Toronto of Old: Collections and recollections illustrative of the early settlement and social life of the capital of OntarioScadding, Henry
History
Toronto of Old: Collections and recollections illustrative of the early settlement and social life of the capital of Ontario
Scadding, Henry
Toronto (Ont.) -- Description and travel; Toronto (Ont.) -- History
man's watch was dashed to pieces by the Indian, as though it had been a
sentient thing, conspiring in some mysterious way with other things, to
promote the ascendancy of the stranger.
The youthful perpetrators of the violence referred to were not long in
learning practically the futility of such exploits. Good old Mr. James
Baby, on handing to his son Raymond the amount which that youth was
required to pay as his share of the heavy damages awarded, as a matter
of course, by the jury on the occasion, is said to have added:--"There!
go and make one great fool of yourself again!"--a sarcastic piece of
advice that might have been offered to each of the parties concerned.
A few steps northward, on the east side of Frederick Street, was the
first Post Office, on the premises of Mr. Allan, who was postmaster; and
southward, where this street touches the water, was the Merchants'
Wharf, also the property of Mr. Allan; and the Custom House, where Mr.
Allan was the Collector. We gather also from Calendars of the day that
Mr. Allan was likewise Inspector of Flour, Pot and Pearl Ash; and
Inspector of Shop, Still and Tavern Duties. In an early, limited
condition of society, a man of more than the ordinary aptitude for
affairs is required to act in many capacities.
The Merchants' Wharf was the earliest landing-place for the larger craft
of the lake. At a later period other wharves or long wooden jetties,
extending out into deep water, one of them named the Farmers' Wharf,
were built westward. In the shoal water between the several wharves, for
a long period, there was annually a dense crop of rushes or flags. The
town or county authorities incurred considerable expense, year after
year, in endeavouring to eradicate them--but, like the heads of the
hydra, they were always re-appearing. In July, 1821, a "Mr. Coles'
account for his assistants' labour in destroying rushes in front of the
Market Square," was laid before the County magistrates, and audited,
amounting to £13 6_s._ 3_d._ In August of the same year, the minutes of
the County Court record that "Capt. Macaulay, Royal Engineers, offered
to cut down the rushes in front of the town between the Merchants' Wharf
and Cooper's Wharf, for a sum not to exceed ninety dollars, which would
merely be the expense of the men and materials in executing the
undertaking: his own time he would give to the public on this occasion,
as encouragement to others to endeavour to destroy the rushes when they
become a nuisance;" it was accordingly ordered "that ninety dollars be
paid to Capt. Macaulay or his order, for the purpose of cutting down the
rushes, according to his verbal undertaking to cut down the same, to be
paid out of the Police or District funds in the hands of the Treasurer
of the District."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account