Animal Damage Control Program: Policy Changes Oversight : Hearings Before … (Google Books)

DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

ON THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE’S MAMMALIAN

PREDATOR DAMAGE MANAGEMENT FOR LIVESTOCK PROTECTION

IN THE UNITED STATES

Comments by Mary Bloom, Komondor Dogs

January 12, 1979

The purpose of my statement here today is to establish the

viability of the Komondor Dog as a tool to aid the rancher in

predator control. Use of an animal to protect another animal is more effective then a metal trap, a bullet or poison. It is my intention to convince you of this.

of the Hungarian fauna not the least interesting are the dogs, the largest of which is the Komondor brought from Asia with the Magyars well over 1,000 years ago.

wol

cubs

foun

litter O

em water

served

A legend has it that about the tenth century Serb shepherds found a litter of wolf cubs and, giving them water, observed the manner in which they drank. The cubs that sipped the water were killed, whilst those that lapped it up in dog fashion were taken away and brought up by the women of the villages, and later trained to herd the sheep. In due course they were crossed with domestic dogs ….from the progeny sprang the race of Hungarian shepherd dogs today called Komondorok. This legend is told by the shepherds of the great plains, the puszta. (1) That is legend, but it is a known fact that the oldest Hungarian domestic animal beside the dog was the sheep. It was the breed that the ninth century settlers brought with them, different from every other kind of sheep, entirely its own kind, half domesticated, but essentially a wild sheep, called, the racka (pronounced “rots-ka”). This animal, quite valuable to the shepherd, was constantly accompanied by the Komondor dog. Although they were quite a formidable type the agressive sheep were easily managed and protected by these dogs. In fact they were quite similar in appearance, both the same height and weight, both growing a coat that clings in bunches rather than curl. The fate of the Komondor and the sheep have been interconnected for thousands of years. (2)

The Komondor has never been well known outside its own country. Even in the most lustrous period of Hungarian life, that from the early fifteenth century to about the end of the sixteenth century, when Magyar nobles held the breed in high esteem, the race was little known abroad. A Komondor club was formed in Munich in 1922. France, Austria, Switzerland and other countries then took on an interest in the breed and its future was assured. (3)

The Komondor is an impressive animal demanding respect from all who violate his territory. His size is up to 32″ at the shoulder for the male: bitches are smaller. Color is always white, eyes almond shape and dark. The most unusual characteristic is the coat, which hangs in matted tassels or cords, thus the name corded coat. This is a double coat with two distinct types of hair in combination. There is a soft, woolly, dense undercoat, which is relatively short. There is also a longer, coarser wavy outercoat which, as it grows, twists around bunches of undercoat, catching it into cords. These outer hairs continue to grow the dag’s entire life without shedding, and they have caught in them all the coat the dog has produced in his lifetime. They are permanent, don’t wash out, and indeed tighten because the woolly coat shrinks with bathing and age. The cords are open

down to the skin, allowing the skin to breathe, which is necessary

for health reasons. Coats are usually corded by the age of two.

This heavy coat acts as a natural armor against the attacks

of enemies and as insulation against extreme heat and cold.

Komondorok have worked in temperatures ranging from minus 60° in Alaska to 105° in Texas, showing great versatility. (4)

The Komoncor by temperament is a loyal, devoted guard. His purpose in life seems to be to each day and night watch over

and protect the property and livestock entrusted to his care.

The dog does not wander, nor does he attack without provocation. Obviously, he must be courageous and agressive in the sense that he has no fear. He is alert and inquisitive for a large working dog. (5)

The use of dogs as predator control compared to other methods

now active has distinct advantages. Some methods in common use, with page references to the D.E.I.S. are discussed below: Trapping (P.17), Dogs are selective; traps are not. Non-target animals, and sometimes people, are caught, causing great harm and frequently death. Dogs do not harm non-target animals, because they are not a threat to the livestock. The D.E.I.S. states (P.17), the disadvantages of steel traps include the difficulty of keeping them in operation during rain, snow and freezing weather. The dog works all year, every day, regardless of the

elements.

Aerial Hunting (P.20) This method, stated in the D.E.I.S., requires good visibility for effective and safe operation, necessitating relatively clear and stable weather conditions. Seasonal limitaitons affect aerial hunting by reducing coyote activity and visibility due to vegetational cover. The dog is not seasonal, and is far less costly and more cost-effective than aircraft.

Poison control is not selective, it destroys non-target animals. Fencing is expensive and can’t be used in rough terrain. No method

is perfect, not even the dogs. Not all dogs work as well as others, dogs need training and upkeep. But overall the solution is far

better if the environment is kept safe, and it will be with dogs.

It is stated in the D.E.I.S. (P.27): “Use of Dogs: The use of dogs in predator control is extremely limited, except for specific lion and bear complaints. Dogs trained for denning are occasionally used either to locate dens or to lure defending adults to be shot. In general, the training of guard dogs to protect livestock has been

unsuccessful (see Research).”

The following accounts are from ranchers who are working with Komondorok, or statements that were printed in journals or news

papers:

From Komondor Komments, August 1977-

Although I have placed the Komondor with the U.S. De-
partment of Agriculture in several state experimental
stations, I felt that the actual proof could only be
found on working ranches. I also felt that the real test
was with sheep. Sheep are not only vulnerable just dur-
ing lambing season, but all year round. Due to their size
and placidity, they are a constant target for predators.
The test was set up on a two part method. One part was to
test the dogs in fenced pasture areas while being left

without supervision for the majority of the time. The second part of the test was to have the dogs used under the guidance of shepherds. The fenced pasture test ranch is in California; the open range ranch is in Idaho. The other significant point of the test was a time factor. A month or two of study would be relatively insignificant. therefore, I felt that at least one year of study was required to ascertain the effectiveness of the dogs. The study has now exceeded two years. We have had dogs (males) working effectively on open rangeland as young as ten months of age. The open rangeland in Idaho now boasts a decrease in sheep loss from predators from 13% to 28 when using the Komondor. Dogs here were worked singularly as protectors with one shepherd to a band ranging from 800 to 900 sheep. We kept one band of 800 to 900 sheep as a control band and did not place a dog with it. In the non-protected band, losses still remained high – 138. Let me note that this 28 loss is expected from causes other than predators. The fenced

pasture test area has not lost a sheep to predators for the

past two years. For almost four years, I have been testing the effectiveness of the Komondor as a tool for predator control. Since the ban on the use of poison 1080 in 1972 in predator control, the question as to whether or not these dogs could be a useful and effective tool has been a pressing matter. To reduce losses to 2% in open rangeland and zero in fenced pasture has shown that the Komondor is an effective tool if properly used. (6)

From Komondor Komments, August 1977-

We acquired Mariska (a Komondor) in the fall of 1972. At.

that time, the breed was still a rarity and the breeder

was interested in placing Koms in working environments,

and we qualified. We had been plagued by packs of domestic

dogs crippling and killing our dairy goats and were eager for some protection. If Mariska had simply worked as a herd protector, we would have been satisfied, but she has been so much more to our family and herd, we would be lost without her. We introduced Mariska to the animals the day after her arrival and she accepted them immediately. She is also dedicated to my three daughters. She is ever present at their sides in play or chores and never leaves them unwatched. Mariska has unfailingly proven her breed characteristics over and over again to us. Her dependability, predictability, and judgement have earned her our complete trust. Our only enemy now is the foxtail weel. (7)

From Grace Lush, Mt. Forest, Canada-Although the government here in Canada will pay a rancher for predator losses, the actual dead animal has to be exhibited as proof of the kill. In most cases the Timber wolves carry the lambs off to a den or other area, so I can not put in a claim. Therefore, compensation is not helpful. This 160-acre ranch is home to 100 sheep and several registered Percheron horses. It is worked by two dogs,

one male, one female, who together have saved their owner $2500.00 in losses over the past 3 years. (8)

From Mary Smith, Ontario, Canada-

The predators on this Canadian farm are feral dogs.

Nearby a neighbor recently lost 34 head of sheep, all in one night in the barn, to stray dogs. Although 7 wolves have been trapped in the last month in the area this owner is not concerned, thanks to her Komondor. The dog is extremely territorial and with little training took over the flock of 300 sheep. A careful manager, this owner suffered losses before the dog that were very low, just 10 head per year. Now its zero and probably won’t change because she is even more careful, keeping a Komondor. The dog is so protective that she has to be locked in the barn when the shearer works the flock. (9)

From Joanie Redpath, Ontario, Canada-A rocky farm in Ontario, Canada had two kills in three months before the dog. Now in use 6 months with ll cows several pigs and 100 sheep, no kills. Pandy, as he is called, walks his territory which is the whole farm, on patrol, careful not to allow intruders. An American government worker called to ask if he could visit to hunt wolves, and was welcomed. He spent several days calling, but was unsuccessful even though the area has a high wolf

population. This owner said many methods have been used to

66-191 0–80—–27

protect sheep in her area but none as effective as the

[blocks in formation]
From Tina Bell, Alberta, Canada–
This Komondor was purchased from a breeder who misrepre-
sented the dog. The buyer was told no training was neces-
sary and because of that several months went by before the
dog was useful. Now after one and a half years the owner
claimed there was no way she could sheep farm without that
dog. In the beginning the coyotes came in and for 3 hours
tried to run her to death by circling her territory at a
fast run, using several coyotes in the line. The dog managed
to outmaneuver them.

Another time they tried to pluck her from her from her 100 sheep; again their efforts failed.

Her answer to my question on trapping was:

A neighbor almost lost his Border Collie to a snare trap.
The dog inside of minutes turned blue. Although it recovered
it’s afraid of that quarter and won’t work the sheep in that
area. She looked into the price of special fence and it was
much too costly. “The coyotes in this area are coming out
of my ears. The dog frequently has a night where they come
from three sides towards her herd, but her pacing and loud
barking keeps them at a distance.” This bitch is 31″ tall
and very capable of fighting all that comes, but wfortu-
nately does not have to confront the predators. They seem

to sense her ability and steer clear. This owner is afraid of poisons as she says it’s death to dogs. Including the farm dogs that have a lot of time and money invested in them. What she has saved them in kill losses is hard to measure since the dog was there when the sheep arrived and in the year and a half of work, no losses have occurred, not one. (11)

From Henny Adams, Texas-We can’t breed Maggie (Komondor) till fall season as she can’t leave her flock in Spring and Sumner. She lives with bobcats constantly and just a few days’ absence and the cats are at her flock. With angoras priced at $60.00 a head and up, we value her presence more than her pups. Coyotes are not bothering us here now. With three working Komondorok in our area, coyotes seem to have moved to an easier hunting ground. Maggie arrived on this ranch in February 1975 and started work in July 1975. She guards hundreds of goats worth $100.00 each. The predators here are red fox, bobcat and coyote, so she is busy to say the least. The owner of this ranch stated her percentage of kills originally was up to 45%, without dogs. Now it is an unbelievable 18. Maggie in two years has saved us 200 kids worth $15 to $100 each, kept safe 600 angora goats worth $15 to $200 each and saved us in mohair thousands of dollars. Cotton is another story. She came from a Department of Interior program and was rated as an excellent worker. She certainly is far from it, she is

really only fair. Using a radio collar and regimented strict
obedience, she was o:artrained. Her instincts were destroyed
by this method, which are so important for a good worker.
The instinctive judgment of this breed is so unique, and
Cotton’s was severely impaired.

Her work with the breed has convinced this rancher that a few months’ work with a Komondor will make a man a lot of money and keep him in

the ranch business.

(12)

One breeder of Komondorok recently purchased land that put two other ranchers out of business due to heavy predation. This property was very inexpensive, the dogs have not only saved him thousands of dollars for land but gave him the freedom to live where he chose.

The successes are numerous and they will multiply if it is all managed correctly. It is said the biggest problem with the Komondor lies not with the dog, but with the owner. The dog . must be trained. The most important word in wool raising, as in any business, is management. The D.E.I.S., on p. 121, states the minimum standards that may be required prior to initiating Federal assistance are: one herder per 500 ewes, night herding,

penning sheep at night, direct supervision of lambing and calving

operations, and an adequate distribution of food and water. Is this to mean that these controls are not in effect now? If so, how can the ranch succeed? The predators come because the sheep are being fed to them by the rancher. Why not? It’s an easy way to eat. I fear if it is so that the wool grower does not tend his flock, nor will he tend the dog. And he must.

The effort put into the dog is rewarding: the predators move on to other land. When the domestic animal supply becomes scarce because of the dogs, the food chain will shift. When the wild animal supply becomes scarcer, then the numbers of predators will in a natural way decrease.

Summary

In sum, the D.E.I.S. is inadequate for its failure to seriously consider the use of Komondor dogs as a viable alternative to the current Predator Control Program. Indeed, the information I have presented and supplementary information which I will supply for the hearing record and the recoid of this D.E.I.S. show conclusively that Komondor dogs are a viable, effective, non-lethal alternative to the currently practiced ADC program.

I must point out that the summary presented in this D.E.I.S. of the use of Romondor dogs shows a distinct and distressing bias toward the use of lethal controls. You see, I do not claim that Komondor dogs will be 100 percent successful in every situation, at all times. I do claim, on the basis of the studies I have cited, that they can be substantially more effective (on a percentage basis) than any technique currently in use.

Thank you for the opportunity to present my views, and I look forward to seeing your examination of this technique in a revised and supplemented D.E.I.S.

Some similarities

Whilst the differences between Canada and Australia are obvious on some levels, there are also some similarities. Both of them are British commonwealths (tied to the United Kingdom through a prime minister), both of them are rather sparsely populated given the harsh climate and geography (Russia to some extent, especially to the East).

Though any other country in the New World (especially some countries) has had issues with longstanding ethnic minorities (autochthonous if you will) and much of Scandinavia’s no different (Samis), both Australia, New Zealand and Canada are comparable within the British Commonwealths. (Admittedly, that’s all I know.)

Another interesting similarity between both of them (and to some extent, America) is that they’re used to place convicts in, though this sort of peaked in Australia. Admittedly, that’s all I know about those countries but similar enough to warrant comparisons and analogues.

A Narrative of the Visit to the American Churches: By the Deputation from

A Narrative of the Visit to the American Churches: By the Deputation from

232 CANADA.

Some were encumbered with boxes and trunks, others
seemed to possess nothing but the rags whieh covered
them. A few of those who had luggage, had obtained
vehicles for conveying it ; and in these they had already
placed it, together with their wives and little ones.
They were hastening onwards, not knowing what might
await them in a land of strangers ; while others, uniting
in little bands, were slowly following on foot. A long
voyage and its privations, had given an appearance of
wretchedness to many of the emigrants. But while the
looks of some bespoke distress, and fear, and anxiety,
others looked perfectly unconcerned, and reckless of
consequences. In this way tens of thousands of these
destitute beings are thrown into the midst of American
society. What nation could receive such numbers of
wretched, and too often demoralized, individuals, without
sustaining deep injury ? That the United States have
been morally injured by this cause, I have no doubt.
Their bearing up against this evil, as they have done,
proves the elasticity of their national character, and the
powerful influence of religious habits. I very much
question whether, in our larger towns, we have suc-
ceeded so well in restraining the evil consequences of
Irish and Roman Catholic emigration.

While waiting the departure of the boat, and sur-
veying, with mingled emotions, the scene I have de-
scribed, a poor creature came up to me, with a torn slip
of paper, which she asked me to read for her. It had
once contained the address of some person, but it was
now so mutilated as ‘to be unintelligible. The State was
New York, but the name of the town I could not make
out. This piece of paper was all she had brought from
Ireland, to direct her to the habitation of her sister, who
had previously crossed the Atlantic. I was sorry for
her ; but the only advice I could give her was to continue

CANADA. 233

with those who had accompanied her from Ireland,
till she reached the State of New York, and the settle-
ments of her countrymen, and then to make inquiry.
We crossed the magnificent St. Lawrence to Montreal ;
the distance, in an oblique direction, is about nine miles.
The view of the town from the river was singular. The
roofs of many of the houses being covered with tin, and
glittering in the bright sunshine, presented a brilliant
appearance. Our moist atmosphere would soon corrode
and destroy such roofs ; but there the air is so dry that
they last for a number of years.

It is not my province to enter into a particular descrip-
tion of the city, even though I possessed ability to do so.
Its peculiar aspect attracted my attention. The lan-
guage, dress, and manners of many whom we met, might
have led us to imagine we were in France. Many
French names too met our eye on the doors of shops and
dwelling-houses ; but intermingled with these, there is a
large proportion which plainly bespeak a Scottish or
Gaelic origin. I read the names of Mackintosh, M’Gre-
gor, and M’Donald, with an interest which, perhaps, I
might not have felt if nearer home.

We found that the ministers and missionaries whom
we expected to meet us at Montreal, had not arrived,
though written to some days before. As it was likely
two or three days more would still elapse, before they
did come, we decided on going to Quebec. We em-
barked on Tuesday, at two p.m. From Montreal down-
wards for seventy miles, we had most magnificent views
of the mighty river. It was the most splendid sight I
have yet seen in the New World ; and, indeed, I should
think, cannot be surpassed in any part of our globe.
Before us lay an immense body of water, extending
onward as far as the eye could reach ; pursuing its course
in a channel two or three miles wide, and this channel

234 CANADA.

filled almost to overflowing. It looked like a lake of
molten glass, so clear, and placid, and full. The banks
are thickly studded with cottages, generally built of
wood, which give an air of life and cheerfulness to the
scene. We had ample time to admire it, as our progress
was somewhat impeded by having three vessels in tow.
Night, for a little time, threw a veil over the objects at
which we gazed ; but it was followed by a lovely
morning. Vegetation here, at this season, wears all the
freshness of spring. The foliage of the trees is but just
making its appearance, bursting, as if with conscious
delight, from its winter prison.

The distance from Montreal to Quebec is 1 80 miles ;
and the cottages of the Canadians continue to appear at
thirty or forty yards distance from each other all the
way down. I was informed by a person on board, that
they are equally numerous for ninety or a hundred miles
below Quebec. It gives one the idea of a dense popu-
lation ; but I understand that the settled parts do not
extend into the interior, more than nine or ten miles
from the banks of the river. Near Quebec, the country
becomes more elevated, and mountains appear in the
distance. As we proceeded down the river, we observed
canoes lying opposite to almost every cottage. Stone
crosses occur frequently, and churches at every eight or
nine miles. There were many rafts of wood on the
river, proceeding to Quebec, to supply the British
market. Some of these were of great extent, and of
considerable value. Those which were navigated by
Indians, had wigwams made of bark erected on them.
Other navigators (chiefly Canadians) had sheds formed
of the materials they were conveying to the vessels.
We passed one large raft, which was navigated by twelve
or fifteen men. The owner of it was on board our
steamer. He estimated the value of it at a thousand

CANADA. 235

pounds sterling. He remarked that the trade was a
great speculation, as the wind sometimes arises with
such violence, as to separate the rafts entirely. In this
case, the oak trees sink ; trees of lighter wood can
sometimes be drawn ashore and secured. But it not
unfrequently happens that, in an hour or two, the hopes
of the speculator are altogether destroyed. As we
approached near the end of the voyage, we saw the
rafts taken into little bays, on both sides of the river,
to which places some of the vessels come up to receive
their cargoes. The approach to Quebec is very mag-
nificent : the craggy rocks of Cape Diamond, crowned
with the almost impregnable fortress, stand out in fine
relief against the sky. Numerous vessels were lying at
anchor, a short distance below the citadel ; and in the
back-ground is a range of blue hills, which form a
striking contrast with the level and cultivated country
before them.

We had not been many minutes in the town, before
we had a visit from the Rev. Mr. Hicks, who was known
to Mr. Heed. He had heard we were coming down,
and soon received an intimation of our arrival. We
spent the afternoon and evening with him. Our conver-
sation related chiefly to the state of, religion in the
Canadas, where he has been for eighteen or twenty
years, and was closed with devotional exercises.*

Next day we visited the Fort — the heights of Abra-
ham — saw the field of battle, and the place where Wolfe
received his mortal wound. A considerable part of the
battle-field is built upon, so that the space now appears
contracted. The ravine, by which Wolfe approached

* This excellent and useful man is now no more. A few weeks
after we saw him at Quebec, the cholera, which was committing
fearful ravages in the town, seized him, and he also became one of
its victims.

236 CANADA*

during the night, and gained possession of the heights,
was pointed out to us, as well as a road to the right,
leading from the suburbs of La Roche, by which the
French troops marched to attack him. But I forbear
description. We also went about nine miles, accom-
panied by some friends, to visit the Falls of Montmorenci.
With these 1 was much delighted. The principal fall is
about a hundred and fifty feet in height, and thirty or
forty in Width. At a distance, it was like an immense
sheet of the purest snow. The road to the Falls is
tolerably good. The farming here is superior to what
we have seen before. The owners of the land are chiefly
English farmers. I noticed the backwardness of vege-
tation, and consequently of agricultural operations,
compared with England, or even with the United States.
My pear trees were showing blossom on the 12th of
March, before I left home. In New Jersey, and around
Baltimore, the blossom of the peach and pear trees
was fully out on the 16th of April ; at New York, on
the 1st of May ; at Boston, the 26th ; and at Quebec, the
12th of June. Here, too, the simple and fragrant haw-
thorn is now displaying its richest bloom. The farmers
are busy planting their potatoes. The soil appears to be
good; and here there are few unsightly stumps pre-
sented to the eye. The views of Quebec, which we
had, in going to, and returning from, the Falls, were
very fine ; as we could perfectly command ‘both the
lower and upper town, and the Fort crowning the whole.
We remained in Quebec for a short time after our
return, in order to consult with friends, and obtain some
information respecting the state of religion in the Lower
Province. After communicating all they knew on this
subject, “they accompanied us to the ship,” and we
sailed in the evening for Montreal. There were im-
mense crowds of people ; and in port, or a little way

CANADA. 237

up the river, there must have been nearly three hundred
sail of vessels waiting for cargoes. Our steam-packet
had to receive a shipment of emigrants, from a Hull
vessel, which had just arrived. They had such quanti-
ties of luggage to remove, that we were detained an hour
or two beyond the time fixed for sailing. We had also
nearly twenty Roman Catholic priests on board. They
were polite and obliging, but only one of them could
speak English, and that in a very broken way. Most
of them landed at the different places where they reside,
on the banks of the St. Lawrence, before we reached
this place, which we did yesterday afternoon.

On Saturday we had a meeting with a number of
ministers and other friends. We had with us, ministers
of the Wesleyan, Scotch and American Presbyterian,
Baptist, and Independent denominations. They seemed
desirous to give us ail the information they could,
respecting the state of religion in the Colonies. The
substance of their replies to our inquiries, together with
the religious statistics of both provinces, which we
obtained, will be given in this report. On Sabbath,
the members of the deputation preached in the Pres-
byterian and Methodist places of worship, where, col-
lections were made to assist in the erection of a new
chapel for the Congregationalists, their present place of
meeting being small and inconveniently situated. It was
gratifying to us, to find this cordiality among the Chris-
tians of different denominations; who forgetting for a
while their peculiarities, were willing to assist another
section of the church, holding the same essential truths
of Christianity with themselves. It ought also to be
stated, that the Baptist chapel was closed in the evening,
to allow the congregation to attend the Presbyterian
church, where the collection was to be made. By this
time, some other friends, missionaries and agents of

238 CANADA.

different religious institutions, had arrived. We bad
two lengthened interviews with them, and received a
variety of information respecting the eastern townships,
and some of the newly settled districts of Lower Canada.
We deeply feel the responsibility of our present engage-
ments, and anxiously desire that our coming may be
for good to this neglected country.

LETTER II.

While at Montreal, I met with a christian family
from Greenock, related to the late Mr. Hercus, for so
many years the esteemed pastor of the church there, A
good man was visiting them, who has been a number of
years in this country, but who was formerly a member
of one of the Congregational churches in the Highlands
of Scotland. He had come to Montreal, a distance of
thirty miles from his residence, in the interior, in the
hope of obtaining a missionary to labour for a few
weeks in his township, where the people anxiously
desire the preaching of the gospel. But, as they require
one who can preach in the Gaelic language, I fear there
was no probability of his being successful. He himself,
however, has been indefatigable in using such means as
were in his power. He has held prayer meetings, esta-
blished five Sunday schools, and tried, in a variety of
ways, to do good.

We left Montreal on Monday, the 16th, and arrived,
on Tuesday afternoon, at Brockville, about 152 miles
farther up the river. We travelled by stages the first
thirty-seven miles, in order to avoid the Rapids ; and
then got on board a steam-boat for the rest of the way*
The views on the river are very fine, especially from

CANADA. 239

Cornwall to Brockville. The islands are numerous, and
the indentations of the shore present a continual variety.

The friends at Brockville gave us a very kind recep-
tion. We found several ministers, who had come from
a considerable distance, in order to further the object of
our mission. Here there are persons from various parts
of the old country, some of whom we had met with
before they quitted its shores. To renew the intercourse
so far from home was delightful. The people in this
place are anxious for additional means of religious
instruction, and would willingly exert themselves to
secure it. They had written to their friends at home,
to send out a suitable minister, but had received no
reply. In expectation of our arrival, notice had been
given, that there would be a religious service in the
Court-house, the place usually occupied on such occa-
sions. Both Mr. Reed and myself preached.

The morning of the 18th was spent with the ministers
from a distance, and christian friends on the spot.
Their communications were highly valuable and im-
portant. In the afternoon, we set off for Kingston, and
arrived early on Thursday morning. Mr. Reed remained
there, according to arrangement, while I went forward,
in another steam-boat, to Coburgh, about one hundred
and twenty miles farther. The voyage up the Bay of
Quinte was very delightful. It is about eighty miles in
length, and four in breadth. One of the missionaries,
who met with us at Brockville, accompanied me about
half way up the bay, to his station. We passed an
Indian village, inhabited by about four hundred of the
Mohawk tribe. An Episcopal missionary, who takes
care of their religious instruction, was also my fellow-
passenger. He preaches once on the Sabbath in
English. The church is a frame-building; and when
the time of service arrives, instead of a bell, a flag is

240 CANADA.

hoisted, to summon the people. Those of the inhabi-
tants whom we saw at the village landing-place were
miserable looking objects. I had a good deal of con-
versation with one of their tribe, who came on board.
He knew English tolerably well, and very readily
answered my questions. The boat arrived at the ” Car-
rying-Place” late at night. It was a wretched spot, the
stage-house poor and uncomfortable, and a long way
from the water’s edge* I was glad to leave it by the
stage, at four o’clock on Friday morning, though the
journey was far from being agreeable, on a swampy,
muddy, corduroy road. The first part of it has been
but newly made through the forest. I had particularly
wished to see the superintendent of the Indian missions,
who resides not far from Coburgh ; but finding him from
home, I proceeded at once to the town. It is an in-
creasing, rising place, and promises to be an important
settlement.

I was now within eight or ten miles of a family whom
I had known in England, and whom I had promised to
visit, if in my power. Having some hours to spare, I
hired a vehicle, and a young Irishman (of whom there
are many here) drove me to their farm, which is in
Hamilton township. After we had proceeded a mile or
two from the lake, we entered on the forest, and travelled
more slowly. Some parts of the road were newly cut,
and it required considerable skill to drive with safety.
A few farms had been cleared, others were but just un-
dergoing that process. Some settlers were only clearing
a few acres, immediately around their log huts. It must
require a stout heart and strong hands to begin such a
work. Many of the trees were fine majestic specimens
of the fir tribe.

You may imagine the joy of ‘s family on seeing

me, and hearing from me of their friends in England.

THE EMIGRANTS. 241

Valuable as letters are in a distant land, it is still more
valuable to hear from the living voice, answers to the
numerous and anxious inquiries which rapidly succeed
each other. When I looked around me, and saw the
dwelling, the scenery, and all the external circumstances
in which the family are placed, I was much affected with
the contrast presented to their former situation. A
crowd of recollections rushed upon my mind; and I
thought it must be a very plain case of duty, which can
justify such persons in leaving their native land thus to
dwell in the wilderness. I recollected my visits to this
family about fourteen years ago. You know the beau-
tiful situation of the farm which they occupied, the fine
scenery and cultivated appearance of the valley in which
it lies. The house and offices were new and commo-
dious ; every thing wore the appearance of comfort, and
they were surrounded with friends and religious privi-
leges. They had only to cross one of their own fields
to reach the highway, and then they were close to the
market-town. I remember considering it one of the
finest specimens of an English farmer’s onstead that I
had ever seen. The interior of the house was suitably
and respectably furnished, and the farm well stocked.

But what is their situation now ? They have a log
hut for a dwelling ; and the only out-house is a smaller
hut, of the same kind. There is but one apartment for
the whole family, consisting of nine individuals; a
ladder, it is true, leads to an upper room ; but, judging
from the height of the building, this must be a very low
and inconvenient chamber. One of our meanest cot-
tages at home affords conveniences which this family do
not possess in theirs. I saw neither cupboard nor closet,
and I wondered much where the provisions and culinary
vessels were kept. Before I left, however, I found they
had a sort of cellar underneath, which they reached by

VOL. II. R

242 THE EMIGRANTS.

removing one or two deals from the floor. How diffe-
rent from the cool and spacious dairies, and neatly
arranged closets, of English housewifery !

The mother, as might be expected, feels their priva-
tions most. The daughters, of whom there are five at
home, appear more willing to be reconciled to their new
circumstances. Of actual fatigue and hardship, the
father has had the largest share. He spent nearly all
his capital in the purchase of the farm, and cannot
afford to hire labourers. The great burden of all the
field labour has, therefore, fallen on himself, his sons
being too young to be of much use to him. The farm
consists of about one hundred acres, seventy of which
were cleared when he bought it. He paid 500/. for it,
besides purchasing the crop on the ground ; and then
the farm was to be stocked. This exhausted his re-
sources, and left but little to procure those articles of
furniture which were almost essential to their comfort.
While it is thus plain, that the family have been much
tried by the change they have made, and perhaps have
endured more severe privations than they expected, yet
I was pleased to find, after the first burst of feeling had
spent itself, that they spoke of the future with hope.
They seemed aware that the first year or two was the
period of trial ; and that if they overcame that, the
prospect would brighten, and they might begin to gather
around them the comforts and conveniences of their
early home. They have the necessaries of life already ;
their provisions are substantial, though served in a
homely way. And they need have no anxiety about
quarter-day, tithes, or taxes. The property is all their
own ; and, happily for new settlers, the provincial rates
are too small to be worth naming. While in their own
country, they had been every year losing part of the
little fund they possessed; so that the parents were

THE EMIGRANTS. , 243

unable to make any provision for the children, or to
establish them in business. It did seem a duty to save
what yet remained ; and though the parents will have to
struggle while they live, they do so under the conviction,
that, when they are removed by death, they will not
leave their children destitute, or without a home.

But while, as I have said, they cherish resignation
and hope, there is one circumstance in their lot which
occasions unmingled sorrow, and that is — their religious
destitution. The mother feels as a christian parent
ought to feel in such circumstances ; and it seemed
quite a relief to her to tell me all her sorrows. She
described the blank presented to them on the Sabbath —
no place of worship nearer than Coburgh ; no convey-
ance to carry them there ; and if they even could reach
it, no instruction suitable for themselves or their chil-
dren. She looked at them, and her heart sickened at
the prospect of their growing up without religious ordi-
nances, and without a sanctuary. They meet, it is true,
with a few neighbours on the Sabbath, in a little log
hut not far off, for singing and prayer, and reading the
Scriptures ; but she felt that this was far less likely to
engage the attention, and impress the minds of young
people, than the preaching of a faithful and affectionate
minister of Christ would be. She trembled lest her
children should become indifferent, and perhaps opposed
to sacred institutions, and forget the good old way in
which their fathers had walked. Fixing her streaming
eyes on me, she addressed me with the most moving
earnestness : — ” O if the Christians of England only
knew our situation, and that of thousands around us,
they would not rest satisfied till they sent men of God
to preach the gospel to us. If they only knew a
mother’s grief at seeing her children growing up without
the means of grace, would they not feel for us, would

b2

244 THE EMIGRANTS.

they not send us help ? Do tell them of our case, and
that of many around us, who would willingly attend
the preaching of good men of any denomination. Only
let such men come, and we will show them all the kind-
ness in our power.” I need hardly say, I promised to
let her request be known at home, and to do all I could
to help them.

I was deeply moved by her appeal ; and never did
the possession of wealth seem more desirable than at
that moment, as affording the means of sending forth
labourers into such a sphere of usefulness. I thought
how little our good people at home prize their religious
advantages, compared with their real value ; and how
delighted many here would be to possess a tithe of what
they enjoy. We had a solemn parting, not expecting
to meet again on earth. The mother was the last to
speak, and her words were an urgent entreaty — ” Do
not forget us ; do tell the good people at home how
much we need their sympathy and their prayers.” And
surely her request will find a response in every christian
parent’s bosom, and plead more strongly than any
arguments I could employ. This good woman’s father
was a venerable minister of Christ ; and such having
been the privilege of her youth, no wonder that now, in
her old age, with all a mother’s anxieties, she is so
importunate for gospel ordinances. I did not see the
father, as he had gone to the saw-mill. My thoughts
will often revert to the scenes of that day in the midst
of the forest.

Where those bunnies are at

Like I said in another post, feral rabbits are a problem in Sweden, Finland, Canada and especially Australia. Not that Sweden, Finland and Canada are any better, perhaps other than that there’s way more competition in their ecologies and environments, more predators really. From what I know, whilst this may not always be the case, Europe and North America have significantly more mammalian predators and more larger ones at that.

You have stray dogs and cats (though the former might be a feature in reservations and the countryside, breeding grounds for feral dog populations and the like), then come wolves. foxes and lynxes. Then we get to bears, pumas (however only in North America), arguably wolverines and other mustelids. (Russia and to a lesser extent, parts of Georgia, Turkey and Armenia have additional predators like caracals and leopards.)

Likewise in Africa you’ve got hyenas, African painted dogs, leopards, lions, servals, jackals and arguably chimpanzees (as they’re shown to hunt), though that depends on the country really. I suspect in Australia, there’s really just a few macropredators (like crocodiles, dogs, humans) that even with culling, feral rabbit populations would still grow.

Admittedly, I know little about some of those things but it bears saying that even with all the stray cats and dogs going about in the countryside Canada and several (if not all) European countries, there’s a lot more room for mammalian macro and medium predators. Not that Australia’s lacks predators but that it’s nearly devoid of mammalian terrestrial predators, that rabbits would proliferate.

To the North and to the South

Something about what I know from Canada and Australia, given my knowledge is meagre and I’ve yet to go to either one of them. The major salient differences, for me, wouldn’t just be geography even if it’s that’s the biggest one. Australia’s got deserts, where Canada’s got a lot of ice (not that Australia’s deprived of those, except in the mountains).

Bear in mind that whilst feral rabbits are a thing in Canada (actually like it is in Finland and Sweden to a similar extent), it’s a bigger deal in Australia where the historic lack of any large mammalian predator (perhaps barring feral dogs) allowed rabbits to explode in numbers. So much so some Australian scientists would deliberately infect them to cull numbers.

That’s not to say I hate rabbits as much as the lack of any other large predator makes culling feral rabbits all the more difficult, so bear in mind Canada for all its faults has a lot of other placental predators (lynxes, bears, wolves and arguably coyotes). Australia no longer has Tasmanian tigers, so it’s mostly left to foxes, feral cats and dogs as well as humans.

Aside from that, I get the impression of Australia being significantly influenced by Britain (surprisingly much moreso than Canada, however, if it weren’t for its proximity to America). Maybe that’s wrong as I know little about it, but it could’ve been stronger at some point (same with Canada and any other British colony).

Again, I know little about Canada and Australia as I’ve yet to go there to come to a better conclusion but it’s safe to say that Canada seems much more American (closer to America), whereas Australia seems more British. Or at the very least somewhat more shielded away from it even if I’m wrong in here.

The Southern Counterpart

I often considered Brazil to be more or less the Southern counterpart to America in the sense of being both geographically and economically largest powers in their respective continents. Though this isn’t always the case, both of them have a substantial African slave descended population (as far as I know about it) and have close equivalents to their own hillbillies.

(In fact, caipira is practically the Portuguese word for redneck/hillbilly/rustic.)

Brazilian hillbillies live in the Deep North, American hillbillies live in the Deep South. That does make you wonder if Brazil is the Southern counterpart to America, might Chile and Argentina be the equivalent to Canada? Barring America’s Alaska, Canada’s more or less similar to Chile and Argentina in the sense of being this close to polar regions.

(Argentina might be a better one as it’s got the world’s coldest city and has an outpost in the Antarctic, parts of Canada are within the Arctic circle.)

Some of it’s not that close but close enough to warrant comparisons.

Canadiana

Like I said before, I know little about Canada. What I do know’s that some of the musicians I listen to are from Canada and some of the books and cartoons I grew up with are actually Canadian. There’s Caillou then there’s Franklin the Turtle (I used to have a book about the latter). Tintin’s a popular comics series where it even had an animated adaptation by Nelvana, which I watched on Cartoon Network.

(It also did animations for some Star Wars productions.)

Inspector Gadget’s also a Canadian production as is the one with raccoons and Johnny Test. I actually don’t care about Johnny Test much. Same with Total Drama Island and a few others. If I’m not mistaken, there’s an article on why Canadian animation doesn’t get much recognition. I’d go on saying that Canadian arts and entertainment don’t get much recognition as they’re often seen as American. (Logically Ireland seems like an uncanny valley Britain at first.)

I even assumed some Irish bands to be British which doesn’t help that Ireland was a British colony. Likewise Canada and America aren’t just geographically close, they also sound and speak similar. They do stand out in some ways but so similar to their better known counterparts as to be uncanny valley versions of those.

Canadian Music, Not What You Think It Is

I’m not too well-versed on Canadian popular culture (although sometimes it does deserve much more merit when it comes to Nelvana animating the Tintin cartoons as I remember watching as a child). From what little I know about its popular music, it goes beyond the likes of Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan, Nickelback, Justin Bieber, Drake and Celine Dion. Rush could count and so does KD Lang.

Then here are the lesser known ones to date such as Pascal Languirand and possibly Capital Sound. The former’s the son of a late telly presenter (Jacques Languirand) and travelled fairly often in his youth, sometimes in Mexico (which he currently resides in). He often makes trippy music but did have a short-lived hit with ‘Living On Video’ with his band Trans-X. It didn’t last that long though.

Possibly same with Capital Sound, which one of its members went on to have a solo career. This is something I know even less about so to speak. But it’s amusing to remark on the other side of Canadian music in here.

The great lone land: the north-west of America. 4th and cheaper ed (Google Books)

CHAPTER III.

Bunker—New York—Niagara—Toronto— String-time In QueBec—A Summons—A Start—In Good Company—Strewing A Peg—An Expedition—Poor Canada—An Old Glimpse At A New Land—Rival Routes—Change Of Masters—The Red River Revolt—The Half-breeds—Early Settlers —Bungling—” Eaters Of Pemmican “—M. Louis Riel—The iluRDER Of Scott.

When a city or a. nation has but one military memory, it clings to it with all the affectionate tenacity of an old maid for her solitary poodle or parrot. Boston— supreme over any city in the Republic—can boast of possessing one military memento: she has the Hill of Bunker. Bunker has long passed into the bygone; but his hill remains, and is likely to remain for many a long day. It is not improbable that the life, character and habits, sayings, even the writings of Bunker—perhaps he couldn’t write !—are familiar to many persons in the United States; but it is in Boston and Massachusetts that Bunker holds highest carnival. They keep in the Senate-chamber of the Capitol, nailed over the entrance doorway in full sight of the Speaker’s chair, a drum, a musket, and a mitre-shaped soldier’s hat;—trophies of the fight fought in front of the low earthwork on Bunker’s Hill. Thus the senators of Massachusetts have ever before them visible reminders of the glory of their fathers: and I am not sure that these former belongings of some long-waistcoated redcoat are not as valuable incentives to correct legislation as that historic ” bauble” of our own constitution.

Meantime we must away. Boston and New York have had their stories told frequently enough—and, in reality, there is not much to tell about them. The world does not contain a more uninteresting accumulation of men and houses than the great city of New York: it is a place wherein the stranger feels inexplicably lonely. The traveller has no mental property in this city whose enormous growth of life has struck scant roots into the great heart of the past.

Our course, however, lies west. We will trace the onward stream of empire in many portions of its way; we will reach its limits, and pass beyond it into the lone spaces which yet silently await its coming; and farther still, where the solitude knows not of its approach and the Indian still reigns in savage supremacy.

Niagara.—They have all had their say about Niagara. From Hennipin to Dilke, travellers have written much about this famous cataract, and yet, put all together; they have not said much about it; description depends so much on comparison, and comparison necessitates -a something like. If there existed another Niagara on the earth, travellers might compare this one to that one; but as there does not exist a second Niagara, they are generally hard up for a comparison. In the matter of roar, however, comparisons are still open. There is so much noise in the world that analysis of noise becomes easy. One man hears in it the sound of the Battle of the Nile—a statement not likely to be challenged, as the survivors of that celebrated naval action are not numerous, the only one we ever had the pleasure of meeting having been stone-deaf. Another writer compares the roar to the sound of a vast mill; and this similitude, more flowery than poetical, is perhaps as good as that of the one who was in Aboukir Bay. To leave out Niagara, when you can possibly bring it in would be as much against the stock-book of travel as to omit the duel, the steeple-chase, or the escape from the mad bull in a thirty-one-and-sixpenny fashionable novel. What the pyramids are to Egypt—what Vesuvius is to Naples—what the field of Waterloo has been for fifty years to Brussels, so is Niagara to the entire continent of North America.

It was early in the month of September, three years prior to the time I now write of, when I first visited this famous spot. The Niagara season was at its height: the monster hotels were ringing with song, music, and dance; tourists were doing the falls, and touts were doing the tourists. Newly-married couples were conducting themselves in that demonstrative manner characteristic of such people in the New World. Buffalo girls had apparently responded freely to the invitation contained in their favourite nigger melody. Venders of Indian bead-work; itinerant philosophers; camera-obscura men; imitation squaws; free and enlightened negroes; guides to go under the cataract,.who should have been sent over it; spiritualists, phrenologists, and nigger minstrels had made the place their own. Shoddy and petroleum were having “a high old time of it,” spending the dollar as though that “almighty article had become the thin end of nothing whittled fine:” altogether, Niagara was a place to be instinctively shunned.

Just four months after this time the month of January was drawing to a close. King Frost, holding dominion over Niagara, had worked strange wonders with the scene. Folly and ruffianism had been frozen up, shoddy and petroleum had betaken themselves to other haunts, the bride strongly demonstrative or weakly reciprocal had vanished, the monster hotels were silent and deserted, the free and enlightened negro had gone back to Buffalo, and the girls of that thriving city no longer danced, as of yore, “under de light of de moon.” Well, Niagara was worth seeing then—and the less we say about it, perhaps, the better. “Pat,” said an American to a staring Irishman lately landed, ” did you ever see such a fall as that in the old country?” “Begarra ! I niverdid; but look here now, why wouldn’t it fall? what’s to hinder it from falling?”

When I reached the city of Toronto, capital of the province of Ontario, I found that the Red River Expeditionary Force had already been mustered, previous to its start for the North-West. Making my way to the quarters of the commander of the Expedition, I was greeted every now and again with a “You should have been here last week . every soul wants to get on the Expedition, and you hav’n’t a chance. The whole thing is complete; we start to-morrow.” Thus I encountered those few friends who on such occasions are as certain to offer their pithy condolences as your neighbour at the dinner-table when you are late is sure to tell you that the soup and fish were delicious. At last I met the commander himself.

“My good fellow, there’s not a vacant berth for you,” lie said; “I got your telegram, but the whole army in Canada wanted to get on the Expedition.”

“I think, sir, there is one berth still vacant,” I answered.

“What is it?”

“You will want to know what they are doing in Minnesota and along the flank of your march, and you have no one to tell you,” I said.

“You are right; we do want a man out there. Look now, start for Montreal by first train to-morrow; by tonight’s mail I will write to the general, recommending your appointment. If you see him as soon as possible, it may yet be all right.” m

I thanked him, said ” Good-bye,” and in little more than twenty-four hours later found myself in Montreal, the commercial capital of Canada.

“Let me see,” said the general next morning, when I presented myself before him, “you sent a cable message from the South of Ireland last month, didn’t you? and you now want to get out to the West? Well, we will require a man there, but the thing doesn’t rest with me; it will have to be referred to Ottawa; and meantime you can remain here, or with your regiment, pending the receipt of an answer.”

So I went back to my regiment to wait.

Spring breaks late over the province of Quebec—that portion of America known to our fathers as Lower Canada, and of old to the subjects of the Grand Monarque as the kingdom of New France. But when the young trees begin to open their leafy lids after the long sleep of winter, they do it quickly. The snow is not all gone before the maple-trees are all green—the maple, that most beautiful of trees! Well has Canada made the symbol of her new nationality that tree whose green gives the spring its earliest freshness, whose autumn dying tints are richer than the clouds of sunset, whose life-stream is sweeter than honey, and whose branches are drowsy through the long summer with the scent and the hum of bee and flower! Still the long line of the Canadas admits of a varied spring. When the trees are green at Lake St. Clair, they are scarcely budding at Kingston, they are leafless at Montreal, and Quebec is white with snow. Even between Montreal and Quebec, a short night’s steaming, there exists a difference of ten days in the opening of the summer. But late as comes the summer to Quebec, it comes in its love

The Great Lone Land: A Narrative of Travel and Adventure in the North-west … (Google Books)

CHAPTER III.

Bunker—New York—Niagara—Toronto—Spring-time In QueBec—A Summons—A Start—In Good Company—Strippino A Peg—An Expedition—Poor Canada—An Old Glimpse At A New Land—-rival Routes—Change Op Masters—The Red River Revolt—The Hale-breeds—Early Settlers —Bungling—”eaters Op Pemmican”—M. Louis Riel—Tile Murder Op Scott.

When a city or a nation has but one military memory, it clings to it with all the affectionate tenacity of an old maid for her solitary poodle or parrot. Boston— supreme over any city in the Republic—can boast of possessing one military memento: she has the Hill of Bunker. Bunker has long passed into the bygone; but his hill remains, and is likely to remain for many a long day. It is not improbable that the life, character and habits, sayings, even the writings of Bunker—perhaps he couldn’t write !—are familiar to many persons in the United States; but it is in Boston and Massachusetts that Bunker holds highest carnival. They keep in the Senate-chamber of the Capitol, nailed over the entrance doorway in full sight of the Speaker’s chair, a drum, a musket, and a mitre-shaped soldier’s hat—trophies of the fight fought in front of the low earthwork on Bunker’s Hill. Thus the senators of Massachusetts have ever before them visible reminders of the glory of their fathers: and I am not sure that these former belongings of some long-waistcoated

redcoat are not as valuable incentives to correct legislation as that historic ” bauble” of our own constitution.

Meantime we must away. Boston and New York have had their stories told frequently enough—and, in reality, there is not much to tell about them. The world does not contain a more uninteresting accumulation of men and houses than the great city of New York: it is a place wherein the stranger feels inexplicably lonely. The traveller has no mental property in this city whose enormous growth of life has struck scant roots into the great heart of the past.

Our course, however, lies west. We will trace the onward stream of empire in many portions of its way; we will reach its limits, and pass beyond it into the lone spaces which yet silently await its coming; and farther still, where the solitude knows not of its approach and the Indian still reigns in savage supremacy.

Niagara.—They have all had their say about Niagara. From Hennipin to Dilke, travellers have written much about this famous cataract, and yet, put all together, they have not said much about it; description depends so much on comparison, and comparison necessitates a something like. If there existed another Niagara on the earth, travellers might compare this one to that one; but as there does not exist a second Niagara, they are generally hard up for a comparison. In the matter of roar, however, comparisons are still open. There is so much noise in the world that analysis of noise becomes easy. One man hears in it the sound of the Battle of the Nile—a statement not likely to be challenged, as the survivors of that celebrated naval action are not numerous, the only one we ever had the pleasure of meeting having been stone-deaf. Another writer compares the roar to the sound of a vast mill; and this similitude, more flowery than poetical, is perhaps as good as that of the one who was in Aboukir Bay. To leave out Niagara when you can possibly bring it in would be as much against the stock-book of travel as to omit the duel, the steeple-chase, or the escape from the mad bull in a thirty-one-and-sixpenny fashionable novel. What the pyramids are to Egypt—what Vesuvius is to Naples—what the field of Waterloo has been for fifty years to Brussels, so is Niagara to the entire continent of North America.

It was early in the month of September, three years prior to the time I now write of, when I first visited this famous spot. The Niagara season was at its height: the monster hotels were ringing with song, music, and dance; tourists were doing the falls, and touts were doing the tourists. Newly-married couples were conducting themselves in that demonstrative manner characteristic of such people in the New World. Buffalo girls had apparently responded freely to the invitation contained in their favourite nigger melody. Venders of Indian bead-work; itinerant philosophers; camera-obscura men; imitation squaws; free and enlightened negroes; guides to go under the cataract, who should have been sent over it; spiritualists, phrenologists, and nigger minstrels had made the place their own. Shoddy and petroleum were having “a high old time of it,” spending the dollar as though that “almighty article had become the thin end of nothing whittled fine:” altogether, Niagara was a place to be instinctively shunned.

Just four months after this time the month of January was drawing to a close. King Frost, holding dominion over Niagara, had worked strange wonders with the scene. Polly and ruffianism had been frozen up, shoddy and petroleum had betaken themselves to other haunts, the bride strongly demonstrative or weakly reciprocal had vanished, the monster hotels were silent and deserted, the free and enlightened negro had gone back to Buffalo, and the girls of that thriving city no longer danced, as of yore, “under de light of de moon.” Well, Niagara was worth seeing then—and the less we say about it, perhaps, the better. “Pat,” said an American to a staring Irishman lately landed, “did you ever see such a fall as that in the old country?” “Begarra! I niver did; but look here now, why wouldn’t it fall? what’s to hinder it from falling?”

When I reached the city of Toronto, capital of the province of Ontario, I found that the Red River Expeditionary Force had already been mustered, previous to its start for the North-West. Making my way to the quarters of the commander of the Expedition, I was greeted every now and again with a “You should have been here last week; every soul wants to get on the Expedition, and you hav’n’t a chance. The whole thing is complete; we start to-morrow.” Thus I encountered those few friends who on such occasions are as certain to offer their pithy condolences as your neighbour at the dinner-table when you are late is sure to tell you that the soup and fish were delicious. At last I met the commander himself.

“My good fellow, there’s not a vacant berth for you,” he said; “I got your telegram, but the whole army in Canada wanted to get on the Expedition.”

“I think, sir, there is one berth still vacant,” I answered.

“What is it?”

“You will want to know what they are doing in Minnesota and along the flank of your march, and you have no one to tell you,” I said.

“You are right; we do want a man out there. Look now, start for Montreal by first train to-morrow; by tonight’s mail I will write to the general, recommending your appointment. If you see him as soon as possible, it may yet be all right.”

I thanked him, said ” Good-bye,” and in little more than twenty-four hours later found myself in Montreal, the commercial capital of Canada.

“Let me see,” said the general next morning, when I presented myself before him, “you sent a cable message from the South of Ireland last month, didn’t you? and you now want to get out to the West? Well, we will require a man there, but the thing doesn’t rest with me; it will have to be referred to Ottawa; and meantime you can remain here, or with your regiment, pending the receipt of an answer.”

So I went back to my regiment to wait.

Spring breaks late over the province of Quebec—that portion of America known to our fathers as Lower Canada, and of old to the subjects of the Grand Monarque as the kingdom of New France. But when the young trees begin to open their leafy lids after the long sleep of winter, they do it quickly. The snow is not all gone before the maple-trees are all green—the maple, that most beautiful of trees! Well has Canada made the symbol of her new nationality that tree whose green gives the spring its earliest freshness, whose autumn dying tints are richer than the clouds of sunset, whose life-stream is sweeter than honey, and whose branches are drowsy through the long summer with the scent and the hum of bee and flower! Still the long line of the Canadas admits of a varied spring. When the trees are green at Lake St. Clair, they are scarcely budding at Kingston, they are leafless at Montreal, and Quebec is white with snow. Even between Montreal and Quebec, a short night’s steaming, there exists a difference of ten days in the opening of the summer. But late as comes the summer to Quebec, it comes in its loveliest and most enticing form, as though it wished to atone for its long delay in banishing from such a landscape the cold tyranny of winter. And with what loveliness does the whole face of plain, river, lake, and mountain turn from the iron clasp of icy winter to kiss the balmy lips of returning summer, and to welcome his bridal gifts of sun and shower! The trees open their leafy lids to look at him—the brooks and streamlets break forth into songs of gladness—”the birch-tree,” as the old Saxon said, ” becomes beautiful in its branches, and rustles sweetly in its leafy summit, moved to and fro by the breath of heaven “—the lakes uncover their sweet faces, and their mimic shores steal down in quiet evenings to bathe themselves in the transparent waters— far into the depths of the great forest speeds the glad message of returning glory, and graceful fern, and soft velvet moss, and white wax-like lily peep forth to cover rock and fallen tree and wreck of last year’s autumn in one great sea of foliage. There are many landscapes which can never be painted, photographed, or described, but which the mind carries away instinctively to look at again and again in after-time—these are the celebrated views of the world, and they are not easy to find. From the Queen’s rampart, on the citadel of Quebec, the eye sweeps over a greater diversity of landscape than is probably to be found in any one spot in the universe. Blue mountain, farstretching river, foaming cascade, the white sails of ocean ships, the black trunks of many-sized guns, the pointed roofs, the white village nestling amidst its fields of green, the great isle in mid-channel, the many shades of colour from deep blue pine-wood to yellowing corn-field—in what other spot on the earth’s broad bosom lie grouped together in a single glance so many of these ” things of beauty ‘.’ which the eye loves to feast on and to place in memory as joys for ever?