Canada and the Canadians Volume I   By: Richard Henry Bonnycastle (1791-1847)

AND

THE CANADIANS.

BY

SIR RICHARD HENRY BONNYCASTLE, KT.,

LIEUTENANT COLONEL ROYAL ENGINEERS AND MILITIA OF CANADA WEST.

NEW EDITION.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

LONDON: HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.

1849.

F. Shoberl, Jnr. Printer to H.R.H Prince Albert, Rupert Street.

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I. Emigrants And Immigration Page 1

CHAPTER II. The Emigrant and his Prospects 46

CHAPTER III. A Journey to the Westward 90

CHAPTER IV. The French Canadian 127

CHAPTER V. Penetanguishene The Nipissang Cannibals, and a Friendly Brother in the Wilderness 146

CHAPTER VI. Barrie and Big Trees A new Capital of a new District Nature's Canal The Devil's Elbow Macadamization and Mud Richmond Hill without the Lass The Rebellion and the Radicals Blue Hill and Bricks 172

CHAPTER. VII. Toronto and the Transit The Ice and its innovations Siege and Storm of a Fortalice by the Ice king Newark, or Niagara Flags, big and little Views of American and of English Institutions Blacklegs and Races Colonial high life Youth very young 195

CHAPTER VIII. The old Canadian Coach Jonathan and John Bull passengers "That Gentleman" Beautiful River, beautiful drive Brock's Monument Queenston Bar and Pulpit Trotting horse Railroad Awful accident The Falls once more Speculation Water Privilege Barbarism Museum Loafers Tulip trees Rattlesnakes The Burning Spring Setting fire to Niagara A charitable Woman The Nigger's Parrot John Bull is a Yankee Political Courtship Lundy's Lane Heroine Welland Canal 217

CHAPTER IX. The Great Fresh water Seas of Canada 266

CANADA

AND

THE CANADIANS.

CHAPTER I.

Emigrants and Immigration.

Very surprising it seems to assert that the Mother Country knows very little about the finest colony which she possesses and that an enlightened people emigrate from sober, speculative England, sedate and calculating Scotland, and trusting, unreflective Ireland, absolutely and wholly ignorant of the total change of life to which they must necessarily submit in their adopted home.

I recollect an old story, that an old gunner, in an old fashioned, three cornered cocked hat, who was my favourite playfellow as a child, used to tell about the way in which recruits were obtained for the Royal Artillery.

The recruiting sergeant was in those days dressed much finer than any field marshal of this degenerate, railway era; in fact, the Horse Guards always turned out to the sergeant major of the Royal Military Academy of Woolwich, when that functionary went periodically to the Golden Cross, Charing Cross, to receive and escort the young gentlemen cadets from Marlow College, who were abandoning the red coat and drill of the foot soldier to become neophytes in the art and mystery of great gunnery and sapping.

"The way they recruited was thus," said the bombadier. "The gallant sergeant, bedizened in copper lace from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, and with a swagger which no modern drum major has ever presumed to attempt, addressed a crowd of country bumpkins.

"'Don't listen to those gentlemen in red; their sarvice is one which no man who has brains will ever think of footing it over the univarsal world; they have usually been called by us the flatfoots. They uses the musquet only, and have hands like feet, and feet like fireshovels.