Life in the Clearings versus the Bush

lev

of our ado

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ages blen

en we shall s

sons!--last-

ation nurt

moral power

hou boast he

ngth, while r

wn lofty m

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athed mid smi

l hues of g

bloom for

to thy weak

indulged the hope of one day visiting the Falls of Niagara, and yea

not least, among the list of objections, that great want,--the want of money,--placed ins

sant day-dream--an event which at some unknown period, when happier days should da

the means of gratifying them, I used to silence them by saying that I would

ated vehicle did not arrive. The children did not get their toys, a

rmed of this wonder of the world; but still continued to speculate about the mighty cataract

xtravagant fictions are possible; and the unreal becomes material and tangible. The artist who placed thee upon the rock with an anchor for a leaning post, could never have experienced any of thy vagrant propensities. He s

hough I began to fear that it never would be realized, yet, for twenty years, I never gave it up entirely;

The obstinate nature of my disease baffled the skill of a very clever medical attendant, and

drugs from which I had not derived the least benefit. Ill and languid as I was, Niagara once more rose before my

h. Our simple arrangements were soon made, and on the 7th of September we lef

ng and tenderly upon the shores we were leaving. There stood my peaceful, happy home; the haven of rest to which Providence had conducted me after the storms and trials of many years. Within the walls of that small stone cottage, peeping forth from its screen of young hickory trees, I had left three dear children,--God only could

ption of the beautiful, however, is confined to no rank or situation, but is found in the most barren spots, and surrounded by the most unfavourable circumstances; wherever the sun shines and warms, or the glory of the moon and stars can be seen at night, the children of genius will find a r

s of things by the way. Should I tire you with my desultory mode of conversation, bear with me charitably, and take into account the infirmities incidental to my gossiping sex and age. If I dwell too long upo

glide over the waters of this beautiful Bay of Quinte, I will make you

ries about the country of my adoption, in the following terms:--"Don't fill your le

old Jacob on his first-born,--"the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power." But, to my own thinking, it savoured not a little of arrogance, and still more of ignorance, in the fair writer; who, being a w

at great, wealthy, and powerful England, that turn towards this flourishing colony their anxious thoughts, and would willingly exchange the golden prime of the mother co

ns of the world will speak of her progress with respect and admiration. Her infancy is past, she begins to feel her feet, to know her own strength, and see her way clearly through the wilderness. Child as you may deem her, she has already ba

dy realized Solomon's pithy proverb, "In all labour is profit;" and their industry has imbued t

he north side of the bay. I think you will own with me that your eyes have seldom rested upon a spo

sparkling river and sunny upland slopes (which during the lapse of ages have formed a succe

the stores of the wealthy merchants in the town, a tangled cedar swamp spread its dark, unwholesome vegetation into the bay,

there to pursue their gambols beyond the heat and dust of the town; or to watch with eager eyes the young men of the place engaged in the ma

o compare these valiant champions of the bat and ball t

editor ever show his face upon their ground, they would kic

spires of four churches catch the rays of the sun--a tangled maze of hazel bushes, and wild plum and cherry, once screened the Indian burying-gr

d look around you! The charming prospect that spreads itself

sh church; the sunny heavens above us, the glorious waters of the bay, clasping in the

priated the very spot that held his bones; and in a few years their dust will

ounding country; and, turn your eyes which way you will, they canno

on of places of worship. Churches and churchyards occupy the hills from whence they obtain their springs of fresh water,--and such delicious water! They do not at present feel any ill-consequences arising from this e

o make up the deficiency of the costlier material. This seems a shabby saving, as abundance of brick-earth of the best quality

they had done wonders when they erected this humble looking place of worship; but now, when their descendants have become rich, and the village of log-huts and frame buildings has grown into a populou

e town, were chiefly derived from small subscriptions, drawn from the earnings of mechanics, day-labourers, and female servants. If the Church of England were supported throughout the colony, on the voluntary principle, we

s of the congregation. This bell is remarkable for its fine tone, which can be heard eight miles into the country, and as far as the village of Northport, eleven miles distant, on the other side of the bay. Th

sum to the Catholic church for tolling the bell at the said hours. The Catholic workmen who reside in or near the town, adhere strictly to this rule, and, if the season is ever so pressing, they obstinately r

use to be guided by it in the hours allotted for field labour; as they justly remark that the best time

n each of the first four strokes. This is to allow the pious

nto their churches, and witness the intensity of their devotions. Reason never raises a doubt to shake the oneness of their faith. They receive it on the credit of their priests, and their credulity is as boundless as their

h a thousand superstitious observances which to us appear absurd; but his sincerity should awaken in us an affectionate interest in his behalf, not engender the bitter hatred which at present forms an adamantine barrier between us. If the Protestant would give up a little of his bigotry, and the Catholic a part of his superstition, a

of either denomination. The government has for many years vainly endeavoured to put them down, but they still pollute with their moral leprosy the fr

atreds and animosities of a more barbarous age. These things belong to the past: "Let the dead bury their dead," and let us form for ourselves a holier and truer present. The old quarrel bet

otestant would not exhibit the same vindictive spirit which marks his Catholic brother. They break and destroy more than the Protestants, but that springs from the reckless carelessness of their character more than from any malice against th

ve china jug, "It is not a hair the worse!" She could not imagine that a mutilated object could occa

to find fault with them for gross acts of neglect and wastefulness, but never for using bad language. Th

l simplicity, "that every bad word a woma

ul calamity by her family, and she seldom, if ever, gets one of

ide, so common there, is almost unknown among the Irish. If the priest and the confessional are able to restrain the lower orders from the commission of gross crime, who shall s

e following graphic account of an exhortation delivered

en inside this church before to-day for the last three months, and you have not paid your pew-rent for the last two years. But, maybe, you have got the fourteen dollars in your pocket at this moment of spaking; or maybe you have spint it in buying pig-iron to make gridirons, in order to fry your m

John was known to be an ambitious, but very poor, sportsman; which

st his wits; but I have no doubt that it was eminently successful in abstracting the fourteen dollars from the pock

ur, which always finds a response in their mirth-lovin

owed priest of P---, after he had married an old servant of ours, who ha

es of an emeralder of that class. Pat was a prophet; in less than six months he brought the body of the youthful bride in a waggon to the house of

Macdonald; a man whose memory is held in great ven

ll, and he had perfect reliance in the skill of their Indian boatman. Not so Mr. R---, he had only been a few months in the colony, and this was the first time he had ever ventured upon the water in such a tottleish machine. Instead of remaining quietly seated in the bottom of the canoe, he endeavoured to start to his feet

trong drinks, and his almost rabid antipathy to water, asked him if he would take a draught of Edinburgh ale, as he had just received a cask in a prese

, and was forthwith commissioned to take the bishop's own

ctor grasped the nectarian draught, and, wi

ur 'twixt summer'

d a sudden rush to the open window surprised the hospitable bishop, who had anticip

stuff!" groaned the d

but believe me, dear doctor, you never took such a wholesome drink in your life before. I was lately sent from Rome a cask of holy water,--it stands in the same cellar wit

tured doctor. "I wish it was i

at glee whenever Dr. Dunlop and his eccentr

their Protestant brethren, the following anecdote, which it

owing to the negligence of a servant to whose care he was especially confided, my youngest child, a fine boy of two years old, was for some time missing. The agony I endured for about half an hour I shall never forget. The roaring flames, the impending misfortune that hung

accepted the offer of a female friend to leave the exciting sc

out of my sight, watching the smoking brands that had once composed my home, and sadly pondering over ou

eive the visitor; and found the Rev. Father B---,

racy Irish wit. I shall never forget the kind, earnest manner in which he condoled with me on our present misfortune. He did not, ho

l accept the temporary home I offer you, it is entirely at your service; and," he continued, lowering his voice, "if the she

been one of the most active among the many gentlemen who did their best in trying to save our property from the flames, a great portion of which was safely conveyed to the street. But here a system of

et, in order to save it; while another, at the risk of his life, carried a bottomless china jug, which had long been useless, down the burning staircase, and seemed quite elated with his s

d that was not in a state to work. Now they have two excell

y service, from which they receive no emolument, without an exemption from filling the office of a juryman may be considered as an advantage. These men act upon a principle of mu

deeds, that would be recorded as surprising efforts of human courage, if performed upon the battlefield; and which often

atter portion of their dress is exchanged for dark blue in the winter. They wear a glazed black leather cap, of a military cut, when they assemble to work t

edifying. Their system appears an excellent one; and I never heard of any dissension among their ranks when their services were required. The sound of the om

they are preceded by a band of music. The companies are generally composed of men in the very prime of life, and they make a very imposing appearance. It is always a great gala da

ho follow the engine in crowds, and provoke the operators to turn the hose and play upon their merry ranks: and then what laughing and shouting and

ity of very frequent occurrence, and persons cannot be too particular in regard to it. The negligence

e roofed with shingles, this liability to

a woolly appearance, rendering the shingles as inflammable as tinder. A spark from a chimney may be conveyed from a great distance on a windy day, and lighting upon the furry sur

by the municipal councils to prevent the erection of wooden buildings in the large cities. But without

atter is built of dark limestone, quarried in the neighbourhood, and is a remarkably graceful structure. It has been raised by the hear

world. Stern, uncompromising, unloveable and unloved, an object of fear rather than of affection, John Calvin stands out the incarnation of his own Deity; ve

urch of Scotland, it was shut up, the few who still adhered to the old way being unable to contribute much to the support of a m

as it would be termed at home. Thanks to the liberal institutions of the country, such distinctions are unknown in

n this place. Their church is always supplied with good and efficient preachers, and is filled on the Sabbath to overflowing. They have a very fine choir, and

omposed of red brick, at the upper end of the

oing to church. Belleville weekly presents to the eye of an observing spectator a large body of well-dressed, happy-looking people,--robust, healthy, independent-looking men, and

or disagreeable manner. The lower class are not a whit behind their wealthier neighbours in outward adornments. And the poor emigrant, who only a few months previously had landed in rags, is now dressed neatly and respectably. The consciousness of their newly-acquired freedom has raised them in the scale of society, in their own estimation, and in that of their fellows. They fee

philanthropist at home. Canada is blessed in the almost total absence of pauperism; for none but the wilfully idle and vici

t, on the Kingston road, commanding a fine view of the bay. The rapid spread of the village into a town almost embraces in its arms this once solitary spot, and in a few

er, and which doubtless at some very distant period once formed its right bank. That house was built by one of the first settlers in Belleville, an

famine, which happened about fifty years ago. The starving creatures promised to repay him at some future period. Plenty again blessed the land; but the gene

anks, which are composed of limestone, are fringed with the graceful cedar, soft maple, and elegant rock elm, that queen of the Canadian forest. It is not navigable, but is one great source of the wealth and prosperity of

, that often a jam, as it is technically called, places t

erers, with their long poles, armed at the end with sharp spikes, le

rd of danger, that they were born of the waters, and considered death by drowning an impossible casualty

tavern, where they spend the greater part of the night in singing and dancing. Their peculiar cries awaken you by day-break, and their joyous shouts and songs are wafted on the evening breeze. The

cely be wondered at in the wild, reckless, roving life they lead. They never trouble the peaceful inhabitants of the town. Their broils are chiefly confi

some wild-flowers that grew in a crevice of the rocks, dropped her parasol into the river. A cry of vexation at the loss of an article of dress, which is expensive, and almost indispensable beneath the rays of a Canadian summer sun, burst from her lips, and attracted the attentio

ot in a condition to appear before ladies; who, startled at such an extraordina

s so frightened and confounded in my life." The next morning the parasol was returned at the street

ated with red flags and green pine boughs, and managed by a set of bold active fellows, whose jovial songs waken up the echoes of the lo

ng spectacle, seen by the red light of their fires, as it glides beneath the shadow of some lofty bank, with its d

ith fuel. It is astonishing how much an industrious lad can secure in a day of this refuse timber. No gleaner ever enters a harvest-field in Canada to secure a small portion of the scattered grain; but the floating treasures which the waters yield are regarded as a providential sup

onverts the larger rivers into headlong and destructive torrents, that rush and foam along with

to overcome every obstacle that dares to impede its furious course. Great blocks of ice are seen popping up and down in the boiling surges; and unwieldy saw-logs perform the most extravagant capers, often startin

of the current, and deposited upon the top of the bank, where they form an irr

upheaval, might well wonder by what gig

e, and, on the 12th of the month, the river rose to an unusual height, and completely filled its rocky banks. The floods brought down from the interior a great jam of ice, which, accumulating in size and altitude at every bridge and dam it had carried away in its course towards the bay, was at length arrested

eader, a huge mass, composed of blocks of ice, large stones, and drift timber, occupying the centre of the river, and extending back for a great distance; the top o

ht that the danger might be averted by sawing asunder the ice, which still h

ridge, others attempting to push the iceberg nearer to the shore, where, if once stranded, it would melt at leis

nevitable. But quick as his exit was from the exciting scene, the love in the brother's heart was as quick in taking measures for his safety. As the ice on which the younger lad stood parted, the elder sprang into the hollow box of wood which helped to support the arch of the bridge, and which was filled with great stones. As the torrent swept his brother past him and under the bridge, the drowning youth gave a spring fr

mained stationary. The air was cold and frosty. There was no moon, and the spectators were reluctantly forced to retire to their respective homes. Between the watches of the night we listened to the roaring of the r

ons are sorry when a fire, which has caused much alarm by its central position in a town or city, is extinguished, without burning down a single house. The love of excitement

to the spot. The vast pile, slowly, almost imperceptibly, began to advance, giving an irresistible impulse to the shore ice, that still held good, and which was instantly communicated to the large pieces that blocked the arch of the bridge, over which the waves now poured in a torrent, pushing before them the great lumps which up to the present moment had been immoveably wedged.

town. The streets near the wharfs were inundated for a few hours, and the cellars filled w

aters destroyed a large amount of valuable mill property. One mill-owner lost 12,000 saw logs. Our wild, bright Moira was swollen to the brim, and tumbled along with the impetuosity of a mountain torrent. Its course to the bay was unimpeded by ice, which had been all carried out

ters. Had it been the mayor of the town, the accident could scarcely have produced a greater excitement. The cow belonged to a poor Irishman, and the sympathy of every one was enlisted in her fate. Was it

above water, and she cleared two mill-dams before she became aware of the fact; and she accommodated herself to her critical situation with a stoical indifference which would hav

aking directly for the centre arch of the bridge on which we stood. She certainly

as that ere cow," cried an excited b

But that's a game cow. There's no

bridge," said a man, sullenly; "she

ch!" shouted the first speak

" returned the man. "A

sy-cropper looks as fresh as a rose. Hurrah, boys! let

e quietly walked on shore, to the great admiration of the youngsters, who received her with rapturous shouts of applause. One lad seized her by the tail, another grasped her horns, while a third patted her dripping neck, and wished her joy of her safe landing. Not Venus herself, when s

of waters, and it was many weeks before his body was found; it had been carried some miles down the bay by the force of the current. Day after day you might see his unhappy father, armed with a long pole, with a hook attached to it, mournfully pacing the ba

avenues of pity! The premature death of this little negro excited less interest in the breasts of his white co

ll resort to its shores, and play upon the timbers that during the summer months cover its surface. Often have I seen a fine child of five or six years old, astride of a saw-lo

dark hour, the saddest and darkest in my sad eventful life. Many years ago, when I was a girl myself, my sympathies were deeply excited by reading an account of th

ther's

feet thou wert s

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arms to receiv

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pe 'neath thine ey

se at the voic

anged, since the lig

t dewdrops in sho

l bud my lone d

'd up feelings

he sunbeams all

at night would

h'd out from thy d

y dimples, and bri

the smile on thy

joy that no lan

eal'd, the young

mourn thee, my lo

e birth to the following lines, with

arly

death upon my

hy life's dial

down upon t

apless mother

y--my

hs have pass'd s

uiles my bosom

waters took the

looks forward

y--my

mirth is silen

arly loved--so

believe that

hine immortal so

y--my

ughing, rosy,

e, when the sun

nely night, in

asured name, my b

y--my

od has press'd

asp thee once

owing cheeks' s

n thee to the

,--would yield t

bright forms t

faded from my

thy grave, my