Canada -- Description and travel; Canada -- Emigration and immigration
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
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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