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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/6755-8.txt b/6755-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..66f5521 --- /dev/null +++ b/6755-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2597 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Canada for Gentlemen, by James Seton Cockburn + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most +other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of +the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at +www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have +to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. + +Title: Canada for Gentlemen + +Author: James Seton Cockburn + +Posting Date: October 13, 2014 [EBook #6755] +Release Date: October, 2004 +First Posted: January 23, 2003 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + + + + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. This file +was produced from images generously made available by the +Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions. + + + + + + + + + + + +CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN, + +BEING + +LETTERS + +FROM + +JAMES SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +The difficulty of sending my son's letters to the numerous friends +who are interested in seeing them, without wearing out the +Manuscript, has induced me to have them printed. It is hoped, also, +that they may be useful in giving information regarding some of the +difficulties of young emigrants, of which so little is said by the +Agencies, though the experience they teach is often more valuable +than that of uniform success. The only alterations made in these +letters (intended only for the home circle) has been in substituting +fictitious names for those of friends. It may seem a paradox that a +price should be attached to letters intended only for private +circulation, but I am not without hope of being able to provide the +writer with his winter furs (greatly to his own surprise), in return +for the pleasure and information which his letters have undoubtedly +given. + +S. Cockburn. + + + + +LETTERS FROM JAMES SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +North Western Hotel, +Liverpool. + +_August 20th_, '84. + + +Dear Mother, + +I write this before turning in, and, as you will observe, with a +beast of a pen. We arrived here all safe, and with all our traps. +Though I lost the run of my bag at Bristol in the scurry, it turned +up here all right. + +There were a lot of people waiting on the Warren to wave to us. I +recognised Miss Linton, and I think some of the Seymours. Miss +Harley met us at Star Cross to say another good-bye, with a +button-hole for me and a note, and a flint-and-steel for Henry. + +We were collared when we got here by an agent of some sort, who was +going to free us from all trouble by seeing our luggage safely on +board, but as he kept a low kind of Temperance Hotel, and smelt very +strongly of whisky, I declined his services, chiefly I should say, +on the instigation of a good-natured cabby. Of course, for aught I +know, it may be the proper thing to go in for these sort of chaps, +but it's bent to be on the safe side. + +Must shut up now, and go to sleep. + +Best love to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +S.S. "Montreal," +En Route For Canada. + +_August 21st_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +We are not going to touch at any Irish port, so I am hurrying to +write a few lines to send off by the Pilot. + +The weather is beautiful, and we have got the cabin to ourselves. + +I have already made some very nice acquaintances; altogether it bids +fair to be very jolly. + +We got down to the dock in very good time, though of course with a +good deal of bother, but we've not got _rooked_ anywhere. + +I am afraid you will not hear from us again till the letters bear a +foreign post mark. + +With best love and wishes to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I suppose we are both addressing our letters to you, which might at +first appear an unequal distribution of our favours, but as I know +they will be read aloud to the assembled breakfast table, it is a +small matter who opens the envelope. To begin with, I should explain +that I am writing in the saloon of the S.S. "Montreal," Sunday +evening, August 30th (I believe), and it is due to the constructural +defects thereof that my writing is of a somewhat shaky character, +the above saloon being placed almost immediately over the propeller, +whose various eccentricities in the way of jumping and shaking are +more than distinctly felt. However, I do not want to begin by +telling you about the end of our voyage, so I will make a +commencement at the time we lost sight of the heads and hats of +those who saw us off at Dawlish Station. I feel rather ashamed to +say I felt at that time very little depression of spirits, perhaps +the pipe to which I immediately had recourse had a comforting +influence; perhaps my familiarity with all objects on the road, at +least as far as Star Cross, made me feel as though I had not yet +left home; or perhaps, it was the secret consciousness that all the +Seymours, Lintons, and Harleys had promised to be on the Warren to +see us wave our heads out of the window. Whatever the course might +have been during the whole of our railway journey, our stay at the +hotel, and even _some_ hours subsequently, I felt almost jolly, but +what a world of misery lies implied in that underlined "some." +However, I won't anticipate, but relate from the beginning the +history of my ideas and experiences up to the present time. There is +little that you do not already know connected with our departure +from the docks and our journey as far as the last light ship, that +is concerning incidents which would appear to be worth mentioning. +We were rather fortunate in seeing nearly all the most celebrated of +the Atlantic steamers. The "City of Rome" was lying alongside a +wharf within a stone's throw of us, the "Alaska," "Arizona," +"America," and "Oregon," were all passing in or out, or lying at the +wharves, these being I believe the four fastest ocean steamers +afloat. The Allan boat "Peruvian" left the dock just astern of us, +and as we afterwards discovered, arrived twelve hours before us. We +very soon found, when dinner time came round that we were going to +live like fighting cocks; there was a tremendous spread, soup, fish, +entrées, joints, entrees, sweets, cheese, dessert and bills of fare. +We looked forward to ten days of systematic fattening, an excellent +preparation as we thought for our troubles to come in the way of +struggles for bread, in the country to which we were journeying. +What a mistake! That meal we fattened, also at the ensuing meal, a +kind of high tea at six o'clock we continued the process. At +breakfast next morning all operations were suspended, and by the +time the sun shone in the zenith for the second time, the _modus +operandi_ was completely inverted, and we thinned many inches in as +many minutes. All the preparations for carrying out our original +intentions stared us in the face, but we turned anything but a +hungry eye upon them; to tell the prosaic truth we were both +sea-sick. Not a fair knock down exactly, for while on deck I was all +right. What started the malady was the sleeping cabin--such an +abomination of closeness, stuffiness, and all the odours under the +sun I never smelt--it was literally enough to knock one down. Not +that the cabins themselves are badly ventilated, but they vent into +the gangways outside, which in bad weather are themselves very short +of fresh air. Only on two days were we able to have our port-hole +open, and then not for the whole day. The first day on board was +very pleasant, nice weather, and lots of excitement in watching the +different coasts we passed, and studying our fellow passengers. We +were never out of sight of land until it got too dark to see it. +Before England was hull down, the Isle of Man was hull up, and then +before that faded, the coast of Ireland would have been in sight had +it not been invisible. When daylight went down a breeze sprang up, +blowing steadily from the westward, still it was all very jolly, and +we went to bed very comfortably and slept very soundly till we woke +up. The day had just broken, and it was a fine breezy morning. At +first I was delighted to feel myself dancing about. I sat up and +looked out of my port-hole and watched the sea for a bit; suddenly +she rose to an extra big one; I could feel her "tilting up," and I +had to lean forward a bit to maintain my balance, then the stern +tilted up and I leant back a good long way, then the "other end of +her" rose again, higher still, but I only leant further back, and by +the time it was all over I had resumed an horizontal position, and +resolved, like the man in "Happy Thoughts," not to move again +whatever happened. I soon felt all right again, and was able to +reply in a very swagger voice to Henry's rather meek enquiry +concerning the state of the weather. By-and-bye a short interchange +of experiences occurred between Henry and a boy who had been put +into our third berth at the last moment, the latter in the innocence +of his youth frankly avowed himself "awful squashy inside," and soon +proceeded practically to demonstrate the truth of his assertion. +Henry embraced the opportunity of confession, and soon became +equally demonstrative. I still felt happy, and gave them some +excellent advice, so much in fact, that I began to feel I had been +too liberal, and that I wanted some myself; however I dressed +quickly, and went on deck, and once there I soon began to feel +hungry, though when I went down below to have breakfast I didn't +make a very hearty meal. After that the weather began to get bad, +and continued getting bad for a long time. Then for some days, as +sure as I went down below for a meal I did violence to the sentiment +of the old proverb "wilful waste makes woeful want." However, in a +few days I recovered sufficiently to withstand the noxious +influences of the saloon long enough to satisfy my hunger. We had +bad weather, more or less the whole way across to Belle Isle; not a +gale exactly, except once on Saturday or Sunday night, I forget +which, but it just blew more or less, hard enough to keep the decks +always wet, and to preclude the possibility of a smoke, or even of +walking up and down. Then as we got over to the Canadian side there +was a good deal of fog knocking about--in fact take it all round I +did not enjoy myself very much, it was cold and wet and I couldn't +smoke. However, when it did come to an end it was A1. The day we +sighted Belle Isle was beautiful, and after that we had no more bad +weather, it was all clear and bright, which was very fortunate at +that part of the voyage, as it is in going down the Straits and +through the Gulf that fog is such a source of delay. There was lots +to be seen there in the way of coast scenery, Belle Isle, Labrador, +Newfoundland, Anticosti, and the Banks of the St. Lawrence. At first +all the land was uncultivated and wild looking, but as we got into +narrower waters farther up the river it began to get cultivated--lots +of white houses with red roofs kicking about, and very often not a +hedge or a tree to be seen except just near the river, all cleared +and consequently ugly. + +Everybody about this part of the world is French, and such French +too as they talk. I have'nt caught the meaning of one word since I +have been here. I forgot to say that though I began this letter on +board the "Montreal" I am now writing at an Hotel in Sherbrooke. It +was very funny to see the changes that took place in the attire of +some of the passengers when we were nearing Quebec. People (among +whom perhaps I ought to class myself) who had remained unshaved and +disreputable during the voyage, in old clothes, etc., now come out +of their cabins looking Bond Street mashers (bar me); they were all +those who had come out for amusement and whose journies mostly +finished with the voyage; the others who preserved a travel-stained +appearance were all going further on, some long distances, and some +short. Among the long-distance people was a doctor Marsh, who was +going to Brandon, some distance beyond Winnipeg, with his family, or +at least with part of it--the rest are there already. He was a nice +man indeed, and gave us some very useful advice and information, +including his address. He is strongly of opinion that the North West +is the place for both Henry and me, but at the same time he quite +agreed with me that it would be foolish to go out there in the face +of the near approach of winter without the certainty of work, which +would keep us going through it. He has a son on a survey staff +somewhere out there, and he says he thinks I should be able to get +on too. When at last we got up alongside the wharf he was of great +service to us; he has been backwards and forwards several times and +knows the ropes well. He took us to an exchange office where he said +we should get the most value for our money, which turned out to be +$4 86c., about par I believe. He and everyone else that I asked said +that the idea of a premium on English money was a myth, that $4 86c. +was the highest, and that only in gold; for a fiver that Dr. Marsh +exchanged he only got $24 instead of $24 30c. Well, we shall see +when we get to Montreal and deliver the circular notes. The landing +and all the Customs business was a great nuisance, though we got +through capitally. I waited quietly till the hoorooche was all over, +and then went and collared the most benevolent-looking old chap to +come and stir up our baggage. I had them all unstrapped and ready, +and he just looked into one or two and then asked me if I had +anything in them that was not my own wearing apparel, or that had +not been worn. I said no (there were lots of things that hadn't been +worn, but then they _were_ my own wearing apparel), so he chalked +them all up without even desiring that Henry's big box might be +opened, which was very lucky, as it would have been a great nuisance +to have to knock those plates off the keyholes. I think it is a +great mistake to put them on; there is no fear of the things getting +wet down in the steerage deck where they are stowed, and they may +possibly cause a lot of delay going through the Customs House. Then +came our first experience of Canadian Railways, _not_ a pleasant +one. We were told the train would start at 2.15, accordingly we +dispensed with dinner and were on the platform at the stated time, +but the train never moved till nearly five o'clock. Then the baggage +chequing business turned out a great nuisance, the men went down to +cheque it while I was away getting the tickets, and when I came back +they had all gone away. In this democratic country they could not be +put to the inconvenience of coming back again, so I had to wait +about till they came to cart it up to the train. I do not mean to +say there would be any of this bother in travelling about from +station to station, it was only during the confusion of landing when +a lot of people all wanted their things done at the same time, and +the baggage all had to be brought up from the wharf, still it was an +item in our first railway experiences which, coupled with the delay +in starting, put me out of temper with Canadian travelling, though +there is not a shadow of doubt but what the chequing system is a +great deal superior to our own. However, when we did get fairly +under weigh it was not so bad. It is certainly very nice to be able +to get up and walk about when one gets tired of sitting still, or go +and stand on the platforms outside. Then, their rules are far less +strict than ours. If a man likes to jump on or off while a train is +going full speed ahead he can, nobody has the least objection to his +coming down on his head if he likes; or if he feels inclined to jump +off and run alongside he is perfectly at liberty to do so, only the +Company will not bind themselves to stop and wait for him if he +can't run fast enough. In fact, a man here is entirely his own +master, and as such is just as good us anybody else. There is one +thing which seems to me a great disadvantage, that is so few of the +railway officials are in any uniform at all. They may have a badge, +or something of that sort, but I did not see any, consequently one +never knows who to ask for information about the trains, etc. When +we got to Richmond last night, where we had to change for +Sherbrooke, a chap told us we should start in about twenty-five +minutes; the next man told us that we should not start till two or +three in the morning; and while we were endeavouring to arrive at +the truth somebody shouted out to know if everybody was "on board" +for Sherbrooke, Portland, etc., and he told us they were going to +start right away, which they did--in about half-an-hour. Next we +took two hours to go the twenty-five miles between Richmond and +Sherbrooke, though I will forgive them for that as we were really in +a goods' train, to which they had attached a passenger car for our +convenience. We eventually got in here about twelve last night. We +did not go to the Magog House as Horton recommended, as it was a +good long way from the station, and, we were told, might not be +open. This place, the Sherbrooke Hotel, is just opposite the +station, so being very tired and not wanting any bother we came in +here. We got into conversation with a man at Richmond who turned out +to be an Agricultural Agent of some sort, he had been Horton's +foreman on his farm many years ago, and knew them all very well. He +turned out a very decent old chap, and a Scotchman, and he was very +useful to us in getting us a feed, etc., when we got here, otherwise +we should have had to go supperless to bed. This morning (Tuesday), +we went first thing to see Allen, he was very cordial and obliging, +and withal very encouraging; he did not give vent to any decided +opinions, but he thought it very possible that Mr. Hill, of whom Mr. +Horton spoke, and to whom we are to be introduced to-morrow, might +be able to get me work on the Canada Pacific Railway, with which he +is in some way connected. I sincerely hope he may, as I should then +get a free pass to the West. _Wednesday._--We saw Hill this morning, +he could do nothing in the way of getting us work, but he gave us a +lot of names and addresses which turned out useful, among others a +letter to a chap called Ibotson, a sort of emigration agent, asking +him to send us round to several farms which he mentioned. We went +round to a heap of people with an old chap called Kemp, who is +something to do with the something Colonization Society. The worst +of it was we had to hire a trap, as the distance to be covered was +considerable; that cost $3, but it was the only thing to be done. +Everybody assured us that nothing but a personal interview would be +any use, so we cruised about the country in a very nice little buggy +for five hours under the escort of old Kemp, and I must say we +should have been nowhere without him. I should never have known how +to conduct the business with some of the specimens we came across, +not to mention that we should have been sure to have lost ourselves +half-a-dozen times over, and so should not have seen half the number +of people. Well, the upshot of the day's campaign was that I think +Henry stands a good chance of a place. Everyone assures me that he +could not do better than go to the farm in question. It belongs to +an old man called Crabtree, or something like that, I don't know +exactly how he spells himself. He is a very rough-and-tumble old +fellow, but, it seems, a capital farmer, and a good honest dealing +man. He has one of the best farms in the county, and is very well +off, having made all his money on his farm. Henry would get his +board and lodging, and most probably somewhere about $10 a month +besides. Of course nothing is fixed yet; the old chap's wife was +away, and he could do nothing without consulting her, but he said he +would want help during the winter, and he would not engage anyone +without letting us know. He cannot, however, do anything for the +next fortnight, which is a nuisance. None of the others that, we +called on came to very much, so we are going up to Montreal to-night +to deliver introductions and stir up the mud generally. Both Ibotson +and Kemp are going to make enquiries for us here, and write to us if +anything turns up. It's very good of them, they have both taken a +lot of trouble, and it's all done for love. In fact everybody is +most good-natured, and willing to do everything in their power to +help us. They all say they have no doubt we shall be able to get +work very soon, but it cannot be done in a day; so it seems to me, +having got these two old fellows to look out for us here, we had +better go and present ourselves in Montreal, and so be as it were in +two places at once. Moreover, I should like to see Roland Stanley if +possible before I clinch any bargain. We are perfectly certain of +getting disinterested advice from him, though I see no reason +whatever to doubt the policy of what I have done or the intentions +of our backers. I don't know if I have made all our doings and plans +sufficiently clear. I am writing in a very rambling sort of way, but +that is a fault inseparable from having to write at odd times. We +are living here for about a dollar a day each, not at all bad, with +three good big meals included, still it's spending money instead of +making it, so I hope it won't last long. It's not such a bad +beginning, though, when you come to think of it, we've only had two +clear days in the country, and Henry is in a very fair way to be +settled at a really good farm. Apart from business, the drive this +afternoon was delightful, the country in places quite equal to any +in Devonshire, though always with something wild looking about it. +In some parts of the road it looked just exactly like England, so +long as we did not look too far away. Upon the hills, etc., there is +always a lot of pine-wood and stuff which does not look English, but +it's all pretty; I believe you would like it immensely. Sherbrooke +itself is a jolly little town, though I believe here it is +considered a good big one, and a place of some importance. I think I +shall have to bring this to an end now; I don't know exactly when +the mail leaves Montreal, and I don't want to miss it through not +being ready, so if I have time to add anything more it will take the +form of a postcript. I don't know the least what address to give, +our movements are so uncertain. Couldn't father write to Roland +Stanley and ask him to forward the letters to us? I think, if he +seems the right sort of chap, I will ask him about this when I see +him, at any rate I can let him know when we leave, where we are +going to, and then if any of you should have sent a letter to him he +will know where to forward it to. Give my love to the Father, and +Old Daddy and Muriel, and everybody else, + +And believe me, + +Your loving Son. +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S. Friday.--Must post this this morning, so must look sharp. +Roland Stanley was away on a fishing expedition. We saw his +daughter. She said her father would probably be home on Friday or +Saturday, so we decided to lie in wait for him in diggings, and to +call again on Monday. I had no idea his place was so far away from +Montreal--six-and-a-quarter miles by rail including the Victoria +Bridge, which puts a lot on to the fare, and a good two miles by +road. His name was not in the Directory, so we had to find this +place by asking for it when we got to St. Lamberts. Charles Holloway +also was out when we called--at his office I believe--so we are +going down to the city to look for him this morning. We also called +on Mrs. Fenton, but she was out, so we gave in and jacked it up for +the day, as by that time it was nearly six o'clock. We had a fearful +bother in finding them, as there were no numbers on the +introductions, and there are about 1000 houses in Sherbrooke Street. +The diggings we have got into will do very well for the time. We +have taken them for a week at $5 each, board and lodging, which I +think is about as cheap as we can get them anywhere in Montreal. Our +address is 60, Aylmer Street, but it's not a bit of use writing to +us here, as we should be gone long before the letter reached us. I +don't suppose we shall be here much more than a week. I will write +more fully what we are doing by next mail. + +J. S. C. + +I am not sure if I have got the leads which I got for my ink pencil. +If they are in the right hand top drawer of your writing table, will +you send them when you send my goggles? + +Have not done anything about money yet for want of advice. It's no +use sending letters to Roland Stanley, he's too far away from +Montreal. He must wait till we get more settled. Please remember me +to everybody, particularly the Miss Bruces. + + + + +60, Aylmer Street, +Montreal, + +_September 9th_, 1884. + + +My Dear Mother, + +This letter is following pretty close on the heels of the other one. +and for this reason: I can't find any letter of introduction to Dr. +A. Howel or to Mrs. A. Howel, or any instructions as to calling +without an introduction in the epitome of my letters which father +gave me. I can't have lost it. You put them all up in a bundle, and +I never saw them till I opened my portmanteau at Sherbrooke. +Certainly I gave them to Henry to look over while I was writing as +he sat beside me, but he was so almost immoderately careful that I +do not think he can possibly have mislaid any of them. Anyhow it's +not here. If I am obliged to leave Montreal before I hear from you I +shall call on him and make my own explanations. But I don't know how +I could do that either, for I don't know if he was father's friend +or whether we got the introduction from someone else. Well, I shall +hang on as long as I can, and then go and beard him in his den as a +last resource. Now that's all the business I have to mention; it's +a bad job, but it can't be helped. Perhaps, after all, I never had +an introduction, and ought just to have called and mentioned the +father. I know he gave me a lot of directions when he read the list +over, but I can't remember them all, and only against one has he +made a note that no introduction is necessary. Yet there are about +half-a-dozen to whom I have not got letters, but whose names occur +the same as Roland Stanley. We've been hunting round, kicking up no +end of a dust, and called on and badgered scores of people. I have +already been twice to see a man called Van Haughton. He is some sort +of a boss on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and I am going again +to-morrow, though they don't want any men--at least not ordinary +men--but I am going to try and convince them that I am something +extraordinary. The ten pounds loose cash we brought out will only +last us another fortnight, but I have great hopes that Henry will +not need to draw more. Roland Stanley very kindly took him to a farm +to-day, a few miles from here, to see a man he knew, but the chap +wanted £50 per annum, so we declined. I was not able to go as I had +an appointment, but I don't think it made any difference, though +they didn't do any bargaining, only just asked him if he would take +him, and he said he would for the above-named sum. Some of the +introductions we brought out have been very useful--that to the +Darwins particularly. George, the elder son (I think) is a jewel. I +believe he would pop his Sunday coat if he thought it would do us +any good. He is strongly of opinion that Henry should advertise for +a job. He says he is certain that he would get lots of answers. But +I think it will be better to wait till we see what happens at +Sherbrooke, as by all accounts he could not do better than go to old +Crabtree. I think, with the prospect of his being shortly settled +there, you might write and explain (if possible) the matter of the +introduction--if we are not here they can forward the letter. 8 +p.m.--We have just been down to the station to fetch some of our +baggage, having been told that we should have to pay for it if we +let it lie there, and as we did not wish to bestow any portion of +our capital on cabbies, we carried it up. The consequence is I feel +like this [Illustration: Hand bent at wrist.] as Pot would say. The +weather has been that hot since we came. By-the-bye, I meant to say +when I said that we had just been down to the station, that as I +felt so limp from carrying baggage on a hot night, you would have to +put up with bad writing, but I see it's just as good as what I +started with. It would all be better if Henry was'nt writing too--at +the same table I mean--which, being one of the round one-legged +arrangements usually met with in boarding-houses, is scarcely equal +to the weight of eloquence which he brings to bear upon it. I wonder +what he's writing about. You might just let me know what he says +next time you write. He's just bought some new pink paper to write +upon, and has already started several times with a most careful +beginning, so it ought to be something worth hearing. I have +suggested that he should give you his ideas concerning the crops of +this country, but his innate modesty debars him from giving an +opinion on a subject upon which he confesses himself at present +profoundly ignorant, notwithstanding that we went yesterday +afternoon (there being nothing else which could be done,) to the +great Dominion Agricultural Show, as befitted the incipient farmer, +and that I there carefully explained to him the points of interest +of all the exhibits in relation to which I was convinced that he was +as ignorant as myself. I am afraid, however, that he was rather +inclined to treat my explanations with levity, owing to a base and +misleading practice resorted to by the Committee, of hanging up +beside the stalls, though in not very conspicuous places, a +statement of the supposed race or species of each animal. These +prejudicial placards for a long time escaped my notice, so that I +was unable to fortify his perceptions with an account of the +pig-headedness of Agricultural Committees in this respect. The only +thing that I was entirely unable to explain, and the reason for +which I could by no means fathom, was the pertinent enquiry +constantly occurring, "why should one cow be given a first prize and +another none at all," when the only difference to the mind of a just +and impartial observer consisted in the variety of their attitudes +or colour. Being thus baffled in my attempts at edification, we +adjourned to see some niggers manufacturing tobacco. + +Thursday evening.--I have just had a letter from Allen, saying that +he had three letters and a parcel waiting for us, so Henry has gone +down in great excitement with a post-card to tell him to send them +on as soon as possible. I wonder if they are from any of you people, +though I don't know what should make you think of addressing to us +there. It was rather a rummy thing his finding out our address, for +we didn't leave any; but just the other day, when looking over the +things in my despatch-box, I found a letter to Allen in Mr. Horton's +handwriting. I had'nt the least recollection of his having given me +anything of the sort, but I posted it down to Sherbrooke forthwith, +together with a note, making the best excuses I could for not having +delivered it before when I was on the spot, and of course I put my +address on the top. I should'nt wonder if one of the letters was the +lost introduction, which must have been left behind by some mistake. +We have been hunting about no end since we came here; calling on +everybody, from the man in the moon downwards, but do not at present +seem to have derived much benefit from it. I daresay Henry has told +you of a wild scheme in which Mr. Barnes wanted us to engage. He is +a most excellent old gentleman, the personification of good nature +and kindness, but is a good deal of a visionary on the agricultural +settlement question. When we called upon him on Saturday, he pressed +us most eloquently to up stick and go west with a friend or +connection of his, who was starting at nine o'clock on Monday +morning. He so far prevailed upon me that, in case there should be +anything in what he said, I went down to the bank and drew +sufficient money for our fares, and then returned to lunch with him +and the gentleman in question, a Mr. Deacon. In conversation with +him afterwards, he (Mr. Deacon) strongly advised us to do no such +thing. A branch line from the Canadian Pacific Railway, from Regina +to a place called Sussex, about thirty miles or so, which was to +have been graded this fall, and was to give me almost certain work +for the winter, would probably not be begun for some time, and the +land which Mr. Barnes had understood was along the railway in a +tolerably well-peopled district, turned out to be at the head of +Long Lake, eighty-four miles from Sussex, which is thirty miles from +Regina, not that those distances are anything great, but it meant, +in plain English, going and starting a farm 110 miles from the +nearest railway station, without a particle of knowledge or +experience. Still, we should have got the land for nothing; that +much was promised; and had I seen any chance amounting to five to +one that I should not have to spend my own money during the winter, +I should have gone, and, once well acquainted with the country, I +think we should have been able to live upon our land in some way +till I could trust myself to invest in a few implements. There must +be a fearful amount of gammon in the talk about this country +somewhere. I was told--in fact we were all told--that living in the +country was very cheap, and that living in Montreal was dear, but +according to Deacon it is just the reverse. He said he did not think +we could live in Regina, or thereabouts, supposing we got nothing to +do, under ten or twelve dollars a week, instead of five which we pay +here. I don't say that I believe it; someone must be in the wrong; +and until we can find out for ourselves it is impossible to say who +it is. It may just as well be Deacon as anyone else. Still, it would +have been unwise to go west so soon on pure speculation. The end of +it was the gentleman started away by himself, and Mr. Barnes said we +were quite right to stop where we were. He said, somehow or other, +he had managed to get a wrong impression of the whole affair. He has +since exerted himself a great deal in making enquiries in Henry's +behalf, and he gave me an introduction to a young fellow in the +Harbour Commissioner's office, which, however, did not prove of much +value. We have had to take our present diggings for another week, +not having been able to get finished up here in time. I do not want +to leave the place and leave any stone unturned, and there are +several people I can see yet. We see Roland Stanley nearly every +day, at a fish and game club where he introduced us, and which forms +a most convenient meeting place, &c. Like everyone else, he is very +good-natured, but his power of assisting us, so far, seems to lie +chiefly in his willingness to do so had he the power. He has given +over his farm to his son, and only kept his house and a few acres, +comprising his garden chiefly, so there is no chance of his taking +either of us. Holloway and Darwin are our two next best men; they +are both young, and both back us up most energetically. We are going +to spend the evening to-morrow with the Darwins, and on Sunday +evening we dine with the Holloways, which is a great improvement on +a crowded boarding-house. The latter is a partner in a well-to-do +hardware establishment, which means to say they import all sorts of +saws, chisels, axes, hammers, etc., from Sheffield; and the latter +is accountant in a bank here. He has got a mother and two sisters, +both possessing every claim to amiability. Holloway went with me on +Wednesday to the Grand Trunk Railway Works, and introduced me to +several people, and "boosted" me all he knew, but it was no go, they +sacked seventy-five men last month, and are going to do the same +again this month, things are "that" slack. Yesterday he took me down +to the Canadian Pacific Works, but the man we wanted was away, so we +are going again on Monday. There is also another man I am going to +see on Monday, who has a good-sized iron-foundry. I went down there +to-day, but he was out of town. Also I am going to see another +engineer to-morrow, so you see I am not done yet. I saw the son of +President Arthur, of the United States of America, this afternoon, +at the club, where he was detailing his sporting adventures, having +been away all summer in California and the Rockies, fishing and +shooting, which he seems to have done in a very luxurious manner, to +judge from his conversation. He talked about having engaged a Pulman +Hunting Car for his trip, &c., and, apropos of fishing, said he had +seen two natives netting salmon in some river or other, so he +"stopped the train" while he went to look on and try his hand at it. +By-the-bye, tell old Daddy that the pocket-book he gave me has +turned out the most useful thing in my possession, barring coin; in +fact, without it I should have been stumped, and had to buy one +before I left Liverpool. The little one you gave me would never have +held all the cards, letters, and business communications I have had +to cram into it. In fact, I verily believe its bulky proportions and +imposing air have obtained me an interview with many a big gun when +I should have been politely bowed out had I not produced it with the +sternness of a highwayman drawing his pistol, when I presented my +card. I must shut up or I shall lose the mail. Henry is writing also +by this post, but I wanted to tell you about the Howel introduction. +With best love to everybody all round, + +Believe me, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +60 Aylmer Street, +Montreal, P.Q., + +_Sept. 20th_, '84. + + +My Dear Pot, + +I daresay you would like to hear my opinions concerning the manners +and customs, _alias_ professional resources of this much talked of +country. When you told me that if I expected to drop in for an +appointment such as I would take in England after a fortnight's +search, I should be disappointed, you only predicted half the truth. +As far as I can see at present, it is equally a matter of difficulty +to obtain the sort of work upon which I was told on all hands it was +best to begin. I do not mean to say I have made a bad spec by coming +here, it would be much too soon for that even if I had been crumped +out of every shop I showed my nose in, which I have not by any +means, for I have met with more disinterested and sincere advice, +and have received more good-natured "boosting" in this country in an +hour than I found in the old country in a month. What I mean is, +that it seems rather harder, or at least quite as hard, to get work +of any sort, as a fitter, engine driver, or anything else _at once_. +I was told that for a sensible chap who would begin small, there was +lots of work to be had for the asking; in fact, that there was a +demand for what I may call professional labour, but that is a great +mistake. The works here, of every sort, are just as slack as they +are anywhere else, rather worse perhaps. I went to the Grand Trunk +and also the Canadian Pacific, but there was not the remotest +chance; they are cutting down everywhere, sacking men, clerks, and +draughtsmen hand-over-fist. The bosses were all good-natured, and +sometimes spoke to their subordinates themselves, to see, as they +said, if there was, or soon would, be, any vacancy, but there was +not; and in the face of any number of their old hands waiting to be +taken on again, there was small chance for a new comer. Of course +both the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific Railways have been +running for some time, and are nearly finished, so it is not likely +that they will be increasing their staff. The chances lie in the new +companies that will probably form, and in the new works that will +probably be opened, but this is a matter of waiting, not always +convenient. There is small doubt, I think, that by waiting and +worrying, some of these chances might be laid hold of, and that +properly used they might be turned to good account, for there must +certainly be lots to be done eventually, unless nine-tenths of the +country are going to stand still and remain undeveloped; but this is +not exactly what I expected. I thought that if a man represented +himself as an engineer, and said that he would go and work as a +navvy, fitter, or blacksmith, until the company found it would be +better worth their while to employ him higher up the ladder, he was +pretty certain of getting his request granted; but they say here +that is not so, they are not particularly in want of gentlemen of +any of the above persuasions anywhere about their line, and it won't +pay them to keep two men where they need keep but one. Thus, the +main point of difference between the two countries seems to me to be +that, here work is more or less on the increase, though to nothing +like the extent represented at home, and in England it is on the +decline. Even that is not quite right, for work here at present is +certainly getting slacker every day. There has been a great "boom" +on Canada lately as a field for labour, thousands and thousands of +people have come, and been sent out by Colonization Societies, etc., +and the consequence is, there are more people already than there is +work for, even in the agricultural line. Winnepeg, the much talked +of Capital of the West, is simply dilapidating, and as far west as +Regina living is high and wages low. I was told in friendliness, by +a chap called Deacon (I was introduced to him by his father-in-law), +who has an enormous tract of land by league with the Government, and +to whose interest it will be to colonize it as soon as possible, +that living in the latter place cost about $10 a week, just double +what we are paying here; and that he could get plenty of men glad to +do any work for him at $15 a month and their keep. All the towns +down the line are the same, every place (so I am told) is, so to +speak, staggered by the great and sudden influx of emigrants. Of +course, by those who have money enough to start a farm and have +sufficient experience to start it upon, there is always a +comfortable living to be made, so long as there is a good export +market for grain; but there is as much difficulty with the +experience question as with the financial, for the ordinary run of +emigrants, owing to the difficulty of getting on to a farm. These +difficulties, I believe, will continue until there is a cry in the +opposite direction, and Canada is voted a hoax. When people cease to +flock out here, because they are told they can earn $40 a month, +with their board, and when those who have already arrived get shaken +down into their places which will be opened for them by the natural +increase in the number of farms every year, the country will soon +revive, and with it the demand. When the people in England and +elsewhere having got Canada off the brain, it will not be overflowed +with people who come out to make fortunes, and at the end of six +months only wish they could make tracks. + +I have not written all this by way of complaint, or because I think +our own prospects look black, for they don't; thanks to some +powerful friends and good introductions. I think we are both pretty +sure of profitable work for the winter, which, of course, means also +after the winter; but, because my first impressions of the country +are different from what I expected them to be, and I wished for the +sake of afterwards comparing them with later experiences to put them +on record, and I put them in the form of a letter to you, because, +being a thinker on such Subjects, you may like to grin and note how +my surprises are what you would have expected. I don't know what the +people at home thought of my first letter; it must have dispelled +some illusions concerning the voyage out, which they seemed to have +thought we should like immensely, but we didn't, except at the +beginning and the end. The first letter we had from the Governor +said, "I suppose by this time you are just about losing sight of the +Irish coast, and beginning to meet the long swell of the Atlantic, +and wishing your voyage was to last forty days instead of ten." Such +a wish was far from my thoughts, and the dickens a bit of the Irish +coast we ever lost sight of, for we never saw it, passing it in the +dark and in thick weather, and, at the time we ought to have been +losing sight of it, we were tumbling about at the instigation of a +nor'-wester of moderate proportions; and we never felt the delights +of a long swell at all, the wind, blowing fairly hard the whole +time, shifted regularly every day from nor'-west in the morning to +west and sou'-west at night, and kept us jumping about like a pea on +a hot plate the whole time, which, with soaking decks and cold +weather, made it imperative to go below occasionally to get warmed, +dried, fed, and--sea-sick sometimes, when the weather and the st--ks +were worst. It was a good week before it occurred to me that I might +be able to get a light for my pipe under the lee of the hurricane +deck, especially if I borrowed a fusee for the purpose. However, I +was sorry when the run was over after all, and I had to commence +knocking about from pillar to post on shore. I am sure I must have +walked from twelve to fifteen miles to-day in job hunting alone, +having made six business applications at long distances apart. It +has been upon one occasion exactly the same as with the Indian +business. If you remember, they said, "had he been a civil engineer +we could have sent him out at once;" and I called on a chap here, a +C.E., called Bantry, who asked me if I knew anything about +surveying; I said I did, rejoicing inwardly at the vagueness of the +question, but he soon stopped generalizing, and asked had I ever +done any practical surveying--in fact, could I take charge of a +survey-staff, to go out west or elsewhere. I said I felt certain I +could do so, but to his direct question was obliged to admit that I +had never had any experience. He seemed sorry; he wanted someone to +take charge of a survey, but he said he could hardly employ me for +that purpose, seeing I had had no practice. I think, had I possessed +a theodolite, and all the other paraphanalia, I could have got him +to take me on trial, but of course it was no use spending a lot of +money on instruments that I might never want, just for the chance. +This is the only time I have come near getting a job yet. It was +riling to miss it, but I don't see how it could have been otherwise. +What would you have done? I am rather at a loss to know what to do +now. I seem to have pretty well dried up Montreal, and don't see +much use sticking here for another week, and yet the man whom I have +got to see at 9 a.m. to-morrow, may recommend me to half-a-dozen +different places, and those again may give rise to another +half-a-dozen. What's the use of writing it all down any way? I am +sitting on a very low chair at a very high table, consequently my +left arm feels as though it was restraining an apparent tendency on +the part of the table to set at nought the established laws of +gravity. How is the old Tadpole, the wily banker, the impecunious +toiler among heaps of gold? Tell him to prig a few thousand pound +notes, and wrap himself up in them all but his head, that will do +for the port light, and labelled "wrong side up, with care," and get +himself sent across here, then I shall have nothing to do but to +chaw baccy, and wait till he comes out of jail. Have you seen my +particular friend the "Dook" lately? How's he a-getting on? And +what's he doing? And what does he want to do? which is just the +difference between great expectations and little realities. +By-the-bye, did you ever hear of a single ladder bucket dredger for +a depth of thirty-five feet to dredge 1,200 tons an hour? The +buckets are 1 cwt. 7st. capacity, and travel up at the rate of 125 +feet per minute; the engines are vertical, and the connecting rods +go slick on to the pinions, on which is the friction arrangement, +instead of on the spur wheel. I got an introduction to some people +in the Harbour Commisioners, and the above details are all I got out +of them. + +Now, good-bye old chap, and good-bye to the port-light too. Don't +bother to answer this, unless you have got something to say: you are +sure to be busy, and I generally have my evenings pretty much to +myself. + +Your loving brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--I meant to post this in time for the English Mail on Saturday, +but found, on coming here, that the post is Thursday. We are now at +Eton Corner, where Henry has at last come to an anchor. Of course, I +had come down with him to see the chap, and make the financial +arrangements. I can't tell you anything about them yet, as we found +the chap in question had been suddenly called away, and would not be +back till to-night. Hardy is his name. (I've found some ink). We +went out to the farm this morning. It is said to be a very good one, +and the fellow is worth a good deal of money. I expect I'll have +time to tell you what arrangements I have made before I mail this. +Henry was delighted with the place, and was not at all disconcerted +by what they told him he would have to do. I think he will get on +well. There is no doubt that he understands clearly what is expected +of him, and that he means to do it. + +[Extra Supplement.] + +Sherbrooke, Monday.--Many thanks for your letter, which I have just +received; I also got one from Frank, and one from mother this +morning when I arrived here. I have just settled Henry's business, +and left him to his own resources at the farm. His address is, c/o +W. Hardy, Eton Corner, P.Q. Your letter and those from home were +almost the first reminders I had about my birthday. I just +remembered, about an hour before I got them that it was past and +over. You see I, in a manner, anticipated your wishes about letting +you know what I think of the country, though, on reading it over, I +don't really know whether I have talked a lot of rubbish or not. I +have given you a lot of semi-political cant, when what you want to +know is simply, how easy is it to make coin out here. Well, I think +the answer to that is pretty easy. If a man is not ambitious, and +would be content to be a common or garden farmer for the greater +part of his life, and have, say a $1000 a year to settle down on +when he gets old, why let him ask some to give him some land and +begin. Everyone says it's the jolliest life going, but then +"everyone" is a farmer, so their opinion is no more than consistent. +That is just about the state of the case at present. If a man is +ordinarily careful in the choice of his land and the situation +thereof, he has the best possible chance of making a comfortable +living, and if he has got an agricultural soul his life will +probably be a happy one. Concerning the preparatory training +necessary before buying a farm, I should say there was some bosh +written on the subject. Mind, I am only talking, I'm not giving +deeply-studied opinions, or anything of that sort. I know too +precious little about it. I've seen it stated constantly in books +and newspapers, that "_anybody_" can easily get ten dollars a month, +and their keep to begin upon. I say emphatically anybody can't. +Henry is to get nothing at all to start with, bar of course his +board and lodgings, etc. I don't say that I couldn't have done +better for him, but I don't think I could, not without spending a +lot of money in travelling about, and I made up my mind long ago to +take the first thing that offered both for him and for myself. I +have sent a short description of the people with whom he will have +to live, etc., to mother, and he will, no doubt, send a full account +of his commencement and first impressions. Just to give you an idea +of the eagerness with which he commenced his work, I may tell you +that he would not come down to the station this morning to see me +off, because "there was too much to be done." He had offered to +churn the butter for Mrs. Hardy, and the boss had to go to a +committee meeting of the annual fair, etc., etc. Well, it's a good +sign. I gave him all the tips I could think of, and all the advice, +and I believe he has begun his work with the firm resolve of making +himself valuable to old Hardy. Now I'm going to shut up, as I've got +to write to mother. Tell the old Coke I will write him a jaw +sometime. Much obliged to him for his letter. + +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +60, Aylmer Street, +Montreal, + +_Wednesday, 17th Sept._, '84. + +My Dear Mother, + +I must follow your example and write when there is nothing much that +can be said, not so much because there is nothing to say, as because +I have'nt time to say it. I suppose you have got our first letters +by this time. I wonder what sort of impression they made? I don't +remember what I put inside my own, except that I confessed to being +sea-sick, but it was due to the --inks in the cabin. One thing, +though, I did not tell you, namely, that when the time came I was +sorry to land, for towards the end I enjoyed it very much. My hat +arrived here with only a few dents in it. By-the-bye, talking of +things that arrived here, I don't know if either of us told you the +parcel and all your letters had come safe to hand (Thursday.) Here +we are suddenly in Sherbrooke again. Awful nuisance this cutting +about, but it can't be helped. It was no use Henry staying longer in +Montreal; its resources for him were fairly exhausted; and now is +the time for another shot at old Crabtree. We only arrived here this +evening, being obliged, by the inconvenient times at which the +trains run, to travel in the daytime. I shall have a lot to do +to-morrow, but, if possible, I will add something hereto before I +mail it. You will have to excuse bad writing, as it's a fearful bad +light, and not very early. I meant to read your letter over again, +and answer it as I went, but that will have to slide for the +present. I have seen dozens and dozens of people in Montreal lately, +and some good friends are also agitating there for me while I am +away. I am going to see Colonel Ibbotson to-morrow, and he is going +to try and get me in the Government Surveying business at Ottawa, so +I may have to go there very soon. I have left my card and address +with half the engineers in Canada, and all have promised to make +enquiries for me, and let me know if anything turns up. I have'nt +entered into minute details of what I have been doing, which people +I have seen, and what they have told me, etc., because I would much +sooner wait till I can write and tell you what has turned up. You'd +be thinking all sorts of direful things if I were to write by one +mail and say I was going to see the great so-and-so to-morrow, and +tell you how I had backed myself up with an array of mutual friends, +letters of introduction, etc., and then write by next mail to say +that it had all come to nothing; and yet that is what is constantly +happening; it must happen; of course I fortify my position as much +as possible for every application, but if a man has'nt got a vacancy +you can't expect him to make one. I have got eight or ten irons in +the fire here or in Montreal, and each of them will probably +generate other irons, frequently bigger and stronger than they are +themselves. + +By-the-bye, I don't know if I told you on the other side of this +page (that is the other one), that I had blued 50c. to go and have a +look at Lachine Rapids. I don't know whether I was disappointed or +not. I think the boats that go down are far too big; one does'nt get +a proper idea of the height of the waves and general _ruction_ of +the water. The steering was the best part of it. The water runs down +I should say in places at about twelve to fifteen miles an hour, and +the channel is sometimes not more than twenty or thirty yards wide +between the rocks, which I could'nt see till we were alongside of +them; and it twists and turns about a good deal. Altogether I did +not grudge the money. I must shut up now mother dear, for to-night. +You ought to have a capital M at least, seeing you are such a +capital Mother, but my eyes are sore, so we'll let it slide. Perhaps +I shall have to sign my name in pencil, if so you'll know I had'nt +time to write any more. + +Well, this arn't in pencil, and it arn't my name, it's ink, and such +ink! I believe it's made from charcoal. Everything here is made of +wood, even to the fire-irons and hearthstones. We are not where we +was. Different portions of this letter have been inscribed in +different places (small chance of your being able to read it if it had +not). It was begun in Montreal, continued in Sherbrooke, and I am now +writing at the Eastern Township Hotel, Eton Corner, near Birchton, +P.Q., which I have every reason to believe will be Henry's field of +action. I may hereafter be able to add for certain that he is settled, +and upon what terms. All I can say at present is that a certain farmer +named Hardy has consented to take him. I have not seen the man yet, he +was called away suddenly on some important business and could not let +me know in time to stop rife coming here to see him. I am told it's a +first-rate farm and the man is well off, which is security against +Henry suddenly being discharged owing to impecuniosity on the farmer's +part, a thing which seems to be of pretty frequent occurrence about +here, or, in fact, anywhere else. We went out to the farm this +morning, and saw the man's father, who lives with him; he is a very +decent old chap, but he is going away on Sunday for some time. Henry +liked the look of the place very much indeed. It is about sixteen +miles from Sherbrooke, and four-and-a-half from the station +(Birchton). The country is a good deal wilder than any we have seen +yet, though very pretty, nothing but wood all round, mostly pine, but +not large timber. The village is also a pretty little place, it looks +like a few houses--all wood--built in a field, with a road running +through the middle of them, a road that would be considered a disgrace +to any county in England, but which passes for a very fair one here. +By-the-bye, jack-boots are such an evident necessity here that I +advised Henry to get another pair before he left Sherbrooke, which he +did for $2 25c., or about nine shillings. Boots of every sort are much +cheaper here, though the boot-maker himself said they were not so +good; still they look to me to have a great deal of hard wear in them, +and there is a wonderful difference in the price. I don't think Henry +could have done without another pair, as they are by a long way the +safest and best things to wear in the winter. (Sunday morning.) I +have'nt been to church this morning, because it's three-and-a-half or +four miles away, and the roads (owing to heavy rains yesterday and +last night) are a mass of mud, and I have nothing but thin shoes. You +see I came down from Montreal expecting to be back again on Saturday +morning, and I can't get back now before Tuesday morning. I saw Hardy +last night, and slept at his farm with Henry. I think on the whole he +is well placed, for placed he certainly is. I made up my mind long ago +to close with the first chance that offered for him unless there was +some good moral or political reason against doing so. I can't see the +shadow of such a reason in this case. Hardy is a middle-aged, +intelligent-looking man, fairly cultured and educated, free and easy +in his manners, as everyone is here. From what I hear, I should say he +was inclined to be a little quick tempered, not a lot, not what you +would call a hot-tempered man by any means. I think it would take a +great deal to make him angry, but when he did become so, it would be a +flare up and out again like a bunch of tow. He seems a genial sort of +chap too, as he always says the best he can of everybody, and is +always ready for a laugh. He has the reputation of being fair and +upright in his dealings. When I talked to him about wages he said he +certainly could'nt give Henry anything to start with during the time +that is left for outside work before the winter; he would require too +much explanation, and be too raw at his work to be of any value beyond +his keep, and during the cold weather there was practically nothing to +do but cut wood and attend the cattle. I find that even a skilled hand +can seldom get more than $10 a month with his keep at winter work +_unless he engages for one or more years_. I think it's quite fair, +when you consider that he has engaged Henry just when there is very +little to be done, and he has no security that he (Henry) won't leave +him when the spring comes, or perhaps before it. Of course, he +probably won't do so, but you can't expect the man to count upon that. +Thus the _probability_ is that Henry will get only his board and +lodging during the greater part of the winter; or, to use the man's +own words, "I'll do the best I can; if I find he's worth more I'll +give it him, anyway he's sure of something in the spring." I like the +farmer's wife very much, she must have been very pretty once, though +of course, most of it has worn off now. She is very quiet, and very +good tempered looking, and I think she will take a fancy to Henry. +They have got one child, a girl of about eight or nine, who it will +probably be Henry's duty to drive in school every morning. I think +this settles the family. Henry will no doubt give you a lengthy +description of the house, so I will refrain from expatiating on its +merits. He will have a room to himself, which, in my opinion, is +sufficient reason for clinching the bargain. You were wanting to know +about the prices of things here as compared with the old country, as I +have already begun to call it. Some son-of-a-gun has been playing the +fool with my pen, and all the ink this place can raise is a +concentrated solution in the bottom of a stone bottle. Well, I think I +have told you all that I know at present, though I can't be sure. You +see I have to write at odd times, and in odd places, and so I very +often forget what I have said or have not said. Railway travelling is +certainly dearer for short distances, but undoubtedly cheaper for long +ones; that is, the tickets are issued at a reduced mileage, but it +does not seem cheaper, and if time is money it is certainly not so. I +don't know anything about a three or four day's journey. The return +fare from Montreal to Sherbrooke, 102 miles, first-class, is $5 60c. +It is impossible for anyone but a hardened smoker, and one who can +throw comfort to the winds, to travel anything but first-class, at +least, that is the result of my experience so far. I don't know enough +about it to give any reliable opinion on the merits of Canadian +Railways at present. The clothing required in towns seems decidedly +dearer than it is in England. What may be called the specialities of +the country, such as overall working suits, jack-boots, etc., are +cheaper. I can't say anything about living yet, $5 50c. clears all +shoals, washing included, in Montreal, and 6 or 7 would do the same in +most country hotels, though I am not sure that they are hotels which +you could go to. I have just remembered that last Friday was my +birthday. How old am I--twenty-four or twenty-five? Just tell me next +time you write, for I really don't know. I think it must be +twenty-four. I can't be a quarter of a century old yet, surely. + +What early birds the people are here. It is just half-past nine and +all lights have been out for some time, and everyone in the hotel is +asleep. I've got to catch the train pretty early to-morrow, so I'll +e'en do likewise. I'll only put J. S. C. here as I'm sure to have +something more to say when I get to Montreal. + +Sherbrooke, Monday.--Have just received your letters. These were +waiting for me here; also one from Frank. Many thanks for the lot. +They were very nearly the first reminders I had about my birthday, +but I just managed to remember it the night before I got them. Well, +Mother, I am very sorry to hear that you are anxious about us, +though I suppose you can't help it. I told you not to be before I +went away, but I knew you'd go and do it again as soon as my back +was turned. There's precious little to be anxious about I can tell +you. Henry is fixed and settled, and I am in a very fair way to be +so. That does'nt mean that I _hope_ I shall be settled soon. More +than that. I am beginning to arrive at more definite results as to +my enquiries, etc. Then as to our being sick or in sorrow, you may +also make yourself as comfortable as circumstances will permit; +neither of us, I think, were ever in better health or more in +earnest in the business of life. And concerning the "blues" or +"sorrow" contingency, why I never whistled so long or so loud +before. That's because there are not so many people to talk to, and +none that object to music. There's no girls either to talk to. We +don't know a single one in the country. Hard luck, isn't it? Now, +about the weather--cheerful subject (it's raining like mad). So far +it has displayed just as much inconstancy as is usually met with in +England. The first night we spent here was cold, the next day was +hot, and the next day hotter still, and then it remained so for +about a fortnight. Now it has cooled down again, and is pretty +changeable. It seems to me so far the main difference between this +climate and the English one is the difference between the mean +temperatures of summer and winter. In Devonshire I should say the +average mean difference between summer and winter is about 40°, and +in Sherbrooke it's probably more like 100°. In both countries sudden +changes and rises or falls are common. In this country it will fall +from, in summer, say from 90° to 60°, and in England it will fall +from 70° to 40°. It therefore stands to reason that this climate +must be the most healthy, if people do not mind the heat, for +anybody, no matter how thinly clothed, can always, with a little +exercise, keep themselves healthily warm with the thermometer at +60°, but it is by no means always easy to prevent getting cold when +it falls suddenly as low as 40°. In winter, I am told, it will +frequently fall from 0° to 40° below; but then the winter here is +such a recognised institution that everyone is prepared for such +freaks. The healthy appearance of the kids in the country round +about here would make you feel pretty happy about the "Grub," I +think. I have seen some half his age who would make three of him at +least. + +I should like to know what is inside the castles that you build in +connection with my "nice acquaintance of the steamer." We didn't +make any friends who asked us to stay with them, or anything of that +sort. The number of saloon passengers was very limited, and those +from whom I would have accepted invitations were more limited still. +Dr. Marsh, the only one who took the trouble to help or advise us at +all when we got on shore, and who is a very nice chap, gave us his +address, and made us promise to hunt him up if ever we came out +west, and told us if we wanted to know anything about that part of +the country to write to him, and he would make all the enquiries, +etc., in his power; which I shall certainly do towards next spring. +It's no good writing now; the correspondence would die out and leave +nothing definitely settled behind it. Now I think I'm finished up +with Sherbrooke. I leave for Montreal to-night, by the 1.35 train. I +hope there may be half-a-dozen appointments waiting for me. I have +told you elsewhere why I do not write detailed accounts of the +people I have seen or have yet to see, the chances of securing +such-and-such a job, etc., etc. I have neither the time nor the +ability to give you a clear and concise idea of the value and weight +of each introduction, and to what it may probably lead. Besides, if +I did, you would naturally want to know how each of them had ended, +and I should have to send by each mail a long list of places where I +had NOT got work--a glum kind of letter for both sides. Suffice it +that my prospects are good, and that all my friends express their +unqualified approbation of the courses I have adopted to attain my +ends. _Montreal, old address_. There is nothing much that I can add. +I did not travel last night because the trains had been changed, and +I should have had to wait two or three hours at a wretched little +hole in the small hours of the morning. I therefore slept the night +in Sherbrooke, and got here by a train arriving at noon. Having fed +and got my baggage stowed away, I hunted up my two principal +backers, at least I hunted for them but was unsuccessful, so I can't +tell you anything about what's been done for me during my absence. I +believe I've got rather more baggage than Henry. When we split it +up it was found that I needed both portmanteaus and the Canadian +box as well, that I now have a fearful lot of packages to lug about, +including my gun and rifle. The rifle reminds me of old Daddy. How's +he getting on? Making big strides, I hope? He'll need all he can +make when I come to see him. I seem to be always ready for a guzzle +now. I wish you could have had the journey I did this morning; I am +sure you would have enjoyed it, though the train had suddenly +developed amphibious proclivities whilst going over a bridge. What +one hears of the "autumn tints" here is rather the reverse of +exaggerated. Nearly the whole way from Sherbrooke to Montreal is +through woods, and they are all a blaze of red in every shade, from +the brightest fieriest crimson to a dark purple, that is, all except +those which are green or yellow. The mixture is much prettier than +all one colour would be, and by contrast with the dark +scraggy-looking pines, it does not look the least gaudy. Well, I'm +going to shut up and do some reading. So good bye for the present, +and best love to everyone under the sun when it shines in Dawlish. + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +Mailed Friday, 27th. + + + + +Ottawa, + +_October 2nd_, 1884. + + +My Dear Mother, + +I can't lose this mail after having taken so long about my last +letter. But it will scarcely be more than How d'you do? How are you? +I'm all right! Well, that's better than nothing, anyhow. I have, as +you see, again changed my location, whether advantageously or +otherwise I cannot as yet say. But this Capital of Canada is a +miserable little place. The railway station is very little better +than a shed in a field, and the road from there to the town--oh, +"golly!"--a train off the rails is nothing to it. I came up in the +hotel 'bus, and though I tried all I knew to sit firm and not let +daylight be seen betwixt me and my saddle, I was jumped about like a +dancing-master, and I hammered those cushions till I thought of +claiming a week's pay from the hotel for beating the dust out of +them. However, I did'nt; so I am still here. There is one good thing +I have done in coming here, I have reached the head and source of +the immigration question. I can get an unprejudiced opinion as to +the very best spots in the place--that is, settling spots--and also +various items of information which all tend, more or less, to the +endorsement of this moral: Let no professional men, of any sort, +come out here. I used to think there must be lots of openings for +engineers, doctors, etc., in the small towns that were almost daily +springing up along the line, but that is not so. Of course there is +now and then a chance, say for a doctor to start in some place where +eighty or a hundred people have congregated together, and if he can +live on his own pills till another couple of oughts are added to the +figure, he may get a good practice. But then he may not, because +somebody else may get it instead. The fact of the matter is, and I +have high government officials for my authority, that, owing to the +educational mania, which is every whit as rampant here as it is in +England, this country produces annually a number of professional +men, of every class, far in excess of the demand. The illiterate +settler makes his money pretty easy, and then, being impressed with +the "free country" rubbish that is talked here, he decides that his +sons shall not be farm labourers, they shall be gentlemen. "Why the +blazes shouldn't 'Bob' be just as good a doctor or lawyer as anyone +else?" So to school and to college they go, and having been made +gentlemen of, they lounge about the towns, filling the bars and the +billiard-rooms, and smoking themselves green while waiting for a +breeze. Why, in this wretched little place, of about 20 to 25,000 +inhabitants, there are thirty lawyers and twenty-five doctors in the +directory, and all these have one or more satelites. Well, this is +all very dry. + +The weather is getting colder every day, and the shop windows are +getting full of snow-shoes, mocassins, etc. I hear very different +stories about the winter. Some people say it is so cold that the +rain freezes into icicles as it comes down from the clouds, and so +forms pillars which you can climb up and skate about overhead. And +others say it's so jolly mild in the coldest weather that you've +only got to put a little snow in the fire and it will soon melt. + +I must shut up now, as I've got an appointment to meet the Minister +of the Interior and several other swagger gentlemen. + +Best love to everybody. Remember me all round. + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--I open this again to tell you that I am fixed here, for the +present at anyrate. I have got a job in a patent solicitor's office, +as draughtsman. Salary is scarcely fixed yet, but will probably be +seven or eight dollars a-week to begin upon, increasing to about +twelve. It may be permanent or it may not, but I have something else +to fall back upon. + +Address 202, Bank Street, Ottawa. + +The job I have to fall back upon is with a blacksmith, at Eton +Corner. I should at first get only board, but probably more +afterwards. + + + + +Ottawa, + +_October 6th_, '84. + + +My Dear "Frunck," + +I have no doubt you think me a blackguard, to put it mildly, for +taking such a month of Sundays to answer your letter; Of course I +thought to myself as soon as I had finished it: Dash it! here goes. +I'll write him a "jaw." But "dash it" here didn't go. I wrote to +mother instead, and when I had finished that one I was so tired of +scribbling that I "smucked a cegar" and turned in. I was then +staying for the night at the Sherbrooke Hotel, on my way to +Montreal, after having stuck Henry in the mud, which is the polite +way of saying that I left him rapidly taking root in the soil of the +new country. I haven't heard from him since we parted, partly, I +have no doubt, because I have been knocking about so much that all +my letters have missed me. In fact, I haven't heard from a soul for +more than a fortnight. However, I am stationary at last, for a time +anyway. I have got a job as senior draughtsman in a patent +solicitor's office (don't tell anybody, but my only junior is a boy +with a face more astute in angles than in expression). It is a rum +sort of work that I have to do--mostly making drawings from models +in perspective; not too easy, especially as the drawings have to be +finished off "up to Dick," or they are not accepted at the Patent +Office. But there's not much in it after all. No designing, no +calculations, and in a great many instances no real scale even. In +fact, so long as the drawing is done quickly and immaculately got +up, it does not matter a rap whether a man is as big as a monkey or +not, so long as they are both good-looking. You see the main object +is to make the principle of the invention clear at a glance in one +view, that is why they generally are perspective. I have only been +at it a day and a half, so I can't tell you much about either the +boss or the work yet, but I think we shall get on very well +together. Hartley is his name, and this much is tolerably certain +concerning him, he is a rising man, his business is increasing, and, +as I said before, I am his senior draughtsman, therefore should he +"hum," I shall endeavour to hum too. Tell old Major that I can +whistle as loud and as long as I like, and that I can smoke all day +if I please. But I don't please; that's just the rummy part of it. +Now in Hawk's shanty they don't like whistling, and for the life of +me I couldn't keep quiet there. Also they object to the fumes of +tobacco, therefore they missed many a half hour of my time, which +was spent in sacrificing to the king of weeds. Here, in a free +country, I can do as I please, and yet, for some reason or another, +I don't do it. The office is on the fourth flat of the Victoria +Chambers--good height up you see. My lamp is going out--must shut up +for to-night.... Well, + +I've just come down again from up a height, as they say in your part +of the world. I finished my first drawing to-day, was highly +commended, and gave it my junior to trace. My second job is a patent +saw-sharpening affair for circular saws. They want half-a-dozen +different plane views, and a perspective arrangement, to be worked +up from a few rough tracings, a rougher specification, and a +photograph with a man in it--the patentee, I believe--so if I +flatter him in the matter of unlikeness he is bound to be well +pleased. I don't know yet, though, if he has to go in or not. The +Patent Office is bound to keep a record, in pictures or models, of +the results of mens' brains, whether eccentric or otherwise, but not +of the general appearance of their possessors. More's the pity, I +think; for from what I have seen of the models in the Patent Office, +they would furnish specimens for the phrenological study of mental +imbecility for generations to come. I only had time just to run +through the model rooms, but here is the idea of a patent which +tickled me immensely. It was simply a lot of wooden geese fastened +at the end of long sticks all over and around a boat. They were +grouped together in most picturesque confusion, some standing on +their heads and some on their tails, and some, _I believe_, supposed +to be flying. The idea was that when real live geese saw this affair +like a mad Noah's ark on the water, they would recognise their +brethren and come flocking along to be shot by the other goose +inside with the gun. Perhaps being geese they would do just that, +but then what depravity on the part of the warlike one thus to take +advantage of the eccentricities of his fellows. I have never seen +the affair used. It does not seem to have made great progress in the +good opinion of the public. Perhaps, after all, the bloodthirsty +quacker, who offers to the irreverant eye this melancholy evidence +of insanity, had a cynically low opinion of his kind, causing him to +believe that geese were geese enough to be deceived by him, the +greatest goose of the lot. I must shut up, or I shall do something +flighty. I wish you'd come and punch my head, or do something of +that sort. Here have I been working all day, and now I'm writing all +night, or at least I've just written it. There's a fellow here feels +like punching somebody, but you see he's all alone, and he knows how +I might hurt himself. Besides, he's writing to my dear brother, so +he does not want to stop me, or else you know he'd never get the +letter. You understand, don't you? Of course you do. It's as clear +as mud. I'm writing with somebody else's ink, that's all. Between +you and me (there's plenty of room, old boy; chuck your elbows out, +and sp--t where you please), that's why he writes such rubbish. I'm +going to write now. You'll see the difference at once when I begin. +The room I now occupy as I pen these lines, belongs to the ancient +style of architecture known as the Five-dollar Boarding-house +Rectangular (he can't afford to go on writing like that, it's too +expensive). Excuse me, my dear sir, I must crave your permission to +condense slightly the style of my caligraphy. Her Majesty's +Postmaster has a prejudice against the carrying of letters which +exceed one ton in weight. I was, I believe, describing the beauties +of my apartment. To proceed at once to details, there is a +stove-pipe that comes in at the wall and goes out at the ceiling, a +peculiarity by no means uncommon in edifices of the before-mentioned +class--the object of the design being the economical warming of the +whole structure by means of one stove, generally of the +severely-dilapidated style. There is also, on the opposite side of +the room, an antique sofa, celebrated for having been too forcibly +sat upon, probably by some athletic hero on his return from victory. +However that may be, the sofa remains to this day tabooed to mortal +forms, though the present owner has informed me that "It reely is +goin' to be fixed up all noo like, when I gets a few more boarders." +From the mixed dialect observable in the form of which intimation I +gather that the original language of the aborigines is not +altogether lost to their posterity. There are also various other +specimens of that style of furniture, which is generally admitted to +be contemporary with the peculiar type of architecture of which I +write, but I am debarred by lack of space from giving them a full +description, or mentioning the legends connected with each. The +beautifully-carved cornices, of the sheep-skin and bees'-wax order, +the elaborate mural--. Oh, gammon! Many happy returns of the +twenty-sixth of last month to you, old boy. I quite forgot my own +birthday, so it could hardly be expected that I should remember +yours. People often do what they're not expected to, however, and I +did remember your birthday--after it was all over that is to say. I +remembered that yours was on the twenty-sixth by talking to somebody +about something or other that was going to happen somewhere about +that date, and then of course it came into my head that I had passed +mine over without observing the feast. Pot said in a letter he wrote +to me, that he hoped my birthday might be the day on which I should +hear of some good job, or do something which should turn out to be a +stroke of good fortune. Curiously enough, it was on the nineteenth +that I learned that a good opening had occurred for Henry, and that +if I liked to take a rather rough fanning job, I could get myself +stuck likewise. That part of the offer I did not accept, and I think +by what has since happened, that my refusal was judgematical. +Moreover, the very next day I heard of a more congenial matter in +the hammer-and-tongs department of my august profession. A village +blacksmith, a horny-handed son of toil, generously offered to feed +and lodge me for as long as I liked to stop, in return for my +services in his forge. The offer was the more magnanimous in that he +was not in any particular need of assistance, but was willing to +stretch a point (a proceeding that would stump Professor Euclid, by +the way,) considering that I was in particular need of a job. No +doubt, like all Yankees, he had an eye on the dollars' question, and +argued, with most praiseworthy perception, that being an engineer +and one who by his own representation had seen a good deal of forge +work, I might prove a very lucrative spec. But then he promised that +if he found that through my agency the money came in faster than it +did before, he would give me my fair share of the profits so +accruing. So I says to him says I, "See here, stranger, if I don't +get into a hole between now and this day fortnight, you'll see me +again. So leave the door open, will you?" He promised to do just +that; and, in fact, he said that I could come and start right away +whenever I pleased. So if this present exalted position of mine +should fail me--for, as I said before, it may only be a temporary +affair--why, slick I shall go away down to my particular friend the +village blacksmith. Well, I must wind up; it's getting late. If ever +you should be goaded by an uneasy conscience into writing me another +letter, just let me know what is going on "on the banks of the coaly +Tyne." Who is anybody, and where is he, etc. How is Bill Hawes, and +give him my love for himself and family. Remember me especially to +M. Moorshead, Esq. Tell him he missed a treat when I went away +without standing him a drink; it was the bitter(less)est! day of his +life. Is Edison still at the redoubtable No. 14? Reach your toe out +and kick him if he is, and tell him I don't love him. By-the-bye, +how's the canoe getting on? Is it finished? Has anybody been +drowned? If so, how many? And did I owe them anything? There's no +chance of its being the other way on. If you see any of the old club +fellows knocking about, tell them they can expect a lock of my hair +on receipt of P.O.O. for one dollar. In fact say boo to every goose +you meet. + +Your loving Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +Present Address: +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, P.O., +Canada. + +_October 10th_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I have only two hours from now till when the mail closes, so I must +make the best of my time. I have not called upon Mrs. Howel, because +I could not get at them. It was not worth while making a pretty long +journey just to deliver one introduction, and I believe someone told +me they were not in Montreal. By-the-bye, talking of people whom I +did not see, I must tell you that I also missed Cousin Maynard. He +had gone away somewhere, and left no address that I could hear of, +either at the offices of the British Association or elsewhere. I was +very sorry not to have seen him, but it could not be helped. You say +that Henry told you I was seedy. I think he must have been suffering +under the same delusion as he was that day he came home from a +yachting cruise, and said that "everybody had been awfully +sea-sick," meaning that he himself had been the principal sufferer. +I don't mean that he has been particularly seedy either, certainly +nothing beyond an unmentionable ache. We were both a little bit +churned up for a day or two, and I believe it was owing to +ice-cream. In the hot weather it was most tempting, and they give +you a great plateful for 10 cents., none of the rascally little +thimblefulls you get in England for twice that amount. But you can +make yourself perfectly easy, we are both so far as I know, +perfectly well, not even a mentionable ache, and I tell you +candidly, though I am afraid it is a dreadful confession, I have'nt +felt wretched by any means since I left home. Poor old Daddy! I'm +sorry he was bothered about such a trivial thing as a marriage +settlement; perhaps it is that he wants twopence-halfpenny to square +his accounts. Pump him, will you, and if it should be this that's +preying on his mind, you may tell him he can draw on me for the +amount, and I'll toss him double or quits when I come home. I +suppose he's pretty nearly spliced by this time. Concerning the +passage in my letter which seems to have puzzled you; it seems clear +enough to me, naturally it would, but that don't count. To the best +of my recollection I was writing from Aylmer Street, and I think I +said as much in my letter, if so, here is the explanation of the +obscurity. "I think with the _prospect_ of his (Henry's) being +shortly settled _there_ (Crabtree's), you might write, etc., if we +are not _here_ (the diggings) they can forward the letter." I can't +see the muddiness "if we are not here," means in other words "if we +should have gone away (of course it does), before your answer +arrives," and "they can forward the letter," means naturally that +the people we have left behind can send after us. If I had meant +Crabtree to forward the letter, I must have said "if we are not +_there_." Of course, if I did not tell you that I was writing from +Aylmer Street, I was a great coon, and that would explain the need +of explanation. Well, I suppose you know Henry's true and permanent +address by this time, so his letters are all right. But what would +have been the use of sending one to Crabtree, we should have been +more likely to leave our address at our diggings any way, and there +was only a _prospect_ of his going to C.'s. Should his letter have +gone there, however, he will no doubt get it in the end, though it +will probably be a very long end. We didn't leave our address with +him because he said he would let his friend Kemp (who introduced us) +know what decision he arrived at, and he (Kemp) would write to us; +for all we knew the old chap himself could'nt write his own name. +Poor old fossil! If you send him a note you'll make him scratch all +his hair off, and he has'nt got much. I would'nt send any of my +letters to Mrs. Hall if I were you, you don't know how she is off +for thatch, and it will take a power of thinking for any old lady +unacquainted with Algebra to find out an unknown quantity. You might +address them now to the Post Office, Ottawa, P.O. If I should go +elsewhere I will leave instructions at the P.O. to forward my +letters. + +This is a truly dreadful scrawl, but never mind, quantity wins the +day, quality nowhere. You see I am taking the subjects of your letter +and answering them as I go along. So far from having had to dip into +my money for Henry, I left him with fifty odd clear dollars in his +pocket; this came from his second £10. He had pretty near come to the +end of the ten he had in his belt when he started, when he got the +job. I had already come to the end of mine--extraordinary, was'nt +it?--and now I have got at this present moment $459 75c.; quite a +fortune, is'nt it? I'm sorry I have'nt time to write you a longer +letter my dearest mamma, but those nasty wicked people at the Post +Office said they would not stop that big ship for a day or two on any +account. This is such a beast of a pen. I would put it in the envelope +and send it to you if I did not think it would find its way out before +it reached you, just to show you what an immoderate amount of patience +I have got. I've tried to cross all these t's half-a-dozen times, and +pretty vigorously too. It must be awful good paper to withstand the +amount of friction necessary. Now I've pretty well filled up the +sheet. That's all I've been trying to do lately as you can no doubt +see. + +With best love to all friends, relations, and acquaintances, believe +me, + +Ever your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 15th_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I have just received your letter, dated the--wait a minute till I +look--the 17th Sept. Long while ago, isn't it? Do you remember what +you wrote about? I never do; and it seems most extraordinary in +reading your letters referring to ones I have written about a month +ago, that though I know you are answering them, I don't understand +what you are talking about the least in the world. I don't want to +discourage you, you know. Your letters are rather enhanced in value +by their riddle-like quotations. They make me wonder what on earth I +can have been writing about. I do not even remember, unless you tell +me, whether they were long or short; and, except for my +consciousness of never having written in a strain of trifling or +levity, or otherwise than in a manner calculated to elevate and +improve the minds of everyone but my hearers, I should be almost led +to think I had been guilty of excesses in the way of toast-water or +gruel previous to writing them (tea-totaller you see). Put it to +yourself now. Wouldn't you feel riled if somebody said, in a long +commendatory sort of letter to yourself, that your description of so +and so was very funny? or that somebody else laughed very much at +your whole letter, when you felt certain that the letter in question +must have been a well thought out essay on the subject. "Did +Socrates ever stand on his head? and if so, upon which end of him +did it grow?" Wouldn't it be matter for despair to feed his +remorseless eye teeth upon, to find that the highest flights of your +intellect were capable only of a jocular interpretation? But I feel +certain there must be a mistake somewhere. As I said before, I am +fortified with the comfortable assurance of the integrity of my +heart in wishing to write only what will feed the hungry mind. +By-the-bye, if Socrates ever did stand on the upside down end, he +had excellent authority in justification of his action, for Pot, the +Patentee, has been known to do likewise. I've only had two pipes +to-day, mother; or three, is it--I forget; call it two. Justice, +tempered with mercy, &c., which means that I'll have another now. +That's the thing for ideas! Oh, certainly. Picture to yourself an +editor writing like mad. He indulges in a pipe to soothe his rampant +brain, and while lighting it he leans back for a complacent yawn. +When he gets up again, his dominant idea is that the back of his +chair must have been suffering from a diseased spine. Isn't that a +striking picture? The earth hitting a poor man on the back of his +head, eh? Well, it's quite a true one, and the incidents it portrays +are also of recent occurrence. The weary editor represents me; the +earth represents--hooray--a feather bed, which heroically interposes +its devoted body between me and the belligerent planet. Every detail +you can con (I don't know how to spell conjure) up will represent +the scene true to the life in everything save the attitude and +gestures of the falling literary warrior. Nothing you could imagine +would adequately portray the elegance--the dignity of my descent. +Daddy was, I believe, the fortunate witness of my native grace of +movement under similar trying circumstances. I allude to an incident +which occurred during a small festive gathering held in our Denmark +Street domain, on the occasion of his last visit to Gateshead. None +of the furniture, I am happy to say, suffered very severely during +the encounter. The table, under which my booted feet were disposed +happened somehow to have a rather violent oscillation imparted to +it, disarranging direfully what was already in direful disarray. The +lamp, standing alone in the midst of confusion, suffered a partial +eclipse; and my favourite Dublin meerschaum successfully resisted +the dilapidating effect of a fall of several feet. So much for +_tableaux vivants_ in real life. Now I will just see if there is +anything in your letter requiring an answer. First and foremost, I +am very much obliged to the Miss Bruces for their kind message, to +which please return them for answer a like message from me. As to +Kemp I don't think you need be at all uneasy concerning him. Even +supposing he had any "foul plots" with regard to either of us, he is +done with now; but I am perfectly certain he conspired only to our +benefit. It is due entirely to him that a place was found for Henry, +while we were galivanting about in Montreal, and I firmly believe a +good place too; better any way, as far as I can see, than old +Crabtree, who was a baccy chewing old son of a sea-cook. + +All I have ever heard against Hardy is that he is not a man to pay +ten dollars for what is only worth five--which means in point of +fact that Henry will not get very big wages. Still he gets his +keep--and good keep too, as I can testify--and will soon get +something else besides; and meantime he is in a clean house, among a +fairly civilized and certainly good-natured set of people, and with +a very comfortable room to himself. When he is two or three years +older, he will be able to see his own interests clearly, and to know +his own worth, and then if he could benefit himself by a change, let +him do so. Henry is at present very young for his years, and has a +good many ways and ideas which time will moderate. On an old fossil +like Crabtree these youthful vagaries would jar continually, that +is, I think, they might; while on Hardy they had just the opposite +effect. He seemed to be a good deal amused with Henry--not at all +satirically. He seemed to think he was rather good company, and his +laugh is so peculiar that he has only to show an incipient +inclination to grin, and Henry is ready to join him at once. I had a +sort of message from him (Henry) to-day. Your letter was sent to +Eton Corner, and Henry sent it on to me enclosed in a note, to the +effect that he liked the work immensely, and would write on Sunday. +Just received two more letters from you. I was awfully sorry to hear +about poor Uncle James. My god-father, wasn't he? Poor fellow! He +was always honour itself, and would spend his last dollar in paying +a lawyer to give his property to somebody else if he thought it +belonged to them, in moral justice. Well, I am very sorry to hear +about it, and that's about all I can say. I never saw very much of +him; but what I have seen was nothing but what was good--generosity, +kindness, honour, and a certain grim good-nature--all his own. + +I know I missed a mail in writing to you, but I could not help it. +It was the time I went to Eton Corner with Henry, and not being at +all aware of the posting difficulties connected with these out +of-the-way places, I found when I got there that it took almost as +long for a letter to get from Eton Corner to Quebec as from Quebec +half-way across the Atlantic. I was knocking about from pillar to +post there, and I had to write when and where I could; but I will +not miss-fire again if I can help it. Talking about missing fire +reminds me that it's all gammon about not being allowed to carry +cartridges or combustibles on board a steamer, or on board the +"Montreal" any way. Nobody took the trouble to find out even if we +had any infernal machines in our bags or not, and everybody carried +matches--ship's officers and all--generally wax ones. From not being +supplied with these necessaries, I was constantly having to "cadge" +a light for my pipe from somebody else, for as I believe I told you +I was not always too bad to smoke. In fact, I believe it was due to +the sneaking way in which I knocked the ashes out of my Friday +morning pipe, that I got seedy at all. You see--well, never mind, we +won't talk any more blarney in this letter, out of respect to the +memory of poor Uncle James. I can't help remarking though, that you +are just a wee peckle Irish in your lamentations concerning my +remissness in writing. You say in a letter to me, "There is no note +from you this week, except one from Henry." In view of what you say +about the Howels and Audleys I think I shall write to them both.--To +Mrs. Howel, to explain why I didn't call when I was in Montreal, and +to Mrs. Audley, to thank her for the introduction I never received; +and besides, I may just as well let them know where I am. I don't +think it costs Allen anything to forward my letters. They always +come with only the English stamp on them, and his address scratched +out and mine put on, generally with the word "re-directed" written +above. It's only fair after all. You pay the Post Office to send the +letters to where I am, not to where I was. I must shut up now. It's +time to turn in, though I expect I'll have time to add something +besides my signature before I mail this to-morrow. Friday night.--I +have only got a very little time before post, and only a very little +to say. I don't know if I have fairly answered all the subjects in +your letter that I wish to speak about, and I haven't time to read +it over again. However, I suppose you get a letter pretty well every +week by the time this comes to hand. The weather here is every bit +as changeable as it ever was in Dawlish. Sometimes I have felt it +decidedly chilly, even with my great-coat on; and at others it's +warm enough to cruise about à la dook, without a great coat and "all +flying."' The woods away over the other side of the river look +something like the colour of an exaggerated orange. In fact, the +country just now is pretty, to say the least of it. I don't think I +have ever told you what this part of it is like, but I will reserve +that subject for a future effort. By-the-bye, who won the tournament +at Dawlish? You see I left just in the thick of it, so it naturally +interests me, though of course it is quite an affair of the past +with you. Did Ethel Beaumont win anything? Remember me to her as +warmly as Charlie Wrottesley would permit, also to Mrs. B----. +By-the-bye again, I told Daddy I was going to send him a present. So +I am. It's coming; but it has'nt gone yet. There is a difficulty +concerning the packing for such a long postage journey. Don't be +alarmed on the score of my extravagance--there's no ground for it I +assure you. I would tell you what the damage was; for I don't +believe in keeping the cost of presents a secret. But the truth is, +I don't exactly remember it. I think it was something over two, and +under three, dollars, for the lot. The brooch is of course for +Muriel, with my love. I suppose I may say that--shan't scratch it +out anyway. Why, I haven't told you what the brooch is. Time's +short; but it's a pair of snow shoes, crossed with a little affair +at the top. I got them because they are characteristic of the +country they come from, and I knew you would like to see them both +dressed alike, though of course there will be something else +besides. Love to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +F. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, P.O. + +_October 17th_, '84. + +"Bold Old Daddy," + +Mercurial Retailer of Caustic and Squills, +Leaches and Rhubarb and Camomile Pills. + +Take a run and jump at yourself, and see if you can't hit upon the +answer to that riddle. + +This small satire is intended to counteract any embarrassing amount +of gratitude you may happen to feel for the small present I send +herewith to charming Mrs. Lestock Cockburn, that is to be, or that +is already, for aught I know to the contrary. The scarf-pin is for +yourself; you have got a much better one I know, but not such a +pretty one. I hesitated a long time whether to send it to you or to +Frank; he having indulged in a birthday some time back, but I +argued, with my customary logical powers, that birthdays were, as a +rule, of more frequent occurrence in the life of man than weddings, +and having fairly gotten the best of the controversy, my opponent +being nowhere, I have acted up to my convictions in sending you a +miniature pair of _snow_-shoes as a testimony of my _warm_ +affection. (Horrible, ain't it?) Well, never mind. How goes the +money-grubbing business in your department. Good word that. I got it +in my dealings with the Government of these parts. What do you +think? A man had the cheek to-day to ask me if I wanted any money! +me, who's got four hundred and fifty dollars somewhere, and fifty +cents, in his pocket besides; think of that you old Camomile Pill, +and hold a bucket to your mouth to catch the water. That man, Sir, +was my esteemed employer, A. Hartley, Esquire, who solicits patents, +and gets a good many of them too, and I told that man "no," as +became a gentleman of my own independent means, emphatically "no." +Ahem! not just at present. Ha, ha, says I to myself, says I, I laugh +in my sleeve, this is my first week, and from being new to the work +and out of practice anyway, I have'nt appeared to the best +advantage. I'll wait till next week, and then it'll be a lot of +money or two pistols, says I to myself says I (that's a quotation +you know.) Besides, I hope to benefit myself by this temporary +abstinence in other ways. A sharp, enterprising chap, who is pushing +his way upwards to business distinction as Hartley is, is better +satisfied to have at his back a fellow who is evidently not hard up! +and may be worth something, than to have a seedy looking dependent +who must be paid on Saturday or sleep on a doorstep. Of course, +supposing both to possess the same ability, it induces a feeling of +respect too, which in its turn brings it about, that in the event of +anything going wrong in any way, the more fortunate gentleman is not +blown up, until the why and the wherefore of the mishap has been +ascertained, when it frequently transpires that he is not in the +wrong; whereas the seedy dependent, who generally walks in +reluctantly at 9 o'clock and goes out with the air of a dook at five +ditto sharp, gets it pretty hot in any case, in the same way that a +man will swear at a common pipe for breaking, but will swear at +himself for breaking an expensive one. I believe that illustrates my +theory somehow, but I forgot my original idea before I had got half +through with the simile. However, the plain fact is easy enough of +comprehension. I have gone in for impressing my boss with an idea of +my importance. You see I closed with this gentleman on the clear +understanding that the job would possibly be only a temporary one, +but if I can only get him to perceive my manifold merits I shall be +kept on through the winter, and somebody else will have to bunk, +that is supposing anybody has to. Take it altogether I have made a +very good beginning; Hartley talks to me more confidentially every +day, and this evening told me I had done very well, which does not +look as though he were going to be niggardly in the matter of screw, +for that is not a settled point yet. I notice that my writing is +nearly as variable as my ideas. You might think this had been +written by two different people, or by one man in two different +years instead of all at one sitting, bar the last few words, which +are a Sunday production. It's all done by a turn of the wrist, +something like the handle in a New York printing machine. How can I +go on? A slavey, one pre-eminently of the boarding house +description, is kicking up a row. I don't exactly know what sort of +a row, unless--. Yes, by jove, I have it, she's singing. I don't +know whether Messrs. Moody and Sankey would be shocked at her for +desecration of the Sabbath or praise her for singing one of their +tunes. Probably they would split the difference and tell her she was +a good girl, with a hint tacked on that a little went a long way. +Well, this is a confounded lot of rubbish I've been writing, but I +make it a point never to send an unfilled sheet across the Atlantic, +and there is absolutely nothing to write about in all these places. +You talk of Dawlish being a dead-and-alive hole, but it's a fool to +Ottawa in this respect. It may be a go-ahead _country_, but the +_towns_ stand perfectly still. The prevailing sounds on Sunday +afternoon are an occasional lumbering kind of tramp along the wooden +pavements, the squalling of stray children, and the bark of stray +dogs. Love to everybody (there's philanthropy for you). + +Your loving Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--(Monday night). There is nothing more to say except that I +always feel as reluctant to close a letter as to begin one. + +J. S. C. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 22nd_, '84. + + +My Dear Old Daddy, + +You wrote to me under the expectation of getting a reply from me, so +here you are. Before I proceed further, let me wish you joy, as I +suppose you are married by this time. May God bless you both, and +may your patients have all the faith in your skill as a doctor, and +your honour as a man, that you deserve. I don't know whether to +address to you at Hope Cottage or not, as nobody has told me exactly +when you are to be married, or where you are going when you've been +and gone and done it. Well, by Jove! I know you're a cautious sort +of chap as regards the L.S.D., and that you generally seem to know +about how much coin you ought to have, but if I had your incipient +fortune, I would swear by my own ghost and set up a blacksmith's +shop alongside the Houses of Parliament. I would call myself a +dooke, nothing less. Why it's magnificent. You'll soon be sporting a +donkey cart or a balloon to pay your morning calls in. I would'nt +have horses on any account if I were you, they're vulgar, and then +if you should have to ride anywhere you would make a much greater +sensation on a high mettled donkey with half the attendant personal +danger. + +No time for more at present, old chap. Give my love to your wife, +and believe me, + +Your affectionate Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 22nd_, '84. + +Dear Mother, + +As I am also writing to Daddy by this post, I am afraid you will not +get a very long letter. There's a confisticated great buzz-fly +knocking about, and I can't kill him. I told you in my last letter I +would give you some idea of what Ottawa was like, but now the time +has arrove for the ordeal, I don't like it; descriptions of scenery +are not my forte, and they're always uninteresting both to write and +to read. By-the-bye, before I begin, how's old Frank's ear, poor old +chap, I suppose he growled away by himself, till it was found out by +accident by some of you. I hope it will soon be all right again, and +that he will be able to let me know how he is getting on at the +Works, though three words will probably describe the state of +affairs to perfection, "same as usual." Still, I should like to know +what Major says to him, and if he or any other members of that +fossilized firm are beginning to wake up to a consciousness of his +merits. You know, it's always been my idea, that they will find out +that they have let the two best men they ever had slip through their +fingers, namely, the two senior engineering members of this +remarkable family, and that it will eventually occur to them that +they had perhaps better hold on to the third. The fact of their +giving him 22/- a week while they are sacking other men looks +promising for my theory, and if only he can establish a claim to any +particular qualification, he may yet succeed in drawing some sort of +a prize, where I, and even Pot, have only succeeded in drawing +blanks. I believe Frank does possess a special qualification, and +that is a power of managing and organizing work. Drawing or +designing, etc., is not his strong point, though he would often +succeed in that, as the tortoise, where many a hare would fail; but +give him an erecting job or anything of that sort, and he would so +arrange that the work first wanted should be first ready. This does +not sound very much to boast of, but it is a very useful knack to +have. I certainly do not possess anything of it, and many a scrape I +get into at the Works through forgetting to order certain things at +the proper time. For instance, when I had a dredger to get ready for +action, it was found, when it came to the scratch, that there was no +scum cock for the boiler, no posts for the handrails, etc.. etc. I +was more sinned against than sinning that time however, as the job +was suddenly thrown on my hands, when Pot left the Works in a state +of semi-completion, and I did not know, and in the hap-hazard way +things were done there, I could not find out whether certain details +had been ordered or not. I believe, had Frank been given that job +and told the dredger was to be chiefly the same as number so-and-so, +that every drawing would have been sent out in proper order, and +every question as to alteration, etc., broached in proper time, so +that, when the bosses came to see it tried, it would have worked +well without delay. + +That's a very long eulogium on the poor dear "smiler;" let's hope it +will also turn out to be true of him. Do you ever hear from the old +Coke? I suppose you do too, though it seems as if from London to +Dawlish was so short a distance it was scarcely worth writing. How's +he getting on, and which is he? A manager or a millionaire, or, +peradventure, a clerk? Tell Pot to let me know as soon as he makes +his first tanner from his invention, and I will stand myself a cigar +in honour of the occasion. I ought to write him a jaw too, but in +case I shouldn't be able to at present, just tell him, please, that +even supposing he fails in getting the advantages of his machine +recognised in England, he would stand quite as good, if not a better +chance, of doing so here. This country, or better still as I +believe, the States, is far more ready and willing to accept and +make use of improvements than the old one, and he may possibly not +know that an English patent does not hold good here, and vice-versa, +though both countries are under English rule. Just to give you an +instance of the go-ahead nature of the Works here, I can tell you +that Hartley, my employer, has had sixteen patents to procure from +one Works alone, in the space of six months. I believe it is a large +saw mill, or any way there's a large saw mill connected with them, +for the machine I am engaged upon now is for sharpening saws, and +they light their Works by gas. "made from sawdust," which is another +of their patents. + +Well, I've got off the scenery so far, and there's the weather to +come yet, lots of it too. We've been having no end of weather +lately. Sunday was cold and dull, nearly freezing the whole day. +Monday ditto, with the addition of a breeze. Tuesday, no breeze, and +as warm as toast, simply a beautiful summer's day. Wednesday just as +hot, but blowing hard, and to-day. Thursday, cold as ever, and still +blowing. I suppose at this time of year it's bound to change any +five minutes. _Friday._--I must mail this in about an hour, but half +that time would suffice to run me dry. By-the-bye, I may as well +tell you that my watch goes beautifully. It needed a good deal of +regulating, and that took a long time, but at length I have got it +quite near enough to perfection for all practical purposes. It gains +steadily now at the rate of about a minute and a half a week. I have +timed it by a gun that is fired every day at noon from the grounds +of the Houses of Parliament. It goes off by electricity, I believe, +or the time is given by electricity from Montreal. Doesn't it sound +rather funny, to hear of the _grounds_ of the Houses of Parliament? +It would to a Londoner, I know, but such is the case. There is such +heaps of room everywhere in this great draughty country, that they +may just as well take twenty acres for their buildings as two, +that's just about it, I should think; it must be quite twenty, and +not a single flower or, even as far as I know, a flowering shrub in +the place; nothing but level lawns and walks or roads, beautifully +kept, I admit. Anyone of the lawns would make half-a-dozen +first-rate tennis courts, but the whole affair, seen from a little +distance, looks like a painted scene. It's just a mass of even green +relieved or embarrassed, as the case may be, by the straight up and +down yellow houses, which houses also, in my opinion, have precious +little architectural beauty to boast of, bar the centre one, +perhaps, which is the house of Parl., par excellence, the others +being only departmental ones. There is a very jolly walk, though +round at the back of them, where I went last Sunday, you see the +houses with their grounds occupy a sort of promontory, which juts +out into the river, or rather into a little lake formed by it at its +bend. The lawns must be from eighty to one hundred feet above the +level of the water, and it is about half way down the banks, which +are more than steep, that the walk in question runs. Fifty years ago +this must have been one of the prettiest spots in Canada, and now +anyone standing there has only the great wooden-looking houses at +his back, and a colony of saw mills in front. The saw mills are +out-and-out the most interesting of the two. The amount of wood cut +up there every day is enormous. I believe Ottawa is the lumbering +centre of Canada; any way, there are acres and acres of wood all cut +up into planks or battens, and stacked thirty feet high and as close +as possible, yet it all looks new, which shows that it must be +shipped away at an enormous rate. Going to shut up now suddenly. +Give my love to Miss Harley, or something a little milder if you +would rather, and believe me, with love also to the rest of the +family circle, which will now, I suppose, include a Mrs. Daddy +Cockburn, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa. + +_November 7th_, '84. + + +Dear Mother, + +This is Friday night again, and I have not begun a letter till now, +but the pure fact of the matter is, that I can say all I have got to +say in about ten minutes. I have been making enquiries in accessible +quarters about rents and taxes, etc., and it seems to me that in the +towns at any rate they are just as high as they are in England. Most +of the houses in the quiet, respectable sort of streets average +about twenty to twenty-five dollars per month, including everything +but water-rate, which is three dollars per month. The cost of living +I should say, is decidedly less, or else how can lodging-house +keepers board and lodge people for from three-and-a-half to five +dollars per week in the towns, and from as low as two-and-a-half in +the country. Of course, I can't tell you anything about the actual +cost of the different articles of food. I would as soon go and +bargain with a linen draper about a fathom of calico as go and +enquire the price of vegetables while standing between two fat old +market women. You see I know precious little about the country, bar +half-a-day or so spent at Hardy's farm, I have never been out of the +towns. Every time I sit down to write to you I spend half my time +thinking who I can tackle on the subjects of your enquiries, and +every time all that comes of it is, ask Barnet. Barnet and Hartley +are the only two people I know here as yet; the former, you know, is +the man that got me my job. He put my name down yesterday for a +member of "The St. Andrew's Society;" the subscription is one dollar +per annum, and the avowed objects of the Society are the finding out +and assisting of needy or unfortunate Scotchmen. I did not join on +account of any charitable feelings toward my countrymen, but simply +for the purpose of making acquaintances. It will all help in making +general enquiries about the country. Besides, who knows if I may not +be in want of a kilt myself some day. (When I send you a photo' of +myself in full war paint you'll know I am hard up again). Talking +about clothing matters, I do not think they are much, if at all, +more expensive than in England. You can get a very good great-coat +or a suit of clothes for ten dollars, though of course that is +mostly in the ready-made department. I asked to-day what a coat like +my ulster would cost, and they said from 20 to 24 dollars, equal +from £4 3s. 4d. to £5. The price in Gateshead was £4 10s. So it +seems that clothes made to order are very much the same, and ready +made are perhaps rather dearer. I got a fur collar put on my +monkey-jacket, which cost 7 dollars; it's a good deal, but I may be +able to do without a fur cap, as the collar when turned up comes +nearly up to the top of my head; it's just about six inches deep of +beaver skin, which, being a light brown, looks simply swagger on my +dark brown coat. We have had a taste of winter here lately, and +though the thermometer did not go much below 10 or 15 degrees under +freezing temperature, the wind, which blew hard, cut so sharply that +I felt certain that when it got 40 or 50 degrees colder I should +feel very glad I had got a warm animal on my throat. There was about +two or three inches of snow which nearly all thawed before it froze. +The snow fell on Tuesday, then it turned to rain, which continued in +a regular down-pour till Wednesday morning, by which time the +streets were a sight to behold. Spark Street, the principal mud path +in Ottawa, looked like a canal of pea soup. It was covered from one +end to the other with about three inches of liquid mud. One +enterprising shop rigged up a canoe and moored it to the side walk, +all decorated with flags, and with "boats or yachts on hire" painted +in large letters. That night I went to an oyster feed at Hartley's. +I had made up my mind to be bored, but was most agreeably +disappointed. Hartley met me at the door, and immediately began +offering me all that his house contained in the way of dry socks, +slippers, etc. From the moment he appeared in a smoking-cap and +dressing-gown, with a tremendous pipe, leading the way, I knew I had +not come out for nothing. We went slick up to his den, where he put +a box of famous cigars by my side, and a box of chessmen and a board +in front. I played away perfectly happy as you may imagine, and with +the assistance of three smokes succeeded in vanquishing all comers, +including my "boss" himself. He evidently thought he had got me +easily, for he had taken two or three of my pieces, but I had laid a +foul plot, and at last "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the +fold" and I nobbled his king without a struggle. We then adjourned +to visit the oysters; there were two great washing-basins chock +full, and we all squatted round in the kitchen and set to work to +get rid of them as fast as we could open them. I lasted them all +out, and finished both dishes. I guess I did about four or five +dozen. Misfortunes never come singly, no more do the opposite, and +next day I had some more in the regular fare of my diggings. What do +you think of that for a boarding-house? And last night I had some +more again in an eating-house. They are only 20 cents a dozen, and +very good. + +This is a fearful scrawl, but it's being done at a tremendous rate +to see if I can't fill up this sheet before mail time. By jove! no, +it's a quarter to eight. Love to everybody. + +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_November 12th_, '84. + + +My Dear Mother, + +This letter is as usual addressed to you and meant for a good many +other people besides. Firstly, I think I shall have to start some +sort of arrangement by which I shall be able to find out, on +reference to it, what the subject-matter of such-and-such a letter +was.--In fact, what I really want is a copying-press, for I can't +remember what I have told you in answer to your letters and what I +have not, and I notice the same questions occur in a good many of +them. Well, I sha'nt get a copying-press anyhow, I'll practice +self-denial, and get a five-cent. diary instead. Talking about +cents. reminds me of an item of news concerning money. Money will +undoubtedly go further here than in the old country, but it needs a +more determined economy to make it do so, and the reason is that +it's all in such small pieces. The only coins are half-dollars, +quarters, ten and five cent, pieces, and the copper cents.--of these +the cents. and half-dollars are comparatively rare. As a rule, the +lowest price charged for anything is five cents. It is such an +insignificant little piece of tin, and there are such _a tremendous +lot of them knocking about_. I don't think I have had a quarter of a +dollar's worth of copper through my fingers since I've been in the +country. There is scarcely any use for them except for stamp-money +and to give to beggars, which happily are also rare. In England the +small silver coins are almost useless, and the prices of different +things vary by pence or half-pence. One goes into an hotel, for +instance, for a glass of beer and forks out twopence, or a packet of +cigarette papers, one penny. There it goes up from the pence to the +shillings, and from the shillings to the pound, and the shillings +form a sort of barrier between the small every-day expenses (that +_might be avoided_) and the pounds which are the real wealth. Here +the practical scale of money is 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc., cents. +I got in a rage and smashed my pen because the brute would'nt write, +which has blown all my sophistries, as Daddy would call them, to the +winds, so I'll shut up for to-night. Now here's a new pen and a new +night, Friday night too, so I must look sharp. I don't think my +sophistries need much addition, being quite as clear as mud as they +are. In England there are a hundred half-pence to four and twopence, +and as many different prices for different things according to their +value. Here there are also a hundred cents. to the dollar, but +practically only twenty different prices. Therefore, one very soon +looks upon a five-cent piece in about the same light as one would +look at an English penny. This is a horrible pen; it's like writing +with the dirty point of a pin. Now to answer father's postscript +which I had overlooked till last night. As yet the weather is too +mild to need more than a thin overcoat, though it is prophesied that +we are going to have an exceptionally severe winter. Be that as it +may, I shall wait until it comes before spending any more money. I +have blued ten dols. already in winter preparations--seven in a +collar for my monkey-jacket, with a view to protecting my gullet +against the old attacks; and three in having my ulster lined round +the back and chest with chamois leather, for I found in the late +spell of cold weather, which however was a mere nothing, that it let +the wind through pretty quick. I have asked the price of furs +generally, and the different sorts in particular. I have some +recollection of being told by one house, I think in Montreal, that +furs were dearer here than they were in England, because they had to +be sent over there to be worked up, and then brought back here +again. I should not believe too much of that, however, as it is +quite as likely as not that it was the preface to an extra five +dollars on the price, in view of my being an evident stranger to the +country. A tailor here, the man that has done my coats for me, says +he will line my ulster with minx or racoon, or the something +ratskin, for 18 dollars, and, as I told mother in my last letter, he +would make just such an ulster for 20 to 25 dols., so that you could +get a very good fur-lined coat for 40 dollars, or about eight +guineas. Of course the furs I have mentioned are not beautiful soft +affairs like beaver or sealskin, but I imagine they are almost if +not quite as warm. I tried on a coat to-day, while pricing different +things, of Australian grey bear. The fur was very thick and fairly +soft, and I felt about 10 degrees warmer the moment I got inside it. +It was made entirely out of the fur (hair outside), and lined with +some sort of black soft canvas stuff. The price was 25 dols., but it +was too thick and cumbersome to be useful for anything but driving +or travelling. I have not got to the end of my researches upon this +subject, so I will write more when I learn more. I don't know yet +what the cost of lining a long coat with one of the better furs +would be. Father asked if I had got all instruments I wanted, as he +said Pot might send them out to me. I think I can manage with what I +have got now. I had to buy them, as I could not wait to write to +England. They ran away with another ten dols., and have turned out +anything but A 1. I cannot answer all your questions yet, Mother, +but here is something. There are plenty of small 10 to 18 acre farms +about Ottawa, at a rent of from 60 to 100 dols. per annum, though +the houses on them are generally pretty bad. This is a very +difficult question to get to the bottom of, as there are no estate +agents here that I can find, consequently all enquiries have to be +made through private friends, which takes time, and also a certain +amount of caution, in this inquisitive community. But I am learning +more every day, and you shall have it all as fast as I get it. + +In haste, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +Love to everybody, as usual. + + + + + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Canada for Gentlemen, by James Seton Cockburn + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + +***** This file should be named 6755-8.txt or 6755-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/6/7/5/6755/ + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of +the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at +www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have +to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. + +Title: Canada for Gentlemen + +Author: James Seton Cockburn + +Posting Date: October 13, 2014 [EBook #6755] +Release Date: October, 2004 +First Posted: January 23, 2003 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + + + + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. This file +was produced from images generously made available by the +Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions. + + + + + + +</pre> + <h1> + Canada For Gentlemen,<br /> Being Letters From<br /> James Seton Cockburn + </h1> + <hr /> + <p> + The difficulty of sending my son’s letters to the numerous friends + who are interested in seeing them, without wearing out the Manuscript, has + induced me to have them printed. It is hoped, also, that they may be + useful in giving information regarding some of the difficulties of young + emigrants, of which so little is said by the Agencies, though the + experience they teach is often more valuable than that of uniform success. + The only alterations made in these letters (intended only for the home + circle) has been in substituting fictitious names for those of friends. It + may seem a paradox that a price should be attached to letters intended + only for private circulation, but I am not without hope of being able to + provide the writer with his winter furs (greatly to his own surprise), in + return for the pleasure and information which his letters have undoubtedly + given. + </p> + <p> + <span class="signature">S. Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="centered"> + LETTERS FROM JAMES SETON COCKBURN. + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + North Western Hotel,<br /> Liverpool. + </p> + <p class="date"> + August 20th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + Dear Mother, + </p> + <p> + I write this before turning in, and, as you will observe, with a beast of + a pen. We arrived here all safe, and with all our traps. Though I lost the + run of my bag at Bristol in the scurry, it turned up here all right. + </p> + <p> + There were a lot of people waiting on the Warren to wave to us. I + recognised Miss Linton, and I think some of the Seymours. Miss Harley met + us at Star Cross to say another good-bye, with a button-hole for me and a + note, and a flint-and-steel for Henry. + </p> + <p> + We were collared when we got here by an agent of some sort, who was going + to free us from all trouble by seeing our luggage safely on board, but as + he kept a low kind of Temperance Hotel, and smelt very strongly of whisky, + I declined his services, chiefly I should say, on the instigation of a + good-natured cabby. Of course, for aught I know, it may be the proper + thing to go in for these sort of chaps, but it’s bent to be on the + safe side. + </p> + <p> + Must shut up now, and go to sleep. + </p> + <p> + Best love to everybody, + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + S.S. “Montreal,”<br /> En Route For Canada. + </p> + <p class="date"> + August 21st, ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dearest Mother, + </p> + <p> + We are not going to touch at any Irish port, so I am hurrying to write a + few lines to send off by the Pilot. + </p> + <p> + The weather is beautiful, and we have got the cabin to ourselves. + </p> + <p> + I have already made some very nice acquaintances; altogether it bids fair + to be very jolly. + </p> + <p> + We got down to the dock in very good time, though of course with a good + deal of bother, but we’ve not got <i>rooked</i> anywhere. + </p> + <p> + I am afraid you will not hear from us again till the letters bear a + foreign post mark. + </p> + <p> + With best love and wishes to everybody, + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + My Dearest Mother, + </p> + <p> + I suppose we are both addressing our letters to you, which might at first + appear an unequal distribution of our favours, but as I know they will be + read aloud to the assembled breakfast table, it is a small matter who + opens the envelope. To begin with, I should explain that I am writing in + the saloon of the S.S. “Montreal,” Sunday evening, August 30th + (I believe), and it is due to the constructural defects thereof that my + writing is of a somewhat shaky character, the above saloon being placed + almost immediately over the propeller, whose various eccentricities in the + way of jumping and shaking are more than distinctly felt. However, I do + not want to begin by telling you about the end of our voyage, so I will + make a commencement at the time we lost sight of the heads and hats of + those who saw us off at Dawlish Station. I feel rather ashamed to say I + felt at that time very little depression of spirits, perhaps the pipe to + which I immediately had recourse had a comforting influence; perhaps my + familiarity with all objects on the road, at least as far as Star Cross, + made me feel as though I had not yet left home; or perhaps, it was the + secret consciousness that all the Seymours, Lintons, and Harleys had + promised to be on the Warren to see us wave our heads out of the window. + Whatever the course might have been during the whole of our railway + journey, our stay at the hotel, and even <i>some</i> hours subsequently, I + felt almost jolly, but what a world of misery lies implied in that + underlined “some.” However, I won’t anticipate, but + relate from the beginning the history of my ideas and experiences up to + the present time. There is little that you do not already know connected + with our departure from the docks and our journey as far as the last light + ship, that is concerning incidents which would appear to be worth + mentioning. We were rather fortunate in seeing nearly all the most + celebrated of the Atlantic steamers. The “City of Rome” was + lying alongside a wharf within a stone’s throw of us, the “Alaska,” + “Arizona,” “America,” and “Oregon,” + were all passing in or out, or lying at the wharves, these being I believe + the four fastest ocean steamers afloat. The Allan boat “Peruvian” + left the dock just astern of us, and as we afterwards discovered, arrived + twelve hours before us. We very soon found, when dinner time came round + that we were going to live like fighting cocks; there was a tremendous + spread, soup, fish, entrées, joints, entrees, sweets, cheese, + dessert and bills of fare. We looked forward to ten days of systematic + fattening, an excellent preparation as we thought for our troubles to come + in the way of struggles for bread, in the country to which we were + journeying. What a mistake! That meal we fattened, also at the ensuing + meal, a kind of high tea at six o’clock we continued the process. At + breakfast next morning all operations were suspended, and by the time the + sun shone in the zenith for the second time, the <i>modus operandi</i> was + completely inverted, and we thinned many inches in as many minutes. All + the preparations for carrying out our original intentions stared us in the + face, but we turned anything but a hungry eye upon them; to tell the + prosaic truth we were both sea-sick. Not a fair knock down exactly, for + while on deck I was all right. What started the malady was the sleeping + cabin—such an abomination of closeness, stuffiness, and all the + odours under the sun I never smelt—it was literally enough to knock + one down. Not that the cabins themselves are badly ventilated, but they + vent into the gangways outside, which in bad weather are themselves very + short of fresh air. Only on two days were we able to have our port-hole + open, and then not for the whole day. The first day on board was very + pleasant, nice weather, and lots of excitement in watching the different + coasts we passed, and studying our fellow passengers. We were never out of + sight of land until it got too dark to see it. Before England was hull + down, the Isle of Man was hull up, and then before that faded, the coast + of Ireland would have been in sight had it not been invisible. When + daylight went down a breeze sprang up, blowing steadily from the westward, + still it was all very jolly, and we went to bed very comfortably and slept + very soundly till we woke up. The day had just broken, and it was a fine + breezy morning. At first I was delighted to feel myself dancing about. I + sat up and looked out of my port-hole and watched the sea for a bit; + suddenly she rose to an extra big one; I could feel her “tilting up,” + and I had to lean forward a bit to maintain my balance, then the stern + tilted up and I leant back a good long way, then the “other end of + her” rose again, higher still, but I only leant further back, and by + the time it was all over I had resumed an horizontal position, and + resolved, like the man in “Happy Thoughts,” not to move again + whatever happened. I soon felt all right again, and was able to reply in a + very swagger voice to Henry’s rather meek enquiry concerning the + state of the weather. By-and-bye a short interchange of experiences + occurred between Henry and a boy who had been put into our third berth at + the last moment, the latter in the innocence of his youth frankly avowed + himself “awful squashy inside,” and soon proceeded practically + to demonstrate the truth of his assertion. Henry embraced the opportunity + of confession, and soon became equally demonstrative. I still felt happy, + and gave them some excellent advice, so much in fact, that I began to feel + I had been too liberal, and that I wanted some myself; however I dressed + quickly, and went on deck, and once there I soon began to feel hungry, + though when I went down below to have breakfast I didn’t make a very + hearty meal. After that the weather began to get bad, and continued + getting bad for a long time. Then for some days, as sure as I went down + below for a meal I did violence to the sentiment of the old proverb + “wilful waste makes woeful want.” However, in a few days I + recovered sufficiently to withstand the noxious influences of the saloon + long enough to satisfy my hunger. We had bad weather, more or less the + whole way across to Belle Isle; not a gale exactly, except once on + Saturday or Sunday night, I forget which, but it just blew more or less, + hard enough to keep the decks always wet, and to preclude the possibility + of a smoke, or even of walking up and down. Then as we got over to the + Canadian side there was a good deal of fog knocking about—in fact + take it all round I did not enjoy myself very much, it was cold and wet + and I couldn’t smoke. However, when it did come to an end it was A1. + The day we sighted Belle Isle was beautiful, and after that we had no more + bad weather, it was all clear and bright, which was very fortunate at that + part of the voyage, as it is in going down the Straits and through the + Gulf that fog is such a source of delay. There was lots to be seen there + in the way of coast scenery, Belle Isle, Labrador, Newfoundland, + Anticosti, and the Banks of the St. Lawrence. At first all the land was + uncultivated and wild looking, but as we got into narrower waters farther + up the river it began to get cultivated—lots of white houses with + red roofs kicking about, and very often not a hedge or a tree to be seen + except just near the river, all cleared and consequently ugly. + </p> + <p> + Everybody about this part of the world is French, and such French too as + they talk. I have’nt caught the meaning of one word since I have + been here. I forgot to say that though I began this letter on board the + “Montreal” I am now writing at an Hotel in Sherbrooke. It was + very funny to see the changes that took place in the attire of some of the + passengers when we were nearing Quebec. People (among whom perhaps I ought + to class myself) who had remained unshaved and disreputable during the + voyage, in old clothes, etc., now come out of their cabins looking Bond + Street mashers (bar me); they were all those who had come out for + amusement and whose journies mostly finished with the voyage; the others + who preserved a travel-stained appearance were all going further on, some + long distances, and some short. Among the long-distance people was a + doctor Marsh, who was going to Brandon, some distance beyond Winnipeg, + with his family, or at least with part of it—the rest are there + already. He was a nice man indeed, and gave us some very useful advice and + information, including his address. He is strongly of opinion that the + North West is the place for both Henry and me, but at the same time he + quite agreed with me that it would be foolish to go out there in the face + of the near approach of winter without the certainty of work, which would + keep us going through it. He has a son on a survey staff somewhere out + there, and he says he thinks I should be able to get on too. When at last + we got up alongside the wharf he was of great service to us; he has been + backwards and forwards several times and knows the ropes well. He took us + to an exchange office where he said we should get the most value for our + money, which turned out to be $4 86c., about par I believe. He and + everyone else that I asked said that the idea of a premium on English + money was a myth, that $4 86c. was the highest, and that only in + gold; for a fiver that Dr. Marsh exchanged he only got $24 instead of $24 30c. + Well, we shall see when we get to Montreal and deliver the circular notes. + The landing and all the Customs business was a great nuisance, though we + got through capitally. I waited quietly till the hoorooche was all over, + and then went and collared the most benevolent-looking old chap to come + and stir up our baggage. I had them all unstrapped and ready, and he just + looked into one or two and then asked me if I had anything in them that + was not my own wearing apparel, or that had not been worn. I said no + (there were lots of things that hadn’t been worn, but then they <i>were</i> + my own wearing apparel), so he chalked them all up without even desiring + that Henry’s big box might be opened, which was very lucky, as it + would have been a great nuisance to have to knock those plates off the + keyholes. I think it is a great mistake to put them on; there is no fear + of the things getting wet down in the steerage deck where they are stowed, + and they may possibly cause a lot of delay going through the Customs + House. Then came our first experience of Canadian Railways, <i>not</i> a + pleasant one. We were told the train would start at 2.15, accordingly we + dispensed with dinner and were on the platform at the stated time, but the + train never moved till nearly five o’clock. Then the baggage + chequing business turned out a great nuisance, the men went down to cheque + it while I was away getting the tickets, and when I came back they had all + gone away. In this democratic country they could not be put to the + inconvenience of coming back again, so I had to wait about till they came + to cart it up to the train. I do not mean to say there would be any of + this bother in travelling about from station to station, it was only + during the confusion of landing when a lot of people all wanted their + things done at the same time, and the baggage all had to be brought up + from the wharf, still it was an item in our first railway experiences + which, coupled with the delay in starting, put me out of temper with + Canadian travelling, though there is not a shadow of doubt but what the + chequing system is a great deal superior to our own. However, when we did + get fairly under weigh it was not so bad. It is certainly very nice to be + able to get up and walk about when one gets tired of sitting still, or go + and stand on the platforms outside. Then, their rules are far less strict + than ours. If a man likes to jump on or off while a train is going full + speed ahead he can, nobody has the least objection to his coming down on + his head if he likes; or if he feels inclined to jump off and run + alongside he is perfectly at liberty to do so, only the Company will not + bind themselves to stop and wait for him if he can’t run fast + enough. In fact, a man here is entirely his own master, and as such is + just as good us anybody else. There is one thing which seems to me a great + disadvantage, that is so few of the railway officials are in any uniform + at all. They may have a badge, or something of that sort, but I did not + see any, consequently one never knows who to ask for information about the + trains, etc. When we got to Richmond last night, where we had to change + for Sherbrooke, a chap told us we should start in about twenty-five + minutes; the next man told us that we should not start till two or three + in the morning; and while we were endeavouring to arrive at the truth + somebody shouted out to know if everybody was “on board” for + Sherbrooke, Portland, etc., and he told us they were going to start right + away, which they did—in about half-an-hour. Next we took two hours + to go the twenty-five miles between Richmond and Sherbrooke, though I will + forgive them for that as we were really in a goods’ train, to which + they had attached a passenger car for our convenience. We eventually got + in here about twelve last night. We did not go to the Magog House as + Horton recommended, as it was a good long way from the station, and, we + were told, might not be open. This place, the Sherbrooke Hotel, is just + opposite the station, so being very tired and not wanting any bother we + came in here. We got into conversation with a man at Richmond who turned + out to be an Agricultural Agent of some sort, he had been Horton’s + foreman on his farm many years ago, and knew them all very well. He turned + out a very decent old chap, and a Scotchman, and he was very useful to us + in getting us a feed, etc., when we got here, otherwise we should have had + to go supperless to bed. This morning (Tuesday), we went first thing to + see Allen, he was very cordial and obliging, and withal very encouraging; + he did not give vent to any decided opinions, but he thought it very + possible that Mr. Hill, of whom Mr. Horton spoke, and to whom we are to be + introduced to-morrow, might be able to get me work on the Canada Pacific + Railway, with which he is in some way connected. I sincerely hope he may, + as I should then get a free pass to the West. <i>Wednesday.</i>—We + saw Hill this morning, he could do nothing in the way of getting us work, + but he gave us a lot of names and addresses which turned out useful, among + others a letter to a chap called Ibotson, a sort of emigration agent, + asking him to send us round to several farms which he mentioned. We went + round to a heap of people with an old chap called Kemp, who is something + to do with the something Colonization Society. The worst of it was we had + to hire a trap, as the distance to be covered was considerable; that cost + $3, but it was the only thing to be done. Everybody assured us that + nothing but a personal interview would be any use, so we cruised about the + country in a very nice little buggy for five hours under the escort of old + Kemp, and I must say we should have been nowhere without him. I should + never have known how to conduct the business with some of the specimens we + came across, not to mention that we should have been sure to have lost + ourselves half-a-dozen times over, and so should not have seen half the + number of people. Well, the upshot of the day’s campaign was that I + think Henry stands a good chance of a place. Everyone assures me that he + could not do better than go to the farm in question. It belongs to an old + man called Crabtree, or something like that, I don’t know exactly + how he spells himself. He is a very rough-and-tumble old fellow, but, it + seems, a capital farmer, and a good honest dealing man. He has one of the + best farms in the county, and is very well off, having made all his money + on his farm. Henry would get his board and lodging, and most probably + somewhere about $10 a month besides. Of course nothing is fixed yet; the + old chap’s wife was away, and he could do nothing without consulting + her, but he said he would want help during the winter, and he would not + engage anyone without letting us know. He cannot, however, do anything for + the next fortnight, which is a nuisance. None of the others that, we + called on came to very much, so we are going up to Montreal to-night to + deliver introductions and stir up the mud generally. Both Ibotson and Kemp + are going to make enquiries for us here, and write to us if anything turns + up. It’s very good of them, they have both taken a lot of trouble, + and it’s all done for love. In fact everybody is most good-natured, + and willing to do everything in their power to help us. They all say they + have no doubt we shall be able to get work very soon, but it cannot be + done in a day; so it seems to me, having got these two old fellows to look + out for us here, we had better go and present ourselves in Montreal, and + so be as it were in two places at once. Moreover, I should like to see + Roland Stanley if possible before I clinch any bargain. We are perfectly + certain of getting disinterested advice from him, though I see no reason + whatever to doubt the policy of what I have done or the intentions of our + backers. I don’t know if I have made all our doings and plans + sufficiently clear. I am writing in a very rambling sort of way, but that + is a fault inseparable from having to write at odd times. We are living + here for about a dollar a day each, not at all bad, with three good big + meals included, still it’s spending money instead of making it, so I + hope it won’t last long. It’s not such a bad beginning, + though, when you come to think of it, we’ve only had two clear days + in the country, and Henry is in a very fair way to be settled at a really + good farm. Apart from business, the drive this afternoon was delightful, + the country in places quite equal to any in Devonshire, though always with + something wild looking about it. In some parts of the road it looked just + exactly like England, so long as we did not look too far away. Upon the + hills, etc., there is always a lot of pine-wood and stuff which does not + look English, but it’s all pretty; I believe you would like it + immensely. Sherbrooke itself is a jolly little town, though I believe here + it is considered a good big one, and a place of some importance. I think I + shall have to bring this to an end now; I don’t know exactly when + the mail leaves Montreal, and I don’t want to miss it through not + being ready, so if I have time to add anything more it will take the form + of a postcript. I don’t know the least what address to give, our + movements are so uncertain. Couldn’t father write to Roland Stanley + and ask him to forward the letters to us? I think, if he seems the right + sort of chap, I will ask him about this when I see him, at any rate I can + let him know when we leave, where we are going to, and then if any of you + should have sent a letter to him he will know where to forward it to. Give + my love to the Father, and Old Daddy and Muriel, and everybody else, + </p> + <p> + And believe me, + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son.<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <p> + P.S. Friday.—Must post this this morning, so must look sharp. Roland + Stanley was away on a fishing expedition. We saw his daughter. She said + her father would probably be home on Friday or Saturday, so we decided to + lie in wait for him in diggings, and to call again on Monday. I had no + idea his place was so far away from Montreal—six-and-a-quarter miles + by rail including the Victoria Bridge, which puts a lot on to the fare, + and a good two miles by road. His name was not in the Directory, so we had + to find this place by asking for it when we got to St. Lamberts. Charles + Holloway also was out when we called—at his office I believe—so + we are going down to the city to look for him this morning. We also called + on Mrs. Fenton, but she was out, so we gave in and jacked it up for the + day, as by that time it was nearly six o’clock. We had a fearful + bother in finding them, as there were no numbers on the introductions, and + there are about 1000 houses in Sherbrooke Street. The diggings we have got + into will do very well for the time. We have taken them for a week at $5 + each, board and lodging, which I think is about as cheap as we can get + them anywhere in Montreal. Our address is 60, Aylmer Street, but it’s + not a bit of use writing to us here, as we should be gone long before the + letter reached us. I don’t suppose we shall be here much more than a + week. I will write more fully what we are doing by next mail. + </p> + <p> + <span class="signature">J. S. C.</span> + </p> + <p> + I am not sure if I have got the leads which I got for my ink pencil. If + they are in the right hand top drawer of your writing table, will you send + them when you send my goggles? + </p> + <p> + Have not done anything about money yet for want of advice. It’s no + use sending letters to Roland Stanley, he’s too far away from + Montreal. He must wait till we get more settled. Please remember me to + everybody, particularly the Miss Bruces. + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 60, Aylmer Street,<br /> Montreal, + </p> + <p class="date"> + September 9th, 1884. + </p> + <p> + My Dear Mother, + </p> + <p> + This letter is following pretty close on the heels of the other one. and + for this reason: I can’t find any letter of introduction to Dr. A. + Howel or to Mrs. A. Howel, or any instructions as to calling without an + introduction in the epitome of my letters which father gave me. I can’t + have lost it. You put them all up in a bundle, and I never saw them till I + opened my portmanteau at Sherbrooke. Certainly I gave them to Henry to + look over while I was writing as he sat beside me, but he was so almost + immoderately careful that I do not think he can possibly have mislaid any + of them. Anyhow it’s not here. If I am obliged to leave Montreal + before I hear from you I shall call on him and make my own explanations. + But I don’t know how I could do that either, for I don’t know + if he was father’s friend or whether we got the introduction from + someone else. Well, I shall hang on as long as I can, and then go and + beard him in his den as a last resource. Now that’s all the business + I have to mention; it’s a bad job, but it can’t be helped. + Perhaps, after all, I never had an introduction, and ought just to have + called and mentioned the father. I know he gave me a lot of directions + when he read the list over, but I can’t remember them all, and only + against one has he made a note that no introduction is necessary. Yet + there are about half-a-dozen to whom I have not got letters, but whose + names occur the same as Roland Stanley. We’ve been hunting round, + kicking up no end of a dust, and called on and badgered scores of people. + I have already been twice to see a man called Van Haughton. He is some + sort of a boss on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and I am going again + to-morrow, though they don’t want any men—at least not + ordinary men—but I am going to try and convince them that I am + something extraordinary. The ten pounds loose cash we brought out will + only last us another fortnight, but I have great hopes that Henry will not + need to draw more. Roland Stanley very kindly took him to a farm to-day, a + few miles from here, to see a man he knew, but the chap wanted £50 + per annum, so we declined. I was not able to go as I had an appointment, + but I don’t think it made any difference, though they didn’t + do any bargaining, only just asked him if he would take him, and he said + he would for the above-named sum. Some of the introductions we brought out + have been very useful—that to the Darwins particularly. George, the + elder son (I think) is a jewel. I believe he would pop his Sunday coat if + he thought it would do us any good. He is strongly of opinion that Henry + should advertise for a job. He says he is certain that he would get lots + of answers. But I think it will be better to wait till we see what happens + at Sherbrooke, as by all accounts he could not do better than go to old + Crabtree. I think, with the prospect of his being shortly settled there, + you might write and explain (if possible) the matter of the introduction—if + we are not here they can forward the letter. 8 p.m.—We have just + been down to the station to fetch some of our baggage, having been told + that we should have to pay for it if we let it lie there, and as we did + not wish to bestow any portion of our capital on cabbies, we carried it + up. The consequence is I feel like this as Pot would say. The + weather has been that hot since we came. By-the-bye, I meant to say when I + said that we had just been down to the station, that as I felt so limp + from carrying baggage on a hot night, you would have to put up with bad + writing, but I see it’s just as good as what I started with. It + would all be better if Henry was’nt writing too—at the same + table I mean—which, being one of the round one-legged arrangements + usually met with in boarding-houses, is scarcely equal to the weight of + eloquence which he brings to bear upon it. I wonder what he’s + writing about. You might just let me know what he says next time you + write. He’s just bought some new pink paper to write upon, and has + already started several times with a most careful beginning, so it ought + to be something worth hearing. I have suggested that he should give you + his ideas concerning the crops of this country, but his innate modesty + debars him from giving an opinion on a subject upon which he confesses + himself at present profoundly ignorant, notwithstanding that we went + yesterday afternoon (there being nothing else which could be done,) to the + great Dominion Agricultural Show, as befitted the incipient farmer, and + that I there carefully explained to him the points of interest of all the + exhibits in relation to which I was convinced that he was as ignorant as + myself. I am afraid, however, that he was rather inclined to treat my + explanations with levity, owing to a base and misleading practice resorted + to by the Committee, of hanging up beside the stalls, though in not very + conspicuous places, a statement of the supposed race or species of each + animal. These prejudicial placards for a long time escaped my notice, so + that I was unable to fortify his perceptions with an account of the + pig-headedness of Agricultural Committees in this respect. The only thing + that I was entirely unable to explain, and the reason for which I could by + no means fathom, was the pertinent enquiry constantly occurring, “why + should one cow be given a first prize and another none at all,” when + the only difference to the mind of a just and impartial observer consisted + in the variety of their attitudes or colour. Being thus baffled in my + attempts at edification, we adjourned to see some niggers manufacturing + tobacco. + </p> + <p> + Thursday evening.—I have just had a letter from Allen, saying that + he had three letters and a parcel waiting for us, so Henry has gone down + in great excitement with a post-card to tell him to send them on as soon + as possible. I wonder if they are from any of you people, though I don’t + know what should make you think of addressing to us there. It was rather a + rummy thing his finding out our address, for we didn’t leave any; + but just the other day, when looking over the things in my despatch-box, I + found a letter to Allen in Mr. Horton’s handwriting. I had’nt + the least recollection of his having given me anything of the sort, but I + posted it down to Sherbrooke forthwith, together with a note, making the + best excuses I could for not having delivered it before when I was on the + spot, and of course I put my address on the top. I should’nt wonder + if one of the letters was the lost introduction, which must have been left + behind by some mistake. We have been hunting about no end since we came + here; calling on everybody, from the man in the moon downwards, but do not + at present seem to have derived much benefit from it. I daresay Henry has + told you of a wild scheme in which Mr. Barnes wanted us to engage. He is a + most excellent old gentleman, the personification of good nature and + kindness, but is a good deal of a visionary on the agricultural settlement + question. When we called upon him on Saturday, he pressed us most + eloquently to up stick and go west with a friend or connection of his, who + was starting at nine o’clock on Monday morning. He so far prevailed + upon me that, in case there should be anything in what he said, I went + down to the bank and drew sufficient money for our fares, and then + returned to lunch with him and the gentleman in question, a Mr. Deacon. In + conversation with him afterwards, he (Mr. Deacon) strongly advised us to + do no such thing. A branch line from the Canadian Pacific Railway, from + Regina to a place called Sussex, about thirty miles or so, which was to + have been graded this fall, and was to give me almost certain work for the + winter, would probably not be begun for some time, and the land which Mr. + Barnes had understood was along the railway in a tolerably well-peopled + district, turned out to be at the head of Long Lake, eighty-four miles + from Sussex, which is thirty miles from Regina, not that those distances + are anything great, but it meant, in plain English, going and starting a + farm 110 miles from the nearest railway station, without a particle of + knowledge or experience. Still, we should have got the land for nothing; + that much was promised; and had I seen any chance amounting to five to one + that I should not have to spend my own money during the winter, I should + have gone, and, once well acquainted with the country, I think we should + have been able to live upon our land in some way till I could trust myself + to invest in a few implements. There must be a fearful amount of gammon in + the talk about this country somewhere. I was told—in fact we were + all told—that living in the country was very cheap, and that living + in Montreal was dear, but according to Deacon it is just the reverse. He + said he did not think we could live in Regina, or thereabouts, supposing + we got nothing to do, under ten or twelve dollars a week, instead of five + which we pay here. I don’t say that I believe it; someone must be in + the wrong; and until we can find out for ourselves it is impossible to say + who it is. It may just as well be Deacon as anyone else. Still, it would + have been unwise to go west so soon on pure speculation. The end of it was + the gentleman started away by himself, and Mr. Barnes said we were quite + right to stop where we were. He said, somehow or other, he had managed to + get a wrong impression of the whole affair. He has since exerted himself a + great deal in making enquiries in Henry’s behalf, and he gave me an + introduction to a young fellow in the Harbour Commissioner’s office, + which, however, did not prove of much value. We have had to take our + present diggings for another week, not having been able to get finished up + here in time. I do not want to leave the place and leave any stone + unturned, and there are several people I can see yet. We see Roland + Stanley nearly every day, at a fish and game club where he introduced us, + and which forms a most convenient meeting place, &c. Like everyone + else, he is very good-natured, but his power of assisting us, so far, + seems to lie chiefly in his willingness to do so had he the power. He has + given over his farm to his son, and only kept his house and a few acres, + comprising his garden chiefly, so there is no chance of his taking either + of us. Holloway and Darwin are our two next best men; they are both young, + and both back us up most energetically. We are going to spend the evening + to-morrow with the Darwins, and on Sunday evening we dine with the + Holloways, which is a great improvement on a crowded boarding-house. The + latter is a partner in a well-to-do hardware establishment, which means to + say they import all sorts of saws, chisels, axes, hammers, etc., from + Sheffield; and the latter is accountant in a bank here. He has got a + mother and two sisters, both possessing every claim to amiability. + Holloway went with me on Wednesday to the Grand Trunk Railway Works, and + introduced me to several people, and “boosted” me all he knew, + but it was no go, they sacked seventy-five men last month, and are going + to do the same again this month, things are “that” slack. + Yesterday he took me down to the Canadian Pacific Works, but the man we + wanted was away, so we are going again on Monday. There is also another + man I am going to see on Monday, who has a good-sized iron-foundry. I went + down there to-day, but he was out of town. Also I am going to see another + engineer to-morrow, so you see I am not done yet. I saw the son of + President Arthur, of the United States of America, this afternoon, at the + club, where he was detailing his sporting adventures, having been away all + summer in California and the Rockies, fishing and shooting, which he seems + to have done in a very luxurious manner, to judge from his conversation. + He talked about having engaged a Pulman Hunting Car for his trip, &c., + and, apropos of fishing, said he had seen two natives netting salmon in + some river or other, so he “stopped the train” while he went + to look on and try his hand at it. By-the-bye, tell old Daddy that the + pocket-book he gave me has turned out the most useful thing in my + possession, barring coin; in fact, without it I should have been stumped, + and had to buy one before I left Liverpool. The little one you gave me + would never have held all the cards, letters, and business communications + I have had to cram into it. In fact, I verily believe its bulky + proportions and imposing air have obtained me an interview with many a big + gun when I should have been politely bowed out had I not produced it with + the sternness of a highwayman drawing his pistol, when I presented my + card. I must shut up or I shall lose the mail. Henry is writing also by + this post, but I wanted to tell you about the Howel introduction. With + best love to everybody all round, + </p> + <p> + Believe me, + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 60 Aylmer Street,<br /> Montreal, P.Q., + </p> + <p class="date"> + Sept. 20th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dear Pot, + </p> + <p> + I daresay you would like to hear my opinions concerning the manners and + customs, <i>alias</i> professional resources of this much talked of + country. When you told me that if I expected to drop in for an appointment + such as I would take in England after a fortnight’s search, I should + be disappointed, you only predicted half the truth. As far as I can see at + present, it is equally a matter of difficulty to obtain the sort of work + upon which I was told on all hands it was best to begin. I do not mean to + say I have made a bad spec by coming here, it would be much too soon for + that even if I had been crumped out of every shop I showed my nose in, + which I have not by any means, for I have met with more disinterested and + sincere advice, and have received more good-natured “boosting” + in this country in an hour than I found in the old country in a month. + What I mean is, that it seems rather harder, or at least quite as hard, to + get work of any sort, as a fitter, engine driver, or anything else <i>at + once</i>. I was told that for a sensible chap who would begin small, there + was lots of work to be had for the asking; in fact, that there was a + demand for what I may call professional labour, but that is a great + mistake. The works here, of every sort, are just as slack as they are + anywhere else, rather worse perhaps. I went to the Grand Trunk and also + the Canadian Pacific, but there was not the remotest chance; they are + cutting down everywhere, sacking men, clerks, and draughtsmen + hand-over-fist. The bosses were all good-natured, and sometimes spoke to + their subordinates themselves, to see, as they said, if there was, or soon + would, be, any vacancy, but there was not; and in the face of any number + of their old hands waiting to be taken on again, there was small chance + for a new comer. Of course both the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific + Railways have been running for some time, and are nearly finished, so it + is not likely that they will be increasing their staff. The chances lie in + the new companies that will probably form, and in the new works that will + probably be opened, but this is a matter of waiting, not always + convenient. There is small doubt, I think, that by waiting and worrying, + some of these chances might be laid hold of, and that properly used they + might be turned to good account, for there must certainly be lots to be + done eventually, unless nine-tenths of the country are going to stand + still and remain undeveloped; but this is not exactly what I expected. I + thought that if a man represented himself as an engineer, and said that he + would go and work as a navvy, fitter, or blacksmith, until the company + found it would be better worth their while to employ him higher up the + ladder, he was pretty certain of getting his request granted; but they say + here that is not so, they are not particularly in want of gentlemen of any + of the above persuasions anywhere about their line, and it won’t pay + them to keep two men where they need keep but one. Thus, the main point of + difference between the two countries seems to me to be that, here work is + more or less on the increase, though to nothing like the extent + represented at home, and in England it is on the decline. Even that is not + quite right, for work here at present is certainly getting slacker every + day. There has been a great “boom” on Canada lately as a field + for labour, thousands and thousands of people have come, and been sent out + by Colonization Societies, etc., and the consequence is, there are more + people already than there is work for, even in the agricultural line. + Winnepeg, the much talked of Capital of the West, is simply dilapidating, + and as far west as Regina living is high and wages low. I was told in + friendliness, by a chap called Deacon (I was introduced to him by his + father-in-law), who has an enormous tract of land by league with the + Government, and to whose interest it will be to colonize it as soon as + possible, that living in the latter place cost about $10 a week, just + double what we are paying here; and that he could get plenty of men glad + to do any work for him at $15 a month and their keep. All the towns down + the line are the same, every place (so I am told) is, so to speak, + staggered by the great and sudden influx of emigrants. Of course, by those + who have money enough to start a farm and have sufficient experience to + start it upon, there is always a comfortable living to be made, so long as + there is a good export market for grain; but there is as much difficulty + with the experience question as with the financial, for the ordinary run + of emigrants, owing to the difficulty of getting on to a farm. These + difficulties, I believe, will continue until there is a cry in the + opposite direction, and Canada is voted a hoax. When people cease to flock + out here, because they are told they can earn $40 a month, with their + board, and when those who have already arrived get shaken down into their + places which will be opened for them by the natural increase in the number + of farms every year, the country will soon revive, and with it the demand. + When the people in England and elsewhere having got Canada off the brain, + it will not be overflowed with people who come out to make fortunes, and + at the end of six months only wish they could make tracks. + </p> + <p> + I have not written all this by way of complaint, or because I think our + own prospects look black, for they don’t; thanks to some powerful + friends and good introductions. I think we are both pretty sure of + profitable work for the winter, which, of course, means also after the + winter; but, because my first impressions of the country are different + from what I expected them to be, and I wished for the sake of afterwards + comparing them with later experiences to put them on record, and I put + them in the form of a letter to you, because, being a thinker on such + Subjects, you may like to grin and note how my surprises are what you + would have expected. I don’t know what the people at home thought of + my first letter; it must have dispelled some illusions concerning the + voyage out, which they seemed to have thought we should like immensely, + but we didn’t, except at the beginning and the end. The first letter + we had from the Governor said, “I suppose by this time you are just + about losing sight of the Irish coast, and beginning to meet the long + swell of the Atlantic, and wishing your voyage was to last forty days + instead of ten.” Such a wish was far from my thoughts, and the + dickens a bit of the Irish coast we ever lost sight of, for we never saw + it, passing it in the dark and in thick weather, and, at the time we ought + to have been losing sight of it, we were tumbling about at the instigation + of a nor’-wester of moderate proportions; and we never felt the + delights of a long swell at all, the wind, blowing fairly hard the whole + time, shifted regularly every day from nor’-west in the morning to + west and sou’-west at night, and kept us jumping about like a pea on + a hot plate the whole time, which, with soaking decks and cold weather, + made it imperative to go below occasionally to get warmed, dried, fed, and—sea-sick + sometimes, when the weather and the st—ks were worst. It was a good + week before it occurred to me that I might be able to get a light for my + pipe under the lee of the hurricane deck, especially if I borrowed a fusee + for the purpose. However, I was sorry when the run was over after all, and + I had to commence knocking about from pillar to post on shore. I am sure I + must have walked from twelve to fifteen miles to-day in job hunting alone, + having made six business applications at long distances apart. It has been + upon one occasion exactly the same as with the Indian business. If you + remember, they said, “had he been a civil engineer we could have + sent him out at once;” and I called on a chap here, a C.E., called + Bantry, who asked me if I knew anything about surveying; I said I did, + rejoicing inwardly at the vagueness of the question, but he soon stopped + generalizing, and asked had I ever done any practical surveying in fact, + could I take charge of a survey-staff, to go out west or elsewhere. I said + I felt certain I could do so, but to his direct question was obliged to + admit that I had never had any experience. He seemed sorry; he wanted + someone to take charge of a survey, but he said he could hardly employ me + for that purpose, seeing I had had no practice. I think, had I possessed a + theodolite, and all the other paraphanalia, I could have got him to take + me on trial, but of course it was no use spending a lot of money on + instruments that I might never want, just for the chance. This is the only + time I have come near getting a job yet. It was riling to miss it, but I + don’t see how it could have been otherwise. What would you have + done? I am rather at a loss to know what to do now. I seem to have pretty + well dried up Montreal, and don’t see much use sticking here for + another week, and yet the man whom I have got to see at 9 a.m. to-morrow, + may recommend me to half-a-dozen different places, and those again may + give rise to another half-a-dozen. What’s the use of writing it all + down any way? I am sitting on a very low chair at a very high table, + consequently my left arm feels as though it was restraining an apparent + tendency on the part of the table to set at nought the established laws of + gravity. How is the old Tadpole, the wily banker, the impecunious toiler + among heaps of gold? Tell him to prig a few thousand pound notes, and wrap + himself up in them all but his head, that will do for the port light, and + labelled “wrong side up, with care,” and get himself sent + across here, then I shall have nothing to do but to chaw baccy, and wait + till he comes out of jail. Have you seen my particular friend the “Dook” + lately? How’s he a-getting on? And what’s he doing? And what + does he want to do? which is just the difference between great + expectations and little realities. By-the-bye, did you ever hear of a + single ladder bucket dredger for a depth of thirty-five feet to dredge + 1,200 tons an hour? The buckets are 1 cwt. 7st. capacity, and travel up at + the rate of 125 feet per minute; the engines are vertical, and the + connecting rods go slick on to the pinions, on which is the friction + arrangement, instead of on the spur wheel. I got an introduction to some + people in the Harbour Commisioners, and the above details are all I got + out of them. + </p> + <p> + Now, good-bye old chap, and good-bye to the port-light too. Don’t + bother to answer this, unless you have got something to say: you are sure + to be busy, and I generally have my evenings pretty much to myself. + </p> + <p> + Your loving brother,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <p> + P.S.—I meant to post this in time for the English Mail on Saturday, + but found, on coming here, that the post is Thursday. We are now at Eton + Corner, where Henry has at last come to an anchor. Of course, I had come + down with him to see the chap, and make the financial arrangements. I can’t + tell you anything about them yet, as we found the chap in question had + been suddenly called away, and would not be back till to-night. Hardy is + his name. (I’ve found some ink). We went out to the farm this + morning. It is said to be a very good one, and the fellow is worth a good + deal of money. I expect I’ll have time to tell you what arrangements + I have made before I mail this. Henry was delighted with the place, and + was not at all disconcerted by what they told him he would have to do. I + think he will get on well. There is no doubt that he understands clearly + what is expected of him, and that he means to do it. + </p> + <p> + [Extra Supplement.] + </p> + <p> + Sherbrooke, Monday.—Many thanks for your letter, which I have just + received; I also got one from Frank, and one from mother this morning when + I arrived here. I have just settled Henry’s business, and left him + to his own resources at the farm. His address is, c/o W. Hardy, Eton + Corner, P.Q. Your letter and those from home were almost the first + reminders I had about my birthday. I just remembered, about an hour before + I got them that it was past and over. You see I, in a manner, anticipated + your wishes about letting you know what I think of the country, though, on + reading it over, I don’t really know whether I have talked a lot of + rubbish or not. I have given you a lot of semi-political cant, when what + you want to know is simply, how easy is it to make coin out here. Well, I + think the answer to that is pretty easy. If a man is not ambitious, and + would be content to be a common or garden farmer for the greater part of + his life, and have, say a $1000 a year to settle down on when he gets old, + why let him ask some to give him some land and begin. Everyone says it’s + the jolliest life going, but then “everyone” is a farmer, so + their opinion is no more than consistent. That is just about the state of + the case at present. If a man is ordinarily careful in the choice of his + land and the situation thereof, he has the best possible chance of making + a comfortable living, and if he has got an agricultural soul his life will + probably be a happy one. Concerning the preparatory training necessary + before buying a farm, I should say there was some bosh written on the + subject. Mind, I am only talking, I’m not giving deeply-studied + opinions, or anything of that sort. I know too precious little about it. I’ve + seen it stated constantly in books and newspapers, that “<i>anybody</i>” + can easily get ten dollars a month, and their keep to begin upon. I say + emphatically anybody can’t. Henry is to get nothing at all to start + with, bar of course his board and lodgings, etc. I don’t say that I + couldn’t have done better for him, but I don’t think I could, + not without spending a lot of money in travelling about, and I made up my + mind long ago to take the first thing that offered both for him and for + myself. I have sent a short description of the people with whom he will + have to live, etc., to mother, and he will, no doubt, send a full account + of his commencement and first impressions. Just to give you an idea of the + eagerness with which he commenced his work, I may tell you that he would + not come down to the station this morning to see me off, because “there + was too much to be done.” He had offered to churn the butter for + Mrs. Hardy, and the boss had to go to a committee meeting of the annual + fair, etc., etc. Well, it’s a good sign. I gave him all the tips I + could think of, and all the advice, and I believe he has begun his work + with the firm resolve of making himself valuable to old Hardy. Now I’m + going to shut up, as I’ve got to write to mother. Tell the old Coke + I will write him a jaw sometime. Much obliged to him for his letter. + </p> + <p> + <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 60, Aylmer Street,<br /> Montreal, + </p> + <p class="date"> + Wednesday, 17th Sept., ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dear Mother, + </p> + <p> + I must follow your example and write when there is nothing much that can + be said, not so much because there is nothing to say, as because I have’nt + time to say it. I suppose you have got our first letters by this time. I + wonder what sort of impression they made? I don’t remember what I + put inside my own, except that I confessed to being sea-sick, but it was + due to the —inks in the cabin. One thing, though, I did not tell + you, namely, that when the time came I was sorry to land, for towards the + end I enjoyed it very much. My hat arrived here with only a few dents in + it. By-the-bye, talking of things that arrived here, I don’t know if + either of us told you the parcel and all your letters had come safe to + hand (Thursday.) Here we are suddenly in Sherbrooke again. Awful nuisance + this cutting about, but it can’t be helped. It was no use Henry + staying longer in Montreal; its resources for him were fairly exhausted; + and now is the time for another shot at old Crabtree. We only arrived here + this evening, being obliged, by the inconvenient times at which the trains + run, to travel in the daytime. I shall have a lot to do to-morrow, but, if + possible, I will add something hereto before I mail it. You will have to + excuse bad writing, as it’s a fearful bad light, and not very early. + I meant to read your letter over again, and answer it as I went, but that + will have to slide for the present. I have seen dozens and dozens of + people in Montreal lately, and some good friends are also agitating there + for me while I am away. I am going to see Colonel Ibbotson to-morrow, and + he is going to try and get me in the Government Surveying business at + Ottawa, so I may have to go there very soon. I have left my card and + address with half the engineers in Canada, and all have promised to make + enquiries for me, and let me know if anything turns up. I have’nt + entered into minute details of what I have been doing, which people I have + seen, and what they have told me, etc., because I would much sooner wait + till I can write and tell you what has turned up. You’d be thinking + all sorts of direful things if I were to write by one mail and say I was + going to see the great so-and-so to-morrow, and tell you how I had backed + myself up with an array of mutual friends, letters of introduction, etc., + and then write by next mail to say that it had all come to nothing; and + yet that is what is constantly happening; it must happen; of course I + fortify my position as much as possible for every application, but if a + man has’nt got a vacancy you can’t expect him to make one. I + have got eight or ten irons in the fire here or in Montreal, and each of + them will probably generate other irons, frequently bigger and stronger + than they are themselves. + </p> + <p> + By-the-bye, I don’t know if I told you on the other side of this + page (that is the other one), that I had blued 50c. to go and have a look + at Lachine Rapids. I don’t know whether I was disappointed or not. I + think the boats that go down are far too big; one does’nt get a + proper idea of the height of the waves and general <i>ruction</i> of the + water. The steering was the best part of it. The water runs down I should + say in places at about twelve to fifteen miles an hour, and the channel is + sometimes not more than twenty or thirty yards wide between the rocks, + which I could’nt see till we were alongside of them; and it twists + and turns about a good deal. Altogether I did not grudge the money. I must + shut up now mother dear, for to-night. You ought to have a capital M at + least, seeing you are such a capital Mother, but my eyes are sore, so we’ll + let it slide. Perhaps I shall have to sign my name in pencil, if so you’ll + know I had’nt time to write any more. + </p> + <p> + Well, this arn’t in pencil, and it arn’t my name, it’s + ink, and such ink! I believe it’s made from charcoal. Everything + here is made of wood, even to the fire-irons and hearthstones. We are not + where we was. Different portions of this letter have been inscribed in + different places (small chance of your being able to read it if it had + not). It was begun in Montreal, continued in Sherbrooke, and I am now + writing at the Eastern Township Hotel, Eton Corner, near Birchton, P.Q., + which I have every reason to believe will be Henry’s field of + action. I may hereafter be able to add for certain that he is settled, and + upon what terms. All I can say at present is that a certain farmer named + Hardy has consented to take him. I have not seen the man yet, he was + called away suddenly on some important business and could not let me know + in time to stop rife coming here to see him. I am told it’s a + first-rate farm and the man is well off, which is security against Henry + suddenly being discharged owing to impecuniosity on the farmer’s + part, a thing which seems to be of pretty frequent occurrence about here, + or, in fact, anywhere else. We went out to the farm this morning, and saw + the man’s father, who lives with him; he is a very decent old chap, + but he is going away on Sunday for some time. Henry liked the look of the + place very much indeed. It is about sixteen miles from Sherbrooke, and + four-and-a-half from the station (Birchton). The country is a good deal + wilder than any we have seen yet, though very pretty, nothing but wood all + round, mostly pine, but not large timber. The village is also a pretty + little place, it looks like a few houses—all wood—built in a + field, with a road running through the middle of them, a road that would + be considered a disgrace to any county in England, but which passes for a + very fair one here. By-the-bye, jack-boots are such an evident necessity + here that I advised Henry to get another pair before he left Sherbrooke, + which he did for $2 25c., or about nine shillings. Boots of every + sort are much cheaper here, though the boot-maker himself said they were + not so good; still they look to me to have a great deal of hard wear in + them, and there is a wonderful difference in the price. I don’t + think Henry could have done without another pair, as they are by a long + way the safest and best things to wear in the winter. (Sunday morning.) I + have’nt been to church this morning, because it’s + three-and-a-half or four miles away, and the roads (owing to heavy rains + yesterday and last night) are a mass of mud, and I have nothing but thin + shoes. You see I came down from Montreal expecting to be back again on + Saturday morning, and I can’t get back now before Tuesday morning. I + saw Hardy last night, and slept at his farm with Henry. I think on the + whole he is well placed, for placed he certainly is. I made up my mind + long ago to close with the first chance that offered for him unless there + was some good moral or political reason against doing so. I can’t + see the shadow of such a reason in this case. Hardy is a middle-aged, + intelligent-looking man, fairly cultured and educated, free and easy in + his manners, as everyone is here. From what I hear, I should say he was + inclined to be a little quick tempered, not a lot, not what you would call + a hot-tempered man by any means. I think it would take a great deal to + make him angry, but when he did become so, it would be a flare up and out + again like a bunch of tow. He seems a genial sort of chap too, as he + always says the best he can of everybody, and is always ready for a laugh. + He has the reputation of being fair and upright in his dealings. When I + talked to him about wages he said he certainly could’nt give Henry + anything to start with during the time that is left for outside work + before the winter; he would require too much explanation, and be too raw + at his work to be of any value beyond his keep, and during the cold + weather there was practically nothing to do but cut wood and attend the + cattle. I find that even a skilled hand can seldom get more than $10 a + month with his keep at winter work <i>unless he engages for one or more + years</i>. I think it’s quite fair, when you consider that he has + engaged Henry just when there is very little to be done, and he has no + security that he (Henry) won’t leave him when the spring comes, or + perhaps before it. Of course, he probably won’t do so, but you can’t + expect the man to count upon that. Thus the <i>probability</i> is that + Henry will get only his board and lodging during the greater part of the + winter; or, to use the man’s own words, “I’ll do the + best I can; if I find he’s worth more I’ll give it him, anyway + he’s sure of something in the spring.” I like the farmer’s + wife very much, she must have been very pretty once, though of course, + most of it has worn off now. She is very quiet, and very good tempered + looking, and I think she will take a fancy to Henry. They have got one + child, a girl of about eight or nine, who it will probably be Henry’s + duty to drive in school every morning. I think this settles the family. + Henry will no doubt give you a lengthy description of the house, so I will + refrain from expatiating on its merits. He will have a room to himself, + which, in my opinion, is sufficient reason for clinching the bargain. You + were wanting to know about the prices of things here as compared with the + old country, as I have already begun to call it. Some son-of-a-gun has + been playing the fool with my pen, and all the ink this place can raise is + a concentrated solution in the bottom of a stone bottle. Well, I think I + have told you all that I know at present, though I can’t be sure. + You see I have to write at odd times, and in odd places, and so I very + often forget what I have said or have not said. Railway travelling is + certainly dearer for short distances, but undoubtedly cheaper for long + ones; that is, the tickets are issued at a reduced mileage, but it does + not seem cheaper, and if time is money it is certainly not so. I don’t + know anything about a three or four day’s journey. The return fare + from Montreal to Sherbrooke, 102 miles, first-class, is $5 60c. It is + impossible for anyone but a hardened smoker, and one who can throw comfort + to the winds, to travel anything but first-class, at least, that is the + result of my experience so far. I don’t know enough about it to give + any reliable opinion on the merits of Canadian Railways at present. The + clothing required in towns seems decidedly dearer than it is in England. + What may be called the specialities of the country, such as overall + working suits, jack-boots, etc., are cheaper. I can’t say anything + about living yet, $5 50c. clears all shoals, washing included, in + Montreal, and 6 or 7 would do the same in most country hotels, though I am + not sure that they are hotels which you could go to. I have just + remembered that last Friday was my birthday. How old am I—twenty-four + or twenty-five? Just tell me next time you write, for I really don’t + know. I think it must be twenty-four. I can’t be a quarter of a + century old yet, surely. + </p> + <p> + What early birds the people are here. It is just half-past nine and all + lights have been out for some time, and everyone in the hotel is asleep. I’ve + got to catch the train pretty early to-morrow, so I’ll e’en do + likewise. I’ll only put J. S. C. here as I’m sure to have + something more to say when I get to Montreal. + </p> + <p> + Sherbrooke, Monday.—Have just received your letters. These were + waiting for me here; also one from Frank. Many thanks for the lot. They + were very nearly the first reminders I had about my birthday, but I just + managed to remember it the night before I got them. Well, Mother, I am + very sorry to hear that you are anxious about us, though I suppose you can’t + help it. I told you not to be before I went away, but I knew you’d + go and do it again as soon as my back was turned. There’s precious + little to be anxious about I can tell you. Henry is fixed and settled, and + I am in a very fair way to be so. That does’nt mean that I <i>hope</i> + I shall be settled soon. More than that. I am beginning to arrive at more + definite results as to my enquiries, etc. Then as to our being sick or in + sorrow, you may also make yourself as comfortable as circumstances will + permit; neither of us, I think, were ever in better health or more in + earnest in the business of life. And concerning the “blues” or + “sorrow” contingency, why I never whistled so long or so loud + before. That’s because there are not so many people to talk to, and + none that object to music. There’s no girls either to talk to. We + don’t know a single one in the country. Hard luck, isn’t it? + Now, about the weather—cheerful subject (it’s raining like + mad). So far it has displayed just as much inconstancy as is usually met + with in England. The first night we spent here was cold, the next day was + hot, and the next day hotter still, and then it remained so for about a + fortnight. Now it has cooled down again, and is pretty changeable. It + seems to me so far the main difference between this climate and the + English one is the difference between the mean temperatures of summer and + winter. In Devonshire I should say the average mean difference between + summer and winter is about 40°, and in Sherbrooke it’s probably + more like 100°. In both countries sudden changes and rises or falls + are common. In this country it will fall from, in summer, say from 90° + to 60°, and in England it will fall from 70° to 40°. It + therefore stands to reason that this climate must be the most healthy, if + people do not mind the heat, for anybody, no matter how thinly clothed, + can always, with a little exercise, keep themselves healthily warm with + the thermometer at 60°, but it is by no means always easy to prevent + getting cold when it falls suddenly as low as 40°. In winter, I am + told, it will frequently fall from 0° to 40° below; but then the + winter here is such a recognised institution that everyone is prepared for + such freaks. The healthy appearance of the kids in the country round about + here would make you feel pretty happy about the “Grub,” I + think. I have seen some half his age who would make three of him at least. + </p> + <p> + I should like to know what is inside the castles that you build in + connection with my “nice acquaintance of the steamer.” We didn’t + make any friends who asked us to stay with them, or anything of that sort. + The number of saloon passengers was very limited, and those from whom I + would have accepted invitations were more limited still. Dr. Marsh, the + only one who took the trouble to help or advise us at all when we got on + shore, and who is a very nice chap, gave us his address, and made us + promise to hunt him up if ever we came out west, and told us if we wanted + to know anything about that part of the country to write to him, and he + would make all the enquiries, etc., in his power; which I shall certainly + do towards next spring. It’s no good writing now; the correspondence + would die out and leave nothing definitely settled behind it. Now I think + I’m finished up with Sherbrooke. I leave for Montreal to-night, by + the 1.35 train. I hope there may be half-a-dozen appointments waiting for + me. I have told you elsewhere why I do not write detailed accounts of the + people I have seen or have yet to see, the chances of securing + such-and-such a job, etc., etc. I have neither the time nor the ability to + give you a clear and concise idea of the value and weight of each + introduction, and to what it may probably lead. Besides, if I did, you + would naturally want to know how each of them had ended, and I should have + to send by each mail a long list of places where I had NOT got work—a + glum kind of letter for both sides. Suffice it that my prospects are good, + and that all my friends express their unqualified approbation of the + courses I have adopted to attain my ends. <i>Montreal, old address</i>. + There is nothing much that I can add. I did not travel last night because + the trains had been changed, and I should have had to wait two or three + hours at a wretched little hole in the small hours of the morning. I + therefore slept the night in Sherbrooke, and got here by a train arriving + at noon. Having fed and got my baggage stowed away, I hunted up my two + principal backers, at least I hunted for them but was unsuccessful, so I + can’t tell you anything about what’s been done for me during + my absence. I believe I’ve got rather more baggage than Henry. When + we split it up it was found that I needed both portmanteaus and the + Canadian box as well, that I now have a fearful lot of packages to lug + about, including my gun and rifle. The rifle reminds me of old Daddy. How’s + he getting on? Making big strides, I hope? He’ll need all he can + make when I come to see him. I seem to be always ready for a guzzle now. I + wish you could have had the journey I did this morning; I am sure you + would have enjoyed it, though the train had suddenly developed amphibious + proclivities whilst going over a bridge. What one hears of the “autumn + tints” here is rather the reverse of exaggerated. Nearly the whole + way from Sherbrooke to Montreal is through woods, and they are all a blaze + of red in every shade, from the brightest fieriest crimson to a dark + purple, that is, all except those which are green or yellow. The mixture + is much prettier than all one colour would be, and by contrast with the + dark scraggy-looking pines, it does not look the least gaudy. Well, I’m + going to shut up and do some reading. So good bye for the present, and + best love to everyone under the sun when it shines in Dawlish. + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <p> + Mailed Friday, 27th. + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + Ottawa, + </p> + <p class="date"> + October 2nd, 1884. + </p> + <p> + My Dear Mother, + </p> + <p> + I can’t lose this mail after having taken so long about my last + letter. But it will scarcely be more than How d’you do? How are you? + I’m all right! Well, that’s better than nothing, anyhow. I + have, as you see, again changed my location, whether advantageously or + otherwise I cannot as yet say. But this Capital of Canada is a miserable + little place. The railway station is very little better than a shed in a + field, and the road from there to the town—oh, “golly!”—a + train off the rails is nothing to it. I came up in the hotel ’bus, + and though I tried all I knew to sit firm and not let daylight be seen + betwixt me and my saddle, I was jumped about like a dancing-master, and I + hammered those cushions till I thought of claiming a week’s pay from + the hotel for beating the dust out of them. However, I did’nt; so I + am still here. There is one good thing I have done in coming here, I have + reached the head and source of the immigration question. I can get an + unprejudiced opinion as to the very best spots in the place—that is, + settling spots—and also various items of information which all tend, + more or less, to the endorsement of this moral: Let no professional men, + of any sort, come out here. I used to think there must be lots of openings + for engineers, doctors, etc., in the small towns that were almost daily + springing up along the line, but that is not so. Of course there is now + and then a chance, say for a doctor to start in some place where eighty or + a hundred people have congregated together, and if he can live on his own + pills till another couple of oughts are added to the figure, he may get a + good practice. But then he may not, because somebody else may get it + instead. The fact of the matter is, and I have high government officials + for my authority, that, owing to the educational mania, which is every + whit as rampant here as it is in England, this country produces annually a + number of professional men, of every class, far in excess of the demand. + The illiterate settler makes his money pretty easy, and then, being + impressed with the “free country” rubbish that is talked here, + he decides that his sons shall not be farm labourers, they shall be + gentlemen. “Why the blazes shouldn’t ‘Bob’ be just + as good a doctor or lawyer as anyone else?” So to school and to + college they go, and having been made gentlemen of, they lounge about the + towns, filling the bars and the billiard-rooms, and smoking themselves + green while waiting for a breeze. Why, in this wretched little place, of + about 20 to 25,000 inhabitants, there are thirty lawyers and twenty-five + doctors in the directory, and all these have one or more satelites. Well, + this is all very dry. + </p> + <p> + The weather is getting colder every day, and the shop windows are getting + full of snow-shoes, mocassins, etc. I hear very different stories about + the winter. Some people say it is so cold that the rain freezes into + icicles as it comes down from the clouds, and so forms pillars which you + can climb up and skate about overhead. And others say it’s so jolly + mild in the coldest weather that you’ve only got to put a little + snow in the fire and it will soon melt. + </p> + <p> + I must shut up now, as I’ve got an appointment to meet the Minister + of the Interior and several other swagger gentlemen. + </p> + <p> + Best love to everybody. Remember me all round. + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <p> + P.S.—I open this again to tell you that I am fixed here, for the + present at anyrate. I have got a job in a patent solicitor’s office, + as draughtsman. Salary is scarcely fixed yet, but will probably be seven + or eight dollars a-week to begin upon, increasing to about twelve. It may + be permanent or it may not, but I have something else to fall back upon. + </p> + <p> + Address 202, Bank Street, Ottawa. + </p> + <p> + The job I have to fall back upon is with a blacksmith, at Eton Corner. I + should at first get only board, but probably more afterwards. + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + Ottawa, + </p> + <p class="date"> + October 6th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dear “Frunck,” + </p> + <p> + I have no doubt you think me a blackguard, to put it mildly, for taking + such a month of Sundays to answer your letter; Of course I thought to + myself as soon as I had finished it: Dash it! here goes. I’ll write + him a “jaw.” But “dash it” here didn’t go. I + wrote to mother instead, and when I had finished that one I was so tired + of scribbling that I “smucked a cegar” and turned in. I was + then staying for the night at the Sherbrooke Hotel, on my way to Montreal, + after having stuck Henry in the mud, which is the polite way of saying + that I left him rapidly taking root in the soil of the new country. I + haven’t heard from him since we parted, partly, I have no doubt, + because I have been knocking about so much that all my letters have missed + me. In fact, I haven’t heard from a soul for more than a fortnight. + However, I am stationary at last, for a time anyway. I have got a job as + senior draughtsman in a patent solicitor’s office (don’t tell + anybody, but my only junior is a boy with a face more astute in angles + than in expression). It is a rum sort of work that I have to do—mostly + making drawings from models in perspective; not too easy, especially as + the drawings have to be finished off “up to Dick,” or they are + not accepted at the Patent Office. But there’s not much in it after + all. No designing, no calculations, and in a great many instances no real + scale even. In fact, so long as the drawing is done quickly and + immaculately got up, it does not matter a rap whether a man is as big as a + monkey or not, so long as they are both good-looking. You see the main + object is to make the principle of the invention clear at a glance in one + view, that is why they generally are perspective. I have only been at it a + day and a half, so I can’t tell you much about either the boss or + the work yet, but I think we shall get on very well together. Hartley is + his name, and this much is tolerably certain concerning him, he is a + rising man, his business is increasing, and, as I said before, I am his + senior draughtsman, therefore should he “hum,” I shall + endeavour to hum too. Tell old Major that I can whistle as loud and as + long as I like, and that I can smoke all day if I please. But I don’t + please; that’s just the rummy part of it. Now in Hawk’s shanty + they don’t like whistling, and for the life of me I couldn’t + keep quiet there. Also they object to the fumes of tobacco, therefore they + missed many a half hour of my time, which was spent in sacrificing to the + king of weeds. Here, in a free country, I can do as I please, and yet, for + some reason or another, I don’t do it. The office is on the fourth + flat of the Victoria Chambers—good height up you see. My lamp is + going out—must shut up for to-night.... Well, + </p> + <p> + I’ve just come down again from up a height, as they say in your part + of the world. I finished my first drawing to-day, was highly commended, + and gave it my junior to trace. My second job is a patent saw-sharpening + affair for circular saws. They want half-a-dozen different plane views, + and a perspective arrangement, to be worked up from a few rough tracings, + a rougher specification, and a photograph with a man in it—the + patentee, I believe—so if I flatter him in the matter of unlikeness + he is bound to be well pleased. I don’t know yet, though, if he has + to go in or not. The Patent Office is bound to keep a record, in pictures + or models, of the results of mens’ brains, whether eccentric or + otherwise, but not of the general appearance of their possessors. More’s + the pity, I think; for from what I have seen of the models in the Patent + Office, they would furnish specimens for the phrenological study of mental + imbecility for generations to come. I only had time just to run through + the model rooms, but here is the idea of a patent which tickled me + immensely. It was simply a lot of wooden geese fastened at the end of long + sticks all over and around a boat. They were grouped together in most + picturesque confusion, some standing on their heads and some on their + tails, and some, <i>I believe</i>, supposed to be flying. The idea was + that when real live geese saw this affair like a mad Noah’s ark on + the water, they would recognise their brethren and come flocking along to + be shot by the other goose inside with the gun. Perhaps being geese they + would do just that, but then what depravity on the part of the warlike one + thus to take advantage of the eccentricities of his fellows. I have never + seen the affair used. It does not seem to have made great progress in the + good opinion of the public. Perhaps, after all, the bloodthirsty quacker, + who offers to the irreverant eye this melancholy evidence of insanity, had + a cynically low opinion of his kind, causing him to believe that geese + were geese enough to be deceived by him, the greatest goose of the lot. I + must shut up, or I shall do something flighty. I wish you’d come and + punch my head, or do something of that sort. Here have I been working all + day, and now I’m writing all night, or at least I’ve just + written it. There’s a fellow here feels like punching somebody, but + you see he’s all alone, and he knows how I might hurt himself. + Besides, he’s writing to my dear brother, so he does not want to + stop me, or else you know he’d never get the letter. You understand, + don’t you? Of course you do. It’s as clear as mud. I’m + writing with somebody else’s ink, that’s all. Between you and + me (there’s plenty of room, old boy; chuck your elbows out, and sp—t + where you please), that’s why he writes such rubbish. I’m + going to write now. You’ll see the difference at once when I begin. + The room I now occupy as I pen these lines, belongs to the ancient style + of architecture known as the Five-dollar Boarding-house Rectangular (he + can’t afford to go on writing like that, it’s too expensive). + Excuse me, my dear sir, I must crave your permission to condense slightly + the style of my caligraphy. Her Majesty’s Postmaster has a prejudice + against the carrying of letters which exceed one ton in weight. I was, I + believe, describing the beauties of my apartment. To proceed at once to + details, there is a stove-pipe that comes in at the wall and goes out at + the ceiling, a peculiarity by no means uncommon in edifices of the + before-mentioned class—the object of the design being the economical + warming of the whole structure by means of one stove, generally of the + severely-dilapidated style. There is also, on the opposite side of the + room, an antique sofa, celebrated for having been too forcibly sat upon, + probably by some athletic hero on his return from victory. However that + may be, the sofa remains to this day tabooed to mortal forms, though the + present owner has informed me that “It reely is goin’ to be + fixed up all noo like, when I gets a few more boarders.” From the + mixed dialect observable in the form of which intimation I gather that the + original language of the aborigines is not altogether lost to their + posterity. There are also various other specimens of that style of + furniture, which is generally admitted to be contemporary with the + peculiar type of architecture of which I write, but I am debarred by lack + of space from giving them a full description, or mentioning the legends + connected with each. The beautifully-carved cornices, of the sheep-skin + and bees’-wax order, the elaborate mural—. Oh, gammon! Many + happy returns of the twenty-sixth of last month to you, old boy. I quite + forgot my own birthday, so it could hardly be expected that I should + remember yours. People often do what they’re not expected to, + however, and I did remember your birthday—after it was all over that + is to say. I remembered that yours was on the twenty-sixth by talking to + somebody about something or other that was going to happen somewhere about + that date, and then of course it came into my head that I had passed mine + over without observing the feast. Pot said in a letter he wrote to me, + that he hoped my birthday might be the day on which I should hear of some + good job, or do something which should turn out to be a stroke of good + fortune. Curiously enough, it was on the nineteenth that I learned that a + good opening had occurred for Henry, and that if I liked to take a rather + rough fanning job, I could get myself stuck likewise. That part of the + offer I did not accept, and I think by what has since happened, that my + refusal was judgematical. Moreover, the very next day I heard of a more + congenial matter in the hammer-and-tongs department of my august + profession. A village blacksmith, a horny-handed son of toil, generously + offered to feed and lodge me for as long as I liked to stop, in return for + my services in his forge. The offer was the more magnanimous in that he + was not in any particular need of assistance, but was willing to stretch a + point (a proceeding that would stump Professor Euclid, by the way,) + considering that I was in particular need of a job. No doubt, like all + Yankees, he had an eye on the dollars’ question, and argued, with + most praiseworthy perception, that being an engineer and one who by his + own representation had seen a good deal of forge work, I might prove a + very lucrative spec. But then he promised that if he found that through my + agency the money came in faster than it did before, he would give me my + fair share of the profits so accruing. So I says to him says I, “See + here, stranger, if I don’t get into a hole between now and this day + fortnight, you’ll see me again. So leave the door open, will you?” + He promised to do just that; and, in fact, he said that I could come and + start right away whenever I pleased. So if this present exalted position + of mine should fail me—for, as I said before, it may only be a + temporary affair—why, slick I shall go away down to my particular + friend the village blacksmith. Well, I must wind up; it’s getting + late. If ever you should be goaded by an uneasy conscience into writing me + another letter, just let me know what is going on “on the banks of + the coaly Tyne.” Who is anybody, and where is he, etc. How is Bill + Hawes, and give him my love for himself and family. Remember me especially + to M. Moorshead, Esq. Tell him he missed a treat when I went away without + standing him a drink; it was the bitter(less)est! day of his life. Is + Edison still at the redoubtable No. 14? Reach your toe out and kick him if + he is, and tell him I don’t love him. By-the-bye, how’s the + canoe getting on? Is it finished? Has anybody been drowned? If so, how + many? And did I owe them anything? There’s no chance of its being + the other way on. If you see any of the old club fellows knocking about, + tell them they can expect a lock of my hair on receipt of P.O.O. for one + dollar. In fact say boo to every goose you meet. + </p> + <p> + Your loving Brother,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + Present Address:<br /> 202, Bank Street,<br /> Ottawa, P.O.,<br /> Canada. + </p> + <p class="date"> + October 10th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dearest Mother, + </p> + <p> + I have only two hours from now till when the mail closes, so I must make + the best of my time. I have not called upon Mrs. Howel, because I could + not get at them. It was not worth while making a pretty long journey just + to deliver one introduction, and I believe someone told me they were not + in Montreal. By-the-bye, talking of people whom I did not see, I must tell + you that I also missed Cousin Maynard. He had gone away somewhere, and + left no address that I could hear of, either at the offices of the British + Association or elsewhere. I was very sorry not to have seen him, but it + could not be helped. You say that Henry told you I was seedy. I think he + must have been suffering under the same delusion as he was that day he + came home from a yachting cruise, and said that “everybody had been + awfully sea-sick,” meaning that he himself had been the principal + sufferer. I don’t mean that he has been particularly seedy either, + certainly nothing beyond an unmentionable ache. We were both a little bit + churned up for a day or two, and I believe it was owing to ice-cream. In + the hot weather it was most tempting, and they give you a great plateful + for 10 cents., none of the rascally little thimblefulls you get in England + for twice that amount. But you can make yourself perfectly easy, we are + both so far as I know, perfectly well, not even a mentionable ache, and I + tell you candidly, though I am afraid it is a dreadful confession, I have’nt + felt wretched by any means since I left home. Poor old Daddy! I’m + sorry he was bothered about such a trivial thing as a marriage settlement; + perhaps it is that he wants twopence-halfpenny to square his accounts. + Pump him, will you, and if it should be this that’s preying on his + mind, you may tell him he can draw on me for the amount, and I’ll + toss him double or quits when I come home. I suppose he’s pretty + nearly spliced by this time. Concerning the passage in my letter which + seems to have puzzled you; it seems clear enough to me, naturally it + would, but that don’t count. To the best of my recollection I was + writing from Aylmer Street, and I think I said as much in my letter, if + so, here is the explanation of the obscurity. “I think with the <i>prospect</i> + of his (Henry’s) being shortly settled <i>there</i> (Crabtree’s), + you might write, etc., if we are not <i>here</i> (the diggings) they can + forward the letter.” I can’t see the muddiness “if we + are not here,” means in other words “if we should have gone + away (of course it does), before your answer arrives,” and “they + can forward the letter,” means naturally that the people we have + left behind can send after us. If I had meant Crabtree to forward the + letter, I must have said “if we are not <i>there</i>.” Of + course, if I did not tell you that I was writing from Aylmer Street, I was + a great coon, and that would explain the need of explanation. Well, I + suppose you know Henry’s true and permanent address by this time, so + his letters are all right. But what would have been the use of sending one + to Crabtree, we should have been more likely to leave our address at our + diggings any way, and there was only a <i>prospect</i> of his going to C.’s. + Should his letter have gone there, however, he will no doubt get it in the + end, though it will probably be a very long end. We didn’t leave our + address with him because he said he would let his friend Kemp (who + introduced us) know what decision he arrived at, and he (Kemp) would write + to us; for all we knew the old chap himself could’nt write his own + name. Poor old fossil! If you send him a note you’ll make him + scratch all his hair off, and he has’nt got much. I would’nt + send any of my letters to Mrs. Hall if I were you, you don’t know + how she is off for thatch, and it will take a power of thinking for any + old lady unacquainted with Algebra to find out an unknown quantity. You + might address them now to the Post Office, Ottawa, P.O. If I should go + elsewhere I will leave instructions at the P.O. to forward my letters. + </p> + <p> + This is a truly dreadful scrawl, but never mind, quantity wins the day, + quality nowhere. You see I am taking the subjects of your letter and + answering them as I go along. So far from having had to dip into my money + for Henry, I left him with fifty odd clear dollars in his pocket; this + came from his second £10. He had pretty near come to the end of the + ten he had in his belt when he started, when he got the job. I had already + come to the end of mine—extraordinary, was’nt it?—and + now I have got at this present moment $459 75c.; quite a fortune, is’nt + it? I’m sorry I have’nt time to write you a longer letter my + dearest mamma, but those nasty wicked people at the Post Office said they + would not stop that big ship for a day or two on any account. This is such + a beast of a pen. I would put it in the envelope and send it to you if I + did not think it would find its way out before it reached you, just to + show you what an immoderate amount of patience I have got. I’ve + tried to cross all these t’s half-a-dozen times, and pretty + vigorously too. It must be awful good paper to withstand the amount of + friction necessary. Now I’ve pretty well filled up the sheet. That’s + all I’ve been trying to do lately as you can no doubt see. + </p> + <p> + With best love to all friends, relations, and acquaintances, believe me, + </p> + <p> + Ever your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 202, Bank Street,<br /> Ottawa, + </p> + <p class="date"> + October 15th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dearest Mother, + </p> + <p> + I have just received your letter, dated the—wait a minute till I + look—the 17th Sept. Long while ago, isn’t it? Do you remember + what you wrote about? I never do; and it seems most extraordinary in + reading your letters referring to ones I have written about a month ago, + that though I know you are answering them, I don’t understand what + you are talking about the least in the world. I don’t want to + discourage you, you know. Your letters are rather enhanced in value by + their riddle-like quotations. They make me wonder what on earth I can have + been writing about. I do not even remember, unless you tell me, whether + they were long or short; and, except for my consciousness of never having + written in a strain of trifling or levity, or otherwise than in a manner + calculated to elevate and improve the minds of everyone but my hearers, I + should be almost led to think I had been guilty of excesses in the way of + toast-water or gruel previous to writing them (tea-totaller you see). Put + it to yourself now. Wouldn’t you feel riled if somebody said, in a + long commendatory sort of letter to yourself, that your description of so + and so was very funny? or that somebody else laughed very much at your + whole letter, when you felt certain that the letter in question must have + been a well thought out essay on the subject. “Did Socrates ever + stand on his head? and if so, upon which end of him did it grow?” + Wouldn’t it be matter for despair to feed his remorseless eye teeth + upon, to find that the highest flights of your intellect were capable only + of a jocular interpretation? But I feel certain there must be a mistake + somewhere. As I said before, I am fortified with the comfortable assurance + of the integrity of my heart in wishing to write only what will feed the + hungry mind. By-the-bye, if Socrates ever did stand on the upside down + end, he had excellent authority in justification of his action, for Pot, + the Patentee, has been known to do likewise. I’ve only had two pipes + to-day, mother; or three, is it—I forget; call it two. Justice, + tempered with mercy, &c., which means that I’ll have another + now. That’s the thing for ideas! Oh, certainly. Picture to yourself + an editor writing like mad. He indulges in a pipe to soothe his rampant + brain, and while lighting it he leans back for a complacent yawn. When he + gets up again, his dominant idea is that the back of his chair must have + been suffering from a diseased spine. Isn’t that a striking picture? + The earth hitting a poor man on the back of his head, eh? Well, it’s + quite a true one, and the incidents it portrays are also of recent + occurrence. The weary editor represents me; the earth represents—hooray—a + feather bed, which heroically interposes its devoted body between me and + the belligerent planet. Every detail you can con (I don’t know how + to spell conjure) up will represent the scene true to the life in + everything save the attitude and gestures of the falling literary warrior. + Nothing you could imagine would adequately portray the elegance—the + dignity of my descent. Daddy was, I believe, the fortunate witness of my + native grace of movement under similar trying circumstances. I allude to + an incident which occurred during a small festive gathering held in our + Denmark Street domain, on the occasion of his last visit to Gateshead. + None of the furniture, I am happy to say, suffered very severely during + the encounter. The table, under which my booted feet were disposed + happened somehow to have a rather violent oscillation imparted to it, + disarranging direfully what was already in direful disarray. The lamp, + standing alone in the midst of confusion, suffered a partial eclipse; and + my favourite Dublin meerschaum successfully resisted the dilapidating + effect of a fall of several feet. So much for <i>tableaux vivants</i> in + real life. Now I will just see if there is anything in your letter + requiring an answer. First and foremost, I am very much obliged to the + Miss Bruces for their kind message, to which please return them for answer + a like message from me. As to Kemp I don’t think you need be at all + uneasy concerning him. Even supposing he had any “foul plots” + with regard to either of us, he is done with now; but I am perfectly + certain he conspired only to our benefit. It is due entirely to him that a + place was found for Henry, while we were galivanting about in Montreal, + and I firmly believe a good place too; better any way, as far as I can + see, than old Crabtree, who was a baccy chewing old son of a sea-cook. + </p> + <p> + All I have ever heard against Hardy is that he is not a man to pay ten + dollars for what is only worth five—which means in point of fact + that Henry will not get very big wages. Still he gets his keep—and + good keep too, as I can testify—and will soon get something else + besides; and meantime he is in a clean house, among a fairly civilized and + certainly good-natured set of people, and with a very comfortable room to + himself. When he is two or three years older, he will be able to see his + own interests clearly, and to know his own worth, and then if he could + benefit himself by a change, let him do so. Henry is at present very young + for his years, and has a good many ways and ideas which time will + moderate. On an old fossil like Crabtree these youthful vagaries would jar + continually, that is, I think, they might; while on Hardy they had just + the opposite effect. He seemed to be a good deal amused with Henry—not + at all satirically. He seemed to think he was rather good company, and his + laugh is so peculiar that he has only to show an incipient inclination to + grin, and Henry is ready to join him at once. I had a sort of message from + him (Henry) to-day. Your letter was sent to Eton Corner, and Henry sent it + on to me enclosed in a note, to the effect that he liked the work + immensely, and would write on Sunday. Just received two more letters from + you. I was awfully sorry to hear about poor Uncle James. My god-father, + wasn’t he? Poor fellow! He was always honour itself, and would spend + his last dollar in paying a lawyer to give his property to somebody else + if he thought it belonged to them, in moral justice. Well, I am very sorry + to hear about it, and that’s about all I can say. I never saw very + much of him; but what I have seen was nothing but what was good—generosity, + kindness, honour, and a certain grim good-nature—all his own. + </p> + <p> + I know I missed a mail in writing to you, but I could not help it. It was + the time I went to Eton Corner with Henry, and not being at all aware of + the posting difficulties connected with these out of-the-way places, I + found when I got there that it took almost as long for a letter to get + from Eton Corner to Quebec as from Quebec half-way across the Atlantic. I + was knocking about from pillar to post there, and I had to write when and + where I could; but I will not miss-fire again if I can help it. Talking + about missing fire reminds me that it’s all gammon about not being + allowed to carry cartridges or combustibles on board a steamer, or on + board the “Montreal” any way. Nobody took the trouble to find + out even if we had any infernal machines in our bags or not, and everybody + carried matches—ship’s officers and all—generally wax + ones. From not being supplied with these necessaries, I was constantly + having to “cadge” a light for my pipe from somebody else, for + as I believe I told you I was not always too bad to smoke. In fact, I + believe it was due to the sneaking way in which I knocked the ashes out of + my Friday morning pipe, that I got seedy at all. You see—well, never + mind, we won’t talk any more blarney in this letter, out of respect + to the memory of poor Uncle James. I can’t help remarking though, + that you are just a wee peckle Irish in your lamentations concerning my + remissness in writing. You say in a letter to me, “There is no note + from you this week, except one from Henry.” In view of what you say + about the Howels and Audleys I think I shall write to them both.—To + Mrs. Howel, to explain why I didn’t call when I was in Montreal, and + to Mrs. Audley, to thank her for the introduction I never received; and + besides, I may just as well let them know where I am. I don’t think + it costs Allen anything to forward my letters. They always come with only + the English stamp on them, and his address scratched out and mine put on, + generally with the word “re-directed” written above. It’s + only fair after all. You pay the Post Office to send the letters to where + I am, not to where I was. I must shut up now. It’s time to turn in, + though I expect I’ll have time to add something besides my signature + before I mail this to-morrow. Friday night.—I have only got a very + little time before post, and only a very little to say. I don’t know + if I have fairly answered all the subjects in your letter that I wish to + speak about, and I haven’t time to read it over again. However, I + suppose you get a letter pretty well every week by the time this comes to + hand. The weather here is every bit as changeable as it ever was in + Dawlish. Sometimes I have felt it decidedly chilly, even with my + great-coat on; and at others it’s warm enough to cruise about + à la dook, without a great coat and “all flying.”’ + The woods away over the other side of the river look something like the + colour of an exaggerated orange. In fact, the country just now is pretty, + to say the least of it. I don’t think I have ever told you what this + part of it is like, but I will reserve that subject for a future effort. + By-the-bye, who won the tournament at Dawlish? You see I left just in the + thick of it, so it naturally interests me, though of course it is quite an + affair of the past with you. Did Ethel Beaumont win anything? Remember me + to her as warmly as Charlie Wrottesley would permit, also to Mrs. B——. + By-the-bye again, I told Daddy I was going to send him a present. So I am. + It’s coming; but it has’nt gone yet. There is a difficulty + concerning the packing for such a long postage journey. Don’t be + alarmed on the score of my extravagance—there’s no ground for + it I assure you. I would tell you what the damage was; for I don’t + believe in keeping the cost of presents a secret. But the truth is, I don’t + exactly remember it. I think it was something over two, and under three, + dollars, for the lot. The brooch is of course for Muriel, with my love. I + suppose I may say that—shan’t scratch it out anyway. Why, I + haven’t told you what the brooch is. Time’s short; but it’s + a pair of snow shoes, crossed with a little affair at the top. I got them + because they are characteristic of the country they come from, and I knew + you would like to see them both dressed alike, though of course there will + be something else besides. Love to everybody, + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">F. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 202, Bank Street,<br /> Ottawa, P.O. + </p> + <p class="date"> + October 17th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + “Bold Old Daddy,” + </p> + <p> + <b>M</b>ercurial <b>R</b>etailer of <b>C</b>austic and <b>S</b>quills,<br /> + <b>L</b>eaches and <b>R</b>hubarb and <b>C</b>amomile <b>P</b>ills. + </p> + <p> + Take a run and jump at yourself, and see if you can’t hit upon the + answer to that riddle. + </p> + <p> + This small satire is intended to counteract any embarrassing amount of + gratitude you may happen to feel for the small present I send herewith to + charming Mrs. Lestock Cockburn, that is to be, or that is already, for + aught I know to the contrary. The scarf-pin is for yourself; you have got + a much better one I know, but not such a pretty one. I hesitated a long + time whether to send it to you or to Frank; he having indulged in a + birthday some time back, but I argued, with my customary logical powers, + that birthdays were, as a rule, of more frequent occurrence in the life of + man than weddings, and having fairly gotten the best of the controversy, + my opponent being nowhere, I have acted up to my convictions in sending + you a miniature pair of <i>snow</i>-shoes as a testimony of my <i>warm</i> + affection. (Horrible, ain’t it?) Well, never mind. How goes the + money-grubbing business in your department. Good word that. I got it in my + dealings with the Government of these parts. What do you think? A man had + the cheek to-day to ask me if I wanted any money! me, who’s got four + hundred and fifty dollars somewhere, and fifty cents, in his pocket + besides; think of that you old Camomile Pill, and hold a bucket to your + mouth to catch the water. That man, Sir, was my esteemed employer, A. + Hartley, Esquire, who solicits patents, and gets a good many of them too, + and I told that man “no,” as became a gentleman of my own + independent means, emphatically “no.” Ahem! not just at + present. Ha, ha, says I to myself, says I, I laugh in my sleeve, this is + my first week, and from being new to the work and out of practice anyway, + I have’nt appeared to the best advantage. I’ll wait till next + week, and then it’ll be a lot of money or two pistols, says I to + myself says I (that’s a quotation you know.) Besides, I hope to + benefit myself by this temporary abstinence in other ways. A sharp, + enterprising chap, who is pushing his way upwards to business distinction + as Hartley is, is better satisfied to have at his back a fellow who is + evidently not hard up! and may be worth something, than to have a seedy + looking dependent who must be paid on Saturday or sleep on a doorstep. Of + course, supposing both to possess the same ability, it induces a feeling + of respect too, which in its turn brings it about, that in the event of + anything going wrong in any way, the more fortunate gentleman is not blown + up, until the why and the wherefore of the mishap has been ascertained, + when it frequently transpires that he is not in the wrong; whereas the + seedy dependent, who generally walks in reluctantly at 9 o’clock and + goes out with the air of a dook at five ditto sharp, gets it pretty hot in + any case, in the same way that a man will swear at a common pipe for + breaking, but will swear at himself for breaking an expensive one. I + believe that illustrates my theory somehow, but I forgot my original idea + before I had got half through with the simile. However, the plain fact is + easy enough of comprehension. I have gone in for impressing my boss with + an idea of my importance. You see I closed with this gentleman on the + clear understanding that the job would possibly be only a temporary one, + but if I can only get him to perceive my manifold merits I shall be kept + on through the winter, and somebody else will have to bunk, that is + supposing anybody has to. Take it altogether I have made a very good + beginning; Hartley talks to me more confidentially every day, and this + evening told me I had done very well, which does not look as though he + were going to be niggardly in the matter of screw, for that is not a + settled point yet. I notice that my writing is nearly as variable as my + ideas. You might think this had been written by two different people, or + by one man in two different years instead of all at one sitting, bar the + last few words, which are a Sunday production. It’s all done by a + turn of the wrist, something like the handle in a New York printing + machine. How can I go on? A slavey, one pre-eminently of the boarding + house description, is kicking up a row. I don’t exactly know what + sort of a row, unless—. Yes, by jove, I have it, she’s + singing. I don’t know whether Messrs. Moody and Sankey would be + shocked at her for desecration of the Sabbath or praise her for singing + one of their tunes. Probably they would split the difference and tell her + she was a good girl, with a hint tacked on that a little went a long way. + Well, this is a confounded lot of rubbish I’ve been writing, but I + make it a point never to send an unfilled sheet across the Atlantic, and + there is absolutely nothing to write about in all these places. You talk + of Dawlish being a dead-and-alive hole, but it’s a fool to Ottawa in + this respect. It may be a go-ahead <i>country</i>, but the <i>towns</i> + stand perfectly still. The prevailing sounds on Sunday afternoon are an + occasional lumbering kind of tramp along the wooden pavements, the + squalling of stray children, and the bark of stray dogs. Love to everybody + (there’s philanthropy for you). + </p> + <p> + Your loving Brother,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <p> + P.S.—(Monday night). There is nothing more to say except that I + always feel as reluctant to close a letter as to begin one. + </p> + <p> + <span class="signature">J. S. C.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 202, Bank Street,<br /> Ottawa, + </p> + <p class="date"> + October 22nd, ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dear Old Daddy, + </p> + <p> + You wrote to me under the expectation of getting a reply from me, so here + you are. Before I proceed further, let me wish you joy, as I suppose you + are married by this time. May God bless you both, and may your patients + have all the faith in your skill as a doctor, and your honour as a man, + that you deserve. I don’t know whether to address to you at Hope + Cottage or not, as nobody has told me exactly when you are to be married, + or where you are going when you’ve been and gone and done it. Well, + by Jove! I know you’re a cautious sort of chap as regards the + L.S.D., and that you generally seem to know about how much coin you ought + to have, but if I had your incipient fortune, I would swear by my own + ghost and set up a blacksmith’s shop alongside the Houses of + Parliament. I would call myself a dooke, nothing less. Why it’s + magnificent. You’ll soon be sporting a donkey cart or a balloon to + pay your morning calls in. I would’nt have horses on any account if + I were you, they’re vulgar, and then if you should have to ride + anywhere you would make a much greater sensation on a high mettled donkey + with half the attendant personal danger. + </p> + <p> + No time for more at present, old chap. Give my love to your wife, and + believe me, + </p> + <p> + Your affectionate Brother,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 202, Bank Street,<br /> Ottawa, + </p> + <p class="date"> + October 22nd, ’84. + </p> + <p> + Dear Mother, + </p> + <p> + As I am also writing to Daddy by this post, I am afraid you will not get a + very long letter. There’s a confisticated great buzz-fly knocking + about, and I can’t kill him. I told you in my last letter I would + give you some idea of what Ottawa was like, but now the time has arrove + for the ordeal, I don’t like it; descriptions of scenery are not my + forte, and they’re always uninteresting both to write and to read. + By-the-bye, before I begin, how’s old Frank’s ear, poor old + chap, I suppose he growled away by himself, till it was found out by + accident by some of you. I hope it will soon be all right again, and that + he will be able to let me know how he is getting on at the Works, though + three words will probably describe the state of affairs to perfection, + “same as usual.” Still, I should like to know what Major says + to him, and if he or any other members of that fossilized firm are + beginning to wake up to a consciousness of his merits. You know, it’s + always been my idea, that they will find out that they have let the two + best men they ever had slip through their fingers, namely, the two senior + engineering members of this remarkable family, and that it will eventually + occur to them that they had perhaps better hold on to the third. The fact + of their giving him 22/- a week while they are sacking other men looks + promising for my theory, and if only he can establish a claim to any + particular qualification, he may yet succeed in drawing some sort of a + prize, where I, and even Pot, have only succeeded in drawing blanks. I + believe Frank does possess a special qualification, and that is a power of + managing and organizing work. Drawing or designing, etc., is not his + strong point, though he would often succeed in that, as the tortoise, + where many a hare would fail; but give him an erecting job or anything of + that sort, and he would so arrange that the work first wanted should be + first ready. This does not sound very much to boast of, but it is a very + useful knack to have. I certainly do not possess anything of it, and many + a scrape I get into at the Works through forgetting to order certain + things at the proper time. For instance, when I had a dredger to get ready + for action, it was found, when it came to the scratch, that there was no + scum cock for the boiler, no posts for the handrails, etc.. etc. I was + more sinned against than sinning that time however, as the job was + suddenly thrown on my hands, when Pot left the Works in a state of + semi-completion, and I did not know, and in the hap-hazard way things were + done there, I could not find out whether certain details had been ordered + or not. I believe, had Frank been given that job and told the dredger was + to be chiefly the same as number so-and-so, that every drawing would have + been sent out in proper order, and every question as to alteration, etc., + broached in proper time, so that, when the bosses came to see it tried, it + would have worked well without delay. + </p> + <p> + That’s a very long eulogium on the poor dear “smiler;” + let’s hope it will also turn out to be true of him. Do you ever hear + from the old Coke? I suppose you do too, though it seems as if from London + to Dawlish was so short a distance it was scarcely worth writing. How’s + he getting on, and which is he? A manager or a millionaire, or, + peradventure, a clerk? Tell Pot to let me know as soon as he makes his + first tanner from his invention, and I will stand myself a cigar in honour + of the occasion. I ought to write him a jaw too, but in case I shouldn’t + be able to at present, just tell him, please, that even supposing he fails + in getting the advantages of his machine recognised in England, he would + stand quite as good, if not a better chance, of doing so here. This + country, or better still as I believe, the States, is far more ready and + willing to accept and make use of improvements than the old one, and he + may possibly not know that an English patent does not hold good here, and + vice-versa, though both countries are under English rule. Just to give you + an instance of the go-ahead nature of the Works here, I can tell you that + Hartley, my employer, has had sixteen patents to procure from one Works + alone, in the space of six months. I believe it is a large saw mill, or + any way there’s a large saw mill connected with them, for the + machine I am engaged upon now is for sharpening saws, and they light their + Works by gas. “made from sawdust,” which is another of their + patents. + </p> + <p> + Well, I’ve got off the scenery so far, and there’s the weather + to come yet, lots of it too. We’ve been having no end of weather + lately. Sunday was cold and dull, nearly freezing the whole day. Monday + ditto, with the addition of a breeze. Tuesday, no breeze, and as warm as + toast, simply a beautiful summer’s day. Wednesday just as hot, but + blowing hard, and to-day. Thursday, cold as ever, and still blowing. I + suppose at this time of year it’s bound to change any five minutes. + <i>Friday.</i>—I must mail this in about an hour, but half that time + would suffice to run me dry. By-the-bye, I may as well tell you that my + watch goes beautifully. It needed a good deal of regulating, and that took + a long time, but at length I have got it quite near enough to perfection + for all practical purposes. It gains steadily now at the rate of about a + minute and a half a week. I have timed it by a gun that is fired every day + at noon from the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. It goes off by + electricity, I believe, or the time is given by electricity from Montreal. + Doesn’t it sound rather funny, to hear of the <i>grounds</i> of the + Houses of Parliament? It would to a Londoner, I know, but such is the + case. There is such heaps of room everywhere in this great draughty + country, that they may just as well take twenty acres for their buildings + as two, that’s just about it, I should think; it must be quite + twenty, and not a single flower or, even as far as I know, a flowering + shrub in the place; nothing but level lawns and walks or roads, + beautifully kept, I admit. Anyone of the lawns would make half-a-dozen + first-rate tennis courts, but the whole affair, seen from a little + distance, looks like a painted scene. It’s just a mass of even green + relieved or embarrassed, as the case may be, by the straight up and down + yellow houses, which houses also, in my opinion, have precious little + architectural beauty to boast of, bar the centre one, perhaps, which is + the house of Parl., par excellence, the others being only departmental + ones. There is a very jolly walk, though round at the back of them, where + I went last Sunday, you see the houses with their grounds occupy a sort of + promontory, which juts out into the river, or rather into a little lake + formed by it at its bend. The lawns must be from eighty to one hundred + feet above the level of the water, and it is about half way down the + banks, which are more than steep, that the walk in question runs. Fifty + years ago this must have been one of the prettiest spots in Canada, and + now anyone standing there has only the great wooden-looking houses at his + back, and a colony of saw mills in front. The saw mills are out-and-out + the most interesting of the two. The amount of wood cut up there every day + is enormous. I believe Ottawa is the lumbering centre of Canada; any way, + there are acres and acres of wood all cut up into planks or battens, and + stacked thirty feet high and as close as possible, yet it all looks new, + which shows that it must be shipped away at an enormous rate. Going to + shut up now suddenly. Give my love to Miss Harley, or something a little + milder if you would rather, and believe me, with love also to the rest of + the family circle, which will now, I suppose, include a Mrs. Daddy + Cockburn, + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 202, Bank Street,<br /> Ottawa. + </p> + <p class="date"> + November 7th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + Dear Mother, + </p> + <p> + This is Friday night again, and I have not begun a letter till now, but + the pure fact of the matter is, that I can say all I have got to say in + about ten minutes. I have been making enquiries in accessible quarters + about rents and taxes, etc., and it seems to me that in the towns at any + rate they are just as high as they are in England. Most of the houses in + the quiet, respectable sort of streets average about twenty to twenty-five + dollars per month, including everything but water-rate, which is three + dollars per month. The cost of living I should say, is decidedly less, or + else how can lodging-house keepers board and lodge people for from + three-and-a-half to five dollars per week in the towns, and from as low as + two-and-a-half in the country. Of course, I can’t tell you anything + about the actual cost of the different articles of food. I would as soon + go and bargain with a linen draper about a fathom of calico as go and + enquire the price of vegetables while standing between two fat old market + women. You see I know precious little about the country, bar half-a-day or + so spent at Hardy’s farm, I have never been out of the towns. Every + time I sit down to write to you I spend half my time thinking who I can + tackle on the subjects of your enquiries, and every time all that comes of + it is, ask Barnet. Barnet and Hartley are the only two people I know here + as yet; the former, you know, is the man that got me my job. He put my + name down yesterday for a member of “The St. Andrew’s Society;” + the subscription is one dollar per annum, and the avowed objects of the + Society are the finding out and assisting of needy or unfortunate + Scotchmen. I did not join on account of any charitable feelings toward my + countrymen, but simply for the purpose of making acquaintances. It will + all help in making general enquiries about the country. Besides, who knows + if I may not be in want of a kilt myself some day. (When I send you a + photo’ of myself in full war paint you’ll know I am hard up + again). Talking about clothing matters, I do not think they are much, if + at all, more expensive than in England. You can get a very good great-coat + or a suit of clothes for ten dollars, though of course that is mostly in + the ready-made department. I asked to-day what a coat like my ulster would + cost, and they said from 20 to 24 dollars, equal from £4 3s. 4d. + to £5. The price in Gateshead was £4 10s. So it seems + that clothes made to order are very much the same, and ready made are + perhaps rather dearer. I got a fur collar put on my monkey-jacket, which + cost 7 dollars; it’s a good deal, but I may be able to do without a + fur cap, as the collar when turned up comes nearly up to the top of my + head; it’s just about six inches deep of beaver skin, which, being a + light brown, looks simply swagger on my dark brown coat. We have had a + taste of winter here lately, and though the thermometer did not go much + below 10 or 15 degrees under freezing temperature, the wind, which blew + hard, cut so sharply that I felt certain that when it got 40 or 50 degrees + colder I should feel very glad I had got a warm animal on my throat. There + was about two or three inches of snow which nearly all thawed before it + froze. The snow fell on Tuesday, then it turned to rain, which continued + in a regular down-pour till Wednesday morning, by which time the streets + were a sight to behold. Spark Street, the principal mud path in Ottawa, + looked like a canal of pea soup. It was covered from one end to the other + with about three inches of liquid mud. One enterprising shop rigged up a + canoe and moored it to the side walk, all decorated with flags, and with + “boats or yachts on hire” painted in large letters. That night + I went to an oyster feed at Hartley’s. I had made up my mind to be + bored, but was most agreeably disappointed. Hartley met me at the door, + and immediately began offering me all that his house contained in the way + of dry socks, slippers, etc. From the moment he appeared in a smoking-cap + and dressing-gown, with a tremendous pipe, leading the way, I knew I had + not come out for nothing. We went slick up to his den, where he put a box + of famous cigars by my side, and a box of chessmen and a board in front. I + played away perfectly happy as you may imagine, and with the assistance of + three smokes succeeded in vanquishing all comers, including my “boss” + himself. He evidently thought he had got me easily, for he had taken two + or three of my pieces, but I had laid a foul plot, and at last “The + Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold” and I nobbled his king + without a struggle. We then adjourned to visit the oysters; there were two + great washing-basins chock full, and we all squatted round in the kitchen + and set to work to get rid of them as fast as we could open them. I lasted + them all out, and finished both dishes. I guess I did about four or five + dozen. Misfortunes never come singly, no more do the opposite, and next + day I had some more in the regular fare of my diggings. What do you think + of that for a boarding-house? And last night I had some more again in an + eating-house. They are only 20 cents a dozen, and very good. + </p> + <p> + This is a fearful scrawl, but it’s being done at a tremendous rate + to see if I can’t fill up this sheet before mail time. By jove! no, + it’s a quarter to eight. Love to everybody. + </p> + <p> + <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <hr /> + <p class="address"> + 202, Bank Street,<br /> Ottawa, + </p> + <p class="date"> + November 12th, ’84. + </p> + <p> + My Dear Mother, + </p> + <p> + This letter is as usual addressed to you and meant for a good many other + people besides. Firstly, I think I shall have to start some sort of + arrangement by which I shall be able to find out, on reference to it, what + the subject-matter of such-and-such a letter was.—In fact, what I + really want is a copying-press, for I can’t remember what I have + told you in answer to your letters and what I have not, and I notice the + same questions occur in a good many of them. Well, I sha’nt get a + copying-press anyhow, I’ll practice self-denial, and get a + five-cent. diary instead. Talking about cents. reminds me of an item of + news concerning money. Money will undoubtedly go further here than in the + old country, but it needs a more determined economy to make it do so, and + the reason is that it’s all in such small pieces. The only coins are + half-dollars, quarters, ten and five cent, pieces, and the copper cents.—of + these the cents. and half-dollars are comparatively rare. As a rule, the + lowest price charged for anything is five cents. It is such an + insignificant little piece of tin, and there are such <i>a tremendous lot + of them knocking about</i>. I don’t think I have had a quarter of a + dollar’s worth of copper through my fingers since I’ve been in + the country. There is scarcely any use for them except for stamp-money and + to give to beggars, which happily are also rare. In England the small + silver coins are almost useless, and the prices of different things vary + by pence or half-pence. One goes into an hotel, for instance, for a glass + of beer and forks out twopence, or a packet of cigarette papers, one + penny. There it goes up from the pence to the shillings, and from the + shillings to the pound, and the shillings form a sort of barrier between + the small every-day expenses (that <i>might be avoided</i>) and the pounds + which are the real wealth. Here the practical scale of money is 5, 10, 15, + 20, 25, 30, etc., cents. I got in a rage and smashed my pen because the + brute would’nt write, which has blown all my sophistries, as Daddy + would call them, to the winds, so I’ll shut up for to-night. Now + here’s a new pen and a new night, Friday night too, so I must look + sharp. I don’t think my sophistries need much addition, being quite + as clear as mud as they are. In England there are a hundred half-pence to + four and twopence, and as many different prices for different things + according to their value. Here there are also a hundred cents. to the + dollar, but practically only twenty different prices. Therefore, one very + soon looks upon a five-cent piece in about the same light as one would + look at an English penny. This is a horrible pen; it’s like writing + with the dirty point of a pin. Now to answer father’s postscript + which I had overlooked till last night. As yet the weather is too mild to + need more than a thin overcoat, though it is prophesied that we are going + to have an exceptionally severe winter. Be that as it may, I shall wait + until it comes before spending any more money. I have blued ten dols. + already in winter preparations—seven in a collar for my + monkey-jacket, with a view to protecting my gullet against the old + attacks; and three in having my ulster lined round the back and chest with + chamois leather, for I found in the late spell of cold weather, which + however was a mere nothing, that it let the wind through pretty quick. I + have asked the price of furs generally, and the different sorts in + particular. I have some recollection of being told by one house, I think + in Montreal, that furs were dearer here than they were in England, because + they had to be sent over there to be worked up, and then brought back here + again. I should not believe too much of that, however, as it is quite as + likely as not that it was the preface to an extra five dollars on the + price, in view of my being an evident stranger to the country. A tailor + here, the man that has done my coats for me, says he will line my ulster + with minx or racoon, or the something ratskin, for 18 dollars, and, as I + told mother in my last letter, he would make just such an ulster for 20 to + 25 dols., so that you could get a very good fur-lined coat for 40 dollars, + or about eight guineas. Of course the furs I have mentioned are not + beautiful soft affairs like beaver or sealskin, but I imagine they are + almost if not quite as warm. I tried on a coat to-day, while pricing + different things, of Australian grey bear. The fur was very thick and + fairly soft, and I felt about 10 degrees warmer the moment I got inside + it. It was made entirely out of the fur (hair outside), and lined with + some sort of black soft canvas stuff. The price was 25 dols., but it was + too thick and cumbersome to be useful for anything but driving or + travelling. I have not got to the end of my researches upon this subject, + so I will write more when I learn more. I don’t know yet what the + cost of lining a long coat with one of the better furs would be. Father + asked if I had got all instruments I wanted, as he said Pot might send + them out to me. I think I can manage with what I have got now. I had to + buy them, as I could not wait to write to England. They ran away with + another ten dols., and have turned out anything but A 1. I cannot + answer all your questions yet, Mother, but here is something. There are + plenty of small 10 to 18 acre farms about Ottawa, at a rent of from 60 to + 100 dols. per annum, though the houses on them are generally pretty bad. + This is a very difficult question to get to the bottom of, as there are no + estate agents here that I can find, consequently all enquiries have to be + made through private friends, which takes time, and also a certain amount + of caution, in this inquisitive community. But I am learning more every + day, and you shall have it all as fast as I get it. + </p> + <p> + In haste, + </p> + <p> + Your loving Son,<br /> <span class="signature">J. Seton Cockburn.</span> + </p> + <p> + Love to everybody, as usual. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Canada for Gentlemen, by James Seton Cockburn + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + +***** This file should be named 6755-h.htm or 6755-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/6/7/5/6755/ + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. 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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have +to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. + +Title: Canada for Gentlemen + +Author: James Seton Cockburn + +Posting Date: October 13, 2014 [EBook #6755] +Release Date: October, 2004 +First Posted: January 23, 2003 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + + + + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. This file +was produced from images generously made available by the +Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions. + + + + + + + + + + + +CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN, + +BEING + +LETTERS + +FROM + +JAMES SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +The difficulty of sending my son's letters to the numerous friends +who are interested in seeing them, without wearing out the +Manuscript, has induced me to have them printed. It is hoped, also, +that they may be useful in giving information regarding some of the +difficulties of young emigrants, of which so little is said by the +Agencies, though the experience they teach is often more valuable +than that of uniform success. The only alterations made in these +letters (intended only for the home circle) has been in substituting +fictitious names for those of friends. It may seem a paradox that a +price should be attached to letters intended only for private +circulation, but I am not without hope of being able to provide the +writer with his winter furs (greatly to his own surprise), in return +for the pleasure and information which his letters have undoubtedly +given. + +S. Cockburn. + + + + +LETTERS FROM JAMES SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +North Western Hotel, +Liverpool. + +_August 20th_, '84. + + +Dear Mother, + +I write this before turning in, and, as you will observe, with a +beast of a pen. We arrived here all safe, and with all our traps. +Though I lost the run of my bag at Bristol in the scurry, it turned +up here all right. + +There were a lot of people waiting on the Warren to wave to us. I +recognised Miss Linton, and I think some of the Seymours. Miss +Harley met us at Star Cross to say another good-bye, with a +button-hole for me and a note, and a flint-and-steel for Henry. + +We were collared when we got here by an agent of some sort, who was +going to free us from all trouble by seeing our luggage safely on +board, but as he kept a low kind of Temperance Hotel, and smelt very +strongly of whisky, I declined his services, chiefly I should say, +on the instigation of a good-natured cabby. Of course, for aught I +know, it may be the proper thing to go in for these sort of chaps, +but it's bent to be on the safe side. + +Must shut up now, and go to sleep. + +Best love to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +S.S. "Montreal," +En Route For Canada. + +_August 21st_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +We are not going to touch at any Irish port, so I am hurrying to +write a few lines to send off by the Pilot. + +The weather is beautiful, and we have got the cabin to ourselves. + +I have already made some very nice acquaintances; altogether it bids +fair to be very jolly. + +We got down to the dock in very good time, though of course with a +good deal of bother, but we've not got _rooked_ anywhere. + +I am afraid you will not hear from us again till the letters bear a +foreign post mark. + +With best love and wishes to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I suppose we are both addressing our letters to you, which might at +first appear an unequal distribution of our favours, but as I know +they will be read aloud to the assembled breakfast table, it is a +small matter who opens the envelope. To begin with, I should explain +that I am writing in the saloon of the S.S. "Montreal," Sunday +evening, August 30th (I believe), and it is due to the constructural +defects thereof that my writing is of a somewhat shaky character, +the above saloon being placed almost immediately over the propeller, +whose various eccentricities in the way of jumping and shaking are +more than distinctly felt. However, I do not want to begin by +telling you about the end of our voyage, so I will make a +commencement at the time we lost sight of the heads and hats of +those who saw us off at Dawlish Station. I feel rather ashamed to +say I felt at that time very little depression of spirits, perhaps +the pipe to which I immediately had recourse had a comforting +influence; perhaps my familiarity with all objects on the road, at +least as far as Star Cross, made me feel as though I had not yet +left home; or perhaps, it was the secret consciousness that all the +Seymours, Lintons, and Harleys had promised to be on the Warren to +see us wave our heads out of the window. Whatever the course might +have been during the whole of our railway journey, our stay at the +hotel, and even _some_ hours subsequently, I felt almost jolly, but +what a world of misery lies implied in that underlined "some." +However, I won't anticipate, but relate from the beginning the +history of my ideas and experiences up to the present time. There is +little that you do not already know connected with our departure +from the docks and our journey as far as the last light ship, that +is concerning incidents which would appear to be worth mentioning. +We were rather fortunate in seeing nearly all the most celebrated of +the Atlantic steamers. The "City of Rome" was lying alongside a +wharf within a stone's throw of us, the "Alaska," "Arizona," +"America," and "Oregon," were all passing in or out, or lying at the +wharves, these being I believe the four fastest ocean steamers +afloat. The Allan boat "Peruvian" left the dock just astern of us, +and as we afterwards discovered, arrived twelve hours before us. We +very soon found, when dinner time came round that we were going to +live like fighting cocks; there was a tremendous spread, soup, fish, +entrees, joints, entrees, sweets, cheese, dessert and bills of fare. +We looked forward to ten days of systematic fattening, an excellent +preparation as we thought for our troubles to come in the way of +struggles for bread, in the country to which we were journeying. +What a mistake! That meal we fattened, also at the ensuing meal, a +kind of high tea at six o'clock we continued the process. At +breakfast next morning all operations were suspended, and by the +time the sun shone in the zenith for the second time, the _modus +operandi_ was completely inverted, and we thinned many inches in as +many minutes. All the preparations for carrying out our original +intentions stared us in the face, but we turned anything but a +hungry eye upon them; to tell the prosaic truth we were both +sea-sick. Not a fair knock down exactly, for while on deck I was all +right. What started the malady was the sleeping cabin--such an +abomination of closeness, stuffiness, and all the odours under the +sun I never smelt--it was literally enough to knock one down. Not +that the cabins themselves are badly ventilated, but they vent into +the gangways outside, which in bad weather are themselves very short +of fresh air. Only on two days were we able to have our port-hole +open, and then not for the whole day. The first day on board was +very pleasant, nice weather, and lots of excitement in watching the +different coasts we passed, and studying our fellow passengers. We +were never out of sight of land until it got too dark to see it. +Before England was hull down, the Isle of Man was hull up, and then +before that faded, the coast of Ireland would have been in sight had +it not been invisible. When daylight went down a breeze sprang up, +blowing steadily from the westward, still it was all very jolly, and +we went to bed very comfortably and slept very soundly till we woke +up. The day had just broken, and it was a fine breezy morning. At +first I was delighted to feel myself dancing about. I sat up and +looked out of my port-hole and watched the sea for a bit; suddenly +she rose to an extra big one; I could feel her "tilting up," and I +had to lean forward a bit to maintain my balance, then the stern +tilted up and I leant back a good long way, then the "other end of +her" rose again, higher still, but I only leant further back, and by +the time it was all over I had resumed an horizontal position, and +resolved, like the man in "Happy Thoughts," not to move again +whatever happened. I soon felt all right again, and was able to +reply in a very swagger voice to Henry's rather meek enquiry +concerning the state of the weather. By-and-bye a short interchange +of experiences occurred between Henry and a boy who had been put +into our third berth at the last moment, the latter in the innocence +of his youth frankly avowed himself "awful squashy inside," and soon +proceeded practically to demonstrate the truth of his assertion. +Henry embraced the opportunity of confession, and soon became +equally demonstrative. I still felt happy, and gave them some +excellent advice, so much in fact, that I began to feel I had been +too liberal, and that I wanted some myself; however I dressed +quickly, and went on deck, and once there I soon began to feel +hungry, though when I went down below to have breakfast I didn't +make a very hearty meal. After that the weather began to get bad, +and continued getting bad for a long time. Then for some days, as +sure as I went down below for a meal I did violence to the sentiment +of the old proverb "wilful waste makes woeful want." However, in a +few days I recovered sufficiently to withstand the noxious +influences of the saloon long enough to satisfy my hunger. We had +bad weather, more or less the whole way across to Belle Isle; not a +gale exactly, except once on Saturday or Sunday night, I forget +which, but it just blew more or less, hard enough to keep the decks +always wet, and to preclude the possibility of a smoke, or even of +walking up and down. Then as we got over to the Canadian side there +was a good deal of fog knocking about--in fact take it all round I +did not enjoy myself very much, it was cold and wet and I couldn't +smoke. However, when it did come to an end it was A1. The day we +sighted Belle Isle was beautiful, and after that we had no more bad +weather, it was all clear and bright, which was very fortunate at +that part of the voyage, as it is in going down the Straits and +through the Gulf that fog is such a source of delay. There was lots +to be seen there in the way of coast scenery, Belle Isle, Labrador, +Newfoundland, Anticosti, and the Banks of the St. Lawrence. At first +all the land was uncultivated and wild looking, but as we got into +narrower waters farther up the river it began to get cultivated--lots +of white houses with red roofs kicking about, and very often not a +hedge or a tree to be seen except just near the river, all cleared +and consequently ugly. + +Everybody about this part of the world is French, and such French +too as they talk. I have'nt caught the meaning of one word since I +have been here. I forgot to say that though I began this letter on +board the "Montreal" I am now writing at an Hotel in Sherbrooke. It +was very funny to see the changes that took place in the attire of +some of the passengers when we were nearing Quebec. People (among +whom perhaps I ought to class myself) who had remained unshaved and +disreputable during the voyage, in old clothes, etc., now come out +of their cabins looking Bond Street mashers (bar me); they were all +those who had come out for amusement and whose journies mostly +finished with the voyage; the others who preserved a travel-stained +appearance were all going further on, some long distances, and some +short. Among the long-distance people was a doctor Marsh, who was +going to Brandon, some distance beyond Winnipeg, with his family, or +at least with part of it--the rest are there already. He was a nice +man indeed, and gave us some very useful advice and information, +including his address. He is strongly of opinion that the North West +is the place for both Henry and me, but at the same time he quite +agreed with me that it would be foolish to go out there in the face +of the near approach of winter without the certainty of work, which +would keep us going through it. He has a son on a survey staff +somewhere out there, and he says he thinks I should be able to get +on too. When at last we got up alongside the wharf he was of great +service to us; he has been backwards and forwards several times and +knows the ropes well. He took us to an exchange office where he said +we should get the most value for our money, which turned out to be +$4 86c., about par I believe. He and everyone else that I asked said +that the idea of a premium on English money was a myth, that $4 86c. +was the highest, and that only in gold; for a fiver that Dr. Marsh +exchanged he only got $24 instead of $24 30c. Well, we shall see +when we get to Montreal and deliver the circular notes. The landing +and all the Customs business was a great nuisance, though we got +through capitally. I waited quietly till the hoorooche was all over, +and then went and collared the most benevolent-looking old chap to +come and stir up our baggage. I had them all unstrapped and ready, +and he just looked into one or two and then asked me if I had +anything in them that was not my own wearing apparel, or that had +not been worn. I said no (there were lots of things that hadn't been +worn, but then they _were_ my own wearing apparel), so he chalked +them all up without even desiring that Henry's big box might be +opened, which was very lucky, as it would have been a great nuisance +to have to knock those plates off the keyholes. I think it is a +great mistake to put them on; there is no fear of the things getting +wet down in the steerage deck where they are stowed, and they may +possibly cause a lot of delay going through the Customs House. Then +came our first experience of Canadian Railways, _not_ a pleasant +one. We were told the train would start at 2.15, accordingly we +dispensed with dinner and were on the platform at the stated time, +but the train never moved till nearly five o'clock. Then the baggage +chequing business turned out a great nuisance, the men went down to +cheque it while I was away getting the tickets, and when I came back +they had all gone away. In this democratic country they could not be +put to the inconvenience of coming back again, so I had to wait +about till they came to cart it up to the train. I do not mean to +say there would be any of this bother in travelling about from +station to station, it was only during the confusion of landing when +a lot of people all wanted their things done at the same time, and +the baggage all had to be brought up from the wharf, still it was an +item in our first railway experiences which, coupled with the delay +in starting, put me out of temper with Canadian travelling, though +there is not a shadow of doubt but what the chequing system is a +great deal superior to our own. However, when we did get fairly +under weigh it was not so bad. It is certainly very nice to be able +to get up and walk about when one gets tired of sitting still, or go +and stand on the platforms outside. Then, their rules are far less +strict than ours. If a man likes to jump on or off while a train is +going full speed ahead he can, nobody has the least objection to his +coming down on his head if he likes; or if he feels inclined to jump +off and run alongside he is perfectly at liberty to do so, only the +Company will not bind themselves to stop and wait for him if he +can't run fast enough. In fact, a man here is entirely his own +master, and as such is just as good us anybody else. There is one +thing which seems to me a great disadvantage, that is so few of the +railway officials are in any uniform at all. They may have a badge, +or something of that sort, but I did not see any, consequently one +never knows who to ask for information about the trains, etc. When +we got to Richmond last night, where we had to change for +Sherbrooke, a chap told us we should start in about twenty-five +minutes; the next man told us that we should not start till two or +three in the morning; and while we were endeavouring to arrive at +the truth somebody shouted out to know if everybody was "on board" +for Sherbrooke, Portland, etc., and he told us they were going to +start right away, which they did--in about half-an-hour. Next we +took two hours to go the twenty-five miles between Richmond and +Sherbrooke, though I will forgive them for that as we were really in +a goods' train, to which they had attached a passenger car for our +convenience. We eventually got in here about twelve last night. We +did not go to the Magog House as Horton recommended, as it was a +good long way from the station, and, we were told, might not be +open. This place, the Sherbrooke Hotel, is just opposite the +station, so being very tired and not wanting any bother we came in +here. We got into conversation with a man at Richmond who turned out +to be an Agricultural Agent of some sort, he had been Horton's +foreman on his farm many years ago, and knew them all very well. He +turned out a very decent old chap, and a Scotchman, and he was very +useful to us in getting us a feed, etc., when we got here, otherwise +we should have had to go supperless to bed. This morning (Tuesday), +we went first thing to see Allen, he was very cordial and obliging, +and withal very encouraging; he did not give vent to any decided +opinions, but he thought it very possible that Mr. Hill, of whom Mr. +Horton spoke, and to whom we are to be introduced to-morrow, might +be able to get me work on the Canada Pacific Railway, with which he +is in some way connected. I sincerely hope he may, as I should then +get a free pass to the West. _Wednesday._--We saw Hill this morning, +he could do nothing in the way of getting us work, but he gave us a +lot of names and addresses which turned out useful, among others a +letter to a chap called Ibotson, a sort of emigration agent, asking +him to send us round to several farms which he mentioned. We went +round to a heap of people with an old chap called Kemp, who is +something to do with the something Colonization Society. The worst +of it was we had to hire a trap, as the distance to be covered was +considerable; that cost $3, but it was the only thing to be done. +Everybody assured us that nothing but a personal interview would be +any use, so we cruised about the country in a very nice little buggy +for five hours under the escort of old Kemp, and I must say we +should have been nowhere without him. I should never have known how +to conduct the business with some of the specimens we came across, +not to mention that we should have been sure to have lost ourselves +half-a-dozen times over, and so should not have seen half the number +of people. Well, the upshot of the day's campaign was that I think +Henry stands a good chance of a place. Everyone assures me that he +could not do better than go to the farm in question. It belongs to +an old man called Crabtree, or something like that, I don't know +exactly how he spells himself. He is a very rough-and-tumble old +fellow, but, it seems, a capital farmer, and a good honest dealing +man. He has one of the best farms in the county, and is very well +off, having made all his money on his farm. Henry would get his +board and lodging, and most probably somewhere about $10 a month +besides. Of course nothing is fixed yet; the old chap's wife was +away, and he could do nothing without consulting her, but he said he +would want help during the winter, and he would not engage anyone +without letting us know. He cannot, however, do anything for the +next fortnight, which is a nuisance. None of the others that, we +called on came to very much, so we are going up to Montreal to-night +to deliver introductions and stir up the mud generally. Both Ibotson +and Kemp are going to make enquiries for us here, and write to us if +anything turns up. It's very good of them, they have both taken a +lot of trouble, and it's all done for love. In fact everybody is +most good-natured, and willing to do everything in their power to +help us. They all say they have no doubt we shall be able to get +work very soon, but it cannot be done in a day; so it seems to me, +having got these two old fellows to look out for us here, we had +better go and present ourselves in Montreal, and so be as it were in +two places at once. Moreover, I should like to see Roland Stanley if +possible before I clinch any bargain. We are perfectly certain of +getting disinterested advice from him, though I see no reason +whatever to doubt the policy of what I have done or the intentions +of our backers. I don't know if I have made all our doings and plans +sufficiently clear. I am writing in a very rambling sort of way, but +that is a fault inseparable from having to write at odd times. We +are living here for about a dollar a day each, not at all bad, with +three good big meals included, still it's spending money instead of +making it, so I hope it won't last long. It's not such a bad +beginning, though, when you come to think of it, we've only had two +clear days in the country, and Henry is in a very fair way to be +settled at a really good farm. Apart from business, the drive this +afternoon was delightful, the country in places quite equal to any +in Devonshire, though always with something wild looking about it. +In some parts of the road it looked just exactly like England, so +long as we did not look too far away. Upon the hills, etc., there is +always a lot of pine-wood and stuff which does not look English, but +it's all pretty; I believe you would like it immensely. Sherbrooke +itself is a jolly little town, though I believe here it is +considered a good big one, and a place of some importance. I think I +shall have to bring this to an end now; I don't know exactly when +the mail leaves Montreal, and I don't want to miss it through not +being ready, so if I have time to add anything more it will take the +form of a postcript. I don't know the least what address to give, +our movements are so uncertain. Couldn't father write to Roland +Stanley and ask him to forward the letters to us? I think, if he +seems the right sort of chap, I will ask him about this when I see +him, at any rate I can let him know when we leave, where we are +going to, and then if any of you should have sent a letter to him he +will know where to forward it to. Give my love to the Father, and +Old Daddy and Muriel, and everybody else, + +And believe me, + +Your loving Son. +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S. Friday.--Must post this this morning, so must look sharp. +Roland Stanley was away on a fishing expedition. We saw his +daughter. She said her father would probably be home on Friday or +Saturday, so we decided to lie in wait for him in diggings, and to +call again on Monday. I had no idea his place was so far away from +Montreal--six-and-a-quarter miles by rail including the Victoria +Bridge, which puts a lot on to the fare, and a good two miles by +road. His name was not in the Directory, so we had to find this +place by asking for it when we got to St. Lamberts. Charles Holloway +also was out when we called--at his office I believe--so we are +going down to the city to look for him this morning. We also called +on Mrs. Fenton, but she was out, so we gave in and jacked it up for +the day, as by that time it was nearly six o'clock. We had a fearful +bother in finding them, as there were no numbers on the +introductions, and there are about 1000 houses in Sherbrooke Street. +The diggings we have got into will do very well for the time. We +have taken them for a week at $5 each, board and lodging, which I +think is about as cheap as we can get them anywhere in Montreal. Our +address is 60, Aylmer Street, but it's not a bit of use writing to +us here, as we should be gone long before the letter reached us. I +don't suppose we shall be here much more than a week. I will write +more fully what we are doing by next mail. + +J. S. C. + +I am not sure if I have got the leads which I got for my ink pencil. +If they are in the right hand top drawer of your writing table, will +you send them when you send my goggles? + +Have not done anything about money yet for want of advice. It's no +use sending letters to Roland Stanley, he's too far away from +Montreal. He must wait till we get more settled. Please remember me +to everybody, particularly the Miss Bruces. + + + + +60, Aylmer Street, +Montreal, + +_September 9th_, 1884. + + +My Dear Mother, + +This letter is following pretty close on the heels of the other one. +and for this reason: I can't find any letter of introduction to Dr. +A. Howel or to Mrs. A. Howel, or any instructions as to calling +without an introduction in the epitome of my letters which father +gave me. I can't have lost it. You put them all up in a bundle, and +I never saw them till I opened my portmanteau at Sherbrooke. +Certainly I gave them to Henry to look over while I was writing as +he sat beside me, but he was so almost immoderately careful that I +do not think he can possibly have mislaid any of them. Anyhow it's +not here. If I am obliged to leave Montreal before I hear from you I +shall call on him and make my own explanations. But I don't know how +I could do that either, for I don't know if he was father's friend +or whether we got the introduction from someone else. Well, I shall +hang on as long as I can, and then go and beard him in his den as a +last resource. Now that's all the business I have to mention; it's +a bad job, but it can't be helped. Perhaps, after all, I never had +an introduction, and ought just to have called and mentioned the +father. I know he gave me a lot of directions when he read the list +over, but I can't remember them all, and only against one has he +made a note that no introduction is necessary. Yet there are about +half-a-dozen to whom I have not got letters, but whose names occur +the same as Roland Stanley. We've been hunting round, kicking up no +end of a dust, and called on and badgered scores of people. I have +already been twice to see a man called Van Haughton. He is some sort +of a boss on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and I am going again +to-morrow, though they don't want any men--at least not ordinary +men--but I am going to try and convince them that I am something +extraordinary. The ten pounds loose cash we brought out will only +last us another fortnight, but I have great hopes that Henry will +not need to draw more. Roland Stanley very kindly took him to a farm +to-day, a few miles from here, to see a man he knew, but the chap +wanted L50 per annum, so we declined. I was not able to go as I had +an appointment, but I don't think it made any difference, though +they didn't do any bargaining, only just asked him if he would take +him, and he said he would for the above-named sum. Some of the +introductions we brought out have been very useful--that to the +Darwins particularly. George, the elder son (I think) is a jewel. I +believe he would pop his Sunday coat if he thought it would do us +any good. He is strongly of opinion that Henry should advertise for +a job. He says he is certain that he would get lots of answers. But +I think it will be better to wait till we see what happens at +Sherbrooke, as by all accounts he could not do better than go to old +Crabtree. I think, with the prospect of his being shortly settled +there, you might write and explain (if possible) the matter of the +introduction--if we are not here they can forward the letter. 8 +p.m.--We have just been down to the station to fetch some of our +baggage, having been told that we should have to pay for it if we +let it lie there, and as we did not wish to bestow any portion of +our capital on cabbies, we carried it up. The consequence is I feel +like this [Illustration: Hand bent at wrist.] as Pot would say. The +weather has been that hot since we came. By-the-bye, I meant to say +when I said that we had just been down to the station, that as I +felt so limp from carrying baggage on a hot night, you would have to +put up with bad writing, but I see it's just as good as what I +started with. It would all be better if Henry was'nt writing too--at +the same table I mean--which, being one of the round one-legged +arrangements usually met with in boarding-houses, is scarcely equal +to the weight of eloquence which he brings to bear upon it. I wonder +what he's writing about. You might just let me know what he says +next time you write. He's just bought some new pink paper to write +upon, and has already started several times with a most careful +beginning, so it ought to be something worth hearing. I have +suggested that he should give you his ideas concerning the crops of +this country, but his innate modesty debars him from giving an +opinion on a subject upon which he confesses himself at present +profoundly ignorant, notwithstanding that we went yesterday +afternoon (there being nothing else which could be done,) to the +great Dominion Agricultural Show, as befitted the incipient farmer, +and that I there carefully explained to him the points of interest +of all the exhibits in relation to which I was convinced that he was +as ignorant as myself. I am afraid, however, that he was rather +inclined to treat my explanations with levity, owing to a base and +misleading practice resorted to by the Committee, of hanging up +beside the stalls, though in not very conspicuous places, a +statement of the supposed race or species of each animal. These +prejudicial placards for a long time escaped my notice, so that I +was unable to fortify his perceptions with an account of the +pig-headedness of Agricultural Committees in this respect. The only +thing that I was entirely unable to explain, and the reason for +which I could by no means fathom, was the pertinent enquiry +constantly occurring, "why should one cow be given a first prize and +another none at all," when the only difference to the mind of a just +and impartial observer consisted in the variety of their attitudes +or colour. Being thus baffled in my attempts at edification, we +adjourned to see some niggers manufacturing tobacco. + +Thursday evening.--I have just had a letter from Allen, saying that +he had three letters and a parcel waiting for us, so Henry has gone +down in great excitement with a post-card to tell him to send them +on as soon as possible. I wonder if they are from any of you people, +though I don't know what should make you think of addressing to us +there. It was rather a rummy thing his finding out our address, for +we didn't leave any; but just the other day, when looking over the +things in my despatch-box, I found a letter to Allen in Mr. Horton's +handwriting. I had'nt the least recollection of his having given me +anything of the sort, but I posted it down to Sherbrooke forthwith, +together with a note, making the best excuses I could for not having +delivered it before when I was on the spot, and of course I put my +address on the top. I should'nt wonder if one of the letters was the +lost introduction, which must have been left behind by some mistake. +We have been hunting about no end since we came here; calling on +everybody, from the man in the moon downwards, but do not at present +seem to have derived much benefit from it. I daresay Henry has told +you of a wild scheme in which Mr. Barnes wanted us to engage. He is +a most excellent old gentleman, the personification of good nature +and kindness, but is a good deal of a visionary on the agricultural +settlement question. When we called upon him on Saturday, he pressed +us most eloquently to up stick and go west with a friend or +connection of his, who was starting at nine o'clock on Monday +morning. He so far prevailed upon me that, in case there should be +anything in what he said, I went down to the bank and drew +sufficient money for our fares, and then returned to lunch with him +and the gentleman in question, a Mr. Deacon. In conversation with +him afterwards, he (Mr. Deacon) strongly advised us to do no such +thing. A branch line from the Canadian Pacific Railway, from Regina +to a place called Sussex, about thirty miles or so, which was to +have been graded this fall, and was to give me almost certain work +for the winter, would probably not be begun for some time, and the +land which Mr. Barnes had understood was along the railway in a +tolerably well-peopled district, turned out to be at the head of +Long Lake, eighty-four miles from Sussex, which is thirty miles from +Regina, not that those distances are anything great, but it meant, +in plain English, going and starting a farm 110 miles from the +nearest railway station, without a particle of knowledge or +experience. Still, we should have got the land for nothing; that +much was promised; and had I seen any chance amounting to five to +one that I should not have to spend my own money during the winter, +I should have gone, and, once well acquainted with the country, I +think we should have been able to live upon our land in some way +till I could trust myself to invest in a few implements. There must +be a fearful amount of gammon in the talk about this country +somewhere. I was told--in fact we were all told--that living in the +country was very cheap, and that living in Montreal was dear, but +according to Deacon it is just the reverse. He said he did not think +we could live in Regina, or thereabouts, supposing we got nothing to +do, under ten or twelve dollars a week, instead of five which we pay +here. I don't say that I believe it; someone must be in the wrong; +and until we can find out for ourselves it is impossible to say who +it is. It may just as well be Deacon as anyone else. Still, it would +have been unwise to go west so soon on pure speculation. The end of +it was the gentleman started away by himself, and Mr. Barnes said we +were quite right to stop where we were. He said, somehow or other, +he had managed to get a wrong impression of the whole affair. He has +since exerted himself a great deal in making enquiries in Henry's +behalf, and he gave me an introduction to a young fellow in the +Harbour Commissioner's office, which, however, did not prove of much +value. We have had to take our present diggings for another week, +not having been able to get finished up here in time. I do not want +to leave the place and leave any stone unturned, and there are +several people I can see yet. We see Roland Stanley nearly every +day, at a fish and game club where he introduced us, and which forms +a most convenient meeting place, &c. Like everyone else, he is very +good-natured, but his power of assisting us, so far, seems to lie +chiefly in his willingness to do so had he the power. He has given +over his farm to his son, and only kept his house and a few acres, +comprising his garden chiefly, so there is no chance of his taking +either of us. Holloway and Darwin are our two next best men; they +are both young, and both back us up most energetically. We are going +to spend the evening to-morrow with the Darwins, and on Sunday +evening we dine with the Holloways, which is a great improvement on +a crowded boarding-house. The latter is a partner in a well-to-do +hardware establishment, which means to say they import all sorts of +saws, chisels, axes, hammers, etc., from Sheffield; and the latter +is accountant in a bank here. He has got a mother and two sisters, +both possessing every claim to amiability. Holloway went with me on +Wednesday to the Grand Trunk Railway Works, and introduced me to +several people, and "boosted" me all he knew, but it was no go, they +sacked seventy-five men last month, and are going to do the same +again this month, things are "that" slack. Yesterday he took me down +to the Canadian Pacific Works, but the man we wanted was away, so we +are going again on Monday. There is also another man I am going to +see on Monday, who has a good-sized iron-foundry. I went down there +to-day, but he was out of town. Also I am going to see another +engineer to-morrow, so you see I am not done yet. I saw the son of +President Arthur, of the United States of America, this afternoon, +at the club, where he was detailing his sporting adventures, having +been away all summer in California and the Rockies, fishing and +shooting, which he seems to have done in a very luxurious manner, to +judge from his conversation. He talked about having engaged a Pulman +Hunting Car for his trip, &c., and, apropos of fishing, said he had +seen two natives netting salmon in some river or other, so he +"stopped the train" while he went to look on and try his hand at it. +By-the-bye, tell old Daddy that the pocket-book he gave me has +turned out the most useful thing in my possession, barring coin; in +fact, without it I should have been stumped, and had to buy one +before I left Liverpool. The little one you gave me would never have +held all the cards, letters, and business communications I have had +to cram into it. In fact, I verily believe its bulky proportions and +imposing air have obtained me an interview with many a big gun when +I should have been politely bowed out had I not produced it with the +sternness of a highwayman drawing his pistol, when I presented my +card. I must shut up or I shall lose the mail. Henry is writing also +by this post, but I wanted to tell you about the Howel introduction. +With best love to everybody all round, + +Believe me, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +60 Aylmer Street, +Montreal, P.Q., + +_Sept. 20th_, '84. + + +My Dear Pot, + +I daresay you would like to hear my opinions concerning the manners +and customs, _alias_ professional resources of this much talked of +country. When you told me that if I expected to drop in for an +appointment such as I would take in England after a fortnight's +search, I should be disappointed, you only predicted half the truth. +As far as I can see at present, it is equally a matter of difficulty +to obtain the sort of work upon which I was told on all hands it was +best to begin. I do not mean to say I have made a bad spec by coming +here, it would be much too soon for that even if I had been crumped +out of every shop I showed my nose in, which I have not by any +means, for I have met with more disinterested and sincere advice, +and have received more good-natured "boosting" in this country in an +hour than I found in the old country in a month. What I mean is, +that it seems rather harder, or at least quite as hard, to get work +of any sort, as a fitter, engine driver, or anything else _at once_. +I was told that for a sensible chap who would begin small, there was +lots of work to be had for the asking; in fact, that there was a +demand for what I may call professional labour, but that is a great +mistake. The works here, of every sort, are just as slack as they +are anywhere else, rather worse perhaps. I went to the Grand Trunk +and also the Canadian Pacific, but there was not the remotest +chance; they are cutting down everywhere, sacking men, clerks, and +draughtsmen hand-over-fist. The bosses were all good-natured, and +sometimes spoke to their subordinates themselves, to see, as they +said, if there was, or soon would, be, any vacancy, but there was +not; and in the face of any number of their old hands waiting to be +taken on again, there was small chance for a new comer. Of course +both the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific Railways have been +running for some time, and are nearly finished, so it is not likely +that they will be increasing their staff. The chances lie in the new +companies that will probably form, and in the new works that will +probably be opened, but this is a matter of waiting, not always +convenient. There is small doubt, I think, that by waiting and +worrying, some of these chances might be laid hold of, and that +properly used they might be turned to good account, for there must +certainly be lots to be done eventually, unless nine-tenths of the +country are going to stand still and remain undeveloped; but this is +not exactly what I expected. I thought that if a man represented +himself as an engineer, and said that he would go and work as a +navvy, fitter, or blacksmith, until the company found it would be +better worth their while to employ him higher up the ladder, he was +pretty certain of getting his request granted; but they say here +that is not so, they are not particularly in want of gentlemen of +any of the above persuasions anywhere about their line, and it won't +pay them to keep two men where they need keep but one. Thus, the +main point of difference between the two countries seems to me to be +that, here work is more or less on the increase, though to nothing +like the extent represented at home, and in England it is on the +decline. Even that is not quite right, for work here at present is +certainly getting slacker every day. There has been a great "boom" +on Canada lately as a field for labour, thousands and thousands of +people have come, and been sent out by Colonization Societies, etc., +and the consequence is, there are more people already than there is +work for, even in the agricultural line. Winnepeg, the much talked +of Capital of the West, is simply dilapidating, and as far west as +Regina living is high and wages low. I was told in friendliness, by +a chap called Deacon (I was introduced to him by his father-in-law), +who has an enormous tract of land by league with the Government, and +to whose interest it will be to colonize it as soon as possible, +that living in the latter place cost about $10 a week, just double +what we are paying here; and that he could get plenty of men glad to +do any work for him at $15 a month and their keep. All the towns +down the line are the same, every place (so I am told) is, so to +speak, staggered by the great and sudden influx of emigrants. Of +course, by those who have money enough to start a farm and have +sufficient experience to start it upon, there is always a +comfortable living to be made, so long as there is a good export +market for grain; but there is as much difficulty with the +experience question as with the financial, for the ordinary run of +emigrants, owing to the difficulty of getting on to a farm. These +difficulties, I believe, will continue until there is a cry in the +opposite direction, and Canada is voted a hoax. When people cease to +flock out here, because they are told they can earn $40 a month, +with their board, and when those who have already arrived get shaken +down into their places which will be opened for them by the natural +increase in the number of farms every year, the country will soon +revive, and with it the demand. When the people in England and +elsewhere having got Canada off the brain, it will not be overflowed +with people who come out to make fortunes, and at the end of six +months only wish they could make tracks. + +I have not written all this by way of complaint, or because I think +our own prospects look black, for they don't; thanks to some +powerful friends and good introductions. I think we are both pretty +sure of profitable work for the winter, which, of course, means also +after the winter; but, because my first impressions of the country +are different from what I expected them to be, and I wished for the +sake of afterwards comparing them with later experiences to put them +on record, and I put them in the form of a letter to you, because, +being a thinker on such Subjects, you may like to grin and note how +my surprises are what you would have expected. I don't know what the +people at home thought of my first letter; it must have dispelled +some illusions concerning the voyage out, which they seemed to have +thought we should like immensely, but we didn't, except at the +beginning and the end. The first letter we had from the Governor +said, "I suppose by this time you are just about losing sight of the +Irish coast, and beginning to meet the long swell of the Atlantic, +and wishing your voyage was to last forty days instead of ten." Such +a wish was far from my thoughts, and the dickens a bit of the Irish +coast we ever lost sight of, for we never saw it, passing it in the +dark and in thick weather, and, at the time we ought to have been +losing sight of it, we were tumbling about at the instigation of a +nor'-wester of moderate proportions; and we never felt the delights +of a long swell at all, the wind, blowing fairly hard the whole +time, shifted regularly every day from nor'-west in the morning to +west and sou'-west at night, and kept us jumping about like a pea on +a hot plate the whole time, which, with soaking decks and cold +weather, made it imperative to go below occasionally to get warmed, +dried, fed, and--sea-sick sometimes, when the weather and the st--ks +were worst. It was a good week before it occurred to me that I might +be able to get a light for my pipe under the lee of the hurricane +deck, especially if I borrowed a fusee for the purpose. However, I +was sorry when the run was over after all, and I had to commence +knocking about from pillar to post on shore. I am sure I must have +walked from twelve to fifteen miles to-day in job hunting alone, +having made six business applications at long distances apart. It +has been upon one occasion exactly the same as with the Indian +business. If you remember, they said, "had he been a civil engineer +we could have sent him out at once;" and I called on a chap here, a +C.E., called Bantry, who asked me if I knew anything about +surveying; I said I did, rejoicing inwardly at the vagueness of the +question, but he soon stopped generalizing, and asked had I ever +done any practical surveying--in fact, could I take charge of a +survey-staff, to go out west or elsewhere. I said I felt certain I +could do so, but to his direct question was obliged to admit that I +had never had any experience. He seemed sorry; he wanted someone to +take charge of a survey, but he said he could hardly employ me for +that purpose, seeing I had had no practice. I think, had I possessed +a theodolite, and all the other paraphanalia, I could have got him +to take me on trial, but of course it was no use spending a lot of +money on instruments that I might never want, just for the chance. +This is the only time I have come near getting a job yet. It was +riling to miss it, but I don't see how it could have been otherwise. +What would you have done? I am rather at a loss to know what to do +now. I seem to have pretty well dried up Montreal, and don't see +much use sticking here for another week, and yet the man whom I have +got to see at 9 a.m. to-morrow, may recommend me to half-a-dozen +different places, and those again may give rise to another +half-a-dozen. What's the use of writing it all down any way? I am +sitting on a very low chair at a very high table, consequently my +left arm feels as though it was restraining an apparent tendency on +the part of the table to set at nought the established laws of +gravity. How is the old Tadpole, the wily banker, the impecunious +toiler among heaps of gold? Tell him to prig a few thousand pound +notes, and wrap himself up in them all but his head, that will do +for the port light, and labelled "wrong side up, with care," and get +himself sent across here, then I shall have nothing to do but to +chaw baccy, and wait till he comes out of jail. Have you seen my +particular friend the "Dook" lately? How's he a-getting on? And +what's he doing? And what does he want to do? which is just the +difference between great expectations and little realities. +By-the-bye, did you ever hear of a single ladder bucket dredger for +a depth of thirty-five feet to dredge 1,200 tons an hour? The +buckets are 1 cwt. 7st. capacity, and travel up at the rate of 125 +feet per minute; the engines are vertical, and the connecting rods +go slick on to the pinions, on which is the friction arrangement, +instead of on the spur wheel. I got an introduction to some people +in the Harbour Commisioners, and the above details are all I got out +of them. + +Now, good-bye old chap, and good-bye to the port-light too. Don't +bother to answer this, unless you have got something to say: you are +sure to be busy, and I generally have my evenings pretty much to +myself. + +Your loving brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--I meant to post this in time for the English Mail on Saturday, +but found, on coming here, that the post is Thursday. We are now at +Eton Corner, where Henry has at last come to an anchor. Of course, I +had come down with him to see the chap, and make the financial +arrangements. I can't tell you anything about them yet, as we found +the chap in question had been suddenly called away, and would not be +back till to-night. Hardy is his name. (I've found some ink). We +went out to the farm this morning. It is said to be a very good one, +and the fellow is worth a good deal of money. I expect I'll have +time to tell you what arrangements I have made before I mail this. +Henry was delighted with the place, and was not at all disconcerted +by what they told him he would have to do. I think he will get on +well. There is no doubt that he understands clearly what is expected +of him, and that he means to do it. + +[Extra Supplement.] + +Sherbrooke, Monday.--Many thanks for your letter, which I have just +received; I also got one from Frank, and one from mother this +morning when I arrived here. I have just settled Henry's business, +and left him to his own resources at the farm. His address is, c/o +W. Hardy, Eton Corner, P.Q. Your letter and those from home were +almost the first reminders I had about my birthday. I just +remembered, about an hour before I got them that it was past and +over. You see I, in a manner, anticipated your wishes about letting +you know what I think of the country, though, on reading it over, I +don't really know whether I have talked a lot of rubbish or not. I +have given you a lot of semi-political cant, when what you want to +know is simply, how easy is it to make coin out here. Well, I think +the answer to that is pretty easy. If a man is not ambitious, and +would be content to be a common or garden farmer for the greater +part of his life, and have, say a $1000 a year to settle down on +when he gets old, why let him ask some to give him some land and +begin. Everyone says it's the jolliest life going, but then +"everyone" is a farmer, so their opinion is no more than consistent. +That is just about the state of the case at present. If a man is +ordinarily careful in the choice of his land and the situation +thereof, he has the best possible chance of making a comfortable +living, and if he has got an agricultural soul his life will +probably be a happy one. Concerning the preparatory training +necessary before buying a farm, I should say there was some bosh +written on the subject. Mind, I am only talking, I'm not giving +deeply-studied opinions, or anything of that sort. I know too +precious little about it. I've seen it stated constantly in books +and newspapers, that "_anybody_" can easily get ten dollars a month, +and their keep to begin upon. I say emphatically anybody can't. +Henry is to get nothing at all to start with, bar of course his +board and lodgings, etc. I don't say that I couldn't have done +better for him, but I don't think I could, not without spending a +lot of money in travelling about, and I made up my mind long ago to +take the first thing that offered both for him and for myself. I +have sent a short description of the people with whom he will have +to live, etc., to mother, and he will, no doubt, send a full account +of his commencement and first impressions. Just to give you an idea +of the eagerness with which he commenced his work, I may tell you +that he would not come down to the station this morning to see me +off, because "there was too much to be done." He had offered to +churn the butter for Mrs. Hardy, and the boss had to go to a +committee meeting of the annual fair, etc., etc. Well, it's a good +sign. I gave him all the tips I could think of, and all the advice, +and I believe he has begun his work with the firm resolve of making +himself valuable to old Hardy. Now I'm going to shut up, as I've got +to write to mother. Tell the old Coke I will write him a jaw +sometime. Much obliged to him for his letter. + +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +60, Aylmer Street, +Montreal, + +_Wednesday, 17th Sept._, '84. + +My Dear Mother, + +I must follow your example and write when there is nothing much that +can be said, not so much because there is nothing to say, as because +I have'nt time to say it. I suppose you have got our first letters +by this time. I wonder what sort of impression they made? I don't +remember what I put inside my own, except that I confessed to being +sea-sick, but it was due to the --inks in the cabin. One thing, +though, I did not tell you, namely, that when the time came I was +sorry to land, for towards the end I enjoyed it very much. My hat +arrived here with only a few dents in it. By-the-bye, talking of +things that arrived here, I don't know if either of us told you the +parcel and all your letters had come safe to hand (Thursday.) Here +we are suddenly in Sherbrooke again. Awful nuisance this cutting +about, but it can't be helped. It was no use Henry staying longer in +Montreal; its resources for him were fairly exhausted; and now is +the time for another shot at old Crabtree. We only arrived here this +evening, being obliged, by the inconvenient times at which the +trains run, to travel in the daytime. I shall have a lot to do +to-morrow, but, if possible, I will add something hereto before I +mail it. You will have to excuse bad writing, as it's a fearful bad +light, and not very early. I meant to read your letter over again, +and answer it as I went, but that will have to slide for the +present. I have seen dozens and dozens of people in Montreal lately, +and some good friends are also agitating there for me while I am +away. I am going to see Colonel Ibbotson to-morrow, and he is going +to try and get me in the Government Surveying business at Ottawa, so +I may have to go there very soon. I have left my card and address +with half the engineers in Canada, and all have promised to make +enquiries for me, and let me know if anything turns up. I have'nt +entered into minute details of what I have been doing, which people +I have seen, and what they have told me, etc., because I would much +sooner wait till I can write and tell you what has turned up. You'd +be thinking all sorts of direful things if I were to write by one +mail and say I was going to see the great so-and-so to-morrow, and +tell you how I had backed myself up with an array of mutual friends, +letters of introduction, etc., and then write by next mail to say +that it had all come to nothing; and yet that is what is constantly +happening; it must happen; of course I fortify my position as much +as possible for every application, but if a man has'nt got a vacancy +you can't expect him to make one. I have got eight or ten irons in +the fire here or in Montreal, and each of them will probably +generate other irons, frequently bigger and stronger than they are +themselves. + +By-the-bye, I don't know if I told you on the other side of this +page (that is the other one), that I had blued 50c. to go and have a +look at Lachine Rapids. I don't know whether I was disappointed or +not. I think the boats that go down are far too big; one does'nt get +a proper idea of the height of the waves and general _ruction_ of +the water. The steering was the best part of it. The water runs down +I should say in places at about twelve to fifteen miles an hour, and +the channel is sometimes not more than twenty or thirty yards wide +between the rocks, which I could'nt see till we were alongside of +them; and it twists and turns about a good deal. Altogether I did +not grudge the money. I must shut up now mother dear, for to-night. +You ought to have a capital M at least, seeing you are such a +capital Mother, but my eyes are sore, so we'll let it slide. Perhaps +I shall have to sign my name in pencil, if so you'll know I had'nt +time to write any more. + +Well, this arn't in pencil, and it arn't my name, it's ink, and such +ink! I believe it's made from charcoal. Everything here is made of +wood, even to the fire-irons and hearthstones. We are not where we +was. Different portions of this letter have been inscribed in +different places (small chance of your being able to read it if it had +not). It was begun in Montreal, continued in Sherbrooke, and I am now +writing at the Eastern Township Hotel, Eton Corner, near Birchton, +P.Q., which I have every reason to believe will be Henry's field of +action. I may hereafter be able to add for certain that he is settled, +and upon what terms. All I can say at present is that a certain farmer +named Hardy has consented to take him. I have not seen the man yet, he +was called away suddenly on some important business and could not let +me know in time to stop rife coming here to see him. I am told it's a +first-rate farm and the man is well off, which is security against +Henry suddenly being discharged owing to impecuniosity on the farmer's +part, a thing which seems to be of pretty frequent occurrence about +here, or, in fact, anywhere else. We went out to the farm this +morning, and saw the man's father, who lives with him; he is a very +decent old chap, but he is going away on Sunday for some time. Henry +liked the look of the place very much indeed. It is about sixteen +miles from Sherbrooke, and four-and-a-half from the station +(Birchton). The country is a good deal wilder than any we have seen +yet, though very pretty, nothing but wood all round, mostly pine, but +not large timber. The village is also a pretty little place, it looks +like a few houses--all wood--built in a field, with a road running +through the middle of them, a road that would be considered a disgrace +to any county in England, but which passes for a very fair one here. +By-the-bye, jack-boots are such an evident necessity here that I +advised Henry to get another pair before he left Sherbrooke, which he +did for $2 25c., or about nine shillings. Boots of every sort are much +cheaper here, though the boot-maker himself said they were not so +good; still they look to me to have a great deal of hard wear in them, +and there is a wonderful difference in the price. I don't think Henry +could have done without another pair, as they are by a long way the +safest and best things to wear in the winter. (Sunday morning.) I +have'nt been to church this morning, because it's three-and-a-half or +four miles away, and the roads (owing to heavy rains yesterday and +last night) are a mass of mud, and I have nothing but thin shoes. You +see I came down from Montreal expecting to be back again on Saturday +morning, and I can't get back now before Tuesday morning. I saw Hardy +last night, and slept at his farm with Henry. I think on the whole he +is well placed, for placed he certainly is. I made up my mind long ago +to close with the first chance that offered for him unless there was +some good moral or political reason against doing so. I can't see the +shadow of such a reason in this case. Hardy is a middle-aged, +intelligent-looking man, fairly cultured and educated, free and easy +in his manners, as everyone is here. From what I hear, I should say he +was inclined to be a little quick tempered, not a lot, not what you +would call a hot-tempered man by any means. I think it would take a +great deal to make him angry, but when he did become so, it would be a +flare up and out again like a bunch of tow. He seems a genial sort of +chap too, as he always says the best he can of everybody, and is +always ready for a laugh. He has the reputation of being fair and +upright in his dealings. When I talked to him about wages he said he +certainly could'nt give Henry anything to start with during the time +that is left for outside work before the winter; he would require too +much explanation, and be too raw at his work to be of any value beyond +his keep, and during the cold weather there was practically nothing to +do but cut wood and attend the cattle. I find that even a skilled hand +can seldom get more than $10 a month with his keep at winter work +_unless he engages for one or more years_. I think it's quite fair, +when you consider that he has engaged Henry just when there is very +little to be done, and he has no security that he (Henry) won't leave +him when the spring comes, or perhaps before it. Of course, he +probably won't do so, but you can't expect the man to count upon that. +Thus the _probability_ is that Henry will get only his board and +lodging during the greater part of the winter; or, to use the man's +own words, "I'll do the best I can; if I find he's worth more I'll +give it him, anyway he's sure of something in the spring." I like the +farmer's wife very much, she must have been very pretty once, though +of course, most of it has worn off now. She is very quiet, and very +good tempered looking, and I think she will take a fancy to Henry. +They have got one child, a girl of about eight or nine, who it will +probably be Henry's duty to drive in school every morning. I think +this settles the family. Henry will no doubt give you a lengthy +description of the house, so I will refrain from expatiating on its +merits. He will have a room to himself, which, in my opinion, is +sufficient reason for clinching the bargain. You were wanting to know +about the prices of things here as compared with the old country, as I +have already begun to call it. Some son-of-a-gun has been playing the +fool with my pen, and all the ink this place can raise is a +concentrated solution in the bottom of a stone bottle. Well, I think I +have told you all that I know at present, though I can't be sure. You +see I have to write at odd times, and in odd places, and so I very +often forget what I have said or have not said. Railway travelling is +certainly dearer for short distances, but undoubtedly cheaper for long +ones; that is, the tickets are issued at a reduced mileage, but it +does not seem cheaper, and if time is money it is certainly not so. I +don't know anything about a three or four day's journey. The return +fare from Montreal to Sherbrooke, 102 miles, first-class, is $5 60c. +It is impossible for anyone but a hardened smoker, and one who can +throw comfort to the winds, to travel anything but first-class, at +least, that is the result of my experience so far. I don't know enough +about it to give any reliable opinion on the merits of Canadian +Railways at present. The clothing required in towns seems decidedly +dearer than it is in England. What may be called the specialities of +the country, such as overall working suits, jack-boots, etc., are +cheaper. I can't say anything about living yet, $5 50c. clears all +shoals, washing included, in Montreal, and 6 or 7 would do the same in +most country hotels, though I am not sure that they are hotels which +you could go to. I have just remembered that last Friday was my +birthday. How old am I--twenty-four or twenty-five? Just tell me next +time you write, for I really don't know. I think it must be +twenty-four. I can't be a quarter of a century old yet, surely. + +What early birds the people are here. It is just half-past nine and +all lights have been out for some time, and everyone in the hotel is +asleep. I've got to catch the train pretty early to-morrow, so I'll +e'en do likewise. I'll only put J. S. C. here as I'm sure to have +something more to say when I get to Montreal. + +Sherbrooke, Monday.--Have just received your letters. These were +waiting for me here; also one from Frank. Many thanks for the lot. +They were very nearly the first reminders I had about my birthday, +but I just managed to remember it the night before I got them. Well, +Mother, I am very sorry to hear that you are anxious about us, +though I suppose you can't help it. I told you not to be before I +went away, but I knew you'd go and do it again as soon as my back +was turned. There's precious little to be anxious about I can tell +you. Henry is fixed and settled, and I am in a very fair way to be +so. That does'nt mean that I _hope_ I shall be settled soon. More +than that. I am beginning to arrive at more definite results as to +my enquiries, etc. Then as to our being sick or in sorrow, you may +also make yourself as comfortable as circumstances will permit; +neither of us, I think, were ever in better health or more in +earnest in the business of life. And concerning the "blues" or +"sorrow" contingency, why I never whistled so long or so loud +before. That's because there are not so many people to talk to, and +none that object to music. There's no girls either to talk to. We +don't know a single one in the country. Hard luck, isn't it? Now, +about the weather--cheerful subject (it's raining like mad). So far +it has displayed just as much inconstancy as is usually met with in +England. The first night we spent here was cold, the next day was +hot, and the next day hotter still, and then it remained so for +about a fortnight. Now it has cooled down again, and is pretty +changeable. It seems to me so far the main difference between this +climate and the English one is the difference between the mean +temperatures of summer and winter. In Devonshire I should say the +average mean difference between summer and winter is about 40 deg., and +in Sherbrooke it's probably more like 100 deg. In both countries sudden +changes and rises or falls are common. In this country it will fall +from, in summer, say from 90 deg. to 60 deg., and in England it will fall +from 70 deg. to 40 deg. It therefore stands to reason that this climate +must be the most healthy, if people do not mind the heat, for +anybody, no matter how thinly clothed, can always, with a little +exercise, keep themselves healthily warm with the thermometer at +60 deg., but it is by no means always easy to prevent getting cold when +it falls suddenly as low as 40 deg. In winter, I am told, it will +frequently fall from 0 deg. to 40 deg. below; but then the winter here is +such a recognised institution that everyone is prepared for such +freaks. The healthy appearance of the kids in the country round +about here would make you feel pretty happy about the "Grub," I +think. I have seen some half his age who would make three of him at +least. + +I should like to know what is inside the castles that you build in +connection with my "nice acquaintance of the steamer." We didn't +make any friends who asked us to stay with them, or anything of that +sort. The number of saloon passengers was very limited, and those +from whom I would have accepted invitations were more limited still. +Dr. Marsh, the only one who took the trouble to help or advise us at +all when we got on shore, and who is a very nice chap, gave us his +address, and made us promise to hunt him up if ever we came out +west, and told us if we wanted to know anything about that part of +the country to write to him, and he would make all the enquiries, +etc., in his power; which I shall certainly do towards next spring. +It's no good writing now; the correspondence would die out and leave +nothing definitely settled behind it. Now I think I'm finished up +with Sherbrooke. I leave for Montreal to-night, by the 1.35 train. I +hope there may be half-a-dozen appointments waiting for me. I have +told you elsewhere why I do not write detailed accounts of the +people I have seen or have yet to see, the chances of securing +such-and-such a job, etc., etc. I have neither the time nor the +ability to give you a clear and concise idea of the value and weight +of each introduction, and to what it may probably lead. Besides, if +I did, you would naturally want to know how each of them had ended, +and I should have to send by each mail a long list of places where I +had NOT got work--a glum kind of letter for both sides. Suffice it +that my prospects are good, and that all my friends express their +unqualified approbation of the courses I have adopted to attain my +ends. _Montreal, old address_. There is nothing much that I can add. +I did not travel last night because the trains had been changed, and +I should have had to wait two or three hours at a wretched little +hole in the small hours of the morning. I therefore slept the night +in Sherbrooke, and got here by a train arriving at noon. Having fed +and got my baggage stowed away, I hunted up my two principal +backers, at least I hunted for them but was unsuccessful, so I can't +tell you anything about what's been done for me during my absence. I +believe I've got rather more baggage than Henry. When we split it +up it was found that I needed both portmanteaus and the Canadian +box as well, that I now have a fearful lot of packages to lug about, +including my gun and rifle. The rifle reminds me of old Daddy. How's +he getting on? Making big strides, I hope? He'll need all he can +make when I come to see him. I seem to be always ready for a guzzle +now. I wish you could have had the journey I did this morning; I am +sure you would have enjoyed it, though the train had suddenly +developed amphibious proclivities whilst going over a bridge. What +one hears of the "autumn tints" here is rather the reverse of +exaggerated. Nearly the whole way from Sherbrooke to Montreal is +through woods, and they are all a blaze of red in every shade, from +the brightest fieriest crimson to a dark purple, that is, all except +those which are green or yellow. The mixture is much prettier than +all one colour would be, and by contrast with the dark +scraggy-looking pines, it does not look the least gaudy. Well, I'm +going to shut up and do some reading. So good bye for the present, +and best love to everyone under the sun when it shines in Dawlish. + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +Mailed Friday, 27th. + + + + +Ottawa, + +_October 2nd_, 1884. + + +My Dear Mother, + +I can't lose this mail after having taken so long about my last +letter. But it will scarcely be more than How d'you do? How are you? +I'm all right! Well, that's better than nothing, anyhow. I have, as +you see, again changed my location, whether advantageously or +otherwise I cannot as yet say. But this Capital of Canada is a +miserable little place. The railway station is very little better +than a shed in a field, and the road from there to the town--oh, +"golly!"--a train off the rails is nothing to it. I came up in the +hotel 'bus, and though I tried all I knew to sit firm and not let +daylight be seen betwixt me and my saddle, I was jumped about like a +dancing-master, and I hammered those cushions till I thought of +claiming a week's pay from the hotel for beating the dust out of +them. However, I did'nt; so I am still here. There is one good thing +I have done in coming here, I have reached the head and source of +the immigration question. I can get an unprejudiced opinion as to +the very best spots in the place--that is, settling spots--and also +various items of information which all tend, more or less, to the +endorsement of this moral: Let no professional men, of any sort, +come out here. I used to think there must be lots of openings for +engineers, doctors, etc., in the small towns that were almost daily +springing up along the line, but that is not so. Of course there is +now and then a chance, say for a doctor to start in some place where +eighty or a hundred people have congregated together, and if he can +live on his own pills till another couple of oughts are added to the +figure, he may get a good practice. But then he may not, because +somebody else may get it instead. The fact of the matter is, and I +have high government officials for my authority, that, owing to the +educational mania, which is every whit as rampant here as it is in +England, this country produces annually a number of professional +men, of every class, far in excess of the demand. The illiterate +settler makes his money pretty easy, and then, being impressed with +the "free country" rubbish that is talked here, he decides that his +sons shall not be farm labourers, they shall be gentlemen. "Why the +blazes shouldn't 'Bob' be just as good a doctor or lawyer as anyone +else?" So to school and to college they go, and having been made +gentlemen of, they lounge about the towns, filling the bars and the +billiard-rooms, and smoking themselves green while waiting for a +breeze. Why, in this wretched little place, of about 20 to 25,000 +inhabitants, there are thirty lawyers and twenty-five doctors in the +directory, and all these have one or more satelites. Well, this is +all very dry. + +The weather is getting colder every day, and the shop windows are +getting full of snow-shoes, mocassins, etc. I hear very different +stories about the winter. Some people say it is so cold that the +rain freezes into icicles as it comes down from the clouds, and so +forms pillars which you can climb up and skate about overhead. And +others say it's so jolly mild in the coldest weather that you've +only got to put a little snow in the fire and it will soon melt. + +I must shut up now, as I've got an appointment to meet the Minister +of the Interior and several other swagger gentlemen. + +Best love to everybody. Remember me all round. + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--I open this again to tell you that I am fixed here, for the +present at anyrate. I have got a job in a patent solicitor's office, +as draughtsman. Salary is scarcely fixed yet, but will probably be +seven or eight dollars a-week to begin upon, increasing to about +twelve. It may be permanent or it may not, but I have something else +to fall back upon. + +Address 202, Bank Street, Ottawa. + +The job I have to fall back upon is with a blacksmith, at Eton +Corner. I should at first get only board, but probably more +afterwards. + + + + +Ottawa, + +_October 6th_, '84. + + +My Dear "Frunck," + +I have no doubt you think me a blackguard, to put it mildly, for +taking such a month of Sundays to answer your letter; Of course I +thought to myself as soon as I had finished it: Dash it! here goes. +I'll write him a "jaw." But "dash it" here didn't go. I wrote to +mother instead, and when I had finished that one I was so tired of +scribbling that I "smucked a cegar" and turned in. I was then +staying for the night at the Sherbrooke Hotel, on my way to +Montreal, after having stuck Henry in the mud, which is the polite +way of saying that I left him rapidly taking root in the soil of the +new country. I haven't heard from him since we parted, partly, I +have no doubt, because I have been knocking about so much that all +my letters have missed me. In fact, I haven't heard from a soul for +more than a fortnight. However, I am stationary at last, for a time +anyway. I have got a job as senior draughtsman in a patent +solicitor's office (don't tell anybody, but my only junior is a boy +with a face more astute in angles than in expression). It is a rum +sort of work that I have to do--mostly making drawings from models +in perspective; not too easy, especially as the drawings have to be +finished off "up to Dick," or they are not accepted at the Patent +Office. But there's not much in it after all. No designing, no +calculations, and in a great many instances no real scale even. In +fact, so long as the drawing is done quickly and immaculately got +up, it does not matter a rap whether a man is as big as a monkey or +not, so long as they are both good-looking. You see the main object +is to make the principle of the invention clear at a glance in one +view, that is why they generally are perspective. I have only been +at it a day and a half, so I can't tell you much about either the +boss or the work yet, but I think we shall get on very well +together. Hartley is his name, and this much is tolerably certain +concerning him, he is a rising man, his business is increasing, and, +as I said before, I am his senior draughtsman, therefore should he +"hum," I shall endeavour to hum too. Tell old Major that I can +whistle as loud and as long as I like, and that I can smoke all day +if I please. But I don't please; that's just the rummy part of it. +Now in Hawk's shanty they don't like whistling, and for the life of +me I couldn't keep quiet there. Also they object to the fumes of +tobacco, therefore they missed many a half hour of my time, which +was spent in sacrificing to the king of weeds. Here, in a free +country, I can do as I please, and yet, for some reason or another, +I don't do it. The office is on the fourth flat of the Victoria +Chambers--good height up you see. My lamp is going out--must shut up +for to-night.... Well, + +I've just come down again from up a height, as they say in your part +of the world. I finished my first drawing to-day, was highly +commended, and gave it my junior to trace. My second job is a patent +saw-sharpening affair for circular saws. They want half-a-dozen +different plane views, and a perspective arrangement, to be worked +up from a few rough tracings, a rougher specification, and a +photograph with a man in it--the patentee, I believe--so if I +flatter him in the matter of unlikeness he is bound to be well +pleased. I don't know yet, though, if he has to go in or not. The +Patent Office is bound to keep a record, in pictures or models, of +the results of mens' brains, whether eccentric or otherwise, but not +of the general appearance of their possessors. More's the pity, I +think; for from what I have seen of the models in the Patent Office, +they would furnish specimens for the phrenological study of mental +imbecility for generations to come. I only had time just to run +through the model rooms, but here is the idea of a patent which +tickled me immensely. It was simply a lot of wooden geese fastened +at the end of long sticks all over and around a boat. They were +grouped together in most picturesque confusion, some standing on +their heads and some on their tails, and some, _I believe_, supposed +to be flying. The idea was that when real live geese saw this affair +like a mad Noah's ark on the water, they would recognise their +brethren and come flocking along to be shot by the other goose +inside with the gun. Perhaps being geese they would do just that, +but then what depravity on the part of the warlike one thus to take +advantage of the eccentricities of his fellows. I have never seen +the affair used. It does not seem to have made great progress in the +good opinion of the public. Perhaps, after all, the bloodthirsty +quacker, who offers to the irreverant eye this melancholy evidence +of insanity, had a cynically low opinion of his kind, causing him to +believe that geese were geese enough to be deceived by him, the +greatest goose of the lot. I must shut up, or I shall do something +flighty. I wish you'd come and punch my head, or do something of +that sort. Here have I been working all day, and now I'm writing all +night, or at least I've just written it. There's a fellow here feels +like punching somebody, but you see he's all alone, and he knows how +I might hurt himself. Besides, he's writing to my dear brother, so +he does not want to stop me, or else you know he'd never get the +letter. You understand, don't you? Of course you do. It's as clear +as mud. I'm writing with somebody else's ink, that's all. Between +you and me (there's plenty of room, old boy; chuck your elbows out, +and sp--t where you please), that's why he writes such rubbish. I'm +going to write now. You'll see the difference at once when I begin. +The room I now occupy as I pen these lines, belongs to the ancient +style of architecture known as the Five-dollar Boarding-house +Rectangular (he can't afford to go on writing like that, it's too +expensive). Excuse me, my dear sir, I must crave your permission to +condense slightly the style of my caligraphy. Her Majesty's +Postmaster has a prejudice against the carrying of letters which +exceed one ton in weight. I was, I believe, describing the beauties +of my apartment. To proceed at once to details, there is a +stove-pipe that comes in at the wall and goes out at the ceiling, a +peculiarity by no means uncommon in edifices of the before-mentioned +class--the object of the design being the economical warming of the +whole structure by means of one stove, generally of the +severely-dilapidated style. There is also, on the opposite side of +the room, an antique sofa, celebrated for having been too forcibly +sat upon, probably by some athletic hero on his return from victory. +However that may be, the sofa remains to this day tabooed to mortal +forms, though the present owner has informed me that "It reely is +goin' to be fixed up all noo like, when I gets a few more boarders." +From the mixed dialect observable in the form of which intimation I +gather that the original language of the aborigines is not +altogether lost to their posterity. There are also various other +specimens of that style of furniture, which is generally admitted to +be contemporary with the peculiar type of architecture of which I +write, but I am debarred by lack of space from giving them a full +description, or mentioning the legends connected with each. The +beautifully-carved cornices, of the sheep-skin and bees'-wax order, +the elaborate mural--. Oh, gammon! Many happy returns of the +twenty-sixth of last month to you, old boy. I quite forgot my own +birthday, so it could hardly be expected that I should remember +yours. People often do what they're not expected to, however, and I +did remember your birthday--after it was all over that is to say. I +remembered that yours was on the twenty-sixth by talking to somebody +about something or other that was going to happen somewhere about +that date, and then of course it came into my head that I had passed +mine over without observing the feast. Pot said in a letter he wrote +to me, that he hoped my birthday might be the day on which I should +hear of some good job, or do something which should turn out to be a +stroke of good fortune. Curiously enough, it was on the nineteenth +that I learned that a good opening had occurred for Henry, and that +if I liked to take a rather rough fanning job, I could get myself +stuck likewise. That part of the offer I did not accept, and I think +by what has since happened, that my refusal was judgematical. +Moreover, the very next day I heard of a more congenial matter in +the hammer-and-tongs department of my august profession. A village +blacksmith, a horny-handed son of toil, generously offered to feed +and lodge me for as long as I liked to stop, in return for my +services in his forge. The offer was the more magnanimous in that he +was not in any particular need of assistance, but was willing to +stretch a point (a proceeding that would stump Professor Euclid, by +the way,) considering that I was in particular need of a job. No +doubt, like all Yankees, he had an eye on the dollars' question, and +argued, with most praiseworthy perception, that being an engineer +and one who by his own representation had seen a good deal of forge +work, I might prove a very lucrative spec. But then he promised that +if he found that through my agency the money came in faster than it +did before, he would give me my fair share of the profits so +accruing. So I says to him says I, "See here, stranger, if I don't +get into a hole between now and this day fortnight, you'll see me +again. So leave the door open, will you?" He promised to do just +that; and, in fact, he said that I could come and start right away +whenever I pleased. So if this present exalted position of mine +should fail me--for, as I said before, it may only be a temporary +affair--why, slick I shall go away down to my particular friend the +village blacksmith. Well, I must wind up; it's getting late. If ever +you should be goaded by an uneasy conscience into writing me another +letter, just let me know what is going on "on the banks of the coaly +Tyne." Who is anybody, and where is he, etc. How is Bill Hawes, and +give him my love for himself and family. Remember me especially to +M. Moorshead, Esq. Tell him he missed a treat when I went away +without standing him a drink; it was the bitter(less)est! day of his +life. Is Edison still at the redoubtable No. 14? Reach your toe out +and kick him if he is, and tell him I don't love him. By-the-bye, +how's the canoe getting on? Is it finished? Has anybody been +drowned? If so, how many? And did I owe them anything? There's no +chance of its being the other way on. If you see any of the old club +fellows knocking about, tell them they can expect a lock of my hair +on receipt of P.O.O. for one dollar. In fact say boo to every goose +you meet. + +Your loving Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +Present Address: +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, P.O., +Canada. + +_October 10th_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I have only two hours from now till when the mail closes, so I must +make the best of my time. I have not called upon Mrs. Howel, because +I could not get at them. It was not worth while making a pretty long +journey just to deliver one introduction, and I believe someone told +me they were not in Montreal. By-the-bye, talking of people whom I +did not see, I must tell you that I also missed Cousin Maynard. He +had gone away somewhere, and left no address that I could hear of, +either at the offices of the British Association or elsewhere. I was +very sorry not to have seen him, but it could not be helped. You say +that Henry told you I was seedy. I think he must have been suffering +under the same delusion as he was that day he came home from a +yachting cruise, and said that "everybody had been awfully +sea-sick," meaning that he himself had been the principal sufferer. +I don't mean that he has been particularly seedy either, certainly +nothing beyond an unmentionable ache. We were both a little bit +churned up for a day or two, and I believe it was owing to +ice-cream. In the hot weather it was most tempting, and they give +you a great plateful for 10 cents., none of the rascally little +thimblefulls you get in England for twice that amount. But you can +make yourself perfectly easy, we are both so far as I know, +perfectly well, not even a mentionable ache, and I tell you +candidly, though I am afraid it is a dreadful confession, I have'nt +felt wretched by any means since I left home. Poor old Daddy! I'm +sorry he was bothered about such a trivial thing as a marriage +settlement; perhaps it is that he wants twopence-halfpenny to square +his accounts. Pump him, will you, and if it should be this that's +preying on his mind, you may tell him he can draw on me for the +amount, and I'll toss him double or quits when I come home. I +suppose he's pretty nearly spliced by this time. Concerning the +passage in my letter which seems to have puzzled you; it seems clear +enough to me, naturally it would, but that don't count. To the best +of my recollection I was writing from Aylmer Street, and I think I +said as much in my letter, if so, here is the explanation of the +obscurity. "I think with the _prospect_ of his (Henry's) being +shortly settled _there_ (Crabtree's), you might write, etc., if we +are not _here_ (the diggings) they can forward the letter." I can't +see the muddiness "if we are not here," means in other words "if we +should have gone away (of course it does), before your answer +arrives," and "they can forward the letter," means naturally that +the people we have left behind can send after us. If I had meant +Crabtree to forward the letter, I must have said "if we are not +_there_." Of course, if I did not tell you that I was writing from +Aylmer Street, I was a great coon, and that would explain the need +of explanation. Well, I suppose you know Henry's true and permanent +address by this time, so his letters are all right. But what would +have been the use of sending one to Crabtree, we should have been +more likely to leave our address at our diggings any way, and there +was only a _prospect_ of his going to C.'s. Should his letter have +gone there, however, he will no doubt get it in the end, though it +will probably be a very long end. We didn't leave our address with +him because he said he would let his friend Kemp (who introduced us) +know what decision he arrived at, and he (Kemp) would write to us; +for all we knew the old chap himself could'nt write his own name. +Poor old fossil! If you send him a note you'll make him scratch all +his hair off, and he has'nt got much. I would'nt send any of my +letters to Mrs. Hall if I were you, you don't know how she is off +for thatch, and it will take a power of thinking for any old lady +unacquainted with Algebra to find out an unknown quantity. You might +address them now to the Post Office, Ottawa, P.O. If I should go +elsewhere I will leave instructions at the P.O. to forward my +letters. + +This is a truly dreadful scrawl, but never mind, quantity wins the +day, quality nowhere. You see I am taking the subjects of your letter +and answering them as I go along. So far from having had to dip into +my money for Henry, I left him with fifty odd clear dollars in his +pocket; this came from his second L10. He had pretty near come to the +end of the ten he had in his belt when he started, when he got the +job. I had already come to the end of mine--extraordinary, was'nt +it?--and now I have got at this present moment $459 75c.; quite a +fortune, is'nt it? I'm sorry I have'nt time to write you a longer +letter my dearest mamma, but those nasty wicked people at the Post +Office said they would not stop that big ship for a day or two on any +account. This is such a beast of a pen. I would put it in the envelope +and send it to you if I did not think it would find its way out before +it reached you, just to show you what an immoderate amount of patience +I have got. I've tried to cross all these t's half-a-dozen times, and +pretty vigorously too. It must be awful good paper to withstand the +amount of friction necessary. Now I've pretty well filled up the +sheet. That's all I've been trying to do lately as you can no doubt +see. + +With best love to all friends, relations, and acquaintances, believe +me, + +Ever your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 15th_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I have just received your letter, dated the--wait a minute till I +look--the 17th Sept. Long while ago, isn't it? Do you remember what +you wrote about? I never do; and it seems most extraordinary in +reading your letters referring to ones I have written about a month +ago, that though I know you are answering them, I don't understand +what you are talking about the least in the world. I don't want to +discourage you, you know. Your letters are rather enhanced in value +by their riddle-like quotations. They make me wonder what on earth I +can have been writing about. I do not even remember, unless you tell +me, whether they were long or short; and, except for my +consciousness of never having written in a strain of trifling or +levity, or otherwise than in a manner calculated to elevate and +improve the minds of everyone but my hearers, I should be almost led +to think I had been guilty of excesses in the way of toast-water or +gruel previous to writing them (tea-totaller you see). Put it to +yourself now. Wouldn't you feel riled if somebody said, in a long +commendatory sort of letter to yourself, that your description of so +and so was very funny? or that somebody else laughed very much at +your whole letter, when you felt certain that the letter in question +must have been a well thought out essay on the subject. "Did +Socrates ever stand on his head? and if so, upon which end of him +did it grow?" Wouldn't it be matter for despair to feed his +remorseless eye teeth upon, to find that the highest flights of your +intellect were capable only of a jocular interpretation? But I feel +certain there must be a mistake somewhere. As I said before, I am +fortified with the comfortable assurance of the integrity of my +heart in wishing to write only what will feed the hungry mind. +By-the-bye, if Socrates ever did stand on the upside down end, he +had excellent authority in justification of his action, for Pot, the +Patentee, has been known to do likewise. I've only had two pipes +to-day, mother; or three, is it--I forget; call it two. Justice, +tempered with mercy, &c., which means that I'll have another now. +That's the thing for ideas! Oh, certainly. Picture to yourself an +editor writing like mad. He indulges in a pipe to soothe his rampant +brain, and while lighting it he leans back for a complacent yawn. +When he gets up again, his dominant idea is that the back of his +chair must have been suffering from a diseased spine. Isn't that a +striking picture? The earth hitting a poor man on the back of his +head, eh? Well, it's quite a true one, and the incidents it portrays +are also of recent occurrence. The weary editor represents me; the +earth represents--hooray--a feather bed, which heroically interposes +its devoted body between me and the belligerent planet. Every detail +you can con (I don't know how to spell conjure) up will represent +the scene true to the life in everything save the attitude and +gestures of the falling literary warrior. Nothing you could imagine +would adequately portray the elegance--the dignity of my descent. +Daddy was, I believe, the fortunate witness of my native grace of +movement under similar trying circumstances. I allude to an incident +which occurred during a small festive gathering held in our Denmark +Street domain, on the occasion of his last visit to Gateshead. None +of the furniture, I am happy to say, suffered very severely during +the encounter. The table, under which my booted feet were disposed +happened somehow to have a rather violent oscillation imparted to +it, disarranging direfully what was already in direful disarray. The +lamp, standing alone in the midst of confusion, suffered a partial +eclipse; and my favourite Dublin meerschaum successfully resisted +the dilapidating effect of a fall of several feet. So much for +_tableaux vivants_ in real life. Now I will just see if there is +anything in your letter requiring an answer. First and foremost, I +am very much obliged to the Miss Bruces for their kind message, to +which please return them for answer a like message from me. As to +Kemp I don't think you need be at all uneasy concerning him. Even +supposing he had any "foul plots" with regard to either of us, he is +done with now; but I am perfectly certain he conspired only to our +benefit. It is due entirely to him that a place was found for Henry, +while we were galivanting about in Montreal, and I firmly believe a +good place too; better any way, as far as I can see, than old +Crabtree, who was a baccy chewing old son of a sea-cook. + +All I have ever heard against Hardy is that he is not a man to pay +ten dollars for what is only worth five--which means in point of +fact that Henry will not get very big wages. Still he gets his +keep--and good keep too, as I can testify--and will soon get +something else besides; and meantime he is in a clean house, among a +fairly civilized and certainly good-natured set of people, and with +a very comfortable room to himself. When he is two or three years +older, he will be able to see his own interests clearly, and to know +his own worth, and then if he could benefit himself by a change, let +him do so. Henry is at present very young for his years, and has a +good many ways and ideas which time will moderate. On an old fossil +like Crabtree these youthful vagaries would jar continually, that +is, I think, they might; while on Hardy they had just the opposite +effect. He seemed to be a good deal amused with Henry--not at all +satirically. He seemed to think he was rather good company, and his +laugh is so peculiar that he has only to show an incipient +inclination to grin, and Henry is ready to join him at once. I had a +sort of message from him (Henry) to-day. Your letter was sent to +Eton Corner, and Henry sent it on to me enclosed in a note, to the +effect that he liked the work immensely, and would write on Sunday. +Just received two more letters from you. I was awfully sorry to hear +about poor Uncle James. My god-father, wasn't he? Poor fellow! He +was always honour itself, and would spend his last dollar in paying +a lawyer to give his property to somebody else if he thought it +belonged to them, in moral justice. Well, I am very sorry to hear +about it, and that's about all I can say. I never saw very much of +him; but what I have seen was nothing but what was good--generosity, +kindness, honour, and a certain grim good-nature--all his own. + +I know I missed a mail in writing to you, but I could not help it. +It was the time I went to Eton Corner with Henry, and not being at +all aware of the posting difficulties connected with these out +of-the-way places, I found when I got there that it took almost as +long for a letter to get from Eton Corner to Quebec as from Quebec +half-way across the Atlantic. I was knocking about from pillar to +post there, and I had to write when and where I could; but I will +not miss-fire again if I can help it. Talking about missing fire +reminds me that it's all gammon about not being allowed to carry +cartridges or combustibles on board a steamer, or on board the +"Montreal" any way. Nobody took the trouble to find out even if we +had any infernal machines in our bags or not, and everybody carried +matches--ship's officers and all--generally wax ones. From not being +supplied with these necessaries, I was constantly having to "cadge" +a light for my pipe from somebody else, for as I believe I told you +I was not always too bad to smoke. In fact, I believe it was due to +the sneaking way in which I knocked the ashes out of my Friday +morning pipe, that I got seedy at all. You see--well, never mind, we +won't talk any more blarney in this letter, out of respect to the +memory of poor Uncle James. I can't help remarking though, that you +are just a wee peckle Irish in your lamentations concerning my +remissness in writing. You say in a letter to me, "There is no note +from you this week, except one from Henry." In view of what you say +about the Howels and Audleys I think I shall write to them both.--To +Mrs. Howel, to explain why I didn't call when I was in Montreal, and +to Mrs. Audley, to thank her for the introduction I never received; +and besides, I may just as well let them know where I am. I don't +think it costs Allen anything to forward my letters. They always +come with only the English stamp on them, and his address scratched +out and mine put on, generally with the word "re-directed" written +above. It's only fair after all. You pay the Post Office to send the +letters to where I am, not to where I was. I must shut up now. It's +time to turn in, though I expect I'll have time to add something +besides my signature before I mail this to-morrow. Friday night.--I +have only got a very little time before post, and only a very little +to say. I don't know if I have fairly answered all the subjects in +your letter that I wish to speak about, and I haven't time to read +it over again. However, I suppose you get a letter pretty well every +week by the time this comes to hand. The weather here is every bit +as changeable as it ever was in Dawlish. Sometimes I have felt it +decidedly chilly, even with my great-coat on; and at others it's +warm enough to cruise about a la dook, without a great coat and "all +flying."' The woods away over the other side of the river look +something like the colour of an exaggerated orange. In fact, the +country just now is pretty, to say the least of it. I don't think I +have ever told you what this part of it is like, but I will reserve +that subject for a future effort. By-the-bye, who won the tournament +at Dawlish? You see I left just in the thick of it, so it naturally +interests me, though of course it is quite an affair of the past +with you. Did Ethel Beaumont win anything? Remember me to her as +warmly as Charlie Wrottesley would permit, also to Mrs. B----. +By-the-bye again, I told Daddy I was going to send him a present. So +I am. It's coming; but it has'nt gone yet. There is a difficulty +concerning the packing for such a long postage journey. Don't be +alarmed on the score of my extravagance--there's no ground for it I +assure you. I would tell you what the damage was; for I don't +believe in keeping the cost of presents a secret. But the truth is, +I don't exactly remember it. I think it was something over two, and +under three, dollars, for the lot. The brooch is of course for +Muriel, with my love. I suppose I may say that--shan't scratch it +out anyway. Why, I haven't told you what the brooch is. Time's +short; but it's a pair of snow shoes, crossed with a little affair +at the top. I got them because they are characteristic of the +country they come from, and I knew you would like to see them both +dressed alike, though of course there will be something else +besides. Love to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +F. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, P.O. + +_October 17th_, '84. + +"Bold Old Daddy," + +Mercurial Retailer of Caustic and Squills, +Leaches and Rhubarb and Camomile Pills. + +Take a run and jump at yourself, and see if you can't hit upon the +answer to that riddle. + +This small satire is intended to counteract any embarrassing amount +of gratitude you may happen to feel for the small present I send +herewith to charming Mrs. Lestock Cockburn, that is to be, or that +is already, for aught I know to the contrary. The scarf-pin is for +yourself; you have got a much better one I know, but not such a +pretty one. I hesitated a long time whether to send it to you or to +Frank; he having indulged in a birthday some time back, but I +argued, with my customary logical powers, that birthdays were, as a +rule, of more frequent occurrence in the life of man than weddings, +and having fairly gotten the best of the controversy, my opponent +being nowhere, I have acted up to my convictions in sending you a +miniature pair of _snow_-shoes as a testimony of my _warm_ +affection. (Horrible, ain't it?) Well, never mind. How goes the +money-grubbing business in your department. Good word that. I got it +in my dealings with the Government of these parts. What do you +think? A man had the cheek to-day to ask me if I wanted any money! +me, who's got four hundred and fifty dollars somewhere, and fifty +cents, in his pocket besides; think of that you old Camomile Pill, +and hold a bucket to your mouth to catch the water. That man, Sir, +was my esteemed employer, A. Hartley, Esquire, who solicits patents, +and gets a good many of them too, and I told that man "no," as +became a gentleman of my own independent means, emphatically "no." +Ahem! not just at present. Ha, ha, says I to myself, says I, I laugh +in my sleeve, this is my first week, and from being new to the work +and out of practice anyway, I have'nt appeared to the best +advantage. I'll wait till next week, and then it'll be a lot of +money or two pistols, says I to myself says I (that's a quotation +you know.) Besides, I hope to benefit myself by this temporary +abstinence in other ways. A sharp, enterprising chap, who is pushing +his way upwards to business distinction as Hartley is, is better +satisfied to have at his back a fellow who is evidently not hard up! +and may be worth something, than to have a seedy looking dependent +who must be paid on Saturday or sleep on a doorstep. Of course, +supposing both to possess the same ability, it induces a feeling of +respect too, which in its turn brings it about, that in the event of +anything going wrong in any way, the more fortunate gentleman is not +blown up, until the why and the wherefore of the mishap has been +ascertained, when it frequently transpires that he is not in the +wrong; whereas the seedy dependent, who generally walks in +reluctantly at 9 o'clock and goes out with the air of a dook at five +ditto sharp, gets it pretty hot in any case, in the same way that a +man will swear at a common pipe for breaking, but will swear at +himself for breaking an expensive one. I believe that illustrates my +theory somehow, but I forgot my original idea before I had got half +through with the simile. However, the plain fact is easy enough of +comprehension. I have gone in for impressing my boss with an idea of +my importance. You see I closed with this gentleman on the clear +understanding that the job would possibly be only a temporary one, +but if I can only get him to perceive my manifold merits I shall be +kept on through the winter, and somebody else will have to bunk, +that is supposing anybody has to. Take it altogether I have made a +very good beginning; Hartley talks to me more confidentially every +day, and this evening told me I had done very well, which does not +look as though he were going to be niggardly in the matter of screw, +for that is not a settled point yet. I notice that my writing is +nearly as variable as my ideas. You might think this had been +written by two different people, or by one man in two different +years instead of all at one sitting, bar the last few words, which +are a Sunday production. It's all done by a turn of the wrist, +something like the handle in a New York printing machine. How can I +go on? A slavey, one pre-eminently of the boarding house +description, is kicking up a row. I don't exactly know what sort of +a row, unless--. Yes, by jove, I have it, she's singing. I don't +know whether Messrs. Moody and Sankey would be shocked at her for +desecration of the Sabbath or praise her for singing one of their +tunes. Probably they would split the difference and tell her she was +a good girl, with a hint tacked on that a little went a long way. +Well, this is a confounded lot of rubbish I've been writing, but I +make it a point never to send an unfilled sheet across the Atlantic, +and there is absolutely nothing to write about in all these places. +You talk of Dawlish being a dead-and-alive hole, but it's a fool to +Ottawa in this respect. It may be a go-ahead _country_, but the +_towns_ stand perfectly still. The prevailing sounds on Sunday +afternoon are an occasional lumbering kind of tramp along the wooden +pavements, the squalling of stray children, and the bark of stray +dogs. Love to everybody (there's philanthropy for you). + +Your loving Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--(Monday night). There is nothing more to say except that I +always feel as reluctant to close a letter as to begin one. + +J. S. C. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 22nd_, '84. + + +My Dear Old Daddy, + +You wrote to me under the expectation of getting a reply from me, so +here you are. Before I proceed further, let me wish you joy, as I +suppose you are married by this time. May God bless you both, and +may your patients have all the faith in your skill as a doctor, and +your honour as a man, that you deserve. I don't know whether to +address to you at Hope Cottage or not, as nobody has told me exactly +when you are to be married, or where you are going when you've been +and gone and done it. Well, by Jove! I know you're a cautious sort +of chap as regards the L.S.D., and that you generally seem to know +about how much coin you ought to have, but if I had your incipient +fortune, I would swear by my own ghost and set up a blacksmith's +shop alongside the Houses of Parliament. I would call myself a +dooke, nothing less. Why it's magnificent. You'll soon be sporting a +donkey cart or a balloon to pay your morning calls in. I would'nt +have horses on any account if I were you, they're vulgar, and then +if you should have to ride anywhere you would make a much greater +sensation on a high mettled donkey with half the attendant personal +danger. + +No time for more at present, old chap. Give my love to your wife, +and believe me, + +Your affectionate Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 22nd_, '84. + +Dear Mother, + +As I am also writing to Daddy by this post, I am afraid you will not +get a very long letter. There's a confisticated great buzz-fly +knocking about, and I can't kill him. I told you in my last letter I +would give you some idea of what Ottawa was like, but now the time +has arrove for the ordeal, I don't like it; descriptions of scenery +are not my forte, and they're always uninteresting both to write and +to read. By-the-bye, before I begin, how's old Frank's ear, poor old +chap, I suppose he growled away by himself, till it was found out by +accident by some of you. I hope it will soon be all right again, and +that he will be able to let me know how he is getting on at the +Works, though three words will probably describe the state of +affairs to perfection, "same as usual." Still, I should like to know +what Major says to him, and if he or any other members of that +fossilized firm are beginning to wake up to a consciousness of his +merits. You know, it's always been my idea, that they will find out +that they have let the two best men they ever had slip through their +fingers, namely, the two senior engineering members of this +remarkable family, and that it will eventually occur to them that +they had perhaps better hold on to the third. The fact of their +giving him 22/- a week while they are sacking other men looks +promising for my theory, and if only he can establish a claim to any +particular qualification, he may yet succeed in drawing some sort of +a prize, where I, and even Pot, have only succeeded in drawing +blanks. I believe Frank does possess a special qualification, and +that is a power of managing and organizing work. Drawing or +designing, etc., is not his strong point, though he would often +succeed in that, as the tortoise, where many a hare would fail; but +give him an erecting job or anything of that sort, and he would so +arrange that the work first wanted should be first ready. This does +not sound very much to boast of, but it is a very useful knack to +have. I certainly do not possess anything of it, and many a scrape I +get into at the Works through forgetting to order certain things at +the proper time. For instance, when I had a dredger to get ready for +action, it was found, when it came to the scratch, that there was no +scum cock for the boiler, no posts for the handrails, etc.. etc. I +was more sinned against than sinning that time however, as the job +was suddenly thrown on my hands, when Pot left the Works in a state +of semi-completion, and I did not know, and in the hap-hazard way +things were done there, I could not find out whether certain details +had been ordered or not. I believe, had Frank been given that job +and told the dredger was to be chiefly the same as number so-and-so, +that every drawing would have been sent out in proper order, and +every question as to alteration, etc., broached in proper time, so +that, when the bosses came to see it tried, it would have worked +well without delay. + +That's a very long eulogium on the poor dear "smiler;" let's hope it +will also turn out to be true of him. Do you ever hear from the old +Coke? I suppose you do too, though it seems as if from London to +Dawlish was so short a distance it was scarcely worth writing. How's +he getting on, and which is he? A manager or a millionaire, or, +peradventure, a clerk? Tell Pot to let me know as soon as he makes +his first tanner from his invention, and I will stand myself a cigar +in honour of the occasion. I ought to write him a jaw too, but in +case I shouldn't be able to at present, just tell him, please, that +even supposing he fails in getting the advantages of his machine +recognised in England, he would stand quite as good, if not a better +chance, of doing so here. This country, or better still as I +believe, the States, is far more ready and willing to accept and +make use of improvements than the old one, and he may possibly not +know that an English patent does not hold good here, and vice-versa, +though both countries are under English rule. Just to give you an +instance of the go-ahead nature of the Works here, I can tell you +that Hartley, my employer, has had sixteen patents to procure from +one Works alone, in the space of six months. I believe it is a large +saw mill, or any way there's a large saw mill connected with them, +for the machine I am engaged upon now is for sharpening saws, and +they light their Works by gas. "made from sawdust," which is another +of their patents. + +Well, I've got off the scenery so far, and there's the weather to +come yet, lots of it too. We've been having no end of weather +lately. Sunday was cold and dull, nearly freezing the whole day. +Monday ditto, with the addition of a breeze. Tuesday, no breeze, and +as warm as toast, simply a beautiful summer's day. Wednesday just as +hot, but blowing hard, and to-day. Thursday, cold as ever, and still +blowing. I suppose at this time of year it's bound to change any +five minutes. _Friday._--I must mail this in about an hour, but half +that time would suffice to run me dry. By-the-bye, I may as well +tell you that my watch goes beautifully. It needed a good deal of +regulating, and that took a long time, but at length I have got it +quite near enough to perfection for all practical purposes. It gains +steadily now at the rate of about a minute and a half a week. I have +timed it by a gun that is fired every day at noon from the grounds +of the Houses of Parliament. It goes off by electricity, I believe, +or the time is given by electricity from Montreal. Doesn't it sound +rather funny, to hear of the _grounds_ of the Houses of Parliament? +It would to a Londoner, I know, but such is the case. There is such +heaps of room everywhere in this great draughty country, that they +may just as well take twenty acres for their buildings as two, +that's just about it, I should think; it must be quite twenty, and +not a single flower or, even as far as I know, a flowering shrub in +the place; nothing but level lawns and walks or roads, beautifully +kept, I admit. Anyone of the lawns would make half-a-dozen +first-rate tennis courts, but the whole affair, seen from a little +distance, looks like a painted scene. It's just a mass of even green +relieved or embarrassed, as the case may be, by the straight up and +down yellow houses, which houses also, in my opinion, have precious +little architectural beauty to boast of, bar the centre one, +perhaps, which is the house of Parl., par excellence, the others +being only departmental ones. There is a very jolly walk, though +round at the back of them, where I went last Sunday, you see the +houses with their grounds occupy a sort of promontory, which juts +out into the river, or rather into a little lake formed by it at its +bend. The lawns must be from eighty to one hundred feet above the +level of the water, and it is about half way down the banks, which +are more than steep, that the walk in question runs. Fifty years ago +this must have been one of the prettiest spots in Canada, and now +anyone standing there has only the great wooden-looking houses at +his back, and a colony of saw mills in front. The saw mills are +out-and-out the most interesting of the two. The amount of wood cut +up there every day is enormous. I believe Ottawa is the lumbering +centre of Canada; any way, there are acres and acres of wood all cut +up into planks or battens, and stacked thirty feet high and as close +as possible, yet it all looks new, which shows that it must be +shipped away at an enormous rate. Going to shut up now suddenly. +Give my love to Miss Harley, or something a little milder if you +would rather, and believe me, with love also to the rest of the +family circle, which will now, I suppose, include a Mrs. Daddy +Cockburn, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa. + +_November 7th_, '84. + + +Dear Mother, + +This is Friday night again, and I have not begun a letter till now, +but the pure fact of the matter is, that I can say all I have got to +say in about ten minutes. I have been making enquiries in accessible +quarters about rents and taxes, etc., and it seems to me that in the +towns at any rate they are just as high as they are in England. Most +of the houses in the quiet, respectable sort of streets average +about twenty to twenty-five dollars per month, including everything +but water-rate, which is three dollars per month. The cost of living +I should say, is decidedly less, or else how can lodging-house +keepers board and lodge people for from three-and-a-half to five +dollars per week in the towns, and from as low as two-and-a-half in +the country. Of course, I can't tell you anything about the actual +cost of the different articles of food. I would as soon go and +bargain with a linen draper about a fathom of calico as go and +enquire the price of vegetables while standing between two fat old +market women. You see I know precious little about the country, bar +half-a-day or so spent at Hardy's farm, I have never been out of the +towns. Every time I sit down to write to you I spend half my time +thinking who I can tackle on the subjects of your enquiries, and +every time all that comes of it is, ask Barnet. Barnet and Hartley +are the only two people I know here as yet; the former, you know, is +the man that got me my job. He put my name down yesterday for a +member of "The St. Andrew's Society;" the subscription is one dollar +per annum, and the avowed objects of the Society are the finding out +and assisting of needy or unfortunate Scotchmen. I did not join on +account of any charitable feelings toward my countrymen, but simply +for the purpose of making acquaintances. It will all help in making +general enquiries about the country. Besides, who knows if I may not +be in want of a kilt myself some day. (When I send you a photo' of +myself in full war paint you'll know I am hard up again). Talking +about clothing matters, I do not think they are much, if at all, +more expensive than in England. You can get a very good great-coat +or a suit of clothes for ten dollars, though of course that is +mostly in the ready-made department. I asked to-day what a coat like +my ulster would cost, and they said from 20 to 24 dollars, equal +from L4 3s. 4d. to L5. The price in Gateshead was L4 10s. So it +seems that clothes made to order are very much the same, and ready +made are perhaps rather dearer. I got a fur collar put on my +monkey-jacket, which cost 7 dollars; it's a good deal, but I may be +able to do without a fur cap, as the collar when turned up comes +nearly up to the top of my head; it's just about six inches deep of +beaver skin, which, being a light brown, looks simply swagger on my +dark brown coat. We have had a taste of winter here lately, and +though the thermometer did not go much below 10 or 15 degrees under +freezing temperature, the wind, which blew hard, cut so sharply that +I felt certain that when it got 40 or 50 degrees colder I should +feel very glad I had got a warm animal on my throat. There was about +two or three inches of snow which nearly all thawed before it froze. +The snow fell on Tuesday, then it turned to rain, which continued in +a regular down-pour till Wednesday morning, by which time the +streets were a sight to behold. Spark Street, the principal mud path +in Ottawa, looked like a canal of pea soup. It was covered from one +end to the other with about three inches of liquid mud. One +enterprising shop rigged up a canoe and moored it to the side walk, +all decorated with flags, and with "boats or yachts on hire" painted +in large letters. That night I went to an oyster feed at Hartley's. +I had made up my mind to be bored, but was most agreeably +disappointed. Hartley met me at the door, and immediately began +offering me all that his house contained in the way of dry socks, +slippers, etc. From the moment he appeared in a smoking-cap and +dressing-gown, with a tremendous pipe, leading the way, I knew I had +not come out for nothing. We went slick up to his den, where he put +a box of famous cigars by my side, and a box of chessmen and a board +in front. I played away perfectly happy as you may imagine, and with +the assistance of three smokes succeeded in vanquishing all comers, +including my "boss" himself. He evidently thought he had got me +easily, for he had taken two or three of my pieces, but I had laid a +foul plot, and at last "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the +fold" and I nobbled his king without a struggle. We then adjourned +to visit the oysters; there were two great washing-basins chock +full, and we all squatted round in the kitchen and set to work to +get rid of them as fast as we could open them. I lasted them all +out, and finished both dishes. I guess I did about four or five +dozen. Misfortunes never come singly, no more do the opposite, and +next day I had some more in the regular fare of my diggings. What do +you think of that for a boarding-house? And last night I had some +more again in an eating-house. They are only 20 cents a dozen, and +very good. + +This is a fearful scrawl, but it's being done at a tremendous rate +to see if I can't fill up this sheet before mail time. By jove! no, +it's a quarter to eight. Love to everybody. + +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_November 12th_, '84. + + +My Dear Mother, + +This letter is as usual addressed to you and meant for a good many +other people besides. Firstly, I think I shall have to start some +sort of arrangement by which I shall be able to find out, on +reference to it, what the subject-matter of such-and-such a letter +was.--In fact, what I really want is a copying-press, for I can't +remember what I have told you in answer to your letters and what I +have not, and I notice the same questions occur in a good many of +them. Well, I sha'nt get a copying-press anyhow, I'll practice +self-denial, and get a five-cent. diary instead. Talking about +cents. reminds me of an item of news concerning money. Money will +undoubtedly go further here than in the old country, but it needs a +more determined economy to make it do so, and the reason is that +it's all in such small pieces. The only coins are half-dollars, +quarters, ten and five cent, pieces, and the copper cents.--of these +the cents. and half-dollars are comparatively rare. As a rule, the +lowest price charged for anything is five cents. It is such an +insignificant little piece of tin, and there are such _a tremendous +lot of them knocking about_. I don't think I have had a quarter of a +dollar's worth of copper through my fingers since I've been in the +country. There is scarcely any use for them except for stamp-money +and to give to beggars, which happily are also rare. In England the +small silver coins are almost useless, and the prices of different +things vary by pence or half-pence. One goes into an hotel, for +instance, for a glass of beer and forks out twopence, or a packet of +cigarette papers, one penny. There it goes up from the pence to the +shillings, and from the shillings to the pound, and the shillings +form a sort of barrier between the small every-day expenses (that +_might be avoided_) and the pounds which are the real wealth. Here +the practical scale of money is 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc., cents. +I got in a rage and smashed my pen because the brute would'nt write, +which has blown all my sophistries, as Daddy would call them, to the +winds, so I'll shut up for to-night. Now here's a new pen and a new +night, Friday night too, so I must look sharp. I don't think my +sophistries need much addition, being quite as clear as mud as they +are. In England there are a hundred half-pence to four and twopence, +and as many different prices for different things according to their +value. Here there are also a hundred cents. to the dollar, but +practically only twenty different prices. Therefore, one very soon +looks upon a five-cent piece in about the same light as one would +look at an English penny. This is a horrible pen; it's like writing +with the dirty point of a pin. Now to answer father's postscript +which I had overlooked till last night. As yet the weather is too +mild to need more than a thin overcoat, though it is prophesied that +we are going to have an exceptionally severe winter. Be that as it +may, I shall wait until it comes before spending any more money. I +have blued ten dols. already in winter preparations--seven in a +collar for my monkey-jacket, with a view to protecting my gullet +against the old attacks; and three in having my ulster lined round +the back and chest with chamois leather, for I found in the late +spell of cold weather, which however was a mere nothing, that it let +the wind through pretty quick. I have asked the price of furs +generally, and the different sorts in particular. I have some +recollection of being told by one house, I think in Montreal, that +furs were dearer here than they were in England, because they had to +be sent over there to be worked up, and then brought back here +again. I should not believe too much of that, however, as it is +quite as likely as not that it was the preface to an extra five +dollars on the price, in view of my being an evident stranger to the +country. A tailor here, the man that has done my coats for me, says +he will line my ulster with minx or racoon, or the something +ratskin, for 18 dollars, and, as I told mother in my last letter, he +would make just such an ulster for 20 to 25 dols., so that you could +get a very good fur-lined coat for 40 dollars, or about eight +guineas. Of course the furs I have mentioned are not beautiful soft +affairs like beaver or sealskin, but I imagine they are almost if +not quite as warm. I tried on a coat to-day, while pricing different +things, of Australian grey bear. The fur was very thick and fairly +soft, and I felt about 10 degrees warmer the moment I got inside it. +It was made entirely out of the fur (hair outside), and lined with +some sort of black soft canvas stuff. The price was 25 dols., but it +was too thick and cumbersome to be useful for anything but driving +or travelling. I have not got to the end of my researches upon this +subject, so I will write more when I learn more. I don't know yet +what the cost of lining a long coat with one of the better furs +would be. Father asked if I had got all instruments I wanted, as he +said Pot might send them out to me. I think I can manage with what I +have got now. I had to buy them, as I could not wait to write to +England. They ran away with another ten dols., and have turned out +anything but A 1. I cannot answer all your questions yet, Mother, +but here is something. There are plenty of small 10 to 18 acre farms +about Ottawa, at a rent of from 60 to 100 dols. per annum, though +the houses on them are generally pretty bad. This is a very +difficult question to get to the bottom of, as there are no estate +agents here that I can find, consequently all enquiries have to be +made through private friends, which takes time, and also a certain +amount of caution, in this inquisitive community. But I am learning +more every day, and you shall have it all as fast as I get it. + +In haste, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +Love to everybody, as usual. + + + + + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Canada for Gentlemen, by James Seton Cockburn + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + +***** This file should be named 6755.txt or 6755.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/6/7/5/6755/ + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. 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You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: Canada for Gentlemen + +Author: James Seton Cockburn + +Release Date: October, 2004 [EBook #6755] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on January 23, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII, with a few ISO-8859-1 characters + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + + + + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. +This file was produced from images generously made available by the +Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions. + + + + + + + + +CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN, + +BEING + +LETTERS + +FROM + +JAMES SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +The difficulty of sending my son's letters to the numerous friends +who are interested in seeing them, without wearing out the +Manuscript, has induced me to have them printed. It is hoped, also, +that they may be useful in giving information regarding some of the +difficulties of young emigrants, of which so little is said by the +Agencies, though the experience they teach is often more valuable +than that of uniform success. The only alterations made in these +letters (intended only for the home circle) has been in substituting +fictitious names for those of friends. It may seem a paradox that a +price should be attached to letters intended only for private +circulation, but I am not without hope of being able to provide the +writer with his winter furs (greatly to his own surprise), in return +for the pleasure and information which his letters have undoubtedly +given. + +S. Cockburn. + + + + +LETTERS FROM JAMES SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +North Western Hotel, +Liverpool. + +_August 20th_, '84. + + +Dear Mother, + +I write this before turning in, and, as you will observe, with a +beast of a pen. We arrived here all safe, and with all our traps. +Though I lost the run of my bag at Bristol in the scurry, it turned +up here all right. + +There were a lot of people waiting on the Warren to wave to us. I +recognised Miss Linton, and I think some of the Seymours. Miss +Harley met us at Star Cross to say another good-bye, with a +button-hole for me and a note, and a flint-and-steel for Henry. + +We were collared when we got here by an agent of some sort, who was +going to free us from all trouble by seeing our luggage safely on +board, but as he kept a low kind of Temperance Hotel, and smelt very +strongly of whisky, I declined his services, chiefly I should say, +on the instigation of a good-natured cabby. Of course, for aught I +know, it may be the proper thing to go in for these sort of chaps, +but it's bent to be on the safe side. + +Must shut up now, and go to sleep. + +Best love to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +S.S. "Montreal," +En Route For Canada. + +_August 21st_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +We are not going to touch at any Irish port, so I am hurrying to +write a few lines to send off by the Pilot. + +The weather is beautiful, and we have got the cabin to ourselves. + +I have already made some very nice acquaintances; altogether it bids +fair to be very jolly. + +We got down to the dock in very good time, though of course with a +good deal of bother, but we've not got _rooked_ anywhere. + +I am afraid you will not hear from us again till the letters bear a +foreign post mark. + +With best love and wishes to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I suppose we are both addressing our letters to you, which might at +first appear an unequal distribution of our favours, but as I know +they will be read aloud to the assembled breakfast table, it is a +small matter who opens the envelope. To begin with, I should explain +that I am writing in the saloon of the S.S. "Montreal," Sunday +evening, August 30th (I believe), and it is due to the constructural +defects thereof that my writing is of a somewhat shaky character, +the above saloon being placed almost immediately over the propeller, +whose various eccentricities in the way of jumping and shaking are +more than distinctly felt. However, I do not want to begin by +telling you about the end of our voyage, so I will make a +commencement at the time we lost sight of the heads and hats of +those who saw us off at Dawlish Station. I feel rather ashamed to +say I felt at that time very little depression of spirits, perhaps +the pipe to which I immediately had recourse had a comforting +influence; perhaps my familiarity with all objects on the road, at +least as far as Star Cross, made me feel as though I had not yet +left home; or perhaps, it was the secret consciousness that all the +Seymours, Lintons, and Harleys had promised to be on the Warren to +see us wave our heads out of the window. Whatever the course might +have been during the whole of our railway journey, our stay at the +hotel, and even _some_ hours subsequently, I felt almost jolly, but +what a world of misery lies implied in that underlined "some." +However, I won't anticipate, but relate from the beginning the +history of my ideas and experiences up to the present time. There is +little that you do not already know connected with our departure +from the docks and our journey as far as the last light ship, that +is concerning incidents which would appear to be worth mentioning. +We were rather fortunate in seeing nearly all the most celebrated of +the Atlantic steamers. The "City of Rome" was lying alongside a +wharf within a stone's throw of us, the "Alaska," "Arizona," +"America," and "Oregon," were all passing in or out, or lying at the +wharves, these being I believe the four fastest ocean steamers +afloat. The Allan boat "Peruvian" left the dock just astern of us, +and as we afterwards discovered, arrived twelve hours before us. We +very soon found, when dinner time came round that we were going to +live like fighting cocks; there was a tremendous spread, soup, fish, +entrées, joints, entrees, sweets, cheese, dessert and bills of fare. +We looked forward to ten days of systematic fattening, an excellent +preparation as we thought for our troubles to come in the way of +struggles for bread, in the country to which we were journeying. +What a mistake! That meal we fattened, also at the ensuing meal, a +kind of high tea at six o'clock we continued the process. At +breakfast next morning all operations were suspended, and by the +time the sun shone in the zenith for the second time, the _modus +operandi_ was completely inverted, and we thinned many inches in as +many minutes. All the preparations for carrying out our original +intentions stared us in the face, but we turned anything but a +hungry eye upon them; to tell the prosaic truth we were both +sea-sick. Not a fair knock down exactly, for while on deck I was all +right. What started the malady was the sleeping cabin--such an +abomination of closeness, stuffiness, and all the odours under the +sun I never smelt--it was literally enough to knock one down. Not +that the cabins themselves are badly ventilated, but they vent into +the gangways outside, which in bad weather are themselves very short +of fresh air. Only on two days were we able to have our port-hole +open, and then not for the whole day. The first day on board was +very pleasant, nice weather, and lots of excitement in watching the +different coasts we passed, and studying our fellow passengers. We +were never out of sight of land until it got too dark to see it. +Before England was hull down, the Isle of Man was hull up, and then +before that faded, the coast of Ireland would have been in sight had +it not been invisible. When daylight went down a breeze sprang up, +blowing steadily from the westward, still it was all very jolly, and +we went to bed very comfortably and slept very soundly till we woke +up. The day had just broken, and it was a fine breezy morning. At +first I was delighted to feel myself dancing about. I sat up and +looked out of my port-hole and watched the sea for a bit; suddenly +she rose to an extra big one; I could feel her "tilting up," and I +had to lean forward a bit to maintain my balance, then the stern +tilted up and I leant back a good long way, then the "other end of +her" rose again, higher still, but I only leant further back, and by +the time it was all over I had resumed an horizontal position, and +resolved, like the man in "Happy Thoughts," not to move again +whatever happened. I soon felt all right again, and was able to +reply in a very swagger voice to Henry's rather meek enquiry +concerning the state of the weather. By-and-bye a short interchange +of experiences occurred between Henry and a boy who had been put +into our third berth at the last moment, the latter in the innocence +of his youth frankly avowed himself "awful squashy inside," and soon +proceeded practically to demonstrate the truth of his assertion. +Henry embraced the opportunity of confession, and soon became +equally demonstrative. I still felt happy, and gave them some +excellent advice, so much in fact, that I began to feel I had been +too liberal, and that I wanted some myself; however I dressed +quickly, and went on deck, and once there I soon began to feel +hungry, though when I went down below to have breakfast I didn't +make a very hearty meal. After that the weather began to get bad, +and continued getting bad for a long time. Then for some days, as +sure as I went down below for a meal I did violence to the sentiment +of the old proverb "wilful waste makes woeful want." However, in a +few days I recovered sufficiently to withstand the noxious +influences of the saloon long enough to satisfy my hunger. We had +bad weather, more or less the whole way across to Belle Isle; not a +gale exactly, except once on Saturday or Sunday night, I forget +which, but it just blew more or less, hard enough to keep the decks +always wet, and to preclude the possibility of a smoke, or even of +walking up and down. Then as we got over to the Canadian side there +was a good deal of fog knocking about--in fact take it all round I +did not enjoy myself very much, it was cold and wet and I couldn't +smoke. However, when it did come to an end it was A1. The day we +sighted Belle Isle was beautiful, and after that we had no more bad +weather, it was all clear and bright, which was very fortunate at +that part of the voyage, as it is in going down the Straits and +through the Gulf that fog is such a source of delay. There was lots +to be seen there in the way of coast scenery, Belle Isle, Labrador, +Newfoundland, Anticosti, and the Banks of the St. Lawrence. At first +all the land was uncultivated and wild looking, but as we got into +narrower waters farther up the river it began to get cultivated--lots +of white houses with red roofs kicking about, and very often not a +hedge or a tree to be seen except just near the river, all cleared +and consequently ugly. + +Everybody about this part of the world is French, and such French +too as they talk. I have'nt caught the meaning of one word since I +have been here. I forgot to say that though I began this letter on +board the "Montreal" I am now writing at an Hotel in Sherbrooke. It +was very funny to see the changes that took place in the attire of +some of the passengers when we were nearing Quebec. People (among +whom perhaps I ought to class myself) who had remained unshaved and +disreputable during the voyage, in old clothes, etc., now come out +of their cabins looking Bond Street mashers (bar me); they were all +those who had come out for amusement and whose journies mostly +finished with the voyage; the others who preserved a travel-stained +appearance were all going further on, some long distances, and some +short. Among the long-distance people was a doctor Marsh, who was +going to Brandon, some distance beyond Winnipeg, with his family, or +at least with part of it--the rest are there already. He was a nice +man indeed, and gave us some very useful advice and information, +including his address. He is strongly of opinion that the North West +is the place for both Henry and me, but at the same time he quite +agreed with me that it would be foolish to go out there in the face +of the near approach of winter without the certainty of work, which +would keep us going through it. He has a son on a survey staff +somewhere out there, and he says he thinks I should be able to get +on too. When at last we got up alongside the wharf he was of great +service to us; he has been backwards and forwards several times and +knows the ropes well. He took us to an exchange office where he said +we should get the most value for our money, which turned out to be +$4 86c., about par I believe. He and everyone else that I asked said +that the idea of a premium on English money was a myth, that $4 86c. +was the highest, and that only in gold; for a fiver that Dr. Marsh +exchanged he only got $24 instead of $24 30c. Well, we shall see +when we get to Montreal and deliver the circular notes. The landing +and all the Customs business was a great nuisance, though we got +through capitally. I waited quietly till the hoorooche was all over, +and then went and collared the most benevolent-looking old chap to +come and stir up our baggage. I had them all unstrapped and ready, +and he just looked into one or two and then asked me if I had +anything in them that was not my own wearing apparel, or that had +not been worn. I said no (there were lots of things that hadn't been +worn, but then they _were_ my own wearing apparel), so he chalked +them all up without even desiring that Henry's big box might be +opened, which was very lucky, as it would have been a great nuisance +to have to knock those plates off the keyholes. I think it is a +great mistake to put them on; there is no fear of the things getting +wet down in the steerage deck where they are stowed, and they may +possibly cause a lot of delay going through the Customs House. Then +came our first experience of Canadian Railways, _not_ a pleasant +one. We were told the train would start at 2.15, accordingly we +dispensed with dinner and were on the platform at the stated time, +but the train never moved till nearly five o'clock. Then the baggage +chequing business turned out a great nuisance, the men went down to +cheque it while I was away getting the tickets, and when I came back +they had all gone away. In this democratic country they could not be +put to the inconvenience of coming back again, so I had to wait +about till they came to cart it up to the train. I do not mean to +say there would be any of this bother in travelling about from +station to station, it was only during the confusion of landing when +a lot of people all wanted their things done at the same time, and +the baggage all had to be brought up from the wharf, still it was an +item in our first railway experiences which, coupled with the delay +in starting, put me out of temper with Canadian travelling, though +there is not a shadow of doubt but what the chequing system is a +great deal superior to our own. However, when we did get fairly +under weigh it was not so bad. It is certainly very nice to be able +to get up and walk about when one gets tired of sitting still, or go +and stand on the platforms outside. Then, their rules are far less +strict than ours. If a man likes to jump on or off while a train is +going full speed ahead he can, nobody has the least objection to his +coming down on his head if he likes; or if he feels inclined to jump +off and run alongside he is perfectly at liberty to do so, only the +Company will not bind themselves to stop and wait for him if he +can't run fast enough. In fact, a man here is entirely his own +master, and as such is just as good us anybody else. There is one +thing which seems to me a great disadvantage, that is so few of the +railway officials are in any uniform at all. They may have a badge, +or something of that sort, but I did not see any, consequently one +never knows who to ask for information about the trains, etc. When +we got to Richmond last night, where we had to change for +Sherbrooke, a chap told us we should start in about twenty-five +minutes; the next man told us that we should not start till two or +three in the morning; and while we were endeavouring to arrive at +the truth somebody shouted out to know if everybody was "on board" +for Sherbrooke, Portland, etc., and he told us they were going to +start right away, which they did--in about half-an-hour. Next we +took two hours to go the twenty-five miles between Richmond and +Sherbrooke, though I will forgive them for that as we were really in +a goods' train, to which they had attached a passenger car for our +convenience. We eventually got in here about twelve last night. We +did not go to the Magog House as Horton recommended, as it was a +good long way from the station, and, we were told, might not be +open. This place, the Sherbrooke Hotel, is just opposite the +station, so being very tired and not wanting any bother we came in +here. We got into conversation with a man at Richmond who turned out +to be an Agricultural Agent of some sort, he had been Horton's +foreman on his farm many years ago, and knew them all very well. He +turned out a very decent old chap, and a Scotchman, and he was very +useful to us in getting us a feed, etc., when we got here, otherwise +we should have had to go supperless to bed. This morning (Tuesday), +we went first thing to see Allen, he was very cordial and obliging, +and withal very encouraging; he did not give vent to any decided +opinions, but he thought it very possible that Mr. Hill, of whom Mr. +Horton spoke, and to whom we are to be introduced to-morrow, might +be able to get me work on the Canada Pacific Railway, with which he +is in some way connected. I sincerely hope he may, as I should then +get a free pass to the West. _Wednesday._--We saw Hill this morning, +he could do nothing in the way of getting us work, but he gave us a +lot of names and addresses which turned out useful, among others a +letter to a chap called Ibotson, a sort of emigration agent, asking +him to send us round to several farms which he mentioned. We went +round to a heap of people with an old chap called Kemp, who is +something to do with the something Colonization Society. The worst +of it was we had to hire a trap, as the distance to be covered was +considerable; that cost $3, but it was the only thing to be done. +Everybody assured us that nothing but a personal interview would be +any use, so we cruised about the country in a very nice little buggy +for five hours under the escort of old Kemp, and I must say we +should have been nowhere without him. I should never have known how +to conduct the business with some of the specimens we came across, +not to mention that we should have been sure to have lost ourselves +half-a-dozen times over, and so should not have seen half the number +of people. Well, the upshot of the day's campaign was that I think +Henry stands a good chance of a place. Everyone assures me that he +could not do better than go to the farm in question. It belongs to +an old man called Crabtree, or something like that, I don't know +exactly how he spells himself. He is a very rough-and-tumble old +fellow, but, it seems, a capital farmer, and a good honest dealing +man. He has one of the best farms in the county, and is very well +off, having made all his money on his farm. Henry would get his +board and lodging, and most probably somewhere about $10 a month +besides. Of course nothing is fixed yet; the old chap's wife was +away, and he could do nothing without consulting her, but he said he +would want help during the winter, and he would not engage anyone +without letting us know. He cannot, however, do anything for the +next fortnight, which is a nuisance. None of the others that, we +called on came to very much, so we are going up to Montreal to-night +to deliver introductions and stir up the mud generally. Both Ibotson +and Kemp are going to make enquiries for us here, and write to us if +anything turns up. It's very good of them, they have both taken a +lot of trouble, and it's all done for love. In fact everybody is +most good-natured, and willing to do everything in their power to +help us. They all say they have no doubt we shall be able to get +work very soon, but it cannot be done in a day; so it seems to me, +having got these two old fellows to look out for us here, we had +better go and present ourselves in Montreal, and so be as it were in +two places at once. Moreover, I should like to see Roland Stanley if +possible before I clinch any bargain. We are perfectly certain of +getting disinterested advice from him, though I see no reason +whatever to doubt the policy of what I have done or the intentions +of our backers. I don't know if I have made all our doings and plans +sufficiently clear. I am writing in a very rambling sort of way, but +that is a fault inseparable from having to write at odd times. We +are living here for about a dollar a day each, not at all bad, with +three good big meals included, still it's spending money instead of +making it, so I hope it won't last long. It's not such a bad +beginning, though, when you come to think of it, we've only had two +clear days in the country, and Henry is in a very fair way to be +settled at a really good farm. Apart from business, the drive this +afternoon was delightful, the country in places quite equal to any +in Devonshire, though always with something wild looking about it. +In some parts of the road it looked just exactly like England, so +long as we did not look too far away. Upon the hills, etc., there is +always a lot of pine-wood and stuff which does not look English, but +it's all pretty; I believe you would like it immensely. Sherbrooke +itself is a jolly little town, though I believe here it is +considered a good big one, and a place of some importance. I think I +shall have to bring this to an end now; I don't know exactly when +the mail leaves Montreal, and I don't want to miss it through not +being ready, so if I have time to add anything more it will take the +form of a postcript. I don't know the least what address to give, +our movements are so uncertain. Couldn't father write to Roland +Stanley and ask him to forward the letters to us? I think, if he +seems the right sort of chap, I will ask him about this when I see +him, at any rate I can let him know when we leave, where we are +going to, and then if any of you should have sent a letter to him he +will know where to forward it to. Give my love to the Father, and +Old Daddy and Muriel, and everybody else, + +And believe me, + +Your loving Son. +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S. Friday.--Must post this this morning, so must look sharp. +Roland Stanley was away on a fishing expedition. We saw his +daughter. She said her father would probably be home on Friday or +Saturday, so we decided to lie in wait for him in diggings, and to +call again on Monday. I had no idea his place was so far away from +Montreal--six-and-a-quarter miles by rail including the Victoria +Bridge, which puts a lot on to the fare, and a good two miles by +road. His name was not in the Directory, so we had to find this +place by asking for it when we got to St. Lamberts. Charles Holloway +also was out when we called--at his office I believe--so we are +going down to the city to look for him this morning. We also called +on Mrs. Fenton, but she was out, so we gave in and jacked it up for +the day, as by that time it was nearly six o'clock. We had a fearful +bother in finding them, as there were no numbers on the +introductions, and there are about 1000 houses in Sherbrooke Street. +The diggings we have got into will do very well for the time. We +have taken them for a week at $5 each, board and lodging, which I +think is about as cheap as we can get them anywhere in Montreal. Our +address is 60, Aylmer Street, but it's not a bit of use writing to +us here, as we should be gone long before the letter reached us. I +don't suppose we shall be here much more than a week. I will write +more fully what we are doing by next mail. + +J. S. C. + +I am not sure if I have got the leads which I got for my ink pencil. +If they are in the right hand top drawer of your writing table, will +you send them when you send my goggles? + +Have not done anything about money yet for want of advice. It's no +use sending letters to Roland Stanley, he's too far away from +Montreal. He must wait till we get more settled. Please remember me +to everybody, particularly the Miss Bruces. + + + + +60, Aylmer Street, +Montreal, + +_September 9th_, 1884. + + +My Dear Mother, + +This letter is following pretty close on the heels of the other one. +and for this reason: I can't find any letter of introduction to Dr. +A. Howel or to Mrs. A. Howel, or any instructions as to calling +without an introduction in the epitome of my letters which father +gave me. I can't have lost it. You put them all up in a bundle, and +I never saw them till I opened my portmanteau at Sherbrooke. +Certainly I gave them to Henry to look over while I was writing as +he sat beside me, but he was so almost immoderately careful that I +do not think he can possibly have mislaid any of them. Anyhow it's +not here. If I am obliged to leave Montreal before I hear from you I +shall call on him and make my own explanations. But I don't know how +I could do that either, for I don't know if he was father's friend +or whether we got the introduction from someone else. Well, I shall +hang on as long as I can, and then go and beard him in his den as a +last resource. Now that's all the business I have to mention; it's +a bad job, but it can't be helped. Perhaps, after all, I never had +an introduction, and ought just to have called and mentioned the +father. I know he gave me a lot of directions when he read the list +over, but I can't remember them all, and only against one has he +made a note that no introduction is necessary. Yet there are about +half-a-dozen to whom I have not got letters, but whose names occur +the same as Roland Stanley. We've been hunting round, kicking up no +end of a dust, and called on and badgered scores of people. I have +already been twice to see a man called Van Haughton. He is some sort +of a boss on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and I am going again +to-morrow, though they don't want any men--at least not ordinary +men--but I am going to try and convince them that I am something +extraordinary. The ten pounds loose cash we brought out will only +last us another fortnight, but I have great hopes that Henry will +not need to draw more. Roland Stanley very kindly took him to a farm +to-day, a few miles from here, to see a man he knew, but the chap +wanted £50 per annum, so we declined. I was not able to go as I had +an appointment, but I don't think it made any difference, though +they didn't do any bargaining, only just asked him if he would take +him, and he said he would for the above-named sum. Some of the +introductions we brought out have been very useful--that to the +Darwins particularly. George, the elder son (I think) is a jewel. I +believe he would pop his Sunday coat if he thought it would do us +any good. He is strongly of opinion that Henry should advertise for +a job. He says he is certain that he would get lots of answers. But +I think it will be better to wait till we see what happens at +Sherbrooke, as by all accounts he could not do better than go to old +Crabtree. I think, with the prospect of his being shortly settled +there, you might write and explain (if possible) the matter of the +introduction--if we are not here they can forward the letter. 8 +p.m.--We have just been down to the station to fetch some of our +baggage, having been told that we should have to pay for it if we +let it lie there, and as we did not wish to bestow any portion of +our capital on cabbies, we carried it up. The consequence is I feel +like this [Illustration: Hand bent at wrist.] as Pot would say. The +weather has been that hot since we came. By-the-bye, I meant to say +when I said that we had just been down to the station, that as I +felt so limp from carrying baggage on a hot night, you would have to +put up with bad writing, but I see it's just as good as what I +started with. It would all be better if Henry was'nt writing too--at +the same table I mean--which, being one of the round one-legged +arrangements usually met with in boarding-houses, is scarcely equal +to the weight of eloquence which he brings to bear upon it. I wonder +what he's writing about. You might just let me know what he says +next time you write. He's just bought some new pink paper to write +upon, and has already started several times with a most careful +beginning, so it ought to be something worth hearing. I have +suggested that he should give you his ideas concerning the crops of +this country, but his innate modesty debars him from giving an +opinion on a subject upon which he confesses himself at present +profoundly ignorant, notwithstanding that we went yesterday +afternoon (there being nothing else which could be done,) to the +great Dominion Agricultural Show, as befitted the incipient farmer, +and that I there carefully explained to him the points of interest +of all the exhibits in relation to which I was convinced that he was +as ignorant as myself. I am afraid, however, that he was rather +inclined to treat my explanations with levity, owing to a base and +misleading practice resorted to by the Committee, of hanging up +beside the stalls, though in not very conspicuous places, a +statement of the supposed race or species of each animal. These +prejudicial placards for a long time escaped my notice, so that I +was unable to fortify his perceptions with an account of the +pig-headedness of Agricultural Committees in this respect. The only +thing that I was entirely unable to explain, and the reason for +which I could by no means fathom, was the pertinent enquiry +constantly occurring, "why should one cow be given a first prize and +another none at all," when the only difference to the mind of a just +and impartial observer consisted in the variety of their attitudes +or colour. Being thus baffled in my attempts at edification, we +adjourned to see some niggers manufacturing tobacco. + +Thursday evening.--I have just had a letter from Allen, saying that +he had three letters and a parcel waiting for us, so Henry has gone +down in great excitement with a post-card to tell him to send them +on as soon as possible. I wonder if they are from any of you people, +though I don't know what should make you think of addressing to us +there. It was rather a rummy thing his finding out our address, for +we didn't leave any; but just the other day, when looking over the +things in my despatch-box, I found a letter to Allen in Mr. Horton's +handwriting. I had'nt the least recollection of his having given me +anything of the sort, but I posted it down to Sherbrooke forthwith, +together with a note, making the best excuses I could for not having +delivered it before when I was on the spot, and of course I put my +address on the top. I should'nt wonder if one of the letters was the +lost introduction, which must have been left behind by some mistake. +We have been hunting about no end since we came here; calling on +everybody, from the man in the moon downwards, but do not at present +seem to have derived much benefit from it. I daresay Henry has told +you of a wild scheme in which Mr. Barnes wanted us to engage. He is +a most excellent old gentleman, the personification of good nature +and kindness, but is a good deal of a visionary on the agricultural +settlement question. When we called upon him on Saturday, he pressed +us most eloquently to up stick and go west with a friend or +connection of his, who was starting at nine o'clock on Monday +morning. He so far prevailed upon me that, in case there should be +anything in what he said, I went down to the bank and drew +sufficient money for our fares, and then returned to lunch with him +and the gentleman in question, a Mr. Deacon. In conversation with +him afterwards, he (Mr. Deacon) strongly advised us to do no such +thing. A branch line from the Canadian Pacific Railway, from Regina +to a place called Sussex, about thirty miles or so, which was to +have been graded this fall, and was to give me almost certain work +for the winter, would probably not be begun for some time, and the +land which Mr. Barnes had understood was along the railway in a +tolerably well-peopled district, turned out to be at the head of +Long Lake, eighty-four miles from Sussex, which is thirty miles from +Regina, not that those distances are anything great, but it meant, +in plain English, going and starting a farm 110 miles from the +nearest railway station, without a particle of knowledge or +experience. Still, we should have got the land for nothing; that +much was promised; and had I seen any chance amounting to five to +one that I should not have to spend my own money during the winter, +I should have gone, and, once well acquainted with the country, I +think we should have been able to live upon our land in some way +till I could trust myself to invest in a few implements. There must +be a fearful amount of gammon in the talk about this country +somewhere. I was told--in fact we were all told--that living in the +country was very cheap, and that living in Montreal was dear, but +according to Deacon it is just the reverse. He said he did not think +we could live in Regina, or thereabouts, supposing we got nothing to +do, under ten or twelve dollars a week, instead of five which we pay +here. I don't say that I believe it; someone must be in the wrong; +and until we can find out for ourselves it is impossible to say who +it is. It may just as well be Deacon as anyone else. Still, it would +have been unwise to go west so soon on pure speculation. The end of +it was the gentleman started away by himself, and Mr. Barnes said we +were quite right to stop where we were. He said, somehow or other, +he had managed to get a wrong impression of the whole affair. He has +since exerted himself a great deal in making enquiries in Henry's +behalf, and he gave me an introduction to a young fellow in the +Harbour Commissioner's office, which, however, did not prove of much +value. We have had to take our present diggings for another week, +not having been able to get finished up here in time. I do not want +to leave the place and leave any stone unturned, and there are +several people I can see yet. We see Roland Stanley nearly every +day, at a fish and game club where he introduced us, and which forms +a most convenient meeting place, &c. Like everyone else, he is very +good-natured, but his power of assisting us, so far, seems to lie +chiefly in his willingness to do so had he the power. He has given +over his farm to his son, and only kept his house and a few acres, +comprising his garden chiefly, so there is no chance of his taking +either of us. Holloway and Darwin are our two next best men; they +are both young, and both back us up most energetically. We are going +to spend the evening to-morrow with the Darwins, and on Sunday +evening we dine with the Holloways, which is a great improvement on +a crowded boarding-house. The latter is a partner in a well-to-do +hardware establishment, which means to say they import all sorts of +saws, chisels, axes, hammers, etc., from Sheffield; and the latter +is accountant in a bank here. He has got a mother and two sisters, +both possessing every claim to amiability. Holloway went with me on +Wednesday to the Grand Trunk Railway Works, and introduced me to +several people, and "boosted" me all he knew, but it was no go, they +sacked seventy-five men last month, and are going to do the same +again this month, things are "that" slack. Yesterday he took me down +to the Canadian Pacific Works, but the man we wanted was away, so we +are going again on Monday. There is also another man I am going to +see on Monday, who has a good-sized iron-foundry. I went down there +to-day, but he was out of town. Also I am going to see another +engineer to-morrow, so you see I am not done yet. I saw the son of +President Arthur, of the United States of America, this afternoon, +at the club, where he was detailing his sporting adventures, having +been away all summer in California and the Rockies, fishing and +shooting, which he seems to have done in a very luxurious manner, to +judge from his conversation. He talked about having engaged a Pulman +Hunting Car for his trip, &c., and, apropos of fishing, said he had +seen two natives netting salmon in some river or other, so he +"stopped the train" while he went to look on and try his hand at it. +By-the-bye, tell old Daddy that the pocket-book he gave me has +turned out the most useful thing in my possession, barring coin; in +fact, without it I should have been stumped, and had to buy one +before I left Liverpool. The little one you gave me would never have +held all the cards, letters, and business communications I have had +to cram into it. In fact, I verily believe its bulky proportions and +imposing air have obtained me an interview with many a big gun when +I should have been politely bowed out had I not produced it with the +sternness of a highwayman drawing his pistol, when I presented my +card. I must shut up or I shall lose the mail. Henry is writing also +by this post, but I wanted to tell you about the Howel introduction. +With best love to everybody all round, + +Believe me, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +60 Aylmer Street, +Montreal, P.Q., + +_Sept. 20th_, '84. + + +My Dear Pot, + +I daresay you would like to hear my opinions concerning the manners +and customs, _alias_ professional resources of this much talked of +country. When you told me that if I expected to drop in for an +appointment such as I would take in England after a fortnight's +search, I should be disappointed, you only predicted half the truth. +As far as I can see at present, it is equally a matter of difficulty +to obtain the sort of work upon which I was told on all hands it was +best to begin. I do not mean to say I have made a bad spec by coming +here, it would be much too soon for that even if I had been crumped +out of every shop I showed my nose in, which I have not by any +means, for I have met with more disinterested and sincere advice, +and have received more good-natured "boosting" in this country in an +hour than I found in the old country in a month. What I mean is, +that it seems rather harder, or at least quite as hard, to get work +of any sort, as a fitter, engine driver, or anything else _at once_. +I was told that for a sensible chap who would begin small, there was +lots of work to be had for the asking; in fact, that there was a +demand for what I may call professional labour, but that is a great +mistake. The works here, of every sort, are just as slack as they +are anywhere else, rather worse perhaps. I went to the Grand Trunk +and also the Canadian Pacific, but there was not the remotest +chance; they are cutting down everywhere, sacking men, clerks, and +draughtsmen hand-over-fist. The bosses were all good-natured, and +sometimes spoke to their subordinates themselves, to see, as they +said, if there was, or soon would, be, any vacancy, but there was +not; and in the face of any number of their old hands waiting to be +taken on again, there was small chance for a new comer. Of course +both the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific Railways have been +running for some time, and are nearly finished, so it is not likely +that they will be increasing their staff. The chances lie in the new +companies that will probably form, and in the new works that will +probably be opened, but this is a matter of waiting, not always +convenient. There is small doubt, I think, that by waiting and +worrying, some of these chances might be laid hold of, and that +properly used they might be turned to good account, for there must +certainly be lots to be done eventually, unless nine-tenths of the +country are going to stand still and remain undeveloped; but this is +not exactly what I expected. I thought that if a man represented +himself as an engineer, and said that he would go and work as a +navvy, fitter, or blacksmith, until the company found it would be +better worth their while to employ him higher up the ladder, he was +pretty certain of getting his request granted; but they say here +that is not so, they are not particularly in want of gentlemen of +any of the above persuasions anywhere about their line, and it won't +pay them to keep two men where they need keep but one. Thus, the +main point of difference between the two countries seems to me to be +that, here work is more or less on the increase, though to nothing +like the extent represented at home, and in England it is on the +decline. Even that is not quite right, for work here at present is +certainly getting slacker every day. There has been a great "boom" +on Canada lately as a field for labour, thousands and thousands of +people have come, and been sent out by Colonization Societies, etc., +and the consequence is, there are more people already than there is +work for, even in the agricultural line. Winnepeg, the much talked +of Capital of the West, is simply dilapidating, and as far west as +Regina living is high and wages low. I was told in friendliness, by +a chap called Deacon (I was introduced to him by his father-in-law), +who has an enormous tract of land by league with the Government, and +to whose interest it will be to colonize it as soon as possible, +that living in the latter place cost about $10 a week, just double +what we are paying here; and that he could get plenty of men glad to +do any work for him at $15 a month and their keep. All the towns +down the line are the same, every place (so I am told) is, so to +speak, staggered by the great and sudden influx of emigrants. Of +course, by those who have money enough to start a farm and have +sufficient experience to start it upon, there is always a +comfortable living to be made, so long as there is a good export +market for grain; but there is as much difficulty with the +experience question as with the financial, for the ordinary run of +emigrants, owing to the difficulty of getting on to a farm. These +difficulties, I believe, will continue until there is a cry in the +opposite direction, and Canada is voted a hoax. When people cease to +flock out here, because they are told they can earn $40 a month, +with their board, and when those who have already arrived get shaken +down into their places which will be opened for them by the natural +increase in the number of farms every year, the country will soon +revive, and with it the demand. When the people in England and +elsewhere having got Canada off the brain, it will not be overflowed +with people who come out to make fortunes, and at the end of six +months only wish they could make tracks. + +I have not written all this by way of complaint, or because I think +our own prospects look black, for they don't; thanks to some +powerful friends and good introductions. I think we are both pretty +sure of profitable work for the winter, which, of course, means also +after the winter; but, because my first impressions of the country +are different from what I expected them to be, and I wished for the +sake of afterwards comparing them with later experiences to put them +on record, and I put them in the form of a letter to you, because, +being a thinker on such Subjects, you may like to grin and note how +my surprises are what you would have expected. I don't know what the +people at home thought of my first letter; it must have dispelled +some illusions concerning the voyage out, which they seemed to have +thought we should like immensely, but we didn't, except at the +beginning and the end. The first letter we had from the Governor +said, "I suppose by this time you are just about losing sight of the +Irish coast, and beginning to meet the long swell of the Atlantic, +and wishing your voyage was to last forty days instead of ten." Such +a wish was far from my thoughts, and the dickens a bit of the Irish +coast we ever lost sight of, for we never saw it, passing it in the +dark and in thick weather, and, at the time we ought to have been +losing sight of it, we were tumbling about at the instigation of a +nor'-wester of moderate proportions; and we never felt the delights +of a long swell at all, the wind, blowing fairly hard the whole +time, shifted regularly every day from nor'-west in the morning to +west and sou'-west at night, and kept us jumping about like a pea on +a hot plate the whole time, which, with soaking decks and cold +weather, made it imperative to go below occasionally to get warmed, +dried, fed, and--sea-sick sometimes, when the weather and the st--ks +were worst. It was a good week before it occurred to me that I might +be able to get a light for my pipe under the lee of the hurricane +deck, especially if I borrowed a fusee for the purpose. However, I +was sorry when the run was over after all, and I had to commence +knocking about from pillar to post on shore. I am sure I must have +walked from twelve to fifteen miles to-day in job hunting alone, +having made six business applications at long distances apart. It +has been upon one occasion exactly the same as with the Indian +business. If you remember, they said, "had he been a civil engineer +we could have sent him out at once;" and I called on a chap here, a +C.E., called Bantry, who asked me if I knew anything about +surveying; I said I did, rejoicing inwardly at the vagueness of the +question, but he soon stopped generalizing, and asked had I ever +done any practical surveying--in fact, could I take charge of a +survey-staff, to go out west or elsewhere. I said I felt certain I +could do so, but to his direct question was obliged to admit that I +had never had any experience. He seemed sorry; he wanted someone to +take charge of a survey, but he said he could hardly employ me for +that purpose, seeing I had had no practice. I think, had I possessed +a theodolite, and all the other paraphanalia, I could have got him +to take me on trial, but of course it was no use spending a lot of +money on instruments that I might never want, just for the chance. +This is the only time I have come near getting a job yet. It was +riling to miss it, but I don't see how it could have been otherwise. +What would you have done? I am rather at a loss to know what to do +now. I seem to have pretty well dried up Montreal, and don't see +much use sticking here for another week, and yet the man whom I have +got to see at 9 a.m. to-morrow, may recommend me to half-a-dozen +different places, and those again may give rise to another +half-a-dozen. What's the use of writing it all down any way? I am +sitting on a very low chair at a very high table, consequently my +left arm feels as though it was restraining an apparent tendency on +the part of the table to set at nought the established laws of +gravity. How is the old Tadpole, the wily banker, the impecunious +toiler among heaps of gold? Tell him to prig a few thousand pound +notes, and wrap himself up in them all but his head, that will do +for the port light, and labelled "wrong side up, with care," and get +himself sent across here, then I shall have nothing to do but to +chaw baccy, and wait till he comes out of jail. Have you seen my +particular friend the "Dook" lately? How's he a-getting on? And +what's he doing? And what does he want to do? which is just the +difference between great expectations and little realities. +By-the-bye, did you ever hear of a single ladder bucket dredger for +a depth of thirty-five feet to dredge 1,200 tons an hour? The +buckets are 1 cwt. 7st. capacity, and travel up at the rate of 125 +feet per minute; the engines are vertical, and the connecting rods +go slick on to the pinions, on which is the friction arrangement, +instead of on the spur wheel. I got an introduction to some people +in the Harbour Commisioners, and the above details are all I got out +of them. + +Now, good-bye old chap, and good-bye to the port-light too. Don't +bother to answer this, unless you have got something to say: you are +sure to be busy, and I generally have my evenings pretty much to +myself. + +Your loving brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--I meant to post this in time for the English Mail on Saturday, +but found, on coming here, that the post is Thursday. We are now at +Eton Corner, where Henry has at last come to an anchor. Of course, I +had come down with him to see the chap, and make the financial +arrangements. I can't tell you anything about them yet, as we found +the chap in question had been suddenly called away, and would not be +back till to-night. Hardy is his name. (I've found some ink). We +went out to the farm this morning. It is said to be a very good one, +and the fellow is worth a good deal of money. I expect I'll have +time to tell you what arrangements I have made before I mail this. +Henry was delighted with the place, and was not at all disconcerted +by what they told him he would have to do. I think he will get on +well. There is no doubt that he understands clearly what is expected +of him, and that he means to do it. + +[Extra Supplement.] + +Sherbrooke, Monday.--Many thanks for your letter, which I have just +received; I also got one from Frank, and one from mother this +morning when I arrived here. I have just settled Henry's business, +and left him to his own resources at the farm. His address is, c/o +W. Hardy, Eton Corner, P.Q. Your letter and those from home were +almost the first reminders I had about my birthday. I just +remembered, about an hour before I got them that it was past and +over. You see I, in a manner, anticipated your wishes about letting +you know what I think of the country, though, on reading it over, I +don't really know whether I have talked a lot of rubbish or not. I +have given you a lot of semi-political cant, when what you want to +know is simply, how easy is it to make coin out here. Well, I think +the answer to that is pretty easy. If a man is not ambitious, and +would be content to be a common or garden farmer for the greater +part of his life, and have, say a $1000 a year to settle down on +when he gets old, why let him ask some to give him some land and +begin. Everyone says it's the jolliest life going, but then +"everyone" is a farmer, so their opinion is no more than consistent. +That is just about the state of the case at present. If a man is +ordinarily careful in the choice of his land and the situation +thereof, he has the best possible chance of making a comfortable +living, and if he has got an agricultural soul his life will +probably be a happy one. Concerning the preparatory training +necessary before buying a farm, I should say there was some bosh +written on the subject. Mind, I am only talking, I'm not giving +deeply-studied opinions, or anything of that sort. I know too +precious little about it. I've seen it stated constantly in books +and newspapers, that "_anybody_" can easily get ten dollars a month, +and their keep to begin upon. I say emphatically anybody can't. +Henry is to get nothing at all to start with, bar of course his +board and lodgings, etc. I don't say that I couldn't have done +better for him, but I don't think I could, not without spending a +lot of money in travelling about, and I made up my mind long ago to +take the first thing that offered both for him and for myself. I +have sent a short description of the people with whom he will have +to live, etc., to mother, and he will, no doubt, send a full account +of his commencement and first impressions. Just to give you an idea +of the eagerness with which he commenced his work, I may tell you +that he would not come down to the station this morning to see me +off, because "there was too much to be done." He had offered to +churn the butter for Mrs. Hardy, and the boss had to go to a +committee meeting of the annual fair, etc., etc. Well, it's a good +sign. I gave him all the tips I could think of, and all the advice, +and I believe he has begun his work with the firm resolve of making +himself valuable to old Hardy. Now I'm going to shut up, as I've got +to write to mother. Tell the old Coke I will write him a jaw +sometime. Much obliged to him for his letter. + +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +60, Aylmer Street, +Montreal, + +_Wednesday, 17th Sept._, '84. + +My Dear Mother, + +I must follow your example and write when there is nothing much that +can be said, not so much because there is nothing to say, as because +I have'nt time to say it. I suppose you have got our first letters +by this time. I wonder what sort of impression they made? I don't +remember what I put inside my own, except that I confessed to being +sea-sick, but it was due to the --inks in the cabin. One thing, +though, I did not tell you, namely, that when the time came I was +sorry to land, for towards the end I enjoyed it very much. My hat +arrived here with only a few dents in it. By-the-bye, talking of +things that arrived here, I don't know if either of us told you the +parcel and all your letters had come safe to hand (Thursday.) Here +we are suddenly in Sherbrooke again. Awful nuisance this cutting +about, but it can't be helped. It was no use Henry staying longer in +Montreal; its resources for him were fairly exhausted; and now is +the time for another shot at old Crabtree. We only arrived here this +evening, being obliged, by the inconvenient times at which the +trains run, to travel in the daytime. I shall have a lot to do +to-morrow, but, if possible, I will add something hereto before I +mail it. You will have to excuse bad writing, as it's a fearful bad +light, and not very early. I meant to read your letter over again, +and answer it as I went, but that will have to slide for the +present. I have seen dozens and dozens of people in Montreal lately, +and some good friends are also agitating there for me while I am +away. I am going to see Colonel Ibbotson to-morrow, and he is going +to try and get me in the Government Surveying business at Ottawa, so +I may have to go there very soon. I have left my card and address +with half the engineers in Canada, and all have promised to make +enquiries for me, and let me know if anything turns up. I have'nt +entered into minute details of what I have been doing, which people +I have seen, and what they have told me, etc., because I would much +sooner wait till I can write and tell you what has turned up. You'd +be thinking all sorts of direful things if I were to write by one +mail and say I was going to see the great so-and-so to-morrow, and +tell you how I had backed myself up with an array of mutual friends, +letters of introduction, etc., and then write by next mail to say +that it had all come to nothing; and yet that is what is constantly +happening; it must happen; of course I fortify my position as much +as possible for every application, but if a man has'nt got a vacancy +you can't expect him to make one. I have got eight or ten irons in +the fire here or in Montreal, and each of them will probably +generate other irons, frequently bigger and stronger than they are +themselves. + +By-the-bye, I don't know if I told you on the other side of this +page (that is the other one), that I had blued 50c. to go and have a +look at Lachine Rapids. I don't know whether I was disappointed or +not. I think the boats that go down are far too big; one does'nt get +a proper idea of the height of the waves and general _ruction_ of +the water. The steering was the best part of it. The water runs down +I should say in places at about twelve to fifteen miles an hour, and +the channel is sometimes not more than twenty or thirty yards wide +between the rocks, which I could'nt see till we were alongside of +them; and it twists and turns about a good deal. Altogether I did +not grudge the money. I must shut up now mother dear, for to-night. +You ought to have a capital M at least, seeing you are such a +capital Mother, but my eyes are sore, so we'll let it slide. Perhaps +I shall have to sign my name in pencil, if so you'll know I had'nt +time to write any more. + +Well, this arn't in pencil, and it arn't my name, it's ink, and such +ink! I believe it's made from charcoal. Everything here is made of +wood, even to the fire-irons and hearthstones. We are not where we +was. Different portions of this letter have been inscribed in +different places (small chance of your being able to read it if it had +not). It was begun in Montreal, continued in Sherbrooke, and I am now +writing at the Eastern Township Hotel, Eton Corner, near Birchton, +P.Q., which I have every reason to believe will be Henry's field of +action. I may hereafter be able to add for certain that he is settled, +and upon what terms. All I can say at present is that a certain farmer +named Hardy has consented to take him. I have not seen the man yet, he +was called away suddenly on some important business and could not let +me know in time to stop rife coming here to see him. I am told it's a +first-rate farm and the man is well off, which is security against +Henry suddenly being discharged owing to impecuniosity on the farmer's +part, a thing which seems to be of pretty frequent occurrence about +here, or, in fact, anywhere else. We went out to the farm this +morning, and saw the man's father, who lives with him; he is a very +decent old chap, but he is going away on Sunday for some time. Henry +liked the look of the place very much indeed. It is about sixteen +miles from Sherbrooke, and four-and-a-half from the station +(Birchton). The country is a good deal wilder than any we have seen +yet, though very pretty, nothing but wood all round, mostly pine, but +not large timber. The village is also a pretty little place, it looks +like a few houses--all wood--built in a field, with a road running +through the middle of them, a road that would be considered a disgrace +to any county in England, but which passes for a very fair one here. +By-the-bye, jack-boots are such an evident necessity here that I +advised Henry to get another pair before he left Sherbrooke, which he +did for $2 25c., or about nine shillings. Boots of every sort are much +cheaper here, though the boot-maker himself said they were not so +good; still they look to me to have a great deal of hard wear in them, +and there is a wonderful difference in the price. I don't think Henry +could have done without another pair, as they are by a long way the +safest and best things to wear in the winter. (Sunday morning.) I +have'nt been to church this morning, because it's three-and-a-half or +four miles away, and the roads (owing to heavy rains yesterday and +last night) are a mass of mud, and I have nothing but thin shoes. You +see I came down from Montreal expecting to be back again on Saturday +morning, and I can't get back now before Tuesday morning. I saw Hardy +last night, and slept at his farm with Henry. I think on the whole he +is well placed, for placed he certainly is. I made up my mind long ago +to close with the first chance that offered for him unless there was +some good moral or political reason against doing so. I can't see the +shadow of such a reason in this case. Hardy is a middle-aged, +intelligent-looking man, fairly cultured and educated, free and easy +in his manners, as everyone is here. From what I hear, I should say he +was inclined to be a little quick tempered, not a lot, not what you +would call a hot-tempered man by any means. I think it would take a +great deal to make him angry, but when he did become so, it would be a +flare up and out again like a bunch of tow. He seems a genial sort of +chap too, as he always says the best he can of everybody, and is +always ready for a laugh. He has the reputation of being fair and +upright in his dealings. When I talked to him about wages he said he +certainly could'nt give Henry anything to start with during the time +that is left for outside work before the winter; he would require too +much explanation, and be too raw at his work to be of any value beyond +his keep, and during the cold weather there was practically nothing to +do but cut wood and attend the cattle. I find that even a skilled hand +can seldom get more than $10 a month with his keep at winter work +_unless he engages for one or more years_. I think it's quite fair, +when you consider that he has engaged Henry just when there is very +little to be done, and he has no security that he (Henry) won't leave +him when the spring comes, or perhaps before it. Of course, he +probably won't do so, but you can't expect the man to count upon that. +Thus the _probability_ is that Henry will get only his board and +lodging during the greater part of the winter; or, to use the man's +own words, "I'll do the best I can; if I find he's worth more I'll +give it him, anyway he's sure of something in the spring." I like the +farmer's wife very much, she must have been very pretty once, though +of course, most of it has worn off now. She is very quiet, and very +good tempered looking, and I think she will take a fancy to Henry. +They have got one child, a girl of about eight or nine, who it will +probably be Henry's duty to drive in school every morning. I think +this settles the family. Henry will no doubt give you a lengthy +description of the house, so I will refrain from expatiating on its +merits. He will have a room to himself, which, in my opinion, is +sufficient reason for clinching the bargain. You were wanting to know +about the prices of things here as compared with the old country, as I +have already begun to call it. Some son-of-a-gun has been playing the +fool with my pen, and all the ink this place can raise is a +concentrated solution in the bottom of a stone bottle. Well, I think I +have told you all that I know at present, though I can't be sure. You +see I have to write at odd times, and in odd places, and so I very +often forget what I have said or have not said. Railway travelling is +certainly dearer for short distances, but undoubtedly cheaper for long +ones; that is, the tickets are issued at a reduced mileage, but it +does not seem cheaper, and if time is money it is certainly not so. I +don't know anything about a three or four day's journey. The return +fare from Montreal to Sherbrooke, 102 miles, first-class, is $5 60c. +It is impossible for anyone but a hardened smoker, and one who can +throw comfort to the winds, to travel anything but first-class, at +least, that is the result of my experience so far. I don't know enough +about it to give any reliable opinion on the merits of Canadian +Railways at present. The clothing required in towns seems decidedly +dearer than it is in England. What may be called the specialities of +the country, such as overall working suits, jack-boots, etc., are +cheaper. I can't say anything about living yet, $5 50c. clears all +shoals, washing included, in Montreal, and 6 or 7 would do the same in +most country hotels, though I am not sure that they are hotels which +you could go to. I have just remembered that last Friday was my +birthday. How old am I--twenty-four or twenty-five? Just tell me next +time you write, for I really don't know. I think it must be +twenty-four. I can't be a quarter of a century old yet, surely. + +What early birds the people are here. It is just half-past nine and +all lights have been out for some time, and everyone in the hotel is +asleep. I've got to catch the train pretty early to-morrow, so I'll +e'en do likewise. I'll only put J. S. C. here as I'm sure to have +something more to say when I get to Montreal. + +Sherbrooke, Monday.--Have just received your letters. These were +waiting for me here; also one from Frank. Many thanks for the lot. +They were very nearly the first reminders I had about my birthday, +but I just managed to remember it the night before I got them. Well, +Mother, I am very sorry to hear that you are anxious about us, +though I suppose you can't help it. I told you not to be before I +went away, but I knew you'd go and do it again as soon as my back +was turned. There's precious little to be anxious about I can tell +you. Henry is fixed and settled, and I am in a very fair way to be +so. That does'nt mean that I _hope_ I shall be settled soon. More +than that. I am beginning to arrive at more definite results as to +my enquiries, etc. Then as to our being sick or in sorrow, you may +also make yourself as comfortable as circumstances will permit; +neither of us, I think, were ever in better health or more in +earnest in the business of life. And concerning the "blues" or +"sorrow" contingency, why I never whistled so long or so loud +before. That's because there are not so many people to talk to, and +none that object to music. There's no girls either to talk to. We +don't know a single one in the country. Hard luck, isn't it? Now, +about the weather--cheerful subject (it's raining like mad). So far +it has displayed just as much inconstancy as is usually met with in +England. The first night we spent here was cold, the next day was +hot, and the next day hotter still, and then it remained so for +about a fortnight. Now it has cooled down again, and is pretty +changeable. It seems to me so far the main difference between this +climate and the English one is the difference between the mean +temperatures of summer and winter. In Devonshire I should say the +average mean difference between summer and winter is about 40°, and +in Sherbrooke it's probably more like 100°. In both countries sudden +changes and rises or falls are common. In this country it will fall +from, in summer, say from 90° to 60°, and in England it will fall +from 70° to 40°. It therefore stands to reason that this climate +must be the most healthy, if people do not mind the heat, for +anybody, no matter how thinly clothed, can always, with a little +exercise, keep themselves healthily warm with the thermometer at +60°, but it is by no means always easy to prevent getting cold when +it falls suddenly as low as 40°. In winter, I am told, it will +frequently fall from 0° to 40° below; but then the winter here is +such a recognised institution that everyone is prepared for such +freaks. The healthy appearance of the kids in the country round +about here would make you feel pretty happy about the "Grub," I +think. I have seen some half his age who would make three of him at +least. + +I should like to know what is inside the castles that you build in +connection with my "nice acquaintance of the steamer." We didn't +make any friends who asked us to stay with them, or anything of that +sort. The number of saloon passengers was very limited, and those +from whom I would have accepted invitations were more limited still. +Dr. Marsh, the only one who took the trouble to help or advise us at +all when we got on shore, and who is a very nice chap, gave us his +address, and made us promise to hunt him up if ever we came out +west, and told us if we wanted to know anything about that part of +the country to write to him, and he would make all the enquiries, +etc., in his power; which I shall certainly do towards next spring. +It's no good writing now; the correspondence would die out and leave +nothing definitely settled behind it. Now I think I'm finished up +with Sherbrooke. I leave for Montreal to-night, by the 1.35 train. I +hope there may be half-a-dozen appointments waiting for me. I have +told you elsewhere why I do not write detailed accounts of the +people I have seen or have yet to see, the chances of securing +such-and-such a job, etc., etc. I have neither the time nor the +ability to give you a clear and concise idea of the value and weight +of each introduction, and to what it may probably lead. Besides, if +I did, you would naturally want to know how each of them had ended, +and I should have to send by each mail a long list of places where I +had NOT got work--a glum kind of letter for both sides. Suffice it +that my prospects are good, and that all my friends express their +unqualified approbation of the courses I have adopted to attain my +ends. _Montreal, old address_. There is nothing much that I can add. +I did not travel last night because the trains had been changed, and +I should have had to wait two or three hours at a wretched little +hole in the small hours of the morning. I therefore slept the night +in Sherbrooke, and got here by a train arriving at noon. Having fed +and got my baggage stowed away, I hunted up my two principal +backers, at least I hunted for them but was unsuccessful, so I can't +tell you anything about what's been done for me during my absence. I +believe I've got rather more baggage than Henry. When we split it +up it was found that I needed both portmanteaus and the Canadian +box as well, that I now have a fearful lot of packages to lug about, +including my gun and rifle. The rifle reminds me of old Daddy. How's +he getting on? Making big strides, I hope? He'll need all he can +make when I come to see him. I seem to be always ready for a guzzle +now. I wish you could have had the journey I did this morning; I am +sure you would have enjoyed it, though the train had suddenly +developed amphibious proclivities whilst going over a bridge. What +one hears of the "autumn tints" here is rather the reverse of +exaggerated. Nearly the whole way from Sherbrooke to Montreal is +through woods, and they are all a blaze of red in every shade, from +the brightest fieriest crimson to a dark purple, that is, all except +those which are green or yellow. The mixture is much prettier than +all one colour would be, and by contrast with the dark +scraggy-looking pines, it does not look the least gaudy. Well, I'm +going to shut up and do some reading. So good bye for the present, +and best love to everyone under the sun when it shines in Dawlish. + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +Mailed Friday, 27th. + + + + +Ottawa, + +_October 2nd_, 1884. + + +My Dear Mother, + +I can't lose this mail after having taken so long about my last +letter. But it will scarcely be more than How d'you do? How are you? +I'm all right! Well, that's better than nothing, anyhow. I have, as +you see, again changed my location, whether advantageously or +otherwise I cannot as yet say. But this Capital of Canada is a +miserable little place. The railway station is very little better +than a shed in a field, and the road from there to the town--oh, +"golly!"--a train off the rails is nothing to it. I came up in the +hotel 'bus, and though I tried all I knew to sit firm and not let +daylight be seen betwixt me and my saddle, I was jumped about like a +dancing-master, and I hammered those cushions till I thought of +claiming a week's pay from the hotel for beating the dust out of +them. However, I did'nt; so I am still here. There is one good thing +I have done in coming here, I have reached the head and source of +the immigration question. I can get an unprejudiced opinion as to +the very best spots in the place--that is, settling spots--and also +various items of information which all tend, more or less, to the +endorsement of this moral: Let no professional men, of any sort, +come out here. I used to think there must be lots of openings for +engineers, doctors, etc., in the small towns that were almost daily +springing up along the line, but that is not so. Of course there is +now and then a chance, say for a doctor to start in some place where +eighty or a hundred people have congregated together, and if he can +live on his own pills till another couple of oughts are added to the +figure, he may get a good practice. But then he may not, because +somebody else may get it instead. The fact of the matter is, and I +have high government officials for my authority, that, owing to the +educational mania, which is every whit as rampant here as it is in +England, this country produces annually a number of professional +men, of every class, far in excess of the demand. The illiterate +settler makes his money pretty easy, and then, being impressed with +the "free country" rubbish that is talked here, he decides that his +sons shall not be farm labourers, they shall be gentlemen. "Why the +blazes shouldn't 'Bob' be just as good a doctor or lawyer as anyone +else?" So to school and to college they go, and having been made +gentlemen of, they lounge about the towns, filling the bars and the +billiard-rooms, and smoking themselves green while waiting for a +breeze. Why, in this wretched little place, of about 20 to 25,000 +inhabitants, there are thirty lawyers and twenty-five doctors in the +directory, and all these have one or more satelites. Well, this is +all very dry. + +The weather is getting colder every day, and the shop windows are +getting full of snow-shoes, mocassins, etc. I hear very different +stories about the winter. Some people say it is so cold that the +rain freezes into icicles as it comes down from the clouds, and so +forms pillars which you can climb up and skate about overhead. And +others say it's so jolly mild in the coldest weather that you've +only got to put a little snow in the fire and it will soon melt. + +I must shut up now, as I've got an appointment to meet the Minister +of the Interior and several other swagger gentlemen. + +Best love to everybody. Remember me all round. + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--I open this again to tell you that I am fixed here, for the +present at anyrate. I have got a job in a patent solicitor's office, +as draughtsman. Salary is scarcely fixed yet, but will probably be +seven or eight dollars a-week to begin upon, increasing to about +twelve. It may be permanent or it may not, but I have something else +to fall back upon. + +Address 202, Bank Street, Ottawa. + +The job I have to fall back upon is with a blacksmith, at Eton +Corner. I should at first get only board, but probably more +afterwards. + + + + +Ottawa, + +_October 6th_, '84. + + +My Dear "Frunck," + +I have no doubt you think me a blackguard, to put it mildly, for +taking such a month of Sundays to answer your letter; Of course I +thought to myself as soon as I had finished it: Dash it! here goes. +I'll write him a "jaw." But "dash it" here didn't go. I wrote to +mother instead, and when I had finished that one I was so tired of +scribbling that I "smucked a cegar" and turned in. I was then +staying for the night at the Sherbrooke Hotel, on my way to +Montreal, after having stuck Henry in the mud, which is the polite +way of saying that I left him rapidly taking root in the soil of the +new country. I haven't heard from him since we parted, partly, I +have no doubt, because I have been knocking about so much that all +my letters have missed me. In fact, I haven't heard from a soul for +more than a fortnight. However, I am stationary at last, for a time +anyway. I have got a job as senior draughtsman in a patent +solicitor's office (don't tell anybody, but my only junior is a boy +with a face more astute in angles than in expression). It is a rum +sort of work that I have to do--mostly making drawings from models +in perspective; not too easy, especially as the drawings have to be +finished off "up to Dick," or they are not accepted at the Patent +Office. But there's not much in it after all. No designing, no +calculations, and in a great many instances no real scale even. In +fact, so long as the drawing is done quickly and immaculately got +up, it does not matter a rap whether a man is as big as a monkey or +not, so long as they are both good-looking. You see the main object +is to make the principle of the invention clear at a glance in one +view, that is why they generally are perspective. I have only been +at it a day and a half, so I can't tell you much about either the +boss or the work yet, but I think we shall get on very well +together. Hartley is his name, and this much is tolerably certain +concerning him, he is a rising man, his business is increasing, and, +as I said before, I am his senior draughtsman, therefore should he +"hum," I shall endeavour to hum too. Tell old Major that I can +whistle as loud and as long as I like, and that I can smoke all day +if I please. But I don't please; that's just the rummy part of it. +Now in Hawk's shanty they don't like whistling, and for the life of +me I couldn't keep quiet there. Also they object to the fumes of +tobacco, therefore they missed many a half hour of my time, which +was spent in sacrificing to the king of weeds. Here, in a free +country, I can do as I please, and yet, for some reason or another, +I don't do it. The office is on the fourth flat of the Victoria +Chambers--good height up you see. My lamp is going out--must shut up +for to-night.... Well, + +I've just come down again from up a height, as they say in your part +of the world. I finished my first drawing to-day, was highly +commended, and gave it my junior to trace. My second job is a patent +saw-sharpening affair for circular saws. They want half-a-dozen +different plane views, and a perspective arrangement, to be worked +up from a few rough tracings, a rougher specification, and a +photograph with a man in it--the patentee, I believe--so if I +flatter him in the matter of unlikeness he is bound to be well +pleased. I don't know yet, though, if he has to go in or not. The +Patent Office is bound to keep a record, in pictures or models, of +the results of mens' brains, whether eccentric or otherwise, but not +of the general appearance of their possessors. More's the pity, I +think; for from what I have seen of the models in the Patent Office, +they would furnish specimens for the phrenological study of mental +imbecility for generations to come. I only had time just to run +through the model rooms, but here is the idea of a patent which +tickled me immensely. It was simply a lot of wooden geese fastened +at the end of long sticks all over and around a boat. They were +grouped together in most picturesque confusion, some standing on +their heads and some on their tails, and some, _I believe_, supposed +to be flying. The idea was that when real live geese saw this affair +like a mad Noah's ark on the water, they would recognise their +brethren and come flocking along to be shot by the other goose +inside with the gun. Perhaps being geese they would do just that, +but then what depravity on the part of the warlike one thus to take +advantage of the eccentricities of his fellows. I have never seen +the affair used. It does not seem to have made great progress in the +good opinion of the public. Perhaps, after all, the bloodthirsty +quacker, who offers to the irreverant eye this melancholy evidence +of insanity, had a cynically low opinion of his kind, causing him to +believe that geese were geese enough to be deceived by him, the +greatest goose of the lot. I must shut up, or I shall do something +flighty. I wish you'd come and punch my head, or do something of +that sort. Here have I been working all day, and now I'm writing all +night, or at least I've just written it. There's a fellow here feels +like punching somebody, but you see he's all alone, and he knows how +I might hurt himself. Besides, he's writing to my dear brother, so +he does not want to stop me, or else you know he'd never get the +letter. You understand, don't you? Of course you do. It's as clear +as mud. I'm writing with somebody else's ink, that's all. Between +you and me (there's plenty of room, old boy; chuck your elbows out, +and sp--t where you please), that's why he writes such rubbish. I'm +going to write now. You'll see the difference at once when I begin. +The room I now occupy as I pen these lines, belongs to the ancient +style of architecture known as the Five-dollar Boarding-house +Rectangular (he can't afford to go on writing like that, it's too +expensive). Excuse me, my dear sir, I must crave your permission to +condense slightly the style of my caligraphy. Her Majesty's +Postmaster has a prejudice against the carrying of letters which +exceed one ton in weight. I was, I believe, describing the beauties +of my apartment. To proceed at once to details, there is a +stove-pipe that comes in at the wall and goes out at the ceiling, a +peculiarity by no means uncommon in edifices of the before-mentioned +class--the object of the design being the economical warming of the +whole structure by means of one stove, generally of the +severely-dilapidated style. There is also, on the opposite side of +the room, an antique sofa, celebrated for having been too forcibly +sat upon, probably by some athletic hero on his return from victory. +However that may be, the sofa remains to this day tabooed to mortal +forms, though the present owner has informed me that "It reely is +goin' to be fixed up all noo like, when I gets a few more boarders." +From the mixed dialect observable in the form of which intimation I +gather that the original language of the aborigines is not +altogether lost to their posterity. There are also various other +specimens of that style of furniture, which is generally admitted to +be contemporary with the peculiar type of architecture of which I +write, but I am debarred by lack of space from giving them a full +description, or mentioning the legends connected with each. The +beautifully-carved cornices, of the sheep-skin and bees'-wax order, +the elaborate mural--. Oh, gammon! Many happy returns of the +twenty-sixth of last month to you, old boy. I quite forgot my own +birthday, so it could hardly be expected that I should remember +yours. People often do what they're not expected to, however, and I +did remember your birthday--after it was all over that is to say. I +remembered that yours was on the twenty-sixth by talking to somebody +about something or other that was going to happen somewhere about +that date, and then of course it came into my head that I had passed +mine over without observing the feast. Pot said in a letter he wrote +to me, that he hoped my birthday might be the day on which I should +hear of some good job, or do something which should turn out to be a +stroke of good fortune. Curiously enough, it was on the nineteenth +that I learned that a good opening had occurred for Henry, and that +if I liked to take a rather rough fanning job, I could get myself +stuck likewise. That part of the offer I did not accept, and I think +by what has since happened, that my refusal was judgematical. +Moreover, the very next day I heard of a more congenial matter in +the hammer-and-tongs department of my august profession. A village +blacksmith, a horny-handed son of toil, generously offered to feed +and lodge me for as long as I liked to stop, in return for my +services in his forge. The offer was the more magnanimous in that he +was not in any particular need of assistance, but was willing to +stretch a point (a proceeding that would stump Professor Euclid, by +the way,) considering that I was in particular need of a job. No +doubt, like all Yankees, he had an eye on the dollars' question, and +argued, with most praiseworthy perception, that being an engineer +and one who by his own representation had seen a good deal of forge +work, I might prove a very lucrative spec. But then he promised that +if he found that through my agency the money came in faster than it +did before, he would give me my fair share of the profits so +accruing. So I says to him says I, "See here, stranger, if I don't +get into a hole between now and this day fortnight, you'll see me +again. So leave the door open, will you?" He promised to do just +that; and, in fact, he said that I could come and start right away +whenever I pleased. So if this present exalted position of mine +should fail me--for, as I said before, it may only be a temporary +affair--why, slick I shall go away down to my particular friend the +village blacksmith. Well, I must wind up; it's getting late. If ever +you should be goaded by an uneasy conscience into writing me another +letter, just let me know what is going on "on the banks of the coaly +Tyne." Who is anybody, and where is he, etc. How is Bill Hawes, and +give him my love for himself and family. Remember me especially to +M. Moorshead, Esq. Tell him he missed a treat when I went away +without standing him a drink; it was the bitter(less)est! day of his +life. Is Edison still at the redoubtable No. 14? Reach your toe out +and kick him if he is, and tell him I don't love him. By-the-bye, +how's the canoe getting on? Is it finished? Has anybody been +drowned? If so, how many? And did I owe them anything? There's no +chance of its being the other way on. If you see any of the old club +fellows knocking about, tell them they can expect a lock of my hair +on receipt of P.O.O. for one dollar. In fact say boo to every goose +you meet. + +Your loving Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +Present Address: +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, P.O., +Canada. + +_October 10th_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I have only two hours from now till when the mail closes, so I must +make the best of my time. I have not called upon Mrs. Howel, because +I could not get at them. It was not worth while making a pretty long +journey just to deliver one introduction, and I believe someone told +me they were not in Montreal. By-the-bye, talking of people whom I +did not see, I must tell you that I also missed Cousin Maynard. He +had gone away somewhere, and left no address that I could hear of, +either at the offices of the British Association or elsewhere. I was +very sorry not to have seen him, but it could not be helped. You say +that Henry told you I was seedy. I think he must have been suffering +under the same delusion as he was that day he came home from a +yachting cruise, and said that "everybody had been awfully +sea-sick," meaning that he himself had been the principal sufferer. +I don't mean that he has been particularly seedy either, certainly +nothing beyond an unmentionable ache. We were both a little bit +churned up for a day or two, and I believe it was owing to +ice-cream. In the hot weather it was most tempting, and they give +you a great plateful for 10 cents., none of the rascally little +thimblefulls you get in England for twice that amount. But you can +make yourself perfectly easy, we are both so far as I know, +perfectly well, not even a mentionable ache, and I tell you +candidly, though I am afraid it is a dreadful confession, I have'nt +felt wretched by any means since I left home. Poor old Daddy! I'm +sorry he was bothered about such a trivial thing as a marriage +settlement; perhaps it is that he wants twopence-halfpenny to square +his accounts. Pump him, will you, and if it should be this that's +preying on his mind, you may tell him he can draw on me for the +amount, and I'll toss him double or quits when I come home. I +suppose he's pretty nearly spliced by this time. Concerning the +passage in my letter which seems to have puzzled you; it seems clear +enough to me, naturally it would, but that don't count. To the best +of my recollection I was writing from Aylmer Street, and I think I +said as much in my letter, if so, here is the explanation of the +obscurity. "I think with the _prospect_ of his (Henry's) being +shortly settled _there_ (Crabtree's), you might write, etc., if we +are not _here_ (the diggings) they can forward the letter." I can't +see the muddiness "if we are not here," means in other words "if we +should have gone away (of course it does), before your answer +arrives," and "they can forward the letter," means naturally that +the people we have left behind can send after us. If I had meant +Crabtree to forward the letter, I must have said "if we are not +_there_." Of course, if I did not tell you that I was writing from +Aylmer Street, I was a great coon, and that would explain the need +of explanation. Well, I suppose you know Henry's true and permanent +address by this time, so his letters are all right. But what would +have been the use of sending one to Crabtree, we should have been +more likely to leave our address at our diggings any way, and there +was only a _prospect_ of his going to C.'s. Should his letter have +gone there, however, he will no doubt get it in the end, though it +will probably be a very long end. We didn't leave our address with +him because he said he would let his friend Kemp (who introduced us) +know what decision he arrived at, and he (Kemp) would write to us; +for all we knew the old chap himself could'nt write his own name. +Poor old fossil! If you send him a note you'll make him scratch all +his hair off, and he has'nt got much. I would'nt send any of my +letters to Mrs. Hall if I were you, you don't know how she is off +for thatch, and it will take a power of thinking for any old lady +unacquainted with Algebra to find out an unknown quantity. You might +address them now to the Post Office, Ottawa, P.O. If I should go +elsewhere I will leave instructions at the P.O. to forward my +letters. + +This is a truly dreadful scrawl, but never mind, quantity wins the +day, quality nowhere. You see I am taking the subjects of your letter +and answering them as I go along. So far from having had to dip into +my money for Henry, I left him with fifty odd clear dollars in his +pocket; this came from his second £10. He had pretty near come to the +end of the ten he had in his belt when he started, when he got the +job. I had already come to the end of mine--extraordinary, was'nt +it?--and now I have got at this present moment $459 75c.; quite a +fortune, is'nt it? I'm sorry I have'nt time to write you a longer +letter my dearest mamma, but those nasty wicked people at the Post +Office said they would not stop that big ship for a day or two on any +account. This is such a beast of a pen. I would put it in the envelope +and send it to you if I did not think it would find its way out before +it reached you, just to show you what an immoderate amount of patience +I have got. I've tried to cross all these t's half-a-dozen times, and +pretty vigorously too. It must be awful good paper to withstand the +amount of friction necessary. Now I've pretty well filled up the +sheet. That's all I've been trying to do lately as you can no doubt +see. + +With best love to all friends, relations, and acquaintances, believe +me, + +Ever your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 15th_, '84. + + +My Dearest Mother, + +I have just received your letter, dated the--wait a minute till I +look--the 17th Sept. Long while ago, isn't it? Do you remember what +you wrote about? I never do; and it seems most extraordinary in +reading your letters referring to ones I have written about a month +ago, that though I know you are answering them, I don't understand +what you are talking about the least in the world. I don't want to +discourage you, you know. Your letters are rather enhanced in value +by their riddle-like quotations. They make me wonder what on earth I +can have been writing about. I do not even remember, unless you tell +me, whether they were long or short; and, except for my +consciousness of never having written in a strain of trifling or +levity, or otherwise than in a manner calculated to elevate and +improve the minds of everyone but my hearers, I should be almost led +to think I had been guilty of excesses in the way of toast-water or +gruel previous to writing them (tea-totaller you see). Put it to +yourself now. Wouldn't you feel riled if somebody said, in a long +commendatory sort of letter to yourself, that your description of so +and so was very funny? or that somebody else laughed very much at +your whole letter, when you felt certain that the letter in question +must have been a well thought out essay on the subject. "Did +Socrates ever stand on his head? and if so, upon which end of him +did it grow?" Wouldn't it be matter for despair to feed his +remorseless eye teeth upon, to find that the highest flights of your +intellect were capable only of a jocular interpretation? But I feel +certain there must be a mistake somewhere. As I said before, I am +fortified with the comfortable assurance of the integrity of my +heart in wishing to write only what will feed the hungry mind. +By-the-bye, if Socrates ever did stand on the upside down end, he +had excellent authority in justification of his action, for Pot, the +Patentee, has been known to do likewise. I've only had two pipes +to-day, mother; or three, is it--I forget; call it two. Justice, +tempered with mercy, &c., which means that I'll have another now. +That's the thing for ideas! Oh, certainly. Picture to yourself an +editor writing like mad. He indulges in a pipe to soothe his rampant +brain, and while lighting it he leans back for a complacent yawn. +When he gets up again, his dominant idea is that the back of his +chair must have been suffering from a diseased spine. Isn't that a +striking picture? The earth hitting a poor man on the back of his +head, eh? Well, it's quite a true one, and the incidents it portrays +are also of recent occurrence. The weary editor represents me; the +earth represents--hooray--a feather bed, which heroically interposes +its devoted body between me and the belligerent planet. Every detail +you can con (I don't know how to spell conjure) up will represent +the scene true to the life in everything save the attitude and +gestures of the falling literary warrior. Nothing you could imagine +would adequately portray the elegance--the dignity of my descent. +Daddy was, I believe, the fortunate witness of my native grace of +movement under similar trying circumstances. I allude to an incident +which occurred during a small festive gathering held in our Denmark +Street domain, on the occasion of his last visit to Gateshead. None +of the furniture, I am happy to say, suffered very severely during +the encounter. The table, under which my booted feet were disposed +happened somehow to have a rather violent oscillation imparted to +it, disarranging direfully what was already in direful disarray. The +lamp, standing alone in the midst of confusion, suffered a partial +eclipse; and my favourite Dublin meerschaum successfully resisted +the dilapidating effect of a fall of several feet. So much for +_tableaux vivants_ in real life. Now I will just see if there is +anything in your letter requiring an answer. First and foremost, I +am very much obliged to the Miss Bruces for their kind message, to +which please return them for answer a like message from me. As to +Kemp I don't think you need be at all uneasy concerning him. Even +supposing he had any "foul plots" with regard to either of us, he is +done with now; but I am perfectly certain he conspired only to our +benefit. It is due entirely to him that a place was found for Henry, +while we were galivanting about in Montreal, and I firmly believe a +good place too; better any way, as far as I can see, than old +Crabtree, who was a baccy chewing old son of a sea-cook. + +All I have ever heard against Hardy is that he is not a man to pay +ten dollars for what is only worth five--which means in point of +fact that Henry will not get very big wages. Still he gets his +keep--and good keep too, as I can testify--and will soon get +something else besides; and meantime he is in a clean house, among a +fairly civilized and certainly good-natured set of people, and with +a very comfortable room to himself. When he is two or three years +older, he will be able to see his own interests clearly, and to know +his own worth, and then if he could benefit himself by a change, let +him do so. Henry is at present very young for his years, and has a +good many ways and ideas which time will moderate. On an old fossil +like Crabtree these youthful vagaries would jar continually, that +is, I think, they might; while on Hardy they had just the opposite +effect. He seemed to be a good deal amused with Henry--not at all +satirically. He seemed to think he was rather good company, and his +laugh is so peculiar that he has only to show an incipient +inclination to grin, and Henry is ready to join him at once. I had a +sort of message from him (Henry) to-day. Your letter was sent to +Eton Corner, and Henry sent it on to me enclosed in a note, to the +effect that he liked the work immensely, and would write on Sunday. +Just received two more letters from you. I was awfully sorry to hear +about poor Uncle James. My god-father, wasn't he? Poor fellow! He +was always honour itself, and would spend his last dollar in paying +a lawyer to give his property to somebody else if he thought it +belonged to them, in moral justice. Well, I am very sorry to hear +about it, and that's about all I can say. I never saw very much of +him; but what I have seen was nothing but what was good--generosity, +kindness, honour, and a certain grim good-nature--all his own. + +I know I missed a mail in writing to you, but I could not help it. +It was the time I went to Eton Corner with Henry, and not being at +all aware of the posting difficulties connected with these out +of-the-way places, I found when I got there that it took almost as +long for a letter to get from Eton Corner to Quebec as from Quebec +half-way across the Atlantic. I was knocking about from pillar to +post there, and I had to write when and where I could; but I will +not miss-fire again if I can help it. Talking about missing fire +reminds me that it's all gammon about not being allowed to carry +cartridges or combustibles on board a steamer, or on board the +"Montreal" any way. Nobody took the trouble to find out even if we +had any infernal machines in our bags or not, and everybody carried +matches--ship's officers and all--generally wax ones. From not being +supplied with these necessaries, I was constantly having to "cadge" +a light for my pipe from somebody else, for as I believe I told you +I was not always too bad to smoke. In fact, I believe it was due to +the sneaking way in which I knocked the ashes out of my Friday +morning pipe, that I got seedy at all. You see--well, never mind, we +won't talk any more blarney in this letter, out of respect to the +memory of poor Uncle James. I can't help remarking though, that you +are just a wee peckle Irish in your lamentations concerning my +remissness in writing. You say in a letter to me, "There is no note +from you this week, except one from Henry." In view of what you say +about the Howels and Audleys I think I shall write to them both.--To +Mrs. Howel, to explain why I didn't call when I was in Montreal, and +to Mrs. Audley, to thank her for the introduction I never received; +and besides, I may just as well let them know where I am. I don't +think it costs Allen anything to forward my letters. They always +come with only the English stamp on them, and his address scratched +out and mine put on, generally with the word "re-directed" written +above. It's only fair after all. You pay the Post Office to send the +letters to where I am, not to where I was. I must shut up now. It's +time to turn in, though I expect I'll have time to add something +besides my signature before I mail this to-morrow. Friday night.--I +have only got a very little time before post, and only a very little +to say. I don't know if I have fairly answered all the subjects in +your letter that I wish to speak about, and I haven't time to read +it over again. However, I suppose you get a letter pretty well every +week by the time this comes to hand. The weather here is every bit +as changeable as it ever was in Dawlish. Sometimes I have felt it +decidedly chilly, even with my great-coat on; and at others it's +warm enough to cruise about à la dook, without a great coat and "all +flying."' The woods away over the other side of the river look +something like the colour of an exaggerated orange. In fact, the +country just now is pretty, to say the least of it. I don't think I +have ever told you what this part of it is like, but I will reserve +that subject for a future effort. By-the-bye, who won the tournament +at Dawlish? You see I left just in the thick of it, so it naturally +interests me, though of course it is quite an affair of the past +with you. Did Ethel Beaumont win anything? Remember me to her as +warmly as Charlie Wrottesley would permit, also to Mrs. B----. +By-the-bye again, I told Daddy I was going to send him a present. So +I am. It's coming; but it has'nt gone yet. There is a difficulty +concerning the packing for such a long postage journey. Don't be +alarmed on the score of my extravagance--there's no ground for it I +assure you. I would tell you what the damage was; for I don't +believe in keeping the cost of presents a secret. But the truth is, +I don't exactly remember it. I think it was something over two, and +under three, dollars, for the lot. The brooch is of course for +Muriel, with my love. I suppose I may say that--shan't scratch it +out anyway. Why, I haven't told you what the brooch is. Time's +short; but it's a pair of snow shoes, crossed with a little affair +at the top. I got them because they are characteristic of the +country they come from, and I knew you would like to see them both +dressed alike, though of course there will be something else +besides. Love to everybody, + +Your loving Son, +F. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, P.O. + +_October 17th_, '84. + +"Bold Old Daddy," + +Mercurial Retailer of Caustic and Squills, +Leaches and Rhubarb and Camomile Pills. + +Take a run and jump at yourself, and see if you can't hit upon the +answer to that riddle. + +This small satire is intended to counteract any embarrassing amount +of gratitude you may happen to feel for the small present I send +herewith to charming Mrs. Lestock Cockburn, that is to be, or that +is already, for aught I know to the contrary. The scarf-pin is for +yourself; you have got a much better one I know, but not such a +pretty one. I hesitated a long time whether to send it to you or to +Frank; he having indulged in a birthday some time back, but I +argued, with my customary logical powers, that birthdays were, as a +rule, of more frequent occurrence in the life of man than weddings, +and having fairly gotten the best of the controversy, my opponent +being nowhere, I have acted up to my convictions in sending you a +miniature pair of _snow_-shoes as a testimony of my _warm_ +affection. (Horrible, ain't it?) Well, never mind. How goes the +money-grubbing business in your department. Good word that. I got it +in my dealings with the Government of these parts. What do you +think? A man had the cheek to-day to ask me if I wanted any money! +me, who's got four hundred and fifty dollars somewhere, and fifty +cents, in his pocket besides; think of that you old Camomile Pill, +and hold a bucket to your mouth to catch the water. That man, Sir, +was my esteemed employer, A. Hartley, Esquire, who solicits patents, +and gets a good many of them too, and I told that man "no," as +became a gentleman of my own independent means, emphatically "no." +Ahem! not just at present. Ha, ha, says I to myself, says I, I laugh +in my sleeve, this is my first week, and from being new to the work +and out of practice anyway, I have'nt appeared to the best +advantage. I'll wait till next week, and then it'll be a lot of +money or two pistols, says I to myself says I (that's a quotation +you know.) Besides, I hope to benefit myself by this temporary +abstinence in other ways. A sharp, enterprising chap, who is pushing +his way upwards to business distinction as Hartley is, is better +satisfied to have at his back a fellow who is evidently not hard up! +and may be worth something, than to have a seedy looking dependent +who must be paid on Saturday or sleep on a doorstep. Of course, +supposing both to possess the same ability, it induces a feeling of +respect too, which in its turn brings it about, that in the event of +anything going wrong in any way, the more fortunate gentleman is not +blown up, until the why and the wherefore of the mishap has been +ascertained, when it frequently transpires that he is not in the +wrong; whereas the seedy dependent, who generally walks in +reluctantly at 9 o'clock and goes out with the air of a dook at five +ditto sharp, gets it pretty hot in any case, in the same way that a +man will swear at a common pipe for breaking, but will swear at +himself for breaking an expensive one. I believe that illustrates my +theory somehow, but I forgot my original idea before I had got half +through with the simile. However, the plain fact is easy enough of +comprehension. I have gone in for impressing my boss with an idea of +my importance. You see I closed with this gentleman on the clear +understanding that the job would possibly be only a temporary one, +but if I can only get him to perceive my manifold merits I shall be +kept on through the winter, and somebody else will have to bunk, +that is supposing anybody has to. Take it altogether I have made a +very good beginning; Hartley talks to me more confidentially every +day, and this evening told me I had done very well, which does not +look as though he were going to be niggardly in the matter of screw, +for that is not a settled point yet. I notice that my writing is +nearly as variable as my ideas. You might think this had been +written by two different people, or by one man in two different +years instead of all at one sitting, bar the last few words, which +are a Sunday production. It's all done by a turn of the wrist, +something like the handle in a New York printing machine. How can I +go on? A slavey, one pre-eminently of the boarding house +description, is kicking up a row. I don't exactly know what sort of +a row, unless--. Yes, by jove, I have it, she's singing. I don't +know whether Messrs. Moody and Sankey would be shocked at her for +desecration of the Sabbath or praise her for singing one of their +tunes. Probably they would split the difference and tell her she was +a good girl, with a hint tacked on that a little went a long way. +Well, this is a confounded lot of rubbish I've been writing, but I +make it a point never to send an unfilled sheet across the Atlantic, +and there is absolutely nothing to write about in all these places. +You talk of Dawlish being a dead-and-alive hole, but it's a fool to +Ottawa in this respect. It may be a go-ahead _country_, but the +_towns_ stand perfectly still. The prevailing sounds on Sunday +afternoon are an occasional lumbering kind of tramp along the wooden +pavements, the squalling of stray children, and the bark of stray +dogs. Love to everybody (there's philanthropy for you). + +Your loving Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +P.S.--(Monday night). There is nothing more to say except that I +always feel as reluctant to close a letter as to begin one. + +J. S. C. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 22nd_, '84. + + +My Dear Old Daddy, + +You wrote to me under the expectation of getting a reply from me, so +here you are. Before I proceed further, let me wish you joy, as I +suppose you are married by this time. May God bless you both, and +may your patients have all the faith in your skill as a doctor, and +your honour as a man, that you deserve. I don't know whether to +address to you at Hope Cottage or not, as nobody has told me exactly +when you are to be married, or where you are going when you've been +and gone and done it. Well, by Jove! I know you're a cautious sort +of chap as regards the L.S.D., and that you generally seem to know +about how much coin you ought to have, but if I had your incipient +fortune, I would swear by my own ghost and set up a blacksmith's +shop alongside the Houses of Parliament. I would call myself a +dooke, nothing less. Why it's magnificent. You'll soon be sporting a +donkey cart or a balloon to pay your morning calls in. I would'nt +have horses on any account if I were you, they're vulgar, and then +if you should have to ride anywhere you would make a much greater +sensation on a high mettled donkey with half the attendant personal +danger. + +No time for more at present, old chap. Give my love to your wife, +and believe me, + +Your affectionate Brother, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_October 22nd_, '84. + +Dear Mother, + +As I am also writing to Daddy by this post, I am afraid you will not +get a very long letter. There's a confisticated great buzz-fly +knocking about, and I can't kill him. I told you in my last letter I +would give you some idea of what Ottawa was like, but now the time +has arrove for the ordeal, I don't like it; descriptions of scenery +are not my forte, and they're always uninteresting both to write and +to read. By-the-bye, before I begin, how's old Frank's ear, poor old +chap, I suppose he growled away by himself, till it was found out by +accident by some of you. I hope it will soon be all right again, and +that he will be able to let me know how he is getting on at the +Works, though three words will probably describe the state of +affairs to perfection, "same as usual." Still, I should like to know +what Major says to him, and if he or any other members of that +fossilized firm are beginning to wake up to a consciousness of his +merits. You know, it's always been my idea, that they will find out +that they have let the two best men they ever had slip through their +fingers, namely, the two senior engineering members of this +remarkable family, and that it will eventually occur to them that +they had perhaps better hold on to the third. The fact of their +giving him 22/- a week while they are sacking other men looks +promising for my theory, and if only he can establish a claim to any +particular qualification, he may yet succeed in drawing some sort of +a prize, where I, and even Pot, have only succeeded in drawing +blanks. I believe Frank does possess a special qualification, and +that is a power of managing and organizing work. Drawing or +designing, etc., is not his strong point, though he would often +succeed in that, as the tortoise, where many a hare would fail; but +give him an erecting job or anything of that sort, and he would so +arrange that the work first wanted should be first ready. This does +not sound very much to boast of, but it is a very useful knack to +have. I certainly do not possess anything of it, and many a scrape I +get into at the Works through forgetting to order certain things at +the proper time. For instance, when I had a dredger to get ready for +action, it was found, when it came to the scratch, that there was no +scum cock for the boiler, no posts for the handrails, etc.. etc. I +was more sinned against than sinning that time however, as the job +was suddenly thrown on my hands, when Pot left the Works in a state +of semi-completion, and I did not know, and in the hap-hazard way +things were done there, I could not find out whether certain details +had been ordered or not. I believe, had Frank been given that job +and told the dredger was to be chiefly the same as number so-and-so, +that every drawing would have been sent out in proper order, and +every question as to alteration, etc., broached in proper time, so +that, when the bosses came to see it tried, it would have worked +well without delay. + +That's a very long eulogium on the poor dear "smiler;" let's hope it +will also turn out to be true of him. Do you ever hear from the old +Coke? I suppose you do too, though it seems as if from London to +Dawlish was so short a distance it was scarcely worth writing. How's +he getting on, and which is he? A manager or a millionaire, or, +peradventure, a clerk? Tell Pot to let me know as soon as he makes +his first tanner from his invention, and I will stand myself a cigar +in honour of the occasion. I ought to write him a jaw too, but in +case I shouldn't be able to at present, just tell him, please, that +even supposing he fails in getting the advantages of his machine +recognised in England, he would stand quite as good, if not a better +chance, of doing so here. This country, or better still as I +believe, the States, is far more ready and willing to accept and +make use of improvements than the old one, and he may possibly not +know that an English patent does not hold good here, and vice-versa, +though both countries are under English rule. Just to give you an +instance of the go-ahead nature of the Works here, I can tell you +that Hartley, my employer, has had sixteen patents to procure from +one Works alone, in the space of six months. I believe it is a large +saw mill, or any way there's a large saw mill connected with them, +for the machine I am engaged upon now is for sharpening saws, and +they light their Works by gas. "made from sawdust," which is another +of their patents. + +Well, I've got off the scenery so far, and there's the weather to +come yet, lots of it too. We've been having no end of weather +lately. Sunday was cold and dull, nearly freezing the whole day. +Monday ditto, with the addition of a breeze. Tuesday, no breeze, and +as warm as toast, simply a beautiful summer's day. Wednesday just as +hot, but blowing hard, and to-day. Thursday, cold as ever, and still +blowing. I suppose at this time of year it's bound to change any +five minutes. _Friday._--I must mail this in about an hour, but half +that time would suffice to run me dry. By-the-bye, I may as well +tell you that my watch goes beautifully. It needed a good deal of +regulating, and that took a long time, but at length I have got it +quite near enough to perfection for all practical purposes. It gains +steadily now at the rate of about a minute and a half a week. I have +timed it by a gun that is fired every day at noon from the grounds +of the Houses of Parliament. It goes off by electricity, I believe, +or the time is given by electricity from Montreal. Doesn't it sound +rather funny, to hear of the _grounds_ of the Houses of Parliament? +It would to a Londoner, I know, but such is the case. There is such +heaps of room everywhere in this great draughty country, that they +may just as well take twenty acres for their buildings as two, +that's just about it, I should think; it must be quite twenty, and +not a single flower or, even as far as I know, a flowering shrub in +the place; nothing but level lawns and walks or roads, beautifully +kept, I admit. Anyone of the lawns would make half-a-dozen +first-rate tennis courts, but the whole affair, seen from a little +distance, looks like a painted scene. It's just a mass of even green +relieved or embarrassed, as the case may be, by the straight up and +down yellow houses, which houses also, in my opinion, have precious +little architectural beauty to boast of, bar the centre one, +perhaps, which is the house of Parl., par excellence, the others +being only departmental ones. There is a very jolly walk, though +round at the back of them, where I went last Sunday, you see the +houses with their grounds occupy a sort of promontory, which juts +out into the river, or rather into a little lake formed by it at its +bend. The lawns must be from eighty to one hundred feet above the +level of the water, and it is about half way down the banks, which +are more than steep, that the walk in question runs. Fifty years ago +this must have been one of the prettiest spots in Canada, and now +anyone standing there has only the great wooden-looking houses at +his back, and a colony of saw mills in front. The saw mills are +out-and-out the most interesting of the two. The amount of wood cut +up there every day is enormous. I believe Ottawa is the lumbering +centre of Canada; any way, there are acres and acres of wood all cut +up into planks or battens, and stacked thirty feet high and as close +as possible, yet it all looks new, which shows that it must be +shipped away at an enormous rate. Going to shut up now suddenly. +Give my love to Miss Harley, or something a little milder if you +would rather, and believe me, with love also to the rest of the +family circle, which will now, I suppose, include a Mrs. Daddy +Cockburn, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa. + +_November 7th_, '84. + + +Dear Mother, + +This is Friday night again, and I have not begun a letter till now, +but the pure fact of the matter is, that I can say all I have got to +say in about ten minutes. I have been making enquiries in accessible +quarters about rents and taxes, etc., and it seems to me that in the +towns at any rate they are just as high as they are in England. Most +of the houses in the quiet, respectable sort of streets average +about twenty to twenty-five dollars per month, including everything +but water-rate, which is three dollars per month. The cost of living +I should say, is decidedly less, or else how can lodging-house +keepers board and lodge people for from three-and-a-half to five +dollars per week in the towns, and from as low as two-and-a-half in +the country. Of course, I can't tell you anything about the actual +cost of the different articles of food. I would as soon go and +bargain with a linen draper about a fathom of calico as go and +enquire the price of vegetables while standing between two fat old +market women. You see I know precious little about the country, bar +half-a-day or so spent at Hardy's farm, I have never been out of the +towns. Every time I sit down to write to you I spend half my time +thinking who I can tackle on the subjects of your enquiries, and +every time all that comes of it is, ask Barnet. Barnet and Hartley +are the only two people I know here as yet; the former, you know, is +the man that got me my job. He put my name down yesterday for a +member of "The St. Andrew's Society;" the subscription is one dollar +per annum, and the avowed objects of the Society are the finding out +and assisting of needy or unfortunate Scotchmen. I did not join on +account of any charitable feelings toward my countrymen, but simply +for the purpose of making acquaintances. It will all help in making +general enquiries about the country. Besides, who knows if I may not +be in want of a kilt myself some day. (When I send you a photo' of +myself in full war paint you'll know I am hard up again). Talking +about clothing matters, I do not think they are much, if at all, +more expensive than in England. You can get a very good great-coat +or a suit of clothes for ten dollars, though of course that is +mostly in the ready-made department. I asked to-day what a coat like +my ulster would cost, and they said from 20 to 24 dollars, equal +from £4 3s. 4d. to £5. The price in Gateshead was £4 10s. So it +seems that clothes made to order are very much the same, and ready +made are perhaps rather dearer. I got a fur collar put on my +monkey-jacket, which cost 7 dollars; it's a good deal, but I may be +able to do without a fur cap, as the collar when turned up comes +nearly up to the top of my head; it's just about six inches deep of +beaver skin, which, being a light brown, looks simply swagger on my +dark brown coat. We have had a taste of winter here lately, and +though the thermometer did not go much below 10 or 15 degrees under +freezing temperature, the wind, which blew hard, cut so sharply that +I felt certain that when it got 40 or 50 degrees colder I should +feel very glad I had got a warm animal on my throat. There was about +two or three inches of snow which nearly all thawed before it froze. +The snow fell on Tuesday, then it turned to rain, which continued in +a regular down-pour till Wednesday morning, by which time the +streets were a sight to behold. Spark Street, the principal mud path +in Ottawa, looked like a canal of pea soup. It was covered from one +end to the other with about three inches of liquid mud. One +enterprising shop rigged up a canoe and moored it to the side walk, +all decorated with flags, and with "boats or yachts on hire" painted +in large letters. That night I went to an oyster feed at Hartley's. +I had made up my mind to be bored, but was most agreeably +disappointed. Hartley met me at the door, and immediately began +offering me all that his house contained in the way of dry socks, +slippers, etc. From the moment he appeared in a smoking-cap and +dressing-gown, with a tremendous pipe, leading the way, I knew I had +not come out for nothing. We went slick up to his den, where he put +a box of famous cigars by my side, and a box of chessmen and a board +in front. I played away perfectly happy as you may imagine, and with +the assistance of three smokes succeeded in vanquishing all comers, +including my "boss" himself. He evidently thought he had got me +easily, for he had taken two or three of my pieces, but I had laid a +foul plot, and at last "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the +fold" and I nobbled his king without a struggle. We then adjourned +to visit the oysters; there were two great washing-basins chock +full, and we all squatted round in the kitchen and set to work to +get rid of them as fast as we could open them. I lasted them all +out, and finished both dishes. I guess I did about four or five +dozen. Misfortunes never come singly, no more do the opposite, and +next day I had some more in the regular fare of my diggings. What do +you think of that for a boarding-house? And last night I had some +more again in an eating-house. They are only 20 cents a dozen, and +very good. + +This is a fearful scrawl, but it's being done at a tremendous rate +to see if I can't fill up this sheet before mail time. By jove! no, +it's a quarter to eight. Love to everybody. + +J. SETON COCKBURN. + + + + +202, Bank Street, +Ottawa, + +_November 12th_, '84. + + +My Dear Mother, + +This letter is as usual addressed to you and meant for a good many +other people besides. Firstly, I think I shall have to start some +sort of arrangement by which I shall be able to find out, on +reference to it, what the subject-matter of such-and-such a letter +was.--In fact, what I really want is a copying-press, for I can't +remember what I have told you in answer to your letters and what I +have not, and I notice the same questions occur in a good many of +them. Well, I sha'nt get a copying-press anyhow, I'll practice +self-denial, and get a five-cent. diary instead. Talking about +cents. reminds me of an item of news concerning money. Money will +undoubtedly go further here than in the old country, but it needs a +more determined economy to make it do so, and the reason is that +it's all in such small pieces. The only coins are half-dollars, +quarters, ten and five cent, pieces, and the copper cents.--of these +the cents. and half-dollars are comparatively rare. As a rule, the +lowest price charged for anything is five cents. It is such an +insignificant little piece of tin, and there are such _a tremendous +lot of them knocking about_. I don't think I have had a quarter of a +dollar's worth of copper through my fingers since I've been in the +country. There is scarcely any use for them except for stamp-money +and to give to beggars, which happily are also rare. In England the +small silver coins are almost useless, and the prices of different +things vary by pence or half-pence. One goes into an hotel, for +instance, for a glass of beer and forks out twopence, or a packet of +cigarette papers, one penny. There it goes up from the pence to the +shillings, and from the shillings to the pound, and the shillings +form a sort of barrier between the small every-day expenses (that +_might be avoided_) and the pounds which are the real wealth. Here +the practical scale of money is 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc., cents. +I got in a rage and smashed my pen because the brute would'nt write, +which has blown all my sophistries, as Daddy would call them, to the +winds, so I'll shut up for to-night. Now here's a new pen and a new +night, Friday night too, so I must look sharp. I don't think my +sophistries need much addition, being quite as clear as mud as they +are. In England there are a hundred half-pence to four and twopence, +and as many different prices for different things according to their +value. Here there are also a hundred cents. to the dollar, but +practically only twenty different prices. Therefore, one very soon +looks upon a five-cent piece in about the same light as one would +look at an English penny. This is a horrible pen; it's like writing +with the dirty point of a pin. Now to answer father's postscript +which I had overlooked till last night. As yet the weather is too +mild to need more than a thin overcoat, though it is prophesied that +we are going to have an exceptionally severe winter. Be that as it +may, I shall wait until it comes before spending any more money. I +have blued ten dols. already in winter preparations--seven in a +collar for my monkey-jacket, with a view to protecting my gullet +against the old attacks; and three in having my ulster lined round +the back and chest with chamois leather, for I found in the late +spell of cold weather, which however was a mere nothing, that it let +the wind through pretty quick. I have asked the price of furs +generally, and the different sorts in particular. I have some +recollection of being told by one house, I think in Montreal, that +furs were dearer here than they were in England, because they had to +be sent over there to be worked up, and then brought back here +again. I should not believe too much of that, however, as it is +quite as likely as not that it was the preface to an extra five +dollars on the price, in view of my being an evident stranger to the +country. A tailor here, the man that has done my coats for me, says +he will line my ulster with minx or racoon, or the something +ratskin, for 18 dollars, and, as I told mother in my last letter, he +would make just such an ulster for 20 to 25 dols., so that you could +get a very good fur-lined coat for 40 dollars, or about eight +guineas. Of course the furs I have mentioned are not beautiful soft +affairs like beaver or sealskin, but I imagine they are almost if +not quite as warm. I tried on a coat to-day, while pricing different +things, of Australian grey bear. The fur was very thick and fairly +soft, and I felt about 10 degrees warmer the moment I got inside it. +It was made entirely out of the fur (hair outside), and lined with +some sort of black soft canvas stuff. The price was 25 dols., but it +was too thick and cumbersome to be useful for anything but driving +or travelling. I have not got to the end of my researches upon this +subject, so I will write more when I learn more. I don't know yet +what the cost of lining a long coat with one of the better furs +would be. Father asked if I had got all instruments I wanted, as he +said Pot might send them out to me. I think I can manage with what I +have got now. I had to buy them, as I could not wait to write to +England. They ran away with another ten dols., and have turned out +anything but A 1. I cannot answer all your questions yet, Mother, +but here is something. There are plenty of small 10 to 18 acre farms +about Ottawa, at a rent of from 60 to 100 dols. per annum, though +the houses on them are generally pretty bad. This is a very +difficult question to get to the bottom of, as there are no estate +agents here that I can find, consequently all enquiries have to be +made through private friends, which takes time, and also a certain +amount of caution, in this inquisitive community. But I am learning +more every day, and you shall have it all as fast as I get it. + +In haste, + +Your loving Son, +J. SETON COCKBURN. + +Love to everybody, as usual. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Canada for Gentlemen, by James Seton Cockburn + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CANADA FOR GENTLEMEN *** + +This file should be named cngtm10.txt or cngtm10.zip +Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks get a new NUMBER, cngtm11.txt +VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, cngtm10a.txt + +Produced by Stan Goodman, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. +This file was produced from images generously made available by the +Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions. + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. 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