(Dntarin
PAPERS AND RECORDS
VOL. XIII.
vJ
TORONTO
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY 1915
($tttctri0
(Incorporated by Act of the Legislature of Ontario, April 1st, 1899.)
*) (j'c o
HOME OF THE SOCIETY
Normal School Building, St. James Square, Toronto
OFFICERS 1914-1915
HONORARY PRESIDENT
The Hon. Robert A. Pyne, M.A., LL.D., M.P.P., Minister of Education,
Toronto.
PRESIDENT
C'laraucc M. Warner Napanee
VICE-PRESIDENTS
Sir Edmund Walker, C.V.O., LL.D., D.C.L., F.R.S.C Toronto
Miss Janet Carnochan Niagara
and the Presidents of affiliated Societies.
COUNCILLORS
Mrs. Braddish Billings Ottawa
J. Stuart Carstairs, B.A Toronto
Alexander Fraser, LL.D., Litt.D., F.S.A.Scot. (Edin.) Toronto
Joseph L. Gilmour, B.A., D.D. (McMaster University) Toronto
W. T ,'t?ranv A^A., F.R.S.C. (Queen's University) Kingston
mes Henry Ccfne, LL.D., F.R.S.C St. Thomas
* ft Ex-President 1898-1902.
Charles Canniff James, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S.C Toronto
Ex-President 1902-1904.
George R. Pattullo, Ex- President 1904-1906 Woodstock
David Williams, Ex-President 1910-1912 Collingwood
John Dearness, M.A., Ex-President 1912-1914 London
TREASURER C. C. James, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S.C 144 St. George St., Toronto
SECRETARY AND LIBRARIAN
A, F. Hunter, M.A., Normal School Building, St. James Square, Toronto
CONTENTS
I. Annals of an Old Post Office on Yonge Street ( Richmond Hill). THE
LATE MATTHEW TEEFY - 5
II. Some Unpublished Letters from General Brock 8
III. Some Mistakes in History. Miss JANET CARNOCHAN - 24
IV. The Valley of The Ottawa in 1613. BENJAMIN SULTE, L.L.D., F.R.S.C. 31 V. Gleanings from Ottawa Scrap-Books. Miss AMEY HORSEY 36
VI. The Highway of the Ottawa. T. W. EDWIN SOWTER 42
VII. The County History as a Factor in Social Progress. Miss EDITH L.
MARSH 53
VIII. The Rush-Bagot Agreement of 1817. E. H. SCAMMELL 58
IX. Early Militia Matters in Upper Canada, 1808-1842. REV. A. B. SHERK 67
'X The British North American League, 1849. PROFESSOR CEPHAS
D. ALLIN - - 74
The Ontario Historical Society does not assume responsibility for the statements of its contributors.
ANNALS OF AN OLD POST OFFICE ON YONGE STREET (RICHMOND HILL).
BV THE LATE MATTHEW TEEFY
The Post Office at Richmond Hill was established on 6th January, 1836, the postmasters having been successively : 1st, James Sinclair ; 2nd, John "Wellington, and 3rd, Matthew Teefy. The appointment of Mr. Teefy, the writer, is dated 3rd December, 1850, and he may therefore claim to be the oldest postmaster in the Dominion of Canada.* At the time of appointment, the Post Office Department of Canada was under the control of Mr. T. A. Stayuer, as the deputy of the Postmaster-General of England. The Canadian Government assumed the control of the Department on 6th April, 1851, when the Hon. James Morris was ap- pointed the first Postmaster General of Canada.
At that time the rates of postage, reckoned in shillings and pence, were charged according to distance ; for instance, from Richmond Hill to
s. d. Toronto
Port Hope 7
Kingston 9
Kemptville Iiy2
Montreal 1 . iy2
Napierville 1 . 4
Quebec 1. 6
Murray Bay 1 . 8
Rimouski 1 . 10y2
Cross Point, Gaspe 2 .
Carleton, Gaspe 2 . 3
Gaspe Basin 2 . 5
St. Andrews, N. B 2 iy>
Halifax, N. S 2. 9y2
Plaister Cove, N. S 3. 0
Prepayment was optional. If prepaid the letter would be rated in red ink, if not prepaid it would be rated in black.
On the 6th April, 1851, a uniform rate of three pence was adopted by the Canadian Government together with postage stamps. The first issue of postage stamps were Id, 3d, 6d, 7y2d, 10d, 12d. If a letter ex- ceeded half an ounce, the rate was doubled. Postage on letters for the
'This paper was dated Aueust 20th, 1909
6 ONTAEIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
United Kingdom, one shilling and four pence; newspapers one penny. Provincial newspapers, half penny each; to and from the United State*, one penny. Pamphlets, one penny per ounce.
The money order system was established in 1855.
The decimal mode of postage rates was adopted in 1859.
Neighbouring post offices with which I communicated direct were: Cashel, Gormley, Headford, Maple, Oak Eidges, Victoria Square, Thorn- hill. All letters for Quebec, Europe, or any place beyond Toronto, I forwarded to Toronto, which office despatched them.
The mail was conveyed from Toronto by Charles Thompson's stage line, running between the city and Holland Landing, arriving at Rich- mond Hill about noon. There was one mail from Toronto each day, and one from the north.
Thornhill P. 0. was established in 1829, and was first named "Purdy's Mills."
A Political Incident. — The Hon. William Allan was the first post- master of the Town of York (now Toronto). He resigned in the year 1828, and was succeeded by his clerk, Mr. James Scott Howard, who was (in 1837) dismissed by Sir F. B. Head on the following charges: First, "that he associated too much with 'Reformers' ". Second, "that he entertained opinions 'favourable to an elective legislative council.' ' Third, "that his son read Mackenzie's and O'Grady's newspapers rather than others," and Fourth, "that he (Mr. Howard) entertained the "opin- ion that the Lieutenant-Governor was a mere 'citizen. " He was suc- ceeded by Mr. Charles Berczy.
In Vol. 37 of Canadian Pamphlets in the Ontario Legislative Library* may be found: "A Statement of Facts Relative to the Dismissal of James S. Howard, late Postmaster of Toronto." It is from that statement that the above charges are copied. The Home District Council afterwards appointed Mr. Howard County Treasurer, an office which he held until his death.
Affaire d 'amour. — Written correspondence in newspapers, being con- trary to the P. 0. Department Regulations, postmasters are instructed to examine such as are suspected, and when found, to send them to the Dead Letter Department. It was a practice frequently indulged in by ladies — old and young. I remember an instance that came under my notice several years ago ; a charming young lady posted a newspaper in this office, addressed to a young gentleman in a distant town; on examin- ing it I found it contained written correspondence, winding up with the pressing question as follows: "When are you going to ask Pa?" Of course the gentleman did not receive the paper, and did not pop the question. She punished him for the apparent neglect, and was married to a gentleman nearer home. I danced at the wedding. I do not think that I could now repeat a similar performance — after my eighty-seventh birthday !
j * This was written before the fire of 1909
ANNALS OF AN OLD POST OFFICE 7
In this old post office may be seen, framed, William Lyon Mackenzie's declaration of "Independence," 1837; an address to the free and inde- pendent electors of the Counties of Durham, Siincoe, and the East riding of the County of York ; another, bearing the date : ' ' York, 14th July, 1800. Signed Wm. Jarvis," and other mementoes of historic interest.
While Sir William Mulock was in charge of the Post Office Depart- ment of Canada, the annual deficit, of which there had been a series, be- came an annual surplus, and this notwithstanding a reduced postage rate and Imperial penny postage.
Churches at Richmond Hill.
The frame of the first Presbyterian church was raised in the month of July, 1819, when a large gathering of the inhabitants of the village and surrounding country were assisting at "the raising." At noon, on the day of the gathering, the Duke of Richmond with his suite, stopped in the village, then known as "Mount Pleasant," to dine, as he was on his way to Penetanguishene. In honor of the Duke's visit, the inhabit- ants decided to change the name from Mount Pleasant to that of "Rich- mond Hill." The church was completed in 1821. The first pastor was the Rev. Mr. Jenkins. The present brick church was erected in 1880.
The first Methodist church was a frame building, erected in 1847 ; the first person to hold service in it was a Mr. Robert Campbell, a devout local preacher. That building was destroyed by fire on 21st December, 1879. In 1881, the present brick edifice was erected on the corner of Yonge and Centre street.
The first Roman Catholic church was a frame building, erected on Mill street, in 1858; pastor, the Rev. Father McNulty. This building was taken down, after thirty-six years, and the foundation of a brick church was laid on another site on Yonge street, on 17th June, 1894; it was completed and blessed by Archbishop Walsh on 25th November fol- lowing as "St. Mary's."
The first Anglican congregation assembled for divine service in a public hall, fitted for the purpose ; it was served by the Rev. D. Blake, of Thornhill. The building was damaged by fire, but subsequently was re- paired and services resumed. In 1870 a brick church was erected on a new site on the west side of Yonge street ; pastor, Rev. R. Shanklin.
Schools. — The first school house of which there is any record, is "the old log school house," which served its purpose as early as 1810. In 1847, a brick building was erected on the old school site ; additions have been erected as circumstances required. A "grammar school" was established in 1852, Mr. W. Clark being the first master.
Postscript. — Richmond Hill became dry about three years ago (1906), having passed a By-law in favor of "local option." In earlier times, thirsty folk had a choice of four taverns within the village limits. From Toronto to Holland Landing, a distance of thirty-two miles, in the early fifties, there were over sixty-five such places of entertainment.
II.
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GENERAL BROCK.
Introductory Note.
The following letters from Brock have never been printed and seem to have escaped the notice of all his biographers. Those written from Fort George at Niagara were addressed to Major (afterwards Lieut. Colonel) James Green, Military Secretary to Lieut. General Peter Hunter, who was Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 17th of August, 1799, until his death, which took place at Quebec on the 21st of August, 1805. Their interest is mainly personal. Soon after his return from England in the summer of 1806, Brock succeeded to the command of the military forces in Canada, vacated by the departure of Colonel G. Foord Bowes. The letters addressed to the Hon. Thomas Dunn and Lieut. Governor Gore and the instructions to Lieut Colonel Pye were written while exercising this command under the apprehension of imminent hos- tilities with the United States arising out of the attack on the Chesapeake. They throw considerable light on the military situation at that time and his scheme of defence. The original or official copies of all these docu- ments are preserved in the Dominion Archives at Ottawa.
E. A. CRUIKSHANK
Calgary, Alberta, 6th Sept., 1909.
Sir:—
From Lt. Col. Brock to Major Green.
Fort George, October 26th, 1803.
You will find enclosed the papers respecting the lots granted to Messrs. "W. & J. Crooks and Mr. Forsyth, signed and corrected in the manner directed in your letter.
I found the garrison on my arrival in the same quiet state as when I left it.
The Camden has arrived at Fort Erie by which Lt. Colonel Vincent has announced the desertion of three men of his detachment. These are disagreeable events which in our present situation we must submit to with patience. They were three fine lads, had been six years in the Regiment, and one (Walsh) was Captain Harris's servant. It's really difficult to determine upon whom to place confidence
Since writing the above the desertion of two men is reported from
Chippawa
(C. 513, Pp. 98-9.)
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FEOM GENERAL BEOCK. 9
From Lt. Col. Brock to Major Green.
Port George, November 27th, 1803. Dear Major: —
Mr. Burch sent me the packet of letters with which he was entrusted four or five days later than I was made to expect to get it, however, no opportunity offered for Amherstburg, it did not much signify. Enclosed I return agreeably to your desire the letters addressed to Lt. Colonel Vincent and Captain Clerk.
The Indian express only got here yesterday. I beg you will offer the General my grateful thanks in sanctioning my taking a rope from the store. The net has not been idle, though we cannot boast of much suc- cess, and it is so mierably rotten that every haul is sure to create con- siderable expense. Skinner will have charge of a few white fish but I am told the latter has not yet arrived to perfection.
The Adjutant has been directed to write to Captain Harris to wait on General Hunter with my best respects for his permission to send the drummers to Fort George.
I am sorry beyond expression to state that Captain Dennis was the day before yesterday so very ill as to leave very little chance of his re- covery. Besides the great loss which the 49th unquestionably will sus- tain by his death, it will produce a certain dread on the minds of the ladies and make them particularly apprehensive when they engage in a matrimonial scheme with any individual of the Regiment when they learn that those who made the experiment were left to lament their fate. It seems to be decreed for some unknown sin that an officer of the corps seals his early death at the time he bestows his hand and heart on a female. As you esteem us you will keep this fatal secret locked up in the utmost recess of your heart. Hum ! ! !
You must see I have nothing official to say after reading this non- sensical digression. Believe me in which I include friend Carry.
(P.S.) — Since writing I have seen your note to Captain Claus to whom I have given the letters for Amherstburg and St. Joseph's to be forwarded by the first opportunity. I shall thank you to forward the enclosed to its address.
(C. 513, Pp. 111-3.)
From Lt. Col. Brock to Major Green.
Fort George, December 22nd, 1803. Sir:—
I have the honor to inform you that in consequence of receiving in- telligence of the arrival at Newark of a young man who was suspected of being a Frenchman, I thought necessary to question him on the subject
10 ONTAEIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
and found that he was born at St. Domingo and had come into this coun- try as clerk to Mr. Wilson. This gentleman, it appears, is an English- man, but has for a long time been employed by the Americans as a com- missary or in some such other office. Three of his clerks have come in here in charge of a large assortment of goods with which he proposes to establish a store at this place, Presqu'ile, and Detroit. Houmon, of whom I wish to speak, is one of these. His Excellency will naturally believe from what I have said that I entertain too great apprehensions in regard to any mischief this young man would commit, but, notwith- standing, I conceived it my duty to call on the magistrates to summon this foreigner before them in order that his real object for coming to this country might be formally investigated, in the hope some slight restraint might be put to his going at large until he obtained His Excellency's permission.
This was done on my part with a view of convincing all Frenchmen they were liable to interruption in case they presumed to enter the Province without a regular passport. I was, however, greatly disap- pointed by being told by Messrs. Hamilton, Kerr, and Edwards that no power rested with them to summon a stranger of whatever nation he might belong unless accused of a specific charge in breach of the law. This doctrine, which appears to me so very strange, I think it is my duty to lay before His Excellency that he may know the sentiments of the principal magistrates in regard to a point which I cannot avoid consider- ing at this juncture of the utmost importance.
These gentlemen say that since the expiration of the Alien Bill there is no law which authorizes a magistrate to take cognizance, much less obstruct a Frenchman coming into this country.
I have inadvertently turned this sheet, but as time will not permit my copying it, have the goodness to excuse the accident.
(C. 14, Pp. 130-1.)
Dear Major: —
From Lt. Col. Brock to Major Green.
Fort George, December 22nd, 1803.
The vessels which I informed you had arrived at Fort Erie with an intention of returning this season to Amherstburg have since given up the idea. What renders the disappointment particularly distressing is that the post which left this last Saturday for Amherstburg is gone without taking any of the letters which I had in charge for that post. This was owing to the neglect of the postmaster, Mr. Edwards, who gave no public notice of the day on which the mail would be made up, and who, I suppose, conceived it beneath his dignity to give me the least intimation on the subject. I am very happy in being able to say that the men of this garrison behave with uncommon propriety. I trust in
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FKOM GENEEAL BROCK. [ i
God they may long continue in the same disposition. The commander of the American vessel, Adams, a blunt, disgusting fellow who commands on Lake Erie, represented to me the other day that three or four soldiers of that nation who were doing duty on board his vessel, having deserted, were immediately received on board the Camden. He therefore wished to know whether it was our intention to countenance such a proceeding.
Without giving him any direct answer to his enquiries, I was so very attentive and polite that he left me seeming highly satisfied. I, however, think proper to mention the circumstance. He observed in the course of conversation that if we could find no method of procuring men for our vessels but by distressing his government, he would be under the necessity of retaliating. The Engineer is getting on pretty fast with the different works which he has to finish during the winter. My letters from England are of an old date ; your kind communications were there- fore very gratifying. Colonel Sheaffe observed that he had received a letter from the Duke of Northumberland, who was busily employed in training 1500 of his tenantry whom he had armed and clothed at his own expense and given the command of them to his son, the gallant Percy. It is pleasing to hear of the exertions of men of such amazing influence, as their energy must diffuse itself to all around. I now look upon Eng- land as placed beyond a possibility of danger.
The Major White, whom you mention in your letter, was, if I mistake not, adjutant of the 32nd. In that case he was an officer esteemed to possess great military merit.
We are at a loss what to allow the field officers who have been de- prived of their companies. They are certainly entitled to more than the twenty pounds which the order mentions, as it states they are to be al- lowed the same as captains, but what that is, it is difficult to decide. I shall thank you, since the charge must be made in this month's pay list, to give me what insight you are able on the subject. Doctor Walsh, it should appear, has taken his abode for the winter at Montreal to the extreme inconvenience of poor Buchanan, who having lately lost his wife, would be happy to go to the assistance of three infant children. I shall try to prevail on the Indians to take charge of a few fish which are now coming in tolerably plentiful. With every sentiment of respect to the General and kind remembrances to Carry, I remain.
(C. 513, Pp. 114-6.)
Sir:—
From Lt. Col. Brock to Major Green.
Fort George, December 31st, 1803.
In consequence of the directions contained in your letter of the 28th instant, the Frenchman, Simon Hamot, and not Houmon, as I first wrote it, has been ordered to quit the province. It now appears from his own
12 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
confession that he was born in France, which he denied the first time he was interrogated, but pretended to be a native of St. Domingo.
I beg leave here to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential letter of the same date. I have been prepared for some time to guard against any mischief which the arrival of the person to whom it alludes* might create, in consequence of being apprized by an American gentleman, that he heard him express a strong wish of viewing the falls of Niagara be- fore he took his departure for Europe. I have adopted such measures as will ensure my receiving the earliest notice of his arrival on the oppos- ite side. I, however, thought it unlikely that he could at this time under- take so long a journey, which made me less anxious to mention the in- formation I had received to you.
(C. 14, P. 132.)
From Lt. Col. Brock to Major Green.
Fort George, January 7th, 1804. Sir: —
Having been applied to by Walsh, the person who keeps the ferry, respecting a house situated on the reserve to which he pretends to have a claim, I desired him to state his case in writing, which I beg leave to en- close for His Excellency's perusal and determination. Walsh bears the character of an industrious, sober man.
(C. 513, P. 118.)
From Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Fort George, April 25, 1804. My Dear Colonel: —
By the very good management of Mr. Earl, we contrived to reach this place at twelve at night and was made happy in finding everything as it ought to be.
By this day's post I have received two London papers of the 22nd and 27th February. They are of course forwarded for the perusal of my friends at York. The melancholy picture which the Dutch government give of that ill fated country will attract much attention and commisera- tion. I have been busily employed the whole evening in reading other English papers of a date earlier than those which I send. They contain much interesting matter, but as they belong to a society of genlemen, I cannot, considering the conditions which were imposed on me, indulge
* Thomas Barclay, the British Consul at New York, had written to Sir R. S. Milnes and also to l.t.-General Hunter that Jerome Bonaparte was likely to visit Canada.
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GENERAL BROCK. 13
you with a sight. I, however, send a few extracts. General Meyers is nominated to command in the W. I. Major General Stewart, Governor of Grenada.
Sir James Craig appointed to the 86th Begt. General John White gets 46th. Lord Charles Somerset 1st W. I.
Lt. Colonel John Stewart (unattached) succeeds Vesey in the 52nd, who is removed to the Nova Scotia Fencibles vice Roberts deceased
The volunteer business does not seem to get on in a very cordial manner. New arts have been introduced which plainly shew that the establishment is not on a proper footing and that people begin to tire.
In my paper, the Albany Gazette, there is an account from Prance, 29th Peby., which I do not see in any other paper. It states that Moreau, La Payette, Pichegru, have been arrested when on the eve of dethroning
B The vessel which brought the intelligence had arrived
immediately from Bayonne. I mention the circumstance only because it is possible.
Mr. Crooks has a letter from his brother dated Glasgow, 7th Feby., which says : ' ' The Canadian Fencibles are getting on very slowly. They have scarcely 100 recruits."
The Toronto takes three tables, six forms, thirty-one ash boxes. The remainder intended for York will be shipped by the Speedy which arrived yesterday with a cargo of peas, and as she reached the landing this day, I shall be able to despatch probably the day after to-morrow.
I enclose the necessary estimates for the erection of a house near the light house for the accommodation of the person who is to have charge of it.
I wish to have written more intelligibly but the lateness of the hour has obliged me to hurry. I shall try to send the papers which have oc- casioned this scrawl by Paxton. It is now past one, therefore adieu.
(C. 726, Pp. 147-9.)
From Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Port George, May 3rd, 1804. Dear Colonel: —
I have received the letters you entrusted to Captain Nicolls. Every attention will be paid to their contents. I have nothing of moment to report to you. Have the goodness just to mention to General Hunter that one of the men who was supposed to be implicated in the abominable
14 ONTAEIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
transaction that was laid by the magistrates before the Attorney General, has been fully freed after a strict investigation, from any knowledge of what was intended by the other wretch. He, therefore, has been re- leased. The guilty will be sent to Kingston by the first opportunity and there discharged agreeably to the permission already given me. He would have been discharged the instant his guilt was established, but that having been requested by the garrison on the opposite side not to increase the number of scoundrels already inhabiting their neighborhood, 1 am fearful of giving umbrage. Policy demands this attention.
The public prints contain according to my estimation the most im- portant information. I am apt to believe the Deal account of the counter revolution in France. It is but natural to believe men of such prudent characters as Moreau and Pichegru are acknowledged to be, would first collect at Paris as many partisans as could meet there without creating suspicion before the latter and others of the same sentiment would venture in France. The conspiracy being discovered, the blow must be struck, otherwise ruin is the inevitable fate of all concerned, and we know that one stab is sufficient to effect every purpose, besides how many instances are to be found in history of men such as Bonaparte falling by the very means they adopted to secure themselves. His guards in all likelihood did the deed. If it be ascertained that a French General actually landed at Deal so immediately after the apprehension of Moreau, the fact in my mind, is certain. A post or two will, however, clear the business. May it be such as will benefit the dear little island is the ardent prayer of.
(P.S.) — Glaus and I still keep determined to cross to you by the next trip the Toronto takes. Sheep cannot be procured. I send a lamb and a piece of beef.
(C. 513, Pp. 138-40.)
Dear Colonel: —
From Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Fort George, Wednesday, 18th May, 1804.
We had the good fortune to be landed before three and found that no disagreeable occurrence had happened during my absence with the exception of a desertion from Fort Erie of which we were already ac- quainted.
1 have letters from England as late as the 6th March. They contain nothing of a public nature but what the newspapers have already an- nounced.
General Burton was dismissed from the service but reinstated im- mediately after.
The General's trees have not arrived. Mrs. Stewart informed iny messenger that she had received a letter concerning them which gave
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GENERAL BROCK. 15
her reason to expect their arrival every moment. No attention will be wanting to preserve and to have them speedily forwarded to York, when once they get in my possession.
I am very sorry to say the number of sick have greatly increased. We have now twelve attacks of fever, not very alarming — three were brought from Chippawa. No intelligence of the Camden. The different packages entrusted to my care have been already forwarded agreeably to their respective address. .,
The General will permit me to say that the great civility and atten- tion which I constantly receive from him in my frequent excursions to York can never be forgotten.
With every wish for your health and happiness in which Carry is sincerely included, allow me to subscribe myself.
(C. 513, Pp. 141-2.)
From Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Fort George, July 13th, 1804. My dear Sir : —
That you have lost the sale of your majority by an unjustifiable rep- resentation of General Gordon, there can be no doubt. The Duke, we know, is too liberal and indeed too just to deprive you of a well earned stipend without means being employed to deceive him. I, therefore, trust that a memorial stating things as they actually are, may be productive of much good. General Gordon could not surely divulge the confidential communication you made him with regard to the negotiations you were
carrying with Captain H and yet how could he accomplish his end
without resorting to such a mean artifice.
Your last letter is dated 18th ulto. The different General Orders, Courts Martial, etc., I received by the same opportunity. The Duke of Kent arrived here last Sunday, a perfect wreck, having carried away both top-masts. The Commodore represents this accident to have hap- pened rather in an extraordinary manner. The flaw of wind which caused such mischief was neither observed coming nor was its effect felt on deck. It subsided as suddenly as it came which enabled the Com- modore to save nearly the whole of the rigging and all the sails. We are busily employed in getting her ready for sea. Proper masts have been procured with some difficulty with which she will be fitted, I trust, to- morrow. A very trifling expense will be incurred. The Duke of Kent brought the Indian presents and delivered them in very good order. Mr. Fleming, the surgeon, has arrived and proceeded to Fort Erie.
Captain Dennis has informed that he has apprehended a seaman, a deserter from the Camden. I have directed he might be detained until her arrival.
16 ONTARIO HISTOBICAL SOCIETY.
"We get on here so smoothly that I have little more to do than to attend to my garden which comes on most luxuriantly. The last ten days have produced a great deal of rain which came seasonably and has done much good to the country.
We have very little intercourse with York since the General left it. There are three or four strange families arrived and are waiting for a vessel to cross.
You will perceive that I have intermixed in this letter some trifling official matter, a thing I scarcely intended. You can, however, easily cull what may be necessary.
We are anxiously waiting to hear of the arrival of the fleet which, if reports say true, will terminate your stay at Quebec.
I trust the General will return quite renovated in health and that you and Carry may bring along with you your usual portion. We have but one man in hospital and he was sent down from Amherstburg in a consumption to try the effect of change of air.
(C. 726, Pp. 157-9.)
Dear Sir : —
From Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Fort George, July 28th, 1804.
I have little else to notice than the receipt of your letters of the 21st and 22nd, and the arrival of the Camden at Port Erie just in time to receive the Indian presents with which she will sail in a day or two for Amherstburg.
Everything remains quiet in the different quarters. The reports received from the officers commanding are very satisfactory, both as to the behaviour and health of the men.
A deal of rain has fallen of late, which, I fear, will prove very hurt- ful to the grain. The grass will, however, be benefitted, which must relieve the exorbitant price the farmer has set on his hay.
With every sentiment of esteem, believe me,
(C. 513, P. 158.)
Prom. Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Fort George, August 7th, 1804. Sir: —
I have nothing more to notice than the receipt of your letter of the 20th ulto. I shall be ready to embark immediately on the arrival of the
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GENERAL BROCK. 17
Toronto. I have thought it necessary to detain the Speedy here as she may be required to remove the intended reinforcement of fifteen or twenty men to Kingston. The Camden has sailed some days. Having nothing more to add will convince His Excellency everything remains in profound quietness.
(C. 513, P. 159.)
Sir:—
From Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Quebec, September 10th, 1804.
We reached this place at daylight yesterday without any incident during the journey worthy of notice. The weather was particularly fine the whole way. Captain Ormsby who arrived on Tuesday was equal- ly fortunate.
Lt. Col. Glasgow reports that everything in regard to the garrison has proceeded in the usual regularity since General Hunter's departure.
You can scarcely expect in the bustle in which I find myself that I should more than merely report my arrival, indeed the English papers of the 5th, 6th, and 7th of July do not afford a single article of the least importance. Matters seem to be carried on in the same dull routine as during the late Ministry. Ti
I cannot, however, withhold saying for the General's information that some officer of the Canadian Fencibles has written to a friend that objections have been started in regard to the terms upon which the men of that corps have been raised and that it was supposed the greater part would be discharged though the writer was not very explicit, it seems evident that one of the family becoming a soldier was sufficient to en- title the rest to a passage to this country. This mode of withdrawing such numbers of persons from Scotland has alarmed gentlemen par- ticularly interested who have represented the business as militating against the provisions of a recent act of Parliament to prevent emigra- tion.^ General Hunter will be pleased to receive my grateful thanks for the confidence reposed in me.
(C. 513, Pp. 163-4.)
Dear Sir :—
Prom Lt. Col. Brock to Lt. Col. Green.
Quebec, November 1st, 1804.
The Lieut. Governor has communicated to me a letter which he
received from Mr. Merry* some time back. The intelligence which it
'British MinieUr at Washington.
18 ONTARIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
contains he considers a mere trick to obtain money. Finding that a similar despatch was forwarded to General Hunter by express, I forbear saying more on the subject making no doubt it carried the same informa- tion.
A vessel has arrived which sailed from Portsmouth either the 10th or 12th of September. She brought no letters or papers. The master says that he understood that a desperate attack had been made on the gunboats which had come out of Boulogne and ranged themselves close to the shore, in which position they were protected by the batteries. That we had suffered greatly in men but that we had succeeded in de- stroying a great number of the boats besides committing great havock among the enemy. I asked him myself whether the people in England were satisfied with what had been done and he assured me they were completely so. The affair may have the effect of inspiring the French soldiery with a dread of our navy when they find that even protected from the shore, they are worsted. This affair was intended to be assured as a trap or rather as a bait to draw us into a scrape. If it tends to breed dismay in the enemy we have attained a great point.
The fleet sailed hence on the 29th. The weather has been remarkably favourable since. The Orpheus got upwards of thirty added to her crew by pressing.
Sad reports are in circulation in regard to poor Paxton which I fear will prove too true.
(C. 513, Pp. 181-4.)
Prom Thomas Barclay* to Hon. Thomas Dunn.
Private. New York, 23 May, 1807.
Sir:-
A Mr. Cassino, who has been French Consul at Portsmouth in New Hampshire, has returned to France last fall, and soon after had an inter- view with the Emperor and Talleyrand, who ordered him out immediately to America. He had a short passage, has been to Washington and is now on his way to Canada. He will probably go first to New Hampshire and enter Canada from thence, but this is not certain. His pretence while here was that he was going to contract at Montreal for furs. His errand assuredly is to tamper with the Canadians for which purpose he has been sent out again. He will probably pass under another name, and either as an Englishman or American. He is from 30 to 40 years of age, near six feet, rather thin, fine teeth, fair complexion, hair, short, curly, and of a sandy colour and coarse. Is a sensible, well informed man, who can converse on any subject. I sincerely hope you may be able to apprehend him in your Province or in Upper Canada.
(C. 14, Pp. 157-8.)
•British Consul at New York
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GENERAL BROCK. 19
From Colonel Brock to President Dunn.
Quebec, 17th July, 1807. Sir:—
It is impossible for a person in my situation to contemplate the intel- ligence received by the last post without immediately calculating upon the means of defence to which he can resort should a rupture between England and America be the ultimate consequence of the events officially announced to have taken place*.
It appears beyond a doubt that measures inimical to the interests of England have already been adopted by the American Government, and that certain points are left for discussion, the result of which is to de- termine the question of peace or war.
There is at least a possibility that these points may be rejected and that war may ensue. I, therefore, conceive I do not go beyond the sphere of my duty in respectfully submitting such observations to Your Honor as appears to me from the military position of this Province to call for serious consideration.
It is well known to Your Honor that the number of militia now armed and every way instructed does not exceed three hundred. As many thousands might easily and with perfect safety be selected and formed into corps.
This force joined with the efficient assistance, were the necessary arrangements instantly taken, upon which we could in that case safely depend from the adjoining Province, added to as many regular troops as could be spared from this garrison, would create a force, which if not competent effectually to stop, at any rate equal to harrass and consider- ably impede the approach of an enemy towards Quebec, and the gain of time in such a country as this, particularly, is everything, but without such an aid, it would be hazardous in the extreme for the military to quit Quebec, and the enemy in that case would move on unmolested.
Whilst every American newspaper teems with violent and hostile resolutions against England, and associations are forming in every town for the ostensible purpose of attacking these Provinces, I consider the time arrived when every loyal subject should be called upon to come forward and show his zeal for His Majesty's service. Such preparatory and cautionary measures can only be inconvenient to the individuals themselves, and they, I am confident, are ready to undergo every sacrifice in such a sacred cause.
What I have taken the liberty of suggesting is certainly at the pres- ent critical juncture deserving of serious deliberations, but I now beg leave to call your attention to a subject of still greater importance, and so far unlike the other that it will not admit of the least procrastination.
'For fuller particulars of these events see the n«it letter.
20 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Quebec, the only military post in this country, is in no condition of making much defence against an active enemy. The walls by which it is enclosed on the western side are very old and much decayed, and could not possibly for any continuance sustain a heavy fire. The works along the whole of that front are so completely uncovered that the first shot might strike the wall at the short distance of six hundred yards at its very base. My object is to throw up such works as will remedy this glar- ing defect, but the garrison is totally inadequate to such a heavy under- taking. I therefore presume to state my wants with the full confidence of meeting that support and assistance from the civil government as the exigencies of the case evidently require.
Six hundred to a thousand men would be required every day for six weeks besides a vast number of carts, &c., &c.
Should war with America take place, probably no serious attempt will be made against this Province before spring. In that case there will be sufficient time to arm and form the inhabitants into some degree of order, but in regard to the additional works proposed to be constructed, unless they are completed before the middle of October, they must be postponed until some time in May. It will then be too late to enter upon such an undertaking. These facts in my humble conception are, con- sidering the times, worthy Your Honor's most serious and early consider- ation.
It would ill become me to suggest the mode by which the means pro- posed are to be attained, but I am confident they are to be found in your superior judgment.
(C. 1214, Pp. 332-4.)
From Colonel Brock to President Dunn.
Quebec, 23rd July, 1807. Sir:—
Colonel Brock has perused with due attention the proceedings of His Honor, the President in Council, communicated to him by Mr. Ry- land, and begs leave to observe that in addressing His Honor on the 17th instant it was far from his intention to assume a political character.
His sole object was to state the assistance required by the military to remedy a glaring defect in the fortifications at Quebec, should His Honor conceive that preparatory measures were necessary to be adopted in consequence of the events which recently occurred between His Majesty's ship Leopard and the American Frigate Chesapeake, but more particularly the aggressive provisions contained in the Proclamation of the American Government.
In thus complying with the details of his duty, Colonel Brock was not prepared to hear that the population of the Province, instead of
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GENERAL BROCK. 21
affording him ready and effectual support, might probably add to the number of his enemies, and feels much disappointment in being informed by the first authority that the only law in any degree calculated to answer the end proposed, was likely, if attempted to be enforced, to meet with such general opposition as to require the aid of the military to give it even a momentary impulse.
Colonel Brock is therefore obliged to observe that the officer com- manding would certainly not choose the time when the troops may every instant be called upon for the defence of Quebec, to disperse them over the country in aid of the Civil Government, coercively collecting a body of men which under such circumstances would be of more detriment than service to the regular army. Colonel Brock, therefore, cannot look for any assistance from that quarter, but should an emergency arise, he is confident voluntary offers of service will be made by a considerable num- ber of brave and loyal subjects and feels himself justified in saying that even now several gentlemen are ready to come forward and enroll into companies men on whose fidelity they can safely rely.
It remains with His Honor to determine the degree of countenance which ought to be given to such sentiments.
Colonel Brock will be at all times proud to attend deliberations of His Honor in Council.
(C. 1214, Pp. 338-9.)
From Colonel Brock to Lieut. Governor Gore.
Quebec, 30th July, 1807.
Sir:—
Conceiving that the importance of the objects which it may be neces- sary to arrange under the present situation of our relations with the United States of America can be more satisfactorily settled by means of verbal communication, I have the honor to acquaint Your Excellency that I have despatched Lieut. Colonel Pye, the Deputy Quartermaster General, to York to consult and receive directions with regard to such measures as it may be expedient to adopt.
He is in full possession of my sentiments and I can safely recommend him to Your Excellency as an officer of intelligence and high merit.
(C. 1214, P. 345.)
Minutes for the guidance of Lt. Colonel Pye.
Quebec, 1st August, 1907.
To ascertain from Lt. Governor Gore the conduct he proposes to pur- sue on the present occasion.
22 ONTAEIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
To represent the utter impossibility of detaching a single man to his assistance.
To urge His Excellency to direct the militia east of Kingston to at- tend to my orders, they scarcely will be induced to march upwards.
To consult and arrange with the gentlemen of the greatest influence in that country the measures to be adopted at this juncture.
To ascertain the number of British subjects or their descendants in whom confidence can be placed, and whether they shew a disposition to march for the defence of the Lower Province.
If they have been accustomed to hunting or have become by any other means acquainted with firearms.
The military stores at Fort George very injudiciously placed, and ought if possible to be removed to York; those at Amherstburg in the same predicament.
Should hostile appearances continue, to recommend the distribution of arms to those best disposed, and to issue at the same time a large quan- tity of ammunition.
Powder and flints very scarce in the States. Essential considera- tion to prevent the Americans getting any supply from the immense quantity at present in the Upper Province. The route to Montreal from Kingston more easy and speedy than through their own country. Not required in the Lower Province consequently the overplus ought to be removed to a place of security and destroyed on the first danger of falling into the enemy's possession.
The same may be said of the heavy ordnance. To give positive and pointed directions for all long guns since reported unfit for service to be completely destroyed by causing the trunnions and cascables to be knocked off besides spiking them in a most effectual manner. No delay to be suffered in executing this order, officers commanding to report to headquarters having done so.
To be guided by circumstances in giving orders for the equipment of the King 's vessels on both lakes for service.
Should it be thought impossible with the slender force in the Upper Province to attempt any active defence to order one hundred young men of the 41st to Kingston, to be in readiness to act in conjunction with the militia on the east of Kingston.
ISAAC BROCK, Colonel commanding. (C. 1224, Pp. 347-8.)
SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GENERAL BROCK. 23
From Colonel Brock to Lieut. Governor Gore.
Quebec, 21st September, 1807. Sir:—
Having applied for a copy of the letter from Halifax, (the original of which I perused), which I was made to understand was enclosed in the despatch Mr. Shaw took lately to Your Excellency, I found the post- script omitted, and being apprehensive the same unnecessary caution may have been followed in regard to you, I enclose for Your Excellency's information, an extract from a Halifax paper which contains the sub- stance of the intelligence referred to.
Policy would naturally make such a plan known everywhere except in this Province. I therefore think Your Excellency should be provided with the means of diffusing it among your people, as nothing in my opinion can forward your object more essentially.
ENCLOSURE.
The following information is derived from a very respectable source, and the reconciliation of Bonaparte with Moreau, together with the well known fact of the latter being now actually employed by the American Government, leave no room to doubt that the outline of the plan is cor- rectly given, though the vigilance of the British Government may easily destroy it in the bud, or completely prevent its accomplishment.
PARTITION OF AMERICA.
"The correspondence of Talleyrand and General Moreau which caused such surmises at New York in February last, is at length develop- ing, and we can scarcely be surprised at the events which have since followed. Bonaparte and Moreau are reconciled. If Moreau can per- suade America to break with England, 10,000 French troops are, in con- junction with the Americans, to drive the English from the Continent. Canada and Nova Scotia are to be erected into a monarchy and Moreau to be crowned king of Acadie and both the Canadas. America is to have the Floridas as well as Louisiana, and the island of Porto Rico or some other valuable West India island is to be given up to them.
"The Government of America not having sufficient energy by the present Constitution, the President is to be supported in his endeavors to change it and a new form of Legislature adopted in which the Chair is to be assumed for Life.
The only difficulty is stated by the American Government to arise from the Northern States, who might be averse to such a neighbor as the kingdom of Acadie and Canada, governed by a Frenchman, but this may possibly be overcome if the war with England can be made a popular one.
"The authenticity of this intelligence cannot be doubted, and the Americans who are now loudly crying out for a war with England, may know how completely they have been made the Tools of France and its Pensioners. ' '
(C. 1224, Pp. 384-5.)
III.
SOME MISTAKES IN HISTORY.
By Miss JANET GARNOCHAN
How easy it is for a false statement to take wings ; how difficult it is to have it corrected when once told incorrectly ! How impossible to make people, who have told the same story time after time, acknowledge that there could be any error in it ! When it is merely a question of date or something involving no principle, it is comparatively unimport- ant ; but when the honor of an individual, of a regiment, or a country is involved, it is a far more serious matter.
I have met with many statements commonly received which are quite inaccurate, and yet from writer to writer they are told and retold with the most unvarying inaccuracy — some of these grave, some gay, some grotesque and sometimes gruesome, still worse, some malicious; some with a touch of humor, others with bias. A lie which is all a lie can easily be disposed of, but that which has truth mixed with falsehood — who can manage it successfully? One after another they pass before me, a procession of mistaken ideas, exaggerations, false statements, which will not "down," and unless the few able critics who have arisen of late years can effect an improvement, the false story will go on through the ages.
False statements are made, some merely from carelessness, others from partisan feelings. Perhaps some have arisen from a story told in joke, or again the historian can scarcely refrain from dressing up his tale to make it more effective, more thrilling and dramatic. Nearly all the mis-statements to which I will refer have some connection with Niagara or vicinity, and many of them came under my own notice.
Strange tales are told of cherished relics, the falsity of which is often shown on the face of the article, one instance of which occurs to me. In a large and valuable collection of relics (many of them family heir- looms) was a heavy weight, the owner claiming that it was brought from Fort Niagara at its capture in 1813. On inspecting it closely there were found the words stamped in "Geo. IV.," who reigned from 1820 to 1830, which effectually settled that story.
The old stone building at Queenston, the home of Wm. Lyon Mc- Kenzie when in 1824 he printed the Colonial Advocate, has given rise to many a false statement — one made to me I am sure at least fifty times : "That is where the first paper was printed in Upper Canada," quite
SOME MISTAKES IN HISTORY. 25
oblivious to the fact that the first paper was printed in Newark, now Niagara, in 1793, thirty years before.
A picture of an old tumble-down frame building was lately seen in a Buffalo paper labelled "The house where the body of Brock was car- ried. ' ' On investigating, it was found that the house referred to, then being taken down, was built long after the battle of Queeuston Heights ; but two places were claimed by different individuals, and each may be correct, as at first the body was carried into the old stone house still standing and then farther down to a more safe place as the battle pro- gressed during the day. Many such tales are told to tourists who again retail them with additional embellishment.
It is sometimes very difficult to locate the scene of a remarkable event. Thus in taking the testimony of several old residents as to the spot where Brock was first buried, four agreed on the place where we have placed a marker near the gate of entrance to Fort George, while two others placed it near the old sycamore tree near the west corner, though in the entry in St. Mark's register of Rev. R. Addison the north- east bastion is mentioned.
A singular mistake made in an inscription in enduring brass was lately discovered at Brock's monument when copying for our No. 10, the two inscriptions — inside the monument and at the entrance. I found that while the one states this monument was erected to replace that destroyed 17th March, 1840 (which is the coi-rect date), the other states it was to replace that destroyed in 1838. To the latter are appended the names of the Committee all given, with infinite particularity as to titles, as Colonels, Honorables, Esquires, etc., and this mistake has remained uncorrected for over fifty years. A little trouble taken to verify the date would have been better than the trouble taken over the titles.
For many years on the road to Queenston a tree called "Moore's Oak" has been pointed out as that where the poet Moore sat while com- posing "The Canadian Boat Song" during the time he was entertained by General Brock, in 1804 (then Col. Brock at Fort George), whereas that song was written near Ottawa — "We'll sing at St. Anne's our part- ing hymn." It is quite likely that in the shade of the oak the poet may have rested as fondly believed by a lady who lived in a house still stand- ing and in view from Fort George — a house with peculiar church-like arched windows, the lines which he wrote, "And I knew by the smoke that so gracefully curled from the sweet little cottage" — referring to this particular house.
The Parliament-Oak is another myth — a nut hard to crack — yet like all myths it must have some substratum of truth. "That is where the first Parliament was held under that oak tree." "A man was hanged from one of its branches;" these are the stories floating about. It has always been a mystery to me why the early legislative fathers came so far as this from Navy Hall to sit under the shade of an oak tree. It is certain that, when Lt. Governor Simcoe came, one of the four buildings
26 ONTAEIO HISTOBICAL SOCIETY.
called Navy Hall was fitted up for him as a residence, and that he in turn had fitted up one of these buildings for the Legislators, the cost of the material, quantity of timber, nails, shingles to repair and enlarge it, being given. It is also believed that a tent was used above the hill, and as we know how excessive the heat is in a tent on a hot day, it is probable the members did adjourn to the shade of a tree where they could enjoy the cool breeze from the lake or river. But why go so far as to cross the common where now so many trees are in sight much nearer? We must remember, however, that what we now call the oak grove is second growth. In a map of 1835 it is called "young oak," and the government reserve was the Niagara plains, an Indian camping ground, or sometimes their corn fields, so there may have been no nearer large trees than this. But, alas, the tree is now no more ; long it stood in the grounds of Senator Plumb, formerly Judge Campbell's, whose father, Fort Major Camp- bell, was buried at Fort George in 1812. Dead bough after dead bough was lopped off till only two remained, and no wonder, for the corporation laborers had cut away the trunk on one side to fit the sidewalk, and the fence builders cut it away in another direction to keep the fence straight. Boys built a fire in its hollow trunk, and finally the tree was ruthlessly cut down. The following lines were addressed to its destroyers :
"Woodman spare not that tree,
Lop off its every bough; Though Parliament Oak it be
We'll not protect it now.
Fortunately we possess a picture of it, though during its decay.
St. Mark's Church is commonly said to have been built in 1792, as lately inserted in maps and register, and is often called the oldest church in Ontario, while that honor belongs to the Mohawk church near Brant- ford, built in 1786, and it is known that a Presbyterian church was built in Stamford in 1787. It has now been conclusively shown that though the Rev. R. Addison came as a missionary in 1792 to Niagara and all the region around, by documents from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts, that St. Mark's was not started till 1805, and the first service within its walls was in 1809.
The story of Laura Secord has had many additions and embellish- ments— one that she started barefooted for a twenty mile walk, the mother of a family in good circumstances. This is disproved by her own story of losing one shoe in the marsh, and that when she arrived her feet were so swollen that it was difficult to take off her stockings.
How firmly do some people cling to the belief that old china and old furniture they almost worship came over in the Mayflower. It is said that according to the tales told, more furniture came over in that wonder- ful little vessel than would fill several of the largest steamers now afloat, and that the particular kind of china now claimed as coming then was not manufactured till many years afterward.
SOME MISTAKES IN HISTORY. 27
When the Prince of Wales, in 1901, visited Niagara, he was treated with figs grown in the open air, but the London Times oracularly said "this could not be true for Canada was such a cold country." Another reporter, in describing Montreal, said that the houses were mostly of wood and brick.
Although the Niagara Society has been exercising great care, I am afraid we have perpetuated a mistake, if not in enduring brass, at least on solid limestone. A marker placed in 1902 gives the position of the Gleaner Printing Office of 1817, and the first Masonic Hall, 1792. This was taken from a document from the Land Board, apparently beyond dispute, giving permission in 1791 to erect a tavern at the east corner of the town, next the river, and a Free Mason's Hall, next to it. Later investigation in the Crown Land office gave the position of lot 33 marked "The Lodge," which we reasonably suppose to be Free Mason's Lodge. Not quite satisfied with this, the next year a ponderous tome was found to give the fuller statement — lot 33, Free Mason's Lodge, and it is a re- markable fact that the present Masonic Lodge, No. 2, stands in this very spot, the building long known as the Stone Barracks, built soon after the war of 1812-14. This discrepancy may be explained in two ways. While the Land Board gave permission to build next to the tavern, this may not have been carried out, and an exchange of sites may have taken place. The other explanation is that while it was to be at the east corner of the town and the other next to it, it may mean the next corner to it, which is exactly where it now stands.
The Review of Historical Publications relating to Canada is a most valuable work. The reviews are frank and fearless ; generally kind, but not hesitating to chronicle errors. In Vol. XIII. (for the year 1908) is noticed a volume printed in a sumptuous manner, "The Niagara River," by A. B. Hulbert, in which most astonishing mistakes are found. It is stated that 10,000 United Empire Loyalists landed at Niagara in 1783, no doubt making the mistake from a careless reading of the state- ment that 10,000 U. E. Loyalists came to British territory, but these were scattered on many shores — Nova Scotia, Niagara, Lake Erie, Adol- phustown, and at different dates as far back as 1777. It is also stated that Niagara had a "daily newspaper" in 1792, and that the first news- paper in Upper Canada was printed in "an old ruined stone house" at Queenston in the same year. Neither of these statements is true. But this is surpassed for inaccuracy by the astonishing statement that "the following great Canadians were born in Toronto : — Prof. Egerton Ryer- son, Sir John Macdonald, Sir Daniel Wilson, Rev. W. Morley Punshon, Hon. George Brown, Sir Oliver Mowat." However proud Toronto may be of its native born, it will make no attempt to claim as natives these great men born in such distant places.
So far the mistakes have been mostly from inadvertence; but we must now mention others which can only be classed as partisan. One copies from another what is supposed to be true. The beautiful poem, Gertrude of Wyoming, with its idyllic, pastoral scenes made hideous by
28 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
what is called the "Massacre," and in which we find the phrase "the monster Brant," gives us a false idea of the well-educated, wise and humane Indian chief, Thayendanegea, who, to crown all, was not present, as proved afterwards by his son to the poet ; but the poem remains un- altered, although subsequent editions contained the correction made in fine print in a corner where few would see it.
The celebrated Scalp Story, (but there are two scalp stories, the one easily contradicted, the other with all its gruesome details too dreadful to repeat) has been disproved, but still it lingers. Can it now be believed that at this late day, 130 years after, it is revived in a story by Chambers, "The Maid at Arms"? During the Revolution, near its close, when all seemed lost to the Colonists, there was made public what was said to be a letter to Governor Haldimand, sending barrels of scalps to be sent to the King of England for which a price had been paid, all told with the greatest minutiae and particularity of detail, so many of soldiers, so many of farmers, so many of women, so many of boys, so many of girls — even to infants, with Indian hieroglyphics as signs of how they had been killed and where. Stone's Life of Joseph Brant says, "This was long supposed to be authentic but has since been ascertained to be a fabrication for politi- cal purposes. All was told with such an air of plausibility as to preclude the suspicion that they were ficticious. When the story was disproved, the only excuse made was that something must be done to rouse public feeling. In the ' ' Maid at Arms, ' ' by Robert W. Chambers (No. 2 Nation- al Series), the dates and names are altered, but the statement is copied almost word for word, and though in a work of fiction it is given as actual fact, a miserable wretch is represented in the act of carrying this horrible burden with a paper stating the price to be paid.
The other scalp story is of a later date, but is too absurd to be be- lieved and is only received with a smile. In the war of 1812, when York was captured by the U. S. forces, the story was told that a scalp was found hanging in the Speaker's chair. This was well known to be a harmless wig left on his chair by the Speaker of the House.
An incident of personal interest may be given. Invited to attend the meeting of an Historical Club across the boundary river, I listened to a paper read by a young lady in which it was claimed that the battle of Lundy's Lane was a victory for the Americans, and an old story was brought forward that the capture of Fort Niagara by the British in Dec., 1813, was accompanied by peculiar barbarity, viz., that the sick men in the hospital were slain. No doubt the origin of this is that an American account to prove the bravery of their men states that the stck men in the hospital rose from their beds to fight, in which case they were combatants and might be treated as such. When called on to say a few words, while complimenting some of the speakers, I said, ' ' Of course you cannot expect me to accept all the statements made. Historians require to use the greatest care, must give the closest scrutiny in their researches.
We know that partisan writers give very one-sided views
We know that in the late Boer war one side told of British bar-
SOME MISTAKES IN HISTORY. 29
barities, and the other of Boer cruelty ; and too, in your own Philippine war we have heard of cruelties on each side ; but we must weigh care- fully before accepting all that is written. War is cruel; the object of each party is to kill or disable the other."
In the Elsie books, so popular for a while in Sunday Schools, one called "Elsie Yachting" was presented to a Canadian S. S., but was for- tunately put into the hands of one who acted as censor. The father is described as taking his children to the scene of naval engagements, and hatred of Britain is inculcated in their young minds. An American success is a glorious victory, a British victory is accompanied with brutal ferocity.
In a story by Chambers called Cardigan, all the American soldiers are fine looking, kind, brave; all the British are brutal and cruel, the only exception being Sir Wm. Johnson, who is spoken of as a good man, his goodness apparently springing from a supposition that he was about to join the Revolutionists at the time of his death. It is only lately that from documents never before printed, much light is thrown on dark points. We forget that in the British Parliament one side constantly opposed the other's war policy. The fiery denunciations of Chatham against the British using the Indians on their side were eloquent, the atrocities practised being described in emphatic language ; but he was then quite ignorant that the Indians were used by the Americans in fighting before they were enlisted by the British, as told by their own historians, 19th Apr., 1775, at Lexington, and 8th July, empowered by Congress.
We also have partisan writers on the Revolution, but comparatively few. Is it not time, as I have previously said, that, after a hundred and forty years, each party should acknowledge the right of the other to do what he thought best; that those who conscientiously remained loyal to the king should be respected, as well as those who conscientiously op- posed him; that each should exercise his right of judgment? Our neighbors have been long in acknowledging this, but we rejoice that of late there has been an improvement in this respect, and that the action of the U. E. Loyalists is better understood. We acknowledge that bitter remarks have not been wanting, but there is some excuse for those who lost all their property, who were imprisoned, tarred and feathered, or executed for expressing different opinions to those in power.
A book lately published by a Canadian, the story of the burning and setting loose of the Caroline in 1838, represents that there were some left on board the burning vessel to drift over the Falls ; but this is pure imagination.
Our historian, Col. Cruikshank, could fill a volume easily with cor- rections of printed statements. I remember turning over the pages of his copy of Lossing's History of the War of 1812. It was full of annota- tions, whole pages of manuscript inserted and corrections innumerable. Col. Cruikshank deserves the thanks of his country and some public
30 ONTARIO H1STOEICAL SOCIETY.
recognition of his services. Years of his life have been devoted to re- search, visiting the Parliamentary Library and Archives of Ottawa, the libraries of Albany, New York, Washington, collecting documents in Canada, England and wherever else to be found. His accounts of all the battles of the War of 1812 in our vicinity — Queenston Heights, Lundy's Lane, Stoney Creek, Beech Woods, Fort Erie; his account of Butler's Rangers, his eight volumes of Documentary History, form a collection of historical lore unsurpassed for accuracy, impartiality and careful re- search. Only his modesty prevents his merits being better known.
IV. THE VALLEY OP THE OTTAWA IN 1613.
By BENJAMIN SCLTK, LL.D., F.R. S.C.
The easiest way to speak of the discovery of the Grand River would be to reproduce the narrative written by Champlain immediately after the event ; but we have no room for a lengthy composition. Allow me to submit a short epitome of it, with a few remarks.
The whole valley of the Grand River belonged to the Algonquins, but they were not disseminated equally on its shore. In fact, they formed three distinct groups, or nations, as the French styled them.
First, the Iroquets, between Vandreuil, the Rideau and Kingston, rov- ing in that triangular territory, hunting and fishing, having no particu- lar home, only according to season when they moved from one place to another, and lived miserably all the time, because they never settle down for good. Yearly some small parties of their young men went to the north of the State of New York to harass the Mohawks, and these Iro- quois used to come every now and then to take a revenge of such aggres- sions. It was a bloody life on both sides, and we must say that the Iro- quois showed themselves in every respect far superior to the Algonquins. They would have conquered the country of their enemies without much trouble, only that they had enough space at home and a more advantage- ous climate. It must be said also that in 1613 the fur trade question had not yet tempted the cupidity of the Iroquois, therefore the valley of the Ottawa, so rich in the various kinds of fur, could not attract them, as it did afterwards. The war kept the form of a kind of noble sport, repeat- ing constantly what took place during centuries in America previous to its discovery by the Europeans. Our Algonquins were satisfied with that kind of uncertain existence. By the month of May they usually selected a spot on the river shore and encamped there until the fall, when they returned to the forest for the winter. The building of a wigwam was done in part of a day by planting a few sticks of wood in a particular manner and covering the structure with large skins such as that of the moose or wild cow. This wandering life suited their primitive nature, although they knew very well that some of their neighbors had more comfortable lodgings and were steady "citizens" in their villages.
The people of Petite Nation, in the rear of Papineauville now, were quite different and lived in the centre of a marvellous country for hunt- ing and fishing. That tribe was not given to warlike spirit, but to trade and commerce rather. None of the Indians occupying the upper part of the rivers which run to the Ottawa and the St. Maurice carried arms
32 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
other than the ordinary weapons used against the animals of the forest ; meantime they were in want of many useful articles, on account of the poor nature of their country. The industrious Petite-Nation supplied them with a certain number of these articles, such as birch bark to make canoes with, and in return received some of their natural products in the way of curious stones for ornamental purposes and other things highly appreciated amongst the Small Nation. This latter people had a some- what comfortable village, and cultivated pumpkins, corn, etc., for their own consumption, so that they needed nothing more and cared very little for the white men when they heard of their arrival in the vicinity of Montreal. Champlain never visited their village, but he speaks of what was told him in that respect. Here and there a few canoes of the Petite Nation would go to Montreal in June or July to barter some skins for knives and other articles of European manufacture, without ever join- ing the other Algonquins in the wars above mentioned. This peaceful community, nevertheless, was finally destroyed by the Iroquois about the year 1650 because they were friendly to the French.
Between the mouth of the Lievre and Chat Lake (some 90 miles) many bands of hunters could be seen during the year, but no village, except an occasional encampment. This remark applies also to the Ontario shore of the Grand River.
The tribes located north of the Ottawa at the sources of several waterways came during the summer, by the Gatineau, for instance, to meet any one ready to trade with them, even the Hurons of Lake Simcoe using Rideau River in such travels.
The main body of the Algonquins lived on Allumet Island. They were called the great Algonquins because of their number. Their chief was a sort of a king, a master of the whole, the "fountain of favours," an absolute sovereign. As early as 1603 he had gone to Tadoussac with a retinue indicative of his importance, to see Champlain, and they spent the time in festivities like gallant crowned heads. Allumet Island had a town and all the advantages of Indian civiliation within the means of the district and the aptitudes of an Algonquin organization. Besides hunting, fishing, which was plenty all around, and some tilling of the soil, they understood the benefit of trade at long distance, and, again, no one could pass the river opposite their island without paying a tax arranged after a fixed tariff. This was the case also with the people of Lake Nipissing, and the two powers were at swords-drawn on the sub- ject, and, we must add, all the more because the Nipissings were great rivals in the trade with the northern tribes in the direction of Hudson Bay. Read history, over the world, and you will find that most of the wars had their origin in some rivalry of trade. Nothing new under the sun, not even in Canada.
Altogether, the Algonquins were but a few hundred families in the valley of the Ottawa, forming three groups, as above described. Those of the counties of Vaudreuil, Prescott and Russell fought the Iroquois without the assistance of Petite Nation, but sometimes the Allumet war- riors came down to take a share in the fun.
THE VALLEY OF THE OTTAWA IN 1613. 33
It stands to reason that most of them were glad to see the French coming with their wares and their firearms. Champlain soon found out that he was compelled to follow the red men in the war, otherwise the friendship could not last long between them. He had to give satisfaction to the imperative call of his surrounding allies, no matter if he displeased an enemy whose country was far away from him and not at all in the direction he wished to go, as his principal aim was Upper Canada.
Therefore, in 1609, lhe made the acquaintance of the Mohawks by firing a few shots amongst them. This, it is said, was the cause of the terrible vengeance exercised for a long time afterward by the Iroquois against the French. Not so. The Mohawks kept quiet enough after 1609; it was only about the year 1630 that they joined the other Iro- quois tribes politically and created the strong confederation which is always mentioned as having originated in the early period of Cham- plain's travels. This happened as much against the Dutch of Albany as against the French of Quebec, and it would not have disturbed the French if the Dutch had not given firearms to the Iroquois, in 1636, with a view to conciliate this people and have them on their own side, for the fur trade is at the bottom of the arrangement — it was not the case in 1609, and at that time a skirmish or two amounted to very little.
Furthermore, if Champlain had avoided the affair of 1609 he was sure to meet it at any moment when the Mohawks would take any chance to attack the Algonquins with whom he was trading.
Now, let us deal with the discovery of the river by Champlain, at the rate of fifteen miles per day in bark canoes.
The departure took place on the 27th of May, 1613, from St. Helen Island, opposite the present city of Montreal, in two canoes, manned by one Indian, Champlain, two interpreters: Vignau and Thomas, and two other Frenchmen.
On the 3rd of June, above Long Saut, they met some Algonquins and an exchange was made with an Indian who was willing to accompany Champlain whilst one of the two Frenchmen returned to Montreal with the party.
On the 4th Champlain noticed the mouth of the Gatineau and was told that river led to the St. Maurice, also that the' Algonquins passed that way to reach Three Rivers in order to avoid the encounter of the Mohawks sometimes roving in the lower part of the Ottawa River.
Let us mention here that the name of the Gatineau came afterwards from Nicolas Gatineau, a trader of Three Rivers who adopted that route to meet the Indians of the Ottawa.
Turning his eyes to the other side of the main river, the explorer saw the Rideau Falls: "An admirable sight," he says. "The water slips down with such impetuosity that it makes an arch of 400 paces. The Indians enjoy passing underneath without getting wet except from the
34 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
spray produced by the fall. There is an island in the centre, all covered with trees, like the rest of the land on both sides. It is a portage for canoes going southerly, but the Iroquois are sometimes hidden near the place."
The arch mentioned by Champlain was termed curtain (rideau) by subsequent coureurs de bois. No doubt he observed the promontory where the Parliament building stands — without imagining that three centuries later such a construction could be seen there.
As the river from Montreal to the Chaudiere is far from being in a straight line, he had somewhat lost his bearing and he took the astrolabe to ascertain his position. "I found," he says, "that we were in 45° 38' latitude." The correct figure is 45° 12', but the astrolabe was always an imperfect instrument. The statue made recently by Mr. Hamilton Mc- Carthy, of Ottawa, represents Champlain in the act of measuring the elevation of the sun, in front of the future capital of Canada.
The 4th of June is, therefore, a memorable day in the annals of this region, and it can be said that, after leaving the Rideau Falls behind, the discoverer stopped, at mid-day, to verify his situation at no great dis- tance from the Chaudiere — say at Nepean Point, where the statue above mentioned will soon be erected. (This paper was read June 3, 1914.)
By that time the roaring of the cataract, and very soon the sight of it, attracted his attention: "It is half a league wide with a number of small islands, all rocks, covered with small trees. At a certain place the water falls with such a rage that it has digged out a large and deep basin, so that the current running in there in a circle and making a lot of huge bubbles, has induced the Indians to call it Asticou, which means a kettle."
They did not stop at the place, but went ahead to Des Chenes Lake where they spent the night of the 4th June. On the 5th the Chats were seen, "near three miles wide," and so many other sceneries which Cham- plain describes en passant.
Finally he arrived at Allumet Island, exhausted with fatigue, half starved, partly eaten by the mosquitoes.
His friend, King Tessouat, could not believe his eye (he had only one eye) at such an apparition. The reception was very cordial and several State conferences took place during three days, but, if on the one hand Champlain obtained copious information concerning the geography of the North and West, he failed to persuade the chief of the necessity of going himself further on his voyage, and he saw clearly that Tessouat intended to limit the exploration of the foreigners to Allumet Island in the hope that the traffic of the Great River would be concentrated there for the benefit of him and his people.
Anyway, Champlain knew from this moment what was the physical form of Upper Canada, because he understood matters concerning Lakes Nipissing and Huron, and he had gained a good idea of the St. Lawrence
ONTARIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY. 35
to Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls, and further, Lake Erie and the passage called Detroit by which Lake Huron empties itself into the waters of Erie. This was enough for a first trip.
On the 10th he resumed the voyage downward, with the son of Tessouat and 40 canoes loaded with furs. At the Chaudiere the Indians paid due homage to the Manitou, or spirit of the water. A collection was made of pieces of smoking tobacco, and a dance followed around the tribute thus gathered, with appropriate songs in fine style ; that is, says Champlain, "after their own manner." Then a captain made a warm speech, explaining the ancient and revered custom by which their ancestors had secured the protection of the Manitou against all evils, and especially their enemies — a statement open to doubt. Next, advancing toward the foaming Asticou in great solemnity, they threw the tobacco over the bubbles and raised a loud howling, and went to their canoes.
From Allumet Island to Montreal, where he arrived on the 17th June, Champlain took only seven days, but that was coming down with the current.
V. GLEANINGS FROM OTTAWA SCRAP-BOOKS.
By Miss AMEY HORSET.
Soon after the Ottawa Women's Historical Society was formed, in 1899, the members realized that a great deal of important information was being lost, which in years to come would prove of value for reference, eo, in order to preserve these facts, in their proper setting, the work of keeping "Scrap-Books" was begun in the year 1900.
Three "Books" have been kept by this Society — one for the preser- vation of articles relating to the growth and development of the Capital, another for the principal "Events" of the locality, and a third for gen- eral Canadian "Events." For 14 years this collection for the Scrap- Books has been going on, and the work done as faithfully as it was pos- sible, only "Events" of special note having been recorded — those which the collectors thought would bear the test of time.
All "clippings" are correctly dated before they are placed perman- ently in the "Books."
We will give a short review of the two "Ottawa" Books, touching only on the more important items, to give an idea as to what kinds of information are preserved.
The Ottawa City Scrap-Book. — The changes in the appearance and the growth and development of Ottawa in the past 14 years has been remarkable, as a glance through this book will show. First, we find a number of beautiful new bridges have been built and old wooden ones torn down to give place to handsome steel structures, the principal being the "Interprovincial." This great steel link between the two provinces at Ottawa and Hull was opened to the public for the first time on March 5th, 1901 ; it was three years in building, and has the distinction of hav- ing the longest Cantilever span in Canada (it is 1500 ft. long and cost over a million dollars). The first regular train passed over this bridge April 22nd, 1901.
The Minto Bridges, across the Rideau, built by the Improvement Commission, at a cost of $40,000, were finished in the summer of 1901, and the handsome Laurier Bridge, to replace the old wooden Maria St. one, was opened for traffic in June of the same year. Ottawa has been well called "A City of bridges."
This article furnishes an illustration, from the Dominion Capital, how Scrap Books may be used in the constructive work of local history.
GLEANINGS FROM OTTAWA SCRAP-BOOKS. 37
Some of the public buildings erected since 1900 are: — The Royal Mint, Royal Victoria Museum, Dominion Observatory, the Archives Build- ing, Ottawa University, Carnegie Library, Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, First Congregational and Sacred Heart Churches, the Laurentian Club Building, the Glebe, Stewartou, and Chalmers Presbyterian Church- es, and last, but not least, the beautiful "Chateau Laurier" and Grand Trunk Station, with Connaught Place connecting the two, so completely transforming the centre of our city that one has almost forgotten the existence of the old Sappers and Dufferin Bridges.
Then came the need for "apartment houses," which is a sure sign of a city's growth. The first one of any size built was the "Rideau," at the head of Daly Avenue, and next the " Kenniston " on Elgin St., finished in 1908. They were not only a necessity, but proved to be such good paying investments, that today in all sections of the city you will find apartment buildings, large and small, expensive and inexpensive. In no way has the expansion of Ottawa been more strikingly marked, in recent years, that by the number of new office and store buildings erect- ed. Among these new building achievements is the magnificent store occupied by Henry Birks & Sons, the Canada Life, and the Union Bank buildings, which add greatly to the appearance of Sparks St.
The Ottawa Improvement Commission, which has done so much to beautify the Capital, had its birth in an Act of Parliament passed Dec. 21st, 1899. The Act defined the powers of the Commission, limited its expenditure, and named its first members. They were H. N. Bate, afterwards Sir Henry, chairman ; Joseph Riopelle, C. R. Cunningham and the Mayor for the time being. When they commenced the work of beautifying the Capital, they decided to take Rockcliffe Park in the east end, and the "Experimental Farm" in the west, and connect the two. We all know what an elaborate scheme of boulevards, driveways and parks has been carried out. Places which once were eye-sores have been turned into beauty spots, gaining the name of "Ottawa the Beautiful," for our Capital and carrying out "the Washington of the North" idea.
Partly owing to the work of the Commission, we find new residential centres have been opened up in the last few years. "Rockcliffe," where some of our handsomest residences are ; along the driveway facing the canal, and that part called "Glebe," where street after street has been laid out and on which are now many comfortable homes.
The population has increased from 60,000, when the Scrap-Book was first started, till now it reaches almost the 100,000 mark.
The first recognition of the founder of Ottawa was made this year, when a bust of Colonel By was placed in a prominent position in the Council Chamber through the efforts of the Woman's Historical Society. The members at present are working for and hoping for an Equestrian Statue of Col. By? which will ere long adorn Connaught Place, with the historic stones bearing the crest of the Royal Engineers and the date of the completion of the Rideau Canal at its base. Ottawa has entered
38 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
upon a "New Day"; "old things are passing away," and the city is proving itself worthy of its motto, "Advance."
It has been found that it was our late, much respected citizen, Mr. George Hay, who suggested the name "Ottawa" for the Capital, to the Hon. Thomas McKay, and it was afterwards adopted; he also designed the city's Coat of Arms in 1844, with its motto "Advance."
Book Containing the Local Events. — Glancing over this "Book" we find a full account of the "Great Fire" which visited Ottawa and Hull in April, 1900, when Hull was almost wiped out, a large part of Ottawa destroyed, and thousands made homeless. Again in 1904 a second great conflagration took place, when a large part of the same district was destroyed. Other fires recorded are : the burning of the Ottawa Uni- versity in 1903, the Gilmore Hotel in 1906, the Sacred Heart Church in 1907, and the old historic St. John's in 1912.
We have a description of the reception to the Ottawa Contingent on their return from South Africa, in Nov., 1900, when the city was gorge- ous in color, little flags and bunting on nearly every house, in honor of the returning heroes, and when 40,000 people of the Capital turned out to welcome Ottawa's portion of the brave men who won honor and fame in defence of the Empire. It was one long cheer, we are told, from the station to Parliament Hill, where addresses of welcome were presented. When the "word" came, June 2nd, 1902, that peace was restored in South Africa there was great joy in the Capital ; again the streets presented a gala appearance, bells rang out the glad news, all classes rejoiced, even the children seemed to realize what the declaration of peace meant. A monument, the gift of 30,000 children of Ottawa and the Ottawa valley, was unveiled by Mayor Cook's little daughter in August, 1903, to the memory of the Ottawa soldiers who died for their flag, and are now sleep- ing peacefully under the South African Veldt. Every year since Miss Marjorie Cook has placed a garland of leaves on this Paardeberg Mem- orial.
Great was the city's sorrow when the sad news came of the death of Queen Victoria, Jan. 22nd, 1901. Its grief was expressed by a resolu- tion of Council, and the whole city went into mourning. On Feb. 1st an impressive memorial meeting was held by the Women's Historical Soci- ety, and on the day of the funeral stores were closed, buildings draped, and solemn services held in the various churches.
The year following, in June, the time set for the coronation of King Edward, but postponed on account of his serious illness, again services were held in the churches, not of rejoicing, as it was at one time thought, but of intercession and supplication for the King 's recovery. Coronation day, August 10th, 1902, was quietly observed by services in the churches, a military parade and illumination at night.
Then in a few short years we had to record the death of another beloved sovereign, when "Edward the Peacemaker" passed away, May 6th, 1910, and the city paid its last tribute to the ruler it loved. The
GLEANINGS FROM OTTAWA SCRAP-BOOKS. 39
great gathering on Parliament Hill, at the burial hour, on May 20th, voiced Ottawa's deep sorrow.
At the time of the Coronation of His Majesty, King George V., June 23rd, 1911, there was great rejoicing. Twenty Ottawans went to Lon- don to form part of the Coronation troops. One realizes, when reading these "events," how closely united are joy and sorrow in the lives of a people.
It is interesting to read how Ottawa welcomed the Duke and Duch- ess of Cornwall and York when they paid their memorable visit to Can- ada in 1901, and the citizens of the Capital did all in their power to honor them. Their stay lasted from Friday, Sept 20th, till Tuesday, the 24th, during which time an elaborate programme of entertainment was carried out. There were grand illuminations of the Parliament buildings and grounds, Alexandra, Sappers and Dufferin bridges, and many public buildings, every evening. Their Royal Highnesses had the thrilling ex- perience of running the ' ' slides ' ' at the Chaudiere on a " crib, ' ' and were afterwards served with woodsman's fare at the Rockcliffe shanty.
It was a fine scene on Parliament Hill when the Duke of York un- veiled the monument to Queen Victoria. The "Garden Party" given by their Excellencies, the Earl and Countess of Minto, at Government House on Saturday afternoon, when 1000 guests were present, was a brilliant affair, as was also the Reception in the Senate chamber on Monday even- ing, when Ottawans paid homage to their future King and Queen.
The Duchess bore away with her a handsome mink cape, the gift of the women of Ottawa, as a souvenir of her visit. Before leaving, their Royal Highnesses expressed to Mayor Morris the hearty appreciation of the entertainment provided for them by the City of Ottawa. They went as they came, amid the cheers of the people. Thousands greeted their entry into the city, and thousands wished them "God speed."
The arrivals and departures of our Governor 's-General are always noted — a magnificent farewell being tendered Lord and Lady Minto, after a sojourn of six years in Canada, when they returned to England in Nov., 1904.
The next month a hearty welcome was given Earl Grey upon reach- ing Canada's Capital, where for seven years he made his home. In Oc- tober, 1911, Ottawa said "farewell" with general regret to Lord and Lady Grey and their two charming daughters. "We shall never forget Ottawa's farewell, please thank the whole city," were the words of a telegram to Mayor Hopwell from Earl Grey from Quebec. Hardly has good-bye been said than the city is en fete to welcome another Governor, this time a Royal one. On Saturday, Oct. 14th, 1911, H. R. H. the Duke and Duchess of Connaught were royally welcomed. Thousands joined in the reception on Parliament Hill, when addresses were presented, and the whole route lined with cheering crowds.
In January, 1912, Her Royal Highness, Princess Patricia, arrived in
40 ONTARIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
Ottawa, and in spite of the lack of public notice a large number gathered
at the station to bid her welcome.
The Carnegie Library was opened to the public May 1st, 1906, when the great philanthropist "himself honored the occasion with his presence and officiated at the ceremony, the citizens formally thanking him for his magnificent gift.
The opening of our beautiful Driveway was in July, 1904, when Sir Wilfred Laurier, Sir William Mulock, the aldermen of the city and other distinguished guests were tendered a complimentary drive by the Cab- man's Association.
The foundation stone of Ottawa's greater University, to replace the one destroyed by fire, was laid in May, 1904, with befitting ceremonies.
The new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa, Mgr. Chas H. Gauthier, was enthroned with all due ceremony at the Basilica, Feb., 1911. The church was magnificently decorated and the function a very impressive one.
The Convention of New York Bankers held here last year was an "event" of international and historic importance, being the first time the Association had been taken out of its own territory. At the banquet tendered them by the Canadian Government during their stay, expres- sions of good will and hope for continued peace were heard on every side. James J. Hill, the American railway king, said, "Whatever may be the fate of the general movement among the nations, in favor of peace, those whose mother tongue is English will never again take up arms against one another"; and Premier Borden: "Let us hope that so long as the waters of the St. Lawrence flow, we shall be at peace with each other."
We find a number of noted personages have paid a visit to our city since 1900, among them being: Sir Edward Barton, Prime Minister of Australia ; Prince Arthur of Connaught ; Prince Fushinii, a distinguished visitor from Japan; His Lordship, the Bishop of London; Rudyard Kip- ling; Lady Aberdeen and Miss Asquith, daughter of the British Prime Minister; General Sir Ian Hamilton; the British Ambassador, Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, and Ex-President Taft, who visited Ottawa for the first time last winter (1913-14).
Accounts of the celebrations of the golden weddings of cur older inhabitants have a place in the "Scrap-Book."
We are proud to record when Knighthood is conferred on uny of our prominent men, or any honor which one worthy of it receives. And lastly, the passing away of our well-known fellow citizens, as they silently go, one by one, you will always fin,d recorded in the Scrap-Book. But it would be impossible in this paper to mention the names of the many who in their lives have gained distinction, and worked for the welfare and ad- vancement of our Capital City. The contents of the Scrap-Books are
GLEANINGS FROM OTTAWA SCRAP-BOOKS. 41
only "history in the making." The "Events" which have l^een especial- ly mentioned are by us of the present well remembered, but as time goes on they will become history for future generations, and will give a good idea of what Ottawa, the Capital of the Dominion, was like, and the doings of its inhabitants, at the beginning of the 20th century.
243 Daly Avenue, Ottawa.
VI. THE HIGHWAY OF THE OTTAWA.
By T. \V. EDWIN SOWTIR
The Highway of the Ottawa ! What pleasure it is to give rein to the imagination and endeavor to reconstruct this old waterway as it appear- ed in the days of Champlain ! What a glorious revelation it must have been to that grand old Frenchman when for the first time he passed up between the shores of the Ottawa ! Unblemished by the arts of civiliza- tion, how appealing to the eye of the painter or poet must have been the majestic splendor of the savage wilderness! The shores of our great river, bordered by a vast primeval forest and chafed by the resistless rush of mighty falls and foaming rapids, where malignant and fierce-eyed Manitous and Okies glared out of their leafy lairs at the strange men with the pale faces, and the voice of the great Oki of our own Chaudiere Falls roared out his thunderous protest against the advance of a new culture upon his ancient domain.
How changed is all this to-day. The forest has almost disappeared before the axe and the brand, and in its place are green fields and pros- perous towns. The voice of the locomotive has frightened the lives out of the malignant spirits and made them seek a more congenial habitat. Even the oki of "The Big Kettle" has lost prestige, as he now receives offerings of sawdust, instead of tobacco, as in the old days.
Our written history of the Ottawa begins with Champlain in 1613 ; but, long before European contact, the Indians themselves had prepared for us priceless ethnic records of their activities on the Ottawa, and any- one that wishes may read them to-day. These curious old manuscripts are no less than their ancient camping grounds, beach workshops and burial places that lie scattered along the shores of the Ottawa in great profusion. Here, by the old fire-places, where the fires have died out and the hearths grown cold, and their occupants long since departed, we may read much concerning the lives and activities of a now vanished people, before the coming of the white man. The Indians have also left records, in their places of sepulture, that reveal to us much of their past. In answer to the question as to what the camp-site reveals, it may be said that you find there various forms of arrowhead with which the Indian killed his game; the large arrowhead-shaped flint knife with which his better half skinned and cut it up ; and the fragments of the earthen pot in which she cooked it for her lord and master.
The writer has in his collection the contents of a single grave found on Aylmer Island. The occupant was well provided with a plentiful sup-
THE HIGHWAY OF THE OTTAWA. 43
ply of this world's goods, from an Indian standpoint. He had with him, among other things, an iron tomahawk of French make, a small copper kettle, a bone harpoon, three knives and five crooked knives. Among other things that his friends had put into his kit for his trip to the happy hunting ground, was a quantity of fringe made out of a white moman's hair. He also had with him a bone arrowhead that had been driven com- pletely through a segment of his lumbar vertebrae, piercing the spinal chord and still remaining in position. Now, it seems easy to read this Indian's story. At some time in his career he had scalped a white woman, and used her hair for his personal adornment ; but later on he had got what was coming to him — so to speak ; for that identical portion of his transfixed backbone is at present reposing in the writer's cabinet, and it shows conclusively that its owner died by violence — and served him right.
For the benefit of those who take an interest in the ethnic history of the Ottawa and who may desire to do a little original investigation on their own behalf, a list of the principal camp-sites and burial places, of the Indians, between Ottawa and the Chats Falls, may be of some little service. They are as follows:
Gilmour's Mills — Mr. R. H. Haycock, of Ottawa, reports that in 1859- 60 his father, the late Edward Haycock, built a residence on the site of Gilmour's Mill, in Hull. While making excavations for the foundation of a summer house, the workmen laid bare several ash-beds at a depth of from two to three feet below the surface. Amongst other things these beds contained Indian pottery in great abundance. It was customary with the Huron-Iroquois to place their fires in pits, which doubtless ac- counts for the pottery being found at such a depth.
Gravel Pit, Laurier Ave., Hull — One may observe, on approaching Hull, by the Alexandra bridge, an extensive gravel pit, between the E. B. Eddy Go's sulphide mill and the end of the bridge, and between Laurier Ave. and the river. This is the place from which the late Edward Hay- cock procured sand for building purposes on the eastern and western blocks of the departmental buildings at Ottawa. During the excavation of this bank a great many Indian relics were discovered, such as women's knives, arrowheads, tomahawks and pottery, but no description of the pottery is obtainable. Here, according to white and red tradition, many- bloody encounters took place between parties ascending or descending the river.
Squaw Bay, Tetreauville (Que.) — The western shore of this bay is littered with worked flints, especially the southerly end which juts out into the river.
Bell's Bay (Que.) — This bay, near Fraser's Mill, is an old camp-site, where the writer found a stone celt and arrowheads. There is a con- siderable quantity of worked flints littered about the shore. A com- pacted mass of clay and sand, mixed with worked flints, beneath an old oak stump, about two feet in diameter, had been laid bare by the river. It was an old stump of a large tree, yet the arrow-makers of Bell's Bay
44 ONTAEIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
had flaked their flints where it stood long before that oak was even an acorn.
Hotel Victoria (Aylmer, Que.) — On the low gravelly flat, just west of the hotel wharf, the writer picked up a very finely made celt, and be- tween that and the outlet of the creek several broken ones. Large frag- ments of unworked flint, ready for the arrow-maker, were also observed.
Newman's Bay (Que.) — This bay — called by Ottawa people Echo Bay — just below Queen's Park, has yielded more unworked flint than any other beach workshop on the Quebec side of Lake Deschenes. Some few fragments of pottery have also been found.
Pointe aux Pins. — This place was so named by the old voyageurs, and by this name it has always been known to the people of Aylmer, Que. As the pine forest has long since disappeared and a solitary elm stands out in bold relief on the shore, a wiseacre from Ottawa, some years ago, re- named the spot One-tree Point. It is needless to say that this changing of place names increases the difficulties in the way of historical and ethnological investigation, and should be discredited. Place names are sacred and should not be tampered with. However, Pointe aux Pins, which is now the site of Queen 's Park, yields worked and unworked flints and arrowheads. One of the latter, picked up by the writer, is apparent- ly very old, as a portion has been broken off, revealing a thick rind of weathered surface of a light buff color. This arrowhead is unique amongst those found on Lake Deschenes. Only one fragment of a sim- ilar kind of flint, unworked, is all that the writer has been able to dis- cover, and this was at a spot higher up the river and not amongst the refuse in any of the beach workshops on the lake.
Powell's Bay (Que.) — Large pieces of unworked flint, together with flint chippings, have been observed at this bay and along the shore for a considerable distance up the lake.
Raymond's Point — This point is on the Ontario shore of Lake Deschenes, opposite Aylmer, and is by far the largest beach workshop and camp-site on the lake. From the point to upward of one hundred yards westward, as far as Smith's house, the bare calciferous sandstone shore is thickly strewn with worked flint and chippings of the same material. Arrowheads of several makes have been found at this point. Some have been fabricated from the black flint that is found, in great abundance, in the Trenton limestone at Hull and Ottawa, and are con- sequently of domestic origin ; while others are of a lighter color and are similar to those found in the Huron country. Women's knives, celts, or stone tomahawks, are also found. A woman's knife picked up at this place by Mr. Jacob Smith, of the Interior Department at Ottawa, was made of dark Trenton flint. A similar and beautifully finished flint knife, presented to the writer by Mr. Louis Leroy, of Bryson,, and found at that place, is of light colored flint and is evidently of foreign make. Fragments of pottery are frequently picked up as they are washed by the rains out of the dark sandy loam at high water mark, above the rocky
THE HIGHWAY OF THE OTTAWA. 45
beach. From what has been seen of these fragments the pottery seems to be referable to three distinct cultures — Algonkin, Huron and Iroquois ; but this is only conjecture, as not enough has been procured to settle the matter.
Snake Island Point. — This point is high, dry and flat-topped, and admirably fitted by nature for a camp-site. On the side next to Snake Bay, to the south, it is fringed with large boulders, among which the ground is smothered with flint flakings. Geo. R. Pox, of Appleton, Wis., informs the writer that he has investigated numerous village sites, but does not recall one where he discovered any amount of chips near large stones, which would indicate the selection of such spots as workshop sites. Since hearing from Mr. Fox, the writer has often wondered whether these flakings may not have accumulated about the boulders before the wash of heavy rains, but has dismissed this idea for the reason that rain floods could not have moved them.
Noel's Point.— This point is only a short distance higher up the lake shore. Here we also get the boulders with the flint flakings lying about them, as at Snake Island Point.
Flat Rock. — On the 24th May, 1897, Aldos and David Pariseau dis- covered a cache of bullets at Flat Eock, near Wilson's Bluff, and just above the summer residence of the late Mr. A. H. Taylor, in the township of South March, Ont. They were found in the sand, in a few inches of water quite close to the shore, and eight hundred were taken from the cache, together with an Indian pipe with the head of some animal mould- ed or carved on the bowl. Some of these bullets are now in the writer's collection and would run about twenty -five to the pound.
Pointe a la Bataille. — This point is now shown on our maps as Lapot- tie's Point, a name of recent origin, and doubtless conferred upon it by some ox-witted yokel, who thought it should bear the name of its latest occupant rather than that which probably commemorated some tragic incident of a bygone age. The French-Canadian river-men, however, with much better taste, still retain the name by which it was known to the old voyageurs. Flints are found at this point, both worked and other- wise. Several years ago, Joseph Leclair, of Aylmer, discovered a large cache of bullets at Pointe a la Bataille. Mr. Leclair brought away nearly half a bagful, without exhausting the find. It does not appear credible that so large a quantity of ammunition would have been "cached" by hunters; but, judging from the name of the place, one inclines rather to the supposition that this store had some connection, in the past, with the movements of war-parties, either white or red, operating along Lake Deschenes.
Sand Bay, at the outlet of Constance Creek, in the township of Tor- bolton, Carleton Co., Ont., is a deep indentation of the southern shore line of the Ottawa, extending inland about a mile. The entrance, or river front of the bay, is terminated on the east by Pointe a la Bataille and on the west by Big Sand Point.
46 ONTAEIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
Big Sand Point. — This point is a large dune of drifting sand with here and there a stunted pitch pine and in sheltered places a luxuriant growth of blueberries and poison-ivy. In the summer of 1912 one of the writer's sons discovered an Indian fire-place right on the top of this dune, on the side fronting on the river, in a clear space fully exposed to the action of the winds. The fire-place was about nine or ten feet in cir- cumference and was filled with fine charcoal and sand to the level of the drifting sands of the dune. Overlying this ash-bed was an array of pottery fragments that had the appearance of having been arranged thereon for the inspection of future generations. The fire-place was dug out by hand and pieces of pottery were found all the way down to a depth of about two feet, but the bottom of the pit was not reached. The pottery is either Huron or Iroquois, but the writer is uncertain as to which of the two cultures it is referable.
William M. Beauchamp* is of the opinion that "while the richer Iroquois obtained brass kettles quickly from the whites, their poorer friends continued the primitive art till the beginning of the 18th century at least."
In view of the above statement it appeared at first sight as if this old fire-place bore evidences of the last domestic catastrophe in an Indian household, about two hundred years ago, and that these evidences had not been obliterated by snow or rain or drifting sand in all that time, for this seemed to be the story : Many years ago, when this was an Indian camp, some bustling Indian woman, in hurrying up to get the dinner, snatched a pot of boiling water off the fire, burnt her fingers, dropped the pot, broke it, spilt the water and put out the fire, blamed somebody or something else for the accident and left her broken crockery and her fire-place with the orenda knocked out of them and a tabu on both. After a brief consideration, however, this theory was dismissed on ac- count of its improbability for obvious reasons. A more reasonable sup- position seemed to be that a Huron or Iroquois fire-pit, originally two or three feet in depth and filled with ashes, sand and broken kitchen unten- sils, had been abandoned at some remote period ; and that since that time the winds had carried away some of the sand from the top of the dune, together with some of the upper part of the fire-place, thus winnowing the pottery fragments and leaving them accumulated as they were found.
According to the testimony of old residents in the neighborhood, human bones, and in one instance an entire human skeleton, have been washed out of the sands near this dune.
Many uncanny and gruesome stories are associated with the sand mound. They have been transmitted from father to son, from the time of the old French voyageurs.
Wendigo Mound. — According to one of these traditions this sand mound was, in the old days, occupied by a family of Wendigoes. These
•Earthenware of the New York Aborigines. Bulletin of the New York State Museum, Vol. 5, No. 22, October 1898, p. 80.
THE HIGHWAY OF THE OTTAWA. 47
people were a source of constant annoyance to the dwellers on Lake Deschenes, but more particularly to an Algonkin camp on Sand Bay, quite close to the headquarters of these malignant beings. The old man, who possessed the gigantic proportions of his class, was frequently seen wading about in the waters of the bay, when on foraging expeditions after Indian children, of whose flesh, it is said, he and his family were particularly fond. The family consisted of the old man and his wife and one son. The bravest Indian warriors had, on several occasions, am- bushed and shot at the old man and woman without injuring either of them ; but, by means of sorcery, they eventually succeeded in kidnapping the boy, when his parents were away from home. Holding the young hopeful as a hostage, they managed to dictate terms to his father and mother and finally got rid of the whole family.
The writer heard this story for the first time one night while camping at the Chats Fall. It was told at the camp fire by a half-breed descendant of the Indians who had the unpleasantness with the Wendigoes. Though far from believing that any sane Indian of the old school would have laid violent hands on even a young Wendigo, the writer is quite satisfied that had one of those legendary monsters of the American wilderness loomed suddenly out of the dark shadows of the forest and approached the camp fire, the poor half-breed who was "spinning the yarn" would have taken to his canoe without a moment's hesitation and left the Wen- digo in undisputed possession of the island.
Fight at Big Sand Point. — Life on the old Ottawa, during the great- er part of the seventeenth century, was always strenuous, and frequently dangerous. On this rugged old trade route, during the French regime, the fur-traders from the interior, both white and red, experienced many vicissitudes while conveying the products of the chase to the trading posts on the St. Lawrence. Shadowy traditions of those days of racial attrition have been transmitted from father to son, from the old coureurs de bois and their Indian confreres, to their half-breed descendants of the present day. These traditions account for the human bones washed out some years ago at the foot of the old Indian portage at the Chats Falls, and those that lie scattered about at Big Sand Point, lower down the river; also, for quite a number of brass kettles found at one time near the mouth of Constance Creek ; for the Indian burials on Aylmer Island, as well as for the presence of arrowheads, stone celts, flint knives and other native implements in the gravel beds at the foot of the Chaudiere ; and, without pausing to consider whether these relics of a departed people are not the ordinary litter of Indian camp-sites, or the disinterred bones from Indian burial places, tradition, as usual, takes charge of them as the ominous tokens of a period of violence.
A great many years ago, so the story goes, a party of French, fur- traders, together with a number of friendly Indians, possibly Algonkin and Huron allies, went into camp one evening at Pointe a la Bataille. Fires were lighted, kettles were slung and all preparations made to pass the night in peace and quietness. Soon, however, the lights from other
48 ONTABIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
camp fires began to glimmer through the foliage, on the opposite shore of the bay, and a reconnaisance presently revealed a large war-party of Iroquois in a barricaded encampment on the Wendigo Mound at Big Sand Point. Well skilled as they were in all the artifices of forest warfare, the French and their Indian companions were satisfied that something would happen before morning. It was inevitable that the coming night would be crowded with such stirring incidents as would leave nothing to be desired in the way of excitement. There lay the Iroquois camp, with its fierce denizens crouched like wolves in their lair; though buried in the heart of the enemy's country, yet self-reliant in the pride of their past warlike achievements, whose military strategy had rendered them as invulnerable as the gloom of the oncoming thundercloud, and as inex- orable as the fate of the forest monarch that is blasted by a stroke of its lightning.
Now, the golden rule on the Indian frontier in those strenuous times was to deal with your neighbor as you might be pretty sure he would deal with you, if he got the chance. Of course it was customary among the Indians to heap coals of fire on the head of an enemy; but as it was the usual practice, before putting on the coals, to bind the enemy to some immovable object, such as a tree or a stout picket, so that he was unable to shake them off, the custom was not productive of much brotherly love. Moreover, when the success of peace overtures could be assured only to the party that could bring the greater number of muskets into the nego- tiations, it will be readily understood why the French, who were in the minority, did not enter into diplomatic relations with the enemy. On the contrary, it was resolved to fight, as soon as the opposing camp was in re- pose, and attempt a decisive blow from a quarter whence it would be least expected, thus forestalling an attack upon themselves, which might come at any time before the dawn. The French and their allies knew very well that if their plans miscarried and the attack failed, the penalty would be death to most of their party, and that, in the event of capture, they would receive as fiery and painful an introduction to the world of shadows as the leisure or limited means of their captors might warrant.
Towards midnight, the attacking party left Pointe a la Bataille and proceeded stealthily southward, in their canoes, along the eastern rim of Sand Bay, crossed the outlet of Constance Creek and landing on the west- ern shore of the bay advanced towards Big Sand Point through the pine forest that clothed the intervening sand hills, as it does to-day. This long detour, of about two miles, was no doubt a necessity, as, on still nights the most trifling sounds, especially such as might have been pro- duced by paddles accidentally touching the sides of canoes, are echoed to considerable distances over the bay.
The advance of the expedition was the development of Indian strat- egy; for, by getting behind the enemy, it enabled the French and their allies to rush his barricades and strike him in the back, while his sentinels and outliers were guarding against any danger that might approach from the river front.
THE HIGHWAY OF THE OTTAWA. 49
The attack was entirely successful, for it descended upon and en- veloped the sleeping camp like a hideous nightmare. Many of the Iro- quois died in their sleep, while the rest of the party perished to a man in the wild confusion of a midnight massacre.
Such is the popular tradition of the great fight at the Wendigo Mound at Big Sand Point, and the bones that are found in the drifting sands at that place are said to be the remains of friend and foe who fell in that isolated and unrecorded struggle.
This story seems to carry us back to that period of conflict which was inaugurated by the onslaught of the Iroquois upon the Huron towns, which was continued with unparalleled ferocity and terminated only by the merciless destruction of a once powerful nation and the final disper- sion of its fugitive remnants, together with such bands of Algonkins as happened to come within the scope of that campaign of extermination. It is supposed that our tradition has reference to one of the many scenes of bloodshed that reddened the frontiers of Canada, while the Confeder- ates were thus making elbow-room for themselves on this continent, and were putting the finishing touches on the tribes to the north of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence. At this time all the carrying-places on our great highway were dangerous, for war parties of fierce invaders held the savage passes of the Ottawa, hovering like malignant okies amidst the spray of wild cataracts and foaming torrents, where they levied toll with the tomahawk and harvested with the scalping-knife the fatal souvenirs of conquest.
The Chaudiere. — Let us now descend the river, as far as the Chau- diere, and we find ourselves once again in the mocassin prints of the Iroquois; for those tireless scalp hunters were quite at home on the Ottawa, as well as on its northern tributaries. War expeditions of the Confederates frequently combined business with recreation. They would leave their homes on the Mohawk, or adjacent lakes, and strike the trail to Canada, hunt along the Rideau Valley until the spring thaws set in, and manage to reach the Ottawa in time for the opening of navigation. Then they loitered about the passes of the Chaudiere and waited, like Wilkins Micawber, for something to turn up.
While waiting thus for their prey to break cover, from up or down the river, they devoted their spare time to various occupations. To the oki, whose thunderous voice was heard in the roar of the falls, they made sacrifices of tobacco. While the Mohawks and Onondagas each gave a name to that cauldron of seething water which is known to us as "The Big Kettle," the Mohawks called it Tsitkanajoh, or the "Floating Kettle," while the Onondagas named it Katsidagwehniyoh, or "Chief Council Fire."
Iroquois tradition assigns to Squaw Bay, called also Cache Bay, at Tetreauville, the reputation of having been one of the favorite lurking places of these war-parties. It must have been, in those days, an ideal spot for an ambush or concealed camp, as it occupied, for the purposes of river piracy, as commanding a position on the old trade route as does
50
ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
one of our present day toll-gates for controlling the traffic on a turnpike road.
Joe Canoe, the chief of the Dumoine Eiver Iroquois, told one of the writer's sons that in the old days his people were in the habit of hiding in Squaw or Cache Bay and capturing canoes coming down with furs or going up with merchandise. They plundered the canoes and scalped their occupants. It is also said that Brigham's Creek, called also Brew- ery Creek, a narrow channel of the Ottawa, was the old Indian portage route for overcoming the rapids of the Chaudiere. It may be seen by glancing at a map of the city of Hull, that parties of Algonkins or Hurons, as the case may have been, upon emerging on the main river at the head of this portage, were liable at any time to receive a warm welcome from some surprise-party of Iroquois visitors at the Squaw Bay camping ground. If descending the rapids of the Little Chaudiere, they faced a far worse predicament, as, unable to escape or defend themselves in the swift current, they would have been caught like passing flies in a spider's web.
It is said that Indian cunning was at length successful in evolving a plan to outwit the military strategy of the Iroquois. As the old port- age route had become dangerous it was resolved to have an alternative one. In ascending the Ottawa, this new portage started from the west- ern shore of Brigham's Creek at a point now occupied by the Interna- tional Cement Works. It continued thence in a westerly direction, skirt- ing the foot of the mountain and passed down Breckenridge's Creek to the outlet of that stream into Lake Deschenes. It was rather a long portage of about a dozen miles; but Algonkin and Huron had learned in the school of bitter experience that, in their case, the longest way round was the shortest way home. An aged squaw, who lived in Aylmer many years ago, spoke of a similar forest trail that extended, in the early days, from a point on the Gatineau, near the site of Chelsea, thence by way of Kingsmere to a point on Lake Deschenes, now occupied by the town of Aylmer.
Ossuary at Ottawa. — Residents of the Capital will be surprised to learn that a Feast of the Dead, probably similar to that witnessed by Brebeuf at Ossossane, was once held on the spot now occupied by the Capital brewery, within the angle formed by the north line of Welling- ton and the west line of Bay streets. The proof may be found in an article in the Canadian Journal, Vol. 1, 1852-1853, by the late Dr. Edward Van Courtland, which describes an Indian burying ground and its con- tents at Bytown (Ottawa) in 1843.
Dr. Van Courtland states that in 1843 some workmen, who were digging sand for mortar for the old suspension bridge, unearthed a large quantity of human bones. He immediately hurried to the spot and found that the contents of an Indian burying ground were being uncovered. The doctor continues: "Nothing possibly could have been more happily chosen for sepulture than the spot in question; situated on a projecting point of land directly in rear of the encampment, at a carrying-place, and
THE HIGHWAY OF THE OTTAWA. 51
about half a mile below the mighty cataract of the Chaudiere, it at once demonstrated a fact handed down to us by tradition, that the aborigines were in the habit, when they could, of burying their dead near running waters. The very oldest settlers, including the Patriarch of the Ottawa, the late Philemon Wright, and who had located nearby some thirty years before,* had never heard of this being a burying place, although Indians existed in considerable numbers about the locality when he dwelt in the forest, added to the fact that a huge pine tree growing directly over one of the graves, was conclusive evidence of its being used as a place of sepulture long ere the white man in his progressive march had desolated the hearths of the untutored savage." After two doys' digging the re- sults were as follows :
"One large, apparently common grave, containing the vestiges of about twenty bodies of various ages, a goodly share of them being children, together with portions of the remains of two dogs' heads; the confused state in which the bones were found showed that no care what- ever had been taken in burying the original owners, and a question presented itself as to whether they might not have all been thrown indiscriminately into one pit at the same time, having fallen victims to some epidemic, or beneath the hands of some other hostile tribe ; nothing, however, could be detected on the skulls to indicate that they fell by the tomahawk, but save sundry long bones, a few pelvi, and six perfect skulls the remainder crumbled into dust on exposure to the air ; in every instance the bones were deeply colored from red hematite which the aborigines used in painting, or rather in bedaubing their bodies, falling in the form of a deposit on them when the flesh had become corrupted. The material appears to have been very lavishly applied from the fact of the sand which filled the crania being entirely colored by it. A few implements and weapons of the very rudest description were discovered, to wit : 1st, a piece of gneiss about two feet long, tapering, and evidently intended as a sort of war-club ; it is in size and shape not unlike a policeman's staff. 2nd, a stone gouge, very rudely constructed of fossil- ferous limestone ; it is about ten inches long, and contains a fossil leptina on one of its edges; it is used, I lately learned from an Indian chief, for skinning the beaver. 3rd, a stone hatchet of the same material. 4th, a sandstone boulder weighing about four pounds; it was found lying on the sternum of a chief of gigantic stature, who was buried apart from the others, and who had been walled around with great care. The boulder in question is completely circular and much in the shape of a large ship biscuit before it is stamped or placed in the oven ; its use was, after being sewed in a skin bag, to serve as a corselet and protect the wearer against the arrows of an adversary. In every instance the teeth were perfect and not one unsound one was to be detected, at the same time they were all well worn down by trituation, it being a well known fact that in Council the Indians are in the habit of using their lower jaw like a ruminating animal, which fully accounts for the peculiarity. There were no arrowheads or other weapons discovered. ' '
•Philemon Wright, with 25 followers arrived at the site of the present City of Hull, on the 7th of March, 1800.
52 THE VALLEY OF THE OTTAWA IN 1613.
It will be seen from the foregoing that the worthy doctor had witnessed the excavation of a small ossuary, bone-pit or communal grave, such as are found in the Huron country in western Ontario. When the doctor raises the question as to whether the bodies had not all been "thrown indiscriminately into one pit at the same time," he suggests" a mode of sepulture that was actually observed by Brebeuf at the Huron Feast of the Dead at Ossossane in 1636.
Ossuary on Aylmer Island. — Another small ossuary was uncovered some years ago, on Aylmer Island, called also Lighthouse Island, in Lake Deschenes, when the foundation for the new lighthouse was being ev- cavated. The writer was not present at the exhumation of its contents, but the light-keeper, Mr. Frank Boucher, informed him that the skeletons were all piled together, indiscriminately. It is difficult to estimate the number of bodies interred in this grave, but it yielded about a wagon load of bones. No entire skulls were found but tho writer observed that the teeth in all the jawbones were sound, in some cases being worn down quite flat without the least sign of decay. Some single graves have also been found on this island. The presence of this ossuary is also at once suggestive of the celebration, on Aylmer Island, of the weird mortuary rite called the Feast of the Dead.
Embowered in the solemn grandeur of a mighty forest of gloomy pines, old Lac Chaudiere — our Lake Deschenes — was a fitting theatre for that weird ceremonial. Resting on the old Algonkin camping ground at Pointe aux Pins — now Queen's Park — some roving coureur de bois might have seen this great sheet of water fading away into the vast green ocean of foliage to the south, and witnessed from his point of vantage the uncanny incidents of the savage drama. From various points on the lake he might have seen, converging on the island, great war canoes freighted with the living and the dead, the sad remnants of a passing race. He might have heard the long drawn-out wailing cries of the liv- ing, as they floated out across the water, outrivalling the call of the loon, or the dismal and prolonged howl of the wolf, as they echoed through the arches of the forest ; and, as the island rose before his vision, tenanted with its grotesque assemblage of dusky forms, engaged in the final rite of sepulture, he might have mused upon the mutability of human life, iu its application to the red denizens of the wilderness, whether in the extinction of a clan, or the dissolution of a tribe or confederation.
But where, to-day, are these people whose reverence for their dead was one of the first rays of light stealing in upon their darkness from the coming morning of a new day ? Who felt even in the wind as it played over their brows when spent with toil the caress of a good spirit? Who, longing for that which they knew not, made gods of the blind forces of nature and reached out to them, in their direst need, for assistance and consolation? Did they migrate, finally, to join their kindred in their distant resting places? Did they fade away, by adoption, into other tribes? Or, were they absorbed by the red cloud of massacre, to disap- pear forever in the darksome shadow of the illimitable wilderness?
VII. THE COUNTY HISTORY AS A FACTOR IN SOCIAL PROGRESS.
BT MIBB EDITH L. MARSH
No book can give a more vivid picture of the lives of the people who are actually working out the evolution of the country than the county history. It brings one in touch with the significant details in the lives of the pioneers and the lives of the men of to-day. In the county history more than any other book we should be able to trace the social systems under which the people of the different generations have lived and to see the effect they have had upon the progress of the country.
The histories that have been written of our country deal with great events and with great men, and there is little space, even in the chapters devoted to social conditions, for the individual pictures that strike home to the reader. The history of the country, picturesque though it may be, is bound to have a far-away sound to those of us who are living oi;r quiet lives in remote parts of the province. But the county history is all our own, is the life we know. A single glimpse of a familiar scene will arouse emotions that remain unmoved by thrilling tales of great events far away. The nearer home the historian brings his readers the more deeply he impresses them.
The social conditions of the red men who had their homes in the different counties of Ontario before the white man claimed the land has a message too often overlooked. They lived under a communal system. With them the productions of the earth were common property. Such a thing as one starving while another had food stored away or monopoly of game was unknown among friendly bands. They were all children of the Great Spirit, and the food that had been given for their needs must be shared by all. What would these people think of such a condition of individualism as exists to-day in many of our cities ?
It is a question whether history has ever done justice to the Indians. Certainly many of the children who study history at school and who read Indian stories have exaggerated ideas of the worst side of Indian life and know little or nothing of their better qualities. They have had the white man's version of the red man. In their histories the Indian himself has not spoken. It is important that justice should be done the Indian, not merely for the sake of the Indian, but because of the bearing it has upon the future.
The primitive Indian was a more honest being than modern methods of life have made of the white man. It was a missionary from the far north who declared that when someone asked the Indians there if it would
54 ONTAEIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
be safe to leave some supplies in a certain place, they said, "Why yes, there is not a white man within fifty miles."
A few years ago the sister of the Methodist missionary on Christian Island told of witnessing a very striking mirage while driving with a party of friends somewhere in Parry Sound District. They were miles back from the shore, yet suddenly the Georgian Bay appeared just a few yards ahead. There was a little child four or five years old in the party who was fast asleep. Curious to know whether she too would see what they saw they awoke her and she cried with fright and begged them not to drive into the water. Had that been some young Indian brave, who knew nothing about mirage, instead of white people who understood something about such an atmospheric condition, and he had returned to his home and told some explorer that when far away in a certain direction lie had come upon a great unknown body of water, and the ex- plorer, scenting the glory of discovery, induced the brave to guide him to it only to find that no such body of water existed, the Indian would have been a great liar, possibly a sufficiently great liar to have branded his whole tribe.
Fortunately there are some records of Indian life left by the Indians themselves. Assikinack, an Ottawa Indian, in writing of his people who in very early days had their homes in the valley of the Beaver River, says that while in the villages they each had their homes, the hunting grounds were common property and also the game that was brought in, and he places much stress upon the fact that children were taught to be honest and to respect the old.
Rev. Dr. Maclean, writing of the Iroquois in "Canadian Savage Folk," says that hospitality is a common virtue among them and that they treat strangers with great respect, preparing for them venison, maize, or other native foods in great abundance. The writer might have gone on to say that the Indians do not ask the stranger who he is, do not consider the cut of his coat or how much property he owns. It is enough for them that he is one of the children of the Great Spirit, and the greater his need the greater their care in providing for him. Condescending charity, such as we hear so much about to-day, was unknown among them. Would they not hold us in contempt if they could see us throwing open our doors to those who need nothing and closing them to those in want?
In reading the letters and speeches of Joseph Brant one wonders whether any statesman of the white race could have a more disinterested desire for the welfare of his people. In his letters the communal ideas of the Iroquois are frequently referred to.
In the history of the County of Bruce, by Norman Robertson, one of the speeches made by a chief at the time of the signing of the treaty by which the Indians surrendered their title to the tract of land comprising the original County of Bruce, expresses the Indian idea of the white man's individual rights. (Robertson's Hist, of Bruce, p. 3.)
In the lives of the pioneers who followed the Indians were many
THE COUNTY HISTORY AS A FACTOR IN SOCIAL PROGRESS. 55
incidents which show the noble spirit of the builders of the Dominion. In the histories of the loyalist settlers are the well known stories of the historic beef bone that was passed from house to house that it might give each settler's soup a taste, and the story of the bees, where help was given one another, and story after story of the banding together of the settlers to assist, with no expectation of pay, a more unfortunate neighbor. All these show that early settlers understood that on each man's well being depended the future of the country. They lived more in accord- ance with the communal system of the red men than we do to-day. Little by little this has been disappearing, giving place to selfish individualism.
With that spirit of the early days has gone too much of the knowl- edge of the wild herbs which the settlers obtained from the Indians. An old gentleman living in Toronto, a member of the York Pioneers, remark- ed how very little of this had been preserved in history, and he told of an incident worthy of record. It seems that one day when a mere boy he was accompanying a well-to-do early settler in a walk through the woods on his own farm. The farmer asked if he had ever seen Indian glue. The boy replied that he had not. "Then I can show it to you," the farmer replied. When they had walked a little farther he found a stalk, apparently dead. He pulled it up, rubbed it in his hands, then breaking a chip of wood in two he rubbed the bruised stalk against the broken edges and put them together again. In a few minutes he handed it to the boy and told him to try to break it apart again. The boy tried with all his might but the Indian glue held it firm. This plant the farmer explained was dormant through the summer and for that reason very difficult to find.
The old gentleman who told the story said that though he had in- quired again and again he had never met with any one who could re- member having seen that plant, and he added that when the spirit of competition possesses the people there is little thought of preserving for future generations the wild things that were provided for their use, and some day they will awaken to the fact that they must labor in the heat and the dust to produce a substitute for that which would have grown all ready for use in the cool woods.
Such stories told in local history might make us more careful of the wild things we have left, our game, our birds and our bits of forest which now we try to protect against ourselves by legislation.
The passenger pigeons would have adapted themselves to the chang- ed condition of the country if they had been allowed to live. It was not the so-called savage that exterminated these birds. They thought of the future, but the civilized man killed them off until not one was left, and now he would gladly give a thousand dollars for a single pair. It sounds ludicrous, but it is perfectly true.
In the history of Simcoe County, I read of the little coffee mill that one of the settlers had taken in his scant household outfit to his home in the backwoods and how during the long season of the year when the
56 ONTARIO HISTOBICAL SOCIETY.
Holland River was so swollen with floods that it was impossible for the settlers to cross it and reach Newmarket where was their nearest grist mill, they would come from miles round to grind a few quarts of grain in the little coffee mill and thus ward off starvation. I can see those people yet going back with their little bags of grain. When the historian gives in a few vivid lines such a picture of early conditions it not only makes a lasting impression, but it starts us thinking, and all sorts of comparisons come up between that day and the present time. As that picture lingers in the mind one wonders whether if the man with the coffee mill had lived to-day he would not have demanded an exorbitant amount of grain for the use of the mill and when the flood was over and the farmers once more independent of his mill he would have had a large proportion of their hard earned crops. That sort of thing is creeping into almost every county now.
In one county is a co-operative apple house, that is, a so-called co- operative apple house. The farmers bought stock in the building with the understanding that they would have a storehouse for their apples until they could market them to better advantage. Then they put up a little more money to buy out a cooper shop that they might always have barrels. The scheme looked ideal. But there was an undercurrent that was kept from them until they had paid their money. The result was that the farmers received no benefit at all and one man was made rich.
It is needless to go into detail ; everyone knows how that sort of thing is done. It is very easy for a man to make money buying apples when he has at his disposal an apple house and a cooper shop paid for with the money of the farmers. To-day he wears a high collar, rides in his motor car, and is a pillar in the church, while the men who planted the orchards have the choice of leaving their apples lying in piles on the ground or accepting what the buyers choose to give them. Usually they sell them for a dollar or a dollar and a half a barrel on the trees and team them down to the town in the bargain, up hill and down hill, through the cold and storm of November on the Georgian Bay, and if the man of the high collar and the apple house passes them on the way, the chances are he does not so much as stop to pass the time of day.
It is the county historian who can show how gradually the spirit of the early days which laid the foundation of our Dominion has been pass- ing away, and by stating facts as they are can open our eyes to the dang- ers of the present. A time will come when we have put the power of money in the place where it belongs, when we have ceased to honor men for their wealth until we know how it has been obtained, when men can no longer buy their way into public favor and social prestige. A system that allows monopoly to dispossess the tiller of the soil can never tend towards national greatness.
The county history can do more than any other force to bridge the gulf of inequality that lies between the communal system of the Indians and the early settlers and a grand co-operative social system that is to come. Such a future is not a mere vision. For generations the great
THE COUNTY HISTOHY AS A FACTOR IN SOCIAL PROGRESS. 57
leaders of thought have realized that our competitive system is too waste- ful. They have seen that many are struggling with poverty, some in a starving condition, while the few can throw away what would keep a multitude in plenty, and they know that in time we must have a more just and economical system of production and distribution. Nearly four hundred years ago Sir Thomas More wrote his Utopia. In more recent days William Morris tried to carry out in his own factory Utopian ideas, and his "News from Nowhere," which, though not practical but merely a fanciful dream, yet shows that under proper distribution a com- paratively small amount of labor will produce not only necessities but luxuries for all.
A story is told of an Indian chief who heard that in a large and wealthy city a child died from lack of proper food. Meeting a white man of his acquaintance he expressed his disapproval of such a condition of affairs. The white man said in extenuation that they did not know of the child's condition. The chief replied that he had always understood the white man was an intelligent being, and an individual of any intel- ligence whatever would know that under the system of living they had made for themselves such things must happen. Might not the Indian exclaim at our claim to intelligence ?
A time will come when we shall live nearer the brotherhood of man and then happy home life will be the privilege of every child. When that time comes we shall not require laws to protect the timid wild things that have made their homes among us.
The county history that helps to straighten out our distorted ideas of the proportion of things does a great work for our social progress. We look back with consternation at much that took place in the far away days of our history, but may not those who come after us look with equal consternation at the conditions we countenance to-day? The goal of our evolution is upwards.
"No wind can drive our bark astray Nor change the tide of destiny."
VIII. THE RUSH-BAGOT AGREEMENT OF 1817.
Bv E. H. SCAMMELL
At the outset I desire to express my indebtedness to my friend Dr. J. M. Callahan, President of the West Virginia University, whose work on The Neutrality of the American Lakes has been my chief source of in- formation.
We are justly proud of the magnificent St. Lawrence, Queen of all rivers, which empties into the ocean the waters of our great inland seas. This river has played no small part in the development of Canada; on iicr bosom floated the primitrre ships of the early pioneers, and, later, the hearts of oak of contending nations. Designed by nature to be a great commercial highway, it is only within the memory of living man that she has entered into this heritage.
The lakes which feed this river have also been the theatre of a series of historic conflicts between rival fleets, struggling for mastery. The limits of this paper will not allow me to refer to the influence of the Great Lakes or of the St. Lawrence on the development of this country, nor can I deal with such fascinating themes as the early story of the Hudson's Bay Co., or the intrepid Champlain, or the war with France, while only a brief reference is possible to the war of 1812.
In that unfortunate conflict Canadian and British forces were vic- torious on land, but our primitive navy suffered several reverses on our inland seas. Many felt that it would be necessary as a precaution against a further out-break of hostilities to build and maintain an adequate naval defence. On the other hand there were those who considered mutual dis- armament a better guarantee of peace than preparedness for war.
During the negotiations which led up to the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on the 24th day of December, 1814., much was said concerning the control of the Great Lakes, and in the Parliamentary and Congres- sional debates, both sides urged that their own absolute control would be essential to the maintenance of peace. Munroe, then Secretary of State for the United States, on Jan. 18th, 1814, wrote that "Experience has shown that Great Britain cannot participate in the dominion and naviga- tion of the lakes without incurring the danger of an early renewal of the war." On the other hand many in England were proposing a boundary division farther south than the lakes. Nathaniel Atcheson, an English writer, in an article of March 2nd, 1814, on "Points to be discussed in
THE EUSH-BAGOT AGREEMENT OF 1817. 59
treating with the United States," said that the great feature of the new line should be "exclusion of the Americans from navigation of the St. Lawrence, and all the congregation of tributary seas and waters. They are the natural patrimony of the Canadas. Water communications do not offer either a natural or secure boundary. Mountains separate but rivers approximate mankind." "Hence," said he, "the prominent boundary should be the heights of land separating the respective territories." This would have given to England Lake Champlaiu, all of the Great Lakes, and a considerable amount of territory south of the lakes.
On the other hand, the American idea was that the boundary should run from Nova Scotia, southwesterly, west, and northwesterly to Lake Nipissing, from there west along to the Mississippi. If the source of the Mississippi had been as far North as the Lake of the Woods, as it was supposed to be, Great Britain would, by this line, have been excluded from all the lakes except Superior.
It is clear from the records of the Treaty negotiations at Ghent, that Lord Castlereagh, the British Foreign Secretary, from the first desired to prevent a contest for naval ascendency upon the lakes. In his general instructions to the British Commissioners there is no mention of the sub- ject of naval vessels on the lakes, but in a draft of " instructions relative to the boundaries of Canada," which is marked NOT USED, there is at the close: "N. B. In order to put an end to the jealousies which may arise by the construction of ships of war on the lakes, it should be pro- posed that the two contracting parties should reciprocally bind them- selves not to construct any ships of war on any of the lakes ; and should entirely dismantle those which are now in commission, or are preparing for service."
This unused draft is not dated, but it was probably written in July, 1814. For some reason it was considered expedient to make a less liberal proposition upon this subject. By August it appeared to Lord Castlereagh that a boundary through the middle of the lakes, with the right of each country to arm both on water and shore, would tend to create a "per- petual contest for naval ascendency, in peace as well as in war." He, therefore, thought it necessary for the sake of peace and economy to decide to which power these waters should, in a military sense, exclusive- ly belong.. In his instructions to the British Commissioners on Aug. 14, he said : — ' ' Upon the point of frontier you may state that the views of the British Government are strictly defensive. They consider the course of the lakes from Lake Ontario to Lake Superior, both inclusive, to be the natural military frontier of the British possessions in North America."
It appears that the first definite idea of disarmament on the lakes was made by Mr. Gallatin, one of the American representatives, at Ghent, on September 6th, 1814, when the negotiators seemed to have arrived at a deadlock. Although we find one of his co-representatives considered this question outside the pale of their instructions, Mr. Gallatin proposed to refer the matter to his Government. A letter dated October 26th, 1814, to Mr. Munroe, from Mr. Gallatin, is. still in existence.
60 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
It says, "The right of preserving our naval forces on the lakes to any extent we please is a sine qua non by our instructions. Suppose the British proposed mutual restriction in that respect either partial or total, should we still adhere to the sine qua non?" No reply to this note has been found, but about the same time Gouverneur Morris, a prominent American, who had been desirous for peace and not desirous for Canada, also suggested an idea for disarmament but solely on the ground of econ- omy. Writing to a friend, he said, " It would be wise to stipulate that neither party should have ships of war on the lakes nor forts on their shores, both being an idle and useless expense."
This discussion seems to have been the genesis of the Rush-Bagot Agreement. The Treaty of Ghent was ratified by the United States on February 17th, 1815, and ten days later the President was authorized "to cause all armed vessels of the United States on the Lakes to be sold or laid up, except such as he may deem necessary to enforce proper execu- tion of revenue laws, such vessels to be first divested of their armament, tackle and furniture, which are to be carefully preserved."
There does not seem to have been any marked activity to put this act into operation. At this time extremely bitter feelings still prevailed along the lake shores and there were numerous events which required careful diplomatic handling between the two governments. It was felt, however, that either both countries would have to increase their naval armament or to agree to mutual disarmament. On November 16th, 1815, Secretary Munroe wrote to John Q. Adams, who was at this time Min- ister of the United States to Great Britain :
"It is evident, if each party augments its force there, with a view to obtain the ascendency over the other, that vast expense will be incurred and the danger of collision augmented in like degree. The President is sincerely desirous to prevent an evil which it is presumed is equally to be deprecated by both governments. He, therefore, authorizes you to propose to the British Government such an arrangement respecting the naval force to be kept on the lakes by both governments as will demon- strate their pacific policy and secure their peace. He is willing to confine it, on each side, to a certain moderate number of armed vessels, and the smaller the number the more agreeable to him ; or to abstain altogether from an armed force beyond that used for revenue. You will bring this subject under the consideration of the British Government immediately after receipt of this letter."
These instructions resulted in an interview between Mr. Adams and Lord Castlereagh on Jan. 25th, 1816. Mr. Adams' proposal was well received by the British Minister, who said that everything beyond what was necessary to prevent smuggling was calculated only to produce mischief ; but he was cautious and required time to ascertain whether any ulterior motive lay beyond the proposition. He proposed to submit the matter to his government for consideration, and the interview closed without any indication of the British attitude being given. The debates in Parliament gave little evidence that the proposal would be considered.
THE RUSH-BAGOT AGEEEMENT OF 1817. 61
They were upon the principle of preserving peace by being prepared for war. Many speeches of a jingo nature were made and one of the Lords of Admiralty told the House of Commons that "bumboat expeditions and pinchbeck administrations would do no longer for Canada ; that Englishmen must lay their account for fighting battles in fleets of three- deckers on the North American Lakes." Notwithstanding this adverse Parliamentary attitude, Lord Castlereagh seems to have carried his point, and on April 15th he informed Mr. Adams that the British Govern- ment was ready to meet the proposal of the United States, "So far as to avoid everything like a contention between the two parties which should have the strongest force" on the lakes, adding that they had no desire to have any ships in commission or active service except what might be needed to convey troops occasionally. At this time Adams did not feel like concluding the arrangement without further instructions, and it was agreed that the negotiations should be transferred to Washington and that authority be vested in Mr. Bagot, the British Minister to the United States, to act for Great Britain.
After his interview with Mr. Adams, Lord Castlereagh was prompt in notifying Mr. Bagot of his power to act in the matter of arranging naval forces, as well as the matter of fisheries. When the news reached America of the apparently sudden change in the attitude of the British Government there was some speculation as to the probable cause. Was the prosperity of England on the decline? Or was England acting from purely humanitarian motives? Or did she fear some new trouble?
Then began a series of interviews and an amount of correspondence between Mr. Bagot and the American authorities which ended in a letter from Secretary Munroe, dated August 2nd, 1816, in which he set forth a general proposal for disarmament and the maintenance of neutrality on the Great Lakes which was afterward included almost word for word in the Agreement. It was necessary for both sides to be perfectly as- sured of each other's bona fides. Further, Mr. Bagot wished to be abso- lutely certain that he had power to agree to a specific number of ships as a minimum. In the course of these negotiations inquiries were made by both sides, as to the respective strengths of rival fleets. According to the report furnished to the American authorities by Mr. Bagot, the British force, on September 1st, 1816, was twenty-seven boats, capable of carry- ing over 300 guns. Some of these had been condemned as unfit for ser- vice, but two 74 gun ships were on the stocks, and one transport of 400 tons. According to the report from Secretary Munroe, the United States' force was about the same, viz.: 22 boats capable of carrying over 350 guns. Several of these ships were either laid by or dismantled, but two 74 gun ships were on the stocks.
Owing to the time taken in the transmission of instructions, and the necessity for consultation with the British authorities, the reciprocal and definite reduction of the naval force on the lakes did not occur until after Munroe had become President. H. E. H. the Prince Regent had agreed to Munroe 's definite proposition of August 2nd, 1816, and Castlereagh so informed Mr. Bagot on Jan. 31st, 1817.
62 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Mr. Bagot notified Mr. Eush, who was acting as Secretary of State until Mr. Adams could arrive from London, and, on the 28th and 29th of April, 1817, a formal agreement was entered into by an exchange of notes. This agreement at once became effective. There is no evidence that the British Government ever gave to it the formalities of a treaty, and it was not until April 6, 1818, nearly a year after its enactment, that it was submitted by President Munroe to the Senate at Washington; it was proclaimed by him on April 28th. The exact wording is as follows : —
' ' The naval force to be maintained upon the American Lakes by His Majesty and the Government of the United States shall henceforth be confined to the following vessels on each side, that is —
"On Lake Ontario to one vessel, not exceeding 100 tons burden, and armed with one 18 pound cannon."
"On the upper lakes to two vessels, not exceeding like burden each and armed with like force. ' '
"On the waters of Lake Champlain, to one vessel not exceeding like burden and armed with like force."
"All other armed vessels on these lakes shall be forthwith dismantled and no other vessel of war shall be there built or armed."
"If either party should be hereafter desirous of annulling this stip- ulation, and should give notice to that effect to the other party, it shall cease to be binding after the expiration of six months from the date of such notice."
"The naval force, so to be limited, shall be restricted to such service as will in no respect interfere with the proper duties of the armed vessels of the other party."
Never in the history of nations has an international document, so far-reaching in its effect, been compressed into so small a compass as the Eush-Bagot Agreement of 1817. It is a model of brevity and compre- hensiveness, and in many respects a hundred years ahead of the times. Edward Atkinson, of Boston, said that it was "the greatest step in pro- gress toward the maintenance of peace and without precedent in his- tory." The London Times said in reference to it, "No wiser act was ever agreed upon between two nations than the limitation of the naval force on the lakes."
A rapid review of the past century is necessary to understand the effect of this agreement upon the development and progress of the North American Continent. The first twenty-five years after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent witnessed marked industrial progress, and a gradual shifting of population and industry towards the West. Eelations be- tween the United States and Great Britain, and particularly between the United States and Canada, became pleasant, and even cordial. In 1837 clouds appeared upon the horizon owing to the strong sympathy of cer- tain Americans with the Mackenzie rebellion. There was much talk of
THE EUSH-BAGOT AGREEMENT OF 1817. 53
the abrogation of the Rush-Bagot Agreement and a general arming of the lakes. Probably the principal factor in restraining the American authorities from overt sympathy with the "Patriots" was the fear that Great Britain would lend to the aid of her colony her great naval re- sources.
Relations were further strained by the Maine boundary dispute, and raids and counter-raids were constant. In order to cope with the situa- tion both Governments chartered boats for coast defence purposes. The United States were afraid we were arming the frontier against them and during the session of 1840 there was much talk of their unpreparedness and our activity. On March 8th, 1840, the following resolution passed the House of Representatives: "That the President of the United States be requested to communicate to this House, if compatible with the public service, whether the Government of Great Britain has expressed to the Government of the United States a desire to annul the arrangement entered into between the two Governments in the month of April, 1817, respecting the naval force to be maintained upon the American Lakes ; and that, if said arrangement be not annulled, whether there has been any violation of the same by the authorities of Great Britain."
Resolution after resolution was introduced calling for more and stronger fortifications, each representative speaking for his own local- ity. Many residents along the southern shores of the lakes, official and non-official, seemed to have become alarmed at the necessary defence preparation we were making. At this time the American Government, built at Pittsburg a side-wheeled iron steamer, the ' ' Michigan. ' ' She was taken across the country in sections and placed upon Lake Erie in 1843. She was 498 tons burden with an armament of two eight inch Paixhan guns, and four thirty-two pounder carronades. This was in excess of the stipulations of the Agreement of 1817, both as to tonnage and armament, and in 1844 the British Minister at Washington entered a protest. In the correspondence which ensued it was pointed out by him that, although Great Britain had during the rebellion of 1837 maintained in the defence of the Canadas, a naval force exceeding that stipulated, as soon as the Government felt that danger was past it had reduced the force in order to adhere strictly to the rules of the Rush-Bagot Agreement. It appears that the British Government was satisfied that the United States had no ulterior motive in the construction of the "Michigan," and, as they had not availed themselves of the privilege of maintaining four vessels, this ship was allowed to remain, and it continued for about 50 years to be the only American war ship on the lakes.
No sooner were the troubles over the Mackenzie rebellion and the Maine boundary settled, than a difficulty arose regarding the Western Boundary. "Fifty-four forty or Fight" was the slogan of those who were enthusiastic in their ideas concerning the ' ' manifest destiny ' ' of the United States, and even the school boys wrote it on the fences. President Polk proclaimed to the Senate on March 4th, 1846, that "Under this aspect of our relations with Great Britain I cannot doubt the propriety of increasing our means of defence both by land and sea." This trouble
64 ONTAEIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
was also amicably settled. They did iiot get fifty-four forty, nor did they fight.
The American Civil War again brought the question of lake defences to the fore.
The Confederates were reported to have secured some ships which were passing up and down the lakes, flying the British flag, with the intention of engaging in depredations upon the coastal towns and cities of the Union. As soon as the matter was brought to the notice of the Canadian authorities, prompt action was taken by Lord Monck. This, however, did not prevent an agitation in Congress for the abi-ogation of the Rush-Bagot Agreement, the idea being that with this Agreement out of the way the United States could undertake the immediate construc- tion of a number of war ships. A resolution was introduced by Mr. Spalding, on June 13th, 1864, which was passed on June 18th. The preamble is worth reproduction. It reads: "Whereas the treaty of eighteen hundred and seventeen, as to the naval force upon the lakes, was designed as a temporary arrangement only, and although equal and just at the time it was made, has become greatly unequal through the construction by Great Britain of sundry ship canals; and whereas the vast interests of commerce upon the northwestern lakes, and the security of cities and towns situated on the American borders, manifestly require the establishment of one or more navy yards wherein ships may be fitted and prepared for naval warfare ; and whereas the United States Govern- ment, unlike that of Great Britain, is destitute of ship canals for the transmission of gunboats from the Atlantic Ocean to the western lakes."
The upshot of these debates was that the Agreement of 1817 was finally abrogated by Congress in February, 1865, although prior to this date the necessary six months' notice had been given to the British Government. This action did not appear to be displeasing to Canada, for on March 2nd, 1865, Mr. Haultain, speaking in our House of Parliament, said:
"I am glad to see that the American Government have given notice of their intention to terminate the convention for not keeping armed vessels on the lakes. I am glad to see that this is to be put an end to, for it was decidedly prejudicial to our interests, and I have no doubt we shall have gunboats on our lakes before the end of the present year. There is no question that should they determine upon going to war with us before the opening of navigation, we might not be able to get a British gunboat on our waters by the St. Lawrence canals, as they are so easily accessible to our opponents, and, without much difficulty, could be rendered useless for navigation. ' '
It was evident that something was needed to combat the feeling that the United States had hostile designs against Canada. Lord Russell sug- gested that it was time to think of something to take the place of the agreement of 1817 before it should be terminated by the notice already given. Mr. Adams, the American Minister in London, agreed that arma-
THE BTJSH-BAGOT AGREEMENT OF 1817. 65
ments were expensive, useless, and breeders of suspicion, and he saw no reason for not continuing the Agreement in view of the active efforts of the Canadian authorities. Happily the storm appeared to be clearing, and on March 8th, 1865, Mr. Seward, on behalf of the United States' Govern- ment, instructed Mr. Adams to announce that they had decided to abide by the Agreement. There was some ambiguity in Mr. Seward 's instruc- tions, which caused misapprehension in England as to whether the previ- ous abrogation had been rendered inoperative. This led to some further correspondence between the two Governments. In Mr. Seward 's note to the American Minister he had said :
"You may say to Lord Russell that we are quite willing that the con- vention should remain practically in force ; that this Government has not constructed or commenced building any additional war vessels on the lakes or added to the armament of a single one which was previously its property ; and that no such vessel will, in future, be built or armed by us in that quarter. It is hoped and expected, however, that Her Majesty's Government, on its part, so long as this determination shall be observed in good faith by that of the United States, will neither construct nor arm nor introduce armed vessels in excess of the force stipulated for by the convention referred to."
On August 19th, 1865, the British Minister at Washington wrote to Mr. Seward to say that his Government understood from the notice that the Agreement contained in the convention of 1817 would continue in force unless it should be thereafter terminated by a fresh six months' notice. On August 22nd, 1865, Mr. Seward replied that the statement of Her Majesty's Government was accepted as a correct interpretation of the intention of the Government of the United States. --:
One event which should not be overlooked in the consideration of Canadian-American relations, was the curious refusal of the United States, in 1885, to allow a Canadian troop ship, chartered to suppress the Kiel rebellion, to pass through the Soo canal. This action had largely to do with the decision to build a canal on our side of the St. Mary's River, and it is somewhat striking that ninety per cent, of the present traffic through our canal is American.
Another agitation for the abrogation of the Agreement of 1817 arose during the nineties, principally through the development of the American ship-building yards on the lakes. These yards were debarred from com- peting for the construction of war ships, as the Agreement is extremely explicit, viz. : that they should neither build nor maintain. It was, how- ever, felt that in view of the refusal to grant permission to pass one of our ships through the American canal, the Government of the States could not well ask us to allow them to use our canals for the removal of war ships from the lakes to the ocean.
In 1895, the Venezuelan dispute drew special attention to the Rush- Bagot Agreement. At this time the Detroit Dry Dock Company had been refused a contract for two twin-screw gunboats, on which they had sub-
66
ONTARIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
mitted the lowest tender. Secretary Herbert of the Navy said that if the language of the Agreement had been "build and maintain" instead of "build or maintain" the Detroit firm should have had the contract. In view of present treaty considerations and the dispute over the interpre- tation of certain words, this remark is somewhat illuminating.
The Agreement of 1817, notwithstanding the voices of Jingoes, and the numerous demands that it be consigned to the waste paper basket, is still nominally in force, although the United States has, by no means, kept it to the letter. At the present time they have a number of war ships on the lakes, used for training purposes. In a speech delivered by the Hon. Geo. E. Foster, in the House of Commons, on December 1st, 1909, attention was drawn to the presence of these ships. Unfortunately we are largely out of court, for in every case permission was granted by the Dominion Government before these ships were passed through our canals. In all, there are nine of these training vessels, armed in a very different manner to the requirements of the Agreement of 1817, but there is no indication that the United States, in transferring these ships to their lake ports, had any other object in view than that of training the youth of the States bordering on the great inland seas, for service in their salt water navy. Doubtless the change in conditions from 1817 to 1914 make it necessary to re-consider the exact wording of the Rush-Bagot Agree- ment. There is now little chance of its abrogation, but it would appear to be a most desirable thing, if in connection with the celebration of the Hundred Years of Peace between the British Empire and the United States, it could be re-modelled and given the status of a definite Treaty. The spirit of cordiality and amity between Canada and her great southern neighbour is such today that armed conflict is considered to be almost outside the pale of possibility. It is the desire of the great majority of people on both sides of the line that the mutual relations now existing should be still further improved, and that each country should work out its manifest destiny, to the benefit alike of themselves, their neighbours and the world at large.
IX.
EARLY MILITIA MATTERS IN UPPER CANADA, 1808-1842.
BY REV. A. B. b
The militia are "a body of men enrolled and drilled as soldiers, but only liable to home service." The militia of our country correspond to the "landwehr" of Germany. All nations feel the need of such a force for special occasions. It is said that there was a militia system as early as 1649 in Canada, of course under French rule ; but the first Canadian militia law, at least in Upper Canada, was introduced in 1808, just four years before the war with the United States, in 1812. The militia organ- ized in the different districts of the provinces did very efficient service, and but for their help the probability is that Canada would have become a part of the United States. The thorough loyalty of the old settlers, and their training for military service, did much to keep our country from becoming a part of the republic to the south.
At first each Province had its own militia system, but since the con- federation of the provinces the system is uniform throughout the Dom- inion. This gives a much more efficient system than we had under the old arrangement.
My attention was called to the old militia system by papers that fell into my hands. These papers were the property of Jacob Gonder, one of the pioneers of the Niagara peninsula. Mr. Gonder was a great patriot, was connected with the militia from its first organization, and served in the war of 1812. The papers take us back only to 1822. At that time he was Lieut, in a company of the 3rd Lincoln Militia. Samuel Street was Captain of the company, and J. Warren was Colonel of the regiment. Training day was then on the 4th of June of each year. All who were enrolled on the militia list were required to be present at the place desig- nated by the Colonel, answer to their names, and take part in the military drill. Unless there was something special, the militia would be called out but this one day in the year. At first the militia did not require any uniform for training day. It was the citizens of a certain district, in citizens' dress, who met annually to learn how to go through military manoeuvres. Crude as the system then was, it answered the purposes of the day. It was inexpensive, and was the beginning of our present ex- cellent militia system.
On the 2nd of April, 1822, the officers of the different companies were notified by Col. Warren that by act of Parliament "training day"
£6 ONTARIO HISTOEICAL SOCIETY.
had been changed from the 4th of June to the 23rd day of April. Why the change was made we are not told, for April would be the most un- suitable season of the year, as the roads in country districts are usually very bad, and farmers are very busy. But such was the order, and obedience was a necessity.
In 1824, an event occurred that did much to stir up patriotism and bring into prominence the militia of the Niagara District. The event was the removal of the remains of General Brock from Niagara to the monument that had been erected to his memory on Queenston Heights. The Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada issued a special order to have all the militia companies present on this occasion.* Col. Warren sent a circular to all the Captains and Lieutenants of the companies of his regiment to obey this order, and meet at John McFarland's, two miles above Fort George, on the 13th day of October. The remains of Sir Isaac, accompanied by a grand military escort, were carried to Queen- ston and placed in the vault of the monument that the country had put on that eminence. There was a great military display and a great throng of citizens. The monument that stood on the "Heights" as a great historic landmark was destroyed by a miscreant named Ben Lett in 1839. Canada, however, had her revenge, by erecting a second monu- ment, much better and loftier than the first.
Sir Isaac Brock was one of the best men that the home government ever sent to Canada (she has sent many good ones), and it is fit and proper that we shoiild cherish his memory. Americans, too, have paid a high tribute to his character and worth. The last words of the great warrior chief, "Push on, brave York Volunteers," would be recalled as his remains were conveyed up the Niagara River and laid to rest in the receptacle prepared for them. The slow march of the long procession up the river and a fleet of vessels on the water keeping time with those on shore, and the band playing the dead march, must have been very impressive. And what memories it would recall ! Memories of bloody strife, brave hearts, fallen heroes, and buried hopes; but best of all the memory of a peace between the two greatest Christian nations, that has now lasted a full century.
A good wide awake and active man usually had fair prospects of promotion to a higher rank in his company. Lieutenant Gonder was such a man ; and in 1824 he was made Captain of his company. His commis- sion bears date November 29th, 1824. It would seem that up to this time neither the officers nor the men were required to appear in uniform on training day; but after this the officers were obliged to appear in uni- form.
As a matter of curiosity, and as showing the business methods of the times we copy a tailor's itemized account of a captain's outfit.
•Gonder Papers, Niagara Historical Society.
EARLY MILITIA MATTERS IN UPPER CANADA, 1808-1842. 69
Capt. Gonder to J. Todd.
Making military Coate, 2 — 0 — 0
Buttons for Do. 1—10—0
Padding and canvas 5 — 0
White Cassimere 3 — 9
Silk Twist, Thread, Hooks, &c. 3—0
Sleeve Linings 1 — 9
£4_ 3_6 Blue Cloth for facings, &c., Cottons 7—6
4—11—0
Received in full
for Making and Trimming — J. Todd.
Niagara, U. C.
April 21, 1825.
Cloth and appaulett, $14 3—10—0
£8— 1—0 Silk Sash 2—10—0
Received payment for Cloth & Appaulet & Sash,
J. Warren.
Training day was the great day of the early militia, the authorized day; but still the companies were sometimes asked to meet for "drill and exercise" some days before the general training. Col. Warren issued such an order March 10th, 1824, and said the companies are to be called out "at least once previous to the 23rd day of April" (which was training day) . But training day was the big day ; it was a general muster, and the men and boys from every section and corner would turn out — even those who were not enrolled on the militia list. Unfortunately there would often be a good deal of drinking; the best efforts of the officers could not prevent it. In the early days of the last century everybody drank ; probably most drank in moderation ; but others knew not how to restrain themselves. The excitement of the great gathering and the social usages of the times had much to do with this excess. Chum would meet chum; each felt in high glee, and then they must drink each other's health together, not once, perhaps, but many times; and when the day is ended many of the men are unfit for service. Many of the officers, too, would encourage the evil by treating their men. This was expected. Such was an ideal training day three-quarters of a century ago.
The officers of the early militia did not have an easy time of it. They had to keep a record of all in their precincts that were liable to military duty. After training they were required to make a return to the colonel. They had to send in the names of all that were present, and report the names of those that were absent and the reasons for their
70 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
absence. This was often an unpleasant duty, for the absentee might be a relative or a neighbour. But absence from training without a reason made one liable to a fine. Some absentees would pay their fine without prosecution by the officers ; but where they refused, a court of magistrates would be called, and then there would be the cost of the court in addi- tion to the fine. One of the papers in my possession gives the proceed- ings of a number of sittings of a magistrate's court called by the militia officers. It was the officers of the company that called the court, and the superior officers always demanded the enforcement of the law. The com- pany's officers could not be lenient if they would, for they were prompted by their superiors. The fines, however, for delinquents, were not very heavy — only about two dollars. Many young persons — children of par- ents who held non-resistant views — would sooner pay their fines than attend militia training. I have several statements from Col. Warren say- ing that certain parties had paid their fine to him the next day of the training.
The names of all males from 16 to 60 years of age had to be en- rolled; sometimes the law said it should be from 19 to 50 years of age. But there were three classes that were exempt from military duty : — aliens, the sick, and certain religious denominations. Aliens were foreign born persons who had not become naturalized. The sick were required to get a doctor's certificate as a proof that they were unfit for military drill, and so not subject to a fine for neglect of duty. Quakers, Men- nonites and Tunkers were exempt from all military duty by special law; but only those who were bona fide members of these churches were ex- empted. The law did not apply to adherents of these chm-ches. Those who claimed exemption had to bring a certificate from their pastor stat- ing that the bearer was a member in regular standing of the church of which he was a minister. But only members of the three denominations named coiild claim exemption.
Though the law exempted the Quakers, Tunkers and Mennonites from all military duty, it secured support from them in another way. It laid upon every male member of the church who was over 21 years of age and under 50, a fine or war tax. This was one pound, or four dol- lars of our money, and had to be paid annually. But sometimes the officers of a company neglected to collect the tax. The Gonder papers give a case where this had been neglected for three years. When this came to the knowledge of the Colonel, he called the Captain to account, who had to collect the fine and what was in arrears.
The Mennonites and Tunkers willingly paid the war tax, but the Quakers refused. They did so on the ground that a war tax was in sup- port of war, and to pay it was as criminal as to bear arms in person and go to the field of battle. The officers of the law might sell a Quaker's goods and chattels, and collect the fine in that way, but it freed the Quaker from responsibility, so far as supporting war is concerned. Even those who hold the non-resistant faith are not fully agreed how far they should go in supporting the powers that be.
EARLY MILITIA MATTERS IN UPPER CANADA, 1808-1842. 7 1
Sometimes the non-resistants got themselves into trouble by ignoring militia law and militia officers. The "militia papers" show us a case of this kind, as we see from the following summons: "You, G— W — , are hereby required to attend court for the trial of militia offenders and defaulters belonging to the 3rd Regiment of Lincoln Militia, which will assemble at Jacob Wilson's at the Cross Roads in the Township of Bertie on Friday the 30th day of August instant, at 10 o 'clock in the forenoon, to answer a charge of not paying your exemption as a Menonist."
Dated this 17th August, 1839.
Samuel Street,
Col. Commanding 3rd L. M.
Throughout these papers we find the name of the denomination called Mennonites spoken of as Mennonists. The reason of this is that in Pennsylvania dialect it was usual to say Menist. The militia officers have changed the spelling a little. This people were called Meunonites after the founder of the denomination, Simon Menno, a Holland reformer contemporary with Martin Luther.
In 1827 training day was changed back to the 4th day of June in- stead of the 23rd of April. We learn from Col. Warren's circular to the officers of the companies of his Regiment that the change was only in- tended to be temporary. It was again changed in 1847 to the 29th day of June.
Among the militia papers is one of very special interest because it has to do with the re-construction of Brock's monument*. This paper is a printed circular issued by the ' ' General Committee who had this matter in hand. It was dated "Kingston, 29th September, 1842." We learn that the whole country was interested in this enterprise ; large sums were subscribed, and even the Indians helped it on. This part of the report says: "That the committee for restoring the Monument erected to the memory of the late Sir Isaac Brock have received with the most lively satisfaction, a letter of the Chief Superintendent of Indian Affairs, writ- ten by desire of his Excellency Sir George Arthur, and communicating the munificent donations of the principal Chiefs, and others of the Chip- pawas of the upper reserve on the River St. Clair, the Chippawas of the lower reserve and Walpole Island on the River St. Clair, the Hurons and Wyandotts of Amherstburg, the Chippawas of the River Thames, the Moravians of the River Thames, the Muncies of the River Thames, the Oneidas of the River Thames, the Six Nations of the Grand River, the Mississagas of the River Credit; the Chippawas of the Saugeen River, Lake Huron ; the Chippawas of the Township of Rama, Lake Simcoe ; the Mississagas of Alnwick, Rice Lake ; the Mississagas of Rice Lake Village in the Township of Otonobee, and of Mud and Balsam Lakes, and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
"And that they have read with great interest the affecting addresses
*Oonder Papers, Niagara Historical Society
72 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
in which the principal Chiefs have made known their wishes to the head of the Government.
"The Committee have much pride in finding themselves associated with the brave and faithful Warriors of the Indian Nations, in the design of doing honor to the memory of the lamented General who was loved and admired by all his followers, and it is their anxious wish that the Chief Superintendent of Indian Affairs should, under the direction of His Excellency, take the most effectual means of assuring the principal Chiefs, that militia and other inhabitants of Canada are very thankful for their kind assistance in this grand design.
' ' That they feel the greatest respect for the loyalty and for the warm and friendly hearts of their Red Brethren ; that they shall take care that their generous gift shall be made the best use of for the purpose they have resolved to join in ; and that as long as the Monument shall stand, it shall tell their great Mother the Queen, and all their White Brethren, that the brave and grateful Indians have not forgotten their glorious leader and friend, who flew to their defence in the time of danger, and that they have helped to build the tomb over his grave."
We are sure it was right and proper to make this kindly reference to the Indians in this military circular. The Indians helped to fight our battles and gain our victories in the war of 1812. It was a band of 600 Chippawas that helped to win the victory at Queenston where the noble Brock laid down his life.
The papers we have examined give us reminiscences of a bygone century in the Niagara District, and enable us to see how faithfully the early settlers of Canada did their part to establish law and order in all the settlements, and their earnest and honest endeavours were wonder- fully successful. We, their descendants, look back with pride to the pioneer work done by the fathers, and realize that they have handed down to us a goodly heritage. If we do our part as well as they did theirs, Canada must be prosperous; no country can be more so.
It ought to be deeply impressed on us that the best defense of a country is the honesty, integrity, purity and Christian character of a people; but while the world remains as it is, and the nations are what they are, military preparations are a necessity ; and the sword must some- times be used to bring lawless men under restraint and submission. It is sad to think that this is so, but we know the fact.
The papers in my hands were official papers issued between 1822 and 1842. All of them were written with the pen, except the printed one re- lating to the reconstruction of Brock's monument, and this was provin- cial, not local. The penmanship of most of the papers is fine, and that of Col. Warren is almost faultless. The composition is careful and guard- ed. All this goes to show that the writers were men of taste and culture. Everything they said shows promptness and decision. All the papers
EARLY MILITIA MATTERS IN UPPER CANADA, 1808-1842. 73
were folded, addressed and sealed without the use of envelopes, which came into use later on. To fold a letter in a neat and tasty way was considered a fine accomplishment. The first settlers of our country had few advantages, but they made good use of those they had. The old militia system, with all its defects, was a great training school for the people of an early day; it helped to make them intensely patriotic, and patriotism is the strength and safety of a nation.
315 Don Mills Eoad, Toronto.
X.
THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE, 1849.
BY PnopKSBOK CEPHAS I). ALI.IN.
Preface. — The origin of the British American League and some phases of its early development have already been traced in considerable detail in a recent work entitled "Annexation, Preferential Trade and Recipro- city," in the preparation of which the present writer had a part. It is the aim of this brief monograph to supplement that treatment by a more complete study of the, origin of the League, the course of its political development and of the cause or causes of its somewhat mysterious dis- appearance. In conclusion, an attempt is made to determine, with as impartial a mind as possible, the extent of its contribution to and influ- ence upon Canadian history and politics.
The writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. George 11. Jones, of Toronto, for valuable assistance in the preparation of this monograph.
Introduction. — But little is known of the British American League, though for a short time it played an important part in Canadian politics. Two views have found expression as to its origin and character. The first, that of Sir John Macdonald, voices the sentiment of the Conserva- tive party, in ascribing to the League the honor of determining the course of Canadian history.
"Our fellows," declared Sir John, in explanation of the Montreal annexation manifesto, "lost their heads. I was pressed to sign it but refused and advocated the formation of the British American League as a more sensible procedure. From all parts of Upper Canada and from the British section of Lower Canada and from the British inhabitants in Montreal representatives were chosen. They met at Kingston for the purpose of considering the great danger to which the constitution of Can- ada was exposed. A safety valve was found. Our first resolution was that we were resolved to maintain inviolate the connection with the Mother Country. The second proposition was that the true solution of the difficulty lay in the confederation of all the provinces. The third resolution was that we shotfW~StteTtffpTlo form in such confederation, or in Canada before confederation, a commercial national policy. The effects of the formation of the British American League were marvellous. Under its influence the annexation sentiment disappeared, the feeling of
THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE, 1849. 75
irritation died away and the principles which were laid down by the British North American League in lg5H are the lines on which the Lib- eral Conservative party has moved ever since."
The second view is that of his Liberal opponent, the Hon. Alexander ; t Mackenzie, who presents the League in a most unfavorable light.
"The Montreal disturbances ultimately gave birth to a new organ- ization under the name of the British North American League. The Association was a queer mixture of Tories and Annexationists and com- prised all the disappointed items. Like King David's famous army at the cave of Adullam, "Every one that was in distress and every one that was discontented gathered themselves" to the meetings of the League. The Globe and Liberal Journals generally greeted the new political mongrel with a storm of ridicule. They were dubbed 'Children of the Sun.' After one brief attempt to effect something by their meeting at Kingston, the concern collapsed from the sheer rottenness of its material. They advocated extreme Toryism and extreme disloyalty and finally threatened to drive the French into the sea."
The British North American League.— The grant of responsible government proved the undoing of the Tory party. For many years, the Tories had considered themselves the only loyal party; and they be- lieved that they had merited by their loyalty the favor of the successive governors of the colony and the staunch support of the Colonial Office, But the old order of things had passed away. The day of special privil- eges in church and state was over. The free spirit of democracy was abroad throughout the land. New principles of social and political liberty were in the ascendency. In the election of 1848, the Tory party went down to a crushing defeat, but fighting bitterly to the end. They could not easily reconcile themselves to the new experience of seeing their disloyal opponents seated on the Treasury bench and monopolizing the places of honor and profit under the Crown. In the bitterness of defeat they took up the cry of French domination and carried the flam- ing torch of racial and religious hatred throughout the Province. The aftermath of this dangerous agitation, the assau.lt on the Governor Gen- eral and the burning of the parliament buildings at Montreal, completed the discomfiture of the party. For the moment, the party seemed on the verge of dissolution. The Tory leaders were not equal to the situation; they could neither control the wayward course of their erstwhile sup- porters, nor formulate a new political program. The rank and file of the party, refusing to foreswear their political principles, wandered around in aimless confusion without an accredited leader or policy. An extreme section of the party, embittered by the series of humiliations they had received from the local and British governments and discouraged as to the future of the country, foreswore their allegiance to the Crown and entered upon an active campaign for annexation to the neighboring Re- public. A more moderate group, however, undertook to reorganize the party on a more popular basis and were even ready to adopt some of the democratic principles of their political opponents.
76 ONTARIO HISTOBICAL SOCIETY.
The Reform party likewise was in a process of disintegration. Upon accession to office the old struggle between the radical and conservative elements of the party broke out anew. The radical or Clear £rit.OTBg, who derived their political opinions for the most part from the United States, were resolved to introduce the principles of American democracy into the whole social and political organization of the country. The Conserva- tive element, on the other hand, which was more influential in the coun- cils of the government, were averse to any further important constitu- tional changes. They were alarmed at the spread of republican doctrines within the party and sought to check these dangerous tendencies; but their efforts were far from successful.
In England the whole theory and practice of colonial government had been rapidly changing. After a hard struggle the economic dogmas of Adam Smith had triumphed over the ancient principles of the Mercan- tile Sclnool. The theory of colonial monopoly first gave way to the more enlightened policy of preferential trade. The mother country granted a preference to colonial products and received a corresponding prefer- ence in colonial markets for British products. But with the adoption of the tenet of £ree trade, the whole system of imperial preference was swept aside. However beneficial were the results of the change of policy in England, there can be little doubt but that its effects at first were disastrous to the colonies.
In Canada, the withdrawal of the colonial preference inflicted a crushing blow on the industrial and mercantile community. "Tempor- ary insolvency was the price the Canadians paid for the triumph of English free trade." Much of the capital of the country had been tied y up in infant industries which owed their existence to the protective policy of the mother land, and which were not yet strong enough to face the open competition of the world. The Boards of Trade of the province raised their voices in loud protest against the ruinous policy of the English government. In a letter to the Colonial Secretary, Lord Elgin bitterly described "the downward progress of events. These are ominous words. But look at the facts. Property in most of the Canadian towns, and more especially in the capital, has fallen 50% in value during the last three years; three-fourths of the commercial men are bankrupt owing to free trade. A large proportion of the exportable produce of Canada is obliged to seek a market in the United States. It pays the duty of 20% on the frontier. How long can such a state of things be expected to endure." The local government could render no assistance for it was itself on the verge of bankruptcy. But all these pleadings were in vain. The English government was obdurate and absolutely refused to reconsider its fiscal policy. The unsympathetic attitude of the home authorities drove the colonists to extreme measures. Goaded on by anger and despair, a section of the business community turned for relief to the policy of annexation to the United States.
In England, a new school of political philosophy had arisen which was destined to exercise a powerful influence on imperial affairs. The » doctrine of free trade was only one feature of the program of the Man- [
THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE, 1849. 77
Chester School. The leaders of the School detested the whole system of *" imperialism as inimicable to the interests of democracy in England and as destructive to the growth of the spirit of colonial nationalism. The colonies seemed to them to be a happy hunting ground for Tory place hunters, a useless financial burden on the British treasury, an occasion of international discord and a grave danger in time of war. They accord- ingly advocated the emancipation of colonies from imperial control and • their elevation to the rank of free and independent states.
The new political doctrines were received with mingled praise and condemnation in the colony. The Reformers, whq had waged a long and apparently hopeless battle against the autocratic officials of Downing Street, were naturally strongly inclined towards the new principles. Although a majority of them were not prepared to go so far as to advo- cate or accept the principle of separation, they were ready to welcome any doctrine which held out the promise of an enlarged measure of colon- ial autonomy. But to the colonial Tories, the new dogmas, which placed a stigma on their time honored tradition of loyalty, were wormwood and gall. They could not hear without resentment the open suggestion that the colonies would confer a favor on the mother land and do themselves a service by peacefully cutting the painter. The Canadian public read the signs of the times. There seemed but one conclusion, said the Montreal Gazette. "All parties are convinced that the policy of England is to leave the colonies to themselves in politics and commerce. The withdrawal of colonial protection was followed by the invitation to the / colonies to abolish their system of preferential duties. These steps indi- cate an intention of directing colonial education towards total independ- ' ence."
• Out of the strife of parties and races, the economic distress and social discontent, and the revolutionary change in English political thought and policy arose a new political organization, the British North American League. It would have been strange indeed if the turmoil of men's minds had not given birth to a new political party, with a brand- new set of principles especially designed for the moment. The public were anxiously looking for relief from their distress. No aid or assist- ance was forthcoming from any existing authority. "There is," de- clared the Montreal Gazette, "a presentiment of approaching change. At no time has there been greater disaffection or so strong a desire for something different. Men know what they feel without particularly analyzing the causes or tracing them to their sources, although they may not be able to determine definitely the objects they desire or the means of attaining them. ' '
The prime mover in the new organization was the Hon. George Moffatt, an influential member of the Conservative party in Montreal, and a prom- inent business man of well known moderate views. A strong local society was formed in that city which was made the headquarters of the League. The local executive resolved to start at once an active campaign for the organization of similar associations throughout the country. To this
78 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
end, an address to the public was prepared setting forth in detail the social, economic and political evils from which the province was suffer- ing and calling for a provincial convention to deal with these conditions. The address expressly disclaimed any intent to dictate or suggest a political program for the convention. To the convention itself was in- tentionally reserved the sole right of determining all matters of policy for the League. Upon one question, however, tlie question of separation, the address came out positively ; there should be no impairment of the imperial connection.
The objects of the League were designedly left in a state of vague uncertainty in the hope of attracting all the discordant and disaffected spirits of the country. Notwithstanding the loyalist pretensions of the~~ address, the association in Montreal did not hesitate to admit a large number of annexationists to membership and even honored some of them with important executive offices. At one time it appeared as if the an- nexationists might capture the local organization and turn it to their own purposes. The loyalist members were thoroughly frightened at the turn of affairs, so much so that the Hon. George Moffatt, according to local rumor, threatened to resign the presidency of the association unless the question of annexation was excluded from discussion at the approaching convention. The struggle between the two factions came to an issue~i in the election of delegates to the Kingston convention. The loyalists were victorious in the battle of ballots ; only one of the five delegates elected being a member of the annexationist group. After this defeat, many of the annexationists withdrew from the association with a view ; to the formation of a distinct annexation society.
Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Thomas Wilson, a local association was formed in Quebec. The League, he explained, was a non-partisan body whose primary 'purpose was to devise a means of rectifying the economic and political evils of the country. All persons were welcomed into mem- bership whatsoever their political or religious beliefs. In Quebec, as in Montreal, annexationists joined the association in large numbers and several of them were duly elected to the local executive council. Mr. Wilson, who was chosen president of the local association, came out strongly in favor of a protective policy for Canadian labor and industry and for a legislative union of the British American provinces. He furth- er advocated some radical modifications of the provincial constitution, in particular, the election of the members of the legislative council and the independence of the local parliament, save where imperial interests were involved. While professing the strongest attachment to the mother- land, he declared that he would not sacrifice the interests of Canada to maintain the British connection ; and he expressly declined to pledge the convention in advance to the maintenance of the imperial tie. But the views of Mr. Wilson by no means reflected the general sentiment of the members of the local association.
In the Eastern Townships, among the Anglo-Saxon population, sev- eral branches of the League were formed, mainly out of the remnants of
THE BRITISH NOKTH AMEEICAN LEAGUE, 1849. 79
the old Tory party. In this part of the province, the League was strong- ly affected by anti-French influences, but some evidences of annexation sentiment were also to be found among the members. Only one of the associations, however, namely, that at Melbourne, came out openly for annexation.
By the French Canadians, the League was regarded with the great- est suspicion. To them, it appeared as the legitimate successor of the old Tory party IVom whose ty raniiica! rule they hud but recently escaped. And undoubtedly there was considerable occasion for this suspicion, since in its origin and personnel the League was closely associated with the agitation against their race and religion. In many places the primary object of the League was proclaimed to be to unite the English popula- tion in a political bond in order the better to oppose the domination of the French in politics. The French-Canadian leaders and press did not fail to exploit this feature of the League's activity to their own political advantage as a means of solidifying the vote of the French electorate.
But it was in Upoer Canada, as was to be expected, that the League made the greatest progress. In every city and in all the considerable towns and villages of the west, a local association was formed. The mem- bership was recruited almost entirely from the ranks of the Tory party, although here and there a few annexatiouists and an occasional dis- gruntled Reformer were to be found. The new organization was especial- ly welcomed by the moderate or conservative element among the Tories. For some time past, they had been restless under the oligarchical rule of the old Family Compact and dissatisfied with the reactionary opinions of some of the High Church leaders of the party. The recent disgraceful proceedings at Montreal had overwhelmed them with humiliation, and they were glad to escape from the stigma which attached to the old party name and organization. The League held out to them the promise of a more progressive party. Many of the High Church Tories likewise joined the new organization, partly with a view to influencing its policy, but mainly in the hope of finding in it an effective instrument for over- throwing the hated Reform administration. The Toronto Patriot and the Hamilton Spectator, the leading organs of the old Family Compact group, vied with the Toronto Colonist, the mouthpiece of the moderate element of the party in commending the League to the hearty support of their political friends. The annexationists who slipped into the local associations were recruited from several different sources. They were either democratic young Tories like Mr; H. B. Wilson, son of the former speaker of the Upper Canada Assembly, Tories by tradition, democrats by conviction, and annexationists by self interest ; or they were extreme partisans, ultra Tories whose feelings of loyalty had been outraged by the liberal sympathies of the Governor General and the bland indiffer- ence of the Colonial Office to their demands ; or they were ultra Protes- tants, who fearful of the consequences of French domination, believed that the only way in which they could save their race, language and re- ligion from destruction was by a union with the great Anglo-Saxon nation to the South ; or they were members of the business community who saw
80 ONTARIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
in the open markets of the United States the only escape from financial insolvency. With the majority of the annexationist or quasi-annexation- ist members of the League a political union with the neighboring Repub- lic was as yet but an arriere pensee, an ultimate resort in case all other remedial measures should fail. Only a small number of the group were active propagandists ; and even these, in order to obtain a more favorable hearing, found it advisable to limit their propaganda to the advocacy of the principle of elective institutions and a possible separation from Great Britain. The few stray Reformers who threw in their lot with the League were, for the most part, either disappointed and splenetic office seekers, or extreme radicals who were thoroughly disgusted with the conserva- tive policy of the Reform government. The overthrow of the Baldwin administration was in the judgment of the latter, a condition precedent to any real progress towards a true social and political democracy.
An active campaign was undertaken by the leading Tory papers, in conjunction with a few of the local associations, on behalf of the League. The Hamilton association issued an address similar in character to that of the Montreal branch setting forth in somewhat lurid colors the de- plorable political and social conditions of the country and especially emphasizing the danger of French domination. Little attempt was made by the press or the responsible leaders of the League to set forth in detail the objects of the League. A few of the leading papers of the party, however, took occasion to repudiate any connection of the League with the annexation movement. For the most part, the League devoted itself to the task of stirring up popular discontent against both the local and English governments. The party press was particularly severe in its attack on the extravagance and pro-French tendencies of the provincial ministry and -in its criticism of the unjust and destructive fiscal policy of the Whig party in England. Such discussions as took place within the several associations were mainly concerned with the questions of in- dependence, French domination, and the future constitution of the province. The question of a separation of Upper and Lower Canada, a union of the British American colonies and the political and commercial relations of the colonies with England and the United States were also taken into consideration but aroused much less interest.
Meanwhile the Reformers had been watching the course of the League with jealous e"yes. They were quick to seize upon the mondescript character of the League and the annexation tendencies of some of the leaders in Lower Canada as the most vulnerable point of attack. Under the leadership of the Toronto Globe, the entire press and party took up the partisan cry that the League was at heart an annexationist body, and that the Tories of Upper Canada had sold themselves into the hands of a band of conspirators at Montreal.
The election of delegates to the convention aroused considerable interest throughout the province. The two principal questions at issue were separation from the mother country and an elective legislative council. In Lower Canada the contest was particularly keen in regarjl to the first of these questions. The loyalists were almost uniformly
THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE, 1849. 81
successful in the several associations and sent a majority of delegates pledged to the maintenance of the British connection. But although opposed to annexation, the delegates were for the most part strongly favorable to a revision of the constitution according to more democratic principles.
In Upjper Canada, where the League mustered its chief strength, the overwhelming sentiment of the members was opposed to both in- Vdependence and annexation. Only two or three avowed annexationists were fortunate enough to command the suffrages of a majority of their fellow members, and even they owed their election to their personal popularity or to the advocacy of other issues than independence or an- nexation, ^r. H. B. Willson, for example, the most prominent aunex- ationist in Upper Canada, was chosen as a delegate by the Saltfleet Asso- ciation, largely owing to his earnest campaign on behalf of the principle of the popular election of legislative councillors. In a public statement to the press, he frankly admitted the feebleness of annexation sentiment in the west. The question of annexation, he declared, "would not be broadly broached by its advocates at the convention, but the prelimin- aries, separation and independence, might be proposed as more likely to win general support." In fact, the result of the election of delegates effectually disposed of the question of separation in advance, and the annexationist leaders were wise enough to accept the verdict.
But on the question of elective institutions there was a much severer struggle within the associations between the progressive and conservative elements of the party. The former put up a valiant fight for the popular election of members of the upper house, and in some of the associations were successful in electing their candidates, but in the majority of the local branches the old Tory party, which still clung to the nomination principle, were victors in the contest.
^fC On July 26, 1849, the delegates assembled at Kingston. The con- vention was a veritable cave of Adullam in its membership, representing almost every section of the public save the French Canadians. Tories, Annexationists, Orangemen and Radicals sat side by side. There were about 150 delegates in attendance, the great majority of whom were from Canada West. Although the representatives from Lower Canada were comparatively few in number, they wielded an influence altogether out of proportion to their voting strength. The leaders of the Lower Cana- dian delegation, Messrs. Mack and Montgomerie of Montreal