford useful hints to travellers, I insert them here. A few things mentioned in this communication, will be found to be nearly in commou with some passages in the book, but I have, notwithstanding, inserted the whole. Between Glen's Falls and Lake George, and about five miles from the latter place, where an old French road passes, there is a rock of about three tons in weight, on which the Indians, during the French war, (as it is called,) burnt their pris- oners. The rock is split into three pieces, by fire. Four miles from Fort George, during the Revo- lutionary War, Colonel Warner, (celebrated in Vermont.) Major Hopkins and Lieutenant Coon, were shot at by Indians from behind a rock, when going from that fort to Fort Edward. The two last were killed. I saw the place where their bones were dug up about the year I8I0. Warner and bis horse were wounded. He rode offj but hi 3 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 439 horse failintj;, he mounted anolher, that had been rode by one of his coinpatiions and escaped. — The wounded horso. after following him to Glen's Falls, fell down dead. French Mountain is to the right as yon go to Lake George, and ai)out four miles from it. B.iron Dieskau, with two thousand three hundred men, landed at the head of South Bay, with a view to take Fort Edward. When he apiuodclied Sandy Hill, he gave up the expedition, and turned by French Mountain, (wh-ch is insulated fiom all others by Dunham's Bay,) in order to take Fort William Henry. Here he met and defeated a large detachment from that place, two and an half miles from it, and threw the killed into Bloody Pond. — He was afterwards repulsed. See Mante's Histo- ry of the war. One mile south of Fort George, you pass by Gage's Hill, on the right, and so called from Colo- nel Gage of the Provincials, being defeated here with considerable loss by the French. About a mile from T^ake George, I saw ancient lines of defence, for a covering army : ditches and cellars on commanding ground. A little further on to the right, and close to the Lake, arc the ditches, ramparts, k,c. of old Fort William Henry, and to the left, the plain where the massacre took place, after the fort was surrendered to Montcalm. There was a garrison of two British companies on Diamond Island, during some part of the Rev- olutionary W^ar. 440 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. Frenchman's Point, sevenfeen miles from the head of Lake George, derives its names from a de- feat of the French during the war of 1756. Sabbath-Day Point is six miles from Ticondero- ga, and is so called from a massacre on that day by the Indians, after a battle. Here are the re- mains of two old buildings, or forts, judging from the excavations. Rogers' Rock is on the west side of the Lake, and four miles from its foot. Here the Lake narrows. It is named from a tradition which prevails, that the famous partizan Major Rogers ran down it, in order to avoid the close pursuit of the Indians, and effected his escape on the Lake by skates. This place affords a tine field for mineralogical investigation, and there is, near it, a den of rattlesnakes. On the east side of Lake George is Mount Defi- ance, a high mountain, celebrated for Burgoyne's drawing up his cannon there, and by that means he overlooked Ticonderoga, and drove our army from the fort. He landed one mile and a half above the ferry, on Lake Champlain, on the west side, and if he had taken the route of Lake George, his chance of success would have been much better. The Old French lines at Ticonderoga exhibit a strong work, extending from Lake Champlain to the outlet of Lake George, and face the north. Burgoyne built a block-house on Mount Defiance. TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 441 A mile south of Fort Ann, on the east side of the rof'l IS the place where Putnam, after being cap- tured by the Indians and French, was tied up for burning, and when about to perish, he was relieved by a French officer, who, it is said, believed him to be a free mason. Fort Ann was a picketted work, and covered about an acre of ground. It is situated just above the junction of Wood Creek and Half-Way Brook. Wood Creek is navigable to this place, and Bur- goyne transported his heavy artillery to it by wa- ter. A little below the junction of Powlet River and Wood Creek, near the head of Lake Cham- plain, on the west side, is Putnam's Mount, from whence he repulsed a party of Indians, coming up in canoes. The stump of the tree from which he fired, is still pointed out. 2. The people called Shakers. Some members of the society at New-Lebanon, and at Watervliet, having objected to certain pas- ages, in the first edition of this book, I have omitted them in the present. They were quoted from Thomas Brown's work, which had been strongly recommended to me as an authority, nor did I learn till more than a year after my book was pub- lished, that the Shakers denied the authenticity of Mr. Brown's account of their society. With the controversy between them, and this seceded mem- ber, and with the question as to the authenticity 38 442 TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. and fairness of his account, I have now no con- cern •, — nor do I mean, even to imply an opinion on this subject, while I suppress my citations from him. When 1 cited this work, I fully believed it to be authentic; — but I should consider it as unfair and unkind, to continue to quote it, after 1 have been informed that the society of which the author once was a member, deny his authenticity. Had my time permitted me to mingle with their commu- nity, I should have avoided this error, and should probably have learned that there are works ac- knowledged by the society, and published with their knowledge and approbation. At the time, I did not know this fact, but have since been put by them, in possession of Dunlavy's Manifesto — Christ's second appearing and the Summary View, and 1 am informed by them, that an article recently published by the Rev. Mr. Benedict, in his View of all Religions is authentic. Being de- sirous to do them justice, and neither my health nor time permitting me to make a digest from their books, I requested them to prepare for me, a short article, on their faith and polity, to be inserted in the present edition of this book. This request was complied with, by two intelligent members, who furnished me with a well digested manuscript arti- cle, but it arrived too late — that part of the book to which it belonged, being already printed I thought of inserting it in an appendix but, although much condensed, it was still rather long for a small book TOUR BETWEEN HARTFORD AND QUEBEC. 443 of travels, and it appeared (as the authors intimated in their letter accompanying it,) better adapted to a professedly religious, than a common popular work. I have therefore communcated it to the Editor of a very respectable Religious Miscellany,* in which it will obtain an extensive circulation among a class of readers who will be desirous to receive correct information respecting a subject so little understood. 1 trust that this book now con- tains nothing, in point of fact, whicli the Shakers will pronounce incorrect — my opinion of their celib- -»^i. ^y G°' ^o 0^ .^' ^T ^ . /-^- ■ ^^ ,o) A -^- r- V > ■%^ \ 1 " ,< ■■> >. -■ ■'■o 0^' C ^^ ''''^. x-^- ■^/- ^ o \ .-^^ ^^^. v^ >. ^c. •^^ c o 0^ >^' ^^. ^ (- r^ * ^^ ^ "/ "> A'^s r- •>•, '^. v*^ •A \ ,0 0^ ^.1 , s ^ ^S-'' » V ^ " >V.o -^° .> .s .> _T^i s, « <■ / '^^ 7- o ■^^ \ '^- '^o\\^ ^,0' V^ a 0^ V '^'',' ^ 0' 1 f yt' cS: ^." * » < ^ " ^-^v ,o' ■V o l~ * :^' ^.>^:^. ■^ t «■"