Life in the Clearings versus the BushMoodie, Susanna
History
Life in the Clearings versus the Bush
Moodie, Susanna
Frontier and pioneer life -- Ontario; Moodie, Susannah, 1803-1885; Ontario -- Description and travel
"I dare not think--I cannot pray;
To name the name of God were sin:
No grief of mine can wash away
The consciousness of guilt within.
The stain of blood is on my hand,
The curse of Cain is on my brow;--
I see that ghastly phantom stand
Between me and the sunshine now!
That mocking face still haunts my dreams,
That blood-shot eye that never sleeps,
In night and darkness--oh, it gleams,
Like red-hot steel--but never weeps!
And still it bends its burning gaze
On mine, till drops of terror start
From my hot brow, and hell's fierce blaze
Is kindled in my brain and heart.
I long for death, yet dare not die,
Though life is now a weary curse;
But oh, that dread eternity
May bring a punishment far worse!"
So much has been written about the city of Kingston, so lately the seat
of government, and so remarkable for its fortifications, and the
importance it ever must be to the colony as a military depot and
place of defence, that it is not my intention to enter into a minute
description of it here. I was greatly pleased, as I think every stranger
must be, with its general aspect, particularly as seen from the water,
in which respect it has a great advantage over Toronto. The number of
vessels lying at the different wharfs, and the constant arrival of noble
steamers both from the United States and the Upper and Lower Province,
give it a very business-like appearance. Yet, upon landing, you are
struck with the want of stir and bustle in the principal thoroughfares,
when contrasted with the size and magnitude of the streets.
The removal of the seat of government has checked the growth of Kingston
for a while; but you feel, while examining its commanding position, that
it must always be the key of the Upper Province, the great rallying
point in case of war or danger. The market house is a very fine
building, and the wants of the city could be supplied within its area,
were it three times the size that it is at present. The market is
decidedly one of the chief attractions of the place.
The streets are wide and well paved, and there are a great many fine
trees in and about Kingston, which give to it the appearance of a
European town. The houses are chiefly of brick and stone along the
public thoroughfares, and there are many neat private dwellings
inclosed in trim well-kept gardens. The road leading to the Provincial
Penitentiary runs parallel with the water, and forms a delightful drive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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