Volume Ii Part 11 (1/2)

Kingston is one hundred and eighty-nine miles from Toronto by land, and one hundred and eighty by water; and the journey is performed in the mail-packets, which stop at several places occasionally, in eighteen hours, or about ten miles an hour, with detention for taking in wood, the speed averaging eleven.

CHAPTER XVII.

Equipage for a Canadian Gentleman Farmer--Superiority of certain iron tools made in the United States to English--Prices of Farming Implements and Stock--Prices of Produce--Local and Munic.i.p.al Administration--Courts of Law--Excursion to the River Trent--Bay of Quint--Prince Edward's Island--Belleville--Political Parsons--A Democratic Bible needed--Arrogance of American politicians--Trent Port--Brighton--Murray Ca.n.a.l in embryo--Trent River--Percy and Percy Landing--Forest Road--A Neck or nothing Leap--Another perilous leap, and advice about leaping--Life in the Bush exemplified in the History of a Settler--Seymour West--Prices of Land near the Trent--System of Barter--Crow Bay--Wild Rice--Healy's Falls--Forsaken Dwellings.

”A truant disposition” took me into another district on my return to Kingston, as I was thoroughly determined to see a thoroughly new Canadian settlement, and therefore prepared, by purchasing a new waggon and a new pair of horses, to start for Seymour West, in the Newcastle district, some 120 miles north-west, and upwards of twenty miles in the Bush from the main stream of settlement, where a young friend was beginning life, for whom the horses, waggon, and sundry conveniences for farming and a few little luxuries were intended.

A waggon, dear settling reader, in Canada, is not a great lumbering wooden edifice upon four wheels, whose broad circ.u.mferences occupy about four feet of the road, and contain some ton or two of iron, as our dear Kentish hop-waggons are wont to show in the Borough of Southwark, or throughout lordly London, those carrying coals. No, it is a long box, painted green or red, a perfect parallelogram, with two seats in it, composed of single boards, and occasionally the luxury of an open-work back to lean against; which boards are fastened to an ash frame on each side, thus affording an apology for a spring seat. This is the body; the soul, or carriage, by which said body is moved, consists of four narrow wheels, the fore pair traversing by a primitive pin under the body, the hind pair attached to the vehicle itself. A pole, or, as it is called, a tongue, projects from the front, and can be easily detached; _et voila tout_! The expense is sixteen pounds currency, or about twelve sterling for a first-rate article, with swingle bars, or, as they are always called here, ”whipple-trees,” to attach the traces to. A set of double harness is six pounds, and two very good horses may be obtained for thirty more, making in all fifty-two pounds Canada money, or a little more than forty sterling, for an equipage fit for a gentleman farmer's all work, namely, to carry a field, or to ride to church and market in.

There are two or three other things requisite, and among the foremost a first-rate axe. No man should ever travel in Canada without an axe, for you never know, even on the great main roads, when you may want it to remove a fallen tree, or to mend your waggon with. A first-rate axe will cost you, handle and all, seven s.h.i.+llings and sixpence currency, but then it is a treasure afterwards; whereas, a cheap article will soon wear out or break. Strange to say, Sheffield and Birmingham do not produce coa.r.s.e cutting tools for the Canada market, that can compete with the American. It has been remarked, of late years, that even all carpenters' tools, and spades, pickaxes, shovels, _et id genus omne_, are all cheaper, better, and more durable from the States, than those imported from England. Let our manufacturers at home look to this in time, and, eschewing the spirit of gain, cease to make cutting tools like Peter Pindar's razors. In the finer departments, such as surgical and other scientific instruments, Jonathan is as far astern; and, although he may use a sword-blade very well, he has not yet made one like Prosser's.

In heavy ironwork Jonathan is advancing with rapid strides; and even the Canadian, whom he looks down upon with some contempt, is competing with him in the forging and casting of steam-engines. There are very respectable foundries at Kingston, Toronto, Niagara, and Montreal. The only difficulty I have yet heard of is in making large shafts. Every other kind of heavy iron or steel manufacture can now be rapidly and better done in Canada than in the United States--I say advisedly _better_ done, because the boilers made in Canada do not burst, nor do the engines break, as they do in the charming mud valley of the Mississippi. For one accident in Canada there are five hundred in the States; in fact, I remember only one by which lives were lost, and that happened to a small steamer near Montreal, about four years ago; whereas, they go to smash in the Union with the same go-ahead velocity as they go to caucus, and seem to care as little about the matter.

John Bull often calculates much more sedately and to the purpose than his restless offspring, who seem to hold it as a first principle of the declaration of independence that a man has a right to be blown up or scalded to death.

They are as national in this as in naming new cities. What names, by the by, they do give them!--think of _Alphadelphia_ in Michigan, Buc_y_rus in Ohio, _Ca.s.s_-opolis, from, I suppose, General Ca.s.s, in Michigan, Juliet in Illinois, Kalida (it ought to be Rowland Kalydor) in Ohio, Milan in Ohio, Ma.s.silon in Ohio, Peru in Iowa, Racine in Wisconsin, Tiffin in Ohio, and Ypsilanti in Michigan. Caesar, Pompey, Ca.s.sius, Brutus, Homer, Virgil, and all the heathen G.o.ds, G.o.ddesses, demi-G.o.ds, and republicans, are sown as thick as leaves in Vallombrosa.

But to return to farming. You may have a plough, of the hundred new Yankee inventions, or of a good substantial Canadian cut, for six dollars, a wheat cradle scythe for the same, complete, a common scythe for ten s.h.i.+llings, or less; and thus for less than one hundred pounds, the farm may be stocked with two horses, two bullocks, two cows, (a good cow is worth five pounds) pigs, and poultry. Sheep you must not attempt, until a sufficient clearance of grazing ground is completed, but you can buy as many there as you want, of the very best kind, for three or four dollars a head. A good ram, bull, or boar, is, however, scarce, and proportionably dear, but most of the districts now have agricultural societies, at whose meetings prizes are given for every kind of stock, and the farmers are devoting much more of their attention to rearing horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs, than was the case ten years ago, when almost all the markets were supplied from the United States. Kingston and Toronto now are supplied from their own bulk; and, as it will interest an emigrant intending to settle, I shall give the market prices of both cities, premising only that, in country towns, provision of all kinds is much cheaper.

Toronto, January 2, 1846.

s. d. s. d.

Flour, per barrel, 196 lb 25 0 @ 28 0 Oatmeal, per barrel, 196 lb 17 6 ... 20 0 Wheat, per bushel, 60 lb 4 9 ... 5 3 Rye, per bushel, 56 lb 2 9 ... 3 0 Barley, per bushel, 48 lb 2 4 ... 2 9 Oats, per bushel, 34 lb 1 10 ... 2 2 Peas, per bushel, 60 lb 2 6 ... 3 0 Timothy, per bushel, 60 lb 4 0 ... 5 0 Beef, farmers', per 100 lb 12 6 ... 17 6 Beef, per lb 0 3 ... 0 4 Pork, farmers', per 100 lb 21 3 ... 27 6 Bacon, per lb 0 4 ... 0 6 Mutton, by the quarter, per lb 0 2 ... 0 3 Veal, by the quarter, per lb 0 2 ... 0 4 b.u.t.ter, in roll, per lb 0 8 ... 0 10 b.u.t.ter, in tub, per lb 0 7 ... 0 9 Turkeys, each 1 3 ... 3 9 Geese, each 1 3 ... 1 6 Ducks, per couple 0 10 ... 1 3 Chickens, per pair 0 10 ... 1 3 Eggs, per dozen 1 3 ... 1 3 Potatoes, per bushel 3 0 ... 2 3 Hay, per ton 70 0 ... 90 0 Straw, per ton 40 0 ... 50 0

Kingston, January 31, 1846.

s. d. s. d.

Flour, per 112 lb 14 0 @ 14 6 Oatmeal, per 112 lb 14 6 ... 0 0 Wheat, per bushel 5 0 ... 5 6 Barley, ditto 3 0 ... 3 3 Hay, per ton 47 6 ... 52 6 Straw, ditto 25 0 ... 30 0 Potatoes, per bushel 2 0 ... 2 3 Beef, per hundred 20 0 ... 22 6 Veal, per lb 0 3 ... 0 4 Mutton, ditto 0 3 ... 0 4 b.u.t.ter, in roll 0 9 ... 0 10 Eggs, per dozen 0 9 ... 0 10 Turkeys, per couple 5 0 ... 7 6 Partridges, per pair 5 0 ... 0 0 Ducks, per couple 1 8 ... 2 0

The standard weights of grain and pulse, in Canada West, were regulated by Act of Parliament in 1835.

lbs.

Wheat 60 Rye 56 Peas 60 Barley 48 Oats 34 Beans 50 Indian Corn 56 Equal to a Winchester bushel.

The price of keeping one horse in Kingston is about sixpence per day, in Toronto a s.h.i.+lling, but much less in all country places.

The affairs of the districts into which Canada is divided are managed by a warden and councillors in each district, and two councillors are elected for each towns.h.i.+p, having above 300 qualified voters, and one for each having a less number. The improvement of the district roads, bridges, schools, jails, court-houses, and all public matters requiring expenditure of the taxes raised within the district, are arranged by this Board. Some very useful information for settlers is contained in the following:--

Statute Labour.--Every male inhabitant, from twenty-one to sixty, not rated on the a.s.sessment Roll, is liable to work on the highways for two days.

Every a.s.sessed inhabitant is, in proportion to the estimate of his real and personal property on the Roll, liable to work on the highways, as follows:--Under 25 two days; under 50 three days; from that to 75 four days; from that to 100 five days; and

For every 50 above 100, up to 500, one day; ” 100 ” 500, ” 1000, ”

” 200 ” 1000, ” 2000, ”

” 300 ” 2000, ” 3500, ”