Lines—Western Settlement, 1783—Population—Settlement upon St. Lawrence and Bay—Number, 1784—Proclamation to Loyalists—Society disturbed—Two kinds of Loyalists—St. Lawrence and Bay favorable for settlement—Government provisions—State of the Loyalists—Serving out rations—Clothes—Utensils for clearing and fencing—The axe—Furniture—Attacking a last enemy—Tents—Waiting for their lots—“Bees”—Size of dwellings—Mode of building—Exchanging work—Bedsteads—Clearing—Fireing trees—Ignorance of pioneer life—Disposing of the wood—No beast of burden—Logging—Determination—All settlers on a common ground—Additional refugees—Advance—Simcoe’s proclamation, 1792—Conditions of grants—The response—Later settlers—Questionable Loyalists—Yankees longing for Canada—Loyalty in 1812
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DIVISION IV.
THE FIRST YEARS OF UPPER CANADA.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Father Picquet—Provision of Forts in Upper Canada just before conquest—Frontenac—Milk—Brandy—Toronto—The several forts—Detroit—British garrisons—Grasping rebels—Efforts to starve out Loyalists in Canada—Worse treated than the Acadians—Efforts to secure Fur Trade—The frontier forts—Americans’ conduct to Indians—Result—Conduct of British Government—Rations for three years—Grinding by hand—“Hominy blocks”—“Plumping mill”—The women—Soldier farmers—The Hessians—Suffering—The “Scarce Year”—Charge against the Commissariat officers—Famine—Cry for bread—Instances of suffering—Starving children—No salt—Fish—Game—Eating young grain—Begging bran—A common sorrow—Providential escapes—Eating buds and leaves—Deaths—Primitive fishing—Catching salmon—Going 125 miles to mill—Disconsolate families—1789—Partial relief—First beef slaughtered in Upper Canada—First log barn—A “Bee,” what they ate and drank—Tea introduced—Statements of Sheriff Sherwood—Roger Bates—John Parrott—Col. Clark—Squirrel swimming Niagara—Maple sugar—How it was made—Women assisting—Made dishes of food—Pumpkin loaf—Extract from Rochefoucault—1795—Quality of grain raised—Quinté Bay—Cultivation—Corn exported—The grain dealers—Price of flour—Pork—Profits of the merchants
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CHAPTER XIX.
Kingston Mills—Action of Government—The Millwright—Situation of the first Mill—Why Selected—The Machinery—Put up by Loyalists—No Toll—Only Mill for three years—Going to Mill, 1784—The Napanee Mill—Commenced 1785—Robert Clarke—An old Book—“Appenea” Falls—Price of certain articles—What Rum cost, and was used for—The Mill opened 1787—Sergt.-Major Clarke in charge—Indian Corn—Small Toll—Surveyor Collins in charge—Becomes the property of R. Cartwright, 1792—Rebuilt—Origin of Napanee—Price of Butter, 1788—Mills at Four Mile Creek, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, and Grand River—Mills on the St. Lawrence—The Stone Mills—Van Alstine—Lake of the Mountain—1796—Natural Beauty, versus Utility—The Mill—Van Alstine’s Death—Wind Mill—Myer’s Mill—Mill at Consecon
Clothing—Domestic and Farming Implements—Style of Dress eighty years ago—Clothing of the Refuges—Disbanded Soldiers—No Fresh Supply—Indian Garments of Skin—Deerskin Pants—Petticoats—Bed Coverings—Cultivating Flax—Sheep—Home-made Clothes—Rude Implements—Fulling—French Mode—Lindsay Woolsey—The Spinning-wheel—Young men Selecting Wives—Bees—Marriage Portion—Every Farmer his own Tanner and Shoemaker—Fashions—How odd hours were spent—Home-made Shoes—What Blankets were made of—Primitive Bedstead—Nakedness—Bridal Apparel—No Saddles—Kingston and Newark—Little Money—Bartering—Merchants from Albany—Unable to buy—Credit with Merchants—The Results—Itinerant Mechanics—Americans—Become Canadians—An old Stone-mason—Wooden Dishes—Making Spoons—Other Hardships—Indians Friendly—Effects of Alcohol upon the Mississaugas—Groundless Panic—Drunken Indians—Women, defending Themselves—An erroneous Statement about Indian Massacre in “Dominion Monthly Magazine”—Statement of an Old Settler, Sherwood—Wild Beasts—Few Fire-arms—Narrow Escapes—Depredations at Night—Destroying Stock—An Act of Parliament—“A traveller’s statement”—The Day of Small Things—Settlers Contented—The Extent of their Ambition—Reward of Industry—Population in 1808—Importations—Money—The Youth
Sweat of the brow—No beast of burden—No stock—Except by a few—Horses and oxen—From Lower Canada—York State—Late comers, brought some—No fodder—First stock in Adolphustown—Incidents—Cock and hens—“Tipler”—Cattle driving—First cow in Thurlow—First house in Marysburgh—The first oxen—No market for butter and cheese—Sheep—Rev. Mr. Stuart, as an Agriculturist—Horses at Napanee—An offer for a yoke of steers
Old channels of trade, and travel—Art and science—New channels—The wilderness—Loyalists Travelling on foot, from Kingston to York—Formation of roads—Act of parliament—1793—Its provisions—Crooked roads—Foot-path—Bridle-path—King’s highway from Lower Canada—When
